A convoy came to a halt at the foot of Clear Cloud Mountain. From the luxurious carriage, the Princess Royal descended a small ladder and climbed the mountain under the escort of soldiers.
The mountain wind blew gently, stirring her silk robes and hair. With her noble, cold beauty, the Princess Royal squinted her clear eyes against the wind.
At a pavilion halfway up the mountain, she spotted a white-haired old gentleman sitting at a desk, facing a young child.
Beside the child was a young woman of stunning beauty, head bowed over needlework.
The old gentleman said sternly: "How many times must I tell you—your brush grip must be proper."
The child: "I know, Teacher."
The old gentleman: "Then why don't you fix it?"
The child: "Fix what?"
"Forget it—no writing today. Recite the Three Character Classic with me." The old gentleman sighed, cleared his throat, and began:
"In the beginning of man, his nature is good."
The child: "In the beginning of man, his nature what?"
Teacher: "In the beginning of man, his nature is good."
The child: "In the beginning of man... his nature is good."
Teacher: "Why did you pause in the middle?"
The child: "I forgot."
Teacher: "Start again. In the beginning of man, his nature is good."
The child: "In the beginning of man, his nature what?"
The teacher was losing his mind.
Outside the pavilion, the Princess Royal couldn't help but smile. Her eyes, clear as an ice mirror, shimmered with amusement—bringing the jade beauty to life.
The old gentleman recognized the Princess Royal and immediately stood, bowing respectfully: "Greetings to the Princess Royal."
The noble, coldly beautiful Princess Royal nodded slightly, her voice crisp as clinking ice: "When did White Deer Academy start accepting toddlers?"
The old gentleman turned and gestured for the two sisters to come and pay respects. Xu Lingyue rose and curtsied. Xu Lingyin, however, stared blankly at this woman whose figure rivaled her mother's and whose beauty and bearing surpassed her entirely.
The old gentleman said awkwardly: "The child is rude. Please don't blame her, Your Highness."
He wasn't overly anxious—the Princess Royal, though cold and unapproachable, was a scholar herself, with a mind as broad as any man's.
The old gentleman continued: "These two are family members of an academy student. Due to family circumstances, the female relatives are temporarily residing at the academy."
*Refugees...* The Princess Royal, with her keen intelligence, immediately analyzed the implication. She studied the attractive young woman and the not-very-bright child, and smiled faintly: "Which student?"
She was half an academy student herself and knew the rules well. Without a Grand Confucian Master's approval, students' female relatives could not reside at Clear Cloud Mountain.
Xu Lingyue said softly: "My brother is Xu Xinnian."
She didn't mention Xu Qian because her eldest brother was not an academy student.
Xu Xinnian... The Princess Royal's gaze flickered. Having investigated Xu Qian's background, she immediately recalled the brotherhood between the two.
The mastermind behind the tax silver case was Vice Minister Zhou, and roughly ten days ago, Xu Qian had clashed with the Vice Minister's son in the marketplace... The Princess Royal looked at the pretty, delicate girl and asked gently: "When was this?"
"Almost ten days ago," Xu Lingyue replied.
*He knows Caiwei, and Caiwei knows Vice Minister Zhou was involved in the tax silver case. Therefore, that seemingly unremarkable clerk would also know... Realizing he had offended Vice Minister Zhou, sending his family to the academy was a reasonable countermeasure. But wouldn't it have been better to flee the capital entirely?*
Sending the female relatives to the academy while the men remained in the capital—so... they were planning something?
Recalling the fuse that led to Vice Minister Zhou's downfall, the Princess Royal narrowed her beautiful eyes, nodded slightly, and continued climbing with her guards.
...
Elegant Pavilion!
The Princess Royal studied Zhao Shou and expressed mild surprise: "In just ten days, your complexion has changed entirely."
The former dean had been slovenly, his long white hair hanging loose, a perpetual gloom between his brows.
Now his eyes were bright and clear, his spirit condensed and contained, his bearing vibrant.
Zhao Shou didn't answer directly, but laughed heartily: "The Sage said: learning knows no age; the one who achieves is first."
*Learning knows no age; the achiever is first...* He meant someone could be his teacher despite being young. Was this connected to the incident at the Second Sage's Hall, when righteous energy pierced the sky?
She was intensely curious about what had happened at the Second Sage's Hall. The hall was sealed; no one could enter, and the Night Watchmen were powerless.
The Princess Royal gathered her wandering thoughts, looked out the window at the deep green bamboo grove, and sighed: "Does the Dean know about Vice Minister Zhou's dismissal and banishment?"
