Chapter 46 – Document

The school was completed in no time, and an auspicious day was chosen for its opening.

Xie Fei presided over the event personally, while Jiang Xian, the governor of Jingzhao Prefecture, came to deliver a speech. The top three scholars from the imperial examinations—He Zhiqiu, Zhang Wenzheng, and Fan Mukun—all attended as well. The courtyard was decorated with flowers and firecrackers were set off. The signboard “Weixian Academy,” written by He Zhiqiu beforehand, was hung up, while Zhang Wenzheng composed an essay to celebrate the establishment of the academy. Fan Mukun wrote a poem. All the congratulatory writings and poems had been engraved on steles in advance and placed at the entrance of the academy, behind which was carved the list of donors and the amount they contributed.

Jiang Xian felt awkward when he saw He Zhiqiu, but after years of navigating the bureaucracy, he managed to greet him nonetheless. He Zhiqiu calmly returned the greeting with a bow, even asking for advice, “Sir Jiang has arranged the city wall repairs very well these days. The residents near the city walls have benefited greatly.”

His mother, seeing his depression from illness, secretly sent food and water to the laborers working on the city walls for several days, earning some work hours and returning with a considerable amount of food and necessities. When he found out, he felt ashamed that he, as an official, had to rely on his mother’s hard work, but he was also surprised at Jiang Xian’s capabilities.

Jiang Xian said awkwardly, “It was all arranged by Lord Zhao Yu. I dare not claim credit.” After saying this and noticing that there was no trace of resentment on He Zhiqiu’s face, he felt slightly relieved. Recalling what his aide had told him, he pretended to be oblivious and continued chatting casually, watching the students line up to receive their book boxes and satchels after receiving instructions from their teachers.

The students wore brand new, uniform blue robes with black borders, tied at the waist with belts. Their faces were washed clean, and those who received the book boxes and satchels beamed with joy, extremely excited.

Xie Fei examined the book box and smiled as he said to Fan Mukun, “This book box is quite solid, heavy. It must be made of nan bamboo, and it’s intricately carved with patterns.”

Fan Mukun replied, “I heard Brother Wenzheng mention earlier that the paper inside the box is all Jingqing paper, the brush is a Lantian brush, the ink slab is pine smoke ink, and the inkstone is a Duan inkstone. The textbooks printed are also carefully selected, including ‘Thousand Character Classic,’ ‘Jinglin’s Early Learning,’ and ‘Mathematical Treatise.’ I just mentioned that using Jingqing paper for students to practice calligraphy is a bit wasteful. It was said that there is also bamboo paper for practice, which would be more suitable to place in the book box. Indeed, it seems everything has been thoughtfully considered.”

Xie Fei picked up a textbook and flipped through it while laughing. “In just half a month, Prince Xu has managed to organize everything so meticulously. He’s indeed capable…” He paused, then noticed the red seal on the frontispiece of the book reading “Chufeng Hall.”

He was taken aback. Behind him, Jiang Xian chuckled and said, “The characters of Chufeng Hall’s name are beautifully written. I mentioned to the top scholar earlier that the handwriting resembles the emperor’s brushwork. The young phoenix’s voice is clearer than the old phoenix’s. This name for the publishing house is very clever, fitting for today’s scene, where young birds chirp in anticipation of the future.”

Xie Fei smiled. “I was wondering why the characters looked so familiar… It does resemble the emperor’s brushwork… His Majesty has loved practicing the flying white and clerical script since childhood. His writing is bold and majestic, befitting of an emperor. Although these characters are lively and resemble a phoenix spreading its wings, the brushstrokes linger and circle, giving a sense of melancholy, lacking the vigor and majesty.”

Fan Mukun, standing next to him, saw the lively discussion and laughed. “After hearing Fei’s critique, I believe Prince Xu’s publishing business will improve. I’ll see what kind of characters deserve such praise…” After saying this, he picked up a textbook and flipped through it. As soon as he saw the characters, his expression changed slightly.

Xie Fei laughed. “I heard that Brother Dongye has accompanied the emperor in his studies since childhood, so he should be familiar with the emperor’s handwriting. Tell us, does it look similar? I was startled when I saw it earlier.”

