Chapter 770: No Wind and No Rain

Li Yang established six academies in addition to the Three Departments and Six Ministries. While most positions for scholars in these six academies remained vacant, over twenty individuals had successively entered, becoming Collators—a prestigious position almost comparable to a Censor of the Hanlin Academy. Among them were Dong Juran, a rising star in calligraphy, praised by Grand Tutor Tan Tan Weng for his "divine penmanship, clear and expansive style, and vibrant spirit"; and Huang Quan, a young painter skilled in depicting deities, spirits, dragons, and water, whom Grand Secretary Qi Yanglong promoted despite breaking precedent. These two, along with Fan Changhou, a ten-dan national chess master, and Gao Tingzhu, the second-place graduate whose *qijue* poem, written after his return from serving in the frontier, was lauded by many capital literati as the masterpiece of all *qijue* poems from the 20th year of Yonghui, were known as the "Four Champions" for their respective excellence in poetry, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Additionally, Du Ming, whose father was a former Right Assistant Minister of Justice, had served in the Ministry of Justice for six years without renown. He then truly "astonished with a single cry," co-authoring the seven-volume *Collection of Cases Under the Crabapple Shade* with his father, who had retired years ago. Soon after Song Keli entered the Hanlin Academy, he submitted the even more magnificent *Annals of Xiangfu Commandery and Counties* to the imperial court. Its rich content and structured narrative were highly praised. Rumor had it that His Majesty the Emperor was so engrossed that he read it by lamplight late into the night and personally wrote a preface for it. Yan Chiji and two other Censors from the Hanlin Academy also distinguished themselves. Under the guidance of literary giants like Qi Yanglong and Yao Baifeng, they successfully revised twelve Confucian classics. The court, attaching great importance to this achievement, quickly had eighty-one stone tablets carved and erected at the entrance of the Imperial College. These tablets were joined end-to-end, making it convenient for scholars nationwide to copy them. For a time, the area outside the Imperial College was brightly lit every night. Concurrently, the imperial court officially promulgated a new calendar devised by the Imperial Observatory. It pioneered a method for predicting different times for the start, maximum, and end of solar eclipses across various regions, making it the most precise calendar of all. During the transition from spring to summer, the Li Yang Emperor hosted a "Thousand Elders Feast" in the palace, inviting all elders in the capital aged seventy and above. Remarkably, refugees from the Eight Kingdoms of the Spring and Autumn period constituted half of the attendees.

All Li Yang citizens in Tai'an City were likely filled with mixed emotions by such a flourishing and graceful cultural atmosphere. Many elderly former citizens of Western Chu, who had resided in the capital for years, wept openly, their withered fingers trembling as they removed their unique Western Chu scholarly caps, which the Li Yang court had never forbidden.

Everyone knew that the Diligence Study Room was where the Emperor's descendants pursued their studies. However, few beyond capital officials likely knew that not far to the east of the Diligence Study Room lay the Shrine of the Sage, dedicated to the Confucian Sage Zhang. A plaque bearing the four characters "Heaven and Earth Participate Together," personally inscribed by the late Emperor, hung there. It enshrined the Sage, along with the Secondary Sages, Associate Sages, and past Confucian luminaries. At this moment, the young Li Yang Emperor looked up at the three divine statues and eight memorial tablets. Beside him stood three individuals: Chen Wang, now a purple-robed Duke; Song Keli, the "young phoenix" of the Song family, which once boasted two grand tutors but sadly saw both fall from grace in their later years; and a middle-aged Confucian scholar largely unknown to most people in the capital. The Emperor quietly said, "Song Keli, your family once had the hope of having two individuals honored here. But both your grandfather and your father disappointed the late Emperor. Three strikes and you're out; I do not wish for you to disappoint me again."

Song Keli bowed his head, slowly responding, "Your humble servant will only strive to serve with utmost dedication."

The Emperor said nothing more. Song Keli remained with his head bowed until Chen Wang gently tugged his sleeve. The two quietly exited the room. Chen Wang turned and walked away, while Song Keli retreated backward, his back to the door, until he was out. Once Chen Wang and Song Keli had left, Song Tanglu, the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, quietly closed the door.

