Chapter 63 The Return Journey (1)
Meanwhile, on the second day after Meng Guanqi's exam, Headmaster Gu summoned his personal attendant and handed him a painting: "Send this painting to Xiefangzhai for consignment, and the price must not be less than one thousand taels."
Chang Geng, the attendant, was taken aback upon hearing this: "A painting costing a thousand taels? Who is the painter?"
Headmaster Gu smiled slightly: "Take a look at the seal."
Chang Geng carefully opened the painting. In the distance were mountains of varying shades, and in the foreground was a vast, misty river. A fisherman wearing a straw hat stood in a small boat casting his net, creating gentle ripples on the water. It was truly a fine painting.
But a painting worth a thousand taels? This must be the work of a famous artist. Chang Geng then looked at the signature, which was an irregular red seal with a corner missing, bearing the two characters "Zhiyong". Chang Geng was greatly surprised: "So it is a painting by Mr. Zhiyong?! Master, isn't a thousand taels too little? Five years ago, a painting of thrushes jumping on branches by Mr. Zhiyong sold for 1,800 taels of silver in Jiangnan. It was so popular that there was no market for it. Many famous people and scholars were eager to acquire Mr. Zhiyong's paintings. Now that another one has been released, the price should go up even further."
In his early years, this Mr. Zhiyong was just an ordinary painter. However, after the emperor received five of his paintings and praised them highly on the emperor's birthday eight years ago, he immediately became famous. His paintings circulating in the market were instantly worth a fortune. However, he was elusive and became low-key after his fame. Only one of his paintings would appear every few years, making him a rare commodity.
The master is also a great lover of calligraphy and painting. Now that he has finally acquired Mr. Zhiyong's masterpiece, he is actually willing to sell it?
Master Gu laughed and said, "Before Zhiyong became famous, he was just a failed scholar who made a living by selling paintings under a bridge in the capital. He got into a dispute and had to pay compensation. When Jili heard about it, he bought the paintings from his stall to help him through the crisis. Who would have thought that he would become famous overnight, and his paintings would become priceless? Jili still has at least five of Zhiyong's paintings. Now he is short of money and asked me to sell two of them. I bought one of them, and he asked me to sell the other one according to his wishes for only one thousand. As for how much the shopkeeper can sell it for, we don't care."
Chang Geng knew his master's temperament well; once a decision was made, it would not be changed. He bowed in agreement and was about to leave when Headmaster Gu handed him another letter: "Send this letter to the capital along with the New Year's gifts. In my name, pay respects to Meng Shiru, the patriarch of the Meng clan. Return immediately after delivery; there is no need to wait for a reply."
Chang Geng was taken aback: "When did you become acquainted with the head of the Meng clan, sir?"
Headmaster Gu smiled and said, "It's not that I have a personal relationship with him, but I'm just doing my duty by fulfilling a request. Go ahead."
Chang Geng knew he wouldn't get any more information by asking, so he agreed and went back to pack his things to prepare to go down the mountain.
Headmaster Gu called over his old servant Minghua: "How is the child?"
Minghua said, "The first day of exams is over. He looks a little pale, but he's still quite calm. Would you like to look at the first day's papers first, sir?"
Headmaster Gu thought for a moment and said, "No need. Let's wait until the exam is over in three days and then we'll see what level we're at."
After Minghua left, Headmaster Gu picked up his pen to write a letter to Magistrate Meng, but after thinking about it, he put it down.
Even without asking, he knew that Meng Ying was in trouble, and it must be quite a trouble, otherwise she wouldn't have asked the Meng family in the capital for help in his name.
Even when he was demoted and kicked out of his home by Minister Meng, he never wrote a letter to complain. But the fact that he needed to use Meng's help to send the letter back to his family in the capital shows that he was in big trouble.
He even entrusted him with the sale of his treasured paintings by Mr. Zhiyong, which shows that he was both poor and destitute.
Because his friend was born out of wedlock, he was always kind and unassuming, never fighting or grabbing, and yet he had been forced to this point. Headmaster Gu really wanted to know what had happened.
