Chapter 300: Reestablishing the Family Academy for the Future
Even though Zhang Yue knew that the Wenyuan Pavilion was in session at that time, it wasn’t impossible for him to find out some insider information—after all, even Yuan Fang, the commander of the Jinyiwei, was helpless in such matters. So, since the emperor’s summons had come to an end, knowing that haste wouldn’t help, he decided to put things aside for now and went with his butler Gao Quan to Liuxiang Hutong, just one street away from the Zhang residence. Gao Quan had already been ordered to buy a three-section courtyard to serve as the Zhang family’s academy.
When the two arrived, two gatekeepers immediately stepped forward, but they ignored Zhang Yue and rushed to help Gao Quan with his horse. Seeing this, the tall butler snapped angrily, “Don’t focus only on me! Go help the third young master!”
As they were newly hired gatekeepers, they didn’t react right away. By the time they hurried over, Zhang Yue had already skillfully dismounted. Gao Quan, who arrived a moment later, saw their clumsiness and waved his hand to tell them to step back. When Zhang Yue looked up at the entrance of the house, Gao Quan stepped forward and said with a smile, “This family sold their house at a particularly low price because they were involved in a lawsuit. The old lady instructed us not to take advantage of others in trouble, so I paid them an extra 50%. They left all their furniture when they moved away.”
Since the Gu family came from a scholarly background and placed great emphasis on family traditions and reputation, even back in Kaifeng, the Zhang family paid half a percent less in rent than others. They never invested money in external interests and forbade their relatives from bullying others. So, hearing Gao Quan’s detailed explanation, Zhang Yue wasn’t surprised nor did he doubt it.
“We certainly trust Gao Quan’s handling of matters, as well as my grandmother. The fourth brother is now grown up and won’t come to this academy to study. The fifth brother is still young, so most of those who will attend school in the future are the Zhang family members who moved to Beijing. Has Gao Quan calculated how many families have moved here, how many people need to attend school, how many other relatives will enroll, and what the rules are for the tutor?”
Ever since accompanying Zhang Yue and his two brothers to Nanjing, Gao Quan had never dared to underestimate the third young master again. Over the years, seeing Zhang Yue receive imperial favor and become a juren, then pass the imperial examinations and become an official, and later being summoned by the emperor frequently after returning to Shandong, he had come to a clear realization. Though the first and second young masters seemed to thrive in the military, how many times had they even met the emperor? The emperor always chose people in unconventional ways, and it was obvious what kind of future Zhang Yue would have.
At this moment, he hurriedly replied from the side, “Most of the Zhang family members are still staying in Kaifeng, after all, their fields, ancestral halls, and so on are all there. Only four families have moved over so far. Among them are Madam Yu from the third generation, Lord Jia the second, and two young ladies from the same generation as the third young master. However, they are younger in age despite being from a higher generation; the children here are only a few years younger than you. In total, these four families have seven children who will attend school. As for those attending as dependents, there are six children from various relatives. We hired two experienced scholars as tutors. I had people investigate their knowledge and character, and after presenting the letter from the old lady, they agreed to come and have already moved in.”
Although Gao Quan didn’t mention any payment, Zhang Yue naturally knew that hiring tutors couldn’t be done just with reputation—substantial rewards were necessary. Nodding in agreement, he decided to enter the courtyard first. As Gao Quan had said, the original residents here were indeed wealthy; the outer courtyard wasn’t paved with yellow earth but with blue bricks. The back rooms didn’t have tiles either, with gray plaster roofs, while the other rooms were covered in blue tile slates, complete with drip edges, looking quite orderly.
Beyond the hanging door painted with patterns of longevity and good fortune lay the inner courtyard. Three rooms in the north were used as a school, while two rooms in the east and west were reserved for the two tutors to live in. Hearing that the Zhang family members had arrived, the two scholars put on proper blue cotton robes and went out to greet them—of course, not because Zhang Yue was one of the young masters of the Zhang family. For these two scholars who had failed the exams repeatedly, it was the fact that Zhang Yue was a successful imperial candidate, as confirmed by the messenger, that mattered most to them.
However, upon seeing Zhang Yue, who wore a dragon-scale headscarf and a sky-blue silk robe, looking unusually young, they felt puzzled but still approached him with great respect and bowed as a sign of deference. Since the imperial examinations had established that merit, not age, determined one’s status, they were not surprised by this. So when Zhang Yue, whose age could almost be considered their grandson’s, smiled and returned the bow, they felt as if they were being honored beyond measure.
“I’ve long heard that both of you are highly learned and of excellent character. From now on, I’ll leave all matters related to the family school in your hands,” said Zhang Yue, then reaching out to Gao Quan to take two items—both were extremely smooth whips. “My grandmother knew that in any large family, there are always dissolute members, and those attending as dependents may also fail to obey instructions. That’s why she specifically ordered me to give these whips to you. If anyone refuses to follow orders, you may use these as punishment; if they still don’t obey, they can be expelled outright.”
