Chapter 118: Fame in the Capital
Xiao Yan fought against all the people of the Lu family alone and scolded them until they shut up. Lu Chongyuan's face turned increasingly pale and he had to be supported by someone to avoid fainting from anger.
Inside, Cao Dejiang and others were concentrating on picking books. More and more boxes were placed in front of the courtyard. Canglang and Jinyun brought people to seal the boxes full of books, and asked the black-armored guards to go in and out and carry the packed boxes out.
The Lu family's gate was crowded with students who came to watch the excitement. When they saw the piles of books being moved out and the boxes piling up more and more, everyone became excited.
"Are these the Lu family's collection of books?"
"It must be. Just now, the Yiyang County Lady led Cao Gong and the others in. I saw quite a few high-ranking officials from the court there as well. They said they were all there to help the Yiyang County Lady choose books. These must be the books that the Lu family used to pay off their debts."
"Why are there so many? Even if each box holds dozens of volumes, how many can be packed into so many boxes?"
The boxes that were carried out one after another almost filled up the long streets and alleys. Just counting them casually, there were hundreds of them.
"I heard that the Lu family lost half of their collection of books. The family has accumulated books for hundreds of years, and the Lu family is said to have a collection of 100,000 volumes. Even if this is half, it would still be 50,000 to 60,000 volumes."
hiss--
The students who were watching the excitement in the crowd couldn't help but gasp, and then their eyes turned red when they looked at the carriages full of boxes.
These were the family's collection of books, sacred objects that they had never been able to touch before, and books that they could not find outside. If it weren't for the black-armored guards in heavy helmets and holding swords, and the people from the Beijing Patrol Camp guarding the carriage, these people would have been eager to pounce on them and take them for themselves.
People like them who came from humble backgrounds would only read a hundred volumes of books in their lifetime. If they were lucky enough to gain the favor of some powerful people, they might read more, but even then, it would only be more than a thousand volumes.
There are so many books, I don’t know how long it will take just to read them all.
"I heard that Yiyang County is planning to build an academy in the city. In the future, all these books will be sent to the academy for students to borrow."
"Is this true?"
"Of course it's true. If it were false, why would those officials in the court help me?"
"Yes, His Majesty has even bestowed upon him the Wende Monument, and the palace has also gifted him a collection of a hundred volumes. I heard that Governor Xiao has already secured a large piece of land south of the city and has summoned personnel from the Imperial Construction Department to establish a site. He will soon be building a college."
The people around couldn't help but get excited when they heard this. They didn't dare to snatch these books, nor did they have the ability to get them back, but the Princess of Yi Yang was planning to build an academy and would always accept students.
If they could enter the academy and become a disciple, wouldn't they be able to borrow the books from these aristocratic families at will?
Most of the students couldn't help but be tempted, but some hesitated: "But the Yiyang County Princess is a woman after all. Although she has good intentions in building the academy, will there be anyone to teach there when the time comes?"
"Yes, she has offended a noble family. If she enters the academy, what if the noble family holds a grudge against her? How can she ever get out of this situation?"
The crowd quieted down, and after a moment someone sneered, "You're talking as if you can get ahead without going to the academy."
"The aristocratic families have monopolized the path to education for years, leaving no place for students from humble backgrounds in the imperial court. Unless you beg them for mercy and are willing to abandon your reputation and become a retainer of an aristocratic family, there's no way they'll let you have a chance to succeed."
Even the so-called clean officials in the court today are actually all from wealthy families, or have some connections to enter the officialdom. Those who really come from humble backgrounds and rely on their talents to come before the emperor and become famous in the court are no more than five civil officials in the entire capital, except for those military generals who have emerged from the battlefield through fighting.
The person who spoke first turned pale, while the person who refuted him later looked serious.
"It's already difficult for students from poor families like us to make a name for ourselves. Now the Yiyang County Princess is willing to build an academy, risking offending the aristocratic families to provide poor people like us with another path to advancement."
"With the protection of Governor Xiao and the personal decree of His Majesty, what can the noble families do? They can block the court, but can they block the aspirations of students all over the world to study literature?"
The person who was speaking had a straight back, and his ordinary-looking face seemed to be covered with a layer of light, which made people unable to stop looking at him.
"Besides, the academy has so many books and a monument dedicated to literary virtue. If I can leave a name for myself in the academy, I might even be valued by His Majesty. Moreover, the Princess of Yiyang is a descendant of the Rong family, and Taifu Rong has students all over the world. There's no need to worry about not being able to invite a great scholar to teach. I'm afraid that once the academy is completed, the number of scholars who want to join will be very high."
"I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm grateful to the Yiyang County Lady for standing up for students like me. When the academy is built, I'll definitely be the first to sign up. Even if I don't have a teacher to teach me, it's worth it to be able to borrow these rare books."
“Who says you can’t become successful by self-study?”
Those students who were originally hesitant were moved, and even some teachers from other schools who were secretly watching had slightly changed expressions.
Yes, the Yi Yang County Lady’s academy has no worries about student enrollment. With the temptation of these book collections and literary monuments, there is no need to worry about not being able to attract famous scholars to teach.
They originally wanted to wait and see whether the aristocratic family would take action to get back at the wrong party after suffering a loss, but now they are afraid that if they are a step too late, others will get there first.
Many people were tempted and left quickly, thinking that they would submit their invitations to Jiyun Lane later and get a place in the academy as early as possible so as not to let others grab the opportunity first.
Jinyun stood in front of the Lu family's door, looking at the people around him who were in a state of anxiety, and glanced at the person who had just spoken in the crowd.
The man nodded inconspicuously and disappeared into the crowd quietly.
…
The Lu family's affairs attracted the attention of the entire capital, and naturally people in the imperial prison were also discussing it.
"Have you heard? The Lu family's Secretary has been ill for several days. The Lu family is also notorious. However, Miss Song from Jiyun Lane has been conferred the title of County Master."
"County Lady?"
"Yes, the Princess of Yiyang County has a fiefdom and fiefdom, and there are only a few of them in the whole capital..."
"My God, that's really a sudden rise to power. Before, I don't know how many people said that I would regret destroying the Duke of Song's mansion and losing its protection, but now it seems that the Princess of Yiyang is much more noble than the Song family's legitimate daughter."
"That's right, it's a real title, not to mention the Duke of Song's Mansion... Tsk!"
The man who spoke curled his lips, his words full of disdain: "The Song family has been sealed off, and all the Song family members are in prison. As for the Duke's Mansion, I don't even know if I can save my life."
He glanced at the end of the dark corridor and shook his head. It is said that things in the capital are unpredictable and the changes in power and influence can happen in an instant.
Who could have imagined that the Duke's Mansion, which was so prominent just a month ago, would end up like this in an instant? Thinking of the miserable state of the Song family, he sighed:
"This man, he really can't do evil things. God still has eyes."
A few jailers walked away chatting, but in the dim prison at the end of the corridor, someone couldn't help but look up.
Song Jinxiu was bewildered and murmured softly:
"Yiyang...County Princess?"
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