Di Ming

Chapter 121 Junior Brother

Looking at the grand scale of the ancient academy, Zhu Yin couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

The weight of history washed over him once more, but it brought him only endless regret.

From the Biyong of the Zhou Dynasty to the Taixue of the Han Dynasty, and then to the Guozijian of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, China's university education system is well-established and matured very early.

Unfortunately, their teaching philosophy went astray.

The Nanjing Imperial College, also known as Nanyong, was the world's largest and highest-ranking university in the early Ming Dynasty.

Later generations believed that the history of Nanyong began in the Ming Dynasty. This is a huge misconception.

Its history dates back to the Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, more than a thousand years ago. The Ming Dynasty expanded upon it, but it was not the first dynasty to build it.

The predecessor of Nanyong was the famous Jiankang Imperial Academy.

During the Yongle period, there were 8,000 students, including foreign students from Japan, Korea, Ryukyu, and Southeast Asia, as well as students from Tibetan, Mongol, and southwestern barbarian ethnic groups who were under the Ming Dynasty's control.

Zhu Yin let Lan Cha watch the horses in the square, while he led the Kangxi brothers into the Imperial College.

Emperor Kangxi carried a book box on his back, while Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong carried writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, acting as his pageboys.

That's right, students at the Imperial Academy were allowed to have pageboys. After all, there were many wealthy children at the Imperial Academy, and many of them lived on campus; how could they not have pageboys?

Zhu Yin took out his official document and token, showed them to the gatekeeper for inspection, and was able to enter Jixian Gate smoothly.

Then we entered the Imperial Academy gate.

On a clear autumn morning, the rising sun shines on Jixian Avenue, making the ancient locust trees on both sides appear as if they have been dyed gold.

There weren't many scholars coming and going in the grand entrance passage; they were all dressed in blue silk robes with wide sleeves and black trim, and wearing black Confucian caps.

This is the uniform of the Imperial College designed by Qin Kui, the Minister of Works in the early Ming Dynasty.

They walked with a steady gait, their every gesture was refined and polite, and they spoke with gentle grace, frequently bowing to each other and exchanging greetings.

Among these people are not only young people in their prime, but also elderly people with white hair.

"I've met senior."

"Senior brother, I greet you."

"Greetings, Brother Yan."

"Greetings, brother."

Even if they are older than each other or started school earlier, they will usually respectfully address each other as senior brother or Yan brother.

This is also the rule: age is not a factor in the examination system.

Because no matter how old you are or how early you start school, you may never pass the imperial examination to become a scholar.

They are young, and may have achieved early success, entering officialdom as teenagers.

Each greeting, though seemingly formal, exudes a refined and elegant gentlemanly demeanor.

But the most attention-grabbing one is Zhu Yin.

Zhu Yin was also wearing a short robe, the same style as the other students, but because he was young, he did not wear a crown and could only wear his hair in a horn-shaped bun.

Therefore, as soon as Zhu Yin appeared, he immediately attracted a lot of attention.

However, it's not that the Imperial Academy is without young students. There are students as young as twelve or thirteen, not yet old enough to dance with elephants.

But I've never seen anyone as young as Zhu Yin before.

Everyone turned to look, all with a hint of curiosity.

Are these also students of the Imperial Academy?

They look quite presentable, but their age doesn't seem to match.

This child is probably about ten years old. There are no students this young in the entire Imperial Academy.

I doubt there have ever been such young students since the founding of the Imperial Academy by Emperor Taizu.

Seeing that many people were paying attention to him, Zhu Yin simply stood politely on the right side of the road, straightened his clothes, bowed, and said in a clear, childish voice:

"Your junior brother Zhu Yin greets all senior brothers."

Without waiting for anyone to speak, he strode away.

"Huh? He really is a student from the Imperial Academy!" When everyone saw him address them as senior brothers, they all knew that he was just a junior brother.

A young student couldn't help but ask, "Junior brother, are you also from Nanyong?"

Zhu Yin stopped and turned around, smiling brightly, "Indeed. I'm here to register for school today. May I ask, senior brother, how do I get to the Registrar's Hall?"

Now everyone around knew that Nan Yong had indeed received the youngest student from the Imperial Academy!

Moreover, judging from this junior brother's words and actions, he is poised and composed, possessing a certain elegance, and does not seem like a young and ignorant child.

