Speaking of Mr. Zhao, in the years before his passing, he had been a man of great renown in Qingshui County.
This reputation was earned for two reasons.
First, Mr. Zhao was a man of exceptional beauty, with a disposition as gentle as jade. He carried himself with a graceful poise, grand as a mountain or a river, an image only enhanced by his formal robes.
Second, his literary talent was extraordinary, placing him far above his peers.
Although they were all Scholars, it was because their knowledge was limited to that level; they could not pass the examinations to become a scholar. Mr. Zhao, however, was a Scholar only because he was burdened by his poor health. In terms of his actual learning, it was said that becoming not just a scholar, but even an Advanced Scholar, was only a matter of time for him.
But because his health failed him, when Mr. Zhao went to the Prefecture for the Provincial Examination in his youth, he collapsed in the examination hall during the final session.
