Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 466: Gathering of Talents in the Nine Chapter Hall
The fourth prince, who was shouting his determination, waved his fists, his face full of confidence. Compared to him, the third prince looked extremely unconfident. Even though he was surrounded by the elite soldiers carefully selected by his father, he still looked a little weak, which was in sharp contrast to the fourth prince's enthusiasm.
"Fourth brother, do you really think we can pass? We seemed to have racked our brains to get the answers to the previous questions halfway through. Moreover, when the written test results were announced, we were among the last few."
"What's the big deal about being at the bottom of the list? We're not the last ones!" The fourth prince has always been a sunny boy, and at this moment he still seems to be confident. "Besides, third brother, you're ranked two places higher than me, and I don't think there's no hope. What are you worried about? We didn't ask anyone to do it for us, and we didn't ask teachers for help. We are definitely better than many people!"
The Third Prince was extremely guilty. We really didn't ask anyone to do it for us, nor did we ask for help from powerful people like the Emperor and Grand Tutor Ge. Even when Sanlang Lu hinted at helping me, I pretended not to understand. But we actually cheated, because my brother and I asked each other for advice and worked together to solve most of the questions!
The two walked side by side under the protection of a group of soldiers from the Ruiqi Battalion, not noticing the group led by Yue Shanzhang who were avoiding them. The Third Prince was worried, so he rode his horse closer to the Fourth Prince and asked in a low voice, "Fourth brother, were those questions discussed and completed by the two of us? If the young master knew about it, would he..."
Before he had the chance to ask whether this would make Zhang Shou's impression of them worse, he ended up getting a stare roll from his fourth brother.
"Third brother, you are too cautious! Three cobblers can be as good as one Zhuge Liang, let alone the two of us? Brothers are united, and their strength is invincible. Besides, didn't we both try our best to come up with two solutions, and then each of us took one? There is no trace of similarity between our papers, which is guaranteed to be better than many people!"
It was not until this moment that the Third Prince smiled. Thinking of multiple solutions for each question was his only requirement after the Fourth Prince proposed to join forces - otherwise, he was worried that the two of them would have the same papers, which would implicate his younger brother and cause Zhang Shou to accuse him of cheating. In fact, they could only come up with two solutions for some of the questions, and they had made considerable breakthroughs on other questions.
There were two questions, and they came up with four and five solutions respectively! Then they divided the solutions between them and wrote them down!
It was not until the Third and Fourth Princes and their group passed by that Headmaster Yue narrowed his eyes slightly, then turned his head to the captain beside him and asked, "Are these the Third and Fourth Princes? I just heard them say that they are going to take the exam for the Imperial Academy's Jiuzhang Hall? I remember they are less than ten years old, right? The youngest of the first batch of students at the Imperial Academy's Jiuzhang Hall seems to be sixteen or seventeen years old. Isn't it too early for them?"
Hearing this, the captain was stunned at first, then he laughed dryly and said, "I heard that the third and fourth princes begged the emperor to take the exam, and said that if they failed this year, they could take it again the next year. The emperor couldn't do anything about them. They are indeed the youngest among those who passed the written exam this year, and they were the last. But their papers have been posted, and their solutions are said to be unique."
As he spoke, he emphasized, "Of course, I don't understand this. This is what other people who went to see the papers said. The Third and Fourth Princes solved every question differently. Even those who wanted to say that they copied each other were all speechless. I heard that their senior brother, Lu Zhaizhang, the first term of Jiuzhang Hall, openly said that the two princes are very talented and are in no way inferior to him."
Principal Yue was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "I heard that the Imperial College now has a rule of opening to ordinary people from time to time in order to attract the best students and teachers in the world?"
Seeing the captain hesitated slightly, he laughed dryly and said that today was the open day and all they needed was a receipt issued by the government. He then said, "In that case, I would also like to take the students to visit the Imperial College. I don't think I'm a suspicious person. Besides, I'm very interested in the genius Lu Sanlang who was personally commented on by the emperor. I really want to see what the two princes he praised are like."
Faced with such a sudden request, the captain was a little embarrassed. He hesitated for a while, and seeing that Principal Yue looked frank and calm, he finally nodded and agreed: "Principal Yue may also come to the Imperial College to give lectures in the future. In that case, I will take you there. However... the Imperial College has a limited number of places for the open day, so I'm afraid that not all of you students can go."
