Chapter 55

Fang Yun smiled, now Nunu was getting closer and closer to him.

"Nunu, why did you jump onto my car that day instead of choosing someone else's? There were several cars behind me," Fang Yun asked.

Nunu stretched out her little paw and pointed to a copy of "The Book of Rites" on the bookshelf.

Fang Yun glanced at it and said, "Right, I was reading 'The Book of Rites' in the car at that time. Did you hear my reading and think I was a good person, so you rushed over?"

Nunu nodded and looked at Fang Yun with a smile.

"It seems we have a great connection." Fang Yun reached out and gently scratched Nunu's neck.

Nunu immediately closed her eyes, enjoying it comfortably.

After lunch, the steward of the Fang family brought seven people, saying they were personally chosen by Lady Fang, all from Dahuang Prefecture with clear backgrounds, and asked Fang Yun to pick two as his attendants.

The seven people stood in the courtyard, their faces solemn, their bodies straight, and their eyes seemed to hide a knife. Yang Yuhuan didn't dare to get close.

Fang Yun walked back and forth in front of the seven people. Some of them had only one arm, some were blind in one eye, and some had injuries that were not obvious. They all looked like soldiers who had been forced to retire due to injuries.

The bodies of the students were originally much stronger than ordinary people. Once they practiced martial arts, they would quickly become experts. If they launched a surprise attack, even a scholar could be killed, but they couldn't stand up to a graduate, who could kill them with words.

Fang Yun said, "Since you were chosen by my aunt, you should mostly know each other. If you were to form a team and choose a captain, who would you choose?"

The other six people all looked at the middle-aged man with a missing arm. He wasn't strong, and even looked a bit honest, but his gaze was the most steady.

Fang Yun asked the man, "What's your name, and what positions did you hold in the army?"

"My name is Tan Yu. I served as a squad leader, a platoon leader, and a company captain. Later, I served as General Fang's personal guard. I retired three years ago due to injuries and have been working for the Fang family ever since." Tan Yu spoke slowly and clearly.

Fang Yun nodded.

In Jingguo, five people make a squad, three squads make a platoon, and fifty people make a company.

Company captains are usually scholars. A student who becomes a company captain is not ordinary. The next step up is a deputy officer of the ninth rank, a real official, but usually only scholars can serve in this position. Only a few students can become officers.

Fang Yun knew that he needed not just strong soldiers, but also someone experienced, intelligent, and knowledgeable.

Fang Yun looked at the steward and said, "Uncle Fang, I choose Brother Tan Yu first."

"Young Master indeed has a keen eye. One Tan Yu is worth four veterans," the steward said with praise.

Fang Yun then asked the remaining six people, "Who among you is the best fighter?"

"I am!" The strongest man stepped forward, and the others didn't object.

Fang Yun looked at him and saw no obvious problems with his body. "Why did you retire?"

"I had to fight sea monsters in Yuhai City, but prolonged contact with seawater caused me to develop a rash, which was very painful," the strong man said.

Fang Yun asked, "As my attendant, what do you think is the most important thing?"

"Protect Young Master Fang!"

"Good, what's your name?" Fang Yun asked.

"Nie Shi."

Fang Yun nodded and asked Tan Yu, "If you were to protect me, what weapon would be best for Nie Shi?"

Tan Yu said, "To kill enemies, my fast knife is enough. For protection, Nie Shi should be a shield soldier. However, he needs a good demon turtle shield, which is rare in the civilian world. If he uses an ordinary shield, it won't be as effective."

The steward said, "Young Master and the Master have collected many sea monster items, including at least twenty demon turtle shells. When the time comes, you can go with me to choose one. Tan Yu, your knife is just ordinary iron. You can choose a demon item from the house to be forged into a weapon, such as a demon bull horn or a demon shark tooth."

Fang Yun smiled and said, "Thank you, Uncle Fang, and thank my great-uncle and uncle for me."

"I've long felt that they have too many things. It's better to use them than let them mold. Lady Fang has already agreed. You can go and choose first, and I'll report to the Master afterward." The steward looked calm.

Fang Yun had been in Dahuang Prefecture for a long time and had a better understanding of the Fang family. This steward was the old master's childhood friend, who had fought alongside him and saved his life. He had even spanked the young Fang Shuye. Fang Shuye and his wife respected him greatly, and if the old master got angry, only he could calm him down.

"Alright, I choose Tan Yu and Nie Shi," Fang Yun said.

The steward said, "I will have the weapons made by the tenth. When you report to the Prefecture Academy, make sure to bring Tan Yu and Nie Shi. On the tenth, you must intimidate Liu Zicheng and not let him humiliate you. This will make him more restrained in the future. Tan Yu and Nie Shi have fought in battles. If they fight to the death, the Liu family's servants won't be a match, and they won't dare to fight."

Fang Yun said solemnly, "I will remember this."

"Good, let's go back. Tan Yu and Nie Shi will start as your attendants tomorrow."

After seeing off the steward, Fang Yun stood in the courtyard, thinking. Even the steward could see that Liu Zicheng would cause trouble on the tenth. It seemed that day wouldn't be smooth.

