Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 552: Is there a perfect solution in this world?
In one day, the news that the East Palace would soon have a master spread throughout the city. Moreover, this was not just gossip, but what the emperor said in public to a group of high-ranking officials who were at least third-rank officials. Moreover, the emperor did not say vaguely that he would appoint a prince, but clearly stated that he would appoint the third prince as the prince.
The Second Prince's Courtyard was taken over by the Ruiqi Battalion, and the Second Prince was said to be extremely angry and making a scene. This news spread like wildfire. However, compared to the First Prince, who at least had a good reputation before going to Cangzhou, the Second Prince, who had a bad temper and a bad reputation, had long been sympathized by no one. Therefore, even though many of his servants were dismissed on the spot by the Ruiqi Battalion, few people paid attention to his life or death.
In this situation where everyone is discussing the newly-appointed crown prince, Zhang Shou, who had detained all the students of Jiuzhang Hall and did not let them go out at noon, began his usual tactical bombardment of questions in the afternoon and found that there were indeed a lot more people passing by outside.
The only people who usually came to listen were Xu Heida, the supervisor of the Shengqian Hall, and Zhou Jijiu and Luo Siye who occasionally came to criticize. The rest of the students just walked away. But when he was patrolling the hall to check on everyone's progress, he found that some students actually came to look back and forth three or four times, even though they saw that the third prince was not there, they still persisted.
In the end, when Zhou Jijiu and Luo Siye, who had parted with him unhappily in the morning, came again, he knew that the news brought by the Fourth Prince was true. He walked slowly to Ji Jiu's desk and knocked gently. Seeing that he looked up at him, he immediately understood and continued to "write quickly". He knew that this head of the hall would control the others here.
He walked out of Jiuzhang Hall with his hands behind his back. With a quick glance, he found that except for Zhou Jijiu and Luo Siye, all the doctors in the Doctoral Hall were there. Even the teaching assistants and minor officials in the Bookkeeping Office came to join in the fun.
The only one missing...is Xu Heizi from the Rope Penalty Hall!
Knowing that Xu Heida was a straightforward and somewhat eccentric person, it was normal for him not to come at this time. Zhang Shou smiled slightly, then bowed and said, "Grand Secretary, Junior Secretary, and colleagues, are you here to listen to my lecture? For the sake of Zheng Rong's progress, and to let everyone review what they have learned, Jiuzhang Hall will have practice classes in the afternoon, and will not cover any new content. And..."
Zhang Shou was too lazy to say the rest. Besides Xu Heida, who regularly came to his place to audit the class and even asked for the textbooks to study on his own, you science scumbags who look down on mathematics, even if you stand on this day, can you understand?
Although Zhang Shou did not say it explicitly, Luo Siye still thought of the embarrassing scene when Zhang Shou visited the Imperial College that night and was dizzy from being talked about by those proper nouns like "龟臑". So, he immediately coughed and said, "Doctor Zhang, there is news outside that the emperor is about to appoint the third prince as the crown prince of the Eastern Palace. In this case, it will be inappropriate for you to call him by his name in the future..."
Seeing that Zhang Shou disagreed, he didn't want to continue the topic, so he changed the subject: "Moreover, once the Third Prince enters the Eastern Palace, the Imperial College is located in the North City, and can be reached immediately from Bei'an Gate. There is no more suitable place for studying in the whole capital. However, the Crown Prince has always studied one-on-one. If he is in the same class with so many people, it would be inappropriate..."
This time, before he could finish his words, Zhang Shou said calmly, "As long as Zheng Rong is a student of Jiuzhang Hall, he will have to attend such a class. As a teacher, I can only treat all students equally. As for Shao Sicheng's comment that it is inappropriate for so many people to be in the same class, since Zheng Rong goes in and out of the Imperial College every day, doesn't it mean that we have to send people to clear the way in advance every day?"
"Will the Imperial College still be able to continue classes at that time?"
Luo Siye was speechless after being blocked by Zhang Shou. He was unwilling to let the crown prince be surrounded by a group of people who were not even serious scholars, but if the third prince, who would become the crown prince in the future, went in and out of the Imperial College every day, everyone from top to bottom would enjoy the glory, but they would also have to bear corresponding risks!
He couldn't help but glance at Zhou Jijiu, and saw that his brows were also twisted into a big knot. The other academic officials who had been full of enthusiasm just now were also conflicted at this moment. He made up his mind and simply nodded.
