Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 170 predicted your predictions, you insects!
"Are you all busy, my brothers?"

Jin Wenzheng knocked on the dormitory door and a smile appeared on his face.

He greeted the burly man who opened the door, as well as the other people in the room, with a smile.

To be honest, he felt a little awkward even calling him "brother".

I feel incredibly disgusted.

The reason is simple: the six people living in the room are all too young.

The youngest was only seventeen years old.

The oldest is no more than twenty years old.

And he was already over forty.

In terms of age, his eldest son was a year older than the oldest among them, the one who opened the door, named Tiexuan.

It's truly embarrassing to call him "brother" out loud.

What made him feel ashamed was not just the age difference.

Besides the age difference, the biggest difference is that just six months, or even a little over a month ago, these people were all students at the Imperial Academy.

Even among them was a man named Yang Shiqi, whom he had previously taught.

But now, in the blink of an eye, they've become equals, and both have become teaching assistants.

How could he possibly feel good about this?
Just thinking about it makes me feel frustrated.

They're just youngsters, what makes them think they can be on equal footing with someone as senior as him?
Besides, he put in a lot of effort to become a teaching assistant.

He had to pull strings and compete fiercely within the Hanlin Academy, owing favors in the process, before finally getting the job as a teaching assistant here.

And these kids in front of me are ridiculously young.

Yet, he easily became a teaching assistant at the Imperial Academy.

Some students don't even study for a full year.

It's because they were good at subjects like arithmetic, physics, and agronomy.

In addition, the emperor, for some unknown reason, insisted on expanding the number of students in the Imperial Academy.

There is a significant shortage of teaching assistants.

Based on past experience, teaching assistants are usually people who come from places like the Hanlin Academy.

The key point is that this emperor promoted mathematics, and even those unbelievable fields of physics and agronomy.

The people at the Hanlin Academy don't know much either.

In order to fill the teaching assistant positions, some students who performed well in school were selected and promoted to teaching assistant positions.

Let them teach these subjects.

All I can say is that these people were incredibly lucky.

Of course, while feeling indignant, he also felt contempt for these people.

After all, these people either teach arithmetic, physics, or agronomy.

This is neither a respectable background nor a respectable job.

How can someone like him, who teaches the words of sages, be considered noble?

They're all crooked and unethical practices!
Normally, Jin Wenzheng didn't have much of a liking for these people.

I don't even want to talk to them.

But things are different now.

This time, he's going to do something big.

When it comes to a joint petition, the more names that sign it, the better.

At this point, even if they could no longer look down on these outliers among the teaching assistants at the Imperial Academy.

Even if you feel ashamed, you should still have a proper conversation with these people.

Appeal to their emotions and reason with them.

Tell them right from wrong.

To use for one's own benefit.

It's fair to say that he wouldn't think of these people for good things, but he would definitely drag them into bad things.

Regardless of whether these people are outcasts or not, as long as they sign their names on the joint petition, they all contribute to the effort.

The chances of success become much greater.

"So it's Brother Jin. What brings you here? What brings you here today?"

When Tie Xuan saw Jin Wenzheng, he was taken aback.

Then they ushered Jin Wenzheng into the house.

They seemed somewhat surprised by Jin Wenzheng's arrival.

It's normal for things to go wrong, after all, they're family members and they know their own situation.

Knowing that these few dormitory freaks were not highly regarded by the other teaching assistants at the Imperial Academy, they were not considered worthy of respect.

They don't usually have many interactions with people.

"Haha, I had nothing to do, so I thought I'd like to meet up with a few colleagues."

We both teach at the Imperial Academy, so our relationship should be closer than theirs.

Especially Shiqi.

"We still have some teacher-student relationship to some extent."

After Jin Wenzheng entered, he exchanged a few pleasantries with Yang Shiqi and then sat down in Yang Shiqi's chair.

He subconsciously glanced at Yang Shiqi's desk.

Upon seeing the physics knowledge written in the book, I subconsciously turned my head away again.

