Confucianism under Heaven

Chapter 25 Wang Xizhi, the Sage of Calligraphy

Chapter Twenty-Five: Wang Xizhi, the Sage of Calligraphy

Hearing Ye Ru's angry shout, the sneers of the crowd grew even stronger.

"You? If you can become a student of the first level of the imperial examination, then even a dog on the street can become a scholar. Don't you think so?"

Upon hearing this, Manager Yu pointed at Ye Ru and laughed loudly, saying contemptuously.

"Isn't this the worst student at Wenxing Private School?"

"Yes, he's dull-witted and always ranks last in the final exams every year. Yet he still dares to try to participate in the Three Academies Literary Gathering. He's truly shameless."

People around gathered around and pointed at Ye Ru, discussing the matter.

"Ye Ru? It seems he's being targeted."

Magistrate Zhang looked out the window and saw Ye Ru, and chuckled.

"It seems that Ye Rutong's identity has not yet been made public."

The county magistrate nodded, and then said:

It's fortunate that the birth of the Holy Child is made public here; if the demon race and others found out, they might immediately send people to kill him.

"Registrar Wen hasn't arrived yet. I reckon things are about to get interesting. I'll send a message to him immediately and tell him..."

The county magistrate whispered a few words to Magistrate Zhang.

"Alright, then I'll stay here. If the magistrate asks, I'll say you're a snob and won't let me in."

Ye Ru waved his sleeve and said.

"Hmph, you think you can get in by pretending to be powerful? As long as I'm here, you'll never be able to get into my Hongxiang Restaurant!"

"Ye Ru, everyone is waiting for you, why don't you go in?"

At this moment, Qian Wei and Zhao Cheng walked over from a distance and greeted Ye Ru.

"Ye Tongsheng, you are the first 'Sacred Child Scholar' from our Qingyun County. If you pass the imperial examination or become a Jinshi in the future, don't forget us."

Wen, the registrar, was in a carriage. When he arrived next to Ye Ru, he pulled back the curtain and suddenly spoke.

Upon hearing what Registrar Wen said, Manager Yu was shocked. His hand trembled so much that he almost fell to the ground, and cold sweat poured down his face.

Ye Ru actually passed the preliminary examination for the imperial examination.

"This Ye Ru actually became a child scholar? And it was even bestowed by a saint?"

The people here fell silent, their eyes wide, and their previous schadenfreude froze on their faces.

"Hehe, this Hongxiang Restaurant is really prestigious. Even a Saintly Scholar isn't qualified to go in. It seems we're even less qualified."

Some people disapproved of Manager Yu's bullying and mocked him.

Shopkeeper Yu dropped the broom in his hand with a thud. He swallowed hard. He had actually kept the extremely rare Saintly Scholar out of the door and even insulted him in public.

"A person must have pride. It seems that this literary gathering of the three academies does not welcome me. I will leave now!"

After Ye Ru finished speaking, he prepared to leave.

"Ye Tongsheng, please wait."

While Manager Yu was pale and covered in cold sweat, Magistrate Zhang and Assistant Magistrate Song both came out of the restaurant and looked at the former.

With so many eyes staring at him, even Manager Yu turned pale and his legs trembled.

A moment later, Manager Yu quickly stopped Ye Ru, and said with a fawning smile:

"Ye Ru, I was just looking down on people. I deserve to be beaten. Your presence at my Hongxiang Restaurant is an honor and a source of pride for my family. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Ye Ru glanced at Manager Yu, then subtly glanced at Magistrate Zhang:

"Still too high a price to pay."

"Ye Tongsheng, this literary gathering of the three academies is a beautiful story. Why make it so tense? Go up and talk."

Seeing that Ye Ruwen's reputation had spread throughout Qingyun County, Magistrate Zhang seized the opportunity to come to the two men and offered his advice.

"Very well, since the magistrate has spoken, I will certainly comply."

Ye Ru nodded, cupped his hands in greeting, and then followed the others into Hongxiang Restaurant.

