Chapter 39: Letters in July (5.2k)

"Has Teacher already retired for the night?" In the evening, after spending a long time and great effort reading and digesting his mother's letter, Gongsun Xun arrived at the suite courtyard where Lu Zhi was staying, then carefully knocked on the door of the bedroom where a lamp was still lit. "Your student has a matter to consult you about."

"Come in." Lu Zhi's voice was as crisp as ever, to the point of being intimidating.

Pushing the door open and entering, Gongsun Xun first closed the door again, then bowed toward Lu Zhi, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed. When he raised his head, he discovered that the other man was also reading a piece of silk covered in writing by lamplight.

Of course, this was normal. Hadn't this Teacher Lu been busy rallying friends and allies lately? He probably had to read who knows how many letters like this every day.

"No need for formalities. Sit wherever you like." Lu Zhi folded the silk in his hands, then placed it into a box at the head of the bed. As expected, such silk letters inside the box were stacked in piles, and lime packets had been placed there to ward off dampness — a clear sign of how vast the social connections of this renowned Confucian scholar of the realm truly were.

"I won't hide it from you, Teacher." Gongsun Xun rose and sat on a small stool across from the old-style bed — a furniture arrangement one could probably only see here. "My mother just sent a family letter from Liaoxi."

"Oh?" Lu Zhi showed a trace of concern. "Has anything major happened in the homeland recently?"

This kind of concern was perfectly normal. After all, communication was so poor in this era that when separated by distance, people valued any channel through which they could obtain information.

"It is like this." Gongsun Xun straightened his expression. "My mother said in her letter that since the end of last year, when the Xianbei raided the border and met with repeated counterattacks, the friction between the two sides has not only failed to lessen but has grown more serious by the day. And because of the Anli Trading House in our family, my mother says she can personally feel that this tension and confrontation is probably not limited to a single province or commandery — she just doesn't know whether a major war will break out..."

"Your mother's thoughts are likely correct." Even sitting on the bed, Lu Zhi's posture was ramrod straight. "In another two years, the Great Han and the Xianbei will probably be unable to avoid a great military calamity."

"May I ask why Teacher Lu says this?" Gongsun Xun earnestly inquired. "Is it merely because of the aftershocks triggered by those two battles?"

"Of course not." Lu Zhi paused briefly, then explained. "From the perspective of national power, the Great Han has stood for several hundred years, with a million men under arms and the surrounding barbarians submitting to its rule — it can be called a towering giant. The Xianbei, though they have only been ascendant for twenty years, nonetheless possess a realm stretching ten thousand li and a hundred thousand men who can draw the bow. One old, one new — two great powers standing side by side. The rising one must inevitably challenge the old one in pursuit of hegemony. And from the perspective of the rulers of the two states, Tanshihuai may be nothing more than a Xianbei savage, yet since he took up arms twenty years ago, he has driven the Dingling north, pressed the Xiongnu south, subdued the Fuyu in the east, advanced into the Wusu in the west, unified the Xianbei, and established a state with its own institutions. Since the time of the late Emperor, he has been universally acknowledged as a figure of ruthless ambition, and after the late Emperor passed away, his fearsome reputation has been utterly unchecked, so much so that along the Great Han's ten-thousand-li frontier, we have mostly been beaten back by the Xianbei. On the other side, His Majesty has now been on the throne for eight years and has already come of age..."

Lu Zhi's words stopped at the right moment, but Gongsun Xun was already nodding repeatedly. The other's meaning was already very clear and thorough — from the perspective of state power, if the newborn Xianbei wanted to continue gaining room to develop, they had no choice but to constantly challenge the Great Han; and from the perspective of the rulers on both sides, it was exactly the opposite, because for the Great Han Emperor, who had only recently taken personal control of the government, there seemed to be no target more effective for gaining authority than the Xianbei and Tanshihuai.

Add the two together, and on top of that, the low-level friction had already persisted for over ten years. The border commanderies and the various Xianbei tribes alike had probably accumulated no small amount of hatred and fury.

