Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 85: Emperor Taizu’s ancestral teachings
After being surrounded by a group of students who were trying to cheat their teacher and being brought to the Imperial College, and having an argument with them under the huge archway with the word "University" on it, Zhang Shou finally decided that since he was already here, he might as well take a night tour of the Imperial College to reminisce about the past and look forward to the future.
Considering that everyone, including him, had rushed into the city and were starving, before entering the Imperial College, Zhang Shou first took a large group of people to the next alley, and then asked Ah Liu to buy a hundred or so steamed buns to distribute to everyone to fill their stomachs.
Seeing so many people coming, the small shop owner was initially terrified and looked miserable. But when Zhang Shou came forward and saw this elegant young man saying a few words, a large group of guys who clearly looked like dandy boys hurriedly ordered their followers to smile and hand over a large pile of copper coins. He was immediately overjoyed and thanked Zhang Shou profusely.
Lu Sanlang couldn't help but wonder. Zhang Shou obviously didn't pay a penny, they all paid for it themselves!
Of course, the teacher just bought a steamed bun, but the students asked the teacher to pay for it, which was too shameless...
As for how a group of dandy boys who were used to eating delicacies would eat a bland steamed bun and a bowl of bland hot water, Zhang Shou had no business dealing with that. Even though he never tires of fine food, he was never picky when he was hungry. Besides, he did this not to be frugal purely because he was afraid that he or others would have hypoglycemia.
Anyway, even if I miss this dinner, I can always make up for it later.
However, when he returned to the gate of the Imperial College again and was about to persuade Zhu Ying to take Wu back first, he was blocked by Zhu Ying with a convincing argument as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Aunt Wu is here so rarely. I will accompany her to have a look. No one will find fault with it! Emperor Taizu's ancestral precepts state that universities are important places and it is strictly forbidden to bring women in, but family members can come in to visit at any time. Otherwise, the students will study for fame and leave their families to eat coarse food in their hometown, which is a betrayal of human ethics! In the past, Emperor Taizu even built family buildings for the students, but it was a pity that it was abolished after Emperor Taizong because the cost was too high."
Lu Sanlang on the side couldn't help but secretly complain. The families of the students can enter the Imperial College. Zhang Shou is a doctor of the Imperial College, and his mother Wu is of course also a family member, but what about you, Miss? There is still a difference between a fiancée and a wife...
But in a flash, Zhu Ying's words made him speechless: "My second brother is also a student of the Imperial Academy, just like Lu Sanpang and Zhang Chen. He has been listed as a student all these years, but he rarely shows up here! I will bring him here later. Ah Shou, please help my grandmother and my father to discipline him! If he can turn over a new leaf, our whole family will thank you!"
Zhang Wu and the others could not help but look at each other in bewilderment. Giving the grandson to the future grandson-in-law to train... maybe that lady could really do it!
Therefore, Zhu Ying used Taizu's ancestral teachings as a golden token and openly brought Wu, who was almost dreaming, into the Imperial College.
The group of dandies who had just urged Zhang Shou to be sent to the Imperial College had no choice but to follow the young master into this place they hated the most. As for the entourage of more than a hundred people, they were left outside.
They were neither students of the Imperial Academy nor family members. It might be possible for one or two people to sneak in, but how could so many people get in?
However, no one noticed that Ah Liu, whose presence was very low most of the time, was not here. Instead, he quietly pulled Qi Liang and went in another direction.
After seeing the most important buildings in the Imperial College one by one, such as the Jixian Gate, the Glazed Archway, the Yilun Hall, and the Jingyi Pavilion, Zhang Shou almost felt that it corresponded to the Imperial College floor plan in his memory. He couldn't help but think that regardless of whether Emperor Taizu was a liberal arts student or a science student, he was obsessed with maps just like himself.
While walking in the Imperial College, a large number of students from noble families, including Lu Sanlang, all became dumb and knew nothing. On the contrary, Zhu Ying walked along, explaining the origins and stories of each building, and she spoke very clearly.
Zhang Shou secretly counted and found that Zhu Ying mentioned the ancestral precepts of Emperor Taizu at least twenty times. Anyway, all the good policies, such as distributing money and food, giving annual leave, supporting families, and giving internships, were the ancestral precepts of Emperor Taizu. As for the bad ones later, they were all because the emperors who came after were incompetent or the treacherous ministers were at work.
When they came to an obviously dilapidated building, he finally couldn't help asking, "Yingying, how come you look more like someone who has studied in the Imperial College than Lu Sanlang and Zhang Chen?"
