A bad pen is worse than a good memory

Everyone was startled and looked over in astonishment.

Jia Dairu, his beard and hair bristling, seemed extremely angry: "The key to this question lies in the word 'metaphor'! The sage's subtle meaning lies in what the heart understands and what one's nature is inclined to. Your entire essay only revolves around 'for righteousness' and 'for profit,' completely failing to grasp the essence of 'metaphor'! No matter how ornate the writing may be, it is still a far cry from the topic, a inferior work!"

Jia Rui immediately chimed in, saying sarcastically, "Grandfather is absolutely right! Yun-ge'er, you probably just memorized a few model essays before the exam, but you haven't grasped their true meaning. Your parroting here is nothing but a laughingstock!"

Jia Dairu pointed at Jia Yun, his face ashen: "Clever words and a flattering expression! Opportunistic trickery! You've only managed to memorize a few essays by chance, and now you're showing off! Your answer to the question just now, 'The distinction between righteousness and profit is what differentiates gentlemen from petty men,' seems well-structured, but it's actually a trick! It completely misses the mark of the sages, failing to grasp the subtlety of the word 'metaphor'! Even if the examiner accepts such an answer, it's nothing but mediocre insight, not true talent! You, you're wrong!"

This is clearly sophistry and unreasonable argument!

While the word "metaphor" is important, Jia Yun's argument, with phrases like "a heart that forgets selfishness and only sees righteousness" and "a heart that forgets selfishness and only sees profit," already closely adheres to the core concept of "what the heart understands." So how can it be considered off-topic?

The crowd exchanged glances, all realizing that Jia Dairu and his grandson were deliberately making things difficult for each other, and their faces showed disapproval.

Some of the Jia family's close relatives, such as the nephews and nieces of the Shi family (who were associated with the Marquis of Baoling), even frowned. They felt that this old scholar had gone too far. Why would he suppress his own son's talent in public instead of encouraging him?

Wang Xifeng held a hand warmer in her hands, her phoenix-shaped eyes looking down at the people below with a half-smile, while her mind raced: "Well done, Jia Yun! I always thought he was just a clever and witty fellow who knew how to get things done, but I never knew he had such a learned mind! Even I, who am not very literate, find his writing powerful and reasonable!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Jia Dairu, whose face was ashen, and Jia Rui, who was filled with jealousy, then at Madam Wang, whose face was ashen. She knew perfectly well what was going on: "She had planned everything, but she hadn't anticipated that this boy was truly capable, actually bringing up his solid credentials. Now look what's happened! He tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead. Let's see how this ends!"

Li Wan was a widow, and her heart was usually ashen and lifeless. She only knew how to raise her young son, serve her parents, and remain chaste. She was never interested in such disputes.

However, at this moment, listening to Jia Yun quote the teachings of sages and analyze the difference between a gentleman and a petty person, the righteousness and wisdom in his words actually touched her long-dormant heartstrings.

Looking at the humble yet confident young man below, she thought of her husband Jia Zhu, who had died young after studying hard. If Master Zhu were here, he would surely value his children who studied and made progress in the same way.

Li Wan subconsciously clenched the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, silently thinking, "This child is indeed hardworking. If Lan'er can be like this in the future, I will be at ease."

Seeing that Jia Dairu and his grandson were clearly making things difficult for her, even this "Bodhisattva-like" heart couldn't help but feel a little sorry and worried. She only hoped that Jia Yun could get through this smoothly and not suffer any injustice or have his ambitions crushed.

Tan Chun's thoughts were even more complex and subtle.

She had already seen through the clues yesterday, and today she witnessed Jia Yun's charm with her own eyes. Her heart was already tied to that handsome figure.

Seeing him answer so fluently and radiate brilliance, I felt both proud and nervous.

At the most exciting parts, she almost blurted out "Bravo!" but thankfully she held back in time, suppressing her admiration and excitement deep within her heart. When Jia Dairu suddenly launched his attack, arguing and making unreasonable demands, she was furious, her eyebrows furrowing and her teeth clenched: "What a pedantic old man! He's clearly jealous of talent and distorting the truth in public!"

She desperately wanted to get up immediately and say a few words in Jia Yun's defense, but her status prevented her from doing so. She could only sit there anxiously, her handkerchief almost torn to shreds.

The girl's gaze followed Jia Yun closely. Seeing that he remained calm and composed in the face of accusations, she was even more impressed by his composure. At the same time, she became increasingly worried about how he would resolve this shameless challenge.

As soon as Jia Dairu finished speaking, those clan school children who usually relied on him or were on good terms with Jia Rui, Jia Qin, Jia Qiang, and others, and who had long harbored resentment towards Jia Yun, such as Jia Huang, Jia Chang, and Jia Ling, immediately began to clamor as if they had received a signal:

"Grandpa is right! Yun-ge'er, you just have a better memory; you think you can act all high and mighty just because you memorized some model essays!"

