A procession of carriages slowly came to a halt at the foot of Mount Qingyun. From an opulent carriage, the Imperial Princess gracefully descended using a small set of steps. Surrounded by soldiers, she began her ascent up the mountain.
The mountain breeze gently caressed her silk robe and hair. The Imperial Princess, with her noble and cold beauty, squinted her bright eyes against the wind.
Midway up the mountain, she spotted an elderly gentleman with graying hair sitting in a pavilion. Across from him sat a young child. Beside the child was a young woman with stunning beauty, her head bowed as she focused on needlework.
The elderly man spoke sternly, “How many times have I told you to hold your brush correctly?”
The child replied, “I know, Teacher.”
The elderly man pressed, “Then why don’t you correct it?”
The child asked innocently, “Correct what?”
“Never mind. We won’t practice calligraphy today. Recite the Three Character Classic with me,” the elderly man sighed, then cleared his throat:
“At the beginning of man’s life, his nature is inherently good.”
The child echoed, “At the beginning of man’s life, his nature is what?”
The teacher repeated, “At the beginning of man’s life, his nature is inherently good.”
The child tried again, “At the beginning… nature is inherently good.”
The teacher questioned, “Why did you pause in the middle?”
The child explained, “I forgot!”
The teacher started over, “Let’s try again. At the beginning of man’s life, his nature is inherently good.”
The child repeated, “At the beginning of man’s life, his nature is what?”
The teacher was at his wit’s end.
Outside the pavilion, the Imperial Princess couldn’t help but smile. Her eyes, clear as ice, sparkled with amusement, bringing her jade-like beauty to life.
The elderly man recognized the Imperial Princess and immediately stood up, bowing respectfully, “Greetings, Your Highness.”
The Imperial Princess, with her noble and cold beauty, nodded slightly. Her voice, crisp as ice chiming, asked, “Since when has Cloud Deer Academy admitted such young students?”
The elderly man gestured for the sisters to come and pay their respects. Li Yingyue rose and curtsied, while Li Yinyin stared blankly at the woman whose figure rivaled her mother’s, but whose beauty and grace surpassed her.
The elderly man awkwardly explained, “Please forgive the child’s rudeness, Your Highness.”
He wasn’t too anxious, for although the Imperial Princess was known for her cold beauty and unapproachable demeanor, she was a scholar at heart, with a broad mind not inferior to any man’s.
The elderly man continued, “These two are family members of one of our academy’s students. Due to some family matters, we’ve allowed them to stay temporarily at the academy.”
Seeking refuge… The highly intelligent Imperial Princess immediately grasped the implication. She scrutinized the beautiful young woman and the not-so-bright child, then smiled faintly, “Which student?”
Being somewhat of a student of the academy herself, she knew well that without the approval of a great scholar, students’ family members couldn’t possibly reside on Mount Qingyun.
Li Yingyue answered in a soft voice, “Our elder brother, Xu Xinnian.”
She didn’t mention Xu Qi An, as her eldest brother wasn’t a student of the academy.
Xu Xinnian… The Imperial Princess’s eyes flickered slightly. Having investigated Xu Qi An’s background, she immediately recalled the brotherly relationship between the two.
The mastermind behind the tax silver case was Minister Zhou, and about ten days ago, Xu Qi An had a conflict with Minister Zhou’s son in the bustling market… The Imperial Princess turned her gaze to the charming and beautiful young woman, her tone softening, “When did this happen?”
“Almost ten days ago,” Li Yingyue replied.
He and Caiwei were acquainted, and Caiwei knew about Minister Zhou’s involvement in the tax silver case. Therefore, that seemingly ordinary clerk would also know about this matter… Knowing they had offended Minister Zhou, sending the family’s women to the academy was indeed a countermeasure. However, wouldn’t it be better for the entire family to flee the capital?
Sending the women to the academy while the men remained in the capital, so… what are they planning?
Recalling the catalyst for Minister Zhou’s dismissal and exile, the Imperial Princess narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, nodded, and continued her ascent with her guards.
…
In the elegant chamber!
The Imperial Princess scrutinized Zhao Shou, slightly surprised, “In just ten days, Academy Chancellor, your complexion has changed dramatically.”
Previously, the Chancellor had been unkempt, with long graying hair and a gloomy countenance.
Now, his eyes were bright and spirited, his demeanor composed yet not overbearing, full of vitality.
Zhao Shou didn’t answer directly, instead laughing heartily, “As the sage said, ‘In learning, age, and youth are irrelevant; the one who succeeds is the teacher.'”
In learning, age, and youth are irrelevant; the one who succeeds is the teacher… Does he mean someone young enough to be his student has become his teacher? Could this be related to the surge of pure energy at the Yasheng Hall that day?
She was very interested in the changes at Yasheng School, and her curiosity was piqued, as it involved the struggle for orthodox Confucian teachings and future political landscapes.
What exactly happened that day?
Yasheng School had been sealed off, with no one allowed to enter. Even the Night Watchmen were powerless in this matter.
The Imperial Princess reined in her wandering thoughts and gazed at the deep green bamboo forest outside the window, sighing, “Chancellor, are you aware of Minister Zhou’s dismissal and exile?”
