Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 241 You are now students of the Imperial Academy

"It's more than just being impetuous!" Yang Anguo said, flicking his sleeve. "He actually made a bet with me, saying that three days later, right here in the Imperial Academy, he would send someone to compete against our students! To test their true abilities!"

Yang Anguo's face showed both anger and anxiety as he said this: "How could I possibly back down from battle? I agreed on the spot! But you can think about it carefully when you get back."

His gaze swept over the few silent, shifty-eyed students in the front row again, and he angrily flung his sleeve: "These good-for-nothings! Expecting them to compete with the students of the Imperial Academy, especially Liu Ji? Wouldn't that be humiliating them and confirming Hu Yuan's statement that 'the Imperial Academy has no one to rely on'? Do they even care about my reputation, or the last shred of dignity of the Imperial Academy?"

Song Tang looked down at the people below, then at Yang Anguo, and was somewhat speechless.

—If the Imperial Academy were truly well-organized, would it be necessary for a mere teaching assistant to actually be responsible for the entire teaching duties of the Imperial Academy?
Moreover, have you ever seen a proper school where only a handful of random people come to class every day?
I'm afraid that any random rural private school would have more students than the Imperial Academy!

Yang Anguo's gaze continued to search the hall eagerly, finally landing on Lu Beigu and the two Chengs in the back row.

These three individuals possessed a demeanor quite different from those dissolute students; their eyes were clear, their bearing composed, and it was immediately apparent that they were true seeds of scholarship.

"Who are these people?" Yang Anguo's eyes lit up, as if he had grasped a lifeline.

Song Tang followed his gaze and realized that he recognized two of them.

"These two are the outstanding students of Zhou Dunyi, a Doctor of the Imperial Academy, but they are not students of the Imperial Academy."

Upon hearing "Zhou Dunyi's outstanding student," Yang Anguo's eyes lit up with even greater joy. He knew that Zhou Dunyi was a man of profound learning.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Hao knew he couldn't avoid it any longer. After bowing, he introduced himself to Yang Anguo: "I am Cheng Hao, this is my younger brother Cheng Yi, and this is my friend Lu Beigu. The three of us are all candidates who have come to the capital to take the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites. Today we have come together to pay our respects to Mr. Lianxi. We learned that Assistant Instructor Song was giving a lecture, so we paid our respects and came together to listen to the lecture."

Goodness, he's even at the level of a scholar who passed the imperial examination?

It's embarrassing to say, but you have to understand, the Imperial Academy hasn't produced a single successful candidate in the provincial examinations for several years.
Yang Anguo immediately stepped forward.

He bowed to Lu Beigu and the Cheng brothers, speaking earnestly: "I am Yang Anguo, a Hanlin Academician and a supervisor of the Imperial Academy. I'm sure the three of you have heard about what happened today."

"Although the three of you are not students of the Imperial Academy, Mr. Lianxi is a Doctor of the Imperial Academy. The fact that you three are here to listen to his lecture is a kind of connection with the Imperial Academy. Would you please lend a helping hand to our Imperial Academy and curb the arrogance of the Imperial College? This is not only for the sake of the Imperial Academy's reputation, but also to vindicate Mr. Lianxi!"

"After all, those people under Hu Yuan's tutelage have often slandered Master Lianxi's teachings as 'mysterious and empty'! If the three of you are willing to lend a hand, firstly, it will relieve the urgent crisis of our Imperial Academy and save some face; secondly, isn't this a great opportunity to vindicate Master Lianxi's teachings and silence the public's criticism?"

Yang Anguo was well-versed in human nature, and his last sentence, "to vindicate Mr. Lianxi," precisely struck at the weakness of the Cheng brothers.

Zhou Dunyi's teachings were indeed dismissed as "mysterious" and "empty" by the students at the Imperial Academy, especially by Liu Ji, that arrogant scholar who, relying on Hu Yuan's favor, repeatedly made outrageous remarks.

At this time, the Cheng brothers were both young and impetuous. Although they are remembered as philosophers for all time, their academic performance in the imperial examinations was also quite impressive.

They had long been unhappy with the people at the Imperial Academy, but they had no chance to help Zhou Dunyi vent his anger.

Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi exchanged a glance, both seeing the urge in each other's eyes. To vindicate their teacher was a compelling reason, but they still had reservations.

Cheng Hao pondered for a moment before speaking, "Scholar, please allow me to explain. My brother and I are indeed not students of the Imperial Academy. It was our father who sent us to study under Master Lianxi in our early years, to serve him and learn from him. Our trip to the capital this time is twofold: first, to serve our teacher, and second, to prepare for the provincial examinations of the Ministry of Rites next spring. If we, as candidates from other regions, participate in the competition between the Imperial Academy and the National Academy, I fear our actions would be illegitimate and lack legitimacy."

"It doesn't matter!"

Yang Anguo waved his hand.

Although the Imperial Academy theoretically had clear qualification requirements for admission, namely that students had to be sons or nephews of officials of the seventh rank or above in the capital.

In reality, the Imperial College always had a back door.

"From now on, you are students of the Guangwen Academy of the Imperial College, and you are also students of the Imperial College."

The so-called "Guangwen Academy" refers to the preparatory school under the Imperial Academy during the Tang and Song Dynasties. It was first established in the ninth year of the Tianbao era of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. In the early years of the Yuanhe era of Emperor Xianzong of Tang, the Guangwen Academy in Xijing was set at sixty students, and the Guangwen Academy in Dongdu was set at ten students.

In the Song Dynasty, the Imperial Academy also had a preparatory school called "Guangwen Hall," which did not have a fixed number of students.

