Chapter 151

In the evening, Wei Shu and the others returned from the Academy, having already checked their rankings earlier.

They had even bought a lot of food on the way back, intending to celebrate.

Because this achievement wasn’t just Mu Er Pang’s, but also the glory of the entire academy!

From now on, whenever people mentioned Cuiwei, they wouldn’t just talk about the name of the academy.

They would know that a tittle with ‘Little Triple Excellence’ had emerged from the academy—achieving the title at the age of thirteen, after only starting to learn at ten.

No matter what, they would all hold a deep respect.

After learning about the results at noon, Shen Cui asked Ah Yao to buy groceries. Combined with the things the boys brought back, dinner was much richer than usual.

There were also several pots of fruit wine on the table.

Because of technical reasons, the alcohol content of the wine was not very high, and the fruit wine was even milder, mainly for women and children.

Lao Buyu used to say that fruit wine was like sweet water, not really considered alcohol.

But when it was time to eat, his eyes couldn’t help but glance at the fruit wine.

Shen Cui immediately understood and poured a cup for Lao Buyu, while he drank tea himself, saying, “I toast Master with a cup. Er Pang’s current achievements are all thanks to your careful cultivation.”

Lao Buyu happily raised his cup and drank, saying, “Headmaster Shen, you’re too kind. Han Shan’s achievements today are not just my merit, but also yours, and the collective efforts of everyone in the academy. I also have to thank Headmaster Shen for sending me such obedient, intelligent, and diligent students!”

With Shen Cui taking the lead, Mu Er Pang naturally had to toast him as well.

After this round, Lao Buyu also encouraged the others, “I’m in a good mood today, not just because Han Shan has achieved good results, but because his success is the result of our collective efforts. Don’t think too much about it.”

Mu Er Pang indeed held a different place in his heart, as he had guided him from the very beginning to where he was today.

However, the other boys in the academy were also his students.

Lao Buyu didn’t want them to feel neglected, so he explained this specially.

Wei Shu and Wei Xi were busy and said, “Master, no matter how you treat us, we all know in our hearts. Today, Han Shan’s achievement in the Triple Excellence not only makes you happy, but we are also genuinely proud!”

They all regarded Mu Er Pang as a brother, so they didn’t feel any jealousy or discontent, only joy for him!

As they spoke, everyone took turns to toast Lao Buyu.

Most of the remaining fruit wine ended up in Lao Buyu’s stomach.

In the midst of the drinking, Lao Buyu made a final speech, praising Mu Er Pang on one hand and warning him not to be complacent on the other.

Because he had drunk a bit, and he really cared about Mu Er Pang, Lao Buyu even used his own experience as an example, saying earnestly, “When I was young, I was praised for my exceptional talent and became arrogant, thinking that fame and success would come easily to me without much effort. I wasted many years in a daze. Even though I eventually passed the imperial examinations, I didn’t achieve much.”

As he recalled the past, Lao Buyu’s eyes became teary.

Others thought he had played around for ten years and still managed to pass the imperial examinations. What a glory and luck it was!

In fact, he was extremely upset back then, because the higher he went in the examinations, the more he realized the strength of his peers.

At that time, he regretted it so much. He knew that his talent was not inferior to others’, but because he neglected his studies, he was unable to perform well.

If he had been as diligent as his teacher expected him to be during those ten years, he could have shown his best side and competed for a better ranking!

The most regrettable thing in this world is probably the ‘I could have’ like this.

During the imperial examinations, he became more and more depressed, drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

He wrote a poem that got him reported, and he was directly reduced to a commoner.

Lao Buyu didn’t regret this matter much. After all, he didn’t like being restrained, and he didn’t think being an official suited him.

But the regret from before was deeply rooted.

After so many years, whenever he thought about it in the middle of the night, he felt terrible.

So, as he looked at Mu Er Pang, he spoke with particular emphasis, “You must take me as a warning, understand?”

Mu Er Pang immediately nodded and said, “Master, rest assured, I know that luck plays a part in achieving the Triple Excellence, but luck is not always present. Moreover, my classmates in the academy are all so outstanding and diligent. How could I dare to slack off? I will also remind myself not to be too concerned about gains and losses in the future, following the academy’s motto, ‘Do as you wish’… giving it your all, with a calm mind!”

Lao Buyu patted his shoulder comfortingly, his eyes reddening again.

Seeing that Lao Buyu was likely to lose control, Shen Cui quickly had the boys help him back to rest in the house.

Several people supported the half-drunk Lao Buyu, which was more than enough.

Mei Ruochu didn’t go with them but stayed behind to ask Shen Cui, ” Headmaster, are you planning to send Han Shan to the prefectural school next?”

Shen Cui naturally nodded, thinking that Mei Ruochu wouldn’t ask about this specifically, so he let him speak his mind.

