Chapter 783 Xiao Qin University Opens
For half a month in a row, many people in the capital hosted banquets, all because their children had passed the imperial examinations and were celebrating with their families.
People came to congratulate Cheng Wanwan, so naturally she had to bring her own gifts in return. The past two weeks had passed in a blur of feasting and drinking.
As soon as the two-week holiday ended, Zhao Sidan and Yu Zhan were about to officially take up their posts. One was in the Hanlin Academy and the other was in the Guanglu Temple. They were both newly promoted minor officials who did not have the right to enter the palace to present their reports. They had to stand outside the palace and listen to others present their reports. Only after listening to the court affairs for two or three years would they be qualified to be among the civil and military officials and participate in important court affairs.
After Yu Zhan's matter settled down, Lu Yingxue began looking for a residence in the capital.
She did make some money running a wine shop in Dahe Town over the past few years, but not that much. She had a few thousand taels of silver, but couldn't afford a large courtyard house. After looking around, she finally bought a quiet two-courtyard house in the west of the capital, which was enough for her and her two children to live in. It would also be spacious enough for Yu Zhan to live in after he got married.
After Lu Yingxue and her two children moved out, the mansion became quiet and peaceful without that chattering person.
Meanwhile, preparations for Xiao Qin University were almost complete.
After such a long period of enrollment, the first batch of students at the university reached 54 people. Among them, there were 12 commoner scholars who volunteered, one Juren who was invited by force, namely Peng Wang of Dahe Academy, and 41 unruly young masters and sons of ministers in the court who were not very good. Most of these 41 people came from the families of first and second-class nobles and first and second-rank officials, and were people that ordinary people would absolutely not dare to provoke.
On the tenth day of the fifth lunar month, Xiao Qin Academy officially opened.
Cheng Wanwan was hired by the King of Qin at a high price to be the language teacher of the Asab Kingdom, so naturally she had to make her debut on the first day.
She wore simple, practical clothes and hairpins, dressed very simply. She didn't even bring a maid. After Gu Bing drove her to her destination, she got out of the carriage and walked into the university alone.
This Xiao Qin University is somewhat similar to a girls' school. Inside, there is a large square. Because of the start of the semester, the square has been specially decorated, exuding the kind of refined and elegant atmosphere that scholars love.
"Madam Sui has arrived."
A group of gentlemen hurried over to pay their respects. Among them were renowned scholars from the Imperial Academy, minor officials from the Court of State Ceremonies, and teachers invited from the common people.
"Please allow me to introduce myself. I am a Doctor of the Imperial Academy, currently serving as the Deputy Headmaster of the Academy," Doctor Tao coughed and said. "Why do I say it's temporary? Because I don't know how long I'll be here."
The other Confucian scholars all wore bitter expressions.
They had all seen the list of this year's students. They were either sons of generals, sons of marquises, or sons of grand secretaries and grand tutors... If these young men were capable, they would have passed the imperial examinations and become officials long ago. They had participated in the imperial examinations time and time again for so many years, but failed every time. One could imagine how unruly and incompetent they were.
Teaching such a group of students will not only cause them to lose their hair, but also shorten their lifespan!
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "A teacher's duty is to impart knowledge, teach skills, and resolve doubts. We should just do what we are supposed to do."
Her profession in her previous life had nothing to do with being a teacher, but in this life she has taught quite a few people, including her own children, officials from the Court of State Ceremonial, and girls from girls' schools... In her view, there are no disobedient students, only teachers who don't know how to teach. She shouldn't give up before even starting just because the students have special status.
Since she has made a promise to the King of Qin, she will certainly fulfill her duties.
"Lady Sui is right!" King Qin walked over, fanning himself. "I invited you here to teach. Just teach them your knowledge. If they don't listen, they're going against me. I'll deal with them."
The scholars breathed a sigh of relief; with the King of Qin as their backer, they figured the students wouldn't dare to act recklessly.
Only Dr. Tao silently lowered his eyes. He had taught the princes at the Imperial Academy. These teachers had the Emperor and Empress as their backers, yet the princes still rebelled. Countless teachers were so angry that they vomited blood and begged the Emperor to transfer them to the Imperial Study to organize historical records...
