bookrandom Chapter 84: The Six Arts of a Gentleman
Chapter 84: The Six Arts of a Gentleman
Time flies, and it's already the end of the month.
Shanhai Town has become exceptionally prosperous recently due to the arrival of the Confucian sage.
Merchants of all kinds flocked to the area like carp crossing a river, while countless literati and scholars appeared in the humble inns and teahouses, chatting and laughing.
"Have you heard? Bai Mufeng, the last disciple of the Confucian Sage, has set up an examination at the foot of Mount Kongsheng. Anyone who wants to publish the book 'Confucianism' must pass the test before they are qualified to meet the Confucian Sage."
“I already knew about this. Three days ago, a great Confucian scholar from Khangu Kingdom was said to have failed in the subject of ‘numbers’.”
"Of the six arts of a gentleman, only those who have mastered four of them are qualified to meet the Confucian sage. This time, those foreign barbarians are completely stumped."
"Not necessarily. Yesterday, the Jurchen State's Grand Preceptor, Gurna, passed the test. As for the others, it seems that the Jiangnan Bookstore also sent a great scholar to participate, and they have already won."
"..."
Listening to the idle chatter of some scholars in the restaurant, Qin Xuan couldn't help but be slightly surprised.
It's unbelievable that Gulna was able to pass the test of the Six Arts of a Gentleman. This Grand Preceptor of the Jurchen Kingdom truly deserves to be called a leader of his time.
"Master Jin, what are the Six Arts of a Gentleman?"
Zhao Luoying, who was traveling with them, was still dressed as a man, looking like a scholar. As for the title "Master Jin," it was to deliberately conceal her identity and facilitate her actions.
Others accompanying them included Ning Yuanfeng, Monkey, and some Shence Army soldiers, all dressed as merchants.
The main purpose of this trip to Shanhaiguan was to persuade the Confucian sage to go to Beining City.
However, for safety's sake, Qin Xuan still brought Ning Yuanfeng and the Shence Army with him, and also left a group of Shence Army soldiers nearby to hide temporarily.
"The Six Arts of a Gentleman refer to the six arts of rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics, which respectively represent the Book of Rites, music, archery, horseback riding, the Book of Documents, and divination."
Qin Xuan took a sip of wine and explained, "However, these six arts have all undergone certain evolutions with the changing times. For example, rites no longer refer solely to the Book of Rites, but rather to etiquette and moral norms. Books have become calligraphy, poetry, songs, and various kinds of writings."
"Do scholars still need to learn archery and horseback riding?"
Ning Yuanfeng said in surprise, "Nowadays, most scholars are physically weak and unable to even kill a chicken."
Qin Xuan smiled and nodded, saying, "The Great Qi Dynasty has always valued literature over martial arts, so archery and charioteering have gradually fallen out of importance and naturally no one mentions them anymore."
"I see! Then, Mr. Jin, you can easily pass two of the tests!"
Zhao Luoying's eyes lit up, and she said with a hint of smugness.
"Hmph, you people of Daqi are really shameless. You dare to say you can pass two tests before you've even taken them."
At the next table, one of the merchants dressed as a foreigner couldn't help but snort.
Zhao Luoying immediately frowned, her phoenix eyes sweeping over her with displeasure.
There were five people in the group. The one who snorted was a young gentleman, with an imposing presence and a tall stature, unlike the average scholar.
To his left was a woman with a high nose, thin red lips, and a pair of large, bright eyes like black grapes.
To the young master's right were two fierce-looking, burly men with swords at their waists and sharp eyes, clearly skilled fighters.
"Master Jin, they are carrying straight swords, so they should be from Liaodong Kingdom."
Ning Yuanfeng reminded him in a low voice.
Straight blade, with a straight blade and a slightly short handle, is a characteristic of Liaodong.
“These barbarians from foreign lands are ignorant of etiquette; they are indeed hopeless cases.”
Zhao Luoying was not one to be easily bullied, and immediately retorted.
The young man frowned slightly and said, "You seem to be a scholar as well. Since you disagree with what I just said, how about we have a game?"
