Chapter Thirty: Entering School

  Got up late today, sorry...

  The snow has melted and spring water is flowing, swallows fly over the willows in February.

  The earth thaws out and regains its vitality, farmers are busy rushing about in the fields, starting to work hard for this year's harvest.

  The tall Jiangzhou City East Gate, the crowd in and out of the endless stream, carrying poles, pushing carts, and riding horses, at a glance, identities are different, rich and poor are obvious.

  Chen Jianchen and Wang Fu arrived by carriage. As scholars with official titles, they were generally exempt from inspections when entering or leaving the city gates and could come and go freely.

  Wang Fu was traumatized by the Peach Blossom incident and fell severely ill, taking almost half a month to gradually recover. However, his lower body had become somewhat limp and lifeless, leaving him tearfully frustrated, yet he dared not speak out loud, and could only hide in his study pretending to read classical texts. Every time he caught sight of his wives' resentful gazes, he felt like a mouse encountering a cat, his heart racing with fear.

  That almost frantic night left a very deep shadow in Wang Fu's heart, and every time he thought of it, his whole body would tremble with fear, and his three legs would naturally shake.

  On the third day of the New Year, Wang Fudai brought many gifts to the Chen family to pay his respects. He pulled Chen Jianchen into the study and talked to him for nearly an hour, telling him so much that Chen Jianchen became somewhat impatient.

  It was not easy to wait for Wang to finish talking about his own affairs, but unexpectedly, the topic turned again and he started promoting his sister, Miss Wang Er. Chen Jianchen spoke out loudly without hesitation: "Fu Tai brother, I am currently focusing on my studies and have no distractions; in fact, I had made a vow long ago that if I don't pass the imperial examination, I won't get married."

  Seeing his resolute attitude, Wang Fu was unable to - recently Chen Jianchen's performance gave him a profound and mysterious feeling, as if he had changed into another person. Understanding the face of peach blossoms is one thing, and dealing with evil wolves with one brush stroke is another.

  As for his doubts, Chen Jianchen had already thought of a countermeasure and said that he had learned a Taoist technique from Qingyun Daozhang in the past, which happened to be useful now.

  Then Wang Fu again loudly asked about the whereabouts of Qingyun Daozhang, so that he could go in person to thank him.

  Looking at him, I also want to learn a few moves.

  Chen Jianchen said: "Dao Zhang is a senior figure under the gate of Cangshan, wandering in the four seas, his whereabouts are uncertain, where can he be found?"

  Wang Fu was disappointed, but he remembered the two words "Collapsing Mountain" and thought that one day if he had the chance, he would definitely go to learn from a master. Maybe he could even encounter a fairy and ascend to immortality during the daytime, becoming an immortal...

  Thinking so, Wang Fu's eyebrows opened and his eyes smiled, almost drooling.

  After the New Year, the opening date of the college was approaching, so Wang Fu proposed to go to Jiangzhou with Chen Jianchen. With a favorable wind, Chen Jianchen did not resist and packed his luggage, bid farewell to his mother and Abao, and started on the path of pursuing knowledge.

  When saying goodbye, Mo San Niang was reluctant to part with him and kept reminding him of things, while Ah Bao had red eyes and chased after Chen Jian's carriage for a long time before stopping. She waved her hands desperately to bid farewell, and tears fell like pearls.

  Chen Jianchen watched, also feeling a pang of sadness.

  Humans are not like plants and trees, who can be without emotions? In the end, there are some things that linger, and in an instant, they have taken deep root...

  He secretly vowed to make a name for himself in Jiangzhou City as soon as possible, and then bring his mother and Abao into the city to settle down. Anyway, his family had no land or fields in Jingyang Village.

  As he entered Jiangzhou City, Chen Jianchen's eyes sparkled as he looked around in all directions. In his previous life, he had also been to Jiangzhou one or two times, but it was just a fleeting visit and he had never gained a clear understanding of this city, which was one of the eighteen states of the Tianyun Dynasty. However, now that he was studying in the city, not understanding it would be unacceptable.

  The Tianyun Dynasty has eighteen states, and Jiangzhou is one of them. Under its jurisdiction, there are nine counties with a total of 136 towns. Because Jingyang Village belongs to Zhengming Town, which is located near the city of Jiangzhou, it does not belong to any county but is directly under the administration of Jiangzhou City.

  The city wall of Jiangzhou is majestic and occupies a vast area, with streets crisscrossing inside, very prosperous. However, the two major government schools in Jiangzhou, Minghua Academy and Qingshu Academy, are only at a lower level among the official schools of the Tian Tong Dynasty, and their reputation is not prominent. Compared to several famous government schools in the south, it is much inferior, let alone the Imperial College in the capital.

  The biggest difference between Ming Hua Academy and Qing Xue Academy is that the students of Ming Hua Academy are boys, while those of Qing Xue Academy are girls.

  In the Tianyun dynasty, women could also read books and attend school, they just couldn't take part in imperial examinations or become officials.

  For this reason, women's reading materials mostly included learning calligraphy, learning etiquette and moral character, learning poetry and songs, etc., basically not involving the eight-part essay style.

  Although it is said that girls can also go to school, generally poor families cannot afford to send their daughters to private schools. Most of them are raised until they are six or seven years old and then need to herd pigs and cattle, helping with household chores.

  Not to mention the daughter, just talking about the son, if the family environment is not good, they can't even afford to go to school. From this, it can be seen that for many years, Mo San Niang has endured untold hardships and sufferings in order to support Chen Jian Cheng's education.

  Families with money and connections can directly send their children to study in the county's official schools, while ordinary people can only attend private schools in the countryside. The environment is vastly different between the two, and the level of education also differs greatly.

  Therefore, the probability of obtaining a Xiucai degree in an official school is much higher than in a private village school.

  Minghua Academy is the largest official school in Jiangzhou, divided into Upper and Lower Institutes. The Lower Institute only accepts children; only those who have obtained the title of Xiūcai can enter the Upper Institute.

  Chen Jianchen ranked first in the children's test, and was admitted as a Xiucai. He was then enrolled by Minghua Academy as a Linsheng student, with all expenses including food, lodging, and tuition waived, and received an additional 10 wen allowance each month. In other words, he was a scholarship student. If he performed exceptionally well during his studies, he would also receive a scholarship.

  In this sense, studying and reading are not bad things.

  The problem is that even if you are a student who doesn't have to pay tuition, you still have to follow the school's rules and regulations. It's said that Ming Hua Academy has 386 rules, all of which are carved on a huge stone tablet at the entrance. When you look up, it's all "not allowed", "not allowed", "not allowed"... when you look down, it's all "must", "must", "must"...

  This stone monument is called "Holy Law Monument", with an inviolable majesty.

  In any official school, there is a stele of sacred law at the gate. So that students can see it from time to time when they enter and leave, warning themselves to behave in accordance with the rules and regulations, following what the sage wrote in the Book of Rites, not taking a single step beyond the bounds of propriety.

  Chen Jianchen flipped through the Book of Rites, knowing that it stipulated tens of thousands of rituals and etiquette, and strictly regulated what kind of person should do what kind of ritual, at what time, and even the steps for going to the toilet were detailed.

  It's dazzling at first glance and makes one feel dizzy.

  Chen Jianchen is now feeling a bit dizzy and has a headache.

  His eyes had already seen that straight, solemn and majestic holy law monument...