"Exactly! True talent isn't something you can just memorize. I think you're just trying to gain fame!"

"Even Master Dairu said you got it wrong, and you still dare to be stubborn? Quickly admit your mistake!"

"What real knowledge could someone from the West Corridor possibly possess? They're just trying to climb the social ladder!"

Immediately, accusations and jeers rose and fell, forming an invisible wave of sound that pressed down on the isolated and helpless Jia Yun.

These voices were filled with malice and contempt, as if they wanted to completely tear apart the reputation of his talent that he had just built up.

Jia Zheng's face darkened, and he was about to speak.

But Jia Yun remained calm and composed, bowing again, his voice calm yet clear, echoing throughout the hall:

"Your Excellency, please calm your anger. What I said just now may have been inadequate and offensive. However, coincidentally, regarding the Wanping County examination of Shuntian Prefecture in the year of Yiwei, I have read the examination paper of the top scholar that year, Lord Xu Shaoting. Lord Xu's introduction to the topic and his entire argument are not far from what I just said. I am foolish and dare to ask Your Excellency, is it that Lord Xu Shaoting misinterpreted the text? Or did the magistrate of Wanping County, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, and even the officials of the Ministry of Rites who were grading the papers all misjudged the text and selected a 'far off-topic' and inferior piece?"

These words were truly astonishing!

Xu Shaoting! Many officials and scholars present had heard of this name.

He was a second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the year of Yiwei (1895), and is currently serving as a Shujishi (probationary official) in the Hanlin Academy, a position of exceptional prestige.

More importantly, he was a student of a renowned Confucian scholar of his time, a leading figure in the Donglin School. His father-in-law was the current Vice Minister of Rites, in charge of all the imperial examinations! Jia Yun's words were tantamount to bringing up an insurmountable mountain!

You, Jia Dairu, say this essay is "a inferior work" and "far off-topic," doesn't that mean you're implying that Xu Shaoting's title of Jinshi is undeserved? And that the examiners who selected him were blind? This kind of accusation is unbearable, not to mention for an old scholar like him, even the Jia family couldn't bear it!

Jia Yun glanced around at the faces that were either dodging or still showing some resentment, and then looked at Jia Dairu, whose face was ashen and who was still trying to put on a brave face. He couldn't help but sneer in his heart.

This scene is so similar to what he experienced in his previous life, amidst a sea of ​​exam questions!

Others only thought he had memorized the essay by chance, but they didn't know how much he had paid for it.

He thought to himself, "In my past life, I studied diligently for twenty years, and what I believed most deeply was my grandfather's saying, 'A bad pen is worse than a good memory'! As for 'practice makes perfect,' it's an instinct ingrained in my very bones!"

Although his soul was reborn into Jia Yun's body in this life, his stubbornness in diligently studying remained unchanged.

Others only saw that he frequently visited Jigu Zhai in the past year and assumed that he was doing this to supplement his family's income by copying books. But who knew his true intentions? He would often beg the shopkeeper to go to great lengths to collect the questions and top-ranked examination papers from the past ten years, including county, prefectural, provincial, and even metropolitan examinations!

He copied and pondered those words, which were imbued with the hard work of countless scholars, again and again. Although he dared not claim to have memorized them after just one glance, the spirit of the articles, the key to solving the problem, and the subtlety of transitions were deeply imprinted in his mind after being immersed in them day and night.

Jia Yun admitted that he was not a genius, unable to compose a poem in seven steps, and unlikely to have any groundbreaking insights.

However, he firmly believed that while understanding the profound meaning of the sages' words was paramount in the examination process, to stand out among thousands of students, one had to learn from a wide range of sources! This was the only method he had honed through his examination experience in his previous life.

For him, mastering the essence of those dozens or even hundreds of excellent essays was his greatest source of confidence in dealing with any difficulties!

"Whoa—!" A suppressed uproar immediately erupted in the hall.

"It's actually Xu Hanlin's essay?"

"No wonder it's so insightful!"

"The fact that Jia Yun can memorize all the previous criminal records shows how hard he has studied!"

"It seems that Master Dairu has misjudged the situation this time!"

It is said that Madam Bu was standing on the edge of the crowd, originally worried about her son. But now, seeing her son being attacked and slandered by the crowd, those harsh words pierced her heart like ice picks.

Her face turned pale, and she wanted to step forward and say a few words in defense of her son.

But she was naturally timid, and under the imposing presence of this wealthy and powerful family, how could she dare to speak? She was so anxious that her whole body trembled and her eyes reddened. Involuntarily, she squeezed forward, wanting to get closer to her son and see him more clearly.

In the chaos, one of Jia Rui's close associates secretly sabotaged her. Taking advantage of the crowd, he shoved Bu Shi from behind! Bu Shi cried out "Ouch!" and stumbled, losing her balance, and fell with a "thud" onto the cold, hard bluestone ground!