Chapter 366: In the Morning, a Farmer's Son

Zhang Song had moved back to Shangguan Ward. Unlike his old friend Chen Zun, who was busy after becoming the Intendant of Jingzhao, Zhang Bosong led a more leisurely life.

At the end of the second month, his disciple Du Lin came to pay a visit.

"On the first day of the third month, the policy examination will be held. I have the honor of serving as one of the chief examiners."

"You are worthy of it." Zhang Song was both Du Lin's uncle and his teacher. He said, "You are learned and well-informed, acclaimed in our time as an erudite scholar. Moreover, through the recommendation of your fellow townsman Geng Bozhao, you entered the service of the King of Wei early on and became Junior Preceptor, especially proficient in lesser learning. In this policy examination held by the King of Wei, the classics section mainly tests the Analects, the Classic of Filial Piety, and other such lesser learning, is it not so?"

Zhang Song encouraged his disciple: "I heard from Chen Zun that the King of Wei attaches great importance to this matter. He specially ordered the Intendant of Jingzhao to assist in publicizing it, posting edicts in every county. At that time, I fear several thousand people will gather in Chang'an. You must properly assist Grand Preceptor Zhang Zhan and Superintendent of Ceremonies Wang Long in handling this. It will greatly benefit your official career."

As one of the Five Tombs scholars who had been the earliest to pledge allegiance to Diwu Lun, Du Lin had obtained the title of Junior Preceptor, but if he wanted to secure this position, he could not simply do nothing.

At this point, Zhang Song asked with keen interest, "Since they are called chief examiners, could it be that there are also deputy positions?"

"There are. Although the King does not permit the Imperial Academy Erudites to set the questions, he has ordered them to recommend two men as deputy examiners, only to assist in reviewing the classics and policy essay sections."

Zhang Song was overjoyed. "Two peaches kill three warriors. Brilliant! The Erudites will have no time to resent the King of Wei for neglecting the Imperial Academy; instead, they will fight tooth and nail over these quotas."

Du Lin added, "If we speak of exquisite literary skill, no one can match you, Master. You should have been selected as well."

"This old man's reputation is too poor; I cannot bear such a role." Zhang Song waved his hand dismissively, then asked, "What is the attitude of the old masters from the various private academies of the Five Tombs toward this policy examination?"

Diwu Lun's target for this civil service examination comprised two groups: one was the Imperial Academy students from Wang Mang's era, and the other was the hundreds or even thousands of Confucian scholars within the Five Tombs private academy circles.

Although the Imperial Academy existed as an official school, not everyone could become an Erudite, nor did everyone have the opportunity to attend the Imperial Academy. Therefore, private academies among the common people also flourished considerably. Centered around families of classical learning, local scholars would spontaneously go to pay respects and seek instruction. Some merely wished to gain a rough understanding of the classics to earn a living locally, teaching at elementary schools. Those with greater ambition used this as a stepping stone to enter the Imperial Academy or be recommended as Filial and Incorrupt.

As for the scholarly atmosphere in the Guanzhong region, aside from Chang'an, it was most vibrant in the Five Tombs. The great masters of private Confucian academies there led disciples ranging from a few dozen to several hundred, and some even over a thousand students. Some of these men were both officials and teachers, their prestige even higher than that of the Imperial Academy Erudites.

Likewise, these scholarly figures outside the government also possessed more backbone than the Imperial Academy Erudites, who, for the sake of their school's prospects, had no choice but to curry favor with those in power.

Du Lin sighed and said, "By the King of Wei's edict, I went to the Five Tombs to publicize the examination and call upon the great private academy Confucians to send their disciples to participate, but the response was sparse."

"Shentu Gang of Maoling, for instance, forbade his disciples from taking the exam."

Zhang Song said, "Shentu Gang is upright and straightforward by nature, often emulating the conduct of Ji An. Back then, he opposed Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han with forceful remonstrations and was dismissed and sent back to his fields. He has always looked down on sycophants like us. Now, though he holds no hope for the Western Han or the Green Han, he probably still longs for the Former Han, does he not?"

