Chapter Thirty-Three: An Unexpected Force Emerges

The debate in the main hall had already reached the third round. In the second round, the Tangbei Township Academy chose to ask about poetry, requesting the names of all the ci forms mentioned so far. Yue Fei recited them all in one breath, earning Lushan Town Academy their second point.

Li Yanqing took on the role of questioner and chose an impromptu composition. He tasked the opponents with composing a seven-character poem on the theme of the Tongzi Association of Tangyin County, allowing a time limit of one incense stick. Zhang You immediately recited a poem on the spot, earning unanimous praise and securing a point. After two rounds, the score was tied.

At this moment, the debate entered the decisive third round, and the atmosphere in the hall grew noticeably tense. Chief Examiner Yao Wannian whispered to Magistrate Liu, “Lushan Town’s choice of impromptu composition in the second round was a bit of a tactical mistake.”

Impromptu composition usually appears only in the third round. Having it in the second round, which demands a moderate level of difficulty, gave Tangbei Township Academy a significant advantage. Yao Wannian felt that Li Yanqing’s side had erred strategically.

Liu Zhen glanced at Li Yanqing with interest and smiled faintly. “I don’t think that’s necessarily so.”

Sure enough, as the third round began, Tangbei Township Academy chose to ask an impromptu composition question.

“We require the opposing side to compose a ci poem in the ‘Xiao’ rhyme, using the tune ‘Qing Yu An.’ Conveniently, the Baoyen Temple lies just opposite the county school, so we ask that the theme be a temple.”

The ‘Qing Yu An’ tune had few famous examples, the most renowned being He Zhu’s ‘Qing Yu An: Lingbo Does Not Cross the Heng Tang Road.’ Lingbo does not cross the Heng Tang road, but watches the fragrant dust depart. Who will share the brocade zither’s years of youth... If asked how much idle sorrow there is: a river of misty grass, the city full of wind-blown catkins, plum rain in the yellow season.

Yet the opponents requested the theme be a temple — a most obscure topic, a lethal move.

The incense was lit, and the composition had to be completed within half an incense stick’s time. The hall fell into utter silence, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. All eyes turned toward the four scholars of Lushan Town Academy.

Tang Huai gently nudged Wang Gui with his elbow and whispered, “Didn’t you say you wanted to answer earlier?”

Wang Gui’s face was as expressionless as a jar of water; he hadn’t even heard what was said and wasn’t thinking of composing at all. Composing? Not a chance.

Yue Fei glanced at Li Yanqing in despair. This question was beyond him. Li Yanqing sat with his head in his hands, deep in thought — obviously, he could not compose either. He could only consider if there was a pre-existing poem. He had read many Tang and Song poems; now it was the Northern Song period, so he could use Southern Song ci, but the rhyme had to be ‘Xiao.’ Otherwise, he could simply present He Zhu’s ‘Qing Yu An.’

Li Yanqing racked his brains: ‘Xiao’ rhyme, ‘Xiao’ rhyme... The only poems he recalled in the ‘Xiao’ rhyme were Su Dongpo’s ‘Shui Long Yin’ and Li Bai’s ‘Spring Sleep Unaware of Dawn, Everywhere I Hear Birds Singing.’

“Don’t rush, take your time,” Magistrate Liu smiled, offering reassurance.

Li Yanqing lifted his eyes and met the magistrate’s gaze. Liu Zhen stroked his long beard lightly, his expression half-smiling, half-serious. Like Li Yanqing’s fourth uncle Li Daguang, this magistrate carried an aura of ethereal transcendence.

‘An aura of transcendence!’

A spark ignited in Li Yanqing’s mind; it seemed he had an idea.

Wait! There was a ‘Qing Yu An’ in the ‘Xiao’ rhyme depicting the path of cultivation and immortality. He had read it before, though he forgot the author’s name — but it was certainly post-Northern Song.

At this moment, the chief examiner spoke softly, “This question is indeed somewhat difficult. According to the rules, if you really cannot compose, you may decline.”

The chief examiner evidently favored Li Yanqing and was hinting that whether they failed to compose or declined, they would lose three points either way. But if they declined and the opponent also failed, the other side would lose three points. Thus, declining might hold a glimmer of hope.

