Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 595: The Fruit Ripes
In Zhu Ying's view, no matter that the third prince would become the crown prince or the emperor in the future, at this moment, he was her younger brother, and a child who would be confused, bewildered, would smile shyly, would be shy from time to time, and who needed her care.
In Zhang Shou's opinion, the third prince was growing at a very fast pace, but it was obvious that this growth was forced by the emperor.
However, although the emperor did not push his son like some tiger fathers in later generations, and his methods were quite gentle, he still seemed to be forcing things to happen. He did not think that the third prince would be happy after finding out.
To be honest, even an outsider like him who disliked and even hated the eldest and second princes felt that the emperor was too partial. If the emperor had had one tenth of the love , he probably wouldn't have let the brothers grow up to be so crooked. However, even though he thought so, he had no intention of standing up for the two.
Moreover, even if Zhu Ying did not leave the palace immediately after the imperial lecture ended that day, Zhang Shou would not have been able to learn from her the inside story of the father and son peacemaker today. But based on his understanding of the emperor and the third prince, he always felt that the father and son seemed to be acting in a double act.
Compared to the emperor's super natural acting, the third prince obviously hasn't adapted to the role yet, and he was even a little shy when he dragged others into the water. But although he had such a guess as a bystander, he couldn't help but think otherwise.
Especially the three brothers of Ye Mengqiu, who were extremely terrified after being summoned to the palace today. Since they left Wenhua Palace, they have been apologizing to him nervously - no matter who was sincere and who was fake, all four of them were worried about him.
"Doctor Zhang, it was for those of us who have been trying so hard to find a mathematical book that he proposed to set up mathematical academies in various places to lend books, but he didn't expect that he would be targeted by Master Kong. In the end, it's all our fault. Back then, it was us who barged into Mr. Lu's coming-of-age ceremony and said hurtful things to him. Doctor Zhang, not only did you let bygones be bygones, you also helped us!"
"Alas, although the emperor supported it, it could not withstand the fierce opposition led by Academician Kong. In the end, it was the Third Prince who came out to mediate... But the Third Prince failed to stick to it and instead dragged in the likes of Chief Yue and others to change the Calculation Hall into the Miscellaneous Scripture Hall. It's such a pity!"
Hearing Ye Mengqiu say this, Lu Sanlang couldn't help but complain a few words, especially about the attitude of the Third Prince, which he couldn't understand. Usually, he didn't see the Third Prince so interested in other subjects, so why did he suddenly come up with such a muddy idea?
He was clearly Zhang Shou's student, and he always admired and respected him. Why did the Third Prince change his attitude today? Who influenced him? Will it affect the future of Jiuzhang Hall? Will it affect the group of tutors who came from Jiuzhang Hall?
"Well, the Third Prince is of the same lineage as the Emperor and has a far-sighted vision. As for the Mathematical Academy, it will be there one day."
Zhang Shou gave Lu Sanlang a look, and seeing that the little fat boy immediately showed a well-behaved and sensible expression, regardless of whether he understood or not, he also tried to comfort Ye Mengqiu and others. When the round-faced boy hesitantly asked whether he could go to Jiuzhang Hall to listen in on the class in the future, he immediately smiled.
"What a coincidence. Jiuzhangtang had an auditor before. It was none other than the Fourth Prince. But his status was different, so he only came for a few days. Later, the Third Prince took over as the teacher in the palace. But I have said before that the students admitted by Jiuzhangtang are admitted through examinations after all, and auditors are auditors. Even when the Fourth Prince came to audit, he also helped with some work."
The three older middle-aged men behind Ye Mengqiu couldn't help but be stunned, but the round-faced boy nodded as a matter of course: "I wonder what the auditors are going to do?"
Seeing this little guy with a face rounder than his own actually going out like this, Lu Sanlang immediately smiled and said, "Of course the teacher won't ask you to do any other physical work. In Jiuzhang Hall, when the teacher is giving lectures, there are often all kinds of blackboard writing. It is common to write on more than a dozen blackboards in one class, so the biggest job is to wipe the blackboard."
If it had happened in the past, Ye Mengqiu and his three fellow disciples would have had no idea what wiping the blackboard meant. However, after witnessing Zhang Shou's flamboyant manner during Lu Sanlang's coming-of-age ceremony last time, they had gained a deep understanding of the situation.
