Chapter 127: The New Roommate

The next day, Zhang Yue carried his luggage to the Imperial Academy to report for duty.

The academy had a capacity of nine hundred students, organized into thirty dormitories, each containing five rooms. In plain terms, this meant six students to a room. Following Ouyang Xiu’s advice, Zhang Yue enrolled in the Scholars’ Dormitory.

Upon arriving at the dormitory, Zhang Yue’s first intention was to seek out the resourceful Cai Que. However, before he could find him, he was met with the disappointing sight of Huang Haoyi. Seeing Zhang Yue, Huang Haoyi beamed with enthusiasm. "Third Brother, I’ve just managed to have Senior Brother Cai secure us a room!"

Zhang Yue was far from thrilled at the prospect of sharing a room with Huang Haoyi for the duration of his time at the academy. Yet, faced with such exuberant warmth, he could only concede, silently resolving to find an excuse to move out at the first opportunity.

Carrying their bags, the two made their way to their quarters.

"How is it that there were two vacancies?" Zhang Yue asked.

Huang Haoyi chuckled. "Actually, there were three."

"Why three?"

"There was someone in the room whose roommates all found him impossible to get along with, so they moved out one after another. Isn’t it our good fortune to pick up the slack?"

"Good fortune?" Zhang Yue was taken aback. What if the fellow had a habit of smashing walnuts with a hammer in the middle of the night?

Huang Haoyi laughed, "I think he’s fine, just a bit aloof and unsociable—nothing truly bad about him. Since Senior Brother Cai recommended it, he wouldn’t lead us astray."

Zhang Yue shook his head, thinking to himself that if it were merely a matter of being aloof, that was understandable. When one’s conduct surpasses that of others, the masses are bound to resent it; that is a certainty. However, there are generally two reasons for being unsociable: one is being genuinely eccentric, and the other is being exceptionally brilliant. There are always those who, while others go out for wine and cards, remain behind to quietly study and drill through problems. Years later, you find that such a person has either soared to great heights or... fared even worse.

"Fourth Brother," Zhang Yue said, "do you know how the character for 'group' (qun) is written? It is 'monarch' above and 'sheep' below. First, there is the gentleman, and below him, the sheep, which prefer to huddle together. Thus, a 'group' is a gathering of like-minded gentlemen. When one cannot find fellow gentlemen, one is said to be 'unsociable' (bu he qun)."

"As for common folk like us, we can hardly be called gentlemen; we should be called the 'multitude' (zhong). Therefore, it is only right to say that we do not 'follow the multitude' (bu cong zhong)."

Huang Haoyi burst into laughter. "Third Brother, what a crooked argument—and you’re even mimicking my way of speaking."

*This is what they call ‘he who touches pitch shall be defiled,’* Zhang Yue thought. *I’m fighting fire with fire.*

After passing through the main gate, Zhang Yue and Huang Haoyi walked for the time it takes to brew a pot of tea. The dormitories were indeed vast. Their quarters were located in the eastern part of the academy, an area formerly the western wing of the Chaoji Court. Aside from the portions converted into the School of Law, there were over a hundred rooms used as dormitories for students and offices for the lecturers. As the Chaoji Court was originally used by officials visiting the capital to report for duty, the living conditions were quite comfortable.

Along the way, they passed gnarled, ancient pagoda trees with branches reaching toward the sky. These trees could be traced back to the Sui and Tang dynasties, or even the Han. Zhang Yue looked around as he walked, then suddenly looked toward the east.

"Fourth Brother, look at that pagoda!"

Both men looked east to see a hexagonal, nine-story brick pagoda standing clearly in the distance.

"That must be the legendary Kaibao Temple Pagoda (Iron Pagoda)!" Zhang Yue exclaimed.

A passing student overheard and smiled. "That is not the Kaibao Temple Pagoda, but the Tianqing Temple Pagoda, also known as the Fan Pagoda. The spring scenery around the Fan Pagoda is one of the sights of Bianjing!"

