APSIL -Chapter 149 Books Are Only Truly Read When Borrowed

The moment Zhang Shou finished speaking, both Ge Yong and Chu Ying turned to look at Zhou Xun, the Director of the Imperial Academy.

Zhou Xun’s expression immediately darkened.

None of the other academy officials dared to speak. Only Vice Director Luo forced a smile and, out of loyalty to his superior, awkwardly explained, “Grand Tutor Ge, you know how it’s always been. Students of the Imperial Academy have always been expected to provide their own textbooks…”

Before he could finish, Ge Yong suddenly turned and fixed him with a gaze dripping with ridicule.

The rest of Luo’s words died in his throat.

At that moment, Zhang Shou calmly continued, “Some of you once received books from my teacher outside the Ge residence. Those books came from the bookstore that printed his new works, and they sold them to my teacher at almost cost price.”

“In fact, there are still kind-hearted bookstores willing to supply these books at very low prices.”

As the true owner of that so-called kind-hearted bookstore, Lu Sanlang raised an eyebrow.

I’d happily provide every single textbook for free, he thought.

But Zhang Shou simply refuses.

Only then did Zhang Shou raise his voice.

“We do not provide the books required for classes at the Hall of Nine Chapters—we lend them to you.”

“It is not because the Imperial Academy lacks money.”

“Nor because the court lacks money.”

“There is only one reason.”

“Books are only truly read when they are borrowed.”

The moment those words were spoken, Ge Yong immediately withdrew the hostile glare he had aimed at Vice Director Luo and instead frowned in confusion.

Chu Ying also knitted his brows and muttered, “‘Books are only truly read when they’re borrowed?’ What kind of strange logic is that?”

Over the past few days, Zhang Shou had thoroughly studied the Founding Emperor’s collected poems and essays to avoid accidentally quoting something that already existed.

Seeing the academy officials exchanging puzzled looks while the students remained completely bewildered, he confidently continued.

“Books are only truly read when they are borrowed. The imperial libraries and the great collections belong to the Son of Heaven—but how many emperors truly read them? Wealthy families fill entire rooms with books—but how many among them truly study? As for those books accumulated by grandfathers only to be discarded by later generations, there is no need even to mention them.”

Originally, Zhang Shou had intended to omit Yuan Mei’s remarks about the emperor’s collection.

But considering that the emperor seemed broad-minded, and that removing those lines would greatly diminish the passage’s impact—not to mention his own ulterior motive—he decided to quote it almost verbatim.

Then he continued.

“Nor is this true only of books. Everything under Heaven is the same. When something belongs to another and is merely borrowed, one constantly fears that its owner may reclaim it. Thus one treasures it day and night, saying, ‘It is here today, but tomorrow it may be gone, and I shall never see it again.’ But if it already belongs to oneself, it is often bundled away and stored on a shelf, with the thought, ‘I’ll look at it another day.'”

After a brief pause, he slowly declared, “These were once my teacher’s teachings to me. Today, I pass them on to all of you, exactly as I received them.”

Ge Yong froze.

Fortunately, this wasn’t the first time Zhang Shou had casually attributed something to him, so the old master somehow maintained a calm expression.

Especially when he noticed Qi Jingshan and Chu Ying both looking toward him.

Inside, however, he was in agony.

He wanted to deny this sudden layer of undeserved glory that Zhang Shou had plastered onto him.

But publicly contradicting his own disciple would only embarrass Zhang Shou.

In the end…

He endured it.

More importantly…

The words Zhang Shou had just spoken actually made an astonishing amount of sense.

Seeing Ge Yong tacitly accept the credit, Zhang Shou grew even bolder.

“My teacher once lamented that, in his youth, he saw the General Collection of Ancient and Modern Works in the imperial library and begged to borrow it, only to be refused. After returning home, he dreamed about it night after night because he desired it so intensely.”

“Because of that, whenever he had the chance to read something, he memorized as much as possible.”

“Later, after entering official service, his salary gradually turned into books. Shelves overflowed with them, dust and silverfish gathered upon the scrolls, and only then did he truly understand how much more devoted a borrower was—and how precious those youthful years had been.”

Now countless eyes turned toward Ge Yong.

The academy officials looked at him with admiration.

The students’ eyes were filled with reverence.

He could only continue pretending.

At the same time, however, he couldn’t help feeling astonished.

When he had been young, his grandfather had once taken him into the palace.

He had been fortunate enough to glimpse the General Collection of Ancient and Modern Works—a place even Grand Secretaries rarely entered.

Back then he had desperately wanted to borrow a book.

Even though Emperor Yingzong greatly favored the Ge family, permission had still been denied.

He had regretted it for years.

Only after becoming Imperial Tutor, when nearly every volume outside the restricted archives became available to him, had that burning desire to read gradually faded.

He really had told Zhang Shou that story.

He simply hadn’t expected the boy to remember it.

Knowing that everyone present was capable of reading mathematical classics as difficult as the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Arts, Zhang Shou saw no need to simplify the passage into ordinary language.

Instead, he summarized directly.

“So it is with these books.”

“And so it will be with every more advanced mathematical text you study in the future.”

“They are all lent to you.”

“If, after finishing your studies, the books remain in good condition, you will pay nothing.”

“But if you fail to cherish them and they are damaged, you must compensate for the loss.”

“I ask only one thing.”

“May every borrower study with wholehearted devotion.”

“I hope every one of you truly lives up to those five words.”

Qi Jingshan finally turned toward Ge Yong.

“Brother Ge, if Zhang Shou hadn’t used such an original lesson to instruct the students, I’d never have known you’d written such a remarkable essay.”

Chu Ying snorted.

“Hmph. Always hiding your best work.”