Du Lin said, "It is more than that. This policy examination held by the King is indeed vastly different from those of the past. Some believe that the sacred classics of the sages should not be placed alongside mathematics and common knowledge of farming, and therefore they are quite resistant."

"Others feel that allowing everyone to take the exam violates the past rules for selecting Imperial Academy students and making official recommendations."

"On the other hand, the great Confucian Fu Zhan of Henei, upon learning of this matter, disregarded the long distance and paid the travel expenses for a hundred of his disciples, sending them to come take the exam."

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"Fu Zhan is a clever man." Zhang Song said, "I believe that among the private academy teachers in this world, the majority are like Fu Zhan, while men like Shentu Gang are few. Through this policy examination, the King of Wei will surely reap a bountiful harvest."

"Especially for sons of humble families, this is a rare opportunity indeed!"

Although private academies flourished in Guanzhong, the treatment of students differed vastly. Some could bury their heads in study within clean, spacious, and grand estates near the cities of the Five Tombs, while others had to worry about their livelihood, only hurriedly attending a single class in their spare time.

This was not only related to the disciples' family backgrounds but also depended on whether the teacher was rich or poor.

If one were to choose the poorest teaching master in Guanzhong, the Langya man Cheng Gong would dare claim first place, and probably no one could claim second.

The cloth blanket covering him was full of patches, all sewn by his wife's own hand. In these chaotic times, having a blanket to ward off the cold was fortunate enough.

Their dwelling was a crude thatched hut, built with the help of his disciples and the local people. Inside, the house was bare, without even a single decent piece of furniture, for any surplus money they had was taken by Cheng Gong to exchange for bamboo slips, brushes, and ink.

His teaching venue was even more unseemly—simply sitting on the ground under the shade of the large locust tree outside the hut. Cheng Gong was very optimistic and often compared this place to Confucius's Apricot Altar. But when his disciples were bitten by mosquitoes and insects during summer lectures, or shivered in their thin clothes while listening to him teach in the bitter winter months, Cheng Gong could not help but feel a pang of sorrow.

Today, when Cheng Gong opened his eyes from sleep, he found that his wife, in her coarse cloth skirt and thornwood hairpin, had already silently managed everything. She had risen early to bustle about, even packing his traveling luggage and placing it neatly by the door.

Seeing the sweat on his wife's brow so early in the morning, Cheng Gong could not help but feel ashamed. "I have made you suffer, my dear wife."

His wife said nothing and continued silently tending the fire. After Cheng Gong had downed a bowl of gruel, his disciples also arrived one after another just before the sky fully brightened.

Their attire was much like Cheng Gong's. Some carried umbrellas on their backs, some wore conical bamboo hats, and some even hoisted earthenware cauldrons—all dressed for a long journey.

"The road is long; we'll be walking until nightfall. Who among you has not yet eaten breakfast?"

Cheng Gong asked a few questions. Some mumbled in reply, and Cheng Gong promptly told them to quickly get a bowl of gruel to fill their stomachs.

Cheng Gong counted the number of people. In the past, attendance at his lessons had been irregular. Unlike the Imperial Academy students, his disciples were of lowly origin, and many held other livelihoods. Some farmed at home, some served as petty grain-measuring clerks in the newly established government offices, and some even made a living copying bamboo slips and writing letters for others. Certain men, had they not met this foreign master who spoke with a clumsy, awkward standard tongue, probably would never have even learned to read.

The agreed-upon departure time had arrived, but several disciples who had promised to come were still absent. Cheng Gong was not impatient. He had them sit under the large locust tree where they usually held lessons and said, "Before we set off for Chang'an, let me first tell you all about my own affairs."

Cheng Gong leisurely began to recount his own story.

