Chapter 149 Teachings

Huang Haoyi's face alternated between shades of pale and green.

Nearby, Liu Zuo and Xiang Qi chimed in, "Fourth Brother, Third Brother's words show true insight and stem from a completely sincere desire for your own good. You should ponder them carefully."

Huang Haoyi slumped down onto the daybed, pressing his hands to his head as he groaned, "Third Brother is right. It is my own fault for failing to recognize a person's true character. Though I have lived day and night with Yulian these past few years and knew well enough what kind of woman she was, I was simply blinded by her beauty. Third Brother's words today have truly woken me up with a blow."

"In fact, over the past few years, I had already noticed Yulian dallying with other men outside..."

Hearing this, Zhang Yue felt a surge of rising irritation. *You damned bastard, you really are a fine friend! Treating me like some chivalrous hero born to clean up your mess—and I don't even know whose mess you're cleaning up.*

"...Now, even without the warning from Vice-Director Liu, I had already intended to make a clean break with her. It is just that I was previously deceived by her sweet words and alluring looks."

Liu Zuo and Xiang Qi hastily comforted him, "Fourth Brother, let this matter rest. Have your elder brother and sister-in-law take charge, spend some money to send Yulian away, and make a proper accounting to Vice-Director Liu. There is still a turning point to this situation."

Huang Haoyi turned to Zhang Yue and said, "I owe everything to Third Brother for clearing the fog from my eyes."

Seeing Huang Haoyi in this state, Zhang Yue replied, "Fourth Brother, the few of us are not envious that you are marrying a woman from an official's family; rather, we are genuinely worried."

"Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Daughters of official families can be arrogant and overbearing, while a woman from a modest background may well prove a blessing. The most important thing is to have someone in the household who truly cares for you and understands your warmth and cold."

"Vice-Director Liu has served as an official in the court for many years and has witnessed all sorts of people. If you went after them purely for a dowry of five thousand strings of cash, how could they fail to see through it? Sooner or later, you would find yourself at their mercy. As for how to deal with Yulian's situation, you must discuss it properly with your elder brother and sister-in-law. Regarding the money to settle Yulian, I can lend you some. No matter what kind of person she is, she has after all been with you for a time; this much must be acknowledged. You can only blame your own poor judgment of character if things go wrong. Should a bitter falling out happen and she makes a scene at Vice-Director Liu's residence..."

Huang Haoyi nodded repeatedly, saying, "Third Brother, I lost my mind. I knew full well how strictly official families guard their daughters' reputations, yet I forgot that the same applies to choosing a son-in-law. I was truly foolish, utterly foolish. Everything today is the consequence of my own doing."

Watching Huang Haoyi being shaken awake by Zhang Yue's scolding, Liu Zuo lowered his voice and said to Xiang Qi, "Who would have thought? Despite his tender age, Third Brother possesses such a clear understanding of reason."

"Indeed. To remain entirely unmoved in the face of such beauty—not to mention passing up fifty strings of cash—anyone else would have jumped at the chance. Third Brother is truly a man of immense loyalty."

"Quite right. The words 'loyalty and righteousness' are worth a thousand pieces of gold. Though Fourth Brother is usually muddle-headed, having a friend like this is a blessing cultivated over three lifetimes."

"In my view, regardless of whether Third Brother passes the imperial examinations or not, he is bound to become a person of high status sooner or later. From now on, we must grow much closer to him; we will undoubtedly need each other's mutual support in the future."

"Precisely. Though to put it that way sounds as though our friendship with Third Brother wasn't good to begin with."

"Ha-ha! In a few days, let's invite Third Brother and Fourth Huang to drink at the Qingfeng Tower."

"A must. Absolutely a must."

Afterward, Huang Haoyi's marriage negotiations proceeded with much stumbling and difficulty, but Zhang Yue's reputation for being eager to rescue others from their troubles spread widely throughout the Imperial Academy. Some even recounted the details with vivid flourishes: how Zhang Yue, in order to relieve Huang Haoyi of his future troubles, helped him settle his concubine; how he sat amidst fields of melons and plums under suspicion yet remained utterly unmoved by beauty and wealth; proving himself to be a true friend to whom one could "entrust one's wife and children."

Unexpectedly, this title of a friend who could be "entrusted with wife and children" gradually spread among the families within the Imperial Academy and even across Bianjing. This proved to be an unexpected bonus for Zhang Yue alongside helping Huang Haoyi.

On this day, Zhang Yue headed once more to Chen Xiang's residence to study poetry and fu composition.

Chen Xiang continued to instruct Zhang Yue in his studies, saying, "From antiquity to the present, poetry and ci lyrics originally had no rigid rules or patterns. However, since the inception of the imperial examinations and the examiners' evaluation of superior and inferior works, composing poetry has acquired established formats and patterns. Yet, to blindly pursue rigid patterns ultimately leads to mediocrity."

