Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 697: Hardship Education
Before the great cause was accomplished, the Fourth Prince, who sneaked away while standing in the corner as punishment, was exposed first. Although Lu Sanlang, who was teaching the class, had no time to pay attention to what was happening outside, there was Ah Liu, who was always able to keep an eye on everything. When the class was over and Lu Sanlang went outside with a stern face, Ah Liu, who followed him out, bluntly revealed the Fourth Prince's sneaking away.
Lu Sanlang, who had scolded the boy harshly before, glanced at the naughty boy calmly, but this time he ran away without saying a word. Seeing this, the Fourth Prince couldn't help but chase after him, and then said carefully: "Brother Lu, I didn't do anything . I just asked Xiao Huasheng what else a scholar can do besides being an official."
"As a result, I was very inspired when I heard him relay the teacher's words..."
Before the Fourth Prince could finish his words, Lu Sanlang interrupted him and said, "Zheng Yan, whether you want to change your ways or make up your mind, that's your business. You don't need to express your determination to me or the teacher. You just complained that the content of my lecture was superficial, so you didn't want to listen. Yes, my lecture was superficial, but these kids can still recognize a few words and know how to count, which is not easy."
"You have to know that there are many people in this world who can't even count. Once they reach the end of their ten fingers, they don't know how to continue counting. There are many such people in the world. Whether they pay taxes or trade, they rely on others to tell them. They don't have any chance to argue because they don't understand at all."
"Can you imagine that many people in this world don't know why they were born, why they live, and why they die? Humans are not plants, let alone animals. However, in this world, many people are just like plants, animals, struggling to survive. They are born ignorant and die ignorantly."
"I didn't think there was anything wrong with these things before, but since I heard from my teacher that one day, just like women can use better spinning wheels and looms to spin yarn and weave cloth, if many jobs that currently rely on human labor can be replaced by machines, what will that be like? When I think about this picture, and then think about the people in this world who can only work hard to survive, I feel bad."
After a long and serious speech that didn't seem like something that Lu Sanlang, who was known for his love of money, could say, Lu Sanlang paused. Seeing that the Fourth Prince was finally startled, he stopped silently. He didn't care about this naughty child and continued to walk slowly towards Zhang Shou's office.
Suddenly, he heard Ah Liu's flat voice from behind: "Do you really mean the great principles you just said to the Fourth Prince?"
"Of course it couldn't be more true!" Lu Sanlang answered seriously, but a figure suddenly appeared in front of him. It was Ah Liu who was following behind him and stood in front of him. He knew that he couldn't fool him easily.
So, he laughed it off, and then said with a smile: "Of course I agree with these ideas of the teacher, and I am willing to work hard for them. After all, just like this public school now, can the people trained by it all take the examinations for the scholar, the juren, and the jinshi? It may be possible to produce a scholar, and it may also be possible to produce a juren, but it is definitely impossible to produce a jinshi!"
"So where are these people going to go? Aren't they for me... ahem, for my teacher and my career? After all, if it weren't for these skilled typesetters joining us, how could my bookshop have dominated the capital? Besides, three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang. A literate craftsman can do much more than an illiterate craftsman!"
"Moreover, the clerk positions that have been passed down from generation to generation in the government should also be changed. Scholars have to take exams, and so do juren and jinshi. Officials are not born to be officials, but the clerk examinations are often just for show. How can this be acceptable?"
Lu Sanlang looked at Ah Liu earnestly, thinking that if Ah Liu could pass on these words to Zhang Shou, his goal would be achieved. However, the next moment, he was glared at by Ah Liu with contempt: "You are so long-winded."
Seeing Ah Liu turn around and leave, Lu Sanlang felt quite sad, as if he was throwing a wink at a blind man.
However, when he saw Ah Liu come to the Fourth Prince who was standing there in a daze and suddenly touched the back of his head, the Fourth Prince jumped suddenly as if his hair had exploded. When he saw clearly that it was Ah Liu, his angry expression turned into a smile. He chased after him and asked him something. He couldn't help but laugh again.
Alas, all those words he said to this big and small group of people were in vain. He finally managed to move even himself...
