Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 41 Random Quiz

Wu Mansion.

"Daddy."

Wu Chongwen, who had just returned from school, hurriedly ran to the inner hall. Upon entering, he saw Wu Xin sitting on the couch, drinking alone.

Wu Xin glanced at Wu Chongwen, "When did you become so reckless?"

"I know I'm wrong."

Wu Chongwen bowed.

"What is it?" Wu Xin asked again.

Wu Chongwen said, "Father, I heard that Wuming Academy is about to officially enroll students, and there are quite a few people going there to study."

"Yeah?."

Wu Xin picked up the wine glass on the table next to him, took a small sip, and frowned. "This wine is no ordinary wine!"

"liquor?"

Wu Chongwen was stunned for a moment, then immediately said, "Father, could it be that Hero's Wine that you're drinking?"

Wu Xin nodded: "You knew about this too?"

Wu Chongwen said, "Everyone outside is talking about this wine, and I naturally know about it too. But I think that although this wine has its unique features, it is not as amazing as people say. The so-called 'Hero Wine' is just a deception and a fraud."

“That’s what makes it so special,” Wu Xin said.

Wu Chongwen asked in confusion, "I am dull-witted and do not understand what Father means by this?"

Wu Xin sighed, "In the end, it's just a kind of wine. No matter how delicious it is, it shouldn't cause such a commotion."

Wu Chongwen said, "What Father means is that someone is manipulating things here."

"It must be so."

Wu Xin narrowed his eyes. "Their purpose should be to help Wuming Academy make a name for itself."

Wu Chongwen suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. No wonder Wuming Academy kept dragging its feet. They were waiting for this wine."

Wu Xin asked, "Who exactly is this Nameless One? What is his purpose in causing all this trouble?"

Wu Chongwen knew that his father was really worried about the Wang family. After a moment's thought, he said, "Father, I have a plan."

Wu Xin looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Wu Chongwen said, "It just so happens that Yang Zhan's cousin, Yang Hun, is also planning to enroll at Wuming Academy. Why not bribe him and let him go and see what kind of trouble Wuming Academy is up to?"

Wu Xin pondered for a while, then said, "This is a matter for you younger generation, and it is not convenient for your father to interfere."

They infer the process and cause from the result, so naturally their calculations are inaccurate.

In fact, it was quite the opposite. Wuming Academy had no intention of expanding its enrollment, but it had no choice. All the students were children of noble families, and many of them had been expelled from the Imperial Academy under some pretext because they had studied at Wuming Academy. This had to be addressed as soon as possible.

Today, Wang Xi, in Tao Mo's name, invited all the parents to the Nameless Academy, a group of several dozen people.

In fact, there are far more than that, but we will omit the landlords and wealthy merchants who came to inquire for now.

"I heard that you're preparing to hold an entrance exam, sir?" Han Dachui asked excitedly.

"Exactly."

Tao Mo nodded. Having already met the emperor, he became more composed in this situation. Although he still needed Wang Xi to stand by and support him, he no longer spoke hesitantly. He said, "For this recruitment, I plan to recruit sixteen students."

As he spoke, he looked around, "But as you all can see, this courtyard can't accommodate many people!"

Before he could finish speaking, a burly man said, "If you need space to expand the academy, sir, we would be happy to help. We can find even larger places and recruit more students."

This man is named Yang Jing, and he comes from the Hongnong Yang clan. He currently serves as a Lieutenant General in the Imperial Guard.

The others also nodded.

Tao Mo hurriedly said, "Thank you all for your kindness. Duke Qi has already prepared a courtyard for me as an academy. The reason for setting sixteen is that I have limited energy and have never run an academy before, so I am worried that I will not be able to manage it."

Everyone was extremely uneasy, as there were clearly more than sixteen people here.

Then Tao Mo said, "Once I have finalized the curriculum, I will recruit more teachers and perhaps another batch of students."

After hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

This is acceptable.

Cui Shendao asked curiously, "What are you planning to test, sir?"

He was a scholar and very interested in how the anonymous gentleman would set the questions. Tao Mo said, "The courtyard that the Duke of Qi lent me, although it occupies a lot of land, is a long-abandoned place. Originally, the Duke of Qi planned to find someone to help me renovate it, but I refused, because I intend to use it as a question for the entrance exam."

