The Academy

"Studying history can enlighten our minds. By remembering history, we understand where we came from, why we are together, and what we can leave for future generations..."

Zhang Xuezhou leaped over the not-so-high city wall and entered the city directly.

The bronze feathers on his arm quickly retracted back into his body.

This city is not as vast and prosperous Chang'an City, but it is much larger than Hibiscus City, and the people are inclined to be studious.

As Zhang Xuezhou walked step by step toward the area of firelight, he heard the voices of those who preached, imparted knowledge, and resolved doubts.

"I don't want to know how I got here, I just want to know if studying history can put food on the table!"

A low, dejected voice came from behind, followed by a scholar's nonchalant laughter.

"Studying history can certainly fill your stomach, but only if you study it well, learn from the past, and acquire true knowledge will the court appoint you to an official position."

Can being an official fill your stomach?

"You idiot, how many officials have you ever seen go hungry?!"

There were patient responses from teachers, continuous questions from confused students, and teasing and jokes from classmates.

In the heart of the firelight, although students occasionally interrupted the lesson, the atmosphere was clearly very good.

"This Spring and Autumn Annals is not a study for officials, but it contains the experiences of our predecessors who devoted themselves to the country. You, as diligent scholars, can analyze it and learn from the ancients' strategies for governing and securing the country, so that you can avoid detours in the future!"

Then a familiar voice came from behind.

This surprised Zhang Xuezhou slightly, as he felt that he could run into old acquaintances anywhere in the world.

This voice felt extremely familiar to Zhang Xuezhou, after all, Zhang Xuezhou had been living away from home for far too long.

If it weren't for the fact that the Demon Crane Feiyu possessed the ability to soar across vast distances and accurately discern directions, it's unknown how long or how many months he would have had to return to the Han Dynasty.

For Zhang Xuezhou to encounter someone he knew was even more difficult.

He followed the sound, and as he drew closer, Zhang Xuezhou finally saw Dong Zhongshu's familiar face in the firelight.

His gaze drew a look back.

As Dong Zhongshu sat above, his gaze swept over the people below, and Zhang Xuezhou's face immediately came into view.

"Strangeness!"

Nearly two years had passed since they last met, but Dong Zhongshu noticed that Zhang Xuezhou seemed to have become even younger.

Dong Zhongshu believed he couldn't possibly mistake someone; facial recognition was merely the most basic method, while aura identification was his true skill.

He had rarely used people as consumables for spellcasting in his life, so he had a deep impression of Zhang Xuezhou as a consumable for spellcasting, and was also extremely familiar with Zhang Xuezhou's aura.

Although Zhang Xuezhou is much stronger than before, Zhang Xuezhou aura remains unchanged.

"He's still alive!"

The trip to Lingnan was of great importance, and even two short years could not make Dong Zhongshu forget his memory.

He just hadn't expected that Zhang Xuezhou would bring this from his random trip from Lingnan to Sichuan.

"Master Dong!"

The familiar greeting that followed the wave confirmed Dong Zhongshu's suspicions. He gestured for Zhang Xuezhou to sit down and then gestured to the middle-aged man next to him.

"Uncle Zhong, I just saw an old friend. You will be lecturing on the Spring and Autumn Annals next, and I will come to listen respectfully shortly!"

The middle-aged man, whom Dong Zhongshu addressed as "Uncle Zhong," had an extremely kind face and smiled, indicating that it was alright for Dong Zhongshu.

"My academy is newly established, and it's already very kind of you to come and support me. There's no need to be restrained, after all, I don't have any rules here!" the middle-aged man said with a smile.

"Rules are still necessary!"

Dong Zhongshu smiled back.

He stepped down from his seat as a lecturer at the academy with great composure.

After passing through the campfire and making way for over a hundred students who came to study, Dong Zhongshu stood in front of Zhang Xuezhou, who was at the very back.

