Chapter 40: Entering the White Deer Academy for the First Time
It was already a month later that Li Changan really knew the reason.
During this month, I could only stay in this place that looks like a cave, but is actually a cellar, and is full of small seal characters.
If it weren't for his little sister Liu Linglong who chatted and joked all day long, and his sister-in-law Liu Zhiyin's careful care, Li Changan felt that he would have become moldy long ago.
One month expired, and Gu Weidao and Zhang Fugui still did not show up.
Moreover, the waiter who comes to deliver food, drinks and medicine will be replaced every now and then.
Li Changan's estimation of the seriousness of the matter is growing day by day.
Finally, a letter made Li Changan fully understand the truth of the matter.
When the letter was delivered to Li Changan, he was very cautious because it was hidden in a piece of toast and not even the clerk knew about it.
It was only after Liu Linglong tore open the pancake that she discovered that there was a letter and three one-hundred-tael silver notes hidden inside.
Opening the letter, the expression on Li Changan's face became more and more solemn, and at the end he sighed.
"Erlang, what happened?" Liu Zhiyin asked nervously. This was the first time she had seen Li Changan show such an expression in a while.
Li Changan put the letter on the oil lamp, watched the flames slowly engulf the paper, shook his head and said, "It's nothing, it's just that we have to go to Dongyue County to settle down."
"That home...?"
"It's okay. Wangfuji's business is good this month. Uncle Zhang helped me keep all the dividends. The money is enough to settle down in the county." Li Changan chuckled and handed the banknote to Liu Zhiyin.
I gave all the formulas to Uncle Zhang. If Uncle Zhang really had ulterior motives, he could have thrown him aside.
But he never thought that not only was his 50% bonus untouched, but the 10% of the waiter's and the waiter's in the store were paid for by Uncle Zhang himself.
"Then... when will we leave?" Liu Zhiyin directed Liu Linglong to bring the food over and looked at Li Changan.
"It's better to leave sooner rather than later. The sooner we leave, the better... let's do it tomorrow." Li Changan crushed the last bit of paper.
Liu Zhiyin said nothing more and just nodded meekly.
Liu Linglong was a heartless girl who was happy all day long, but she was vaguely aware of the movement in Linxian County, which was probably related to Erlang.
Now that Erlang is leaving the cellar and going to the county town, the matter in Linxian County should have come to an end, right?
As long as everything is fine, it doesn't matter where the family is...
This is her only wish.
At night,
Li Changan was lying on the wooden bed, looking at the small seal characters above his head with his eyes open, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
Beside her, Liu Linglong had already fallen asleep, smacking her lips from time to time, and even laughing out loud, not knowing what happy things she had encountered in her dream.
Liu Zhiyin slept on the other side of Liu Linglong, breathing slowly.
There was obviously a room outside the cellar, but Liu Linglong had to sleep with her brother, so Liu Zhiyin had to sleep here too.
Smelling the different but equally good smells of the two women, Li Changan couldn't help but have a peaceful smile on his lips, and helped Liu Linglong cover the kicked-off quilt.
"Is it an innate cultural treasure? One of the most coveted treasures of the gentry clan... It is obviously the result of the scribe's own practice. Just because inheritance will not reduce the grade, it has become the fat in the eyes of these behemoths..."
"Even if they have just awakened, they are not willing to let it go. They will even raise them to the third-grade or even second-grade extraordinary realm before harvesting them. In this way, they can cultivate a great clan that will never fall down..."
"Aren't you afraid of the dangers of raising tigers? But that's right, the risks are directly proportional to the benefits."
"Some are more brutal and directly encircle and kill them, while some are more tolerant and marry into their wives... But no matter what, they will inevitably become puppets. Those who can truly control their own destiny are rare."
Li Changan tapped his fingers on the quilt subconsciously,
"Master must have spent a lot of money to cover up my innate knowledge. He even established connections with White Deer Academy just to hide my identity..."
"So what do I do next?"
With this question, Li Changan closed his eyes.
…
It took almost ten days to get from this village in an unknown corner to Dongyue County.
Li Changan and the other two people traveled all the way and slept in the open air, and finally saw the towering city wall of Dongyue County City.
Before that, Linxian County was already very good in Li Changan's eyes, and it looked like an ancient city in his imagination.
But when he saw Dongyue County, Li Changan had the illusion that his world view had been subverted.
How was this kind of city wall built like a hill?
It is a full thirty or forty meters high, and there are teams of patrolling armored soldiers on it, wearing strong armor and sharp swords, showing their sharpness and murderous intent.
Just by looking at it like this, there were only four words left in Li Changan's mind, "Immortal."
Entering the county town, the three of them were almost blinded.
The most prosperous Sanyangmen in Linxian County is now just a corner of the most ordinary county town.
We first found an inn to stay at, and the three of us were finally able to take a good shower.
