GBP Chapter 498 Giving Lessons to the Scholars
Chapter 498 Giving Lessons to the Scholars
Faced with Lin Ping's sarcasm, these people lowered their heads again and asked in a low voice, "Please enlighten us, Dean."
"Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll reluctantly answer you. All these verses came from... from my mouth, Lin Ping!" Lin Ping laughed heartily, hands on his hips, not caring if the wind blew his tongue out.
"These poems were all written by the Dean? No wonder there are rumors that the Dean is a master of poetry." Everyone immediately looked at him with admiration.
"Did you really write all of these?" Zhou Xiyin asked with a surprised look.
Others may not know Lin Ping, but he knows Lin Ping inside and out.
She did not doubt Lin Ping's talent, but she knew he had no ambition and would never write poems to serve his country.
Lin Ping blushed and chuckled, "Although I didn't write these, I did write the following ones."
"What about the next few?" Zhou Xiyin asked, even more puzzled.
"For example, if I can't see you for a long time, I'll miss you madly, but if I could find someone to love me, we could stay together until we grow old," Lin Ping said in a serious tone.
"Hmph, it's written for Sister Yunying, isn't it?" Zhou Xiyin pouted, clearly jealous.
Lin Ping shook his head repeatedly and explained, "These are just lines of poetry that I came up with on a whim. How could they be written for Yun Ying? Of course, I also left a line for Yun Ying: May we have years to look back on, and grow old together with deep affection."
He outwardly expressed jealousy, but inwardly he was overjoyed, savoring the meaning behind those few lines of poetry.
"Dean, if we stay, will you give us a special lecture on how to write poetry?" one student asked curiously, clearly considering this a key point.
"I can ask you to write poetry, but that's not a key subject. Also, you have to sign a contract with me, promising that you will not pursue fame or fortune in the future, and that you will not work for other merchants." Lin Ping once again made a startling statement.
Cannot take the imperial examinations for official rank?
Can't I rely on someone else?
What's the difference between this contract of servitude and the previous one?
Only the poorest servants would sign indentures with their masters. These servants were scholars, graduates, and outstanding individuals; how could they possibly sign such contracts?
"Hmph, what's so great about being able to write poetry? I will never become your slave." Several scholars said angrily, waving their sleeves and leaving.
Lin Ping wasn't treating them like servants, nor was it a contract of servitude; it was entirely out of a desire to protect intellectual property rights.
We can't let the talent we've worked so hard to train jump ship to work for someone else, that's why we have a confidentiality agreement.
"Those who stay will receive fifty taels of silver per month!" Lin Ping announced loudly, his eyes wide.
The scholars who had already stepped out of the room gasped, wishing they could turn back, but ultimately, because of their pride, they resolutely chose to leave.
Several people were about to stand up and leave, but they were stopped by the tempting silver.
"Fifty taels is just the basic salary. If you can achieve results in your research in the future, there will be even more generous bonuses," Lin Ping said with a faint smile.
For ordinary people, fifty taels of silver is an astronomical figure, but for Lin Ping, it is just a number. Investing in education is more than worthwhile.
"Oh, right, there's one thing you must remember: from now on, what I say is the truth. You must maintain an open mind; you can refute, but you must have reason and evidence," Lin Ping added.
Trying to explain scientific knowledge to these conservative scholars and officials is nothing short of a fantasy. They might not believe him, but they'd likely think he's crazy or a charlatan.
Some people were puzzled and asked curiously, "What knowledge does the dean want to impart?"
"For example, the Earth is called the planet Earth, it is round, and it revolves around the sun," Lin Ping said casually. This is also the most basic scientific knowledge.
"This is outrageous! How could the earth be round? As far as the students can see, it's all flat ground!" someone stood up to refute.
"That just shows your short-sightedness. You think ten or a hundred miles is the end, but you don't know that the Earth's circumference is 80,000 miles. After going around in circles, you can return to the starting point." Lin Ping's patience was running out, and he really couldn't produce any evidence.
"Then what is the reason for the earth revolving around the sun, and the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, which is an unchanging and eternal principle?" someone asked.
"Sunrise and sunset are caused by the Earth's rotation, not by what you see as sunrise in the east and sunset in the west. If you could run westward at a speed of 5,000 li per hour, you would not see sunrise or sunset," Lin Ping continued.
"Okay, I admit I misspoke before," Lin Ping said before anyone could object.
"How could the earth be round? How could the earth revolve around the sun? The dean was wrong after all," the two who had been debating earlier said smugly.
However, what they said next completely broke them down.
"I just said you could refute, but you needed evidence. That needs to be corrected. It should now be that you cannot refute anything!" Lin Ping said sternly.
Cannot be refuted?
This is a form of mental constraint.
Although Lin Ping's arguments are based on scientific principles, I still feel that doing it this way is not good.
The group of scholars and graduates were all furious, but then their eyes widened in disbelief. They immediately put on a smiling face and said, "The Dean is right. This earth—no, no, this planet Earth—is round and revolves around the sun."
Lin Ping was astonished by their flexibility, as if a thousand Smurfs were galloping through his mind.
It's not surprising, given that they had long been bound by the rigid examination system and preferred a more submissive approach to learning.
"That's more like it. Your monthly pay has increased to sixty taels. Don't be arrogant or complacent!" Lin Ping nodded in satisfaction.
A single sentence can increase your monthly income by ten taels of silver? That's a year's income for an average family.
The monthly allowance of sixty taels of silver was more than the prefect's salary, and it was a figure that these scholars dared not even dream of.
Although I may not achieve official rank, it is enough to provide my family with a happy life, so why not?
"Little Li, distribute the contracts."
Li Mingxuan deftly distributed the pre-prepared contracts to everyone.
Looking at the contents of the contract, almost all the scholars signed and sealed it directly, and the candidates for the imperial examinations gritted their teeth and followed suit.
Apart from the three who left at the beginning, all the other forty people stayed.
"Hmm, not bad. Give everyone a month's salary first." Lin Ping took out a thick stack of silver notes.
When they saw the real gold and silver, they were completely shocked. It turned out that Lin Ping wasn't joking with them; he was serious.
"Although you cannot take the imperial examinations, I, the dean, have secured some benefits for you. All students of Huiwen Academy will enjoy the treatment of a seventh-rank official, though without real power," Lin Ping continued.
"It really is a seventh-rank official. I wasn't wrong. I'm going home to tell my mother the news." Many people were so excited that tears welled up in their eyes.
Although they didn't have real power, they still had a rank, so they could walk with their backs straight on the street.
Lin Ping's consistent tactic is to first slap someone to establish his authority, then offer them a treat to win their hearts; it always yields unexpected results.
With grateful hearts, these students will surely study even harder and strive to earn more money each month.