Fan Mukun laughed. “They’re merely examples of the flying white script; there’s no need to read too much into it. If the Jingguo Duke’s estate had obtained the emperor’s calligraphy, wouldn’t they have publicized it? Besides, how could the emperor write a dedication for an unknown publishing house?”

Everyone laughed, most sharing this view. Xie Fei turned around and asked, “Where is Prince Xu?”

Su Linyu replied, “He was supposed to come, but early this morning, Master Shen suddenly summoned him. It seems there were some calculations related to the Ministry of Works that couldn’t be solved, troubling Master Shen. He probably called a few students proficient in mathematics to help. A servant informed me that once they finish calculating, they will go straight to Huayun Pavilion.”

Xie Fei nodded. “That’s important business. Now that the matters here are settled, let’s gather at Huayun Pavilion. We’ve accomplished a significant task, so we should celebrate properly. Perhaps Prince Xu is already there, and if he is, I’m sure the calculations will be done quickly.”

Xiong Wenduan teased, “I’m afraid Master Shen might test him on his studies, giving him some extra tutoring. If we see him with a bitter expression later, it must mean he’s been assigned additional homework.”

Everyone who knew Xu Chun laughed at this. He Zhiqu asked, “Are you talking about the prince of the Jingguo Duke’s estate?”

Xie Fei replied, “Yes, I forgot you haven’t met him. Later, I’ll introduce you to Prince Xu, whose courtesy name is Siyuan. He’s very generous and interesting.”

He Zhiqu said, “I met his father and brother during the Qionglin Banquet. I suppose, coming from a noble family, they are naturally talented.”

Zhang Wenzheng added, “I also met his father and brother that day. They seemed mundane and pedantic, but when I met Prince Xu at the banquet, he was different from his father and brother. He had the style of the Jin dynasty, someone worth befriending.”

He Zhiqu knew that the second-place scholar was proud and arrogant, looking down on ordinary people. For him to comment like this, it seemed that this prince of the Jingguo Duke’s estate truly had exceptional qualities.

Xie Fei laughed. “I was misled by rumors before, thinking that Prince Xu was disgusted by fine clothes and lacked taste for delicacies, assuming he was a frivolous and irresponsible youth. But after meeting him, I realized the rumors were false.”

As they chatted, everyone left the school and boarded carriages heading eastward to Huayun Pavilion in the city.

It was almost the Dragon Boat Festival, and the weather was warm. Huayun Pavilion was surrounded by flower trees in full bloom, resembling clouds or rosy hues, with blossoms spreading like mist. Everyone on the highest floor of the pavilion was captivated by the scenery. Fortunately, poetry paper was prepared, and everyone began composing poems. Someone joked, “Fortunately, Siyuan isn’t here; otherwise, he’d be escaping to urinate again to avoid writing poetry.”

Everyone laughed heartily. Someone explained affectionately, “Don’t make fun of him. At least the prince can paint a few strokes. His paintings are still treasured in the palace. Why don’t we collect more of his paintings now? In the future, our descendants might rely on them for a turnaround.”

Everyone became even more joyful. However, He Zhiqu was secretly curious, eager to see what kind of charm this Prince Xu possessed, causing everyone to hold him in high regard and enjoy his company.

Meanwhile, early that morning, Xu Chun had been caught by Shen Mengzhen and spent half a day calculating the dimensions for the capital’s canal construction with several mathematics professors at the Imperial Academy. After finally completing the calculations and ensuring they were accurate, Shen Mengzhen kept him to test his previous lessons.

Xu Chun stammered through the answers as best as he could. Shen Mengzhen seemed satisfied. “You’ve put in some effort and studied your books, but you’re still lacking in skill. Your memory isn’t solid either. Although your thesis has some novel ideas, it’s clear you’re not familiar with the classics. There are established arguments by great scholars that you failed to cite. If you could skillfully quote from the classics, you would save a lot of effort.”

