34. The Pig on the Crest of the Wave

"You... you must come to see me..."

Just before boarding the ship, the young princess was already sobbing uncontrollably. Ever since she learned that after returning this time she would not be able to see Xia Lin for a very long time, she had been in a state of profound depression. Yet, such was the reality of the situation; let alone in this era, even a thousand years later, what family would allow their thirteen or fourteen-year-old daughter to follow a sixteen or seventeen-year-old scoundrel around all day—especially a family of such high noble status.

"Alright, if I ever have the chance to visit the provincial capital, I will have Chun Tao secretly send you a letter. When that time comes, regardless of whether you can slip out, I will find a way to see you," Xia Lin said, pulling a stone from his pocket. "Take this stone. It is called a 'Li Chen' stone. In my hometown, people use it to entrust their longing."

The stone was an ordinary one, picked up casually by the river because it looked nice. It was certainly not valuable, but it was precisely because it lacked monetary worth that one had to imbue it with meaning. The young princess did not know what a "Li Chen" stone was; she only felt the stone still held the warmth of Xia Lin’s body, and that was enough for her.

Watching her board the ship, pausing to look back every few steps, Xia Lin turned to Old Zhang and said, "After you get back, find a way to build a good relationship with the Prince's estate and strive to open an academy there. I will begin organizing the teaching materials during this time; you just need to handle the infrastructure. That shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

"An academy?"

"Yes, an academy," Xia Lin said in a low, firm voice. "The Prince of Teng will support you."

"Are you that certain?" Old Zhang asked curiously. "This is a major undertaking."

"It is precisely because it is a major undertaking that he will support you," Xia Lin lowered his voice further. "The current struggle between the imperial faction and the aristocratic clans is a life-or-death matter. What is the core of the aristocratic clans? Isn't it their monopoly over the scholars of the world? This move of yours will show the imperial family a path to breaking the walls built by these clans. They will support you."

"I understand," Old Zhang nodded.

"Be careful with everything," Xia Lin punched him on the shoulder. "Don't let yourself get killed out there."

Old Zhang simply gave Xia Lin an "OK" gesture and said, "Okay!"

"Forget it, don't imitate me; you're making me cringe," Xia Lin said, looking up at the sky. "It's getting late. You should be heading back."

The ship moved slowly. The young princess stood at the bow, waving frantically at Xia Lin to say goodbye. Xia Lin stood there watching until they faded from view before letting out a soft sigh. He turned to look at Chun Tao and said with emotion, "We should start working too. Once the Lantern Festival is over, it’s time to get down to business."

Work after the festival proceeded quite smoothly. Because wages were paid on time and the food was good, the workers were highly efficient. The workshops and kilns built along the river were taking shape, and various stone mines had begun extraction. Now, they were just waiting for the first kiln to be fired to begin a legend in the porcelain industry.

On the other side, Old Zhang did not take credit for Xia Lin’s work as Xia Lin had suggested. Instead, he used a phonetic system to compile pronunciations for the characters and applied a paragraph system to add breaks and punctuation to the continuous text. Once compiled and printed in this manner, he could naturally and legitimately add his name to the list of editors.

It must be said that Old Zhang was a rare genius. Relying on the difficulties he had discussed with Xia Lin regarding enlightenment primers—specifically the obscure traditional methods of phonetic annotation which were difficult for the average person to learn without a dedicated teacher—he combined his knowledge of phonology with the information he gained from Xia Lin to create a phonetic system close to modern standards. By combining the musical scales of the five tones with various semi-tones, he synthesized a method of phonetic spelling. This system was divided into initials and finals; by remembering twenty initials and thirty finals, one could read the vast majority of Han characters, and even local dialects could be incorporated, freeing learners from the traditional constraints of rote memorization without explanation.

Before finalizing the draft, Old Zhang had a copy sent to Xia Lin for editing. Xia Lin adjusted some of the phonetic characters to make them simpler and easier to understand. By the time it returned to Old Zhang, the phonetic system was essentially complete.

His first act was to present the manuscript to the Prince of Teng. Naturally, following Old Zhang’s customary practice, Xia Lin's name preceded his own. The Prince of Teng now felt a headache whenever he saw Xia Lin’s name, as the young princess had been throwing tantrums, acting desperate, and threatening her life repeatedly ever since returning from his estate.

Seeing that name again, the Prince of Teng felt only irritation. But the material was high quality, and no matter how annoyed he was, he forced himself to calm down and read it.

There were four books in total, all primers. Despite their small size, they held profound mysteries. The Prince had initially only intended to flip through them casually, after all, they were the work of that "little bastard," but once he started, he couldn't stop.

