Six Villagers Enter the Academy

Chapter 47: Six from One Village Enter the Academy

The village heads had been arguing and bickering with zero efficiency for two days now. Zi Bofeng had only shown his face on the first day before losing all interest, leaving Yan Lao Wu behind to squabble with the others while he went off to wander around Mengcheng Prefecture.

The old man was full of vigor and imposing presence when he argued, but the clan elders here were no pushovers, and they opened Zi Bofeng's eyes to a new world of pettiness. The argument centered on how to distribute the three thousand jade stones—how many each village should bear based on their population and number of households. A village that had suffered a loss last time was determined to get it back, while the others absolutely refused to yield. As they spoke, these old fogies began digging up ancient grudges, waving their fists as if about to stage a brawl. The few village heads who had come along were young men who had only just met, and they stood there with faces turned pale and legs trembling.

Judging by this progress, it would likely take three or four days to reach even a preliminary result. The village heads eventually lost their patience, leaving only the clan elders to continue the argument—drinking and bickering all the while.

They say three women equal five hundred ducks, but these dozen old men were more than a match for five hundred women. Their booming voices were so loud that no one could stay inside Mengcheng Prefecture during the day; even the Prefect had moved his office elsewhere.

Zi Bofeng left the prefecture and headed straight for the academy.

The academy was not far from the prefecture, located to its east. It occupied a slightly smaller area than the prefecture and was considered one of the major landmarks in Mengcheng. However, compared to the grandeur of the prefecture, the academy appeared much more serene, with its green bricks, white walls, and understated elegance.

The main gate of the academy was not particularly wide, and inscribed above it were the two characters "Dongmeng," the name of the institution. In front of the academy was a small plaza where students often played and exercised; it served as an outer drill ground. At the edge of the grounds stood a shadow wall, which was currently plastered with many sheets of paper, black ink on white.

Dongmeng Academy had posted the results.

Anyone whose name appeared on the list could enter the academy to study.

Although it was called an academy, Dongmeng Academy was half-school and half-government institution. It was maintained by funding from Mengcheng and donations from wealthy merchants. Wealthy students paid tuition, while impoverished students could substitute tuition with various forms of labor, and some could even receive a stipend. Zi Bofeng himself had been one of the latter.

Half of Dongmeng Academy's fame came from its policies, but the other half came from the Master. The Master's students were spread across the world, and it was said that many of his disciples and grand-disciples held great power. In fact, even the Prefect was one of his students. In Mengcheng, from the Prefect down to the lowest footman, everyone respectfully addressed him as "Master" rather than by his name.

When Zi Bofeng arrived at the academy gate, he saw a surging crowd. Among those checking the list were many students who had traveled from other regions, carrying their luggage and travel permits. These students from other prefectures were also drawn by the Master's reputation; to receive his guidance was to open up a path to a bright future.

In truth, many of these people were also aiming for the position of "village head." The role that Zi Bofeng often used to mock himself had become, in the eyes of many, a remarkable job. Last time, Mengcheng Prefecture had only selected twenty or thirty village heads, and there were still nearly a hundred villages without one. It was a position that came with a government salary, and with it, at least one wouldn't have to worry about going hungry while continuing their studies.

As Zi Bofeng looked around, he heard a shout from the side: "Master! Master, over here!"

Zi Bofeng saw the sixth grandson of Yan Lao Wu's family grinning broadly, waving at him.

Zi Bofeng squeezed his way through, sweating profusely, only to find all six students from his village there, all of them beaming. Their elders had accompanied them and were also smiling, as were the few young men who had come along for the excitement. A large group of them stood together, laughing heartily—they were quite the sight.

"What's the matter, so happy? How many passed?" Zi Bofeng asked with a smile.

"Guess, Master!" Yan Xiaoliu chuckled, playing coy. This Yan Xiaoliu had once been Zi Bofeng's classmate and had even received a few lashes from his grandfather because of Zi Bofeng. He had been unconvinced at first, but after a few of Zi Bofeng's lessons, he had become completely obedient.

Perhaps it was the effect of that beating from Yan Lao Wu, but the boy had become diligent. In Zi Bofeng's view, the academy entrance exam was not particularly difficult, and with tailored instruction combined with intensive test preparation, the boy's grades had improved by leaps and bounds, eventually leading to his selection among the six who took the exam.

"I have to guess?" Zi Bofeng stood on his tiptoes, craning his neck to look at the list. Alas, there were too many people, the crowd was packed tight, and he was a bit too far away. How could he see anything?

"No sense of propriety!" Yan Er stepped out. Yan Er possessed much of his father's demeanor—quite serious and held in high regard by the younger generation. He bowed to Zi Bofeng and said, "Master, all six of these boys passed."

Usually, he would occasionally call Zi Bofeng by his name or address him as "Scholar," but today, the title of "Master" was sincere and heartfelt.

"They all passed? Even Xiao Liu passed?" Zi Bofeng laughed out loud. "Xiao Liu, you rascal, you didn't cheat, did you? You must have had a stroke of dumb luck!"

