Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 47 Imperial College

"If you ask me, he's a very famous figure in the imperial court."

Upon hearing Zhao Rui's words, Zhou sighed and said, "Zhang Shiyuan is now a very famous figure."

Clearly, the "famous" Zhou family name has a completely different meaning from the "famous" Zhao Rui name.

Despite saying that, Zhou still took the blueprints from Zhao Rui's hands and examined them for a while.

But once she looked, she couldn't take her eyes off it.

Zhou frowned deeply as she spoke.

What is this painting?

"A flying shuttle!" Zhao Rui said with a simple smile. "Lord Zhang is also knowledgeable in textiles. If this flying shuttle can be made, our weaving efficiency will more than double, which is not a pipe dream."

But Zhou glanced at the blueprints again and said dismissively.

"Aren't there many people in the market today who want to improve textile techniques? They're all failed scholars. But how many of them actually succeed?"

The design of this blueprint is indeed ingenious, but it lacks many details. To actually build this shuttle would require considerable effort, and even then, success is not guaranteed.

Zhao Rui, however, was optimistic: "Don't worry, my wife. Where there's a will, there's a way. Why not give it a try? With this blueprint, weaving will be much easier, and we can earn back the money we've spent."

"Stop thinking about making money!" Zhou said angrily, hands on her hips.

Seeing that her husband was still all smiles, she sighed helplessly again.

"Forget about the 'flying shuttle' for now. Let's tighten our belts and get things done with the Grand Secretary's son. That way, we can earn some goodwill from the Grand Secretary, which will make it easier for us to do business in the capital in the future. That's the right thing to do!"

Zhou's idea was the business logic of most merchants during the Ming Dynasty.

Craftsmanship? Product quality?
None of that matters. The most important thing is to build good relationships with the ministers in the court. With that connection, you can make money no matter what you do!

Even so, in Zhou's eyes, Zhang Yunxiu was still a dissolute son of an official.

Would anyone actually buy those 100,000 burlap masks?
It's nothing more than the clumsy fantasies of a privileged young master who has never lifted a finger about doing business.

What a waste of money!
It seemed the other party had no intention of paying the money, so Zhou could only swallow her anger and bear it.

After his wife left in a sullen mood, Zhao Rui picked up the blueprint that his wife had rejected.

With a focused gaze, he used his experience to find a piece of paper and meticulously copied the text, adding numerous annotations as well.

Zhao Rui let out a breath, carefully folded and put away the blueprint, as if he had made up his mind.

I'm going to the Imperial College today.

The emperor's decree had arrived several days earlier.

Zhang Yunxiu delayed for several days, but finally chose an auspicious day and traveled to the Imperial College by carriage.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Imperial College was divided into two colleges, the North College and the South College. The Imperial College in the capital was located in the streets and alleys inside Andingmen, facing south.

When Zhang Yunxiu arrived at the Imperial Academy, it was not yet past dawn.

After getting off the carriage, you can see the gate tower with the gilded plaque of "Guozijian" hanging high in the distance.

When passersby look at the gate tower, their eyes are always filled with longing and anticipation.

For ordinary people and Confucian scholars, the Imperial College was undoubtedly a lofty beacon in their hearts, representing the gathering place of the highest learning in the Ming Dynasty.

When Zhang Yunxiu handed his "Entry Record" to the gatekeeper, the gatekeeper glanced at him a couple more times.

The main reason was that, among the students who were all wearing ceremonial robes, this boy was wearing a blue Taoist robe.

Wearing Taoist robes was not uncommon during the Ming Dynasty, after all, from Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang to Emperor Shizong Jiajing, Taoism was highly revered.

The latter, in particular, was a Taoist priest himself.

However, in the present Ming Dynasty, those who wear Taoist robes are mostly scholars and literati, and officials in the court also like to wear Taoist robes in private.

You, a young student who looks no older than twenty, are actually wearing a Taoist robe to the Imperial Academy? That's really improper.

The gatekeeper was about to make a note of the man's name, but when he saw the name on the admission record, he almost threw him out. "Gatekeeper, is there anything wrong with my admission record?" Zhang Yunxiu smiled very warmly.

The gatekeeper, however, seemed quite wary, sweat beading on his forehead, and quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

"No, no, please come in, Young Master Zhang. Chief Instructor Yu is already waiting for you inside."

