CH 27

Chapter 27: No matter how talented you are, no one will notice you if you die at home without any achievement!

Not only could they not understand, but their hearts were also pierced.

You said you were just good-looking, but unfortunately, you are also more talented than us.

It’s one thing to be talented, but you are also more successful than us.

And on top of that, you use your words to sting us!

You are really not a good person!

Lin Beifan ignored everyone’s resentful eyes, coughed, and continued to speak: “We just talked about the driving force for studying! Only by finding the driving force for studying can we study well and read good books!”

Everyone nodded involuntarily: “Makes sense!”

“Next, we will talk about what kind of books to read.”

A student raised their hand to answer: “According to the master, we should read the Four Books and the Five Classics!”

Lin Beifan smiled slightly: “Anything else?”

Another person answered: “We should also read poetry and history books!”

Lin Beifan’s smile remained unchanged: “Anything else?”

“Sir, does math count?”

“Actually, it’s just reading books that you’re interested in! If you want to be an official, then read the Four Books and the Five Classics! If you want to be a doctor instead of an official, you can go read medical books! If you want to be a soldier, then read military books! If you’re interested in history, you can read Records of the Grand Historian.”

“Read books that you are interested in and learn about the things that interest you, and you will achieve success! If you don’t want to be an official but force yourself to read the Four Books and Five Classics, it will be very painful, and you won’t learn well either!”

There are 360 trades and professions, each with its own experts! You can pursue your own interests, and studying books to become an official is not the only way out!”

Everyone had a new insight.

“The third and most important point: After you finish reading, you must reflect on yourself in three aspects seriously!”

Lin Beifan smiled: “Only then can you have solid and thorough learning, and achieve twice the result with half the effort!”

At this moment, another student raised their hand: “But Mr. Lin, I reflect on myself every day, but I haven’t made any progress in my studies. Why is this?”

Lin Beifan smiled calmly: “That’s because your way of reflection is wrong!”

The student was confused: “The method of reflection is wrong? Is there another way?”

“Of course!” Lin Beifan smiled slightly: “Let me teach you!”

The students got closer, wanting to see how Lin Beifan would teach him “reflection”.

At this point, Lin Beifan pulled out a copper mirror from somewhere, held it up to the student’s face, and asked, “My dear student, let me ask you, are you ugly?”

The student looked at his face full of acne in the mirror, and then glanced at Lin Beifan’s peerless appearance.

Sadly, he nodded: “Ugly!”

“I ask you again, do you have money?” Lin Beifan asked loudly.

The student was even more sad: “No!”

“I’ll ask you one last time, do you have a wife?”

The student was tearful and replied, “No, I don’t!”

Lin Beifan suddenly got angry, “Look at you, ugly and poor with no wife. Go and take the imperial exams! Otherwise, people like you who are ugly, poor and without a wife will die at home without anyone noticing!”

The students chuckled, others laughed as well, feeling hurt by his words.

Lin Beifan shook his sleeves and said, “This is the correct way of reflection. Do you understand?” They nodded.

The bell rang and it was time for class, so they said goodbye to Lin Beifan.

He continued to patrol the Imperial Academy, becoming familiar with the environment. Unknowingly, he patrolled to the gate and saw a group of careless young people walking in, and the guards did not dare to stop them. Lin Beifan frowned, “Who are they? Why didn’t you take action to stop them? The Imperial Academy is an important place for cultivating talents. Are you able to bear the responsibility if something happens?”

A guard reported, “They are actually students here!”

“Students?” Lin Beifan frowned even more, “If they are students, why are they coming halfway through the course?”

The guard smiled bitterly, “They are all sons of officials in the court, with influential backgrounds. We can’t afford to offend them, so usually we turn a blind eye!”

Lin Beifan was angry, “How can you let them do whatever they want just because their fathers have power? This is the Imperial Academy, an important place for cultivating talent! If they are allowed to continue, what will other students do? How will outsiders laugh at us?”

The guard lowered his head, “I have no authority to interfere.”

Lin Beifan yelled, “I am the director here, and I cannot ignore this!” So he shouted, “Stop right there!”