"Another opportunist!"
Zhu Anshi looked at the self-recommendation card handed over by the academy's assistant. He didn't even reach out to take it, as if he had encountered something extremely disgusting.
He was close to forty years old, but his qualifications and knowledge were not lacking. He had relied on his own talents to walk the right path, so he was especially repulsed by people like Zhang Yu who had taken the path of self-recommendation.
Liu Guang smiled, took the name card, and dismissed the somewhat awkward helper. He held the recommendation card in his hand and read it carefully. He said, "I can't tell his background from here."
Zhu Anshi looked as if he had already expected this. He said, "People who come from unorthodox backgrounds are all like this."
The self-recommendation card should have listed his master's teachings, where he had studied in the past, and what achievements he had in his specialization. However, this recommendation card had nothing other than the most basic information: his name, place of birth, age, and specialization. This meant that the person who had come was likely to have studied privately, or perhaps he had come from an unorthodox background.
Liu Guang said, "I feel that the person who came this time is not that simple."
He then handed the card to Xin Yao, who was beside him. This outstanding and beautiful female teacher took the card and looked at it. She adjusted the glasses on her delicate nose and said calmly, "It doesn't matter what his background is. We just need to debate him."
Liu Guang looked at Zhu Anshi and said, "That's right. Since the academy has arranged for the three of us to be in charge of this matter, then we will only be in charge of the academic matters. We don't need to care about anything else."
Zhu Anshi said with a serious expression, "I won't let this kind of person pass." He looked at the card again. "Let him wait for now."
After Zhang Yu entered Taiyang Academy, he was led by an assistant to a guest hall and sat down. The academy didn't make things difficult for him in this aspect. They even served him a cup of hot tea.
While waiting, he was also thinking about it. Since he studied ancient natural history, if nothing unexpected happened, the academy would probably arrange for a teacher who specialized in the same field to debate with him.
However, this kind of knowledge required a long time to accumulate. Most of the people who were successful were old and held high positions in the academy. Such a person would not come to argue with him because of his status. If things went wrong, he would be suspected of suppressing the younger generation. Therefore, the person he had to face this time was very likely to be a teacher of the younger generation.
This was more advantageous to him.
This was because "rhyme" itself was just a technique, not some extraordinary ability. For those older scholars with rich experience, its usefulness was limited.
Their knowledge was usually complete, and they had a deep understanding of people and the world. Their minds were not easily shaken, just like the black-clothed student outside the door. Even though he was affected at first, he immediately recovered after self-mediation.
On the other hand, most of the young teachers had an emotional side. They were motivated and could accept new ideas and theories. However, they were also easily influenced by the outside world. Once their emotions took over, they would lose their rational judgment.
However, no one from the academy came for a long time. When the tea turned cold, no one came to change it. It was as if they had forgotten about him.
Zhang Yu did not mind. This was a common method to wear down his spirit. This method in itself showed a kind of opposing emotion. It was beneficial for him to grasp the psychology of the other party.
He sat there and adjusted his breath. He had a pill with him. It would be fine even if he spent a few days and nights here. In reality, it would not be because the academy still cared about its reputation. Moreover, if they forced him to leave and spread the news outside, wouldn't it show that the academy was afraid of him?
Sure enough, after only half a day, an assistant came to invite him and told him some things he should pay attention to.
He memorized it carefully and did not ignore the small details. If possible, he should try his best to avoid making mistakes.
Following the assistant, he walked along an arc-shaped corridor and entered a large circular building.
Before he came, he did his homework. This should be the "Zhen Li Hall" for young students to debate and preach. It was divided into two halls. The front was low and the back was high. In the middle, there was a ramp that started from the ground and gradually extended upward. People could directly enter the circular hall.
The assistant stood in front of the hall and said, "Sir, just walk in."
After Zhang Yu thanked him, he walked along the ramp. However, he quickly realized that something was wrong.
The layout of the space here was very unique. Anyone who walked in from the outside would have to face the gazes of the people inside the hall from above. Moreover, the solemn atmosphere around them would create a great deal of pressure.
In this way, regardless of whether they took the initiative or not, the people standing inside the hall would unconsciously feel superior.
This kind of top-down conversation was not what he wanted.
After the other party placed themselves too high, it would not be easy to listen to other people's opinions. It was also not conducive to his next plan. Therefore, he had to find a way to break the other party's psychological advantage.
After thinking about it, he walked a few more steps and stopped.
In the Zhen Li Hall, Zhu Anshi was sitting at the highest point in the middle. His face was serious and his hair was meticulously combed. Liu Guang and Xin Yao were sitting on the left and right respectively. Their expressions were relatively natural and calm.
However, when Zhang Yu walked up the ramp, they also saw his near-perfect appearance from a distance. Their hearts trembled and they could not help but think of the portraits of immortals hanging in the academy.