After reading them repeatedly, he realized these four books would inevitably rewrite history and literature. Simply put, these books utilized inductive methods—a methodology that, while perhaps not solving the problems of ancient masterpieces, could directly shatter the current monopoly on books and education. This was equivalent to digging the graves of the aristocratic clans.

After careful study, he cautiously had several copies made and took one to Governor Guo.

"This kid again?"

Governor Guo was quite astonished to see the signatures on the front of the four books. "He always manages to bring me surprises."

"Hmph."

The Prince of Teng snorted to show his attitude, but Governor Guo laughed heartily. "I've heard about your daughter. Ease your mind. Don't be too strict; children have their own destiny."

"Oh, you speak beautifully, but that's because you don't have a daughter. If you did, I'd see how you'd act."

"Enough, enough. Be angry if you want; there's no point in me saying more."

Governor Guo continued to read the four primers. The more he read, the more alarmed he became. As a high-ranking official, he knew that education was the foundation of the state, but since the Hundred Schools of Thought in the pre-Qin era, it had been monopolized by the clans. Anyone who suggested reform was purged. From princes and ministers down to the common people, there had been no "sages" since Confucius and Mencius because of this.

But these four little books... they were interesting. They seemed like mere primers, but they struck at the roots of the clans. Yet, they were written within the rules of the clans themselves; if the clans disagreed, they would be going against the will of the world, and if they agreed, they would be severing their own tendons and bones.

Though these small things could not compare to the sages of old, they were like a death warrant. It was the aristocratic clans who claimed that scholars were the highest of the four classes (scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants). They could hardly lead an opposition against themselves, could they?

"Good, good, good! Wonderful! Ah, Si Nan, Si Nan."

"Why are you calling me?" the Prince of Teng asked irritably.

"Si Nan, this son-in-law of yours is a top-tier strategist of 'open schemes' (yangmou). Do you truly not want him? If you don't, I have a niece in my clan who is unmarried. Perhaps..."

"Give that here!" The Prince of Teng snatched the books from Governor Guo's hand. "No need for you to worry about it, and stop with the sarcasm. Just tell me, what do you think of these primers?"

"They are naturally excellent, but it will take time. Perhaps it would be better to test them in your territory first. If they prove successful, then we can submit them to His Majesty for his decision."

This old fox was true to his reputation. He wanted the credit for promoting them without offending the scholars of the world. Very well... he kept the glory for himself, leaving the imperial family to play the villain, right?

But then again, he was a member of the Fenyang Guo clan, a scholar-official himself. It was unrealistic to expect him to be the first to stand against his own kind. Given his current attitude and his willingness to stand with the imperial family, it was already rare; expecting him to go further was impossible.

"You bear the responsibility for education; this matter is naturally yours to handle."

"You..." Governor Guo laughed in anger. "That’s not right, Si Nan. Isn't the responsibility for education that of your royal family?"

"I don't meddle in provincial administration. You handle it yourself."

"You handle it, you handle it. We've been friends for decades; why are you being so polite with me?"

The two played a game of "Tai Chi" (evasion), neither able to get the better of the other. As they sat staring at each other, Governor Guo suddenly pointed to Old Zhang's name. "I looked this man up. He is a scholar whose status was revoked."

"Hmm? So what?"

"You say he is a scholar whose status was revoked, but is he a scholar?"

The Prince of Teng didn't understand the implication at first, his expression momentarily blank. "Well... in terms of status, he is not. But in terms of academic knowledge, he is certainly a scholar."

"If we let a scholar teach pupils and students, is that permissible?"

"That would be highly desirable. If such a person passes the exams, they are usually courted by all sides; how could he have fallen to being a mere teacher?"

Governor Guo laughed and slapped his thigh. "Then that is him! A down-and-out scholar with no one paying him any mind. Let him open an academy in your territory, and you, the benevolent Prince of Teng, grant him permission. As for what he teaches, it will naturally be the way of the sages."

"Ah?" The Prince of Teng's eyes brightened. "Right! That's a good plan. Yes, that works."

Even Xia Lin had not expected that the task of establishing an academy, which he thought would be fraught with difficulties, would be pushed forward simply because the superiors needed a scapegoat.

That afternoon, the Prince of Teng summoned Old Zhang. They talked about literature, martial arts, the world, and heroes; they talked about the past in Luoyang and that "little bastard" Xia Lin, leaving Old Zhang completely bewildered. Finally, the Prince of Teng placed those few little books on the table and, with a lecherous, "creepy uncle" smile, said, "You are a scholar without status, and now you cannot enter officialdom. Why not open an academy? People say the Hongzhou region has a liberal literary atmosphere, yet there isn't a single academy here. Why don't you preside over one?"