Thinking of Zhang Shou solving four problems and filling more than a dozen blackboards with his hand, it is likely that he would have done more rather than less in the regular class. Ye Mengqiu couldn't help but say with some shame: "So this is what you do. Dr. Zhang is a teacher who deserves his reputation. Since we are here to attend the class, we should do what we can. I'm the youngest, so I'll do it when the time comes!"
Lu Sanlang immediately glanced at the man with sympathy.
Although the Fourth Prince stopped coming to Jiuzhang Hall after attending classes for a while, it seems that this is because the Third Prince is teaching in the palace, but the most important reason is that the progress is too fast and he can't ask questions casually, so he can't keep up. But there is another big reason, that is, he is afraid of erasing the blackboard! Even if the blackboard is polished by a carpenter, it is not smooth. It is easy to write on it but difficult to erase it!
Not to mention the Fourth Prince, even he, after wiping the blackboard several times, no longer wanted to do it again!
Zhang Shou looked at Ye Mengqiu's three senior brothers with a smile, as if they had just woken up from a dream. He quickly rushed to express his willingness to help. He had no objection to Ye Mengqiu's request to sit in on the meeting. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief with satisfaction.
After all, these brothers are not the technical bureaucrats in the Imperial Observatory. They are not very good, but they are the best at fighting with others. These people may also have a strong desire for fame and fortune, but at least they have a sincere heart to learn!
Zhang Shou, who had just angrily confronted Academician Kong again in Wenhua Hall, returned to Jiuzhang Hall leisurely after leaving the palace - and in addition to Lu Sanlang, four new auditors followed closely behind.
However, after he went to the Doctoral Hall to say hello to Zhou Jijiu and Luo Siye - saying that he had brought four auditors with him - and then went out to Jiuzhang Hall, after seeing the crowded room, he discovered an embarrassing fact.
In the past, it was not a big deal to have people auditing the class. Qi Liang brought a group of students to Xuan University, and there were two other groups of people checking accounts in the Ministry of Revenue and Guanglu Temple. Among the first batch of students in Jiuzhang Hall, most of the time, Lu Sanlang was the only one who was free and could substitute for him.
But now, everyone has returned. During the previous days of rest, not all the people came here, but today everyone is obviously here. As a result, this huge place is packed, and students from two classes even have to squeeze together for class!
It was not until this moment that he realized why the two heads of the Imperial College had such subtle expressions when they saw him. It was obvious that on the one hand, they were laughing at him, but on the other hand, they were afraid that he would repeat his old tune.
There is no room to accommodate two classes of students. If we don’t consider relocation, how are we going to recruit new students next September?
Just at this moment, he saw Lu Sanlang beside him saying with a smile on his face: "Teacher, since Senior Brother Qi and the others came back, there are more people in Jiuzhang Hall. I urgently ordered people to prepare a lot of desks and chairs. Although it is a bit crowded, everyone can finally sit down. It's rare that everyone is here, so let's have a class."
Are you helping or sabotaging me, little fat boy? The progress of the first and second phases is completely different. How can I teach?
But Zhang Shou swallowed the words back. The first batch of students of Jiuzhangtang started traveling far and wide after a few months of classes. After all, Jiuzhangtang was just established at that time, and no one knew what the future would be like.
Considering the future of these students, he naturally sent them to wherever there was an opportunity, hoping that they could have more opportunities to train.
If we really have to talk about progress, we can say that the difference between these senior brothers and their younger brothers is actually not that big!
Lu Sanlang, who has a strong ability to learn independently and has no time to go to Ge Yong to show his courtesy and learn secretly, is not considered a normal student. He can be a substitute teacher for the younger juniors of the second period, and can teach the talented third prince in the palace!
Zhang Shou thought for a moment, and then saw Ye Mengqiu and his four fellow apprentices hiding quietly in the corner, intending to stand and listen. He walked to the podium thoughtfully, and then said calmly: "I once talked about a few problems in the Ji Gu Suan Jing at Lu Gaoyuan's coming-of-age ceremony. The key points of some of the problems are cubic equations that are not even mentioned in the Ge's New Compilation of Mathematics."
Although Ye Mengqiu and others felt uncomfortable with the term cubic equation, they gradually accepted it.
As for the many students in Jiuzhang Hall, most of them can only solve various linear equations and quadratic equations. Therefore, when Zhang Shou began to demonstrate the derivation process of the general solution of cubic equations, the audience was naturally silent.
