Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 11 First Day of Enrollment
  The so-called saying that friends gather to discuss articles and knowledge is just a saying.

Jia Zhu waited for the noble disciples to go away, and then she clasped her hands and said to her classmates: "Thank you very much!"

Jia Zhu, who has an introverted personality, is feeling increasingly depressed at this moment. People cannot be compared with others. As Jia Zheng is the second son, he is no longer qualified to inherit the title. The education Jia Zhu received since she was a child is to study hard and honor her ancestors. When he passed the scholar examination two years ago, Jia Zhu was very high-spirited. Compared with Jia Lian's temperament that didn't like studying, Jia Zhu had enough psychological advantages.

However, things are unpredictable, and two years passed in the blink of an eye. Jia Lian suddenly started studying, and he got off to an excellent start.

Many people are afraid of Qingyun Academy before taking the exam. Back then, Jia Zhu wanted to take the exam, but Jia Zheng and Mrs. Wang stopped her. Anyway, her family had a place to study in Yin Imperial Academy.

Two years ago, Jia Zhu carried all the glory of this generation of the Jia family. Now there are people competing with Jia Zhu, and they are fierce.

The words that were discussed in private about Jia Lian before have now become a laughing stock!

Jia Zhu feels so uncomfortable!

After returning home, Jia Zheng did not return. After greeting Jia Mu and Mrs. Wang, Jia Zhu went back to his yard with Li Wan.

The smart Li Wan understood her husband's thoughts and comforted him: "My husband is very knowledgeable and will definitely pass the provincial examination next year."

Jia Zhu didn't answer the question: "Qingyun Academy will print and sell the papers for each semester's entrants. Buy a copy when the time comes."

Li Wan...he hasn't come out yet. Why do you care about a scholar and a white man?
  This character is too weak! When Jia Lian found out, he would put it in layman terms: He had a high self-esteem and poor mental endurance.

Li Wan secretly thought that after the provincial examination and the spring boudoir examination (the joint examination and the tribute examination) the following year, if everything goes well, his husband will be a Jinshi next year. Li Wan still has confidence in Jia Zhu's ability to study. After all, you can be a scholar at the age of fourteen, and you work very hard at home. There's just one question that Li Wan didn't think about carefully. Is Jia Zhu really outstanding in knowledge when he was selected as a scholar?

Of course, Jia Lian doesn't know about the affairs between the young couple, and it doesn't matter if he does. Not to mention that Jia Zhu was a lucky man who died at the age of twenty. It is certain that Jia Zhu failed in this year's provincial examination.

There is a question that many people have overlooked. Is the imperial examination really a test of talent? The four great talents in the south of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty, excluding Zhou Wenbin, Tang Bohu, Zhu Zhishan and Wen Zhengming, all did not go well in the imperial examination.

Once you have the title, you have to be an official, and you are bound by the national system. The same is true for the imperial examinations. The eight-part essay is also a restricted literary style. There is a saying that stereotypes are meant to see a person use his or her abilities under limited circumstances. The imperial examination selected talents suitable for officialdom. Of course, this statement is just a family opinion. What is certain is that the imperial examinations since the Ming Dynasty were generally intended to be fair due to the limitations of the examination scope.

Jia Lian appeared in this time and space. The imperial examination rules formulated by Taizu of this dynasty included an additional arithmetic test and a unique format. This is probably a method that the senior time travelers used to adapt to this era after careful consideration.

Jia Lian noticed this during the exam. Other exams were written vertically from right to left, but the exam for arithmetic was written horizontally from left to right. The introduction of Arabic numerals, Latin letters, and arithmetic symbols has greatly facilitated calculations. It may be that Taizu did not reign long enough, or there may be other factors, but Taizu did not leave many changes to the world.

In Jia Lian's view, the impact of the Sutra Calculation Examination has been profound. It is common sense that modern people know that people who are not good at mathematics often have no logic. The importance of mathematics and its impact on an individual's overall quality are probably not felt in life. It seems that there is little room for application of mathematics. In fact, all aspects of life are inseparable from mathematics.

However, when Taizu was questioned, his answer was, "It is better to be an official than to be bullied by a petty official."

The "deception" here should refer to deception, pretense and the like.

The most important government affairs of ancient officials was tax collection, and tax collection was inseparable from mathematics. Many officials would hire a master. Once the master colluded with the squires and subordinates, it was easy to deceive the superiors and conceal the officials who were not familiar with government affairs.

On the fifth day of the second lunar month, the osmanthus rose early, and Zhang Luo's maids got busy, then served Jia Lian.