Yan Xiaoliu was not ashamed but rather proud, pretending Zi Bofeng was praising him. He held his head high and said, "Don't you know who I am!" The fellow then turned and buttered him up quite cleverly, "And don't you know who our Master is!"

As Yan Xiaoliu's father, Yan Er spoke modestly on his behalf: "It is all thanks to the Master's good teaching; otherwise, my unruly Xiao Liu would never have had a chance to get into the academy."

If even Xiao Liu could pass, could Xiao Qi, Xiao Ba, and Xiao Jiu be far behind? He wondered if the eldest, second, third, fourth, and fifth would have another chance to take the exam...

"Not bad, not bad!" Zi Bofeng reached out to pat Xiao Liu's head. Although he wasn't much older than Yan Xiaoliu, the boy didn't pull away.

"I truly envy you, brother, that all six students passed." Someone interrupted from the side.

Zi Bofeng turned to see a tall, sturdy young man standing behind him. The man had a square face, a rather large nose, and a face pitted with the remnants of acne. His hair was thick and short, tied into a small ball on his head. Despite his appearance, he was dressed as a scholar in a green robe.

"Brother, you are..." Zi Bofeng felt the man looked familiar but didn't recognize him.

"I am Liu Ziyan. During the prefectural exam, I had the honor of sitting in front of you," the man said.

Zi Bofeng glanced at him and recalled that there had indeed been such a person sitting in front of him.

"Brother Ziyan, where are you currently employed?" Zi Bofeng asked with a cupped-hand salute.

"I am currently serving as the village head of Daoliu Village. However, compared to you, brother, my position is truly lacking. Your reputation, brother, has already spread throughout Mengcheng."

Zi Bofeng had done two major things in succession. One was beating the drum to file a grievance against the Prefect, yet not only was he not punished, he was instead held in high regard—immediately, two others who harbored wishful thinking also came to beat the drum to accuse the Prefect, and all were punished—which showed the Prefect's favor. The other incident was even more famous: Zi Bofeng had furiously scolded Feijianzi and had actually walked out of the prefecture alive, which was even more legendary.

"You mock me..." Zi Bofeng's face flushed; he had only stepped into the spotlight out of necessity.

"The day you slept through the exam, I knew you were a talent of the ages. Seeing you today, it is indeed so. Even the lads under your governance are so capable. Sigh, my Daoliu Village..." He gestured toward a group of dejected youths behind him. Those youths looked as if they had lost their parents, and one of the youngest was sobbing.

"A total wipeout?" Zi Bofeng shook his head with a smile. "Our Lower Yan Village was like that for several years, too. Now that more and more people are coming to Dongmeng Academy, and with so few spots available, it's getting harder and harder to pass."

"Who's to say it isn't? I just saw a student over there who traveled over five hundred miles to take the exam. He had already spent all his money by the time he arrived, and now that he hasn't passed, he's worrying about how to get home."

"That is truly pitiful..." Zi Bofeng offered a bit of superficial sympathy. However, he had experienced fleeing from disaster in his youth. At that time, he and his father were penniless and had suffered through heaven knows how much hardship. Once, when they had been hungry for two days, Zi Jian had woven a lifelike rabbit out of grass and sold it to a kind soul to trade for a steamed bun. His father hadn't been willing to eat it, giving it to Zi Bofeng instead. They had survived two years of wandering; five hundred miles—he could just walk it slowly. Once he reached home, he would know the hardship and learn to study hard.

"Who's to say it isn't?" This Brother Liu Ziyan seemed to like that phrase.

"Brother Zi," Liu Ziyan shook his head, then cupped his hands again. "Regarding the Jade Tax, what is your view?"

Zi Bofeng raised an eyebrow, and Liu Ziyan quickly added, "To be honest, our Daoliu Village also has to pay the Jade Tax. When the Prefect collected the supplementary tax last time, our village was already skinned alive. This time, we are truly powerless..."

Zi Bofeng had overturned the tax burden in his own village. He couldn't look after all the other villages, but the Prefect hadn't been aggressively collecting debts either. Those villages had just made a token effort and escaped the crisis of taxation. In a way, Zi Bofeng had saved these people, but even a tiny bit of tax could make them miserable.

"Sigh, I truly envy you, Brother. A great talent in writing, with unparalleled eloquence. Those of us who took the exam with you are deeply ashamed."

"You flatter me..." Zi Bofeng frowned. "I haven't figured out what to do yet; I can only take it one step at a time."

"Actually, many of the village heads from our cohort have arrived in the jade-producing villages, and they are now all in Mengcheng. We have agreed to gather at Mengcheng Inn at noon to discuss the Jade Tax. Consider it a celebration for us fellow scholars."

Seeing Zi Bofeng hesitate, Liu Ziyan added, "Brother, don't worry, we will split the costs." According to custom, Zi Bofeng, as the top scorer, would have to pay more, but since Zi Bofeng was just a village head like them, everyone would simply split the bill.

Record of Raising Monsters