A commotion broke out in the crowd, and everyone suddenly turned to stare at the entrance of Bailu Academy.
Even the teachers all stood up and looked towards the entrance of the academy.
It turned out to be Master Qin, the very Master Qin who founded this academy.
Master Qin was highly respected and admired throughout Changning County.
He Tiantian pulled Zhao Yanniang to find the furthest spot. Although it was far away, the view was excellent.
Everything on the stage was clearly visible.
“It’s Master Qin…” Zhao Yanniang was overwhelmed with emotion. Although her son had been studying here for decades, this was only the second time she had seen Master Qin.
The last time I saw him was when Zhao Yan had just been admitted to the hospital.
He Tiantian looked at Master Qin, who was dressed in white, and he had a rather otherworldly and refined air about him.
So this is what scholars are like... He Tiantian thought to herself that this temperament is truly unique.
It's the kind of person who makes you feel comfortable the moment you see them, as if they've detached themselves from the world.
The saying "A person with a wealth of knowledge naturally exudes elegance" is quite fitting here.
Unlike the old men in their village, who are the same age but all gray and have sunburnt, yellowish-brown faces.
Take Zhao Tingzhang for example... Luckily he's not here right now, otherwise the contrast would be even more obvious.
They were too far away to hear what Master Qin was saying on the stage.
Zhao Yanniang was extremely anxious, and sweat was pouring down her forehead.
"Oh dear, what are you saying? Are you praising my Zhao Yan?"
He Tiantian shook her head, because she couldn't hear either.
"Probably, we'll know once we see if Yan'er goes on stage or not."
Master Qin spoke at length, basically introducing the founding of Bailu Academy and its faculty.
Their academy is very famous throughout Quanzhou, and in fact, they have no shortage of students.
But Master Qin always felt that there were too few outstanding students. If more scholars like Zhao Yan could be cultivated, the prosperous era would be unimaginable.
Just then, the magistrate's sedan chair arrived.
Although Magistrate Liu was very busy, he still felt it necessary to attend such an important occasion.
After all, his wish was the same as Master Qin's: that more talented people could rise to positions of power in Changning County, which he managed.
Moreover, Bailu Academy has a huge influence in the entire Quanzhou area.
The reason why so many people have settled down in this small county town he manages is largely due to Bailu Academy.
Master Qin quickly led all the teachers of the academy to come forward to greet them. Except for Master Qin, who did not kneel, all the other teachers and commoners present were required to kneel.
Magistrate Liu has had fewer worries lately, and his mood has improved a lot.
He laughed and said, "Today is a day of universal celebration for the entire Changning region, so please rise above the formalities."
Magistrate Liu looked at the scene with great satisfaction. "Not bad at all. This ceremony is quite lively, with so many people in attendance."
This also shows that the people of Changning still value their children's education. If another scholar were to emerge this year, that would be even better.
Magistrate Liu looked around and finally fixed his gaze on Zhao Yan.
"Today is a very happy day for you, kid. You should thank the teachers at the academy who taught you, including the emperor, the ruler, parents, and teachers."
Upon hearing this, the other teachers all bowed even more respectfully forward.
Zhao Yan also bowed respectfully, "I will heed your teachings, sir."
Magistrate Liu was very satisfied with what he heard, and then asked, "How come I heard from Master Qin that you stopped studying at the academy after you passed the county-level examination?"
Zhao Yan quickly explained, recounting his experience teaching children in Changfeng Village. He said that after the New Year, he would study at the academy for a few more months before heading to the capital to take the imperial examinations.
Magistrate Liu was quite moved. "Tell me, are all the children in your Changfeng Village in school now? Including the girls?"
Zhao Yan nodded.
Magistrate Liu was quite open-minded; he never thought there was anything wrong with women studying.
When it comes to reading, men and women are the same.
“Excellent, excellent. Master Qin, it would be even better if you could build a school for girls. We don’t seek fame or fortune, but we want those women to have knowledge so they can have a skill in the future,” Magistrate Liu suggested.
Master Qin nodded, but this matter still needs to be considered carefully.
Building an academy is not just a matter of spending money.
Men and women should not touch each other; this female teacher is someone you'd probably have a hard time finding in the entire Changning County, no, in the entire world.
Magistrate Liu went on stage and gave a long speech, and finally Zhao Yan took the stage.
When Zhao Yanniang saw her son go on stage, she was so excited that tears streamed down her face.
"Goodness, look, look! It's my son who went up there."
He Tiantian could understand Aunt Zhao's feelings at that moment. It was just like those modern parents who eagerly awaited their promising sons getting into university.
If her daughter Wanzi or Mingzhu could also have such a prestigious education in the future, she, as their mother, would definitely be even more excited than Zhao Yanniang is now.
The academy gave Zhao Yan fifty taels of silver as a reward, and the people standing below stared in astonishment.
It is said that there are houses of gold in books. This scholar was rewarded with fifty taels by the county magistrate and another fifty taels by the academy.
That's a total of one hundred taels of silver! That's more than their ancestors could earn in several generations.
Just as they were celebrating, several students dressed in academy robes shouted, "What a worthless scholar! He cheated on the exam!"
"That's right, he cheated when he was in the academy, who knows if he got his Xiucai title by cheating?"
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