"Among poetry, there are three realms: the realm of physical objects, the realm of emotion, and the realm of artistic conception. The first is the realm of physical objects. When one wishes to compose landscape poetry, the scenery of springs, rocks, clouds, and peaks—in all their exquisite and magnificent splendor—must be perceived by the mind, placing oneself within the landscape, viewing the landscape through the mind until it glows crystal clear in the palm of one's hand. Only then does one apply thought, rendering the scenery distinct so that formal likeness is achieved. The second is the realm of emotion. Joy, sorrow, entertainment, and resentment are all projected through intent and experienced by the body, after which the imagination races forth, deeply capturing that emotion. The third is the realm of artistic conception. This is likewise projected through intent and contemplated in the mind, thereby grasping the genuine truth."

"Poetry and lyrics all take the realm of artistic conception as the supreme standard. With artistic conception, even if the poetic lines lack polish or deviate from standard patterns, the work naturally attains a lofty caliber. Take, for example, Senior Official Little Song's line, 'Red apricot branches signal the bustling stir of spring.' A single word—'bustling'—captures the entire artistic conception. When you study the poetry of predecessors, you may learn the realm of physical objects and the realm of emotion, but the realm of artistic conception alone cannot be taught."

At this point, Chen Xiang guided Zhang Yue in writing object-describing poetry.

He assigned poplar catkins and chrysanthemums as topics. Zhang Yue composed six pieces in total. After reading them, Chen Xiang shook his head and said, "The meters and rhymes are all well-crafted, but one sees only embellishment without any genuine emotion. A master of poetry can establish intent in a single line; a mediocre one takes two lines; while the utterly ordinary fail to convey any intent throughout the entire piece. You fall into that ordinary category, and moreover, each line is weaker than the last, with the lower line failing to match the upper."

Hearing this, Zhang Yue's eyes welled with tears. *Could it be that without plagiarizing poems, my poetry and fu are truly this worthless?*

*Had I known my poetry and fu were this poor, why bother trying for the Jinshi examination? Is it still too time to switch to the Jiujing examination instead?*

Seeing Zhang Yue's wretched expression, Chen Xiang consoled him, "Third Brother, you have studied poetry and fu for only a short time, and this art is not something one is born with. By quietly studying and practicing it, you will surely achieve results. As the saying goes, there is plenty of time ahead. Just learn poetry and fu at your own pace, and we can judge your proficiency later."

Chen Xiang then tested Zhang Yue on classical exegesis and policy treatises. Zhang Yue submitted one policy essay and one theoretical discourse. After reading them, Chen Xiang could not help exclaiming in praise, "Third Brother, the reasoning in this essay and discourse is thoroughly penetrating, enough to make one break out in a cold sweat. As for historical allusions, you deploy them as naturally as if they were plucked from the air, and your phrasing surpasses even your poetry. Third Brother, how long have you been studying policy treatises?"

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Zhang Yue replied truthfully, "I studied them at the same time as poetry and fu!"

Hearing this, Chen Xiang fell silent for a long while.

Zhang Yue also felt deeply ashamed. Chen Xiang opened his mouth to speak several times, stopping himself each time, before finally uttering, "To possess such talent for poetry, fu, and prose from ancient times to the present—viewed in this light, it is truly a gift bestowed by heaven, something rarely achieved through later study!"

Zhang Yue fell into a deep gloom. However, the Jinshi examinations tested poetry, fu, policy treatises, and exegesis.

Poetry and fu were of paramount importance; if one failed in poetry and fu, no matter how well one answered the policy treatises and exegesis, it would be of no use.

Looking up at Chen Xiang, Zhang Yue asked, "Master, is there still any hope for my future study of poetry and fu? (Can I still be saved?)"

Seeing him thus, Chen Xiang paced back and forth for a long while before saying, "If you lack a heaven-sent talent for poetry and fu, and must instead achieve mastery through acquired effort, you will simply have to exert a hundred times more hardship than others. Fortunately, the path of the imperial examinations still has patterns to be followed. As for elusive things like artistic conception, do not worry about them for now; focus entirely on mastering the patterns."

Zhang Yue understood Chen Xiang's meaning. Earlier, Chen Xiang wanted him to study poetry starting from artistic conception and not deliberately chase rigid patterns.

Now, casting aside abstract concepts like artistic conception, he was to focus exclusively on mastering the patterns.

Just as teachers leave top students and academic prodigies to their own devices because they possess their own methods, teachers have no choice with underachieving students but to bombard them with a sea of practice questions!

