Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 17 On the Debate Between the Gentleman and the Petty Man

After Zhou An's actions, Kang He didn't bother him again the next day.

The trouble he feared didn't happen, and Zhou An was relieved.

That morning, Hai Simian took a car to the house rented by Zhou An and picked him up to go to Jinling Academy.

On the way, I introduced him to some information about Jinling Academy.

Jinling Academy was a prefectural school, and only those who passed the provincial examination and were under the age of twenty from Jiangning Prefecture were qualified to enter it.

However, there are always exceptions. As the best academy in Jiangning Prefecture and also the best academy in Jiangnan East Road, wealthy and powerful people would naturally try every means to send their children there to study.

Because it was a government-run academy, the tuition fees were very low for eligible students, and it also required financial support from some powerful and influential people.

However, in order to prevent a large number of spoiled young men from entering, a rule was established.

Those who do not meet the requirements and wish to study at the academy must pass a test.

This test is neither particularly difficult nor easy.

Of course, not everyone is qualified to participate in the test; one's family must have a certain status and position to qualify.

Even if you pass the test, you still have to pay a considerable tuition fee.

Today, the academy has more than 500 students and nearly 70 teachers.

In addition to the teachers, the academy also invites renowned scholars to give lectures to the students.

After listening, Zhou An asked, "Ziqin, how much tuition do I need to pay after passing the test?"

Lu Wang didn't tell him any of this, because Zhou An was worried that he didn't have enough money with him.

"Huai De, do you know who the first headmaster of Jinling Academy was?"

Haisi smiled and said, "He is my great-great-grandfather! You are just a temporary student, so you don't need tuition."

After a moment's thought, Zhou An understood Hai Simian's meaning. His great-grandfather was responsible for establishing Jinling Academy and served as its first academic director.

Now that his grandfather is the head of the academy, it can be said that the Jinling Academy has always been managed by the Hai family.

The test is to silence others; waiving tuition fees is still acceptable.

The carriage stopped outside Jinling Academy, and Zhou An and Hai Simian got off.

The academy was very grand, with a plaque hanging above the gate that read "Jinling Academy".

A couplet also hangs on both sides.

There are roads and diligence in the mountain of books, and there is no end to learn to work hard.

This is a famous couplet by Han Yu on scholarship, and it is quite fitting to hang it at the entrance of the academy.

Let's go!

Hai Simian led Zhou An into the academy. Inside the gate, in the courtyard, stood a huge stone with the four characters "Ning Jing Zhi Yuan" (meaning "Tranquility Leads to Far-Reaching Vision") engraved on it.

"The plaques and couplets of the academy, including the words on this stone, were all written by my great-grandfather," Hai Simian said with a smile.

"No wonder the calligraphy is so beautiful; it was written by Hai Xiang!" Zhou An exclaimed.

The fact that the Hai family had five members who served in the Hanlin Academy does not mean that there were five people serving in the Hanlin Academy at the same time.

The meaning is the same as "four generations of three dukes," referring to the fact that the Hai family has produced five Hanlin scholars since the founding of the dynasty.

Although the rank of Hanlin scholars was not high, they were promoted very quickly after leaving the Hanlin Academy.

Of the five Hanlin scholars produced by the Hai family, not counting the one currently serving in the Hanlin Academy, the other four produced one prime minister, one vice prime minister, and two ministers.

The only member of the Hai family to have served as prime minister was Hai Simian's great-grandfather, who was also the founder of Jinling Academy.

Hai Simian introduced the layout of the academy along the way, leading Zhou An to a courtyard.

"Master Xu, Si Mian requests an audience!" Hai Si Mian bowed respectfully outside the door.

"Come in!" came an old voice from inside the house.

Hai Simian led Zhou An into the house, where they saw an elderly man with silver hair sitting cross-legged behind a desk on the left.

"Who is this?"

When Master Xu saw Zhou An, he put down his book and asked with some confusion.

"Reporting to Master, this is Zhou An, courtesy name Huaide, who wishes to study at the academy for a period of time!" Hai Simian replied.

"Zhou An, a junior student, greets Master Xu!" Zhou An bowed respectfully.

"Hmm."

Master Xu glanced at Zhou An and said, "Since you want to study at the academy, you must abide by the academy's rules. Ziqin, take him next door and let me give him a question."

"yes!"

Hai Si reluctantly agreed and led Zhou An out of the room and into the next room.

The room was furnished with several tables and desks, and the shelves along the wall held writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

"This is where you'll be tested. You can choose the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones from the bookshelf yourself."

Hai Simian said, "The test will begin soon, so hurry up and make your selection."

Zhou An nodded and went to the bookshelf to choose some books.

The writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on the bookshelf were all very ordinary; the only thing worth choosing was the writing brushes.

Everyone has different requirements for the thickness of the brush handle. Although the brushes on the shelf are all of standard size, there are subtle differences in thickness.

Zhou An chose a brush that suited his hand, checked the bristles, and finding no problems, then randomly selected an ink stick, paper, and inkstone.

"If you need assistance, I can take you there now. The test will start soon, and you can't leave until you've finished answering the questions!" Hai Simian reminded him.

"No."

Zhou An had no urge to urinate and shook his head.

"I've told you everything you need to know about the test. The test only lasts two hours; I'll come pick you up shortly!"

"Thank you for your hard work, Ziqin!"

"No need to be so polite. I have great respect for Instructor Lu, and I hope you won't let him down!"

Hai Si smiled and said, "You grind the ink first!"

"Um!"

Zhou An lowered his head to grind ink, but his mind was on Hai Simian's words.

Judging from Hai Xiuyuan and Hai Simian's attitudes, Lu Wang doesn't seem to be as simple as he appears.

However, while studying at the county school in Qinghe County, he did not hear any news about Lu Wang's past.

Zhou An had always thought that Lu Wang was just a minor official who had failed to achieve his ambitions. After all, Lu Wang was not young and was only a seventh-rank instructor.

Thinking about it carefully now, Lu Wang must have served as an official for quite a long time. Even if he was frustrated and unsuccessful, he must have served in quite a few places over the years.

It's impossible that you wouldn't hear any news from the academy.

At this moment, Master Xu walked in with a folded piece of paper in his hand.

Zhou An, without giving it much thought, put down the inkstone, stood up, and bowed: "Greetings, Master Xu!"

"This is the test question. Ziqin should have already told you everything else, so I won't waste my breath."

Master Xu handed the test questions to Zhou An, saying, "There's someone guarding outside. If you finish early, you can call him!"

"yes!"

Zhou An accepted the exam questions with both hands.

"Ziqin, let's go!"

Master Xu left with Hai Siqin, and the servant at the door closed the door.

Zhou An sat down, unfolded the paper, and began to look at the exam questions.

—On the debate between a gentleman and a petty person.

Zhou An looked thoughtful. There have been countless discussions about the difference between a gentleman and a petty person since ancient times.

"A gentleman understands righteousness; a petty person understands profit."

"A virtuous person is always at ease, while a petty person is always anxious."

……

There are countless examples of this kind of saying in Confucian classics.

In addition, Zhou An also thought of Wei Zheng's "On Gentlemen and Petty Men" from the Tang Dynasty and Ouyang Xiu's "On Factions" from the present dynasty.

Although these ideas differ in their core concepts, they all revolve around the concepts of the virtuous and the petty.

This question is indeed not difficult.