Section Eight

If one excludes the expeditionary forces fighting across the ocean, the latter half of the year 1687 was relatively peaceful—at least far better than the bloody, chaotic battles of previous years. Ever since Shandong submitted to the Han court, Yang Qilong, the leader of the peasant uprising army in Henan, had no choice but to express his desire for harmony to Beijing, thereby earning himself the title of Military Governor. Consequently, the mainstream atmosphere throughout the Yellow River basin was defined by the Lin Han court as "peace and development."

Under this trend, Chinese culture, which had remained dormant ever since the Song dynasty, experienced a modest revival. This development was somewhat peculiar; to be frank, the current situation in China was not particularly rosy. Although large-scale warfare had been temporarily brought under control, economic recovery was still a distant prospect. At the very least, the average living standard for most common folk hovered around the level of mixing plain rice with thin gruel to fill their bellies. Therefore, according to historical common sense, fostering a literary and artistic trend under such circumstances ran somewhat counter to social laws.

The primary catalyst for this anomalous situation was the cultural policy of the Lin Han dynasty. Due to Lin Feng’s personal inclinations, the cultural policies of the Lin Han Empire were far more lenient compared to those of the Ming and Qing dynasties. With the joining of luminaries like Gu Yanwu and Huang Zongxi, these boundaries became increasingly expansive. Nowadays, scholars could discuss state affairs with virtually unbridled freedom. Although, given the lingering impact of the "Wu Meicun case," most people still lacked the audacity to point fingers and find fault with the Prince of Han, they could stomp their feet and curse high-ranking officials like Li Guangdi without having to worry about the consequences. After testing the waters for so long, the purist scholars had figured out the court's policy bottom line: as long as one did not openly advocate rebellion or subversion, practically no one would bother you. In reality, compared to the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Lin Han Empire's performance in this regard was truly commendable—far surpassing even the Great Zhou Dynasty on the opposite side of the Yangtze River. This could be seen from how the leaders of both regimes treated their own humble origins. While the Han court officially glorified the Prince of Han's background and the process by which he seized power, it did not conceal or fabricate basic facts; strictly speaking, as long as you weren't pointing at his nose and calling him a rebel bandit, you were free to say what you pleased. The Southern Zhou regime, however, maintained extremely harsh controls in this regard. Mentioning phrases like "Shanhai Pass" or "burning with rage for a beauty" would land you either in the execution ground or behind bars for a century or two.

When it came to promoting literary and artistic works, the red-light districts of the Great Han Empire made an indelible contribution. According traditional Chinese customs, scholars engaged in such activities typically chose to frequent brothels. It remained a mystery when this vile habit had originated; whenever Lin Feng thought about it, he found it immensely bizarre. Due to his status, it wasn't very convenient for him to frequent such establishments, but the mere thought of Li Baigeng carousing while loudly chanting lines like "The waters of the Yellow River come from the sky, rushing to the sea and never returning" made him slightly nauseous. Moreover, judging by the grading and classification of brothels, the more high-end the establishment, the older its target clientele. For instance, the most famous brothel in Beijing currently was named "King You's Terrace"—judging by the name alone, no one would ever guess its true nature, yet it suited the tastes of old fogies to perfection. The rules of these brothels were also exceptionally peculiar: upon entering, guests were required to exchange formal greetings, burn incense, play the zither, match couplets, compose poems, and harmonize with tunes. Those in the know understood this as pre-coital preparation, while the uninitiated might have mistaken it for a formal audience between monarch and ministers. Naturally, under such conditions, the market rule of these brothels was "scholars gather here, leaving no room for the unlettered." A greenhorn youth entering the doors would completely lose his bearings; unless he was seventy or eighty years old, the courtesans wouldn't even bother casting a glance his way. Consequently, establishments in this line of work within Beijing now followed an unspoken industry rule: whenever a high-end pleasure house prepared to open, the very first thing it did was never decoration or renovation, but rather commissioning a master to write a respectful invitation letter, which was then delivered with the utmost reverence to the residences of the senior grand-masters. To Lin Feng, this was utterly unimaginable. Forget the twenty-first century; even if one turned the clock back a few decades, which brothel would ever open its doors and immediately seek out Lao She or Lu Xun to promote its business?!

