The rickety carriage was climbing the mountain with great effort.
Yang Yuanqing sat alone in the carriage.
He held in his hand the employment letter from Shanhe Academy and a sum of money for settling in.
It is said that this is a benefit that Shanhe Academy provides to all teachers, ensuring that everyone has no worries and can teach with peace of mind.
The carriage swayed up the mountain and arrived at the gate of the academy.
There were already people waiting to greet us at the entrance of the academy, all with excited looks on their faces.
"Mr. Sanyuan, you're finally here. The headmaster said you'd come to teach at our academy. How exciting! We've been looking forward to this day, and you're finally here."
Yang Yuanqing got off the carriage and said, "Everyone, there is no need to call me Sanyuan Gong. I am just an ordinary person and do not deserve the reputation of Sanyuan Gong."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.
It was just an ordinary thing, but it had already spread throughout the capital.
It is spreading all over the world through various people.
The Sanyuan Gong back then was just mediocre.
I wonder how many people were laughing at home.
The Minister of the Central Secretariat, Lord Li, was more direct and invited thirty people to the banquet because he was happy.
Many people in the capital went to show their support, and in front of Lord Li, they belittled Yang Yuanqing as worthless.
What Sanyuan Gong? It’s just good luck.
Yang Yuanqing suffered the most intense criticism in his life.
The situation was even more difficult than the time of exile.
At that time he was a man of real talent and learning, but he was exiled and countless people regretted his talent.
Now, countless people are cheering for Pingping.
If one could trample Sanyuan Gong under his feet and humiliate him severely in his lifetime, countless people would flock to him.
These people regard Sanyuan Gong as a stepping stone to gain fame.
An outdated character deserves it.
The evil of human nature is infinitely magnified.
Of course, this is also inseparable from the deliberate fanning of the flames by some people.
For example, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Lord Li, held a banquet with thirty tables.
It's absolutely naked.
Naturally, the fawning types swarmed over him, using their mouths, their writings, and their spit to denounce San Yuan Gong from head to toe, determined to nail him to the pillar of shame in the literary world.
As glorious as Yang Yuanqing was in the past, he is now in such a miserable state.
It is notorious throughout the world.
As expected, "just average" is the most frequently used word in the capital.
Even young girls and wives who go to the market to buy vegetables will say after picking up a handful of vegetable leaves: "It's just average!"
If his psychological endurance was even a little bit fragile, he would have been unable to bear it and would have hanged himself.
Not only did Yang Yuanqing not end his life with a rope, but he also accepted the letter of appointment from Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu said to him at the time: "Mr. Yang has already tasted the ups and downs of life. I will not hide it from you. I don't know how much talent you have left. I hired you because your reputation is loud enough, whether it is the reputation of Sanyuan Gong or just an ordinary notoriety.
Shanhe Academy needs a controversial gentleman like you, because Shanhe Academy wants to use your name to build a reputation all over the world, even if it is a bad reputation.
Only by being full of controversy can it attract enough attention. With reputation, the imperial examination results of Shanhe Academy can quickly clear its bad reputation.
As for you, sir, whether you can use the platform of Shanhe Academy to wash away your mediocre reputation depends on you. Are you willing to take on the challenge?"
Yang Yuanqing answered Gu Jiu with his actions. He accepted the offer letter decisively.
"Thank you, Madam Zhao, for your respect for me. I've wasted half my life and am full of craftsmanship, but I'm still capable of teaching one or two students."
"As long as you are competent, that's good. The specific class schedule is up to you to decide, and I will not interfere. For a period of time, you will be subjected to criticism and even verbal abuse. I hope Mr. Yang is truly prepared."
Yang Yuanqing smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, ma'am."
Gu Jiu added, “I’ll remind you again that the Anthology of the Imperial Examination Essays of the First, Second, and Third Scholars will be published soon, and then Mr. Li’s personal collection will be published. They are all the articles he has accumulated over the years, and they are all very brilliant.
By then, you will face greater criticism than just ordinary people, and even your status as a Sanyuan Gong will be questioned. If you want to fight back, you can send someone to find me at any time. Wenqing Bookstore will give priority to publishing your collection of works.