Indeed, it’s all about one’s demeanor. It’s one thing if a tutor’s salary is twice that of a teacher in an ordinary wealthy family, but even making such promises—those families who humiliate tutors because of their misbehaving children really ought to learn a thing or two!
Both the elderly scholars valued reputation greatly; their faces were flushed with joy as they quickly took the gifts with both hands and solemnly promised to take responsibility. With these assurances, they developed even greater goodwill toward Zhang Yue. They accompanied him around the entire mansion, praising Gao Quan for his thorough arrangements and the competence of the hired servants.
As they walked, Zhang Yue casually asked, “In the future, all the children who come here to study will be under ten years old, just starting their education. They will live and eat here, and their families will send servants to take care of them. My grandmother has only one requirement: they must be instilled with loyalty and righteousness—that is, to cultivate virtue first, then talent. I heard from the Gao family that one of you is skilled in The Analects and The Book of Rites, and the other in The Spring and Autumn Annals and The Book of Songs. If you can manage these children well, my family will reward you generously in three years!”
The two elderly scholars had spent their entire lives as students and had long given up hope on passing the imperial examinations, as advancing further wasn’t easy. So, since Zhang Yue had spoken such words, they readily agreed, determined to do their best. It might be impossible to have those children proficient in both classics and history in three years, but it wasn’t hard to train them to be disciplined, right? With the support of the Zhang family matriarch, the discipline would surely be strict!
After these arrangements, on the way back to the mansion, Gao Quan felt a peculiar sense in his heart. He had personally invited these men and knew well how stubborn they were. Yet now they were so submissive—undoubtedly because of Zhang Yue’s status as a Jinshi. Realizing this, he finally understood why the matriarch had sent only the third young master to oversee the family school. He also faintly sensed that the family’s sudden decision to reestablish the school likely had other motives.
Although his own son had married Linglong, the family was now led by the Dong family, who treated him dismissively and even took away his position as manager. Though Linglong flattered the matriarch well, his son still lacked dignity. Thus, Gao, the most adept at scheming after living most of his life in such ways, immediately came up with a plan.
“Third Young Master, although the clan school has been built, someone must take care of it in the future. Those two scholars can’t possibly handle finances and other matters. My son is currently idle. If you don’t mind, how about sending him to run errands?”
“Good idea. The clan school can’t be left unattended. Send him then. Grandmother ordered that twenty taels of silver be allocated to the clan school each month, and all food, firewood, and coal should be provided by the 200-mu farm outside the city. He must keep good account of everything. In short, we must not let this good deed go awry; otherwise, neither Grandmother nor I will tolerate it.”
Seeing Gao Quan’s delighted expression after hearing his words, Zhang Yue knew he had handled this favor excellently. Of course, he couldn’t introduce concepts like arithmetic or practical inquiry in the clan school—his current qualifications, reputation, and influence weren’t enough yet—but by tempering these people’s attitudes now, things might look different in three years. After all, that time would be near the end of the Yongle era.
He rode his horse into the alley in front of Zhang’s residence. His sharp eyes spotted someone talking with the gatekeeper at the west corner of the gate. The figure’s back seemed vaguely familiar. As he got closer, the person turned, and he immediately recognized them. He leaped off his horse, tossed the reins aside, and strode forward quickly.
“Brother Xiao Qi, when did you arrive from Nanjing? Why didn’t you let anyone know in advance so I could come to pick you up?”
It was Gu Bin, who had just arrived in Beijing. Since he was staying at the Imperial Academy, his living and dining conditions were much better than when he was at home. He had grown quite tall, though still slightly shorter than Zhang Yue. He wore a faded blue cotton robe and old black cotton shoes, except for his newly bought Huayang headband. He rarely smiled, but upon seeing Zhang Yue greet him with a smile, he was slightly stunned before showing a faint smile in return.
After exchanging greetings, he explained, “Postal services are too expensive. There were thirty or forty people coming to Beijing this time, so I thought I’d wait until they arrived. Who knew I’d return before I even had a chance to announce my arrival.”
Zhang Yue had always been puzzled as to why Gu Bin hadn’t traveled with Fangling and the others. Since he didn’t want to stand at the gate talking, he ordered Gao Quan to send someone inside to give them a heads-up before leading Gu Bin inside. As Gu Bin was the nephew of Gu’s maternal family, it was necessary to introduce him. Zhang Yue sent away his attendants and asked Gu Bin questions quietly along the way. When he asked why Gu Bin hadn’t gone to Beijing with Fangling, he received an unexpected answer.
“Brother Fang has been expelled from the Imperial Academy, and you didn’t even know?”
Thinking back to his own wedding when Fang Ling, who had just arrived in Beijing, happily came to help and add to the festivities, Zhang Yue could hardly imagine that this cheerful and loyal friend had been expelled from the Imperial Academy. His heart was filled with turmoil. Realizing that Sun Han hadn’t mentioned it either, he began to suspect that his future brother-in-law might not be aware of it either.
What exactly could have led to Fang Ling, a descendant of meritorious officials, being expelled from the Imperial Academy?