binnovel Chapter 186 First Test of the Eight-Legged Essay
Chapter 186 First Test of the Eight-Legged Essay
Chapter 186 First Test of the Eight-Legged Essay
As the Hua family head finished speaking, everyone fell silent. Ye Ru's discourse on the Dao had actually reached the realm of Yuanhua Rebirth. As a result, who would dare to discuss the Dao with Ye Ru? If he were to summon the ancestor Hua Tuo again and cause another bloodline division, it would be something that no ordinary person's heart could withstand.
Seeing the silence in the room, the head of the Hua family gave a wry smile and then said:
"Since no one is here to discuss the Dao, then this Dao discussion at the Medicine Gathering shall come to an end here."
Upon hearing this, everyone clapped, then stood up and bowed to the Hua family head and Ye Ru before leaving their seats in order.
This is a matter of etiquette.
"Chief Ye has come from afar and must be tired from his journey. In any case, we hope that Chief Ye will do us the honor of staying at my Hua family's residence, so that our Hua family can fulfill our duty as hosts. Chief Ye will not refuse, will he?"
As the other members of the various noble families left one after another, the head of the Hua family spoke to Ye Ru.
"Yes, Ye Ru, why don't you stay at my Hua Sheng family's place? Firstly, it would be good to look after each other, and secondly, I would like to ask you about the theory I mentioned at Qingyan Mountain."
Hua Mufeng also said softly.
Ye Ru and Chen Sijun exchanged a glance, and after seeing the latter's agreement, Ye Ru nodded and said:
"Since that's the case, then I have no choice but to accept your offer. Please don't mind if I cause trouble for Patriarch Hua."
Subsequently, the two moved into the Hua family home under the arrangement of the Hua family head.
The Hua Sheng family, being a noble family of saints, occupies a vast area, complete with pavilions, towers, artificial hills, and streams, resembling a small world.
The Hua family's rooms were also divided into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow. Ye Ru and Chen Sijun, as VIPs, were naturally invited to the Heaven level room.
Looking at the photocopies of the classics displayed on the bookshelf, Ye Ru couldn't help but sigh at the rich heritage of aristocratic families.
"Scholar Chen, I wonder if you could teach me how to write the eight-legged essay?"
After casually flipping through the books, Ye Ru turned to Chen Sijun and said.
"Eight-legged essay? Are you preparing for the provincial examination?"
Sitting in the armchair, Chen Sijun sipped a cup of tea and spoke slowly.
"Yes, we should be prepared for danger in times of peace. Only by being prepared can we avoid trouble. I can't let this matter ruin my studies. I know the saying that of all professions, only studying is noble."
Ye Ru nodded and sat upright in the chair like a student. In this Confucian continent, being a scholar, farmer, artisan, or merchant is not enough for a person to achieve success. Even joining the army requires literacy.
“Good. We cannot put the cart before the horse. Literary rank is the most important. Without literary rank, the Left Prime Minister will surely use all his methods. Only when your literary talents and courage are fully developed can you join forces with the Literary and Military Prime Ministers to counter the Left Prime Minister. Otherwise, the Left Prime Minister will use the tactics of alliances and strategies to gather all the court officials together and will surely defeat you one by one.”
Chen Sijun's expression suddenly turned serious, and then he said in a deep voice.
"Hmm, I wonder how Wang Hu and the others are doing. I heard they went to Xuyou City."
Ye Ru suddenly thought of Wang Hu and the others, sighed inwardly, and then said:
"Well, I'll study the eight-legged essay for the next couple of days. I already know the general structure of the eight-legged essay, now all that's left is to practice."
"I can help you with this. The eight-legged essay is a collection of the Four Books. When students study it, their hearts are gradually filled with moral principles. In this way, their knowledge can be gradually developed and their minds can be rectified. Although the eight-legged essay has its drawbacks, it is the best choice for the imperial examinations nowadays."
