Chapter 29: The Opening Match of the Arena (Part III)

After two rounds, both sides took a break for the length of one stick of incense. Wang Gui and Tang Huai ran off to use the latrine again. Yue Fei gave Li Yanqing a thumbs up and said, "I was genuinely nervous during those couplets! I thought you wouldn't be able to answer. Who taught you all that?"

Li Yanqing blinked and replied with a smile, "I learned to read at two, started practicing calligraphy at three, could compose lyrics by four, wrote poetry at five, and started writing novels at six. Liwen Village is famous for this far and wide—didn't you know?"

Yue Fei was stunned. He shook his head and said, "I truly didn't. Li Er even said you used to be a fool—"

"He meant I was a fool, right? True wisdom often appears as folly; he just doesn't understand."

Yue Fei nodded as if he had realized something. He recalled two lines of poetry he had read just yesterday: "Even without manifest effect, one may hide their clumsy side; if one achieves something, one is content to wait by the stump." It was describing Li Yanqing perfectly!

Lushan Town Academy had answered two consecutive questions, behaving like a completely different team compared to last year. Especially with the second question—even the Weinan Town Academy couldn't answer it, yet their opponents had passed with ease. He Zhen no longer felt any disdain; he began to grow nervous. They realized that Yao Ding had come prepared this time and that they had met a formidable rival.

He Zhen walked over to Yao Ding and said with a dry laugh, "I never imagined that Brother Yao would also be one to hide his light under a bushel."

Yao Ding replied coldly, "It is merely the seven heroes contending for the stag. It is your academy's luck. Wasn't Master He as excited as if he had topped the Imperial Examination just yesterday?"

Yao Ding struck a sharp blow with his words. He Zhen, unable to save face, gritted his teeth and said, "There is still one round left. Don't be too happy too soon. Wait until you see my third question later."

"The feeling is mutual!"

Just then, the chief examiner beckoned to Li Yanqing. Li Yanqing stepped forward, bowed, and said, "I await the instruction of the three masters!"

The chief examiner laughed, "The young student's couplets were excellent. You don't look very old; how old are you this year?"

"This student is six years old this year. I have not violated any rules."

The three examiners exclaimed in unison. Only six years old—he was the youngest student in the Children's Examination, and his couplets were so impressive. The eldest examiner couldn't help but say, "Let me test you as well."

"I await your guidance, old master!"

At this moment, everyone's gaze was drawn to them. Yao Ding was extremely nervous, fearing that Li Yanqing might make a mistake now. He Zhen stroked his goat-like beard, feeling jealous just watching Li Yanqing's composed response. Only six years old, humph!

The examiner smiled and said, "Do not be nervous. I won't ask you to compose a couplet, but I will test you. Since the New Year is approaching, I will test you on Spring Festival couplets! Who composed the very first Spring Festival couplet? A hint: I am referring to the Spring Festival couplet. Can you recite it, young student?"

This question was not simple. Among the scholars and officials in the capital, there might be rumors, but for students in the countryside of Tangyin, where transportation was difficult and news was sparse, such a question was undoubtedly extremely obscure. Even He Zhen, standing nearby, could not answer it. Although Yao Ding knew of this couplet, he did not know who had written it, and the other students nearby were left dumbstruck.

Li Yanqing, however, chuckled. Back in his hometown, every household would paste this very couplet during the New Year! After a moment of contemplation, he said, "If I remember correctly, it was a peachwood charm couplet by Meng Chang, the ruler of the Later Shu Kingdom. The first line is: 'The New Year welcomes surplus joy;' and the second line is: 'The festive season heralds eternal spring.'"

"Well said!" The three men applauded together. The chief examiner gave a thumbs up, "A child worth teaching!"

The old scholar who had posed the question said to the other two with a smile, "It seems I must take good care of my health and live for another dozen years, otherwise I will miss out on this excellent pupil."

"You are too kind, old master."

He Zhen, consumed by jealousy, said coldly, "The break has been long enough, hasn't it?"

Seeing that the incense had burned out, the chief examiner laughed, "Everyone, please take your seats! Prepare for the third round of the debate."

The third round was the most difficult and the longest, with half an hour allotted. According to custom, as long as the other party could cite the source of the allusion, the examiners could not veto it; therefore, the winner was usually decided in this third round.

Once again, it was Yao Ding's turn to draw the question type. He pulled out a slip, and the chief examiner announced in a loud voice, "Impromptu Composition."

It was indeed the most difficult category. Yue Fei then drew the bottom-most question from the Impromptu category, which was the third-round question Yao Ding had prepared.

Yue Fei stood up and read aloud, "Compose a lyric to the tune of 'Jiang Cheng Zi' using the 'Yang' rhyme scheme, with snow as the theme."

The 'Yang' rhyme refers to the "-ang" sound. Su Shi's two famous "Jiang Cheng Zi" lyrics—such as "Ten years of life and death, vast and boundless" and "Old as I am, I give vent to the youthful frenzy of my youth"—both used the 'Yang' rhyme, and "Jiang Cheng Zi" was currently the most popular lyric tune in the Song Dynasty.

The chief examiner said slowly, "This question does not demand high literary talent; as long as the meter and rhyme are correct and the imagery fits the theme, it will be considered a correct answer."