For the whole day, Zhang Shou irresponsibly threw the Fourth Prince into the intermediate class. However, compared to his initial absent-mindedness, he seemed .
This seriousness certainly did not mean listening to things that he had learned two years ago, but rather that he was carefully observing the status of these temporary classmates.
In his opinion, most people were very focused, but a few couldn't help yawning. When he asked Xiao Huasheng or Xiao Cheng after class, he got a complicated answer.
"Yawning is normal! Because some people have to finish seven days' work in six days, so that they can spare one day for classes. After all, not every family thinks it is a good thing for their children to attend public school for free. Besides, some families or clans will do their best to support a son of one of the branches, and others must unconditionally make way for this chosen person, and even pay money to support him."
"If there are families who are dissatisfied with this situation and send their children to public schools, then of course they will have to deal with all kinds of criticisms."
The Fourth Prince had always felt that he and his third brother were badly bullied by the First and Second Princes, but when he heard Peanut's nonchalant explanation, he suddenly felt that the misery in his eyes was actually not a big deal.
So, the fourth prince, who had received a series of simple but profound education throughout the day, sneaked into the public hall after all the students had left. Then, he scared Lu Wan and Liu Zhiyuan at the same time. Because the fourth prince intercepted Zhang Shou's carriage on the way, and then was taken to the intermediate class by Ah Liu as soon as he arrived at the public school, the two of them had no idea at all.
So, when they learned that they would have to stay in the public school until the emperor was satisfied, one shook his head and sighed, and the other thought it was ridiculous. However, seeing that Zhang Shou didn't even look at the Fourth Prince and asked directly about the election of the head of Banshan Hall, the two looked at each other, and Lu Wan said in a deep voice: "The head of the hall was selected, but no one won more than half, or... no one won more than one-third."
Zhang Shou couldn't help laughing at the result. "No result? It seems that they all realized the benefits of being the head of the dormitory, so they gathered people to support themselves. Yes, back then Zhang Chen was the tyrant in the capital, and Zhu Er relied on me to barely sit firmly. When Zhang Dakuo came, he was just the head of the dormitory after the division."
"Now Banshan Hall is divided into two. A small number of people stayed in the Imperial College and rejoined the six halls. Most of the people followed us, and they took the initiative to say that they would be divided into classes but not classes. This hall master seems to have a lot of weight. No wonder they are fighting for it."
At this point, Zhang Shou saw Lu Sanlang, who happened to sneak in at this time, smiling slyly, so he threw a task at him directly: "These guys have been tempered by all kinds of intrigues and fighting since childhood. There is no guarantee that they will do something shameful for a small monk. Gao Yuan, remember to keep an eye on them, or come out in person to give them a warning."
For anything that requires attention, it is absolutely right to ask Lu Sanlang. He did not dislike the heavy burden he had recently shouldered, nor did he use the excuse of being newlyweds to shirk the responsibility. Instead, he patted his chest and agreed without hesitation.
Lu Wan looked at his son, who seemed to have gained a lot of weight just a few days after his marriage. He felt happy and annoyed at the same time when he thought about how busy people were while his son's body was growing sideways. However, he did not say anything to interrupt.
The Fourth Prince, who had been standing obediently by the side, saw Zhang Shou start to pack up his things, as if preparing to go back, so he hurried over to help, but Zhang Shou directly pushed him to sit on his chair.
"Just sit still and I'll do it myself. Otherwise, I won't be able to find the things after you clean them up." Seeing that the Fourth Prince finally stopped moving, he asked calmly, "Do you want to go home with me tonight?"
The fourth prince wanted to jump up immediately, but Zhang Shou turned and glared at him. He quickly sat down and nodded vigorously, saying, "That's right, teacher, if you don't take me in, I will be homeless!"
"I do have a lot of empty rooms at home, but the wedding is coming soon and there are a lot of messy things to do. Most of the empty rooms have to be used to place tables for banquets, so it's inconvenient to move them around." Zhang Shou said this slowly. You don't need to look to know how disappointed and sad the Fourth Prince is. He changed the subject and said, "But the dormitory of Jiuzhang Hall is next to the public school. Xiao Cheng and Xiao Huasheng also live in the dormitory."
"If you don't mind the environment, you can live here."
