Chapter 19 (1/2)

They naturally don’t understand this clue, but when chieftain Zheng suddenly mentioned it, they think that is there something hidden in it. After all, they all knew before coming that this was a contest between two descendants of the same family.

It is not only about learning but also the future.

They all come from poor families, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in the farmhouse. So before, Xue Tingxiang said that while the Xue family had settled down, they had not forgotten to cultivate and educate their children and grandchildren. Therefore, scholar Qiao would appreciate it.

Because he knew that this matter seemed trivial, but it was too difficult for the farmers, and there were a few people who could change their fate by studying.

It can be said that those from poor families in the countryside who can gain the fame and credit have all experienced great tribulations. Their starting point is much lower than that of others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others. At the same time, they have to face the cruelty of various competitions.

This kind of competition is not only between the classmates or examiners, but also between the people in the same clan, even their own brothers.

If you succeed in your studies, you will have enough space to show your talent and enjoy life. But if you fail, you will not continue learning knowledge what you want and do manual labour throughout your whole life.

Because they understand this cruelty, they can’t help but think about whether Xue Tingxiang intentionally said that he was weak in learning, or he wanted to reduce the difficulty of questions. But it’s a double-edged sword. After all, he is inferior to others in learning, which is a disadvantage to himself.

These thoughts only happened in an instant. Because of the sudden attention of scholar He and scholar Qia, Xue Qingshan was nervous again for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something surprising. At this time, he had no time to think about why Xue Tingxiang knew how to interpret the Scriptures, and he forgot that his previous idea was Xue Tingxiang’s unclear interpretation of scripture, and it would be effortless for his son to beat him.

It’s the same with patriarch Xue. What happens in the clan that can’t be seen, it is only limited to the clan. If it comes out in public, it will be embarrassing.

The eyes of the two men seemed to take a needle, and they were anxious on Xue Tingxiang’s face. However, he smiled shyly and said, “When I was young, I was very weak and sick, so I inevitably missed school and fell behind.”

Xue Qingshan said with a smile, “That’s right. I’m not afraid that two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is gifted and intelligent, but his physical weakness drags down his studies.”

Patriarch Xue nodded in agreement.

Everyone else didn’t know what was going on, but they just opened their eyes. Only chieftain Zheng seemed to realize what’s wrong with it, but he couldn’t be specific and only keep silent.

After scholar He and scholar Qiao humiliated each other again, finally they are dominated by scholar He. Sitting at the center, he said to Xue Tingxiang, “Since you don’t know the meaning of Scripture, which is beyond the scope of what you have learned, it is a bit unfair. The two of you are still young. It’s the time to lay a good foundation. Let’s test your two foundations of learning.”

After hearing that, Xue Juncai was disappointed and felt that was using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. He missed the opportunity to show himself, but he was also disdainful.

“In any case, then Xue Tingxiang is not my opponent,” he thought.

Scholar He squeezed his beard and pondered a little, then said: “Zhu Zi said: studies are inherently different, but they are just from the same principle–Tao. It is based on the fact that if you are young and don’t study in primary school, you can’t accept your heart and cultivate your virtue. You two will write from memory an article of “Disciple Rules.”

Neither of them thought that the first question turned out to be the “Disciple Rules”. It is learned at the beginning of enlightenment, and the whole article was only a thousand words. In addition to the summary, it is divided into seven chapters: being filial piety, loving and respecting elder brother, being cautious, trusting, loving the public, being benevolent, and spare no effort to learn.

Each chapter is not long, three words a sentence, rhyme with the rut, catchy. It lists all kinds of norms that disciples children should abide by when they are at home, when they are away from home and when they are dealing with people and things. It is a classic for children to be upright, to be honest, to do their best, to be honest, to cultivate a loyal family style and to control themselves. It also proves what scholar He said before that studies are inherently different, but they are just from the same principle–Tao.

Someone has already prepared a square table and ink. Each of them had a table table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been polished.

When they came to the table, they wrote without hesitation.

With the two people writing crazily, the noise gradually faded. Even if the country people didn’t know any truth, they also know that knowledgeable people can’t be disturbed when they are learning.

This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent a lot of effort on reciting all the things he has learned.

It’s not just memorizing, but also remembering that only when he is asked questions in the school can he answer well, because he has no reference at all.

Without books, it is better to have them, because they are all engraved in his mind. Especially since he had that dream, in order to be afraid of the memory being affected, he had silently recited the books in his mind for countless times.

While Xue Tingxiang was writing fast, he also made a slight change to scholar He.

He could tell that the his unexpected question was not the intentional discharge, but a surprise. Because the “Disciple Rules” is too simple for students. Almost everyone learned it at the beginning of enlightenment, but they just throw it away after learning it.

Except at the beginning of his enlightenment, teachers would not test these things later. Maybe it’s “Three Character Canon”, or even “The Book of Family Names” and “Thousand-Character Classic”. And it will not be the “Disciple Rules”.

Xue Tingxiang could’t even wait to see Xue Juncai’s reaction. Maybe he can write down the article roughly. Is it possible to write down more than a thousand words in a good order? And scholar He ordered them not only to write, but also the “calligraph” in the book.

Just by his own handwriting, he can win Xue Juncai.

As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really despised him. He even thought that scholar He was fool that he chose to took the test of “Disciple Rules”.

Everyone knows well “Disciple Rules”. At the beginning of the school entrance is to learn. But when he started, he found that he didn’t seem to be as good as he thought.

He didn’t remember well enough to forget the next sentence. The “Disciple Rules” is not like other articles that can connect the last sentence with the next and prove each other. If you make a mistake in the front, you will make a mistake in the back.

Xue Juncai was more and more upset. He always thought he was wrong. If someone asks a question, he will naturally be able to answer it. But for writing from memory, he can also do it well!

At first, he wrote fast, but then it became slower and slower. Even when he couldn’t write unceasingly, he was obviously not sure whether his memory was right.

On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang had a steady condition from the beginning. At this time, he was still writing well, but it could be seen that his strokes were very coherent, almost without pause.

In the first place, scholar Qiao looked at scholar He with exclamation, but he didn’t hide his surprise at all. For the following situations, he naturally closed his eyes and had to admire the ingenious mind of He.

Scholar He smiled slightly. In fact, he would test such a problem, just because he wanted to let them make mistakes. This is a very delicate mentality. He never expected that he would be convinced by scholar Qiao, which made him a little proud. At the same time, he is also very proud of his inspiration.

He stroked his beard and smiled lightly, “You two don’t need to worry, cause you have time of a stick to write down.”

It seems that they will write more than a thousand words in a rush, but they can also write down the simple things like “Disciple Rules”. As long as they grasp time, they could finish it.

But that was before. When someone mentioned time, Xue Juncai couldn’t help being more anxious.

In the following time, he kept looking at the sticker, because it was seen too often, which made his speed even slower.

“Well, time is over.”

With the voice falling, Xue Tingxiang put down his pen and finished his mission.

Xue Juncai didn’t move until someone went to him and found that he was as stiff as a stone and sweating. And the paper in front of him was only half full.