Chapter 6, The First Day of School

The Zhang family's lineage studies are quite renowned, as a top scholar once emerged from this lineage. Although he was a top scholar and not the highest-ranking scholar, it is important to note that Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, after establishing the imperial examination system in the fifth year of the Hongwu era, believed that the candidates were mostly young individuals. Consequently, he did not hold any examinations for a full thirteen years, resuming only in the eighteenth year of Hongwu. Therefore, being a top scholar in the provincial examination was equally prestigious. Now, that top scholar from the Zhang family of Xiangfu has risen to great heights in the court, which surely makes others envious.

At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind—throughout history, the world is as dark as crows!

Indeed, that successful candidate is the legitimate son of the Gu family, Zhang Xin, the eldest son of the Zhang family from Xiangfu, who is now the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Works with the rank of Third Grade.

I thought Zhang Xiaosan had made some progress, but it turns out there are typos throughout, hahaha

Zhang Yue had studied for over ten years in his previous life, yet now he finds himself in the predicament of having to attend school with a group of children, which evokes a sense of sentimentality within him. However, his companions, the Zhang brothers, Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi, show no awareness of the need to attend school. Instead, they continue to bicker along the way, still preoccupied with yesterday's competition, completely disregarding the importance of education.

He waited anxiously for a long time, and then Du Xian put down the stack of papers and said lightly: "Being able to remember these is already quite good. However, even if the characters are not fully written, one should not use these scribbles as substitutes in the future. Characters are the foundation of knowledge and should not be taken lightly"

Zhang, feeling anxious, was the first to speak up and remind, "Third brother, you go attend the class and just tell the teacher that both of us are ill"

Three days

Originally, the Zhang family has been serving in the Privy Council since the end of the Yuan Dynasty, always seeking to rise through military achievements, with education being merely a supplementary endeavor. Furthermore, no matter how much one studies, how many can actually earn a noble title through their education

The Zhang family school has about fifty to sixty students, with varying ages and progress. Therefore, those under twelve study in the eastern courtyard, while those over twelve attend classes in the western courtyard. The person in charge is a cousin of the Zhang family named Zhang You, who is considered Zhang Yue's uncle in terms of seniority. Standing at the door, he heard Zhang Yue mention that Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi, his brothers, were ill and could not come. Without saying a word, he nodded and allowed Zhang Yue to enter, not asking a single question.

That foolish Zhang Xiaosan is here again

As he listened, he unconsciously reverted to his old habits, taking a stack of paper to jot down important notes and references while listening. However, he had not used a brush since middle school, and coupled with his inability to write traditional characters, the characters he wrote were barely legible. Yet, interspersed among them were quite a few simplified characters that resembled scribbles. After finally finishing a class, he had managed to record a whole stack of class notes, and his wrist ached as if it had been beaten.

He lasted a month last time, and now he can't hold on for three days? I bet half a month!

Hearing these chaotic sounds, Zhang Yue almost thought he had returned to a third-rate school in modern times. In his memory, he sat down in the second seat on the left in the first row. He glanced around and found that not only was the seat next to him, belonging to the Zhang brothers, Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi, empty, but the entire back row was also completely vacant. However, in the rows behind, about seventy to eighty percent of the seats were occupied, but apart from a few individuals sitting upright, the rest were loudly chatting and talking.

Seeing Zhang Yue just standing there in silence, Zhang Chao said nothing more, smiling as he patted him on the shoulder before leading his companions away. Even when a few classmates from the clan school approached, he merely chatted with his younger brother, laughing and discussing where they should go to have fun today, without paying any mind to it.

In this day and age, without a watch or a clock, Zhang Yue could not determine the current time, only feeling an unbearable thirst. Thus, he gulped down a cup of tea and ate a piece of date paste cake to fill his stomach, and then sent the two young attendants away. To his surprise, just as these two bothersome attendants disappeared, three people suddenly appeared before him, one of whom boldly reached out to take a piece of paper from his desk, pretended to glance at it, and then burst into hearty laughter.

These two fellows ... ? ... are skipping class so brazenly. ? Zhang Yue was at a loss for words; upon closer inspection, he noticed that the six young men accompanying the two brothers to class were all robust youths in their twenties, each with a face full of flesh, and their demeanor certainly did not suggest they were going to school, but rather to engage in a fight. Looking back at the two frail scholars behind him, he was instantly rendered speechless.

Until those two brothers leisurely disappeared from sight, Zhang Yue pinched his fingers to calculate and then remembered that his visits here were few and far between. Moreover, even though Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi had once attended school with him, they often vanished without a trace after spending only a short time in class. Of course, he himself was not much better off; in the memories that originally belonged to Zhang Yue, there was no record of any books or the Four Books and Five Classics, as it seemed he had spent his school days in a daze.

My goodness, more than half of the characters in there are in Simplified Chinese

Rubbing his wrist before lifting his head, he discovered that Mr. Du, with his flat expression, was standing in front of him. As he pondered the purpose of this visitor, he was taken aback to find that the several sheets of paper, soaked with ink, had been taken away. When he saw Mr. Du frowning and examining the papers one by one, he couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation on his scalp

After a long time, the two could not come to a conclusion, so they simply dragged Zhang Yue to judge whose martial arts were better. The shouting nearly deafened his ears. After a considerable amount of wasted breath, he finally managed to get these two fellows to stop arguing. However, when they could see the schoolhouse with its blue bricks and red tiles from a distance, he found himself firmly held by the two brothers, one on each side.

Zhang Yue felt as if he had been granted a reprieve, quickly standing up to respond, only letting out a long sigh of relief after Mr. Du had left the room with his hands behind his back. At that moment, it was evident that it was break time, and a group of young servants and scholars rushed in like a whirlwind. Some brought tea to their master, some delivered snacks, and others massaged his arms and legs, the clamor nearly overturning the room.

Soon, Mr. Du, who was giving the lecture, arrived punctually, stepping in time with the sound of the cloud board and the illustrations in the book. He opened the book and began to explain the "Analects," specifically the section "Shu Er." Zhang Yue listened with his ears, but his eyes couldn't help but glance around—forward, backward, and sideways. He noticed that only a few of the boys, who had just been seen sitting properly, were earnestly listening. The other students were either sleeping, drawing, or, even more audaciously, two were chatting away, their voices louder than that of Mr. Du above.

Zhang Chaonian, being older, spoke with a rather serious demeanor: "Last time, it was our fault that you fell from the tree. However, your physique won't be of much use if you follow us out. It's better for you to focus on your studies. In any case, you can help us two brothers get through school, and when the time comes, we will share any benefits with you."

After a brief distraction, Zhang Yue began to listen attentively. Since he had reached this era, it was likely that he would have to attempt the imperial examination, and thus he needed to study diligently. Upon careful listening, he realized that Mr. Du was quite skilled; during the lecture, he did not refer to any texts, effortlessly citing classical references and occasionally interspersing contemporary annotations. The only drawback was that, much like his plain face, the man's voice was flat and monotonous, making it easy for listeners to doze off. Upon careful listening, he realized that Mr. Du was quite skilled; during the lecture, he did not refer to any texts, effortlessly citing classical references and occasionally interspersing contemporary annotations. The only drawback was that, much like his plain face, the man's voice was flat and monotonous, making it easy for listeners to doze off.

We made a bet to see how many days he can attend school this time