Six Students from One Village Enter the Academy

Chapter Forty-Seven: Six Students from One Village Enter the Academy

The village chiefs' pointless arguing and bickering had been going on for two days. Zi Bofeng had shown his face only on the first day, then lost interest completely. He left Yan Lao Wu here to argue with everyone while he went strolling around Mengcheng Prefecture.

The old man had boundless energy and cut a mighty figure when he argued, but none of the Clan Elders here were pushovers. They opened Zi Bofeng's eyes. Most of the arguing centered on how to distribute those three thousand pieces of jade: how many people lived in each village, how many households there were, and how much each should bear. One village had gotten the short end of the stick last time, so this time they were determined to get their due, while everyone else flatly refused to give in. Before long, the old fellows were dredging up old grievances, waving their fists and about to come to blows. The Village Chiefs who had come along were all young men they'd only just met, and every one of them was so frightened that his face turned pale and his legs trembled.

At this rate, it would probably take three or four days of arguing just to reach an initial decision. The Village Chiefs gradually lost patience, until in the end only the Clan Elders remained, arguing over drinks.

They said three women could make as much noise as five hundred ducks, but a dozen old men here could outdo five hundred women. Their voices were so loud that Mengcheng Prefecture was unfit to work in during the day. Even the Prefect had moved his office elsewhere.

Zi Bofeng left Mengcheng Prefecture and headed straight for the academy.

The academy was not far from Mengcheng Prefecture, just to its east. Its grounds were slightly smaller than the prefecture's, making it one of the largest buildings in the city. Still, beside the imposing prefecture, the academy looked much more modest: gray brick and white walls, understated and elegant.

The academy's front gate was not very wide. Above it were the two characters "Dongmeng," the academy's name. A small square lay in front, where students often played and exercised; it served as an outdoor training ground. At the edge of the square stood a screen wall, now covered with sheets of paper bearing black characters.

Dongmeng Academy had posted the results.

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

Though Dongmeng Academy was called an academy, it was half private school and half government school. It was funded by Meng City and donations from wealthy merchants. Affluent students paid tuition, while poor students could work off their fees through various kinds of labor and might even receive a stipend. Zi Bofeng had once been the latter.

Half of Dongmeng Academy's reputation came from its policies, and the other half came from its teacher. His students had gone on to teach countless others, and it was said that many of his disciples and their disciples held positions of great authority. Even the Prefect had once been his student. In Meng City, from the Prefect down to the humblest laborer, everyone respectfully called him Teacher rather than using his name.

When Zi Bofeng reached the academy gate, he found it crowded with people. Among those reading the results were many students carrying luggage and travel permits, having come from other prefectures. Drawn by the teacher's fame, they had come to study, hoping that his guidance would open a broad and shining road before them.

Truthfully, many of them were also after the post of Village Chief. The position Zi Bofeng often jokingly disparaged was already a fine appointment in the eyes of many. Mengcheng Prefecture had selected only twenty or thirty Village Chiefs last time, and nearly a hundred villages still had none. It was a position that came with a government stipend; with it, at least, a person could continue studying without going hungry.

As Zi Bofeng looked around, a loud shout rang out nearby. "Teacher! Teacher, over here!"

He spotted Yan Lao Wu's sixth grandson, grinning from ear to ear as he waved at him.

Zi Bofeng pushed his way through the crowd, sweating by the time he reached them. All six students from the village were there, and they were all smiling. Their families had brought elders along, and they were all smiling too. Even the young men who had tagged along for the excitement were grinning. The whole group stood together, laughing heartily, and they were impossible to miss.

"What's got you all so happy? How many passed?" Zi Bofeng asked with a smile.

"Take a guess, Teacher!" Yan Xiaoliu grinned, keeping him in suspense. Yan Xiaoliu had once been Zi Bofeng's classmate. Later, because of Zi Bofeng, he had taken a few lashes from his own grandfather. He had been a little resentful at first, but after a few lessons from Zi Bofeng, he had become completely convinced.

Perhaps Yan Lao Wu's beating had done the trick. The boy had applied himself, and the academy's exam was not especially difficult in Zi Bofeng's opinion. With teaching tailored to each student and focused exam preparation, Yan Xiaoliu's grades had improved by leaps and bounds. In the end, he had earned a place among the six who would sit the exam.

"I should guess?" Zi Bofeng rose onto his toes and craned his neck toward the list, but the crowd was packed tight, and the board was too far away. How could he see anything?

"Mind your manners!" Yan Er stepped forward. He took after his father, stern and well respected by the younger generation. He bowed to Zi Bofeng and said, "Teacher, all six boys passed."

"All of them? Even Xiaoliu?" Zi Bofeng laughed aloud. "Xiaoliu, you rascal, you didn't cheat, did you? You've struck the mother lode!"

Yan Xiaoliu took that as a compliment, puffed out his chest, and said, "You know who I am!" Then he turned around and promptly buttered him up. "And you know who our teacher is!"