The steward also came to the door early to wait. Today is Jia Lian's first day of school, so he must take good care of his little ancestor.

I didn't arrange a carriage when I looked at the list, and I don't know if it will go there at Erye Lian's place. The person in charge was quite worried. As a close confidant of Mr. Pardon, he was not irreplaceable. If Jia Lian really wanted to mess with him, Jia She would not be able to protect him.

Before getting on the carriage, Jia Lian looked at Changshou who was about to follow him, and said calmly: "Where is Xiaoshun? Just let him follow. Qingyun Academy is a place for studying, so there is no need for too many people to follow." With one sentence, Changshou fell into the dust. His face was earthy.

Jia Lian didn't look at him either. He was really not indifferent. What happened that day when Changshou stepped back and almost hit him was something he would never forget.

As for giving him a chance to make corrections, isn't that nonsense? You are a scoundrel of a top power, and protecting your master's safety is your top priority. The essence of such a profession is that you don’t know anything, so what use is it for you?

She said that people should be given a chance to make corrections. The Holy Mother who said such things was simply too idle and overstuffed.

As a boss, why should I give a person without basic professional ethics a chance to make corrections?

There are many people who want to be Jia Lian's long-term followers! The identity of a family-born child is essentially that of a domestic slave!
  When Changshou retreated that day, Xiaoan rushed forward, but Xiaoshun stood aside and reached out to block Changshou who retreated.

Xiao An is actually pretty good, but a little too smart. Jia Lian doesn't like Changsui who is too smart. For example, Mingyan, who is next to Baoyu, relies on Baoyu's love to get into trouble and has no ability to wipe her own. Having this kind of person around you is a time bomb.

Xiaoshun has a simple and honest face, doesn't talk much, is not lazy at work, and always pays attention to Jia Lian. This is a qualified long-term follower.

Why do you need so much subjective initiative? Just let you do things and get things done. If you can't do it well, you can teach it slowly, which is better than those who like to play freely. From now on, Jia Lian will pursue an official career. It doesn't matter whether his personal assistant is strong or weak. Making fewer mistakes is the most important thing. Years of working within the system have taught Jia Lian that he can avoid making mistakes, but he must make fewer mistakes.

What determines a person's career is often not your ability, but your background and fewer mistakes.

The style that Jia Lian set for himself can only be described in four words: "Stable as an old dog." As long as it is steady and stable, with the connections and background of the Jia family, Jia Lian's career will not stagnate even if it does not rise quickly. I dare not say that at the age of forty, Jia Lian would be satisfied if he could become the Chief Secretary.

Being young and successful is never a good thing. Being successful at a young age often means being criticized by the public. Your words and deeds can easily be observed under a microscope. It is the normal state of human society to find your faults and fix them for you.

On the first day of school for new students, Jia Lian came too early. There will be no classes this morning. He will only attend school and pay tuition. Tuition fees are divided into three levels: 50 taels of silver per semester, 10 taels of silver per semester, and free.

The first place in the freshman exam is free. If you choose to live on campus, with ten days off (two days), the tuition fee is 10 taels. If you choose to study day-to-day, without special circumstances, the tuition fee is 50 taels per semester. Do you still have to choose if you want to study as a day student? Jia Lian thought about the toilet in the academy and decided to study there. The tuition fee does not need to be paid out of one's own pocket, nor does Jia She pay for it. Instead, it is paid out of the public account.

After going through the formalities, I was told to wait in the classroom of Class C, Class 3. Each person had a table with their name on it.

Jia Lian did not gather in groups like others, but found a seat and sat quietly alone. In this academy, Jia Lian was destined to be an alternative from the beginning.

It can also be understood as a form of discrimination. In this academy, there are three classes, A, B and C, for each level, and 450 students. Jia Lian is the only noble disciple. Other students did not take the initiative to talk to Jia Lian. Anyone who has read books knows that there will always be some students who live alone in each class. The difference lies in whether they are conspicuous or not.

A middle-aged teacher with a handsome face and elegant temperament appeared at the door. The scattered students returned to their seats. Within a minute, the classroom became quiet.

The students all rushed to the door to bow to the teacher!

The teacher bowed in return, then walked up to the podium and said to the students in the audience: "I, Zhang Ting'en, am the teacher in charge of your class. On the first day of school, I have to tell you some unfortunate news. Three classes in Grade C will have monthly exams. , final exams, all use the same paper. In other words, all freshmen have to take the same paper as the old students who have been in school for two years. At the end of the year, 50 people will be promoted to Class B, and 50 people will be eliminated. You must think it is unfair. , yes, it is so unfair. The fact that you can sit here and study is also unfair. This unfairness is determined by many factors such as personal talent and educational opportunities."

