Chapter Thirty-Two: A Fierce Battle in the Second Round

In the rest room, Yue Fei sat heavily on a little stool, clutching the question pouch in his arms and staring blankly at the floor tiles. Li Yanqing sat beside him and urged, “If Master wants to punish us, I’ll take the blame alone. This is our only chance. Unless you no longer want to fight our way into the finals.”

Yue Fei had thought it over again and again throughout the night. Though he admitted that Li Yanqing’s plan was feasible, he knew their master would never let them off lightly afterward. With a sigh, he said, “I still think we should tell Master and seek his approval before we do anything.”

“You know perfectly well that asking would be pointless. Master would never agree. I already told you—I’ll deal with him. Just follow my plan!”

In the end, Yue Fei’s desire for victory overcame his misgivings. Straightening his back, he nodded. “Very well. If Master really means to punish us, we’ll bear it together.”

Wang Gui and Tang Huai had just returned from the latrine when the signal board announcing the contestants’ entrance sounded. The four of them rose and walked into the hall. Beginning with the semifinals, the masters were required to leave the venue. Yao Ding stood outside the window and waved at them, urging them to keep their spirits up.

Inside the main hall, the six examiners had already taken their seats. The chief examiner was still the same old scholar from the previous day.

Tang Huai whispered to Li Yanqing, “See that tallest student at the far end? That’s Zhang You. His father passed the metropolitan examination and now serves in the imperial court.”

Li Yanqing nodded, then noticed that a student of about their age was sitting beside Zhang You. Curious, he asked, “Who is the one next to him? He doesn’t look very old either.”

“I heard he’s Zhang You’s younger brother, Zhang Xian. It’s his first time competing this year as well. I suppose he’s being groomed to take his brother’s place.”

In the seat of honor, Deputy Magistrate Ma Fu sipped his tea while studying Li Yanqing. The boy reminded him of Li Daqi, and an uncontrollable hatred surged through his heart.

He had endured eleven years in office. Four years earlier, he had been on the verge of receiving a promotion, but Li Daqi’s blunder had cost him his only opportunity.

Now he was fifty-three, and he had little hope of advancing for the rest of his life. His son was useless as well, spending his days in brothels and squandering money like water.

And Li Daqi had gained another son capable of carrying on his scholarly legacy. How could Ma Fu possibly remain calm?

A bell rang.

The examination began. The great hall fell utterly silent as the chief examiner rose to announce the rules. Since the masters were absent, the students themselves would select the question types and challenge their opponents. Each type could be used only once, making the contest more dependent on quick thinking and lending it a sharper competitive edge.

“Draw lots for the order!”

At the chief examiner’s shout, Yue Fei and Zhang You stepped forward to draw. Yue Fei drew the answering lot, meaning that the other side would ask the first question and they would answer.

“For our first question, we choose silent recitation. We ask our opponents to recite all three sections of *Discourse on the Qin*.”

Tang Beixiang’s side put forward the first question.

It was not particularly difficult and suited the opening round, but neither was it entirely simple. The challenge required the contestants to recite all three sections of *Discourse on the Qin*. Most people had studied only the first section, ending with the passage about how benevolence and righteousness had not been practiced, and thus the balance between attack and defense had changed. Few had read the middle and final sections. But this posed no difficulty for the students of Lushan Town, since their master had made them memorize the entire work.

Li Yanqing turned to Tang Huai with a smile. “You know this one best. You didn’t miss a single word. You answer.”

It was Tang Huai’s first time standing up to answer a question, and he was extremely nervous. He simply closed his eyes and began reciting slowly:

“The Duke of Xiao of Qin occupied the natural strongholds of the Xiao Mountains and Hangu Pass, possessed the land of Yongzhou, and had his ruler and ministers hold fast while spying upon the royal house of Zhou. He harbored ambitions to sweep across the world, seize all within the four seas, swallow the eight directions, and conquer every wilderness…”

His pace was slow, and he was tense at first. But as he continued, his nervousness gradually faded. His eyes opened, and it was as if he had returned to the classroom. He recited with ease, growing more fluent with every sentence.

At last he came to the end:

“As the old proverb says: ‘Do not forget what has gone before, for what comes after may learn from it. Therefore, when governing a state, a wise ruler observes antiquity, tests it against the present, compares it with human affairs, examines the principles behind prosperity and decline, weighs the fitness of power and circumstance, advances or withdraws in proper order, and changes with the times. In this way, even after many years, the state may remain secure.’”

