Chapter 5: Nishan Academy Inherits the Master's Teachings

  Nishan Academy is the most famous academy in Jiangnan. The principal of this academy, Shen Ao Feng, was originally a companion reader for the previous emperor when he was young. After the previous emperor ascended to the throne, he wanted to promote his childhood friend, but unexpectedly, Shen Ao Feng politely declined and instead went to Suzhou to open Nishan Academy, upholding Confucius' teachings and devoting himself to teaching and educating people.

  The former emperor saw this and knew that his good friend's mind was made up, so he spent a huge amount of money to help Mr. Shen establish the Nishan Book Academy.

  The academy is located in the south of Suzhou City. In the summer, this place is picturesque and pleasant, making it an ideal place for self-cultivation and spiritual growth. The sound of reading can be heard in the bamboo forest, or the sweet sound of silk and bamboo instruments, accompanied by the lush greenery of the mountains, truly a paradise on earth. However, now is the middle of winter, and everything looks barren and desolate. Most students at this academy come from all over the country, far away from home. Mr. Shen sympathizes with these young people who left their homes at a tender age, thinking that they must be deeply missed by their families. Therefore, he let them go on vacation early. Those with wealthy families would send servants to pick them up, while those from poor families would stay in Suzhou for the holiday under the care of the academy's principal. All expenses for food and gifts were borne by the academy, so students didn't have to spend a single penny.

  This mountain academy also recruits students extremely strictly, regardless of wealth and prestige, only looking at academic achievements and character. Even if it's a poor family background, as long as they have real talent and learning, after passing the academy's exam, they can stay here to study. Those with poor family backgrounds and outstanding academic achievements not only exempt from all tuition fees, but also receive a considerable amount of subsidies every month.

  The former emperor had granted Nishan Academy a thousand hectares of good land, which was used to meet the daily needs of the academy. Moreover, although there were many large and small academies in Suzhou, few had received imperial favor like Nishan Academy. The local gentry in Suzhou city took pride in being associated with Nishan Academy, and every year they would send a large amount of gold and silver, which was also a way of currying favor with the former emperor.

  After the death of the previous emperor, the current emperor personally visited the academy when he arrived in Jiangnan and bestowed a plaque. Those officials who can mix in the official circles of Jiangnan are not all clever people? After seeing the emperor's actions, they became even more fawning towards Mr. Shen. Looking at the two dynasties, Nishan Academy has produced many successful candidates for the imperial examination since the previous emperor ascended to the throne, and most of them were young men from humble families. Therefore, among the young scholars in Jiangnan today, who does not think that studying at Nishan Academy is a good idea? Apart from having enough food and clothing, they can also receive guidance from famous teachers.

  Lin Zhiyuan returned to Suzhou yesterday and, in front of the clan elder and other members of the Lin family, paid his respects to the ancestors of the Lin family and formally took over the family business of Lin Ruhai's branch. Ever since he received Lin Ruhai's secret letter and rushed to Yangzhou, he had not expected that this Flower Lantern would already be a candle in the wind, nor did he expect that this uncle of the Lin family would come up with the idea of letting him take on the responsibility of two families alone.

  Lin Zhiyuan thought back and it seemed like everything was just a dream, but he didn't know whether that past life was a dream or this present life.

  He was originally just a middle school teacher, spending his days with the children, and although the students were a bit mischievous, it was also delightful to see them grow up day by day. The salary wasn't much, but it was enough for this bachelor's expenses. That noon break, he lay on the stone bench in the campus corridor, savoring "Dream of the Red Chamber", and unknowingly fell asleep, only to wake up as a five-year-old child.

  Lin Zhiyuan has great determination. In his past life, his parents had passed away early on and he didn't have any attachments. Since heaven arranged for him to come to this world in this lifetime, he couldn't waste this good opportunity.

  At that time, he did not know what era it was, only knowing that his surname was still Lin, and coincidentally had the same name as in his previous life. His father had passed away a few days ago, leaving behind his widowed mother to raise him alone.

  Later, as he grew older, he discovered that his uncle was Lin Ruhai, which shocked him greatly. His mother did not want to mention past events and always urged him to study hard to fulfill the unfulfilled wishes of his father. Lin Ruhai would often bring gifts for his mother from Yangzhou, but although she accepted them, she never reciprocated or showed a good face, only secretly wiping away tears when no one was around.

  Lin Zhiyuan, having lived for two lifetimes, how could he not understand his mother's intentions? She must have resented the malicious thoughts of Old Lady Lin, which led to her husband's early death. However, she did not want to offend her second brother, Lin Ruhai, who was then the Salt Control Censor of Yangzhou and deeply favored by the Emperor. For the sake of her son's future, this mother could only force herself to put aside her resentment.

  Lin's mother had told Lin Zhiyuan many times to put down his hatred and resentment, so that he could walk further on the road of life. No matter what happened in the future or what difficulties he encountered, he would treat them as fallen leaves and flowers, and deal with them calmly.

  In his past life, Lin Zhiyuan lost his parents at a young age and had no relatives. In this life, he became even more dependent on his mother, sincerely treating her as the closest person to him. He saw how his mother went to ask the head of the Lin clan for help so that he could attend school; he saw how she worked hard to save money for their family's future, despite being a woman with limited means. His mother didn't want people to say that they were merchants and thus affect her son's future prospects, so even when they made money, she would give it away to the villagers to repair bridges and roads, and during festivals, she would donate porridge and rice, doing many good deeds.

