Chapter 11: The rumor about Hongwen Academy reaches the real master
After getting Luo Wan's consent, Chi Mingli happily introduced Hongwenguan to her.
The Hongwenguan can be roughly divided into two parts. One part is the school where students usually study, and the other part is the martial arts field where students practice martial arts. Although the place is large, there are not many students here. They are all children of high-ranking officials in the capital.
Luo Wan entered the school with Chi Mingli. Because of family matters, they were delayed, and when the two of them entered the house, most of the students had already arrived.
As for Chi Mingli, he was just an ordinary student in the school, with an average family background and average talent. Therefore, the students in the school paid little attention to him, even less than his sister Chi Mingshi, whose piano skills ranked among the top three in Hongwenguan.
But Chi Mingli was different today. He brought in a girl whom they had never seen before.
Everyone saw her face clearly. They were shocked to see such a woman coming to Hongwenguan, or rather the capital.
Beautiful, but cold and distant.
As officials in the capital were transferred, the students of the Hongwenguan would also be transferred accordingly. Often, the children of demoted officials would leave, and the children of newly promoted officials would come in.
Therefore, there are often new students in each dormitory, and everyone is used to it. They will first discuss them in private, and after getting to know each other, they will find out their family backgrounds and then start to form cliques like their father's generation.
Under normal circumstances, everyone would have started discussing it long ago, but Luo Wan exuded a fierce aura, and no one dared to approach to discuss it.
Luo Wan had no intention of making friends with these kids. The only person she wanted to "make friends" with was Shen Zhiyan.
Chi Mingli took Luo Wan to his seat and said, "The teacher will be here soon. Please sit next to me first. I will move a desk for you after class."
Luo Wan didn't see Shen Zhiyan. The one who came to give the lecture was an old gentleman with a white beard, who taught calligraphy.
She wasn't there to attend the class, and she wasn't taking any exams, so her thoughts soon drifted away.
Will Shen Zhiyan really appear in Hongwenguan?
If he showed up, but she didn't see him during class, then her trip to Hongwenguan would have been in vain.
Therefore, Luo Wan felt that she could not stay in class for too long, and she needed to inquire about Shen Zhiyan's news in Hongwenguan.
After a long time, Whitebeard finally couldn't bear it anymore and slammed the ruler on the table.
“That student!”
All the students were startled by the sound and looked back. Luo Wan also realized at this moment that Whitebeard was talking about him.
Whitebeard hunched over as he approached. He found that Luo Wanxuan's paper was completely blank. He was so angry that his hands were shaking. "You, you, you!!!"
Whitebeard said angrily, "Other students are practicing calligraphy, what are you doing? The paper is all blank."
Luo Wan disagreed: "It's enough to just be able to write, why do I need to practice?"
Writing is not like practicing martial arts. If you write poorly, you won’t lose your life.
"You're making a false argument!" Whitebeard scolded. "Handwriting is a person's face. If that's the case, then write one and let me see what your handwriting, which doesn't need practice, looks like."
Whitebeard picked up the book, flipped a page at random, and slammed it on the table. "Just copy this one."
White Beard looked determined not to give up. Luo Wan thought for a moment, but had no choice but to dip a pen in ink and copy on paper.
After a quick glance, Luo Wan secretly complained: Such a sad song is actually called "Meeting Again".
Whitebeard's eyesight seemed to be not very good, and he had to pick up the paper to see clearly.
Most of the handwritings written by women in the capital are dignified and elegant, but the handwriting in front of me is handsome, detached, vigorous and powerful.
It doesn't seem like the writing skills of a young girl at all.
He even bears some resemblance to the current Grand Tutor Liu Zong.
Whitebeard's eyes were filled with admiration as he asked, "Who did you learn this calligraphy from?"
Tingyulou never taught her how to write, and she learned her handwriting from Chu Lin.
This cannot be said.
Luo Wan said: "In the past few years, I went around seeking medical treatment with my grandfather and met many calligraphers."
Maybe it's fate, Whitebeard thought.
Whitebeard put down the rice paper and realized that Luo Wan was a stranger. He was so angry that he didn't pay attention to the student's face. He asked in confusion, "Why haven't I seen you before?"
"Master, she hasn't been assigned to a place yet." Chi Mingli explained for her, "So I brought her here."
