Chapter 3: Founding of Baisha Academy

  Wang Jingfan's mansion in Kaifeng was not small, but according to his idea, this was still far from enough. He planned to buy several pieces of land in the suburbs and only bring the best seedlings from the adopted children to be raised by himself. The rest were better off knowing less. Although six or seven-year-old children were relatively young, Wang Jingfan thought it was a bit late to cultivate them, especially if he wanted to pick out people with promising futures like Yu Wentong and Yu Yue. After arranging these children, he planned to adopt several three-year-olds, which was just the right age for enlightenment.

  Wang Jingfan only inferred from the book that Jia Changchao and Nei Shi collaborated to attack Wen Yanbo, but as for the process of their confrontation, he knew nothing. However, three days later, Song Duan reported back to the two officials at the Si Tian Temple that they had left the capital overnight to head to Liuhe Tower. The news that followed was naturally that Wen Yanbo had won a great victory, and those two Si Tian officials were expelled from the capital. If it weren't for Shi Zhicong and others having the empress backing them, those two Si Tian officials would have lost their heads long ago. As for Jia Changchao's outcome, it goes without saying.

  This invisible confrontation ended with Wen Yanbo's victory, but in Wang Jingfan's view, Wen Yanbo was too overbearing. After the death of Emperor Taizong, Empress Liu took care of the current emperor and governed the country at the same time. The power she possessed was almost equal to that of the emperor. However, the situation faced by the current emperor was even more precarious than his father's - Emperor Taizong had a young son to inherit the throne, but the current emperor had no children. If one day the emperor passed away, Wang Jingfan could imagine the power displayed by this particularly tolerant empress would not be weaker than Empress Liu's.

  Although the current emperor is seriously ill and has just recovered, the matter of establishing a crown prince is also being discussed in the court. However, according to the words in "Complete Song Ci", Wang Jingfan knows that this emperor, known as "Ren Zong" in history, still has several years to live, and he will not have his own children inherit the throne. Wen Yanbo, leading the two ministers, has been invincible recently, and before, he only knew about this character from books. Now, looking at the rumors circulating between the streets of the capital, it seems that Wen Yanbo will become a famous prime minister, but Wang Jingfan is more interested in Empress Cao, who is particularly tolerant.

  The Song Dynasty's palace struggles were much more subtle than those of the Han and Tang Dynasties, with most being like this one, where a few chess pieces are moved around, and even more often ending with outsiders gaining the upper hand. Even in the era of Empress Liu's absolute power, it was no exception. However, from Wang Jingfan's perspective, Empress Cao's overly gloomy personality was just the opposite of Empress Liu's, making her a more difficult person to deal with. If she were to really enter the officialdom one day, having such an unbeatable opponent would be a very troublesome thing.

  However, Wang Jingfan didn't have time to think about these things for the moment. He hadn't even obtained the qualifications to enter officialdom, so how could he dare to talk about being able to defeat Empress Cao in the future like Wen Yanbo? After Shi Zhicong's attempt to frame Wen Yanbo through the Astronomical Observatory failed, Song Duan followed Wang Jingfan's orders and tracked down Zhang Mao and Deng Baoji, finally finding their residence in the west of the city. Wang Jingfan and his group naturally gained a lot from this, although they didn't obtain any rare objects like jade pillars or jade cups, but gold, pearls, and precious jewels were not few either.

  April is the season when grass grows and swallows fly, and April in the capital is also Wang Jingfan's favorite time - although the climate here is similar to that of Shanzhou, with four distinct seasons, the wind in Shanzhou at this time is still quite strong, and the dusty taste in the air makes people feel a bit uncomfortable, while the wind in Kaifeng, the capital, in April is gentle and bright.

  Although there were rumors of the Liuyi River bursting its banks, this did not dampen people's enthusiasm for spring outings. Moreover, this August, Kaifeng Prefecture would be hosting the provincial examination (only those with a reputation and recommendation from a notable figure could participate, regardless of their province of origin; if they passed, they could directly take the Ministry of Rites Examination and the Imperial Examination next year). Almost all eligible scholars in the Song Dynasty had flocked to Kaifeng by April, and those who lived nearby and were eager to make friends gathered in the suburbs of the capital.

  Wang Jingfan sat in the carriage with Yu Wentuan and Yu Ye, slowly heading towards Baisha Village. Along the way, they saw people riding donkeys or sitting in carriages, traveling together to enjoy the spring scenery. Some were even carried in sedan chairs - most of those being noblewomen, accompanied by attendants whose numbers depended on their family's wealth and influence. Wang Jingfan opened the carriage window not to take in the beautiful view outside, but to let in the gentle breeze that rustled the pages of his book, making him feel especially comfortable amidst the throngs of tourists.

