Transmigrated As A Scholar Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Returning to the academy after a year's absence, Hande Academy remained unchanged, as if a year had passed in a single day. A sea of scholars in dark blue ru robes and ru caps coming and going. 

A year ago, he had already come to complete the relevant procedures for his appointment and was currently in a retained position. Today, he arrived with gifts, first meeting the dean and several vice deans, followed by a brief speech at the assembly, essentially a meet-and-greet. These formalities didn't take much time; by the time they concluded, it was only just the middle of sishi (10 AM).

"I've finally managed to wait for your arrival. Had you been a day later, this old man would have been away on a long journey. In a moment, you should go with Vice Dean Chen Guangyin to see the lecture hall where you will be teaching in the future. Student assignments have always been under Dean Chen's management. If you have any matters, discuss them with Dean Chen."

[It was common practice to address a vice dean simply as "Dean" as a courtesy. This was a sign of respect for their office and authority within the academy's hierarchy, even though they were not the institution's primary leader.]

Wang Qingshan instructed Fang Yu: "This old man is going to Yongjiang Prefecture for a while. The Deans of the academies under the prefectural city are gathering for a lecture series, so I may be gone for some time. Dean Chen has a somewhat fiery temper; usually, you'll have to be a bit more tolerant. If any major issues arise, wait until this old man returns to the city to handle them."

"Dean Wang, please rest assured. This student will certainly remain humble and learn much from Dean Chen."

"That is good." Wang Qingshan smiled: "You go and get busy now. Familiarize yourself with the lecture hall and the Master's study sooner rather than later."

After seeing Wang Qingshan off, Fang Yu headed towards his own Master's study. 

The layout of Hande Academy differed from that of later-era schools. Here, the offices were individual; typically, a Master's study housed only one Master. Moreover, the Master's study was not far from their own lecture hall, making it very convenient for keeping an eye on the students.

Fang Yu's lecture hall was still empty, without a single student inside. However, it was tidied up quite cleanly; the floor even seemed freshly mopped, which pleased him greatly. A mere ten meters away, facing the lecture hall and about half its size, was the Master's study.

The Master's study had only one small door. A plaque was already hung above it, inscribed with the four characters "Master Fang Yu" in Dean Wang Qingshan's own calligraphy, later engraved by a craftsman using a mold. Inside, first visible was a square table with two chairs, allowing the Master to have tea and snacks or discuss studies with colleagues. To the left upon entering was a long desk where the Master usually read essays and graded assignments.

At the far end of the room, turning left, there was a small door. Opening it revealed a narrow bed where one could take a short nap during the sweltering summer afternoons.

The furnishings of the Master's study were mostly standard. When he was a student, he had often visited Master Zhang's study. However, as it was the Master's workspace, he wouldn't enter without manners and wander around aimlessly. Only today did he fully explore the Master's study inside and out. This study pleased him even more than the lecture hall.

The working environment was excellent. He could already picture it: a cup of tea warmed in his hands, completing the ideal image of a contemplative scholar.

The regret was that there were no thermoses at this time. However, he had long had his eye on a pair of four-inch-tall, wide-mouthed white porcelain vases in the family storeroom. They would be perfect for brewing some warm tea in summer—neither too hot to hold nor aesthetically displeasing. It couldn't be more suitable.

After surveying his workplace, he went to find Chen Guangyin. Although previously Master Zhang had jokingly said he could choose students according to his own preferences, having worked in this profession before, he understood that whether in this era or later ones, masters highly valued the quality of their students.

Every teacher appreciates bright and driven students. If they succeeded brilliantly in the imperial examinations, the Master would also share in the glory. When it came to things involving benefits and influential connections, there were bound to be complexities.

Being newly arrived, he didn't intend to be presumptuous and choose students himself. Even if he taught them well later, there would inevitably be gossip that he had initially picked the best students, having secured the advantage from the start. He would follow the academy's arrangements; that way, regardless of teaching outcomes, there would be less room for criticism.

Fang Yu found Chen Guangyin's Vice Dean's office. There was another person standing inside, seemingly Chen Guangyin's disciple or assistant. Although the door was open, Fang Yu politely knocked.

Chen Guangyin did not look up, merely saying: "Enter."

When Fang Yu was a student, he had rarely seen this Vice Dean. To be precise, he arrived for class just on time and left as soon as it ended. Apart from Dean Wang Qingshan, he hadn't met the other Vice Deans. During academy assemblies, he would idle about, not paying close enough attention to remember their appearances. During today's meet-and-greet, he made an effort to memorize the Vice Deans well, shaking hands with each in turn.

There were also over ten other Masters. He tried his best to become familiar with their faces, planning to pay more attention later to remember them. The most important were still the vice deans; after all, they were superiors, differing somewhat from colleagues.

During the earlier meet-and-greet, his impression of Chen Guangyin was quite profound—his face remained cold the entire time, serious in a way reminiscent of Master Zhang. However, Master Zhang's countenance naturally appeared very stern and serious, whereas Chen Guangyin's face was somewhat round, with upward creases at the corners of his eyes, making him seem like someone who usually liked to smile. Precisely because of this, his sullen expression appeared more awkward than that of someone naturally stern.

Since Dean Wang had already warned him that Chen Guangyin had a poor temper, he was even more cautious: "Dean Chen, this humble scholar is Fang Yu, the Master reinstated today."

"I know." Chen Guangyin finally set down the papers in his hand after a long moment, glancing at the person before him: "I was just about to find you. Since you are now back at the academy, you will be taking on students. This is the list of students assigned to you. Have a look."