Yue Shanchang sneered, knowing that bargaining was just a way for small people to deal with things, and immediately said straightforwardly: "In that case, I will take four people with me, and the rest of you can find an inn to stay. The capital is the foot of the emperor, and all the talents in the world gather here. You can also meet some of the world's heroes and recognize your own position."
Seeing that what Shanzhang Yue said was echoed by a loud chorus, the captain spread his hands helplessly and said, "Since Shanzhang Yue said so, I will take this responsibility. Today, I think Shuntian Prefecture Yamen near the Imperial College is maintaining order on the open day. I happen to be familiar with Lin Lao Hu, the head of the criminal department. I will ask him for a favor."
In the Jiuzhang Hall of the Imperial College, Zhang Shou, who had called Lu Sanlang, the first term head of the hall, to take charge today, beckoned the little fat man to his front, and then grabbed the fat on his cheek.
"Lu Sanpang, were you the one who told others that the Third and Fourth Princes were as talented as you? There should be a limit to flattery. How dare you compare two children under ten years old with a monster like you?"
Seeing the people howling and screaming, he knew that most of them were just pretending by the fat boy, so he let go in a bad mood.
Lu Sanlang pinched his cheeks and sucked in a breath of cold air, while saying resentfully: "Young sir, you've wronged me. I'm not flattering you. At most, I can only be regarded as... uh, adding fuel to the fire?" Although they are now formal teacher and student, he still likes to call you by their old name in private.
He used an idiom, and when Zhang Shou laughed, as if he was thinking about how to continue to teach him a lesson, he quickly begged for mercy, "These two little princes are indeed similar to me when I was a child, clever and naughty, and compared to me at the beginning, their status is different. With the emperor here, no one dares to bully them easily. If we don't recruit such good seedlings that are most suitable for being students, will others get the advantage?"
Lu Sanlang was proud of Zhang Shou's evaluation of him just now - he didn't mind being called a monster at all, but thought it was the highest evaluation. Therefore, after making a convincing argument, he patiently persuaded Zhang Shou to accept the benefits of two princes as students. However, after all his efforts, he finally got a laugh from Zhang Shou.
"You are too clever to plan so many things. Do you think everything will go as you expected?" Zhang Shou saw Lu Sanlang laugh dryly and his eyes wandering. He said calmly, "Although I asked the students of Jiuzhang Hall to come up with a lot of questions, it's okay for others to do them. But if it's the Third and Fourth Princes, I will naturally give them a few extra questions to test them."
Lu Sanlang was immediately shocked: "Young Master, you are not serious, are you? Just give them two questions to test them. Aren't you deliberately trying to embarrass them?"
"It's difficult, because if I don't make it difficult for them, someone will deliberately make it easier for them, and they can easily overcome the most difficult hurdles for other candidates."
Zhang Shou looked at Lu Sanlang with a half-smile, until he avoided his gaze with a guilty conscience. Then he chuckled and said, "I believe there are geniuses in this world, and I also believe that the third and fourth princes are talented. However, even if they are taught by the emperor himself, and get the latest textbooks as soon as possible, and can run to my teacher from time to time to ask for advice, this is not a reason for them to pass the test easily."
"Can you dare to say that you didn't quietly answer their questions or even pass on some information before the second round of enrollment?"
"I just went to teach them. Didn't you teach me that a gentleman should love talents? I swear, I never did any exams for them!" Lu Sanlang cried out in injustice. But as soon as he finished speaking, he was speechless because of Zhang Shou's teasing.
"Yeah, you didn't do the test for them, but you leaked a lot of the retest questions, right? Lu Sanlang, Lu Sanlang, how come you, a little fat guy, have so many crooked ways?"
What's wrong with crooked ways... If crooked ways are used well, they can still succeed, right? Lu Sanlang looked even more aggrieved at this moment, but this expression would still be cute on a child's face. He was a fat boy who was getting fatter and fatter. Even if he showed such a pitiful expression again, Zhang Shou would not be soft-hearted.
"In short, don't think that others are fools. You should know that the first batch of students of Jiuzhang Hall have already found a place to stay before they even finish their studies. The people who checked the accounts of Guanglu Temple even found several big fish who had already retired and thought they could live out their days in peace. They were rewarded by the emperor. How can those who regard others as thorns in their eyes not keep an eye on this and try to find faults?"