Chen Sijun then spread out paper and pen and wrote on it:
"A person of noble character will not seek to live at the expense of righteousness, but will sacrifice his life to achieve righteousness."
After finishing writing, he said with a smile:
"This is a topic from the Analects. You can try writing this eight-legged essay. When I was a student, it took me several months to practice it. It was truly a living hell. If you don't succeed the first time, try a few more times. Now your talent is above mine, half a month should be enough."
Upon hearing this, Ye Ru fell into thought. The meaning of this sentence is easy to understand: People of noble character and benevolence will not be afraid of death and thus harm benevolence; they will only sacrifice their own lives to uphold benevolence.
This saying holds that benevolence is the highest principle. Life is precious, but there is something more precious than life, and that is benevolence. "Sacrificing oneself for benevolence" means that people would rather sacrifice their lives to preserve benevolence and righteousness at critical moments.
"This statement resonates with Mencius's saying: 'Life is what I desire, and righteousness is also what I desire. If I cannot have both, I will give up life for righteousness.'"
After a moment, Ye Rudao said.
"Your ability to draw inferences from one instance to another demonstrates your extraordinary understanding of the classics. If I'm not mistaken, you will definitely rank among the top three in the provincial examination."
A look of surprise flashed across Chen Sijun's eyes, and then she said.
"Then the student wrote down the eight-legged essay for Chen Jinshi to correct."
After saying this, Ye Ru began to write. The first thing to do when choosing a topic from the Analects is to break down the topic. You can only write two sentences to break down the topic. They can be in parallel couplets or not, but you can't go off-topic.
"The reason why a sage is a sage is that his heart is firm and his wisdom is complete."
Chen Sijun nodded as he looked at Ye Ru's solution. A sage who is willing to sacrifice himself for righteousness must have a firm mind. Those who are not mentally stable will never reach the point of sacrificing themselves for righteousness, because in their view, life is the most important thing.
After breaking down the problem, Ye Ru began to elaborate on it according to his own understanding. In modern Chinese terms, this would be interpreted as connecting the preceding and following points:
“A sage’s heart is firm and he will not be misled by external things. Wealth and honor are like fleeting clouds to him. Although life and death are common occurrences for people, there are those who betray their promises and seek only to live a life of ease, and there are those who covet glory and wealth, flattering their superiors and fawning on their inferiors. This is human nature. But I must learn from the sage to sacrifice my life for righteousness.”
After finishing the main point, Ye Ru pondered for a moment. Next, he had to write the opening paragraph, which was the most difficult part. It was the beginning of the discussion and was different from the college entrance examination essay. In the college entrance examination essay, you could achieve a high score by simply listing the deeds of a few great people, supplementing them with gorgeous language, and adding some fabricated famous quotes.
However, the opening must use phrases such as "and so," "I once said," or "If it is said," as this is a fixed pattern that serves to introduce, develop, transition, and conclude the discourse.
After finishing the main text according to the writing format, Ye Ru wiped away his sweat. Writing a traditional essay would probably exhaust all his current thoughts.
After all, writing for the first time is quite a drain on one's talent.
Time passed by, and only the scratching sound of Ye Ru's pen could be heard. Occasionally, Ye Ru would look up and ask Chen Sijun questions, which were always to the point. So much so that the questions he asked later became more and more difficult, leaving Chen Sijun stammering and looking ashamed.
He initially watched Ye Ru's writing with the mindset that it was Ye Ru's first time writing and he was bound to fail. However, as Ye Ru finished writing and began to write, his expression became increasingly shocked.
Although his understanding of the eight-legged essay was still immature, Ye Ru achieved a level of understanding that allowed him to grasp the essence of things instantly and apply it to other situations.
This extraordinary understanding undoubtedly stirred up a storm in Chen Sijun's heart.
"By observing the actions of benevolent people, one can reflect on the actions of the unbenevolent in the world..."
The final paragraph concluded the paper with a long, flowing hand. Ye Ru put down his pen, then looked up at Chen Sijun, only to see that Chen Sijun's face had become extremely blank...