Dongxia, Luoyang City.

The sun rises in the east, the sky faintly glows with a touch of fish belly white, and Luoyang City, which has been silent all night, gradually becomes lively. Horse-drivers, burden-bearers, stall-setters, all kinds of people poured into the streets, shouting one after another, and the voices of people were boiling.

An inconspicuous carriage passed through the crowd, the rolling of the axles resounded all the way, but the horsemen drove steadily. I don't know how long it took, but the voice of the driver came from outside the carriage, "Master, Jixian Academy has arrived, please raise your feet." ”

As soon as the curtain was lifted, the first person to come down was a middle-aged man in his early thirties, followed by three villains. Two men and one woman, all dressed in the same college costumes, one of them looked a little older, with a good appearance and gentle eyebrows, and the other two were slightly younger and full of childish faces.

As soon as the little girl got out of the carriage, she surveyed her surroundings. A vast brick and wood structure is hidden behind lush shrubs, the exterior wall of green bricks and green tiles stretches continuously, and a plaque with the inscription "Jixian Academy" hangs under the eaves of the main entrance. The door of the courtyard was wide open, and the master who was responsible for verifying the notes and the seniors who arranged for the new students were busy coming in and out, and they were overwhelmed.

The middle-aged man cleared his throat, and the three of them immediately raised their eyes to look at him, and he said to the slightly older boy: "Qingyan, my brother and sister will be handed over to you, and I will set an example for my brother." ”

The boy named Shen Qingyan immediately said respectfully: "The child understands that Qingyan will take his younger siblings well, please rest assured father." ”

The man nodded, turning his head to look at the silent siblings. The boy felt his gaze and looked up at him. The man looked at the other party's face, his eyes were slightly in a trance, he paused, and said, "Qingyun, Yuyin, today is the first day of school, leave a good impression on the master." If there is anything you don't understand or can't deal with when you encounter a problem, go to the master and go home and tell your father. ”

Shen Qingyun nodded in response, Shen Yuyin smiled and replied obediently, and the man stretched out his hands and patted their little heads. Shen Qingyun's body stiffened when he was touched by the other party, but the other party only stopped for a moment before withdrawing his hand. The man's eyes glanced at the eldest son next to him, who was looking a little excitedly and expectantly, so he reached out and patted him on the shoulder as a sign of encouragement. "Alright, let's go inside. ”

"Father walks slowly. ”

Shen Qingyan led his younger siblings into the gate of the academy together, and he handed the entrance notes of the two to the master, who put them away after verifying them, handed them the college cards, and asked them to follow the seniors to the front yard and gather with the other freshmen. Shen Qingyan told Shen Qingyun some more precautions, and after watching the two of them leave, he turned around and returned to his school.

When he was in the carriage, Shen Wenhan had already retold the general situation of Jixian Academy to the two children.

Jixian Academy is the first school in Yingchuan County, located in Luoyang City, the original Jixian Academy is called Lizheng Academy, which is the official book repair institution, widely "gathering literary scholars", and later renamed Jixian Academy, which means "gathering talents to help the world", open to the outside world to recruit students. It has given birth to three champions, eight tanhua, and countless talents, or become officials, or teach and educate people, or change literature and business, which can be described as peach and plum all over the world.

Shen Yuyin listened very carefully, but Shen Qingyun's attitude was obviously absent-minded, and he occasionally said a word or two, not much. Shen Qingyan looked at his casual attitude, and secretly annoyed that he didn't know what to do.

But he only dared to think about these words in his heart. Seeing the other party sitting quietly beside his father, he recalled that his father had decided to ask Shen Qingyun's brothers and sisters to follow him to Jixian Academy.

