Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 64 The Top University of the Ming Dynasty (Without a Trace)

The Inner Study Hall, located next to the Directorate of Ceremonial, was the school with the most outstanding teaching staff in the entire Ming Dynasty.

The teachers here are all from the Hanlin Academy—the top three Jinshi graduates, and they weren't even qualified to teach here.

As for career prospects, they are undoubtedly the best in the world. Countless eunuchs, including the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the eunuchs of the Eastern Depot, have emerged from here.

The Imperial College and Donglin Academy don't even have the qualifications to stage an accident.

Normally, this place is filled with the sound of reading aloud. It is the most special "preparatory class" in the Ming Dynasty, which is dedicated to teaching young eunuchs who are over ten years old to read and write.

But today, that tranquility has been shattered.

"Stand still! Hurry up, hurry up! You bunch of clueless idiots!"

In the courtyard, a group of young eunuchs dressed in blue robes were queuing up in a chaotic manner.

An older, head eunuch was shrilling and shouting, his face wrinkled from the strained expression.

In the chaotic procession, a eunuch who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old shoved a thin figure backward while impatiently cursing.

"New bumpkin! Don't you know the rules? Is this a place for you to stand? Get out of here to the back!"

The young eunuch was about thirteen years old and thin. He staggered a few steps after being pushed so suddenly and almost tripped over the table.

His face was full of fear, his head was lowered and he was timid and hesitant, his shoulders unconsciously hunching over.

Just then, another hand reached out and steadily supported him, while also stopping the hand of the young eunuch.

"Brother Du, he's new to the palace and doesn't know any better. Just talk to him; there's no need to resort to violence."

The one who spoke up was another boy, about the same age as the one who was being bullied, but with a more composed and righteous air about him.

The older eunuch glanced at him disdainfully, seemingly thinking he was meddling, but at this crucial moment he didn't say anything more, just snorted and took over the table at the front.

The bullied eunuch finally breathed a sigh of relief. He nervously tugged at his companion's sleeve, his voice barely audible.

"Grandpa Fang, you scared me to death! Is...is the emperor coming?"

The companion quickly put his index finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, then leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Shut up! You should call him 'Your Majesty,' have you forgotten?"

Looking at his companion's bewildered yet somewhat timid eyes, he couldn't help but sigh.

This new partner is great in every way, except he's too timid and too honest.

"Then let me ask Grandpa something," the timid friend swallowed hard, a glint of light in his eyes, "If I do well on the exam later... will I get meat to eat?"

"Get out!"

Grandpa Fang glared at him with a look of disappointment, but his tone softened unconsciously.

"If you can get first place, you'll get everything you want, not just meat. Du Goucai and his gang won't dare to bully us anymore!"

The young eunuch pressed on, "And what about second place? How many places do you need to get meat?"

Grandpa Fang was speechless for a moment, but seeing his companion still looking confused, he finally shook his head helplessly.

"Alright, alright, I'm not counting on you anymore. This time, I'll have to rely on your Grandpa Fang!"

"Once I win first place and catch His Majesty's eye, I'll definitely make sure you live a life of luxury!"

He patted his chest, about to boast a few more times.

Suddenly, a series of soft, rapid hoofbeats came from outside the courtyard.

Immediately afterwards, a senior eunuch strode in, his face solemn, and shouted sternly, "Silence!"

With a hum, the entire courtyard seemed to be held down by an invisible hand, instantly becoming so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

All the eunuchs lowered their heads and even held their breath.

"kneel--"

With a long, drawn-out chant, about a hundred people in the courtyard knelt down in a rush, their foreheads pressed tightly against the cold bluestone slabs.

"Long live my emperor! Long live! Long live!"

A sound like a mountain roaring and a tsunami echoed in the small courtyard.

The timid eunuch was a beat slow to kneel, and just before he lowered his head, he caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye.

A young figure dressed in a bright yellow casual suit stepped into the courtyard.

The owner of that figure seemed to have noticed something, and his gaze swept over, meeting his eyes.

The young eunuch was startled, his mind went blank, and he forgot to bow, simply staring blankly.

"You are crazy!"

The "Grandpa Fang" beside him was so frightened that he forgot all about etiquette and suddenly pressed down on his back, forcefully slamming his head to the ground.

