Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1215 Epilogue : The Prince Consort's Teaching Career
Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching.

Xie Yiqin, Wang Yitong and Xie Wan returned to Huangzhou Prefecture.

Xie Shizhang was going to travel along the Yangtze River, Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake, trying to complete the piece of "Fishermen's Song at Dusk" hummed by his grandson.

The old man's book "Duliu Pu" caused quite a controversy in Luoyang, mainly because the lost pieces were questioned.

The musicians quarreled over the book, but Xie Shizhang, who caused the case, just walked away.

Hey, just play!

The fourth uncle and the fifth uncle stayed in Luoyang temporarily to help Xie Yan build the cement factory. After they were familiar with the process, they would return to Hebei to set up the factory.

"Mukuro, hat!"

Zhu Tangxi saw her husband off the house and personally helped him straighten his clothes before he got on the car.

Xie Yan smiled and said, "I'm just going to the Imperial College to give a lecture, not to travel far."

"Come back early, don't be late for closing the city gates." Zhu Tangxi wished they could stay together from morning till night.

After watching the carriage go away, she turned around and went home. She yawned as soon as she stepped over the threshold.

Oh, I have to go back and catch up on my sleep.

Xie Yan also closed his eyes and rested in the car. It was quite a distance from the Princess Residence to the Imperial College.

At first, I rented the small courtyard of the Li family in the south of the city in order to study at the Imperial College. But I didn't expect that I would move to the Princess House before I even started attending a class.

When the carriage arrived at the main street, many people turned their heads to look at it, and many passers-by recognized it as the princess's carriage.

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the ceremonial guards of the rich and powerful were reduced, and no special funds were allocated to officials to support their personal retainers. More than a hundred years later, although the trend of ostentation has been restored, it is still far inferior to that of the Song Dynasty.

It was even simpler for Xie Yan to go out, with only a driver and two male escorts.

Xie Changshou, Wang Xing and four other male followers took turns escorting Xie Yan to work every day. Although the security in the capital was good, who knew if there would be any bad guys in the suburbs of Beijing.

Although there was no grand ceremony, oncoming vehicles and pedestrians all took the initiative to make way for Xie Yan's carriage.

Because this is a Zhai car.

Usually it was ridden by the queen and concubines; even imperial concubines were not eligible.

Zhu Tangxi's car is a Yan Zhai car, which is a car suitable for the Crown Princess and can be ridden by even the most favored princesses.

But the court had no specific regulations on whether the prince consort could travel alone on this thing. How could those who formulated the etiquette have imagined that there would be such a strange couple as Xie Yan and Zhu Tangxi?
Pass through a large area of ​​brick-walled buildings outside the city, cross the bridge and continue driving southeast, and you will gradually see the school buildings of the Imperial College.

Xie Yan was about to show his badge to the guard, but the guard let him in directly.

They drove all the way to the school administration building, where Xie Yan ran to see the principal. After saying a bunch of meaningless polite words, he was then taken to the outer dormitory area by the grade director Shen Jian.

The official title of this grade director was "Waishe Taixuelu". He was responsible for checking the irregularities of the students in the outer dormitories of the Imperial College and presiding over the outer dormitories examination every quarter.

"Prince Consort Xie, this is the office building for the teachers in the outer dormitory. The school has specially arranged a separate office for you." Shen Jian said as he took Xie Yan to a four-story building.

Xie Yan said: "Shen Xuelu can call me a bachelor or a lecturer."

Shen Jian quickly changed his address to thank the lecturer.

A lecturer is a lecturer.

In addition, there are doctors, professors, teaching assistants, etc., which are all teaching positions in ancient times.

They chatted as they entered Xie Yan's private office, where a teacher in his thirties was already waiting.

Shen Jian introduced: "This is Zhang Chong, assistant professor."

"I am Zhang Chong, a student, and I am here to meet Mr. Xie!" Zhang Chong bowed to greet him.

Xie Yan quickly returned the greeting, chatted for a few words, and then pulled Shen Jian out.

Xie Yan said, "Shen Xuelu, I'm just a lecturer in the outer dormitory. Is it too ostentatious to have an assistant teacher?"

