In Xuanjing, inside the Top Scholar Tower.
A gathering of scholars huddled together, poring over several ancient scrolls that had recently sent shockwaves through the world.
Ever since these ancient texts had surfaced, the city's printing houses had been running their presses day and night without a pause. Even so, the published books remained in critically short supply. These scholars had managed to purchase a few volumes only after great difficulty that very day, prompting them to invite a circle of close friends to admire them together.
"'The highest good is like water; water benefits all things without contending.' Brilliant, truly brilliant!"
"'The Dao produced One, One produced Two, Two produced Three, and Three produced the ten thousand things.' A mere handful of words, yet upon reading them, one instantly senses boundless profundity and wonder. This text is extraordinary!"
"In my view, these three thousand words alone surpass every essay I have ever read in my life!"
"I feel the very same way!"
"No, no, no. To my mind, the ingenuity of *The Changes* surpasses even that of *The Way and Virtue*. Although the wording is obscure and abstruse, every word is a pearl, seemingly encompassing the ultimate principles of heaven and earth."
"Indeed! 'As heaven maintains its vigor through movement, a gentleman ceaselessly strives to strengthen himself!' That gives voice to the truest aspiration of our generation!"
Chattering at once, the scholars debated with great fervor, thoroughly enraptured by the texts.
Just then, one of them let out a long sigh. "To think that such magnificent, peerless writings lay buried deep beneath the earth for thousands of years, entirely unbeknownst to anyone. Whenever my thoughts turn to this, my heart aches with grief!"
These words immediately drew murmurs of agreement from the others.
"Indeed. In life, our late mentor loved nothing more than reading. Had he been able to read these scrolls of scripture, who knows how profoundly gratified he would have been."
"That scholars across the ages could never hear of these classics—what a tragedy for them all!"
"Yet, were these scriptures truly penned by the ancients and lost to the chaos of war, preserved only as fragments within ancient tombs? I have examined *Nanhua* and *The Analects*, and the figures, events, and matters within them are nowhere to be found in our historical records." A voice rang out amidst the crowd, sounding somewhat discordant.
A brief silence fell over the scholars, but they swiftly reached an absolute, unwavering conclusion.
"It must be so! Words of such caliber could not possibly be forged by anyone today. The surviving historical records span only the last three thousand years. Before that, virtually no detailed accounts exist. It stands to reason that these classics are relics of that very antiquity."
"I have heard that when the School of Antiquity was granted an imperial audience, they stated that in primeval times, a hundred schools of thought contended. The classics born of that era were truly as numerous as the stars in the night sky, impossible to count. The few scrolls we read today are nothing more than an insignificant drop from that ocean."
The moment these words were spoken, a chorus of gasps swept through the tavern.
"To think such wonders existed!"
"Just the thought of so many timeless writings still lying deep underground, hidden from mortal eyes, fills me with immense anguish and sleepless nights!"
"I wonder what the remaining classics are like..."
...
"Be that as it may, these ancient texts are buried deep within ancient tombs. The School of Antiquity's proposal to excavate tombs on a grand scale in search of lost classics is, after all, truly contrary to moral decency."
The scholars instinctively moved to voice their agreement, yet the thought of countless timeless works awaiting excavation underground made their convictions waver, their tones growing hesitant.
"Did the leader of the School of Antiquity not say that they are acting out of preservation—conducting rescue excavations rather than acts of destruction?"
"That is true. I hear that every time they unearth an ancient tomb, they do not ravage it purely to take gold and silver like common grave robbers. Instead, they meticulously retrieve every single artifact inside and preserve it properly. If anything is damaged, specialists are tasked with restoring it."
"Indeed. We cannot simply lump them together with grave robbers."
Even so, quite a few among them still held opposing views.
"That is merely clever rhetoric. What difference is there in truth? Who among us here lacks ancestors? If your own ancestral tombs were desecrated in such a manner, how would you feel?"
"This precedent must never be set, lest it bring endless misfortune. We must do everything in our power to dissuade them."
"Precisely so."
...
Others refrained from taking a side, acting as peacemakers instead.
