The competition among regions, academies and talents makes the capital city seem particularly lively in early winter.
When the war of words was in full swing, the court, which had been silent for a long time, finally made a move.
No one in the Imperial College was spared, from the chief academic officer to the instructors, even the clerks and the cleaning ladies. From beginning to end, all were replaced.
The imperial court drew personnel from various government offices to establish a new Imperial College.
The new chief academic officer of the Imperial College was, unexpectedly, a member of the royal family.
In terms of seniority, he is the cousin of Emperor Wende and is less than sixty years old. If he is in good health, he can still work for at least ten years.
Gu Jiu had to call the new chief academician of the Imperial College "cousin."
She was very curious, so while Liu Zhao was there, she asked him, "Do you know what the new Imperial College Priest is like?"
Liu Zhao said, "He is a descendant of the King of Jin and has been studious since childhood. He even secretly took the imperial examination under a pseudonym and was a legitimate second-class Jinshi."
Gu Jiu was shocked.
A descendant of the King of Jin, born into wealth and nobility, he was able to calmly study and even took the imperial examination under a pseudonym, and passed the examination as a second-class Jinshi, which was definitely the best among the royal family.
Few of the royal family members can calm down and study and practice martial arts.
Studying and practicing martial arts required hardship. The royal family members were used to a carefree life, so how could they endure hardship?
If Liu Zhao were to take the imperial examination, he would definitely fail.
Gu Jiu teased him, "If you were to go on stage, could you pass the imperial examination?"
Liu Zhao actually thought about it seriously for a moment, "If I just rush in to take the exam, I'm sure I'll fail. Give me two years to concentrate on my studies, and I should be able to pass."
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "I really want to see you take the imperial examination."
Liu Zhao said simply, "Tomorrow I'll stay in my room at Shanhe Academy for a few days, and then you'll know what it's like for me to take the imperial examination."
Gu Jiu spat at him, and the two laughed for a while, and finally Gu Jiu begged for mercy.
She said, "This new Imperial College Priest must be quite capable. Your Majesty intends to promote members of the royal family, so he certainly can't bring disgrace to someone who is half-baked."
Liu Zhao also said, "Managing the Imperial College isn't a big deal for my uncle. The hard part is how to ensure next year's imperial examination results. If the Imperial College doesn't produce good results next year, it will be a disastrous situation. How many goals has Shanhe Academy set?"
Gu Jiu opened his mouth and said, "Thirty Jinshi is the minimum goal assigned to me by the academy. With Yang Ji's knowledge, he has a chance to make it to the top. Whether he can be selected as the top scholar depends on his luck and performance on the spot."
Liu Zhao said with a smile, "Yang Ji is already the first place winner in Jieyuan. If he can be selected as the first place winner in Huiyuan or the first place winner in Zhuangyuan, Shanhe Academy will have another top three winner."
Gu Jiu shook his head repeatedly, "Impossible! The title of Sanyuan Gong is not that cheap. Two Sanyuan Gongs in the same dynasty, and only a few decades apart, would give people the impression that Sanyuan Gong is worthless. His Majesty would never do such a thing. Even if he dislikes Mr. Yang, he doesn't want the title of Sanyuan Gong to lose value. It would become a laughing stock for future generations, making them think that our dynasty is shallow and deceitful."
Liu Zhao took her hand and said, "So you've thought about this so much."
Gu Jiu rubbed his brows. "I have to think about it. The academy has set a goal of thirty Jinshi candidates. I feel a little uneasy. I'm worried that they set the goal too high and will be disappointed in the end. So I specifically issued a gag order, forbidding any discussion of the thirty Jinshi goal. As many as we can get, that's all. It doesn't matter even if only Yang Ji passes."
"If only Yang Ji passes the imperial examination and becomes a Jinshi, the number of students at Shanhe Academy will drop significantly next year."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "However, in this year's provincial examination, Shanhe Academy performed brilliantly. The results so far show that over 700 people took the examination, and a total of 87 Juren were admitted. This year's Xiucai category also performed well, with a slight increase on last year's."
Seeing Gu Jiu's happy smile, Liu Zhao also started laughing.
He hugged her, "That's great!"
"Where is good?"
"Anywhere is good! Shanhe Academy is thriving and has attracted talented students like Yang Ji. You have made great contributions. Next year, the imperial examination will surely yield great results."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Thank you for your good wishes. The imperial examination is only a few months away, and sometimes I even feel nervous. I didn't feel this way the first two times."
"That's because Shanhe Academy's influence is growing, and it's receiving more and more attention. You're worried about the academy making mistakes, and that the students won't do well on the exams, which would damage the academy's reputation. That's why you're nervous."
Liu Zhao's analysis was so clear and logical that Gu Jiu couldn't refute it.
She nodded his head. "You're right. So don't mess with me when I'm nervous."