Fang Yu looked at the roster on the edge of the desk. He gave a slight nod of courtesy to Chen Guangyin before picking up the roster. What could one discern from a long string of names? Apart from learning that his lecture hall would soon have fifteen students, he gained nothing else. Immediately, he thick-skinnedly asked: "Thank you, Dean. However, is there any information about these students? This humble scholar would like to have a general understanding, which would also facilitate future instruction."

Chen Guangyin glanced at Fang Yu, offered no comment, but tilted his head and gave a look to the disciple beside him. The disciple then took out a stack of papers from a drawer in the distance and respectfully presented them to Fang Yu with both hands: "Master Fang, this is the information for all students in your Lecture Hall Twenty-Four."

Fang Yu politely accepted them and immediately began looking. The information recorded the scholars' ages, home addresses, current scholarly titles, etc. The important columns he wanted to see were all there, along with some seemingly less useful ones like hobbies and interests.

He read quickly, scanning seven or eight in a row. However, without exception, they were all students who had only passed the Tongsheng Examination. Some were even worse, not yet Tongsheng at all. He swiftly browsed the scholarly titles of all students: out of fifteen students, only two were Xiucai, the remaining ten were Tongsheng, and three hadn't even passed the Tongsheng Examination.

Upon arriving, he had thought that since the academy had previously offered him the condition of choosing his own students—although he hadn't accepted and chose to comply with the institution's arrangements—he hadn't expected this kind of arrangement! 

In the lecture hall where he had studied before, although the students' scholarly titles varied, the worst among them had at least achieved the status of Tongsheng—and there were only three of those. All the rest were Xiucai!

He also knew that Master Zhang was an excellent Master at the academy, so it was normal for him to be assigned students of better aptitude. As a newcomer, it was reasonable for him to be assigned students of slightly poorer aptitude. But this discrepancy was a bit too obvious.

Chen Guangyin, holding his teacup, glanced sidelong at Fang Yu's face, noticing his furrowed brow, and said: "Don't underestimate these students just because they lack scholarly titles. They are all quite good kids, mostly drawn by reputation, wanting to enter the Jieyuan's lecture hall. Several even declared that if they could not enter your lecture hall, they would not study at Hande Academy. Enrollment has been modest these past two years, and for this reason, Dean Wang cherishes every student we attract. I had no choice but to agree to their requests."

"Master Fang, do you have any objections? If you are dissatisfied with the students I've assigned you, I can discuss it with the Dean again." Chen Guangyin then added with feigned difficulty: "However, Dean Wang is busy preparing to go to the prefectural city. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to bother him now. If I were to go talk to Dean Wang tomorrow, he would have already departed. Then we'd have to wait until Dean Wang returns. Unfortunately, it's unknown whether the Dean will be gone for half a month or a month; I'm afraid it would delay the students' studies..."

Fang Yu smiled slightly: "It's no trouble. Since Dean Chen intentionally assigned these students, they must surely be obedient and motivated. There's no need to trouble Dean Wang. This humble scholar will comply fully with the academy's arrangements."

After hearing Chen Guangyin's words, how could he not understand his meaning? The students were assigned to him. If he tried to find Dean Wang, he wouldn't be available. If he refused to accept them, it would delay the students' studies and damage his own reputation, since these students came specifically because of the Jieyuan's fame.

It wasn't that he felt no annoyance at all, but Fang Yu was even more puzzled: why was Chen Guangyin targeting me? Could it be because he saw the Dean giving me too much favor and couldn't stand it, deliberately trying to make things difficult for me?

"Mmm, it's best that you can understand the academy's difficulties."

"Then this humble scholar won't disturb the Dean any further."

Watching Fang Yu walk away, Chen Guangyin's disciple beside him said: "Dean, won't this Fang Yu go speak to Dean Wang about this?"

"He'd have to be able to find Dean Wang first. By now, he's already returned to his residence to prepare for the journey to the prefectural city."

"What about when Dean Wang returns? What if he asks Dean Wang to change students?"

Chen Guangyin looked at his disciple with a smile: "Once you have them in hand, can you just shake them off? Do you think the other Masters at the academy are just for show? Those who have been at the academy for a few years should know this batch of students is an old problem. Each comes from a good family but lacks ambition. They spend their days either seeking pleasure or idling about. Their studies show no progress, yet one must bear the pressure from their parents. Which Master would be willing to take them on?"

The disciple followed with a slight, knowing smile.

Fang Yu took the roster and information back to his Master's study. Just past the lecture hall entrance, he ran into Master Zhang.

"All settled?"

Fang Yu smiled and nodded: "Pretty much. I've even received the student roster."

Master Zhang's brow also relaxed: "Let this old man have a look."

Fang Yu knew Master Zhang had always favored him. If he knew the students assigned to him weren't great, he would probably be displeased. So, he kept the student information tucked away, handing over only the roster. Unexpectedly, Master Zhang only glanced at it before his brows furrowed again: "Did you choose these, or did Dean Chen assign them?"

"Dean Chen arranged it."

"Scholarly titles aren't of great consequence. As long as the students are motivated, they'll eventually earn their titles. But these students..." Master Zhang looked at Fang Yu, not wanting to dampen his confidence as a new teacher.

Fang Yu took out the information from under his arm: "This student has already looked into it and has a general idea. Master needn't worry. Someone has to teach these students. This student is new and inexperienced; it's good to gain some experience."

Master Zhang patted his shoulder: "With your proper attitude, this old man is reassured. Gaining some experience is indeed a good thing."

As soon as he finished speaking, the academy bell rang. Fang Yu bowed to Master Zhang: "Master, please attend to your duties first."

Master Zhang genuinely wanted to say more to Fang Yu, but having to go to his lecture hall left no choice. He said: "This old man will come by your place to sit tomorrow."

"Good. This student will brew Master a cup of 'Fangrui Xueyue' then."