Chapter 116: The True Gentleman

Inside the study of the Imperial Academy, Hu Yuan took a sip of his medicinal decoction. Finding it scalding hot, he set the bowl aside and draped a robe over his shoulders to attend to official documents. In a small stove within the room, another pot of medicine was simmering, tended by a young attendant.

Before long, an elderly man lifted the door curtain and stepped inside. Choked by the thick, pungent smell of medicine, he saw the scene and said to Hu Yuan, “Brewing medicine day and night—too much of it is poison. Your illness stems from years of overwork; you should let go of these official duties and properly recuperate. Do not end up like Chancellor Fan, holding office while ailing…”

The attendant, hearing this, rose and protested, “Pfui! Mr. Xujiang, what are you saying? Are you cursing our master? Our master, he…” His eyes reddened with emotion.

Hu Yuan smiled. “Taibo is merely advising me to retire early and tend to my health. Though his words are blunt, I appreciate the sentiment. In fact, the Emperor has already tacitly approved my request to retire.”

“Oh?” The old man stared at Hu Yuan, his gaze sharpening.

Hu Yuan laughed. “Your next question, I suppose, is who will succeed me as the Director of the Imperial Academy?”

“Precisely. Who will it be?”

“It is Wu Zhongfu, the ‘Iron Censor,’” Hu Yuan replied.

The old man exclaimed, “That is excellent! With the Iron Censor in charge, no one in the court will dare look down upon the Imperial Academy. Perhaps he can fight for our funding; the students here currently receive only three hundred coins a month for their kitchen, which is even less than what schools in the prefectures and counties receive.”

Hu Yuan sighed. “One cannot rush these things. The court has already allocated over two hundred *qing* of land and six or seven thousand strings of cash for the academy. Back then, there were only two hundred students; now that the number has expanded to nine hundred, it is inevitable that expenses exceed income. We must argue this case gradually, not in haste.”

The attendant added, “My master has been taking money from his own salary every year to support the impoverished students.”

The old man retorted, “Ten students need only three strings of cash a month; a hundred need only thirty. With the academy at its full capacity of nine hundred—though there are only seven hundred now—it totals just over two hundred strings, merely the salary of a single Commissioner. That the court can afford to support a Commissioner but not hundreds of Imperial students is a farce! I shall submit a petition to the Emperor to request more funding for the academy.”

Hu Yuan shook his head. “Taibo, you are still the same. If we could fight the court, would we not have already? When Ouyang Yongshu recommended that you and I lecture at the Imperial Academy, it was already a defiance of the entire world. To bring this up now would only place Yongshu in a difficult position.”

“Humph! It is precisely because you are so timid that people walk all over you,” the old man said, frustrated by Hu Yuan’s lack of resolve.

Hu Yuan gazed at the candlelight. “It is indeed useless. I have been at the Imperial Academy for thirty years. Whenever I recall Chancellor Fan’s words—‘Once in office, one should speak boldly of world affairs, regardless of personal risk’—I still shed tears. The great cause left unfinished by Chancellor Fan was entrusted to me, and now I entrust it to you. How it proceeds in the future depends on you. Chancellor Fan’s original intent in running the academy was that the governance of the world lies in talent, the cultivation of talent lies in education, and the foundation of education lies in schools.”

“Chancellor Fan’s New Policies were abandoned after only a year precisely because he lacked capable men around him.”

Hearing this, the old man replied sullenly, “This burden is too heavy; I cannot take it. Besides, the Director of the Imperial Academy is the Iron Censor; why would he listen to me?”

Hu Yuan smiled. “You need not worry about that. After Wu Zhongfu takes office, Ouyang Yongshu will likely recommend that you act as the temporary supervisor of the Imperial Academy. After all, once I am gone, you will be the only one left who persists in upholding Chancellor Fan’s vision.”

This old man was Li Gou, courtesy name Taibo, known as Master Xujiang. In his youth, he had a spirited, chivalrous streak, and even after mastering Confucianism, he could not shed his temperament. When Fan Zhongyan implemented the New Policies, he frequently drew upon Li Gou’s arguments. When Fan was besieged by political enemies at court, Li Gou, trapped in Jiangxi and unable to provide vocal support, lashed out instead at Zhang Youzhi, who opposed the reforms in Fujian. After the failure of the Qingli New Policies, Li Gou was relegated to teaching at the Imperial Academy, first as an assistant instructor, then as one of the eight lecturers. Now, he was being entrusted by Hu Yuan with the supervision of the school.