The ancestors of the Shen family were merchants, and they began to flourish from their great-grandfather's generation, and they became prosperous for three full generations. By the time his grandfather died, his father Shen Wenhan took over the family business, about one-third of the land in the entire Luoyang City was their Shen family's shop. Although the businessmen in Shinong Industry and Commerce are ranked the lowest, I don't know how many people envy the wealth of the merchants, plus Shen Wenhan used to be a scholar, and he was once Xie Yuan of Jixian Academy, and his original partner was also a young lady of the local scholarly family, so the Shen family is also very famous in the local area.

Shen Wenhan himself once gave up halfway through his studies for some reasons, and he has always regretted it, so he now has high expectations for his children. As his only male, Shen Qingyan has naturally been strict since he was a child, and Shen Qingyan himself is also very hard and diligent in his studies, and he never falls behind.

The Shen family has three rooms, Shen Wenhan is the big house, except for Shen Qingyan, the eldest son, there are only three daughters below: Aunt Cui's twin sisters Shen Yujiao, Shen Yurong, and Shen Yuru from Aunt Du. The second grandfather, Shen Wenlin, has a son and two daughters. The third master, Shen Wenli, has only one daughter under his knees. The fourth daughter is a married daughter, and Shen Qingyan's impression of this aunt is only on the day when the other party returns to Ning on the second day of the first lunar month during the Chinese New Year every year. The three rooms live separately in the East and West Gardens, and life has always been very harmonious, but this peaceful life was broken by the arrival of Shen Qingyun.

When Shen Qingyun was brought into his home by Shen Wenhan a month ago, Shen Wenhan told his mother and wife that Shen Qingyun was owned by him in business and people abroad when he was not married to the Chen family in the early years. But because the Shen family was busy with affairs, he didn't come to pick up Qingyun's mother home, and when he arrived later, he was told that Qingyun's mother had passed away due to difficult childbirth, leaving Qingyun alone with an infant child. The woman's mother-in-law was angry that her daughter had given birth before she was married, and refused to raise her grandson for the sake of face, but the kind-hearted subordinate could not bear to see him starve to death, so she sent him away for adoption. It took Shen Wenhan a lot of effort to find out about the family that adopted Shen Qingyun, and after some negotiation, he brought him back.

Regarding her husband's remarks, Chen Hailan was obviously displeased. Who would be kind when she knew that her husband was having a son outside? Although this incident happened before she entered the door, if she had known that such a thing had happened, she would definitely think about this marriage again. Shen Wenhan is now bringing everyone home, so he is not discussing with her at all, but just telling her to let you have a number in your heart.

It's a pity that she hasn't been pregnant for two years since she entered the door, and although she is the main mother, she has no confidence to speak in the Shen family. Moreover, although she is very reluctant to accept other people's children, she is not a ruthless woman in the end. Adults do not make as bad mistakes as children, and anger is the most incompetent act. What's more, the husband has already made up his mind to recognize this child, and this child has to recognize her as a mother when he enters the door, so why should he complain early?

Compared with Chen's depressed pawn, Mrs. Shen was much more reasonable.

Although she was a little skeptical and skeptical at first, she still believed that her son would not bring back a cheap son when nothing was clear. There are only two grandsons in total, Shen Wenlin's youngest son Shen Qingxia doesn't talk about it, he is too young to see talents. Shen Wenhan only had one eldest son, Shen Qingyan, before marrying the Chen family, and the early death of his biological mother made him learn to be sensible at a very young age. In addition, there are no other boys in the Shen family, those aunts are not angry, and they are all worthless girls who crawl out, if they are concubines, it is fine, but they are all concubines. So when the old lady knew that she had a grandson left behind, her whole heart was about to jump out.

When Shen Wenhan brought Shen Qingyun back, he first took him to Songshoutang to meet the old lady. Old Madam Shen looked at the child who was about seven or eight years old in the hall, he was thin and small, but his face was clear and beautiful, especially those eyes, the phoenix eyes were slightly raised, and he was extravagant, and the bottom of his eyes was quiet like a pool of water, and the blue water was traceless.

