Chapter 338 - 230: Let He Who Tied the Bell Untie It
Chapter 338: Chapter 230: Let He Who Tied the Bell Untie It
Lou Yuxue was currently swamped with matters, making it inconvenient for her to act personally.
Besides, she had an important mission to attend to. She had to complete the task assigned by the Golden Banner Officer first.
’Liu Si’er, and that Iron Banner Officer called Uncle Gui... they should have a way.’
...
Since the exhibition hall opened, the number of people coming and going within Guiyun Academy had increased significantly.
Even now, before the Hour of the Rabbit, many visitors were still arriving.
Some were local to Shu State, while others came from beyond its borders.
As a result, Chen Yi spent a full quarter of an hour just returning greetings on his way.
Many who saw him for the first time pointed and gossiped, repeating rumors they had heard.
"Is that Mr. Qingzhou?"
"He looks so young."
"I hear he’s only twenty. He’s certainly an incredible person."
"It’s a shame he married into the Xiao Family. His prospects for an official career are hopeless."
"It’s better this way. Because he’s here teaching the Calligraphy Dao, people like us have a chance to receive his guidance."
"True..."
Chen Yi pretended not to hear. After meeting with Ma Guan, he headed straight for the study hall.
Two hours passed quickly.
Inside the study hall, the atmosphere among the one hundred students, plus Chen Yi and Ma Guan, was even more relaxed than before.
For one, Chen Yi’s understanding of the Profound Mysteries of the Calligraphy Dao grew deeper by the day, allowing him to teach with ease.
For another, unlike other teachers, Chen Yi didn’t just dryly read from a textbook. He explained the Profound Mysteries of the Calligraphy Dao in the simplest terms.
However, the students had been practicing Wei Qing’s Style since childhood, and it was difficult for them to suddenly write characters based on their own nature and suited to their own Dao.
That was why after so much time, no one else had achieved Minor Success in the Calligraphy Dao like Ma Guan had.
Fortunately, a few students had reached the entry-level in the Calligraphy Dao, which was enough to dispel any doubts about Chen Yi’s ability to teach it.
Among them was Tang Ye of the Tang Family.
Before the class ended, Chen Yi gave his customary critiques, saying:
"Tang Ye’s characters are beginning to show their own flair. If you practice six hundred characters a day, you should reach the entry-level in the Calligraphy Dao within a month."
Tang Ye was delighted to hear this. He rose and bowed. "Thank you, Sir."
Chen Yi nodded, gestured for him to sit, and said with a smile:
"The Great Dao is simple at its core. For any Dao Realm, if you find the right direction, understand your true self, and achieve unity of knowledge and action, you can walk the great path."
"This is true for the Calligraphy Dao, as it is for Zither, Go, Painting, and even the Martial Arts."
This might be difficult for an ordinary person to articulate clearly.
But coming from Chen Yi, who had mastered the Zither, Go, Calligraphy, the Medical Dao, and the Martial Arts, his words carried a certain weight.
However, the scholars in the study hall were mostly skeptical of his words.
After all, achieving success in a single Dao was already difficult. To divide one’s attention between two or three Daos—even the most talented person would struggle to accomplish anything of note.
Chen Yi scanned the room, saw their doubts, and said with a small smile, "Just remember this principle. You don’t need to overthink it for now."
With that, he instructed Ma Guan to stay behind and answer the students’ questions, then walked out of the study hall.
Just outside the door, Mr. Lingchuan, who had been waiting, bowed slightly. "Listening to Mr. Qingzhou’s lesson has been incredibly enlightening."
"I’ll have to try out a few things when I get back. Perhaps I can achieve Minor Success in the Calligraphy Dao, just like the Headmaster and Zhuo Ying."
Chen Yi returned the bow and said, "It’s just my personal take on it. Whether it’s useful or not depends on the individual."
He paused, then asked with a smile, "Is Mr. Lingchuan collecting the calligraphy sheets today?"
Mr. Lingchuan looked a bit sheepish. "It’s a rule set by the Headmaster. I can’t refuse."
Chen Yi nodded, gestured for him to go into the study hall, and then took his leave to find Mr. Yue Ming.
Mr. Lingchuan watched him walk away, thought for a moment, then shook his head and entered the study hall to collect the calligraphy sheets Chen Yi had left from the lesson.
「Meanwhile.」
When Chen Yi arrived at Mr. Yue Ming’s residence, he was surprised to see Li Huai’gu there as well and couldn’t help but smile.
"Brother Huai’gu, what brings you to the academy today?"
Li Huai’gu gave a wry smile. "To be honest, Brother Qingzhou, I am indeed here on important business."
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow slightly, sat down beside him, and looked between him and Mr. Yue Ming. "More trouble at the Government Office?"
Mr. Yue Ming replied, his face showing his displeasure, "That Liu Gongmo is truly absurd. He actually wants me to serve as the Vice Examiner for the upcoming Annual Examination."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Li Huai’gu nodded and said helplessly, "If that weren’t the case, the Lord Governor wouldn’t have ordered me to come to the academy."
Chen Yi frowned to himself. Although the Annual Examination wasn’t tied to the imperial examinations like the provincial exams were, it was still a test of the scholars’ proficiency in a region.
In previous years, it had always been administered by an Academic Administrator appointed by the Capital Prefecture, who would tour the states and counties to prevent local cheating.
Furthermore, there was never a position for a Vice Examiner.
It was typically the Academic Administrator and his Staff Officers who handled the Annual Examination, with local authorities only playing a supporting role.
This included providing the examination venue—Guiyun Academy—as well as food, lodging, and maintaining order.
Under normal circumstances, the Prefect would be the one to coordinate these efforts.
"Was this an order from the Lord Governor?"
Mr. Yue Ming shook his head. "Liu Gongmo wouldn’t dare. This must be the idea of Ma Shuhan, the Academic Administrator of Shu State."
"Actually, Ma Shuhan and I have some history."
"He previously sent someone to invite Zhuo Ying to serve as his scroll reader, but I sternly refused him."
"This time, he wants me to wade into these muddy waters, likely with the intention of embarrassing me."
Chen Yi chuckled. "In that case, Headmaster, you can simply refuse."
"But... Liu Gongmo wants me to ’vouch for’ the scholars of Shu State."
"So he’s trying to put you in the hot seat?"
Chen Yi thought for a moment and instantly understood Liu Hong’s intention.
He wanted Mr. Yue Ming to act as a go-between to curry favor with the Academic Administrator of Shu State, in exchange for better results in the Annual Examination.
The method was simple and didn’t even involve actual cheating.
As long as Academic Administrator Ma slightly lowered the difficulty of the exam questions, the scores of the Shu State scholars would naturally see a significant boost.