"what?"

Everyone present was puzzled.

What do you mean?
Tao Mo suddenly turned his head to look at his four favorite students beside him, "Xiao Man, Xiao Shuang."

"Yes."

Li Jieman and Wang Shuang carried a wooden box forward and placed it in the middle. There was a round hole in the top of the box.

Tao Mo said, "These are some materials needed for the renovation of the academy. To be fair, everyone can take whatever they want."

Cui Shendao asked in confusion, "This is the entrance exam?"

It all boils down to wanting money, so just ask. Do you think we're short of cash?

Tao Mo stroked his beard and smiled, "The regulations also specify the amount of money to be used, the craftsmanship required, and the completion date. The money will be provided by each family, but the candidates must do it themselves and cannot ask for help from others. Furthermore, everything needed must be purchased in the West Market. This is for fairness. If I find out that anyone is using their status to oppress merchants or craftsmen in the West Market, they will be permanently disqualified. The fastest completion time will determine the score."

"I see."

Cui Shendao suddenly realized something. Although he found it quite interesting, he was also filled with anxiety. This was obviously an advantage for Cui Gu'er, since it didn't test academic knowledge, but no academy had ever tested it like this before, indicating that this exam was full of variables.

Nobody knows how to do it, so it's perfectly fair.

Suddenly, someone asked, "What is your intention in using the repair academy as an examination, sir?"

Tao Mo smiled and said, "Have you all heard that my teaching method follows the Taoist philosophy of non-action?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Now, the story of Tao Mo was spreading like wildfire, thanks to the Hero Wine.

Tao Mo continued, "What is non-action? Simply put, it is going with the flow. I chose to make the academy's repair an exam item simply because the academy needs to be repaired."

Ah this?

Is it really that casual?

Cui Shendao and the others were dumbfounded.

Tao Mo continued, "You may all be confused, which is understandable. But in my opinion, a person's true wisdom is reflected in how they handle problems in daily life. That's why our academy tests whatever comes up in the exam."

The crowd seemed to understand but not quite, but considering the teaching methods of this nameless academy, it seemed to make sense.

Without asking any further questions, they all gestured for the other person to take first, as a sign of courtesy.

In reality, it still comes down to whoever has the higher status first.

But this is a blind draw, so there's not much difference between drawing first and drawing later.

Cui Shendao pulled out a roll of cloth, unfolded it, and saw that it was very messy, with six chairs, three potted plants, twenty wooden boards, and so on.

The document also specifies the construction specifications, materials, funding, and completion date.

At this moment, Han Dachui came over and muttered, "Brother Cui, what did you smoke?"

The two of them worked together and found that although the items they were creating were different, they were also quite similar and very messy. They couldn't say which one was more difficult or easier than the other.

After a while, Tao Mo asked, "Has everyone finished drawing their lots?"

Han Dachui suddenly said, "The drawing is done, but...!"

Before he could finish speaking, Tao Mo laughed and said, "I invited you all here today only to provide the questions. As for reviewing and answering the questions, that is for your sons to do. None of you are to assist them."

The reason we ask parents to provide the questions is because they are the most difficult to deal with; we must get their approval.

Han Dachui nodded awkwardly.

After the questions were drawn, the guests were seen off.

After these dignitaries left, Tao Mo was like a different person. He was lying in a chair, taking a long time to recover. When he came to his senses, he looked at Wang Xi with a mournful face and said, "Young Master Wang, is this really going to work? I feel like I'm just playing with them."

Wang Xi laughed and said, "They're pressuring us so much, what's wrong with us playing with them a bit?"

Huangfu Sengnian nodded.

Li Jie patted Tao Mo on the shoulder and said, "Old Tao, even if you bring in some students with excellent character and academic performance, you still won't be able to teach them!"

Tao Mo hurriedly said, "Young master, you are too modest. If they were all as talented as the four of you, why would this old man need to teach them?"

Wang Xi laughed heartily and said, "You old man know how to judge people. Clean up a bit, let's go have a drink first, this is really exhausting."

(End of this chapter)