Meet the Gentleman

Chapter 9: Four Halls of the Academy
Outside the thatched cottage.

More and more students came from far and wide, including students from poor families, students from noble families, and students from aristocratic families...

Of course, students from the north are also indispensable.

This made the originally deserted North Burial Road instantly become popular.

On the north and south banks of Lingshui, although students were chatting and laughing in groups of three or five, and it seemed chaotic, there was order in the chaos. Among the poor students, there would be no students from the aristocratic families mixed in, and in the circle of aristocratic students, there were few students from the aristocratic families.

When some students passed by the thatched cottage, they were slightly stunned when they saw Feng Qingyan kneeling among the children.

This scene is really a bit incongruous. I always feel that the person shouldn't sit inside.

"Why is this person in the morning hall?"

Some students were surprised and couldn't understand, and said in confusion: "Look at his white clothes as white as snow, straight as a pine tree, and outstanding demeanor, he can't be a child."

"indeed."

The students nearby nodded, some of them also didn't understand.

"Oh, don't be fooled by his appearance, he is actually a layman who can't read a single word." A young man came over and said with some ridicule. It was the young man who shouted, "He looks like he is dressed in white like snow and looks very handsome, but he is just pretending to be innocent and seeking fame."

Several students were slightly stunned. They didn't expect there would be such a person.

"How abominable!"

A young and energetic student couldn't help but said angrily.

"It's really hateful." The young man who shouted nodded and said, "A few days ago, I was drinking with a few good friends who were also studying. This person saw that we were all disciples of the nobles, so in order to make friends with us, he came up with a plan and pretended to be passing by. We saw that this person seemed extraordinary, so we invited him to drink with us, but who knew that he was an illiterate commoner who couldn't read a single word..."

"I didn't expect there would be such a shameless person."

The young and energetic student couldn't help but stare and asked curiously: "What's next?"

"After being exposed by us, we humiliated him and then kicked him out of the building." The young man who was shouting laughed, "After being humiliated by us, he was at his wit's end and fled in disgrace. How could he still be so detached from the world?"

"Okay, that's how it should be!"

The young and energetic student shouted, and said to the young man who was shouting, "Fortunately, you exposed his ugly face, otherwise I would have been deceived by him."

"I just can't tolerate any sand in my eyes."

The young man who shouted just smiled and left, looking nonchalant.

"Baji, he has no grudge against you, but you are spreading rumors and ruining his reputation behind his back." Fu Lin happened to be nearby and saw everything. When he saw the young man walking away from the crowd, he quickly walked up to him and pointed at him, scolding him, "How could you do this?"

"He's just an illiterate commoner, how could I make trouble out of him?"

The young man known as Baji was immediately displeased when he saw Fu Lin helping an outsider. He asked, "Zizhi, for the sake of an outsider, you actually disregarded our years of friendship and reprimanded me in person?"

"It is precisely because of our years of friendship that I don't want to see you go astray, otherwise I would have exposed you on the spot." Fu Lin sighed.

"I went astray? How did I go astray?"

Che Gai pointed at himself, his face gradually darkened, and he said angrily: "Then should I thank you for showing mercy and not exposing my rumor-mongering? I, Che Gai, am just a coward, and you, Fu Zizhi, are a kind-hearted gentleman, okay?"

"Baji, I didn't expect you to be so stubborn. I really misjudged you."

When Fu Lin saw the angry Che Gai, he suddenly felt a sense of strangeness. Was this still his friend of many years? But no matter what, he hoped that his friend would turn back from his wrong path and not make the same mistake again.

"Humph!"

Che Gai left angrily.

Fu Lin was stunned for a moment when he saw Che Gai walking away. At this moment, he was reflecting on himself, thinking that maybe he shouldn't have accused him directly, as it was too embarrassing.

……

Inside the thatched cottage.

Feng Qingyan knelt in front of a sand table that was more than two feet in size, practicing calligraphy seriously with the children, and paid no attention to anything outside the window.

He has a solid foundation from his previous life, so naturally his handwriting will not be bad.

The whole morning passed in practicing calligraphy.

Among the 81 Confucian academies, each has four halls: spring, summer, autumn and winter.

Among them, Chuntang, which is the morning hall, is open to anyone for free, but it only teaches the most basic reading and writing. It is a preschool education for young children and classes are only held in the morning. Each person can only study for one year.

This is also the reason why Feng Qingyan was not driven away but entered the morning hall instead.

As for Xiatang, it is also an elementary school, but a little more difficult than Chuntang. It mainly focuses on reading and writing, and students are required to pay a tuition fee before they can enter.

Qiutang is for young people, who mainly study easier classics such as poetry and calligraphy, and need to send a gift of tuition.

In the winter hall, one learns benevolence, righteousness and propriety, and needs to send a gift of tuition.

The academy opened four classes in spring, summer, autumn and winter to accept students from all over the country, mainly to show that Confucianism teaches everyone, as long as you are willing to learn, you will all be taught.

However, the four classes of spring, summer, autumn and winter are not opened inside the academy, but outside the academy, and are only affiliated with the academy.

The students in the four halls are not disciples of the academy.

When Feng Qingyan came out of the morning hall, he felt some young students pointing and talking at him, as if they were surprised that he was still learning to read in the morning hall when he was an adult.

He ignored it and walked towards his cabin.

When I returned to the wooden house, I saw a dull man and a woman looking around standing respectfully in front of the house. They both looked to be in their early thirties.

When Feng Qingyan was surprised, he saw the woman gestured to the dull man.

But the man was scratching his head and didn't dare to come forward, so the woman had to take two steps forward and asked cautiously: "Excuse me, are you the owner of your house?"

"It's my humble abode." Feng Qingyan was a little confused.

"May I ask your name, sir?" the woman asked again.

"My surname is Feng, my given name is Qingyan. I wonder what you two want from me?" Feng Qingyan asked as he looked at them, feeling even more surprised.

"The maidservant Zhang and my husband Chen Niu pay their respects to you, my lord."

The woman pulled the taciturn man to kneel down and salute.

Feng Qingyan was stunned, and quickly took two steps forward to help the two people up, explaining: "Please stand up quickly, I'm afraid you have recognized the wrong person."

"If you are the master of this noble house, it would not be wrong to give your surname as Feng," said the woman.

At this time, Feng Qingyan frowned, feeling even more puzzled, and said, "I am the owner of this humble abode, and my surname is also Feng, but I do not know you two, is there any misunderstanding?"

"Please know, my dear, I and my husband are from an honest family in Bocheng. I am a cook and I am a coachman..." The woman began to narrate slowly, "Yesterday, a nobleman in the city paid a large sum of money to let me take care of your daily life and let me drive for you..."

……

(End of this chapter)