Is this still possible? The negative emotions that the Fourth Prince had just felt disappeared immediately, and he was actually delighted: "Really? Can I live in this dormitory in the outer city?"
Liu Zhiyuan was about to object subconsciously , but was stopped by Lu Wan. The two old friends who had been partners in the past and were now partners again looked at each other, and Liu Zhiyuan saw Lu Wan shook his head at him. The upright old man Liu thought of his boss who was always cunning and wise, and hesitated for a moment, choosing to wait and see.
"Of course it's true." Zhang Shou didn't notice the little movements of Liu Zhiyuan and Lu Wan. Looking at the naughty child in front of him with his eyes rolling around, he knew that he must be thinking that this was definitely a good opportunity to use himself as bait.
However, he did not point out that the so-called bait was simply the Fourth Prince's overthinking. He continued leisurely, "Although the rent in the outer city is cheap, dormitories are still a scarce resource. There are no empty rooms here. The students of the Jiuzhang Hall are all four in a room, which is only slightly better than a large dormitory. Xiao Huasheng and Xiao Cheng are two in a room, and there are two empty beds."
"I'll go with Xiao Huasheng and Xiao Cheng!" The fourth prince made the decision without hesitation, and even had a heroic attitude, "I can take care of myself, teacher, you don't have to worry!"
You expect to be alone when you leave the palace? You don't know how many imperial attendants are chasing after you!
Zhang Shou thought so in his heart, but he would not point it out, and immediately called Ah Liu to find Xiao Huasheng. Now Xiao's old house is under the management for the time being, and Xiao Cheng's rental income is gone , so now he is taking free classes in the public school while continuing to work part-time as a manager in the dormitory. As for odd jobs, the students in the public school are managed according to the modern school duty system, and there is no need to hire people to clean the house.
Xiao Huasheng, the elder, became the one who helped Xiao Cheng. At this moment, he came here upon being summoned, and when he understood Zhang Shou's instructions, he was dumbfounded.
After a long while, he stammered, "Let the Fourth Prince live in the dormitory? Isn't this inappropriate?"
"What's inappropriate about it? I think it's great, and we can take care of each other!" The fourth prince was full of big words, "Besides, I can teach you the things you don't understand. Besides... I can also help you with your wish. Didn't I say it before? From now on, we will be a family!"
But I didn't expect you to become my family so soon! Peanut was so upset that he wanted to cry. Especially when he found out that Zhang Shou had obviously made up his mind, and the Fourth Prince was even more determined, he could only agree to it even if he secretly complained. At the same time, he was very glad that the room they had kept was relatively clean.
Of course, if the Fourth Prince runs away out of disgust, that would be a good thing!
When Zhang Shou asked Ah Liu to personally escort the Fourth Prince and Xiao Huasheng to the hut for settlement, and then return on horseback to catch up with him, he leisurely left the hall, called Han Lie and others, and got on the carriage to prepare for the return journey. However, not long after the carriage started, he heard someone outside seeming to knock on the wall. Before he could say anything, the curtain of the carriage swayed slightly, and there was another person in front of him.
Recognizing the person, Zhang Shou smiled and said, "I knew Mr. Hua Qi would be worried. Sure enough, you came."
Hua Qi sighed helplessly, "What can I do? I have to work hard, with a big mouth. But even I didn't expect you to be so careless and just throw the Fourth Prince in the dormitories. I thought you would definitely take the Fourth Prince home and give him instructions all the time."
"The Fourth Prince has heard a lot of teachings on a daily basis. The Emperor, the Empress Dowager, the Crown Prince, and many other teachers, who doesn't teach him the truth? Even if my teachings are relatively new, he will still get bored if I repeat them every day and every year. Besides, Lu Gaoyuan has already talked to him today. Instead of repeating the same old things, it's better to let him experience it for himself."
"I think this experience will be more memorable to him than the last time I took him and the Crown Prince to the field."
Hearing this, Hua Qi stood up, knowing that Zhang Shou's idea could not be changed. He had to admit that compared to bringing the Fourth Prince back to Zhang Garden to teach him day and night, Zhang Shou's current approach was simply a stroke of genius! As for the hardship of the naughty child, what was that?
