Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 669: Responsibility for Justice
If the Crown Prince and those lecturers in the East Palace don’t come out...they will really never be able to come out!
Outside the Imperial College Archway, facing the increasing number of people, Hua Qi, who was hiding in a big tree, couldn't help but frown. On the one hand, he wondered if he had sent too few people, and on the other hand, he was worried that the Third Prince and his party had not yet come out of the Imperial College. He didn't expect those vendors to be so active. It seemed that only two quarters of an hour had passed.
When word spreads from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred, how many people will come to watch the fun?
Glancing at the many candidates who were gathered in front of the eight-character wall to look at the yellow list and comment on it, he knew very well that this was because after the provincial examination list was announced, candidates with rich family backgrounds and quick actions had already arrived in the capital. Of course, it was not ruled out that there were old candidates who lived in the capital and only wanted to get into No. 1 Middle School.
He took a deep breath, then quietly jumped down to the ground, bypassed the wall with the yellow notice, and finally came to a deserted place, and climbed over it without any effort. But when he walked around like a leisurely stroll, and finally bumped into Zhang Shou and his group in front of the Doctoral Hall, he found that Zhang Shou and the other lecturers were still there, but the third prince was gone.
Seeing that everyone had a subtle look on their faces, Hua Qi stepped forward and said, "There are already many people swarming outside the gate. If Your Highness the Crown Prince and the others don't return to the palace, the outer palace will be overcrowded, and I'm afraid more soldiers will have to be dispatched to escort you. That will be troublesome."
As soon as he said this, he heard the voice of the naughty child: "Someone from the Imperial College just reported that there are a lot of people outside. The third prince doesn't want to disturb the people by clearing the streets for him, so he has been escorted back first. If he is not here, I will lead everyone out through the main gate. Anyway, as long as I tell them my identity, others will definitely leave in disappointment!"
When the Fourth Prince saw Hua Qi looking at him in astonishment, he immediately raised his head and puffed out his chest proudly and said, "As a younger brother, of course I should share my elder brother's worries. This is what brotherly love and respect mean. Commander Hua, don't you think so?"
Hearing the Fourth Prince specifically point out his identity, Hua Qi couldn't help but feel a little stiff on his face. Was this a revenge for him quietly waking up the naughty child last night, and the other party agreed to it on the surface, but then secretly planned it? He saw that Ah Liu was not beside Zhang Shou, and he didn't know what the reason was.
It doesn't matter if the Fourth Prince is making trouble, but the Third Prince, the Crown Prince, has to listen! Moreover, with so many academic officials present, is there no one who wants to persuade His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? Moreover, if the people blocking the way knew that the Third Prince had left quietly, it would be difficult to predict how they would react.
Hua Qi looked past Zhang Shou and looked at the others one by one. He saw two distinct groups of people in the East Palace lecturers. The head of the Hanlin Academy, Mr. Meng, looked very calm, with an expression that said, "I don't understand what the Fourth Prince is talking about at all." The three heads of the common people were chatting and laughing. So, he could only hope that Zhang Shou would give him an explanation.
Zhang Shou did not disappoint him, and said with a smile: "A Liu received a token of the Eastern Palace Guard from the Emperor, so since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ordered him to do so, he naturally had to obey. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also said that it was the time when all the candidates gathered in the capital, and although the lectures had been given one by one in the Imperial Lecture Hall and the Imperial Academy, many people were unable to listen."
"In this case, the essays that were ranked high in this examination and reviewed by the lecturers of the Eastern Palace should be compiled and printed one by one, so that people can know what questions are asked in this examination and what is the emphasis."
After the results of the spring examinations were announced, someone would compile a list of successful candidates, and even try to get their examination papers and even their palace examination essays, and publish them in a collection for reference by the vast number of scholars who were interested in the imperial examinations. And now the Third Prince was planning to follow suit, and Hua Qi was secretly shocked.
It's only been a few days since the Third Prince became the Crown Prince, and he's already so opinionated?
He wondered in his mind whether it was Zhang Shou's instigation, but in the end he did not ask or question. He just stepped aside and made way. He saw the Fourth Prince walking out with a group of lecturers in a heroic and high-spirited manner, with the aura of a grown-up naughty child.
However, he found that the academic officials of the Imperial College did not even have anyone to see him off, and he did not see any students when he came in before. He did not know whether he had been hit too hard and had forgotten the etiquette. He planned to follow the famous saying of Emperor Taizu: either explode in silence or perish in silence. He could not help but make a note of the teachers and students here in his heart.