Liu Zhao felt very aggrieved. This was absolutely unfair.
He said plausibly: "Even if you are not nervous, I didn't provoke you."
"snort!"
Shanhe Academy and the Imperial College have been arguing for several years. Next year is the imperial examination year, and the real situation will be revealed.
No matter how great their words were in the past, if students from the academy failed to pass the imperial examination, it was all empty talk.
Or the number of people who pass the imperial examination is too small to match the academy's reputation, so the reputation is all in vain.
Students all over the world want to see tangible results.
Teachers in academies also need to have real achievements to prove their teaching ability.
Only with real achievements can Shanhe Academy be qualified to compete with the Imperial College.
Only then can we loudly declare: Among all the academies in the world, only the Imperial College is qualified to be our rival.
This statement may be offensive, but it is also domineering and refreshing enough.
The students of Shanhe Academy are young and energetic. They are a group of literary youths who are not afraid of trouble and are not afraid of being criticized.
They prefer to confront others.
Shanhe Academy must produce tangible results so that its students will have the confidence to confront others.
As the founder of the academy, Gu Jiu is under tremendous pressure.
She also had to restrain herself from putting pressure on the teachers and students of the academy, fearing that it would affect everyone's performance.
So, Gu Jiu shifted his attention to the "blacksmith workshop".
…
In the western suburbs of the capital, about thirty miles away from the city gate, there is a valley surrounded by mountains and water.
In the past, this valley was extremely barren, with rocks scattered everywhere, and local people rarely set foot here.
Now, this place has been transformed by human power, and a large flat land has been leveled out.
Rows of concrete houses and tall chimneys were built on the flat ground.
The road leading outside was paved with cement and could accommodate four carriages side by side.
A lookout tower was built on the top of the mountain, offering a commanding view of the surroundings.
This is the small blacksmith workshop that Gu Jiu mentioned.
One day, the originally deserted small workshop suddenly had many more people.
Ten of them looked around vigilantly with fear and uneasiness.
Bai Zhong led the ten people and went to the accommodation area first.
"Each of you will have your own room. After you settle down, if you don't mind the poor conditions here and want to bring your family over, you can. We'll reallocate the rooms then. You'll eat downstairs. We've hired a cook to prepare meals, three meals a day, with meat for every meal. In addition, each of you will receive a monthly salary of five taels of silver."
boom!
The small team of ten people exploded instantly.
“Can I eat meat every day?”
“Can we really get paid?”
"Is it really five taels of silver a month?"
"It's not a lie."
These rough men all look very old.
In fact, the oldest one is less than fifty years old, and the youngest one is only twenty-eight or twenty-nine.
In the past, as slave blacksmiths under the supervision of the Chief of Works, they received no wages, let alone meat every day. They were lucky to have enough to eat.
Bai Zhong coughed lightly, signaling everyone to be quiet and listen to him finish his words.
He said loudly, "I don't know what your past lives have been like, but now that you've arrived at Sihai Trading Company, as craftsmen, you deserve the treatment that craftsmen deserve. In addition, in addition to the base salary, there are bonuses. The bonuses are determined based on the degree of task completion. There will be a table with the specific calculations, and I'll explain them to you one by one.
In addition, everyone must take on an apprentice. Each apprentice you bring in will receive a bonus of thirty taels. After the apprentice completes their apprenticeship, you, as the master, will receive a share of the profits from each finished product. Now, I'll assign the first task: refining fine iron and refining fine steel!
boom!
The crowd exploded again.
The blacksmiths were talking among themselves.
It is still possible to refine fine iron, but refining fine steel is just a thought.
How to refine if the temperature cannot be reached?
Isn't this nonsense?
Bai Zhong said expressionlessly, "Just do it. Money is not a problem. We'll pay you whatever you spend. If you have any questions, don't hesitate. Ask them. As long as they're reasonable, we'll do our best to help you solve them. Your mission is to refine the fine iron and refine the fine steel to the best of your ability. If you can complete the task, each person will receive a bonus of 100 taels. If anyone makes an outstanding contribution, there will be an additional reward."
There will always be brave men when there is a big reward. I don’t believe that this group of technical talents cannot refine fine iron and steel.
boom!
The ten-man team exploded again.
"Is there really a reward of 100 taels for completing the mission?"
"How much money do you need? How much money will you give? Are you serious?"
“Can I ask any questions?”
"You're not trying to trick us."
Bai Zhong roared, "After the mission is accomplished, there will not only be monetary rewards. If you are willing, we can also help you get rid of your slavery, buy a house and settle down in Xinmin County, and become a good citizen. Your wives, children, and brothers can also come here to work if they are willing."
But you must remember, your boss is paying you so much money, so you must be loyal. Everything you see, hear, and experience here must be kept secret. If anyone lets slip, leaks the news, sorry, you will be sent back to where you came from."
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