“Marquis Yun, it must be inconvenient for you to teach those young ladies the so-called physical fitness classes, right? How about I request a few female guards from the palace? What do you think?” Lai Ying was one of the two most trusted personal maidservants of Empress Zhangsun. She had long since learned to look down on others according to their status. She could disregard Xu Jingzong, but not Yun Ye. If she provoked his anger, she would suffer the consequences.
“No need. What the academy lacks least is talented people. These young ladies are all unmarried maidens—it’s inappropriate for men to teach them throwing techniques and combat skills. I think having Eunuch Wu She teach these children should be no problem. As for the morning running, Hong Cheng will personally lead the team. Both of these individuals are accustomed to living in the imperial palace and are far superior to those female guards. Alright, that’s settled. Enter the academy before sunset tomorrow—no slacking. If you haven’t arrived before sunset, your qualification is cancelled.”
The Yun family had two who needed to go to the academy: one was the jubilant Xiao Wu, and the other was the dejected Xiao Ya. She had helped Xiao Wu purely out of loyalty, but now that the deed was done, she could only go to the academy to study with a bitter face. In her understanding of the academy, it was a hardship kiln—the food wasn’t as good as at home, the accommodations weren’t as good as at home, and it would be impossible to freely learn skills from the Heavenly Demoness as before.
Xiao Wu quite disliked the Heavenly Demoness’s methods. She believed that those who serve others with beauty find that when beauty fades, love wanes, and when love wanes, affection ends. How long could a woman’s gorgeous appearance last? As long as one found someone who truly liked them, even an ugly woman like Wu Yan or Mo Mu could grow old together with their spouse in unceasing love and affection.
However, these were words spoken while standing—they didn’t cause any discomfort at all. In this world, only the wealthy say that having more or less money doesn’t matter, and only the beautiful say that being ugly or not isn’t important. People always don’t value what they already possess—this was a common pattern. Yun Ye had scolded her many times, hoping she would learn to cherish what she already had. However, Xiao Wu was always dominated by new curiosities. Having crossed one mountain, she always wanted to see other mountains. As for the mountain beneath her feet, she had long since cast it behind her. Such a person perhaps could only achieve great enlightenment through great pain.
Zhang Jianzhi came alone to the academy entrance. This was the first time he had been this close to this temple in his heart. He had come to Yushan before, but due to his status, he had consciously stood at a distance to observe, gazing at those few flying eaves hidden behind green trees and white walls, always finding them magnificently beautiful.
Now that he was close, he realized how laughable his previous thoughts had been. The academy didn’t ask anyone about their status. As long as one didn’t have obvious foreign ethnic characteristics, absolutely no one would interrogate you thoroughly.
In his pocket was still one copper yuan—his mother had deliberately given it to him before he left home, because her son always talked about how delicious the academy’s braised pork was. The prosperous Great Tang didn’t mean every person was well-off. As people with lowborn status, now as long as there was endless work to do, they could fill their bellies. As for possessing copper coins, this had been unimaginable before.
Zhang Jianzhi had been a book boy for someone’s family for six years. What the young master hadn’t learned, he had learned thoroughly. Sometimes Zhang Jianzhi even thought the teacher seemed to be lecturing specifically to him. At year’s end, the teacher had him resign from this book boy position that allowed him and his mother to eat their fill, telling him that if he wanted to truly live well with his mother, he needed to go take the Yushan Academy exam. Only by entering there would his lowborn status be disregarded. After graduating from the academy, everyone would selectively forget the fact that he was a singing girl’s son. The teacher also wrote him a recommendation letter. This was the first person in his life to show him kindness.
The frequent wars of early Great Tang had created countless orphans and widows. Those people would now receive relief from the authorities, but for people like himself, the authorities wouldn’t spend an extra coin on him and his mother. Zhang Jianzhi had long had this realization.
This was a place like heaven. It hadn’t disappointed him. That stern teacher—thinking of that expressionless, stern-voiced teacher in blue robes, Zhang Jianzhi felt waves of happiness. Before even entering the academy, he had been fortunate enough to hear one lesson. This lesson had brought a ray of sunlight to the dark world in his heart.
That white building was the library. He had heard the books inside were as numerous as the ocean. That building of blue stone should be where the dragon head was installed, right? Where was the giant fish skeleton? Where were the butterflies? Tear Mountain and Sweat Mountain should be behind those two-story buildings, right? The artificial mountain piled up with tears was called Tear Mountain, and the artificial mountain piled up with sweat was Sweat Mountain. Zhang Jianzhi had heard these anecdotes countless times. He really wanted to see the maze, and then look at the maze forest. However, the maze forest now seemed a bit out of control. He had heard that many thief corpses could always be found there. The academy’s treasures were all stored there—it would be strange if it didn’t attract thieves.
Zhang Jianzhi had already inquired thoroughly about the procedure for getting food in the dining hall. First take a tray from the rack, then go to where the bowls are kept to get a bowl, and finally take a plate, chopsticks, and soup spoon.
Place the bowl on the left, the plate on the right, the spoon near the top of the tray, and the chopsticks at the bottom. The academy was a place that most emphasized rules—not the slightest error could be made. Zhang Jianzhi arranged things many times before getting these items properly organized. After arranging them neatly, he carefully carried them to the end of the meal line.
