Yushan Academy sealed the mountain for a full ten days. During these ten days, no unauthorized persons were permitted to enter the Yushan academic district. The Yun family estate outside Yushan City was filled with scholars who had come to take the examinations and their anxious parents. Even the scorching sun of the fifth month could not grant them a moment’s peace. Watching them crane their necks to gaze toward Yushan, the old farmers of the Yun family estate would bring out rice wine and invite them to drink a cup.
“Don’t be anxious. It’s ten days, after all. The academy’s teachers are all grading papers. With over ten thousand students, doesn’t that require this much time? Moreover, when they grade papers, it’s not one person grading an entire exam. A single teacher can grade at most one question. So it takes a very long time. Sit down peacefully and have a drink. The children have already finished their exams. Being anxious won’t help anything. Even if they wrote something wrong, they can’t change it now. Even His Majesty doesn’t have that ability. Drink!”
On a day in the fifth month, the old farmer with bare feet extended his large, calloused hand, thrusting a wine bowl forward. With a clang they toasted and drank it all in one gulp. When the scholar asked in surprise why the old farmer knew so much about such an important matter as the examinations, only then would the old farmer proudly curl up his legs and gaze at Yushan City with pride, saying: “My boy at home was promising. Ten years ago he passed the entrance examination for Yushan Academy. He studied well at the academy and was kept on by the teachers to serve as a teaching assistant. After serving as a teaching assistant for six years, he finally became an official teacher. His temper is quite fierce. This old man was curious and wanted to go to the academy to see how he grades papers, but he scolded me harshly, saying that not even His Majesty can enter casually…”
Saying the Emperor couldn’t enter was naturally said in jest. Li Er and Zhangsun were now observing everywhere under Yun Ye’s accompaniment. They saw that the academy’s clerks were bare-backed, wearing short jackets, with only lantern pants below, hurrying and shuttling between various rooms. Every room had its doors wide open, with four teachers sitting inside, grading papers.
Li Er wanted to stop a clerk, but Yun Ye quickly advised against it, saying: “Your Majesty, the papers now have only been graded halfway. If you stop the clerk, it will disrupt the rhythm. Why don’t you observe at the end of the process instead?”
“Rhythm? What kind of strange expression is that?” Li Er paused and turned back to ask Yun Ye, who was pushing the wheelchair.
“Each teacher grades a fixed number of papers in a fixed amount of time. All the papers in the entire academy flow past the teachers’ eyes like water. This way, the most work can be done in the shortest time. Your Majesty should be very familiar with assembly line work—the weapons workshops operate exactly this way,” Yun Ye said in a lowered voice.
Li Er nodded and said: “I see. If I make this clerk stop, it would be like making the water stop flowing. Things would pile up behind and become idle in front. Very well, let’s go look at the pool.”
The further along the process, the older the teachers became, and the higher their official ranks. Some special papers would be singled out separately for several old teachers to decide upon.
Master Yuanzhang was the one who made the final conclusions, so Yun Ye led the imperial couple directly to Master Yuanzhang’s room. Li Er stopped Yun Ye’s intention to announce them. He got down from the wheelchair and walked to the doorway. He saw Master Yuanzhang completely immersed in his work, unable to extricate himself. His snow-white beard was covered with ink spots. Perhaps having seen a wonderfully excellent piece of writing, he was even nodding and swaying his head.
“Mountains high in an instant, seas calm in a flash, ants’ glorious years, swift steeds under the whip… Hehe, at such a young age harboring an old person’s thoughts, this is deliberate! Young fellow, do you think writing like this on purpose will evoke this old man’s sympathy? But you don’t know that we elders most love bold and unbridled writing. As for being steady and solid, that’s what the academy will teach you. After piling up a few artificial mountains, your temperament will naturally be smoothed out. Only an unruly young colt can run. If you’re controlled to death now, what use is Yushan Academy?”
“Looking at your ten years of cold window study, and considering you have some talent, you’re admitted. Lower tier!”
After Master Yuanzhang finished talking to himself, he picked up his brush and marked the paper with a circle. Inside the circle were two words: Lower tier!
Li Er walked in, but Master Yuanzhang still didn’t raise his head. Thinking it was a clerk, he pushed his teapot forward, meaning for the clerk to fill his teapot with water.
How could Yun Ye dare let Li Er do this? He quickly took the teapot, saw that the tea leaves had been steeped until they had no flavor, replaced them with fresh leaves, and then placed the teapot in a convenient position for Master Yuanzhang.
When Master Yuanzhang raised his head and saw it was Yun Ye, he immediately frowned and said: “What are you doing here? Aren’t you managing matters outside? The mathematics papers haven’t started being graded yet. You shouldn’t come to the liberal arts section.”
The Emperor, who was browsing through papers in the corner, laughed and said: “Master is being too harsh. Although Yun Ye is smooth and adaptable, he’s still sincere about scholarship. There’s no need to be like this, is there?”
When Yuanzhang saw that both the Emperor and Empress were here, he quickly tried to rise. He tried once but couldn’t get up, glared at Yun Ye, and Yun Ye hurriedly helped the old man up to pay respects to the Emperor and Empress.
