Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 749: Everything that can be said has been said by the teacher
When Qi Jingshan was the most powerful official in the past, he was the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, one of the Nine Ministers. Even though his importance in the court was not as great as that of the cabinet minister or the minister, his achievements were more in writing books rather than in being an official. In addition, he had a steady personality, or was highly respected. At this time, his words, which seemed to be the final word, immediately attracted the attention of more than one person.
So, even though he had just learned from Lu Wan and Liu Zhiyuan's joint visit a few days ago that the wedding banquet of his closed disciple had been arranged in this form by these two people, he was furious and scolded the two older juniors severely, but this did not prevent Old Master Ge from speaking up for Zhang Shou at this time.
Seeing that Qi Jingshan's words had caused quite a stir, he ignored Chu Ying who was glaring at him, and coughed heavily, saying, "Well, although Jiuzhang is young, he has always had the ambition to help the world, so some people say that he is a good teacher. I would like to ask, is he a bad teacher? Take the third generation of disciples of my Ge family, and they are all heroes!"
These words, which smacked of a bandit spirit, came from the mouth of Ge Yong, who was a master of both Confucianism and mathematics. Although some people disagreed with them and some secretly criticized them, no one confronted him to his face.
Such a stubborn and pretentious person will certainly not appear at Zhang Yuan’s wedding banquet today.
However, Ge Yong seemed not to notice Zhang Shou's slightly red face, and continued calmly: "He invited so many wise men from all walks of life to the wedding banquet today because he knew that you are all famous and it is rare for you to be in the capital now, so he invited you to gather together and planned to take advantage of this opportunity when all the candidates in the world also gathered in the capital to invite you to hold a few lectures."
This is undoubtedly what many people want. Although academies have sprung up in various places in recent years, and scenes of a hundred schools of thought contending with each other are commonplace, only a few top scholars in the world are qualified to give lectures across regions, and if you are not careful, you may be easily plotted against by your enemies.
Especially in a place like the capital where dignitaries gather, even the greatest literary reputation may not be able to match the power of the emperor. That is to say, sometimes when the cabinet officials are relatively open-minded, they will tacitly allow the Imperial College and other academic officials to invite famous scholars from all walks of life to give lectures. However, those who can have such an honor are still rare in the world.
Most of the time, the government is more inclined towards official schools, and even if it does not suppress private schools, it will not particularly promote them.
It's okay for those who are truly famous, but the most embarrassing thing is for those who are neither famous nor not famous, because even if you use all possible channels to hold a lecture, the number of people who come to listen may not be as many as those who organize it for you, or as many as your students and relatives and friends. In the end, your influence is even more pitiful, and you may even become a laughing stock.
Even though they had only thought of Zhang Shou as a young man who had not learned much before, if he could really organize this event, they had to be grateful, and they could no longer regard him as a junior. So, after a moment of silence, someone couldn't help but shout, "Grandmaster Ge, where is the place for this lecture? It won't be in the public school, right?"
"Why can't it be in the public school?" Ge Yong snorted and said coldly, "The public school's auditorium can accommodate more people, second only to the Imperial College. Of course, if you want to give lectures in the Imperial College, you can do so. My Jiuzhang doesn't bother to compete with the Imperial College. I think people who have many students all over the world still have some opportunities in the capital."
The three words "disdain" made Zhang Shou's mouth twitch. And when he saw that many people's faces became unusually subtle when they heard Ge Yong's meaningful words "have a way", he wanted to sigh even more.
The word "Beijing" means that it is not only difficult to live there, but the threshold of the Imperial College is even higher. In the past few decades, how many great scholars have given lectures? If ten fingers are not enough , adding toes will be enough... And how many people in the world are known as famous scholars, called Shanzhang, who have written books and taught people? If you have connections in the capital... If you really have connections, you would have become an official long ago!
Those who are only interested in teaching students but not willing to be officials... most of them cannot be officials. Didn't you see that the famous founder of Wang's School of Mind in history, Mr. Yangming, who once studied things to the point of forgetting himself, was also determined to make progress in the officialdom when he was young?
After all, scholars these days are concerned with self-cultivation, managing their families, governing the country and pacifying the world. Those who are tired of officialdom and retire to engage in education are the best among the celebrities. The reason why people like Yue Shanchang are disrespected by others is not because they have never been officials before, right?
