Chapter 24: Knowledge Is Gained Through Diligence

"I'll be taking the ten-day assessment as soon as I return, and there are still some aspects of the 'Ink Meaning' section I don't quite grasp; might Brother Lu help clarify them for me?"

Lu Beigu held out the notes he had made of his doubts to show him.

Seeing the sincere and earnest look in Lu Beigu's eyes, Lu Guangyu hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's just that my learning is shallow and my talent limited; I fear I may not understand either."

"No matter; we can explore them together."

Lu Beigu pointed to one passage and asked, "Here, regarding 'The Earl of Zheng Defeated Duan at Yan,' the commentary states, 'It is difficult to reach him; even creeping weeds cannot be eradicated, let alone the ruler's favored younger brother!' Yet my notes also cite the Guliang Commentary: 'Why is the Earl of Zheng so severely criticized? He is severely criticized because his premeditated plotting culminated in murder.' I do not have the Chunqiu Zunwang Fawei at hand; I wonder, for the current examinations, which stance is taken as the standard?"

Lu Guangyu thought for a moment and explained, "Brother Lu, your question hits the mark precisely; in truth, this commentary approaches the matter from the perspective of ritual law, while the Guliang approaches it from the perspective of mental intent."

As he spoke, he took a sheet of paper and began to write, "Look here."

Outside the window, the sun's shadow gradually shifted, and the sounds of birdsong drifted now far, now near.

Lu Beigu would sometimes knit his brows in thought, other times suddenly achieve enlightenment; his questions came one after another—not overly tricky, but framed around potential exam topics, yet they often struck straight to the heart of the matter.

At first, Lu Guangyu could respond with ease, but gradually fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, forcing him to fetch more books and notes to verify his answers.

"Brother Lu, let's rest a while."

Seeing the exhaustion on Lu Guangyu's face, Lu Beigu took the initiative to suggest, "It's already noon."

Only then did Lu Guangyu realize his mouth was dry and his throat parched, the clothes on his back soaked through with sweat.

He shook his head with a wry smile, "In days past, when debating scholarship with fellow students, I have never been so mentally drained; these questions of yours, Brother Lu... truly, only one who studies with such seriousness could pose them."

Since all of Lu Guangyu's family members had gone out to visit relatives, there was no food in the house; moreover, as it was the Cold Food Festival, lighting a fire was forbidden anyway, so the two of them ladled two bowls of Cold Food porridge from the pot and prepared some small pickled vegetables, barely making do to fill their stomachs.

After finishing the simple porridge and pickles, Lu Beigu took the initiative to clear away the bowls and chopsticks.

Returning to the study, he saw Lu Guangyu organizing the scattered papers, but his movements were somewhat sluggish, clearly showing his fatigue.

As the sun sank toward the west, the study gradually grew dim due to the backlighting.

Lu Guangyu lit an oil lamp; under the dim yellow light, the shadows of the two young men were cast upon the wall.

He didn't know how much time had passed when Lu Guangyu rubbed his stinging eyes and discovered that Lu Beigu was still diligently studying, except that a few pieces of honey-glazed dried apricots, meant to replenish the sugar needed for his rapidly operating brain, had been eaten.

From the moment he entered until now, Lu Beigu had been writing continuously for four double-hours.

Lu Guangyu could no longer sit still; he quietly crept over to take a look and saw that the paper was densely covered with reading notes on the Chunqiu Zuozhuan Zhengyi and the Chunqiu Jizhuan Zuanyli, the handwriting as neat as block-printed text, with not a single correction anywhere.

As he watched, Lu Guangyu froze in astonishment.

He clearly remembered that this morning, Lu Beigu's understanding of the Chunqiu had still been fraught with obstacles, and he had failed to grasp even many basic questions, yet now he was actually able to detect the subtle differences between various commentaries and exegeses.

—Such a speed of progress was simply inconceivable.

"Brother Lu."

His voice sounded somewhat hoarse, "How much have you recorded today?"

Lu Beigu started, realizing that a thick stack of filled papers had already piled up around him; he had used up all his own paper and had also consumed quite a bit of Lu Guangyu's.

Lu Beigu felt somewhat embarrassed, "I became so absorbed that I used a great deal of Brother Lu's paper."

Lu Guangyu, however, suddenly rose and bowed deeply to Lu Beigu, "The ancients said, 'Those who know it are not equal to those who love it; those who love it are not equal to those who find joy in it.' Brother Lu's diligence and focus make me ashamed by comparison."

