Chapter 484: Compiling the Annals of the Great Ming's Mountains and Rivers

In the balmy third month of spring, the grass grows and orioles flit about.

The entire capital had also awakened from the cold winter.

After the sun rose in the morning, the main streets were crowded with people coming and going — countless figures bustling about, all of them busy.

A great many carriages had also gathered at the capital's gates, all heading westward.

These carriages were all bound for the New City — some going there to make a living, others to pursue their studies.

March had just begun, and many scholars were also hurrying over.

The road was thronged with traffic, a lively scene indeed.

Ever since the New City had officially been completed a year ago, it had become an extremely lively place in the capital.

The court had begun building the New City four years earlier, and the entire construction had taken three years before finally being finished. Of course, it had been built in sections, and many areas had long since been put into use.

The New City was now extremely prosperous and bustling, for it housed the Imperial Academy, the Imperial Martial Academy, the Imperial Library, the Confucius Temple, and more — one could say it was the gathering place of the entire Ming's culture and education.

In recent years, everyone had been flocking to the New City. A scholar who had never been to the New City would be looked down upon.

As for the New City's name, the court had called it the Guard City, but the common folk simply did not accept that name.

The New City was called the Book City among the people, and that name had stuck. So now everyone referred to it as the Book City.

As time passed, the Book City's population grew ever larger, and the surrounding area flourished remarkably. A few days ago, word spread that the Emperor's traveling palace had been completed in the Book City, and it was said the Emperor would go there to stay for a while — the Book City became even livelier.

Moreover, in the western part of the Book City, what was reportedly under construction was the Imperial Clan City, which would become the residence of Prince Fu and others. It was said the new Prince Xin Residence was also over there, and Prince Xin was the current Emperor's younger brother.

At the city gate, a young man looked at a man carrying a pack on his back and said with a smile: "Brother Chen, I never expected to run into you here. I was originally planning to go to your home to find you, but it seems there's no need now."

The man addressed as Brother Chen was a youth in his twenties. Seeing who had arrived, a helpless expression appeared on his face, though his eyes held more of being moved.

After all, he was dressed in coarse cloth and hemp garments — though the square scholar's cap on his head proved he was a man of learning, his attire was hardly presentable; with a cloth bundle on his back, he looked like someone on a journey.

Meanwhile, the man before him wore luxurious silk — that went without saying — and the carriage he sat in was clearly extraordinary at a glance.

A four-wheeled carriage — this was something the capital had only produced the year before last. It was said to be a creation of the Hundred Crafts Institute, fitted with steering axles and leaf springs, reputed to be an exceedingly fine thing.

He had ridden in one once before — comfort aside, it ran remarkably steadily. Moreover, the four-wheeled carriage's cabin was very spacious, roomy enough to lie down in; one could say it was perfectly suited to the capital's wealthy and idle young scions.

Four-wheeled carriages were now extremely fashionable in the capital, and they sold at very high prices. It was said that things like leaf springs and steering axles could only be produced by the Hundred Crafts Institute.

One such carriage cost several thousand taels of silver, and that was the standard version. As for the pricier limited editions, those prices were simply murderous.

In any case, four-wheeled carriages had suddenly become all the rage in the capital.

Under such circumstances, those in the capital who could afford to ride in such carriages could only be described as either wealthy or noble.

Brother Chen smiled and clasped his hands toward the man before him, saying: "I'm grateful for your concern, Brother Zhao. Though the Book City is not far, I still wanted to set out a bit earlier."

"Come, come, get in." Zhao Gui, the one addressed as Brother Zhao, smiled and waved: "Let's ride there together. I made a trip to Jiangnan a while back and only returned two days ago. My family has been frantically arranging an engagement for me — I've been run off my feet. Otherwise I would certainly have come to tell you in advance so you could travel with me. Brother Chen, please don't take offense."

Hearing this, Chen Yannian said helplessly: "Whatever are you talking about?"

Even as he spoke, Chen Yannian climbed into the carriage.

As for the people on the street who saw the two of them, their eyes were filled with envy. Someone even pointed at the carriage and said to a child: "Study hard, and in the future you too can go study in the West City."

After several years of development, the capital's Imperial Academies had grown to six in number, and their standings had come to be ranked.

How was strength measured? Naturally, by how many examination slots they could secure in the imperial examinations. In last year's imperial examinations, the Imperial Academy in the capital's West City had placed sixteen candidates, among them a Zhuangyuan.

Spurred by this, the West City Imperial Academy's prestige stood very high, and it had directly become a hot favorite. In the academy entrance examinations held after the New Year, the number of examinees could only be described as a sea of people.

The two men before them could be recognized at a glance as students of the West City Imperial Academy. The wealthy one went without saying; the impoverished one was clearly a diligent scholar who, once he graduated, was certain to turn his fortunes around.

The Ming's commerce and trade had flourished greatly these past two years, with every trade and profession hiring people. Even graduates of the academies who failed the examinations were hot commodities for the various merchant houses.