"For Great Feng's political world, this is merely the first act of the factional struggle." Zhao Shou smiled and shook his head, unwilling to say more. He waved for a chessboard: "Li Mubai hasn't played chess since his third defeat over Wei Yuan. There's no one in the academy who can match me. Since the Princess has come today, keep this old man company for a game."
The Princess Royal smiled helplessly: "Playing chess against me—the Dean courts humiliation."
...
Meanwhile, in a pavilion built beside the cliff.
Three Grand Confucian Masters had just finished their discussion. A page boy delivered a letter, saying the Princess Royal was visiting the academy and had sent it along.
In her letter, the Princess wrote that a fine poem had recently appeared in the capital. Scholars throughout the city were buzzing about it. The Imperial Academy hailed it as the finest poem in a century, surpassing White Deer Academy's farewell poem.
Moreover, compared to the farewell poem, this "finest poem in a century" originated from the Bureau of Music—a tale of scholar and courtesan, far more entertaining and widely circulated...
At the end, the Princess included the poem that had exploded in popularity among the capital's scholarly circles in mere days.
*This old man has been in seclusion for days, and a world-shaking poem has appeared in the capital?* Zhang Shen studied the attached poem with keen eyes.
"Gifted to Lady Fuxiang at Yingmei Pavilion
All blossoms fade and fall; alone she thrives in bloom, Claiming every charm the little garden knows. Sparse shadows stretch across waters clear and bright, Hidden fragrance drifts through dusk's golden light..."
Zhang Shen sat like a statue, silent for a long time. He gently set down the paper and looked at Li Mubai and Chen Tai, who were drinking tea and chatting.
"Chunjing, Youping—look at this," Zhang Shen said.
His sudden solemnity caught the two off guard. Li Mubai took the paper, scanned it quickly, and his gaze grew serious, his relaxed posture dissolving.
"Let me see." Chen Tai, seeing their expressions, reached over and took the paper. After reading it once, he savored it for a long while.
Grand Confucian Master Chen sighed deeply: "Sparse shadows, hidden fragrance—in just two lines, the unparalleled elegance of the plum blossom is fully captured. What exquisite subtlety."
Li Mubai offered his assessment afterward: "Ningyan's 'Who in all the world doesn't know you' certainly stirs the heart with heroic vigor. But in terms of depth of imagery, beauty of diction, and singular spirit... it falls far short."
Zhang Shen stroked his beard and sighed: "With this poem, the eternal ode to the plum blossom is now unmatchable. Who is this Yang Ling? With such talent—how have we never heard of him?"
Chen Tai re-read the letter: "Seems he's a scholar from Changle County. At the Bureau of Music, he wrote this poem for the courtesan queen Fuxiang..."
At this, the tea room fell silent. None of the three Grand Confucian Masters spoke.
A sour note fermented and spread through the air.
Zhang Shen pondered for a long time, then said: "I think we should notify the Dean immediately and recruit this scholar into the academy. Such talent must not be wasted."
Chen Tai and Li Mubai agreed readily: "Well said."
...
The trip to pick up his aunt and sisters brought the students Xu Cijiu and Xu Ningyan to pay their respects to their teachers first.
The three Grand Confucian Masters had just finished their lectures. Knowing their valued student was visiting, they gathered in the hall for tea.
Zhang Shen first glanced at his disciple, noting a change in his bearing, and said with satisfaction: "Cijiu, it seems copying the Sage's words has greatly benefited you."
Xu Cijiu felt a flash of embarrassment and nodded.
Li Mubai asked in surprise: "Copying the Sage's words helps one enter the Self-Cultivation realm? How did I not notice this?"
Xu Xinnian opened his mouth, then chose silence.
He had indeed touched the threshold of Self-Cultivation, but that was after seeing the four lines his brother had written on the stone stele.
It was a gradual process.
But this wasn't something he could mention publicly—even if everyone knew where those lines came from.
After some idle chat, Chen Tai glanced at Li Mubai and Zhang Shen, and said with a chuckle: "You two live in the capital—have you heard that a peerless masterpiece recently appeared there? ...'Sparse shadows stretch across waters clear and bright; hidden fragrance drifts through dusk's golden light.' Exquisite, absolutely exquisite.
"Ningyan, you have poetic talent, but don't become arrogant. Remember that scholars across the realm hide dragons and tigers."
*This old cur is just jealous we got a good student...* But the advice was sound and difficult to refute. Zhang Shen had to say: "This poem is indeed breathtakingly brilliant. Ningyan shouldn't measure himself against it. The eternal ode to the plum blossom—there's no point comparing."
Li Mubai nodded: "Though scholars today may lack a certain spark, there are exceptions. That Yang Ling may not produce a second masterpiece. As for Ningyan—his third and fourth poems are very likely."
Xu Xinnian glanced at his cousin and said: "This poem was also written by my eldest brother."