The capital, the thirteenth of June.
Spring Breeze Pavilion overlooked a branch canal of the Taiye Pool. Behind the pavilion lay a three-acre lotus pond. The lotus leaves had just spread out, and the flowers were not yet in full bloom, but the scholars in the capital had already sent invitations for lotus viewing to the Xu Manor.
When the invitation arrived, Xu Zijin was flipping through blue-covered books in the western study.
Spread out on the desk were three volumes of manuscripts left by Xu Qinghuan. Pressed next to them were a few pages annotated by Gu Zongming the night before. The pages were covered in a mix of red and black ink, filled with question marks and circles.
Xu Zijin had dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was fastened with a wooden hairpin that sat slightly askew. Holding a brush, he was breaking down the four words reason lies within matters into seven or eight different explanations, preparing to deal with Great Scholar Kong's next inquiry about the military system.
A servant boy peeked in from outside the door.
Mr. Xu, an invitation has arrived from Spring Breeze Pavilion.
Xu Zijin's wrist paused.
Xu Wuyou was sitting nearby, munching on a flatbread. Hearing this, he slammed the bread onto the table.
Spring Breeze Pavilion? Isn't that place a nest for pure-stream scholars? Who invited you?
The servant boy presented the invitation.
Xu Zijin took it and looked. The wording on the invitation was extremely polite, mentioning things like viewing lotuses and discussing academics, long admiring his great talents, and wishing to invite Brother Xu to attend and discuss the new learning together.
There were seven or eight names in the signature, and the one at the very front was Lu Huaijin.
Xu Wuyou leaned over for a look, and his face sank.
Lu Huaijin, the legitimate grandson of the Lu family's Left Vice Minister of Rites, a famously stubborn bone in the Imperial College. He wrote an article scolding little sister, saying that women discussing politics damages the state's dignity.
Xu Zijin placed the invitation back on the desk.
They are inviting me.
Xu Wuyou stood up, raising his hand to call for men.
Someone come, pick twenty guards from the manor, choose the ones who can fight, and accompany Mr. Xu to Spring Breeze Pavilion.
Xu Zijin quickly raised his hand to stop him.
Big Brother Xu, there's no need.
Why no need? Xu Wuyou glared at him. This is clearly a trap. You, a scholar, going over there, they could drown you with just one sour remark each. What if someone gets physical?
Xu Zijin looked down at himself.
An old green robe, soft-soled shoes, and cuffs still stained with ink.
He certainly didn't look like he could fight.
But if he brought guards to the pavilion today, before he even opened his mouth, the Xu Manor's reputation for bullying others with power would be confirmed.
Pure-stream scholars were the best at making a fuss out of nothing. If they pushed him a little today, tomorrow they could write ten condemning essays.
Xu Zijin pulled three pages of manuscripts from the desk, folded them, hid them in his sleeve, and picked up an old folding fan.
They aren't here to fight. They are here to use my mouth to trample the Xu family's new learning.
Xu Wuyou frowned.
Then you're still going?
I have to go.
Xu Zijin tucked the fan into his waist and raised a hand to straighten his collar.
If I don't go, they will say the Xu Manor is feeling guilty. Old Mr. Gu and Chancellor Kong's visits over the past half month will also be spun by them as the Xu Manor using great scholars to build momentum.
Xu Wuyou's temper flared, and he paced around the study twice.
Then I'll go with you. I won't enter the private room; I'll just drink tea downstairs.
Xu Zijin shook his head.
If you are downstairs, they will still say the Xu Manor sent a martial artist to intimidate the scene.
Then you're going alone?
Bringing a carriage driver is enough.
Xu Wuyou stared at him for quite a while, finally grabbing the flatbread on the table in frustration and taking a fierce bite.
Fine, you go. But remember, if you can't win the argument, just come back. Don't force yourself to endure it.
Little sister isn't in the capital. If they really do something terrible to you, I won't be able to explain it to her.
Xu Zijin couldn't smile; he only cupped his hands in a salute.
