Chapter 215: Driving the Senior Disciples to Tears
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“What did you just say?!” The Eldest Prince’s voice rose sharply.
Lu Chao Chao dug at her ear. “Not only is your brain slow, but your ears don’t work either?”
“I just learned from you all,” she continued nonchalantly.
“Three Character Classic, the older brother just taught me.”
“The Analects, you taught me.”
“You recited them, and I remembered them.”
Lu Chao Chao looked puzzled. “Isn’t this something anyone with ears and a brain can do just by listening?”
Her innocent yet matter-of-fact expression left everyone… stunned.
“You… learned it on the spot?!” The speaker’s voice was shrill, as if their throat had been caught in a vise.
“Yes, right now. Listen and repeat. Isn’t that how you all do it?” she asked, genuinely surprised.
“Why not? Is it because you don’t like it?”
She tilted her head curiously at the crowd.
The Eldest Prince clutched his chest and staggered back a step.
Why… why did she have to deal him such a critical blow?!
“Is it because we don’t like it or don’t want to?” A scholar nearby was on the verge of tears. No! It’s what we desperately desire!
Lu Chao Chao scratched her twin buns, completely perplexed.
“She… she has photographic memory?!” The Eldest Prince’s voice wavered in disbelief, his expression full of shock. Could the legendary photographic memory truly be real?!
Chief Minister Yuan nodded slowly.
“Chao Chao was born with a photographic memory. If you don’t believe it, feel free to test her with any random book.”
Everyone gawked at her in amazement.
This two-year-old Little Potato was a genius!
Even more astonishing than Lu Yan Shu!
Master Zhu ran faster than anyone, his excitement unmatched. He returned from the library with a Buddhist scripture in hand.
“Chao Chao, shall I recite this Diamond Sutra for you to remember?” Master Zhu was practically bursting with enthusiasm.
Lu Chao Chao nodded. “It sounds a bit boring, but…”
“Fine, if it makes you happy.” Her voice carried an indulgent tone.
Because she noticed—the senior disciples’ eyes were brimming with tears, as if they were about to cry.
“Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha dwelled in the Jetavana Grove of the Kingdom of Shravasti…” Master Zhu deliberately increased his pace, and the crowd, eager to challenge her, listened intently, straining to keep up.
But as the tempo quickened, everyone struggled to follow along.
By the time Master Zhu finished, the scholars were still dazed.
“I barely remembered ten sentences… merely a hundred or so characters.”
“I managed three or four hundred at most…”
“Shameful… only nine sentences for me…”
“Lu brother, how much did you remember?” someone asked Lu Yan Shu, an eight-year-old prodigy and recognized scholar.
“A third of it.” Lu Yan Shu’s voice was calm and indifferent.
Then, Lu Chao Chao’s voice rang out in the hall.
There was a slight pause, but her recitation flowed seamlessly, without a single mistake.
Before everyone’s eyes, she proved her unparalleled talent.
“The original Diamond Sutra consists of five thousand characters. She only needed to hear it once. Just once!!” One scholar burst into tears on the spot, ripping the book in his hands into shreds.
“Five thousand characters, and she only needed one listen!!”
“We have studied tirelessly for ten years, yet we are no match for a two-year-old child. Her talent surpasses everyone here.”
“What’s the point of trying?! What is the meaning of effort anymore?!” The scholar laughed and wept simultaneously, his emotions crumbling.
“We spent years memorizing the Four Books and Five Classics, yet we still can’t recite them all perfectly. But her? She hears it once, and it’s etched into her heart. Heaven is unfair, unfair indeed!” Completely broken, his spirit collapsed.
The scholar stormed out of the Imperial Academy, crying bitterly.
“He was born with average talent, from a modest family. Through relentless effort, he barely made it to the top class. But because of his limitations, he has always struggled immensely,” Lu Yan Shu explained to Chao Chao.
“Last month, he dropped from the top class to the second class during an exam. His state of mind was already fragile.”
Lu Chao Chao rested her head on her elder brother’s shoulder. “Big Brother, I think I just made the senior disciples cry…”
Indeed, many of the scholars present had reddened eyes.