For the sons of officials below the eighth rank and exceptionally outstanding commoners, although they could not directly enter the main campus of the Imperial Academy, they could study in the "Guangwen Hall," so they were also generally referred to as "students of the Imperial Academy."

During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, since the Imperial Academy was the only school in the capital, admission to the Guangwen Academy of the Imperial Academy usually required either a rigorous entrance examination or a recommendation from a high-ranking official.

By the time of Emperor Renzong, things were much simpler, because with the rise of the Imperial Academy, which recruited commoners, the Imperial College and the Guangwen Academy were practically deserted.
Therefore, Lu Beigu, Cheng Hao, and Cheng Yi became the only three students in the Imperial Academy's Guangwen Hall.

Yang Anguo pulled the three of them outside to talk in a corner of the empty courtyard. The late autumn wind swirled a few withered yellow ginkgo leaves, making the chill even more intense.

Yang Anguo rubbed his hands together, his anxious expression undiminished, even more so now that he was far from the lecture hall.

"Three wise men!"

Yang Anguo cupped his hands again, adopting a very humble posture, completely disregarding his purple robe and status as a Hanlin Academician.

"In the heat of the moment, there were some things that couldn't be said openly in the hall. That old scoundrel Hu Yuan, in front of the Emperor at the lecture today, pointed his finger at me and said that our Imperial Academy 'has the name of an academy but no real ability to cultivate talent. Those it raises are all rich and dissolute young men. Their writings are out of touch with current affairs, and their policy discussions are out of touch with the people's sentiments. Compared with the students of the Imperial Academy, they are like rotten wood compared to a beam.' Although the Emperor didn't say anything at the time, his expression... Alas!"

Yang Anguo sighed heavily, his face a mixture of shame and anxiety.

"Hu Yuan finally proposed a competition, ostensibly for 'exchanging skills,' but in reality, he wanted to definitively prove in front of a larger audience that our Imperial Academy had no one capable of handling this! How could I swallow this insult? Is the reputation of the Imperial Academy really going to be ruined in my hands?"

The other party repeated what he had said, and since things had come to this point, Cheng Yi couldn't very well refuse.

Cheng Yi asked in a deep voice, "May I ask, Scholar, what are the rules for the competition three days from now? What will be tested? And who will be your opponents?"

Cheng Yi knew that the Imperial Academy was full of talented people, especially Liu Ji, who was said to have topped the examinations within the Imperial Academy for several consecutive years and was a hot candidate for the top scholar next year. He was by no means an easy opponent.

When Yang Anguo saw that Cheng Yi had asked the key question, he perked up and quickly said, "Because the criteria for judging poetry and essays are difficult to determine, we only compare those that are easy to judge, such as those that are based on classical texts, those that are based on literary meaning, and those that are based on current affairs."

"As for the opponent, in my opinion, the most prominent figure at the Imperial Academy recently is Liu Ji! He must be the top choice sent by the Imperial Academy."

His gaze swept over Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi, finally settling on Lu Beigu, who had been listening in silence. Seemingly feeling that mere righteousness and prestige were not enough, he lowered his voice and added, "The three of you are now students of the Imperial Academy's Guangwen Hall. If you can uphold the prestige of our Imperial Academy and dampen the arrogance of the Imperial College in this competition, I will certainly reward you handsomely!"

"Besides being inside the Imperial Academy, you will enjoy the same treatment as everyone else in terms of food, clothing, lodging, and transportation. You can freely browse the library. If you have any questions, I can find any doctor from the Imperial Academy to answer them for you. If you have any other requests, I will do my best to fulfill them without hesitation!"

"Moreover, not only are the people of the Imperial Academy grateful, but I myself will certainly speak highly of these three talented individuals before His Majesty!"

Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi exchanged another glance. Even the most insignificant "clothing, food, housing, transportation, enjoyment, and treatment" meant a decent cotton robe, free food and drink, a private residence, and a mule cart available at any time.

As for the other rewards, they are even more valuable.

For example, the vast collection of books accumulated by the Imperial Academy since the founding of the dynasty, and the great Confucian scholars who received salaries from the Imperial Academy but never attended classes.

Therefore, from the perspective of the two brothers, the reason of vindicating their teacher Zhou Dunyi was strong enough, and participating in such a high-level competition and competing with the top talents of the Imperial Academy was an excellent experience. Yang Anguo's offer was also sincere.

Cheng Hao looked at Lu Beigu with a questioning gaze.

Lu Beigu's mind raced, then he nodded slightly, indicating to Cheng Hao that he had no objection.

After all, the Imperial Academy's library and those great scholars who never taught classes were actually extremely valuable resources for exam preparation.

Even with Song Xiang's guidance, these were still the things he needed to pass the imperial examination.

With Lu Beigu's tacit approval, and seeing that his younger brother Cheng Yi, though serious, did not object, Cheng Hao bowed to Yang Anguo and said in a deep voice, "Scholar, you flatter us. Since this is a discussion and concerns the reputation of Mr. Lianxi, the three of us are willing to do our best."

"Good! Good! Good!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Anguo was overjoyed and exclaimed "Good!" three times in a row, his gloomy expression instantly dissipating.

"With the help of these three talented individuals, I feel much relieved! These three can freely read the Imperial Academy's library for the next few days."

"Assistant Song!"

He turned to Song Tang and shouted, "These next few days, you will be in charge of assisting these three talented individuals with all your might. Make sure you are fully prepared!"

Song Tang walked over, clearly disapproving of Yang Anguo's last-minute attempt to cram.

However, Yang Anguo didn't care about any of that.

He glanced around the lecture hall, his gaze sweeping over the still bewildered students. He gave a disdainful snort, then offered a few words of encouragement to Song Tang and Lu Beigu before leaving the "Mingbian Hall" in a flurry with two clerks.

(End of this chapter)