As for him, who came from an unorthodox background but rose to power like a rocket, it was actually the same... The only difference was that he had too many and powerful backers!
Zhang Shou, who was obviously unaware of the situation, seemed to be transformed into an enlightened and wise academic leader after hearing what Ge Yong said. Therefore, Lu Sanlang, who was the only one who knew about the situation among Zhang Shou's students, was watching with great interest. However, he soon found that it was not easy for him to be a spectator.
Because, in order to improve his persuasiveness, Ge Yong directly turned the topic to him: "Look at my disciple Lu Gaoyuan. When he was in the capital, everyone scolded him as a playboy and an unlearned But what about now? Now he is the representative of the prodigal son who has returned to the right path as promised by the emperor. Not to mention him, the same goes for Zhang Dalang from the Duke of Qin!"
"What is learning? It's not just about writing books. Isn't applying knowledge to society also learning? Zhang Dalang's tour of Xingtai and Cangzhou has filled the stomachs of many people who were already starving. So, even if he knows nothing about mathematics, I am still very satisfied to have such a disciple!"
Zhang Chen was not qualified to sit at the main table today, and his father had gone to the Duke of Zhao's mansion to serve as the bride's host, so compared to Fatty Lu, he did not think he had the opportunity to show up in front of those so-called celebrities and wise men, and he did not care much.
However, Ge Yong praised him in public, and even though Young Master Zhang was always a proud person, he couldn't help but blush. Especially when the four people looked at him with envy and jealousy, he couldn't help but straighten his back, like a proud rooster.
Of course, he also thanked Ge Yong over and over again in his heart.
From childhood to adulthood, he has been praised more times than in just over a year! Moreover, the people who praise him now are no longer his mother who thinks everything about him is good, but big figures like the emperor or the Grand Tutor Ge Yong! Hey, so even if he got into trouble before and was severely beaten by his father, it was worth it!
After specifically praising Lu Sanlang and Zhang Chen, Ge Yong did not stop there. He also praised several noble children such as Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu, several poor children such as Deng Xiaodai and Qi Liang, and some students who studied and worked hard such as Yan Liang from Jiuzhang Hall, all of whom received his strong praise.
Therefore, while many people were shedding tears of gratitude to Grand Tutor Ge, they were also secretly grateful to Zhang Shou at the same time - if Zhang Shou had not often mentioned their students in front of Grand Tutor Ge, given Grand Tutor Ge's status, how could he remember their names?
However, facing the admiring gazes of his students, Zhang Shou looked calm on the outside, but he was completely confused in his heart.
He did praise his students in front of Ge Yong a lot - completely different from his strictness in front of them, but those were all praises accumulated over time, bit by bit. He never expected that a busy man like Ge Yong could remember them all, and he never expected that someone would say them at such a critical moment just to flatter him.
Others think that a teacher like him is the mentor that students dream of, but he feels that it is a great fortune to have a teacher like Ge Yong... Is there any teacher in the world who can think about what students think and worry about what students worry about like Ge Yong?
But Mr. Ge's performance today was far from over. He looked at the room full of so-called wise men with a look of disappointment on his face.
"Aren't most of you willing to educate and support the younger generation in your hometown? Then why can't you support the younger generation in the public school when you come to the capital? Do you look down on them?"
"The students in the public school are indeed polarized. Either they are the children of the rich and powerful in Banshan Hall, or the rest are the poor children who are not young but can't read, or they can only read a few words and have no other knowledge. Most of them are indeed not outstanding talents, but the reason why ordinary people are ordinary people is that they have no chance to come into contact with the wise men in the world."
"And if there are, who knows if there won't be one or two people who, because of the enlightening lectures of wise men from all sides, set high aspirations for a while, work hard, and eventually stand out and emerge as a butterfly?"
"I have already said before that Jiuzhang means that the lecture will be held in the auditorium of the public school. As for the audience, it will be the same as the lectures given by Principal Yue and others before, and will be more oriented towards candidates taking the exam. However, it does not mean that those who do not have the title of Juren will be excluded."
