Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 470: Kind Father and Strict Teacher
Emperor?
At that moment, young Fang Qing was completely stunned.
Although the fact that the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince came to take the Jiuzhang Hall exam today had already given him a great shock, when he found out that the Third Prince had performed so well in the first interview, he was just like he did in Zhaoming Academy, speaking his mind and making the wrong remarks. However, he had always been successful in squeezing out the rich kids, but this time he failed miserably.
And now, the emperor actually appeared here. If this supreme king knew about his ignorant doubts just now and questioned him in anger, what should he do?
However, no one cared about how terrified Fang Qing was at this moment. Zhou Jijiu and Luo Siye were shocked that the emperor actually came in person. They were not afraid that the news would spread and cause discussions inside and outside the court, so they could only rush forward to greet him.
While Yue Bufan was surprised to hear Zhou Jijiu's exclamation, he could not help but once again raise the status of the two little princes in the room in the emperor's mind.
If it were him, even if his beloved youngest son wanted to take the entrance exam to his own Zhaoming Academy, or to become a disciple of other teachers, he would never lose his composure like this... Emperor and father, emperor and father, shouldn't it be emperor first, then father? But in the case of the emperor, it became father first, then emperor?
As for the other students of Zhaoming Academy and the scholars who had not yet dispersed, most of them were dumbfounded. No one expected to encounter the emperor, just as no one expected the third prince to be so brave just now. And under the watchful eyes of those plainclothes warriors, no one dared to make any misleading moves, and they were as honest as quails.
The emperor just nodded perfunctorily to Zhou Jijiu and Luo Siye, and then just glanced at everyone in a normal way, and then immediately looked into the Jiuzhang Hall. Seeing only the backs of people writing furiously inside, thinking that today was supposed to be an interview, he couldn't help but frowned in confusion, and then coughed.
"Sanlang and Silang insisted on taking the Jiuzhangtang exam. Although I granted their wish, I was worried that their combined ages might not be as good as others, so I came to take a look during the Imperial College Open Day."
Your Majesty, those words "taking advantage of the Imperial College Open Day" are superfluous ! Everyone knows that you care about your beloved sons... If you had been so attentive to the eldest and second princes in the past, the two brothers probably wouldn't be like this now!
Zhou Jijiu secretly complained in his heart, but it was not in line with his personality to give direct advice to the emperor, so he just said with a smile: "Dr. Zhang has just suddenly changed the rules of the interview and divided everyone into eight groups..." He first talked about the situation of drawing lots, and when he saw that the emperor was surprised that the third prince and the fourth prince were divided into the first and last groups, he got to the point.
"The Third Prince was very impressive just now. He stumped the others with just a few questions, and his thinking was quick when answering the questions. It is obvious that Dr. Zhang likes this student very much..." Zhou Jijiu had no idea whether Zhang Shou liked the Third Prince or not. He just mentioned it and then repeated the questions given by the Third Prince with interest. After all, he was quite scared by the questions.
He was one of the people who read the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art because of Zhang Shou, but after doing the calculation just now, he was almost confused!
After hearing the first question, the emperor's expression became a little subtle. After listening to the third prince's eight questions - of course including the extremely difficult question that the elder brother did not give in to when facing his younger brother, as a student of Ge Yong, he couldn't help rubbing his brows.
He had always thought that the Third Prince's character, indecisive and hesitant, and spoiled by him, might be cheated to death when he grows up. But today, he saw that the son he once thought was weak and could be bullied would actually use all kinds of skills to cheat others in order to achieve his own goals ! Very good, he doesn't have to worry about it in the future!
Zhou Jijiu pondered the change in the emperor's expression, and then briefly explained the origin of Zhang Shou's current written test. While he was talking, Luo Siye had been standing silently by the side. Not to mention introducing Yue Bufan, the head of Zhaoming Academy, he didn't even let anyone show his face in front of the emperor.
Yue Bufan was not dissatisfied with this. He was even grateful to the two for attracting the emperor's attention for him.
