Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 388: Seeking Knowledge Academy
Beside a thatched hut, Su Mei, dressed simply, sat there reading a book, glancing at everyone from time to time.

Su Mei was also puzzled about the people admitted by this institution.

She didn't see what use these people were at all.

Not only her, most of the people present to report have not yet figured out the specific situation.

But since we are here, we might as well make the best of it. Everyone is ready to see how the situation develops first.

After all, it is an institution founded by the Princess, we can't just let them come here to play around.

If this institution really becomes a joke, then they won’t be the biggest joke.

Yang Yi quickly calmed down, greeted everyone cheerfully, introduced each other, and then gave a gift, being quite generous.

However, no one felt comfortable accepting Yang Yi's gift, but after a few rounds of refusing, they were considered to be acquaintances.

"This girl..."

Yang Yi came close to Su Mei and greeted her with a smile.

Su Mei said calmly, "Su Mei, the fox demon."

Many people looked sideways when they heard this, they didn't expect that Su Mei was a demon.

Yang Yi's eyes moved slightly, and he smiled and said, "No wonder the girl is so beautiful, it turns out she is a fox demon. Please take care of me in the future."

Su Mei said, "Forget about the care. I don't know how to do business."

Yang Yi smiled and said, "Doing business is actually not difficult. If you want to learn, I can tell you about it."

Su Mei said quietly, "I didn't ask you to come here to teach us how to do business. Think carefully about what you should do first, and why you should stay here."

Yang Yi's face straightened when he heard this, and he said, "Thank you for your advice, young lady."

Yang Yi turned around and prepared to find a place to rest, but he saw that the place was so simple that he couldn't sit or stand.

From simplicity to luxury is easy, from luxury to simplicity is difficult.

Just then, a middle-aged man in a green robe walked over.

Middle-aged people exude a special temperament that makes people look at them sideways.

Xia Ming looked at everyone and said, "My name is Xia Ming. I'm a temporary instructor at the Qiuzhi Academy. I'll be guiding you all for a while."

Xia Ming was originally an aide to the Princess's Mansion, but now that the Qiuzhi Academy was short of staff, he was transferred here to be a teacher.

Everyone looked at Xia Ming, and for a moment they couldn't think of any great scholar with this name in Tai'an City.

Yang Yi couldn't help but ask, "Are you the only temporary instructor?"

Xia Ming nodded slightly and said, "For now, I'm the only one here. The Qiuzhi Academy has just been established, so many things are not perfect... Of course, these imperfections are not important. What's important is that we have people."

"Xia is very pleased that you can come here on the first day."

"The fact that you can come here naturally means that you are extremely talented in some area. However, talent is talent. To officially enroll, you must undergo a six-month probationary period. After six months, only those who can stay can be considered official students of the school."

Everyone had no objection when they heard this, as the person who had found them before had also mentioned this.

They also feel that becoming a formal student all of a sudden is not very reliable.

It is reasonable to have a six-month probation period.

Xia Ming continued, "Here, you can fully develop and explore your talents. I will give you some guidance, but not much. After all, what you are good at is not what I am good at."

“Here, everyone is both a teacher and a friend, but the most important teacher is actually you yourself.”

"You can make some requests at ordinary times. As long as they are reasonable, the school will try its best to meet your needs."

Everyone had different expressions when they heard this, feeling that this school was very different from what they had imagined.

Xia Ming raised his hand and took out a stack of books. "These are the textbooks of the school. Everyone has different textbooks. You can take a look at them first so that you know what you should learn."

Xia Ming looked at the information of these people, called out their names one by one, and distributed the books in his hands.

Yang Yi took his book with a curious look on his face and muttered quietly, "Economics? What kind of book is this?"

Yang Yi flipped through the book out of curiosity, and soon his eyes lit up. He felt like he had opened the door to a new world. It turned out that doing business had such profound secrets, which really broadened his horizons.

Yang Yi has a very sharp mind. Even if he encounters some unfamiliar words in the book, he can understand their meaning after a little thought.

However, before he could finish reading enough, he had already finished the thin book, and the content came to an abrupt end, leaving him with an itch in his heart, feeling unsatisfied.

"Gone?"

Yang Yi was stunned for a moment, then flipped through the book again to confirm that this was not a complete book at all.

He quickly found Xia Ming and asked anxiously, "Teacher Xia, where is the rest of the book?"

Seeing Yang Yi find him, Xia Ming was not surprised. He just smiled and said, "You are not a student of the formal school, so of course the textbooks are incomplete."

Yang Yi has a strong business acumen, so it is naturally impossible for the school to teach him certain knowledge so easily.

We have to guide Yang Yi slowly and make him serve the country completely, rather than cultivating him into a big businessman who only knows how to make money.

Yang Yi's expression froze, thinking that he actually had such a trick up his sleeve.

Yang Yi couldn't help but said seriously, "I am studying seriously. I wonder if you can make an exception and let me become a regular student early? I am willing to donate money to the school..." Xia Ming smiled slightly, "Do you think the school is short of money?"