"Thank you, ma'am! I have no intention of publishing a personal collection of essays at the moment."
"I respect your opinion."
…
Standing at the gate of Shanhe Academy at this moment, facing the academy staff who warmly welcomed him, Yang Yuanqing smiled self-deprecatingly.
"Thank you all for your warm welcome. I wonder if the Headmaster is available at this time?"
"Convenient, convenient. Sanyuan...Mr. Yang, this way."
After meeting the dean, he officially settled down in Shanhe Academy.
A two-story building is his home.
From today on, he will preach, teach, and answer questions amidst criticism, questioning, and even humiliation.
At the railing on the second floor, lean on the railing and look out.
Everyone is curious about him, but isn't he also curious about the world?
I have seen, tasted and experienced the evil and good of human nature.
Now in his 50s, he will once again rise to the challenge, just as he did when he was young and wild, stirring up the world and attracting the attention of the literary world.
…
The news that Shanhe Academy hired the mediocre Sanyuan Gong as a teacher spread throughout the capital within a day like wings.
Immediately afterwards, the influence brought by Sanyuan Gong Yang Yuanqing became prominent.
In Shanhe Academy, some students asked to drop out.
Sanyuan Gong is just an ordinary person, a fraud who steals the world.
Shanhe Academy hired this person as a teacher, clearly they are birds of a feather.
For the sake of my reputation and my future, I had no choice but to drop out of school. I absolutely could not have anything to do with those who deceived the world and stole my reputation.
When they thought that their teacher would be the notorious Sanyuan Gong, countless students felt that their future was hopeless.
No amount of scholarship can compare to a bright future.
Some people dropped out of school here, but outside the academy, the scene was completely different.
More people flocked to Xinmin County to take the entrance examination for Shanhe Academy.
"Are these people crazy?"
The students who dropped out couldn't believe it.
The teachers and students of the Imperial College were even more shocked.
"He's just an average guy. Sanyuan Gong has a terrible reputation, so why are there so many people applying to Shanhe Academy?"
Everyone is asking why.
Even the teachers and students of Shanhe Academy were confused.
I thought the academy would be in decline, but why is the number of applicants increasing instead of decreasing?
It’s unreasonable!
Are there water in the brains of those students?
Countless people raised questions.
Wang Xuecheng was also asking why.
When people in the streets and alleys were talking about the mediocre Sanyuan Gong, he also began to think about backing out.
Thinking about whether I should give up applying to Shanhe Academy and just go back to the county to study?
While he was hesitating, a new student came to the next room. He came from the county below to apply for the Shanhe Academy.
Yan Ci moved to the academy and his room became empty.
There is never a problem renting a house in Xinmin County.
Soon, the landlord rented the vacant room to the new student.
The new student, Xin Chen, is also a student in his twenties.
Wang Xuecheng was very curious. "Brother Chen, why did you choose this time to apply for Shanhe Academy? Haven't you heard about the recent uproar over the Pingping Sanyuan Gong?"
"I heard about it! It was because I heard about Ping Ping San Yuan Gong that I decided to apply for Shanhe Academy."
"Why is that?"
Wang Xuecheng became more and more confused.
Chen Tongsheng laughed, "Brother Wang also studied in my hometown before."
Wang Xuecheng nodded.
"Brother Wang, don't you have any experience with the academy in your hometown?"
Wang Xuecheng's brain was slow to react and he was unable to come back to his senses for a while.
Chen Tongsheng continued to speak to himself, "Students like us, without family background, connections, or even money, have relied entirely on our own efforts and the support of our entire family to get to where we are today. Brother Wang should know better than I do how many hardships we have endured along the way."
Wang Xuecheng nodded repeatedly.
Studying is easy to say, but it is extremely difficult for a farmer's child with no family background or connections.
Thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge is not an exaggeration, but a realistic description.
A large number of scholars were eliminated.
Another large number of people were eliminated in the provincial examination.
It can be said that those who can pass the imperial examination and take part in the imperial examination are all outstanding people, with both luck and strength.
Among them, the vast majority were students from official families. It was extremely rare for a poor peasant boy to make it to the imperial examination.
