Chương 77

Ye Mingze turned his head and snickered as if he had heard some ridiculous joke: “Go with them? I’m going to the Imperial Academy to study! I don’t have that much free time to accompany them!”

Ye Chutang’s lips curled into a smile: “Yes, coincidentally, they two plan to enroll in the Imperial Academy today. I was actually worried that since they’ve never been there before, they wouldn’t know where to go at all, but now that you’ve fully recovered and also need to resume your studies, it would be much more reassuring if you could guide them.”

“What?”

Ye Mingze thought he must have heard wrong.

“Them two? Enrolling in the Imperial Academy?”

He looked down on Ye Chutang with disdain: “You don’t know what that place is at all, do you? Really think anyone can just enter there?”

The Imperial Academy is fundamentally different from ordinary academies; those qualified to enter are either exceptionally outstanding students or children of high-ranking officials and nobles.

Just relying on Ye Jingyan and Ye Yunfeng… without their father’s help, it would be as impossible for them to get into the Imperial Academy as it is to climb to the heavens!

At that moment, footsteps approached from behind them.

Ye Chutang turned around to see Ye Jingyan and Ye Yunfeng already ready, walking towards them.

Both of them were carrying bookcases on their backs.

Ye Jingyan’s bookcase was neatly packed with pens, ink, paper, and inkstones, while Ye Yunfeng’s was clearly empty; one could even hear the few items inside clanging together as they walked.

Ye Chutang: “…”

She always knew she couldn’t rely on Yunfeng for studying.

“Sister!”

Although Ye Yunfeng wasn’t interested in studying, he was quite curious about the Imperial Academy. He heard that there were teachers who taught riding and archery there, so he had specifically changed into a suit suitable for such activities today.

Ye Chutang looked at Ye Jingyan.

She knew in her heart that Jingyan had longed for this day for a long time, but even now, his handsome and refined face remained calm. Only a faint glint in his eyes revealed that his mood was not as tranquil as it seemed on the surface.

After all, he was still just a boy under fourteen.

Ye Chutang waved at them: “You’ve come just in time; Mingze also needs to go back to class today. If you go together, you’ll have each other’s company.”

Ye Yunfeng glanced at Ye Mingze and a strange, teasing smile appeared on his face: “Oh, you’ve recovered so quickly?”

“You!”

Ye Mingze detested when anyone brought up this matter; it always made him feel as timid as a mouse, utterly embarrassing!

Annoyed, he laughed instead: “Don’t you think that just because you have some money, you can enter the Imperial Academy?”

A few days ago, he heard from the servants that Ye Chutang had asked their father for two bookcases, and their father even gave them a considerable amount of silver, saying that since Ye Jingyan and his brother were returning to the capital, they would inevitably need money for their studies in the future.

Looking at the brand-new pear blossom yellow wooden bookcases on their backs, Ye Mingze sneered: “The deal hasn’t even been finalized yet, and you’ve already bought such expensive bookcases?”

Ye Jingyan似乎 a bit surprised by his words. He pursed his lips and said, “Cousin, you’ve misunderstood. Actually, at first, Ah Feng and I just planned to use the old bookcases we had before. But then I thought about it again; everyone in the capital knows that we have now joined Second Uncle’s faction. If we used something too shabby, it might make people think that Second Uncle is unwilling to spend money on us brothers, which would damage Second Uncle’s reputation.”

Ye Mingze felt a tightness in his chest.

Ye Yunfeng rolled his eyes silently in his heart.

How dare he say such things to mock him and his brother? You know, just a few days ago, he had to search almost half of the capital before he finally found these two most expensive bookcases!

How exhausting it was to carry them back!

Since it involved their own father, Ye Mingze naturally didn’t dare to speak carelessly anymore. He frowned and said, “Even so, there’s no need to be so extravagant! Even in the Imperial Academy, not everyone uses such fine items, let alone the ordinary schools you’re going to!”

Ye Jingyan asked curiously, “What do you mean by that, cousin? Ah Feng and I are also going to the Imperial Academy.”

“Just you two?” Ye Mingze laughed heartily. “What kind of daydreams are you having! How could you possibly be qualified to go to the Imperial Academy—”

Ye Chutang smiled slightly.

