The Glory After Rebirth

Ling Zhang looked at Yuwen Tong in surprise. ‘If I understand him correctly, is he saying that this ship-lantern show ongoing out there is for me?’

“Ho–How did you come up with the idea of arranging this stuff?”

“You don’t seem to be quite fond of studying in the Imperial College, and I figure I’m the one to blame, because if it weren’t for me, the emperor wouldn’t have interfered and upset your plan. Currently, the situation in the Imperial College is rather complicated, and you almost certainly wouldn’t find your life in there enjoyable. From the vantage point of the present, I’m afraid you’ll have to put up with it until the day we get married. After that, I’ll be able to get you out of this city with good reason. I brought you here to see ship-lanterns because I felt you could use something to cheer you up.”

Ling Zhang leaning against him looked at the splendid night view on the riverbank and then shifted his gaze to the sparse hazy lamplight on the opposite side of the river, finding his words quite sweet. “It’s okay. I’d prepared myself for all this before I decided to come to this city. The Imperial College is indeed something of a disappointment, but my teachers are not. They’re all truly learned. Now that I’ve already enrolled in the Imperial College, I’ll make good use of this opportunity and learn as much as I can from them.”

Ling Zhang was seeing this matter in a fairly simple way. He just didn’t want to waste this chance of studying in the Imperial College and hated to see all this time go to waste as well. He was determined to learn something in this college. Although in the morning the professor teaching Confucian classics had frequently asked him to express his opinions, he had also given Ling Zhang some directions, all of which had struck home and made Ling Zhang felt that light had suddenly dawned on him. In the afternoon he had attended an etiquette lesson, which was one of the Six Arts (six subjects taught in an aristocratic school in feudal China: etiquette, music, archery, carriage-driving, reading and calculation). He had heard that each of the Six Arts was taught by a different teacher. The etiquette class on this particular day happened to be about military salute, and what the teacher had taught them differed somewhat from what the teacher of the Tanyang Academy had taught him previously. Unlike the teacher of the Tanyang Academy, who had limited the teaching to military salute and never mentioned anything concerning any other aspects of etiquette, what the teacher in this college had taught him had been more in-depth and also more extensive, and Ling Zhang was very interested in all of them. Though some of his classmates had been giving him stealthy glances and talking about him behind his back all along, he didn’t really find it intolerable.

“All teachers of the Imperial College are truly erudite. It’s a pity that most students in there are frivolous and slack. I sat in the classroom for a whole day and they stared at me talking about me for just as long. They didn’t even hear what the teacher said. I don’t see they’d achieve anything in the future.”

Thinking about what had happened during the day, Ling Zhang couldn’t help but get angry. ‘Most teachers of the Imperial College are quite renowned. Everyone who has the chance to attend their classes should seize it and listen to them attentively. There are a lot of people who would kill to get such an opportunity. Pity those students are unaware of what they’re missing out on.’

“It’s been like this for quite some time. Otherwise there wouldn’t have been a general public perception that situation in the Imperial College is messy,” replied Yuwen Tong.

“Most students in the Imperial College are children of influential officials. It’s very likely that these people will become the backbone of the Great Yue in a decade or two. Is His Majesty not afraid that they might not be competent enough to be entrusted with important duties? This concerns the stability of his country, doesn’t it? Why is he standing by watching the situation getting worse instead of doing something to make a difference?” Ling Zhang was perplexed.

“He wants to but can’t. The messiness in the Imperial College resulted from the complex situation in the capital city, for which the emperor himself is responsible. Besides, all princes have reached adulthood, and almost everybody in the imperial court inevitably has to pick a side... In the final analysis, the political situation and social mode in the capital city led to all this. Think about what kind of personality the emperor has, and what kind of persons his sons are. A crooked stick will have a crooked shadow. Courtiers themselves have grown apt to be skeptical and jealous, seeking quick success and instant benefits. You think their children could still concentrate on studies under their influence?” remarked Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang’s brow corrugated in a frown. He was not the emperor, and he was in no position to consider the well-being of people in this country either. The current situation in the Imperial College alone made him worry about the future of the Great Yue. After all, he was a subject of the Great Yue, and he hated to see this country declining. And there was also Yuwen Tong. His heart ached whenever it occurred to him that when Yuwen Tong was risking life and limb defending the northeastern border, these people in the capital city were doing nothing but scramble for power, the emperor bitterly jealous and suspicious of him. ‘No wonder Yuwen Tong disliked returning to this city in the past and is ill-disposed to the emperor,’ Ling Zhang thought.

