Chapter 109: The Master Said

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Zhou Zhi was very clear that Chen Zonghe, the patriarch of the Chen family, was a petty man who would retaliate at the slightest provocation. If before he harbored some reluctance and thus refrained from taking revenge on the Zhou family, now that all hopes were cut off, Chen Zonghe would undoubtedly employ every means to deal with and punish the Zhou family.

The Chen family was already large and prosperous, with close ties to the county government. Now that they had gained a new ally in the Taoist priest Li Shun, their retaliation would surely no longer be limited to the petty tricks Chen Wenju had used secretly against Zhou in the past.

But the Zhou family was no longer what it once was. They had clearly entered the ranks of the wealthy households in Baiyue Village. More importantly, Zhou Zhi was no longer the reckless, poor youth who acted without consideration for consequences. Now well-read and shrewd, he had also formed friendships with figures such as the village chief Lü Xingchuan and the scholars Fan Jin and Wei Haogu.

Though Fan Jin and Wei Haogu lacked significant backgrounds, Lü Xingchuan was a notable figure. Besides his close relationship with Ouyang Zheng, the chief clerk of Qingdu County, he also had a strong family background. Zhou Zhi had already learned from Fan Jin that Lü Xingchuan’s uncle by marriage was from the Hou family, a prestigious clan in Xin County of Baoding Prefecture.

The Hou family was a literary lineage. Lü Xingchuan’s uncle, Hou Guan, was a successful candidate in the imperial examination in the fourteenth year of Chenghua and currently served as a deputy director in the Ministry of Personnel’s Bureau of Merit and Integrity. Though only a fifth-rank official, he wielded significant power, overseeing the assessment of civil officials both in the provinces and the capital.

Hou Guan’s father, Hou Zan, was a highly esteemed figure in the Ming dynasty, serving as Minister of War in Nanjing and an advisor on military affairs. After retirement, he was bestowed the honorary title of Grand Master of Glory and Prosperity, enjoying great prestige.

Hou Guan’s son, and thus Lü Xingchuan’s cousin, Hou Tiannian, was just twenty-one but already held the status of a successful candidate in the provincial examination.

With such relatives, Lü Xingchuan was naturally untouchable in the countryside. Given Zhou Zhi’s close association with Lü Xingchuan, the Chen family would have to think twice before seeking revenge against the Zhou family.

Today, the Zhou and Chen families had become bitter enemies, and Chen’s retaliation was inevitable. Yet Zhou Zhi did not dwell on this; he believed in prioritizing matters carefully. This was not the time to focus solely on guarding against the Chen family, but rather to concentrate on studying diligently, mastering the eight-legged essays, and first passing the examination to become a successful candidate.

Thus, in the days that followed, the Chen family’s marriage proposal issue seemed as if it had never happened. Zhou Zhi continued to devote himself to study and calligraphy.

Over these days, he meticulously composed six eight-legged essays. After finishing breakfast early one morning, he took these six essays to Lü Xingchuan for review and guidance.

Thanks to Fan Jin’s active efforts, the literary society that Lü Xingchuan intended to form had already grown to a modest size, now including Fan Jin, Wei Haogu, Feng Mao, Qiu Haolan, Che Lang, and Yue Shuzhen from the Yue family.

It happened to be a day for a small gathering of the literary society. As Zhou Zhi just entered Lü’s courtyard, Wei Haogu and Che Lang came forward to greet him, saying, “Brother Zhou Zhi, I imagine you have produced another great work today. Hurry to the study so we may all have a look.”

Though Zhou Zhi was an ordinary man, he read quickly and possessed an eidetic memory. His essays had greatly improved in recent times, with clear reasoning and precise analysis. Although the others were merely successful candidates or students preparing for the examination, none underestimated Zhou Zhi.

Humbly smiling, Zhou Zhi replied, “I have indeed brought six eight-legged essays today, but they are all clumsy attempts. Haha! I still seek the guidance of elder brothers.”

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The three of them chatted and laughed as they entered the study.