The young Emperor finally showed a hint of weariness. The middle-aged Confucian scholar, who from birth was privileged to face the Emperor without kneeling, could not help but sigh. "Your Majesty should not have indulged that woman from Huishan. Although I am not a court official, I know that for a subject, it all boils down to accumulating prestige. Prestige, when broken down, can be divided into two parts: the reputation that reaches the Emperor's ears. If successful, it means one is 'favorably regarded by the Emperor,' leading to rapid advancement and the highest official positions. The other part is public reputation, which officials verbally value but secretly disdain. Gaining public support from the bottom up is like rowing against the current. Among the court's high-ranking officials, Qi Yanglong, the 'hermit of the wilderness' who for seventy years insisted on remaining outside the official sphere, is the greatest master of this. Tan Tan Weng Huan Wen, the 'great recluse in the court,' follows closely. Yao Baifeng, who is suited only for scholarship and not for officialdom, is slightly inferior. Jin Lanting, the Minister of Rites, has the will but not the power. The person truly capable of surpassing the heights of the Yonghui era as a Xiangfu official is Chen Wang, who just left with Song Keli. The Xu father and son are not Zhao family subjects in the traditional sense. The more this is the case, the more popular support Xu Fengnian gains. I fear that one day, suppressing Xu Fengnian will be even more difficult than the late Emperor suppressing Xu Xiao."

Zhao Zhuan calmly said, "Is the Duke Yansheng suggesting that Xu Fengnian harbors rebellious intentions?"

The middle-aged man shook his head. "On the contrary, I have never believed the Xu father and son would rebel. It was true after the Battle of West Leibei, and it remains true now that the Liangmang War has begun, regardless of how the battle unfolds."

Zhao Zhuan frowned. "Is that not a contradiction?"

The middle-aged Confucian scholar, the only person in the world born "a sage" by virtue of his surname and lineage, whom the Li Yang Emperor addressed as Duke Yansheng, sighed again. "It is not a contradiction. Your Majesty should not limit your vision to just ten or several decades; you should look further ahead. Your Majesty, tell me, what is the fundamental reason behind every dynastic change?"

Zhao Zhuan gave a wry smile. "Duke Yansheng's examination is so profound that I truly don't know how to approach it from a small point. If I were to offer some empty platitudes, not only would Duke Yansheng find it laughable, but I myself would too."

The Confucian scholar shook his head. "Your Majesty is mistaken, gravely mistaken."

Zhao Zhuan earnestly said, "I implore Duke Yansheng to enlighten me. Here, between you and me, there is nothing that cannot be spoken, nothing that should not be said."

The middle-aged head of the Duke Yansheng's Mansion, without any of the practiced humility common among officials, calmly stated: "The Daoist sages advocated the eight characters: 'abandon sageliness, discard wisdom; abandon benevolence, discard righteousness.' In later generations, even if one doesn't secretly criticize it, one is still bound to be puzzled. The reason for this is that over thousands of years, reading has become easier, literacy more widespread, and human cunning and deception have proliferated. The Daoist sages' eight characters are like trying to control a flood by simply blocking it. In the early stages, when the water was not deep, it might have worked. But as time passed, it became impractical. What were once vast volumes and lengthy texts that made oxen sweat are now books of tens of thousands of words held by a mere child. Your Majesty, our Confucian school preaches propriety, music, benevolence, and righteousness. We establish rules for scholars, combining both restraint and flexibility, leaving gaps between rules for people to follow etiquette and pass through. This is both adapting to the times and a last resort."

The middle-aged man looked up at a memorial tablet. "If prioritizing propriety and music was a prescription for governance offered by our Confucian school to the Son of Heaven, then 'honoring Confucianism exclusively' was the founding emperor of the Great Feng Dynasty's reciprocation to Confucianism. The fundamental cause of a nation's rise and fall is actually the collapse of propriety and music—something many people, including Your Majesty, consider mere generalities. When propriety and music collapse, benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and trustworthiness become rootless duckweed. Foreign relatives interfering in politics, eunuchs causing chaos, warlords carving up territories, factional disputes ruining the nation, or even an Emperor's negligence—which of these is not an act against propriety? Perhaps Your Majesty would say that 'knowing is easy, acting is hard,' that everyone understands the principle of 'a thousand-mile dike ruined by an ant's nest.' But people are not sages, and the world is vast, the territory immense, and the subjects countless. As a monarch, how can one discern where, when, and by whom that first ant's nest was formed? Is this what Your Majesty believes?"