“Let’s drop all this. You want to go aboard a ship to take a look?” Yuwen Tong inquired of him.

“Where did you get those pleasure-ships and entertainment-ships?” Ling Zhang asked him.

“I rented most of these pleasure-ships. The rest of them belong to residents living nearby and... ” Yuwen Tong gave an unnatural cough and then continued, “and they’re just along for the ride; so are those entertainment-ships,” replied Yuwen Tong.

Previously, on the first day or the fifteenth day of every month, most ships would be rented by people who wanted to come along for the ride. Due to the short notice, Miao Shiba hadn’t been able to have residents do these things, and it would have alarmed a lot of people had he tried to do that, so he directly rented these pleasure-ships and entertainment-ships himself. Other things hadn’t been much of a trouble either. He’d had all of them handled by throwing money at them.

Ling Zhang had a shrewd idea of what had happened. Yuwen Tong had specially made arrangements for all this, and he wouldn’t let Yuwen Tong’s efforts go to waste, but...

“Will there be any trouble if we go out there and someone recognizes you?”

Yuwen Tong smiled, “How could there be? Surely being a marshal doesn’t equal a waiver of the right to see ship-lanterns with a loved one, does it?”

‘Loved one...’ A flush spread to the upper edges of Ling Zhang’s ears and with that he gave Yuwen Tong a push. “Then let’s go.”

The two of them left the teahouse, hand in hand all along. As expected, someone recognized Yuwen Tong when they reached the riverbank. Soon news of Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang showing up to see ship-lanterns spread.

Yuwen Tong, seeing more and more people gathering around, put his arm around Ling Zhang’s waist, took a flying leap and the two of them instantly landed onto the fore deck of a gaily-painted pleasure-ship on the river. Then they went into the cabin, ridding themselves of all prying eyes and the babble of voices of onlookers on the riverside.

Ling Zhang, after entering the cabin of the pleasure-ship, saw a table inside with a pot of wine and several dishes on it, which confirmed his previous guess that some arrangements had been made beforehand.

...

It had been three days since Ling Zhang had started his studies in the Imperial College, and finally students of this college no longer fixed their eyes on him. Also, he hadn’t encountered Jiang Yu and his followers for two consecutive days. Ling Zhang and Yuwen Jin gradually became accustomed to the curriculum in the Imperial College.

Ling Zhang thought that he would be left in peace for a certain amount of time, but unexpectedly, this morning, an unpleasant occurrence thrust itself on him.

It was a substitute teacher giving a lesson to his class this morning, and it was about The Book of Changes. For some unknown reason, this professor, several times, specially asked Ling Zhang to answer his questions as well. Ling Zhang, who had already got used to this, didn’t feel any surprise and just stated his opinions. He believed that these opinions of his, even if not perceptive enough to satisfy the professor, should be up to standard, that there was no glaring error in them. However, the professor was nit-picking. He split hairs over words and severely scolded Ling Zhang three times in a row.

“You would never have been admitted into this college if it weren’t for His Majesty’s kindness. You should have returned to that small city called Tanyang where you belong. Your presence here is a humiliation for the Imperial College.

Your identity doesn’t give you the right to laze days away, not under my watch. If you answer my question with such nonsense again, I’ll report it to His Majesty and request your expulsion from this college.

You are an utter disgrace to the Imperial College. What gave you the courage to let words of such superficiality and ignorance go out of your mouth? Whatever. I was being so kind as to give you another chance to prove yourself worthy of your place at this college, but it turns out that your stupidity is beyond redemption. From now on, whenever I’m the one giving a lesson here, you may be anywhere but this classroom.”

