"Junior Xu Xing..."
"I wish to enter Weijing Academy for further studies and seek the approval of my Senior."
Upon entering the side room, Xu Xing showed no stage fright, speaking in a refined manner.
Scholars have a certain pedigree. This includes details such as which private school they attended for their initial education, which scriptures they read, which of those scriptures were their main focus of study, and in which years they participated in the County, Prefecture, and Academy Exams. It also covers whether they passed these exams, attained any scholarly positions, and which teachers instructed them. These are essential questions invariably asked when seeking admission to an Academy, all interconnected.
The circle of Scholars is quite small, especially among those from the same hometown. In any reasonably sized locality, teachers qualified to instruct in private schools are generally Scholars by rank. A single county might only have about one hundred Scholars. In counties where education is less developed, there might not even be that many. As for higher ranks like Juren and scholar (Jinshi), they are even rarer. Even if fellow townsmen haven't met, they've likely heard of one another.
If any of these details were fabricated—firstly, Xu Xing wouldn't do such a thing, and secondly, any discrepancies would be easily exposed. However, he was also afraid that Teacher Wang might immediately ask about his academic lineage. Therefore, Xu Xing decided to be direct from the outset, hoping this would lead Teacher Wang to subconsciously overlook inquiring about his tutelage. After all, knowledge cannot come without a source. Matters of academic lineage were seldom fabricated, as they were a required part of the registration process for enrolling in an Academy.
Just as Xu Xing had anticipated, Teacher Wang, under a degree of psychological suggestion, subconsciously overlooked this aspect. He sized Xu Xing up, chose his words carefully, and then asked, "Do you hold any scholarly position? If not... hmm... here are some test questions on Science and mathematics. Please answer them."
If Xu Xing possessed a scholarly position, his opening remarks would have been different. Upon submitting the Letter verifying his identity, he could have directly entered the Academy to study. Additionally, while Xu Xing was wearing a Long Gown, it was not the formal robe of a Scholar, nor did he wear a Scholar's belt around his waist. Based on his attire alone, Xu Xing did not appear to be a Scholar who had attained any official rank. However, inquiring about scholarly positions was customary, and Teacher Wang didn't mind taking a few moments to ask.
"I hold no scholarly position."
Xu Xing respectfully bowed to Teacher Wang and accepted the test paper with both hands.
The field known as Science primarily encompassed physics and chemistry. The term itself signified the exhaustive investigation of the principles of things to acquire knowledge. In more recent times, 'Science' was also the term used for fundamental scientific disciplines. The test questions in mathematics and Science were not overly difficult, roughly equivalent to junior and senior high school levels of later generations, though a few problems touched upon Advanced Math and College Physics.
Xu Xing hesitated for a moment before answering them one by one.
Although it is said, "A tall tree catches the wind."
But if he performed poorly and failed to enter Weijing Academy, he would face Certain Death.
Weijing Academy is not so easy to enter.
With only some Practical knowledge and nothing particularly outstanding, his admission to the Academy was far from certain...
"Good!"
"Your Practical knowledge is very solid."
Teacher Wang glanced briefly at the paper. He was somewhat displeased to see Xu Xing had filled out the entire Answer Sheet, as there were only a few people in the Academy who could answer all the questions on this test. However, as he read through the answers carefully, his eyes grew increasingly bright, and he couldn't help but praise Xu Xing.
The Answer Sheet was entirely correct!
"Here are some Four-Book Questions. Just provide the Argument for each; no need to write a full Eight-Legged Essay."
Teacher Wang composed himself, then jotted down a few excerpt-based questions, instructing Xu Xing to outline his approach in the Eight-Legged Essay format.
The Eight-Legged Essay consists of: Argument, continuation, introduction, elaboration, beginning, middle, end, and conclusion. The Argument is merely the first part, yet it is the most crucial, akin to the opening paragraph of an argumentative essay.
"I beg Teacher Wang's forgiveness..."
"I come from a humble background. It took all my effort to fortunately acquire some Practical knowledge. As for the Four Books and Five Classics, I have never studied them and am entirely ignorant of their contents."
Xu Xing rose, lifted the hem of his Long Gown, and bowed deeply to Teacher Wang.
In truth, he wasn't completely ignorant of the Four Books and Five Classics. However, when it came to constructing Arguments and composing Eight-Legged Essays based on Confucian classics, he felt willing but incapable.
Rather than concealing this from Teacher Wang, it was better to confess frankly and leave a favorable impression. Confucian Scholars, no matter their many faults, possessed one particular virtue: they delighted in teaching. Instructors from Academies generally shared this quality. It was unlikely they would idly watch him return to the obscurity of Weibu Lv Lane. However, there was one prerequisite: he had to be perceived as 'Faithful and Honest,' not some cunning trickster. His current honesty directly addressed this point of being 'Faithful and Honest.' Sometimes, taking a step back allows for a much broader perspective.
"From a humble background?"
Teacher Wang looked surprised for a moment. He studied Xu Xing more closely and asked, "Then how did you learn Science and mathematics? No one in the outside world should have taught you these subjects..."
"In the 15th year of Guangxu, Qin Province suffered a great drought."
"At that time, a missionary was providing disaster relief, and I studied with him for a period."
Xu Xing offered an explanation.
He couldn't withstand scrutiny regarding the lineage of a traditional scholar's tutelage, but as for foreign missionaries... Weijing Academy lacked the means to investigate that.
"So, that's how it is."
Hearing this, Teacher Wang felt a sense of understanding. It was quite common for foreigners to establish schools in the country. Examples included institutions like Ying Hua Academy and Morrison Academy, both founded by foreigners. Crucially, these foreign-run schools often didn't charge tuition fees, specifically enrolling children from impoverished families. Of course, the foreigners' motives weren't entirely altruistic; the schools were often established for the purpose of Teaching. Although Qin Province had no formally established foreign-run schools, it wasn't unusual for foreign missionaries to set up informal ones.
"Are you set on entering Day New Studio?"
"I believe Shimin Zhai would be more suitable for you," Teacher Wang advised.
One should begin studying early. The Four Books and Five Classics may not seem voluminous. However, if one wishes to make a name for oneself in Eight-Legged Essays, these texts require diligent study for ten years, as if each day were the first. The saying about "ten years of hard study by a cold window" is no empty phrase. And considering Xu Xing's current age—he appeared to be at least seventeen or eighteen—it was clearly quite late to begin.
"Teacher..."
"I want to try, to learn the teachings of the saints," Xu Xing insisted.
He wasn't a fool. Studying Practical knowledge meant pursuing Engineering, leading to a lifetime as a skilled worker. In this era, scientists weren't highly valued. Besides, he lacked the aptitude to become one. After all, he wasn't a graduate in science or engineering. If he studied the Eight-Legged Essay and succeeded, he could become an official. The better path was obvious.
"Ambition is not limited by age..."
Teacher Wang nodded. He took out the Name List from the cupboard and pushed it in front of Xu Xing. "Write down your name, age, hometown, the age you began your studies, what books you read during your initial schooling, and any books on Practical knowledge you have studied. Additionally, you need to pay a fee of Three Two... Actually, never mind. I'll cover it for you, but only this once."
On the Name List, the three small characters for "Day New Studio" were written.
"Thank you, Teacher."
Xu Xing took a deep breath and quickly bowed in salute to Teacher Wang. As he performed the deep bow of salutation, he simultaneously opened his personal panel.
He saw that in the "Destiny" column, the four characters for "Death by Misfortune" seemed to be slowly fading, as if about to coalesce into a new inscription at any moment.
"The... the fate has changed!"
Xu Xing felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he let out a sigh of relief.