If it weren't for the student Fang Qing's self-assertion, he would have been just an idler who came to the Imperial College to watch the fun. Even if the emperor asked him, he could explain the whole matter in a few words. But with Fang Qing, he would easily be considered as someone who came to compete with Zhang Shou - even if the things he was good at had nothing to do with Zhang Shou!
However, even though Zhou Jijiu's words were humorous, Luo Siye played dumb, and Yue Shanzhang wished he didn't exist, among the people present, the scholars were certainly an indispensable part of the scenery during the Imperial College's open days, but there were also people who dressed differently and attracted a lot of attention.
When the emperor caught a glimpse of the muscular man in martial arts uniform standing beside Yue Shanzhang, he suddenly turned to face him and asked with interest, "Who are you? Do people who study martial arts nowadays also want to enter the Imperial College?"
The captain finally found an opportunity to speak openly, and immediately apologized with a smile: "I am Liao Chang, the captain of the first battalion guarding the Xuanwu Gate City Guard Battalion. I am honored to meet the emperor. I should never have come to the Imperial College due to my duties, but today I met Master Yue of Zhaoming Academy and his group at Xuanwu Gate with a pass in hand, so I volunteered to escort him into the city. Unexpectedly, Master Yue said he wanted to visit the Imperial College."
After hearing this, although Zhou Jijiu cursed the talkative city gate guard leader in his heart, he still wanted to say a few words for Yue Shanzhang, so he forced a smile and said, "When Luo Siye and I came here, Yue Shanzhang was watching the enrollment of students in the Jiuzhang Hall... He and I are old acquaintances..."
Before Zhou Jijiu could finish his words, the emperor interrupted him with his hand, then looked at Yue Shanzhang with a smile and said, "So it's the famous Yue Shanzhang. I almost missed you just now."
Yue Shanzhang was not sure whether the emperor's words "famous scholar" were ironic or not, so he could only step forward and bow rudely, saying: "I have just arrived in the capital and I am so tired and tired that I have come to join in the fun. It is indeed a spur of the moment for me. I was born in a poor family and my three generations have been farmers. It is because of the teachings of my predecessors that I am where I am today, so I have achieved a lot in my studies. Therefore, I can barely be called a scholar, and this famous family..."
He straightened up, smiled and said, "If we talk about teachers, I, the headmaster of Zhaoming Academy, can be said to be from a famous family, but if we talk about family background, I am afraid I am not even from a poor family, I can only be considered a farmer's family."
No matter who it is, it is inevitable to be nervous when meeting the emperor for the first time, but at this time, Master Yue's words and actions were graceful and confident, even conceited. While Zhou Jijiu and Luo Siye secretly admired him, they couldn't help but have some small knots of jealousy among colleagues. But among the other onlookers, there were naturally some people who were impressed and thought that he was worthy of being a famous southern scholar.
Especially the other students of Yue Shanzhang, all of them held their heads high, as if doing so would bring glory to others. As expected, the emperor did not seem to mind someone boasting in front of him. Instead of being offended, he smiled.
"It has always been true that heroes do not care about their origins. There are always talented people in the countryside. Yue Shan has cultivated many talents over the years. Now his students are all over the world. He deserves the title of a famous scholar." The emperor smiled and pulled his beautiful mustache, then asked with interest, "What do you think of coming to see this excitement today? How about my Sanlang and Silang?"
Asking this kind of question directly in public?
Yue Shanzhang, who met the emperor for the first time today, felt that his understanding was refreshed again. He could clearly feel that the eyes of the people around him were focused on him. Whether he said good or bad, it might not be safe. Because some of these people might admire him, but some might be hostile to him!
Therefore, he immediately said without hesitation: "My eyes are not bright, but I think the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince are both people of true character."
The word "true character" is not a good word to describe the princes most of the time. However, the emperor appreciated it very much. He smiled so hard that his eyes narrowed. "Yes, you have good eyesight. My two sons have been spoiled since they were young and don't know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is. In addition, one clever one instigated the other honest one. I don't know how many troubles they have caused."
"If they could at least restrain their true nature, I, as a father, would have fewer headaches." When the emperor said this, he didn't even realize that his face had a warm, fatherly glow.