There were various reactions to this among students in the classroom. Some were secretly sneering at Ling Zhang; some were watching him with malicious eyes waiting to see him make a show of himself; some kept silent; some were gazing at Ling Zhang sympathetically, and there were also a couple of students looking at the professor, their brows furrowed.

Of course Ling Zhang, with his sharp five senses, could see all the reactions of his classmates at a single glance around. He secretly lodged the reaction of each and every one of them in his mind.

After the professor finished scolding Ling Zhang, Yuwen Jin failed to keep his temper and intended to jump up to contradict the professor but was stopped by Ling Zhang. Clearly this professor was deliberately picking on him. He was not the kind of person who would swallow unfair remarks, but now was not the right time to put up a fight. He didn’t believe that this professor had never heard about his reputation for “being cocky” before. The reason why this professor had still resorted to such vulgar means to provoke him must be that he was waiting for him to kick up a stink, so of course he wouldn’t play right into his hands.

“I’m ashamed of myself. If that’s the case, I think it’d be brazen of me to keep staying in this classroom. I’ll leave straight away.”

After saying this, Ling Zhang really walked towards the door.

All other students burst into an uproar, amazed that Ling Zhang gave in just like this. Even that professor was sent into a brief trance of surprise, but with that he reprimanded, “Stop right there. Who gave you the permission to leave? Have you a shred of respect for your teacher?!”

“Wasn’t it you who said a moment ago that I was not to appear in this classroom whenever you’re giving a lesson here? I’m just following your instructions. May I ask why you charged me with this, professor?” replied Ling Zhang in a calm tone of voice.

“I heard it, professor. You did instruct Brother Zhang not to show up in your lessons again,” remarked Yuwen Jin through gritted teeth.

Yuwen Jin was consumed with anger, feeling that this professor harbored malicious intentions and was deliberately making an issue of this. Had Ling Zhang not stopped him, he might have hurtled over and beaten him up! But just now Ling Zhang had motioned him to control himself. Though unaware of the reason, he believed that Ling Zhang must have his own plan.

“I heard that as well,” someone else suddenly said.

Astonished, everybody looked in the direction of the owner of the voice. It was a student whose seat was in front of Ling Zhang and Yuwen Jin on their left. He was sitting bolt upright behind his desk, eyes on the professor, a very earnest expression on his face. “Just now I also heard you tell Ling Zhang not to show up again, professor.”

The look in Ling Zhang’s eyes slightly changed. In fact, he had noticed this classmate of his some time ago. During the past three days, almost all his classmates around him had been staring at him and talking about him. Of course there had also been a small number of exceptions, who had just focused on lessons ignoring the others. This person had been one of them and had also been one of those frowning at the professor’s remarks.

“Me, too, professor,” said another student, who was sitting beside the student who’d spoken just now.

And then, one after another, another five students stated that they’d heard the professor’s words.

The professor was trembling with rage. “How dare you! Have you the faintest idea of how you should behave in the presence of your teacher? This is how you ‘honor the teacher and respect his teaching’? Don’t think just because your fathers are officials I don’t dare to scold you. This is the Imperial College, not home of any of you!”

“I was just telling the truth, and I don’t have a clue which part of that meant disrespect for you. If you think I insulted you, professor, I’ll leave as well.”

“Me, too.”

The five students who had just spoken rose to their feet one after another, bowed to the professor and left the classroom heading for Ling Zhang.

Naturally, Yuwen Jin immediately stood up, walked outside and didn’t even bother to utter a word.

“You–! Good, very good. Since you’re so heretical showing such disregard for orthodoxy, I’ll report this to the principal and have all of you expelled from the Imperial College!” raged the professor, threatening Ling Zhang and others with expulsion from the Imperial College. He stared at them, waiting for them to regret what they’d said.

However, Ling Zhang, Yuwen Jin and the other five students all remained indifferent, totally unafraid of his threat.

Other students in the classroom, looking at each other in dismay, finally came to realize that this matter seemed to have escalated into something serious.