But he held back.
Both he and Meng Ying were gentlemen; if he wanted to tell him, he would have done so long ago.
The letter he asked him to send to the capital was not sealed; if he really wanted to know, he could open it at will.
But Master Gu knew that if Meng Ying really wanted to tell him the truth, she would have made it clear in the letter she wrote to him.
He kept their gentlemanly promise.
After Meng Guanqi finished his exam, Minghua brought his paper over. After Gu Shanzhang took it and looked at a few questions, he was slightly taken aback: "Huh?"
After reading all the answers, he called over Dr. Zhao and Mr. Liu Zhai, who were lecturing at the academy: "Gentlemen, please take a look at how you answered this exam paper?"
Both Dr. Zhao and Mr. Liu Zhai were Jinshi graduates, but like Headmaster Gu, they were indifferent to fame and fortune and disdained officialdom. They preferred the life of teaching and educating people. In recent years, Wanshan Academy has become famous, and students often participate in the entrance examination. The two teachers also occasionally grade the exam papers.
This person's paper was reviewed by Dean Gu before being handed to them. They knew that this person had used Dean Gu's connections, but for students with such connections, they would not only not relax their requirements, but would be even stricter.
Headmaster Gu sometimes had to arrange assessments out of consideration for personal relationships, but if more than two teachers were dissatisfied with the students' assessment results, no amount of personal favors would help.
This is the rule of Wanshan Academy.
The two took turns carefully reading the paper twice and made their evaluations. Dr. Zhao wrote "disappointed" and Mr. Liu wrote "accepted".
It's normal for the gentlemen to have different opinions, so the decision was left to Professor Gu.
Professor Gu smiled and said, "Dr. Zhao, please speak first. Why was his paper left out?"
Dr. Zhao said, "This young man's policy essay is very pragmatic and his response is quite skillful, but his foundation seems to be not very solid. His use of classical allusions is somewhat lacking. Even if he barely passes, he can only become a junior scholar. By rejecting him, I am giving him a chance. If he studies hard for another three years and solidifies his foundation, he will definitely be able to enter the second class. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Mr. Liu Zhai said, “Strangely enough, although my result is the opposite of Dr. Zhao’s, the reasons are similar. As for this paper, it is indeed possible to pass, but I can only be ranked at the bottom of the list, and I am afraid that I will become a fellow Jinshi.”
Master Gu smiled and said, "Since the two gentlemen have chosen one and discarded the other, the result is up to me to decide. If the result of this scroll is correct, I will also choose to discard it." He picked up his pen and was about to write.
Dr. Zhao hurriedly said, "Headmaster, please wait. Even if this child doesn't pass the exam this year, his policy essays are truly outstanding. If he strengthens his knowledge in other areas, he will surely pass in three years. Why not give him a chance to study at the academy and be carefully taught by us? He might just become a talent."
Mr. Liu Zhai also agreed repeatedly.
Without hesitation, Headmaster Gu wrote the character "取" on Meng Guanqi's exam paper.
Dr. Zhao and Mr. Liu Zhai both breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Headmaster Gu had listened to their advice.
Finding a promising candidate for the imperial examination is not easy. This person clearly lacks sufficient experience. With proper training, Wanshan Academy will have another candidate for the imperial examination. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Even if neither of them had any interest in officialdom, they still cared a lot about their reputation as educators.
Of course, the more Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), the better.
Headmaster Gu really gave them a lot of face, supporting them without hesitation, whereas in the past they would have had to haggle over it.
Mr. Liu Zhai said, "Thank you for your support, Headmaster!"
Headmaster Gu smiled and shook his head: "That's a misunderstanding. Whether I choose him or not, I have no choice but to take him on."
Dr. Zhao and Mr. Liu Zhai were taken aback: "Why is that?"
Gu Shan laughed loudly, "It's all because of that muddle-headed Minghua who mistakenly gave the examination paper to a scholar who is only fourteen years old and will be participating in next year's autumn examination. He's not even a Juren yet, but he's already completed the examination paper. When else should we not take such a student?"