Seeing that the bunch of playboys behind him were silent, Zhu Ying said nonchalantly, "I grew up in front of my grandmother. My father and grandmother always liked to tell stories about Emperor Taizu when they were together, so of course I remember the Imperial College. Later, my second brother went to the academy to study. Not only did he fish for three days and rest for two days, but he also came up with a devilish idea."
"Because I kept asking him about the Imperial College, he coaxed me into saying it was fun, and made me a bunch of nonsense promises, letting me dress up as a man and come here to study in his place. Although I only studied there for half a month, the truth was revealed, and my father took me back. He was severely beaten with a stick, but I did visit the Imperial College in every possible way."
Having said that, Zhu Ying glanced at a group of her peers who were like quails and snorted in annoyance .
"I went there at least every day for half a month. They were just like students in the Imperial College, but they had stomachaches today, caught a cold tomorrow, and their elders fell ill the day after tomorrow... If the teachers hadn't turned a blind eye, I think the boards in the hall of punishment would have been broken! Ah Shou, do you know that there are six halls in the Imperial College, and these people are not in one hall. Of course, my second brother and I were the same at the beginning."
Zhu Ying pointed at them one by one with her finger: "If you fail the Imperial College quarterly examination three times in a row, you will not be able to enter any of the six halls of the Imperial College: Ruxing, Xiudao, Chengxin, Zhengyi, Chongzhi, and Guangye. You can only go to the hall that Emperor Taizu set up in addition to the six halls. That hall is called..."
After a long pause, she said listlessly, "It's called Banshan Hall. The name was also given by Emperor Taizu, meaning that students have different talents and academic performance, but they must study when they are supposed to! The word Banshan means that one is halfway up the mountain and needs to work hard. Later, he was mocked by other students in the Imperial College as a half-baked person."
"Of course, my academic aptitude is not that good either. Grandpa Ge laughed at me for having zero talent in math, which is no match for them."
Both Lu Sanlang and Zhang Chen pursued Zhu Ying in a fake and real way in the past, partly because of her prominent family background and partly because of her true nature that never pretended. Therefore, after hearing Zhu Ying's sharp words, the two looked at each other, and Lu Sanlang laughed dryly: "Young Master, the academic officials such as doctoral assistants in the Imperial College are really boring in class. This Banshan Hall..."
Zhang Shou had been trained to the point where he could remain calm no matter what the young lady said or did. Therefore, he waved his hand to signal Lu Sanlang that he did not need to explain: "The path to the mountain of books is made through diligence, and the boat to the boundless sea of learning is made through hard work. In fact, everyone is halfway up the mountain, so you don't have to belittle yourselves. Except for saints, everyone is halfway up the mountain."
He did not continue the topic, but pointed at the building in front of him and said, "Yingying, do you know what kind of place is this lobby in front of you? It looks like it has been in disrepair for a long time. There is not even a plaque, and the door is locked."
This time, Zhu Ying laughed and said, "A Shou, this is Jiuzhang Hall, where the mathematics lecture hall was located. When Grandpa Ge was the chief priest of the Imperial College, he taught several students with good mathematics talents here. But after he left the Imperial College, those students were appointed officials one by one. Now, I heard that Jiuzhang Hall has been vacant for many years because no students are willing to study mathematics."
"As for the removal of the plaque, it was still there when I came to study, and I don't know why it's gone now. However, those guys will definitely say that the Emperor Taizu's calligraphy must be well preserved. I guess they are afraid that some naive young students will come here and see the name of Jiuzhang Hall, ask around, and ruin their good deeds of respecting classics and history! They have ruined the ancestral precepts of Emperor Taizu!"
"Oh." Zhang Shou stared at the blank space where the plaque should have been placed for a long time, and finally looked away.
"I remember that the supervisor just said that the students have gone to bed. Does this mean that there are still dormitories for teachers and students in the Imperial College? In that case, I plan to stay here tonight."
Seeing Zhu Ying's eyes widened immediately, Wu's face was full of doubt, and most of the others were surprised, only Lu Sanlang's eyes lit up, and he smiled and said: "It's late at night, and so many of you have come all the way to send me off. If you just had a verbal fight with the Supervisor of the Shengqian Hall, it would be too low. If there are no empty rooms, I can live in Jiuzhang Hall."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Sanlang shouted, "I live here too. If you need anything, I will serve you!"
As long as he doesn't have to go back and face the old man's hypocritical face, he would rather sleep on the floor and drink cold water in this Imperial College!
Humph, Lu Zhu also has dignity!