"It's been two years, how have you been?" Dong Zhongshu asked with a smile.

"My life is so..."

Zhang Xuezhou felt his life was anything but good; he was either killing others or being killed.

He didn't understand why his life had been so turbulent.

This was far more turbulent than his real life.

If calculated by itinerary, Zhang Xuezhou feels that the distance he has traveled in the past two years can be described as a round-the-world trip.

"After that disaster, everyone suffered!"

Looking at Zhang Xuezhou's sighing face, Dong Zhongshu couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

It's normal that Zhang Xuezhou wasn't doing well, after all, Dong Zhongshu wasn't doing well either.

If it weren't for Emperor Jing secretly protecting the Crown Prince, Dong Zhongshu felt that the trip to Lingnan would not only have been fruitless, but losing his head would have been a very normal thing.

Dong Zhongshu was quite curious about how Zhang Xuezhou had managed to get by these past two years, since the missing person had suddenly appeared in Sichuan.

He glanced at Zhang Xuezhou, whose appearance was still quite youthful, and thought that although the other person was having a hard time, he should at least be relatively happy, otherwise he wouldn't look like that.

This is a very contradictory opposition.

Zhang Xuezhou's words and actions were full of suffering, but his appearance showed no trace of suffering.

If it weren't for the aftermath of the battle between His Majesty and Emperor Jing, Dong Zhongshu would have even thought that Zhang Xuezhou was living a good life.

"Master Dong, what brings you here?" Zhang Xuezhou asked first.

"An old friend of mine runs an academy, which His Majesty found very interesting, so he sent me to take a look," Dong Zhongshu said.

"What is an academy? Is it just a place where people gather around a bonfire to give lectures? Are all these people here to listen to the lectures?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously.

"Wenweng's academy is newly established, and the space is limited, so we can only light a few fires to make it look presentable for now," Dong Zhongshu said. "Once the court confirms it, Wenweng can designate an area to build the school buildings, which will be much better!"

"That's right!" Zhang Xuezhou chimed in.

"These are all students who are interested in the academy," Dong Zhongshu said. "However, there aren't many who are truly dedicated to learning right now. After all, studying can't fill one's stomach, and it's difficult to persuade people to study these days."

"This kind of thing is hard to do. My aunt said the poorest people are those who study," Zhang Xuezhou said. "In the end, they can't even afford pork. They say studying will impoverish three generations!"

"Your aunt's statement is a bit excessive. Actually, poverty can last for three generations... Hey, don't go!"

Just as Dong Zhongshu nodded thoughtfully, he noticed that more than ten of the students who had gathered around to watch the spectacle dispersed, prompting him to turn around and call for help.

"My mother wants me to chop firewood tomorrow, so I need to go to bed early!"

I'm hungry and want to go home and lie down in bed to sleep, otherwise I might easily eat tomorrow's food!

"I'm going hunting tomorrow, and I haven't sharpened my knife yet!"

"The cotton field at home hasn't been watered yet, so I need to get up early tomorrow to water it. I can't stay here to listen to the lecture!"

"Suddenly I remembered I have a wife at home. She's probably scolding me for not coming back!"

"My mother wants me to have a son soon so he can help with the work; this can't be delayed tonight!"

As he explained to Dong Zhongshu, more and more people listened attentively, and some even joined the ranks of those leaving.

Everyone had been sitting comfortably, but the person who left set a bad example, clearly tearing everyone's dignity away.

Various excuses were immediately offered.

When things calmed down, fewer than twenty people remained around the dozen or so campfires.

Sitting on the lecture platform, the middle-aged man named Zhong Weng was clearly caught off guard.

He glanced at Dong Zhongshu and Zhang Xuezhou, who were chatting quietly not far away.

Although the two people spoke softly, those nearby could hear them, and for him, it wouldn't be difficult to hear them clearly.

In just a few words exchanged, the two triggered a wave of withdrawals among those with weak willpower.