Top Scholar

Chapter 50 The Headmaster's Carelessness Leads to the Loss of His Mother

Early in the morning and late at night, the mountains were still a bit chilly, but the two of them were covered in sweat from walking.

The road was dusty, and fearing they would soil their pristine white academic gowns, they packed them in their book boxes, still wearing their old clothes.

When they were almost at the academy, they took off their clothes in the sheltered spot where they had eaten earlier, wiped their face with a damp towel, changed into the black-trimmed white round collar, tied a black cloth belt, and finally put on the scholar's cap.

As the saying goes, clothes make the man and gold makes the Buddha. Just a moment ago, the country boy was covered in dust and dirt, but now he has transformed into two refined young men.

"Please, elder brother." Su Dan stood by the roadside, cupped his hands in front of his chest, and leaned forward slightly.

"Please, my brother." Su Lu also cupped his hands in greeting, and the two of them bowed formally before walking side by side toward the academy's gate!

~~
Article 15 of the academy's rules, concerning "access control," stipulates that all students must rise early each day, and the academy gates must be locked at a set time each day. The specific times for opening and closing the gates vary depending on the season.

For example, now that it is winter or spring, the academy only opens its doors at 5:00 AM every morning, and locks them after that. Therefore, day students must enter the school within this half hour; otherwise, they will be locked out and will be marked absent for a day.

The sun had not yet risen, but it was already bright daylight.

Like Su Lu and Su Dan, students who did not live on campus flocked to the academy's gate from all directions. Most of them lived in Taiping Town, and there were very few who, like these two brothers, set off for school before dawn.

The two followed the main group into the school gate, crossed the square, and arrived at the Shengshenzhai inside the ceremonial gate.

The lecture hall was spacious and bright enough to accommodate twenty tables and chairs, providing ample space for everyone.

Names were written on the desks. Just as Su Lu was about to find her seat, Li Qiyu pointed to the corner by the window in the back row:
"You sit behind me."

As Su Lu walked over, he asked with a smile, "How did you sleep last night?"

"What do you think?" Li Qiyu pointed to the pair of dark circles under the monkey's eyes.

"What's wrong? Not used to it?" Su Lu asked.

"Don't even mention it. When I'm awake, they make sarcastic remarks to me, and when I'm asleep, they keep burping, farting, grinding their teeth, and talking in their sleep." Li Qiyu said with a bitter face, "I barely slept a wink all night."

"You have the nerve to talk about others like that!" my roommate snapped. "You're such a restless sleeper. I dreamt I was gnawing on a pig's trotter last night, and I thought the New Year wasn't over yet. When I woke up, it was your foot on my face!"

"Hahaha!" The boys were overjoyed.

Su Luxin thought to himself, "It seems like it's better for me to go home and sleep." He suppressed a laugh and went to his seat, taking off his book box and placing it on his desk.

The academy had individual desks for each student. Su Lu, lacking experience, couldn't understand the material and style of the desks, but the wood was quite hard and heavy. The desks were flat, with both ends curving upwards and the legs flaring outwards, giving them a strangely elegant look.

Su Lu stretched his shoulders slightly, then opened the box and took out his pencil case.

This ingenious design attracted the attention of all the students in the class. In fact, Su Dan had been envious of his bookcase the whole way here... For students who wore the same clothes and ate the same food, a beautiful bookcase was extremely attractive.

"What a fine bookcase, what a pity..." The Cheng brothers' sarcastic remarks arrived late but surely.

"What a pity, my foot!" Su Lu said with a smile. "If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."

"You're swearing! You've broken the school rules! I'm going to report you to the teacher!" The young man from the Cheng family with buck teeth shouted, pointing at Su Lu.

With the help of the nameplates, Su Lu finally matched the names. The one with the rabbit teeth was Cheng Wanfan, the one with pimples was Cheng Wantang, and the one with feminine features was Cheng Wanzhou.

"How did you memorize the school rules? Which rule forbids swearing?" Su Lu sneered.

