Chapter 79
Confucian Book Club
Liuzhai is called "Zhai" but it is actually a large complex of academy buildings.
A century ago, three generations of sages traveled around the country and held lectures in Kyoto. This was the place where they stayed.
Later, the imperial court enclosed the land surrounding Liuzhai and gifted it to Confucian scholars, who then built an academy there.
Zhengxin Academy and Liuzhai Academy both originated from the lineage of three generations of sages. Nowadays, Liuzhai Academy mainly trains talents for the imperial court and follows the path of entering officialdom, which is slightly different from the path of Zhengxin Academy, but in essence, they are the same.
Xu Xian stood in front of the gate of Liuzhai and looked up at the plaque.
The plaque was just an ordinary wooden sign with the two characters "Liu Zhai" written on it. The characters were gentle and smooth, just like the character "Shan" on the Stele of Goodness.
Written by the hand of three generations of sages a hundred years ago.
He straightened his collar and walked inside. Yang Xu, Zhang Hu, and Zhao Bao were standing at the door, watching the people coming and going.
The crowd consisted mostly of scholars dressed in blue robes, square scarves, and carrying book bags or bamboo slips at their waists. There were also many ordinary people who came to watch the spectacle and those who had traveled from other places specifically to observe the ceremony.
Yang Xu, with one hand on his sword hilt, paused slightly when he saw Xu Xian approaching.
"Tsk... Why do I feel like you've changed a bit? You walk lighter than usual, and your steps are faster. Have you broken through another barrier?"
"Really? I guess I've gotten a little more handsome. There's not much else to say about me besides that I'm good-looking."
Yang Xu rolled his eyes and turned back to continue his surveillance.
Xu Xian led the three through the front yard and along the corridor toward the central square.
His task was to ensure security in the area surrounding the main altar, where the seats of various academies were located: Zhengxin Academy, Bailu Academy, Yuelu Academy, Songyang Academy, and Liuzhai Academy's own disciples.
Lu Jing and Feng Zangwu can handle the external affairs; he doesn't need to worry about them.
...
The square of Liuzhai was many times larger than that of Zhengxin Academy, with bluestone paving and seats for various academies arranged on both sides.
At the very front is a high altar, on which stands a stone statue. The statue is an old man in a wide robe, with his hands folded in front of him, his face kind and his eyes lowered.
Xu Xian had never seen this statue before, but he could guess that it represented the first sage, the Confucian sage.
Three sticks of incense had already been lit in the incense burner in front of the stone statue, the blue smoke rising straight up and remaining motionless in the morning breeze.
Thousands of people had gathered in the square, dressed in various Confucian robes, all talking in hushed tones.
Master Mencius was standing below the main altar, talking to several elders.
He was wearing a new scholar's robe today, with bamboo slips hanging from his waist, and looked much better than when he was in Qingzhou.
Seeing Xu Xian approach, he cupped his hands in greeting to the elderly men, turned to greet him, and smiled.
"Young Master, that day at Taibai Tower, several disciples from Yuelu Academy spoke rudely, causing you to suffer injustice. I have already reprimanded those disciples, and I will personally visit you another day to apologize."
Xu Xian quickly returned the greeting.
"Master Mencius, you are too kind. There are ignorant people everywhere. It has nothing to do with you, so how can I ask you to apologize to me? Besides, I didn't suffer any loss. I just cursed back... The sage said to repay injustice with justice. I am just practicing the Confucian spirit."
Master Meng laughed heartily and invited him to sit down.
My seat was in the first row of the Zhengxin Academy seating area, to Master Meng's left, next to Jun Jingyan.
Xu waved his hand in refusal.
"I'm here on official business today, so it's not appropriate for me to sit here."
Master Meng smiled.
"Liuzhai Academy and the Inspection Bureau both belong to the imperial court, and the Junior Tutor is also the mentor of Zhengxin Academy. It is perfectly justified for him to sit here."
Unable to refuse, Xu Xian had no choice but to sit down.