As Yan Xiaoliu's father, Yan Er modestly replied on his son's behalf, "It's all thanks to Teacher's instruction. Otherwise, my unruly Xiaoliu would never have made it into the academy."

If Xiaoliu had passed, could Xiaoqi, Xiaoba, and Xiao Jiu be far behind? He wondered if the eldest, second, third, fourth, and fifth brothers would still have a chance to take the exam...

"Not bad, not bad!" Zi Bofeng reached out and ruffled Xiaoliu's hair. Though he was not much older than Yan Xiaoliu, the boy did not duck away.

"I envy you, brother. All six of your students passed," someone nearby interjected.

Zi Bofeng turned and saw a tall, sturdy young man standing behind him. The man had a square face, a rather large nose, and a few pockmarks left by acne. His hair was coarse and short, with a small topknot on his head. Despite his appearance, he was dressed as a scholar in a blue gown.

"May I ask who you are, brother?" Zi Bofeng thought the man looked familiar but did not recognize him.

"I'm Liu Ziyan. During the Prefectural Examination, I was fortunate enough to sit in front of you," the man said.

Zi Bofeng looked at him and thought carefully for a moment. Then he remembered: there really had been someone like this sitting in front of him.

"Brother Ziyan, where are you serving now?" Zi Bofeng asked, cupping his hands.

"I'm currently serving as Village Chief of Daoliu Village. But compared with you, brother Zi, I'm nowhere near your level. Your reputation has already spread throughout Meng City."

Zi Bofeng had accomplished two major things. First, he had beaten the drum to lodge a grievance and accused the Prefect, yet not only had the Prefect spared him, he had put him to good use. Two people who had taken a chance and tried the same thing afterward had both been punished, which showed just how much favor the Prefect had shown him. His second feat had earned him even more fame: Zi Bofeng had berated Feijianzi and walked out of Mengcheng Prefecture alive. It had become a legend.

"You flatter me..." Zi Bofeng blushed. He had only come forward because he'd had no choice.

"On the day of the exam, I saw you fast asleep at your desk, and I knew you were a rare talent. Seeing you today, I can tell I was right. Even the lads under your charge are so impressive. Alas, my Daoliu Village..." He pointed toward a group of dejected boys behind him. They looked as if their parents had died, and the youngest was sobbing.

"Not one of them passed?" Zi Bofeng said with a smile and a shake of his head. "Lower Yan Village was like that for several years too. More and more people are coming to Dongmeng Academy now, and there are only so many places. It's getting harder and harder to get in."

"Isn't that the truth? I saw a student over there who'd traveled more than five hundred li to take the exam. He'd already spent all his money by the time he arrived, and now that he's failed, he's fretting over how to get home."

"That's truly pitiful..." Zi Bofeng offered a little sympathy, but he had also experienced hardship as a child. Back then, he and his father had been penniless, and they had suffered countless hardships on the road. Once, after the two of them had gone hungry for two days, Zi Jian had woven a lifelike rabbit out of grass and sold it to a kind-hearted person for a steamed bun. His father had not even wanted to eat it himself; he had given it to Zi Bofeng. They had made it through two years of wandering. Five hundred li was a long walk, but the student could take it slowly. Once he got home, he would understand hardship and learn to study hard.

"Isn't that the truth?" Liu Ziyan seemed especially fond of that phrase.

"Brother Zi." Liu Ziyan shook his head, then cupped his hands again. "What do you think about the Jade Tax?"

Zi Bofeng raised his eyebrows. Liu Ziyan hurriedly added, "To be frank, Daoliu Village has to pay the Jade Tax too. The last time the Prefect demanded back taxes, our village was already skinned alive. This time, we truly can't afford it..."

Zi Bofeng had overturned the taxes imposed on his own village, but he could not take care of every other village. The Prefect had not aggressively pursued their debts, and those villages had only paid a token amount, escaping the tax crisis. In a way, Zi Bofeng had saved them. But even the smallest tax burden could still make life miserable for them.

"Alas, I envy you, brother Zi. You're a brilliant writer and a peerless debater. Those of us who took the same exam as you are ashamed of ourselves."

"You're too kind..." Zi Bofeng frowned. "I haven't figured out what to do yet. I can only take things one step at a time."

"Actually, many of the Village Chiefs who took the exam with us have gone to the jade-producing villages. They're all in Meng City now, and we've arranged to meet at Mengcheng Inn at noon to discuss the Jade Tax. We can also treat it as a celebratory banquet for those of us who passed the same examination."

Seeing Zi Bofeng hesitate, Liu Ziyan added, "Don't worry, brother Zi. We'll split the bill evenly." Ordinarily, the top student would have to pay more, but Zi Bofeng was also just a Village Chief, like the rest of them, so they had agreed to divide the cost equally.

Record of Raising Monsters