The Hongwenguan taught students the Four Books and Five Classics. In addition, it also taught the Six Arts for gentlemen and the Eight Arts for women, which were divided into major and minor subjects.
Men need to choose one of the six arts as their major, and women need to choose one of the eight arts as their major. Afterwards, they can choose any of the other six arts and eight arts as their minor subjects. The Hongwenguan will then assign dormitories to the students based on this.
Chi Mingli chose archery as his major and chariot driving and calligraphy as his minors. Now the evening class he taught Luo was calligraphy, his minor subject.
Whitebeard stroked his beard twice and asked, "New here?"
Luo Wan didn't think twice and said, "I am a student of Mr. Shen Zhiyan."
Chi Mingli was stunned. First, he didn't expect Luo Wan to refute him like this, and second, he was surprised by Luo Wan's casual nonsense.
Unlike Luo Wan, who had been struggling in the underworld since he was young, Chi Mingli was a young man from the capital, and Feng Yuyun protected him and Chi Mingshi very well.
If Luo Wan is a weed growing in the cracks of rocks, then he is a flower that is carefully nurtured. Therefore, Chi Mingli is naive and foolish, but he is always full of passion and eager to defend his country and eliminate evil and do justice.
In the opinion of such a person, students cannot lie to their teachers, let alone when the person next to them looks like an experienced person and can lie without blushing or feeling nervous.
Whitebeard frowned.
Luo Wan didn't think his guess would be wrong.
With Shen Zhiyan's talent, there were few people in the entire capital who were qualified to teach him, so Luo Wan guessed that Shen Zhiyan appeared in Hongwenguan only as a teacher.
Whitebeard asked in confusion, "Although Master Shen has planned to teach at the Hongwen Academy, he hasn't started classes yet. How come you are his student?"
Suddenly, the students started talking about it. There were too many people in Hongwenguan who wanted to be Master Shen’s students.
She didn't need everyone to believe her. Luo Wan just wanted to be associated with Shen Zhiyan. Rumors could melt gold, no matter whether it was true or false. She wanted everyone to spread a piece of news - she was Shen Zhiyan's student.
White Beard didn't ask any more questions. He turned back to the lecture hall and said seriously, "I know Master Shen is young. An old man like me can't compare to him. Who doesn't appreciate a bright and handsome young man?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the students in the audience burst into laughter.
Whitebeard continued, "Today, you may be spending your days playing around, or living in mediocrity. While you hesitate with your pens, soldiers on the border have already shed blood for thousands of miles. What's written on this paper is not just the words of a sage, but the lives of the common people. A true man should be loyal to his emperor and patriotic, and uphold the principles of heaven and earth..."
The students nodded repeatedly to accept the instruction.
Whitebeard kept talking, and mixed in with his lectures, there were some laughter that clearly came from outside the house.
It was already time for get out of class to end, but Whitebeard was still immersed in it and missed the deadline.
He looked out the window and said in a deep voice, "get out of class is over."
The next moment, someone suddenly shouted outside the window: "Chi Mingli, your sister is crying!"
Chi Mingli stood up and ran out of the house.
A group of people gathered outside to watch the excitement, and the scene was crowded.
Luo Wan stood at a distance and watched, not understanding what the students of Hongwenguan had such a habit. Chi Mingshi was just being scolded for being late and crying, yet so many people gathered around her.
She didn't plan to stay here for long. Since Shen Zhiyan was going to teach at Hongwenguan, he might be somewhere in Hongwenguan right now. Luo Wan was just about to look for Shen Zhiyan here when she heard someone calling her loudly.
"Wanwan!"
As a brisk and energetic voice sounded, everyone looked towards Luo Wan.
Amidst the crowd, Luo Wan could clearly see that standing in the center of the crowd were not only Chi Mingshi, but also Pei Shaochuan.
Seeing that she also saw him, Pei Shaochuan waved to Luo Wan with a smile in his eyes.
"You're not behaving properly!" the steward scolded.
In this case, Luo Wan couldn't leave. After all, Pei Shaochuan had helped her, and she still needed Pei Shaochuan's help.
When Luo Wan approached, Pei Shaochuan's smile became even brighter. He ignored the others and said, "I asked the servant to deliver a message to my aunt this morning. I didn't expect you to be here already."
