Chapter 81 Studying in the Yan Empire Academy

Jiang Ye

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“What is etiquette? This is a very wide and grand question, but one of which we can never explore the limits of. But for the very reason that it is a grand question, we must, since a question would not be "grand" if it weren’t also important.

And this word ‘etiquette’, though it is as unreachable as the sky, can we not still gaze curiously at it just as we gaze at the sky? During the day we observe the clouds and test the wind, and at night we view the stars and explore the silence: we want to know what the sky is, and what the sky is like. We want to know what is on top of it.”

“With such an extremely grand question, we need to answer in a way that all people can understand, our answer must be extremely detailed—down to the slightest form of the most specific inquiry. Because we look up at the starry sky, we watch the stars move, and in our hearts we draw the beautiful and firm star-line: this is astronomy came to be.”

“What is the sky? We should start from the specific lines: from the roads of cloud, to the breath on the edge where sky and earth meet, to the peaks of the earth to feel and understand—such is also the case with ‘etiquette’. Your teacher can only wonder, were we to explore the limit of the principles of etiquette, even down to the manner of asking just what that limit may be…just what kind of answer would we get?”

“Teacher can only say my own explanation, so called etiquette, is a law.”

It’s a heavy talk about etiquette of Sir Su, a.s.sociate Professor of Academy, age about sixty some. The speed of his lecture is extremely slow, but his words are very clear, the content of the lecture is kind well prepared. The students below the stage, from straight and horizontal row in front of the lecturer’s table, are extremely serious about the lecture; however Ning Que is already sleepy—the clearer the words from the lecturer’s lips, the bigger the sleep wore on in his brain, the more irresistible that sleep would be.

During the entry exam, his etiquette test was his lowest grade, he had no interest before and he has no interest now; lately he is busy with writing, meditation, killing, setting fire, gambling, and sleeping—there’s really nothing he can do about it.

Semi-conscious, Ning Que couldn’t help but think that if this few years life in the Academy, every day he needed to waste such a great morning on this obscene lecture, what a suffering.

During a later situation in the room, saving him from this desperate fantasy, he once again understands the highest status Academy in Great Tang: it is not an ordinary place, of course the student here is also not ordinary.

When the lecturer say etiquette is law, suddenly a disagreeing voice sounded in the room: “Sir, our Great Tang empire rules four seas, our holy emperor descended from heaven, how can we be ruled by etiquette?”

Academy rules state that students can ask questions in cla.s.s, so it is natural for this student to ask, after all it is the first day of the school, so the atmosphere in the room is a bit strange. Ning Que, awakened from his sleep mode, asked Chu You Xian beside him in a whisper: “Who?”

Academy talks about equality, they teach because of potential and that many students can enter Academy are from common folks, but the student who dares to question in the first lesson certainly must have an unusual background or unusual personality; in fact, the student stand beside the lecturer’s chair at this moment is a general’s son.

The lecturer stared at him coldly, asking, “In your opinion, do people in the world have no say in the law?”

“Right.” That general’s cub proudly said, “Our Great Tang empire used military to build the nation, not relying on those pedantic rules, but on strong shields and sharp spears to naturally obtain eternal victory—none of that involved etiquette.”

The wrinkles on the lecturer’s face flattened, staring at the burly student with a poker face, said, “Your words mean that, whoever has the bigger fist is correct, whoever is stronger is right."

That student, feeling a little embarra.s.sed and scratching his head, said strongly, “It’s not wrong to take it like that, because like how our Great Tang overwhelmed Yan empire, is there any time we didn’t beat them till they cried for dad and mom? They even needed to send their prince to Chang An as hostage! Their emperor dare not have the slightest disrespect toward His Majesty, respecting him like the son of a holy G.o.d.”

Ning Que heard this sentence at the back of room, he thinks that student must have even worse etiquette scores than himself.

The lecturer walked slowly toward the student, his face still emotionless. Walking to the front of the student, raising a dry stick of wood in his right hand, hit that student right in the face, roared angrily, “Whoever has the biggest fist is right? Then my hitting you is right!”

A howling sound in the room, that burly general’s son, possibly because he is scared of the Academy’s rules or out of respect the teacher, couldn’t fight back; he was being hit by a thin old lecturer until his nose turned green and his face was swollen, his mouth bleeding—he looked absolutely miserable.

After a while, the lecturer finally stopped. Panting and staring at the general’s son, he said gloomily, “If you are correct, then now my hitting you is right, because my fist is bigger than yours.”

From the moment the lecturer started hitting the general’s son, the room was already in chaos, students standing in shock; but no one dared to pull and stop the lecture in his berserk state, until finally Si Tu Yi Lan disagreed and said, “Sir! If you think you are stronger than him, so you beat him, then isn’t this proving his principle?”

Ning Que was still sitting, but his mouth was wide open; he didn’t think that the first day after entered Academy, he can watch such a hot-blooded scene, but now he heard that Si Tu Yi Lan’s refutation, he felt it was reasonable.

