Top Scholar

Chapter 174 Hanlin Scholar Becomes Headmaster

As they were talking, the Zhu family's carriage went up Bijia Mountain in the south of the city and stopped in front of a stone archway.

"Get out of the carriage, it would be impolite to go any further," Zhu Zigong said to the two. He was a year older than Zhu Zihe and would be a student at the upper hall when school started.

Su Lu and Zhu Zihe got out of the car and saw four large characters in Yan style calligraphy, "Jiangyang Wensou", engraved on the archway with its upturned eaves!
On the left and right pillars is a couplet that reads, “The spiritual energy of the three Lu Mountains gathers here, and the cultural heritage of a thousand years is as prosperous as this.”

Its imposing presence far surpasses that of the one at Taiping Academy, but Su Lu still prefers the latter...

Upon entering through the archway, one is greeted by a massive screen wall inscribed with four large characters: "Heshan Academy." Behind the screen wall lies a three-bay, double-eaved mountain gate, its grandeur far surpassing that of Taiping Academy.

Because we arrived half an hour early, the academy gate was still quiet. The guards, however, had opened the gate early and stood in front of the steps.

The guards checked Su Lu and Zhu Zihe's entry and exit passes and then let them pass.

The layout of Heshan Academy is exactly the same as that of Taiping Academy; in fact, the latter was built in imitation of the former. The former can also be seen as an upgraded version of the latter. For example, the square in the front yard is not only more spacious, but also paved with large gray bricks, so that it does not raise dust in the wind or accumulate water in the rain.

The ancestral hall was upgraded to the Temple of Confucius, which enshrines not only the sages of Confucius' school, but also Wei Liaoweng, the founder of the academy.

Moreover, Heshan Academy takes advantage of the mountain's terrain, with each level rising one floor, forming a stepped layout, which is a bit hard on the knees...

So the second floor is the lecture hall area. Looking at the wooden plaques "Mingzhizhai", "Duxingzhai" and "Shengshenzhai" hanging at the entrance of each lecture hall, Su Lu felt a great sense of familiarity.

However, this place is larger in scale. In addition to the lecture halls of the upper, middle and lower schools, there is also the Five Classics Hall and the Literary Battle Hall where Chun Ge'er once studied.

Further on was the central institution of the academy, which was not called Daonan Hall, but Heshan Hall.

A brand-new couplet hangs in front of the hall, which reads:

"The phoenix perches on the hill, turning back to find the lamp half-burnt, and the inscription on the bridge reads of a promise made long ago to ride the phoenix away."

Respectfully looking up to the towering mountain, I smile as I watch my old age unfold, a single book written; now, I return to the mountains to impart knowledge!

"This was personally inscribed by Headmaster Pang," Zhu Zigong introduced softly. "He was a scholar of the Hanlin Academy and also a senior student of this academy."

"Oh..." Su Lu immediately became respectful. The Hanlin Academy was the highest level of education in the Ming Dynasty, so writing this couplet was only fitting...

Even the arrogant Zhu Zihe whispered, "Since the founding of the nation, all the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) from Luzhou have come from Heshan Academy, so the headmaster of the academy cannot be a Jinshi. However, a Hanlin scholar like Headmaster Pang is extremely rare."

This setup is indeed frighteningly high. Just think about it, the headmaster of a state school is a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), while the headmaster of a private academy is a Hanlin scholar... Of course, if the academy were government-run, it would be impossible for a Hanlin scholar to serve as an academic official; even a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) would be out of the question.

Naturally, this academy was the apple of the eye of successive prefects, and the government continuously invested in its expansion, acquiring additional school land and shops to cover all expenses. Therefore, it was not entirely privately run; more accurately, it was a government-supervised, privately-run institution. The headmaster was appointed by the prefect, who would also regularly come to supervise and examine the students.

It's easy to imagine how much of an advantage students from Heshan Academy have in the state examinations... No wonder Headmaster Zhu sends his best students here for their final year; they're given a chance to hone their skills and avoid a fate like Chun Ge'er's.

"No wonder everyone is so eager to get into Heshan Academy," Su Lu couldn't help but exclaim.

“That’s right.” Zhu Zigong said with emotion, “The entrance exam for the academy is extremely rigorous. It doesn’t matter what your family background is. If you don’t pass the exam, you can’t get in.”

"Even after you're in, you can't be complacent. Under the three-stage advancement system, a third of my classmates haven't advanced. If they can't advance next year, they'll have to drop out," Zhu Zigong reminded the two of them.

"You should be prepared that here, there is true equality for all, and everything is judged by results."

Zhu Zihe laughed and said, "Don't worry, Uncle Jiu implemented a 'Three-Stage Grading Method' at Taiping Academy that allows students to drop out immediately, and a third of them were eliminated in just one year."

Zhu Zigong was taken aback upon hearing this: "Alright, you guys are still more ruthless..."

~~
Once inside Heshan Hall, the three of them fell silent.

After announcing the arrival, Zhu Zigong led the two into the headmaster's study.

Then they saw a plump old man with white hair, looking cheerful and healthy, sitting cross-legged beside a chessboard, playing against a thin old man with gray hair.

Upon seeing the three enter, the elderly man, who resembled a venerable elder, raised his head and looked at them with a smile.

“Student Zhu Zigong,”

“Student Zhu Zihe,”

"Student Su Lu greets Headmaster." The three quickly bowed respectfully.

"Alright, alright, no need for formalities," Headmaster Pang said kindly. "Zigong, are these the two new students recommended by Dejia?"

"Yes." Zhu Zigong introduced, "Hongzhi and Zihe are the two most outstanding students in the lower-level study of Taiping Academy. Uncle Jiu believes that they need a higher institution of learning in order to continue to make progress."