Unlike Chi Mingshi who was crying beside him, Pei Shaochuan looked indifferent. He did not doubt what Luo Wan said yesterday. She had just said that Feng Yuyun did not allow her to come, but she came early today. He just felt that he was a step slow.
"Sir, I'm not late because I'm lazy. It's her!" Chi Mingshi suddenly pointed at Luo Wan: "She tricked me and tricked me off the carriage, which is why I'm late."
Chi Mingshi originally thought that the carriage was ready, but after getting off and waiting for a long time, there was no sign of the carriage.
When she asked Madam Liu, she found out that they were not prepared. When she wanted to go back to the original carriage, Chi Mingli and Luo Wan had already left.
"If you're late, then be late yourself. Why are you putting the blame on others? You've completely forgotten everything the teacher taught you..." Pei Shaochuan paused, frowned, and said, "You've completely forgotten everything. You have no sense of responsibility at all."
Chi Mingshi took a deep breath, collected herself, and said angrily, "Master Pei, I have never had any grudge against you. Why are you making things so difficult for me today? Normally, the teacher would just give a few words of reprimand to students who were late, but today you insisted that the teacher follow the rules, even at the cost of standing outside as punishment yourself, and dragging me along with you."
The regulations of the Hongwenguan were originally set by the royal family to restrain the children of officials, but many of the teachers here had low official ranks and were not as powerful as the fathers of the students. The teachers did not dare to punish the children of high-ranking officials. Over time, the rules became a decoration.
Pei Shaochuan had a good reason: "If you make a mistake, you should be punished according to the rules. What's wrong with that?"
Chi Mingli couldn't bear to see his sister being humiliated, so he bowed to Pei Shaochuan and defended him, "Master Pei, my sister is a frail girl. It's freezing outside, and if she stands for half an hour, she'll definitely catch a cold."
"Will she?" Pei Shaochuan asked back, "I think your sister cries with great energy."
Luo Wan understood now. Pei Shaochuan seized on Chi Mingshi's mistakes and made things difficult for her because he knew that Nanny Liu had bullied him and was taking his anger out on Chi Mingshi.
There are so many people gathered here, probably because these two people are arguing with each other.
Chi Mingshi said, "Mr. Pei, you've been late many times before, and you've only been reprimanded twice and that's it. Don't you think you're being too hypocritical today?"
"Any day is an ordinary day, and today is today." Pei Shaochuan said loudly: "If I'm late again in the future, I will be punished by standing outside for half an hour like today."
Seeing that Pei Shaochuan had no intention of giving in, Chi Mingli looked at Luo Wan for help. After all, the way Pei Shaochuan looked at Luo Wan just now showed that their relationship was not ordinary.
Blood is thicker than water. Although Chi Mingli and Chi Mingshi don't get along on the surface and even had a quarrel with each other this morning, he actually still cares about his sister very much.
Before Luo Wan could speak, Chi Mingshi seemed to recall something and snorted coldly, saying, "Master Pei Shaochuan, you're targeting me because of Chi Wanwan, right? Everyone in the capital knows that Chi Wanwan's mother is just a vulgar merchant woman. My father and mother are a perfect match. If there's any discord between the elders, you shouldn't involve me. You're taking revenge on her behalf, maybe because you enjoy it..."
"Chi Mingshi!" Pei Shaochuan interrupted her loudly, "Chi Wanwan is your elder sister. Gossiping has to have a limit!"
Chi Mingshi was speechless and her face turned red.
The steward was not willing to intervene at all. He thought it would be best for these young men and women to solve the problem themselves. That way, he wouldn't offend anyone.
In the brief silence, no one knew who was the first to speak: "Master Shen is here!"
At this moment, everyone in the center reacted, but without even having time to look, they hurriedly bowed in one direction and saluted: "Master Shen."
The young man's figure was as tall and straight as a clump of green bamboo.
Shen Zhiyan is the only legitimate son of the prime minister of the current dynasty. He should have been pampered and lived a life of luxury. However, ten years ago, he was sent to Xiliang as a hostage.
After ten years of humiliation in a foreign country and going through many vicissitudes of life, she is still so graceful and outstanding.
Luo Wan thought of Shen Zhiyan's ending, and then felt a sense of pity, secretly feeling sorry for such a person.
The young man's voice was gentle, and he spoke at a steady pace: "No need to be so polite."
The steward seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw and immediately explained the situation to Shen Zhiyan.