Inside, Lü Xingchuan and Fan Jin were already present, each holding an essay brought by Wei Haogu earlier that day, carefully reading it.

Once seated, Zhou Zhi also took one of his essays for close inspection.

Their gatherings mostly involved reading each other’s works to learn from one another, sometimes engaging in discussions to achieve mutual progress.

After a short while, Feng Mao and Qiu Haolan arrived and took their seats.

Zhou Zhi then presented his six essays for the group to review and critique.

Due to strict family discipline, Yue Shuzhen was constantly overseen by the family elder and had a specially hired tutor, so though he was a member of the writing society, he often could not participate in such gatherings.

Among those present, except for Zhou Zhi and Lü Xingchuan, the rest were all successful candidates. Fan Jin and Che Lang were county scholars, while Wei Haogu, Qiu Haolan, and Feng Mao were additional students. Though no longer studying at the county academy, they were required to take the annual imperial preliminary exams.

The preliminary exam was crucial, as it reclassified successful candidates by rank. Those who scored in the fifth or sixth tier would lose their status altogether.

With this year’s exam imminent, all the candidates were diligently preparing without any slack.

Che Lang, a wealthy young man from Huangyan Village, was twenty-five years old, well-versed in many fields, and highly favored by Qu Renbin, the head instructor of the county academy.

Every ten or fifteen days, Che Lang would visit Qingdu County to report on his recent studies to Qu Renbin. Of course, he also brought along selected eight-legged essays for critique and guidance.

Qu Renbin, now over seventy, had passed the provincial examination during the Tianshun era but repeatedly failed the metropolitan exams. Eventually, he settled into teaching at the county academy, dedicating himself to scholarship.

At his age, he was a veritable scholar of vast knowledge. Particularly in the art of writing eight-legged essays, his reputation was unmatched in Qingdu County, even surpassing Cheng Ke, a distinguished scholar from Gaochang Town.

Though Fan Jin and others knew Qu Renbin, their connection was not as close as Che Lang’s. Thus, when Che Lang brought his essays for review, he often included some from Fan Jin and Wei Haogu as well.

Naturally, Qu Renbin could discern which works were truly Che Lang’s, but out of courtesy, he carefully critiqued all of them. Thanks to Che Lang’s help, the essays of Fan Jin and others had made considerable progress in recent months.

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After about an hour and a half, the group had finished reviewing all the essays they had exchanged.

Suddenly, Che Lang held up an essay and said, “Everyone, please take a look. Brother Zhou Zhi’s eight-legged essay here is truly excellent. Among all the pieces I have read today, only this one has refreshed my mind. What do you all think?”

Zhou Zhi recognized the essay in Che Lang’s hands as the one he had painstakingly composed over three days, themed on “The Master Said,” drawn from the Four Books. He began the essay with the striking opening, “A common man can become the teacher of the world, a single word can become the law of the world.”

This opening contained none of the characters in the prompt itself but profoundly elucidated the meaning of the words “The Master Said.”

The entire essay was concise yet refined, with Zhou Zhi skillfully blending both compact and expansive rhetoric.

After completing this essay, Zhou Zhi was quite satisfied, believing it rivaled the finest works he had read in the collected writings of those who had passed the metropolitan or provincial exams.

It should be noted that the collections he studied were composed by outstanding successful candidates or metropolitan graduates.

Wei Haogu agreed, “Indeed, Brother Zhou Zhi’s essay on ‘The Master Said’ is extraordinary. In just a month’s time, your eight-legged essays have improved tremendously.”

Lü Xingchuan, Fan Jin, and the others then re-examined the essay, silently nodding and casting admiring glances at Zhou Zhi.

Che Lang sighed, “Among us, having someone who can write such an essay is a blessing for this literary society.”

Fan Jin glanced at Zhou Zhi before finally turning to Che Lang and said, “Brother Zhou Zhi’s essay is excellent. Why don’t we trouble Brother Che Lang to bring it to Teacher Qu tomorrow for review and critique?”