Zhang Ting'en paused at this point, and then raised his voice and said: "The unfairness here is to make other candidates feel unfair when you enter the examination room and take the exam with other people in the future."

There was a commotion among the students in the audience, and Jia Lian was also interested. This teaching was very interesting. I don’t know if the teachers in charge of other classes have this style.

Seeing the commotion among the students in the audience, Zhang Tingen did not signal for silence, and just looked at the audience quietly.

This move quickly silenced the students in the audience, who continued to sit upright and stare at the teachings on the podium.

"The purpose of your studies is to become an official in the imperial examination. When you become an official in the future, will you be so unruly when the superior officer speaks?"

After hearing Zhang Ting'en's words, Jia Lian immediately stood up and bowed to Zhang Ting'en again: "Thank you, sir, for your teaching!"

When other students saw it, some were confused, some were confused, some stood up and followed suit, and finally everyone stood up and bowed to thank him. Zhang Tingen waited patiently. Everyone stood up and bowed. He bowed again and said, "Sit down."

Zhang Ting'en spoke again and directly picked up the roster and shook it: "The names will be called next..."

"Li Dong..." Zhang Ting'en called his name one by one, and the students stood up one after another. Each student took about three seconds to remember the appearance.

"Jia Lian!"

"Here!" Jia Lian stood up and responded. This time Zhang Ting'en did not continue to call the roll immediately, but said with a smile: "Are you Jia Lian? You have excellent entrance examination scores and average writing skills. You are the only one in the entrance examination since the establishment of the college. Full marks, I wonder how good your decision-making skills are?"

There was a slight commotion in the audience, but this time it was not too noisy. The students looked at Jia Lian with various emotions.

Jia Lian stood and replied: "Sir, I am young and don't have much experience. I dare not talk about making suggestions for the country."

Zhang Ting'en on the stage seemed to be deliberately making things difficult, and asked with a smile but not a smile: "According to your statement, those who have not been able to become officials in the court should not talk about national policies? But in the imperial examination and provincial examination, policy theory is a test."

Jia Lianxin asked what happened to this teacher? However, he could still maintain a calm expression on his face and replied in a calm tone: "Hui Sir, it is inevitable to discuss the imperial court's major policies in private, but one must not use one's personal understanding of the policy to cause obstacles to the implementation of the policy. The imperial court's policy , in principle, we adhere to taking care of the interests of the majority of people, and we cannot obstruct the implementation of policies just because the channels for the occurrence of corruption are smoother for a few people.”

The freshmen are all thirteen or fourteen years old. At this age, let alone communicating with the teacher, they would blush and stutter just standing across from them.

Jia Lian's performance is obviously very good. Zhang Ting'en thinks this is the benefit brought by his background. He has seen all kinds of things in the world, and after experiencing it, he will naturally become calm. What is even more surprising is that this student's answers are very organized, the questions are sudden, and the responses are also in improvised language. It can be seen from this that this son is excellent and his longevity is not in vain.

Among the classmates, there are people who are gloating at the moment, and Guo Song is one of them. His judgment is that the teacher is deliberately making things difficult for Jia Lian. Who makes you a noble son?
  Guo Song secretly thought that the teacher would definitely ask questions about the "majority" and "minority" next, hehe.

What he didn't expect was that Zhang Ting'en raised his hand and lowered his hand to signal: "Sit down."

Jia Lian, who always looked calm, sat down. If the teacher continued to ask questions, it would be really difficult to deal with it. Especially the statement of majority and minority, Jia Lian regretted it after saying it, because this is the logic of modern people.

The political treatment of common people in this era and citizens of modern society is very different.

Jia Lian's words, according to everyone's understanding, mean that the imperial policy must take care of the vast majority of the common people.

Isn't this too hypocritical? You, a noble son of a noble family, are talking?
  But looking at this response from Zhang Tingen's perspective, I couldn't help but secretly admire it, what a family background!

If the elders in the family are not usually concerned about government affairs, how could the children say such things?
  It seems that many things cannot be affected by rumors.

After the roll call, Zhang Ting'en appointed Li Dong, who ranked first in overall scores among the candidates, as the squad leader, responsible for daily attendance and uploading and issuing. Don't underestimate the position of monitor. The academy provides subsidies. During the tenure, meals in the academy canteen are free, and there is also a monthly subsidy of one tael.

Many people want to do it but can't.

The first thing Li Dong did after taking office was to post the papers that ranked first in the three subjects of this exam on the bulletin board for all the students in the school to read after the teacher left.

(End of this chapter)