Looking at the backs of the group, Manager Yu suddenly felt like he had been tricked.

As the group entered Hongxiang Restaurant, they headed towards the third floor. As the largest restaurant in Qingyun County, Hongxiang Restaurant naturally hosted the Qingyun County Literary Gathering, and the third floor was prepared for the gathering.

The restaurant had a total of fifteen tables, and Ye Ru's table was placed in the middle, whether by coincidence or design.

"Brother Ye Ru, I didn't expect you to actually come!"

At this moment, the door opened, and Wang Xiaoyang, along with Wang Bieqiu and others, arrived. However, Wang Xiaoyang was holding a sheet of Xuan paper in his hand.

"Brother Wang."

"Brother Wang."

Many people seemed to recognize Wang Xiaoyang and quickly stood up to greet him, but only a few prominent figures, such as Ye Ru, did not move.

The gloom on Wang Xiaoyang's face flashed by, then he smiled again:

"Brother Bieqiu, what brings you here today?"

Magistrate Zhang was also taken aback when he looked at Wang Bieqiu. Logically speaking, this should be a gathering of students.

"As a respected figure in Qingyun County, it is only natural that I should come here to witness the youthful spirit of our people."

Wang Bieqiu said with a forced smile.

"Today, the literary gathering of the three academies is held every year before the imperial examinations. Its purpose is to exchange knowledge and to help students pass the preliminary examinations."

"Today is no exception, but this year is different. Our Qingyun County is blessed by the God of Literature and has actually received a divine descendant."

Liu Zhi shouted loudly.

"Really? Who is the Holy Child?"

"Brother Wang, could this so-called 'Sacred Child's Descent' be you?"

"That's right, that's right. I've heard that Brother Wang has been well-versed in poetry and famous works since childhood. I'm afraid he will rank high in this exam as well. He is the only one who can be chosen as the Imperial Scholar."

Some students who respected the power of the Wang family congratulated Wang Xiaoyang.

"I am of limited talent and learning, how could I be a divinely appointed scholar blessed by the star of literature? The real divinely appointed scholar is Brother Ye Ru."

Scholars have always been prone to mutual disdain, and Wang Xiaoyang's few words made Ye Ru the center of public opinion.

"Bah! A lowly scholar, a mere child prodigy sent by the emperor? Does he even deserve such a title?"

Someone whispered something.

"Brother Ye Ru, you see they don't acknowledge your title of 'Childhood Scholar'. Why not display your talent and broaden our horizons?"

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Wang Xiaoyang looked at Ye Ru and sneered.

Today, Ye Ru will be utterly disgraced!

"If today's discussion is not meant to be a chance for mutual exploration, then I must take my leave."

Ye Ru clasped his hands in a fist salute, then turned and left.

"Brother Ye Ru, don't go! How about this? Every competition has a prize. Besides this Zhuge robe, let my father give you a few couplets. If you win, I'll give you my family's copy of Wang Xizhi's 'Huang Ting Jing' as a prize."

Wang Xiaoyang was caught off guard when he saw Ye Ru leaving so decisively, and quickly tried to stop him.

This couplet, also known as a antithetical couplet, emphasizes perfect parallelism, tonal harmony, and consists of two lines.

Furthermore, the two lines should have the same number of characters, consistent punctuation, corresponding parts of speech, and related meanings.

Commonly, there are palindromic couplets, reduplicated character couplets, anaphoric couplets, embedded character couplets, collected sentence couplets, couplets with adjacent characters, and character splitting couplets.

"So kind?"

Ye Ru pretended to stop and asked.

Confucius said: "A person cannot stand without trust, that is natural. My Wang family has always been based on integrity."

"However, if Brother Ye Ru cannot answer, then it proves that you are not qualified to be a Saintly Descendant Scholar at all. At that time, all you need to do is tell the entire Qingyun County that you are not worthy of being a Saintly Descendant Scholar, how about that?"