"Dr. Zhang, your concerns are very reasonable. The safety of the crown prince is indeed of vital importance. In this case, I will go back and write a letter to the Grand Secretary. The safety of His Royal Highness the crown prince is of great importance to the country. Please study hard in the palace."
At this point, he paused and looked at Zhang Shou with bright eyes: "Since Dr. Zhang believes that all students should be treated equally, then I think you will not give up other students for one student, right?"
Luo Siye had already said it so bluntly, how could Zhang Shou not understand what he meant?
Seeing that Zhou Jijiu's face was grim but he didn't say anything, while the other academic officials were either suddenly enlightened or gloating, he smiled calmly and said, "Of course I said I would treat everyone equally. Naturally, I will not change my original intention just because Zheng Rong of Jiuzhang Hall is about to be promoted to the crown prince."
Facing Zhang Shou's frank answer, Luo Siye immediately turned around and shouted to the academic officials, "What time is it now? Don't you all have nothing to do? Everyone, return to your positions and don't violate the rules of the Imperial College!"
As Shao Sicheng, he still had a lot of prestige. After he said this, the school officials dispersed. But he did not leave. Only when Zhou Jijiu was left did he slowly walk up to Zhang Shou and said earnestly: "Dr. Zhang, I'm not forcing you. Between the Guozi Doctor and the Prince's Teacher, the Jiuzhang Hall student and the Prince, you have to choose one side. To be honest, I hope you choose the Prince."
Luo Siye's words were like a sudden turn of events. Not to mention others, even Zhou Jijiu was a little surprised.
Zhang Shou was also slightly surprised, and then asked with a smile: "Why do you say that, Shao Sicheng? There are so many talented people in the world. When the Third Prince was just an idle prince, I taught him arithmetic, which was understandable. Now that he is the crown prince, why must I be the one to teach him?"
"Because you are a doctor of the Imperial College, you represent the Imperial College."
At this time, Zhou Jijiu also tasted the taste, and before Luo Siye could answer, he answered solemnly. Seeing Zhang Shou was silent, he said in a deep voice: "The reopening of Jiuzhang Hall was approved by the emperor himself. Even if you are not in the Imperial College, Jiuzhang Hall is still there. As for these students, you can leave them to Lu Sanlang to lead. He is very talented, you just need to teach him with your heart."
Seeing that Luo Siye and Zhou Jijiu were working together to urge him to leave Jiuzhang Hall and go to the palace to teach the third prince on behalf of the Imperial College, Zhang Shou felt that these high-ranking officials who had been immersed in the officialdom for many years were really clever and their minds were changeable, making it hard for people to keep up.
Of course, he roughly understood what the two meant, and said firmly: "Thank you for the reminder from the Grand Master and Junior Master, but since I personally recruited these two groups of students, I will not abandon them."
"As a teacher, if you can't treat everyone equally , then what is the virtue of teaching and answering questions? Moreover, when my mentor, Grand Master Ge, accepted me as his disciple, he hoped that I could carry forward mathematics and even gave me the courtesy name Jiuzhang. If he knew that I abandoned Jiuzhang Hall in order to become the future prince's teacher, he would be so angry that he would kick me out of the sect!"
Most of the students in Jiuzhang Hall who pricked up their ears could hear the conversation of the people outside clearly. When they first heard Luo Siye said that he would separate the third prince for a separate lesson, they couldn't help but feel a little worried. When they heard Luo Siye dismiss everyone and persuade Zhang Shou to leave Jiuzhang Hall and become the prince's teacher, their feelings were even more complicated.
They also hoped that Zhang Shou would go to the palace to be the prince's teacher so that he could give them greater support in the future. But they were also afraid that after Zhang Shou rose to a high position, he would completely forget about them, his insignificant students.
Therefore, when Zhang Shou expressed in a resolute attitude that he would not abandon Jiuzhang Hall, everyone found it simply unbelievable.
Even Ji Jiu, who had been hinted by Zhang Shou to maintain order in the hall, couldn't help but ask himself. He felt that he would never give up the glory that was within his grasp and continue to stay in Jiuzhang Hall to lead a group of students with uncertain futures.
You know, Luo Siye came up with a very good idea, which was to let Lu Sanlang substitute for the class - it was not like Lu Sanlang had never substituted for the class before, and this fat senior whom he once looked down upon was really gifted and fully capable of doing the job!
Luo Siye had only said some righteous words after deliberately dismissing the school officials. It was a pleasant surprise that Zhou Jijiu knew how to join in. As for whether Zhang Shou agreed or not, it was completely unimportant to him.
