Chapter 27: The First Match of the Arena (I)

Early the next morning, the four boys followed their master by ox cart to the county academy. Wang Gui and Tang Huai had stayed up late the night before studying, and both were looking quite weary, yawning incessantly throughout the journey.

Yue Fei, grinding his teeth in frustration, whispered, "I told you repeatedly last night not to stay up late, but you wouldn't listen. What if this affects your performance later?"

Li Yanqing smiled and said, "It's fine. They are just mud bodhisattvas anyway, only there to make a show of it. As long as they don't fall asleep, it’s enough."

"Brother Qing, why does that sound so awkward?" Tang Huai rolled his eyes.

"Let’s put it this way: you two are the commander-in-chief and his deputy, responsible only for holding the line. Let me and Old Yue handle the rough work of charging into battle."

Wang Gui grinned, "I like the sound of that. I’m the commander, and Old Tang is my deputy. Now... where is our vanguard officer, Li Yanqing?"

"Shut your mouths!" their master, Yao Ding, snapped, glaring back at Wang Gui.

Wang Gui shrank back, sticking out his tongue in fear.

The county academy was located in the northeast corner of the town, an area designated as the cultural hub of Tangyin County. To the north lay the Confucian Temple, to the south the Bao'en Temple, and in the center stood the academy itself. As the largest complex in the county, it spanned over a hundred acres and contained hundreds of classrooms and dormitories. The grandest structure, the Diligence Hall, was so imposing that even the county magistrate's office seemed modest by comparison.

The academy housed over five hundred students. Besides the young scholars, many older men who had failed the imperial examinations repeatedly also lingered there.

The main gate was a stone archway inscribed with four characters: "Legacy of the Ji Scholars."

Beside it stood a ten-foot-tall stone stele bearing an inscription by Su Shi: "Observe broadly and extract the essence; accumulate deeply and release sparingly."

However, the stele clearly showed signs of fire damage and chisel marks, and the name "Su Shi" at the bottom had been recarved, suggesting it had survived some past catastrophe.

As they reached the steps, Tang Zongzong hurried out to greet them. He was responsible for arranging the competition venues, as well as preparing tea and rest areas.

In truth, he had a more vital task: guarding the Lushan Town Academy against sabotage. Cheating and dirty tricks were long-standing traditions of the Children’s Association competition, with bizarre incidents occurring every year. Two years ago, the Tangyin County Academy had used their status as landlords to hide cheat sheets in the desks; last year, the Tangbei Township Academy had suffered a collective bout of food poisoning. Thus, having someone sharp and capable was crucial.

So far, however, the Lushan Town Academy had gone four years in a row without incident, leaving Tang Zongzong with little to do.

Tang Zongzong approached Yao Ding and whispered, "I heard that He Zhen paid a secret visit to Assistant Magistrate Ma last night."

Yao Ding frowned. "Surely they wouldn't go that far to deal with our Lushan Town?"

Tang Zongzong sneered, "It seems the Weinan Town Academy is eager to reach the finals."

The implication was clear: the Weinan Town Academy was already preparing for tomorrow’s semi-finals.

Yao Ding let out a huff. "We shall see if things go as they wish!"

After a few steps, Yao Ding pulled Li Yanqing aside and whispered, "If they draw the couplet category, write that couplet about reading. We’ll secure that point for sure."

Li Yanqing hesitated. "But what if they have specific requirements?"

Yao Ding smiled. "They certainly will, but since you could write that first couplet, you will have no trouble with others."

Li Yanqing offered a bitter internal smile; only heaven knew if he could pull it off again when the time came.

...

Four rounds of competition were scheduled for today to eliminate four teams. Tomorrow would be the semi-finals to eliminate two more, followed by the grand final the day after.

Beyond the main hall, the Diligence Hall featured four side halls where the today’s matches would take place. The judges included the magistrate, the assistant magistrate, and the academy principal. Since one hall lacked a judge, three professors from the academy were tapped to fill the vacancy.

Lushan Hall was assigned to the third side hall, presided over by the three professors. While everyone called it a "tournament," the actual name of the contest was "Debate Trial," a traditional scholarly competition dating back to the Spring and Autumn period.