Then, though somewhat unwillingly, he added, “It’s as if you’re afraid people might forget you were a seven-time first-place scholar, always delivering lengthy lectures to educate everyone.”

I’m more wronged than Dou E!

Ge Yong nearly exploded inside.

Yet beside him, Zhou Xun, Vice Director Luo, and the other academy officials were all showering him with praise.

Meanwhile, after Zhang Shou’s lecture, the students answered in perfect unison, promising to treasure the books.

That diluted much of Ge Yong’s frustration.

Still…

He silently made up his mind.

Later, he was absolutely going to give Zhang Shou a thorough scolding.

What kind of final disciple casually credited every profound saying to his teacher without even discussing it beforehand?

Once the students had fully accepted the idea of borrowing textbooks, Zhang Shou introduced another rule.

“Mathematics differs from the classics and history.”

“You won’t be writing endless essays.”

“You’ll be solving endless exercises.”

“Although these exercises could eventually be printed by a bookstore, my teacher hasn’t completely organized them yet.”

“I’ve copied many of them by hand.”

“So whenever you need problem sets, you’ll simply copy them yourselves.”

“This will also become part of the morning routine organized by Dormitory Head Lu Sanlang and Qi Liang.”

Even now, Zhang Shou still remembered his own school days, when supplies had been scarce.

His teachers’ favorite method of assigning homework had been writing an entire blackboard full of problems for students to copy into their notebooks before going home.

As for whether Lu Sanlang, exhausted after a while, would eventually stop having everyone copy the questions and simply dictate them instead…

That wasn’t his concern.

Seeing everyone once again looking toward him, Ge Yong immediately snorted.

“Mathematics requires practice.”

“Copying each problem by hand helps memory and understanding.”

“Zhang Shou’s method is excellent.”

“Since he’s occupied teaching at Banshan Hall every morning, having Lu Sanlang and little Qi organize the exercises is the perfect solution.”

Just then, however, one academy official suddenly spoke.

“But according to Doctor Zhang, they’ll be solving an enormous number of problems.”

“That means they’ll need an enormous amount of paper.”

“Books are expensive in the capital…”

“But paper isn’t cheap either.”

Before Ge Yong could answer, Zhang Shou spoke first.

“When we recruited students for the Hall of Nine Chapters, the Shuntian Prefecture collected nearly two thousand examination papers.”

“Almost all of them were written on fine-quality paper.”

“If they’re simply left to rot in storage, that would be a terrible waste.”

“So I’ve already reached an agreement with Prefect Wang.”

“Part of the discarded examination papers will be donated to the civilian academies throughout the capital.”

“Their students can use the blank spaces for calligraphy practice.”

“The remainder will be sent here to the Hall of Nine Chapters.”

“You may use them for calculations.”

“In the future, I’ll also have Banshan Hall collect used paper with writing on only one side.”

“Every scrap can be reused for mathematical work.”

Hearing this, Zhou Xun—who had repeatedly refused Zhang Shou’s requests for funding, rice stipends, and textbooks—felt extremely conflicted.

As for the other academy officials…

They felt far worse.

They had gossiped behind Zhang Shou’s back.

Mocked him for asking for money.

Waited eagerly to see him fail.

Who could have imagined…

He had already prepared solutions for every single problem.

“Excellent!”

This time even Chu Ying couldn’t help applauding.

“Making use of waste.”

“Lending books instead of giving them away.”

“Everything you’ve done perfectly embodies the Founding Emperor’s cherished principle of frugality during the Imperial Academy’s earliest days.”

Then he shot Ge Yong a jealous sideways glance.

“Old Ge, your luck is incredible.”

“Not only is Zhang Shou extraordinarily talented…”

“He even knows how to teach.”

Ge Yong snorted proudly.

“That’s because I have good judgment.”

Naturally, he wasn’t about to admit that he had spent months in the countryside without ever meeting Zhang Shou, left in anger, and only later ended up with a self-taught disciple who had become an outstanding teacher.

Watching Zhang Shou speak confidently from the lectern, he suddenly felt…

Old.

His youngest disciple was already teaching students.

How could that not make him feel his age?

Just then, a timid voice sounded behind him.

“Grand Tutor Ge…”

“May we sit in and listen to Teacher’s lesson?”

Ge Yong turned around.

Only then did he discover that the Third Prince and Fourth Prince had somehow squeezed into the hall.

The two boys stood there eagerly looking at him.

Instinctively, Ge Yong asked, “Weren’t you supposed to return to the palace this afternoon for your lessons on the Four Books? Why aren’t you back already?”

Unlike the timid Third Prince, the Fourth Prince immediately answered.

“Father heard that the Hall of Nine Chapters was reopening today.”

“So he specially gave us the afternoon off!”

“We’ll go back tonight instead.”

Seeing Ge Yong looking troubled, the Fourth Prince paid no attention whatsoever.

He rushed forward and grabbed Ge Yong’s sleeve tightly.

“Grand Tutor Ge, please!”

“Go ask Father!”

“Third Brother and I want to stay and attend more classes!”

“As for the Four Books, we’ll make them up after we return to the palace!”

They’re so young…

Isn’t spending this much time studying a little too much?

Ge Yong felt a splitting headache coming on.

Before he could even answer, however, the Fourth Prince grabbed the Third Prince’s hand, and the two boys quietly slipped into the Hall of Nine Chapters.

A step too late to stop them, Ge Yong opened his mouth before finally giving up with a helpless sigh.

“Forget it.”

“Let them enjoy themselves for a while.”

“Since Zhang Shou says the pace will be extremely fast, they probably won’t be able to keep up or understand anything.”

“When that happens…”

“They’ll naturally go back.”