Deep Study of Classic Interpretation

"Can you really do it?" Tang Grand Manager's eyes widened. Setting aside The Western Wing's literary standing, in terms of sales alone, no popular novel might surpass it even after several decades.

"We can sign a contract. If I fail, I'll compensate you. How does that sound?"

"Good!" Tang Grand Manager said happily.

Fang Yun said, "As far as I know, if a book is priced at ten coins, the Literary Academy and the court take four, while the author, bookstore, and bookshop each take two. If I wanted to open a bookshop myself, I don't know how long it would take to reach Profound Court's level. Not only would the spread of my literary reputation slow, but it might even delay my Literary Rank, so I would choose to work with your firm. But could this profit-sharing ratio be adjusted?"

"I can make the decision. We'll give you half a share, and you can take two and a half shares," Tang Grand Manager said.

Fang Yun smiled. "Tang Grand Manager, that wasn't very clever. This book will certainly sell well. The share you give bookstores will drop from two shares to one and a half, which means your own share remains unchanged. I won't ask for much—just two and eight-tenths shares. How about it?"

Tang Grand Manager lowered his head, seemingly calculating carefully. After a long while, he raised it and said, "Good! It's settled, then. I'll contact the head manager at once and finalize the contract details. I'll come find you again tomorrow. If other bookshops come looking for you, I hope you'll honor a gentleman's agreement."

"Of course. Unless your Profound Court abandons this first, I won't discuss matters concerning popular novels with any other bookshop."

"Fang Double-A, you're a forthright man. Farewell!"

Not long after Tang Grand Manager left, servants from Li Wenying Estate arrived with the Demon-Slaying Brush. Besides two burly servants escorting the Literary Treasure, there was also an Ox Barbarian General at the Provincial Graduate level.

Fang Yun sensed something watching him. He instinctively looked up and saw an enormous Eagle Demon soaring high overhead. The Eagle Demon cried out once, beat its wings, and flew away.

Worthy of a Grand Academician. Even delivering an item requires two barbarian demons. His private soldiers alone could probably slaughter an entire county city, Fang Yun thought.

After the servant handed Fang Yun the brocade box containing the Demon-Slaying Brush, he presented two small boxes as well, saying they held two pieces of Tianhuang stone for Fang Yun to use as seals. Finally, he said that Li Wenying wanted Fang Yun to carry the Demon-Slaying Brush on him at all times, especially within the city.

Fang Yun did not understand Li Wenying's intentions, but he knew Li Wenying would not harm him. Otherwise, his Literary Guts would surely have reacted.

Once the people at home finished inventorying the gifts bestowed by the Empress Dowager, they began lighting the fire and preparing dinner.

Mother Jiang and Fang Daniu were far more excited than Yang Yuhuan. They kept talking about the Empress Dowager's rewards and praising Fang Yun. Mother Jiang even volunteered to make a cloth wrapping for the Empress Dowager's decree, saying it was an Imperial Sword.

Yang Yuhuan took out a thin slice of Dragon Palace Blood Ginseng. After washing it, she soaked it in water, then used half the ginseng-soaked water to simmer a small pot of porridge especially for Fang Yun.

Once the porridge was ready, its fragrance filled the air. The entire room was suffused with a strange aroma carrying a faint tang of the sea, and merely smelling it made one feel comfortable all over.

Yang Yuhuan set the porridge before Fang Yun and said, "The person who delivered the gift told me that ordinary people can't eat Dragon Palace Blood Ginseng directly. They can only soak it in water and drink that first. After soaking it for around ten days, they can gradually eat small amounts. This is something dragons eat, after all. Even a young dragon is a hundred feet long—we humans can't withstand it."

"You're weak. The two of us will split it evenly," Fang Yun said.

Yang Yuhuan hurriedly declined. "You're a Licentiate, so you can endure it. I'm afraid my current body can't handle such a powerful tonic."

"Then wait a few more days before you drink it."

Nunu stared longingly at Fang Yun's porridge, gently licking her lips with her tiny pink tongue.

Seeing how ravenous she looked, Fang Yun smiled and asked, "Do you want some?"

Nunu's eyes struggled for quite some time before she firmly shook her head and pointed at Fang Yun with her furry little white paw.

"You want me to drink it?" Fang Yun asked.

Nunu nodded. She placed both little paws by her mouth and mimed eating, then raised her arms, stood upright on her hind legs, and made all her white fox fur stand on end until it fluffed up and made her look even bigger.

"You want me to eat it myself, so my body can grow stronger?"

Nunu nodded vigorously.

Fang Yun smiled and patted Nunu's head. "It seems you're a Little Fox with a conscience."

Nunu immediately grinned, hopping about in delight.

After eating, Fang Yun returned to his room, picked up the Demon-Slaying Brush, and examined it carefully.

It was an ordinary small regular-script brush, with a light brown shaft and a grayish-white tip. The shaft was clearly made of ordinary bamboo, yet it felt like jade in his hand, and it weighed a full pound.

Fang Yun drew a deep breath, dipped it in ink, and began writing. He discovered that the brush was so heavy that writing with it felt awkward. However, he might have to use Literary Treasure Brushes often in the future, so he decided to practice calligraphy with the Demon-Slaying Brush.

Unfortunately, he was still only a Licentiate and could not use War on Paper to activate the Demon-Slaying Brush's power.

As Fang Yun wrote, he thought, After what happened today, Liu Zicheng will surely use other methods to strike at me. I must be careful. Before I master War on Paper, I absolutely cannot leave the city. As long as I remain within the Temple of Sages' protection, he won't dare kill me. I should also keep a low profile when I report to the academy on the tenth of this month, or he'll surely use it against me.