The old lady originally thought that this child who grew up in the countryside would be a little novel and impetuous when faced with a new environment, but when he entered the house, his attitude was modest and polite, and his non-squinting behavior greatly surprised her, and he was a well-bred person. Because the first impression was good, when Shen Wenhan proposed to send Shen Qingyun to Jixian Academy, the old lady did not object much. Shen Qingyun will be eight years old in two months, according to the law of Dongxia, "if a folk child does not become a scholar at the age of eight, his father and brother will be punished", since he is the heir of the Shen family, he should naturally be well educated.

Before Shen Wenhan left with someone, the old lady instructed him that although Shen Qingyun's mother was equivalent to the outer room, since Shen Qingyun had returned to the Shen family and was going to enter Jixian Academy, he should always take care of his face and raise his mother as an aunt. Shen Wenhan thanked his mother for being reasonable and said that he would handle these things well.

And Shen Yuyin is the little girl that Shen Wenhan brought back with him. He said that a fortune teller once told him that he had few heirs and needed to raise a girl to attract blessings. Thanks to her this time, he was able to find Shen Qingyun back, so he wanted to adopt her as his adopted daughter.

Old Madam Shen agreed after thinking about it. There is no more than a pair of chopsticks left and right, just a little girl, and she can give Shen Jiabo a good reputation. Although the Shen family can not give her a decent identity as an ordinary gadget and raise it without starving to death, but her son is kind, then it is just a good thing, I just hope that this girl is a person who knows how to be grateful.

She was old, and she was a little in awe of the gods and ghosts, and since the fortune tellers had said so, she had no objection. But when Shen Wenhan proposed to send her to Jixian Academy together, everyone in the Shen family was shocked.

Shen Wenlin was the first to raise his voice of opposition. To the effect that Shen Yuyin is just an adopted daughter, just play with it like a kitten and a puppy, and the quota of Jixian Academy is about the same for the daughter-in-law. Although the Shen family does not have concubines, there are several concubines, and there is absolutely no reason to let outsiders go and not let their own daughters go.

Shen Wenhan doesn't like Cui's family, and he doesn't like her two daughters, even if this place is thrown into the water, it won't be the two of them at all. The third daughter, Shen Yuru, is a cowardly character, which really makes him look down on her. In the end, everyone shouted and angered him, and said angrily: "The fortune teller has said that Yuyin is a lucky star for sending children, are you trying to make me do evil?"

This remark blocked everyone's mouths, and Shen Yuyin's decision to go to Jixian Academy was like this.

The second monarch of the Eastern Xia Dynasty was a female emperor, and in order to improve the status of women, she issued a special decree allowing women to enter the academy, but men and women still had to be separated. Each county and state has set up a government school, divided into male and female dormitories, "the first month of the year after the start of school, the twilight of the year." ”

At the beginning of the school, women were proud to enroll, but later with the country's surplus and the population gradually recovered, the social status of women was reduced, but this law is still in place today, women can still enter the academy for further study, and the children of large families of officials and nobles are still proud to be able to enter the academy.

On the one hand, the masters in the academy have all been assessed and have real talents, and it is stipulated that female students can only be taught by female masters, which eliminates any possibility of ruining the reputation of both parties; on the other hand, children get to know each other in the academy, form their own interpersonal relationships, and can also lay a good foundation for future life.

Moreover, if the student can achieve the best results in the assessment of the college, the university will post a list to commend the outstanding person, no matter who wins this honor, the reputation will spread quickly, and the future of the man is infinitely bright, and the woman has a reputation to add color, and when choosing a husband in the future, she will be favored by some large families, so many families want to enter the college.

When Shen Qingyan came back to his senses, they had already arrived outside the gate of Jixian Academy, and he led the two of them into the gate and handed them over to the master, even if he completed the task assigned to him by his father, how he will be in Jixian Academy in the future depends on his personal practice.

