Chapter 657: A Long-Term Vision

November mornings came in especially late; even by the hour of Chen in the morning, it was still dim and hazy. It hadn’t snowed in recent days, but the weather grew colder by the day. Any puddles by the roadside had turned to ice, and pedestrians had to be extremely careful when walking on them. Yet, the streets and alleys were already bustling early in the morning. The nobles were either attending court meetings or handling government affairs, the common people were engaged in their own daily tasks, and the servants were busy with endless chores.

At the Zhang family’s school in Liu Xiang Hutong, the sound of reading filled the air. Initially, most of the students were relatives of the Zhang family. Later, Zhang Yue asked Gao Quan to recruit several poor but eager-to-learn youths from nearby households. Gradually, many students from the western part of the city also came here, some even offering generous gifts. But Zhang Yue didn’t want the school to become a target of criticism, so he turned down all such offers. To maintain discipline, the school was strict—those who made three mistakes would be expelled.

The first two tutors had already become school supervisors through recommendations. Now, including the new and old tutors, there were six in total. The school was divided into six classes based on the Heavenly Stems, similar to the promotion system at the Imperial Academy. Students could also skip grades, but if they failed to advance within three years, they would be dismissed. For those from wealthy families, they could rely on their family’s influence, hire private tutors, or pursue other paths. As for those from poor backgrounds who were dismissed, they could request to study other subjects, and the school would try to arrange it. There were now twenty or thirty such poor boys who lacked talent in classical studies but were striving hard to learn skills for their future.

“Human nature is originally good; all people are similar in nature, but differences arise from habits…”
“The wise treat others with respect and affection. They love those they fear and hate those they dislike, yet still understand their faults and virtues…”

The sound of reading came from various rooms. Though overlapping, it was perfectly organized. The children learning the Three Character Classic were reciting aloud. It was cold and early, but they followed the old teacher’s lead, nodding their heads as they read, with few yawning. After finishing a section, the old teacher would put down his book, clear his throat, and explain in simple terms. Zhang Yue stood by the window outside, listening and nodding in approval. Lian Hu, who had only been in charge for a few months, had been worried all along but finally breathed a sigh of relief.

When Zhang Yue stepped forward, he led the people to inspect each room one by one, saying, “Young master, those boys who come here to study all say this place is great. But some have suggested that using numbers like Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding to rank them seems too ordinary. Even if we can’t adopt the more creative names used at the Imperial Academy, we should at least come up with some nice, impressive names. I heard from the teachers that among these people, at least seven or eight could pass the examinations to become xiucai. By the time of the provincial exams in the year after next, our clan school will become even more famous. If they enter the official schools, it will bring honor to us as well. We should give more thought to these matters.”

“This is a clan school, not an academy. Why worry about such trivial formalities?”

Zhang Yue walked to the entrance of Class Jia, the highest tier, and glanced at the people inside. He thought to himself that if they even had to compete with the Imperial Academy in matters like naming, always striving for ostentation, then this place would have already attracted attention. For now, this was the best he could do. Opening an academy in the capital would be madness—this was just a trial.

Once the throne changed hands again, he might be able to open an academy in the Jiangnan region. If his father-in-law retired one day, he could take on the title of director there and truly engage in teaching and educating people. Even if he never became an official again, he would still have this great cause to pursue. Pulling himself back from these chaotic thoughts, he waved for Lian Hu to come up.

“How many relatives from our family and how many poor students are there in Class Jia now? What are their moral character and academic abilities?”

Although Lian Hu could barely read, he was clever. Having been here for just a few months, he not only recognized each person clearly but also remembered their backgrounds pretty well. After counting on his fingers, he said with a smile, “This is Class Jia, so naturally, everyone here is highly talented. Of the sixteen people, four are relatives who came to study here, while the other ten are poor students from the vicinity who already have a solid foundation. Their moral character is generally good, though two of them are a bit arrogant. The second son of the Lu family has the best character and is well-known for helping the poor students… By the way, young master is quite famous among them.”

Zhang Yue didn’t care about fame at all. After listening to Lian Hu’s account, he stood at the door with his hands behind his back for a long time before the class finally ended. When Lian Hu went in to inform him, the gray-haired old teacher quickly came out of the room and bowed hastily. Zhang Yue returned the bow. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he asked about the situation inside. The old teacher raised his beard proudly and said something exactly similar to what Lian Hu had said, expressing great satisfaction with these students.