The surprise on the young man's face vanished in an instant, and he smiled kindly, "Nanyong is very large, with many main halls. The Registrar's Office is not easy to find. Let me take you there."

Zhu Yin thanked him and said, "Then I thank you, Senior Brother. May I ask your honorable name?"

The young man had a gentle expression and an elegant demeanor, exuding the air of an elder brother. "My name is Lin Wei. Come with me."

Lin Wei led Zhu Yin inside, asking curiously, "How old are you, Junior Brother? What year were you born during the Wanli era?"

Zhu Yin replied, based on the information that Zhuang Tingjian had changed his age to one year older: "Ten years old. I was born in the fourth month of the sixth year of the Wanli reign (1586) in the Year of the Tiger."

Looking at the tiger-like Zhu Yin, Lin Wei praised, "He really is a little tiger."

Zhu Yin laughed and said, "To be honest, Senior Brother Lin, my courtesy name is Zhihu, which means 'little tiger'?"

"Junior brother is only ten years old and already has a courtesy name?" Lin Wei was a little speechless. "It seems that junior brother started learning too early and is naturally smart, so his parents gave him a courtesy name early on."

He was twenty years old, and this was the first time he had ever seen a ten-year-old child with a courtesy name.

Zhu Yin asked, "May I ask your name, Senior Brother Lin?"

"Your name is Fengmao." Lin Wei found Zhu Yin quite pleasing to the eye and, not minding his youth, even felt a desire to befriend him. "I am from Houguan, Fujian. And you are Junior Brother Zhihu?"

Zhu Yin didn't hide anything, "I'm a local resident, from Jiangning. Senior Feng Mao's family is from Fujian, so he can only live on campus."

Lin Wei nodded and pointed west, "I live in the Guangzhe Hall Jiawu Dormitory over there. Junior Brother, you can come visit me when you have time."

Guangzhe Hall? Zhu Yin was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Senior Brother Fengmao, I've heard that Guangzhe Hall in the Imperial College is the dormitory for overseas students, right?"

Zhu Yin knew that the Imperial College of the Ming Dynasty had special dormitories for foreign students, namely the Prince's Study and Guangzhe Hall, which together had more than a hundred rooms.

Among them, the Prince's Study was a dormitory specially for foreign princes. It was luxurious and exquisite, with carved railings and painted beams, and was attended to by maids, pageboys, and cooks, with all kinds of services provided.

When necessary, they would even arrange marriages to prevent the princes from being lonely in the Ming Dynasty.

As for those foreign princes who come to study, whether they are actually princes or not is unknown.

Second only to the Prince's Study, Guangzhe Hall was the dormitory for ordinary foreign students. Both were elegant and luxurious houses, and more comfortable than the dormitories for Ming Dynasty students.

Similarly, Guangzhetang also offered official slave services, guaranteed to satisfy foreign students. Not only were they treated better in terms of money, rice, oil, and salt, but they also arranged marriages when necessary.

Guangzhe Hall was originally a dormitory for foreign students, but Lin Wei moved in there.

Lin Wei laughed and said, "Junior Brother Zhihu really knows a lot. That's right, Guangzhe Hall is indeed the dormitory for international students. Although it can't compare to Prince's Study, it's much better than our own dormitory."

"But nowadays there aren't many foreign students, so the rooms aren't full at all, and they're just sitting idle and wasting space, so we're the ones who live here."

The statement "There aren't many foreign students these days" says a lot.

The decline of the Ming Dynasty is fully contained within it.

Zhu Yin's expression was strange. "The dormitories in Guangzhe Hall are empty. Are we just supposed to move in whenever we want? Are they for those with more points, or for the vice-tribute students?"

Zhu Yin could understand whether those with high scores lived in the same place or those who were almost successful in the imperial examinations.

But Lin Wei shook her head and said, "None of those are true."

He looked a little embarrassed. “Whoever pays the money gets to live here. I have to pay twenty taels of silver every year to move from a regular dormitory to Guangzhe Hall. If my junior brother wants to live here, he will have to pay more.”

So it was about spending money!
It seems that Lin Fengmao comes from a wealthy family, willing to spend twenty taels of silver to change his dormitory. Twenty taels is the annual income of an average family.

