Chapter 51 "Go to school properly..."
"Go to school and study hard. Learn more and become the most knowledgeable and highly educated person among us from Keluo."
Outside the Hot Spring Palace, Lin Fengzhi was seeing Qi off.
After learning to drive, he was inspired by something and resolved to work hard to record the history of the Keluo people.
Lin Fengzhi fully respected his wishes and indicated that she could not teach him. Coincidentally, the First Emperor was preparing to establish the Xianyang Academy, with Li Si serving as its headmaster, or nominal principal, and Meng Yi as its assistant headmaster. In Lin Fengzhi's view, the assistant headmaster was the true manager of the Xianyang Academy.
Because Li Si was extremely busy with state affairs, he simply couldn't manage every single detail of the Xianyang Academy.
The establishment of the Xianyang Academy involved the status of Legalist descendants in the Qin Dynasty, and even though Li Si was extremely busy, he had to devote some of his energy to it.
Previously, Li Si would have loved to have everything under his control, but now he's too busy. Human energy is limited. Even highly energetic people can't be perfect in every aspect.
Moreover, Li Si had too many things to take care of. The textile workshops were about to be gradually opened up within the Qin territory, the winter wheat was growing well, he was replacing saddles, stirrups, horseshoes and iron weapons for the army, and he also needed to organize some information about the Baiyue battlefield before reporting to the First Emperor.
This time, the First Emperor was determined to bring famous scholars from various schools of thought to Xianyang, and it was Li Si who made the arrangements.
Li Si, as prime minister, could be said to have encompassed politics, economics, and culture.
If he's capable, there's nothing he can't do.
At this moment, he thought of his fellow disciple and official Zhang Cang.
Xunzi was a giant of thought in the late Warring States period and a true Confucian scholar. He had many disciples, each with their own unique talents. In the public's mind, Xunzi's most famous disciples are Han Fei and Li Si, especially the widely circulated story of their feud stemming from Li Si's unspoken desire for power. This has led many to overlook the fact that Xunzi had more than just Han Fei and Li Si as disciples.
Xunzi was the great synthesizer of Confucianism, integrating elements of Confucianism and Legalism. This led his disciples to develop in different directions. Li Si and Han Fei went towards Legalism, Fuqiu Bo and Mao Heng focused more on the classical inheritance of Confucianism, while Zhang Cang tended to apply his knowledge to the institutional construction of the state.
He now serves as the Imperial Censor in Qin, in charge of historical and literary classics, and is proficient in law, calendar, and arithmetic.
After the First Emperor designated the Lanchi Palace as the site for the Xianyang Academy, Li Si thought Zhang Cang was a capable candidate and arranged for him to work part-time as a lecturer at the Xianyang Academy.
Lin Fengzhi thought to herself that Zhang Cang was a very knowledgeable man. Although he was not as famous as Han Fei and Li Si, he was indeed very capable.
Zhang Cang, a disciple of Xunzi, became famous not in the Qin Dynasty, but in the Han Dynasty.
He was especially known for his longevity. If the First Emperor had lived to his age, the future of the Qin Dynasty would have been uncertain.
Lin Fengzhi counted on her fingers and realized that the teaching staff of Xianyang Academy was formidable. Mohist Sheng Kuan and Xiangli Liang had both gone, and the Agriculturalist Xu Chu and his elders had also traveled a great distance to Xianyang. As for the Military School, although it was inconvenient to invite Wang Jian to come out of seclusion, Wang Ben was still in Xianyang and was also on the list of lecturers.
The other prominent figures were also on their way to Xianyang.
Qi, carrying the small bundle of writing materials Lin Fengzhi had prepared for him, stared at her intently for several moments before nodding solemnly, "Yes!"
"Don't be afraid if you're bullied. Tell me, and I'll take care of them. Don't be afraid to fight back either; I can handle it all," Lin Fengzhi muttered, repeating the same words she had said to Xiao Shui countless times.
Qi: "Mmm!!"
The charioteer looked helplessly at the two reluctant farewells: "Divine Messenger, if we don't set off now, we'll miss our chance to pay respects to our master."