"There's still an hour until the official start of school. Let's go inside and sit for a while." King Qin coughed. "As the headmaster, I'll speak first. Dr. Tao, the deputy headmaster, also has to speak. Lady Sui..."
Cheng Wanwan hurriedly said, "I'm just a teacher, isn't it enough to just introduce myself?"
“That won’t do.” The King of Qin shook his head. “The girls’ school founded by Lady Sui and my sister-in-law has sparked a trend of early education for girls in the capital. Many noble ladies in the capital have made great progress. Furthermore, Lady Sui’s son is the top scholar in the imperial examination, having achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the examinations. She should share her secrets to success with everyone.”
Dr. Tao nodded: "That's how it should be."
The other Confucian scholars quickly nodded in agreement. They were eager to know how Madam Sui had raised her son, and how her child could be so outstanding.
Amidst the expectant gazes of everyone, Cheng Wanwan had no choice but to agree.
A group of teachers went into the study to discuss what they would each say at the upcoming opening ceremony...
Meanwhile, the students reported in one by one.
The first to arrive were the dozen or so scholars, none of whom were newly appointed; they were veteran scholars who had taken the imperial examinations two or three times or more. Because they had no other way to succeed in the examinations, they came to the King of Qin to try their luck.
Next was Peng Wang, the only successful candidate in the imperial examinations. To be honest, he was very unsure of himself and afraid that he would waste the year.
Finally, there are those privileged second-generation rich kids.
Luxury carriages lined up at the university gate. The spoiled rich kids jumped off their horses by stepping on the backs of their servants. Dressed in exquisite clothes and waving paper fans, they looked more like they were on an outing than students.
"Brother Pang, I was just planning to invite you to the horse race yesterday." A young man in his early twenties approached Pang Jie, the third son of Grand Scholar Pang. "When I went to your residence, your mother said you were studying. When did you become so diligent, Brother Pang?"
Pang Jie rubbed his still-painful buttocks and grimaced. He couldn't possibly study. Back then, he was being beaten by his own mother, howling in pain, just because he refused to come to school. His mother immediately turned on him, had the servant hold him down, and gave him twenty lashes... This morning, while he was still sleeping, his mother dragged him out of bed and told him he had to come to school on time, or else she would give him thirty more lashes.
He felt that his life was really too miserable.
His eldest brother used the only recommendation spot in their Pang family to enter officialdom, his second brother inherited his father's intelligence and passed the imperial examination with ease, but he had neither intelligence nor a recommendation spot. So his parents kept an eye on him every day, hoping that he could enter the court as an official on his own...
They were born of the same parents, so why is he so unlucky? He's not happy about it!
But what can you do if you don't like it? You still have to come here to attend classes obediently.
"Brother Pang, we are brothers in misfortune."
The young man in his early twenties was a descendant of the meritorious Marquis of Huainan. Because his ancestors had made great contributions, three generations of his family were exempt from the imperial examinations and could enter the court as officials. However, in his generation, the family's protection was gone, and he could only start taking the imperial examinations from the provincial level, crying and complaining. But he was not cut out for studying and had already taken the exams three times without success. So when his parents heard that the Prince of Qin's academy had a quota for recommending officials, they immediately whipped him to come.
The other spoiled rich kids who came with them had gathered here for similar reasons, and they all had bitter faces.
"Why are you all so dejected?" Pang Jie snorted. "Don't forget, this school was founded by His Highness Prince Qin. Who is Prince Qin? He's a notorious playboy prince in the capital. A playboy prince who runs a school might just be teaching us how to eat, drink, and have fun."
Li Jian, a descendant of the Marquis of Huainan, said, "Yesterday, the King of Qin was still enjoying himself in the Chu Pavilion. Today, when school starts, he should be telling us if there are any new things in the Chu Pavilion."
Upon hearing this, the spoiled rich kids present became excited and immediately headed towards the school.
Peng Wang frowned slightly. He had heard of the King of Qin's reputation and thought that the King of Qin had changed for the better. Why was he still like this? Had he made the wrong choice?
The other dozen or so scholars exchanged glances, all seeing fear in each other's eyes.
If this place is truly a place for eating, drinking, and having fun, then wouldn't people from poor families be reduced to servants and lackeys of these spoiled rich kids?
Is it too late to leave now?
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