Although the Fourth Prince and a group of lecturers were walking in front, Hua Qi, who was originally following behind, was much faster than them and actually climbed over the wall again. He thought he was going to gather people, but he didn't expect that the guards of the Ruiqi Battalion had already arrived.
Fortunately, although there were many scholars who came after hearing the news, at least it was not as chaotic as the scene when the students gathered to see the list before. In addition, there were the imperial attendants on the wall to suppress the situation, and when the guards of the Sharp Cavalry Battalion escorted several carriages over on the other side, most of the scholars who came to watch after hearing the news obediently retreated to the back.
The Fourth Prince breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that he did not need to reveal his identity. However, just as he approached the carriage with his head held high, he heard someone in the crowd suddenly shout .
"Your Highness, may I ask that if the servants of the Eastern Palace are only selected from the students of the Imperial Academy, where will the candidates who have studied hard and taken many exams be placed?"
The fourth prince, who was about to get on the carriage, was stunned for a moment, then turned around and shouted angrily: "First of all, I am not the third brother of the crown prince! Secondly, it is not only the juren who study hard and take the imperial examinations, but also the tongsheng and xiucai! And finally, the East Palace attendant is not an official career, and even the East Palace attendant, except for Lu Gaoyuan who has indeed made great contributions, has no actual rank!"
The fourth prince's clear voice suppressed the questioning, but in a moment, there was a small commotion in the crowd again, as if his words did not convince others.
However, before he could come up with another excuse, a voice that he was all too familiar with came from the carriage in front of him: "Fourth brother, you step back."
The Fourth Prince originally thought that just like last time, Ah Liu must have carried the Third Prince back to the palace. He never expected that the person was in the carriage in front of him that he had not had time to get on!
His heart was filled with doubt, but he still kept his mouth shut as ordered. However, he was very curious about what the third prince would say.
"Someone just asked, the attendants of the Eastern Palace are only selected from the Imperial College, so where does that put the candidates from all over the country?"
After repeating the question, the third prince in the carriage said word by word: "I still remember that during the time of Emperor Taizu, in addition to the tribute academy, donation academy, and regular academy, the Imperial College often accepted failed candidates. Even those who passed the imperial examination but were too young were often personally assigned by Emperor Taizu to study in the Imperial College. At that time, everyone in the Imperial College was proud to be admitted."
"It's not like now, when the title of Jiansheng has declined, and when people hear that Jiansheng can only serve as attendants in the Eastern Palace, they are actually so indignant!"
Faced with such a sharp retort, the person who had just spoken in the crowd suddenly blushed.
In addition, after his earth-shattering shout, he noticed that many people were looking at him, some of whom recognized him. Thinking that he might be targeted later, he dared not speak rashly anymore.
After citing the examples of the past, the Third Prince said in a deep voice, "The length of time that students study in the Imperial Academy varies. Those who are sent to the Imperial Academy because of grace, those who are sent to the Imperial Academy because of the death of their elders, and those who are selected as the second place in the provincial examinations, usually study for six months. Those who donate money to study often do not actually study, and the length of time for others is also different. Only those who are sent to the Imperial Academy according to the example of the county school, can study for three years."
"But now it seems that the students of the Engong and other backgrounds can't actually learn anything in half a year in prison, so I plan to report to my father that no matter what your background is, you need to be in prison for three years to finally be called a student. If you want to go to the Ministry of Personnel for the selection as a student as soon as possible, you can be promoted all the way to the Ratexing Hall, and then you can be released from prison if you are among the top!"
"As for the fact that a Juren wants to become an attendant of the Eastern Palace, that's even easier. If a Juren who is on the second place list of the provincial examination why can't a Juren who is on the top place list of the provincial examination enter the Imperial Academy to study? As long as you are confident that you can surpass most people in the Imperial Academy, the door to the Eastern Palace will naturally open to you!"
"But if you pass the imperial examination next year, and then stay in the academy as a scholar, and after the academy is dismissed, you are selected as a lecturer in the Eastern Palace because of your profound knowledge and brilliant writing, and become my teacher, isn't this more glorious than being a mere tutor in the Eastern Palace? After ten years of hard study, shouldn't you have ambitions to rule the world? How can you just think about being a mere tutor?"
Zhang Shou hid behind the other lecturers leisurely, squinting his eyes slightly. He was not too surprised that the third prince suddenly appeared in the carriage outside.