Yang Yi quickly said, "That's not what I meant. I'm just expressing my feelings! Instructor Xia, can you please be flexible and talk to His Highness?"

It was a rare opportunity to read such a wonderful business book. Yang Yi was itching to read it. He felt so uncomfortable that he just wanted to read the rest of the book as soon as possible.

Xia Ming said calmly: "Rules are rules. If you really want to learn more, then show your value."

Yang Yi was thinking, besides being rich and good at business, how else could he show himself?

Yang Yi whispered, "Please tell me more details, Instructor Xia."

Xia Ming said, "Let's do a homework assignment."

"What?" Yang Yi was stunned.

Xia Ming said leisurely, "How can we suppress merchants and increase business taxes without affecting the livelihoods of the people?"

Long before finding Yang Yi and the others, the staff of the Princess's Mansion had already made relatively detailed plans for them.

It’s not enough to just learn knowledge for nothing, you have to demonstrate real value!
Xia Ming paused, then continued, "You are a businessman, so you should be very knowledgeable about this. Come up with a plan. If it works, I will naturally give you a certain reward."

"Ah this..."

Yang Yi looked unnatural. How could he get involved in something that involved the overall national situation?
Is this schoolwork? This is something that only officials in the court can do, right?
Does he have a few brains that are not sharp enough to give advice on such matters?
Xia Ming's eyes were dim as he said, "Your Highness doesn't keep idle people. Of course, the academy must have a purpose in cultivating you. Those officials in the court are too self-centered, and it's difficult to get them to work wholeheartedly for the country and the people. This is your chance to show off. You don't just want to be a businessman, do you?"

Yang Yi swallowed and felt as if he had fallen into a big pit.

He knew that things were not simple. Is it too late to withdraw now?

Yang Yi brainstormed for a while and whispered, "I'm afraid I won't be able to write a good homework for the time being, but I'll try..."

Xia Mingdao: "Very good, you have plenty of time here, no need to rush."

Yang Yi suddenly thought of something and said, holding the book, "The person who can write this book should know more about these things than me. Why not let him do it?"

Xia Ming said calmly, "A person's energy is limited. Otherwise, what would His Highness want us to do?"

"That's right..." Yang Yi turned curious and asked, "May I ask who wrote this book?"

"Dean." Xia Ming replied.

"Dean? Which dean?" Yang Yi asked.

Xia Ming said, "It's naturally the dean of our Qiuzhi Academy. It was because of his proposal that Your Highness established this academy. Whether it's the educational philosophy or these guiding materials, they all originated from the dean."

Lu Zheng, who was far away in Yunmengze, didn't know about it yet. He just gave An Jing a suggestion, but he ended up becoming the first dean of the new institution.

Yang Yi was surprised when he heard this. He knew that this institution was not that simple and that it actually had an extraordinary dean.

Yang Yi couldn't help but ask, "Can I go see the dean?"

Xia Ming asked back: "What do you think?"

Yang Yi was speechless for a moment, thinking that he was still not qualified and couldn't even find out the name of the dean.

Yang Yi's thoughts flashed, and he said, "I need pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. When I was at the gate of the academy, the carriage was stopped outside."

Xia Mingdao: "It's inside the thatched cottage."

Xia Ming added, "You are a businessman, and a very smart one at that. You should be very clear about some of the recent events in Tai'an City. The court is undergoing reforms, and there will be many changes in Anguo in the future. This is an opportunity... Not only are you advising His Highness, but there are also many others doing the same thing, so take it seriously."

"Your Highness's original intention was to build this place into an institution even more outstanding than the Imperial Academy. I hope you won't disappoint others or yourself. By becoming one of the first students, you are destined to be extraordinary in the future..."

Yang Yi felt a surge of excitement inside when he heard this, and felt inexplicably encouraged.

He couldn't help but say, "I'll try my best to come up with a plan that no one else can think of!"

Xia Ming smiled, patted Yang Yi on the shoulder, and said, "Okay, but don't worry too much. Get a good rest tonight. You still have classes tomorrow."

Yang Yi blinked, "Teacher Xia is going to give us a lesson?"

Xia Ming nodded and said, "Thought class, a gentleman should cultivate his mind and cultivate his character."

Yang Yi thought to himself, these people are not children, do they still need to take this kind of class?
Seeing Yang Yi's expression, Xia Ming knew that he thought they were going to be discussing some sage books like in school.

But it is indeed similar, but the content is slightly different, mainly to instill in these people the idea of putting the people and the country first.

Yang Yi took the book back and saw many people still reading outside the thatched hut.

Out of curiosity, he went to see Lu Liang and found that he was reading an agricultural book very seriously and he couldn't bear to disturb him.

Elsewhere, Feng Yan was asking someone for advice about the words in a book.

As a storyteller, Feng Yan doesn't know many words.

"The art of public speaking?"

Yang Yi ran over and took a look, his eyes flashing with curiosity.

It seems that anyone who can come here should not be underestimated, and everyone will learn very special knowledge.

(End of this chapter)