"Hahaha, Senior Brother Ning, did you hear that? Everyone, everyone—Junior Brother Chu called me a master!" Liang Yuan wore a scholar's robe and looked every bit the part, but when he laughed like that... he was a little too boisterous.
Senior Brother Ning stared at Chu Ming, his lips moving a few times. "Junior Brother Chu, you weren't listening to us earlier this afternoon, were you?"
"..." Chu Ming kept a straight face. "This afternoon? I'm not sure what time you mean, Senior Brother Ning."
"Senior Brother, what do you mean? Is Junior Brother Chu not allowed to praise me? Is this painting bad?" Liang Yuan shot Ning Hao a somewhat displeased look, then turned to Chu Ming with a grin. "Junior Brother Chu, want to learn? I'll teach you."
"Sure." Chu Ming agreed at once, went into the room, and fetched brushes, ink, and paper. Ning Hao and Liang Yuan both stared at him, dumbfounded.
He was really going to learn?
Was he going to learn right now?
"Um... Junior Brother Chu, look, it's getting late and the light isn't very good... Hey, Junior Brother Chu, why did you bring two oil lamps?"
"Senior Brother Liang, how's the light now?"
If he hadn't been short on time and resources for the moment, Chu Ming had even considered building an electric lamp.
"Junior Brother Chu, you really want to learn?" Seeing the earnest look in Chu Ming's eyes, Liang Yuan asked with equal seriousness.
"Mm."
"Good." A smile spread across Liang Yuan's face. "But I should tell you beforehand, calligraphy and painting require a great deal of talent. Take Senior Brother Ning, for example. He's extraordinarily gifted at poetry and song, but even after studying calligraphy and painting for a long time, he still can't paint a decent shrimp."
"I'm different. It took me only a year to get the hang of calligraphy and painting, and then just another six months to copy Old Master Tang Bai's landscape paintings well enough to sell them at the Calligraphy and Painting Workshop!"
Liang Yuan puffed out his chest. "Junior Brother Chu, you should be prepared."
As he spoke, he picked up his brushes, ink, and paper, then looked at Ning Hao with a slightly commanding air. "Senior Brother Ning, roll up this landscape painting. I'll give Junior Brother Chu a demonstration."
"..." It was one thing for Liang Yuan to praise himself, but he'd even taken the opportunity to put Ning Hao down. Ning Hao immediately felt his face burning. "Roll it up yourself."
Liang Yuan raised both hands. "I'm holding things... This painting's worth several taels of silver. Are you sure you don't want to put it away, Senior Brother Ning?"
Ning Hao turned away, then suddenly fixed Chu Ming with a piercing gaze. "Brother Chu, are you interested in poetry and song? I'll teach you."
"..." Chu Ming nodded.
The two senior brothers were competing now.
"What use is poetry and song? If it weren't for the examinations, I wouldn't study it at all. Unlike my calligraphy and painting, which can be traded for money."
"Calligraphy and painting can make money, but poetry and song cultivate the spirit and can even be passed down to future generations."
"What you just said applies to calligraphy and painting, too."
"Poetry and song are required subjects in the County Examination."
"Calligraphy and painting can make money."
"Poetry and song can improve your learning and knowledge."
"Calligraphy and painting can make money."
"...Money, money, money. Liang Yuan, what do you know besides money? Did you come to the academy for money?"
"Of course. My father said that only by becoming a high-ranking official can I earn more silver."
"..."
"Um, Senior Brothers, I can learn both, actually." Chu Ming quietly rolled up the painting and spoke with some resignation.
"You want to learn both?" Liang Yuan's tone shifted. "Do you know why the academy makes us choose three volumes from Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy as our major subjects?"
"Because of time," Ning Hao replied. "We only have so many hours in a day. If we study too much, we can't master any of it. And if we don't master it, we'll be mediocre. The Great Qin Dynasty has no need for mediocre people."
"...Senior Brother, you make a good point."