Lin Fengzhi awkwardly withdrew her hand: "Go ahead, go ahead, I'll wait for you at Lishan."
Qi remained in the carriage until Lin Fengzhi returned before lowering the curtain. Gazing at Lin Fengzhi's retreating figure, he recalled his reason for writing a history for the Keluo people. He felt that Lin Fengzhi was like a cloud drifting in the sky, about to vanish with a gust of wind.
Each time she returned from the Lishan Mausoleum, her spirit seemed to dissipate. Over time, it felt as if she herself was about to fall apart.
Qi didn't know the reason, nor did he know how to change it.
But he was the deputy that Lin Fengzhi snatched from the so-called gods. He had heard that in the past, the disciples of the sages would record the deeds of their ancestors so that the world would know the sages' good character.
Qi Yi pondered, who could be better than Lin Fengzhi? The Great Shaman enabled his people to live a life of plenty, benefiting the tribes along the Xiang River. Now, he is passing on his knowledge to the Great Qin, allowing even more people to live better lives.
She is more worthy of being recorded than a god.
He wanted to leave something for her.
He was too ashamed to say it aloud, so he simply said he wanted to write a history for his people.
Later, he realized that the Great Shaman was genuinely happy for the changes and progress of every Kolo person, and he had recorded it, so the Great Shaman must have been happy too.
For example, Xiao Shui came to bid farewell to Lin Fengzhi some time ago. Because the textile workshops were very profitable, the First Emperor intended to have textile workshops set up in other places as well. Xiao Shui was selected to go out because of her excellent performance, which was both a recognition of her ability and a promotion.
In Xianyang, she was merely the head of a department within the official bureaucracy; outside, however, she was the chief official of the bureaucracy.
Lin Fengzhi was very happy to hear this.
Qi hoped that she could be happy like this forever.
He also needs to change himself.
With this in mind, he paid his respects to the teachers at Xianyang Academy and stayed there. Yes, Xianyang Academy provided accommodation.
The heart of Lanchi Palace is the vast "Lanchi Pond," an artificial lake with a wide expanse of water fed by the clear Wei River, making it large enough for boats to navigate. The rippling water shimmers in the sunlight.
The lake contains islands such as Penglai Mountain, symbolizing the mythical immortal mountains. The islands are adorned with pavilions and towers, lush with greenery, resembling a paradise on earth. Qi's lecture hall is located on Penglai Mountain.
There are also huge stone whales carved on the lakeside, which adds a touch of mystery and grandeur to this fairyland scenery.
The lake and the fairy mountain together form a beautiful garden landscape where mountains and waters complement each other and palaces are nestled among the trees.
With its beautiful environment and winding waterways, it truly deserves to be called a royal amusement park.
Qi's entrance exam scores weren't particularly good, but his background was so strong that he was in no way inferior to his classmates.
Look at his classmates.
There were Li Si's grandchildren, descendants of the Meng and Feng families, and even the young children of the First Emperor.
If Fusu's daughter weren't still too young, there would have been another member of the imperial family in this room.
However, Li Si's granddaughter, Li Zhao, whispered to Qi, "Although Yuan Xi did not come to the academy, His Majesty personally summoned Yuan Xi to inquire about her studies."
Qi had not experienced the baptism of politics, so he was impressed but did not understand why this matter was worth writing about in such detail.
Li Zhao exclaimed, "How could you be so stupid? Why am I sitting in the same lecture hall as you? Why are all the teachers so kind to you? Why did His Majesty allow women to attend school? It's all because of the divine messenger behind you!"
Li Zhao looked at his expression and explained to him in detail: "Without the divine messenger's advice, how could His Majesty have allowed a woman like me to enter the palace and have the opportunity to enter the court like men? Now that His Majesty has inquired about Yuan Xi, it is precisely to tell the world that women also have the opportunity to become emperor. As a woman, how can I not be happy?"
