The next morning.
Ye Caiping, Ye Daquan and his wife, Ye Erquan and his wife, and Old Man Ye, along with Ye Xuan and Ye Peng, arrived at Master Qian's house.
Madam Qian invited them into the main room. After the servants served tea, she said, "Xuan'er, Peng'er, go to the kitchen and find Aunt Chen. See if the snacks are ready."
Ye Xuan and Ye Peng knew this was a way to get them out of the way so they could talk things over, so they agreed and turned to leave.
Ye Daquan and others were very nervous.
Madam Du held her teacup tightly: "Master, is it because Xuan'er isn't learning well?"
"No, Xuan'er is fine."
"What about Peng'er?" Madam Wei asked anxiously.
Master Qian frowned: "That is the first thing I want to talk about today."
“Xuan’er is outstanding. He is the most talented of all the students I have taught. He understands things very quickly. In three or four years, he may be able to pass the county and prefectural examinations and become a student.”
Ye Daquan and the others looked surprised.
"As for Peng'er..." Master Qian stroked his goatee:
"Let me be frank! He has made very little progress. In my opinion, he is not suited for the imperial examinations. Of course, when it comes to studying, one should not judge by aptitude, but by perseverance. But Peng'er is always absent-minded and lazy."
"I think it would be better to let him go home and do some things he likes."
Although Ye Caiping and Old Man Ye were surprised by what they heard, they were not at all taken aback.
Madam Wei was quite taken aback: "Master Qian, do you mean my Peng'er should stop studying?"
"Yes...that's how it is."
"But... he only started school last November, which is only two months. How can we sentence him to death? He should at least study for a year or two, right?"
Master Qian: "..."
Mrs. Wei felt that Master Qian was too arbitrary, making such a quick decision about a child's future.
Old Man Ye and Ye Caiping had long noticed that Ye Peng had no interest in studying, but since Ye Peng was the son of the Wei family, they couldn't say anything at the moment.
Ye Daquan and his wife were even more at a loss for words, since their son had just been praised and they didn't want Wei to think they were gloating.
Ye Erquan said, "Honey, if Peng'er doesn't want to study, then he doesn't have to."
“That won’t do. No matter what, studying is better than not studying at all. We can’t give up now; we have to push him.” Madam Wei said, looking at Teacher Qian. “Teacher, don’t you think so?”
Master Qian thought to himself, "I think I just explained it very clearly!"
Mr. Qian didn't want to criticize an ambitious parent, so he nodded and said, "That makes sense."
"That's fine. Let him study for at least another year or two. If he really can't keep up, we won't force him."
Ye Erquan looked at Ye Caiping with concern: "Little sister, what do you think?"
The tuition fee was paid by my younger sister.
Ye Caiping nodded: "Then continue reading."
She had promised to support her two nephews' education, and naturally, she kept her word. Besides, with Ye Xuan as a comparison, wouldn't it be a slap in the face to her second brother and sister-in-law if she didn't let Ye Peng study?
Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them.
She didn't quite agree with Wei's approach, but she could understand it.
Ms. Wei's mood improved, and she sat back down in her chair.
Ye Caiping picked up her teacup and took a sip: "Master, you called us here today for more than just this, didn't you?"
“Yes.” Master Qian said, looking conflicted. “I think you should find Xuan’er a new teacher.”
“Xuan’er is exceptionally talented. He would have a brighter future if he were to follow a teacher with even better knowledge. I’m afraid he’ll be buried here…”
Ye Caiping, Ye Daquan and his wife, and Old Man Ye were all taken aback by these words, followed by waves of surprise.
That's really high praise.
“My husband…” Du Shi gripped Ye Daquan’s hand tightly, too excited to speak.
Grandma Ye also kept her back straight. Could it be that their family could really produce a scholar?
Mrs. Wei felt a pang of sadness. Although she was happy for Ye Xuan, Ye Peng had just been persuaded to leave...
"Master is too modest. You are the best teacher I have ever met." Ye Caiping was pleasantly surprised and deeply admired Master Qian.
Ideally, they should have good character and professional ethics!
A person who has the courage to admit their shortcomings in front of others is worthy of respect.
"The problem is...we don't know where to find a better tutor for him right now," Ye Caiping said. "Do you have any tutor recommendations?"
“I do have one…” Master Qian hesitated, “That Master Shen is…”
He lowered his voice and said, "He retired from the Imperial Academy in the capital."
Ye Caiping gasped, "The Imperial College!"
That was the premier academy of the Zhou Dynasty!
Old Man Ye and his two companions' eyes lit up. Although they didn't know what the Imperial Academy was, they knew about the capital!
Anyway, anything related to the capital is good!
"A tutor from the capital!" Madam Du stammered. "Is he very expensive?"
"Whether it's expensive or not... I don't know either," Master Qian hesitated.
Ye Caiping said, "We'll talk about the tuition fee when we meet. Could you please introduce us, Master?"
Madam Qian choked for a moment, then gave an awkward laugh: "To be honest, I can't introduce you. I know Master Shen, but Master Shen doesn't know me, hahaha."
Ye Caiping: "..."
“That was seven or eight years ago!” Master Qian recalled. “At that time, I took my son to the capital for study and had the good fortune to attend a lecture. The lecturer was Master Shen. That’s when I learned of the existence of such a great Confucian scholar.”
"We forgot about it after we got home."
"Unexpectedly, a year ago, I actually saw him in town. Later, I specifically asked my old classmates in the capital, and they said that Master Shen was implicated in some power struggles in the court and had since retired. He left the capital and I don't know where he is now."
“I saw him not just once, but several times. That’s when I learned that he had been living in seclusion in our area.”
"This Master Shen is a learned scholar, a top scholar in the imperial examination, and has served in the Imperial Academy for more than ten years. He has taught two third-place scholars and more than ten scholars who have passed the imperial examination."
Ye Caiping was deeply moved by what she heard.
Du and Ye Daquan were on tenterhooks.
Master Qian took a sip of tea: "Under normal circumstances, we would never have the chance to meet such a great scholar in our entire lives. But right now he is living in seclusion here... I think we should try our luck. Xuan'er is talented; perhaps he has taken a liking to him?"
Even if you don't like it, it's never a loss to give it a try.
Ye Caiping nodded repeatedly: "May I ask, Master Qian, where does this Master Shen live?"
"It's near the North Street in town, it says 'Shen Mansion', it's very conspicuous, you can go look for it."
"good."
"Thank you, Master Qian!" Madam Du said excitedly.
"Don't thank me yet. I'm just letting you try your luck. The chances of success are slim. If it doesn't work out, I'll recommend Xuan'er to take the county school entrance exam. The county school starts enrolling students in April."
"County school?" Madam Du was taken aback. "Is it the academy Li Zhiyuan attended?"
“The county school is the official school, and there’s only one in the entire Yue’an County, so it must be that one,” Ye Caiping said. “However, didn’t the county school start classes in February? Why are they only enrolling students in April?”
Master Qian said, "The county examination will end in April. Anyone who passes the preliminary examination can be admitted to school without further examination. Those who fail will have to take the exam. Therefore, the enrollment will be unified in April."
Ye Caiping and the others nodded in agreement.
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