Volume One: The Supervisor and the Student Chapter Twenty: The Transfer Student at the Imperial Academy

Whether someone was pulling strings behind the scenes or not, the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Academy displayed an unusually high level of efficiency this time. In just two or three days, all procedures were completed, and the relevant official documents, along with the student robes and hats for the academy, were delivered to the Huang residence.

Since everything was now settled, Huang Ming had no choice but to accept it. He chose the twentieth day of the ninth month, took his young attendant Yumo, and set off straight for the Imperial Academy.

If one were to compare, there was at least one advantage to going to the Academy over the Bureau of Discipline: it was much closer to home.

The Imperial Academy, like the Huang family residence, was located in the northern part of Beijing, and was only two neighborhoods away from Renshou Lane, where Huang’s home stood. By carriage, it took less than half an hour to arrive.

By the end of the morning hour, almost nine o’clock by modern reckoning, Huang Ming finally arrived at the gates of the Academy, nestled beside the An Ding Gate and adjacent to the Temple of Literature.

Standing at the foot of the grand staircase and gazing up at this venerable institution on the fringe of the Ming dynasty, Huang Ming had to admit that, in terms of appearance alone, the place was quite impressive.

Behind the stately and solemn gateway stood an array of imposing buildings. The pair of stone lions at the entrance were noticeably larger than those guarding the Shuntian Prefecture office nearby, and the facade itself was at least twice as wide.

“No wonder it’s the highest seat of learning in the Ming dynasty... In fact, its status far surpassed that of the modern Qinghua and Peking universities,” Huang Ming muttered.

But all that was glory in the past. Now, the Imperial Academy had almost no presence at all.

“Come on, let’s go in.” Huang Ming quickly collected himself, called out to Yumo, and together they climbed the steps, passed through the open gates, and entered the Academy.

Once inside, Huang Ming became even more certain of his earlier assessment: there was nothing glorious left about the place—indeed, even a typical county school elsewhere seemed more proper than this.

While the facilities were far superior to those of local government-run schools, and the lecture halls from afar looked exquisite and grand, the true scholarly atmosphere of an academy was utterly absent.

There were no students holding books, no lecturers heading to their classes, not even the faintest sound of recitation—only the constant din of noise and commotion drifting out of the classrooms and lecture halls as the wind blew past. It seemed all that was missing was for someone to burst out and cause a scene.

Such a spectacle, at this hour, would have been considered astonishing even in a modern high school.

Yet within the Academy, no one seemed to be managing anything. Apart from a few servants chatting by the square and some laborers sweeping, there appeared to be no one else at all.

A cough sounded behind him. Huang Ming quickly turned to see a man of about forty, dressed in a blue robe, approaching with a smile as he measured Huang Ming up. “Are you the new student recently admitted to the Imperial Academy?”

“Yes, I am. I am Huang Ming, the new student. May I ask who you are?” Huang Ming replied with a respectful bow, introducing himself.

“I thought as much. Come, follow me to the office in the back.” The man gestured invitingly, then added, “I am Zhang Bi, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy and also a professor here at the Imperial Academy.”

“So it is Teacher Zhang himself. I am honored.” Huang Ming bowed again, then followed Zhang Bi into the depths of the complex.

From Zhang Bi’s introduction, Huang Ming gleaned a few things. Clearly, in Zhang’s eyes, his role at the Hanlin Academy was far more important than his post at the Academy—a phenomenon that was surely common. The officials and instructors here probably all held positions elsewhere and naturally did not take their duties at the Academy too seriously.

Huang Ming’s suspicions were quickly confirmed. When he followed Zhang Bi into the office behind the main hall, he saw five or six similarly dressed officials—evidently also instructors—sitting together.

Some were tasting tea, others admiring calligraphy and paintings, chatting and laughing, with no intention whatsoever of checking on the rowdy students outside.

When Huang Ming and his companions entered, the officials looked at them with curiosity. One of them even joked, “Chongxiang, you’re a bit late today. Is this a young relative of yours?”

“Heh, I was delayed by something at the Hanlin Academy,” Zhang Bi replied with a smile. “This is Huang Ming, the new student just assigned to us by the court.”

“So you are Huang Ming?” The officials eyed Huang Ming and the boy beside him with interest.

Though they didn’t know the details of his past deeds, they were aware of his background and had heard that he was sent here at the joint decision of the Emperor and Chief Minister Yang. Naturally, they were curious.

Huang Ming maintained his composure, smiling as he bowed to them all. “I am Huang Ming, honored to meet my teachers. I hope you will not hesitate to instruct me in the future.”

Yumo, on the other hand, was visibly uneasy, bowing awkwardly and not knowing what to do with his hands and feet.

His behavior prompted some of the officials to chuckle quietly, though they answered, “Of course.”

“Is the Chancellor not here?” Zhang Bi glanced around and asked.

“No, he’s busy with official duties at the ministry today.”

“Then what about arrangements for Huang Ming?” Zhang Bi asked, a bit concerned.

“That’s simple,” someone replied, laughing. “All the paperwork was sorted out earlier. It’s just a matter of assigning him to a class. We’ll decide now and inform the Chancellor later.”

Zhang Bi, understanding the current state of the Academy, didn’t press the matter. “Very well. Huang Ming, have you attended school before? Do you have a courtesy name? Have you studied any of the classics?”

The others chuckled again at his detailed questions.

Huang Ming could only answer honestly, “No, I haven’t studied the Four Books or Five Classics—I just know how to read...”

Yes, only recognize the characters. As for writing with a brush, that was another matter entirely. Even if he could write, they probably wouldn’t recognize it.

Zhang Bi didn’t seem to mind; clearly, the Academy’s students were all of this caliber. “You can read? How old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

“In that case, we’ll assign you to the Xuan Hall for a few days and see how you do,” Zhang Bi said, then explained, “Our students are divided among the Tian, Di, Xuan, and Huang halls according to their level of study.

“The Huang Hall is mostly for children who haven’t started learning to read. You’re ahead of them, so you’ll go to the Xuan Hall and begin with texts like the Analects. How does that sound?”

“I leave everything to your judgment, sir,” Huang Ming answered, though inwardly he smiled bitterly.

To be a transfer student and have to attend classes with the weakest students—this was a twist in his journey through time he had never anticipated.

“I’ll take you there. By the way, just call me Mister Zhang—‘teacher’ is too formal for me.”

“Yes, thank you, Mister Zhang.”