So this war was really just waiting for a trigger.

However, this was only Gongsun Xun's first question tonight.

"There is one more matter." Gongsun Xun placed both hands on his knees and bowed slightly.

"Speak." Lu Zhi was as crisp as ever.

"Teacher," Gongsun Xun straightened up and asked seriously, "the dispute between the New Text and Old Text schools has lasted nearly three hundred years. The first hundred-odd years are one thing, but in the last hundred-odd years, the Old Text school has grown increasingly dominant by being inclusive and absorptive, while the New Text school has clung to its ossified fragments and become ever more decrepit. Everyone knows these things. So why, in three hundred years, has the Old Text school never been able to become the mainstream official learning? It has even struggled just to gain a foothold within it! What exactly is the reason?"

Lu Zhi narrowed his eyes and gazed at this student of his for a long time before speaking. "What do you think the reason is?"

"At first I thought it was because the Gongyang doctrine within the New Text school was too overbearing, using the concept of Great Unity and the theory of Heaven-Human Resonance to suppress the entire Old Text school." Gongsun Xun answered frankly. "But later I learned that in recent years, the Old Text school has been inclusive and absorptive, and has already actively incorporated these things. And if that's the case, then disputes over the status of the Duke of Zhou or whether the Spring and Autumn Annals is the primordial classic are probably not enough to block the Old Text school. In other words, what blocks the Old Text school is definitely not scholarship..."

"Then what is it?" Lu Zhi asked, unconcerned.

"Naturally, it is people." Gongsun Xun raised his head and answered. "The great clans of our dynasty mostly transmit classical learning as their family heritage, and once a family rises to prominence, they hold office for generations. There's no need to elaborate on the Yuan clan, with four generations producing the Three Excellencies, or the Yang clan, with three generations producing the Three Excellencies. Even among the other super-grade high officials at court, which one does not have a family-transmitted New Text classical tradition? Take Zhu Ye, the Intendant of Henan — his family has produced famous ministers for four generations. His great-grandfather Zhu Hui rose in chaotic times, relying on personal virtue and talent to become Prefect of the Masters of Writing, overseeing the entire court. But Zhu Ye's grandfather Zhu Yi had already begun studying Confucianism. May I ask, Teacher, about a hundred years ago, when the son of the Prefect of the Masters of Writing studied Confucianism, would what he studied possibly have been Old Text? If it were Old Text, how could they have passed it down generation after generation to become a great clan of Wan and Luo? Teacher, what I mean is that it has been over a hundred and fifty years since Wang Mang's enterprise failed and the cosmos was reordered. The New Text school, as the official learning, has probably already become entangled into a single entity with the great clans at the central court."

Lu Zhi remained silent.

"There is even my other teacher, Teacher Liu," Gongsun Xun continued. Seeing that the other did not refute him, his pace of speech could not help but quicken. "I do not mean to speak ill of an elder behind his back, but because I have often been at his side these past days, it is clearer to start from his example... Teacher Lu, everyone under Heaven now knows that my Teacher Liu will sooner or later rank among the Three Excellencies. Why? First, naturally, is his family background — his ancestors, relying on the family-transmitted Han Poetry, once held the position of the Three Excellencies. Second, is it not because he himself served as Imperial Tutor? But speaking of Imperial Tutors, when the court selected the three Imperial Tutors for His Majesty back then, if they did not choose from the great clans at the center, could they possibly have chosen from the Old Text great scholars out in the provinces? Teacher, the dispute between Old Text and New Text does not lie in scholarship; it is truly a struggle for high positions at court. You must be cautious!"

"But I have never had the idea of expelling the New Text school." Lu Zhi's expression was indifferent, but he clearly already accepted Gongsun Xun's argument. "What I submitted in my memorial was merely a request to list the Old Text school as official learning. Or rather, it was merely seeking a foothold for the Old Text school. Besides, now that the Old Text school is the general trend, surely the various lords at court will not be so constrained by their origins as to ignore it?"