"Didn't you learn any of the lewd language and obscene words from the Three Precepts Village when you were young?" said Cheng Wantang, who had acne-covered face.

“That was a restriction on young children, but we’re middle school students now,” Su Lu laughed. “Besides, where did I swear?”

“You said ‘What a pity, my ass!’ Isn’t that an insult?” Rabbit-toothed Cheng retorted angrily.

“My brother said, ‘It’s a pity your mom isn’t tall,’ meaning he lamented that your mother’s short stature prevented you from growing taller.” Su Dan was a master at arguing.

“On the contrary, it is you who have violated the eighteen rules of the school’s ‘Proper Study’ which states ‘You must not be jealous of your classmates or form cliques to suppress dissent!’” Li Qiyu was no pushover either, and immediately chimed in.

"You, you guys..." 'Sanwan' hadn't expected these three to be so powerful. The fair-skinned Cheng Wanzhou snorted. "It's a shame you're not lawyers!"

"How did you know my dream is to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, and to handle all the legal cases?" Li Qiyu chuckled.

Just then, a stern shout rang out from outside: "All new students, assemble in front of the Confucius Temple!"

So the sixty new students from the three vegetarian classes immediately filed out and came to the shrine dedicated to Confucius.

A stern middle-aged man dressed in a dark blue round-necked shirt and wearing a Confucian cap directed the new students to follow their teachers in paying homage to the Sage Confucius. After the ceremony, he led them to the Minglun Hall on the other side and ordered them to line up neatly according to their class.

Once the ranks were complete, the middle-aged man said in a low voice, "Welcome, Headmaster."

"Welcome, Headmaster!" The students quickly bowed deeply. After being called to stand up, they saw a row of teachers of different ages already standing on the opposite platform.

The vast majority of them were in their forties or fifties, dressed in scholar's robes with sashes around their waists. But the one in the lead was noticeably younger, wearing a blue round-necked robe, a black horn belt, and a black gauze hat. He was clearly the headmaster of the academy, and also the only scholar in the academy and even in Taiping Town, Zhu Liu.

Su Lu noticed two other gentlemen, also dressed in round-necked robes similar to the headmaster's, but in a darker navy blue. They weren't wearing large hats, but rather square headscarves like those worn by scholars. He later learned that these two were students of the Imperial Academy, a rank between those who had passed the provincial examinations and those who had passed the county-level examinations.

The poker-faced middle-aged man was one of the students. He introduced himself to the students, saying, "My surname is Chen, and I am the supervisor of this academy. You can call me Supervisor Chen. I will supervise all your conduct while you are at the academy!"

Supervisor Chen paused, then emphasized, "From now on, be careful what you say and do, lest you be sent to the rope and ink room to meet me!"

After saying that, he waved the ruler in his hand to increase his deterrent effect. Sure enough, all the head teachers in the world are like wolves.

Then, Dean Chen reiterated the school rules, focusing on prohibited activities, such as gambling, excessive drinking, and allowing women to stay overnight on campus. Students were forbidden from fighting, brawling, spreading rumors, or acting as gunsmiths, etc.

Indeed, there is no prohibition against 'vulgar language and obscene talk'. I guess the academy didn't expect that someone who has already been admitted to Taiping Academy would still have the nerve to utter such vulgar words.

After thoroughly intimidating the students, Supervisor Chen stopped talking and respectfully said, "Please give your instructions, Headmaster."

~~
After the menacing Supervisor Chen withdrew, the refined and handsome Headmaster Zhu stepped forward, and the air in front of Minglun Hall became gentle and warm.

The students could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but the next moment they felt even more suffocated...

Then Zhu Shanzhang said in a very magnetic voice, "I came to the academy less than half a year earlier than you. Before the old academy headmaster retired, he visited me three times, wanting me to take over this position."

“I am actually very interested in this career. Scholars spend their lives either serving in government or teaching, and they don’t think about anything else. The reason why I have not been able to make it happen is because I have a difference of opinion with the old abbot on a certain point of view.”

