Poor but talented scholar

Chapter 77 Factions

"Chuan'er, can we really get in here?" Lu Shouye's voice was a little weak, and he rubbed his palm hard against his thigh.

Lu Chuan quickly grabbed his father's wrist.

He looked straight ahead, walked up to the steward with neither arrogance nor servility, and presented the invitation with both hands outstretched.

"Lu Chuan of Qingyang has come to attend the meeting at the invitation of Lord Shen."

"So it's Lu, the top scholar from Qingyang." The steward's voice rose an octave, his tone instantly becoming extremely refined. "Lord Shen had already given instructions that a great talent from Qingyang had arrived today. Young master, please come in."

However, just as Lu Shouye was about to step over the vermilion threshold, two fire-and-water sticks wrapped in red silk crossed with a "snap" and blocked the doorway.

"Sir, please wait a moment." The steward immediately adopted a businesslike demeanor. "According to the rules of Shengwen Garden, this is an elegant gathering, and only scholars, students, and those with official titles are allowed to enter. I'm afraid you'll have to wait behind the screen wall outside the garden."

Lu Shouye's foot, which he had stepped out, froze in mid-air.

He hastily withdrew his leg, rubbed it on the bluestone slab, and looked at Lu Chuan with a flushed face.

"Chuan'er, look at your father's brain. How could a rough man like me go into a place like this?"

He quickly took the book box from his arms and stuffed it into Lu Chuan's hands. "Go inside quickly, don't delay important matters. Your father is squatting under the big locust tree outside the door, he won't go anywhere, you'll see me as soon as you come out."

Lu Chuan clenched his fingers, said nothing more, simply bowed to his father, and then abruptly turned around.

Upon entering the garden, one is greeted by the refreshing and subtle fragrance of sandalwood.

Every step is exquisite, every word a gem.

Shengwen Garden truly lives up to its reputation as the premier garden in the city. The ground is paved with Taihu stones arranged in a pattern of good fortune and longevity, and the sides are lined with meticulously trimmed Xiangfei bamboo.

Every few steps, you can see inscriptions by famous figures from various dynasties carved on the white marble pillars.

Where the corridor winds and turns, a stream of fresh water flows, tinkling softly. Several red carp dart among the water lily leaves, creating an elegant and refined atmosphere that is quite pleasing to the eye.

Passing through the moon gate, the scene before him made Lu Chuan even more alarmed.

In the center of the pond, the Lanyue Pavilion was brightly lit, with its multi-story buildings featuring flying eaves and brackets.

Apart from the dozen or so outstanding individuals who also held invitations, the elderly men and gentry seated at the head of the table all possessed an air of elegance and composure.

The man in the center is Lord Chen, who has retired from officialdom. He once served as the prefect, and although he is now retired, he is still a leading figure in the scholarly circles of Yingnan Prefecture.

Those who were able to participate in this literary gathering were all the top three in the county-level examinations, totaling twelve people.

Lu Chuan stood discreetly at the end of the line, quickly scanned the room, and realized that he was indeed the one who looked the most shabby.

Diagonally in front of him, an eight-year-old prodigy named Lin Zhirun was fiddling with the mutton-fat jade pendant at his waist, standing out conspicuously among the group of teenagers.

At the exact moment of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the sound of the chime was deep and resonant.

Without any tedious pleasantries, Lord Chen led everyone in paying homage to their late teacher and then directly presented the topic of today's debate.

He surveyed the entire room and slowly began to speak:

"Should a virtuous person prioritize 'concealing their sharpness' or 'striving for the lead' in their conduct?"

The moment the question was posed, the atmosphere in the room tensed up instantly.

The subsequent draw determined everyone's stance.

Lu Chuan reached into the sandalwood divination tube, pulled out a bamboo stick, and flipped it open. There was a vermilion character "先" (first) on it.

He drew the affirmative side—advocating that "a gentleman should strive to be the first."

The child prodigy Lin Zhirun drew the character "藏" (hide), thus belonging to the opposing side.

Lord Chen announced: "One hour to prepare. Each group of six will discuss how to approach the topic and present their arguments."

The other five members of Lu Chuan's group gathered together after Lord Chen announced the start.

The young man leading the group was named Zhou Ziqian. He was dressed in a royal blue silk robe with dark patterns, clearly a scion of a wealthy family in the prefecture.

He politely cupped his hands in greeting to Lu Chuan:

"This must be Lu, the top scholar from Qingyang County. Meeting you today, I can see your composure and restraint. I am Zhou Ziqian. We will be competing in the same group later. I hope Brother Lu will lend a hand."

Lu Chuan politely returned the greeting: "Brother Zhou, you are too kind. Lu Chuan will do his best."

Zhou Ziqian nodded, then naturally turned his head to discuss with four other students dressed similarly.

Although he greeted Lu Chuan, in the ensuing discussion, the five people mostly used academic jargon popular in the Fucheng Academy, and when quoting classics, they mostly used rare and fragmentary texts.

Although Zhou Ziqian spoke politely, he frequently quoted from the "Huang Qing Jing Jie" or rare collections held only by prominent families in the prefecture.

Those obscure academic terms were clearly intended to make Lu Chuan a mere supporting character.

"Brother Zhou, the Qian hexagram in the Book of Changes that you just mentioned is indeed the foundation of 'striving for the lead,' but if you want to refute the other party's 'concealing one's edge,' you probably have to work on the momentum of 'when the sage appears, all things are revealed.'" A scholar next to him said eloquently, waving a folding fan.

Zhou Ziqian was nodding in approval when he noticed Lu Chuan standing calmly outside the circle.

"Brother Lu has remained silent, but what are your thoughts on this 'striving for the top' theory?" Zhou Ziqian asked, though he was certain that Lu Chuan wouldn't be able to handle the conversation.

Lu Chuan raised his head, nodded slightly to the group, and then spoke calmly: "Brother Zhou and you all have made some excellent points. However, I believe that the 'Hidden Edge' skill drawn by the opposing young master Lin is very easy to exploit by borrowing the meaning of 'good deeds leave no trace' from Lao Tzu. If we only talk about the gentleman's ambition, we may fall into the trap of 'the rigid are easily broken'."

Zhou Ziqian was taken aback; he hadn't expected Lu Chuan to point out the weakness in their argument so directly.

"So, what does Brother Lu mean?" Zhou Ziqian toned down his previous dismissive tone.

Lu Chuan held up a finger, his words resounding: "We shouldn't just talk about the results of 'striving for the first,' but about the true intention behind it. Striving for the first is not about chasing fame and fortune, but rather like rowing against the current—if you don't move forward, you fall behind."

"If one does not have the resolute determination to 'take responsibility without hesitation,' how can one talk about the aspirations of a gentleman? Rather than talking about momentum, we should start with the 'poverty of people's livelihood and the urgency of the situation,' and transform 'striving for the lead' into a responsibility that we cannot shirk."

His words, however, elevated the argument to a depth they had never imagined.

"The people's livelihood is in dire straits... There is no time to lose?" Zhou Ziqian pondered these words, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes.

The scholars behind him also stopped talking and laughing.

They thought Lu Chuan could only recite a few lines from the Four Books and Five Classics, but they didn't expect him to analyze the debate topic so incisively.

"Brother Lu's theory is indeed a unique approach." Zhou Ziqian re-examined Lu Chuan.

"Since Brother Lu has such insight, how about Brother Lu personally drafting this fifth closing statement?" Zhou Ziqian's attitude completely changed, now carrying a hint of heartfelt anticipation.

The other four exchanged glances, their initial aloofness gone, replaced by a desire to see how much trouble this poor boy could cause.