Li Zhao is fourteen years old this year. If it weren't for the fact that women could hold official positions, she would already be looking for a husband. As Li Si's granddaughter, living in the eye of the storm of power, she knows very well that only by holding real power in her own hands is she truly secure.
What man can be as reliable as the power he holds in his own hands? Even if his grandfather was Li Si, it wouldn't make a difference.
Qi looked at her and suddenly remembered seeing a similar expression before. Her eyes sparkled with surging excitement, a resolute yet fiery light—a desire for power and a resolute resistance against an unyielding fate.
That was the expression on Xiao Shui's face when she told Lin Fengzhi about her promotion, and the expression on his face when he saw Professor Guan Yue teaching medicine and divination to his students at the academy.
It is a complex emotion of the injustice and constraints that have been suppressed for millions of women finally being forcefully broken through.
Qi did not understand the oppression of women in the secular world. In the place where he grew up, women could be tribal chiefs and shamans.
The last time he had encountered such sharp targeting was when Chunyu Yue broke through his defenses in the clan territory.
This did not prevent Qi from feeling the heavy waves emanating from the other person: "Congratulations."
Li Zhao clicked his tongue. Fools are sometimes lucky. No wonder he was able to receive the protection of the divine messenger.
"What does the messenger do every day? What does she like? She's about your age? That's great! My embroiderers have made a few fashionable and beautiful clothes. Please give them to the messenger for me. No? I won't revise the article Mr. Zhang left for you because you didn't write it well."
Li Zhao's words were astonishingly dense, like a barrage of cannon fire that made Qi's head swell with disbelief.
Qi's level of education wasn't particularly high. Within his clan, he could teach others to read, but here he was practically at the bottom of the class.
It's obvious that those who were among the first to enter Xianyang Academy were no ordinary people. They were either from exceptional families or possessed outstanding academic knowledge, and some of them were both exceptionally well-connected and exceptionally knowledgeable. Qi's classmates had received excellent elite education, and each of them could easily outshine him on their own.
The Mr. Zhang that Li Zhao mentioned was Zhang Cang. He taught Qin law at the academy and had his own unique insights. The homework he assigned was not easy, giving Qi quite a headache.
He originally came to learn how to write history, but now he's studying something else. However, he's also very competitive and determined not to embarrass the Great Shaman, so he tries his best to get rid of his bottom-of-the-barrel status.
"I'll do it myself." Qi said, taking back his homework with a headache.
Just then, Zhang Cang leisurely walked in from outside the door.
He was tall and imposing, far exceeding the average person. When he stood, he was like a pine tree standing tall in the wind, and his movements exuded a noble and dignified air. What was most surprising was his "plump and white as a gourd" skin, which was not bloated, but rather full, moist, and fair all over, as lustrous and shiny as a cut gourd.
In an era when jade was generally exposed to wind and sun, its color was truly exceptional and unforgettable.
Someone exclaimed in a low voice, "Mr. Zhang is here."
Qi was startled, his hand loosened, and the papers fell to the ground in a flurry.
He quickly bent down to pick it up, and Li Zhao followed suit.
Zhang Cang walked to their desks, picked up a piece of paper with a question posed by the Mohist master written on it, and Qi gave a rough answer. Zhang Cang exclaimed "Eh?" and when Qi, blushing, got up to call him, he said with a smile, "This seems to be incorrect."
Zhang Cang had a clear and bright face, a wise and calm gaze, and a gentle and deep voice, possessing both the elegance of a Confucian scholar and the shrewdness of a strategist.
Li Zhao glanced at the paper in Zhang Cang's hand: "Mr. Zhang, this is a question set by Mr. Xiangli. It's very, very difficult. I heard that not many people in Class A can solve it."
Zhang Cang disagreed, smiled slightly, and gave an answer.
Is it difficult?
It's not difficult. The answer is obvious as soon as you look at the question, isn't it?
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The author's note: Regarding Zhang Cang's appearance, the "Biography of Zhang Cang" in the Records of the Grand Historian states: "Cang was sentenced to death for a crime he committed. He took off his clothes and lay down to face the executioner. He was tall and fat, with a white body like a gourd."
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