Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 147
Chapter 147 - Entering the Imperial Academy
The palace walls rose loftily.
Xie Shian stepped inside through a small side door on the eastern side of the palace gates. Following a young eunuch for a little over a quarter of an hour, he finally arrived at the Imperial Academy.
The Imperial Academy was a school established specifically for imperial princes and princesses. The children of various nobles and aristocrats were all permitted to enroll, while high-ranking ministers of prominent status were granted only a single quota per generation. Take the Yun family, for instance; as an illustrious, great clan, they were only entitled to send one child... As for households of slightly lower ranks, they could only rely on their children being exceptionally gifted and outstanding enough to enter the Imperial Academy and accompany these noble personages in their studies. As for commoners, they couldn't even dare to dream of it...
Xie Shian walked to the entrance of the classroom, and wherever his gaze fell, he saw either an imperial prince, the son of a prince, or the offspring of marquises and earls... His own background was the lowest here.
He stepped inside and was about to find a place to sit down.
A mocking voice rang out by his ear.
"Well, if it isn't Young Master Xie?"
Following the sound, he saw a gorgeously dressed individual walking right up to his front.
Although he hadn't laid eyes on many of the palace's nobles, one glance at this attire, this grand aura, and this tone immediately told him this had to be an imperial prince.
He cupped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
The person who had approached was the Sixth Prince.
With the top five princes now all grown up and holding crucial posts within the imperial court, the highest-ranking figure currently in the Imperial Academy was none of other than this Sixth Prince.
"Young Master Xie is quite something, becoming the top scorer of the provincial examination at such a tender age!" The Sixth Prince sneered. "It practically makes the rest of us look as thick-witted as pigs!"
The group of young nobles gathered around cast changed glances toward Xie Shian.
So this was that youngest provincial examination top scorer, the eldest young master of the Xie family. Every time they got scolded, their family elders always used this Young Master Xie as a benchmark for comparison.
Comparing oneself to others was truly enough to drive a person to exasperation!
Just because the capital had gained such an exceptionally talented individual, they didn't know how many whips they had suffered from the old patriarchs and fathers at home.
Inside the classroom, there was also a small, diminutive figure—it was the young lord of the Prince of Pingxi's Estate, Chu Hongyu.
Seated in the front row, he glanced over at Xie Shian, a sliver of jealousy welling up in his chest.
He wasn't envious of Xie Shian for scoring top of the examination; rather, he was envious that Xie Shian could openly and righteously call for Mother.
As soon as Xie Shian heard the person before him speak, he guessed in his heart that this must be the Sixth Prince. Lowering his gaze, he replied, "A minor provincial examination top scorer hardly signifies much. This humble person has long heard that Your Highness the Sixth Prince is exceptionally gifted in intellect and remarkably quick-witted, truly an elite among men."
The Sixth Prince dug into his ear. "What quick, what witted, what is that supposed to mean?"
A dissolute scoundrel standing nearby chimed in, "It means praising Your Highness the Sixth Prince for being smart."
"If you're going to praise someone, just praise them. Why use all these convoluted, literary phrases? Aren't you just trying to show off your own scholarship?" The Sixth Prince lifted his leg and rested his foot right atop a stool. "Since Young Master Xie reads so brilliantly, your shoe-shining skills must be top-notch as well. Come on, clean this boot for His Highness right now!"
A cluster of scoundrels nearby jeered and egged him on.
"Isn't the Xie family of humble scholarly roots? Young Master Xie must be quite used to doing chores like this."
"His Highness the Sixth Prince is letting you shine his shoes; that's your good fortune. Hurry up, make it quick!"
"Young Master Xie wouldn't dare refuse, would he?"
Xie Shian pressed his lips tightly together.
He had known that entering the Imperial Academy to study would inevitably bring people giving him a hard time, but he hadn't expected to be picked on right on his very first day—and forced to do something so humiliating.
The Sixth Prince held the highest status here; if he offended the Sixth Prince, he feared it would be exceedingly difficult for him to continue remaining in the Imperial Academy in the future.
Clenching his fingers tightly, he pressed his lips into a straight line and slowly began to bend at the waist.
Just at that moment, a clear voice rang out: "Sixth Imperial Brother."
It was the Eighth Prince walking over. Though only ten years old, he had already grown quite tall and stood upright like a green pine as he approached the Sixth Prince. "Young Master Xie's hands are meant for holding writing brushes, grinding ink, and composing essays. Such trivial matters as shining shoes—leave that to the eunuchs."
