Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 483: Zheng Rong and the Abbot
Compared with the people of Zhu family in Duke Zhao's Mansion, Zhang Shou didn't learn about the sensational news until the next morning.
He once suspected that he had heard it wrong, but the person who came to deliver the news was none other than Lu Sanlang, so he certainly would not doubt that this clever little fat guy was spreading rumors and hearing things from others. Sure enough, the little fat guy confirmed that he heard the news from his father himself, and then exaggerated the violent reaction that the news caused in the capital, and then sneered.
"My father said that the Hong family member was so obsessed with fame that he was willing to push his own daughter into the fire pit. With the character of the eldest prince , even if you send fairies from heaven to earth, it is impossible to make him change for the better, because his nature is already rotten!"
"I sent people to inquire about this, and there are several different explanations for what Mr. Hong did. Some people say that Mr. Hong values etiquette and respect for elders. The eldest prince is of royal blood, so he cannot be without a wife even if he has committed a crime. In order to prevent others from losing a daughter because of his petition, he simply gave his daughter away with dignity."
"There is another theory that the daughter surnamed Hong is not a pushover either, so he plans to marry her to the eldest prince, so that the couple can work together to turn the current situation around, and then have the eldest prince make a gesture of reforming himself and find a way to get out of the Zongzheng Temple. Although the emperor has already deposed the empress, the eldest prince is the eldest in the order of seniority, so he may not be without a chance."
Seeing that Zhang Shou didn't say anything, the eloquent Lu Sanlang immediately brought up the third opinion he had heard: "Some people even said that the man surnamed Hong just wanted to tell the emperor that if the eldest prince didn't get married, people would say that the emperor was heartless. As long as the eldest prince was given a virtuous wife, the emperor would have done his best. He didn't want the eldest prince to be released from the Zongzheng Temple, but hoped that the emperor would uphold the original verdict."
"In this way, the emperor will be majestic and fair, but also be kind and compassionate, and no one in the world can say anything against it."
Seeing Zhang Shou's face full of toothache after hearing this last argument, Lu Sanlang spread his hands and said, "Young Master, you have also seen that people with such a good reputation are extremely cruel and ruthless! And this thing was done... who can say anything?"
"Are you saying that the daughter of a famous scholar named Hong, the president of Yuzhang Academy, is not worthy of being a match for a criminal and imprisoned crown prince? According to the third opinion I heard, the man is planning to sacrifice his daughter to accompany the crown prince in prison for the rest of his life! This is simply... Anyway, this kind of father is ten thousand times worse than my dad was!"
Zhang Shou took a deep breath and decided... not to think about it! Others were willing to push his daughter into the fire pit. As an outsider, even if he despised this so-called celebrity, would he still object? How could he object?
Emperor, your son is such a bastard, why don't you get married and have children to bring harm to others and give birth to bad descendants? Hong, you are a distinguished scholar, why don't you push your daughter into the pit of fire and ruin her life? Haha, unless the parties involved protest, no one can intervene in such trivial matters.
So, he directly signaled Lu Sanlang, who was still about to continue to complain, to stop, and said expressionlessly: "It's their business if they want to marry their daughter off. It has nothing to do with us. Now, you should tidy up your clothes and look your best. Don't lose face as a senior. From today on, you are the head of the second grade dormitory. This is the first class for the first graders. You should set an example."
That’s right, this day was the first day of classes for the first-year students of Jiuzhang Hall. There were more than 30 of them, each wearing the uniform of a student supervisor, but they were of different heights, weights, and ages.
The oldest student was already in his early 40s, and the youngest was the little Third Prince. When they entered the classroom early in the morning and found their names and took their seats, it was naturally noisy.
However, there was only one person around whom others dared not approach rashly. That was the Third Prince. Seeing that the Third Prince was somewhat lonely, Ji Jiu took the lead and walked forward with a smile on his face. Sure enough, as soon as he recognized his former classmate, the Third Prince immediately smiled with joy.
He was shy at first, and his smile was pure and clean. Unconsciously, several young people came closer. Ji Jiu knew very well that the emperor was willing to let him go to Jiuzhang Hall, and Zhang Shou was willing to accept him into Jiuzhang Hall, so he definitely didn't want these students to really treat him as a prince and keep a distance from him, so he smiled and said, "Third Prince, it's been a long time since we parted at Banshan Hall..."
