Investiture of the Gods World, Luoyang, in front of the ancient, imposing building that housed the archives.
A mature man with his hair bound beneath a cap and a beard bowed. "I am Kong Zhao of Lu. I've heard that Gongzi Yu of Luoyang's archives is learned in the ways of the past and present, deeply versed in the Rites of Zhou, and well acquainted with virtue. He is a Great Sage renowned far and wide, so I've come to seek an audience. Please, would you inform him of my visit?"
Every movement he made conformed to the Rites of Zhou, without the slightest mistake. The two soldiers, who had seen few people like him in recent years, dared not treat him casually.
The world had been in turmoil for a long time. Rituals had collapsed and music had fallen into ruin; the lords and ministers of the various states all overstepped their station. Those who still regularly held themselves to the standards of the Rites of Zhou were few indeed!
A short while later, the soldier who had gone to announce him returned with a smile and invited him inside.
Kong Zhao straightened his posture, his expression turning solemn, and stepped into the archives. Following the soldier ahead, he turned into a room filled with oracle bones, bamboo slips, and silk manuscripts. Behind a desk sat a scholar-official in wide robes and flowing sleeves, his black hair bound beneath a cap. He waited with a smile.
The official had striking features and an air of nobility. His brows spoke of maturity, and he seemed neither frivolous nor rash. Yet Kong Zhao felt a faint, difficult-to-place disappointment. The Great Sage he had imagined should have had more bearing and wisdom, should have seemed more profound. Perhaps someone older, worn down