Lu Beigu hurriedly returned the bow, "Brother Lu does me too much honor; if not for your generous sharing of all you know, how could I have gained anything?"

Seeing the setting sun already low, the two finally tidied up their books and papers.

Lu Guangyu insisted on accompanying Lu Beigu to the ferry crossing, and on the way he could not help but ask, "Will Brother Lu come again tomorrow?"

"If Brother Lu does not mind the disturbance..."

"I could not ask for anything better!"

Lu Guangyu blurted out, then immediately smiled with embarrassment, "Studying together with Brother Lu has benefited me greatly; besides, if I were alone, I would inevitably let my mind wander like a restless monkey and a galloping horse, indulging myself by going out to play."

A breeze blew past, carrying a scent of wine.

"I didn't notice it before, but now the smell seems rather pungent."

"Yes, many villagers store their wine in natural limestone caves in the mountains; when the wind blows, the scent can be detected."

Lu Beigu looked around; here at Erlang Shoal, because the mountains on both banks were high, the temperature remained relatively cool year-round, the air was somewhat humid, making it appear very suitable for storing liquor.

There were not many idle ferry boats available; after some haggling, Lu Beigu agreed with the boatman on a price of five copper coins for a private trip to Gulin Town, whereas sharing a boat would have cost only two or three copper coins.

The small boat slowly pulled away from the shore, the lantern at its prow swaying in the darkness.

Lu Beigu stepped onto the boat planks, turned back, and saw Lu Guangyu still standing on the bank, his figure appearing somewhat frail under the moonlight.

"Brother Lu, see you tomorrow!" he called out, waving his hand.

"See you tomorrow!" Lu Guangyu's voice came drifting over on the river wind.

Placing his book satchel in front of him before sitting down, Lu Beigu looked at the contents recorded on the papers inside; his heart felt far more settled than when he had arrived.

Knowledge is gained through diligence; poetry and books do not betray those who strive!

Natural talent is certainly the most important factor, but if one possesses talent yet makes no effort, one will end up like Fang Zhongyong, wasting one's giftedness for nothing.

Furthermore, could it be that others possess no talent?

One must realize that this era has gathered a group of geniuses who, across thousands of years of Huaxia history, could be called a constellation of shining stars!

In whose own story are they not the "Chosen One"?

He was already far behind; if he still did not strive, on what grounds could he expect to stand on the same stage and compete with this assembly of geniuses?

Of course, the Dragon-Tiger List was still a matter far too distant; the most urgent thing now was actually to pass the county examination.

Without passing the county examination, one would not even have the qualification to sit for the prefectural examination!

And even within the small Hejiang County School, apart from his policy essays, Lu Beigu's grades in all other subjects were currently at the very bottom.

Lu Beigu closed his eyes, silently pondering in his heart.

Among poetry and fu, posting the classics, and ink meaning, the most difficult was ink meaning; and ink meaning tested the Chunqiu and the Liji, with the Chunqiu being the most complex and profound of all.

"Today I went through part of the annotated version of the Chunqiu Zuozhuan Zhengyi; if I persist in this day by day, by the time the Cold Food Festival holiday ends, I should have a basic understanding of the Chunqiu section within ink meaning... perhaps I still cannot handle the most difficult questions, but for relatively basic ones, it is absolutely impossible that I will answer incorrectly again."

As long as he could roughly master the Chunqiu during the Cold Food Festival holiday, and then continue to work hard for a few more days after returning to the county school.

By the time of the ten-day assessment, his ink meaning score would be sufficient to leapfrog dramatically from the lower third tier to the lower second tier!

The reason he held such an understanding was that Lu Guangyu often scored at the Lower Yi level, so Lu Beigu had a rough idea of what that standard entailed and the gap between it and his own current abilities.

Moreover, within Hejiang County Academy, the Lower Yi level was already considered upper-tier.

Of course, possessing merely the Lower Yi standard found within the county academy was absolutely insufficient!

If one sought a guaranteed pass, one must possess the capability of Middle Yi or even Upper Yi to ensure success in the county examination!

As for whether he could reach this level, Lu Beigu was extremely confident; with his talent, he could absolutely achieve it in a short time, provided he was willing to be diligent and self-disciplined.

(End of Chapter)