Mei Ruochu explained the procedures for entering the prefectural school to her.

Firstly, official schools do not charge tuition fees, but there are two types of official schools: prefectural schools and county schools.

Scholars can enter either, with the larger official schools being preferred.

However, there are limited spots in prefectural schools.

Those who perform well in the examinations can secure a spot, while those with average results need to rely on personal connections, typically costing around twenty or thirty taels of silver.

Mu Er Pang had passed the preliminary examination, so he was already guaranteed a spot in the prefectural school, saving him a considerable sum of money.

Next, he needed two guarantors. One was to find a prefectural scholar to serve as a guarantor and pay a fee.

The other was a government-appointed guarantor, also requiring a fee.

Cuiwei Academy had no shortage of prefectural scholars, so they could skip the first step.

However, they still needed to pay the government’s guarantor fee.

Additionally, they needed to prepare some gifts for the professors and instructors at the prefectural school.

These gifts didn’t need to be expensive, usually tea, snacks, and alcohol, but they had to show respect.

There were also fees for the official seal, books, examination papers, and other miscellaneous expenses.

Since Mu Er Pang was a day student, he only needed to pay for accommodation.

These fees were also standard at county schools, but in the capital city, everything was more expensive.

Each fee started at one hundred wen.

Shen Cui was a bit stunned by the long list of fees, and she furrowed her brows, asking, “Why didn’t you mention these earlier?”

These fees were definitely not a big deal for Wei Shu and Wei Xi, so there was no need to mention them to her.

But Mei Ruochu had always been penniless.

When he first arrived at Cuiwei, even the gifts she brought were won at a lantern riddle competition.

Since they didn’t mention it before, Shen Cui had no idea about these numerous fees at the prefectural school.

“It was me who told Wei Shu not to mention them at the academy, not that they were deliberately trying to hide it,” Mei Ruochu said with a slight blush. “Headmaster doesn’t charge me for food and lodging at the academy, and even helps me with my transportation. I am already grateful beyond words. How could I ask you to spend money on me? I only brought it up now because Han Shan is entering the prefectural school, and I thought you might not be aware of these fees, so I wanted to inform you in advance to prepare some money.”

Shen Cui ignored his explanations and continued to ask how he had dealt with these fees before.

Since the conversation had reached this point, Mei Ruochu no longer concealed anything.

He explained, “Now that my luck has turned around, I can do many things without worry. When things were tough before, I could still set up a stall to write letters and documents for people. But now that my luck has improved, I have collaborated with some poetry societies and bookstores to help with editing, setting questions, and writing poetry… I have earned some remuneration, which I used to pay off some of the fees. With the subsidy from the prefectural scholar coming later, I am no longer in such a difficult situation.”

Mei Ruochu opened his purse and showed it to Shen Cui for inspection.

Shen Cui glanced at it and confirmed that there were several small silver ingots inside, which relieved her.

Mei Ruochu then tentatively said, “I have been completely open with Headmaster now, without hiding anything. Could I… pay for my food and lodging like Wei Shu and the others?”

So, after saying so much, she still had this idea in mind.

Shen Cui smiled and agreed!

Mei Ruochu’s face lit up with a smile, but then she heard Shen Cui explaining, “Since we need to calculate it clearly, let me do the math for you. In Ah Shu’s words, you guide them in their daily studies at the academy, equivalent to half a teacher, an assistant teacher in our academy. They pay ten taels of silver per month to him, so I should pay half to you. Besides, there are some miscellaneous tasks in the academy. You often say you’re old, but you used to do a lot of chores in Hongle, chopping wood and carrying water. You took on as many tasks as Ah Yao. So, I should also pay you a wage for miscellaneous work. Additionally, you help Er Pang with lesson plans and poetry topics, so I should pay you based on what the poetry societies and bookstores pay you. And as for acting as his guarantor, the fee you didn’t want to accept… After adding and subtracting all this, my arithmetic isn’t very good, but most likely, I’ll still have to pay you a little more.”

Mei Ruochu remained silent and hung his purse back on his waist.

Shen Cui smiled and said, “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. I collect money from Ah Shu and the others because their families don’t lack it. But you don’t have family support, and studying is the most expensive activity nowadays. In the future, as you climb higher step by step, save money yourself if you have it. If it’s not enough, let me know, don’t shoulder it alone. Hongle Headmaster is far away. When you are truly well known and rich in the future…”

Shen Cui paused, inexplicably thinking of the joke Zheng Shi told her when she returned to the county town earlier in the year, and continued with a smile, ” Just give me a heavy gold necklace. I’ll wear it around my neck every day. When people ask, I’ll say it was a gift from one of our successful students in the academy!”

Mei Ruochu laughed, his eyes and brows bending softly, and replied softly, “Okay.”