"Forgive your student's impertinence." Gongsun Xun gathered his courage and continued. "For Teacher to think this way is no different from covering one's ears while stealing a bell! To these New Text great clans of Wan and Luo, high office and prominent position are the reliance for their family's continuation. They would not be willing to give up even half a one, let alone open the door to the talents from the greater part of Guandong!"

"If it is as you say," Lu Zhi countered with a serious expression, "and the various lords at the central court have no intention of yielding in the slightest, then how was I, a renowned scholar of the Old Text school, summoned to be an Erudite?"

"Teacher," Gongsun Xun could not help but laugh, "may I ask why, and when, you were summoned to court?"

"It was in the first year of the Jianning era — that is, the year His Majesty ascended the throne — that I submitted a letter to the Grand General Dou Wu, urging him not to debase noble titles, and thereby became known to the various lords at court." Lu Zhi answered without any change of expression. "As for being summoned as an Erudite, that was in the second year of Jianning..."

"And precisely in between occurred the September Coup, when Grand General Dou Wu was killed and the eunuchs became dominant!" Gongsun Xun interjected without any politeness. "When I was in Luoyang socializing with local scholars, I heard them say that at that time, blood flowed like rivers between Wan and Luo, and heads rolled by the score. Then came the second Proscription, great purges arose, and everyone feared for their own safety! Teacher, at that time the various lords at court could not even guarantee their own lives — how could they still think about official positions? When they thought of the Old Text great scholars with powerful influence in the provinces, it was for no other reason than that they sorely lacked people to take the knives for them! At such a moment, what harm was there in putting on a show and temporarily drawing them in? Besides, Teacher is from Fanyang in Zhuo Commandery, barely a few dozen li from Hejian Principality, where His Majesty originated — you could barely be considered a fellow countryman of His Majesty. Summoning Teacher to court would presumably please His Majesty as well, and the eunuchs would find it hard to block or hard to strike at you... One move, multiple gains, as they say. But what about now?"

"What about now?" Lu Zhi questioned, his face expressionless.

"Now His Majesty has taken personal rule," Gongsun Xun, having by now fully summoned his courage, completely ignored the other's attitude. "The situation between the eunuchs and the scholars can also be considered barely stable. In that case, the various lords at court probably have no further use for Teacher and the various gentlemen of Shandong and Hebei, do they? Since they have no further use for you, how could they be willing to continue handing out official positions as charity?"

"In your eyes, are the various lords at the central court all this kind of person?" Lu Zhi's expression remained very indifferent — one wondered if all great Confucians possessed this level of self-cultivation. "Treating figures outside the center like a straw raincoat against the rain, putting it on when the rain comes, and tossing it into a cobwebbed pile of sundries when the sky clears?"

Gongsun Xun remained silent — not because he had no words to reply, but because he had already said everything.

"Did your mother teach you this in her letter as well?" Lu Zhi suddenly asked again.

"Yes," Gongsun Xun lowered his head and answered. "After I previously heard about the Old Text–New Text dispute, I had doubts in my heart, so I once wrote to my mother to inquire. She..."

"This is the vulgar view of a woman and a merchant!" Lu Zhi's expression suddenly changed. "What a woman thinks always assumes that people's hearts are treacherous; what a merchant ponders is always driven by profit. Yet she has never once considered that in this world there are still the subtle and profound principles of the sages, and there is still the vast and righteous spirit! Gongsun Xun, you must remember — the various lords at court also have the altars of the state in their hearts!"

Gongsun Xun was stunned, then immediately felt some indignation.

"My words were somewhat improper. You may take your leave." Lu Zhi probably also realized that it was inappropriate to criticize someone's mother right in front of her son, and could only wave his hand helplessly. "But do not bring up the matter of submitting a memorial to establish the Old Text as official learning again. My resolve is set. The morning after next, I will once more formally submit the memorial."

