Within the mountain gates of the Four Sages Academy, four immortal mountains towered in majestic grandeur. Some thrust skyward like brush tips; others resembled cinnabar splashed across a scroll. Between them, the murmurs of pines harmonized with the cries of cranes ringing into the nine heavens. These four immortal mountains commemorated the Sage, the Second Sage, the Sage of Principle, and the Sage of Mind, each mountain home to direct disciples carrying the four sages' literary lineages.
Around the immortal mountains, the sound of recitation rose from sprawling complexes of towers and pavilions. Countless scholars had gathered from across the realm to devote themselves to the academy. Taking heaven and earth as their teachers and the Four Sages as their friends, they observed the shifting constellations from mountain peaks and contemplated the waxing and waning of flora in the valleys below, studying the sages' teachings on self-cultivation and statecraft.
Atop Sage Mountain, in a courtyard nestled within a bamboo grove, Duke Yansheng concentrated as he lifted his brush, inscribing four bold characters onto paper: "Virtue Matches Past and Present." Beside him stood a short-bearded Confucian scholar, watching with bated breath.
When Duke Yansheng completed the final stroke, an azure light surged into the sky from the entire scroll. A Confucian master actually stepped forth from the characters, looked around at the mortal world, and only then dissolved into light and faded away.
"Great-Grandfather's calligraphy has reached the realm where holy spirits manifest spontaneously. In modern calligraphy, none can compare to you," the short-bearded scholar praised.
Duke Yansheng stroked his beard and smiled at the writing. Since the age of thirty, his calligraphy had ranked among the realm's three preeminent masters. A thousand years had passed, and now he was universally recognized as the greatest.
Lifting the scroll, Duke Yansheng felt his fingertips sink slightly, as though bearing a weight of thousands of jin. He placed the calligraphy on a jade stand to await mounting, then said, "It is rare for you to spend half a day watching me write. Speak—what is it this time?"
The short-bearded scholar said, "There are two matters. First, your grandson wrote several poems, and my peers bestowed upon me the title 'Master Huai Pu.' I would like to ask Great-Grandfather to write an inscription so that I may carve a seal."
Duke Yansheng nodded slightly. "It is a fine moniker. Those poems of yours are worthy of it. And the second matter?"
"The second concerns Li Zhi. Another urgent dispatch arrived from him this morning, requesting that the academy disburse fifty million taels of immortal silver to purchase artillery shells for assaulting the capital of the State of Ji."
Duke Yansheng frowned slightly. "Buying shells costs so much?"
The scholar replied at once, "Your grandson thought so as well. He possesses no will to fight to the death and only knows how to hide behind the lines and bombard with cannons—is that any way to conquer the realm? Moreover, spending so much silver, wouldn't it end up lining Qingming's pockets again? I've heard that Qingming spends less than one million to manufacture those shells!"
That last statement made Duke Yansheng knit his brows even tighter.
He pondered for a moment before speaking. "What you say is not without reason, but it is also true that Li Zhi has been fighting a grueling campaign of late. We cannot refuse him entirely, nor can we give everything. Let it be this way—disburse thirty million taels of immortal silver."
"I will attend to it at once." The scholar left the study to see to the matter.
Half a day later, in the academy's guest hall, the scholar handed a small chest endowed with spatial storage properties to several generals from Zhenshan Fief, saying, "Here are six million taels of immortal silver. Take it and make do for now."
The lead general was startled and hurriedly said, "How could this be enough? The Military Commissioner instructed us to collect thirty million taels."
The scholar's face darkened, and he snapped displeasedly, "Li Zhi is merely a disciple of the academy, and you are just his subordinates. How dare you question a master's decision? If you think it is too little, how about this: take whatever in the academy looks valuable to you. I, Master Huai Pu, certainly won't stop you!"
As he spoke, Huai Pu unleashed the terrifying aura of late Scenery Command, overwhelming the officers until darkness encroached on their vision. Knowing they had spoken out of turn, the generals dared not say more. After offering their bows, they went down the mountain to report back.
Watching their departing figures, Huai Pu's expression grew sullen, and he muttered to himself, "To have grasped the temperaments of both Patriarchs so thoroughly..."
The night deepened, and the moon hung high in the sky.
Duke Yansheng sat in the moonlit bamboo grove, holding a classic penned by the Sage himself, contemplating its true meaning. He suddenly looked up and said, "Come over."
Huai Pu walked over, hesitating to speak.
"To come in the dead of night, you must have private words to say. Speak—what is it?"
Master Huai Pu suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud!
Duke Yansheng frowned slightly. "Speak properly. What is the meaning of this?"
"Great-Grandfather, your grandson has held back these words for too long! But my father passed away early, and I have no one else to confide in. I truly cannot hold it in any longer, so I must speak with you."
Duke Yansheng's expression softened. He sighed, closed the Sage's manuscript, and said, "Stand up and speak."