“This old minister is confused and actually didn’t notice Your Majesty’s arrival. How rude of me.”
Li Er, holding a paper in his hand, smiled and said: “We’re all laboring for the country, diligent in royal affairs to the point of forgetting ourselves. I should be thanking you. We’re all people of advanced years, so let’s dispense with these empty formalities.”
“It’s just that I find it rather strange. The poetry and prose on this paper appear quite good. Why was it rejected? Could it be that Yushan Academy’s threshold has already risen to such a level?”
Master Yuanzhang smiled and said: “Your Majesty is referring to: ‘Dappled horse with iron-linked coins, Chang’an’s young gallants. The imperial domain flat as water, official roads straight as bowstrings. Night jade adorns carriage axles, autumn gold casts horse whips. Against wind and frost protect yourself, poverty and success rest with Heaven.’ This poem?”
“If it’s this person, the academy will naturally reject him. This poem is full of wealthy and noble airs. It reads smoothly and can be considered a fine work, but the academy has never valued poetry and verse. His political commentary and debate essay answers are completely off the mark. A single poem alone is not enough to open the academy’s gates.”
Li Er looked through the papers again, sighed, and put them down, saying to Yuanzhang: “They say prosperous times produce fine literature, prosperous times produce fine literature—yet such talent is not acceptable to the academy? Can’t the political commentary and debate essay topics be learned after entering the academy?”
This was already pleading for this scholar, which was extremely rare for Li Er.
“Not appropriate! If this person paid slightly more attention to court politics, if he paid slightly more attention to the people’s hardships, whether he had his own insights on any aspect of craftsmen, farmers, or merchants—that would be fine. Unfortunately, this old minister did not see this in his essays. The students who leave the academy are all usable talents. The academy does not accept specialists who only sing praises and eulogies.”
Li Er hadn’t expected Master Yuanzhang would so decisively refuse his request. He couldn’t help but feel extremely displeased. Zhangsun smiled sweetly, found from the pile of papers one marked with “upper tier,” and carefully read it. After finishing, she handed it to the Emperor to look at, saying: “Upper tier papers are indeed extraordinary. The insights penetrate to the heart of matters. Even I would like to meet this person.”
Li Er took the paper and couldn’t help but read aloud: “From the day of its birth, money has had no attributes. It was born with a miraculous power.”
“I am extremely ugly, but money can buy me the most beautiful woman, so money cancels out the power of extreme ugliness. I am a cripple, but money can buy me a hundred legs, so money also covers up the defect of my being a cripple.”
“I am an evil, immoral, conscienceless, dishonest person, but money is respected, and therefore its possessor is also respected…”
“Whoever can buy bravery becomes brave, even if he is a coward. Money can make ice and charcoal share a furnace, and can also turn enemies’ swords into friendship!”
After Li Er finished reading, he stared blankly at Yuanzhang. Only now did he understand why Zhangsun had used such a strange tone to speak. This fellow was simply a money-grubber, a scoundrel. If dividing people into gentlemen and petty men, this fellow was definitely a petty man—moreover, a petty man despicable to the extreme.
Yuanzhang chuckled and said: “Your Majesty, don’t be misled by these shocking and unconventional arguments. Look at his discourse on money. There’s a passage that goes like this: ‘Without money, we wouldn’t need to produce excess grain. Without money, we wouldn’t need to catch more game. Without money, we wouldn’t need to make an extra pot. Overall, it is the sail that propels our world forward.'”
“Hehe, Your Majesty, look—this is actually the essence of money. A young person’s reasoning may seem immature and will sound very harsh. Often what they think and do contradicts our wishes, but Your Majesty, the empire needs all kinds of talents. People poured from the same mold are not talents.”
“This humble minister believes that misers can manage the treasury, boasters can go to the Court of Diplomatic Reception, brave warriors can join the army, those who speak righteously and forthrightly can serve as censors. As for this little fellow, after training at the academy, he can go out and collect wealth for the empire. Only someone who loves money to the bone has the qualifications to comment on money and will have a completely new understanding of it.”
“Your Majesty, if you have him manage the treasury, that would be a disaster for the empire. If you have him become a soldier, he’ll become a deserter. If you have him serve as a censor, that’s a disaster for the common people. But if you have him manage the tributary states and collect wealth for the empire, such a person is absolutely the best choice. The reason this humble minister gave him an upper tier grade is hoping to continue cultivating his strengths, supplemented with strict legal constraints, to see exactly how far he can go and how much benefit he can bring to the empire.”
After Yuanzhang finished speaking these words, not only was Li Er dumbfounded and the Empress’s eyes wide with shock, even Yun Ye was extremely surprised.
Good heavens! This was the most rigid old teacher in the academy? This was the most self-disciplined sage among the empire’s scholars? Truly, truly unexpected—beneath that rigid exterior hid such an exquisitely perceptive heart!
Li Er held his fist to his mouth and coughed, saying: “Yushan Academy truly does practice education without discrimination!”
Yuanzhang smiled and said: “Placing thorns on top of a wall can prevent thieves, but placing them at the doorway will injure yourself. So when Your Majesty employs the academy’s students, it’s best to distinguish clearly. Yushan Academy is only responsible for cultivation, not for guaranteeing their future behavior!”