Only after he finished did Tang Huai suddenly realize that he had completed the recitation. He cast a frightened glance at the examiners and hurried back to his seat.

“Brother Qing, did I get anything wrong?” he asked nervously.

“Not at all. You recited it more fluently than any of us.”

At that moment, the chief examiner glanced toward the magistrate. The magistrate nodded, and the chief examiner struck the stone chime once.

“Passed!”

Tang Huai let out a cheer and, carried away by excitement, punched Wang Gui so hard that he knocked him to the floor. He quickly helped him up. “I’m sorry! I forgot myself.”

Rubbing his cheek, Wang Gui grunted, “I’ll answer the next one.”

Now it was their turn to ask a question. After conferring briefly, the four decided on poetry. Yue Fei drew out the question and rose.

“Master Half-Mountain once wrote eighteen poems entitled *The Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute*. Please recite at least fifteen of them.”

Master Half-Mountain was Wang Anshi. He had written countless poems and prose works, including the eighteen poems in *The Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute*. The question itself was not especially difficult, but demanding fifteen poems was effectively the same as demanding all eighteen. Anyone who could recite fifteen would surely know the remaining three as well.

However, Yao Ding’s choice of question seemed suspiciously calculated to curry favor with the magistrate. Deputy Magistrate Ma Fu could not help giving a soft snort.

Though the sound was faint, Magistrate Liu Zhen still heard it. He shot Ma Fu a sharp glance. Chancellor Wang was his teacher—how dare Ma Fu, a partisan of the old Yuanyou faction, slight his master?

The two men were both high officials of Tangyin County, men of standing and authority. At once, they lowered their eyes and composed their expressions, pretending that nothing had happened.

By then, Zhang Xian of Tangbeixiang had reached the ninth poem:

“Having cut myself off from this life, I ask no more of Heaven;
Born a barbarian child, I thought myself destined to be cast away.
At first I clung to the bed, then learned to sit;
In every embrace and caress, I was pitied.
How could I know that distant envoys would ask my name,
Or that sleeves would wipe away tears—sorrow mingled with joy?
There is no grief like parting while still alive;
Yet grief remains because two sons were left in your house.”

All the examiners secretly marveled. It was no wonder the family possessed such a deep scholarly tradition. The elder brother’s ability was extraordinary, and the younger was no less impressive. It seemed the Tangbeixiang school had worthy successors after all.

Although the examination inside the hall was proceeding at a feverish pace, Yao Ding was not standing by the window watching. He sat on the steps, narrowing his eyes at the school gate. The familiar gate drew him into memories of the past.

At sixteen, he had passed the provincial examination. Yet he failed the metropolitan examination five times in succession, wasting fifteen years of his life. Disheartened, he returned to his native Tangyin County and became an assistant instructor at the county school. Before he knew it, twenty years had passed. His children had grown up and married, and his eldest son had even become the school director—his superior.

Yao Ding had gone to the Lushan Town school seven years earlier and intended to spend the rest of his life there. He had never expected to meet someone like Li Yanqing, whose presence had rekindled his hopes for the future.

Suddenly, someone behind him laughed. “Master Yao, you look very much at leisure!”

Yao Ding turned and saw He Zhen of the Weinan Town school. He gave a faint smile.

“The sun is pleasant today. Such warmth is rare in winter. Have you come out to bask as well, Master He?”

He Zhen sat down beside him and smiled. “I’m very concerned about today’s examination too. To be honest, I sincerely hope Lushan Town achieves another fine result and fights its way into the finals.”

“That sounds a little insincere.” Yao Ding cast him a sideways glance.

“No, no, no! I truly mean it.”

He Zhen put on an earnest expression. “I may have a small personal motive, but what I said is the truth.”

He might have been speaking truthfully, but his manner was not necessarily sincere. Yao Ding had seen through him long ago. He merely shook his head without comment.

“Lushan Town already performed beyond expectations yesterday. Today, however, they face the Tangbeixiang school, which has not lost a single point in the previous four tournaments.”

He Zhen glanced around and lowered his voice. “As far as I know, the magistrate is very fond of your favorite disciple. This is an opportunity, Master Yao. You must make good use of it.”

With that, He Zhen gave a sly chuckle, rose, and walked away.

Yao Ding watched him disappear into the distance, then spat heavily.

“What a miserable creature!”