No sooner had his voice trailed off than the palace maid behind him stepped forward, extracting a handkerchief to wipe away a nonexistent speck of dust from the Sixth Prince's boot.
The Sixth Prince let out a cold snort.
This fellow surnamed Xie had a legitimate mother who belonged to the Yun family, and the Eighth Prince's birth mother also belonged to the Yun family—it was hardly surprising that they were sticking up for Xie Shian.
General Yun had just returned to the capital, parading before the Emperor's eyes day in and day out.
He would let it slide for today, but next time, when the Eighth Prince wasn't around, he'd see how he made Xie Shian look like a fool!
Just then, the Assistant Administrator of the Imperial Academy walked in, causing the classroom to instantly quiet down as everyone hurried to find their seats.
"All the senior students already know me, but the newcomers are likely seeing me for the first time, so I'll give a brief self-introduction," the Assistant Administrator stroked his beard and said. "My surname is Wang, and you may address me as Master Wang. From now on, I will be primarily responsible for your classroom life. I don't care whether those of you seated here are princes, commandery heirs, young marquises, or young earls; once you step through this door, you hold only a single identity—that of my students. If anyone attempts to throw their weight around with their status or bully others using their influence here, I'll have no choice but to submit a memorial directly before the Emperor's desk."
The Sixth Prince wore a look of utter disdain. This Master Wang did nothing but run off to complain to Imperial Father, writing a memorial over the most trivial matters imaginable. He truly couldn't fathom how Imperial Father managed to endure him.
"We'll dispense with the lengthy preamble," Master Wang continued. "Now, let me test the proficiency of the new students. I shall pose a few questions for you to answer."
There were over a dozen new students, and apart from Xie Shian, the rest were all scoundrels of noble birth.
The questions posed by the instructor at the outset were very simple, and basically everyone could answer them. As they progressed further, however, the number of people capable of answering shrank steadily, until finally, only Xie Shian remained who could still handle the instructor's difficult posers.
Chu Hongyu sat at his desk feeling rather dejected.
Z
He had only thoroughly memorized the Three-Character Classic and the Thousand-Character Classic; apart from those, he knew nothing at all.
Everyone else had spent three to five years studying at private academies before coming to the Imperial Academy, whereas he was sent here by his Prince Father at the tender age of four.
Xie Shian was so very, very brilliant that he truly made himself feel utterly foolish.
Gritting his teeth, he flipped open his book and began reading diligently while everyone else was still rubbernecking at the spectacle.
Master Wang was thoroughly satisfied with Xie Shian's performance. "Truly worthy of being the provincial examination top scorer; he indeed possesses genuine skill. Xie Shian, from now on you shall sit at the desk right next to His Highness the Sixth Prince. Your Highness the Sixth Prince, you must learn more from Xie Shian."
The Sixth Prince's complexion turned exceptionally unsightly. As a dignified imperial prince, being told to learn from a student of humble background—wouldn't that make people laugh their heads off if word got out?
He let out a cold snort and ignored the instructor's directive.
Having taught the Sixth Prince for three or four years already, Master Wang was naturally well aware of this Highness's temperament—unlearned, unskilled, and constantly stirring up trouble. Arranging for Xie Shian to sit right beside the Sixth Prince was done in the sole hope that the Sixth Prince might be influenced positively to some degree.
Once the morning roll call at the Imperial Academy concluded, everyone was dismissed to return home, with formal classes slated to officially commence at the start of September.
The moment the instructor departed, a crowd gathered closely around Xie Shian's desk. Among these young nobles were dissolute scoundrels, but naturally there were also earnest students dedicated to scholarship. Several youths holding book scrolls eagerly approached Xie Shian to discuss academic problems, and Xie Shian didn't hold back his knowledge either. Chatting away with these peers whose backgrounds far surpassed his own, both sides found the exchange thoroughly gratifying.
As a result of this, Xie Shian cultivated acquaintances with several heirs of lofty status.
He once again profoundly realized that a person must stand in high places in order to mingle with those dwelling in high places, and thereby ascend to the heights themselves...
Since he had come to the Imperial Academy, he was determined to firmly plant his footing here, make a name for himself, and ensure that the Xie family would never again be branded with the label of humble origins…