“For the officials of Great Shang, this is merely the opening act of a factional struggle,” Zhao Shou smiled and shook his head, unwilling to discuss further. He waved his hand to summon a chessboard, saying:
“Since Li Mubai’s third defeat by Wei Yuan, he no longer plays chess. There aren’t many in the academy who can play a game with me. Since Your Highness is here today, why not play a match with me?”
The Imperial Princess replied helplessly, “Playing chess with me, Chancellor, why seek your humiliation?”
…
Meanwhile, in a pavilion built adjacent to the cliff.
The three great scholars had just finished their discussion when a page brought a letter, saying it was from the Imperial Princess who was visiting the academy.
In her handwritten note, the Imperial Princess mentioned that recently, a masterpiece had appeared in the capital, much discussed among the scholars. The Imperial Academy hailed it as the finest poem in a hundred years, surpassing even Cloud Deer Academy’s farewell poem.
Moreover, compared to the farewell poem, this “finest poem in a hundred years” originated from the Jiaofang Institute, involving a talented scholar and a beautiful courtesan, making the story even more intriguing and widely circulated…
In the end, the Imperial Princess attached the poem that had become wildly popular among the capital’s scholars in just a few days.
“I’ve been in seclusion for days, and the capital produces such an astonishing masterpiece?” Zhang Shen scrutinized the attached poem.
“Ode to Floating Fragrance at the Little Pavilion of Plum Shadows”
Amidst fading blossoms, you alone radiate warmth,
Capturing all charm in this small garden.
Sparse shadows slant across shallow, clear waters,
Subtle fragrance drifts in the dusky moonlight.
Zhang Shen remained motionless like a statue for a long while. He gently put down the paper and looked towards Li Mubai and Chen Tai, who were chatting over tea.
“Chunjing, Youping, take a look at this,” Zhang Shen said.
His sudden seriousness made the two great scholars pause. Li Mubai took the paper and quickly scanned it, his gaze becoming deep and solemn, shedding his relaxed demeanor.
“Let me see,” Chen Tai, seeing their expressions, reached for the paper. After reading it once, he savored it carefully for a long time.
Chen Tai let out a long sigh, “The lines about ‘sparse shadows’ and ‘subtle fragrance’ capture the exquisite beauty of plum blossoms perfectly. Such delicate thoughts indeed.”
Li Mubai then commented, “Ning Yan’s line ‘Who in the world doesn’t know you?’ certainly stirs one’s spirit, but in terms of depth of meaning, beauty of phrasing, and exceptional charm… it falls far short indeed.”
Zhang Shen stroked his beard and sighed, “With this poem’s appearance, it becomes an unparalleled ode to plum blossoms, impossible to surpass. Who is this Yang Ling? To have such talent, yet I’ve never heard of him.”
Chen Tai looked at the letter again and said, “It seems he’s a scholar from Langle County, who wrote this poem for the courtesan Fuoxiang at the Jiaofang Institute…”
At this point, the tea room fell silent, with none of the three great scholars speaking.
A sour atmosphere fermented and spread in the air.
After pondering for a long time, Zhang Shen said, “I think we should immediately inform the Chancellor and invite this scholar to join our academy. Such talent absolutely must not be overlooked.”
Chen Tai and Li Mubai readily agreed, “Indeed.”
…
On this trip to pick up their aunt and sisters, Xu Ciiu and Xu Ningyan, as students, first went to pay respects to their teachers.
The three great scholars had just finished their lecture and, knowing their “valued” students were visiting, decided to gather in the hall for tea.
Zhang Shen first glanced at his disciple, whose demeanor had changed somewhat, and nodded approvingly, “Ciiu, it seems copying the sage’s words has benefited you greatly.”
Xu Ciiu felt a rush of embarrassment but nodded.
Li Mubai asked in surprise, “Copying the sage’s words helps in reaching the realm of self-cultivation? How come I never noticed?”
Xu Erniang opened his mouth but ultimately chose to remain silent.
He had indeed touched the threshold of the self-cultivation realm, but that was after seeing the four lines his elder brother had written on the stone tablet.
It was a subtle, gradual process.
However, this wasn’t something he could openly discuss, even though everyone knew the origin of those four lines.
After some casual chat, Chen Tai glanced at Li Mubai and Zhang Shen, smiling, “You two live in the capital, do you know about the recent masterpiece… ‘Sparse shadows slant across shallow, clear waters, Subtle fragrance drifts in the dusky moonlight.’ Marvelous, truly marvelous.”
“Ningyan, although you have poetic talent, you mustn’t be arrogant. Remember, there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers among the scholars of the world.”
This old fox is just jealous that we have such a good student… But such words of wisdom were hard to refute. Zhang Shen could only say, “This poem is indeed brilliantly talented. Ningyan needn’t compete with it. It’s an unparalleled ode to plum blossoms, there’s no point in trying to surpass it.”
Li Mubai nodded, “Although today’s scholars may lack some inspiration, there are always exceptions. Yang Ling might not be able to produce a second such poem. But with Ningyan’s talent, a third or fourth masterpiece in the future is entirely possible.”
Xu Xinnian glanced at his cousin and said, “This poem was also written by my eldest brother.”