Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 143: The sound of the gavel
"Brother Chen, you didn't even call me for such a big event! Last time, we teamed up to catch those 20 or 30 rebels. The emperor gave my family a set of four treasures of the study. My stepmother was so angry that her face was longer than a horse's!"
"That's right, Brother Zhang, even if you can just send a quick message to the capital, I'll rush to Haidian Manor and at least punish those servants in my manor who are more arrogant than their masters. Make them flatter my eldest brother and ignore me!"
"Zhang Chen, tell me and my third brother quickly, how did the teacher and Sister Yingying show their magical powers the night before last and catch the two big fish that had escaped the net? I heard that the Tianzhenhai Camp and several other troops had searched the entire capital and northern Zhili again and again, but they couldn't find any trace of them! This time they fell into the hands of the teacher and Sister Yingying, they are so embarrassed!"
Lu Sanlang, holding a writing brush in his mouth, watched coldly, and saw Zhang Chen surrounded by many people, all asking about what he had seen and heard in the Haidian Garden. He couldn't help but sneer in his heart, but still felt a little unhappy.
How could Zhang Chen catch the person? It was because Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying happened to run into him! Otherwise, how could such an impulsive fool like Zhang Chen contribute to the capture of the rebels alive?
Zhang Chen didn't notice Lu Sanlang's contemptuous look at all, because he couldn't handle the inquiries, flattery, interrogation, and sarcasm from all directions. He didn't expect that after he hurriedly returned to Beijing and arrived home yesterday evening, someone from the palace suddenly came to award him a reward, and the reason made him dumbfounded.
Although it was just an oral instruction, he praised him greatly. The core meaning was that he, the only son of Duke Qin, had made great contributions in capturing the rebels! He was confused after hearing this. It seemed that he had just cleaned up his own Qin Garden, caught a few guys who sneaked in to gamble, and then found a servant who had dealings with the Linhai Camp in the past?
What else did he do? How did he achieve merit? At most, he tied up those people and threw them to Shuntian Prefecture Government Office according to the charges suggested by Zhang Shou, that's all!
Zhang Chen still felt confused, but he had to pretend to be cold and arrogant on the surface, and ignored most people's questions. Only when he was with the third and fourth princes, he had to be a little more patient, but this patience was just a little more serious when answering: "When the teacher comes, let's ask him. He is the real hero."
So when Zhang Shou walked into the Banshan Hall, he saw a lot of eyes suddenly falling on him like searchlights . Since he had met Xu Heizi in the Shengqian Hall when he first came to the Imperial College, he roughly understood what had happened. After the initial surprise, he couldn't help but secretly praise the emperor's high-profile award to Zhang Chen.
This is exactly the same as what he did before when he searched Zhao Garden, he specifically encouraged Zhang Chen to go back and search Qin Garden, and then released the news to let other families start self-inspection and self-correction!
But at this moment, he had no intention of telling these students the story of last night. The corners of his mouth curled up, revealing a meaningful smile.
"Today's two classes are all...exams."
In an instant, he found that the atmosphere in the huge Banshan Hall suddenly froze to the point of stiffness. He himself had suffered a lot in this kind of sudden test, but this time he was calm and said calmly: "As long as I listened carefully to the previous classes and read some books after class, I will definitely pass."
Zhang Shou paused, then called on the names directly, "Zhang Chen, come up. You will orally answer the questions. Zhang Wu, the papers for the next class are with Xu Jiancheng in the Shengqian Hall. Go back and get them. You will orally answer the questions. As for the two of you, after reading the questions, you will supervise the exam. Anyone who whispers or tries to cheat will be recorded. That's it."
When Zhang Chen, who looked at a loss, came up, Zhang Shou stuffed the test paper into his hand without saying anything, and then said irresponsibly: "I have to go to Shuntian Prefecture to interview the future students of Jiuzhang Hall today. Lu Zhu, you, the future head of the hall, come with me to help!"
After spending a few days in Banshan Hall as an auditor, Lu Sanlang suddenly became very excited. After all, he was a little scared of the word "exam". What if there was something wrong with the test paper and he was laughed at by others? Wouldn't it be embarrassing for him, a genius praised by the emperor? This was not a math problem. He would not be afraid of anyone when doing those problems!
Therefore, Lu Sanlang didn't care that his name was called out by Zhang Shou in public. He stood up and followed Zhang Shou out with his head held high.
The two of them walked away one after the other. After a moment of silence, the hall in the middle of the mountain immediately exploded. Furious, Zhang Chen could only bang the gavel desperately and yell for silence. When everyone finally quieted down, he said unhappily, "Everyone, sit down. The exam should be conducted in an orderly manner!"
Fearing that there would be more chaos below, and thinking that he had barely escaped the test, Zhang Chen quickly read out the first question on the test paper: "In the first class, what is the real name of Monk Zangji? What official positions has he held? Please name three."
