APSIL -Chapter 82 Braised Delicacies and a High Salary

Convincing a group of spoiled young nobles to transform back into diligent students and return to the Imperial Academy, where they could wave banners for their newly appointed teacher, didn’t seem particularly difficult to Zhang Shou.

Besides, now that he had been rewarded with the prestigious post of Guozi Boshi (Doctor of the Imperial Academy), it stood to reason that the others would receive rewards of their own. Naturally, they’d be more than willing to return to the capital and show their faces.

Once the thick smoke finally dispersed, Lu Sanlang’s bamboo cottage—now reeking of burnt wood and with every wall blackened by soot—was clearly uninhabitable.

Zhang Shou snorted.

“Lu Sanlang, come with me. You’ll stay in Shuibuxing Hall tonight. As for your room, you’ll renovate it tomorrow.”

He fixed the chubby youth with a stern look.

“If you want to become Zhaizhang (Dormitory Head), then set an example. Copy the Chicken and Rabbit in the Same Cage problem one hundred times.”

I could solve that problem with my eyes closed! Why should I copy it?

Lu Sanlang nearly burst into tears.

What irritated him even more was that Zhang Chen had somehow escaped punishment.

After dragging the miserable Lu Sanlang to Shuibuxing Hall, Zhang Shou waited until A-Liu shut the door, leaving the attendants outside.

The clever little fatty’s eyes immediately lit up.

“Little Teacher… did you want to talk to me about something?”

Zhang Shou fell silent for a moment before repeating, almost word for word, what the Grand Madam had once said to Zhu Er—that Minister Lu had always been one of the chief figures attacking the Duke of Zhao and his sons.

The cheerful, resilient Lu Sanlang instantly froze like a clay statue.

Although Zhang Shou could think of countless comforting words, he ultimately said none of them.

Lu Sanlang wasn’t someone like Zhang Chen, who had been spoiled since birth. Zhang Shou trusted that the boy nicknamed “Pig Head” had his own way of dealing with life.

“Heh… hehehe…”

Lu Sanlang suddenly laughed.

His eyes were already full of tears.

“So that’s how it is…”

“I wondered why Father was so confident I’d be able to win Zhu Ying’s heart.”

“It turns out… he just wanted me to play the fool!”

“I thought I’d fooled him…”

“In the end…”

“The fool was me.”

The final words came out almost as a strangled growl.

Afraid of crying openly, he squatted down and lowered his head.

Then he felt someone gently pat his head.

“Do you know what I told Zhu Er back then?”

Zhang Shou withdrew his hand, privately noting that the little fatty’s round head was surprisingly satisfying to pat.

“I told him, Even without his father, Lu Sanlang is still a mathematical genius. He even secretly runs bookstores and several other businesses. But what about you, Second Young Master?”

Lu Sanlang wiped his eyes vigorously and stood back up.

Smiling, Zhang Shou asked, “So… do you still want to become Zhaizhang?”

“Of course!”

Lu Sanlang snorted fiercely.

“The moment we return to the capital, I’m moving into the Imperial Academy dormitories!”

“The dormitories?” Zhang Shou blinked. “Those rooms are tiny—more like pigeonholes than living quarters. Are you sure you can stand it?”

“I’ll pay to renovate them!”

Lu Sanlang puffed out his chest.

“If I can renovate Cuiyun Residence, I can renovate the Academy dorms too!”

“I’ll convince Zhang Chen and all the others.”

“Don’t worry, Little Teacher.”

“How could I suffer there alone?”

“If there’s hardship, everyone shares it!”

“They dare laugh at me for being Pig Head?”

“Hmph! If I hadn’t spread the word, Zhang Chen and the others would’ve never come here to study in the first place—”

He suddenly clamped his mouth shut.

Oops.

He’d let something slip.

Zhang Shou had long guessed that Zhu Ying wasn’t solely responsible for attracting all these noble youths to Cuiyun Residence.

Lu Sanlang had definitely worked hard behind the scenes as well.

So he merely smiled.

“Very good.”

“Copy it two hundred times.”

Lu Sanlang’s face immediately collapsed.

Zhang Shou walked toward the door.

Just before leaving, he asked without turning around, “Oh, by the way.”

“Zhang Chen always calls you Lu Sanlang (Fat Lu Third), and everyone else follows suit.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask…”

“What’s your real name?”

It should have been a simple question.

Instead…

Silence.

When Zhang Shou turned around in confusion, he found Lu Sanlang looking even more miserable than when he’d learned his father had manipulated him.

“Little Teacher…”

“Do you really have to ask?”

“My name is exactly why I worked so hard to make everyone call me Lu San or Lu Sanlang instead.”

Seeing Zhang Shou’s puzzled expression, Lu Sanlang looked as though he were about to cry.