As the year drew to a close, Beijing welcomed yet another prominent figure. This old scholar was a native of Hunan, by the name of Wang Fuzhi. In terms of status and prestige, Elder Wang was second to none. His grueling, thousands-of-li journey to Beijing was prompted by repeated invitations from the Great Han Imperial Academy. Reluctantly yielding to the personal appeals of Gu Yanwu and Huang Zongxi, he had made the trip to simply go through the motions. Traversing countless mountains and rivers at the venerable age of sixty was a remarkable feat for Elder Wang. In fact, out of concern that something might go wrong along the way, both the Great Han court and the Southern Zhou dynasty had implemented vigorous security measures. Xia Guoxiang, the Prime Minister of the Southern Zhou, personally issued an order dispatching two hundred soldiers to escort him all the way to Jiangxi, where he was solemnly handed over to the garrisoned Han troops. Meanwhile, Li Guangdi did not dare show the slightest negligence; upon receiving the news, he promptly issued a fast-tracked directive to the General Staff Department to contact the Naval Division, dispatching the finest inland vessels along the Grand Canal to bring him to Beijing, accompanied all the way along the banks by elite armored cavalry from Anhui right up to the capital.

"This old man, Wang Fuzhi, pays his respects to Your Highness, the Prince of Han!"

Wang Fuzhi appeared to be in high spirits—a rare and commendable state for someone in his sixties. However, his accent was exceptionally heavy, carrying a strong Hengyang brogue that Lin Feng could only half-understand.

"Master Chuanshan need not stand on ceremony," Lin Feng said, offering a polite bow. "Your esteemed reputation is known across the realm. Hearing of your intention to travel north, the northern scholars have been craning their necks in anticipation. I am truly fortunate to behold Master Gu's countenance—this is an honor of a lifetime!"

Wang Fuzhi squinted at Lin Feng, his demeanor remarkably aloof, sending cold sweat pouring down the backs of the attending guards. Lin Feng, however, remained unfazed; in truth, he had mentally prepared himself beforehand, knowing full well that a Hunanese man was arriving this time.

After a brief silence, Wang Fuzhi raised a thumb toward Lin Feng, shook his head, and sighed, "The heroic bearing of the Prince of Han truly possesses the aura of a coiling dragon and crouching tiger?!" With a bitter smile, he continued, "The Eastern barbarians have wreaked havoc upon the realm for far too long, and our Han rivers and mountains were lost for decades. In my youth, I too raised arms against them and served under the Prince of Tang of the Great Ming. Alas, fickle fate decreed that we could not drive out the Tatars. That Your Highness has accomplished such a great enterprise commands my utmost respect!!" Filled with deep emotion, he sighed, "Now that I have traveled north to the Central Plains and see everyone dressed in Han attire, it feels truly as though I were living in a past life!"

Lin Feng smiled. His ears were already calloused from hearing similar sentiments; almost any random stranger he met felt compelled to bring this up. He politely replied, "You flatter me too much—please, take a seat!"

Once Wang Fuzhi was seated, Lin Feng said to him, "I heard from Gu Yanwu that our Imperial Academy invited you last year, Master, yet you did not come."

"Indeed," Wang Fuzhi nodded. "Had the Great Han not instituted the new imperial examination subjects of 'Practical Affairs' and 'Practical Medicine,' I might not have come."

"How so?" Lin Feng asked in surprise, suddenly growing interested. He knew that the introduction of these new imperial examinations was single-handedly pushed through by him. Across the entire court, aside from a handful of insightful men, very few had offered enthusiastic support. "Could it be that Master Chuanshan also believes we were right to establish them?"