Jun Jingyan changed into a moon-white scholar's robe today, and her long hair was tied up with a jade hairpin. She looked even more aloof than when she was in Qingzhou last time.
She glanced at Xu Xian, nodded slightly as a greeting, and then turned to look straight ahead.
Yang Xu, Zhang Hu, and Zhao Bao had already dispersed and blended into the inspection posts at the four corners of the square.
...
Before long, the bell rang, its deep and resonant sound echoing from the Liuzhai Bell Tower and reverberating across the square.
The noisy voices gradually quieted down, and everyone stood up to face the main altar.
The book club officially began.
On the main altar, Luo Shenglin stood side by side with Master Meng.
Luo Shenglin was the dean of Liuzhai Academy. He was in his early sixties, thin, and had a gray and white goatee.
The musicians began playing elegant music, and the entire hall fell silent; not even a cough could be heard.
Luo Shenglin ascended the main altar and personally lit three sticks of incense. The moment the incense was inserted into the incense burner, the smoke inside suddenly rose up, turning into a straight column of smoke that shot straight into the sky.
He stepped back, faced the main seat of Confucius, straightened his clothes, clasped his hands, and knelt in worship.
The Confucian scholars from various academies below the stage bowed in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized, with thousands kneeling and rising simultaneously.
The one reciting the welcoming prayer was an elderly scholar with white hair and beard. His voice was old but loud, and every word seemed to leave an imprint in the air.
When the prayer was halfway through, a pale golden ray of light suddenly descended from the sky, piercing through the clouds and landing on the main altar, enveloping the Confucian sage statue in a soft halo.
Xu Xian watched this scene with great surprise.
Immediately afterwards, the words of the prayer text floated up from the silk scroll in the old scholar's hand, transforming into semi-transparent golden phantoms that slowly hovered in the sky above the square.
Xu Xian stared wide-eyed at the floating text. "This is even more amazing than holographic projection!"
As Master Mencius opened the bamboo slips and read excerpts from the writings of sages, a righteous spirit emanated from the slips, like a warm breeze sweeping across the entire square.
Xu Xian felt his mind suddenly become peaceful, and the fatigue from practicing all night without sleep was greatly reduced.
This is the "purification" technique from the Word of Power, used to calm the mind.
Mencius and Luo Shenglin descended the main altar together and proceeded to the east and west wings to pay homage to the Four Sages, the Twelve Philosophers, and great Confucian scholars of past dynasties.
Incense was burned, wine was offered, and kowtows were performed in front of each memorial tablet, with the Confucian scholars leading the way below the stage and bowing in unison.
Xu Xian squinted, his head slowly sinking down.
He practiced the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) all night last night, and then fell off a tree this morning. Now, surrounded by this solemn and dignified atmosphere, he couldn't help but feel sleepy.
His head lowered lower and lower until it tilted to the side and rested squarely on Jun Jingyan's shoulder.
He woke up with a start. Looking up, he saw Jun Jingyan looking at him with her head tilted to the side, expressionless, her eyes slightly narrowed.
"Didn't Commander Xu sleep last night?"
Xu Xianqian chuckled twice, "I was busy with official business last night and didn't get any sleep. I'm really sorry."
Jun Jingyan turned her head away and refused to look at him again.
At this point, the sacrificial ceremony was completed.
Luo Shenglin re-ascended the platform, explained the purpose of the conference, and announced the competition rules—the talent competition was divided into six categories: music, archery, calligraphy, mathematics, etiquette, and horsemanship. Each academy selected its disciples to participate, and the five judges would score the participants.
He struck the drum three times to announce the end of the sacrificial ceremony and then officially began the talent competition.
Mencius then announced,
"The ultimate victor will receive a copy of the handwritten notes of three generations of sages and will receive personal instruction from the sages at Liu Zhai!"
"The handwritten notes left by three generations of sages are priceless treasures coveted by Confucian disciples worldwide. These notes contain the sages' personal annotations and insights on the classics, made during their lifetime!"