"Who can guarantee that those who have no achievements now and seem to be doing nothing will stand out and become famous in ten, twenty, or fifty years? Therefore, Jiuzhang is looking to the future. This time, we invite you to give lectures, and those who come to listen will still be the same as before, just like the lectures given by Yue Shanzhang and others. The listeners just need to register first."
"However, on the one hand, we aim to open up places for those who have a good academic background, such as the candidates and the students of the Imperial Academy. On the other hand, we also intend to open up places for those who have no academic background but have a positive attitude. Of course Those who come to listen for the sake of utilitarianism are definitely not welcome."
"As for the students of the public school, except for the Jiuzhang Hall and the Banshan Hall, all other students, regardless of which class they are in, can come and listen if they wish, but they can only stand outside the auditorium and listen, without taking up a seat. I think that this way no one will feel that my lectures are a waste of time, and that they are taking up your precious seats, right?"
At a glance, Ge Yong saw that most of the people at the main table had calm faces. He naturally understood why these people were so calm. Those who could sit at the same table with him were either highly respected, such as old friends like Chu Ying and Qi Jingshan, or they were once high-ranking officials, such as Lu Wan and Liu Zhiyuan. The remaining three were also the kind of people who would not easily express their opinions.
However, at the table further away, many people showed extremely excited expressions, and some even nodded to him gratefully, as if they couldn't wait to agree. But as to whether it was a false statement, only these people themselves knew.
Therefore, Master Ge immediately changed the subject and said, "Of course, if you find talented people during your lectures... you can choose them and teach them, leaving behind a good story!"
Although this last sentence sounded like a joke, many people couldn't help but look at Zhang Shou and others. When a student becomes a disciple, it is just like a teacher accepting a student. This requires fate. For example, Ge Yong and Zhang Shou, two people who are obviously not related at all, became a teacher and a student, right?
Moreover, Zhang Shou did a lot to make Ge Yong proud, and Ge Yong also protected Zhang Shou in front of others. This was a virtuous cycle. Zhang Shou accepted a large number of students, even though most of them were mediocre, but because there were a few outstanding ones like Lu Sanlang, and the current prince was extremely respectful to Zhang Shou, Zhang Shou became a famous teacher in the eyes of countless people outside!
If they could find one or two talented people among the common people in the capital, and take them in as students, they might be able to achieve something in the future! Not all the children of officials and nobles in the capital were valued by their families, and not all of them could have a relationship with Zhang Shou. Perhaps there were still people looking for opportunities.
Moreover, those talented people from humble backgrounds might be interested in their academic studies? Zhang Shou has set a good example of a noble son from a humble family!
Moreover, students admitted in the capital have a much better chance of success than those in the evil places of Nanzhili, Jiangxi and Zhejiang. Maybe Zhang Shou, who facilitated this matter, and even Ge Yong behind him, would be happy to see them increase their influence and provide some help in secret? If it wasn't for winning allies, why would Zhang Shou make such a suggestion, and why would Ge Yong support it so clearly? The most important thing is, what if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also comes to listen to the lectures?
Running a school of thought is not something that can be achieved simply by having someone from the school become an official in the capital. After all, there are so many officials in the capital, and the vast majority of them are poor and powerless. Even a once-powerful censor may be beaten to the point of never being able to turn over again because of a single mistake. Therefore, apart from those few famous schools of thought, the inheritance of the schools of thought of most so-called local sages is very worrying.
So, at this moment, as the first person loudly praised this as a grand event, the voices echoing him were endless. Even though there were quite a few people who remained silent, obviously watching or not taking it seriously, this was at least a good start. And as Lu Wan and Liu Zhiyuan, two former bigwigs, began to support the event... the wedding banquet suddenly felt like a symposium!
Everything that could be said had been said by the teacher, so Zhang Shou simply put on a perfect smile while thinking secretly. When the guests tonight leave, the news will spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Anyway, it was not planned by him, but it was planned by him... Of course, this matter will not be much disadvantageous to him. At most, it will make some old men in the court hate him, and anyway, those who should hate him have already hated him!
Zhu Tingfang, who was at the wedding banquet, heard everyone agreeing or complimenting him. Although Zhang Shou responded appropriately, it seemed that he was being perfunctory. He finally figured out what was going on. It seemed that Zhang Shou had been tricked for once!