“I began reading at the age of three, holding a brush before I could even steady my chopsticks. I once believed that sheer diligence could bridge the gap of innate talent. In the end, I was merely fooling myself.”
The crowd stood in a daze, their spirits shattered.
Lu Chao Chao alone had utterly dominated the entire field.
Chief Minister Yuan raised an eyebrow. “I took Chao Chao as my final disciple without informing you, not to protect her, but rather to spare your fragile pride.”
The scholars bowed their heads, their expressions lifeless, as if every ounce of their scholarly arrogance had been ground to dust by Lu Chao Chao.
“There is always someone stronger, a heaven beyond this heaven. Never underestimate your opponent! Even if they seem pure and harmless, they might still crush you to pieces,” Chief Minister Yuan intoned solemnly.
“Losing to Chao Chao only wounds your pride,” he continued. “But beyond the gates of the Imperial Academy, losing to your rivals could spell your doom.” His voice grew heavier.
Their underestimation of Chao Chao had sealed their failure.
Ignoring the despondent atmosphere, Lu Yan Shu picked up Chao Chao and walked out of the Imperial Academy.
Lu Yuan Xiao cheerfully followed behind. “Ah, finally, I’m not the only one suffering the blow of defeat anymore.”
“Big brother, if I memorize all the essays, can I skip school?” Lu Chao Chao plotted in her heart.
“Chao Chao, memorizing essays is just the foundation. You must understand their meaning as well…”
“I do, I do! I understand everything! If you don’t believe me, test me!” Lu Chao Chao huffed indignantly.
“What does ‘crisscrossing paths where chickens and dogs can hear each other’s calls’ mean?”
Lu Chao Chao thought for a moment. “It’s from ‘The Peach Blossom Spring.’”
“It means… chickens and dogs sniff at each other, right?” She looked up, her face full of excitement.
Lu Yan Shu paused mid-step.
“Forget it. Just go to school properly. Don’t waste your talent,” he sighed. After all, she was still young, only grasping the literal meaning.
Lu Chao Chao pouted regretfully.
Before their carriage could reach home, a servant suddenly blocked their path.
“Hurry! Go to the Xu household! The Old Madam of the Xu family has suddenly fallen gravely ill and might not make it!”
“Quickly, we must return to the Xu residence! Grandmother is severely ill, she couldn’t even get out of bed!” Madam Xu trembled, clutching Deng Zhi’s arm as she rushed out the door.
Her eyes were red, her voice shaking as she pulled on her cloak while walking. “The imperial physician has already been summoned, but we do not yet know her condition.”
“How could this be? She was perfectly fine before we left!” Lu Yuan Xiao cried out in shock.
[In the original book, during Lu Jing Yao’s full-month celebration, the Xu family was falsely accused and imprisoned. In the end, Eldest Uncle took all the blame and was executed. Unable to bear the shock, Grandmother perished in prison.]
[I have frequently used elixirs and longevity talismans to nurture Grandmother’s health. She was already nearing the end of her lifespan, but with my efforts, she should have had at least two more years.]
[How did she suddenly fall gravely ill?]
Madam Xu’s tear-filled eyes burned with fury. “Lu Yuan Ze! I don’t know what madness overcame him, but he suddenly insisted on meeting Mother!”
“He enraged her so much that she fainted on the spot!”
“Let’s check on Grandmother first!” Without hesitation, they climbed into the carriage and sped toward the Xu household.
Before they even reached the gates, Lu Chao Chao’s heart clenched with dread.
[Oh no, the air outside is thick with death. Grandmother’s condition must be dire…]
Hearing Chao Chao’s inner thoughts, everyone’s heart sank.
The moment the carriage halted, the usually composed Lu Yan Shu leaped off and charged forward.
With a clenched fist, he swung a punch straight at the kneeling Lu Yuan Ze by the gate.
“Why have you come?! Haven’t you harmed Mother enough?!”
“Haven’t you harmed Grandmother enough?!”
BAM!
His fist landed squarely on Lu Yuan Ze’s nose.
Scarlet blood dripped onto the snow, leaving a stark contrast against the white ground…