Scholar Xu nodded and stood up from the back. Looking around, he said in a solemn voice, "Today's interrogation will be conducted. No one is allowed to take notes, nor is it allowed to appear in the newspapers. Those who violate the rules will be removed from their positions."
Everyone raised their hands and bowed respectfully, expressing their obedience.
The middle-aged scholar had come to bear witness, so after he finished speaking, he gave his seat back to Qiu Xueling and withdrew himself.
Qiu Xueling walked up to the front stage and looked at Zhang Yu. His mouth began to emit a burst of strange syllables. In this ring-shaped hall, it seemed very loud and clear, and also very grand.
It was hard to imagine that his thin and weak body could emit such a loud sound. This actually made quite a few people present have a whole new level of respect for him. It seemed that this person was not as old as he had described.
Liu Guang knew that the instant Qiu Xueling spoke, he had already issued an examination. He saw a teacher and a teacher standing close to him talking to each other. They seemed to be analyzing which language Qiu Xueling was speaking.
His heart could not help but tighten. If even these knowledgeable teachers and teachers did not know what language this was, then would Zhang Yu be able to answer it?
After all, Zhang Yu wasn't very old. Even if he was proficient in the language of a certain tribe, that didn't mean that he was proficient in the language of all places.
When Zhang Yu heard this, he immediately determined that this was the language of a small and remote tribe to the north of Mount An.
The reason he knew this was because he just so happened to have come into contact with the natives of this tribe, but he was only able to say a few words.
He could clearly see that Qiu Xueling had studied this language for several decades and had accumulated a deep foundation. There was no way he could compare to him. Even if he were to answer now, this person could just switch to another language. There would always be a time when he wouldn't be able to answer, so he might as well not answer.
Seeing that he wasn't speaking, Qiu Xueling stroked his beard and switched to another language.
This time, the people present immediately recognized that this was the language of a native tribe in the middle reaches of Mount An. They could barely be considered close relatives to the An people. Even now, there were still a few tribes living in the depths of the mountains, relying on hunting and the fur trade for a living. Because of their frequent exchanges with the Protectorate, there were quite a few people who understood this tribe's language.
Zhang Yu, on the other hand, stood there with a calm expression. He still did not speak.
Next, Qiu Xueling switched to a few more languages. None of them were repeated. Not only that, his pronunciation was clear and rhythmic. It was obvious that people could hear the changes between the different languages.
Everyone present couldn't help but sigh with emotion. They felt that he was truly a knowledgeable native speaker. This was probably the only one in the protectorate.
Because no matter what he said, Zhang Yu remained silent, Qiu Xueling finally stopped. He said slowly, "Assistant Preceptor Zhang, I asked you so many questions just now, why didn't you answer? There must be a language you know, right? "
Zhang Yu said calmly, "Although Qiu Xueling asked a lot of questions, what does that have to do with the language I'm going to teach?"
"Questioning" was to test the knowledge that the preceptor or assistant preceptor originally possessed. However, the things you asked and the things I grasped were not the same things, so I had no need to pay attention to you.
Perhaps if other young assistants or preceptors stood here, they would be overwhelmed by the atmosphere Qiu Xueling had created. However, he did not have this psychological burden. Instead, he was quite confident.
Qiu Xueling made an "oh" sound as if he was slightly puzzled. Immediately, he revealed an apologetic expression. He said self-deprecatingly, "This old man didn't think it through. I'm old, I'm old. Assistant Preceptor Zhang, since you know the language of the Sturdy Claw tribe, then answer a simple question of mine." He seemed to ask casually, "In this tribe, how do they communicate with each other?"
When Zhang Yu heard these words, he raised his head slightly and glanced at Qiu Xueling. However, the other party's expression was very natural. He thought for a moment and then indicated to the distant assistant that he needed paper and brush.
After the assistant brought it over, he picked up the brush and wrote a few lines. Then, he had someone bring it up. He said to the stage, "My answers are all here."
Qiu Xueling took the paper from the assistant's hand and looked at it. When he saw the line of words on it, his pupils shrank imperceptibly. He pondered for a moment and then nimbly stuffed the paper into his sleeve. Then, he praised, "Assistant Preceptor Zhang is indeed knowledgeable." He looked at Preceptor Xu and said, "I think that today's questioning will end here."
Preceptor Xu was a little puzzled and said, "Is it okay?"
Qiu Xueling said with certainty, "There's no need to ask anymore. Assistant Preceptor Zhang is qualified for this position."
"This …" Preceptor Xu pondered for a moment. He was only sent by the academy to be a witness. He did not care about the specific process. Since Qiu Xueling said so, he would be responsible for anything that happened. It had nothing to do with him.
