Chapter 397 Taiqi's 35th Year Arrives
How to become famous?
There are only two types.
One is to build bridges and roads for the hometown, construct ancestral halls, provide relief to the elderly and the poor, cherish the orphans and widows, and provide medicine and tea.
One is to establish a school or go to a local county school or prefectural school to teach and educate people.
According to my senior brother, Zhou Ruo is a native of Changsha and a member of the large Zhou family. The Zhou family is large and prosperous and has a high reputation in Changsha Prefecture, so the family has already done things like building bridges and roads.
As for establishing a school, that was even less necessary as the Zhou family already had a clan school.
The rest who wanted to benefit the people could only teach in the provincial school or other academies.
Principal Chen would naturally not miss this opportunity and would definitely invite Mr. Zhou to give a guest lecture at Yuelu Academy.
If Zhou lectured at Yuelu Academy, he would not only enhance his reputation but also expand his network of contacts.
After all, the students of Yuelu Academy are the best students in Huguang Province and have a bright future.
The senior brother said, "If Dean Chen can persuade Mr. Zhou to give lectures at Yuelu Academy, it will be of great benefit to us."
There are indeed great benefits. When a third-rank official gives lectures to you, as a student you will definitely benefit a lot.
The senior brother revealed another explosive piece of information, his eyes wandering, and he said mysteriously: "I heard that Master Zhou doesn't have a disciple yet."
As soon as he finished speaking, the audience's eyes lit up.
Not having any disciples means that there is a possibility of accepting disciples!
Officials in the imperial court would usually accept potential disciples as their disciples to develop their personal networks.
Teacher-student, disciple-teacher, teacher-teacher-disciple, the relationship is endless and complicated.
Officials just like this kind of complicated relationship, where you are in me and I am in you. Everything will be done in a nutshell and they will not be too ruthless unless necessary.
Lord Zhou Ruozhou has no disciples yet. Now that he is in mourning, he has plenty of time. Perhaps he will take in one or two disciples on a whim.
Sun Shan asked curiously, "Brother, how old is Mr. Zhou this year?"
Young adults generally do not accept disciples. Only older adults are keen to accept disciples. After all, time is not forgiving. If not now, when will you accept disciples?
The senior brother quickly gave the answer: "Mr. Zhou is only 52 years old this year. Even if he has been in mourning for three years, Qi Fu is only 55 years old."5
For an official of 5 years old, he is not young, but not old either.
The retirement age of officials in Daqian was determined by their rank. The higher the rank, the later the retirement age.
Ordinary officials can retire and return home at the age of 60, and officials of the third rank or above can retire at the age of 65.
If an official is in a high position, he is not allowed to retire before the age of 70.
Especially for military officers, experienced generals are more trustworthy. They can live to be 80 years old or even die in office.
Sun Shan thought about it and thought, it was really amazing that Lord Zhou became a third-rank official at the age of 52.
Three years later, he will be 55 years old and can continue to work for the court. If he is capable and lucky, he can even become a high-ranking official.
The senior brother continued to reveal: "I heard that Mr. Zhou is well-read, knowledgeable, and has a strong memory. We will benefit a lot from having him teach us."
Sun Shan and others knew this without the senior brother telling them.
If a third-rank official teaches you a lesson and you don’t learn anything, that’s your character problem, not the official’s problem.
Qian Yingyang's face was flushed, and he said dreamily: "If I am chosen by Master Zhou and accepted as his disciple, my ancestors will surely be very proud."
Sun Shan and Zhu Pengyun looked at each other. They didn't need to look at Qian Yingyang to know what he was thinking just by listening to his voice.
He must have fantasized that one day, Lord Zhou would come to give lectures, take a liking to him at first sight, and accept him as his disciple. From then on, he would become like Lord Zhou, reading thousands of books and writing like a god.
He passed the imperial examination, became a Jinshi, entered the court as an official, and reached the peak of his life.
As for marrying a beautiful, wealthy and beautiful woman, that is impossible. Qian Yingyang is already married. If he divorces his wife and remarries, his career will definitely be greatly affected.
Sun Shan slapped Qian Yingyang on the shoulder to wake him up. Even if he was going to have a big dream, he should go back to the dormitory and not be seen outside.
Qian Yingyang was slapped hard and woke up from his sweet dream. He looked around and saw that Sun Shan was the closest to him, so he said with certainty, "Ashan, why did you hit me?"
Qian Yingyang touched the shoulder that Sun Shan had patted. Unexpectedly, although Sun Shan was thin and weak, he was so strong that it hurt him.
Zhu Pengyun chuckled and said cheerfully, "Yingyang, you forgot. You were at the bottom of the quarterly and annual exams. Do you think Mr. Zhou would like you?"
Zhu Pengyun is very self-aware. He is no different from Qian Yingyang. He never thought that he would be noticed by Lord Zhou and be accepted as his disciple.
Qian Yingyang's face turned redder after being seen through. He stammered and denied, "What do you mean by accepting me as a disciple? I don't understand what you are saying."
Although I had just fantasized about being accepted as a disciple by Master Zhou, I absolutely cannot admit it.
After all, think about it, it's not against the law. If you don't say it out loud, people will see through you. If you don't admit it, others won't be able to do anything to you.
Not only Qian Yingyang present dreamed of being accepted as a disciple by Lord Zhou, but other students also had that moment of fantasy of being accepted as a disciple by Lord Zhou.
As for Sun Shan, like Qian Yingyang, he also had a moment of fantasy about being accepted as a disciple by Lord Zhou, passing the imperial examination, becoming a Jinshi, marrying a beautiful and wealthy woman, and reaching the peak of his life.
It’s just that Sun Shan’s little thoughts were hidden so deeply that they were not easily seen through.
If he wasn't seen through, it meant he hadn't been discovered, so he could laugh at Qian Yingyang.
The senior brother who broke the news sighed and said, "Who doesn't want to be accepted as a disciple by Master Zhou? It's just that it's impossible for us. If Master Zhou wants to accept disciples, he will accept them from the students who have passed the imperial examination. We are just scholars."
After the senior brother said this, everyone was stunned for a moment, and then they reacted.
Yes, those present were just scholars, not even juren. Why did Lord Zhou accept them?
If they were descendants of Lord Zhou's family or the children of Lord Zhou's old friends, perhaps Lord Zhou would be willing to accept them and train them reluctantly.
There is a huge gap between the status of Juren and Xiucai. Lord Zhou will only stay in Changsha Prefecture for three years at most. How can he have so much time to teach his Xiucai disciples?
A juren is almost the same. If you train well for three years, you can go to Beijing to take the exam three years later. Maybe you can become a jinshi.
Master Zhou now has another disciple who becomes an official.
When everyone thought of this, their expectations for Lord Zhou to come to the academy to give lectures decreased a lot.
The senior brother who broke the news comforted everyone: "Don't be like this. Even if Master Zhou doesn't accept us as his disciples, it's still very good to be able to listen to his lectures, and it will benefit us for the rest of our lives."
This makes sense. After the students heard it, the atmosphere became lively again and everyone started chatting with each other.
Everyone encouraged each other and looked forward to Mr. Zhou's arrival to help them advance their studies.
With the sound of a bell, the thirty-fifth year of Tai Qi arrived, and Sun Shan was seventeen years old!