Chapter Fifty-Nine: The One Who Shatters the Barrier of Rigid Doctrine!

Taiping Academy encourages diligent study but also values balance, allowing students time to organize their coursework and visit home. According to the school regulations, holidays are divided into two types: "ten-day rest" and "festival break." The former grants a fixed day off every ten days. The latter marks traditional holidays; apart from a month-long New Year break, the other six festivals—Qingming, Winter Solstice, Double Ninth, Mid-Autumn, Christmas, and Longevity Day—offer a single day off.

The seventh day of the third month is Qingming Festival. People, young and old, step out to sweep ancestral graves, then stroll in the spring air, hang willows, and fly kites, savoring the beauty of the season.

For Su Lu and his friends, rare as a holiday was, they found themselves cooped up in Chun's study.

Li Qiyu, skeptical that the bottom-ranked student could teach anything to the second-to-last, nevertheless had to show support; his brother had spoken, after all. So last night, he followed them to Erlang Beach.

Watching Su Dan sit upright and eager, Li Qiyu couldn't help but whisper, "Does our brother really have some tricks up his sleeve?"

"More than a few! My brother's got real talent," Su Dan replied excitedly. "From the day school started, I've been waiting for him to share his secrets!"

"Then why hasn't he…" Li Qiyu wondered aloud.

"My brother just hadn't learned before. Once he gets the hang of it, those who mock him will soon be left eating his dust!" Su Dan was full of confidence in Su Lu; after all, he had witnessed his brother's extraordinary abilities firsthand.

"Is that true?" Now Li Qiyu's curiosity was piqued. He looked up at Su Lu, who was writing notes on a large banana-leaf paper.

Suddenly, he realized that in less than two months, his brother's calligraphy had improved dramatically—from stiff and awkward, lacking the spirit of the art, to a level that rivaled his own.

At that moment, Su Lu set down his brush, turned, and said solemnly, "Now I'll teach you how to use the 'argumentative essay' method to write the Eight-Part Essay!"

~~

When Su Lu first learned how to break open a topic, he noticed that the methods Mr. Zhang taught closely resembled the various argumentative techniques used in essays.

As his studies deepened, he discovered that the Eight-Part Essay and the argumentative essay were indeed cut from the same cloth—

Breaking the topic in the Eight-Part Essay is akin to establishing the opening thesis in an argumentative essay!

The "undertaking the topic" section is the exposition of the thesis!

The "introduction" brings in the argumentation paragraphs!

And from the "initiation" section onward, the Eight-Part Essay's layered structure—initiation, development, reinforcement, and conclusion—aligns perfectly with the main body of the argumentative essay: analyzing the issue, substantiating the viewpoint, proposing solutions. Their functions are remarkably similar!

In short, the argumentative essay and the Eight-Part Essay share profound commonality in core logic, structure, and objectives. The difference is that the Eight-Part Essay must be written in classical prose, with a mechanical format and severe citation requirements.

Yet even Mr. Zhang struggled to systematically explain each step—breaking the topic, undertaking the topic, introducing, initiating—in a thorough and complete manner. Students were perpetually in a state of semi-understanding, forced to rely on their own intuition.

But Su Lu could teach the argumentative essay in a systematic, thorough, and precise way; he was once a gold-medal lecturer for the national civil service exam, a professional versed in scientific pedagogy!

After nearly two months of research, Su Lu could now use the argumentative essay method to teach the Eight-Part Essay, giving students a systematic and comprehensive approach to writing.

Thus, on Qingming Festival, "Teacher Su" delivered a groundbreaking lesson in deconstructing the Eight-Part Essay to his two "students."

He began by using the argumentative essay's "topic analysis and concept establishment" method to unravel the core of the Eight-Part Essay's "breaking and undertaking the topic"—

"When breaking the topic, you must adhere closely to the requirements and clarify your central viewpoint!" Su Lu said in a clear, resonant voice:

"Specifically, use the 'topic dissection method' to analyze the question: first, highlight the key concepts… For example, in 'The People Are the Foundation of the Nation,' focus on 'people,' 'nation,' and 'foundation.' This ensures your opening addresses the fundamental relationship between people and nation, avoiding omissions or digressions!"

"In the introduction, you must 'speak for the sages,' establishing the core thesis for the entire essay. You can refer to this formula," Su Lu pointed to the wall—where the formula 'main thesis equals theme plus sage's perspective' was written. He continued:

"For instance, with 'The People Are the Foundation of the Nation,' the theme is 'people and nation,' and from the sage's perspective, 'the people's will determines the nation's rise and fall.' This keeps subsequent arguments anchored to the core."

Li Qiyu, after hearing the first segment, no longer doubted. Su Lu's explanation was concise yet profound, instantly clearing the confusion in his mind and organizing his tangled thoughts.

By the time Su Lu analyzed the "introduction," Li Qiyu was utterly impressed, listening intently and not daring to even breathe audibly.

Su Lu continued, methodically and succinctly:

"Next are the main paragraphs of the Eight-Part Essay. The initiation section is the 'first sub-point,' entering from 'what is it.'"

"The development section is the 'core argument,' deepening from 'why.'"

"The reinforcement section is 'supplementary argumentation,' expanding from 'how to do it' and 'what to watch out for.'"

"The conclusion is 'summary,' tying back to the introduction!"