When he saw a student with chopsticks clenched in his mouth, grabbing a rice bowl in each hand, roaring demands for the cook to give more meat and less potatoes, he knew he’d been fooled. His face couldn’t help but redden. He wanted to disarrange his plates to appear very experienced, but in the end he restrained himself.
He placed the tray at the window. The cook wearing a white hat saw the tray and chuckled. Wielding his ladle, he gave him a heaping plateful of meat, with potatoes barely visible. He also filled a large bowl with snow-white rice until it overflowed. Finally, he found another bowl and ladled him a bowl of egg drop soup from the large pot.
Zhang Jianzhi almost jumped up. He only had one copper yuan, the lowest denomination coin—he couldn’t afford all this food. With no other choice, he steeled himself and handed over the copper yuan.
“You’re a young scholar here to take the exam, right? Seeing your family isn’t wealthy, how about this? As long as you pass the exam, come work in the back kitchen. There’s always three copper yuan a day, and it won’t interfere with your studies. You’ll just need to get up earlier than others, sleep later than others, and eat lunch later than others. It adds up to about two hours a day. How about it? Come to the back kitchen—most importantly, if you come work in the back kitchen, meals are free, and the remaining wages can be sent to your parents to support them, no problem.”
Zhang Jianzhi’s mouth gaped so wide a fist could almost fit inside. He stammered, “Big brother, the academy allows working?”
Seeing no one else behind him, the cook leaned his plump body out the window and said, “Of course you can. Working at the academy gets recorded in your file. If you don’t have this on your record when you graduate, you’ll get a poor evaluation. Don’t think those young masters are all wealthy young lords—poling boats, driving carts, helping in the kitchen, feeding pigs, raising fish, trimming gardens, sweeping courtyards, helping teachers with experiments—who hasn’t done these? Even the Prince of Shu and Prince of Qi, two princes, still need to tend gardens to earn credits. Working at the academy isn’t shameful.”
Zhang Jianzhi already believed this truly was heaven. Three copper yuan every day, and the academy would also distribute twenty copper yuan per month. Like this, in three years’ time, he could not only support his mother, but most importantly, he could enter government service. What did sleeping a little less matter? What did working a little harder matter? Could it compare to when he was a book boy and needed to constantly bustle about all day? He would die before failing to pass the academy exam—this was the decision Zhang Jianzhi made for himself.
While Zhang Jianzhi was wolfing down his food, he didn’t know that in the kitchen’s back hall, the plump cook was saying to another cook, “Good luck today! I persuaded a young scholar who’s clearly from a hard background—he plans to come work in the back kitchen as soon as he passes the academy exam. The Academy Supervisor says we’re getting fatter and fatter, and refuses to hire more help. This time, surely his lordship can’t prevent academy scholars from working, right? At least we can relax a bit.”
“Nonsense! Do you think the academy is something anyone who wants can pass? We’re serving star lords—heaven arranged it long ago. You and I are fated to wield ladles. Complain less and hurry up with work. Put these two steamer trays of buns on the steaming pot.”
The plump cook, while placing the buns on the steaming pot, muttered, “I think that young scholar is pretty clever—maybe he can pass. Gods and Buddhas protect him, he must pass!”
Looking at his empty plate, Zhang Jianzhi felt only regret. He lightly slapped his own face twice. How could he be so greedy? He had clearly planned to eat only half and save the rest for his mother. How had he eaten it all in one go? He hadn’t even left a single bite of rice.
Regretfully, he walked to the water basin. Water continuously flowed from the bamboo pipe. He carefully washed his utensils clean and put them back one by one. When walking out the academy gate, Zhang Jianzhi patted that massive stone and secretly steeled himself. Six years of hard study, six years of striving—all the results depended on tomorrow’s gamble. The teacher said my foundation is solid; go ahead and take the exam—there will be hope.
Xiao Ya pressed her head against Yun Ye’s chest and twisted it back and forth like a drill bit, hoping she could persuade her brother to let her live at home and not board at the academy. After going to the academy, she couldn’t bring any stuffed animals, she’d have to wash her own clothes, she’d have to buy food at the dining hall, every morning she’d have to run laps, every evening she’d have to practice martial arts. Eunuch Wu She was so demanding—after studying with him for just two days, her waist was nearly twisted off. Who could practice putting their head on their behind?
As soon as the crude words left her mouth, she was smacked by grandmother. Grandmother grumbled irritably, “You begged for this privilege yourself, and now you don’t want it anymore. Good heavens! Outside, those young scholars are nearly coming to blows fighting over a spot at the academy, and you’re still picking and choosing. Going on like this means not knowing your blessings—when heaven strikes with lightning, it’ll hit lazy children like you first.”
Yun Ye took the opportunity to hold Xiao Ya and tap her forehead, saying, “Once you go to the academy, you must follow the rules. You can’t bully classmates, you can’t put caterpillars down people’s collars, and you’re not allowed to put mice in people’s bedding. Once you’re caught, you’ll receive severe punishment. Last time when you came with me to the academy, you also saw Hou Jie piling up the artificial mountain. I don’t want you to be caught by Hong Guo’er’s father and made to pile artificial mountains. You know, Guo’er’s father has nearly gone mad recently.”