The little eunuch's head was forced to slam against the ground, the pain bringing tears to his eyes, but his mind was still filled with those eyes.

"This emperor... is really handsome."

……

Zhu Youjian dismounted and walked straight through the first gatehouse of the Inner Study.

In the south of the courtyard, a memorial tablet of Confucius is enshrined, and incense is still burning in the incense burner. The couplets on both sides are quite interesting.

"If you haven't yet reached the level of Confucius, you must strive to take a few more steps; if you can't finish your family and career work, just leave it aside for now."

After carefully considering the matter, Zhu Youjian couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The first half of the sentence is a standard and proper exhortation to study, but the second half is full of the helplessness and self-deprecation unique to the eunuchs.

Once you enter the palace, your roots are severed, and your so-called "family and career" will inevitably have to be "happily abandoned."

He turned past the gatehouse, and the view before him suddenly opened up.

In the courtyard, there are more than a dozen ancient locust trees with lush foliage, casting patches of cool shade.

Under the tree, hundreds of tables were neatly arranged, and behind each table knelt a eunuch in a green robe.

The moment he entered, shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" immediately rang out.

Zhu Youjian's gaze casually swept across the crowd, but stopped right at the very back corner.

There, a boy was staring blankly at him, his eyes showing no fear, only... curiosity?
Gao Shiming, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial who was following behind Zhu Youjian, frowned instantly.

To behave improperly before a holy person is a grave act of disrespect!

He was about to step forward and reprimand him, but Zhu Youjian raised his hand to stop him.

"Never mind, he's just a child."

Zhu Youjian said it casually, his gaze sweeping across the boy's face without lingering.

He took out two folded pieces of paper from his wide sleeve and handed them to Gao Shiming.

"Don't delay, let's start the exam right away."

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"One copy is for those studying in the Inner Study. The other copy is for the scribes and attendants of the Directorate of Ceremonial."

Both papers must be submitted within one hour.

After saying that, he stopped looking at the crowd and walked straight toward the main hall deep in the courtyard.

Gao Shiming respectfully accepted the two sheets of paper, already accustomed to the new emperor's decisive and efficient style.

He unfolded the first exam paper and quickly glanced at it.

There are only twelve questions in total.

Some questions tested students' understanding of corruption, such as, "If someone solicits a bribe from you, how should you handle it?"

Some questions tested divination skills, such as, "One dou of rice costs ten wen. If you buy three and a half dou, how much should you pay?"

Some exams tested palace regulations, such as, "How should one handle matters related to entering and leaving the Forbidden City, including the exchange of waist tokens?"

Gao Shiming understood.

None of these questions contained any classical texts; they focused entirely on practical matters, which shows Your Majesty's pragmatic approach.

His eyes swept over the last question, but he suddenly felt confused.

Gao Shiming couldn't help but read it aloud in a low voice:

"Essay: Write about your experiences before entering the palace, within 500 words."

The term "composition" is understandable, but asking a group of eunuchs to recall their experiences before entering the palace is rather strange.

What's so interesting about what happened before she entered the palace? It was just about a gambling father and a sick mother...

What is Your Majesty trying to do?
Confused, he quickly picked up the second exam paper.

This time, there was only one line of text on the paper, but it carried far more weight than all twelve questions combined.

"—The imperial treasury is riddled with problems, there are too many palace servants, and palace security is lax. How should these problems be reformed?"

Gao Shiming held the thin piece of paper and suddenly felt it was as heavy as a thousand pounds.

I see……

This is the highlight.

It seems that this real storm in the inner court is about to begin in this small inner study.

　The content of the Inner Study Hall in these chapters all comes from "Zhuozhong Zhi".

　　I haven't been updating very frequently these past few days, so to express my apologies, I'm writing an extra chapter, "The Imperial Study in the Ming Dynasty - The Study Life of Young Eunuchs," as a gift for everyone.

　　Trust me, it's fun and not boring.

　　It will still be placed in the "related to the work" section.

　　I will move the update time forward as soon as possible (it's currently 23 PM every day).

　　Once it's moved to midnight, I can start updating at a rapid pace (does adding 1 update per day count as a rapid update?).

　　I apologize again to everyone~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)