The story of Rucheng Literary Pagoda:
In the south corner of the county, at the intersection of Jiutang River and Shoujiang River, there is a majestic seven-story ancient pagoda, well-known as Literary Pagoda. It is said to have cultivated literary movement And built. It was built during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty. It was demolished during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty due to unfavorable conditions, and rebuilt during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty.
The two rivers intersect and the river is surging, naturally there is a remarkable scenery. Build a tower to embellish the scenery and allow you to climb high and enjoy the beauty of the mountains. Two more bridges will be built to connect the two sides, and one can also stand on them to enjoy the water and fish. This is in line with the poem "Two waters hold a bright mirror, two bridges hold a rainbow". The pagoda is like a pen, the green mountains are like shelves, the rivers are like juice, the deep pools are like inkstones, and the scenery is changeable at dawn and dusk in four seasons. It is a wonderful thing to have such a beautiful scene. However, Wenta also brought some unhappiness to Rucheng.
Rucheng is located in the mountains. There are many farmers but very few scholars. There are occasionally one or two prison guards, but their respect is unmatched. Especially in the Qing Dynasty, those who could obtain fame were even rarer. . Things are rare and valuable, and those who have good things to do will try to write a couplet that actually says: "Fish, dragon, chicken, phoenix, duck, peacock, Gong Pavilion, Tong Hanlin." The ridicule and ridicule are obvious. However, there are still people who cling to the illusion and tie the achievement of fame and fame to a tower. They think that as long as the tower is built, gaining fame and fame will be as easy as picking up mustard. After many years, there are still very few people who have achieved meritorious status. Dreams and reality are always so far apart. Helplessness, like the viper of loss, bites the dreams of students, squires, and county officials. The melancholy people wandered to the riverside under the tower to relieve their depression. Let's appreciate the beautiful scenery of "Sunset on the Wen Pagoda". Watch the sunset, the clear river is as clear as water, and the shadow of the tower's pen is moving, rendering a painting of "half river rustling and half river red". The beautiful scenery makes melancholy people forget their worries for a while.
However, when the pensive head suddenly raised, in the dusk, he suddenly saw the Wenta like a finger. Hey, isn't this the finger in the folk tale that the monk who was "good at pinching and counting" extended his finger to three scholars who were rushing to take exams? Only one? None? Just one miss?
Speaking of "one", when it comes to Rucheng scholars obtaining fame and honors, we have to mention Zhu Jingguan. We can look through the newly revised "Rucheng County Chronicle" and the local Zhu family genealogy. There is a brief record of Zhu Jingguan's success as the number one scholar in the third year of Yuanfu (1100, Gengchen years old) of Emperor Zhezong of the Song Dynasty. Today, there is still a plaque "Dakui Tianxia" written by Hong Tianxi in Tabei Village, Maqiao Township, for Zhu Jingguanzhong's first prize. There is indeed a person like Hong Tianxi in history. He was a native of Houting Village, Shishi, Fujian. He was a Jinshi in the second year of Baoqing (1226) of Emperor Lizong of the Southern Song Dynasty. He served as a supervisory censor and other officials. He was a direct bachelor of Huawen Pavilion and a scholar of Duanmingdian University. Shi was a high-ranking official and celebrity at that time. His official position was written on the plaque: Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Industry, and he was appointed as the pacification envoy of Hunan. According to genealogical records, Zhu Jingguan once served as a political official in the dynasty, with an official rank of fifth rank. There is also a folk legend of "the number one scholar returns". Zhu Jingguan's success as the number one scholar seems to be "a sure thing". But what is puzzling is that when looking through the list of number one scholars in the Song Dynasty, Zhu Jingguan's name is not found in the list of 118 number one scholars. There is only one "lone seedling" in Hunan, Wang Rong. The exact historical records are: In the third year of Emperor Zhezong of the Song Dynasty, the most popular person in the Gengchen Division should be Li Fu from Hebei. He won the first place in the provincial examination. Because Zhezong died that year and Huizong's mourning period was not yet over, he was not allowed to do so. The Jinshi examination was conducted in person, that is, there was no official imperial examination to determine who would be the top scholar. Instead, Li Fu, who won the first place in the provincial examination, was ordered to be the first place in the new Jinshi. Besides, Hong Tianxi was born in the Southern Song Dynasty. When he wrote the plaque (1225, the first year of Lizong Baoqing), it was 115 years after the third year of Yuanfu, Emperor Zhezong of the Northern Song Dynasty. Where did the plaque come from, why was it inscribed, was it inscribed by him? Naturally, the author has no way of knowing, and I will leave these mysteries to others to investigate. But Zhu Jingguan is already a god-like and heroic figure. He has become the eternal pride in the hearts of people named Zhu in Rucheng, and has become a role model and even an idol for scholars in Rucheng. There is no doubt that. Zhu Jingguan was like a beacon in the imperial examination era, illuminating and guiding the spiritual journey of scholars in their pursuit of education and officialdom.
Year after year, students’ dreams are disillusioned like blisters. How frustrating it is. Who is to blame? Of course it's because of bad feng shui. Wenta is naturally regarded as an unlucky thing. Then dismantle it. So Wenta collapsed in resentment and contempt. In fact, if you think about it rationally, the imperial examination system has been in place for more than 1,300 years, and there are less than 1,000 top scholars on the gold list. According to the imperial examination system at that time, there were only a few hundred in the country within three years. With only this single-plank bridge, most people were pushed into the abyss, so that "poor" and "downcast" have an indissoluble bond with most scholars. There are not a few people who went to Beijing to take the exam and lived on the streets because they failed. .
It is expected that scholars in Rucheng, whose education is relatively backward, will fall into the abyss.
The demolition and construction of the Rucheng Cultural Tower witnessed the end of the imperial examination system. The writing tower is like a pen, reviewing every answer in the long scroll of history. It’s time to write an epitaph and bring an end to the imperial examination system.
Today, the literary tower is soaked in the sunshine, spring breeze, rain and dew of the new era and new system. Among the blue sky and clear water, it expresses the talents and romance of the scholars in Rucheng, and records three hundred and sixty lines of Rucheng. The champions. Lucky for the pagoda, lucky for the scholars.