Rest assured, Big Brother Xu. I'm saving this life to take the autumn imperial examinations.
Half an hour later, Xu Zijin left the Xu Manor in a small, blue-cloth carriage.
...
Spring Breeze Pavilion's second floor was entirely booked today.
There were many tea drinkers downstairs. Hearing that Xu Zijin of the Xu Manor was coming, they had secured seats by the street early on.
The hottest topics in the capital recently were, firstly, the Imperial Envoy to the Northern Border, Xu Qinghuan, and secondly, the Xu Manor's new learning of investigating things.
The former was thousands of miles away, but the latter was right here in the capital. The rumors of Gu Zongming and Chancellor Kong visiting the Xu Manor at night to inquire about academics had already been spun into over a dozen versions by storytellers in the teahouses.
When Xu Zijin stepped out of the carriage, several scholars in green robes were already waiting in front of the pavilion.
The leader was in his early twenties, tall and slender, impeccably dressed, and holding a white jade bone fan. It was none other than Lu Huaijin.
Beside him were a few others, all rising pure-stream disciples from the Imperial College recently. Their family backgrounds were not low, and their writings were well-known.
Lu Huaijin was the first to cup his hands.
Brother Xu's willingness to come brings honor to Spring Breeze Pavilion today.
Xu Zijin returned the salute.
Invited by everyone, Zijin would not dare to be negligent.
A round-faced scholar nearby chuckled.
Brother Xu has gained great fame recently; how would any scholar in the capital dare to neglect you? Mr. Gu visiting in the middle of the night, Chancellor Kong personally debating academics with you, such prestige cannot be found in a second person at the Imperial College.
As soon as these words were spoken, the tea drinkers downstairs immediately pricked up their ears.
Xu Zijin didn't take the bait, simply following the crowd upstairs.
The private room on the second floor had its windows open, offering a view of the lotus pond outside. Melons, fruits, light wine, brushes, and ink were laid out on the tables, and over ten scholars sat on either side.
As soon as Xu Zijin entered, those who had been whispering all stopped.
Some stood up to salute, some merely raised a cup in greeting, and some gently set their teacups down, making a deliberate sound.
Lu Huaijin invited him to sit in the guest seat.
Today we view lotuses and discuss academics; Brother Xu, please do not feel constrained.
Commandery Princess Xu is far away in the Northern Border, and there is no one to preside over the new learning in the capital. Brother Xu is now considered half a successor. Everyone here has doubts, and we hope Brother Xu will not be stingy with his teachings.
Half a successor?
Someone in the corner chimed in. The voice was not loud, but the words were harsh.
Brother Lu is too polite. As I see it, Brother Xu is merely passing on messages for the Xu Manor. This so-called new learning of investigating things is just the same few phrases repeated over and over. Mr. Gu and Chancellor Kong took old learning and changed its name, and people in the capital have elevated it to a miraculous book.
Another person added with a laugh.
Indeed, old wine in an old bottle, slapped with a new label, and they dare call it new learning. Brother Xu, wouldn't you agree with this logic?
A few low chuckles echoed in the private room.
Xu Zijin sat down and unfurled his old folding fan.
His palms were sweaty.
These people were doing this on purpose.
The first strike cut at his identity, the second strike cut at the Xu Manor's academics, and the third strike dragged Gu Zongming and Chancellor Kong into the mud.
If he rushed to defend himself, he would fall into a disadvantage; if he defended the two great scholars, he would be trapped in the pitfall of using names to build momentum.
Xu Zijin closed his folding fan and tapped it lightly against the edge of the table.
Since everyone says this learning is stolen, may I ask from which classic it was stolen, from which sage, and from which commentary?
The laughter in the private room ceased.
The cup in the round-faced scholar's hand paused at his lips; he didn't drink.
The person in the corner opened his mouth, then swallowed his words back down.
Xu Zijin raised a hand, signaling the servant boy to pour more tea.