"It's not the Third Prince, it's Zheng Rong." The Third Prince seriously corrected Ji Jiu's address.
Thinking that even Zhang Shou rarely called him by his name, the Third Prince's shy face showed some confusion: "You can call me by my name at ordinary times. It's okay. Names are for people to call me. When I was in Banshan Hall, my classmates were different from now, so it was okay that everyone didn't want to call me by my name. Now in Jiuzhang Hall, everyone only cares about knowledge regardless of family background, and I'm the youngest..."
At this point, he made up his mind and said, "I just hope everyone will treat me as an ordinary classmate!"
Although these words were full of his earnest hope, not to mention the other young people who looked at each other in bewilderment, even Ji Jiu could only smile bitterly, and then explained helplessly: "I think, if the Third Prince wants everyone to call you by your name...why not start with teacher? As long as the teacher is willing to call you that, of course everyone can follow suit, right?"
Although Ji Jiu was a bastard's son, he had always been good at dealing with people. When he said this, the young people who had gathered around him immediately agreed. When they saw the obviously dejected expression on the Third Prince's face, several of them couldn't help but think of those familiar children - from their own brothers to the children next door... For a moment, the sense of distance seemed to be reduced a lot.
At this moment, they were occupying the classroom where their predecessors, the second-year students of Jiuzhang Hall, had once been. There was nothing they could do about it. After all, although Jiuzhang Hall had been renovated after reopening and was slightly smaller than the other six halls of the Imperial Academy, it was more than enough to accommodate a few dozen people. However, it was absolutely impossible to divide Jiuzhang Hall into two or even three parts.
Fortunately, the second-year students are very popular now, and they have already started internships in various aspects, so they don't have to compete with the first-year students for classes. However, except for Zhang Shou, who knew that this was just a stopgap measure and could not last long, most of the others did not think so far. At this time, a large group of people gathered together, talking to each other, making a lot of noise.
When Zhang Shou brought Lu Sanlang in, he saw that everyone immediately quieted down and hurriedly sat down. He said, "If anyone is dissatisfied with the seating arrangement, go find your senior brother Lu Sanlang. This is what he arranged . Not only according to age, but also according to height and eyesight. This is what he thought of when he asked you to register your information one by one after admission."
Lu Sanlang enjoyed the awe-filled gazes that were suddenly focused on him.
Seeing that no one questioned the seating arrangement, he straightened his chest, acted like a senior, and said amiably: "My fellow juniors, you all got in after reading Ge's New Edition of Mathematics, so you have a better foundation than the seniors before you. I hope you can study hard in the future, don't disappoint the teacher's high expectations, and strive to be better than the old ones, better than us seniors."
"Also, since everyone is of different ages, we should care for each other. Don't underestimate the Third Prince because you all saw how well he performed in the entrance exam. Don't think that his academic level is not necessarily higher than yours. You should know that he started from Master Ge's new system and has a solid foundation."
If Zhang Shou had not seen countless faces of this little fat boy, he would have really thought that this big-tailed wolf was really good at pretending to be a little lamb.
While many people were looking at Lu Sanlang with curiosity, they were also glancing at themselves. Although they were not very familiar with the people, they thought they were more familiar with them than others. The third prince suddenly stood up and raised his hand to bow very seriously.
"Brother Lu praised me so much just now, I really don't deserve it. If I don't understand something in the future, I will definitely ask Brother Lu and everyone else for advice. But today I also have a favor to ask of you. Since we are in Jiuzhang Hall, teacher, or Brother Lu, can you please call me by my name from now on?"
"I have a name. My name is Zheng Rong, not the Third Prince!"
Zhang Shou saw that Lu Sanlang was stunned by the Third Prince's sudden action. Others were talking in a low voice, but no one was as surprised as Lu Sanlang. He immediately realized that the Third Prince had probably mentioned this topic before. Seeing Lu Sanlang looking at him hesitantly, he nodded slightly.
With his approval, how brave must Lu Sanlang be? He immediately threw all his worries behind his head, coughed hard, and said proudly: "I understand, Zheng Rong, you can sit down now."
The Third Prince's face lit up immediately, and he looked at Lu Sanlang in surprise and joy, as if to confirm that the name he had just heard was not an illusion. Then, he loudly replied "yes" and sat down happily.