"Of course!" Wang Fuzhi seemed slightly astonished, realizing that while the Prince of Han was warm toward him, he clearly lacked a deep understanding of his scholarship. "Throughout my life, I have always maintained that 'material force gathers and disperses, but neither is created nor destroyed,' and that 'action can encompass knowledge, yet knowledge cannot fully encompass action.' By complementing the investigation of things with the extension of knowledge, the Great Han's establishment of the Practical Affairs subject enables scholars to understand the way of knowledge and action—which truly coincides with my humble and foolish views!" Seeing the Prince of Han's bewildered expression, he hurriedly added, "My insights do not belong to the School of Principle or the School of Mind [Note: 'Mind' here refers to Wang Yangming], yet they resemble both Principle and Mind. This is not out of a desire to be eccentric, but rather the result of decades of study and realization. Earlier during the Song dynasty, predecessors already elucidated this meaning; Wang was merely picking up the scraps left behind by others."

What on earth was this old geezer talking about?! Lin Feng was completely lost in a fog, yet on the surface he nodded and praised repeatedly, "Good, good, good!"

Seeing that Lin Feng seemed somewhat uncomprehending, Wang Fuzhi drew two volumes from his sleeve, handed them to the nearby attendant, cupped his hands toward Lin Feng, and said, "These were authored by me in recent years. One is entitled *Exegesis of the Book of Changes*, and the other is *Guiding Meanings in the Book of Documents*, which explores the way of heaven and human affairs, hoping to elucidate unexpressed words of our predecessors and expand upon ideas they left unsaid—I ask the Prince of Han for your guidance!"

Subconsciously, Lin Feng accepted the books, flipped through a couple of pages, forced a laugh, and nodded, "Good, good, good!"

Wang Fuzhi smiled and said, "In truth, the ancients reached a definitive conclusion on this matter long ago. Yet the pedantic scholars of the Song dynasty frequently misunderstood the legacy of our sages. When it came to Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi, their absurd paradoxes reached their peak, misleading the Great Ming for centuries—truly something to lament." He cupped his hands at Lin Feng and said, "Fortunately, Your Highness has corrected the chaos and restored the right path, achieving what previous dynasties never did. The world is immensely fortunate! I believe..."

"Ahem... ahem..." Lin Feng dryly coughed, interrupting Wang Fuzhi's words, and said with a wry smile, "Well... look here, Master Chuanshan, to be entirely honest with you, I don't quite understand what you're talking about." Seeing Wang Fuzhi's expression shift, Lin Feng hurriedly raised the books and added, "However, I gather that what you're saying basically means scholars should value practicality, and besides reading dead books, they need to engage in more practical work, right?"

Wang Fuzhi was stunned for a moment, pondered for a long while, and then slowly nodded, "Not its entirety, but generally speaking, yes."

Lin Feng slapped his thigh. "There you go! Actually, that's precisely what I meant too. That's why I opened this academic discipline, so that the scholars of the realm could study it thoroughly!" He laughed heartily at Wang Fuzhi. "Actually, Master, there's no need for us to bicker over wording. Our ultimate goal is the same—we could say it's all roads leading to Rome!"

Wang Fuzhi chuckled in amusement. This Prince of Han was truly interesting; not only was he unlearned, but he also shamelessly tried to gild his own lily. Yet at this moment, he could only wryly echo, "Precisely so. I am deeply honored!"

"Splendid! Therefore, I wish to formally invite Master Chuanshan to take office!" He thought for a moment and added, "Our Imperial Academy is precisely lacking a Chief Scholar of Administration for the Practical Affairs department. As you know, Master Nanlei is in charge of Classics and Legal Mathematics, and Master Ningren has been transferred to the Hanlin Academy to compile the *History of Ming*. Consequently, we are still sorely lacking in this area."

Wang Fuzhi smiled with reserved dignity, stroking his beard in silence.

Most of these fellows shared this temperament—they had to be flattered before they would agree to work. Lin Feng had now figured them out; this old fellow must have come to Beijing precisely because he saw an opportunity to put his learning into practice—why else would he travel thousands of li? But one had to offer him a graceful exit. Standing up, Lin Feng offered a deep, solemn bow to Wang Fuzhi and said earnestly, "For the sake of Chinese scholarship, I implore Master Chuanshan to assist me!"

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