Gongsun Xun took several deep breaths, adjusted his emotions, then stood up, bowed once, and turned to leave.

But at that moment, Lu Zhi behind him suddenly spoke again: "Whether it be sovereign and father, or righteousness and principle, one must hold some reverence in one's heart..."

The voice was low and deep, and it was unclear whether he was talking to himself or admonishing him. But Gongsun Xun merely pretended the other was talking to himself, pulled the door open directly, and left.

The weather outside was oppressively hot. It was exactly midnight. Gongsun Xun stood in the courtyard and looked up, only to see a river of stars stretching across the sky above him, actually splitting the courtyard's ceiling into two halves... Staring at the sky full of stars, for a moment, he did not even know what his state of mind truly was. Was he happy or angry? Worried or relieved? In a daze, he even thought of those amusing stories his mother had told him as a child, pointing at the stars in the sky...

Just like that, he stood for who knows how long. But when Gongsun Xun came back to his senses, he still did not return to his own suite courtyard to sleep. Instead, he turned and headed toward Lu Fan's residence.

Lu Fan had of course long been asleep, but upon hearing Gongsun Xun call at the door, he still rose to receive him. The two did not light any lamp, but directly closed the door and sat together on the bed, then began talking in the dark.

"What kind of person is Teacher Lu?" Lu Fan mused slightly. "Brother Xun, this question of yours has truly stumped me. Although I have been with him morning and night for half a year, it is still very hard to say clearly."

"Why is that?"

"Probably because he always defies expectations?" Lu Fan answered quietly in the darkness. "At first, everyone under Heaven thought he was merely a 'renowned Confucian of the realm,' and I thought so too, which is why I followed him from Runan to seek learning. But it was only after Cheng Bing and I followed him to Jiujiang that we learned he could also govern the people and wage war — he can truly be called accomplished in both civil and military affairs. By the time the matter of the Xiping Stone Classics erupted, I was handling documents at his side and saw with my own eyes how he toyed with the court and His Majesty in the palm of his hand, managing to extricate himself with ease from his post as Grand Administrator within a matter of days, and then swagger back into Luoyang in such a grand manner. That skill in political maneuvering also commands admiration..."

"That is also what terrifies me." Gongsun Xun sighed as well. "This Teacher Lu gives one the feeling that he is omnipotent and omniscient — classical studies, military governance, political maneuvering... and adding to that his ability to perceive the subtle and understand the profound that he displayed that day in the charity lodge across the way, it truly makes me tremble with fear."

"I have actually been wanting to ask you, Brother Xun," Lu Fan said, puzzled. "Isn't Teacher Lu's outstanding talent a good thing? Why are you so fearful?"

"Brother Ziheng," Gongsun Xun shook his head in the darkness, not knowing if the other could see it, "tell me, what did I come to Luoyang to do?"

"Why do you need to ask me this again?" Lu Fan laughed in spite of himself. "You came to seek learning, of course... However, apart from a few great Confucians who hold ideals in their hearts, everyone under Heaven seeks learning only to become an official. Even when I followed Teacher Lu in Runan back then, what I thought was to endure two years with him, and when the time was about right, to return to Xiyang County bearing the title of Teacher Lu's disciple and become a county clerk, which would then make it easier for me to go seek a marriage alliance."

"It is precisely this candor of yours, Brother Ziheng, that I admire." Gongsun Xun could not help but laugh as well. "Of course I came to Luoyang to seek learning in order to become an official. It's just that my background is somewhat better — once I come of age, when I take office, it must in any case start from an imperially appointed official. And since I am to be an imperially appointed official, I must establish connections and spread my reputation here in the central hub of Luoyang... Otherwise, in the future, when I am in a border commandery and others are at the center, separated by ten thousand li, on what grounds would they promote me? And Teacher Lu, though he was the teacher I first acknowledged, has upon his return this time inadvertently blocked my path."