Zhang Yue realized his own ignorance. Yet, gazing slowly at the tall brick structure, he felt a sudden sense of solemnity and weight at the prospect of pursuing his studies in its shadow.

When they reached the room, they heard a voice reciting from within: "'Return' (fu) is the name for returning to the source. The yin forces have peeled away the yang until almost nothing remains, but one yang returns from below; thus it is called 'return.' As the yang energy returns, connection is restored, hence the saying 'Return brings success.' In and out without illness, friends come without blame..."

Zhang Yue realized the person inside was reciting the "Return" hexagram from the *Book of Changes*.

"Is this the place?"

"Indeed."

"Wait a moment," Huang Haoyi said, stopping Zhang Yue. "When this man reads the *Changes*, he likes to cast hexagrams. Let’s wait a while before entering."

"If he has such a habit, we shouldn't indulge him," Zhang Yue replied.

With that, Zhang Yue pushed the door open. A young man in his early twenties was in the middle of casting a hexagram and did not even look up as they entered. Zhang Yue stood by and watched as the man nodded slightly after divining, only then looking up at Zhang Yue and Huang Haoyi.

Zhang Yue set his luggage down and stood with his hands behind his back, appearing quite carefree.

Beside him, Huang Haoyi hurriedly said, "Third Brother, this is Brother Cheng, who studies the *Changes* under Shao Yaofu (Shao Yong), so he is fond of divination."

Huang Haoyi then turned to the man squatting on the ground. "Brother Zhengshu, this is Brother Zhang, who will be our new roommate."

Hearing this, Zhang Yue thought, *Studying the Changes under Shao Yong, and his surname is Cheng... could it be?*

Zhang Yue whispered to Huang Haoyi, "Is this man named Cheng Yi?"

"Third Brother, have you heard of Brother Zhengshu?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yue immediately changed his demeanor. "Brother Zhengshu, I apologize for my rudeness just now."

Zhang Yue felt a bit foolish for his initial arrogance, but he was now certain his new roommate was a true heavyweight—none other than Cheng Yi, one of the two Cheng brothers.

Historically, Cheng Yi was indeed a student of Shao Yong. Shao Yong was a master of the *Book of Changes* and the man who, as mentioned before, remained unmarried until forty-five, only marrying when a student introduced his own sister to him. Countless people studied the *Changes* under Shao Yong, but he had only two prized students. He once remarked, "Among all under heaven, only Cheng Yi is exceptionally clever, followed by Zhang Dun."

However, Cheng Yi was not perfect in Shao Yong’s eyes. On his deathbed, Shao Yong asked Cheng Yi if he had any final words of advice. Shao Yong held up both hands to show him. Cheng Yi asked, "What do you mean?" Shao Yong replied, "The path before you must be kept broad. If the path is narrow, you will have no place to stand, let alone lead others." Shao Yong was implying that Cheng Yi’s approach to teaching was too narrow; one should not force principles but leave room for others. This remark highlighted the very problem that would plague the "School of Principle" (Lixue) founded by the Cheng brothers for centuries to come.

Cheng Yi stood up and looked Zhang Yue up and down. "No matter. Those who do not know are not to be blamed. It is our first meeting; you will know better next time."

With that, Cheng Yi returned to his reading.

Zhang Yue began moving his belongings into the room. Seeing that the room was neglected, he picked up a broom to clear the dust, instinctively reaching to sweep away several spiderwebs. Cheng Yi opened his mouth as if to protest but stopped himself.

Just then, a spider fell from the ceiling. Zhang Yue was about to crush it underfoot when Cheng Yi cried out, "Brother Zhang, show mercy!"

Zhang Yue was startled by the shout and quickly pulled back his foot. "Is there something wrong?"

Cheng Yi sighed. "Even the smallest insect clings to life. How can you step on it so casually? By cultivating the heart to cherish even one small thing, and then extending that to others, one attains the 'heart of compassion' spoken of by Mencius!"