Shen Qingyun and Shen Yuyin followed the other freshmen side by side to the front yard to gather, and the path loomed in the ancient locust forest with towering ancient trees, because the perennial cleaning seemed spotless. The insects and birds in the early morning are pleasing to the ears and eyes, and occasionally one or two urging cries are heard from afar, which makes the environment quiet and quiet.

When all the new students arrived, a master came to help the students tidy up their clothes in turn. While helping the students tidy up, the master recited: "The beginning of etiquette lies in the right appearance, the same color, and the right words. Therefore, first dress properly, and then understand things. Pay attention to grooming, this is the first lesson you have to learn. ”

After the last student was tidied up, the master led the new students to the university hall. After passing through Jixian Garden, before entering the University Hall, everyone saw a plaque with the inscription "Jixian School" hanging in the middle of the University Hall, which is said to be written by the founding dean.

Kindergarten students entering the academy to study is called "opening the book", "breaking the school" or "breaking the meng", and Jixian Academy holds an "opening ceremony" for new students every year, which has not changed for a hundred years since the opening of Jixian Academy. This "entrance ceremony" is regarded as one of the four major rites of life, and is compared with the coming-of-age ceremony, wedding ceremony, and funeral ceremony. The usual "opening ceremony" includes formal dressing, bowing to the teacher, purifying hands and hearts, and opening wisdom with cinnabar.

After entering the school, the apprenticeship ceremony is held. All students are to bow down to the Holy Teacher, kneel on the ground, and bow nine times, and then bow to the Master and bow three times. After paying homage to Mr., the students presented him with a six-rite bundle.

The so-called six rites are the six kinds of gifts given by the disciples to the master during the worship ceremony, namely: celery: meaning diligence and studiousness, industry and diligence, lotus seeds: lotus seeds are bitter, meaning painstaking education, red beans: meaning red luck, red dates: meaning early and high school, longan: meaning the completion of merit, and dried lean pork strips: to express the disciple's heart. Because this is a group apprenticeship ceremony held in the college, not an individual, all these things are prepared by the college in advance, and the students only need to send a student representative to go through the process according to the form, and there is no need to step forward one by one.

After the apprenticeship, students should put their hands in a basin of water to "cleanse their hands" as the Master asked. The washing method of "clean hands" is to wash the front and back once, and then wipe them dry. The meaning of washing hands is to clean hands and hearts, remove miscellaneous essence, and hope to concentrate and have no distractions in future studies.

Cinnabar Kaizhi, also known as cinnabar enlightenment or cinnabar mole, is the last procedure in the opening ceremony. The master holds a brush dipped in cinnabar and places a red dot like a mole on the student's eyebrows. Because "mole" is homophonic with "wisdom", cinnabar spot mole is actually taken from the meaning of "wisdom", which means to open wisdom, eyes and hearts, and hope that students can learn in the future.

After ordering cinnabar, the process of the "opening ceremony" ends here, and the master takes the new students into the primary school hall and officially begins the class.

The seats were not in order, and everyone sat casually. The master does not limit their self-determination, they are all just enlightened little dolls, their nature is very normal, as long as they understand the rules.

Before the Master's lesson, the students should stand up and salute, and everyone respectfully said, "Hello Master!"

"Hello students, please take a seat. "The master who teaches looks very young, he wears the uniform of the academy, his temperament is noble, his aura is not allowed to enter, and he really has a bit of the majesty of the teacher.

"If your surname is Bai, you can call me Master Bai. It's your first time coming to the academy, and it's your first time in office, so you're all newcomers, so don't be too restrained and don't be afraid to make mistakes. It's not terrible to make mistakes, but it's important to be 'shameful and courageous'. ”

"Follow the Master's teachings. ”

Bai Yuxiu opened the roster and picked up a brush to sketch, "I won't talk about the content in the first class, let's introduce ourselves and get to know each other." After a pause, he continued: "Just introduce your name, don't need to report extra information, and by the way, talk about the reasons for your study and your future goals." He lifted his chin and motioned to start first in the first row on the left.

