Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 21 The Complete Guide to Martial Arts

"Ziqin, let's go too!" Zhou An called out.

"Hmm!" Hai Simian nodded slightly.

"Young Master Hai, please wait!"

As the two exited the pavilion, a plump middle-aged man greeted them with a broad smile.

"I've heard that Young Master Hai's friend composed a timeless poem for Wangjiang Tower. Is it this young master?"

"It's him. May I ask who this is, Master Liu?" Hai Simian asked.

"How should this young master be addressed?" Master Liu asked Zhou An.

Zhou An cupped his hands and said, "My name is Zhou An, courtesy name Huaide!"

"Young Master Zhou, my Wangjiang Tower has always been missing a couplet. Would you be so kind as to complete the second line and leave your calligraphy behind?"

Master Liu smiled and said, "I will have it carved and hung outside the door. From now on, Young Master Zhou will not be charged when he comes to Wangjiang Tower!"

"Master Liu, there's still a bet to be made on this couplet, so we can't write the second line now!" Hai Simian said.

"Then I'll trouble you, Young Master Zhou, to write down the first line first, and then we can finish the second line after the bet is over, is that alright?" Master Liu asked.

"Don't you think the first line is better, Master Liu?" Zhou An asked with a smile.

Judging from the fact that Hai Simian did not directly refuse, this Liu Yuanwai's background is not simple either.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. As the premier restaurant in Nanjing, Wangjianglou was frequented by powerful and influential people.

If you don't have enough backing, how can you handle this?

Although the other party only promised to pay for his meals if he came to eat there in the future, Zhou An was determined to maximize his benefits since the couplet had already been presented.

Asking someone for money is ultimately not a good idea, and it's not easy to ask.

Giving it away for free so the other party can use it as a publicity stunt is also a way to indirectly make him famous.

Fame still plays a very important role, especially in ancient times.

Couplets and poems are ultimately different, and using couplets to gain fame won't cause too much trouble.

After a moment of thought, Master Liu's eyes lit up; he understood the implication in Zhou An's words.

However, all of this is predicated on the premise that Zhou An's couplets must be of a high standard.

"Then let's do as Young Master Zhou says!"

Master Liu said, "I'll have someone prepare writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones right away!"

"My handwriting is so-so, I won't embarrass myself by showing it off. As for the first line of the couplet, there were quite a few people here just now, Master Liu, you can ask someone else," Zhou An said, shaking his head.

"Very well, then let's not delay Young Master Zhou any longer. My previous promise is always valid. As long as Wangjiang Tower is open, Young Master Zhou can come anytime. No matter how many guests you invite, I will not charge you any money!" Master Liu said with a smile.

"Then I'll gladly accept!"

Zhou An had heard that as long as one could leave a poem on the pavilion path, one could get a free ride forever. He never expected to enjoy such treatment himself.

It has to be said that Master Liu is very good at business. He promised to give away free meals and even allowed people to bring their friends. If you run into someone shameless, he could bankrupt them.

However, those who leave poems on the pavilion path, even if they were originally unknown, can quickly become famous in Nanjing thanks to the publicity of Wangjiang Tower.

In this situation, it's actually less likely that the other party will come too often, let alone bring a large group of people every day.

After all, scholars care about their reputation, let alone after they become famous.

After leaving the restaurant and getting into the carriage, the two fell into silence.

"Ziqin, that day..."

Zhou An explained why he went to paint the boat.

"I see!"

Hai Simian suddenly realized that Zhou An was not that kind of person.

"Why is Ziqin so averse to that kind of place?" Zhou An asked, puzzled.

There were literati who disliked brothels, but it was also very common for literati to visit them.

People who dislike brothels have never denigrated them; at most, they simply avoid them themselves.

Even if the Hai family had an ancestral rule against taking concubines, it had nothing to do with going to brothels.

Hai Simian lowered his head upon hearing this, and Zhou An, seeing this, said, "I'm sorry for being so presumptuous!"

"It's nothing!"

Hai Simian said with a complicated expression, "The Hai family has an ancestral rule that a Hai family son can only take a concubine if he has no son by the age of forty!"

My father had a crush on a courtesan, but due to family rules, he kept her hidden away.

My mother was in poor health at the time, and she passed away not long after the family found out about this.

"Family scandals should not be aired in public; outsiders are unaware of this matter!"

Zhou An opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

"You don't need to blame yourself!"

Hai Si forced a smile and said, "Actually, I know that my mother's death wasn't directly related to this matter. My mother's health was already failing at the time, but I've always had a thorn in my side."

"normal!"

Zhou An nodded in understanding, but didn't know how to comfort him.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore!"

Hai Simian laughed and said, "Fei Guang is like a fly, very annoying. He is also my classmate, and we see each other all the time. There is no way to avoid him."

"Now you've won! He's too ashamed to stay in Dormitory C!"

"Will he keep his promise?" Zhou An asked.

Hai Simian had previously introduced Jinling Academy to him, which was divided into four colleges: Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding. Each college was further divided into three dormitories: upper, middle, and lower.

Among them, the A and B colleges had students who had passed the imperial examinations, while the C and D colleges had students who entered the academy through tests.

"Yes, it will!"

Hai Simian smiled and said, "If he doesn't keep his promise, we'll ridicule him several times a day from now on, and he won't have the face to stay here!"

"That's good then." Zhou An nodded with a smile.

"You don't need to worry. His father is just a prefectural judge. He's nothing in Jinling City and wouldn't dare to do anything reckless!" Hai Simian said.

"I know."

Zhou An laughed and said, "I'm not from Jinling either, so there's nothing to be afraid of."

Hai Simian said that the position of Vice Prefect of Jinling was nothing, not because the Hai family did not respect Fei Guang's father.

Because Jinling was still the seat of a circuit, there were quite a few officials with higher rank and more power than the Tongpan (assistant prefect).

…………

The next day, Zhou An went to Jinling Academy with Hai Simian and officially began his studies there.

As Hai Simian had guessed, Fei Guang did not stay in Bing Shang She, but was transferred to Ding Yuan.

Zhou An was then placed in Fei Guang's original position.

Jinling Academy was indeed much better than Qinghe County School in terms of teaching.

They not only taught the mainstream Confucian classics such as the Four Books and Five Classics, but also books written by some great Confucian scholars in history.

They even taught "The Essentials of Military Strategy" and "The Laws of Zhou".

When teaching the Zhou Code, some cases from the Zhou Dynasty calendar years are also used as teaching materials.

Many people have a misconception that the ancient imperial examinations only required testing knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics.

Actually, that's not the case. The imperial examinations of the Great Zhou Dynasty not only tested the Four Books and Five Classics, but also the Zhou Laws.

After all, the imperial examination was for selecting officials. How could one become an official if one didn't even know the laws of the country?

As for the "Complete Essentials of Military Classics," we must mention the current political landscape of the court.

The Great Zhou Dynasty valued civil affairs over military matters, and the army still practiced a separation of soldiers and generals.

If troops are mobilized, two supervisors, a civil official and a eunuch, will be appointed.

When civil officials and military officers disagree, civil officials have the right to directly take over the army.

This was a rule established at the beginning of the nation's founding, but as time went on, civil officials, nominally serving as military supervisors, were in fact already the highest commanders of the army.

Many scholars simply don't understand military affairs. They can't even command an army in battle, let alone know how to set up camp during a march.