  Perhaps due to overwork, Lin's mother was not in good health. Lin Zhiyuan pitied his mother and wanted to take over the family business himself, but he was severely scolded by his mother and knelt for three days and three nights in front of the ancestral tablet. Lin Zhiyuan had no choice but to secretly manage his own business without telling his mother.

  Three years ago, his mother fell ill and never recovered. Knowing that her time was running out, her only wish was to see her son top the imperial examination and bring glory to their family. Lin's mother had always put her son first and never considered her own interests. She knew that if Zhiyuan passed the provincial exam, he would have to go to the capital for the spring exam the following year, and she couldn't afford to delay his future in any way. However, this loving mother still passed away that year.

  Zhiyuan thought of this, and his heart ached. His mother's last concern was that she had delayed her son's imperial examination by one year, and now he was spending three years mourning at home. He didn't care when he would take the exam, but his mother couldn't let go of her worries and left the world in sorrow.

  He walked towards the teacher's residence, thinking about his concerns, when he saw someone approaching from afar. "Lin, you've come to see Mr. Shen!" The speaker was Wei Huan, a student at the academy whose family lived in Dezhou and who didn't have enough money to return home for New Year's. Mr. Shen thought him a reliable young man and tasked him with explaining lessons to younger students who couldn't go home for the holidays during their free time, giving them some extra allowance each month.

  Lin Zhiyuan nodded his head: "So it's Wei Shidi!" As soon as he saw that Wei Huan was carrying a bamboo basket, Lin knew that he had gone to the Yasha in the back mountain to copy books. These poor students rarely had spare money to buy books, but they were all book lovers. Mr. Shen had built a library in the back mountain, where he stored all sorts of books from around the world. On ordinary days, it was available for students to read and copy, as long as they didn't take them out.

  Next year, Wei Huan will participate in the autumn examination. Although it is said to be next year, it is actually only 7 or 8 months away. This is a critical moment and he must study hard. Unfortunately, most of the old masters at the academy have returned to their hometowns to reunite with their families. The ones left behind are just some servants who do chores. Even if Wei Huan has difficulties, he doesn't know who to ask for help. He dare not disturb Mr. Shen, but coincidentally, he runs into Lin Zhiyuan, one of Mr. Shen's favorite students, and thinks that asking him would be the same.

  Wei Huan said: "It's been a long time since I've seen you come to visit, Master. You must be at home diligently studying and reading hard in preparation for the imperial examination next spring?"

  Lin Zhiyuan smiled slightly: "There's no time to warm up at home! Something happened at home and I had to take care of it, so I didn't come for some time. Just now, I've just returned to Suzhou and came to see you, sir."

  Wei Huan took a glance and saw that the person was dusty and tired, with a look of fatigue: "Then I won't disturb Shixiong anymore. If Shixiong has some free time, please come to guide me on my homework!"

  "It's not worth arguing about, let's just learn from each other!" Lin Zhiyuan said a few more words to Wei Huan and then hastily walked towards the backyard. From afar, he saw the gatekeeper coming up to bow, "Rich and noble son has seen Master Lin, the master is in the study. He had instructed me earlier that as soon as Master Lin arrives, I should invite him in!"

  Lin Zhiyuan followed the young servant into the study, where he saw his teacher slowly savoring "The Purple Light Letter". Zhiyuan bowed and greeted: "Teacher, student is back!"

  That young man had already withdrawn. Mr. Shen is now in his sixties, but he is still spirited and vigorous, it seems that Suzhou is also a good place to nourish people. Looking at the former emperor, who was about the same age as Mr. Shen, but has long since turned into a handful of yellow earth. Mr. Shen looked at his most satisfying student, although a bit haggard, but still in good spirits: "Is everything almost done?"

  "Yes, I have just paid respects to our ancestors in front of the Lin family's ancestral hall. The clan leader has revised the genealogy. Although I haven't been adopted under Second Uncle's name yet, I am now responsible for the future of both families. In the future, when I have children, one of them will also be adopted into Second Uncle's line!"

  "Mr. Shen closed the book in his hand: 'If I had to say, this person can't escape this fate, even if he doesn't have any offspring, what's the difference? In the end, won't everything turn to dust and dirt? Why bother with these worldly matters! I've told you before, this might not be a good thing. That Lin Ruhai, I've met him many times, he's someone who can make waves in the Jiangnan official circle, and the previous emperor trusted him especially. Since you've taken on this family business, it'll be hard to shake off from now on.'"

  "Master, I've taken over the Lin family's ancestral home and I must say that my father's early passing is also related to these things. Now that I've inherited the old mansion, I'm sure our ancestors and my father's spirit in heaven are at peace. Secondly, both my parents have passed away, and Jinyu has no close relatives left. Sometimes when I think about it, I feel lonely. With Second Uncle's poor health, there's only weak me left to rely on. In the future, even if it's just the two of us depending on each other, we'll still have someone to lean on and won't be considered lonely. Thirdly, my sister's in-laws are from the Rongguo Mansion in Beijing. I've heard that the place is so dirty that even the lions at the gate are cleaner. The thought of my little sister being trapped in such a filthy environment is unbearable for me."

  Mr. Shen heard this and stopped trying to persuade him: "Forget it, forget it, you've already made up your mind, offered sacrifices at the ancestral temple, and I have nothing more to say. Just, alas, I hope you won't delay another year of imperial examination for your second uncle!"