"I am a man of Gumu in Langya Commandery, Xu Province. When I was young, I had just entered elementary school and learned a few characters when a great plague struck. Both my parents died, and the family fell into poverty. I was only eight years old then and could only make a living by herding pigs for a rich man."

The rich man thought pigs that ate human excrement were too filthy, so he did not pen them up, nor did he care how fast or fat they grew. He just let them forage for food in the mountains all day, with the herder following behind, cutting pigweed.

On Cheng Gong's calf, there was still a scar from a pig's bite, and to this day, he still walked with a slight limp.

"In my hometown, there was a famous Confucian, Master Xu, who taught the Spring and Autumn Annals to several hundred students. Every time I drove the herd past, I would watch from afar, seeing the students able to study under the hut, and my heart filled with envy."

"Therefore, I would often stop and eavesdrop on Master Xu's lectures on the classics. Master Xu never drove me away. Instead, I felt ashamed and gathered firewood for the students. Over time, Master Xu took pity on me and kept me as his disciple."

"Thus I endured hardship for over ten years, studying diligently without tiring. Once I understood the classics, I returned home to teach."

"Had I not met Master Xu and not studied the classics, I would still be nothing more than a swineherd to this day."

Although he was still not wealthy now, he at least had more hope than before. Cheng Gong had also resolved to follow Master Xu's example and provide education for all without discrimination.

Cheng Gong sighed and said, "I originally wished to live a peaceful life in Langya, but then came the chaos of the world, and the Red Eyebrows rose up..."

The Red Eyebrows bitterly hated the rich and even harbored some animosity toward scholars. Cheng Gong felt that the east would not settle down in the short term, so he sold off the family property he had painstakingly accumulated through teaching, exchanged it for travel funds, and, before the great chaos in the east erupted, brought his wife a thousand li to Guanzhong.

Aside from seeking refuge, Cheng Gong, having tasted the benefits of learning, also wished to study under a renowned master and enter the Imperial Academy. But upon arriving in Chang'an, he discovered that without connections and sufficient family wealth, let alone the Imperial Academy, he could not even enter the private academy of a famous master.

His travel funds exhausted, Cheng Gong, in order to survive, eventually made his way to Youfufeng, where he taught simple elementary learning in rural hamlets. Because he was an outsider, he had to lower his tuition standards. Most of his students came from humble or middling families, and he was quite lenient toward poor children who wished to study, accepting a bag of grain in lieu of tuition.

At his peak, Cheng Gong had dozens of disciples and was well-known in the countryside. But as Guanzhong also descended into great chaos, his disciples scattered in all directions. In times of order, knowing a few characters was decent enough, but in times of chaos, what use was it?

But now, Cheng Gong finally had the confidence to say one thing: "It is useful!"

The King of Wei's edict had been posted at the city gates and on government walls in every county. It stated clearly and unmistakably that men of talent were being widely sought. Anyone who believed themselves capable of meeting the examination content could travel to the capital to take the exam, regardless of their family pedigree, wealth, or teacher lineage—even regardless of age. All comers were welcome!

This method of lowering the threshold made the Imperial Academy Erudites feel deeply offended, and the great Confucians of the Five Tombs also scoffed at it.

But for Cheng Gong and his disciples, the words on the edict were nothing short of heavenly music!

"What they are testing is still the Analects and the Classic of Filial Piety from lesser learning. We are absolutely no worse than the Imperial Academy students in the capital." This was what excited Cheng Gong the most. His own learning was limited; apart from a few senior disciples who still studied the Spring and Autumn Annals with him, the rest were taught only the Classic of Filial Piety and the Analects, but they had all learned them very solidly.

"As for mathematics, we usually help out in the army or with wealthy households keeping accounts. We can calculate with ease!"

"And as for that common knowledge of farming, who knows it better than we do?" Cheng Gong spread open his palms, and his disciples did the same. On them were not only marks left by holding a brush, but more so, calluses formed from farm labor!