I just felt physically uncomfortable and nauseous.

He was genuinely unhappy with these new disciplines, such as physical agronomy.

On the one hand, people felt that these ideas were too unorthodox and did not conform to the principles of Confucianism and Mencius.

On the other hand, it's also because he finds these things very difficult to learn.

Previously, under the management of Chancellor Song Ne, the Imperial Academy had newly established Physics and Agriculture departments in accordance with the Emperor's decree.

Although he outwardly expressed disdain, he had secretly observed some of it.

Agricultural science is relatively easy to understand, since most people can comprehend it.

But then physics itself would be ruined.

The beginning was alright, but it became increasingly unpleasant as it went on.

Many things are simply unbelievable.

He wasn't particularly interested in these things to begin with.

Furthermore, since it was incomprehensible, it was completely relegated to the dustbin of history.

"Yes, yes, when I first enrolled, I did receive instruction from Brother Jin."

To be honest, I should address Brother Jin as my mentor.

Yang Shiqi nodded; he did not deny it.

As Jin Wenzheng spoke, he glanced around the room.

The short man, Huang Guan, who was not yet eighteen years old, only looked up at me when I came in, smiled, and that was his greeting.

He didn't even get up.

At this point, he was already sitting in his seat, reading a book.

They didn't seem to take him seriously at all.

This made him extremely unhappy.

I just feel that this kid, who hasn't even grown up yet, is really bad at interpersonal relationships.

Tie Xuan, who had opened the door, sat back down.

Most of my attention is also on the book.

As for Hu Yan and Yang Rong, they were talking in hushed tones.

It sounds like they're talking about some arithmetic problems.

Only Yang Shiqi and Wu Xing were there to keep him company and talk.

This made him even more unhappy.

These young men really have no manners!

Indeed, one cannot succeed without studying the classics and literature of sages.

They're all such shameless scoundrels!
It makes people angry just thinking about it.

But this time, he came here because he needed someone's help and had something important to do.

Therefore, he endured all these unpleasant feelings without showing any sign of them.

"Brother Jin is right. We eat under the same roof and both work as teaching assistants in Chinese universities."

Although the subjects they teach are different, it's just a matter of different divisions of labor.

We really should communicate more with each other.

Wu Xing, also known as Prince Zhu Gang of Jin, said with a smile on his face.
Pooh! what!
Do you even deserve to communicate with me, to be on equal footing with me, or to be compared to me?

Jin Wenzheng cursed inwardly, feeling extremely angry and insulted.

How dare someone who teaches arithmetic say such things to someone like himself who teaches sages and righteousness?

They are truly shameless!
But the smile on his face remained unchanged.

“What Brother Wu said is very true. That’s how it’s said, and that’s how it’s done.”

Since we live under the same roof, we should communicate more.

After teaching for a few years, we will all be transferred to local government positions.

It might not seem like a good relationship at this time, but once we're appointed to official positions elsewhere, our relationship will be far beyond that of ordinary people.

We can't talk about it now, but we'll still need to look after each other.

Who knows when someone might ask for a favor?

It's still very necessary to communicate more and cultivate relationships; you can't just focus on studying.

You can't teach at the Imperial Academy forever.

This is just a small part of the experiences in our long lives.

As he spoke, he subtly glanced at Huang Guan, Tie Xuan, Hu Yan, Yang Rong, and the others.

It was clearly a veiled reference.

Unfortunately, these people were all busy with their own things.

I didn't hear what he said or see his actions at all.

Or perhaps he heard it, but simply couldn't be bothered with Kim Moon-cheol.

This made Jin Wenzheng even angrier.

I increasingly feel that these people are not respectable.

Judging from their appearance, they are only fit to teach at the Imperial Academy for the rest of their lives!

It's impossible for him to become an official outside the region.

Even if they were sent to serve as officials outside the region, given their lack of social skills, they would still not fare well.

They might be framed and killed by their subordinates or colleagues, and end up taking the blame.

He was beheaded by the emperor within three to five years.

