The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 446: Invitation

Diecui Academy was founded during the Chen and Han dynasties, and has a history of over 150 years. It is considered a famous school with a history of over 100 years in the capital. It currently has more than 500 students enrolled, so its influence is not weak.

Normally, the academy would have winter vacation after the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month and would not resume classes until the twentieth day of the first lunar month of the following year. However, today was the first day of the twelfth lunar month, a holiday, and many students went home to have a meal or went out to visit relatives and friends. Of course, there were also quite a number of students who would stay in the academy to study hard, and as there was a lecture today, about half of the students stayed behind. When the bell rang, they all rushed to the cafeteria to get their meals like a tide.

Liu Yi brought Jia Huan and others to the cafeteria. They each got a meal and ate while chatting. The food was very simple, just steamed buns, pickles, porridge and rice. If they wanted to eat meat, they had to pay for the extra dishes themselves.

Although Liu Yi was now unkempt, he seemed to be quite popular among the students in the academy. Students passing by would stop and salute him, calling him "Teacher Liu!"

Jia Huan asked curiously, "When did Brother Shouzheng become a teacher at the academy?"

Zhang Zhilong interrupted: "Since..."

"Rugui, don't talk while eating and don't talk while sleeping. If you have anything to say, wait until after dinner." Liu Yi interrupted.

Zhang Zhilong had no choice but to shut up and winked at Jia Huan. Jia Huan didn't dare to ask any more questions and just ate in silence.

At this time, another wave of people rushed to the cafeteria. They were the scholars who had just signed their names in Minglun Hall. Although they were not students of Diecui Academy, they could still buy meals in the cafeteria of the academy.

Zhang Pu became an overnight sensation today. Everyone surrounded him like the moon surrounded by stars and walked into the cafeteria. His friends such as Yang Tingshu, Wu Changshi, and Wu Weiye were also in high spirits and chatting and laughing.

Jia Huan glanced at them and then looked away, eating quietly. Unexpectedly, Wu Changshi's triangular eyes were quite sharp, and he spotted Jia Huan and Lu Xiangsheng at once. His eyes lit up immediately, and he shouted, "Hey, isn't that Jia Ziming and Lu Jian fighting?"

Zhang Pu and the others looked in the direction of the voice, and their eyes lit up as well. They immediately came over here and shouted happily: "Jia Gongtong, Lu Xuexue, so you are here too!"

Seeing that he couldn't escape, Jia Huan had no choice but to stand up, clasp his fists and say with a smile: "Student Zhang, how are you, my classmates?"

Lu Xiangsheng also stood up and greeted them.

Zhang Pu said happily, "Classmates, I would like to introduce to you this man, Jia Huan, the new champion of the provincial examination of Nanzhili. Don't underestimate him because he is very young. He is a man of great learning and knowledge. He won the first place in the provincial examination and a few months ago he beat all the other talented people in Nanzhili and won the first place in the provincial examination. We are all convinced."

"Incredible, he is truly a contemporary prodigy. If he can achieve the Great Three Prizes, he will be one of a kind in the ages."

"The future life is terrible!"

"It's easy to get the first place, but it's hard to get the first place. How can it be so easy to get the top three places? If you don't believe me, let's wait and see."

There were sounds of exclamations all around, and of course there were also doubts and sarcastic remarks. Anyway, more and more people gathered around, with looks of surprise, scrutiny, confusion, and even contempt, and so on.

Jia Huan frowned secretly, and was very resistant to this kind of scene in his heart, because it made him feel very passive, but on the surface he maintained a calm smile and said, "Student Zhang is too kind, Jia Huan is just lucky, and it is not easy to find a three-legged frog, but it is easy to see a two-legged child prodigy. Let's eat first. The weather is cold, it's not too late to fill your stomach first and then come to visit."

The people all around burst into laughter, and they all felt that this boy was humorous and a wonderful person. Then they dispersed to get food. At this hour, everyone was indeed hungry, and this hunger made them feel cold. It would be better to have a hot meal quickly.

Zhang Pu felt a little uncomfortable when he saw everyone leaving with smiles. Jia Huan dissolved the atmosphere he had created with just a few words and also won everyone's favor. This kind of skill is not something that ordinary people can have.

Jia Huan pointed to the side and said enthusiastically: "There are still empty seats here. Why don't you sit down and have a meal together? It's been several months since we left Jinling. It's a good time to get together with your classmates."

Zhang Pu shook his head and smiled, "There are so many of us, I'm afraid there won't be enough seats. Let's find a place after dinner, or go to a tavern to drink and gather after we return to the city."

Zhang Pu was a man with excellent eloquence and strong organizational skills. He had always been a leader. His friends were used to following his lead, and he himself was used to giving orders. So when he met Jia Huan, who had become the host, he felt that he could not control himself. Naturally, he felt uncomfortable, so he found an excuse not to sit with Jia Huan.

Zhang Pu refused to sit with them, but Jia Huan was more than happy to do so. He nodded and said, "Okay, let's get together again next time!"

Zhang Pu bowed, then left with Yang Tingshu, Wu Changshi and other younger brothers. They each prepared their own food and found an empty seat to sit down and eat.

Yang Tingshu asked doubtfully, "Brother Tianru, why don't you ask Jia Ziming and Lu Jiandou to join in the joint petition?"

Zhang Pu said calmly, "No need. If these two people wanted to participate in the joint petition, they would have taken the initiative to sign it in Minglun Hall just now. Why wait until now?"

