Chapter 45: Miss Xie, Please Show Some Propriety!

Could she be suspicious of my identity?

They came to check on me today!!!

Writing a poem praising Xie An for someone isn’t a big deal, but impersonating a scholar clan? That’s a serious crime!

Where is my household registration? How do I answer that?

If I make up a lie, they only need to verify it to confirm the truth.

And this girl might even have come prepared!

Since the Eastern Jin, the Wang and Xie clans have been paired together, often intermarrying; she may know far more about the Langya Wang clan than I imagine!

But if I stay silent, it will clearly look like guilt.

What should I do?

He needed to respond quickly!

Wang Yang gazed out the window and sighed heavily:

“By the shores of the Eastern Sea, the land of Langya. Where Goujian once claimed hegemony, where Qin Shi Huang carved his steles. A thousand-year homeland, lost in a single generation. I raise my head to see the sun—but not Langya.”

Langya lies within today’s Shandong, ancient and deeply rooted, yet now occupied by Northern Wei. Wang Yang, reflecting on the past and present, looked heartbroken. Sunlight stabbed his eyes, making them narrow slightly, as if on the verge of tears.

Liu Zhao was deeply moved by this scene, filled with emotion:

“I never imagined Zhiyan’s attachment to his homeland ran so deep. Today’s immigrant families mostly settle comfortably east of the river and have long forgotten the north! My own Nieyang Liu clan migrated here from Nanyang a hundred years ago, yet now every member—including myself—calls ourselves Jing’s scholar class. Truly, we’ve forgotten our ancestors!”

Xie Xing remained unmoved, speaking coldly and clearly:

“We already know your ancestral home is Langya. But just now I asked about your household registration, not your ancestry. Where is your household registration? Is it in Jiankang? Most Langya Wang clans have long resided in Jiankang; though I cannot recognize every branch, I know some. Which branch are you from? Where in Jiankang do you live? Wuyi Alley? Horse Dung Alley? Or perhaps Danfu or Linyi?”

Damn it!

You’re not moved by the tragedy of your homeland?

Your Chenjun Xie clan is also an immigrant family!

Girl, don’t you have a heart?!

Seeing Xie Xing press him with relentless questions, Wang Yang thought: If that’s how it is, then don’t blame me...

Wang Yang straightened his expression and said: “Miss Xie, you are both beautiful and talented—I truly admire you. But marriage is always decided by parents and matchmakers. If you truly wish to learn of my family background, you should send someone to inquire. How can you ask so bluntly?”

Xie Xing: ??

Liu Zhao: (*+﹏+*)

Wang Yang stood and bowed to Xie Xing: “I am deeply grateful for your favor, Miss Xie! But I truly have no intention of considering marriage right now. I apologize.”

He then walked toward the door.

A flush of crimson rose from Xie Xing’s pale neck, swiftly spreading across her jade-like cheeks.

Liu Zhao hurried to explain: “Zhiyan, you misunderstand—”

Wang Yang cut in: “Master, I know you mean well, but I am the one involved—you should at least ask my opinion! Besides, scholarly matters are no less important than matchmaking. Find Miss Xie another match. I’ll take my leave now.”

“Stop!” Xie Xing rose, her voice trembling with anger: “I... I didn’t—”

“Miss Xie, please show some propriety! We are truly incompatible!”

Wang Yang raised his voice deliberately and bowed deeply.

Xie Xing, though learned and sharp-witted, was still a pure, noble lady raised under strict family discipline, adored by all—who had ever faced such a scene?

His words made it seem as if she had shamelessly begged him to marry her, only to be publicly rejected!

Ashamed and furious, she felt grievously wronged, nearly bursting into tears. Too flustered to explain, she could only choke out a few words: “You’re lying! I didn’t... I never...”

Wang Yang felt a pang of pity—bullying a young girl wasn’t honorable. But if he didn’t, he’d be checked for household registration—he was an illegal resident, unverifiable!

So don’t blame me for lacking mercy.

“Miss Xie, don’t cry. I’m not saying you’re bad—there are plenty of fine men in the world. Why fixate on—”

Xie Xing hadn’t been crying until now, but his words made tears stream down instantly. She stomped her embroidered shoe and ran out the door.

“Niece! Niece!” Liu Zhao rushed after her.