If you can state the source, Zijin will publicly admit his mistake today, go back and seal the manuscripts in the Xu Manor's study in a box, and never bring them out to embarrass himself again.
These words landed crisply and decisively.
A few muffled cheers could faintly be heard from downstairs.
Lu Huaijin's brows twitched slightly, and then he spoke.
Brother Xu's words are sharp. But all learning in the world originally comes from the classics and teachings of the sages; it is not guaranteed that every sentence can be traced back to an original text.
Xu Zijin picked up his tea and took a sip.
Then it is not stealing.
But it cannot be called new either. Lu Huaijin pressed his white jade bone fan onto the table.
This so-called investigating things, getting to the bottom of the principles of tools and objects, auditing money and grain, and examining water conservancy, these are merely the skills of craftsmen and petty clerks.
When scholars govern a nation, they rely on classic doctrines and moral principles; they rely on etiquette, law, and proper status.
He looked around the banquet.
"If the governance of a nation relied entirely on measuring fields, balancing accounts, and testing tools, then what need would the imperial court have for scholar-officials? It would be enough to just invite a bunch of bookkeepers and head craftsmen into the palace hall to discuss state affairs."
As soon as these words were spoken, many scholars slammed their hands on the tables in agreement.
"Well said, Brother Lu!"
"If scholars were to learn the ways of craftsmen, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?"
"The Xu estate has been using these bizarre tricks and wicked crafts to confuse the scholarly circles. Someone should have stepped up to speak the truth long ago!"
Xu Zijin held his teacup, the heat scalding his fingertips slightly.
He almost opened his mouth to retort.
But before Xu Qinghuan left the capital, she had said something to him in the pavilion: the more one is backed into a corner, the less one should follow the path laid out by the opponent.
Since the other side wanted to demean the study of things as mere mechanical tricks, he could not just talk about tools.
Xu Zijin set down his teacup. The three pages of manuscript in his sleeve pressed against his arm, the edges of the paper digging in and causing him a slight pain.
He stood up and walked to the window.
The teahouse patrons downstairs were gathering in increasing numbers. The staff of the Spring Breeze Pavilion could not stop them and could only guard the stairway.
Xu Zijin turned back around.
"Brother Lu says that the New Learning is nothing but a trivial path of mechanical tricks and cannot govern a nation. I, Zijin, am of shallow talent and meager learning, so naturally I dare not speak recklessly of such lofty realms."
Someone at the table scoffed lightly.
"At least Brother Xu has some self-awareness."
Xu Zijin ignored him.
"However, I would like to ask Brother Lu: when it comes to the practical application of governing a nation, what should be governed first?"
Lu Huaijin frowned.
"Naturally, it is to clarify propriety and law, rectify human relations, and bring peace to the common people."
"And what does bringing peace to the people rely on?"
"Lightening corvee labor, reducing taxes, and educating the public morals."
"Lightening labor and reducing taxes—but where do the taxes come from? How many acres of fields are there, and how many adult males? How much is reduced during famine years, and how much is collected during abundant years? When is the silver for the border army's pay distributed, and how much wood, stone, and labor is needed to repair the river embankments? If you do not calculate these things, does Brother Lu intend to bring peace to the people using only essays?"
Lu Huaijin was taken aback by the questions.
Xu Zijin continued to press the issue.
"When the imperial court opens the granaries for disaster relief, how many piculs of grain are in the granary, what percentage is lost on the road, and how many measures of rice does a refugee need in a day? If we do not study the nature of things, if we do not calculate, does Brother Lu plan to recite the classics a few times in front of the starving refugees?"
The room quieted down significantly.
Xu Zijin delivered his sentences one after another, leaving no room for anyone to interrupt.
"Brother Lu speaks of propriety, law, and status, and I admire that. But propriety and law only make sense if people are alive."
"When a person starves to death in a ditch, no matter how beautifully an essay is written, it cannot save a single life."
A round-faced scholar could not help but stand up.
"Xu Zijin, you are twisting words and forcing logic! When did we ever say we wouldn't manage money and grain?"