  Baisha Village was named after the white fine sand on the banks of the Cai River, and about 80% of the villagers are surnamed Cai. Decades ago, a first-class scholar who served as the Minister of Works and a member of the Dragon Diagram Hall Academy was born here, but his descendants did not inherit his talent, and the Baisha Cai family gradually declined. Wang Jingfan came to Baisha Village not for pleasure, but to build an academy here.

  Wang Jingfan's knowledge in the scholarly community did not yet have such a high appeal, and the academy was only an idea, for now he could only build a free school. The Baisha Cai family sold a plot of land to Wang Jingfan at half price, and in return, the Cai family children could attend school for free, with food and lodging self-paid, while Wang Jingfan would take care of hiring teachers and building the school buildings. This was a mutually beneficial deal, and Wang Jingfan and the Cai family quickly agreed, although this was only a free school, but Wang Jingfan believed that a real academy could be built eventually.

  "My father once said that after a thousand years, almost 90% of children will be able to attend school and learn various knowledge to make a living. For now, I can only build a free school first. As for the schools in the future, although my father has mentioned them before, I don't know how to build such schools yet, but one day they will be built! Father, did you hear me? May you bless our children from heaven!" Wang Jingfan thought to himself as he looked at the busy crowd.

  When Wang Jingfan's father was alive, he told him many things about the future, and this school was a key point. He had to learn more than other scholars, including not only Confucian classics but also divination, geography, and other subjects. However, his father also told him that most of what he learned was just superficial, and the real content was either forgotten due to being put down for too long or limited by his own low level of education. After teaching Wang Jingfan these things, his father also reminded him not to reveal them too quickly unless necessary and even buried a copy in the Wang family ancestral house in Anguo as a backup.

  Wang Jingfan only knew the basic situation of later generations' schools from his father's words, but in reality, it was very troublesome to operate. In modern times, most private schools are like those historical book academies that persisted for a period before disappearing without a trace - nowadays, running a school is done at the expense of the founder, with some academies having landholdings to sustain themselves. Where would they get the funds to support students' living expenses and tuition fees like later generations' schools? Even official schools established by the imperial court had limitations, expanding or shrinking their educational expenditures according to the country's financial situation.

  The Baisha Cai family has declined, but after all, it is a family that has produced a top scholar in the imperial examination, and they still pay great attention to the education of their children. In the past, the Cai family had also built a free school with their ancestral house, but in the end, it was abandoned. Now someone is willing to build a regular free school and take on the responsibility of hiring teachers, and under the request of the clan leader, all the villagers who are not working in the fields come to help, which shows that the people here are simple and honest.

  Bai Sha Cai's family had some concerns about Wang Jingfan choosing this location for the school. During their previous contacts, Cai's family had raised questions about the large size of the land purchased, which was more than what was needed to build a free school. In response to Cai's queries, Wang Jingfan guaranteed that all the purchased land would be used solely for educational purposes and not diverted elsewhere. If this condition were not met, Cai's family had the right to reclaim any excess land, and this agreement was written into the contract.

  Wang Jingfan was confident that he could make those ingenious objects of later generations according to the knowledge passed down by his father. In fact, his father had already made a few things, but they had not been passed on to outsiders. According to his father's words, if these objects could be made, even if it were only a hundred or so pieces, it would be enough to make a huge fortune, but the premise was that Wang Jingfan must have a certain status to protect himself. This was also the reason why he had bought such a large piece of land to start a school with confidence, and he wanted to gradually expand the school to establish a school like his father's in later generations.

  With the help of the Cai family, the construction of the school building progressed very quickly. Song Duan selected a piece of land with relatively high terrain according to Wang Jingfan's requirements. They came here in March to select the site, and by late April, 20 or 30 rooms made of green bricks and tiles had already been built. The reason for choosing a higher location for the school was also because Kaifeng has a lot of rain in the summer, which can easily cause flooding. According to Wang Jingfan's intention, this school building is temporarily sufficient, but considering that next year will be the year of the imperial examination, scholars from all over the world will gather in the capital, and those who can get their names on the list are after all a minority, while the vast majority are either returning home to study hard or staying in the capital. Wang Jingfan hoped to build more school buildings to provide for these scholars, it is easier to invite teachers now, and looking further ahead, it is to give people kindness and blessings.

  When Wang Jingfan walked into the academy, although there were still some villagers leveling the ground, the school buildings had already transmitted loud reading voices - the children of the Cai family had already begun to read inside before the school building was completely completed. Of course, there were also those beggars who were taken in by Wang Jingfan last month, but their foundation was really too poor, and everything had to start from scratch.