These kids are really no good.

Compared to the others, Wu Xing and Yang Shiqi seemed much more pleasing to him.

"Yes Yes."

Yang Shiqi nodded.

Zhu Gang nodded in agreement, indicating that Jin Wenzheng was absolutely right.

"Brother Jin, what brings you here today? Please speak freely. Although we are all junior scholars, we are still teaching here at the Imperial Academy."

Putting everything else aside, this one point alone makes him more approachable than the average person.

If you really have something to say, just say it directly.

None of us are outsiders.

Prince Zhu Gang of Jin looked at Jin Wenzheng and said, too lazy to beat around the bush with this guy anymore and waste time talking nonsense.

It is said that Prince Zhu Gang of Jin was very arrogant.

In the past, even if one changed their appearance and identity to work here, they could have done so.

He wouldn't say such a thing to someone like Jin Wenzheng either.

This kind of attitude exists.

The reason for this change was that his previous trip to Zhongdu had left a very deep impression on him.

That time, if it weren't for the fourth brother protecting him, he would have been whipped long ago.

Although he found the fourth brother's actions shameful.

But it must be said that the fourth brother's approach was the most effective.

It was only after that experience that he truly understood that one's actions and words should be dictated by one's social status.

When it's time to let go of your pride, you should let go of your pride.

Otherwise, if you just keep putting on airs, you won't be able to do many things well, and you'll end up messing things up instead.

Even that scoundrel, the fourth brother, can do these things.

As the older brother, he naturally couldn't be inferior to the fourth brother!
I have to do a better job than the fourth brother!

And, to be honest, he is feeling a lot of pressure right now.

It came from the fourth brother's side.

That fourth brother of mine really accomplished a lot during his time at the Imperial Academy.

He's made quite a bit of a public appearance.

He went to the meeting alone in Chongming, and now he is stationed in Jiangnan, commanding a large army and killing countless people.

He was also responsible for many affairs of the Maritime Trade Office.

On the other hand, he has only managed to become an assistant instructor at the Imperial Academy by virtue of his arithmetic skills.

Compared to what the fourth brother did, it was truly far inferior.

He couldn't even imagine how smug that fourth brother was.

When they see themselves, what a despicable face they will have.

That's why, when the fourth brother came back recently, he tried his best to avoid seeing him.

He's really anxious now.

If he doesn't achieve anything significant, he'll have to avoid the fourth brother in the future.

Just thinking about that bastard fourth brother, how arrogant he was in front of me.

He felt extremely upset.

"Good! Good! Brother Wu is a straightforward person."

Since that's the case, then I won't hide it anymore.

I've come here today because I have some business to discuss.

Since we're all family here, I'll just be frank.

"What do you people, Brother Wu, think of Chancellor Song Ne?"

“The Chief Minister Song is too strict.”

Governing a country is like governing an army, and a series of strict regulations were formulated.

To be honest, staying here is really unpleasant.

They were constrained in every aspect.

Upon hearing what Jin Wenzheng said, Zhu Gang's heart stirred.

He was overjoyed.

Knowing these people, I finally couldn't hold back anymore.

They immediately followed Jin Wenzheng's lead and continued speaking.

Of course, this is just following Jin Wenzheng's lead.

But in reality, these were also his true feelings.

That was his most genuine feeling.

Song Ne, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, was indeed exceptionally strict.

He can be described as impartial and incorruptible, with a heart of stone.

They used methods similar to military law to manage the numerous teachers and students of the Imperial Academy.

Being managed is truly a very difficult experience.

Back when they were students, they were subjected to a series of absurd rules set and strictly enforced by Song Ne, which drove them to the brink of ecstasy.

Now I'm a teaching assistant.

Although there have been some changes in identity.

However, it is still restricted by rules and regulations.

Life is tough.

However, it must be admitted that Song Ne's methods were quite effective.

Many students who came to the Imperial Academy made rapid progress in their studies.

I learned more in one day than I had in the previous two days.