Huai Pu stood up and said, "From his youth, Li Zhi claimed to possess the mark of a Human King, and both you and Senior Master Gu poured everything into nurturing him. Had it not been for the academy's backing, his Zhenshan Fief would have been destroyed by the Mountain Folk long ago! If not for the karmic luck of the Human Sovereign bestowed by the academy, how could he have ever obtained the Ancient Hall of the Human Sovereign?
"In the past, when he was governing Zhenshan Fief, it was impossible to tell whether he had real capability. Now that he is genuinely expanding across the realm, look at the mess he has made of fighting a thoroughly rotten State of Ji! The Ji army has only three million rabble left in total, and all of them were terrified out of their wits by Wei Yuan. Against such an opponent, he has already suffered a million casualties. With less than two million troops remaining in his hands, how much longer can he hold out? Will that be enough to fight Zhao and Song?"
Seeing that Duke Yansheng remained silent, Huai Pu grew bolder: "Even taking a step back, even if he defeats the State of Zhao, he will have no troops left to fight Song, Wu, and the Three Jins. When that time comes, won't all the academy's painstaking efforts end up as nothing more than bridal finery for the Li family of Southern Qi?! When have the aristocratic clans and our sects ever truly shared one mind?"
Duke Yansheng finally asked, "What are you trying to say?"
Huai Pu grew increasingly agitated: "Our ancestral Sage founded teachings meant for all generations, benefiting humanity for over a hundred thousand years with immeasurable merit! Since the Second Sage, dynasty after dynasty has taken the Sage's teachings as the foundation of statehood. Yet among all those emperors of successive dynasties, did any bear our family's surname?"
Duke Yansheng's face darkened instantly.
Yet Huai Pu had already started and could not stop himself: "Now Great Tang's mandate has run out, while our Four Sages Academy is at the peak of its radiance! The realm is flooded with scholars and incorrupt officials—who among them is not a disciple of the Sage? The Martial Ancestor sealed the realm, leaving divine abilities suppressed, while we hold the relic treasures of the Four Sages. Who in the world can rival us? Favorable timing, geographical advantage, and the unity of people—we hold every single one! This is an opportunity our family hasn't seen in ten thousand years. If we miss it now, the next cycle will not come for another ten thousand years!
"If Li Zhi truly had the bearing of a Human Sovereign, I would say nothing. But look at how he struggles against a mere State of Ji—how could he ever unite the world or break the Martial Ancestor's restriction? Which military strategist disciple in our academy couldn't achieve at least this much?
"Back then, when the academy granted him the karmic luck of the Human Sovereign, I was vehemently opposed. To put it bluntly: is the fortune of a Human Sovereign born of special blood? If that strand of Great Fortune were given to any outstanding disciple, which of them could not be forged into a sovereign of a generation?
"Great-Grandfather, as descendants of the Sage, generation after generation we have served as teachers to emperors, but how could that ever compare to ascending the throne ourselves and putting the teachings of our ancestors into practice?"
This long, passionate speech was met with only a single word from Duke Yansheng: "Get out!"
Huai Pu was stunned, able only to leave resentfully.
Once left alone, Duke Yansheng let out a soft sigh and muttered to himself, "There is still Gu Dongyu, after all. Besides, the younger generation is unpromising; only Huai Pu stands out somewhat, yet even he fails to understand the principle of clearing the path for the king. Alas..."
In Qingming Immortal City, Wei Yuan furrowed his brows as he reviewed the newly submitted trade figures.
Qingming's military supplies continued to circulate throughout the realm. The biggest buyer was neither Zhenshan Fief nor the State of Ji, but Southern Jin.
Situated at a crossroads, Southern Jin continuously bought Qingming military supplies and resold them to every corner of the realm. All at once, this impoverished and feeble state—lacking both resources and talent—had made a fortune, and its common folk enjoyed unprecedented food and warmth.
Naturally, under Southern Jin's system, the lion's share was pocketed by the royal house and the Yan, Chen, and Cui families. Still, the mere dribbles leaking through their fingers were enough for the common people to eat considerably better.
Aside from military supplies, the second-highest category was military rations—specifically the lowest-quality, cheapest ready-to-eat meat. Originally, Wei Yuan had developed this meat for preaching and converting followers, never expecting it would become so surprisingly popular. Now, after being purchased by various states, only a small portion served as military rations, while the vast majority became the centerpiece on the dining tables of ordinary folk during festivals and holidays.
Beyond military supplies and foodstuffs, the trade volume for fabrics—which ranked third—was far smaller. As for the modern-style garments and various daily sundries newly emerging within Qingming, they did not sell at all.
The root cause was simply that the people of the nine states were far too poor; buying a few tins of meat drained their savings for an entire year.
Seeing these figures, Wei Yuan frowned deeply. This was still far too distant from every man becoming like a dragon.
Chapter 1356