Chapter 471 – A Farce? (1/2)

Chapter 471 - A Farce?

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Everything from Hundred Flowers Lane to the main street instantly became silent, and then burst into an uproar!

The crowd was in fervent discussion, the stewards of the Four Great Markets and those important figures under the awning speechlessly shook their heads, and those experts that had come to challenge the Orthodox Academy wrinkled their brows in displeasure. At such a time, the Orthodox Academy suddenly began to enroll new students? Just what did they want to do? The current Orthodox Academy didn't even have a real lecturer or teacher. Just what sort of student did they want to recruit? In addition, quite some time had passed since spring. Those students with decent potential had long since successfully entered the other five Ivy Schools. Even if they wanted to enroll new students, just what sort of students would they be able to get?

No matter what anyone thought, Priest Xin had already said his piece, and the announcement that the Orthodox Academy was admitting students had also already been put up.

The moment the Orthodoxy cavalry dismantled their cordon in front of the Orthodox Academy, the crowd surged forward like the tide to the Orthodox Academy and began to study the enrollment notice on the wall.

”A term of three years, with a final examination for assessment. If one passes, then one is recognized as a student of the Orthodox Academy. If one can't, then get lost?”

”Just who wrote this announcement? How can it be so sloppy?”

”Hey, look here! Students of the Orthodox Academy don't need to pay tuition, and they even get allowance and meals?”

The Orthodox Academy's enrollment notice used red paper and was written in black ink.

Red paper and black characters made for an exceptionally striking combination. It vividly fell on the eyes of every person.

Those simple yet extraordinarily complex provisions, those simple and even somewhat crude rules, immediately astonished the crowd, leaving them mystified as to how to respond.

The stewards of the Four Great Markets made a few copies of the enrollment notice's terms, thus allowing the people under the awning and those experts that had come to challenge the Orthodox Academy to know the specifics of the Orthodox Academy's enrollment.

After reviewing the announcement, the stewards were even more speechless. They could clearly see that this matter was not in accordance with Chen Changsheng's character. This was assuredly the handiwork of that young master of the Tang clan. Consequently, the stewards of the other three markets successively made their way to the Heavenly Fragrance Market's station and questioned it: 'Steward, just what does your market's young master plan on doing? Depend on this to stall for time?' 'Without mentioning anything else, we had a pretty good arrangement yesterday didn't we?' 'Next match, weren't we going to have Little Principal Chen try and use five moves?'

After reviewing the announcement, the crowd also did not scatter, but rather congregated in front of the Orthodox Academy's gate and conversed. No one knew why the Orthodox Academy had chosen the height of summer, a time not traditionally used for enrollment, to suddenly begin enrolling new students. However, this did not stop each member of the crowd from drawing their own conclusions.

The Orthodox Academy…would probably not enroll any new students.

Without mentioning that the other Ivy Schools had already taken in a round of students in the spring, the sole fact of the Orthodox Academy's current situation foreordained that there would not be many people who would dare to apply.

The present Orthodox Academy was no longer that taboo of the capital it had been before last year, the forgotten cemetery of old. It already had the signs of new life, but how could it deal with this year's tension in the capital? Especially because the Orthodox Academy was precisely the teeth of the storm, where two powerful forces clashed, if one were to enter the Orthodox Academy to study, rather than learning something, they would probably bring upon themselves endless and boundless troubles.

At this time, the Orthodox Academy's gate was once more pushed open. Chen Changsheng and the others carried out several tables, along with brush, ink, and paper.

With a rumble, the crowd surrounded them. The common folk of the capital had always feared nothing, and straight away began asking them the questions on their minds.

Fortunately, the Li Palace priests and Orthodoxy cavalry swiftly arrived on the scene. Without waiting for Chen Changsheng and the rest to grow dizzy from the endless stream of questions, they partitioned off a section.

Chen Changsheng, Tang Thirty-Six, and Xuanyuan Po sat themselves behind three separate tables. A stack of paper was arranged on the table, the ink on the ink stone had already been grinded out, and the brushes had been placed on their racks. Chen Changsheng's table also had the register of the Orthodox Academy and the principal's seal.

Everything had been prepared, only applicants were wanted.

It was now fully morning, eight or nine o'clock, and the new sun had already risen.

As time slowly passed, the place in front of the Orthodox Academy's gates still contained just three tables and three people.

The crowd surrounding the announcement had already dispersed, but still no one had come to apply.

Xuanyuan Po's gaze flitted over the delicate brush on its rack and then glanced at his rough and big hands. He thought to himself, uprooting trees is easy, but writing is too hard…luckily, it seems that no one will be coming today.