Life Changed (Seeking Follow-up)

Fate Changed (Please Read On)

"Latecomer and humble student Xu Xing..."

"wishes to enter Taste Classics Academy to study. I hope, Senior, that you will grant me permission."

The moment he entered the side room, Xu Xing showed no stage fright and delivered this rather bookish speech.

All scholars had an academic lineage: which private school had enlightened them, which classics they had studied, which classic they specialized in, in what years they had taken the county, prefectural, and academy examinations, whether they had passed, whether they held academic credentials, and which teachers had instructed them...

These were all essential questions when entering an academy, each link fastened to the next.

The circle of scholars was small, especially among fellow townsmen.

In any somewhat larger place, those qualified to teach at private schools were generally former xiucai. Yet a single county might have only a little over a hundred xiucai. In counties where education was lacking, there might not even be a hundred.

As for juren and jinshi above them, they were rarer still.

Among fellow townsmen, even if one had not met them, one had at least heard of them.

If he made up such things at random... first, Xu Xing did not know how; second, it would be all too easy for flaws to emerge.

But he also feared that Instructor Wang would immediately ask about his academic lineage. So, from the start, he got straight to the point, subconsciously prompting Instructor Wang to overlook the matter of his teachers and heritage.

After all, learning could not spring from nowhere.

Few people falsified their academic lineage. It was simply a necessary part of filling out the register when enrolling at an academy.

Just as Xu Xing had expected, under that subtle suggestion, Instructor Wang unconsciously overlooked this issue. He gave Xu Xing a look and carefully chose his words. "Do you hold any academic credentials? If not... hm... here are some questions on the study of things and mathematics. Answer them."

If Xu Xing possessed academic credentials, his opening words would not have been what he had just said.

After submitting documents proving his identity, he would have been able to move into the academy and begin studying directly.

Besides, although Xu Xing wore a long gown, it was not the round-collared gown of a xiucai, nor did he wear a gentleman's sash around his waist. Judging from his attire alone, Xu Xing did not look like a scholar with credentials.

Still, asking whether he held any credentials was customary, and Instructor Wang did not begrudge the few words it took.

"I hold no academic credentials."

Xu Xing respectfully bowed to Instructor Wang and received the examination paper with both hands.

The study of things was, in other words, knowledge of physics and chemistry.

To investigate things and attain knowledge meant to probe the principles of all things in order to gain understanding.

In modern times, the foundational sciences were likewise called the study of things.

The questions on mathematics and the study of things were not particularly difficult, roughly equivalent to middle and high school standards in later generations. Two or three of them involved advanced mathematics and university physics.

Xu Xing hesitated for a while, but in the end answered them one by one.

Though a tree standing above the forest would surely be battered by the wind.

If he performed poorly and failed to enter Taste Classics Academy, what awaited him would be a fatal calamity.

Taste Classics Academy was not so easy to enter.

Possessing only some practical knowledge, without standing out in any way, still left it uncertain whether the academy would accept him...

"Excellent!"

"Your practical knowledge is very solid."

Instructor Wang had initially skimmed through the paper in haste. Seeing that Xu Xing had filled every answer space, he had felt somewhat displeased. After all, within the academy, the number of people capable of solving every question on this examination could be counted on one hand.

But after he examined it carefully, his eyes grew brighter and brighter, and he could not help praising Xu Xing.

Every answer on this paper was correct!

"Here are several questions on the Four Books. Just write the opening exposition for them. There is no need to compose full eight-legged essays."

Instructor Wang composed himself, casually wrote several excerpted-answer questions, and had Xu Xing explain them in the format of the eight-legged essay.

The eight-legged essay consisted of the opening exposition, amplification, preliminary discourse, introduction, first leg, middle leg, latter leg, and concluding leg.

The opening exposition was only the first section, but it was also the most important.

It was akin to the first paragraph of an argumentative essay.

"I hope Instructor will forgive me..."

"Xu Xing was born in poverty. Learning a little practical knowledge by good fortune has already exhausted all his efforts. As for the Four Books and Five Classics, Xu Xing has never studied them and knows nothing at all."

Xu Xing rose, lifted the hem of his long gown, and gave Instructor Wang a deep bow.

In truth, he was not entirely ignorant of the Four Books and Five Classics.

But when it came to writing opening expositions and composing eight-legged essays in accordance with the Confucian classics, he had the will but lacked the strength.

Rather than conceal it from Instructor Wang, he might as well lay everything out early and leave Instructor Wang with a good impression.

Confucian scholars might have a thousand faults and ten thousand shortcomings, but they did have one virtue: they delighted in teaching.

Instructors from academies generally possessed such a disposition.

It was unlikely that they would watch helplessly as he stepped once more into the lanes of coarse cloth and humble homes.

But there was one prerequisite: he had to be "honest and kind," not some crafty, deceitful fellow.

And now, his honesty had hit precisely upon Instructor Wang's sincere nature.

Sometimes, only by taking a step back could the sea stretch wide and the sky open vast.

"Born into poverty?"

Instructor Wang was taken aback.

He gave Xu Xing a careful look and asked, "How did you learn natural studies and arithmetic? No one outside should have taught you..."

"In the fifteenth year of Guangxu, Qin Province suffered a great drought."

"At the time, missionaries were providing disaster relief. I studied with one of them for a while."

Xu Xing came up with an excuse.

He could not withstand scrutiny into the lineage of his scholarly training, but as for foreign missionaries... Taste Classics Academy had no means of investigating that.

"So that was it."

Hearing this, Instructor Wang felt relieved.

Foreigners had opened schools all over the country—Anglo-Chinese College, Morrison School, and the like were all foreign-run institutions. More importantly, these schools charged no tuition.

They specifically took in children from impoverished families.

Of course, the foreigners' intentions were not pure either. They had established these schools to spread their religion.

Though Qin Province had no schools founded by foreigners, it was not unusual for foreign missionaries to set up private schools.

"You're entering Daily Renewal Hall?"

"I think Timely Diligence Hall would suit you better."

Instructor Wang tried to persuade Xu Xing.

One had to begin studying early. The Four Books and Five Classics might not seem like much, but to make something of oneself in the eight-legged essay, one had to study those texts bitterly day after day for ten years. Ten years of grinding away behind a cold window was no empty saying.

At Xu Xing's current age, he had clearly started too late.

Instructor Wang estimated that Xu Xing was at least seventeen or eighteen.

"Sir..."

"I want to give it a try—to study the words of the sages."

Xu Xing insisted.

He was no fool.

Studying practical learning meant studying engineering. He would be doomed to a lifetime as a technical worker.

In this day and age, scientists were hardly in demand. Besides, he did not have what it took to become a scientist.

After all, he had not graduated from a science or engineering program.

If he studied eight-legged essay composition and succeeded, he could become an official.

Which was better was obvious at a glance.

"Where there is ambition, age does not matter..."

Instructor Wang nodded. He took an enrollment form from the cabinet and pushed it in front of Xu Xing. "Write down your name, age, native place, when you began your early education, what books you studied in your childhood schooling, and what practical-learning books you have read. In addition, pay three taels... Forget it, I'll pay it for you. But only this once."

At the top of the enrollment form were the three small regular-script characters: Daily Renewal Hall.

"Thank you, sir."

Xu Xing drew a deep breath and hurriedly cupped his hands in salute to Instructor Wang.

At the same time, as he bowed, he opened his personal panel again.

He saw that the four words [A Fate of Violent Death] after the [Fate] entry seemed to be slowly fading away, as though they would condense into different words the very next moment.

"My fate... has changed!"

Relief washed over Xu Xing, and he finally let out a breath.