In these two years, the great merchant guilds had been fighting fiercely among themselves — everyone was short of people, especially high-end talent. And the Imperial Academy's talents were exactly what they needed; these students were top-notch choices in both knowledge and breadth of vision.

These students had a thorough understanding of court affairs, knew how to deal with government offices, and even understood law and military strategy — not only could they handle lawsuits, they could also train guard escorts and bodyguards. One could say they were rare talents.

As long as one graduated from the Imperial Academy, even if one failed the examinations and couldn't become an official, landing a high-paying job was a sure thing. Not to mention other places — the Imperial Household Department recruited a large batch of Imperial Academy graduates every year. The salaries they offered made people gasp.

Even those with good grades could directly obtain a residence prepared by the Imperial Household Department in the capital. Being able to solve the housing problem meant, for many impoverished scholars, that they had turned their lives around.

So for today's scholars, passing the Imperial Academy entrance examination was equivalent to leaping to the heavens in a single step.

The two men before them paid no attention to the surrounding gazes. After boarding the carriage, the vehicle slowly started moving and headed toward the West City.

Along the way, the traffic was heavy and pedestrians thronged, so they did not travel quickly.

After passing through the city gate, there was no sense of desolation at all — instead, all kinds of shops lined both sides of the road.

Ever since the Book City had been established, countless shops had gathered along both sides of the road from the city gate to the Book City, forming a commercial street.

Previously, no one had used the term "commercial street," but later someone proposed it. Land prices here had soared, and business appeared to be quite good.

As the carriage rolled along, the two men inside smiled and looked outward.

Zhao Gui said: "This trip was rather rushed, so I didn't have time to properly stroll around and take in the sights. Next time the academy has a holiday, let's walk back from over there and take a good look along the way."

Chen Yannian said with a smile: "If you're interested, Brother Zhao, then we'll walk back."

The two had previously studied together at the prefectural school — both classmates and fellow graduates of the same year, their relationship had always been very close.

Although Zhao Gui's family was quite wealthy, he did not dare treat Chen Yannian with the slightest disrespect. After all, this man was first in their cohort — his scholarship was genuinely excellent; and when he had taken the entrance examination for the Book City Imperial Academy, he had placed in the top three of his cohort.

Such a record meant that as long as Chen Yannian didn't misbehave at the academy, he was certain to pass the jinshi examination in the future. If he worked hard, even a top-three ranking was not impossible. When that time came, Chen Yannian's status would be something Zhao Gui could not compare to.

Although Zhao Gui's scholarship was also decent and his examination results good, compared to the Chen Yannian before him, he still fell far short.

Most importantly, the two shared compatible temperaments and could be considered good brothers.

When the two arrived by carriage at the Book City, it was already packed with a sea of people.

Entering through the Book City's gate, the two saw a tall building not far ahead.

Zhao Gui said excitedly: "The Imperial Library — I wonder what it's like inside?"

The two had come before, but could only look from outside. Because this place only permitted academy students to enter.

Originally, when it first opened, all scholars had been allowed in. But there were simply too many scholars, and this one Imperial Library was nowhere near sufficient. It was said that construction of an Imperial Library in the East City had already begun.

This Imperial Library's collection had already surpassed one hundred thousand titles and one million volumes — an enormous quantity.

One main building, four stories tall, with four branch buildings beside it, arranged according to the positions of the Five Elements — it was said that a master had been consulted for the design.

This was, after all, a sacred place in the hearts of scholars. In the past, they could only come here to pay their respects from afar; now, at last, they had earned the right to enter.

Besides the Imperial Library, there was also a Wenchang Academy further back. That was where books were compiled — books compiled for all the scholars of the Great Ming.

Ever since His Majesty issued the decree four years ago, scholars and great Confucians from across the realm had gathered at the Wenchang Academy to compile books there.

Chen Yannian's gaze also turned in that direction, his face carrying an excited expression. Though his countenance had always been as calm as still water, even he could not hold back upon seeing the Imperial Library.

It was said that the books compiled there could be roughly divided into two kinds. One kind was commissioned by the court: whenever the court needed a certain type of book, it would issue a commission. If you felt you could participate, you could sign up, and once approved, you would be allowed to join.

Once such books were completed, the Imperial household would handle printing and distribution, and your name would be left upon them. Such books could be said to cover every conceivable subject — it was even said there were books devoted specifically to craftsmen.

Apart from that, you could also propose what kind of book you wished to compile yourself. If the proposal for the book was approved within the Wenchang Academy, the Imperial household would provide the funds and personnel to carry it out. Upon success, it would be published by the Imperial household — one could say it was something scholars valued extremely, extremely highly.

Chen Yannian had also heard of a matter some days ago — it seemed there was a man named Xu Xiake who wanted to compile a record of the mountains and rivers of the Great Ming. The court had approved it, and had specially assembled a team of over a hundred people for him, providing funds every year for them to travel across all the famous mountains and great rivers. It was said they had already reached Henan Prefecture.