"Yes, I have read Nephew Dejia's letter." Headmaster Pang nodded with a smile and said, "His judgment is not bad, and the students he strongly recommends must be good too."

Then he asked the thin old man sitting opposite him, "Brother Qingheng, what do you think is the best course of action?"

Headmaster Pang smiled wryly at the two men, "I'm almost eighty years old, and I can only play chess when my mind is clear in the morning. So, all the important and trivial matters of the academy are handled by Brother Qingheng." "This is our Vice Headmaster Zhou," Zhu Zigong quickly introduced.

Su and Lu bowed and greeted Zhou Shanzhang.

Zhou Shanzhang, dressed in a scholar's round-necked robe, with prominent cheekbones and a serious expression, nodded and said, "I have also read Brother Dejia's letter. You are certainly capable."

Then he changed the subject, saying, "However, the academy's rules cannot be broken; we still need to take an exam before we can enter."

"Understood." Su Lu and Zhu Zihe were already mentally prepared, so they said in unison, "Please ask the headmaster to give us a test."

"No need for that trouble. There will be an exam at the Central Academy later; you can take it along while you're there." Headmaster Zhou's tone was polite, but his words left no room for negotiation. "If you get one point, you can stay at the Central Academy. If you get half a point, you can go to the Lower Academy for another year to consolidate your knowledge; that would be good too..."

Although it wasn't explicitly stated what would happen if I got zero, the consequences were obvious...

"Yes." Su Lu and Zhu Zihe responded in unison, as they were both quite good at exams.

Since it was uncertain whether the two of them could stay, Headmaster Zhou didn't say anything more to them.

He then ordered someone to summon Liu Jiang, the head chef of Zhengyi Zhai, and said in a deep voice, "Da Chuan, these two students will take the exam with your Zhai. If they pass, they will stay in your Zhai."

"Yes." Liu Jiang, also known as Liu Dachuan, was around fifty years old, wearing the round-necked robes of a student. His hair and beard were graying. Despite having thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a square face, his expression was troubled, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He avoided eye contact when speaking, giving off a very secretive vibe. "You'll come with me."

"The students take their leave." Su Lu and the other two bowed.

"Yes." Headmaster Zhou nodded.

"Go on, do your best on the exam," Pang Shanzhang encouraged them gently, and the two turned their attention back to the chessboard.

~~
Now that the monk had picked them up, Zhu Zigong stopped following and returned to the upper study with his schoolbag.

There are two aspects to Zhongzhai: one is sincerity, and the other is righteousness.

According to Master Liu, the rules here are a bit different from those in the lower courtyard. Students aren't divided into classes equally, but rather according to their grades: the top thirty are in Chengxin Zhai, and the bottom thirty are in Zhengyi Zhai. There will be adjustments based on their performance in the monthly lessons each quarter, but of course, there's still no direct expulsion…

“The teachers, teaching methods, and assignments are different between the two schools,” Liu Jiang and Liu Dachuan said dejectedly. “Furthermore, students at Chengxin School can receive 500 cash a month for their living expenses, and the top ten students can receive even more, while Zhengyi School receives nothing.”

"So the students of Zhengyizhai didn't dare to speak loudly in the academy..." Mr. Liu's tone grew increasingly somber, almost as he muttered to himself, "But at least the students had a chance to advance, while I could only teach at Zhengyizhai forever. Alas, what a tragic life, a lifetime of tragedy..."

Su Lu and Zhu Zihe exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes. This Mr. Liu seems to be under so much pressure that he's acting strangely, so it's best to raise the fast as soon as possible.

Upon entering Zhengyizhai, most of the students had already arrived. Liu Jiang pointed to two seats against the wall in the back row and said, "Those two seats without name tags are empty. You can sit there first. By the way, what are your names? I'll make name tags for you."

"The student's name is..." The two were about to answer when Mr. Liu interrupted, "Forget it, let's not rush into getting the designer brands. Maybe it'll be a waste of time anyway..."

Su Lu and Zhu Zihe were completely bewildered. They had no grudges against each other, so was it really okay to curse each other like that?

Liu Jiang then addressed the other students, saying, "We've known each other for a long time, so you should all know what sitting here means. Give it your all and do your best on the exam, don't end up like me..."

As he spoke, he muttered under his breath, "Actually, we've been taking the exam for a year now. If you can't pass, you can't pass. There's no point in trying."

After saying that, he left first.

As soon as Mr. Liu left, all the students turned around and smiled at Su Lu, saying, "Prodigy Su, we didn't expect you to come to school too!"

"You all know me?" Su Lu asked in surprise.

"Of course!" the students laughed. "Yesterday, half of us witnessed your heroic feat of shooting down the Seven Tiger Kings single-handedly from the Grand View Platform! The other half, who didn't see it in person, heard about it from us this morning."

"I see..." Su Lu said with a wry smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you. But from now on, please just call me Hongzhi, don't call me Prodigy."

"No problem, no problem. I am Deng Dengying, the headmaster of the study." A tall, thin man clasped his hands in greeting to Su Lu and asked with a smile, "Where did you study before, my virtuous brother Hongzhi?"

“At Taiping Academy,” Su Lu said.

"I see..." Everyone's gaze froze, clearly they had never heard of this before.

"The exams are coming up soon, are you all prepared?" another student asked.

"No, not at all." Su Lu and Zhu Zihe shook their heads. They had been studying the Book of Rites so much lately that they hadn't had time to do any extra practice questions.

"Then you're in trouble," the students said sympathetically. "If you get half a point, you'll be demoted to a lower-level school, and if you get zero, you might even be expelled!"

"I see." Su Lu suddenly realized that this was the tradition of the academy.

(End of this chapter)