Chapter 608: Supervisory Training

The scorching sunlight splashed over the four ink masterpieces.

Twenty‑two large characters writhed like dragons and snakes.

The lines of bone and sinew are distinct.

Seeing this, the students below the platform felt their blood boil, as if a ten‑thousand‑foot heroic spirit surged endlessly in their chests.

Among the crowd, Yang Qianmo stared at the plaque on Gaotai; the earlier anxiety and embarrassment had long vanished, leaving only full‑hearted shock and excitement.

His lips moved, his eyes blazing as he repeated the four maxims over and over; at the end he could not help but speak aloud, his voice trembling yet resolute: "Heaven and Earth are indifferent, treating all things as straw dogs; those who study the sages must set a heart of benevolence and a heart of justice for Heaven and Earth!"

The words rang out like a thrown stone, instantly drawing the gazes of nearby classmates.

Many silently nodded, their faces showing sincere agreement.

Standing beside him was Li Lan, a scion of the Li Family of Longxi, also born of a great aristocratic clan like Yang Qianmo.

Now, gazing at every character on the plaque, he felt a surge of heroism shoot from his chest to the clouds; the timidity that had arisen from Wei Heqing's questioning had long been washed clean.

He could not help exclaiming in admiration, his tone full of surrender: "What a magnanimous mind, what a mighty spirit!"

Before his words finished, Duan Yixu at the front of the crowd already held his head high, eyes bright on Gaotai, and intoned with cadence: "Establish destiny for the people!"

Those six characters, as if bearing a thousand‑pound force, made the eardrums buzz.

Duan Yixu, born of a humble family and accustomed since childhood to worldly suffering, was moved to countless emotions by the line.

He stepped forward, his voice suddenly soaring, each word bleeding: "The people are the common folk of this world!"

"War rages, oppressive rule is fiercer than tigers, the people suffer beyond words!"

Having spoken, he raised his hand and jabbed his fingertips hard into his own chest, his gaze sweeping the surrounding classmates, his tone tinged with pain and urgency: "What we of our generation seek is a way of life for the people, so they may live peacefully and prosper, free from the hardships of displacement!"

"Indeed!"

Song Tingwu immediately echoed loudly, his face full of excitement; the earlier solemnity had vanished.

He squeezed forward and declared loudly: "We must quell the wars, abolish oppressive rule, stop letting fertile fields lie fallow, and stop forcing the people to sell their children for food!"

Those words, like a spark, instantly ignited resonance in the students' hearts.

Many scholars of humble origin could not help their eyes reddening, nodding repeatedly.

At that moment, another voice rose from the crowd, reverently reciting: "Continue the lost teachings of the ancient sages!"

The voice was clear and firm, belonging to a student of the Imperial Academy standing in the center of the crowd.

He stared at the ink masterpiece on the plaque and could not help exclaiming: "It is truly well written!"

Shen Zai Zhou, hearing this, also gave a solemn nod, inhaled deeply, feeling his blood surge, and could not help speaking: "Exactly! Since the end of the Han, wars have been frequent, Confucianism has waned, many ancient scriptures have been lost, and many sages' thoughts have no successors!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping the classmates, his tone bearing both tragic grandeur and resolve: "We scholars must take the inheritance of lost arts as our duty, to let the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and the rites of the Duke of Zhou, shine anew!"

"Eternal peace for all ages!"

Tian Xihe clenched his fist, swung his arm up loudly, his voice ringing like a bell, echoing through the entire Imperial Academy courtyard.

He gazed at the plaque on Gaotai, eyes full of yearning: "This is the vision generations have dreamed of!"

Lou Guanshu, also moved, was towering and sturdy, standing among the crowd like a small hill.

He looked at the six characters "Open eternal peace for all ages," his tone bearing both world‑worn weariness and heroic spirit: "From the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin, countless emperors, ministers, and virtuous men have toiled and fought for these four words!"

"What a fine line: 'Set a heart for Heaven and Earth!'"

From the back of the crowd, someone shouted a praise, instantly prompting the students to echo.

"Truly an ancient maxim!"

The discussion rose and fell, but no longer a whisper of the earlier murmurs; instead, it was filled with reverence and vigor.

Lin Jingshu, standing among the crowd, stared intensely at the four ink works on Gaotai, feeling a surge of heat rush from his feet to his crown.

The earlier thought of schadenfreude had long vanished without a trace.

He inhaled deeply and proclaimed loudly: "These words rouse the deaf and the mute!"

The moment his voice fell, he felt his whole blood boiling.

Sunlight climbed onto Gaotai's overhanging eaves, the gilded tiles glittering, casting the four ink works in an ever more dignified glow.

Wei Heqing stood with his hands behind him, watching the impassioned students below; his previously tense face fully relaxed, his eyes swirling with unmistakable emotion.

He nodded slowly, his hands behind his back unintentionally clenching, knuckles paling, then raised his voice sharply, proclaiming through the courtyard: "Opening eternal peace for all ages—that is the ambition we scholars should hold!"

When his words fell, the crowd below roared in unison, heat waves rolling, nearly overturning the early‑summer morning sky.

Xue Ji, standing among the crowd, gazed at the sixteen bold characters on Gaotai that seemed to pierce the paper, feeling the murky qi in his chest disperse, he exhaled a long breath and could not help exclaiming admiringly: "Truly worthy of our Great Zhou Poet Immortal!"

"This move is another masterpiece for posterity!"

His words prompted those beside him to repeatedly approve, and many eyes turned to Chen Yan with an almost fanatical admiration.

On Gaotai, Chen Yan took it all in, his gaze lightly sweeping the plaque's words, a faint smile at his lips, while inwardly he mused: "Those four horizontal maxims fit perfectly here!"

