Simulation becomes reality, have I ever looked down upon the eternity?

Chapter 250 Academy in Daqi, never forget it!
[From then on, He Xiao dared not study carelessly anymore. After all, it was Xie Yuan who ordered him to do this. If he were to be found out about his "slippery" behavior, he would be in trouble.]

[These two came to study this time, and they received generous rewards every day, which was a good job that all the guests in the courtyard envied. ]

[Time flies, and it’s already half a month. ]

[Zhang and He found that this young master Guan was friendly and had extraordinary conversation skills.]

[Zhang Yuanlai was well-educated, quoted from classics, and could often speak of insightful truths. He also worked as an auditor at the Imperial College for a period of time, and was familiar with the parties and families of the dynasty, as well as the official positions of the dynasty and the items of the imperial examination.]

[Although He Xiao had a smooth personality, he was quite talkative. He could talk about the scenery of Bianjing, the singing girls in the brothels, the anecdotes of celebrities, as well as the peddlers, the trivial matters of the underworld, and the demons in the thirteen prefectures.]

[As you read, you will also ask questions about the things you don’t understand, and the two of them will not hide anything, and will tell you everything they know.]

[The principles in the book cannot be understood by reading it once, and there is no need to keep them to yourself. ]

【What is written on paper is ultimately shallow. 】

[If someone later asks about this young master of the Xie family and finds out that it was the two who taught Liao wrongly, I'm afraid it will also ruin his reputation. ]

[You have lived in this small courtyard for a long time and have rarely heard of things in the outside world. Listening to what he said is exactly what you lack.]

[The two of them both expressed their admiration for the "Academy" founded by Confucius. All the scholars in the Great Qi Dynasty regarded entering the academy as their lifelong pursuit.]

[If you can enter the academy, you will have a smooth career, whether it is a career in politics or a successful study. ]

[However, to this day, even though the Master only has four disciples, he has only accepted a few dozen disciples.]

[The academy has strict rules. If you want to enter and practice, you must first be recognized by the master's disciples.]

[Although the academy has only six floors, it has a rich collection of books. In addition to Confucian classics, there are also rare and secret books carefully collected by the master. ]

[On the fourth floor is where the practice method is practiced. ]

[Zhang Yuan and He Xiao both come from relatively well-off families, and now that they are in their thirties, they have yet to embark on the path of spiritual practice.]

[There are two ways of cultivation in the world: the martial way and the spiritual way. As for which way the Master cultivated, or whether he practiced both, this is a mystery in the world and no one knows.]

【When the Master was born, he had already conquered the world. 】

[The demons from the Thirteen Continents that the two of them were angry about originated from a catastrophe 1,500 years ago, and the seeds of demons began to breed.]

[According to historical records, the last emperor of the Tang Dynasty, cooked the prince into a meat soup to feed his favorite concubine, a fox girl, who gave birth to an ominous heir.]

[This action angered the heavens, causing the phenomenon of a dog eclipsing the sun.]

[At that time, demons and monsters arose in various states, fierce beasts in the mountains transformed into spirits, and dragons and snakes in the swamps swallowed and exhaled vital energy, eventually becoming a threat to the region.]

[Today, these demons have occupied various places and formed several forces. ]

【Xie Guan's father once quelled the rebellion of demons and made great military achievements.】

[There are also demons in the Great Qi. According to He Xiao, the current court has set up a position of Shenyin, who is responsible for managing the land of demons. There are even demon species working there. ]

[Another interesting story, in the past, in Zehu, there was a half-blood demon commander who practiced martial arts "Xuan Dan Realm" and reached the top of the martial arts world. He led the people to rebel, his body turned into dragon scales, commanded tens of thousands of demon soldiers, ravaged the surrounding counties, killed living beings, ate flesh and drank blood, and caused hundreds of thousands of casualties.]