If he agreed, Zhang Shou would be sorry for the students of Jiuzhang Hall; if he didn't agree, the Third Prince would definitely feel resentful. On the other hand, he stood on the side of the Imperial College and the court, and no one could find fault with him. He could also reverse some of the bad influence of his previous excessive words.
Therefore, since Zhang Shou refused, it was natural for him to persuade him a few more times, express his regret a few words, and finally pull Zhou Jijiu away with him.
After the two of them left, Zhang Shou leisurely returned to Jiuzhang Hall. As soon as he entered, he saw everyone's heads turning towards him. Fortunately, it was daytime, if it was late at night, it would have been like a horror movie.
Facing those pairs of eyes, he said with a smile: "Did you hear what I just said? Don't be so self-indulgent. I am not just doing this for you. The former Third Prince Zheng Rong has become the Crown Prince. Whether the Jiuzhang Hall is located in the Imperial College or moved to the Outer City Public School, it will be very difficult for him to come to class again. Moreover, the traditional rule is that the Crown Prince has a companion, but the Crown Prince has no classmates."
Zhang Shou's last words immediately shut up several students who wanted to speak. After a long while, Ji Jiu muttered to himself, "But the Third Prince...he clearly said before that he really hopes to stay in Jiuzhang Hall."
Seeing that this remark resonated with many people, the students' faces all showed extremely complicated expressions. Zhang Shou sighed inwardly, and then said nonchalantly: "In fact, the compromise proposed by Luo Siye just now only needs to be slightly modified. For example, I will teach you in the morning, and go to the palace to teach him for an hour in the afternoon. That's it."
"As for whether one hour is enough, that is not a problem."
Zhang Shou smiled nonchalantly and said, "Just now I mentioned the prince's companion study. Then, the East Palace only needs to add a few companion studies with good level. For example, your Senior Brother Lu can be responsible for giving lessons and making up for the progress. For example, the best among you, because your progress has always been the same as Zheng Rong's."
At this point, he paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course, the latter kind of companion may not be just one person, nor may it be several people. You can take turns. But there is only one prerequisite, that is, you must work hard enough and be good enough. You should know that although Zheng Rong is young, his talent, intelligence, hard work and diligence are all first-class! Don't lose to him!"
It's actually possible!
At this moment, the whole classroom was shocked, and then ecstatic. Including Ji Jiu, who was a little dazed just now. If it weren't for the fact that people these days are full of restraint, someone would definitely say "Long live the teacher" at this moment. And even if there was no one, there would be cheers everywhere in an instant. It was only after Ji Jiu stood up to maintain order that everyone quieted down.
"Okay, it's time for a break. Let's continue working on the questions. I'll take this opportunity to write a memorial and submit it directly. It would be best if it can catch up with the memorials of the Grand Secretary and the Junior Secretary. If it's late, I won't be able to speak."
Although the questions Zhang Shou had assigned were many, difficult and maddening, the students in the classroom calmed down unconsciously when they saw the young teacher spreading paper on the podium, grinding ink and then calmly dipping the ink into writing. For a moment, the huge Jiuzhang Hall was filled with the sound of quiet writing, as if even the sound of breathing had stopped.
When Xu Heizi from Shengqian Hall quietly came to the door of Jiuzhang Hall, what he saw was the scene of teacher and students concentrating on their studies. He could not help but stop for a long time, then sighed in his heart that this was the demeanor of a gentleman, and left quietly.
Less than an hour after the dispute at the Imperial College, Chu Kuan in the Imperial Household Department had already learned that Luo Siye, Zhou Jijiu and a large number of academic officials had gone to look for Zhang Shou. Hearing Zhang Shou's statement in front of others, he could not help but raise his opinion of Zhang Shou again, but when he thought of the emperor's arbitrary and reckless behavior, he felt helpless.
Then, he suddenly thought of something and asked, "Before, Lü Chan went to wait for the emperor and the fourth prince to return to the palace, but the emperor has been back for so long, and the fourth prince even went to the Imperial College and came back with the third prince. Why is he still not seen?"
The young eunuch beside him was also shocked by the many changes in this day. He was stunned when he heard this, and then he slapped his forehead and said, "Yes, why hasn't Eunuch Lu come back yet!"
Maybe he was delayed by something? But he should have sent someone to inform him!
The more Chu Kuan thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. At this moment, he heard Lu Chan's voice coming from outside. But there was something wrong with that voice, and the words he said startled him: "Eunuch Chu, the emperor is here."