At this moment, the three of them saw Zhang Yu suddenly stand there without moving. They were astonished. At first, they thought that he had stage fright. However, they soon realized that something was wrong. They saw Zhang Yu put his palms together and clasped them in the direction of the Zhen Li Hall's entrance.
Zhu Anshi and the other two were able to become teachers of the academy. Naturally, their own knowledge could not be faked. From Zhang Yu's position and actions, they could tell that this was a "greeting" ceremony. It was an ancient Tianxia ceremony.
In ancient times, when sages bowed to each other, the visitor would stand in front of the door and bow to show respect. Only when the host returned the greeting would they enter. Later on, it became the ceremony of visiting a school.
Although this ceremony was rarely used nowadays, and very few people had even heard of it. However, since Zhang Yu had done it, they had no choice but to respond. As teachers of ancient natural history, if they were ridiculed for not even knowing the ancient Tianxia ceremony, what right did they have to sit here?
Therefore, the three of them quickly stood up and returned the greeting.
However, Zhang Yu's actions did not end there. After the greeting, he straightened his body and continued to walk forward. When he was near the entrance, he clasped his hands again. Then, he continued to walk forward until he reached the center of the hall. He parted his sleeves, clasped his hands, and clasped them again!
These few salutes were solemn, dignified, and respectful. In addition, when he walked over, he paused with each step and the sound of his jade pendant. The three of them suddenly felt a brilliant Tianxia wind blowing in their faces!
For a moment, they felt that the person across from them was not a student who had come to recommend himself, but a famous scholar who had come to visit a school.
They could see that this was another of the ancient Xia ceremonies. Helpless, they could only step up from their seats and stand at the same level as Zhang Yu, solemnly returning the greeting.
With this exchange of greetings, the relationship between the two sides underwent a subtle change. Originally, the three of them had been on the same side, but now, they seemed to be on equal footing.
Zhu Anshi now realized that Zhang Yu was not simple and put away his contempt. At the same time, he began to reflect. Had he been too prejudiced?
He returned to his original seat, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Gentleman Zhang, may I ask who your teacher is?"
Zhang Yu calmly replied, "Teacher calls himself Tao Sheng." This was indeed the teacher who had taught him the most basic knowledge of literature and etiquette. Without this teacher, his later studies would have been much more difficult.
The three of them had never heard of this name, but since this person knew about the ancient ceremonies of Tianxia, it was extremely likely that he was one of the first batch of guilty officials to arrive with the protectorate army, so he had used an alias.
Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of him, Zhu Anshi continued, "Gentleman Zhang has met us today with the etiquette of an ancient sage. Could it be that you wish to preach about the Ancient Xia classics?"
Zhang Yu raised his head. He knew that the crucial moment had arrived.
The study of ancient natural history covered an extremely wide range of subjects. Everyone had their own areas of expertise. While these three people in front of him had areas where they were better than him, there were also areas where they were inferior.
But knowledge was something that sometimes gave one the right to speak.
If the academy, in order to protect its reputation, was bent on not letting him pass, then there was no need to refute him. All they needed to do was to prove that what he had learned was worthless and of no practical value to the protectorate.
For example, the Ancient Xia classics that Zhu Anshi spoke of had long since become a dusty old room covered in cobwebs. Very few people would delve into it. Even if he could come up with some profound theories, he would only win a few cheers. It was impossible for the academy to make an exception for him.
But sometimes, he didn't need to follow the path that others had planned for him.
He looked at the three people in front of him and said, "That's not it. This student didn't come here to preach about knowledge in front of everyone. Rather, I have a proposal that concerns the safety of the protectorate!"
Upon hearing these words, Zhu Anshi's brows furrowed. The respect that had just risen in his heart for Zhang Yu immediately vanished without a trace. Even Liu Guang and Xin Yao were surprised.
What was a proposal? Simply put, it was a useful opinion on the administration of the Commissar.
But how could these things be understood just by reading a few articles?
Even if it was a student or teacher from Taiyang Academy, if they didn't have any experience, they wouldn't be able to take up a post in the protectorate's administration. They would first have to go to a town to work as an administrative official for a few years and gain some experience before being placed in a suitable position.
How could a young man who had never been an official talk about proposals? And what was there to talk about?
Liu Guang could feel that Zhang Yu's voice had a persuasive force, so he said to Zhu Anshi and Xin Yao, "Gentleman Zhang's voice is bright and imposing. Perhaps he really does have some great proposal that would benefit the protectorate. I would like to hear it."
Xin Yao stared at Zhang Yu without blinking. She pushed up her glasses and said, "I agree."
Even though Zhu Anshi didn't believe that a young man like Zhang Yu had the ability to give advice, his imposing voice made him feel that there was no harm in listening. Thus, he cupped his hands and asked, "Gentleman Zhang, may I ask what this proposal is?"
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