There are not many stubborn scholars, but those who can accomplish great things are generally stubborn.
Fan Zeng was a stubborn person. People in his hometown called him Fan Mutou, but he felt that there was nothing wrong with his principles of dealing with people.
His deceased father had always taught him to repay a drop of kindness with a spring. After realizing that he had indeed been betrayed by his classmates, Fan Zeng ran over and knelt at the gate of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
He felt that if Lu Chen had not paid for him that day, he would probably have been beaten to death.
If he was really seriously injured, let alone taking the imperial examination in a place like the capital, it is hard to say whether he would have the money to treat the illness or whether he would survive.
What's more, he had just arrived in the capital and was really dazzled by the various scenes of the capital's colorful world. It was Lu Chen's words that woke him up and made him realize that what he should do most at this time was not to go out with his classmates to experience the prosperity of the capital, but to continue to study hard.
Fan Zeng felt that this was a blessing of rebirth. Now that he had figured it all out, he couldn't remain silent, so he knelt at the door of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
A scholar actually knelt at the door of a Taoist priest. Even if the other party was an imperial teacher, it would not sound good.
At that time, people had not yet entered the Chinese Academy of Sciences for a visit and did not realize that the learning environment there was overwhelming. Many people thought that Fan Zeng was really crazy.
Some even said that several lecturers at the Imperial College had praised Fan Zeng and had expressed their desire to accept him as their disciple.
But now that Fan Zeng has knelt like this, this opportunity is gone!
Many people were actually happy to see this scene, especially Fan Zeng’s classmates.
Some people even speculated more maliciously: "Maybe he heard that the imperial examination system was going to be reformed, so he wanted to come here and curry favor with them in advance."
"It's just a change to a graded system, and the test is still based on the Four Books and Five Classics. Isn't it putting the cart before the horse for him to come to the Chinese Academy of Sciences to curry favor?"
These people spoke without any hesitation, and Fan Zeng could of course hear it, but he didn't care what people around him said. He still knelt on the ground and declared that he wanted to take Lu Chen as his master and serve Lu Chen like a slave.
Lu Chen was also shocked when he learned about this. He had always wanted to get some students for the Chinese Academy of Sciences, not for himself.
There is still a big difference between the two. The most important difference is that he can treat students from the Chinese Academy of Sciences like cattle and horses, but if they are his own students, he will have to worry more about their future.
"I can't help it. I'm a good person with high moral standards, don't you think so, Lao Mou?"
"Yes! It must be. The Immortal Master's moral standards are beyond reproach, comparable to those of a saint!"
"How many times have I told you to keep a low profile? Even though what you said is true, there's no need to show it off like that. Be more careful next time!"
"I will follow the instructions of the Imperial Master. Then, Imperial Master, what do you think we should do with this person outside?"
Lu Chen pinched his chin and thought about it. After all, the other party was kneeling on the ground begging to see him. If he just drove him away, it would be too inhumane.
What's more, there are still many scholars watching outside, so I have to be more subtle in my actions.
"Let him in first, then assign him some more difficult tasks. If he can't do it well, then let him go on the grounds of lack of ability. This way, it won't cause too much public opinion."
"Oh, Imperial Master, there's a group of scholars out there who want to visit the Chinese Academy of Sciences. What do you think we should do?"
"Haha, you told them not to come before, but now you're anxious? What a bunch of idiots! Go out and tell them that the Chinese Academy of Sciences is busy planning the exam venues and no one is allowed to visit right now. If they really want to come in and take a look, then wait until the mock exam."
"By the way, to prevent these grandsons from getting bored and causing trouble, go post the couplets you wrote earlier so they can have a good brainstorming session. Also, tell them that this couplet was written by Lord Ke. Whoever can match it first will get the couplet!"
Mou Ping took the order and hurried out to make arrangements. Just as Lu Chen had expected, the candidates were naturally quite dissatisfied when they heard that they were not allowed to go in to visit now. However, Sun Jijiu, who was hiding in the corner, breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he had never gone into the Chinese Academy of Sciences to take a look, he had somewhat witnessed Lu Chen's various magical methods.
Since Lu Chen is so confident, maybe he can really fool a few students.
These students are all treasures, and the Imperial College is reluctant to give any of them to others.
Now that they were not allowed to enter, there was nothing to worry about. However, Fan Zeng, who was kneeling at the gate of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, attracted some attention. Sun Jijiu curled his lips at the person next to him and said, "Go back and find out who this student is. Why is he so unruly? He is really bringing shame to our Confucianism!"
Sun Jijiu's words were a death sentence for Fan Zeng. Fortunately, at this moment, Mou Ping nodded to Fan Zeng and said, "Come with me."
He then waved to the people behind him and had them hang up the couplets. "The Imperial Master said these couplets were written by Master Toke. If anyone can match them, they'll be given to him!"
Upon hearing this, the candidates who were clamoring to go in and see the examination room stopped clamoring instantly. Everyone's eyes were focused on the couplets in front of them, and their eyes were full of greed.
This is the calligraphy of Lord Ke. I wouldn’t say it’s worth a fortune, but it’s a rare treasure.
If I could get a piece of handwritten letter like this during my trip to the capital, I wouldn’t feel any regret even if I didn’t get into high school.
Everyone's enthusiasm was quickly attracted by the couplet. Seeing this, Mou Ping smiled and took Fan Zeng into the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Since Lu Chen said he wanted to find a difficult job for Fan Zeng, Mou Ping would definitely carry it out 100%.
However, there may be some ambiguity between the two sides regarding this difficult working definition.
What Lu Chen meant was to find some heavy physical work for Fan Zeng. A weak scholar like him would definitely not be able to handle it and would naturally leave when the time comes.
But Mou Ping felt that physical work was not difficult at all. He could persevere as long as he gritted his teeth. Compared with becoming a disciple of an immortal master, this little hardship was nothing.
The really difficult parts are those that require thinking, such as organizing the account books using the new method passed down by the immortal master.
A few days ago, the accountants in the Ministry of Revenue were complaining to him. They heard that the accounting work nowadays is really troublesome and very difficult. This is a good job that is used to make things difficult for people.
Even those accountants with more than ten years of experience said it was too difficult. Mou Ping didn't believe that a young man who looked so dull could be competent for this kind of job?
But no one expected that such an arrangement by Mouping would allow Fan Zenghe to soar into the sky and into the sea!
Even Lu Chen didn't expect that this somewhat dull Fan Zeng in front of him was actually a science genius!
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