He was no longer the newcomer in the bureaucracy who needed to gain fame and prestige by composing poems and verses.

Now holding the title of Duke of Wei, he also serves as Sacrificial Wine of the Imperial Academy, Prefect of the Capital, head of the Mingjing Office, Grand General of the Left Martial Guard, Grand General of the Left Martial Marquis, and his empty reputation is no longer important.

These rousing maxims should be put into practice, engraving them into the bones of those ambitious young scholars…

And the Imperial Academy is the best fertile soil!

The wind whipped the banners, rustling, slightly muffling the students' discussions.

Lou Guanshu cleared his throat, stepped forward, his gaze blazing toward Gaotai, dantian qi swelling, and loudly recited: "Set a heart for Heaven and Earth, establish destiny for the people, continue the lost teachings of the ancient sages, open eternal peace for all ages!"

The sixteen characters, when he uttered them, rang out like thrown stones, each word resonant.

After reciting, he clasped his fists, bowed deeply toward Gaotai, his voice bearing the resolve of burning boats: "I, Lou Guanshu, will not betray these words!"

"I, Shen Zai Zhou, am the same!"

Shen Zai Zhou followed closely, his chest heaving, his face alight with excitement, also clasping fists and bowing, each word sincere.

One person started, a hundred responded.

In an instant, countless young, resolute voices rang through the courtyard, rising and falling, merging into a torrent:

"I, Li Lan, will not betray these words!"

"I, Duan Yi, vow to remember it!"

"We shall not betray the Sacrificial Wine's teachings, nor the Imperial Academy's instruction!"

The sound shook the eaves, making the copper bells clang, and even the sunlight seemed to tremble slightly from this surge of passion.

Chen Yan looked at the flushed faces in the audience, his smile deepening, nodded slowly, and after the crowd's cheers subsided, he spoke loudly: "Students, what you bear on your shoulders has never been merely personal honor or disgrace; it is the welfare of the common people and the safety of the state!"

"Chen, the Sacrificial Wine, is absolutely right!"

The students below answered in unison, their voices full of conviction.

Chen Yan's expression suddenly straightened, his tone grew more solemn: "From now on, before each morning reading, you must recite this instruction in front of the hall..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over each youthful face, earnestly urging, "This Duke hopes you can engrave these twenty‑four characters into your hearts and blend them into your very blood!"

When you later leave the Imperial Academy, whether you serve the court, teach students, or guard a region, never forget today's words!

"Yes!"

The students bowed together in unison, their voices uniform and filled with heartfelt reverence.

Chen Yan raised his hand in a feigned gesture, his eyes landing on the plaque beside him; his fingertips brushed the cold wooden frame, and he said gravely, "This Duke knows these twenty‑four characters bear too great a weight!"

"Achieving it is difficult!"

When those words were spoken, the students below all wore a stern expression, many showing a grave look.

Indeed, to set the heart for heaven and earth, to open peace for ten thousand generations—such ambition is so grand, yet how arduous!

Just as everyone's emotions rose and fell, Chen Yan's tone suddenly shifted, his voice rising and falling with a penetrating force: "But this Duke knows even more that worldly affairs are never undertaken because they are easy, but because they are worthy."

All of you are the young talents of Great Zhou; this Duke hopes that, one day, you will uphold the heavens, protect the people, pass down this supreme art, and create a flourishing era of everlasting peace!

"Students, remember the Sacrificial Wine's teachings!" This response rang louder and more sincere than any before.

Not only the Imperial Academy students felt their blood boil.

Even the Imperial Academy scholars standing on either side showed excited expressions, stroked their whiskers, nodded, and their eyes were full of satisfaction.

After finishing his speech, Chen Yan slowly raised his hand and said loudly, "Disperse now."

The students bowed, then reluctantly dispersed, each step far steadier than when they arrived.

It was as if a fire burned in their chests, igniting their blood and clarifying the road ahead.

On the way back, Song Tingwu could not hide his excitement, pulling Lou Guanshu, Lin Jingshu, and Shen Zaizhou beside him, chattering, "Chen, the Sacrificial Wine, wrote this so excellently!"

"It hits my heart directly!"

"That Imperial Academy instruction makes one shiver all over!"

"Indeed!" Shen Zaizhou nodded in agreement, lifted his gaze to the horizon, where a boundless blue sky stretched with drifting clouds, and could not help but sigh lightly, "Rather than squabbling with noble families over petty gains and scheming, it is better to do solid work, open a peace for ten thousand generations, and thus have one's name recorded in history!"

Lou Guanshu nodded deeply in agreement, Lin Jingshu also kept affirming, and as the four were speaking in accord, a clear, bright voice sounded from behind.

A Guozijian official dressed in a blue official's robe hurried over, his expression steady yet authoritative, and standing before the four, he announced loudly, "Song Tingwu, Lou Guanshu, Lin Wuke, Shen Zaizhou, Chen, the Sacrificial Wine, please come over!"

"He wishes to speak with you alone…"

"The Founding Emperor, also serving as the Sacrificial Wine of the Imperial Academy, upon assuming the post, issued the instruction: 'Set the heart for heaven and earth, establish destiny for the people, inherit the supreme teachings of past sages, and open peace for ten thousand generations.'"

When the instruction was released, the students of the Academy heard it and all bowed in respect, their spirits soaring, each harboring the ambition to study and apply the classics, hoping to repay the state's great grace with their talents.

—'Records of Wei', Biography of the Founding Emperor Wen Emperor

PS: Keyboard high, evening wind strong, you big masters are both high and strong; today's minor update is ten thousand characters, five chapters in length, and the evening breeze even rose up a handful!!