[The Master was furious when he learned about this, and he walked out of the academy, picked up a ruler in his hand, and went to Ze Lake. Purple air came from the east and stretched for a thousand miles. Wherever it went, demons fell one after another, causing heavy casualties.]

[The demon commander of Xuandan Realm didn't even see the Master's face before he was forced to his knees at the bottom of the lake by his power.]

[In the end, the Zehu demon commander committed suicide to apologize, otherwise, the demon race in the Zehu area would be destroyed.]

[The reason why the world fears and respects the Great Qi is not only because it has millions of soldiers, but also because of another reason.]

【As long as the Master is in Da Qi, Da Qi will be there. 】

[The people of Da Qi believe in the Master far more than the Emperor of Da Qi. Without the Master's approval, the throne of the Emperor of Da Qi cannot be said to be legitimate.]

[However, the Master went out to sea to search for immortals 200 years ago and has not returned since then. This led to the usurpation of power by the foreign relatives and the rise of the nine major surnames.]

[In the past, the Master personally selected the crown prince. Because of this, the Great Qi Dynasty was able to last for a thousand years and produce many wise rulers.]

[If there is a foolish ruler, the Master will punish him. All the emperors in the past have been punished by him, including being spanked on the palms and being punished with a ruler.]

【After you have heard what Zhang and He said, you will understand the status of the Master and the Academy in the entire Great Qi, and even in the world.】

[There are no gods in this world, only the masters of the academy. ]

[You can't help but ask: "Who is in charge of the academy now?"]

【Zhang Yuanlai showed hesitation.】

He Xiao, however, seemed to have no scruples and said frankly: "The first master left the Sui Dynasty in anger a hundred years ago. The second master is seriously ill. The affairs of the academy are now managed by the third master."

[“Besides, Prime Minister Su Jingsu and the academy seem to be… at odds.”]

[Su Jing is the Master's fourth disciple! ]

[He Jin also lowered his voice when he said the last two words.]

[You are secretly surprised in your heart. Da Qi and Da Sui are old enemies. They have been fighting against Da Qi for nearly two hundred years, and their relationship is like fire and water.]

[The great teacher of the academy, the master's great disciple, actually went to the Sui Dynasty.]

[Now, the second teacher of the academy is seriously ill, the third teacher maintains the operation of the academy, and the fourth teacher controls the government of Da Qi. ]

[The discord between the third and fourth masters actually reflects the conflict between the court of Da Qi and the academy. ]

【Zhang Yuanlai was filled with emotion: "Thinking back to the time when the Great Qi Dynasty dominated the world, although it was not the common ruler of the world, it had already demonstrated its extraordinary spirit. The surrounding countries all admired the culture of the Great Qi Dynasty and yearned for its prosperity and wealth."】

[He Xiao listened to Zhang Yuanlai's sigh, but did not pay attention to it. Instead, he asked: "Master Guan, can you really remember every word of the book we read to you?"]

[Whether he remembered the incident last time by chance or it really happened, he couldn't tell in his heart, and in fact he still felt dissatisfied.]

[After all, when they read a book themselves, they often forget where they were even after reading it once, let alone as an audience.]

[You smiled calmly: "It seems that Mr. He is testing me."]

[He Xiao quickly denied: "No, no, no."]

[“It can be considered as reviewing the past to learn new things. Mr. He, please give us some questions.”]

[He Jin was not polite either, he opened the Tang Book and asked: "Where is Zuo Kai from?"]

[“Zuo Kai, courtesy name Bohao, was from Nieyang, Nanyang. During the reign of Emperor An, he was selected as a filial and honest official and later transferred to the post of governor of Jizhou. There were many powerful families in the prefecture who liked to ask for favors, but Xiong often kept his door closed and did not communicate with them.”]

[He Xiao asked: "Is the stone tablet from the person who traveled east or west?"]

[“During Emperor Xi’s reign, how many years did Mars enter the Southern Dipper?”]

[“How many households are there in Huaibei County?”]