Just when he was about to ask a few more questions, hoping to hear more words of praise for his son from the famous president of Zhaoming Academy, he suddenly heard the sound of a bronze bell, followed by Zhang Shou's voice.
"Okay, time's up. Lu Sanlang, go collect the papers."
Zhang Shou certainly didn't miss the disturbance outside, because Ah Liu also entered the Imperial College today, and as soon as the emperor showed up, he got Ah Liu's warning. Not only the emperor, but also the sudden appearance of Yue Shanzhang of Zhaoming Academy, the inappropriate words of one of his students, and Yue Shanzhang's words of admonishing the students later, because Ah Liu, who had a sharp ear, knew everything clearly.
At this moment, he watched Lu Sanlang collect the papers one by one, and then he personally read them one by one, casually circled and ticked on them with his ink pen, and graded them on the spot. As Lu Sanlang reported the scores of each person, some were happy and some were sad. Those who got three or even five points were very excited, while those who got only one or even zero points were dejected.
After picking up another paper and marking it in a few strokes, Zhang Shou stared at the name for a moment, then laughed: "The Third Prince is good, he got three questions right. Although he didn't exceed the quota, he still got three points for sure."
Although Zhang Shou did not say it explicitly, Lu Sanlang was already delighted. Coupled with the excellent interview results of the Third Prince before, there was absolutely no suspense about his admission into the Jiuzhang Hall this time!
When the Third Prince heard Zhang Shou's praise, even though he was usually shy and couldn't dance with joy, he couldn't help but wave his fist, and then he suppressed his voice and cheered softly.
His completely childish reaction made the adults who were a little afraid of this sinister child look different. Only Ji Jiu, who had been a classmate of the Third Prince for a while, knew that after taking off the burden, the Third Prince had turned back into the weak little prince.
After reporting the results of several people, Zhang Shou looked at the paper in his hand, and found Ji Jiu in the crowd. He then said nonchalantly: "Ji Jiulang, you can answer four questions correctly, which shows that you have really worked hard these days."
Although Ji Jiu was quite confident in his own achievements, he was still overjoyed when he heard Zhang Shou's affirmation. He subconsciously wanted to celebrate his breakthrough, but when he saw Zhang Shou's half-smile, he remembered that he had let the fourth prince pass, and he dared not act rashly.
He immediately stood up, bowed deeply and said: "I have done many things wrong in the past, but I am grateful to the teacher for not giving up and supporting me again and again. I am here today. In the future, I will study hard and concentrate on my studies!"
Zhang Shou did not comment on Ji Jiu's resolute words. He waved his hand and told everyone to sit down. Then he smiled and said, "This is a special case. Don't learn from Ji Jiulang to flatter others. Credit should be given to teachers for achievements and students for mistakes. I don't have such a rule here. The achievements and contributions are yours. The mistakes and even the guilt are also yours."
After saying this with a double meaning, he added in a powerful voice: "Of course, if you have done nothing wrong but are accused without reason; or if you speak the truth frankly but offend people; or if you do things according to my instructions but are eventually blamed... then, no matter who you offend, I will definitely protect you!"
"If a teacher cannot protect students from the wind and rain and allow them to study in peace and stability, then he is not worthy of being called a teacher!"
Outside the Jiuzhang Hall, the emperor nodded repeatedly after hearing what he said, and then said proudly: "Zhang Shou is indeed the teacher's last disciple, my junior brother, and his style is exactly the same as the teacher. A teacher is someone who imparts knowledge and solves doubts. However, as a teacher, it is more important to protect those students with good character and talent, and never let the students take the blame when something goes wrong!"
If it weren't for the fact that Shanzhang Yue was very sure that Zhang Shou had not come out since he entered, and no one had left the Jiuzhang Hall, he would have suspected that Zhang Shou had heard these words from outside, so he said these words specifically for him to hear. At this moment, although he still had a smile on his face and looked calm, his mood was gradually getting worse.
It was not only because Zhang Shou's words were a veiled criticism of him, but also because the Third Prince was likely to enter Jiuzhang Hall.
But at this moment, his ears caught a completely unexpected sentence: "Fourth Prince, although you answered seven out of the twenty questions in total, you only got two questions right."