Once you become familiar with all the formulas and routines, you become the formula itself, and the individual merges seamlessly with the method.

Chen Xiang had racked his brains for Zhang Yue's sake, devising a method of teaching in accordance with his student's aptitudes.

"May I ask how one goes about mastering these patterns, Master?"

Pacing the room, Chen Xiang explained, "Throughout history, all great poets have kept a bright lamp by their bedside at night. When sleep comes, they sleep; the moment they wake, they rise. If inspiration strikes and thoughts arise clearly and lucidly, they immediately set hand to writing poetry and prose."

"Furthermore, whenever you feel a sudden stir of emotion in your daily life—whether it is criticizing superiors, reforming inferiors, expressing your aspirations, or narrating events—whenever you harbor feelings in your heart that cannot be calmed, you must write them down immediately."

"Additionally, keep a poetry pouch in your daily life. Whenever you encounter a fine poetic line, record it immediately—just like Academician Ouyang, whether he was on horseback, lying in bed, or using the latrine. In daily life, one must never rush poetry. If you struggle to find inspired lines, you can take out the poems and lyrics from your poetry pouch and read them to spark your creativity."

Zhang Yue thought to himself that Ouyang Xiu's famous mention of the "three on's" (on horseback, on the pillow, and on the latrine) was actually adapted from his superior, Qian Weiyan.

Qian Weiyan had once said that he loved reading in his daily life: sitting down, he read the classics and histories; lying in bed or using the restroom, he read short lyrics and essays.

As for the "poetry pouch," it was roughly equivalent to having a portable search engine.

Hearing Chen Xiang's words, Zhang Yue realized this was the ancient equivalent of the sea-of-questions tactic.

Zhang Yue said, "I understand your meaning, Master. It means I must write more poetry in my daily life. But writing more poetry does not mean sitting rigidly to compose; rather, it means writing in response to the scenes and emotions encountered around me, eventually integrating and mastering them thoroughly. That way, when I eventually enter the examination hall, sitting in silence inside the enclosed quarters, I will not be rushed or flustered."

Chen Xiang replied with a pleased smile, "Third Brother, precisely so. Selecting officials through poetry, fu, and classical exegesis certainly has its rationale, but it is somewhat biased. Your true talent lies in elucidating principles and articulating Dao; in the future, as an official, you will be well-equipped to manage practical affairs."

Zhang Yue smiled and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Master."

Chen Xiang promptly invited Zhang Yue to stay for dinner.

The meal featured both fish and meat, which was indeed much more abundant than when he had visited previously.

Chen Xiang smiled and said, "Knowing that Third Brother was coming today, I instructed the cook to add a few extra dishes. Life in the Imperial Academy is austere; Third Brother, eat your fill."

Expressing his thanks, Zhang Yue sat down to eat. Chen Xiang asked, "I hear that scholars in the Imperial Academy frequently invite courtesans, stay overnight in pleasure quarters, and even have courtesans dress in men's clothing to enter the dormitories. Is this true?"

Zhang Yue replied, "During literary gatherings, courtesans are indeed sometimes invited. However, I am young and my literary talent is mediocre, so no one pays me any mind. As for courtesans dressing in men's clothing, that certainly does not happen in my residential quarter."

With this reply, Zhang Yue successfully covered up for Huang Haoyi.

Placing a piece of chicken into Zhang Yue's bowl, Chen Xiang said with a stern expression, "You are young and at the age when one naturally yearns for women, but you must keep a tight rein on yourself regarding female beauty."

"Living alone away from home, it is inevitable to endure loneliness, but the more such is the case, the less one should indulge. I hear that Vice-Director Liu of the Directorate of Waterways originally intended to betroth a young woman to an Imperial Academy student surnamed Huang. Who would have thought that before even marrying a wife, this man had already set up a secondary residence for a mistress outside?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yue knew immediately that Huang Haoyi's marriage prospects were ruined.

"To take a concubine before even taking a wife is already improper, let alone setting up an external residence. You Imperial Academy students should place your studies above all else. And take Liu Ji—no matter how high his literary talent, what of it? Which pleasure quarter in Bianjing does not know his name? Others may praise him as romantic and dashing, but official families with rigorous household standards will weigh him carefully."

Zhang Yue replied, "Your instruction is well taken, Master."

Chen Xiang continued, "Nowadays, when families in Bianjing marry off daughters or take wives, they greedily covet dowries and bridal gifts. In seeking a wife, one should prioritize virtue, modesty, and goodness; judging people purely by family wealth and social standing truly corrupts public morals."

"When you marry in the future, you should seek a woman of matching social background who is willing to endure frugality and help you manage the household. You must never harbor the notion of choosing a wife based on the size of her dowry."