Chapter 162 It's better not to go to the Imperial Academy!
Zhao Yunjing cupped his hands in greeting: "The twenty students from my Peach Blossom County come from ordinary backgrounds and are naturally not as good as the descendants of noble families in the capital. However, we may not have much else, but we still have self-respect. If it is just a provocation from Young Master Yu, we will naturally take the exam to compete with him. If it is an order from the Imperial Academy, we will naturally respect the rules and regulations of your academy and not seek out other academies."
He was a middle-aged man with a mustache, tall and imposing, looking to be in his thirties or forties. Behind him was a group of people, some old, some young, and some around his age. They walked with an official gait, and seemed aloof and indifferent to family. Judging from their appearance, they were probably the instructors here.
If it were the Master...
From the teacher to the students, everyone was so arrogant. Once they entered the academy, they would probably have to deal with the provocations of these people. How could they possibly have the mind to review their lessons?
Zhao Yunjing looked around and saw similar thoughts on his companions' faces. Young Master Chen's face was even more sarcastic, and it seemed that he was about to lose his temper and start a fight at any moment. Feng Wei's hand was already on his waist.
There was probably a pig-slaughtering knife there. Feng Wei's family were pig butchers, and he wanted to change his family's fortunes through studying, but he didn't want to waste his pig-slaughtering skills. So his family let him take this knife with him as encouragement and also as a backup plan—if he failed the exam, he could just go back to slaughtering pigs. Being a butcher wouldn't make him starve.
A middle-aged man approached. He was tall and arrogant, and when he looked me up and down, it was as if he were checking the freshness of meat at a stall: "I am a Doctor of the Imperial Academy, and my surname is Su."
The words of the Imperial College professor represent the official stance. Even if they don't, with such classmates and teachers, the school's atmosphere can't be very good.
The twenty students turned and left, disappearing completely like an orange cloud.
Young Master Yu and Dr. Su exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
"Dr. Su, Zhao Yunjing has become quite famous lately and is highly valued by the Emperor. Do you think he will complain to the Emperor after we humiliated him?"
Young Master Yu frowned. “If His Majesty speaks up, our Imperial Academy will have no choice but to accept him. Dr. Su, the Imperial Academy has always only admitted the sons of officials of the fifth rank or above. Although His Majesty has shown leniency in recent years and has admitted students of excellent character and learning from various places, we have never had someone of Zhao Yunjing’s humble origins before. If we admit people like him, the Imperial Academy might as well stop calling itself the Imperial Academy and just call itself the Poverty Alleviation Academy!”
"Don't talk nonsense. Zhao Yunjing is truly capable, and he has already caught the Emperor's eye. Let's stop here. When they return, remember to be polite to him. As for the others, we'll only accept him. The Imperial Academy isn't a poverty alleviation academy," Dr. Su said.
Will Zhao Yunjing come back?
"A young man with ideals and ambitions must be eager to find a place to showcase his talents as soon as possible. The title of top scholar in the imperial examination is not a passport in the capital, but being a student of the Imperial Academy allows him to enter the circle of the capital in advance, which will be of great help to his future actions." Dr. Su was very confident. "For Zhao Yunjing to be able to advance and retreat with those nineteen students, he is not only capable, but also a smart person. A smart person always knows which path to take to reach his destination the fastest."
"Then Dr. Su, you should hurry up and organize the entrance exams. I'll handle Zhao Yunjing's situation. Don't worry, I guarantee I'll handle things perfectly!"
Zhao Yunjing and the others exercised every day while they were at the academy. They were not pretentious and walked quickly. By this time, they had already moved quite a distance away from the Imperial Academy.
Besides the Imperial Academy, Zhao Yunjing had previously selected three other academies for everyone, all located in the opposite direction of the capital. If they went there now, they should be able to arrive by noon. If they couldn't make it back to the city after taking the exams, they would have their belongings with them, so staying there wouldn't be a problem.
After discussing it for a while, the group decided to study at Yunlu Academy, which was the farthest from the Imperial College.
Yunlu Academy is an old and established academy. Since its establishment, it has only produced one top scholar (Zhuangyuan). Fortunately, the academy only considers academic performance and does not discriminate based on students' backgrounds. It is the first choice for candidates who could not qualify for the Imperial Academy in previous years. Although the candidates come from all over the country and there are many conflicts, Yunlu Academy is still much better than the Imperial Academy, where the atmosphere is blatantly about power, family connections, and wealth.
"Then let's not delay any longer, let's go."
Just as the group was about to set off, a voice called out from behind, "Wait! Everyone, wait a minute!"
He was an old man with gray hair and beard, and his legs were not very strong. One of his legs was slightly bent, and when he ran, one shoulder was higher than the other.
Zhao Yunjing and Young Master Chen exchanged a glance.
Could it be that the people from the Imperial Academy felt they hadn't humiliated them enough earlier, so they deliberately chased after them to humiliate them again?
So no one moved, waiting for the old man to come running over on his own.
The old man, panting heavily, ran up to us, sweat beading on his nose. He asked, "Gentlemen, if you're in a hurry, I won't waste your time. To be honest, I'm the headmaster of the academy on the hill next to the Imperial Academy. My name is Ning Xian..."
Ning Xian was originally the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. During his tenure, the Imperial Academy was quite orderly and cultivated a large number of capable civil officials. Later, Dr. Qin wanted to take the position, so he set a trap for him, causing him to lose not only his position as Chancellor but also his official status.
Dr. Qin also said that Ning Xian was a useless person and should go back to his hometown to wait for death. Ning Xian was filled with resentment and used up all his connections to open an academy called Canglan next to the Imperial College, determined to cultivate students who were even more outstanding than those at the Imperial College.
However, everyone was drawn to the Imperial Academy because of its reputation. His academy had only been established for ten years and had very few students. They were all mediocre students who simply couldn't afford other academies and only wanted a place to settle down. Even these mediocre students were intercepted by Ning Xian on the road every year.
I didn't expect to intercept Zhao Yunjing today.
What great luck!
Ning Xian explained his educational philosophy, mission, and teaching principles in detail, speaking until he was almost dry-mouthed, then looked at Zhao Yunjing somewhat awkwardly.
"Gentlemen, if you're not in a huge rush, why not come and take a look at our Canglan Academy? If you're not satisfied after your visit, I promise I won't bother you. I'll even give you two ingots of silver as a token of my support for young scholars. I wish you all success in your examinations. If you fail and don't want to go back to your hometown, you're welcome to come to Canglan Academy. I can't guarantee anything else, but I can guarantee that I will teach you all the knowledge I have in my life."
Ning Xian is being so sincere; it would be a real shame if we didn't go.
Zhao Yunjing cupped his hands in greeting and said on behalf of all the examinees, "Then we'll have Mr. Lao Ning lead the way."
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