PFC Chapter 79, Studying... Study my ass!
Chapter 79, Studying... Study my ass!
The next day, just like when his father dragged him to school on his first day, Cao Wenda pulled him out of bed early in the morning.
"My goodness, morning classes at the academy start in a quarter of an hour, and you're still sleeping!"
"I read 'chicken'," Lin Zhou sat up, mumbling sleepily, "Ba. I want to sleep..."
"The Prime Minister has ordered! Even if you die, I will drag your corpse to the academy!"
At this moment, Cao Wenda no longer cared about the previous veiled terms like "master" or "superior," and directly addressed him as "Prime Minister." He was clearly being driven crazy by this guy.
He had met smart people, hotheads, and fools in his life, but he had never seen anyone like this. If you were to say he was foolish, he was not really foolish. He wasn't exactly a hothead either. Although this guy was belligerent, he was a good person and could make all sorts of big shots smile.
But if we're talking about intelligence, what intelligent person could so decisively refuse an opportunity to study?
The North City Academy is not a place for ordinary people to even audit classes. There are no ordinary people or merchants' children there; it is full of the sons of the imperial family and the officials. Going in would be like entering a storm of factionalism.
What is this? This is connections! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that others are eagerly eyeing, but the Prime Minister took a liking to him and personally put in the effort to get him into the academy to audit classes, and he still acts like this?
"I'm going to work at eight in the morning..." Lin Zhou mumbled groggily as he was dragged up from the carriage, "What's the point of going to that place!"
"Cheer up! Going there will naturally bring benefits; your husband's arrangement has its own profound meaning."
Lin Zhou was escorted out of the academy by Cao Wenda while he was cursing and swearing.
This North City Academy is located in a secluded spot in the north of Lin'an City. A wall slowly pushes open two vermilion gates. The gates are open, but there is no noise of carriages and horses. It is neither a government office nor a marketplace. There is only the faint sound of reading aloud.
Lin Zhou followed Cao Wenda across the threshold. In front of them was a screen wall made of blue bricks, and behind it were rows of houses with gray bricks and blue tiles, all neatly arranged.
The atmosphere here was not good. As soon as Lin Zhou entered, his anus tightened, as if he had walked into a high school teaching building. Almost instantly, his stress level was almost full.
"This is it." Cao Wenda pushed him forward and lowered his voice: "The second room in the east wing, go in by yourself. The gentleman's surname is Li, he is a retired scholar, very learned, so don't make a fuss, just listen carefully."
Lin Zhou said "Oh" and slowly moved to the outside of the room. The window had thin wooden lattice covered with thick paper, and shadows were moving inside. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and pushed open the half-closed wooden door.
It was darker inside than he had expected, and he felt even more damn oppressed. Along one wall was a row of bookshelves that reached the ceiling, crammed full of books, bamboo slips, thread-bound books, rolls and stacks. He looked around and felt that the stuff here must be worth a lot of money. He would have to find a way to take it all back to put some pressure on future high school students, since leaving it here would just be a waste anyway.
In the center of the room were about twenty low tables, behind which sat some young people of different ages, most of them dressed in plain-colored robes. They were looking down at the books in front of them. Occasionally, someone would look up, their gaze sweeping over Lin Zhou, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes, but they would quickly look down again.
At the front was a large desk, behind which sat a thin old man with a white beard, wearing a dark blue robe in the style of the Song Dynasty. He held a scroll in his hands and was slowly reading aloud: "...Those in ancient times who wished to manifest their virtue to the world first ordered well their own states. Those who wished to order well their own states first regulated their own families..."
"Report!"
Lin Zhou's sudden shout at the door startled everyone inside, drawing all eyes to him. The old man slammed his book on the table with a loud bang.
"Who goes there!" The old man stared wide-eyed at Lin Zhou. "How can you be so ignorant of etiquette?"
"what?"
Lin Zhou walked in, chuckling as he turned the bag on his back to the front and pulled out handfuls of candy. They were all White Rabbit milk candies, originally meant for Xiao'e, but since Xiao'e had just left, he brought them over now.
"Have some candy, have some candy." Lin Zhou placed a handful on everyone's desk, from teachers to students: "Just a small token of my respect since I'm new here... It's nothing special..."