The next morning, Chu Ming rose early. After condensing seven strands of qi and blood, his strength had increased, and his spiritual power had grown considerably as well. He needed only five hours of sleep each night and still woke feeling refreshed.
First, he flipped through Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy and spent some time working out the Body Forging Technique. Then he took out his brushes, ink, and paper and began sketching lines.
On the panel.
[Calligraphy and Painting: Beginner] [Progress: 13/100]
The previous day, after his contest of sorts with Senior Brothers Ning Hao and Liang Yuan, he had finally learned how to paint, along with what people called poetry and song.
Painting was the [Calligraphy and Painting] skill that had appeared on the panel. After trying to paint three pictures, he had ground his progress up to 13.
That was the difference between having guidance and fumbling around blindly.
Liang Yuan had taught him the techniques of calligraphy and painting. By the time he finished his second painting, the [Calligraphy and Painting] skill had appeared.
If he had tried to figure it out on his own, who knew how long it would have taken him to get started?
As for the poetry and song Ning Hao had taught him, no skill had appeared on the panel at all.
The main reason was that poetry and song didn't count as a skill. After listening to Ning Hao talk about it, Chu Ming realized he already knew how to compose poems and songs.
As long as he had enough learning in his belly and remembered enough poems, he could compose them by drawing on what he knew. It was all about using things flexibly, and that wasn't difficult for him.
Before it was time to leave, Chu Ming painted two more pictures, bringing his progress to 21.
Just then, a voice came from outside the door. "Junior Brother Chu, want to go have breakfast with us? After we eat, we have to head to the Lecture Hall for class."
"Sure."
Chu Ming left his room and went with Ning Hao and Liang Yuan to the dining hall for breakfast. Afterward, they went to the Lecture Hall to study poetry.
Classes weren't divided into grades and sections like they had been in his previous life.
Poetry was a required subject, and every morning a teacher gave lessons in the Lecture Hall, choosing poems from Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy to explain in depth.
Apart from military strategy, history, politics, and ritual were taught in much the same way.
So the academy was divided into courts, but not into grades or classes. Those who already knew the material didn't have to come; anyone who hadn't studied it or didn't understand the poetry had to attend.
The Lecture Hall at the academy was much like the outer classroom of the private school in Willow Town—or like a classroom in his previous life. There were desks and chairs, but the overall style was more ink-dark and scholarly.
There were thirty people in the Middle Academy, but only about twenty had come to the Lecture Hall so far. Chu Ming looked around and spotted Lu Xian in the back row, head bent over a book.
Ning Hao and Liang Yuan pointed to seats a little ahead of the middle rows. "The seats represent our rankings," Ning Hao said quietly. "Senior Brother Liang and I are ranked eleventh and twelfth in the Middle Academy, so we sit there."
"Junior Brother Chu, since you haven't taken the monthly examination yet, you can only sit in the back."
Chu Ming nodded slightly. He didn't mind and was about to take a seat at the back.
Ning Hao fell silent for a moment, then lowered his voice again. "Junior Brother Chu, let me give you some advice. You arrived so many days late and missed quite a bit. The monthly examination is coming up soon, so you should spend your time on Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy. It'd be best not to spend too much effort on calligraphy and painting."
"..." Liang Yuan paused, his expression just as grave. "Junior Brother Chu, the monthly examination is very important. It affects not only our rankings in the academy but also our future careers in government."
"Influences our careers?" Chu Ming asked in confusion.
"Mm. The teachers at Baiyuan Academy are all ranked civil officials and ritual officials from Baiyuan County. The better you do on the monthly examination, the better impression you make on them. Those teachers will be connections for our future careers."
So that was how it was.
Chu Ming cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you both for the reminder."
"Mm, go on. When we have time, I'll help you catch up on poetry and song. I guarantee you won't fall behind in your poetry studies," Ning Hao said.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Ning."
"Also, bring only the volume you need for each class. There's no need to carry the entire set of Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy," Ning Hao added.
"Got it. Thanks, Senior Brother."
Before you continue