【A series of questions, including people, geography, and even astronomy. 】

【Zhang Yuanlai listened and thought about it carefully. He found that he could only answer a limited number of questions. He could only vaguely remember some of them.】

【You answer the questions one by one slowly. 】

[“…650 li east of Bianjing. Thirty-seven cities, 404,448 households, 2,107,880 people.”]

[He Xiao stared at the words in the book, comparing them with your answer word for word, and was surprised to find that you could repeat them word for word.]

[From "Zuo Zhuan of the Four Kingdoms" to "Shengyu", and then to "Zhongyong", and even part of "Book of Songs", they have already read them all, and none of them will be difficult for you. ]

【Later, Zhang Yuanyuan joined in, asking questions one after another, like a string of cannonballs.】

[You didn't think too much, you were calm and unhurried, you answered one by one, and there were almost no mistakes, unless the two of you made mistakes when reading.]

[You can also quote the original text of the above classics to explain the reasons for the following text. ]

[The two put down their books and looked at each other with surprise on their faces.]

【Zhang Yuanlai couldn't help but exclaimed: "I've only heard of people who have photographic memory, but I didn't expect Master Guan to have the ability to remember everything he heard. He is truly gifted by God!"】【There was envy in his words, "I studied very hard for three years, but I couldn't compare to what Master Guan learned from listening to books in the past half month."】

[When you heard this, you joked, "This method is good. You can try it. First, blind your eyes, then wear an eye patch and sit quietly for a few months. Maybe you can also practice this kind of magical skill."]

[After hearing this, the two of them waved their hands and smiled bitterly.]

[Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the snow has dyed the branches white. Another month has passed quietly, and the New Year is about to come. ]

【Inside Xie's house, there were already lights and decorations, and the atmosphere was filled with joy.】

[Every year during the Chinese New Year, the second master of the Xie family, Xie Hong, would come back from Qingliang Temple, and the two mansions would be extremely lively.]

【Old Lady Xie was also quite happy, and even the servants in the Xie Mansion all had happy expressions on their faces.】

[Your father Xie Yun is guarding the border to guard against the Sui Dynasty and will not return home.]

[But the bustle of the Xie Mansion seems to have little to do with your courtyard, ever since your name was written into the family tree.]

[Every year, you were never invited to the Xie family's New Year's Eve dinner. You were only served a meal by the maid, and spent the night alone in the courtyard.]

[You don't care, as long as Wutong is there, it's good. ]

[Although the days were boring, they were peaceful and fulfilling. Zhang and He read every day and had basically finished reading some Confucian classics.]

[At the end of the month, after Huaan examines your eyes, you can remove the eye patch.]

[Hua An is still a little worried and decides it would be safest to wait until after the New Year, and you readily agree.]

【If you take off the blindfold, there will be no one to help you read. 】

【Zhang and He were also happy. They were just studying and doing nothing, and they received generous amounts of silver every day.】

[At the end of the year, Mr. Dong, who was arranged by the Xie family to teach you, postponed the teaching date to after the New Year due to family matters, and the other teacher even claimed to be ill and could not go out.]

[Wutong complained quietly, but he could do nothing about it. He was just worried that this would delay the young master's studies.]

[After passing the examination of the younger master's knowledge next year, Madam Yuan of the compound will allow her to enroll.]

【Zhang Yuanlai and He Xiao comforted you, "Looking at your current knowledge, it is more than enough for you to handle the assessment next year. There is no need to worry too much."】

【Wutong felt relieved now.】

[The days passed slowly, and there were only three days left until New Year's Eve. ]

……

……

Today, heavy snow fell, covering the entire city of Bianjing.

It's snowing heavily.

Zhang Yuanlai and He Xiao finished their study for the day early and walked along the snow-covered path of the Xie Mansion towards Xie Yuan's yard in the main compound.

"Auspicious snow heralds a good harvest!"

Zhang Yuanlai looked at the snowflakes flying all over the sky and sighed, "This year the snow fell really early and it's really thick."