Shen Jian smiled and said, "I am also doing things according to the arrangements made by my superiors."

Xie Yan hesitated and was too lazy to say anything else.

Just show off.

Since the Tang and Song dynasties, only teachers at the doctoral level would be assigned teaching assistants to assist in teaching. Moreover, most of the teaching assistants were scholars who paid the tribute (bought official positions).

After Shen Jian explained some daily precautions, he left in a hurry.

School has just started, so he is very busy.

Xie Yan returned to his office and found that the teaching assistant had already made a cup of tea for him.

It's outrageous that a 17-year-old lecturer is served by an assistant teacher in his 30s.

"Where are you from, sir?" Xie Yan tried to find something to talk about.

Zhang Chong quickly bowed and replied, "Thank you, Master. I dare not address you as your Excellency in person. My ancestor is from Shaanxi, and he was a soldier in the Ming Dynasty. In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, he fought against the Jin soldiers and moved to Zhending, Hebei with the troops."

Xie Yan smiled and said, "I am also from Hebei, so we are fellow countrymen."

Coincidence?

Unfortunately, it was all arranged by the principal.

Zhang Chong flattered: "Seventeen-year-old Furong scholar, Xie scholar is really an honor for Hebei."

"Don't say those empty words," Xie Yan asked, "Are you a juren?"

Zhang Chong said: "I passed the imperial examination by chance, but I always failed the imperial examinations, so I came to apply for the position of assistant teacher at the Imperial College to make a living."

As long as they were not too bad at it, these assistant teachers at the Imperial College could be sent to other places to be official teachers. And at least they were middle school teachers. Although they had no rank at the beginning, they could get a rank teaching position after a few more years.

However, the upper limit of his career is very low. At most, he can be the principal of a government-run middle school for a few years before retirement, and everything must go smoothly.

Xie Yan asked, "How many years have you been an assistant teacher at the Imperial College?"

Zhang Chong replied: "After failing the imperial examination last year, I took the Imperial College recruitment examination and have been working as an assistant teacher for a year."

"Do you know chemistry?" Xie Yan asked again. Zhang Chong replied: "I am a science student and I know a little bit about chemistry."

Xie Yan said: "My chemistry class will start with molecules and atoms. Moreover, most of the parts about molecules and atoms in the previous chemistry textbooks have been overturned in the past two months. Before each class, I will show you the handouts, and you can also learn along with the students."

"Ah?" Zhang Chong was stunned at first, then he was overjoyed.

Courses on chemical particles have always been cutting-edge subjects that can only be accessed by students who have been promoted to the inner dormitory, and only by students who have been promoted to the upper dormitory can they begin in-depth research.

And what about Xie Yan?

He teaches students from other dormitories.

The students in the outer dormitories are a group of self-funded students who need to consolidate their basics first and pass the exams before they can be promoted to the inner dormitories.

Xie Yan directly taught those students in the outer dormitories the most advanced molecules and atoms in the field of chemistry. Wouldn't the students in the inner and upper dormitories be furious if they knew about it?

Zhang Chong realized that his life had turned around. As long as he studied molecules and atoms seriously with Xie Yan, he might be able to stay in the Imperial College and become a formal teacher.

School just started today and there are no classes.

Xie Yan came here mainly to check out the territory, and also to take a look at the laboratory.

The next day, classes officially started.

The Ming Imperial College slightly adjusted the enrollment scale proposed by Cai Jing, with 2000 students in the outer dormitory, 500 students in the inner dormitory, and 200 students in the upper dormitory.

Students living in the inner and upper dormitories enjoy free food and accommodation, and are also given pens, ink and paper every month.

Students from the outer dormitory have to pay for everything themselves, and the entrance exam is very difficult. It is purely for the purpose of generating income for the school. Most of the students from the outer dormitory drop out of school. Or they take the imperial examination while studying.

Xie Yan had to teach nine classes, each with 9 students, and only taught two classes a day.

Ten-day rest means one day off every ten days.

……

Xia Gongchen was sitting in the classroom looking around. He had just been in Luoyang for over half a month, so everything he saw seemed new to him.

This guy is an international student from Ceylon!
Because I can speak Chinese, I don’t need to attend the preparatory class and can go directly to the dormitory to study.