"His Majesty and the high ministers at court have surely already reached a verdict on this matter. There is no need for us to worry ourselves to excess."
"Let us simply wait and see; wait and see."
...
As *The Way and Virtue* and the other classics spread throughout the land, fierce debates erupted across Great Xuan.
Scenes identical to the one inside Top Scholar Tower played out in countless numbers.
Li Fan knew full well that shifting the mindset of the entire realm overnight was utterly impossible.
For now, he had merely made a beginning.
Yet Li Fan was not in the least concerned that his scheme would fail.
In the realm today, the ones who held sway over discourse were, after all, the scholars.
With countless classics serving as bait, Li Fan had no fear that these scholars would refuse to fall in line.
What was more, he did not require their active support; as long as they did not step forward to raise an opposition, that would be more than enough.
...
While secretly maneuvering to sway the realm, Li Fan steadily advanced the influence of the School of Antiquity in secular affairs.
In Anchor Year 6, the Emperor suddenly fell gravely ill, confined to his bed. The imperial physicians were entirely at a loss. At that very juncture, the School of Antiquity sought an imperial audience, presenting an elixir pill. They claimed the pill had been retrieved from an ancient tomb and was suspected to have been left behind by immortals, possessing the power to bring the dead back to life and grow flesh upon bare bone; taking it might resolve the crisis.
At first, the Emperor paid them no heed. But as his body grew weaker by the day and he stood at the brink of death, he decided to take the pill in desperation, treating it as a last-ditch gamble.
To everyone's astonishment, the elixir proved miraculous. Within just a few days, the Emperor made a full recovery.
The court and the populace were thoroughly shaken, and the ministers were rife with discussion.
The Emperor summoned the leader of the School of Antiquity to the palace late at night to question him extensively about the matter of immortals, neglecting morning court for several days running.
From then on, the Emperor became a devout believer in the existence of immortals. He secretly instructed his confidants in the military to coordinate with the School of Antiquity in unearthing ancient tombs in search of immortal traces.
In Anchor Year 9, the School of Antiquity held an exhibition in Xuanjing, inviting the court ministers and the capital's nobility and royalty to view it.
Though these figures were exceptionally wealthy and widely experienced, upon seeing the rare treasures displayed one after another, all of them were completely mesmerized, lingering without any thought of leaving.
Afterward, the School of Antiquity lifted its restrictions entirely, allowing ordinary commoners to enter and view the exhibits simply by purchasing an admission ticket.
Xuanjing was instantly thrown into an uproar.
Countless people lined up, eager to catch a glimpse of the treasures inside the exhibition. The sheer multitude of attendees clogged the capital's thoroughfares. Fortunately, an imperial decree dispatched armored troops from the Garrison Battalion to maintain order, preventing any greater turmoil from breaking out.
This magnificent spectacle persisted for over half a month.
After that, far from ending, the exhibition embarked on a nationwide tour, staging displays throughout every corner of Great Xuan.
In Anchor Year 11, Jianghuai Prefecture cracked a severe tomb-raiding case, apprehending a ring of over a hundred grave robbers.
This band had excavated deep into the mountains, unearthing ancient tombs on a massive scale and inflicting incalculable damage.
According to the law, every member of the band should have faced the ultimate penalty.
However, because the culprits were so numerous and the implications ran so deep, Li Fan, the Prefect of Jianghuai Prefecture, did not dare make an arbitrary decision. He penned a memorial and dispatched it via an eight-hundred-li express courier to Xuanjing, submitting the matter for the Emperor's judgment.
Upon hearing the news, some ministers grew exceedingly indignant and submitted memorials demanding immediate execution.
Yet curiously, the vast majority of courtiers maintained an eerie silence.
The Emperor likewise shelved the stack of memorials, offering no stance.
A full month passed before the imperial decree finally arrived.
There was no death sentence; they were merely condemned to state slavery, rounded up and sent to the capital.
Hardly a single court minister submitted a memorial in opposition.
Looking at the imperial edict, Li Fan smiled faintly, knowing that the grand trend of history was now firmly established.
Chapter 13