Zhu Yin smiled wryly and said, "Let's forget it. It's not about the money. It's just that my family lives in a village outside the city. It only takes about half an hour to ride there and back, so I don't need to stay at school."

The two walked and talked, and soon Zhu Yin figured out Lin Wei's background.

His father was also a student of the Imperial Academy, and worked as a low-ranking clerk in his hometown. Although he was from an official family, his family was well-off, but not extremely wealthy.

Although Lin Wei is the son of a clerk, he is warm-hearted and has a cheerful personality, and it is clear that he is a good person.

Zhu Yin followed Lin Wei and walked for a while through the vast Imperial Academy, crossing an artificial lake before finally arriving at a hall.

It is the Hall of Records, one of the four halls.

The Office of Records and Records was in charge of documents, student records, and finances, similar to the archives and finance office of later times.

The head of the Bureau of Records was a ninth-rank official, the lowest-ranking official, but still a legitimate government official.

Therefore, the official in charge of the books would certainly not devote himself to the work of the books office.

Not to mention the official scribe, even his deputy, who was only a first-class official, had disappeared without a trace.

In the spacious and elegant hall where Zhu Yin was received, there was only a group of clerks.

These clerks sat with their legs crossed, drinking tea and chatting behind their desks, while a Boshan incense burner burned valuable sandalwood on the table.

These clerks weren't even scholars, but because they had connections, they were able to sit comfortably there, receiving a fixed monthly allowance regardless of the weather.

It's truly like a loyal, stable crop.

"What is it?" A clerk in blue robes wearing a square-shaped turban looked up and asked impatiently, "Who let you in, huh?"

Lin Wei was very enthusiastic and took the initiative to speak on Zhu Yin's behalf: "Fellow secretaries, this junior brother is a new student who has come to register for enrollment..."

"Secretary" is a respectful title for these scribes.

The clerk said smugly, "I wonder how much money was spent to enroll such a young child. Can he even read the entire Thousand Character Classic?"

He stood up lazily, pulled out a pen from the table, haphazardly touched the inkstone, and grabbed a yellowed notebook with his left hand.

However, he just made a show of it, neither asking Zhu Yin nor writing anything, but just smiling strangely.

Just as Lin Wei was about to remind him, Zhu Yin pulled out a three-qian coin from his sleeve and said with a smile:

"Secretary, you've worked hard. It's really not easy to be busy with official duties so early in the morning."

The clerk's smile immediately became sincere, and he glanced at Zhu Yin with a slightly surprised expression, his eyes filled with admiration.

Such a young child, yet so worldly-wise; no wonder he came to study at the Imperial Academy so early.

Either they are naturally intelligent, or they have a good upbringing. "Young master, please show your school registration certificate and your student ID card." The clerk subtly pocketed three coins of silver and said in a gentle tone.

Zhu Yin beckoned to the back, and his page, Kangxi, quickly presented him with the official document and the ivory tablet.

The clerk's expression darkened further when he saw that Zhu Yin was accompanied by a pair of respectable pageboys.

He took the document and the token, looked at them for a while, then quickly wrote them down. He then used the key to open the drawer, took out a blank document stamped with the official seal of the classics, and wrote Zhu Yin's file.

Finally, he stamped a note on Zhu Yin's document and returned it to Zhu Yin.

"Young master, that's settled. Go to Chongzhi Hall and find Qi Xuelu. Qi Xuelu will naturally make arrangements for you."

Zhu Yin thanked Lin Mao and then followed him to Chongzhi Hall.

Along the way, they passed a magnificent library surrounded by a pool. Lin Wei pointed to the library and said:

"That's the Imperial Library of Nanyong, with an extremely rich collection of books. The Yongle Encyclopedia was compiled there. Junior Brother Zhihu, if you want to borrow books from the collection, you can go there."

Zhu Yin understood; he knew it was the library of the Imperial Academy. Such a large library spoke volumes about the Imperial Academy's rich history and culture.

After passing through the library and two more gates, you will see a large cluster of tall buildings with gray walls and black pillars.

The tallest one in the very center is the Yilun Hall.

Yilun Hall is the main hall of the Imperial College. It is very spacious and magnificent, but it is not open to the public at all times. It was the imperial lecture hall when the emperor visited the Imperial College.

