Chapter 2
Zhang Zheng was precisely the reason Yan Yunhe had come to see his teacher.
Now that Zhang Zheng was imprisoned, Zhou Chonghua's character would compel him to petition for clemency. However, as an academician of the Hanlin Academy,1 Zhou Chonghua held no real power.
Since Grand Secretary Yuan had dared to disregard the emperor’s authority by targeting Zhang Zheng, he would hardly be deterred by a mere Zhou Chonghua. If Zhou Chonghua were convicted, his position as headmaster would become vacant, and the Yuan faction would undoubtedly turn Donglin Academy into a hotbed for recruiting talents.
This outcome must be avoided at all costs.
Stability was paramount within an imperial court. One faction growing too dominant would disturb the delicate balance of power.
It made one wonder if Yu Qin had come to facilitate the conviction, or if the empress dowager simply didn't want the Yuan faction to be too pleased with themselves.
Zhou Chonghua was no fool. He naturally understood the purpose of Yan Yunhe’s visit. “Before Yuanzhi submitted his memorial, he entrusted his elderly mother to my care and repeatedly stressed that should anything happen to him, I must not take the risk of petitioning for leniency. But in this life, true friendship is rare and precious. How could I stand by and watch him languish in prison without lifting a finger?” Zhou Chonghua said, his agitation evident.
Yan Yunhe waited patiently for his teacher to vent his emotions before calmly replying, “Rest assured, Laoshi.2 His Majesty will not turn a blind eye to this.”
Zhou Chonghua’s eyes widened slightly as he gazed steadily at Yan Yunhe. Clasping Yan Yunhe's hands, he said, “Hearing it from you sets my mind at ease.”
Before leaving the Zhou residence, Yan Yunhe added, “Laoshi, I know you’re angry, but he sincerely requested to see you and has been waiting outside on this bitter winter night…”
Zhou Chonghua cut him off. “This teacher understands.”
Both knew exactly who “he” referred to.
Yan Yunhe wasn’t trying to speak for Yu Qin; he simply couldn’t gauge the empress dowager’s intentions.
He served the emperor, while Yu Qin served the empress dowager. Wouldn't seeing him but refusing to see Yu Qin be a slap in the empress dowager’s face?
Zhou Chonghua personally escorted Yan Yunhe to the courtyard. Worried that they would run into Yu Qin together, Yan Yunhe repeatedly insisted that he stay behind. Only then did he leave the residence with Song Wen.
On his way out, Yan Yunhe saw the person in the corridor being ushered in by a servant. As the two passed each other, he glanced at Yu Qin, but the man ignored him completely.
Just as it had been ten years ago, when they first met at Donglin Academy.
The title of Marquis of Yong’an was hereditary. Yan Yunhe’s great-grandfather had followed the founding emperor in establishing the dynasty, earning great merit through his military achievements. Yet the empire had enjoyed barely a century of stability. Foreign invaders constantly harassed the borders, only to be driven back and pacified by the Great Jin’s commanders.
The House of Yong’an had held its title for generations, yet it had long since become noble in name only, its heroism a thing of the past. Moreover, now that the nation was at peace and prosperous, the imperial court valued civil officials over military officers.
When his father was still alive, Yan Yunhe gave him quite the headache by spending all his time at the capital’s Three Great Battalions3 to fool around with men from military households. Thus, he was sent to Donglin Academy against his wishes. Resentful, Yan Yunhe refused to apply himself. Not only was he born rebellious, he was eloquent and quick-witted. Though his essays were mediocre, he always held his own when debating with his teachers.
The students were strictly forbidden from leaving the academy’s grounds without urgent reason, lest they succumb to drinking and merrymaking in the capital and neglect their studies. But Yan Yunhe always led a group of young masters from distinguished families in scaling the wall to go out. Whatever the academy forbade, they did.
The teachers were furious, and constantly punished Yan Yunhe, the ringleader. But the boy was simply too tough. No matter how many strikes of the ruler he got, how many times he copied the rules, how long he knelt under the sun, it did not deter him in the least.
