Chapter 32: Why Did It Come to This?

The two of them were clearly worried that he might be angry because they had returned a step ahead of him without waiting.

If not for their explanation, Wang Xuezhou would have forgotten about them entirely. Feeling a bit awkward, he said, "My uncle ran into a bit of trouble, so he left in quite a hurry. Later, I bumped into my teacher and just followed him back; I hadn't had the chance to look for you two yet."

Both of them let out a sigh of relief simultaneously: "That’s a relief!"

Zhao Xing sighed about his own bad luck in having no gains for the day, and then went to wash up. Qi Xian also packed up his belongings, waiting for school to end the next day so he could go home.

Wang Xuezhou threw all thoughts of his uncle to the back of his mind and collapsed into bed.

...

Zhu An returned to the backyard of the county magistrate's office, feeling dispirited. As soon as he entered, he saw his father waiting for him.

He walked over slowly and bowed, "Father."

Magistrate Zhu felt a flicker of amusement seeing him like this, though his face remained unreadable. "How do you feel today?"

Zhu An pursed his lips in displeasure and sat down on a nearby chair. "You were upstairs today, so you must have seen the whole thing. If you want to laugh at your son, go ahead."

Magistrate Zhu sipped his tea and spoke leisurely, "I have told you before that there is always someone better, and heaven beyond heaven. Never underestimate any opponent. You stumbled today, didn't you?"

"I have been tutored by my father since I was three, and by age five, I was already studying under a *Juren* scholar back home. By eight, I passed the prefectural examination, and now, at nine, I am preparing for the academic examination next year. While I wouldn't dare claim to be exceptionally brilliant, even my teachers have praised my extraordinary natural talent. Yet, that boy today—he is young, and his family background seems poor. Whether it is his starting point or his teacher, he should be inferior to me. Why did this happen?"

"Is it possible that there really are people in this world whose talent is so superior that they can surpass me so easily?"

Seeing that today's events had dealt a significant blow to his son, Magistrate Zhu straightened his expression.

"In ancient times, Gan Luo became a chancellor at twelve, Cao Chong gained fame throughout the world by weighing an elephant at six, and Luo Binwang was famous for his poetry at seven. An’er, this world has never lacked people of exceptional talent. Although you have attained the status of a *Tongsheng* at this age, within the great clans, you would only be considered above average. Therefore, you must never look down on anyone, even if they seem inferior to you in every way."

"Throughout history, there have been many with extraordinary gifts. The one who laughs last is the true winner. For you, the imperial examination is just a routine, but for them, it is a chance to change their destiny. They must put in every ounce of effort just to stand out from the crowd. On this path, you will encounter countless such opponents in the future, so you must never underestimate them, nor can you slack off."

"However, my son, you need not belittle yourself. That child today indeed has remarkable talent, but it was not 'easy' for him. I know his teacher."

"Although he is only a *Xiucai* and has not attained the rank of *Juren* or *Jinshi*, his scholarship is not necessarily inferior to those who have."

Zhu An brightened slightly: "Father, why do you say that?"

Magistrate Zhu sighed: "That child's teacher is named Zhou Mingli, from the Zhou clan of Yuhang. There, the custom is 'propriety and music in every household, poetry and books for everyone.' It is a atmosphere we cannot even imagine here. With such a flourishing literary culture, you can imagine how difficult it is for students there."

"The entire Yuhang region has ten prefectures and thousands of *Xiucai*, yet the quota for each provincial examination is only forty. That averages to only four spots per prefecture. One must compete not only in scholarship but also in social connections, physical health, talent, and reputation. This Master Zhou simply lacked the luck..."

Magistrate Zhu’s expression grew complex, and he said no more.

Zhu An asked in surprise: "Then why did he come here?"

It wasn't that Yongzhou was bad, but it was not only far from Yuhang, the academic atmosphere was significantly worse.

"That is someone else's private business; it is not for me to say," Magistrate Zhu said, looking at his son earnestly. "For the academic examination next year, whether you pass or not is unimportant. You are only nine, you have plenty of time; this is just to gain experience. My intention in bringing you here remains the same: I want you to study under Master Zhou. Has your opinion changed after today?"