“When Father heard I’d been born, he casually gave me a name.”

“My name is Lu Zhu (陆筑).”

“What kind of name is that?”

“When people say it quickly…”

“It sounds exactly like Luzhu (卤煮)!”

“Braised stew!”

“It’s awkward, ugly, and impossible to listen to!”

“What kind of father names his son that?!”

Lu Zhu…

Luzhu…

Braised stew…

Honestly, the name itself wasn’t bad.

It only sounded funny because Lu Sanlang kept pronouncing it like the famous Beijing dish.

To preserve his dignity as a teacher, Zhang Shou forced himself to keep a perfectly straight face.

He simply nodded and left.

But the moment the curtain dropped behind him, the smile he had been suppressing exploded across his face.

Especially when he heard Lu Sanlang muttering quietly inside, “Little Teacher heard my name and didn’t laugh…”

“He’s such a good person.”

Since A-Liu was carrying the lantern, Zhang Shou had no choice but to continue maintaining his serious expression until they left the bamboo compound.

Only after reaching the main road beyond the panda-shaped screen wall did he finally burst into a grin.

Compared with sanctimonious hypocrites…

Children with ambition were infinitely more interesting.

Convincing Madam Wu to move to the capital turned out to be easy.

Zhang Shou knew her well.

She might endure waiting at home if he only spent a couple of days away.

But once she learned he’d be serving in the Imperial Academy and would rarely return…

She would never agree to stay behind.

Sure enough, after he mentioned it, she immediately nodded.

Then she raised another matter.

“A-Shou…”

“If we’re going to live in the capital with just the two of us, we’ll be terribly short-handed.”

“Why don’t you pick a couple of youngsters from the village and bring them along?”

“It’ll give them a chance at a better future.”

“Old Yang has already asked me several times.”

“Since Deng Xiaodai passed the clerk examination and Qi Liang passed the prefectural examination…”

“He hopes you’ll also help his two grandsons.”

Zhang Shou rubbed his forehead.

“Those two don’t even like studying.”

“What can I possibly do?”

Madam Wu shook her head.

“That’s not what I mean.”

“You don’t know.”

“Old Yang and the others took the newly harvested rice, vegetables, and dried goods to the capital.”

“They sold everything.”

“When they came back today, he immediately asked one of the Zhao Manor guards to escort him to the Linhai Camp.”

“He still hasn’t returned.”

“Although Commander Xiong left us those military horses…”

“Old Yang’s afraid they’ll eventually cause you trouble.”

“Using them occasionally to haul goods to the capital is fine.”

“But if we keep using military horses like that, they’ll be worn out.”

“And farming with them…”

“I doubt that was ever more than an excuse you made to Commander Xiong.”

“So…”

“If the Linhai Camp is willing to compensate the village at a fair price, thanks to the Zhao Manor’s influence…”

“He’s prepared to hand the horses over.”

“That way everyone benefits.”

“Every household will earn a little more cash.”

Zhang Shou fell silent.

Old Yang appeared obsessed with money, but in truth he had principles.

Unfortunately…

Neither of his grandsons had any talent for studying.

No amount of forcing would change that.

He sighed.

“Mother…”

“Our villagers are good people.”

“I know that.”

“But judging from things…”

“My salary as a mere Doctor of the Imperial Academy probably won’t even cover you, Uncle Liu, Aunt Liu, and A-Liu.”

“How am I supposed to support even more people?”

Because Consort Yu’s account of the past had been so tragic, Zhang Shou still hadn’t told Madam Wu that he already knew the truth of his birth, nor that the Zhao Manor’s years of support had likely been repayment for an old debt.

Madam Wu’s reply surprised him.

“Didn’t you say the position is Seventh Rank?”

“A Seventh-Rank official in the capital earns a good salary.”

“When I lived in the capital years ago, I heard about one of the Founding Emperor’s ancestral instructions.”

“The general idea was…”

“How can the salaries of our officials be lower than those of the Tang and Song?”

“You can’t expect horses to run while refusing to feed them grass.”

“Pay officials well to keep them honest.”

“If they’re still corrupt… kill them.”

Zhang Shou clicked his tongue in surprise.

He didn’t bother asking whether that ancestral instruction was still faithfully followed.

Obviously…

The generous salaries had remained.

As for the part about executing corrupt officials…

Heh.

The Imperial Academy itself had once resembled a comprehensive university, only to regress over time.

If even education could backslide, why couldn’t anti-corruption policies?

Still…

As someone about to become a civil servant himself, learning that the salary would likely be excellent came as a considerable relief.

He nodded readily.

“Then let’s do that.”

“When we go to the capital this time…”

“I’ll bring two more people with us.”

“But, Mother…”

“We’ll take things one step at a time.”

“Let’s not attract too much attention too quickly.”