"How do you want to compete? If the stakes are too low, my young master won't even bother with it."
Qin Xuan intervened in time, taking on the difficult task of the competition for Zhao Luoying, since the other party looked like a Confucian scholar, while Zhao Luoying was a military general.
"I've heard that the King of Chu of your Great Qi has produced two timeless couplets. I suppose that scholars from Great Qi must also be very good at composing couplets."
The young gentleman smiled gracefully and continued, "How about we wager one hundred taels of silver to see who can match the couplets best?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Luoying, Ning Yuanfeng, and the monkey all had strange expressions, thinking to themselves, "Isn't this just sending money to our prince?"
“A mere hundred taels is not enough for my young master to make a move. If it were gold, I could compete with you on his behalf.”
Qin Xuan knew how to set a trap. Although his words were not harsh, both his tone and expression revealed a sense of disdain for the other party.
“Yelü Changkong, if you lose to him, it’s on me.”
Beside her, the beautiful woman from Liaodong said with a hint of annoyance.
Yelü Changkong nodded slightly and said, "The jade in your mouth is indeed like jade, but the person below the stage has a heart but no heart."
The argument between the group had already attracted the curiosity of the people nearby. Now that Yelü Changkong had uttered his couplet, many people started discussing it.
"Didn't we agree to compose a couplet? Why have you already given me the second line?"
"The couplet is complete, what's the point of matching it? Isn't this cheating?"
"This is a riddle couplet, not a matching couplet, but a riddle. The couplet is indeed well-structured, but the answer is..."
"It's a riddle game, that's quite novel..."
"..."
Many people were unaware of the riddle-like couplet, so at first many thought Yelü Changkong was cheating.
"What? You don't understand either? Do you want me to explain it to you?"
Yelü Changkong smiled proudly. He had discovered this riddle-like couplet by chance in a rare book, and was immediately amazed by its brilliance.
Afterwards, he racked his brains for half a month before finally guessing the answer.
He didn't believe anyone could guess the answer on the spot, which is why he was so confident.
"Give me one hundred taels of gold!"
The woman from Liaodong smiled radiantly, her captivating eyes fixed on Qin Xuan. She chuckled and said, "However, if you can't produce it, you can use it as compensation."
“Young master, if you are willing to be my servant, I will not take the hundred taels of gold.”
Qin Xuan was immediately taken aback. Could it be that this woman from Liaodong had taken a fancy to him?
"Humph, shameless."
Zhao Yingluo was immediately enraged. She glared fiercely at the Liaodong woman and said domineeringly, "Do you think I can't afford a mere hundred taels of gold?"
"Wow! One hundred taels of gold! It seems both sides are from prominent families!"
"To lose a hundred taels of gold for a single couplet is a disgrace to our Great Qi."
"If you're so capable, why don't you do it yourself? All you do is criticize others."
"..."
The crowd was buzzing.
Yelü Changkong looked at Qin Xuan arrogantly: "I heard that. Even your own people from Daqi feel ashamed. Do you still want to keep putting on a show?"
"Brother Jin, we..."
Zhao Luoying felt a little guilty. If she hadn't retorted, things wouldn't have come to this.
"You are my woman. Even if you are in the wrong, I will still stand by your side."
Qin Xuan comforted her softly, gently patting the back of her hand, then raised his head and said calmly and confidently:
"The jade in the mouth is indeed like jade, the answer is the character '国' (country), the person below the stage is sincere but not sincere, the answer is the character '怠' (lazy), I wonder if I guessed correctly?"
Qin Xuan is a true expert in couplets, and he is equally adept at riddle-character couplets.
"How did you guess? This..."
Yelü Changkong's expression changed drastically, and he clenched his fists, staring intently at Qin Xuan.
Those around had already realized what was happening and were full of praise:
"Wonderful! This person guessed it right away; his quick wit is truly astonishing."
"The 'mouth' originally referred to the frame in the character '国' (country), no wonder it's called 'containing jade,' it's so vivid..."
"..."