After Zhu Youxiao arrived in Yangzhou, he naturally wanted to visit the Royal Academy.

Zhu Youxiao was originally going to attend the Imperial Academy in Nanjing, but due to time constraints and heavy workload, he did not go.

However, Zhu Youxiao made up his mind that when he passed by Nanjing on his way back, he must visit the Royal Academy in Nanjing.

Now, it’s worth taking a good look at the Royal Academy in Yangzhou.

In fact, Zhu Youxiao had heard that the salt merchants had already got involved. The system was there, but things depended on people, and in the final analysis, the extent to which it could be achieved still depended on people.

Zhu Youxiao was eager to see how far the imperial academy in Yangzhou had progressed and to what extent the merchants had infiltrated the academy.

Come to think of it, it is a very interesting thing.

After changing his clothes, putting on a jade pendant around his waist and holding a folding fan in his hand, Zhu Youxiao looked like a handsome young man in this corrupt world.

Zhu Youxiao was followed by more than a dozen guards, and was accompanied by an old slave like Wei Chao, as well as a beautiful woman like Chen Yuer.

With such a grand occasion, most people really don’t have it.

After leaving the door and getting on the carriage, the group slowly walked to the Royal Academy in Yangzhou.

The place Zhu Youxiao is going to today is the original Ganquan Academy.

Ganquan Academy is one of the ancient academies in Yangzhou. It was originally built on Dongguan Street and later moved to Guangling Road.

It was built in the middle of the Jiajing reign and was originally named Ganquan Academy, also known as Chongya Academy. It was renamed Meihua Academy in the 12th year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty.

There is an old saying: "Among the flourishing academies in Southeast China, Yangzhou has one-third of them."

The "three" here refers to the three very famous academies in Yangzhou: Anding, Meihua and Guangling.

The Lianghuai salt merchants were the richest in the world, and they funded the construction of numerous and high-quality academies, which also cultivated a large number of talents for ancient Yangzhou.

According to the "List of Jinshi in Ming and Qing Dynasties", there were 650 people from Yangzhou who passed the imperial examination and became Jinshi in the Ming and Qing dynasties alone, including 245 in the Ming Dynasty and 405 in the Qing Dynasty.

Therefore, Zhu Youxiao must visit this royal academy in Yangzhou.

This is a typical example of the Ming Dynasty and the best example of collusion between officials and businessmen.

From the moment you start studying, someone will sponsor you and train you in every way. Once you make a little progress, these people will give you houses, land, money, women, and everything else.

What will you do when you become an official? How will you repay them?

What's more, before you even become an official, they'll already have you as their own. It doesn't necessarily mean someone is against you, right?

Zhu Youxiao didn't see the academy before, and now he feels a little regretful. But it's good to see the current royal academy to see how they infiltrated it.

In fact, the principle is the same. The land belongs to the royal family, the academy belongs to the royal family, but the students are not, right?

Just like bribing students, if the original method doesn’t work, try another one.

When Zhu Youxiao arrived at the Yangzhou Imperial Academy, the place was already bustling with people, and it was obvious that many students had just arrived. It was obviously homecoming day.

Zhu Youxiao frowned, because according to the rules of the Royal Academy, students had to be alone when they came to the academy.

But the scene before him was not like that. There was a constant flow of cars and crowds of people.

The students all drove carriages and brought servants with them, and each of them had at least two women serving them. One could tell from their appearance that these were carefully selected maids. Understood, Yangzhou skinny horses.

If these people could pass the entrance exam to the Imperial Academy, they would instantly become guests of honor for the salt merchants. The system of selecting talents for the imperial court had now become a system of selecting talents for the salt merchants.

The reason is even simpler. Originally, salt merchants had to make judgments based on their own vision, but now they no longer have to do that. Anyone who can be admitted to the Royal Academy is an outstanding person, so they can invest directly.

If you spend a lot of money, there will be results in the end.

Zhu Youxiao also got off the carriage, bringing with him a maid, Chen Yuer.

Chen Yu'er's beauty was naturally good, and she was considered the most beautiful among all the beauties here. Even if there were some stunning beauties among the skinny men in Yangzhou, it would not be the turn of scholars like them.

Many people were immediately attracted by Zhu Youxiao's pomp and circumstance.

From the carriage, the fan, the clothes he was wearing, and the jade pendant around his waist, it was clear at a glance that he was of extraordinary status.

Of course, the most important thing is the guards behind them. It is obvious that they are not ordinary people.

Look at the woman accompanying him, her appearance is pure and elegant, her beauty is so stunning that it can make fish sink to the bottom of the water and geese fall to the ground; her figure is so graceful, her skills in making people fall in love with her must be superb!