The first person got up first and said: "My name is Du Yuming, and my goal when I came to Jixian Academy is to be famous and become a big official in the future!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and Bai Yuxiu tapped on the table at the right time to signal quietness. "What's there to laugh at, classmate Du has ambitions, isn't the purpose of your coming to the academy to gain fame and glory in the future?"

With the demonstration of the first person, the others also painted the scoop in the same way, "My name is Fu Hanxin, my family has been a scholarly family for generations, I want to be as knowledgeable as my ancestors, and I will glorify my ancestors!"

......

The more it was the turn of the person behind him, the more concise his speech became, and when it was the turn of the next person, he stood up and said: "My name is Wei Shiran, and I came to the academy to learn knowledge, broaden my knowledge, and increase my wisdom. Then he sat down first, and did not wait for the master to speak.

Shen Qingyun, who had been maintaining a posture and wandering, finally raised his eyelids and looked over when he heard Wei Shiran's words, his gaze was meaningful.

Bai Yuxiu glanced at Wei Shiran lightly and said, "Classmate Wei has a clear goal, but it's best not to be too self-conscious." Next. ”

Shen Qingyun stood up and said, "My name is Shen Qingyun, an ordinary person with no specialties and advantages, I hope to get along peacefully with my classmates." ”

"Yes, next. ”

After everyone finished introducing themselves, Bai Yuxiu cleared his throat, "Next, I will read the rules of the academy to you, and everyone should remember it carefully, if you violate any of them, the punishment will be small, and the loss of face in your family will be a big matter." ”

"Got it!"

Bai Yuxiu read it one by one, and the students below were still sitting upright and listening carefully at first, but gradually began to have a lazy attitude, people are still here, and their minds have wandered out of the world.

Shen Qingyun was dedicated to two things, practicing words on paper while listening. Practicing calligraphy can calm down and be impetuous, although he feels that it has no effect on him, but practicing a good-looking font is at least pleasing to the eye in writing. It is said that words are like people, and calligraphy in the academy is a personal business card, and others cannot be flattened at first sight.

Bai Yuxiu summarized and explained the rules of the hospital to everyone, time passed, and the morning passed quickly. When it was time for dinner, the students packed up their books and left the school to go to the dining hall together.

Shen Qingyun fell last, he slowly arranged the utensils on the table, gently led the door of the school hall, and went to the dining hall alone.

The others had already walked away, and Shen Qingyun was walking silently on the path alone, and only the rustle of the wind blowing the trees could be heard all around.

"Brother. A childish call attracted Shen Qingyun's heart. He looked up, and Shen Yuyin was standing not far in front of her, waiting for her. The sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves, and the dappled spots of light fell on her, looking dazzling and hazy.

Shen Qingyun's heart suddenly brightened, and he approached her, "Have you waited for me for a long time?"

Shen Yuyin nodded slightly, "I want to go with you, just waiting for you on the way we came before." ”

Shen Yuyin habitually wanted to hold his hand, but remembered that he couldn't be as casual as before, so he hid his hand behind him.

Shen Qingyun noticed her actions and smiled helplessly, "Since you have also entered the academy, you should also pay attention to the difference between men and women." In the future, try not to come to me alone, if there is really an emergency, find the master first, and let the master come to me is the same. You can be casual at home. ”

"I see. Shen Yuyin said, "Brother, are we really not leaving this time?"

Shen Qingyun nodded, "Father is a person who can be trusted, with him to protect us, we will always be stable, you don't have to be afraid of him, just like me, it doesn't matter if you are closer." ”

"I see. Shen Yuyin was a little cramped, "This is my first time coming to the academy, and I'm still a little uncomfortable." ”

Sensing her uneasy mood, Shen Qingyun said gently: "If you come, you will be safe, we will forget the future and the past for the time being, and living in the present is the most important thing." ”