My foundation in the prefectural city is still weak, and I have no capable support. Once I become a Before-the-Sages Academy Student, even if you, Liu Zicheng, don't come looking for me, I'll come for you and deal with you—the great danger in my path!

After practicing his writing, Fang Yun picked up a copy of Explanations of Classic Essays, a book teaching Licentiates how to write Classic Interpretation essays for the Academy Student examination.

Fang Yun found a Classic Interpretation prompt titled Seeking Brings Attainment. Without using Strange Book World, he wrote an essay using the method County Magistrate Cai He had taught him, then evaluated it using the book's methods.

Fang Yun analyzed it carefully.

The grade of my Classic Interpretation essay shouldn't be D. It should at least be a middling C, perhaps even an upper C. Its weakness is that it lacks depth. I didn't fully expound upon Mencius's words, and my opening was not forceful enough. But my advantage lies in being a modern person who has been baptized by a vast tide of information. In "establishing intent" and "giving examples," I surpass ordinary Academy Students, and establishing intent is precisely one of the important aspects of Classic Interpretation and policy essays.

Put simply, Classic Interpretation first explains the prompt, then uses one's own examples or viewpoints to support that explanation, cites the views of some famous scholars as corroboration, and finally concludes. The prompt "Seeking Brings Attainment" means that if one seeks and strives, one can attain. I argued this through the seeking of three kinds of people: innocent children, reckless youths, and wise elders. Then I cited words from a Half-Sage that I had learned a few days ago to prove my view. There was no problem with the basic structure.

Next, I need to train my ability to open a topic. I need to learn how to make the examiners' eyes light up from the very first sentence, then draw them in with fresh intent, and afterward understand their principles well enough to write the quotations from the sages that they like.

However, even if I cater to the examiners, I cannot betray my own principles! I write Classic Interpretation for my Sacred Way, not for the Imperial Examination!

The moment Fang Yun thought this, he immediately sensed his Literary Palace tremble slightly. His Literary Qi became more condensed, an effect even greater than studying bitterly for three straight days.

Fang Yun became even more certain of his choice.

Fang Yun continued reading Explanations of Classic Essays. It took him a full three hours before he began to see the underlying method.

The author of Explanations of Classic Essays was originally an ordinary Metropolitan Graduate of the Jing Kingdom. He understands the patterns of Classic Interpretation extremely well and is of great help to me, but his flaw is that his thinking is too rigid. He places too much importance on "technique." When it comes to "method," he falls somewhat short, much less "way."

The structure of a Classic Interpretation essay, its introduction-development-turn-conclusion, and so on are all techniques. But how to make an opening profound and the intent original belongs to the realm of method. As for way, that is thought capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the sages. I do not yet dare hope for it. Based on my deductions, mastering technique is enough to pass as an Academy Student, but becoming a Provincial Graduate requires one's own method. To become a Metropolitan Graduate, one must temper both technique and method until they are perfected like fire and pure blue.

As for way, one must at least become a Hanlin Academician to touch its threshold. No wonder the Imperial Examination only goes as far as Metropolitan Graduate, because way is not something an examination can determine as superior or inferior.

I understand now. "Technique" can be explained clearly, but "way" and "method" are difficult to teach through fixed patterns. That is why I sensed this book's shortcomings. If one wants to learn true method and way, others cannot teach it—and there is not the slightest shortcut.

Read more. Read vast numbers of Classic Interpretation essays by famous scholars and even the sages, even if their essays are unsuitable for the Imperial Examination. Their essays are like seeds. They may seem useless at ordinary times, but at a crucial moment, they will surely take root and sprout, becoming inspiration.

Think more. Consider what makes others' Classic Interpretation essays good. Consider where your own flaws lie and how to correct them. Consider how to strengthen your own advantages.

Write more. Reading and thinking are both "taking in," not "letting out." Only by constantly writing can one master how to properly express one's own principles and thoughts, achieving effortless command over both gathering and release.

I have finished Explanations of Classic Essays.

Without hesitation, Fang Yun stored the book in Strange Book World. Even if he read it again in the future, he would only skim it rather than study it closely.

Fang Yun continued flipping through other related guidebooks on Classic Interpretation. With experience now, he no longer read every word and every sentence, but skimmed selectively.

The moonlight at the beginning of the month was dim, and the room was pitch-black. There was neither lamp nor candle, yet it did not hinder Fang Yun's reading in the slightest.

Before long, Fang Yun came across an early work by the Great Scholar Zhu Hongzhi. It unexpectedly mentioned ideas such as reading more, thinking more, and writing more. Treating it as a priceless treasure, he immediately decided to buy Zhu Hongzhi's complete collection the next day.

"Worthy of a Great Scholar of his generation. Not only could this man write himself, he could also teach others. His Classic Interpretation essays can be called models: tightly structured, clearly organized, and novel in intent. It is practically like teaching people hand in hand. This Starry Sky Collection truly is essential reading for examinees. It is a pity other examinees cannot read as quickly as I can and cannot swiftly distinguish its worth. Or perhaps their luck is poor and they never encounter it, or they cannot comprehend its meaning. What a pity. If one could understand this book and supplement it with other learning, passing as an Academy Student would be more than easy."

Fang Yun solemnly stored Starry Sky Collection in Strange Book World, then closed his eyes and reread it repeatedly.

When he opened his eyes, it was already four in the morning, and the sky was faintly brightening.

"Dragon Palace Blood Ginseng truly is good stuff. I'm still full of vigor. If I had an endless supply of Dragon Palace Blood Ginseng, sleeping only two hours a day would be enough! This greatly increases my chances of becoming an Academy Student this year."

Fang Yun left his desk and climbed onto the heated brick bed to sleep.

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