In the Jiayou era, the four men most respected by the world were Fu Bi as Chancellor, Ouyang Xiu as Hanlin Scholar, Bao Zheng as Censor-in-Chief, and Hu Yuan as Imperial Academy lecturer. The literati of the time said, “Lord Fu is the true Chancellor, Ouyang Yongshu the true Hanlin Scholar, Old Bao the true Censor, and Lord Hu the true Teacher.” Thus, the “Four Truths of Jiayou” became a celebrated phrase. Li Gou, now acting as the temporary supervisor, joked about being the “temporary” truth, which made them both laugh. It was Li Gou’s way of conceding that he was not quite Hu Yuan’s equal, finally putting an end to their lifelong rivalry.

Li Gou suddenly said, “Right, I haven’t gotten to the main point yet.”

Hu Yuan smiled. “Brother Taibo, are you here because of the exam papers?”

“Precisely.”

“And what of those ten students?”

Li Gou stroked his beard and smiled. “They are all acceptable. There is one who stands out, though he is a classicist. I am quite curious—do you know his background?”

“Which one?”

“A student named Zhang Yue. Where is he from? A mere classicist managed to write such an essay, though it is only half finished. If it were a complete piece…”

“And if it were complete?” Hu Yuan asked.

“If it were complete, I fear I would not be worthy of being his teacher,” Li Gou laughed heartily.

Hu Yuan smiled. “You have always been difficult to please. To hear you say this of a student, this Zhang Yue must be truly remarkable! What is his background?”

Hu Yuan smiled faintly. “Let me read his essay first.”

“Tell me his background first!” Li Gou insisted, as if in a huff.

Hu Yuan laughed. “Of today’s ten papers, most were written by others. Only Zhang Yue’s was graded by me on the spot. If I am not mistaken, the brilliant essay you speak of is…”

“The Great Meaning of the *Great Learning*.”

“Ha!” Both men laughed together.

“What a man, Master Anding!”

Hu Yuan said softly, “Discerning talent and selecting capable men is our duty. How can we judge this young man’s essay so lightly?”

Li Gou took the paper from his sleeve. “Read it for yourself.”

Hu Yuan began to read: “The book of *Great Learning* is the method by which the ancient universities taught men. For since Heaven gave birth to the people, they were all endowed with the nature of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom. Yet, their temperamental endowments may not be uniform…”

Hu Yuan knew this was the theory of inherent goodness from Mencius. Then followed the Three Bonds and Eight Items…

“...Zi Gong said, ‘The Master’s literary works may be heard, but the Master’s words on human nature and the Heavenly Way cannot be heard.’ Thus, some say the Master did not speak of nature and destiny, but Confucian scholars who only speak of regulating the family, failing to understand the rectification of the heart and sincerity of thoughts, are mistaken.”

“Yet, the *Doctrine of the Mean* states at its opening, ‘What Heaven has conferred is called the nature; an accordance with this nature is called the path.’ Thus, one knows that to understand the Mandate of Heaven and rectify the heart is the nature, and to act with sincerity is the path…”

Reading this, Hu Yuan could not help but slap the table in admiration. Yet, when he looked for more, he found the text simply ended there. He turned the page, but it was blank.

Beside him, Li Gou could not help but laugh. “I felt the same way when I saw it. My frustration has not dissipated even now…”

Hu Yuan could only shake his head and laugh. The sting of such a “broken chapter” was truly unbearable. Even a great scholar like Hu Yuan could not recover for a long while. It was like a magnificent piece of writing that starts with a brilliant premise, builds into a crescendo, and just as the argument is about to reach its peak, it vanishes… Who could stand it?

“Is this child doing it on purpose? Very well, if that is the case, he can forget about entering the Imperial Academy,” Li Gou said with a sneer.

“That would be exactly what you want, wouldn’t it?”

“Oh?” Li Gou asked.

Hu Yuan said, “Do you not want to know who this child is? He comes from the Zhang clan of Pucheng. He is a kinsman of this year’s top scholar, Zhang Ziping, and Zhang Boyi, whom you have criticized, is his teacher…”

Li Gou was stunned. “Is this true?”

“Indeed,” Hu Yuan smiled. “Now that I am retiring to my hometown to recuperate, whether or not to admit this boy depends entirely on you. If you ask me, it is better not to take him.”

Li Gou’s expression grew grave. Had he not known the boy’s background, he would have loved to drag him into the academy to “discipline” him and show him the consequences of “breaking chapters.” But knowing his identity…

Li Gou sneered. “No wonder, looking at his calligraphy, I should have guessed he was a student of ‘Master Zhang.’ Since he has such a teacher, why travel thousands of miles to seek learning at the Imperial Academy?” (“Master Zhang” was Li Gou’s mocking nickname for Zhang Youzhi.)

“Oh? So you will not admit him?”

Li Gou replied, “If I do not, you will certainly harbor suspicions and might even go to Ouyang Yongshu to complain that I am letting personal grievances override public duty. How could I let you have your way?”

“Very well. Since he has passed the exam, I shall make it so that he cannot leave, yet cannot stay easily either.”

Hu Yuan laughed. “The trouble with you, my friend, is that mouth of yours.”