"A small token of my appreciation!" The old man's beard trembled. "Where did this scoundrel come from! This is no place for you to cause trouble!"
"Oh, right, right." Lin Zhou stepped forward and placed the letter of introduction on the table: "I'm here to audit the class."
The teacher picked up the letter of introduction, glanced at it, and his expression changed. He frowned, pointed to the empty seat in the corner, and said, "Go sit in that seat."
Lin Zhou responded and then distributed the candy from the bag to those who hadn't received any before. Now, everyone's table was piled high with candy. These young masters looked at each other, then glanced at the dazed, clueless guy, and couldn't help but smile.
The teacher's emotions were interrupted. He picked up his water glass, took a sip, and then curiously glanced at the huge pile of candies on the table. Amused and annoyed, he picked up a candy and put it in his mouth. The rich milky aroma and pure sweetness made him pause for a moment. He hummed in agreement and carefully sucked on it.
"Interesting." After saying that, he took another sip of water before continuing to teach.
However, for Lin Zhou, this was pure torture. His seat was against the wall, and there was a stove burning in the room, making it warm and cozy. Combined with the teacher's white noise, he initially tried to stay awake, but soon his eyelids became too heavy to keep open.
He didn't know when he closed his eyes, but he knew he was awakened by the pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw the old man standing in front of him with an angry face, the ruler in his hand hitting his palm.
The students around him laughed so hard they were doubled over, while Lin Zhou's drool was already dripping onto his pants.
"What does it mean to be eloquent? This is it!"
The old man walked back to his seat with his hands behind his back, looking quite angry. He turned around and glared fiercely at Lin Zhou, then simply flicked his sleeves and said, "You can study on your own."
Judging from his expression, Lin Zhou probably thought he was going to find someone to transfer him out. But that's fine too. He really couldn't stand this classical Chinese stuff. At least in Chinese class, it was still modern Chinese. But translating classical Chinese directly into classical Chinese, who could understand that?
As soon as the teacher left, the students became lively. They all gathered around Lin Zhou, and someone gave him a thumbs up: "You're really something. On your first day here, you managed to anger Mr. Li to such an extent."
Some people stared at his face for a long time before suddenly blurting out, "Hey! Aren't you that traitor!"
"Haven't you had enough of being beaten up?" Lin Zhou raised his head: "Anyone who calls me a traitor again, I'll shove their head into a latrine and make them eat shit."
The surrounding classmates burst into laughter again. At this moment, a tall, thin boy asked, "You were there during the battle on the riverbank that day, weren't you? I saw you take on even a top-tier Imperial Guard officer one-for-one!"
"That's right!" Lin Zhou patted his chest. "I'm not afraid of anyone when it comes to fighting."
"So how did you end up studying here?" A chubby little boy, pawing at Lin Zhou's desk, asked curiously. "I was forced here by my father. I was even saying I was going to see that courtesan today. Sigh..."
"Don't even mention it." Lin Zhou leaned back and crossed his legs. "I didn't want to listen to this ridiculous nonsense either, but I had no other choice."
Just then, someone suddenly said, "I remember you! You were telling stories to everyone at the poetry gathering outside the city! You even won the title of one of the Ten Great Talents of Lin'an!"
Upon hearing this, the surrounding classmates immediately became excited: "Wow! The talented scholar from Lin'an is in our class?"
"I'm nothing," Lin Zhou waved his hand. "I bought the trending topics."
The man who had spoken earlier said enthusiastically, "Tell us a story, since the master isn't here."
"Really going to tell me?" Lin Zhou slightly rolled up his sleeves. "Then I'll tell you."
Lin Zhou sat there and coughed once: "Then let me tell you a... a... um, the story of the old corpse in the mountain village."
All the classmates in the classroom gathered around, completely surrounding Lin Zhou. Then someone handed him water, and Lin Zhou didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up a paperweight from the table and slapped it on the table as a reminder.
"To talk about this old corpse in the mountain village, we have to go back to sixty years ago..."
At that moment, Mr. Li was pouring out his troubles to the headmaster of the academy, holding a letter of introduction. After reading the letter, the headmaster sighed and said, "Mr. Li, I will go with you to take a look. As the sage said, education should be provided to all without discrimination. Talk to him properly and then we'll see."