Using soft and hard tactics, pestering, and close combat... no matter how they fought, when Zhu Er came out of Principal Yue's yard, he was in high spirits and looked very contented.
As for Director Yue, although he realized during the negotiation that he had been fooled by Zhu Er, he could not refuse in front of a noble young man who was humble and sincere and did not hesitate to ask questions.
In other words, he could shirk his responsibility elsewhere, but he couldn't shirk his responsibility in this elegant residence specially built by the emperor to house the four of them. Because there might be spies sent by the emperor to secretly observe their words and deeds, and there might be spies sent by the other three heads of the mountain to spy on them. What's more, when he met Zhu Er, he happened to bring two students with him!
His original purpose was to let the students know that these children of nobles in the capital were uneducated and not to be feared. As a result, Zhu Er asked him to recommend students. If someone could effectively promote good varieties and high-quality seeds in Cangzhou, thereby making the fields productive, he would definitely recommend the corresponding person to the court and even be willing to write a letter as a guarantee. He then knew that he had miscalculated.
Sure enough, as soon as Zhu Er left, he saw the expectant expressions of the two students he had recommended that were hard to conceal.
Although Zhaoming Academy inevitably focuses on the imperial examination, it is not only difficult to pass the imperial examination in the Tang Dynasty, but also today. Although there are many people who pass the imperial examination in their twenties or thirties, there are more people who pass the imperial examination in their forties or fifties!
Even though Zhaoming Academy has a long-standing reputation in Guangdong, it does not mean that the students of Zhaoming Academy have reserved a place in the imperial examination. If this were the case, Zhaoming Academy would be criticized a lot.
As for the students that Yue Shanzhang brought with him this time, except for Fang Qing, a young and famous scholar, most of the others were scholars who had wasted a few subjects, and some were even unlucky people who had failed several provincial examinations. How could he block their path to advancement? Although some of the seniors in Zhaoming Academy were officials in the court, and even held high positions, it was impossible for them to bring people with them to teach by example.
Because this is taboo!
Therefore, Shanzhang Yue could only suppress his sigh in his heart and said to them earnestly: "You must not take this kind of rich family kid's humble appearance seriously. Be careful in everything, don't seek credit, but just avoid mistakes. Otherwise, if something happens in the future, he will throw you out as a scapegoat, which is really worrying..."
However, when Shanzhang Yue was instilling the idea of moderation to his students, the complacent Zhu Er walked out, happily thinking about another thing Zhang Shou had told him last night.
"As a son of a noble family, don't take it for granted that you are arrogant or even haughty. Of course, if you want to learn from a domineering young master like Zhang Chen, that's fine. You can be a little arrogant to young masters of the same or even slightly lower status, which can highlight your status; and be polite and courteous to the common people, which will show that you are a wealthy family without being arrogant, and others will have a better impression of the Zhu family."
“As for those who are talented, capable, and resourceful, you need to be sincere and patient, and make them feel that you are a wise leader who can be assisted… Of course, this method has little effect on those old hands who are slippery, but it is very effective for young people who are just starting out, or middle-aged people who have experienced many hardships.”