"On the fifteenth day of the fourth month. Qiubai, my younger clansman, I trust you are well?
At noon, I received a letter from the Prince of Jingling, saying that the Commandery Academy falls under provincial administration and has always been subject to the judgment of the provincial governor.
Though the prince serves as a chief minister, he cannot encroach upon provincial affairs.
The prince greatly admires your talent. He always keeps your Correct Pronunciation of the Book of Documents beside his desk, reading it morning and evening and praising it without end.
He now sincerely invites you to enter the Capital and join his staff at the Western Residence.
He also says that, should you be unwilling to serve on the staff of the Prince's Residence, you may instead take a post as an Erudition Doctor..."
Liu Zhao flew into a rage at this point. "I, Liu Zhao, petitioned the prince for the sake of Jingzhou's scholarly tradition! Was I seeking personal gain?! Everyone calls the Prince of Jingling virtuous-is this what his virtue amounts to?!"
What nonsense about "the Commandery Academy falls under provincial administration and has always been subject to the judgment of the provincial governor."
The governor of Jingzhou, the Prince of Badong, was the Prince of Jingling's own fourth younger brother!
Though the Prince of Badong was wild and headstrong, if the Prince of Jingling would only speak up, how could he refuse to show him any consideration?!
If he was unwilling to help, he should simply say so. Why fob him off with excuses like these?
Seeing their master's hands trembling with anger, a servant hurried over to support him. Liu Zhao waved the servant away and continued reading.
He still clung to a thread of hope. After all, the Prince of Jingling was renowned for his wisdom and love of learning, as well as for helping those in distress. In principle, this required no more than a word from him. Surely he would not refuse so flatly!
Then Liu Zhao's hopes were utterly dashed. Everything that followed was Liu Qiu's account of the Prince of Jingling's praise for Liu Zhao and offers to recruit him, along with exhortations for Liu Zhao to set out for the Capital at once.
An ordinary person would naturally have been overjoyed to receive such a letter. But the more Liu Zhao thought about it, the angrier he became. He felt nothing but insulted!
He had thickened his skin, set aside his lofty pride, and written to the Prince of Jingling for help, asking him to save the century-old Commandery Academy and the Jingzhou school of scholarship. Yet the Prince of Jingling had offered him an official post! Did that not imply that Liu Zhao cared less about the academy's survival than about his own salary, rank, glory, and favor?!
Liu Zhao was so furious that his hands shook and his vision blurred when a servant suddenly came running to report, "Master, master! Young Master Wang is back!"
Liu Zhao hurried to compose himself, silently repeating, No anger, no anger. Learning comes first. No anger, no anger. Learning comes first.
By the time Wang Yang arrived, Liu Zhao had calmed down and prepared the paper and ink. Half joking and half serious, he said, "Zhi Yan, you mustn't go to bed too early tonight. At the very least, you'll have to write until the hour of the boar, between nine and eleven at night."
"You go to bed at the hour of the boar, sir. Tonight, I intend to finish the manuscript in one mighty push!"
Wang Yang gave his solemn promise. Since he had promised to bring A-Wu into town for some fun tomorrow, he would clear all his work today!
Liu Zhao felt as though joy had fallen straight from the heavens. Clapping his hands, he said:
"Excellent! Since Zhi Yan is so diligent, how could I go to bed alone?! Come! Let's begin!"
Wang Yang thought, I understand what he means, but why does something about that sound wrong???
Seeing the two of them so fired up, Yu Yuling grew carried away as well. "I won't sleep either! I'll attend to my teacher and Brother Wang until dawn!"
Liu Zhao waved him off. "We don't need you to attend to us. Hurry home. What sort of arrangement is this, always staying here?"
Resentful of his father's indifference toward the Commandery Academy, Yu Yuling said indignantly, "I'm not going back! I don't even want to stay in that house!"
"What kind of talk is that? Confucius said, 'In serving your parents, remonstrate gently. If you see that they will not follow your advice, remain respectful and do not defy them; labor for them without resentment.' Though you failed to persuade your father, you must not harbor resentment. Earlier, I agreed to let you stay temporarily at the Commandery Academy so that you might follow the principle of 'accept the light rod, flee the heavy staff.' By now, your father's anger should have subsided, and you ought to return and fulfill your duties as a son. Besides, your rank will soon be assessed. If public appraisal lowers its judgment of you over this affair, the fault will lie with me as your teacher."