"In this way, you construct the 'framework of argumentation' for the Eight-Part Essay. Pay attention to the continuity between paragraphs—the initiation must follow the introduction's thesis, using paired sentences for seamless transition."

"The development, reinforcement, and conclusion must build upon each other, connected by transitional particles like 'thus,' 'so,' 'therefore,' to show logical progression…"

"What a brilliant encapsulation: 'initiation explains what, development explains why, reinforcement explains necessity.'" When Su Lu finished, Su Dan finally applauded, his eyes shining with admiration. "Brother, you truly cut to the heart of the matter! From now on, the Eight-Part Essay will be as clear to me as the lines on my palm!"

"Yes, big brother, you've won me over!" Li Qiyu exaggeratedly bowed to Su Lu, "From now on, you're my Eight-Part God!"

"Get up, what Eight-Part God? That sounds awful," Su Lu said, helplessly eyeing this cheeky monkey.

"I mean the god of the Eight-Part Essay, big brother," Li Qiyu said, gesturing extravagantly. "You explain it better than Mr. Zhang. I've been learning the Eight-Part Essay since I was ten, four years now, but I've never understood it as clearly as I do after your lesson!"

"Don't disrespect the teacher," Su Lu coughed lightly; he genuinely respected Mr. Zhang.

"Now you see I wasn't lying," Su Dan said smugly, casting a sidelong glance at Li Qiyu, knowing full well that this fellow would be thoroughly convinced by Su Lu.

"Not lying, not lying! Our brother really is 'a cannon shooting a kettle—the level is sky-high!'" Li Qiyu nodded vigorously, but couldn't help asking, "But brother, why is your own essay always… so pure and simple? Are you pretending to be weak, planning to astonish everyone at the monthly exam?"

"Do you think I'm that crazy?" Su Lu rolled his eyes and forced a bitter smile. "Right now, I'm like Zhao Kuo, a master of theory but a disaster in practice, talking circles around generals like Lian Po, but once on the battlefield, I'd be defeated by Bai Qi."

"Why is that?" Li Qiyu asked, puzzled.

"My brother had never written an essay before, hadn't even attended paired lessons. In fact, he only started learning from 'Three Hundred Poems' last August…" Su Dan explained on Su Lu's behalf.

"Ah?" Li Qiyu's jaw nearly dropped through the floor. He couldn't believe that someone who had only studied for three months could get into Taiping Academy.

But on second thought, Su Lu had managed to grasp the Eight-Part Essay so thoroughly in less than two months, so perhaps it was reasonable…

"Brother, what did you do before?" Li Qiyu asked.

"Looked after children, fed pigs, herded cattle, farmed the fields." Su Lu forced a smile and waved his hand. "The past isn't worth mentioning. It's useless to dwell on it; only the future matters."

Since the start of school, he had diligently memorized nearly two hundred model essays. He had mastered all the Eight-Part Essay's rules and integrated them with argumentative writing—

But he still couldn't write a good Eight-Part Essay.

Because the biggest difference is that the Eight-Part Essay is classical prose! Moreover, it's a blend of parallel and prose styles.

A good Eight-Part Essay requires both sound logic and excellent diction: your reasoning must be correct, your argument strong, but the language must be elegant and clear, the prose flowing and harmonious, alternating tones and rhymes, so it rings with force.

All the model essays Su Lu memorized were high in tone and energy, creating a sense of harmony through rhythm and cadence.

Mr. Zhang said that masters of the Eight-Part Essay are all experts in poetry and music, adept at borrowing melodies from lyrics, tunes, and even music itself, making their writing more musical and appealing, enabling them to stand out among thousands.

But as Mr. Zhang said, mastery of diction is painstaking work, cultivated from childhood through paired sentences, poetry, lyrics, and compositions, nurtured by teachers and classical texts.

These were precisely what Su Lu lacked. He had passed the academy entrance in three months by taking shortcuts, skipping these essential foundations that, though not tested, were crucial. Now was the time to pay the debt…

Su Dan and Li Qiyu, on the other hand, had no such trouble. Both had received a full classical education from an early age. Su Dan, though new to the Eight-Part Essay, was well-versed in paired sentences and poetry; he only lacked a systematic method for the essay—logic, in other words.

They had previously been weak in logic but strong in diction; Su Lu helped them shore up their weakness, and now they had no flaws.

Su Lu himself was strong in logic but weak in diction, unable to improve his literary skill overnight, hence his lament, like Zhao Kuo…

"Brother, is there anything we can do to help?" Li Qiyu asked, concerned.

"Help me catch up on classical courses," Su Lu said with a bitter smile. "Dan accompanies me to paired lessons every day."

"Then I'll teach you poetry," Li Qiyu said, pounding his chest. "Brother, you may not know it, but back home, I'm called 'Little Li Bai of the Earth City!'"

His father was the commander of the Earth City garrison.

"Alright, thank you," Su Lu replied casually, not expecting much from this unreliable fellow. After all, his own family had someone who claimed to be "Little Su Shi of Erlang," ruined by poetry and prose.

"But improving literary skill takes time, so you must be patient, brother," Su Dan reminded him.

"I know," Su Lu nodded. He had already considered it, laughing bitterly, "But time is short. If I can't improve in a few months, it'll be all over."