Qing Yao

Chapter 77 This Principal is a Good Person

Zhao An also didn't want to be direct with Professor Jiang. After all, they were all officials from the education system.

In the past, we read the books of sages, and now we teach them. We should be as respectable as possible. There is no need to speak so harshly like an ordinary person.

It's easy to hurt feelings.

But Lao Jiang is so unreasonable!
Are you a fucking slot machine? You just eat and don’t vomit?

There are seventeen people on the list. Except for Zhang, who is designated as the second place, the others are said to have received three to five hundred taels from each parent, which is several thousand taels. Add in Zhang, who is also the second place, and the total is at least ten thousand taels.

In fact, it is very likely that Lao Jiang collected more than this number, because Zhao An was not really doing nothing in the provincial school during this period, but was secretly investigating the family situation of the students.

This is also the basic business ability that a qualified faculty member should possess.

The entire Yangzhou Prefecture School currently has over 400 students, including both students and tongsheng. At least a quarter of them come from very wealthy families, including at least 50 to 60 children of salt merchants. The remaining three-quarters also come from well-off families, and there are no more than 30 truly impoverished students.

To put it bluntly, these days, those who can achieve academic success are basically children from wealthy families. Children from poor families mostly have to drop out of school due to family reasons, unless they are particularly outstanding and are noticed and supported by school officials or local gentry.

At present, Yangzhou is actually the world's largest metropolis. So how valuable are the students who can enter the only key middle school in this city? How valuable are they? Zhao An must know this.

Although the provincial examination is the second stage of the Tongsheng examination, it is actually the same as the high school entrance examination, which keeps most candidates below the admission line. The admission rate in previous years was only one in ten. This year, dozens of special examination quotas were added because of the old man’s birthday. This is a special case. The next time such a good thing happens, we will have to wait until the old man’s 90th birthday.

Ok?
Ten years later, it should be the first anniversary of the old man’s death.

The admission rate of the last stage of the Tongsheng examination, the Academy Examination, is much higher than that of the Provincial Examination. Basically, half of the candidates are admitted, and candidates with high rankings in the Provincial Examination will basically not be eliminated.

The reason is naturally that the provincial academicians also have to abide by the rules.

During the college entrance examination, you were greatly honored by the local people. If you don't give them face, you'd have to quit your job as the provincial education commissioner.

A few years ago, a governor in Jiangsu was collectively ostracized by the Jiangsu officials because he wanted to reduce the burden on farmers. He was demoted three levels and kicked out in disgrace.

In the Qing Dynasty officialdom, no one was allowed to stand out from the crowd.

The higher the ranking in the provincial examination, the greater the chance of passing the academy examination. As a result, the "gold content" of the provincial examination continues to rise. In order to insure their sons, some wealthy parents of students naturally have to use their brains.

Spending money to ensure that your child ranks high in the provincial examination is actually equivalent to buying your child a student title.

Although fame and fortune cannot be measured by money, what else can be measured besides money?
Only with the title of student can one take part in the provincial examination and bring honor to the family.

The result is good. You, Old Jiang, are generous in collecting money from students' parents, but you are taking advantage of your seniority to bully the newcomer, Little Zhao, who doesn't know the "rules of the trade". You just take it all in with a simple "take good care of me". Can Zhao An tolerate him?
I don't ask for much, just 40% of whatever Lao Jiang takes.

Otherwise, things will be difficult.

Zhao An did not have the courage to compete with the prefect for the first candidate, but he did have the courage to overturn the decision made by his predecessor.

"How dare you speak to me like that? It's disrespectful and inappropriate!"

Professor Jiang was so angry that Zhao An, who used to be so respectful in front of him, became so strange and disgusting, and looked like someone had pulled off his fig leaf.

"How much is civility worth? What is decorum?"

Zhao An didn't bother to care what Lao Jiang thought. "There's no outsider here. Tell me, how much money did you take from these students' families?"

"I am an honest official,"

Professor Jiang was about to argue, but Zhao An interrupted him, "If you didn't take the money, then I won't care about any of the students on this list."

"you!"

Professor Jiang's momentum faltered. He stared at Zhao An silently for a few breaths, then his face finally relaxed. He said weakly, "How much do you want?" "That's right. We're all officials. It's good to be honest and frank, isn't it?"

A smile appeared on Zhao An's face. He didn't say how much he wanted, and let Professor Jiang decide for himself.

Professor Jiang hesitated and said helplessly that he had only received three thousand taels, so he could only give Zhao An one thousand taels.

"Sir, you are holding back from me. This is not a good habit. Well, since Sir Jiang doesn't intend to open up to me, then I won't embarrass you."

If it's not difficult, do it yourself.

Zhao An said that as the new professor, he would reorganize the candidates to "test their basic conditions."

In later times, it was called re-bidding.

Professor Jiang's face turned green at that moment. If he, as a former professor, really started selling rankings again, dared not return the money, the parents of the candidates who paid the money would probably form a group to go to the provincial government to sue him.

Even if he were to take up a post in another province, he would definitely not be able to escape responsibility. At the very least, he would be skinned alive, and at worst, he would probably have to travel to the Western Regions.

"I won't make it difficult for you. Give me five thousand taels and I won't touch this list."

Zhao An gave way again.

When Professor Jiang heard that the other party wanted five thousand taels, he was naturally very unhappy, because he had only received eleven thousand taels in total. But when he thought about the other party's intention to overturn the table and the consequences of overturning the table, he agreed sullenly and said that he would give the five thousand taels to Zhao An tomorrow.

Although it took a lot of effort, Zhao An was naturally happy to have earned 5,000 taels. He casually asked Professor Jiang, "By the way, how much did the prefect sell it for?"

Professor Jiang said in a stern voice, "I didn't ask for any money."

"No money?"

Zhao An was stunned. What’s going on? Is the new prefect the same Justice Bao?
After further questioning, we learned that the reason the prefect didn't ask for money was that the father of the top candidate in the prefectural case was Akedang'a, the salt administrator of Lianghuai.

Akdanga was a Manchu. At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the Eight Banners children were not allowed to take the imperial examinations. This restriction was lifted in the late Shunzhi period. By the Qianlong period, there were still many Manchu children willing to take the imperial examinations, and they were proud of taking the examinations and gaining fame.

The son of Lord A may have been too deeply "Sinicized", so he wanted to become a Jinshi like the Han people.

The father also supported this very much, so he gave a greeting to Yangzhou Prefecture.

Do you think the prefect would have the nerve to accept money from this young master?

Zhao An, who understood the whole situation, felt sorry for the new prefect. The first prize in the prefectural case was worth at least five thousand taels, but he just gave it away for nothing. It was a huge loss.

On second thought, perhaps the prefect is also playing the long game to catch a big fish.

Then, an idea came to his mind, and he asked Professor Jiang, who was gloomy and about to go home and ask his servant to go to the bank to get money, "How many officials' children are studying in the provincial school?"

"You're a professor, can't you check it yourself?"

Professor Jiang walked away with a look of annoyance on his face, not wanting to even look at this scoundrel.

In the room, Zhao An was full of energy and fighting spirit.

Because he discovered that his long-held view was wrong, that is, he, as a middle school principal, was not without power, but had a very high power.

To be precise, he as the principal has no power, but the students' parents do have power!

If parents don't want to share power with the principal, then don't blame the principal for hindering your child's future.

(End of this chapter)