Ninety-nine percent of poor scholars only achieved the title of Xiucai. Some of them even passed the imperial examination and became Juren.
As for Jinshi, it is estimated that among ten thousand poor students, there is only one Jinshi who comes from a farming family.
This is reality.
As long as you choose to study, you have to face this cruel reality.
Chen Tongsheng continued, "The primary schools in the village and the academies in the county, where we studied, have been unknown to anyone except the locals for ten, fifty, or even a hundred years. The academies are unknown, and the teachers are also unknown. The students they teach are truly mediocre.
"Brother Wang, have you ever thought about what our best outcome would be after leaving such an academy? Passing the imperial examination and becoming a teacher in elementary school would be our best outcome. For the rest of our lives, we would stay in the countryside and remain unknown."
Wang Xuecheng asked weakly, "Isn't this good?"
Chen Tongsheng smiled and said, "If it's good, why did Brother Wang come to apply for the Shanhe Academy?"
Wang Xuecheng said honestly, "I did it for the scholarship."
Chen Tongsheng said: "I also want the scholarship. I don't want my life to end up as a country scholar or a teacher. I am just an ordinary scholar. How great is the reputation of the Three Yuan Gong? It is known throughout the world.
The Shanhe Academy, which braved public outcry to hire Sanyuan Gong, is about to become famous. Even in two hundred years, let alone a hundred years, no academy in the county could have built up such a reputation. Studying at the world's most renowned academy, learning from the most renowned teachers, and even being able to legitimately use his status as an Imperial College student to build his reputation – how could such a good opportunity not be tempted, Brother Wang?"
Wang Xuecheng looked dumbfounded, "But this is all just a stigma!"
Chen Tongsheng disagreed. "So what if it's a bad reputation? Bad reputation is also a reputation. I'm sure that Shanhe Academy dared to take such a big risk and hire Sanyuan Gong as a teacher. There must be a plan behind it. Bad reputation can also be transformed into good reputation.
Furthermore, Shanhe Academy's willingness to hire Sanyuan Gong further demonstrates its unconventional approach to recruiting talent. Shanhe Academy certainly wouldn't begrudge a layman like me, one who studies solely for worldly fame and fortune. And I, in turn, wouldn't begrudge Shanhe Academy a bad reputation.
Shanhe Academy is destined to be my destination. The students of the Imperial College are destined to be my stepping stones. As for Sanyuan Gong, no matter how much talent he has left, I will definitely become his student.
What a big tone and what great ambitions.
Wang Xuecheng: “…”
Compared with others, I really have no ambition at all.
And no opinion of his own.
"Well, well said!"
When the door opened, two scholars who lived in the same building were standing outside.
"My dear brother, your words just now are truly a powerful medicine for us. It's like a sudden enlightenment. You are obviously a vulgar person, but you try to imitate others to pretend to be elegant. You have no elegance, but you have wasted a lot of money."
The students who rent in the second phase have average financial conditions.
The two scholars were certainly better off than others, but they were not wealthy and could not afford to rent a house in Phase 3, so they had to stay in Phase 2.
Wang Xuecheng quickly stood up and wanted to introduce the two scholars to Chen Tongsheng.
Unexpectedly, before they were introduced, Chen Tongsheng had already started chatting with the two scholars and even treated them as brothers.
Wang Xuecheng, who was also a student, was dumbfounded by such treatment.
Because since he moved in, he has never even been looked at by the two scholars, let alone treated with any special regard.
He was completely bewildered: the two scholars didn't want to associate with him, apparently not just because they looked down on his status as a student, but probably because he was rather stupid.
Chen Tongsheng is not only smart, but also good at socializing, and he often says surprising things.
Talking to such a person really gives me a feeling of enlightenment.
Wang Xuecheng thought about it for a long time and finally figured it out: he didn't have to give up Shanhe Academy, he could continue to take the exam.
Chen Tongsheng said it was good, so I think it would be fine.
From the first contact, Chen Tongsheng replaced Yan Ci and became the guiding light in Wang Xuecheng's heart.
Yan Ci: “…”
Brother Wang, don’t be fickle!
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