Zhao Zhuan smiled. "'Discerning the subtle to know the profound,' 'tapping fingers for longevity'—those are realms only attained by Finger-Mystic masters. My studies are passable, but martial arts truly vex me."

The middle-aged man also smiled knowingly, reaching out and grasping at the air with an open hand. "To return to the point, the reason Xu Fengnian is a grave hidden danger to this dynasty is not his disloyalty, nor even his unrighteousness, and certainly not his disregard for propriety. In fact, this young Prince may be unreasonable in many matters, but in my eyes, he understands propriety far better than countless scholars. It's just that Xu Fengnian, like Zhang Julu, plans for the nation's welfare, but may not be willing to plan wholeheartedly for the monarch. Zhang Julu created a 'Dragon Gate' for scholars from humble backgrounds across the land. Perhaps within three hundred years, the Emperor on the dragon throne will no longer need to consider one's origins. Coupled with Xu Fengnian's subtle propulsion—the more the court suppresses Beiliang, the greater the Xu family's achievements—this trend might even shorten by one or two hundred years. What kind of sage am I, this Duke Yansheng? I cannot see as far as Huang Longshi. I can only do my best with what is directly before my eyes. Many past sages had excellent intentions, even willing to die to forge a new path for later generations. But alas, their descendants may not feel grateful for it. The more paths available, the more they seek shortcuts. Back during the 'Hundred Schools of Thought' era, when public intelligence flourished, the Daoist sages' 'non-action' governance completely became empty talk. The monarch's dream of 'controlling the world by merely folding one's hands' became an even greater luxury. Perhaps one day, our Confucian school will also be deeply mired in such a predicament... As a ruler, the late Emperor was actually wise enough. Unfortunately, he encountered Xu Xiao and Zhang Julu..."

The middle-aged man did not continue, instead remarking with some emotion, "I am merely a scholar, powerless to restrain a chicken. My ability to govern a nation is far inferior to Zhang Julu's; my ability to strategize for the nation is far inferior to Yuan Benxi's; my ability to defend the nation is far inferior to Xu Fengnian's; my ability to sow chaos in the nation is far inferior to Xie Guanying's; and my foresight is far inferior to Huang Longshi's. However, there is one thing I can do that they cannot, or rather, are unwilling to do: uphold my duty. The reason I specifically asked Your Majesty to bring Song Keli today is simple: I like his name, and I hope that Chen Wang, whom Your Majesty places high hopes on, can understand my earnest intentions."

Zhao Zhuan turned to look at the Zhang family scholar, who stayed home all year round. He suddenly recalled a famous case that shook the Three Teachings. When the current Duke Yansheng was young, a renowned monk from the Southern School traveled a long distance to his residence. Other guests at the mansion successively asked three questions: "If killing one person saves a hundred, Monk, would you kill?" "If killing a hundred saves ten thousand, would you kill?" "If killing ten thousand saves a million, would you kill?" The monk remained silent, speechless, perhaps unable to respond or having an answer but finding it difficult to articulate. It is said that the young man, who had not yet inherited the title of Duke Yansheng, then slammed the table and rose in a rage, rebuking the monk as "that bullshit monk" for clinging to his own path to Buddhahood and daring not to kill to save sentient beings!

The middle-aged man suddenly said, "My purpose in coming to the capital this time, besides promising Your Majesty that I will travel to Guangling Province to deal with Cao Changqing, who has turned tyrannical, is to tell Your Majesty one more thing."

Zhao Zhuan nodded. "Please speak, Duke Yansheng."

"The Beiliang Iron Cavalry can remain."

After a slight pause, the middle-aged man gravely stated, "But Xu Fengnian must die. Especially if Beiliang achieves a great victory against Beimang!"

Zhao Zhuan gave an expressionless "Hmm."

The middle-aged Confucian scholar was the first to turn and walk towards the door, pushing it open. After stepping over the threshold, with the sun high in the sky, he looked up, shielded his eyes from the dazzling sunlight with his hand, and softly murmured, "So I am a bullshit sage after all."

Chen Wang walked alone through the palace. He stopped, took out a small piece of agarwood that grew more fragrant with age, sniffed it at his nose, looked up into the distance, and softly called out, "Hey."

Tai'an City had neither wind nor rain. What about your side? R1058

For the fastest updates from Shushuwu, please check.

Next Page →

This content is from "", by Fenghuo Xizhuhou.