After three days of trekking, Li Yun finally came to Nanyang County. Before he got closer, a magnificent momentum came to his face. The majestic and tall city walls and wide moat are even more majestic and majestic in the afterglow of the setting sun. After more than 100 years of construction and repair, Nanyang City has become a well-known city. I saw people coming and going on the road, and there was an endless stream.

The academy is not in the city, but on the Yunlu Mountain in the west of the city, twenty miles away from the city. Li Yun decided not to go to the academy first, but to Nanyang City first. He followed the flow of people, crossed the drawbridge over the moat, and walked towards the north gate. There were soldiers guarding the gates of the city, vigilantly watching the pedestrians, and when they saw a merchant cart full of goods, they stopped and the tax collector on the side collected the tax. Some peasant women who carried baskets to the city to sell eggs were also taken out of the baskets. Seeing a farmer in shabby clothes, the peasant woman begged for less and was scolded by the soldiers. The scolding and cries seemed to be very incongruous with the majesty of the city, casting a shadow over the tall walls. Li Yun couldn't help but sigh, "It's really a goose plucking, I don't know when I will be able to let these farmers sell some of the things they have saved tax-free!" ”

The soldier looked at Li Yun like a scholar, but he was not embarrassed, and waved his hand to let him enter the city. Walking into the city, the hustle and bustle of the city makes it seem like two worlds from the outside. Li Yun carefully observed a city layout map not far from the city gate, and saw that the entire city was rectangular, slightly longer from east to west. The road is uniform as a whole and the layout is rigorous. The distribution of government offices, temples, official schools, military camps, east market, west market, inn area, tile area, and residential area is orderly and hierarchical.

It was getting late, so Li Yun first went to the inn area to find the most remote and cheap hotel to live in. The residents here are basically low-class people such as porters who drive cars, run orders and help businesses, and the cheapest are a dozen or so large houses where they live, with noisy voices and bad smells. The best single rooms are also small in space and have poor facilities. Li Yun also brought hundreds of taels of silver with him, so he chose a single room. After settling in, I took a shower and changed my clothes, and finally relieved my fatigue a little.

After breakfast the next day, Li Yun decided to go shopping on the street. I walked all the way, and at noon I came to the Wafu District, and when I saw a teahouse, my heart moved, this is a good place to inquire about all kinds of news, so I walked in. I sat down by the window, ordered a pot of tea and two snacks, and listened to the conversation. Li Yun was listening interestingly, and four young men who looked like scholars walked in and sat down at a table next to Li Yun.

One of them seemed to say with a little ostentation: "Today I have a treat, and in a few days the younger brother will not be able to get together with the eldest parent!" The others hurriedly asked: "Brother Liang has any happy events, is he going to go far away?" The young man surnamed Liang said: "It's not far away, I have been admitted to Sisheng Academy, and after a while, I will move to the academy to live, and I can't get together with my brothers often!" ”

When the others heard this, they were very envious and hurriedly congratulated him. One of them asked, "We also wanted to go and were not admitted." I don't know how Brother Liang did it? The young man surnamed Liang said proudly: "My cousin is a student of the academy, and he recommended me to the tutor, who inspected me and was satisfied with me, so he recommended me to enroll in the tutor's recommended place." ”

One of them said lonely: "Brother Liang is fine, he will succeed in his studies after that, and he will soar just around the corner!" We are miserable, we can only mix in the government school first! There is no future! ”

"yes!" One of them said: "This official school has the support of the government, it should be the best, but unfortunately now the government is corrupt, the funds are decreasing, the teachers are losing a lot, and the students who graduate are not like before they can be recommended to the government to be officials, and there are fewer and fewer students!" In the long run, the government school will be closed! Another person said: "When the country is prosperous, education is prosperous, and now that the country is in such a state, how can government education develop?" Let's find another way! ”

Everyone sighed, and one of them asked, "Brother Liang, you are about to enroll in school, and your cousin is studying in the academy again, you should know a little about the situation in the academy, and tell us about it!" Everyone else urged the young man surnamed Liang to speak quickly.