"What does the heavy snow look like?"

He Xiao, however, did not express so much emotion and did not respond.

He looked up at the gloomy sky, but it was still early.

I just need to go back to the courtyard and if there is nothing to do, today will be a leisurely and pleasant day.

"Brother Zhang, it's cold today, why don't we go to Xifeng Tower and have some hot soup?"

When Zhang Yuanlai heard this, he immediately refused:
"Brother He, go ahead. I won't participate."

He Xiao said "Oh!" and joked:
"Could it be that Brother Zhang went to the courtyard alley on the south side of Suining Street?"

Zhang Yuanlai shook his head repeatedly and denied, "Brother He, please stop teasing me."

Xifeng Tower was a brothel in the city of Bianjing.

Brothels sell art but not bodies. If you want to spend a night worth thousands of gold, you have to rely on your own abilities.

In addition to "background", one also needs "talent".

Or only if you have both, you will be chosen by the "red card", "big boss", "prostitute" and "oiran".

If he really becomes a "patron", he will be famous throughout Bian Jing. Some of the playboys from the nine major families are most obsessed with it.

He Xiao once had an affair with a female musician who was responsible for playing music in Xifeng Tower.

The "female musician" had a graceful figure and superb musical skills. After a piece of music was over, she and He Xiao pressed the crabapple tree in the building, leaving red spots on the tree. To this day, He Jin still talks about it with pleasure.

The "buildings, courtyards and alleys" in the south that He Xiao just mentioned are a completely different scene.

Most of the people living there are women. They either stand in the streets or lean against the doors, soliciting passers-by in various ways.

Although they call themselves "good girls", they are actually no different from prostitutes.

Different from the brothel Xifenglou, these women did not care about the talent and background of the customers. What they cared more about was whether the customers had money in their pockets.

As long as the guests are willing to pay enough money, they will throw themselves into their arms without hesitation and meet their various needs.

He Xiao was also a frequent visitor. Once, a woman who was raising the window dropped her red fur coat on his shoulders. The woman was full of affection, and she had a husband who was five feet tall at home, which made the relationship even more interesting. The two of them were so passionate that they still linger there.

Afterwards, of course, enough silver will be given.

If we don't give it to them, these girls will cause a big commotion in the courtyard, which will be a disgrace and a loss of face in the eyes of the scholars.

He Xiao laughed and said, "The Master said that food and sex are human nature. Brother Zhang, you are obsessed with appearances."

Zhang Yuanlai said helplessly: "Master, what you said is that food and sex are human nature."

He Xiao burst into laughter after hearing this, but he didn't expect to run into Xie Yuan and a group of servants and dancers walking towards him.

He Xiao's laughter stopped abruptly, which was a bit funny.

"Hello, Master Woyun!"

The two did not dare to neglect.

As soon as Xie Yuan stopped, a group of people stood behind him, including Xie Houer.

Xie Yuan looked at the two of them in confusion and asked, "Lao He, Lao Zhang, you came back from Guandi so early today?"

He Jin quickly explained: "Master Guan, it is snowing heavily today so we have to come back early, otherwise the road will be difficult to travel."

Xie Yuan nodded with a smile on his face, and he seemed to be in a good mood today.

"You guys are reading to Guandi. Is he okay? Is he asleep?"

He Xiaodao said: "It seems that the young master is very intelligent and can remember everything he reads."

Zhang Yuanlai reminded: "Never forget what you have heard!"

Xie Yuan rolled his eyes and said, "He does have some talent, but it's a pity that he only knows how to study. How vulgar!"

The two didn't dare to answer.

Xie Yuan smiled and said, "Okay, since you two have nothing to do today, follow me to visit Guandi again. I have worked hard to learn a few tricks recently, and I will meet him again."

Sorry, I didn’t update two chapters today. I was delayed for a while and didn’t finish writing. I will make it up to you tomorrow.

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(End of this chapter)