After all, there are no bulletproof cars these days, but at least there are carriages that can protect against arrows. Once the door is closed at a critical moment, unless you have extraordinary strength, it is impossible to break the defense. Ah Liu did not quietly send the third prince out of the Imperial College, but sent him to this carriage. This is the most correct approach. Otherwise, would he carry the third prince directly to Bei'an Gate and then walk back to Ciqing Palace on his own two feet?
Of course, I don’t know whether it was the third prince’s idea or Ah Liu’s own decision.
However, it was very rare for the Third Prince to be so organized at this time. He suddenly became the Crown Prince and had to face a very heavy workload. Besides such workload, he not only had to accept the Emperor's teachings, but he also had to squeeze out time to think. It can be said that even the Emperor who chose the Third Prince underestimated that little child at the beginning.
Of course he was too. How could he have imagined that the shy child would transform so much?
However, the Third Prince was still young after all. Even if he performed very well, it would take another five or six years for the Emperor to really become suspicious of such a prince. Therefore, he was not too worried that something unspeakable would happen.
So, after the Third Prince said those words, no one in the crowd raised any more questions, and the Fourth Prince was also pulled onto the carriage. He waited until everyone else got on the carriage one by one, then he examined the gathered students and got on the last carriage.
But once he was seated, he found that the person in the car with him was actually the headmaster Yue of Zhaoming Academy. Because his family had a son, Fang Qing, who was also a candidate for the imperial examination from Zhaoming Academy, he and the headmaster Yue had a small feud.
However, that was a trivial matter not worth mentioning, so the two of them had been colleagues for several days, and even though their relationship was not close, it was quite harmonious - but the biggest reason for this harmony was that the lecturers in the Eastern Palace all gave lectures separately, and he and Shanchang Yue hardly ever met each other on weekdays!
Therefore, during the rare trip together, Yue Shanzhang was happy to show his goodwill and told some jokes that were popular among scholars, but they did not involve any politics, personnel or conflicts. Zhang Shou was also happy to listen to the daily life of ordinary scholars in this era. He not only listened with interest, but also asked some questions from time to time.
The Imperial College was very close to the Bei'an Gate of the Imperial City, so the two did not talk for too long before the carriage finally stopped. Today was not the day for Zhang Shou or Yue Shanchang to give lectures, so the two got off the carriage and watched the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince and Xiao Shanchang enter the palace. Seeing that most of the others had said hello and gone back to their own places, and there were no outsiders, Yue Shanchang smiled.
"Master Zhang, you are young, but you not only have your own ideas, but also have many wonderful thoughts. In the past, everyone said that it was Master Ge who had a keen eye for talent. But forgive me for being so presumptuous, you must have other teachers, right?"
Many people have had such doubts, but Ge Yong once clearly expressed in front of Zhang Shou that he didn't care, didn't matter, and was willing to trust and tolerate him. The emperor did the same. Therefore, this was the first time that Zhang Shou met someone like Yue Shanchang who asked such clear questions.
He didn't evade the topic, but raised the corner of his mouth and said calmly: "Yes, I do have teachers, not just one, but many."
Even though the more he interacted with Zhang Shou, the more he saw the endless strange ideas of people, Yue Shanzhang actually did not expect to get a positive answer from Zhang Shou. Therefore, he originally planned to make a harmless joke after Zhang Shou denied it, but he did not expect Zhang Shou to admit that he not only had another teacher, but also many!
However, he was not a young man like Fang Qing. After a moment of shock, he came to his senses and said with a smile, "Dr. Zhang is really a man who never shows his true colors. In fact, compared with Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Guangdong is more convenient for going out to the South Seas and the West. Not to mention the South Seas, where the local barbarian kings are extremely ignorant, but although the Western countries are ignorant, they have many special doctrines, which are similar to what Mr. Zhang is good at."
"The ships that went out to sea often brought back some Western monks who were similar to the Indian monks of the past. They knew a lot of strange things, and sometimes there were many people who wanted to go to the East to seek wealth. The fleets of the Guangdong big families would also bring some books. Among them, a branch of the Guangdong Song family directly used the ship as their home. There were even rumors that they also did business without capital..."
Zhang Shou couldn't help but think as he listened to the seemingly casual conversation of Yue Shanzhang, talking about the affairs of various families in Guangdong, mixed with some theories or books from the West. In other words, maybe there was a pirate king in Mr. Song's family?
