r18novel Chapter 102 The Scholar Zhuang
Chapter 102 The Scholar Zhuang
Chapter 102 The Scholar Zhuang
Rulan and Molan snorted coldly upon hearing this, but said nothing more.
Today was their first day of class, and Sheng Hong had given them instructions before deciding to let them join the program.
Sheng Hong had just given them another warning, so they didn't dare to cause any trouble.
Minglan breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Molan no longer looked at her.
"Cousin!"
Sanlan passed through the side gate and arrived at the courtyard where the school was located. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changfeng leading Qi Heng and Wang You to play in the courtyard.
Rulan smiled and stepped forward to give a curtsy.
"Greetings to my three cousins!" Wang You smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.
Mo Lan and Ming Lan quickly returned the greeting and called out "Cousin".
"Yuan Ruo, let me introduce you."
Sheng Changbai smiled and introduced his three younger sisters to Qi Heng.
"Greetings, ladies!" Qi Heng bowed politely.
"Greetings, young master." Sanlan quickly returned the greeting.
Rulan and Minglan were fine, but Molan secretly sized up Qi Heng.
Qi Heng's decision to study at the Sheng family was made by Princess Pingning herself, so the Sheng family knew about it.
After learning that the young master of the Qi State Duke's Mansion was coming to the Sheng family to study, Lin Xiaoniang instructed Sheng Changfeng and Mo Lan to get along well with Qi Heng.
Mo Lan was still young at the time and had no other thoughts. He just thought Qi Heng was handsome and polite, and coupled with Qi Heng's identity, he couldn't help but be a little curious.
After everyone got to know each other, Sheng Changbai suggested going into the classroom first to assign seats.
Gu Tingye ultimately did not come to the Sheng family to study, had a big argument with his father, and decided to study at Bailudong Academy.
Because the incident in Yangzhou was unpleasant, although they had traveled together after arriving in Bianjing, he did not tell Wang You about it when he left.
Wang You only found out about this after he came to the Sheng family today.
Upon entering the school, one sees two rows of desks arranged in a spacious classroom.
There are three on the right and four on the left.
Clearly, the right side was prepared for Sanlan, while the left side was for the four men.
The two rows of seats are more than a meter apart, clearly separated.
"Yuanruo, you can sit in the front," Sheng Changbai said.
Upon hearing this, Mo Lan walked to the first spot on the right.
Rulan was watching the excitement when she saw Molan rushing to grab a seat, so she quickly sat down at the first table before her.
"you--"
Mo Lan's face was grim, but she hesitated to lash out because there were outsiders present.
Rulan made a face at Molan, looking quite pleased with herself.
In her view, she was the legitimate daughter, and although Mo Lan was older than her, she could only sit behind her.
"No need, I prefer a seat further back," Qi Heng said with a smile.
Mo Lan's expression softened slightly upon hearing Qi Heng's refusal, and she sat down at the second table.
Rulan felt she had outshone Molan, and was even happier.
After some polite refusals, Qi Heng and Sheng Changbai went straight to the back and sat down.
It wasn't that he thought sitting at the back would make him less likely to be noticed by Zhuang Xuejiu.
In fact, the students at that time were still very diligent in their studies.
Moreover, Qi Heng was studying with the goal of passing the imperial examinations.
Logically, the front row seats are the best, but since he was only studying at the Sheng family's school on temporary assignment, he felt embarrassed to take a front-row seat.
Seeing Qi Heng's insistence, Sheng Changbai had no choice but to turn to Wang You and say, "Cousin, why don't you sit in the front?"
He was the tallest, and with the other two people—his younger brother and two guests—he had originally intended to sit at the very back.
"No need, cousin, I'll sit in the back."
Seeing that the last seat had been taken, Wang You had no choice but to settle for the second-to-last seat.
Sheng Changfeng opened his mouth; he actually wanted to sit in that position, one in front of and one behind Qi Heng, so that they could easily make contact.
Wang You had already taken the seat, and he was worried that Sheng Changbai would let him sit in front, so he quickly sat down in the seat in front of Wang You.
Having already chosen his seat, Sheng Changbai had no choice but to sit at the very front.
The maids and pageboys brought out the books, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones and set them out, then stepped back to wait.
Zhuang Xuejiu had a rule that servants were not allowed to attend to students during class.
After tidying up the table briefly, the group began chatting quietly.
Qi Heng took the initiative to ask Wang You about his experience participating in the prodigy test.
On the other side, Mo Lan thought for a moment, then turned to Ming Lan and whispered, "Sixth Sister, let's switch seats."
Rulan turned to speak to Minglan, but overheard them and said, "Sixth Sister, you're not allowed to change!"
Mo Lan turned her head and looked at Ru Lan angrily.
"What's it to you?"
"It's none of my business, but if you want to change it, I won't let you have your way," Rulan said smugly.
"you--"
Mo Lan glared at Ru Lan, panting heavily.
"Ahem, the scholar should be here soon. Let's talk after class." Sheng Changbai glanced over and said.
Rulan and Molan then sat down properly.
Wang You withdrew his gaze, smiled slightly, and thought that there would be some excitement to watch at school from now on.
Footsteps sounded outside, and everyone immediately sat up straight.
A moment later, an elderly man with silver hair entered with a servant.
The seven men rose and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Scholar!"
"Um."
Zhuang Xuejiu nodded with a smile, gestured for them to sit, and said, "Please sit down!"
"Thank you, scholar!"
After they were seated, Zhuang Xuejiu smiled and said, "The three girls study to understand principles, while the boys study for the imperial examinations."
Upon hearing this, Wang You and Sanlan showed no reaction, while Sheng Changbai and the other two looked somewhat unnatural.
It's not wrong to study in order to become an official.
However, saying it so bluntly still made them feel a little awkward.
Zhuang Xuejiu took in everyone's reactions and continued, "There's nothing wrong with wanting to become an official."
But what happens after you pass the imperial examination? If you are short-sighted and only know how to climb the ladder, you will eventually be harmed by greed.
Study diligently, acquire knowledge and wisdom, and your career will naturally progress smoothly and successfully.
"Thank you for your teachings, sir! We will certainly remember them!" everyone said in unison.
"Um."
Zhuang Xuejiu nodded in satisfaction and said, "Let's start the first lesson with 'The Great Learning'."
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly found and opened the "Great Learning".
"The way of the Great Learning consists in manifesting one's bright virtue, in loving the people, and in abiding in perfect goodness."
Zhuang Xuejiu began to read, swaying his head.
Everyone started reading along.
After reading a few paragraphs, Zhuang Xuejiu stopped and began to explain their meaning.
He not only directly explained the meaning of the scriptures, but also cited other classics and historical examples to help students better understand the meaning.
Wang You had learned all of these, but he listened with great interest.
He found that Zhuang Xuejiu's teaching style was very different from that of the teachers he had previously taught at Shouzhou Academy.
The teachers at Shouzhou Academy either recited from the textbook when teaching their students.
Although the explanations are given, they are mostly superficial.
Some might include examples in their accounts, but they really like to slip in their own opinions.
To put it bluntly, it means mixing one's own thoughts and values into the students' learning and instilling them in them.
The examples they cited were also those they believed to be correct.