Chapter 52

Behind the Ermei Book House, there was a pavilion.

Lin Yanchao, holding the food box, went to the pavilion, while the other disciples, for convenience, ate directly under the corridor.

Among the outer dormitory students, there were several circles.

Yu Ziyu, Huang Biyou, Yu Qingzhou, and others formed one circle. Chen Wencai also joined them with a thick face, and Ye Xianggao had a few students from official families chatting with him.

Lin Yanchao had no intention of finding a circle for the time being. After all, he had the experience of an adult. When encountering problems, he could solve them himself without needing to ask others. As long as he treated people sincerely, he would eventually make friends.

After finishing his meal, Lin Yanchao returned to the lecture hall to review his books.

Lin Yanchao picked up a book and started reading. Time was tight; if he didn't understand what was taught today, he would have to learn new things tomorrow, which would be difficult.

Lin Yanchao decided to recite what Lin Liao had taught during the day, starting with a thorough recitation. Reciting was always Lin Yanchao's strong point. In less than an hour, he had memorized the entire "Liang Huiwang Shang" chapter of the Mencius, which was about three thousand characters long.

After memorizing the Mencius, Lin Yanchao put it aside and took out Zhu Xi's "Mencius Commentary." He read and recited it, understanding the content as he went, and finished memorizing the part about "Liang Huiwang Shang." After memorizing both, he reviewed the lecture notes he had taken from Lin Liao's class, integrating them with what he had memorized.

Unconsciously, he had completed in one afternoon what others would take three or four days to memorize. Moreover, Lin Yanchao found that he could remember things perfectly after reciting them. Normally, memory has a forgetting process, but Lin Yanchao did not experience this. He could still remember clearly and accurately what he had memorized two months ago.

After the evening meal, he lit a lamp and rested for a while, feeling more energetic and not the least bit tired. Lin Yanchao stretched his arms and decided to continue studying.

This time, he recited "Liang Huiwang Xia" as he had done in the afternoon. He then took out the "Yan Qinli Stele" and the "Duobao Pagoda Stele" to practice calligraphy, which was his daily routine, never skipped.

When he finished practicing calligraphy, he realized that the outer dormitory was already empty, and the students had all left. The oil lamp was almost out, and he heard the night watchman's call, realizing it was already past two in the morning. He had not noticed the time at all. Lin Yanchao tidied up, blew out the lamp, and walked out of the book house. The night was deep, the stars hung overhead, and the night breeze was cool. He paused for a moment in front of two plum trees before returning to the dormitory.

He returned to the dormitory and slept soundly until dawn, when the bell rang.

"Brother Lin, Brother Lin, wake up quickly, don't miss the morning class."

Lin Yanchao was woken up by Chen Wencai. The others were already getting dressed and packing their book bags.

Lin Yanchao quickly rinsed his mouth, dipped his fingers in green salt to brush his teeth, put on his clothes, and ran to the Ermei Book House.

When he reached the door of the book house, the sound of reading was already loud. Unfortunately, Lin Liao was just entering the outer dormitory gate with a book in hand. Lin Yanchao immediately crouched down, using the corridor for cover, and sneaked into the book house. He let out a long breath after sitting at his desk.

The next day's class was indeed much easier, thanks to his all-night study the previous night.

In the afternoon, when Lin Liao lectured, it was like reading the lines of a palm for Lin Yanchao. The hard work of the night had not been in vain. Yesterday, he had been completely lost, but today, he understood much more deeply when Lin Liao lectured on the first chapter of the Mencius, "Liang Huiwang Xia." Of course, there were still parts he didn't understand, but Lin Yanchao kept writing and taking notes as he listened.

Lin Yanchao's days passed in this busy and tense manner. He did not pay attention to other things, focusing only on his studies. In the following days, Lin Yanchao read until he was the last one to leave the book house, but he did not study until two in the morning as he had on the first day.

On this day, Lin Yanchao returned to the dormitory a bit earlier, as it was his turn to clean.

Lin Yanchao picked up a broom and was about to start sweeping when Yu Ziyu and others greeted him warmly.

Yu Ziyu said, "Brother Lin, have you heard? Among the three new students the academy has admitted, one is particularly outstanding, and the headmaster intends to cultivate him directly into the inner dormitory?"

Lin Yanchao glanced at Ye Xianggao, thinking that if there was a prodigy, it must be him.

Although Lin Yanchao did not remember Ye Xianggao's background before he became a jinshi (imperial scholar), he remembered a rule in the Ming dynasty's bureaucracy: only jinshi could enter the Hanlin Academy, and only Hanlin scholars could enter the cabinet. Tracing back, since Ye Xianggao later became the chief cabinet minister, he must have been a Hanlin scholar. To enter the Hanlin Academy, one had to be either one of the top three jinshi or a shujishi (imperial scholar).