"Liu Zicheng, even with the protection of the Left Chancellor, wouldn't dare to act in the city. He can only do things to ruin my reputation. For now, I can only react passively. Once I become a scholar, I can take the initiative! The only problem is the Prefecture Academy's Dean Wei. If he breaks his face, he will be more troublesome than Liu Zich, after all, he is a sixth-rank official."

Fang Yun thought about how to deal with Dean Wei and walked into the house.

After lunch, Fang Yun continued to read, while Fang Da Niu kept receiving various invitations and calling cards, and constantly told people that Fang Yun was sick.

By evening, Fang Da Niu had received forty-three invitations and calling cards, all placed on Fang Yun's desk.

Some invited Fang Yun to dinner and socialize, some invited him to private literary gatherings, and some wanted him to teach their children.

Fang Yun kept flipping through them and finally saw a peculiar letter from a student.

The student criticized Fang Yun's poetry as worthless, saying his own poetry was the pride of Mingzhou, and that everyone else was blind. The student also said that if Fang Yun didn't visit his home to seek guidance, he would widely distribute letters in teahouses, literary gatherings, and academies, criticizing Fang Yun and exposing his works as vulgar.

Fang Yun shook his head and thought, "Scholars look down on each other and have narrow minds. However, the more they look down on others' poetry, the happier I am. The path of literary rank is about competing with countless scholars. The more such people there are, the less competition pressure I have, and I should thank him for voluntarily making way for us."

Invitations can be ignored, but not responding to invitations would be impolite. Fang Yun wrote some polite replies and had Fang Da Niu deliver them.

For the next two days, Fang Yun continued to pretend to be sick, constantly reading and practicing calligraphy.

On the second night, Fang Yun secretly went to the new house, chose his bedroom and study, and quietly returned under the cover of darkness.

On the third day, Fang Yun took the little fox to the Fang family school to teach, while the Fang family sent people to help him move.

When he arrived at the classroom, He Yutang told Fang Yun that Class A had moved to a larger room and added twenty new students. Ten of them had passed the exam and were sure to become students. The other ten were not bad, but each had a significant background and had to pay a thousand taels of silver per year.

One of the students was even recommended by a member of the royal family, likely a relative of a prince.

Fang Yun didn't mind this and even hoped to have more time to teach more people. He knew that if people who grew up learning "The Three-Character Classic," "The Fox Rhymes," and "The Pillow Book" gradually entered politics, then even if the Left Chancellor became a great scholar, he would be no match for him.

However, Fang Yun's time was limited, and becoming a scholar was his main goal. Teaching one class was his limit.

Today, Fang Yun didn't teach "The Fox Rhymes" but continued with "The Three-Character Classic."

The twenty new students, regardless of their background, were all obedient because their families had repeatedly warned them, and some even threatened them with family discipline.

Fang Yun studied hard for three consecutive days and felt his thinking was a bit blocked. As he explained "The Three-Character Classic" to the students, he gradually felt that the knowledge he had learned was being organized by an invisible force.

After finishing the class, Fang Yun felt refreshed.

"No wonder ancient sages taught their disciples. Passing on knowledge is one thing, but teaching is also a form of learning. If you can't express what you think you understand or what you think is correct, or if you can't teach it to others, it means you either misunderstood it or didn't understand it deeply enough. Some things are vaguely understood, but after teaching, they become clearer."

"Similarly, exchanging ideas with other scholars is equally important. No wonder the Ten Kingdoms have various private literary gatherings. Once I become a scholar, I must join an excellent literary society to listen, express, and debate, all of which can lead to improvement."

Although Fang Yun didn't teach "The Fox Rhymes" this time, the little fox still listened attentively, even more so than all the children.

After class, Fang Yun held the little fox and walked to the classroom, looking down and asking, "Did you understand my lesson?"

Nunu immediately nodded proudly three times, but each time more hesitantly. After the third nod, she shook her head lightly, unwillingly.

"You understood some but not all?"

Nunu nodded, looking a bit dejected.

"Don't worry, the more you listen, the more you will understand. In a while, you will be a student, Nunu."

"Ying ying! Ying ying!" Nunu was so happy to hear this that she snuggled into Fang Yun's arms affectionately.

After leaving the school, Fang Yun officially moved into the new house.

The house had three large courtyards and fifteen rooms, much more comfortable than his previous residence.

For the next few days, Fang Yun didn't go anywhere, only traveling between the school and the Fang family, buying books from bookstores and putting some in his study and some in the Book World.

Unconsciously, it was already the tenth of April, the day when the Prefecture Academy accepted outstanding students.

Dahuang Prefecture had one prefecture city and nine county cities. The top student from each county and the top five students from the prefecture city, a total of fourteen students, could enter the Prefecture Academy for three years of study.

Early in the morning, the people in the Fang family compound got up early, preparing everything for Fang Yun. At 6:30, a carriage took Fang Yun to the Prefecture Academy.

Fang Da Niu drove the carriage, with Tan Yu and Nie Shi on either side, one with a knife and one with a shield, making them very noticeable.

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