Donglin Academy was divided into six halls.4 All new students entered Zhengyi Hall. Then, if they did well on the monthly examinations, they could be promoted to the next hall, with the most advanced being Shuaixing Hall. The exams primarily covered the Four Books and Five Classics.5 Since Yan Yunhe had no patience for reading, his performance was naturally poor.
That day, the teacher made him kneel as punishment again. With the sun blazing overhead, Yan Yunhe stared blankly at a cricket in the nearby grass. This tiny cricket has such a loud chirp. If I caught it and made it fight, it might be invincible, he thought.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone approaching slowly, clad in the academy’s robes.
The scholars of Donglin Academy wore white robes with green trim, which were unexpectedly ugly and painfully dull, as if wearing bright colors would distract the students. Yan Yunhe took the lead in modifying the robes, narrowing the wide sleeves and embroidering the green trim with silver thread. The end result was rather gaudy, but it still sparked a trend of robe alterations throughout the academy.
Yet it wasn’t until he saw Yu Qin that Yan Yunhe realized even these ugly, sack-like robes could look so good.
Sometimes the beauty of a garment lies on the person wearing it.6 This was the ultimate example.
The hem of Yu Qin’s robe fluttered in the breeze as he walked. His long hair was tied up with a green ribbon; his slender, porcelain-white hands cradled a thick, ancient tome. His expression was one of absolute indifference, showing no sign of discomfort even at the height of summer.
Like the frost and snow upon a mountain, he seemed not of this world.
As he unhurriedly made his way to Yan Yunhe, even Young Master Yan, who thought he’d seen it all, found himself utterly mesmerized.
The only words that took shape in his mind were: A celestial being.
Yu Qin seemed not to notice Yan Yunhe kneeling in the courtyard, as if he were invisible. Just as he was about to step past him, a sharp tug on his lower garment forced him to stop. He turned to see Yan Yunhe holding onto the hem.
Their gazes met. Yan Yunhe looked into Yu Qin’s eyes—beautiful, yet devoid of warmth—and broke into a flippant grin. “Why would a beauty like Yu7 bother dressing like this? Is that how you sneaked into the academy?”
Yu Qin’s features froze slightly. Listening to the nonsense coming out of Yan Yunhe’s mouth, his gaze grew colder still.
With a lazy smile, Yan Yunhe stopped kneeling and sat on the ground, tugging at Yu Qin’s robe to keep him in place.
No matter how beautiful Yu Qin was, Yan Yunhe wouldn't be so blind as to mistake him for a woman. He knew exactly who this person was. Judging from his appearance, this was none other than the legendary Yu Qin—the prized pupil of the very same teacher who had forced him to kneel here. That was precisely why he deliberately messed with him.
That one line of his—“a beauty like Yu”—not only earned Yu Qin the nickname “Yu Meiren,”8 but their encounter became the talk of the academy for quite some time. That good-for-nothing from Zhengyi Hall had offended the model student from Shuaixing Hall. With the relationship between the two halls precarious as it was, this only added fuel to the fire.
For the two individuals at the center of the conflict, this incident was just the beginning of their animosity.
Perhaps being labeled a good-for-nothing had bothered him, or perhaps the way his father scolded him in his latest letter made him afraid of actually having his legs broken. Whatever the case, Yan Yunhe stopped idling about and finally took his studies seriously. Though the Four Books and Five Classics were impossible for him, fortunately Donglin Academy also tested mounted archery and martial arts. He excelled in these subjects, earning him a place in the next hall.
As for the whispers behind his back that he was all brawn and no brains, he couldn’t be bothered to care. The academy had no rule against taking such a shortcut, and he had mastered horsemanship on his own merit. Moreover, Yan Yunhe was innately intelligent and a fast learner, and soon achieved impressive results in the written exams as well.
Thus, half a year later, Yu Qin pushed open the large door of the hall, only to find the academy’s unruly, undisciplined scoundrel, Yan Yunhe, lounging by the window and waving at him with a beaming smile.
“Well, if it isn’t Yu Meiren.”
Author's note: The six halls of Donglin Academy were modeled after those of the Imperial College and their systems and rules were mixed and adapted, so don't worry about the exact details. And remember, Yu Qin is the top.
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