“Since Teacher Chen praises them, they must be good. Those who excel in learning can pursue official careers. If they have a bright future in the future, it will also be thanks to your teachings. However, reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. They now have a solid foundation in knowledge, so it’s time for them to go out and gain experience. I’m heading to the south of the Yangtze River now, and I want some of the students to go along as well. First, it will allow them to travel more and learn about government offices, and second, it will give them the chance to meet scholars from the culturally rich regions of the south, so they won’t be too narrow-minded.”

Teacher Chen was thin and unremarkable in appearance, wearing a faded blue robe. He had been transferred from Ningbo Prefecture to Beijing by the government during its construction. He originally came from a prominent family in Ningbo and had been away from home for ten years. At first, he almost starved because he failed the imperial examinations and didn’t know how to make a living. Recently, through someone’s recommendation, he came here and secured a position based on his talent, allowing his life to improve. Hearing Zhang Yue’s words, his eyes lit up immediately.

He paid no attention to Zhang Yue’s mention of becoming an official or working in government offices; he was only interested in the part about going to the south. He quickly agreed, saying, “Your Excellency truly is an experienced candidate in the imperial examinations. Your words are spot on! Letting them meet scholars from the south will help them understand their own capabilities. They are all talented, but some are arrogant, peculiar, reclusive, or talkative. If Your Excellency takes them along, they might be too noisy and cause trouble. It would be better if…”

“It’s fine. I’ll go by myself, but I plan to ask Teacher Chen to accompany them, so they won’t cause problems due to their youth and arrogance.”

Zhang Yue had already heard about Teacher Chen’s background from Lian Hu, so he casually added this. Seeing the once dignified old man suddenly show extreme joy, he bowed deeply to the ground. Feeling somewhat guilty, Zhang Yue quickly helped him up.

“If Your Excellency can fulfill my wish to return home and visit, I would be truly grateful!”

“Teacher Chen, there’s no need for such formalities. I already intended to do this. After all, as a teacher, you deserve respect, and it will also be good to have someone to keep an eye on them along the way.”

Master Chen was delayed outside for a while, and the students inside, seeing Lian Hu send someone out, had already started gossiping. When they saw Master Chen enter with a young man, many found it even more strange. A couple recognized Zhang Yue and were shocked. Somehow, the phrase “Young Master Zhang” quickly spread among the tables.

“It seems everyone knows who I am now,” Zhang Yue said with a slight smile. He then repeated what he had said to Master Chen. Seeing everyone become excited and the room filled with murmurs, he gently coughed. Once the room was quiet again, he said, “Master Chen said your writing skills and knowledge are quite good, but I have other expectations as well. That’s why I plan to send you all on a trip to the south. Follow Master Chen first, and come back to Nanjing to see me after your journey.”

Although the oldest among them was only two or three years younger than Zhang Yue, their social statuses were vastly different. Hearing this, everyone stood up and bowed in agreement. As soon as Zhang Yue stepped outside, he heard excited chatter coming from the room behind him, mixed with Master Chen’s angry shouts. Without looking back, he walked a few steps before turning to Lian Hu and asking, “Among the students in the clan school who are around thirteen or fourteen, intelligent and hardworking, from humble backgrounds but of good character—regardless of class—bring them all to me.”

Lian Hu was puzzled and asked quickly, “There are over a dozen of them. If Young Master really wants to meet them one by one, it might take until evening.”

“You don’t need to ask so many questions. Just bring them here.”

Throughout the morning, Zhang Yue met over a dozen youths. After careful consideration, he finally selected two. Both came from poor families—Li Guoxiu’s father was a stableboy, while Rui Yixiang was raised by his widowed mother. They had come to take the exams out of admiration for the school. Due to their excellence, they were exempt from all tuition fees, and the school even gave them some money and food during festivals. They had been studying here for three years. Now in Class B, they were naturally diligent and hardworking. In terms of academic background alone, others were comparable to them, but what impressed Zhang Yue was the sharpness in their speech. So, after meeting with their teachers, he called them back.

“Teacher Li said you’ve memorized the Four Books and Five Classics and have a good understanding of their meanings. Your writing just needs more refinement. Now that I’m going to take up a position in Nanjing, I’d like to take you along. Would you be willing?”