At that time, the emperor himself will give a lecture in the Yilun Hall, and the audience will be elite students and future pillars of the country. What a magnificent scene that will be!
Unfortunately, the Yilun Hall of the Ming Dynasty was merely for show. From the early Ming Dynasty to the end of the Ming Dynasty, very few emperors came to the Yilun Hall to give lectures.

Since their own level of knowledge might not even be as good as that of a scholar, what would they talk about at the Imperial Academy? How to enjoy themselves? Or how to talk about cricket fighting, cultivating immortality, making money, or carpentry?

The Yilun Hall, once the emperor's lecture hall, has been sealed off for a long time. After the Ming Dynasty moved its capital, no emperor has lectured at the Yilun Hall in Nanyong for over a hundred years.

Surrounding the Yilun Hall are six schools, named according to their hall names: Shuaizheng Hall, Xiudao Hall, Chengxin Hall, Zhengyi Hall, Chongzhi Hall, and Guangye Hall.

These six university buildings were all independent structures, much like the independent teaching buildings of later generations.

The hall names are all derived from Confucian classics, and each school has fifteen classrooms, totaling ninety classrooms.

During the Yongle reign, the Southern Academy of Imperial Sciences had more than 8,000 students, and every classroom was packed.

Zhu Yin wandered among the magnificent and elegant schools, looking around, and found that most of the classrooms were empty and closed off.

Only 30% of the classes were in session.

In classrooms where some students are teaching, you can hear the sound of students reciting aloud, or the sound of teachers lecturing.

The sounds of classical Chinese phrases were incessant, carrying a clamor of knowledge, seemingly sparking flashes of wisdom and truth.

It feels so familiar.

Zhu Yin curiously stood on tiptoe to take a look and found that the classrooms were not yet full. Some classrooms had fifty or sixty students, while others had only twenty or thirty.

Zhu Yin couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Indeed, the Imperial Academy has declined drastically.

For several decades in the early Ming Dynasty, the Imperial Academy (Guozijian) was the main source of officials, not the imperial examinations.

The Imperial Academy was for cultivating top talents, while the imperial examination system was for selecting top talents.

Originally, the two could have been perfectly integrated.

However, the Ming Dynasty learned from the "lesson" of Song Dynasty students "interfering in politics" and did two things in order to curb the power of academic cliques and strengthen the rule of the court.

First, suppress and abolish academies in various regions, and completely replace the academy system of the Tang and Song dynasties with the official school system.

Secondly, it weakened the influence of the Imperial Academy on the imperial examinations, creating a clearly defined dual-track system.

Most of the highly accomplished individuals, such as those who passed the provincial examinations and the imperial examinations, were not students of the Imperial Academy.

Many students at the Imperial Academy did not even have the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations).

The number of officials with degrees from the Imperial Academy is decreasing.

With the strengthening of the imperial examination system, the importance of the Imperial Academy declined and gradually fell into disuse.

Even more critically, enrollment and academic qualifications at the Imperial College could be obtained by paying money.

Moreover, it could also be obtained through the favors of officials and nobles.

This has resulted in a diverse student body at top-tier universities, diminishing the prestige of their programs.

After the Hongzhi era, both the Northern and Southern Imperial Colleges declined greatly and never regained their former glory.

The number of students has shrunk to three thousand, and the management system has also become lax.

The only things that remained unchanged were the level and organizational structure of the Imperial College.

Zhu Yin arrived at Chongzhi Hall and finally found Qi Xuelu, who was a ninth-rank official.

When Qi Xuelu saw Zhu Yin's name, he immediately felt a sense of familiarity.

He took out a notebook, flipped through it for a while, and then a smile appeared on his serious face.

"Zhu Yin, at the tender age of ten, entered the Southern Imperial Academy for his merits..."

Someone had already given him a heads-up, and he had it all recorded. How could he not know who Zhu Yin was?

Zhu Yin is a person with connections, a person with powerful backers!
This young Zhu Yin is going to participate in next year's provincial examination.

Haha, isn't this just making a fuss?

Forget it, what does it have to do with me?
Qi Xuelu, with a playful expression, recorded Zhu Yin's name while saying in a sarcastic tone:

"This is the first time I've ever seen a ten-year-old student in my teaching career. In the more than two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, there has never been a ten-year-old student in the Imperial Academy before."

"You're only ten years old. It's really urgent for you to rise from Chongzhitang to Shuaizhengtang and get eight points in less than a year."