“I wonder if the recommendations from the Chief Academic Officer are enough to qualify us?”

Ye Mingze’s laughter suddenly stopped, and a look of deep disbelief appeared in his eyes.

“What did you say?!”

……

The Imperial Academy.

The morning sunlight poured down, casting shadows of the trees in the courtyard, and the sound of reading echoed through the air.

An old man with completely white hair approached slowly, his wrinkled face showing a rare gentle smile.

Several teaching assistants who were about to start their classes met him and bowed respectfully with clasped hands.

“We pay our respects to the Chief Academic Officer.”

Tang Zhongli waved his hand and said with a smile, “There’s no need for such formalities.”

The teaching assistants exchanged looks among themselves.

The Chief Academic Officer was usually strict and serious, never smiling. Why was he different today?

One of them dared to ask, “Chief Academic Officer, have you encountered some happy event today?”

Tang Zhongli stroked his beard and said modestly, “It’s not really a happy event, but today there are two students coming.”

Students?

Normally, the enrollment period for the Imperial Academy is in January. It’s already May now; how could there be students coming suddenly—

Moreover, even if there were students coming, why would he be so happy?

“New students enrolling? I wonder which family they come from?”

They hadn’t heard any rumors about it before.

Tang Zhongli shook his head: No, not that kind of students. But they are from ordinary families, yet they have considerable talent and have only recently come to the capital to study.

The men exchanged looks among themselves.

Tang Zhongli was a great scholar of his time, with many students throughout the land, and he was extremely proud and picky in his choices.

To be praised by him like this meant that these students must be rare talents.

They all became incredibly curious at once.

Bỗng nhiên, một người trong số họ chợt nhớ ra điều gì đó và hỏi: “Chắc không phải là… cậu thiếu niên mà chúng ta đã gặp năm ngoái ở huyện Yanping chứ?”

Tang Zhongli cuối cùng không nhịn được nữa mà bật cười ha hả: “Đúng rồi! Chính là cậu ấy! Em trai cậu ấy cũng cùng tuổi với cậu ấy, vì vậy họ đã cùng nhau nhập học!”

Những người khác nghe vậy cũng đều hiểu ra.

Họ thực sự còn nhớ chuyện đó.

Năm ngoái, mẹ của Tang Zhongli qua đời, anh ta trở về quê nhà để tang lễ. Trên đường, anh ta tình cờ gặp một cậu thiếu niên mới chỉ khoảng mười hai, mười ba tuổi và rất ngưỡng mộ cậu ấy.

Nghe nói lúc đó anh ta còn khuyên cậu thiếu niên đó nên đến kinh thành để học tập, nhưng thật không may gia đình cậu ấy khá khó khăn nên đã từ chối.

Tang Zhongli cảm thấy tiếc nuối vì điều đó trong thời gian dài, và sau khi trở lại kinh thành, anh ta vẫn thường xuyên nhắc đến chuyện đó.

Không ngờ… sau một năm, cậu thiếu niên ấy thực sự đã đến?

Chắc hẳn vị quan chức cao cấp này rất yêu mến cậu thiếu niên đó, nên mới cho phép cậu ấy cùng em trai mình nhập học tại Quốc Tử Giám?

Tang Zhongli thở dài: “Nếu anh trai đã xuất sắc như vậy, thì em trai chắc chắn cũng không kém cạnh đâu! Đúng rồi, lúc này họ hẳn đã sắp đến rồi, chúng ta hãy ra cửa xem thử có ai đến chưa!”

……

Chiếc xe ngựa dừng trước cổng Quốc Tử Giám.

Ye Mingze là người đầu tiên nhảy xuống xe, vẻ mặt còn hoài nghi.

Ye Jingyan theo sau ngay sau.

Ye Yunfeng đang chuẩn bị xuống xe thì bị Ye Chutang kéo lại.

“Ah Feng, khi vào Quốc Tử Giám, con phải đọc sách nhiều hơn, lắng nghe giảng bài nhiều hơn, và nói ít đi, hiểu chứ?”

Ye Chutang giơ ngón tay lên.

“Ít nhất là phải kiên trì trong một tháng.”