He respectfully presented the prison record.

"Thanks."

Zhang Yunxiu took the admission record and swaggered into the Imperial Academy.

Watching the other person's departing figure, the gatekeeper breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that he hadn't done anything unnecessary.

This man's deeds are now known to everyone in the capital.

With the backing of Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng, he dared to insult even the officials in the court to his face, let alone a mere clerk like him.

Thinking of this, the clerk stopped waiting at the door.

The current Chancellor of the Imperial Academy is Yu Youding. This gentleman is quite familiar with the Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng. He was specifically instructed before today that if Zhang Yunxiu arrives, he should be informed immediately.

The clerk didn't know why he was in such a hurry, and he ran all the way to Yu Youding's office.

Zhang Yunxiu wandered aimlessly around the Imperial Academy, not knowing which school he had been assigned to.

He noticed that the environment inside the Imperial College was quite nice, with ancient cypress trees lining the passageways, but the inscriptions on the stone tablets in the courtyard seemed somewhat out of place.

Such pronouncements included: "Listen up, all you students!" "If any unregistered person dares to post such anonymous notices, that criminal will be executed by slow slicing!" "If anyone slanders their teachers... their head will be displayed before the prison, their entire family will be confiscated, and their people will be exiled to a malarial land!"

Upon seeing these words, Zhang Yunxiu immediately shuddered and automatically filled in the blanks in his mind.

It was a powerful voice; the founding emperor, Zhu Baba, speaking with a Fengyang accent, was reprimanding the refined Confucian scholars inside the Imperial College.

For a moment, Zhang Yunxiu couldn't help but feel fortunate that he was born in the Wanli era. If he had been born in the Hongwu era, how could he have dared to be so arrogant?

The buildings inside the Imperial College are well-organized. The "Yilun Hall" in the middle is where Confucius was worshipped and lectured, and the stone tablet in front of it stands here.

The two sides are divided into six halls: “Following one’s nature, cultivating the Tao, sincerity, justice, lofty aspirations, and extensive undertakings”.

This Shuaixing Hall was equivalent to the elite class in later times, and only the students with the best grades could enter it.

When Zhang Yunxiu first entered the Imperial Academy, he naturally entered the three primary schools: Zhengyi, Chongzhi, and Guangye.

Unable to find Yu Youding, Zhang Yunxiu decided to go to Guangyetang first.

At this moment, the professors who were giving lectures had not yet entered the hall. Zhang Yunxiu found a futon in a corner and sat down, looking around at the scene inside Guangye Hall.

Inside the hall, the students were already seated neatly on the prayer cushions, showing that even those who had donated to become students or received special privileges still cherished the opportunity to study at the Imperial College.

Zhang Yunxiu could see that on the desk in front of the students were either Zhu Xi's "Collected Commentaries on the Four Books," "The Great Ming Code," and "Memorials of Famous Officials Throughout History," among other things.

An idea came to him: when could he replace the textbooks on the students' desks with "On the Origin of Species," "Marxist Philosophy," and "Mao Zedong Thought"?
Just as Zhang Yunxiu was lost in thought, he heard some jarring noises in the noisy Guangye Hall.

"Zhang Shiyuan is truly outrageous. He dared to assault an imperial censor in the imperial court, acting recklessly and erratically."

Zhang Yunxiu was very sensitive to the way his voice was being manipulated. He turned his head and saw three or four students dressed in blue robes gathered together, discussing something in hushed tones.

"Indeed, Zhang Yunxiu is relying on his father, the Grand Secretary. If this rebellious son does not come to his senses, he will surely become another scourge to the court!"

"The Grand Secretary is talented, but alas... let's not talk about it!"

"Be careful what you say!"

Zhang Yunxiu frowned. It was one thing to make fun of himself, but to dare to make fun of my father!

Only I, Zhang Yunxiu, can make up stories about my dad!
Just as Zhang Yunxiu was about to cause trouble for the group, he saw someone speaking to the taciturn student.

“Yuan Zongdao’s name has already spread throughout the Imperial Academy. Brother Boxiu is highly accomplished in literature. How can he be compared to Zhang Shiyuan, a petty person who relies on vernacular novels to gain fame?”

(End of this chapter)