The venue is ready.
The first competition, the music test, begins.
A century ago, three generations of sages traveled around the country and held lectures in Kyoto. This was the place where they stayed.
Later, the imperial court enclosed the land surrounding Liuzhai and gifted it to Confucian scholars, who then built an academy there.
Zhengxin Academy and Liuzhai Academy both originated from the lineage of three generations of sages. Nowadays, Liuzhai Academy mainly trains talents for the imperial court and follows the path of entering officialdom, which is slightly different from the path of Zhengxin Academy, but in essence, they are the same.
Xu Xian stood in front of the gate of Liuzhai and looked up at the plaque.
The plaque was just an ordinary wooden sign with the two characters "Liu Zhai" written on it. The characters were gentle and smooth, just like the character "Shan" on the Stele of Goodness.
Written by the hand of three generations of sages a hundred years ago.
He straightened his collar and walked inside. Yang Xu, Zhang Hu, and Zhao Bao were standing at the door, watching the people coming and going.
The crowd consisted mostly of scholars dressed in blue robes, square scarves, and carrying book bags or bamboo slips at their waists. There were also many ordinary people who came to watch the spectacle and those who had traveled from other places specifically to observe the ceremony.
Yang Xu, with one hand on his sword hilt, paused slightly when he saw Xu Xian approaching.
"Tsk... Why do I feel like you've changed a bit? You walk lighter than usual, and your steps are faster. Have you broken through another barrier?"
"Really? I guess I've gotten a little more handsome. There's not much else to say about me besides that I'm good-looking."
Yang Xu rolled his eyes and turned back to continue his surveillance.
Xu Xian led the three through the front yard and along the corridor toward the central square.
His task was to ensure security in the area surrounding the main altar, where the seats of various academies were located: Zhengxin Academy, Bailu Academy, Yuelu Academy, Songyang Academy, and Liuzhai Academy's own disciples.
Lu Jing and Feng Zangwu can handle the external affairs; he doesn't need to worry about them.
...
The square of Liuzhai was many times larger than that of Zhengxin Academy, with bluestone paving and seats for various academies arranged on both sides.
At the very front is a high altar, on which stands a stone statue. The statue is an old man in a wide robe, with his hands folded in front of him, his face kind and his eyes lowered.
Xu Xian had never seen this statue before, but he could guess that it represented the first sage, the Confucian sage.
Three sticks of incense had already been lit in the incense burner in front of the stone statue, the blue smoke rising straight up and remaining motionless in the morning breeze.
Thousands of people had gathered in the square, dressed in various Confucian robes, all talking in hushed tones.
Master Mencius was standing below the main altar, talking to several elders.
He was wearing a new scholar's robe today, with bamboo slips hanging from his waist, and looked much better than when he was in Qingzhou.
Seeing Xu Xian approach, he cupped his hands in greeting to the elderly men, turned to greet him, and smiled.
"Young Master, that day at Taibai Tower, several disciples from Yuelu Academy spoke rudely, causing you to suffer injustice. I have already reprimanded those disciples, and I will personally visit you another day to apologize."
Xu Xian quickly returned the greeting.
"Master Mencius, you are too kind. There are ignorant people everywhere. It has nothing to do with you, so how can I ask you to apologize to me? Besides, I didn't suffer any loss. I just cursed back... The sage said to repay injustice with justice. I am just practicing the Confucian spirit."
Master Meng laughed heartily and invited him to sit down.
My seat was in the first row of the Zhengxin Academy seating area, to Master Meng's left, next to Jun Jingyan.
Xu waved his hand in refusal.
"I'm here on official business today, so it's not appropriate for me to sit here."
Master Meng smiled.
"Liuzhai Academy and the Inspection Bureau both belong to the imperial court, and the Junior Tutor is also the mentor of Zhengxin Academy. It is perfectly justified for him to sit here."
Unable to refuse, Xu Xian had no choice but to sit down.