Xu Zijin turned to him.
"If you want to manage money and grain, you must understand money and grain! If you want to control floods, you must understand water currents and earthworks!"
"If you want to discuss border defense, you must understand soldiers, horses, and provisions."
"You all call these things trivial paths, so what is the great path?"
The man was left speechless, his face flushing red.
Lu Huaijin finally stood up.
"Brother Xu has a good tongue. But eloquence is not scholarship. The autumn imperial examinations select scholars based on the classical principles in their hearts and their talents for governing the country, not the abacus beads of a marketplace bookkeeper."
Xu Zijin closed his fan.
The autumn examinations.
They had finally drawn their blades.
The root of today's literary gathering was not about admiring lotuses, nor was it about discussing scholarship, but rather the rumors of reforms to the autumn examinations.
If Xu Zijin retreated here, the Xu family's New Learning would become a laughingstock; if he pushed too hard, tomorrow the manifestos of the purist scholars would fly all over the city, which would be equally troublesome.
He took out the three pages of manuscript from his sleeve and placed them on the table.
"Since Brother Lu mentions the autumn examinations, I will also speak the truth. On the examination grounds, essays reveal true worth. Today you all say that the study of things cannot govern a nation. I have noted this."
Lu Huaijin sneered.
"And what if you have noted it?"
"If the policy essays in this examination test on money and grain, border defense, and military farming, and you all can still use classical principles to master practical affairs, I will naturally be impressed."
Xu Zijin pushed the manuscript back into his sleeve.
"But if you all only know how to curse mechanical tricks, fall silent when military pay is mentioned, and take a detour when water conservancy is brought up, then the common people of this world probably cannot afford to support your noble and pure essays."
"What arrogance!"
Lu Huaijin slammed his palm on the table. The teacup jumped, and tea spilled across the surface.
"Xu Zijin, you are nothing but a poor scholar under the Xu estate. Are you daring to lecture a room full of scholars just by borrowing the names of Mister Gu and Chancellor Kong?"
Xu Zijin stood his ground, not retreating a single step.
"My low birth is not shameful. What is shameful is studying to the point where one dares not ask about fields, money, and grain."
Someone downstairs could not hold back and shouted out.
"Well said!"
Several scholars in the private room immediately stood up and scolded toward the window.
"Who is making that clamor!"
Lu Huaijin raised his hand to stop the crowd. His chest heaved a few times, and the white jade ribs of his fan made a soft clicking sound as he squeezed them.
"Xu Zijin, since you have taken your words this far, let us make a wager."
Everyone at the table looked at him.
Lu Huaijin enunciated every word clearly.
"In this autumn examination, if you can take the title of first place, I, Lu Huaijin, will perform three kneelings and nine kowtows in front of the Imperial Academy's gates and acknowledge you as my master!"
The private room erupted in an uproar.
"Brother Lu!"
"Don't be impulsive!"
"How can he take first place just because he says so?"
Lu Huaijin shook off the hands of the people beside him.
"My words have been spoken, and the full house of the Spring Breeze Pavilion stands as witness. Xu Zijin, do you dare to accept?"
Xu Zijin's hand brushed against the three pages of manuscript in his sleeve.
He suddenly remembered the light and airy words Xu Qinghuan had spoken right before she left.
"In the next imperial examination, you will definitely be among the top three on the golden roll."
At the time, he just thought the commandery princess was coaxing him.
But after being forced by Gu Zongming and Chancellor Kong to stay up so many nights along the way, he finally realized that he had long been pushed to the center stage.
There was no retreating now.
Xu Zijin slowly opened his folding fan, then snapped it shut.
With a sharp crack.
The entire room fell silent.
"There is no need for three kneelings and nine kowtows."
Lu Huaijin stared at him.
"Then what do you want?"
Xu Zijin tucked the folding fan back into his sleeve, his words landing clearly and distinctly in the private room.
"You only need to copy the words you have spoken today into an essay, word for word, and paste it at the entrance of the examination hall."