"I heard that you are the prince of Ceylon?" A group of students from the outer dormitory surrounded him and looked at him curiously.

Xia Gongchen explained: "My father is the crown prince, and my ancestor is the King of Ceylon."

Ding Shaoyan, who smashed the wreath on Xie Yan's way to welcome his bride, was also living in the outer dormitory of the Imperial College. He was very curious about the overseas countries: "Do you produce gemstones there? Ceylon gemstones are very famous."

Xia Gongchen said: "It is indeed rich in gemstones."

"Are there many foreigners in your area?" Ding Shaoyan asked again.

Xia Gongchen said: "In Ceylon, fair skin is considered beautiful. As long as you have fair skin and can speak Chinese, you can be considered a member of the Chinese ethnic group. People with particularly dark skin cannot be officials."

"Haha, I think you have alien blood." Ding Shaoyan didn't give him any face and started laughing after a few words.

Xia Gongchen said angrily: "I am a Chinese noble!"

On the island of Ceylon, five hundred soldiers founded the country and it took them forty years to unify the island. Its political system was a bit like the Nine-Rank System during the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

There was a king who was the common ruler. Although he also selected officials through imperial examinations, almost all the successful candidates were from prominent families.

The descendants of those five hundred people still belong to the prominent Chinese clan, while those who are gradually declining have become poor families. Some have even lost their lineage and have no descendants!

There are no longer any self-cultivating farmers among the native residents on the island, as all the land has been taken away by the Han people.

Over the past 100 years, the indigenous people have also launched many uprisings. The most massive one swept across half of Ceylon and wiped out more than 20 Han nobles.

At that time, the King of Ceylon could no longer bear the pressure and had to ask the Governor-General of India of the Ming Dynasty for help. The price was to present a large amount of gems, spices and grain to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Throughout the island of Ceylon, fair skin was considered beautiful, because the indigenous people had very dark skin. In order to wash off their darker skin, the first mixed-race illegitimate children intermarried with the Han, Arab, and Aryan peoples.

Even Buddhism in Ceylon became somewhat Brahmanical in order to distinguish between the superior and the inferior based on skin color.

Being ridiculed as a foreigner by Ding Shaoyan had already touched Xia Gongchen's sore spot.

Unfortunately, he didn't dare to take action in Taixue, and could only clench his fists and glare.

"Want to hit me?"

Ding Shaoyan laughed loudly: "So what if your grandfather was the King of Ceylon? My father was a hero who supported the current emperor!"

The other bad boys in the class also joined in the laughter and ridicule.

This is the case with students living in outer dormitories. Either their families are rich or powerful, and many of them just come here to get by.

When the Ming Dynasty was first established, even if you wanted to study at the Imperial College at your own expense, you had to pass a strict exam. If your grades were too bad, you wouldn't even be eligible to be a self-funded student.

Nowadays, the admissions to the inner dormitories are still very strict, but there are various backdoors for admissions to the outer dormitories.

Anyway, they are just a group of self-funded students used to generate income, so just turn a blind eye.

Xia Gongchen suppressed his anger and sat down, turning a deaf ear to the young bullies' ridicule.

He regretted coming to Luoyang and should have studied in other Imperial Colleges. At least, he could afford to fight with other Imperial College students!
Just then, there was a commotion near the classroom door.

Ding Shaoyan and his group of rogue young men subconsciously turned their heads to look.

Why did the prince consort come to the outer residence to study?
Didn’t the newspaper say that he was specially recruited into the inner dormitory?

"My Lord, you are here in the outer residence as well? We are actually classmates." Ding Shaoyan went over to him with a smile and tried to get close to him.

"Thank you, Master!"

"Thank you, Prince Consort!"

Many local students from Luoyang, or those who had repeated a grade at the Imperial College last year, all bowed to Xie Yan and greeted him.

Xia Gongchen was quite curious, who was this? The imperial consort of the Ming Dynasty?
Xie Yan bowed to everyone and returned the greeting, then walked to the podium and said, "Get ready for class."

The students were stunned for a moment. How did Mr. Xie become a teacher?

(End of this chapter)