  "Although it's a bit late, it's not too late to teach them to read now. These children have experienced great changes and hardships since childhood. If they focus on reading, their achievements may not be inferior to those who started learning at the age of three..." Yuwen Chuan said while looking at the newly built school building and listening to the sound of children reading nearby.

  Wang Jingfan nodded and asked: "How much does it cost to build the school? No matter how much money is spent, this is absolutely not a place where we can be stingy."

  "The Bai Sha Cai family has been very cooperative with us, and their clansmen have helped to speed up the construction. The bricks, stones, and wood needed for the school building were all sold to us by the Cai family at a low price. As for labor costs, they waived as much as possible. Now there are still over 500 yuan left in the construction fund, which is more than enough even if we follow your plan to complete the project."

  The twenty hectares of land purchased by Wang Jingfan were not all arable land, the vast majority were slopes and wasteland, with a price of only 70 or 80 cents per mu. With Cai's sale at half price, it was even cheaper. The construction of the school building was the biggest expense, with over 120 rooms built and under construction now, despite the help from the Cai family, each room cost more than five guan. There were still some independent houses to be built, which would be provided for the teachers of the academy. Yu Wen estimated that the remaining 500 guan could fully meet the needs, and even add some furniture or other items.

  The land provided by the White Sand Cai family to Wang Jingfan was a relatively high piece of land, about 30 mu in size, with hills, ponds, and streams inside. What's even more peculiar is that there are two springs bubbling out from the bottom of a pond about 10 mu in size, forming a small river about one zhang wide that winds its way into the Cai River. These two springs are hot springs, and during winter, the water temperature in the pond was still warm enough for people to bathe without feeling cold. The 10-mu pond would emit wisps of mist on icy days, but now it's almost early summer, and this scene won't be seen again until half a year later.

  "The scenery here is not bad, if it weren't for the fact that it's quite far from both villages and there are no roads leading to it, this would be a great place......" Wang Jingfan stood on the small hill behind the academy, from which he could see the entire construction site of the academy.

  Yu Yu nodded: "The place is not bad, but unfortunately it's a bit secluded. Maybe it will be better after the road is repaired in the future."

  "The academy itself is a place for quiet study, why make it so lively? It's just that this place is too big, sir, do you really plan to use all of it to build the academy?" Yuwen Chuan asked.

  According to his father's description, some schools a thousand years later were almost like a small city. The scale of this academy in front of us only used about 300 or 400 mu of land, which was indeed insignificant compared to 20 qing. Wang Jingfan had a strong yearning for the schools of future generations and also wanted to build such a school. In this school, students could not only learn classics, history, and literature, but also set up subjects similar to those in modern schools when conditions were ripe.

  Twenty hectares of land is not a small number, and Wang Jingfan did so also in order to reserve space for the development of his future school. I once heard my father say that some people in later generations made a living by "speculating on land", but such tactics are still used today. When my father was alive, he opened a canal in our hometown to irrigate farmland with water from the Wei River, and outsiders bought it at a price of 600 yuan per mu. In recent years, the imperial court built a canal in the western suburbs of Beijing, and overnight, the price of dry land turned into paddy fields soared twenty times! This place is so close to the capital, if it weren't for the fact that this place itself is not suitable for farming, who knows what price it would sell for? If someone notices this place later, it will be much harder to expand our territory.

  Wang Jingfan nodded and said, "Good! This will become an unprecedented academy, where students will not only be taught classics, history, philosophy, but also specialized courses in agriculture, natural studies, and mathematics. Especially agriculture, how can we do without enough land?!"

  Yu Wen and Yu Ye looked at each other in dismay after hearing this, they didn't dare to agree with Mr. Wang's idea - do you need such a big piece of land just for teaching agriculture? Although the two of them didn't think much of Wang Jingfan's idea, they wouldn't say anything either, as they had grown up together with Wang Jingfan, who was older and more thoughtful than them since childhood.

  Looking at the two of them, Wang Jingfan smiled and said: "There may not be a special academy that teaches agriculture in the world, but the academy we are going to build now will be unprecedented, gathering all the knowledge in the world into one academy! Of course, such an academy cannot be built overnight, but that's okay, if I don't succeed in this lifetime, my son will take over, and if my son doesn't succeed, my grandson will. Generation after generation will work on this matter, can't they make it happen?"

  Yu Wen Chuan and Yu Ye were also pointed out by Wang Jingfan's father, so they naturally have different insights. However, they are not clear about Wang Jingfan's father's roots. Even so, they do not dare to agree with Wang Jingfan's fanciful ideas - let alone those famous academies, even the Imperial Academy does not dare to say that it gathers all the knowledge in the world. However, they also believe that Wang Jingfan is not speaking nonsense, and both Wang Jingfan and his father are trustworthy people who will not speak without reason, which makes their mood particularly unusual.