"Zhang Zongshi?" Fang Yun immediately remembered meeting a Licentiate named Zhang Zongshi in a tavern during his incognito inspection. The man had considerable insight and, barring unforeseen circumstances, should accomplish something in the future.
"Send me his document," Fang Yun said.
"I have already stored it in my official seal. I will send it to you now." Dong Wencong held his official seal as he spoke and sent the message to Fang Yun.
Fang Yun took out his official seal and carefully examined Zhang Zongshi's document.
At the beginning of the document, Zhang Zongshi first listed the books he had read as a Child Scholar and a Licentiate. Most were the Human Race's Classics of the Sages and works by established figures.
Next, Zhang Zongshi singled out certain books, pointing out that after Qing Kingdom had forcibly seized Xiang Prefecture, the Prefectural Academy had gradually designated them as optional reading. In ordinary academy instruction, teachers not only taught the required books prescribed by the authorities but also occasionally lectured on optional books to broaden their students' horizons.
Designating required reading within a prefecture required approval from the Sacred Academy. Optional reading required no such review and was decided by the Prefectural Academy.
Beginning several decades earlier, the optional reading at every academy in Xiang Prefecture had been replaced with newly compiled books.
Zhang Zongshi wrote that the most frightening thing was not the appearance of these so-called optional books decades ago, but that even though Xiang Prefecture had clearly broken free of Qing Kingdom, these books were still being used to teach students.
Zhang Zongshi took the Register of Eminent Scholars currently used at Xiang Prefecture Academy as an example. In an ordinary country's Register of Eminent Scholars, most entries recorded the deeds of outstanding scholars from that country or