Seeing everyone's eagerness, the young man surnamed Liang seemed to have received a lot of psychological satisfaction, took a sip of tea, and said: "Speaking of the origin of this Sisheng Academy, it really has something to do with the decline of this official school. It is precisely because of the decline of government schools that a large number of students have no books to read, and Sisheng Academy has taken advantage of the time to rise! ”

Fifteen years ago, there were three wealthy businessmen Tao Yuan, Shen Wan, and Shi Su who felt the decline of education and wanted to repay the society, so they donated 10,000 taels of silver to buy the courtyard of a former high-ranking official in Yunlu Mountain, and purchased hundreds of acres of land nearby for expansion, and donated 500 hectares of fertile land as school property, and built a academy, named "Sisheng". Led by three wealthy businessmen, seven wealthy businessmen and retired officials donated 10,000 taels of silver to build additional houses, purchase books, and hire famous teachers, and the scale expanded day by day. ”

"With the increasingly serious turmoil in various places, Nanyang's relatively peaceful life has become the first choice for many people to emigrate, a large number of immigrants from all over the world, many of them are rich and noble families, the increase in population has brought new prosperity, but also brought new students to the academy, and the academy is becoming more and more prosperous."

"The system of academies is different from that of government schools, which is less regulated by the government and operates more freely. The wealthy businessmen and celebrities who donated money formed the board of trustees of the college, which was only responsible for fundraising and the selection of prominent people to serve as the president, and did not care about specific matters, and the president had greater autonomy. ”

"Since five years ago, he hired Dong Shu, a master of Chinese studies, as the dean, he vigorously promoted the concept of inclusiveness and education, and used generous treatment to attract a group of masters of Chinese culture to join the academy, and also issued student awards to poor children with excellent character and learning.

"At present, the college has more than 80 teachers, more than 400 students, and various auxiliary staff, totaling more than 700 people."

"College students are divided into two levels: bachelor's and doctor's, two years of general study can be awarded a bachelor's degree, the third year is divided into four subjects: economics, history, literature, and law, and after graduating from the tutor's study, you can be awarded a doctorate, which means that you have reached the realm of mastery in a certain aspect! Those who have the ability can also choose multiple disciplines, as long as they pass can be awarded a doctorate in multiple disciplines, that is a top student, representing glory! ”

"The most interesting thing is that business is also flourishing near the back door of the college. In order to serve the teachers and students of the academy, various bookstores, restaurants, and small shops were established not far from the back gate of the academy, forming a street for students, but it also became a scenery, and residents of Nanyang City often visited here. Although some old-fashioned teachers criticized the business atmosphere for affecting students' learning, the dean still did not oppose it in the spirit of benefiting students' lives, and this student street, which may be unique in the country, has survived, and there is a trend of becoming more and more lively. ”

The young man surnamed Liang spoke in detail, and Li Yun listened to it with relish, which can be regarded as popularizing the knowledge of the academy, and he is looking forward to the academy even more.

Leaving the teahouse, Li Yun walked around a little, and when he was out of interest, he would rest in the inn. As soon as I entered the inn, I heard someone making noise at the checkout counter. He followed the sound and saw a man in his thirties arguing with his boss. The boss said to the man, "You already owe three days of room payment, and if you don't pay tomorrow, move out quickly!" I'm running an inn, not a hospice! If you don't have money, you can go to sleep in the open air, anyway, it's not cold now, why bother with me? The man whispered, "You see I just don't have money for the time being, my friend has returned to his hometown, and he will be back soon, and he will be able to pay the house fee then!" The boss said impatiently, "How many times have you said this?" My ears are calloused! Look at you, from living in a single room, to living in a four-person room, to living in a chase shop with more than a dozen people, I haven't seen anyone coming, you are still sick, you better leave early, the province is sick and died here, and I have to pay to bury people! Seeing the boss so ruthless, the man couldn't help but sigh: "Heroes are not free!" Am I going to be able to do nothing and spend my whole life in vain? The voice was sad.

Li Yun listened to it on the side for a while, and roughly understood the whole story, seeing that although this person was sick and sick, his body was straight, and he didn't look groveling, he couldn't help but be curious, especially his last exclamation made Li Yun feel sympathetic. He thought for a moment, walked forward, and said to the boss, "Boss, don't force him!" How much does he owe you? I paid it for him! The boss was feeling that he had lost a lot, and suddenly heard someone say this, such as listening to Xianle, and hurriedly said: "It's not much, and the front and back add up to two taels of silver!" Li Yun took out the money to the boss and paid the rent in advance for three days, and the boss happily collected the money.