The lecturer turned his head and stared at Si Tu Yi Lan, saying, “I want to prove his principle, is there a problem?”

Si Tu Yi Lan pursed her lips tightly, thought about her father and brother’s tense lecture before entering the Academy…but eventually she couldn’t bear it: she made up her mind, saying with a quavering voice, “Yes, if you think he is wrong, then you shouldn’t use his opinion to punish him, since if etiquette is rule, you should use the rule to bind him, to penalize him.”

The lecturer smiled coldly, looking at her and saying, “Yun Mo general didn’t study for all his life, but he taught his daughter well. Yet as to my knowledge, although you two have a good relationship, you and him do not have much contact.”

“That isn’t about my family.” Si Tu Yi Lan pushed away her shameful feelings, lifted her face and said perversely, “I only speak facts.”

“Right, let me talk about facts.” The lecturer looked at the students in the room, saying, “No matter if is Yun Mo general, or whatever general, even though their fists are bigger than mine, their force isn’t as strong as me, and they still don’t dare to fight me. Why? Because I am lecturer of the Academy, and this is our Great Tang"s rule.”

At the back of the room, Chu You Xian’s face is full of fear, whispering, “No matter how messed up the Academy is, Ning Que, you must not be impulsive and provoke the lecturer.”

Certainly, Ning Que doesn’t have the courage of a thousand people, watching the lecturer wipe the blood trace on his hand, he thought in his heart, “The rule set by Academy is strongest…This is not related with etiquette, this shows there is a person that has the largest fist in the Academy, but who? The master who drinks and cuts plum flowers?”

Lecturer again grabbed his book, staring fiercely at Si Tu Yi Lan, who still not satisfied, said, “Regardless of whether you are all satisfied or not, believe it or not, when you can break the Academy’s rules, then it is not too late to talk sense with me, and now my sense is very simple: etiquette, is law—our law.”

Etiquette is law—our law…What sonorous strength is that, tossing to the ground just to create sound, overbearingly unreasonable, peremptory b.a.s.t.a.r.d’s mighty declaration! Ning Que staring at the old tree-like lecturer, he realized that he is getting further away from understanding the Academy, but he is getting more and more a liking to this s.h.i.tty place.

As the cla.s.s finished at noon, the lecturer of etiquette cla.s.s chipping an ink roll under his armpit, blew his long beard, and walked out without looking back with his oblique eyes. Arrogance to that level, the students in the room were stunned for a while before they suddenly burst out, gathering aside like this morning. Si Tu Yi Lan’s group rushed toward the student who was beaten by the lecturer, taking out her crystal clear handkerchief with concern, started to clean up his wound, the burly student’s face is full of wronged tears.

“Chu Zhong Tian! You useless thing!” Si Tu Yi Lan knocked his head angrily, scolding him, “If your grandfather sees your appearance now, he will be angered to death! Don’t even know how to fart, just now you dared to contradict the lecturer; contradicting is fine, but the lecturer beat you and you didn’t fight back! Even if you don’t fight back, at least dodge!”

Great Tang sixteenth great general Chu Xiong Tu had seven sons and 37 grandchildren, Chu Zhong Tian is the best at studying amongst the grandchildren; even if we discounted the Academy, just using the knowledge he learned outside, Chu Zhong Tian is still a brave fighter, but was just now actually beaten by the lecturer until becoming this pathetic quail.

Chu Zhong Tian wiped his tears, sent an aggrieved look at Si Tu Yi Lan and complained, “Sister Si Tu, you can’t blame me for this: following my grandfather’s teachings, if someone hits me I need to fight back, doesn’t matter he is king’s relative or prince, just now I wanted to fight back…but I don’t know why, I couldn’t even move.”

This moment, at a side of the room Chu You Xian sounded a lazy voice, “Academy etiquette cla.s.s a.s.sociate professor Cao Zhi Feng, Great Tang seven years graduate, stayed in Academy and taught for about 30 years, 洞玄level great spirit master.”

This sentence said, the room turned completely silent, Si Tu Yi Lan widened her eyes, after a while then she angrily stomped, shouting, “Even if he is Great Spirit Master… A pract.i.tioner bullying a kid, for what?!”

Chu You Xian stepped forward, watching the green nosed and swollen faced Chu Zhong Tian, sighing, shook his head and said, “You can’t put this matter into facts, because professor Cao Zhi Feng… is a person of Yan.”

Ning Que heard this answer out of the crowd, and also shook his head, ‘you talked about the Empire’s victory in a the face of Yan person, hostage prince, being beaten…There is nothing that can be said.’

Great Tang empire conquered the world, his people are confident—even arrogant; Ning Que even had to admit to himself that when he was facing a barbarian on the field at the frontier fortress, sometimes he would also leak some arrogance, but as of today this Chang An Academy is diverse and expansive: not only students, even lecturers are from other countries, so students must be careful with daily conversations and behaviors.

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