At this time, Lu Sanlang received a lot of respectful looks, including Ji Jiu's. Even if it was the Third Prince's own request, most people would not dare to call the Third Prince by his name!
Next, the fat boy, who already had a bulging chest and a protruding belly, immediately began to talk incessantly about the achievements and accomplishments of the previous term of students in Jiuzhang Hall, and their current progress in studies... These were all things he knew very well, so he spoke very clearly, and as a result, those awe-inspiring eyes gradually revealed admiration and longing.
Fortunately, he finally remembered that Zhang Shou was the protagonist today, so he didn't keep talking endlessly. When it was almost time, he quickly gave up his seat to Zhang Shou.
After Zhang Shou stepped onto the podium, he clapped his hands gently and said, "The reason why I called Lu Sanlang here today is not to let you see the example of the prodigal son who turned over a new leaf and became a genius as mentioned by the emperor, but to tell you that, just like your former senior brothers, some of your classes will be taught by your senior brother Lu in the future."
"Because I am the only one in Jiuzhangtang now, and it is divided into two grades now. In the future, there may be three grades, four grades or even more. Even if I can clone myself, it will be too late for me."
"So, those of you who are outstanding and ahead of schedule may become substitute lecturers in the future, because your seniors will enter the third, fourth, and higher grades, and you will be the same."
"Just like I said before, you can apply to skip a grade, or even apply to graduate early after completing all courses. During your internships, you may find what you like to do most, meet a boss who appreciates you and is willing to work for you, or even meet a girl you like."
Seeing that everyone burst into laughter, he said with a smile: "The world is so big, and there are so many temptations. Just like the students of the Imperial College can leave, you can also pursue your own future. However, there is a big premise for all this."
"That is, you must take every quarterly exam and every annual exam seriously, and complete at least one grade of courses. Otherwise, if you fail to keep up and are held back, or even have to leave Jiuzhangtang in the end, then you will need to pay due compensation for all the treatment you are enjoying now. Such compensation includes, but is not limited to, doing various things according to the court's requirements."
"Because everything you have now is hard-earned. It was squeezed out of resources that should have been allocated elsewhere!"
At this point , he paused, and seeing that everyone finally showed a relatively cautious, or nervous expression, he smiled and said, "In short, your future is in your own hands. Of course, if anyone thinks that Zheng Rong and you are classmates and want to build a relationship and take a shortcut, then you can ask Zheng Rong yourself and listen to what he says."
The Third Prince did not expect Zhang Shou to suddenly mention him. After a moment of surprise, he realized that Zhang Shou had also called his name, and his face immediately showed joy. He stood up suddenly, glanced around, and then bowed and said, "It is Zheng Rong who comes to Jiuzhang Hall to study, not the Third Prince. In terms of studies, we can encourage each other, in life, we can help each other, but other things..."
He smiled shyly, but his voice was unquestionable: "My fourth brother and I have never been involved in state affairs."
Zhang Shou felt that the Third Prince's clear statement was beyond his expectations. Therefore, he nodded happily and said calmly: "Okay, today's first lesson will not be about serious content. I will only give you one task, to select the head of the temple. Of course, Zheng Rong is too young and has a special status, so he will not participate in the election."
"Those of you who are interested in becoming the headmaster can stand up and speak on the stage, tell us your strengths and weaknesses, and encourage other students to vote for you. After all, you are different from your senior brothers. At the beginning, Riku Saburo's progress was far ahead of his peers, so he was qualified to be the headmaster. In addition, with Saira Sasuke, none of you have progressed so much ahead of others."
After saying this, he waved to Lu Sanlang, and the teacher and the student left the classroom full of students and walked out leisurely. As soon as he walked out of the door, he heard a commotion like a frying pan inside.
Lu Sanlang knew without thinking what a shock this would be to the students inside, so he smiled and said, "Officials are appointed by the court, and village heads and village heads are all operated in secret. Even the students on government stipends are often involved in the dark. But now that such an opportunity to elect a head of a dormitory is in front of these guys, they will of course be surprised. I don't know who will be chosen in the end..."
"You really don't know?" Zhang Shou asked with a laugh. Seeing Lu Sanlang immediately embarrassed, he said nonchalantly, "If it was the Third Prince who made the choice, then it would definitely be him. But since I have ruled out the Third Prince, then in the end, only one person will benefit, and that is Ji Jiu. Let's go to Xinglong Tea House."