Wang Yang exhaled in relief—so long as Xie Xing was gone, things would be easier. Liu Zhao was devoted to learning and kind-hearted; even if he checked household registration, he’d be easier to deflect than Xie Xing.

“Zhiyan, I’m not saying this to scold you, but how reckless you are! She’s a daughter of the Xie family—how could she possibly... how could she possibly come here herself to propose marriage?!” Liu Zhao complained.

“I’m the one who was foolish! I thought she was interested in me because you introduced her, and I assumed... Sigh! Tell Miss Xie I’m just a bookworm—she mustn’t take offense!”

Seeing Wang Yang’s expression of “remorse,” Liu Zhao softened and comforted him:

“Don’t worry too much about this. Miss Xie isn’t petty—she won’t hold it against you.”

Wang Yang thought: Then I’ll take your good words as an omen.

“Actually, Miss Xie isn’t interested in your affairs—she wants to know where your household registration is, and whether you’ve enrolled in the local commandery school. If not, would you consider transferring your registration to join the Jingzhou Commandery School?”

“Enroll in the commandery school?” Wang Yang asked, puzzled.

Liu Zhao said apologetically:

“I know—given your scholarship, you could easily become a doctor at the National Academy or a Western Mansion scholar at the Jingling Prince’s court. With your lineage and talent, you could rise directly to ministerial rank—you have no need to take the Mingjing examination path. But the commandery school is now in real trouble...”

Then Liu Zhao explained in detail to Wang Yang the origins of Wangguan Academy and its conflicts with the commandery school, concluding:

“My personal honor matters little, but the commandery school upholds the Jingzhou scholarly tradition, which reveres the Modern Text version of the Book of Documents. Yet Wangguan Academy seeks to abolish the Modern Text entirely and establish only the Ancient Text!”

If they succeed, the Jingzhou tradition of the Modern Text Book of Documents will be extinguished in my generation!

The extinction of learning and the loss of the Dao—this is the greatest calamity for a scholar, and the greatest sin!”

Liu Zhao rose, straightened his robes, and bowed deeply to Wang Yang:

“Therefore, for the sake of Jingzhou’s scholarly lineage, I beg Zhiyan to transfer your registration to the commandery school and represent it in this contest. If we win, the Dao will not perish! If we lose, so be it—I will still be grateful for your kindness and bear no resentment!”

The Book of Documents records the words and deeds of ancient emperors and is one of the Five Confucian Classics.

The dispute between the Modern and Ancient Text versions of the Book of Documents was a pivotal event in its scholarly history, complex and winding.

Simply put, since the Han Dynasty, two versions emerged:

One was transmitted orally by elderly Confucian scholars who had lived through Qin and Han, based on pre-Qin manuscripts, then written in the clerical script of Han times—this became the Modern Text Book of Documents.

The other was discovered hidden in the wall of Confucius’s home, written in pre-Qin ancient script—this became the Ancient Text Book of Documents.

Scholars of the Two Han dynasties fiercely debated which version was authoritative, giving rise to divergent interpretations and schools; by the late Eastern Han, some convergence began.

But during the Eastern Jin, someone presented another Ancient Text Book of Documents, claiming it was the true original—containing fifty-eight chapters, twenty-five of which were previously unknown. Upon its appearance, it became the authoritative version, sparking a surge in Ancient Text scholarship—this is precisely the confidence behind Wangguan Academy’s attempt to abolish the commandery school and become Jingzhou’s sole official academy.

Wang Yang understood the complexities and wished to help Liu Zhao, but many issues were involved.

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Note: Some scholars argue the Modern Text Book of Documents had already been lost by the transition between the Western and Eastern Jin. This may not be true. Leaving aside the mainstream view that the Modern Text survived through the Ancient Text, and ignoring speculative claims of private collections without evidence, the Book of Sui’s Catalogue of Classics records the “One-Character Stone Classic Book of Documents” in six scrolls. The “One-Character Stone Classic” refers to the Xi Ping Stone Classics of Emperor Ling of Han, which, as the official version, contained the Modern Text. The Tang dynasty’s revision of the Book of Sui records it, proving that as early as the Tang, the imperial library (the Secret Archives) still possessed rubbings of the Modern Text—so the claim of its complete loss is too absolute.