Behind the Scenes, Forging the Legalist Canon

Though the Hanlin Academician was the chief official of the Hanlin Academy, he generally lacked the time and energy to handle its affairs. In practice, the academy was managed by the Subordinate Fifth Rank Attendant Reader Scholars and Attendant Lecturer Scholars.

In theory, each of these two positions had two holders, making four in all. But at present, both the Attendant Reader Scholar and the Attendant Lecturer Scholar posts had only one holder each.

The Attendant Reader Scholar was Han Bian, who gave people an amiable, approachable impression. The Attendant Lecturer Scholar was Yang She, whose bearing was stern and whose face rarely showed a smile.

The two had managed the Hanlin Academy for a very long time—so long that few still remembered who had overseen it before them.

Before Qiu Yan came to the Hanlin Academy, Han Bian and Yang She had already occupied the two great scholar positions. One handled everyday affairs, while the other was responsible for specific work.

After Qiu Yan took office, almost everyone in the academy had instilled one notion into him—

Never provoke Attendant Lecturer Yang, or you would be in for bad luck.

It was clear that, in the eyes of those in the academy, Yang She carried greater authority and inspired deeper fear. No one dared behave rashly before him.

"Yet who could have imagined that such a stern and rigid Attendant Lecturer was not acting from his own nature at all? His disposition had been forcibly molded by another. He was someone's puppet, making it difficult for others to discover who truly stood behind him."

As he spoke, Qiu Yan stopped looking at the screaming Yang She. With a sweep of his sleeve, a gentle force enveloped Yang She and sank into his body, soothing his mind.

A moment later,