Jun Jingyan changed into a moon-white scholar's robe today, and her long hair was tied up with a jade hairpin. She looked even more aloof than when she was in Qingzhou last time.
She glanced at Xu Xian, nodded slightly as a greeting, and then turned to look straight ahead.
Yang Xu, Zhang Hu, and Zhao Bao had already dispersed and blended into the inspection posts at the four corners of the square.
...
Before long, the bell rang, its deep and resonant sound echoing from the Liuzhai Bell Tower and reverberating across the square.
The noisy voices gradually quieted down, and everyone stood up to face the main altar.
The book club officially began.
On the main altar, Luo Shenglin stood side by side with Master Meng.
Luo Shenglin was the dean of Liuzhai Academy. He was in his early sixties, thin, and had a gray and white goatee.
The musicians began playing elegant music, and the entire hall fell silent; not even a cough could be heard.
Luo Shenglin ascended the main altar and personally lit three sticks of incense. The moment the incense was inserted into the incense burner, the smoke inside suddenly rose up, turning into a straight column of smoke that shot straight into the sky.
He stepped back, faced the main seat of Confucius, straightened his clothes, clasped his hands, and knelt in worship.
The Confucian scholars from various academies below the stage bowed in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized, with thousands kneeling and rising simultaneously.
The one reciting the welcoming prayer was an elderly scholar with white hair and beard. His voice was old but loud, and every word seemed to leave an imprint in the air.
When the prayer was halfway through, a pale golden ray of light suddenly descended from the sky, piercing through the clouds and landing on the main altar, enveloping the Confucian sage statue in a soft halo.
Xu Xian watched this scene with great surprise.
Immediately afterwards, the words of the prayer text floated up from the silk scroll in the old scholar's hand, transforming into semi-transparent golden phantoms that slowly hovered in the sky above the square.
Xu Xian stared wide-eyed at the floating text. "This is even more amazing than holographic projection!"
As Master Mencius opened the bamboo slips and read excerpts from the writings of sages, a righteous spirit emanated from the slips, like a warm breeze sweeping across the entire square.
Xu Xian felt his mind suddenly become peaceful, and the fatigue from practicing all night without sleep was greatly reduced.
This is the "purification" technique from the Word of Power, used to calm the mind.
Mencius and Luo Shenglin descended the main altar together and proceeded to the east and west wings to pay homage to the Four Sages, the Twelve Philosophers, and great Confucian scholars of past dynasties.
Incense was burned, wine was offered, and kowtows were performed in front of each memorial tablet, with the Confucian scholars leading the way below the stage and bowing in unison.
Xu Xian squinted, his head slowly sinking down.
He practiced the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) all night last night, and then fell off a tree this morning. Now, surrounded by this solemn and dignified atmosphere, he couldn't help but feel sleepy.
His head lowered lower and lower until it tilted to the side and rested squarely on Jun Jingyan's shoulder.
He woke up with a start. Looking up, he saw Jun Jingyan looking at him with her head tilted to the side, expressionless, her eyes slightly narrowed.
"Didn't Commander Xu sleep last night?"
Xu Xianqian chuckled twice, "I was busy with official business last night and didn't get any sleep. I'm really sorry."
Jun Jingyan turned her head away and refused to look at him again.
At this point, the sacrificial ceremony was completed.
Luo Shenglin re-ascended the platform, explained the purpose of the conference, and announced the competition rules—the talent competition was divided into six categories: music, archery, calligraphy, mathematics, etiquette, and horsemanship. Each academy selected its disciples to participate, and the five judges would score the participants.
He struck the drum three times to announce the end of the sacrificial ceremony and then officially began the talent competition.
Mencius then announced,
"The ultimate victor will receive a copy of the handwritten notes of three generations of sages and will receive personal instruction from the sages at Liu Zhai!"
"The handwritten notes left by three generations of sages are priceless treasures coveted by Confucian disciples worldwide. These notes contain the sages' personal annotations and insights on the classics, made during their lifetime!"
The venue is ready.
The first competition, the music test, begins.