"I asked the old headmaster a question: Is Taiping Academy for teaching and nurturing people, or for cultivating scholars? The old headmaster said both. I then asked which is more important. The old headmaster said both are important."

“I told him that I didn’t see it that way. I believe that our academy should focus all its efforts on the imperial examinations. The students have worked so hard to get in and study, and their goal is very clear: to become a scholar. If we insist on hiding this fact and refuse to admit it, it is hypocritical. How can we talk about educating and nurturing students?”

These words angered the old gentlemen, and several of them secretly lamented the headmaster's mother's stature...

"If we're talking about learning loyalty, filial piety, integrity, and the principles of conduct, six years of elementary school is enough. If you keep lecturing these things at the academy, the students won't listen anymore; they come here just to learn the rigid, formulaic essays!" Zhu Liu continued.
"The eight-legged essay is only for passing the imperial examinations. If you fail, it's completely useless and will turn you into a worthless piece of trash!"

The students were stunned. This Headmaster Zhu was too outspoken! Was this the style of a scholar-official?
"Therefore, I believe that eliminating students who have no hope of passing the imperial examination early is a temporary cruelty, but it is a great act of mercy to them and their families. If they leave school early, their minds will be more normal, they will be able to make a living more easily, and their families will have less of a burden."

"After much consideration, the former headmaster finally agreed," Zhu Liu said, raising his voice. "So I became the headmaster, and the first thing I did after getting off the bus was to announce that starting this year, we will fully implement the 'Three-Stage Grading System' to assess and persuade students to withdraw!"

"So you don't need to study for a full year. If your score is definitely below eight points, please go home immediately. Don't worry, we'll refund your tuition for the remaining months, so you won't lose a single penny!" Zhu Liu then dropped a bombshell.

Taiping Academy was indeed not short of money. After Zhu Liu negotiated with Yongning, Luzhou, and Chishui to obtain tax exemption for school land, the academy's land rent income was sufficient to cover teachers' tuition and other daily expenses.

That's why he speaks so confidently, and no one can object to him.

Seeing the students' tense faces, Zhu Liu's voice grew even gentler, as if he were guiding lost lambs:

“Some people say I’m being too cruel. No, I still maintain that this is true compassion! It’s good that you were selected out of twenty to get into the academy, but do you know how many scholars can actually pass each subject at the academy?”

"The most I've ever had at one time was three, the least was one, averaging two per subject." Zhu Liu held up two fingers, emphasizing his words.
"Is it because the academy is not good enough, or because the students are not hardworking? Obviously not. If it were, Taiping Academy would not have its reputation today. Passing the imperial examination in every subject is a very difficult thing, especially in a poor and remote place like ours!"

These words softened the old gentlemen's expressions slightly. Their life's work, which they were proud of, could not be belittled, not even by the new headmaster.

Then Zhu Liu spoke in the gentlest tone, revealing the cruelest reality:

"The only reason is—there are always stronger candidates among the strong. Most of you will have to take the entrance exam in Hejiang County, and after passing the county exam, you will have to compete with all the students in Luzhou. Luzhou is a major center of education in Sichuan, and the atmosphere of learning among its students is no less than that of Chengdu and Chongqing!"

"Adding to the list of those from the garrisons who take the supplementary examinations, each time there are over three thousand candidates, but only a mere fifty actually pass the provincial examination!" Zhu Liu counted on his fingers.

"Among them, students from Luzhou will take up half, and students from Naxi, Jiang'an, and Hejiang counties will take up half of the remaining half. The last eleven or twelve spots will be allocated to you military households and rural children."

“Even if all the exams were given to our academy, out of sixty of you, fifty would still fail. Besides, it's not just your class taking the exam; there are also seniors who failed before who will be taking it again.” He looked intently at the crowd and asked in a resounding voice:

"How many of you here will actually get to wear the ceremonial robe? You should all know the answer, right? Anyone who doesn't even score eight points or higher definitely won't pass!"

He decisively waved his hand, giving his conclusion.

(End of this chapter)