Yue Fei whispered, “We absolutely cannot refuse. They must have composed this themselves to pose such a difficult question.”

Li Yanqing waved his hand, signaling Yue Fei not to disrupt his thoughts. He was close to remembering.

After a moment, Li Yanqing smiled and rose, cupping his fists. “May I ask the chief examiner, does a Taoist temple count as a temple?”

The chief examiner consulted with several senior scholars. The eldest smiled, “A temple is a place of cultivation for those who have left the secular life. Although generally referring to Buddhist monks, Taoists are also renunciants, so we believe a Taoist temple can be counted as a temple.”

This ruling slightly favored Li Yanqing, since the question referenced the Baoyen Temple south of the county school — clearly a Buddhist temple, making a Taoist temple a stretch. But Li Yanqing had caught their eye yesterday.

The magistrate chuckled, “Since the Two Jin dynasty, Buddhism and Taoism have long intertwined — one contains the other. There’s no need to distinguish so strictly; both are places of renunciation and cultivation.”

With the magistrate plus the three senior scholars, four votes were cast in favor. County Secretary Ma, even if he persuaded Chief Examiner Yao, could only muster two votes. He remained silent, looking at Li Yanqing with complex eyes.

Li Yanqing then took up his brush and swiftly penned his ‘Qing Yu An: Cultivating the Way,’ presenting it to the chief examiner.

“Unknowing is the great Daoist’s difficulty,
Only because effort is lacking.
Sudden enlightenment returns the light,
Within the three fields, inside the six palaces,
Dust and filth are swept away again and again.
Where all attachments cease, clear is the mind’s embrace,
A single point of void brightness shines forth.
Recognizing the mysterious, pure, and tranquil way,
All gates harmonized, the one nature perfectly luminous,
To emerge and roam the Immortal Isle.”

The crowd burst into loud acclaim, “A fine poem!”

The sound of a chime resonated. Lushan Town Academy had taken the lead with three points. Several scholars from Tangbei Township Academy read the poem in silence, unable to respond. It was far superior to their prepared ‘Qing Yu An: The Poor Monk.’

The chief examiner nodded and said, “For one so young to compose thus is no small feat, revealing deep erudition. Very well, we shall discuss further later. Now it’s your turn to set the question.”

Yue Fei was ecstatic, all lingering doubts vanished. He whispered eagerly, “Use your plan! We’ll share the burden with the master.”

Li Yanqing nodded slowly. He had pondered all night; to win today, they had to use a surprise move.

Li Yanqing whispered to Wang Gui, “Gui, you set the question — a miscellaneous test.”

Everyone had performed well today; only Wang Gui had yet to contribute.

Wang Gui accepted the question envelope from Yue Fei, stood up, and stammered, “Our third question is a miscellaneous test!”

The scholars of Tangbei Township Academy sneered disdainfully. A miscellaneous test? What could that possibly do? Li You was calm; in four years he hadn’t met a question he couldn’t answer.

Wang Gui drew the question and read aloud, “We present an upper couplet; you must compose the matching lower couplet. The upper line is: ‘Painting the lotus flower monk painting.’”

Li Yanqing wrote the upper line and sent it back — this was his trump card, using a historically brilliant couplet to baffle the opposition.

Originally, he had thought of “Smoke along the eaves, smoke swallow’s eye,” but he didn’t know the corresponding lower line, nor could anyone. If the opponent refused to answer, they would lose.

He also considered “Smoke locks the pond’s willows,” a timeless perfect couplet for which he had a matching lower line. But that was beyond the capability of a six-year-old child and would reveal their hand.

The best questions appeared simple but were anything but ordinary. Occasionally, scholars could conceive such challenges; Li Yanqing had thought all night before finally coming up with this couplet.

After a while, the chief examiner sighed, “As expected of Old Yao the stubborn ox, his questions are just as obstinate. Tangbei Township Academy, please answer! Half an incense stick time limit.”

Tangbei’s four scholars were left speechless by this upper line. Zhang You discerned its subtlety — a palindrome with homophones, readable forward or backward identically. How could they respond?

Suddenly, a furious shout came from outside the window: “I didn’t set this question!”

Yao Ding had just heard Wang Gui’s reading and only now realized the situation. His anger erupted uncontrollably.

The hall fell into complete silence.