He meant that as long as the basic rules were met, a slightly lower quality would be acceptable. It sounded simple, but in reality, it was difficult because the tune itself had strict requirements for character count and tonal patterns.

"Jiang Cheng Zi" required a seven-character line to start, with a specific tonal pattern, and Yao Ding's question also specified the 'Yang' rhyme.

Naturally, after ten years of hard study, most scholars could write poetry and lyrics, but it was a matter of quality. Still, this was a children's competition; for twelve or thirteen-year-olds to compose lyrics was something only a very few child prodigies could accomplish.

Time ticked away. The four youths were lost in deep thought, writing, erasing, and rewriting. He Zhen was so anxious he was sweating profusely. Last year, they had failed the third question as well, losing to the Tangbei Town Academy and being eliminated in the first round. Fortunately, their students had performed well in subsequent exams, allowing them to take fourth place—though that was also thanks to the Tangbei Town Academy's unexpected withdrawal.

"Time is up!"

As the chief examiner shouted, the four students from Weinan Town hung their heads in shame. They had been unable to compose it; this question was a failure.

He Zhen was livid, his face turning pale. Last night, he had asked the four students to compose three lyrics each, including "Jiang Cheng Zi." As for the snowy scenery, they just needed to make a few adjustments. But these four idiots had been reading "The Great Sage Catches the Demon" instead; none of them had done the homework he assigned. He Zhen glared viciously at the four students, intending to settle the score when they returned.

"Master He, please draw the question!"

He Zhen stood up and walked quickly to the bamboo canister. He also wanted to pull out his trump card question. In reality, all the third-round questions he had prepared were extremely difficult, but he was not satisfied; he wanted to pick the hardest one.

He Zhen wanted to draw the "Competitive Archery" slip. Yao Ding had drawn that slip in the second round but put it back. He Zhen had remembered its position and, when it was his turn, he played a little trick. He had smeared some oil on the ring finger of his left hand. When he saw the slip in the second round, he had marked it with the oil. In the side light, he could see the oil stain.

After looking for a long time, He Zhen slowly pulled out that slip and wiped away the oil stain. He handed it to the chief examiner, who looked at it and frowned. It was, in fact, "Competitive Archery."

Competitive Archery was an elective question; if drawn, one could choose to discard it and draw another. It had never appeared in the previous four years of the Children's Association.

Competitive Archery was fine for a twelve or thirteen-year-old, but for a seven or eight-year-old, it was difficult. The chief examiner looked at He Zhen, gesturing for him to put it back and draw another, but He Zhen said, "No need, this is the question."

Since the person drawing the question refused to change it, the chief examiner had no choice but to announce in a loud voice, "Competitive Archery!"

Yao Ding's body shuddered slightly. He had never trained the four in archery—firstly, because he didn't know how himself, and secondly, because even if it were drawn, it would usually be returned. It had never appeared in the Children's Association before. It was obvious that He Zhen was targeting them today. A look of deep concern flashed in Yao Ding's eyes.

He Zhen wore a cruel smile. He had known all along that Yao Ding wouldn't know archery, which was why he had set this ambush for the third round. If his own disciples lost the third round, he would ensure his opponents didn't pass either.

The Weinan Town Academy student pulled out the question and stood up to read it: "Two-zhang distance, one arrow into the pot."

The room erupted in an uproar. To demand a two-zhang distance was outrageous.

Archery in this context meant "Pitch-pot," where one threw arrows into a distant pot. It was generally divided into one-zhang, two-zhang, and three-zhang distances. The pot was a narrow-necked bronze vessel with an opening the size of a bowl.

The three-zhang distance was generally the training method for professional military crossbowmen; scholars could not do it. Even the two-zhang distance was only within the capabilities of scholars who were proficient in both literature and martial arts. Generally, it was the one-zhang distance that served as the standard for scholars.

But He Zhen was insane; he actually demanded a two-zhang distance, and required the arrow to go in on the first try. No wonder the room was in an uproar.

He Zhen had exploited a loophole in the rules. The chief examiner could not refuse the third question, but he could raise an objection. If the party posing the question could provide a justification, it had to be answered.

The deputy head of the academy was three zhang long, clearly suitable for archery. The chief examiner sighed inwardly and said to Yao Ding, "According to the rules, you can refuse this question."

Yao Ding was in a dilemma. If they refused, but the other side could provide a reasonable explanation, they would lose. The risk of refusal was high; unless it was an absolute last resort, they couldn't refuse lightly. Since He Zhen refused to change the slip, it meant he had come prepared.

The chief examiner saw Yao Ding's difficulty and stopped pushing him, turning instead to ask He Zhen, "Master He, you demand a two-zhang distance; on what basis?"

The so-called basis required either that the Weinan Town students could do it, or that it was a well-known event.

He Zhen said confidently, "Two years ago, during the provincial examinations in the capital, our Xiangzhou scholar Zhao Wenbo successfully landed an arrow in the pot from a two-zhang distance at a literary gathering in the Daxiangguo Temple. We all know this, which is why I posed this question."

Yao Ding remained silent. He also knew of this incident. No wonder He Zhen dared to pose this question. It was indeed not against the rules, just a bit shameless.

"I have no objection!" Yao Ding replied.

He Zhen was extremely pleased, stroking his goat-like beard with a squinted smile: "Since Master Yao has no objections, then please, let the child prodigies of Lushan Town Academy answer the question!"