Since the initial introduction had already taken up quite a bit of time, Zhang Shou began the formal lecture according to his previous preparations.
"There are thousands of students in the Imperial College. Most of those who study hard and are promoted to Ratexing Hall want to take the imperial examination and gain fame. However, most of the students in Banshan Hall do not take the imperial examination, unlike the other six halls. But today, since we are in the Imperial College and this is our first history class, I will just tell you a story about the imperial examination."
"During the Tang Dynasty, there was a monk. Of course, he was not called Tang Sanzang."
Zhang Shou's first sentence was just a joke out of habit, but it immediately caused a burst of laughter. When he heard someone shouting about Journey to the West, he realized that it was probably Emperor Taizu who had published Journey to the West early.
Fortunately, he had never aspired to become a literary giant, so he just pretended not to hear the noisy voices and continued talking.
"This monk got tired of being a monk and suddenly had an idea that being a Taoist priest was not bad either. So he grew his hair and returned to secular life, and went to Mount Lushan to be a Taoist priest. However, after three years of living on wind and dew, he still couldn't become an immortal. He finally realized that being an immortal was not as good as being an official. So he worked hard and prepared to take the imperial examination, and then... he passed."
Hearing the uproar, Zhang Shou smiled and said, "Do you think this is ridiculous? Actually, it is not ridiculous at all. In the Tang Dynasty, the imperial examination depended on reputation. As long as you were a monk with a small reputation, but wrote good poems and songs, and were appreciated by the powerful, you would certainly be selected. The chief examiner easily selected this person who had been in both the monk and Taoist circles."
Zhang Chen was considered by his father to have no talent for studying since he was a child. He could not help but blurt out six words: "This is just grandstanding!"
Zhang Shou ignored Zhang Chen and continued, "This monk was a Jinshi. Some even claim that his writings can be compared with those of Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan. Of course, most of us only know Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan, not this monk. But he was once a censor and a governor, which is considered a great achievement. Oh, this monk's name is Liu Ke. If you are interested, you can check it out."
Before Zhang Chen could interrupt, he continued with a smile, "During the Tang Dynasty, there was a monk who probably admired Master Sanzang very much, so his Buddhist name was Zangji. He liked Buddhist scriptures since he was a child, so he became a monk in the Da Ci'en Temple in Chang'an, and even gained a reputation as a great virtue, and was famous throughout Guanzhong. But during the Guangming Rebellion, this monk was frightened by Huang Chao who came to Chang'an."
"He was a young and eminent monk, but because of the drastic change in the times, he quickly returned to secular life, grew his hair, and took his elderly parents to escape the war. He hid for more than ten years. When the chaos finally subsided, he finally realized that being a monk in a chaotic world, where one cannot even keep oneself safe, might not be a good fate. So he decided to follow the example of his predecessor, monk Liu Ke, and also take the imperial examination."
Zhang Shou paused for a moment, and seeing that Zhang Chen had already frowned, he slowly said, "But this former great monk was not as lucky as his predecessor. He met an upright examiner, who looked down on him, a famous monk from Da Ci'en Temple, and dismissed him without even looking at his paper. But Monk Zangji did not give up. After thinking about it, he applied for the Boxue Hongci exam again."