As soon as this question came out, the class immediately became noisy again. The most prominent one was the real name of Monk Zangji, which Zhang Shou had never mentioned in class before! However, the third and fourth princes looked at each other and felt happy and relieved. Because after they went back, they pestered their father to ask for more details and inside stories!
Forget about what Monk Zangji’s real name is… they’ve already found out what Monk Zangji’s father’s name is!
Zhang Chen slammed the gavel twice and said angrily, "The teacher didn't tell you, but you don't know how to figure it out and ask others for advice? You are so useless! I asked my father when I got back, and I knew the answer in a moment! As for the official positions that Monk Zangji held, the teacher mentioned more than three. As long as you have listened carefully, you will definitely know it!"
When Zhang Chen was showing off his power in the Banshan Hall, Zhang Shou and Lu Sanlang were almost at the university archway, but they ran into Zhou Jijiu. Lu Sanlang rushed to greet him respectfully, but when he mentioned that he was going to the Shuntian government office for an interview, Zhou Jijiu immediately laughed it off, then left at high speed, making an excuse that he had something to do.
After he left, Lu Sanlang whispered smugly, "Young Master, for old scholars who always want to show off their knowledge, using Wang Datou as an excuse is the most effective."
"Oh, you're quite clever." Zhang Shou chuckled and said nonchalantly, "I've asked Yingying to take care of the matter you mentioned last time. She will show up at various tea parties and banquets in the next few days and help you find out and look for someone."
Lu Sanlang was overjoyed and thanked her again and again: "If this thing can really work out, I will definitely prepare the most generous gift to thank you for the matchmaking for Mr. and Miss Zhu! By the way, I have been running around for two days, the day before yesterday, and I have found a few skilled craftsmen you asked me to find, but..."
Zhang Shou always felt that the most unreliable thing in the world was just three words. He suddenly had a bad feeling and didn't bother to greet Ah Liu who was coming forward. He stopped and looked at Lu Sanlang. Then, the little fat man really stammered out a sentence.
"When I was looking for someone, I happened to meet Weinan Bo. As a result, he found out that it was you who wanted it... He said that he would invite you to come to Tingyu Cottage when you are free."
It was Ah Liu who spoke first before Zhang Shou: "Miss, would you like to go with us?"
Lu Sanlang's face suddenly turned bitter. You know, when he suddenly brought up this matter that day, Zhang Shou also gave the same answer. He could only helplessly say: "I told Weinan Bo that if the young master goes, Miss Zhu will probably go with him. But he said it didn't matter, and said that Miss Zhu could go with him if she wanted to, anyway, Tingyu Cottage is not the kind of place where you can be unrestrained. And..."
He hesitated for a moment, but finally told the truth: "Young sir, I have found someone, but the most famous craftsmen in the capital are all affiliated with the Military Equipment Bureau, at least that's the list. So, if ordinary craftsmen can't make what you want to make, it is very likely that the Weinan Earl who is in charge of the Military Equipment Bureau will ask for those master craftsmen to come out."
"So, it would be beneficial for you and Miss Zhu to go together."
Zhang Shou didn't expect that a barbarian named Zhang Kang, the Earl of Weinan, was actually the head of the Military Equipment Bureau. After a moment of hesitation, he finally decided to accept the invitation.
Of course, taking Zhu Ying with him was a complete joke. But Zhu Er could be considered. Although Zhu Er had been so low-key in Banshan Hall that his presence was almost unnoticed, according to Zhu Ying, he was an old playboy. Taking him to a place like Tingyu Xiaozhu would at least be familiar with the place.
The Imperial College was only a stone's throw away from the Shuntian government office, so Zhang Shou and Lu Sanlang walked and talked as they went, simply walking instead of riding a car. When they arrived at the gate of the Shuntian government office, the officers who had been waiting there early came forward, greeted them, and then led the three of them to the second hall with a smile.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw that there were already 20 to 30 people sitting in the huge room. There were old and young people among them. The old ones were at least 40 to 50 years old, and the young ones were about his age. When they saw him, he saw that many people stood up hurriedly and saluted as if they knew him, and even those who were slower to react also stood up hurriedly.
"Dr. Zhang!"
Just when someone kicked over a chair in a hurry and there was a commotion everywhere, there was a crisp sound, and someone slammed the gavel, followed by a cold voice: "Everyone is here. Since Dr. Zhang is here, you all should go back and sit down! Anyone who dares to make a noise will be disqualified! Dr. Zhang, the third class is reserved for you to interview!"
Seeing a large group of people retreating like a tide and sitting upright in an orderly manner, Zhang Shou thought of the scene in Banshan Hall and smiled immediately, thinking that a role like the Iron-faced Censor of Education was really indispensable.
If the gavel could be used in class in the future, no student would dare to doze off...