The two sides sat opposite each other. One team would pose a question, and the other would consult before answering. The specific categories were drawn on the spot. Generally, each side posed three questions; if they ended in a tie, the judges would pose individual questions until a winner was decided.

The judges also oversaw the fairness of the questions. If they deemed a question too devious, they could order it voided. If a side had their questions voided three times, the judges would take over the questioning.

The questions were prepared in advance by the teachers. Yao Ding had brought a large bundle into town containing all the materials he had prepared.

A bell rang, and the students entered the hall. The masters had to sit at the entrance, barred from entering, and were required to face away from the field, allowed only to listen without speaking or making any gestures.

The three judges, white-haired old scholars, sat at the north end. Weinan Town sat to the east, and Lushan Town to the west. Four mats were laid out in a row. The students wore white Confucian robes and scholarly caps, looking quite like disciples of the sages.

The four youths from Weinan Town were all tall and handsome, looking confident and spirited, clearly determined to win.

In contrast, the four students from Lushan Town were much younger, wearing ill-fitting clothes that made them look somewhat comical. Two of them appeared sluggish, and one couldn't help but yawn, causing the three judges to frown and lose their initial impression.

Master He Zhen looked smug, sneering repeatedly at Yao Ding. It was as if he were saying, "Why bother competing? Just admit defeat and save yourselves the humiliation."

This was hardly surprising; last year, when Lushan Town Academy faced the Tangyin County Academy, they had failed to answer a single one of the three questions posed, becoming the laughingstock of the county.

Yao Ding’s face remained grim; no one knew what he was thinking.

Another bell rang, and the debate officially began.

The chief judge stood up and said slowly, "Although everyone is familiar with the rules, I must read them once more. First, regarding eligibility: participants must be official students of their academy, between the ages of six and thirteen."

Li Yanqing felt as though this rule had been tailored for him; he was likely the youngest participant in the history of the Children’s Association.

The chief judge read very slowly, and it took a full quarter-hour to finish all thirteen rules. Just then, Wang Gui began to squirm, whispering, "Brother Qing, I can't hold it anymore."

A judge above frowned and asked, "Does the Lushan Academy have any questions?"

Li Yanqing raised his hand. "Nature calls. May we use the latrine?"

The hall erupted in laughter. Seeing how young they were, the chief judge suppressed a smile and waved his hand. "Good thing we haven't drawn the topics yet. Go quickly!"

Wang Gui and Tang Huai scrambled out, and even Yao Ding couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

When the two returned, Yue Fei glared at them; such a thing had never happened before.

"Very well. According to the rules, the stronger shall yield. Master Yao of Lushan Town, please come forward to draw the topic."

This was a humiliating moment, as everyone knew the strength lay with Weinan and the weakness with Lushan. Yet, there was no way around it; without the shame of this moment, there would be no motivation for the years to come. Academic competition was as cruel as it was instructive.

Yao Ding, his face ashen, stepped forward and drew a bamboo slip, handing it to the chief judge. The judge glanced at it and announced in a loud voice, "Scripture Recitation."

As soon as the category was announced, the Weinan side beamed with joy; their luck was excellent.

There were five types of questions: Scripture Recitation, Poetry, Archery, Miscellaneous Trivia, and Impromptu Composition.

Scripture Recitation was the easiest, while Impromptu Composition—composing a poem or lyric on the spot—was the hardest. Archery was the most unconventional. As one of the Six Arts, the magistrate had included it as a category. Of course, it referred to "literary archery"—tossing arrows into a pot—and it was not mandatory; one could exchange the draw if they wished.

The four students had their roles: Yue Fei was the lead questioner, Li Yanqing the lead responder, and Wang Gui and Tang Huai were the secondary questioner and responder. This was exactly why Yao Ding had insisted on bringing Li Yanqing and Yue Fei to the competition; in truth, these two were all they really needed.

Five sets of questions were laid out before Yue Fei, three for each category, arranged by difficulty.

Yue Fei picked up the first envelope from the Scripture Recitation pile, pulled out the question, and read aloud: "The Grand Historian says, 'To devise strategies in a command tent and determine victory a thousand miles away.' Pray, tell us, from which chapter does this originate, and to whom does it refer?"