Chapter 146: The Art of Trial Composition—A Dance of Spirit and Grace...

Yu Feng, who had a long career in officialdom, showed a contemplative look upon hearing the opening of the fu, and muttered to himself, "A forceful opening indeed."

The so-called forceful opening referred to four-character phrases. The runner, however, knew nothing of such matters. Seeing Yu Feng finish these few words in his characteristically concise manner and then fall silent, he dared not disturb him. Remembering his previous instructions, he quietly crept back behind Du Shiyi and stretched his neck to watch him write furiously.

Yet in the short moment he had been away, Du Shiyi's brush had already covered dozens of characters, flowing effortlessly across the paper, far too much for him to remember all at once. Staring intently for quite a while, he found that Du Shiyi—who was rolling the paper into a scroll as he wrote—moved far too fast, and the ink he used dried the moment it met the air. Before the runner could memorize the previous line, Du Shiyi would gently roll that section inward. Unable to commit it all to memory, when he hurried back to Yu Feng's side, he naturally wore a troubled expression, stammering out only the line he had seen and managed to remember in the middle—"Nature is forged by caution, conduct is established by prudence"—before faltering into silence.

By this time, Yu Feng was frowning deeply in displeasure. Impatient, he got up himself and walked behind Du Shiyi, watching intently for a short while before suddenly asking, "Since the Nineteenth Young Master Du has already formed a complete conception in his mind, writing like this must surely feel restrictive. Shall I have someone hold the paper out for you?"

Holding the paper still felt restrictive; if only there were a table, that would truly be most convenient!

Though thinking this, Du Shiyi would naturally not make such a request. He immediately stopped writing, bowed slightly, and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Honor!"

When the runner from Yu Feng's side came over with a smile to hold the paper, Du Shiyi had no choice but to slowly unroll the scroll in his hand, letting the runner hold the right end while he grasped the left end with his own left hand. Only then did he collect his thoughts, steady his mind, and resume his vigorous writing. It was not until this moment that Yu Feng realized that in the brief span from the beginning until now, Du Shiyi had already completed the introduction and the exposition, and with his brush flying like a startled dragon, had begun writing the main body of the fu. Yu Feng began to read with even greater concentration. Yet the more he read, the more astonished his heart became, until finally, despite having stood perfectly straight at first, he unconsciously bent his waist.

Yu Feng's order for someone to hold the paper had already caused a stir among those seated, and now his stooping posture as he read the fu instantly drew sideways glances from the other scholars all around. Eventually, even Liu Ximing and Du Wenruo noticed the commotion over here, and for a moment, both of their expressions turned extremely grim.

Could it be that this Nineteenth Du was going to take top honors in the second round of miscellaneous compositions as well?

Although they knew that this second round only determined who stayed and who left, and did not involve chanting out scores like the canon interpretation test, feelings of resentment and jealousy flared within them. How could they possibly remain at ease with their own fu? Their eyes and ears were entirely focused on observing and listening to the commotion beside Du Shiyi. Even though those sitting in the immediate vicinity of Du Shiyi could not clearly see what he was writing at the moment, they could roughly estimate the number of characters. For a while, whispers of "A hundred characters already," "A hundred and fifty characters," and "Over two hundred characters" spread everywhere, throwing both Liu and Du—who had racked their brains to write barely a hundred characters—into utter turmoil.

Clearly, just a moment ago, he had seemed completely stumped, failing to move his brush for an hour or two; why then was he now writing as if possessed by the gods?

None of them could have known that what Yu Feng was bent over and reading with such rapt attention was not merely Du Shiyi's meticulous and splendid poetic verses, but rather a fluid and dynamic style of phrasing that he had never once encountered in all his years of struggling through the imperial examinations and moving through officialdom! The trial fu originated from dedicatory rhapsodies, all used to impress monarchs and the powerful. The only difference was that since the Sui dynasty, trial fu had been given specific topics and time limits, composed on the spot. Therefore, from its inception to the present day, those skilled in the art mostly passed down their techniques only to family members and younger relatives, and their phrasings were mostly relatively simple. The most frequently used were three-character vigorous phrases, four-character forceful phrases, and long phrases with two characters above and three below, followed next by parallel clauses of either four or five characters in the upper and lower segments.

Yet now, with Du Shiyi's fu already more than half finished, the flexibility and variety of his phrasing left Yu Feng marveling endlessly! Whether it was the forceful phrases in the introduction, the three-character vigorous phrases in the exposition, or the frequent use of various long phrases in the body of the fu... what was most astonishing of all was the sheer variety of his interleaved and cross-matched clauses, which made Yu Feng—who considered himself well-read—feel thoroughly dazzled.

"Simple, honest, virtuous, and wise, he guides the peace and preservation of a thousand households; firm, steadfast, resolute, and strong, he establishes the grand achievements of ten thousand generations." This was a light cross-matching with four characters above and six below.

"Obtain it, and one reaches ultimate perfection, just as water carries a boat; lose it, and the hearts of the people become disunited, much like water overturning a boat." This was a heavy cross-matching with six characters above and five below.

In addition to these, there were spaced-out cross-matchings of three, four, and four characters respectively in the upper and lower segments, dense cross-matchings of five characters above and seven below, and even miscellaneous cross-matchings that made him knit his brows slightly when parsing the sentences. Reading along all the way, while his spirits were invigorated, he also felt a sense of mental exhaustion. As for the irregular, unaligned free-form sentences, he scarcely had the energy to list them in detail. When Du Shiyi, writing furiously, finally slowed his brush, Yu Feng leaned forward again and saw that the body of the fu was nearly complete. Knowing full well that he was about to write the concluding lines, Yu Feng let out a long sigh. Turning his head from side to side, he was astonished to discover that a large majority of the examinees were staring blankly at the scene right where he stood.