At this point, his eyes were filled with curiosity.

Zhu Yin smiled slightly upon hearing this, "Thank you for your trouble, sir. I will certainly study diligently. I will also give my all in next year's provincial examination."

It means he's determined to get a spot in next year's provincial examination!

Upon hearing these words and seeing Zhu Yin's clear, water-like eyes, Qi Xuelu's expression hardened.

Could this child be a prodigy not to be underestimated? Have I been underestimating him?

Zhu Yin was certainly very clear about the system of the Imperial Academy in the Ming Dynasty.

According to the Ming Dynasty system, the Imperial Academy's curriculum was four years. It wasn't that one could graduate in four years; it was the fastest one could graduate in four years.

If you complete four years of study but don't get enough points (less than eight), you'll have to repeat the year and stay at the university; you won't be able to graduate.

Only graduates of the Imperial Academy were eligible to participate in the provincial examinations.

But that's ancient history. Rules are rigid, but people are flexible.

Today, this once-ironclad system has been ruined and can only restrain those who follow the rules.

Anyone with power and influence can skip ranks through various underhanded methods.

A degree that normally takes at least four years can be completed in a year with this method. Of course, this is on the premise that the student's grades actually qualify them to skip a grade.

He himself came here to skip grades. Magistrate Zhuang had everything arranged.

There's absolutely no need to study for four years in a step-by-step manner.

Upon hearing this, Lin Wei finally understood that Zhu Yin was not only very young, but also going to skip a grade!

Could this junior brother be a child prodigy?

In less than a year, how can one jump from a lower-level school to a middle-level school, and then to the highest-level school, the Shuaizheng Hall?

Is that possible? Was he born with a reading mind?

Qi Xuelu then asked, "Zhu Yin, are you a student in the Imperial Academy or a student outside the academy? It's been less than a year."

Zhu Yin replied without hesitation, "In response to your question, sir, I am a student of the Imperial Academy and will try my best not to ask for leave."

He knew that nowadays, many students at the Imperial Academy were merely nominal, having the status of students but not attending classes, or only coming once a year for the spring and autumn sacrifices to Confucius. After four years of study, they might not even know their classmates.

This is called being a student outside of prison.

These students who are absent from class for extended periods and do not participate in assessments are either children of the powerful and wealthy who are only there to get a diploma or have been admitted through bribery or connections.

However, in any era and in any place, there are always "honest people" who follow the rules. Zhu Yin is one such example.

Those who diligently study and attend classes at school are called "students in prison".

The students at the Imperial Academy still followed the same discipline as students in the early Ming Dynasty, attending classes and studying diligently, strictly adhering to the timetable, attending classes for 27 days a month, and only taking three days off.

Most of the students in the Imperial Academy came from ordinary families and were commoners.

They were academically gifted, many becoming scholars, and they cherished their opportunity to study at the Imperial College.

Zhu Yin has already asked Zhuang Tingjian. At present, Nanyong has more than 3,000 students of various kinds, but only 1,500 students regularly attend classes.

No wonder so many classrooms are empty.

This would have been unimaginable in the early Ming Dynasty. As a student of the Imperial Academy, how could you dare to skip classes for so long?

That's not as simple as just being fired.

After Qi Xuelu finished registering, he took Zhu Yin to a classroom in Chongzhi Hall.

There were forty or fifty students in the classroom reciting their lessons.

This is one of the five classrooms still open at Chongzhitang.

The teaching assistant, sitting on the lectern, was listening to a group of students reciting their lessons.

The Imperial College's curriculum consisted of 27 days per month, with 14 days dedicated to memorization. Then there were 7 days for review and 6 days for comprehension.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the teaching assistant is a teacher; he holds the rank of eighth grade official! That's one grade and two levels higher than the Qi Xue Lu!
"Assistant Li," Qi Xuelu said, bowing slightly. "The new students have arrived. I have completed their registration process; please review it, Assistant Li."

Teaching Assistant Li returned the greeting with a bow, took the student registration document, glanced at Zhu Yin, and understood what was going on.

He nodded and said, "Okay."

The forty or fifty students in the classroom all turned to look at Zhu Yin, their eyes filled with surprise.

Such a young junior brother?

P.S.: That's all for today. It's so hard to keep going, sob sob... I'm going to be naked, and autumn is getting colder and colder.

(End of this chapter)