When Zhou Jijiu and Luo Siye, who had quietly come to watch the fun and observe the situation, stood outside the door, they saw that the Jiuzhang Hall was filled with students, and there were four people standing in the back who were listening attentively.
In the huge classroom, one could only hear Zhang Shou's rustling voice as he explained without turning his head. The students were either writing furiously or frowning in deep thought, trying to accept and understand... At least as far as the Grand and Junior Directors of the Imperial College could see, no one was distracted. If they occasionally saw people whispering to each other, they were just discussing issues with each other.
Such a classroom scene is not seen every day, even in Shuxing Hall, where students have the best quality!
Precisely because the students in Ratexing Hall have always been the best, their vision is of course the highest. The general teaching assistants in the Imperial College teach by rote and are unremarkable, let alone get any response. For many students of Ratexing Hall, it is a great honor for them to be able to attend. Even if they do attend, they often just bury their heads in their own work.
That is to say, when great scholars who truly have unique insights in academics, or even have a long-standing reputation outside, are invited to give lectures in the Imperial College, the students in the Ratexing Hall will pay considerable attention to them, but not everyone is convinced.
For example, everyone has their own ambitions. In the past, people like Zhu Tingfang, who was both civil and military and had a strong character, once questioned a certain arrogant scholar who treated everyone as chickens and pottery dogs when he was lecturing in the Imperial College. Afterwards, Zhu Tingfang became famous, but the arrogant scholar was completely ruined. Even the chief priest who invited him to teach stepped down in disgrace.
At this moment, Zhou Jijiu looked at the scene of the teacher and students of Jiuzhang Hall learning and learning from each other with a complicated expression. After a long time, he whispered: "This time the emperor summoned talents in astronomy and numerology to the capital. If they are all at the same level as the four brothers, I am afraid they will not be enough to fill Zhang Shou's teeth! Don't count on those who are not up to the standard."
Luo Siye didn't expect Zhou Jijiu to be so pessimistic. He was about to object, but when the words came to his lips, he finally sighed: "The world's mathematical talents will not wither to this extent, right?"
If Ye Mengqiu's four fellow disciples heard the conversation between the two, they would definitely despise their ignorance.
In terms of mathematics, in his opinion, Zhang Shou was probably better than his teacher, and not much inferior to Ge Yong. Although the four of them were not arrogant, they were also outstanding in the mathematics world of Kinki. Since they could not stump Zhang Shou, the others would probably just be useless!
Since they didn't see the scene of the seniors and juniors being hostile and wary of each other as they imagined, but instead saw a scene of them concentrating on learning, Zhou Jijiu and Luo Siye naturally didn't bother to continue watching here, and left quietly the same way they came. As they left, Xu Heida, who had been watching from afar, appeared.
Looking at the two people who followed the emperor's order to rectify the style of study, but ended up going back to the old path of oppression, he suddenly sighed softly and remembered what the man said when he came to lobby him. Even if he was the chief inspector of the Rope Penalty Hall, he could not stop his low rank. There were too many people in the Imperial College, from the academic officials to the students, who did not take him seriously. It was a joke to want to turn the tide.
Unless the emperor dismissed all the academic officials in the Imperial College and replaced the students with a new batch, the Imperial College would have been rotten to the core.
When Zhou Jijiu and Luo Siye quietly returned to the Doctor's Hall, intending to endure this boring day as usual, before sunset, they received a piece of news that shocked them. Rumor has it in the Imperial College that they had just joined forces to force Zhang Shou to promise not to recruit new students to Jiuzhang Hall next year. The reason was also very high-sounding: if there were more people, Jiuzhang Hall would not be able to accommodate them.
After all his persuasion failed, Zhang Shou angrily proposed that if that were the case, he would move Jiuzhang Hall to the public school!
Zhou Jijiu and Luo Siye knew that they had not entered Jiuzhang Hall and had not spoken to Zhang Shou, so there was no so-called debate at all. However, a similar debate had already broken out not long ago. Although the dispute seemed to be temporarily shelved because the Third Prince, as the future Crown Prince, no longer came to Jiuzhang Hall, none of them would forget it.
Could it be that Zhang Shou's next move after confronting Grand Secretary Kong in Wenhua Hall today was the re-emergence of the old matter? If that was the case, they would have no choice but to bear it!