Li Changan told Liu Zhiyin and Liu Linglong not to go out casually, and went to White Deer Academy with Gu Weidao's jade plaque in his arms.
It took me half a day, asking for directions from everyone I met, and finally found the place.
"Are you the person Deputy Manager Xu told you to meet? Follow me to see Deputy Manager Xu quickly."
Seeing the jade plaque that Li Changan took out, a scholar from the Foreign Affairs Pavilion of White Deer Academy quickly stood up and said.
Under the attention of everyone in the group, Li Changan hurried in following the scholar.
"Since you are looking for Deputy Director Xu, I'm afraid you will also enter the Tiandi Courtyard. From now on, you and I will be classmates." The scholar walked in front, his tone was not as cold as in the Foreign Affairs Pavilion, but revealed a hint of intimacy.
"Heaven and Earth Academy?" Li Changan was a little dazed. The stone tablet at the door just now clearly had the four characters "White Deer Academy" written on it. Why did it become the Academy of Heaven and Earth again?
Do you think I can't read? Or are you going to take me to some other messy place?
The scholar heard the doubt in Li Changan's tone, patted his head and said with a smile, "I'm quite anxious. Outsiders are also confused when they first come in."
"We are the Dongyue Branch of Bailu Academy, and the main impact is on Dongyue County."
"The academy is divided into the XiuShengYuan and the TiandiYuan. The XiuShenYuan is a school palace. Outstanding young talents selected from various places will enter the XiShenYuan to study. Those who are taught in the XiShenYuan are all candidates and even Jinshi."
"The outstanding students in the Self-cultivation Academy will pass the assessment and selection and enter the Tiandi Academy. The Tiandi Academy is the foundation of the academy."
White Deer Academy occupies a very large area. Li Changan followed the scholar through a school hall, listening to the sound of Lang Lang reading from inside, and turned into a gravel path in the dense woods.
The scholar took this opportunity to introduce,
"Entering Tiandiyuan is considered as a true member of the academy. As long as they are not expelled, they will obtain official positions in the future. In other words, they will be reserve officials."
"When a suitable official position appears, all Tiandiyuan students can sign up to participate in the assessment. After passing the examination, they will be appointed and become officials."
"However, the level of official position is related to the grade of civil servants. Therefore, generally students of Tiandi Academy who are below the seventh grade will not choose to fight for official positions. After all, there is no use in asking for the sesame mung bean junior official of eighth or ninth grade."
Hearing this, Li Changan couldn't help but widen his eyes and was horrified.
This...what the hell is this?
Is this how you get your official position?
In the memory of the predecessor, there was no information about the academy at this level, so there was no way to know, but this is too different from what was imagined, right?
Shouldn't it be appointed by the imperial court?
How did it become an internal assessment of the academy?
Li Changan felt that his outlook on life was completely ruined.
The scholar leading the way didn't notice Li Changan's expression and continued to speak enthusiastically,
"Of course Tianchiyuan is not just a place for candidates for official positions."
"The external affairs of the academy are also in charge of the Tiandiyuan. The Foreign Affairs Pavilion you just went to is the window for the academy to contact the outside world."
"Entrusted tasks from the outside world will be sent to the four mountains of plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum in Tianchiyuan through the Foreign Affairs Pavilion."
"The four mountains will then assign them to subordinate towers, and each tower will coordinate tasks. After completing the tasks, the students will obtain silver and reputation. Fame is directly linked to literary talent. This is also the fastest and most convenient way for academy disciples to obtain literary talent."
"That's why there are still a group of people in Tiandiyuan who don't want to go out to be officials. Instead, they stay in the academy, just so they can concentrate on cultivating literary qualities."
"You will understand the details once you get the academy's practice manual..."
Li Changan's heart was trembling when he heard this. Such a way of practice was really unheard of.
Walking through the woods, a clear view suddenly opened up.
Li Changan's pupils suddenly shrank. In front of him were four rolling mountains. On top of these mountains, streams of light fell like meteors. Even in the daytime, these streams of light were still clearly visible.
It's like arriving at the place where the Milky Way falls from the sky, it's as magnificent as a fairyland.
Where these streams of light fell, there were towering towers of antique style.
"There are four mountains of plums, orchids, bamboos and chrysanthemums. Each mountain has ten floors. Deputy Xu's building is on the ninth floor of Zhushan." The scholar had long been accustomed to the beautiful scenery in front of him, and walked into the nearest pavilion with Li Chang'an, whose mind was swaying.
Li Changan watched as the scholar summoned a bronze writing instrument, wrote a mysterious character, and printed it on the landscape painting in the center of the pavilion.
The scholar grabbed Li Changan and said, "With the literary spirit of Zhushan, my companions and I stand on the ninth floor of Zhushan."
The next moment, a ray of light suddenly burst out from the landscape painting, and Li Changan and the scholar disappeared silently into the pavilion.