Chapter 13

Zhang Haoyuan and Zhang Guihe’s actions really infuriated Hou Zhongshu.

Hou Zhongshu said angrily, "Do they still know what it means to be classmates? Yan Chao, how can you tolerate this? We must teach them a lesson these few days."

Lin Yanchao patted Hou Zhongshu on the shoulder and said, "This is a good thing. If you don’t make others jealous, you’re just an ordinary person. Besides, Zhang Guihe is shallow and can only show off with his mouth. There’s nothing to worry about."

Hou Zhongshu huffed and said, "No, I must get this out of my system. Wait until the inspector comes. You’ll see how I will surprise everyone and amaze the crowd."

Lin Yanchao, seeing Hou Zhongshu like this, feared he might cause trouble and kindly reminded him, "The teacher didn’t ask you to answer in front of the inspector. You might not even get a chance to appear."

Hou Zhongshu laughed and said, "Don’t worry about it. Just cooperate with me when the time comes. My day to shine is not far off."

"I’ve said my piece. You do what you think is best," Lin Yanchao said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Don’t lose faith in me. I don’t believe I’ll be suppressed by Zhang Guihe in the community school forever. Do you have any good ideas to share with me?" Hou Zhongshu patted Lin Yanchao on the shoulder.

"It seems I have to come up with the ideas again."

"Your ideas are my ideas. Hurry up and tell me."

Lin Yanchao smiled and said, "Indeed, I do have a way to help you. If you have the ambition to advance in your studies, I can help you stand out in front of the inspector. However, your studies are not yet at the level where you have real talent. If you’re found out, it will harm you in the long run."

Hou Zhongshu laughed and said, "Who said my studies are not good? We were about the same before, and even if I’m a bit behind now, I can catch up. Besides, if you don’t help me, will you help Zhang Guihe and Zhang Haoyuan?"

Lin Yanchao glanced inside and nodded, "That’s true."

Seeing Hou Zhongshu’s active mind, Lin Yanchao said, "We’ll see how things go tomorrow. Focus on your studies. If you truly have talent, it will eventually show, like a sharp point of a cone in a bag."

They then went to eat and returned to the lecture hall.

It was already dark, and the villagers had finished their evening meal and were preparing to sleep.

But scholars often studied late into the night, and it was common to read at night.

The classmates had all gone home, and Lin Yanchao lit the oil lamp he had brought, sitting at a table with Hou Zhongshu, who was trying to save money on lamp oil. From a distance, they looked like a single firefly.

After reading for a while, Hou Zhongshu fell asleep on the table.

Lin Yanchao was speechless. He understood the principle of maintaining a proper relationship with friends, and he had already warned Hou Zhongshu multiple times. It was enough, and further warnings would only distance them.

He now focused on preparing the paper for the inspector.

He hadn’t read the Four Books and Five Classics yet, so writing an eight-part essay was out of the question. The only options left were couplets and rhymed poetry. Although the eight-part essay was the mainstream, the imperial examinations in the Yuan and Ming dynasties did not test on rhymed poetry, but the more flexible and free county and prefectural examinations occasionally did, depending on the examiner’s mood.

However, Lin Yanchao was not good at writing couplets or poetry. He had considered, like other time travelers, plagiarizing famous works.

But after searching his memory, he realized he didn’t remember many poems from the Ming dynasty onward. "If only life could be as beautiful as the first meeting?" No, a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy wouldn’t understand love. "The northern landscape, a thousand miles of ice?" Forget it, the Jinyiwei would invite him for tea soon after.

So, Lin Yanchao decided to abandon the idea of making a grand impression and focus on solid work. Fortunately, it wasn’t too late to start learning. He didn’t rush to grind ink and write but went to the left hall to borrow "The Book of Couplets," "The Book of Rhymed Poetry," "The Book of Paired Sentences for Children," and "The Book of Rhymed Couplets" from Lin Chengyi.

However, Lin Chengyi told him that "The Book of Couplets" and "The Book of Rhymed Poetry" were already borrowed, and "The Book of Paired Sentences for Children" was in poor condition. Only "The Book of Rhymed Couplets" was available.

Lin Yanchao thought that "The Book of Rhymed Couplets" was enough. He took the book back to his desk and started reading, "Heaven to earth, rain to wind. The vast land to the boundless sky. Mountain flowers to sea trees, the red sun to the blue sky." With his exceptional memory, he spent two or three hours and memorized the entire book, which was nearly ten thousand characters.

If anyone else had tried, they would have found it too much trouble, but Lin Yanchao could do it.

After memorizing, Lin Yanchao ground ink and picked up his brush. With the couplets and rhymed poetry from "The Book of Rhymed Couplets" in his mind, he combined his previous knowledge of couplets and poetry from Lin Chengyi’s lessons and began to write. After a night of hard thinking, he managed to write two lines of a seven-character couplet and a five-character poem.