Shen Zhiyan understood the whole story and sighed, "I came here just for this matter."
A quarter of an hour ago, a student reported that there was a quarrel outside. In fact, disputes are common among students. Even court officials who have lived for most of their lives will confront each other in the court due to disagreements.
Originally, this matter was not his business, but since the students had reported it, Shen Zhiyan could not turn a blind eye, otherwise it would be against the ethics of a teacher. Moreover, he knew that the steward had a low official rank and a cowardly temperament, and could not control these children from aristocratic families.
Chi Mingli said anxiously: "Master Shen, the girl is frail, can you allow my sister to enter the house?"
Shen Zhiyan said, "That's right."
Chi Mingshi glared at Pei Shaochuan with a victorious look, and she bowed to Shen Zhiyan to express her gratitude.
Shen Zhiyan added, "It's cold, but we have to punish you for being late. I'll punish you two by copying the entire Hongwenguan regulations ten times each. Do you have any objections?"
The previous chatter became silent, which was normal. Who would dare to talk back to the prime minister's son and a meritorious official of the Northern Dynasty who had been held hostage for ten years?
No one objected.
Shen Zhiyan said, "Then let's disperse."
Most of the crowd had dispersed, but there were still many students surrounding Shen Zhiyan, following his steps as he left.
Luo Wan wanted to get closer to Shen Zhiyan, but in front of so many people, she couldn't figure out how to approach him in a reasonable way, so she could only follow the crowd silently.
Pei Shaochuan followed Luo Wan and asked with a smile, "Are you relieved?"
Luo Wan was helpless: "You don't have to do this. If you do this, you will have to copy the regulations too."
Pei Shaochuan didn't care: "I'm not going to copy it myself, I'll ask the servant to do it for me later."
After hearing this, Luo Wan found it funny. Although Chi Mingli was not outstanding, compared to Pei Shaochuan, he was at least a good student.
The youthful spirit is fully reflected in Pei Shaochuan.
Luo Wan said: "Childish."
Pei Shaochuan thought Luo Wan was just praising him and brought up what happened yesterday: "I met with Shopkeeper Zhong last night. He said he had never seen a doctor who removed moles. He had never seen one before, so maybe it really is gone."
Luo Wan followed Shen Zhiyan's back and said, "I've found the person."
And after a few days, when Luo Wan is free, this person will be "dead".
Pei Shaochuan didn't ask how Luo Wan found it, he just said: "Oh, that's good, that's good."
Then Pei Shaochuan continued to ramble on about something:
"Wanwan, what classes do you have this morning?"
"Which teacher taught you?"
"Do you still want to eat the cakes from the Drunken Immortal Inn?"
"I'll bring you some tomorrow, do you want some?"
Luo Wan listened with his left ear and let it out with his right ear.
Her eyes fell on Shen Zhiyan's back. A student spoke to Shen Zhiyan with admiration in his eyes: "I heard that Master Shen has started selecting students?"
Luo Wan has always had a good memory and can remember everything she sees. She recognized the student who kept up with Shen Zhiyan and he was the one who lived in the same dormitory with Chi Mingli.
Shen Zhiyan said, "I haven't started teaching yet, and I haven't selected any students yet."
"I heard someone say this morning that she was Master Shen's student." The student looked around and saw Luo Wan. He pointed at her and said, "That girl said she was Master Shen's student."
Wow!
The rumor reached the real person.
Shen Zhiyan turned around and looked over, his back to the sunlight. Under the shadow, the young man's expression was dark and unclear.
As Shen Zhiyan approached, Luo Wan finally saw his expression. She had expected him to be angry, but he smiled slightly and asked gently, "What's your name?"
Luo Wan couldn't tell what Shen Zhiyan was thinking, so she followed his lead and replied, "Chi Wanwan."
Shen Zhiyan asked again: "Do you want to be my student?"
Luo Wan hesitated for a moment, then nodded immediately: "Of course."
She made up a bunch of words that she thought were flattering but reasonable: "Master Shen is young and promising, bright and clear..."
Shen Zhiyan listened to her quietly, and then, without much thought, said: "I will be selecting students at Hongwenguan in the next few days. If you are willing, you can be my first student."
Above the students’ heads: ???
Luo Wan: So simple and casual?
The author has something to say:
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Master Shen, please don't spoil me too much [question mark][question mark][question mark]
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