Their spirits roamed the heavens alongside Confucius and the other sages, yet bound by the station of their birth, their feet remained planted firmly in the mud — every one of them wished this "Common Knowledge" subject counted for an even larger share.

"The policy essay is just writing a composition. Who among us hasn't written a letter for someone else? A short one brings in over a hundred cash; if you get a long-winded client with deep pockets, you can earn several hundred!"

Cheng Gong rallied his disciples: "Normally, we knock our heads bloody begging acquaintances for help, and at best we might become some paltry clerk on a peck of grain a day. But if we can pass the Shece examination — the top Jia division places fifty men as Outer Gentlemen, the Yi division places a hundred as Retainers, and the Bing division places two hundred to fill hundred-bushel posts!"

Even passing only the Bing division and landing some minor office in a county was, for them, a rare path to a future.

The disciples were all stirred to action. Just then, the last few arrived, panting for breath — some had not even brought their traveling packs, because they had slipped away in secret, keeping it from their families.

Their families simply did not believe such a thing as an exam that offered a chance at office could be real. The fighting had only died down a few months ago; scattered bandits still prowled the roads. They feared their sons would gain no post, only lose both life and property!

Cheng Gong not only sent his disciples to take the exam — he would go himself and sit it alongside them. His wife stuffed a little more food into his pack, slung the bundle over her husband's shoulders, and then, with their children, stood behind the wicker fence, watching them depart into the distance.

The group had no cart or horse to ride. Only two donkeys carried their cooking pots and millet sacks; they would have to prepare their own meals all along the way. They walked the village lanes along the Wei River, where idle men of the hamlet, taking a break from tilling, squatted sunning themselves. Catching sight of Cheng Gong and his disciples passing by, they could not resist mocking them.

"Master Cheng, are you off to the capital to become high officials?"

The King of Wei's government generally enjoyed decent public trust, but on this matter, few still believed. Cheng Gong had eagerly led his disciples to register with the authorities, and in the end received only two donkeys in sponsorship from the County Magistrate of Wugong. The locals all treated them as a joke.

In times of peace and good order, villagers would have held lofty Confucian scholars and gentry in deep respect. But for a poor scholar like Cheng Gong, whose feet were planted in the mud yet who dreamed of vaulting into another class, mockery far outstripped praise.

The disciples all hung their heads. Knowing only elementary learning, they dared not even call themselves scholars. Long accustomed to inferiority, they had no confidence in their hearts.

Cheng Gong, however, raised his head and answered loudly and cheerfully: "That's right — we are off to the capital to sit for official posts!"

"Excellent. Then we shall wait for you gentlemen to return to the village with official seals dangling from your sashes, and treat us all to wine."

Amid the jeering laughter of the idle men, Cheng Gong turned his head and said to his disciples: "In the time of Emperor Wu of Han, Gongsun Hong herded swine by the seashore in his youth. Later, Gongsun Hong entered school as a commoner. Still later, he went to the capital, placed first in the policy examination on the way of Heaven and man, and rose to become Chancellor."

"I too have herded swine. I too am a commoner with a bellyful of learning. Now the King of Wei, like Emperor Wu of Han, has given us our chance."

The threshold of this chance was even lower, giving many more people something to hope for.

Cheng Gong gazed at his beloved disciples. In his eyes, every one of them was as clever as Yan Hui, as brave as Zilu, and, like Zigong, a vessel fit for the ancestral temple!

Though he himself was nearing forty and had accomplished nothing, he had, like the Master, like Confucius the Sage, provided education to all without distinction — that, he had achieved!

"Gentlemen, poverty and low station in youth matter not. Only remember: excellence in learning leads to office!"

"Excellence in learning leads to office!" The disciples summoned their courage once more and shouted it together, following their master eastward along the great road beside the Wei River.

But one thought Cheng Gong kept hidden in his heart, unspoken: "Even if I cannot achieve fame and success like Gongsun Hong, who can say for certain that among my disciples, one day there will not emerge a Three Excellencies or a Nine Ministers?!"