After finishing, he found it acceptable and took out a piece of cotton paper to neatly copy the work before resting.

The next day, Lin Yanchao wrote another seven-character poem, and Hou Zhongshu, using Lin Yanchao’s method, wrote two poems with "The Book of Rhymed Couplets." Lin Yanchao found them almost unbearable, similar to "The sea is all water, the horse has four legs."

In the Hongtang community school, everyone worked hard to prepare for the day the grand master arrived.

At dawn, the gates of the Hongtang community school opened.

The villagers were busy cleaning the streets, and the school was bustling. Lin Yanchao and Hou Zhongshu carried water to clean the entrance.

At this moment, a man wearing a Dongpo hat and a silk shirt walked up and asked loudly, "Is the teacher here?"

Lin Yanchao recognized him as the local headman, Zhang Haoyuan’s father. Hou Zhongshu, who disliked Zhang Haoyuan, didn’t speak, but Lin Yanchao stepped forward and said, "The teacher is inside. Please come in, Mr. Zhang."

Just as Mr. Zhang was about to step in, Lin Chengyi came out and said, "Mr. Zhang, are you looking for me?"

Mr. Zhang saw Lin Chengyi and laughed heartily, "Teacher, what a coincidence. I just came to take a look. I heard the inspector is coming, and the Shuiming community school is already busy. If there’s anything you need help with, just let me know."

Lin Chengyi smiled and bowed, "Thank you, Mr. Zhang. We don’t need to trouble the villagers. Our students are enough."

Mr. Zhang said, "Nonsense. Aren’t the students all from our Hongtang village? They’re not outsiders. Is Haoyuan here?"

Zhang Haoyuan, holding a broom, walked out and lowered his head, "Father, what do you need?"

Mr. Zhang patted Zhang Haoyuan’s head, "You, why are you covered in dust? Quickly clean up. The inspector is like a celestial star descended from heaven. How can you not dress properly? When you meet him, you must be well-prepared. If you can gain his favor, it will be a blessing for ten generations."

Mr. Zhang then dusted off his son, who nodded obediently.

Mr. Zhang smiled awkwardly at Lin Chengyi, "Teacher, when the grand master arrives, please take care of my son. I would be very grateful."

Hearing this, Hou Zhongshu winked at Lin Yanchao, who smiled and continued wiping the door.

Lin Chengyi felt a bit embarrassed but said, "Thank you, Mr. Zhang. I appreciate your help. Haoyuan is my student, and I will treat him fairly."

"Mr. Lin, how are the preparations?" a man in his thirties, dressed in fine clothes, walked up. Seeing him, Lin Chengyi and Mr. Zhang bowed, "Young Master Zhang."

Lin Yanchao didn’t recognize Young Master Zhang but was surprised to see even the local headman bowing and scraping.

Hou Zhongshu whispered, "He’s Zhang Xiang, the great-grandson of Zhang Jing. His father is a high-ranking official in the Imperial College. He’s a fourth-generation official."

Lin Chengyi said, "We are ready."

Zhang Xiang said, "The grand master’s visit is no small matter. There must be no mistakes. If any student offends the grand master, your position as a teacher will be at risk. Do you understand?"

Being publicly scolded in front of his students, Lin Chengyi felt humiliated and said, "If that happens, I will resign on my own."

Zhang Xiang said, "Good to know." He then turned and left.

After Zhang Xiang left, Lin Chengyi’s face was grim. Mr. Zhang quickly comforted him, "Young Master Zhang was just joking. Don’t take it to heart."

Lin Chengyi shook his head, "It’s fine. We need to focus on welcoming the grand master."

Then came a long wait.

First, the advance scouts arrived, who were the vanguard of the official party. They inspected the school, pointed out any irregularities, and ordered changes. They also arranged the order of the villagers’ welcome and checked the seating arrangements for the midday banquet.

Then they sent villagers to wait on the road, preparing tea and snacks for the journey. Mr. Zhang nodded and bowed, following their instructions.

Finally, the advance scouts, seemingly satisfied with the door money from Mr. Zhang, left with a smile. For Lin Yanchao, it was another long wait. Lin Chengyi didn’t teach, and the students couldn’t read, just waiting idly.

The tedious wait made the students restless, as they had been waiting for a long time.

It was almost noon when Mr. Zhang, sweating profusely, rushed into the lecture hall and said to Lin Chengyi, "Quick, the grand master’s entourage is almost at the village entrance. Get ready!"

Lin Chengyi, hearing this, quickly straightened his headscarf and adjusted his scholar’s robe. The students also tidied their clothes. At this moment, Lin Yanchao noticed that Zhang Haoyuan, Zhang Guihe, and the other students were also nervous.

Lin Chengyi led the students to the school gate, standing in the predetermined order to welcome the grand master.

Lin Yanchao looked toward the large scholar’s arch at the village entrance, and the students were eagerly waiting. Then they heard the sound of gongs in the distance.

The village was in a flurry of activity.

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