Those who could enter the Hanlin Academy were the best talents in the country, not just from a county, a prefecture, or a province!

However, receiving too much attention from the start was not good, especially with the academy's system of promoting students from the outer to the inner dormitory. A prodigy would become a target of jealousy among the students.

Lin Yanchao spoke up to defuse the situation for Ye Xianggao, "Everyone is overthinking it. Even if we had some minor fame before, the academy is full of talented people, and we still need to learn from our seniors."

Hearing this, Yu Ziyu's face showed a playful smile, as if he had seen through everything.

"Is there something wrong?"

Yu Ziyu said to the other students, "Look, look, Brother Yanchao is so humble, it makes us feel ashamed."

After Yu Ziyu said this, the other students nodded in agreement, "That's true."

Yu Qingzhou said, "Brother Yanchao, you don't need to hide it. We all know that you are the student the inspector admires, and the headmaster's prodigy must be you. We will all need to seek your guidance in the future."

Huang Biyou also chimed in, "Brother Yanchao, you don't need to worry; we won't be jealous of your talent."

Lin Yanchao did not know how the news of him being a student of the inspector had leaked, but he knew his abilities. In an academy full of top students and prodigies, being called a top student at his current level would be a joke.

Lin Yanchao explained, "Fellow students, this is a misunderstanding!"

Everyone stopped, and Yu Ziyu asked suspiciously, "Did we get it wrong? Is Brother Yanchao not a student of the great master?"

All eyes turned to Lin Yanchao.

Lin Yanchao said, "I was fortunate to be taken in as a student by the great master, but the situation is not as you think..."

Before Lin Yanchao could finish, everyone interrupted, "Is that it? A student of the great master, how could he be any less? The inspector recognized Brother Yanchao, so you must have the talent of a xiucai (scholar)."

"Brother Yanchao, if you are about to be promoted to the inner or upper dormitory, then we, the outer dormitory students, probably don't deserve to associate with you."

Yu Ziyu's words had a hint of jealousy.

"I dare not," Lin Yanchao replied.

The next day, Lin Yanchao came to the lecture hall.

The students were whispering and pointing at him. Clearly, the news of him being a student of the inspector had already spread. Lin Yanchao knew that explaining would only make things worse, so he ignored the gazes.

At this moment, Lin Liao appeared outside the lecture hall and said, "Yanchao, come to my book house!" The lecture hall fell silent, and all eyes turned to Lin Yanchao.

Lin Yanchao accepted it calmly and walked out of the lecture hall.

In Lin Liao's book house, Lin Yanchao bowed and said, "Master, you called me. What is it?"

Lin Liao said, "I see that you have been copying lecture notes these past few days. Is it because I am lecturing too deeply?"

Lin Yanchao replied honestly, "Master, I have not read the Mencius before."

Lin Liao realized, "I almost forgot that you don't have a foundation in Confucian classics. I will try to explain more clearly, but I can't focus on you alone; I have to consider the other students as well. You are new, so you need to work harder than the others. Your classmates are more advanced than you, so you should learn from them. Seeing their excellence will help you improve."

"Thank you, Master. I am not afraid of difficulty, but I am afraid that Master will not teach me," Lin Yanchao said slyly.

Lin Liao chuckled and waved his fan, "Yes, you are a smart student. You need to work harder in the coming days. Bring your lecture notes to me after evening study, and you can come to me anytime you have questions. In a few days, during the monthly examination, you can skip the current affairs questions, but you must not make mistakes in the classics and annotations."

"Yes, Master."

Lin Yanchao left the book house.

He sat down, drank water when he needed to, and reviewed his books.

During lunch, several classmates came to talk to Lin Yanchao, clearly trying to probe his background or to get closer to him. Being a student of the inspector had its perks, and Lin Yanchao spoke simply, neither rejecting them rudely nor showing excessive friendliness.

Lin Yanchao's attitude was impeccable.

After they left, they gathered around Yu Ziyu and a scholar in a green robe.

A student named Chen Xinggui, after listening for a while, said, "This person is very confident, Brother Yu. What is his background?"

Yu Ziyu said, "What background? Just a poor family's child who was fortunate to be recognized by the great master. What do you think of him?"

Chen Xinggui, surrounded by a few others, smiled and said, "He acts very properly, like one of our official families' children. You know, the poor family's children who can enter the academy are all outstanding. Brother Yu, you share a dormitory with him, how can you not know his background?"

Yu Ziyu said, "I can only say that this kid has some skills, but being recognized by the inspector doesn't necessarily mean he has real talent."

Chen Xinggui laughed, "Brother Yu, you've been in the outer dormitory for three years without being promoted to the inner dormitory. Your family must be very dissatisfied. If this kid outperforms you in the monthly exam..."