"That is true." Lu Fan understood as soon as he thought about it. "But a teacher's command is as weighty as a mountain. Since he made that agreement with Liu Kuan, you probably can only stay here on Mount Goushi and study bitterly."

"That is precisely why I am fearful." Gongsun Xun sighed again. "With a single word, he can render half a year of my painstaking efforts utterly wasted, and yet I dare not disobey him in the slightest... My mother sent a letter today, and in it she bluntly said that I have been lawless and unrestrained since childhood, and that is why I am so excessively terrified of someone who can loom over me and turn his hand to summon clouds and rain... Thinking about it, that is probably reasonable."

"Your honored mother's words indeed strike straight to the heart." Lu Fan nodded in agreement. "And what's more, Teacher Lu is still with you morning and night — that makes it even harder to bear."

"But my mother's letter also said that this Teacher Lu is in fact not necessarily so fearsome, and that it is merely my own heart making a demon of him. She also said that if I wish to act and accomplish something, I should simply ignore him... Brother Ziheng, what do you think she meant by that?"

"This..." Lu Fan said thoughtfully, "could it be referring to the fact that Teacher Lu is, after all, a man of moral character, and can be constrained by principle? In the end, no matter how talented he is, he still cannot escape the shackles of those four words: 'renowned Confucian of the realm'?"

"That is what I thought too." Gongsun Xun answered quietly. "So I just went to Teacher Lu's room to probe him. After that conversation, I also felt that although this man understands things clearly in his heart and has the means to act, he is always constrained by morality and law — he may not be as fearsome as I imagined..."

"So, Young Lord, what sort of 'action' are you planning to take?" Lu Fan suddenly understood. "Do you need my help with anything?"

"I will indeed need your assistance, Brother Ziheng, but there's no need to move just yet. Let's first see whether the situation unfolds as I anticipate." As he spoke, Gongsun Xun got out of bed and used his feet to feel around for his wooden clogs. "Even if the situation matches my expectations, I will still need to make contact with many parties..."

"Young Lord." In the darkness, Lu Fan suddenly grasped Gongsun Xun's hand. "You want to act, and I have nothing to say against it, and I will certainly do my utmost to assist you. But there is one thing you must always remember!"

"Brother Ziheng, please speak."

"Do not underestimate the people of this world!" Lu Fan softly cautioned.

"I understand." Gongsun Xun nodded slightly. "But my resolve is already set... Brother Ziheng, go to sleep first. Wait for my news in a few days."

"Your servant, in his youth, received instruction in ancient learning from the late Grand Administrator of Nan Commandery, Ma Rong, a scholar of broad learning, and is quite aware that the current 'Book of Rites' is especially redundant and verbose. Your servant previously used the 'Rites of Zhou' and other classics to expose errors and falsehoods, and dares to lead with my humble and shallow understanding to provide exegesis for them. However, my family is impoverished and lacks the means to provide for the copying and submission of the work. I wish to obtain two scribes capable of writing and go together to the Eastern Pavilion, relying on official funds and provisions, to concentrate wholeheartedly and refine the chapters and sentences of the 'Book of Documents,' examine the errors and merits of the 'Book of Rites,' so as to hopefully determine the sacred canon and correct the inscribed texts. The ancient script and tadpole characters are close to factual representation, yet they are suppressed by popular trends and relegated to elementary learning. Since the Restoration, scholars of broad learning and accomplished men such as Ban Gu, Jia Kui, and Zheng Xing and his son have all earnestly delighted in them. Now, the 'Mao Odes,' 'Zuo Tradition,' 'Rites of Zhou,' and other ancient-script texts each have their own commentaries and traditions, and together with the 'Spring and Autumn Annals' they complement each other inside and out. It is fitting to establish Erudites for them and set up official academies, in order to assist later scholars and to broaden the sagely intent." — "Memorial Requesting the Establishment of Official Academies for Ancient-Script Learning." Lu Zhi. Fourth year of the Xiping era, seventh month.

PS: There is also a new book group, 684558115. Interested students may join.

(End of Chapter)