Therefore, he walked forward and said to the people below the hall, "The questioning is over. Assistant Preceptor Zhang, you have passed. You can go back."
Everyone in the circular hall was confused. They did not understand what had just happened. It did not seem like it had started. Why was it already over?
Many people could not help but feel disappointed. They felt that this questioning was a bit anticlimactic.
Zhang Yu did not seem surprised at all. He clasped his hands and walked out with a wave of his sleeves.
Qiu Xueling raised his eyes slightly and gave him a deep look.
When Zhang Yu reached the entrance of the hall, Liu Guang had already chased after him. He was also very confused about what had just happened. "Assistant Preceptor Zhang, what was the meaning of that just now?"
Zhang Yu said, "Let's change places to talk."
The two left Zhen Li Hall and walked to a secluded courtyard on the east side of the academy. There was a large lawn here and a few ancient broken stone pillars scattered around.
However, there were clearly people taking care of this place. Some places were even slightly renovated, giving the originally desolate scene a kind of broken beauty.
Liu Guang could not help but ask, "Assistant Preceptor Zhang, what did you write on that paper? Why did Qiu Xueling let you pass as soon as he saw it?"
Zhang Yu said, "It's actually very simple. I only wrote a paragraph of the Sturdy Claw tribe's language."
"Just like that?" Liu Guang felt that it was a bit unbelievable. "He let you pass just like that? Why? "
Zhang Yu said indifferently, "Because he didn't understand. No matter what he asked, I would say that I had already written it on the paper. He also understood this, so he did not ask any further. "
"Is that so?"
Liu Guang felt that this matter wasn't as simple as it seemed. But since Zhang Yu said so, and Shen Wen had already passed, there was no need for him to pursue the matter. He rubbed his forehead and said, "No matter what, I've finally gotten rid of this trouble."
Zhang Yu shook his head. "I'm afraid we still can't get rid of it."
Liu Guang was startled. "What do you mean?"
Zhang Yu looked into the distance, then turned back and said, "Preceptor Liu, just now in the hall, who do you think knows more about the native language between me and him?"
Liu Guang hesitated and said, "I think he seems to know more."
Zhang Yu nodded. "That's right. If even you think so, then those who came to watch the questioning should also think so. If Qiu Xueling mentioned to the academy that he wanted to participate in this exchange with the Sturdy Claw tribe, what do you think the academy's higher-ups would think?"
Liu Guang suddenly remembered that a confidant of the academy's higher-ups was also in the hall today.
Zhang Yu said with certainty, "So, Qiu Xueling's purpose today is not to interrogate, but to build momentum for himself through this interrogation. He wants to let the upper echelons of the academy feel that he is the authority in this area. I dare say that he will definitely intervene in this matter after this."
Liu Guang said mockingly, "He's already so old, yet he doesn't want to live out his remaining years. Instead, he wants to fight for power and profit. Why bother? Preceptor Zhang, can you handle it? "
Zhang Yu said, "Although it will be troublesome, at least when I teach the Sturdy Claw tribe's language, there won't be any problems. As for the future, we'll have to wait and see."
Liu Guang thought about it. No matter what, the matter in front of him had been dealt with. He cupped his hands and said, "Preceptor Zhang, I still have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first. If you encounter any trouble, you can come find me again."
Zhang Yu also cupped his hands and said politely, "Thank you for teaching me today, Preceptor Liu."
After Liu Guang left, he walked slowly in the courtyard. In fact, he had a suspicion that he did not mention to Liu Guang.
He had heard that Qiu Xueling was compiling a dictionary of the native language. This was very impressive. It meant that he had concluded a set of language rules that could be used within each tribe.
He also knew that some people had a very unique talent in languages. They only needed to know some key information between two languages to be able to grasp the way both sides communicated.
If Qiu Xueling was such a person, then his real purpose today was probably to secretly learn from here. But I can teach, but you can't steal! Therefore, he used words to answer the question and shut it up. Qiu Xueling should have seen his vigilance and knew that he could not get anything from him, so he simply left.
At this time, in Zhen Li Hall.
Qiu Xueling walked into a side hall. A handsome young man stood there and said respectfully, "Preceptor, did you learn anything?"
Qiu Xueling narrowed his eyes and said, "This young man is not simple. He might have seen through my intentions. This Sturdy Claw tribe's language is not any I have seen before. I'm afraid it's not the same origin as the Mount An tribe I came into contact with before."
The young man was not anxious at all. He asked with a smile, "Then how about we come down?"
Qiu Xueling said leisurely, "It doesn't matter. At least I found out what I wanted to know today. Moreover, I've already built up my momentum. Once your father gives me a push, the academy will agree to let me listen to his lessons. After that, you can go with me."
The young man smiled and said, "Preceptor, I understand."
… …
… …
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