Zhang Yue was left speechless. *This...*

He recalled that when Cheng Yi served as a lecturer to Emperor Zhezong, the young emperor initially treated him with great respect. One day, the emperor broke a willow branch, and Cheng Yi immediately scolded him, "It is spring, the season of growth; one must not destroy it without cause." The emperor had been deeply displeased.

If he couldn't even step on a spider now, then... he finally understood why the previous roommates could not get along with Cheng Yi and had left one by one.

*Fine, it is useless to argue.*

Zhang Yue shook his head and opened the wardrobe, only to find several cockroaches scurrying about.

"If the spider cannot be stepped on, surely the cockroaches cannot be killed either?" Zhang Yue asked. "Does Brother Cheng think that because my surname is a homophone for the cockroach, I should also feel compassion for them?"

Cheng Yi laughed. "If Third Brother insists on killing them, then do so, but please allow me to step out first."

"Why?"

Cheng Yi replied solemnly, "A gentleman, when he sees a living thing, cannot bear to see it die; when he hears its cries, he cannot bear to eat its flesh. If you are to destroy these cockroaches, I would rather not witness their death!"

Zhang Yue was stunned again.

Cheng Yi smiled. "Third Brother, you might find this strange. A few days ago, one of my former roommates raised a cat and bought over a hundred small fish to feed it. Seeing those fish gasping for moisture and keeping each other wet, I realized they were creatures of deep feeling and loyalty. I sat there, chin in hand, watching them all day, and in the end, I released them back into the river."

"'The fish are joyous in their element, and I am moved by the sight.' In the past, when the sages caught fish, they used nets with specific mesh sizes, never taking fish under a certain size, so the markets would not sell them and people would not eat them. This is the benevolence of the sage who nurtures all things without causing them harm."

Zhang Yue felt that Cheng Yi’s long-winded speech was going to make him dizzy. Was all this really necessary to save a few cockroaches? If he couldn't step on spiders or kill cockroaches, and even ants had to be allowed to live, what would this room turn into? Eventually, he and Huang Haoyi would end up looking like Shino Aburame.

Determined to debate the point, Zhang Yue said, "Brother Cheng’s words are logical, but I wonder—is this your logic, or the logic of the sages?"

Cheng Yi smiled. "That depends on what you mean by 'logic' (li). If you speak of geographical logic, it refers to the mountains, rivers, plains, and marshes, each having its own order, thriving upon the earth; that is why it is called 'logic.' As for the ruler, it is the mandate of Heaven to manage the world with the principles of benevolence and righteousness, nurturing the people; this is the 'logic' of governance."

"The principles of all things under heaven—that what waxes must wane, and what is damaged will eventually be restored—this is the logic of natural laws. In short, all things have their reason; this is the 'logic of all things.' This logic is simple and unchanging, ultimately returning to one. So, in the deepest sense, it is all the same path to the same end. Whether it is the logic of the sages or my own, it is all one logic."

What Cheng Yi said might have sounded confusing to others, but in essence, it was the universality of truth.

"Brother Cheng’s words are excellent," Zhang Yue replied. "Your words are like the moon in the sky, reflected in ten thousand rivers on the earth—the logic of 'the moon reflecting in ten thousand rivers.'"

"Brother Zhang, what a wonderful analogy," Cheng Yi said happily. "That is exactly the point."

"This is the language of the Huayan school," Zhang Yue continued. "But I have one point of confusion. A white horse and a black horse are both horses; this is 'the one.' But because black and white are different, they are 'distinct.' By the same logic, if the 'One Logic' is dispersed into the logic of ten thousand things, then it becomes 'distinct.' If it is distinct, how can it still be called 'one'? I agree that your logic and the sages' logic return to the same end, but after all, the sages are the sages, and you are you. Besides the 'one,' there is still the 'distinct.'"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yi realized that the man before him was not to be underestimated.