"Who says otherwise? Chief Minister Song is indeed too harsh!"

After Prince Zhu Gang of Jin spoke, Yang Shiqi immediately followed suit, continuing Zhu Gang's words.

For example, the saying "one should not speak while eating or sleeping".

When eating in the school hall, all teachers and students eat together.

So many people, yet they weren't allowed to make a single sound.

The original meaning of "one should not speak while eating" is to not talk while chewing food.

To avoid spitting out food or choking.

That doesn't mean you can't talk the whole time you're eating.

Moreover, the amount of food was so small, and there was no oil or broth.

It's not enough to fill your stomach.

Whether you have a large or small appetite, you will receive the same amount of food.

No more food is allowed if you're not full, and those who can't finish their food are not allowed to leave any; they must eat it all.

That food was absolutely like pig swill.

Yang Shiqi was reminded of many unpleasant memories.

Even now, as teaching assistants, their meals are only slightly better than when they were students.

As for the taste, it's still as bad as ever.

Hearing them complain about the chief priest Song Ne, Yang Rong, Hu Yan, Tie Xuan, Huang Guan, and the others couldn't hold back any longer.

They all put down their books or looked up and began to share their terrible experiences and feelings.

Listening to these people's accusations, looking at these people, and then talking about the school rules and regulations formulated by Song Ne.

These people changed their previous lukewarm attitude.

Jin Wenzheng immediately became happy.

Sure enough, that old scoundrel Song Ne was particularly unpopular.

These actions have long since incurred public wrath.

At the Imperial Academy, many people had long been holding back their anger.

That's perfect! Now, it'll be much easier for me to get them to sign a petition and deal with Song Ne.

He originally thought that he would need to spend more time and effort to talk to these greenhorns.

Looking back now, I realize I was overthinking things.

These greenhorns are still quite capable.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. These young, inexperienced kids only need a little guidance in many things.

They'll do it if you urge them.

On the contrary, they are easier to fool than the elderly.

"That's right, Song Ne is really going too far."

You arrived late, so you might not know.

Before this, the Imperial Academy was a place where everyone lived a carefree and peaceful life.

The class lasts a maximum of half an hour each day.

As for the food, it was also very good; at least the taste was decent.

It's easy to take leave if you're sick or have something to do.

Here, the most we do every day is meet with friends through literature, drink tea, read books, play chess, and discuss academic topics.

If there's still time, I'll take the opportunity to see the scenery along the Qinhuai River.

After a few years, one can be appointed as an official in another region.

This is the kind of life a human being should live.

Unfortunately, I only enjoyed this carefree life for two years.

After Song Ne took office as the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, he introduced a series of strict rules.

They committed all sorts of evil deeds, treating us like donkeys.

That's simply inhuman.

Now, we do more in one day than we did in the previous five or six days combined!
When Jin Wenzheng said this, he spat hard at the ground.

He was clearly furious.

We are all civilized people, yet Song Ne has so disgraced our culture.

They don't treat us like human beings at all.

This person claims to be a scholar, reading the classics of Confucius and Mencius.

But in reality, he was a cruel Legalist official at heart!
All the methods they used were the cruel tactics of Legalist officials.

Moreover, he's a northerner.

He was a northern barbarian who served the Yuan Dynasty and now controls the highest institution of learning in our Great Ming Dynasty, acting arrogantly and domineeringly.

It's unbearable to even think about.

Their cruel acts are too numerous to recount and are utterly despicable.

How can we, as scholars, sit idly by and do nothing?

Are we just going to let this bastard run rampant here?

Jin Wenzheng spoke with righteous indignation, clearly displaying extreme anger.

Upon seeing Wu Xing, he also appeared filled with righteous indignation.

The others were also stirred up by their own emotions.

Jin Wenzheng knew that the time was right.

He then reached into his robes and took out the memorial he had written earlier.

“I am prepared to submit a memorial to impeach that old scoundrel Song Ne and remove him from his position as chief minister.”

"Everyone, let's all sign our names!"

(End of this chapter)