Wu Changshi said disdainfully: "Although Jia Ziming is extremely talented, he is a coward with no sense of patriotism. Everyone has signed a petition to eliminate corruption and punish traitors in the court, but he is willing to be a coward. As a newly-appointed scholar from Nanzhili, I, Wu Changshi, am ashamed to be associated with him." Wu Weiye smiled faintly and said: "Jia Ziming was born in the Rongguo Mansion, a descendant of a noble family. It is normal for him not to sign the petition. Why should we be so demanding?"

Wu Changshi's triangular eyes rolled and he blurted out, "Yes, I didn't think of this. The Jia family is the beneficiary. Maybe someone in the Jia family also participated in the resale of salt permits for profit. How dare Jia Ziming get involved? Hey, I originally thought he was just a coward, but it turns out that the Jia family itself is the barn rat."

Zhang Pu shook his head and said, "Come on, don't talk nonsense without evidence."

Wu Changshi sneered and said, "Although there is no evidence, it is almost certain. There is no cat in the world that does not eat fish. The nobles in the court are relying on the influence of their ancestors to abuse their power. How many of them are clean?"

Yang Tingshu smiled bitterly and said, "You are cynical again. Even among the nobles, there are good people who are honest and capable. We can't generalize."

Wu Changshi said contemptuously: "Among the noble children I know, they are all uneducated and unskilled dandies, nothing but good-for-nothings who spend their days eating and drinking and indulging in sensual pleasures."

Yang Tingshu retorted: "Brother Laizhi, how many sons of noble families do you know? Let's talk about Jia Ziming. He is indeed a son of noble families, but do you dare to say that he is an uneducated playboy?"

Wu Changshi was immediately speechless after the refutation. Jia Huan was the top three in the boy's examination and the first in the provincial examination. Who dared to say that he was uneducated?
"Jia Ziming is a special case, so he doesn't count. However, this guy has talent but poor character and no sense of family and country. I, Wu Changshi, am still ashamed to associate with him!" Wu Changshi said as he turned his face away to show his disdain.

It is said that Wu Changshi came from a poor family, so he had a hatred of the rich and officials, while Yang Tingshu came from a family of officials and aristocrats, so the two often had contradictory views, which often led to debates.

Zhang Pu saw that the two were about to quarrel again, so he tried to smooth things over, "As the saying goes, a journey takes time, and time reveals a person's true character. As time goes by, we will naturally know what kind of person Jia Ziming is. There is no need for Lai Zhi and Wei Dou to argue too much. By the way, have you noticed that no one from Diecui Academy signed the petition?"

Wu Weiye nodded and said, "Indeed not!"

Yang Tingshu whispered, "Do you know who the headmaster of Diecui Academy is?"

Zhang Pu's mind was moved and he said, "Of course I know. Could it be that this matter is related to Ye Gao, the headmaster of Diecui Academy?"

Yang Tingshu nodded and said, "Mr. Ye was a Jinshi in the Dazhi period, and served as the Minister of Rites. He retired at the age of 60 and has been the principal of Diecui Academy for more than ten years. He is a respected scholar with great influence in the literary world. It is said that Mr. Ye has set a rule that all students of Diecui Academy are not allowed to join the Donglin Poetry Society, nor are they allowed to participate in the political movements initiated by Donglin Academy."

Zhang Pu suddenly realized, "So that's why. No wonder no one from Diecui Academy signed the petition."

Wu Changshi snorted coldly, "What great scholar? I think this person is just a person seeking fame and reputation. He is probably jealous of the reputation and influence of Donglin Academy, so he issued the ban."

At this moment, the whole cafeteria suddenly became noisy. It turned out that Gu Xiancheng, the president of Donglin Academy, had arrived. For a moment, the students in the cafeteria were all excited and rushed forward to greet him. Some people even knocked over their food, which showed how enthusiastic they were.

"Mr. Gu, I'm XXX, I'm honored!"

"Mr. Gu, I am XXX. I think the hereditary system of military posts should be abolished. Generals should be chosen from those who can fight, not those who are good at fighting."

"Mr. Gu, I am XXX..."

A group of students surrounded Gu Xiancheng tightly, but the latter was smiling all the time, gentle and elegant, and said with a fist clasp: "Classmates, now is the meal time. If you have any questions, please come back to Minglun Hall to discuss them after you have eaten your fill. Then I will continue to explain the Zhouyi."

The students cheered and dispersed to continue eating, while Gu Xiancheng walked up to Jia Huan and others and said to Liu Yi, "Liu Shouzheng, can I have a seat beside you?"

Liu Yi said nonchalantly: "If Mr. Gu doesn't mind, you can sit down."

Gu Xiancheng smiled slightly and sat down beside him. His servants brought him food.

"Is this classmate Jia Huan or Jia Ziming?" Gu Xiancheng asked Jia Huan with a smile.

Jia Huan clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "I am Jia Huan. I didn't expect Mr. Gu to know me."

Gu Xiancheng stroked his beard and smiled, "In fact, I have heard of the name of Mr. Jia for a long time. This time, I would like to invite Mr. Jia to join our Donglin Academy. I wonder what Mr. Jia thinks?"

Jia Huan was stunned for a moment, but before he could answer, Zhang Zhilong said with a smile, "I'm afraid you're too late, Mr. Gu. Jia Ziming is already a student at our Diecui Academy."

(End of this chapter)