Inside the Imperial Academy.
When Wang Su appeared there, the academy's many libationers all went to pay their respects.
When Wang Su had served as Grand Minister of Ceremonies, he had overseen the Imperial Academy. Moreover, he was himself a renowned scholar of classical studies, and his reputation now was greater than ever.
At the sight of him, not one of the academy's many Erudites and libationers dared slight him.
As the current Grand Minister of Ceremonies, Zhong Yu was naturally there as well.
When he saw Sima Yan standing motionless, he felt somewhat puzzled.
Everyone else has gone forward to pay their respects. Why haven't you?
He prompted him, "Academy Supervisor Sima, you may go forward to pay your respects."
But Sima Yan shook his head and said very earnestly, "I am related to the Minister over the Masses. If I go and pay my respects now, won't everyone think I am showing favoritism when we debate later?"
Wang Su had come to the Imperial Academy this time to impart his learning.
With Pei Xiu's encouragement, the new version of Wang Learning had already attracted countless people's attention, and everyone had been applying pressure, hoping Wang Su would come forward to clear up their doubts and expound his teachings.
Pei Xiu still had not promoted it with great fanfare. In the end, he had merely agreed to let Wang Su hold an internal lecture at the Imperial Academy.
No one outside the academy was permitted to listen in.
Such lectures were usually conducted through debate, with the people of the Imperial Academy debating Wang Su until the matter was clear.
Sima Yan was unwilling to go over precisely because he feared others would suspect collusion between him and his maternal grandfather, thinking he would deliberately lose out of family