"If we really just casually recruit the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince..." Zhang Shou sneered and said calmly, "That would only harm others and ourselves!"
Although Lu Sanlang still looked unconvinced, he felt a little uneasy. Soon, as the outsiders reported that all 48 people who participated in the interview had arrived, Zhang Shou directly instructed Lu Sanlang: "Take Ah Liu out and let him supervise the drawing of lots. Randomly shuffle everyone into eight groups, and then each group will have six people. At that time, they will come in for the interview in groups."
At this moment, Lu Sanlang was completely dumbfounded. This was different from what was agreed upon beforehand! But when Ah Liu came up with an expressionless face and almost pushed him out, he realized that he was suddenly brought here by Zhang Shou from the Imperial Chef Selection Competition, and there was no prior agreement with Zhang Shou at all.
The little pieces of advice he gave to the Fourth Prince in private were all his wishful thinking!
So, when he was dragged out by Ah Liu, he couldn't help but complain in a low voice: "Sixth brother, this is unacceptable! Students who came to our doorstep are being driven away. The Third and Fourth Princes are studious and hardworking. Where can we find such good students? If we really hand such talents to others, we will be punished by God!"
Ah Liu was not moved at all. Seeing his state, Ah Liu could only say earnestly: "Sixth brother, I know you are the one who cares about the young master . Since the young master knows that Jiuzhangtang is a thorn in the eyes of others, you should recruit two thick-skinned and strong... No, no, the precious princes to block it!" Only this kind of shield is powerful enough!
At this point, Lu Sanlang stared at Ah Liu very sincerely, as if he wanted to let the other party see his sincerity clearly. However, during the four-way eye contact, Lu Sanlang, who tried to impress Ah Liu with his "honesty", was defeated. He rubbed his sore eyes and immediately became dejected.
"Anyway, since the Third and Fourth Princes are willing, and it's not forced, why should you be so cautious? I don't believe you have a prejudice against the two brothers. He has always liked those two guys."
"Don't tell me that."
Ah Liu's answer was as clear and concise as ever. Not only that, he also understood Zhang Shou's other meaning, which was to instruct him to put the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince into different types of groups. Although he was a little confused, he had long been accustomed to following orders whether he understood or not.
Seeing that Ah Liu was unmoved, Lu Sanlang finally became completely depressed. When he saw the candidates who came to the interview and then announced the new rule listlessly, most people exclaimed in varying degrees, but overall they were calm, even the third and fourth princes. On the contrary, those who happened to come to watch the excitement of the Imperial College Open Day actually reacted more strongly.
Director Yue, who was among the crowd, said thoughtfully: "Suddenly changing the rules... It seems that Dr. Zhang is still as rumored, doing things unconventionally and likes to be unique."
The evaluation of the middle-aged and elderly on the young people was unique and unconventional, and it was definitely not a compliment - because in their eyes, as they had experienced many things in the world and had seen many hardships, the young people who messed around and broke the old rules were like black sheep, dragging down a team that was originally moving forward steadily. However, the next moment, he heard the captain beside him laugh.
"Jiuzhangtang was originally reopened, and there aren't so many old rules and regulations. What's wrong with making some changes? Besides, the emperor summoned a great scholar like you, Yue Shanzhang, to come to the capital to preach, which is an unprecedented benevolent policy. Isn't it unconventional and unique?"
Yue Shanzhang nodded with a smile on his face, but in his heart he was very wary of what this seemingly ordinary leader of the city gate guards said. Although he only had the title of Juren and no official position, he had many students all over the world, and the previous generation of the Shanzhang of Zhaoming Academy had many students in their prime. But even so, people lacked actual respect for him , but highly respected Zhang Shou. What did this mean?
Doesn't that mean that in the small piece of land in the capital, the young but high-ranking Doctor of the Imperial College is like a mountain that must be crossed?
Lu Sanlang didn't notice that others were questioning Zhang Shou. Seeing that no one opposed Zhang Shou's unique new idea, he had no choice but to drag his feet and make the notes for drawing lots. Although he wanted to use some tricks he had learned from playing games with others in the past, Ah Liu was following him with his sharp eyes, so he could only watch helplessly as the big box full of notes was delivered to each person in turn.
When the third and fourth princes drew their papers one by one, they looked at each other and were stunned. It turned out that one was one and the other was eight. Not only were they not in the same group, but they were also at the beginning and end!