"Public appraisal" meant local opinion: the reputation formed of a person by the gentry of his native district.
During the Wei-Jin Period, public appraisal was an important component of the Nine-Rank System for selecting officials.
By the Southern Dynasties, the Nine-Rank System had grown increasingly rigid, and the influence of public appraisal had begun to weaken, but it still could not be taken lightly. Even officials who fell afoul of it could be punished; in severe cases, they might even be "barred for life," meaning they could never hold office again.
Seeing that Yu Yuling remained reluctant, Liu Zhao said sternly, "If you still acknowledge me as your teacher, go home at once!"
Yu Yuling sighed and bowed to his teacher with clasped hands. "Your student obeys."
"You're back?"
A tall, thin man in a pale blue-white robe was practicing the Five-Animal Exercises in the garden. Slowly extending his arms, he asked the question in an indifferent tone.
This was Yu Yi, the most prestigious member of the Xinye Yu Clan and the leader of Jingzhou's gentry.
"Yes." Seeing his father's breezy indifference, Yu Yuling felt a stifling weight in his chest.
"Go to your room and study. You'll enter the Academy of State Sons in the tenth month."
Yu Yuling clenched his fists. After working up his resolve several times, he said, "I won't go."
Yu Yi bent both arms, sank his shoulders, and lowered his elbows, continuing his exercises. "You've studied at the Commandery Academy for three years. You were always meant to enter the Academy of State Sons after graduating."
"I know. But if the Commandery Academy is abolished, I will stay in Jingzhou and help my teacher reopen it. Until the academy is restored, I will not leave Jingzhou."
Yu Yi's arms stopped moving. Slowly drawing his stance to a close, he looked at Yu Yuling. "Your admission to the Academy of State Sons comes through your family standing and hereditary privilege, not a recommendation from the Commandery Academy."
"Yes. But since I graduated from the Commandery Academy, I won't stand by and watch it be abolished!"
"What can you do?" Yu Yi frowned.
"My strength is insufficient. I can do nothing now, so all I can do is work to rebuild it after it is abolished."
"Even your teacher doesn't dare claim he can rebuild it. Can you?"
"I'm young. I'll strive to become a great Confucian scholar in twenty years, then do all that lies within human power and leave the rest to Heaven."
Yu Yi gave a soft laugh. "You Confucians speak of ruler and subject, father and son. Can a son refuse to listen to what his father says?"
Yu Yuling paused, then knelt and answered:
"The Classic of Filial Piety says, 'If a father has a son who remonstrates with him, he will not fall into unrighteousness.'"
Yu Yi bent down, fixing his son with a piercing stare.
"So you mean that you are a remonstrating son, while I am an unrighteous father?"
Yu Yuling held himself back again and again, but in the end he could bear it no longer. He said loudly:
"To the gentry of our province, you are a leader. To my teacher, you are a friend. To me, you are a father.
Now Jingzhou's scholarly tradition faces calamity! Your friend is in trouble! Your son is in distress!
Yet you stand by with your hands tucked into your sleeves, watching coldly, unwilling to utter so much as a single word to help!
Whether in public duty or private obligation, your conduct truly cannot be called 'righteous'!"
Yu Yi said nothing. He stared at his son for a few seconds, then suddenly gave several cold laughs, flicked his sleeves, and left.
Yu Yuling stared blankly after his father for a while, then sighed and rose. After some thought, he decided to return to the Commandery Academy to stay. When he reached the gate, he saw his elder brother, Yu Qianlou, hurrying over with several attendants.
"A-Jie! You've only just come home. Are you leaving again?"
Yu Qianlou was twelve years older than Yu Yuling and currently held the post of Jingzhou Registrar.
Steady and mature from childhood, he was known for his filial devotion and brotherly affection, and had begun managing the household in his father's stead at an early age.
In earlier years, while Yu Yi traveled and socialized elsewhere, the heavy responsibility of raising and teaching Yu Yuling had fallen to him as the elder brother. Indeed, Yu Yuling had spent less time with his father than with his brother.
At the sight of his brother, a pang rose in Yu Yuling's heart. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Father detests me so much. Why should I stay here and vex him further?"
Before you continue