Knowing full well that it was his own procedural exception and loss of composure that had diverted the other examinees' attention—and considering how many high-ranking officials were paying attention to this Chang'an metropolitan examination, not to mention the countless scions of noble families taking the test—he raised his eyes to look at a runner stationed above as an invigilator. Seeing the runner gesture back at him, Yu Feng gave a soft cough and said, "The day is past noon. Those who are hungry may as well eat lunch first. Once you have filled your stomachs, you can recover your strength and fight on in the afternoon!"

In the examination hall, nothing was more precious than time. Let alone lunch, there were even those who, in their haste to save time, went from dawn till dusk without a drop of water or a grain of rice. Especially after just witnessing Yu Feng standing behind Du Shiyi with an eagerness that made him want to bury his head right into the scroll, which ambitious scholar wouldn't suppress his hunger and hold his breath? For a moment, most of the examinees withdrew their wandering gazes and lowered their heads to ponder their own compositions.

Du Shiyi had spent a full two hours drafting in his mind, and having now completed the conclusion of the fu in one go, he was in no rush to continue writing further down. After thanking the runner who had held the paper and setting the draft scroll aside once more, he calmly prepared his lunch. Although runners were still carrying food in baskets to sell outside, having been the target of malicious plots time and again, he had long since learned his lesson and naturally turned a blind eye. Lowering his head, he spooned some rice into a ceramic vessel and placed it back on the charcoal stove to heat until a faint aroma wafted out. Only then did he transfer it into a small bowl, tucked a handkerchief into his collar, tore off a braised rabbit leg, and began to eat with great relish.

Compared to his effortless production of over three hundred characters in the space of a breath, this leisurely and contented scene naturally stung the nerves of certain people even more. Yet having failed repeatedly before, even Liu Ximing no longer expected to find the kind of greedy runner he had previously exploited. He could only endure his hunger on the one hand while racking his brain to write on the other. After barely managing to write a few more dozens of characters this way, he could finally bear it no longer. Dropping his brush, he crooked a finger at the food-carrying runner outside. When the steaming hot food was brought before him, he simply wolfed it down. The aroma was even richer than Du Shiyi's had been, and for a moment, the sound of rumbling stomachs could be heard echoing from all corners of the hall.

Pondering articles with an empty stomach was naturally no pleasant matter. Following the lead of these two, gradually others either heated their own food, bought meals delivered by the runners outside, or chewed on dry, hard rations washed down with cold water while racking their brains in deep thought. However, this midday respite came and went quickly. In an instant, the fragrance gradually dissipated, and inside the examination hall there remained only the rustle of moving scrolls and the subtle sounds of answering the questions.

For Du Shiyi, transcribing the preceding text was naturally much easier and simpler. Not until the three-hundred-odd characters were fully transcribed did he put down his answer sheet, tidy up his drafts, and once more close his eyes in deep thought. The profound foundation laid in his past life, combined with the historical anecdotes and commentaries of the present world that he knew by heart, Lu Hong's alternating trial fu numbering one hundred and thirty-some pieces, and the book of *Fu Manuals* he had previously copied, gave him the upper hand in drawing upon a vast store of references and writing with fluid elegance. At this moment, rather than pondering the conclusion, he was re-examining the preceding text. Finally, he took a deep breath and picked up his brush once more.

When Du Shiyi handed in his examination paper, most of the scholars who were frantically hurrying to finish raised their heads to take a look. Aside from envy and amazement, there were also plenty who harbored jealousy and resentment. Especially upon seeing Yu Feng's clearly appreciative expression, some even snapped their low-quality brushes with a sharp *snap* in their tight grips. However, watching someone else hand in their paper with effortless ease could not compare to the rapidly approaching submission deadline.

Issuing papers at dawn and collecting them at dusk was a rule established over many years. Such leniency as extending the time at dusk by burning three sticks of incense to continue writing had not yet been proposed by any kind-hearted examiner in this era!

Thus, as the gong signaling the end of the second round sounded, some people were clapping their hands in celebration while others looked ashen-faced. When the papers were being collected, there were even those who failed to finish who blocked the collecting runners and begged bitterly, yet in the end they could not prevail and collapsed to the ground, wailing aloud. Seeing such a myriad of human reactions before his eyes, Du Shiyi gently rubbed his stiff, aching shoulders and back from sitting too long, and for a moment felt a deep sense of shared sorrow.

Had it not been for becoming a disciple of Lu Hong and receiving his utmost guidance; had it not been for reading countless works of predecessors and sages in the Cui family's libraries in the two capitals; had it not been for his arduous efforts to engrave every copied book into his mind—after this accumulation and breakthrough, combined with his painstaking efforts to seek fame—these rounds of tests would have been unbearable indeed!

"Tomorrow morning we determine who stays and who leaves. Tonight, everyone should rest well."

Though it was said thus, compared to the first round where results were judged on the spot and those who stayed for the night knew for certain they could take the second round, now that their fate hung in the balance, almost no one could sleep well this night. Even Liu Ximing and Du Wenruo, who had previously known they would by no means be eliminated in the second round, were filled with heavy thoughts. Therefore, when the morning drum of the third day sounded, people crawling out of bed with dark rings under their eyes were everywhere to be seen. By comparison, Du Shiyi, who had traveled back and forth between Chang'an and Luoyang, appeared even more spirited!

And Yu Feng truly did not keep everyone waiting long. Entering early in the morning with the examination papers for the third round, he crisply and decisively announced the names of those permitted to stay and take the third round. Hearing his own name announced in the very first place, Du Shiyi's eyes lit up, and he clenched his fist and pumped it in the air.

Only the final policy discussion essay remained!