Mr. Liu Zhai and Dr. Zhao were greatly surprised: "A scholar? He only has the title of scholar?"
Gu Shanzhang wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes: "Indeed, this is the son of Meng Ying, who passed the imperial examination last year. You can see that he is a truly promising talent."
Mr. Liu Zhai and Dr. Zhao were overjoyed: "Congratulations, Headmaster, Wanshan Academy has gained another outstanding student."
Headmaster Gu said, "It's enough for the three of us to know about this. If a child finds out, he might become unsteady. Let him enroll in school after the New Year, return to Lin'an Prefecture in August to participate in the autumn examination, and after passing the examination, he can return to study for another three years. At the age of eighteen, he can go to the capital to participate in the metropolitan examination. We can gamble on him to see if our Wanshan Academy can produce a young genius."
Meng Guanqi was sullen after finishing the exam. This was the first time he had ever done a test with such a large number of questions and such difficulty.
He had a feeling that this exam paper was more difficult than the previous provincial examination papers, and that it was particularly detailed and in-depth, making it very difficult for him to complete.
Indeed, there are always people more capable than oneself. While he had gained a more thorough understanding of practical matters by following his father's side than the students studying at the academy, the learning atmosphere was lacking. There was no intellectual exchange among classmates, no discussion of articles, and no instruction from different teachers. He was unsure of his true level.
Ah Sheng and Li Xiaoxiao huddled together, touching each other, unsure how to comfort the dejected young master.
The handsome young man, with fair skin, had a somber expression and droopy eyelashes. He exuded a melancholy and aloofness that made people feel sorry for him.
Even without him saying it, Li Xiaoxiao and Asheng knew that this exam was bound to be incredibly difficult, otherwise why would the usually gentle and refined young master appear so dejected? He sat there motionless for half a day.
Li Xiaoxiao whispered to Asheng, "Do you think the young master submitted a blank exam paper?"
Ah Sheng gasped in surprise, then immediately covered his mouth, his voice trembling, "No way, right? Someone could hand in a blank paper?"
Li smiled and said, "What's wrong with handing in a blank paper? If you don't know how to do it, you can only leave it blank."
Ah Sheng said, "Young master has read so many books, you can easily write down a few passages from memory without having to hand in a blank paper."
Li laughed and said, "What's the point of memorizing your head? What's the use of memorizing something that's written incorrectly? It's still a zero!"
Ah Sheng scratched his head: "But, but if the young master doesn't know how to do it, why sit there for so long? Wouldn't it be better to come out and warm yourself by the fire earlier?"
Li smiled and said, "Can we come out a little earlier? Aren't we supposed to wait until all the papers are collected before we can come out?"
Ah Sheng was successfully led astray by her, and he genuinely believed that Meng Guanqi had submitted a blank exam paper. For a moment, he didn't know what to do.
Meng Guanqi finally moved, slowly raising his head and giving the two whispering people a death stare: "Who are you saying handed in a blank paper?"
Li Xiaoxiao and Asheng immediately stood at attention, their eyes darting upwards, neither daring to look at him.
Meng Guanqi glared at the two fearless followers in front of him, gossiping in front of him. Did they think he was deaf?
Li Xiaoxiao glanced at him discreetly and coughed, "Well, young master, it's okay if you hand in a blank paper. We're not familiar with this place, and we haven't heard the teachers here mention the lessons. It's normal that we don't know how to do it..."
She, a poor student, would never look down on someone who submits a blank exam paper.
Ah Sheng nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, maybe the questions he gave you were beyond the syllabus, and the assessment was so strict that we didn't have time to prepare, so it's understandable that we were not used to it for a while."
Meng Guanqi's face soured: "I didn't hand in a blank paper! Humph, do you think I'm like you guys, one of you can't even recite the text, and the other keeps misreading words..."
He just felt he hadn't performed well; it didn't warrant submitting a blank paper.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com