Rui Yixiang was momentarily stunned. Seeing Li Guoxiu step forward and bow, expressing his willingness, he quickly snapped out of his daze and promptly imitated him in his bow. After Zhang Yue nodded and gave further instructions, the two excited men stepped back. As soon as the door to the inner room was closed, they exchanged glances and saw the joy on each other’s faces; their palms quickly met.

Hearing the voices outside, Lian Hu was puzzled and hurried over to Zhang Yue, asking, “Young master, are you planning to nurture them? Their talents are indeed outstanding, but after all, they are outsiders. Please forgive my boldness, but there are already several young men in the family, and among our relatives, there are also many of suitable age. If you have the intention, why not train them more? Besides, weren’t there already those fourteen…?”

“Relatives and nephews are already on a clear path. As for our own family’s sons, most of them have promising futures from birth. In the future, few will pursue the imperial examination route, and even if they do, they’ll face gossip like I have. Those fourteen are older, and their knowledge and skills are already well-established. Sending them to the south is to temper their arrogance and give them some experience,” Zhang Yue said with a smirk. Seeing Lian Hu still standing there, he stood up again. “Just do as I said. If you manage this place well, your future prospects will be far greater.”

After spending the whole day at the clan school and talking with several tutors, it was already noon, so Zhang Yue had lunch there and didn’t leave until the afternoon. Since it was close to home, he rode his horse for a short while before reaching the west corner gate of the mansion. As soon as he dismounted, a gatekeeper came over to take hold of the reins and reported that the second son-in-law had been there for some time, currently accompanied by the fourth young master in the flower hall. Hearing this, he hurried over.

“Yuanjie, you’ve come!”

In the flower hall, Sun Han, who was talking with Zhang Jiu, stood up as soon as he saw Zhang Yue and exclaimed without hesitation, “I’ve found out about Lao Wan. He’s currently with Prince Xianyi Wang Taiping. It seems the three tribes of the Oirats have started fighting again; it’s only calmed down a bit because of the heavy snow. With the roads blocked by snow, he can’t return either. The news was brought to Xinghe through great effort by a messenger.”

“Thank goodness!”

Zhang Jiu often went to Xipailou Alley. Not only did he get along well with Fang Jing, but he also had close ties with Wan Shijie, Xia Ji, and others. Seeing Zhang Yue’s overwhelming joy, he smiled and said, “As soon as I heard the news, I sent someone inside to inform my third sister-in-law and also sent someone to the Du family to deliver the news. Everyone should be relieved now. I always said that Brother Wan is blessed by heaven and will surely be fine.”

“This is the best news I’ve heard these days!” Although Zhang Yue had said to others that it wasn’t a problem, he had still been burdened by worries. Now that he could breathe a sigh of relief, he said to Sun Han, “Since you’re here, stay for a drink tonight before leaving. The most critical time has passed, and it’s time for everyone to relax a bit!”
Sun Han readily agreed, “Since you’re asking me to stay, how could I refuse?”
The three of them laughed for a while. Zhang Jiu went down to make arrangements, while Zhang Yue sent away the servants waiting nearby. Then he asked Sun Han, “Your information is quite timely. Did you get it from the military governor’s office or the Ministry of War?”
“It’s just ordinary information. I went to the Central Military Governor’s office this afternoon. It was the Duke of Yingguo who asked me to bring back this message. I actually found out about this in the morning…” Seeing Zhang Yue raise his eyebrows, Sun Han lowered his voice and continued, “I heard that Fang Ling was at home today. He blocked people at the door early in the morning and caused quite a stir. While they were struggling, he took the chance to whisper in my ear, cursing me for listening only to you. That kid acts like a Jinyiwei agent, so sneaky!”
Seeing Zhang Yue’s expression confirm his suspicions, Sun Han felt furious and snorted lightly. “Now I’ll be traveling with you. The Duke of Yingguo told me I’m also being sent to Nanjing. As a thousandth officer in the Nanjing Imperial Guards, life there must be incredibly idle!”
“That’s perfect. I was worried there weren’t enough people I knew in Nanjing,” Zhang Yue said with a smile, patting Sun Han on the shoulder before adding softly, “But you need to be prepared—things there might not be as leisurely as you think. Think ahead; we’ll be back.”