Magistrate Zhu had mentioned it before, but his son had been furious upon hearing the teacher was only a *Xiucai* and had flatly refused without listening to any explanation. Now, after what had happened, Magistrate Zhu believed his son must have changed his mind.

This time, Zhu An did not object strongly; he only said with some reluctance, "I haven't even taken the academic examination yet, how can you be so sure I won't pass?"

...

After a night without dreams, Wang Xuezhou stepped into the classroom the next day, feeling full of energy.

Unlike other days, when Master Zhou entered the classroom today, he looked around at everyone and spoke in a deep voice: "Those who sit here today are all aiming for the imperial examinations, so I will speak plainly."

"To you, the imperial examination is the only proper path; everything else is merely a side track."

"If you focus on small gains, you will never achieve great things. Do not lose the big picture for the sake of the small. Today, I leave you with this saying: 'A gentleman is cautious at the beginning; a difference of a hair's breadth leads to a thousand miles of error.'"

"I say this to urge you: in everything you do, you must take it seriously. Do not be careless in the slightest. Any small oversight can lead to unforeseeable consequences. I hope you will keep this in mind."

"Yes!" the students replied in unison.

Zhao Xing and Qi Xian felt uneasy and lowered their heads in shame. They felt the teacher was referring to them spending time outside after school; he was pointing at them, wasn't he?

Wang Xuezhou also realized this, but his thoughts were different. He was not a true child; he could not just calmly suck the blood of his family while sitting here in peace, ignoring the world outside. Studying was certainly important, but money was also of paramount importance. As long as it didn't affect his studies, it would be fine...

Just as he was thinking this, he felt Master Zhou's gaze shift toward him, and he immediately refocused his attention on the lecture. He could clearly feel that from the moment Master Zhou finished speaking, the teacher had been watching him very closely.

For instance, in the morning, after he finished familiarizing himself with the *Youxue Qionglin*, he had to recite the content according to Master Zhou's requirements, memorize the characters, and practice calligraphy.

In the afternoon, he followed Zhao Xing and the others to study the *Analects*, which required not only reading through the content but also reciting the interpretations.

Lü Dasheng watched, dumbfounded. During a break, he scurried over and asked crudely: "How did you offend the teacher? Why are you being targeted so severely today?"

The amount of study Wang Xuezhou had to do in one morning was enough for him to study for a whole day, not to mention the afternoon's coursework. Even Zheng Guangyuan and the others pricked up their ears, wanting to know what was going on.

Wang Xuezhou rolled his eyes at Lü Dasheng, picked up the *Analects*, and began to recite loudly: "Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?..."

Seeing him like this, Lü Dasheng turned his head away: "Hmph! Even if you don't tell me, I'll find out sooner or later!"

Today, school ended early for the rest day. Everyone else rushed out of the classroom, but Wang Xuezhou had to finish a sheet of calligraphy before he could leave.

At this time, a "sheet of calligraphy" did not mean writing a single large character. It was a sheet where one could write twenty or thirty characters. It seemed Master Zhou had taken his age into account and assigned him a manageable amount of writing.

Pen, ink, paper, and inkstone were precious. He took them out, carefully ground the ink as the teacher had taught, dipped his brush, and solemnly laid a stroke on the yellow bamboo paper. Then—

He watched as the edge of that horizontal stroke seemed to grow barbs, spreading rapidly.

He sighed helplessly. The stationery he was currently using was just too poor...

He became even more careful, finally finishing the thirty characters.

When the ink first hit the paper, although the characters weren't particularly beautiful, they didn't bleed into a blob of ink, nor did the horizontal and vertical strokes separate. Wang Xuezhou was reasonably satisfied and handed in the work.

Master Zhou closed his eyes and opened them again, saying to him gently: "You wrote quite conscientiously. You may go home now."

Wang Xuezhou's face lit up, and he bowed respectfully: "Goodbye, Master."

Watching him walk away, Zhou Mingli immediately tossed the paper aside, stood up, and muttered to himself: "It really hurts my eyes! I need to go rinse them..."