Li Yun invited the man to sit down at the table, ordered wine and food, and the two chatted while eating. The man thanked him and said, "Thank you, brother Tai Gaoyi!" In Xiaguanfeng, a native of Qingzhou in the east, I went here with my friends to do some business. Because the goods were damaged by moisture, my friend went back to raise funds first, and I waited here. I don't want to get sick again, I owe the hotel money, I don't want the boss to be ruthless, but fortunately, my brother and Taiwan are grateful! Li Yun said: "Brother Tai doesn't have to be polite, you don't have to worry about some money!" I see you're a few years older than me, so let's be brothers. Brother Guan, I see that you talk well, and you seem to be a scholar rather than a businessman? ”

Guan Feng said: "I'm ashamed! I have also studied for many years, but I can't do it in today's world! Once a soldier, he almost died when he encountered a barbarian cavalry on the border! And the family is poor, so I have to come out to do business, and I don't want to lose money! Repeated failures made the virtuous brother smile! ”

Li Yun said: "People have good and bad luck, how can they determine their lives with one thing at a time!" I don't have to be discouraged, the main reason for your failure is external factors, not your personal cause! Since you have a good foundation, as long as you get through this hurdle and give you the opportunity, you will definitely be able to display your talents and make a difference! ”

The two drank again, and the pipe wind also traveled through many places, and they had seen and heard a lot, sometimes chatting about interesting stories about the north and south of the mountain, and sometimes discussing the way to enrich the country and strengthen the army, and they were full of interest, and they didn't feel that the canteen was about to close.

Li Yun said: "My brother is going to study at Sisheng Academy in a few days, I don't know what Brother Guan plans to do later?" ”

Guan Feng said excitedly: "Thanks to Brother Yun for looking at me, I will definitely live up to my expectations!" I want to go to the capital when I get better. I have a good friend who was recommended to the capital to serve as the steward of a royal palace, and once wrote to me asking me to go to the capital to find an errand. I didn't go because my mother needed to support me. Now that my mother has passed away, I have no worries, and I want to go to the capital to join my friends, and maybe I can have a development. ”

After Li Yun heard this, he took out thirty taels of silver and said, "Although you and I have never known each other, we are familiar at first sight!" I appreciate your style and talent, this money should be enough to treat diseases and go to Beijing, I hope you can have smooth sailing, this journey is thousands of miles! ”

Guan Feng didn't refuse, took the silver, his eyes were moist, and he said gratefully: "Brother Xian is really a strange man!" There is the style of ancient chivalry! It's worth the trip to make friends with such a virtuous brother as a brother! For my brother, remember the grace of today's relief and silver, and I will be rewarded in the future! ”

Li Yun said freely: "Take care, brother!" Money is something outside the body, it is used to spend, it makes no difference who it spends on, the key depends on whether it is worth spending! Wouldn't it be nice to be able to help my brother take off with a little money! The two looked at each other and laughed, Guan Feng knew that Li Yun was protecting his self-esteem, and he was even more grateful to him, and he also admired his character of doing good deeds without taking credit.

For several days in a row, Li Yun accompanied Guan Feng to the clinic for treatment. Guan Feng was originally just infected with wind chill because of the aggravation of depression. Now I am in a good mood, and I am treated with decoction, and my illness will be cured soon.

Li Yun also took advantage of Guan Feng's rest to walk along the roads in the city, and gained an in-depth understanding of the specific situation in various areas of the entire city, especially the military aspect that he was most interested in. He observed the structure of the city wall, the entire defense system, the layout of the entire city's military forces, and the equipment, establishment, and duty of the guarding soldiers.

On the tenth day of August, Li Yun and Guan Feng packed up and set off at the same time. Both of them were full of hope, one went to the capital, and the other went to the academy in the west of the city.

Coming out of the West Gate, walking out of more than ten miles, you can see a large area of buildings from afar, occupying a large area of land from the foot of the mountain to the halfway up the mountainside, in the long wall, between the green trees, the buildings with white walls and black tiles looming, as if the landscape painting is in general, making people yearn for it. Li Yun couldn't help but speed up his pace.

There were already many students and parents near the academy, and Li Yun followed the flow of people towards the gate of the academy. I saw the green trees on both sides, a gate with a flying eaves and an arch attic in the meantime, and the plaque on the door was four big characters of dragon flying and phoenix dancing: "Sisheng Academy", the momentum was extraordinary. On the pillar next to the door hangs a couplet: "There is no class in education, inclusive".

Standing at the gate of the academy, quietly looking at the red lacquered gate, he silently said in his heart: "I'm here!" ”