Xu Chun looked at Shen Mengzhen with a pained expression, thinking that he had only started studying in the past year. Not making mistakes in writing characters was already a blessing from Confucius.

Shen Mengzhen then presented him with a list of books. “Go back and read these according to this list. I will ask you questions based on these books.”

Xu Chun remained silent. He respectfully accepted the list with both hands and said, “Thank you for your guidance, Master.” Inside, he was writhing in agony. What happened to his poetic and unrestrained life! What happened to his carefree and flamboyant scholar persona! Master Shen, why have you become so strict!

Shen Mengzhen seemed oblivious to the bitterness on Xu Chun’s face. He took out a document stamped with the seals of the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Academy from his desk. “I heard you wanted to publish books for the school. Here it is.”

Xu Chun was astonished as he took the document. It was neatly filled with the newly established “Chufeng Hall” publishing permit, with the small script below listing the scope of publication: history books, classics, poetry, Buddhist scriptures, medical books, mathematical books, etc., all included.

Shen Mengzhen said, “With this document, you can obtain the woodblocks for the Nine Classics. Don’t dare to rashly print anything that might cause trouble for your family and implicate me, your master.”

Xu Chun looked at Shen Mengzhen with bright eyes, grateful. “Thank you, Master, for relieving my worries! I went to the Printing Office the other day to inquire, and they said it would take some time to process. Since it’s for the school’s use, they suggested starting with some basic education books and handling the rest later. How did you know the name of my publishing house is Chufeng Hall? Oh, I know, it must have been Brother Fang who told you, right? I haven’t seen Brother Fang for quite some time. Where did he go? Since he helped me so much, let’s have a feast together. I’ll treat you and Brother Fang to dinner, okay?”

Shen Mengzhen waved his hand dismissively, seemingly disgusted. “No need. What’s the point of hosting a banquet for Old Fang? He’s rigid and uninteresting, his mind filled with rules and the glory of his family. He’s often busy. I heard he went on an external mission and just returned, but he has to leave again soon. Don’t bother with him; focus on your own affairs. Go ahead, didn’t you hear that the school’s opening ceremony is today?”

Xu Chun grinned. “Okay, are you going, Master? They said they’re hosting a banquet at Huayun Pavilion.”

Shen Mengzhen sighed deeply. “Forget it, they’re all students of the Imperial University. I’d only make you all feel restrained if I went.” He hesitated, feeling weighed down by the responsibilities of being a role model. He couldn’t exactly be a moral paragon, but he couldn’t be frivolous and carefree either. What famous opera performers or courtesans could he approach now! He felt like the emperor had dug a pit for him to fall into.

Recalling Fang Zixing, who had just returned from his mission the day before, looking dusty and worn out and not daring to rest, he specifically ran over to convey the emperor’s oral instructions. One, the emperor complained that Shen Mengzhen wasn’t teaching Prince Xu diligently enough, but emphasized that the prince was young and his character wasn’t set. He should be guided gently, mainly encouraged and praised, rather than criticized harshly to prevent the prince from losing interest in learning. Two, regarding the prince’s intention to publish books, he was instructed to immediately obtain a permit for the prince.

He couldn’t assign too much homework, nor too little. He couldn’t be too lenient, yet he couldn’t be too strict either. It was apparent that he couldn’t use the ruler to discipline the prince. How was he supposed to teach him?

Who was responsible for this predicament? He glanced at Xu Chun, who was still unaware. Finally, he realized that his position as the chancellor of the Imperial University likely originated from this prince.

Xu Chun happily flipped through the document repeatedly, carefully folding it and placing it in his bosom. Then he said, “Master, I’ll take my leave now. If you have any free time, please let me know, and I’ll arrange a banquet for you.”

Shen Mengzhen waved his sleeve, indicating for him to leave quickly. “Go ahead. I have something to discuss with Li Meiyue.”

Xu Chun was surprised. Last time, Shen Mengzhen and Li Meiyue seemed to have a life-and-death enmity, but now they could calmly meet and discuss matters?

However, he didn’t think too much about it. He bowed and bid farewell, leaving the Imperial University on horseback and heading straight for Huayun Pavilion.