Chapter 21: The Green Prophecy (III)

“Those in ancient times who wished to manifest their virtue throughout the world first governed their own states; those who wished to govern their states first brought order to their families; those who wished to bring order to their families first cultivated themselves; those who wished to cultivate themselves first rectified their minds; those who wished to rectify their minds first made their intentions sincere; those who wished to make their intentions sincere first sought true knowledge. True knowledge comes from examining things thoroughly.”
Li Kuo paced slowly and spoke calmly.
Zhang Yanji, with his head drooping and eyelids heavy, replied softly, “Brother Kuo, slow down and repeat that again.”
Leaving the books on the table, Li Kuo sighed, “Yanji, the regular exam is tomorrow. You haven’t even finished reading The Great Learning. If things stay like this, you’ll likely fail the exam.”
Straining to muster energy, Zhang Yanji waved his hand angrily, “Brother Kuo, don’t make things harder for me. You know my limitations. Not to mention those boring official texts like The Great Learning and The Doctrine of the Mean, I haven’t even finished reading Confucius’s The Analects from start to finish. It’s been two days, and I still can’t memorize it. I’ve given up—even if I’m deemed unqualified and expelled from the academy, I won’t go through that suffering again!”
“You…”
Shaking his head gently, Li Kuo said with a wry smile, “If you’re expelled like this, not to mention losing face as a prince’s son, all the hardships you’ve endured these days will have been in vain.”
Zhang Yanji’s lips twitched as he said anxiously, “But there are so many key points you marked, and most of those classical references are such that it knows them but I don’t. How can I possibly finish reading them all in just a few days?”
“I think the regular exam won’t be too difficult. After all, there are many nobles. If we were to test them strictly, wouldn’t we have to expel a whole crowd? These texts—The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, and The Book of Rites—are all Confucian classics, and I’ve annotated them.”
Handing the books to his friend, Li Kuo said calmly, “It’s better to read than not. If you go through them thoroughly tonight, you’ll definitely pass. As for the essay part, it’s just about military strategies in border regions and tax reform—just rewrite any old article and you’ll manage.”
“Brother Kuo, do you think I’m especially useless?”
The young man looked at Li Kuo with resentment and murmured.
“How could that be? A man must eventually create his own path in life. You’re just from a wealthy family, so you don’t have as much pressure on you. If you study hard, with your talent, it’s not impossible for you to achieve great things.”
Just then, hurried footsteps were heard outside. The door creaked open, and a handsome young man wearing an Inxian crown and cloud-patterned boots rushed in unsteadily.
“Brother Kuo!”

The young man bowed to Li Kuo and said urgently, “Those elite scholars from Taiyi Xuan are truly too overbearing. Brother Kuo, you must give them a good lesson.”
“Brother Zide, please sit first.”
Li Kuo smiled slightly and gestured for him to sit.
The young man named Zide sat down boldly, picked up a cup of brewed tea, and downed it in one gulp.
Ah Fu, who was standing by, was furious to see that person drink up his master’s tea, but he could do nothing about it.
Although late spring brought the most pleasant and refreshing weather, Lord Zide took out a folding fan from his waist and kept fanning himself nonstop. “It’s not that I’m petty, but blame those shameless brutes for being so arrogant. That day, I was reading in the western hall when that wretch Liang Zike passed by and mocked me for indulging in refined tastes! Yes, I may not be very learned, but it’s not his place to insult me. Hehe, don’t think I don’t know—he might be the son of an imperial censor, but he’s nothing but a good-for-nothing!”
After a pause, Gao Rangji sighed deeply. “I’ve made a deal with them: we’ll select three students from our lower-tier group to compete against their elite scholars and determine who’s better!”
“You want to compete with them in the regular exams?”
Li Kuo asked, looking puzzled.
“Hehe, it’s not me. It’s Zheng Wei, Xu Shucai, and you, Brother Kuo, who will represent our lower-tier students!”
Gao Rangji said proudly, waving his finger.
Li Kuo frowned slightly and replied calmly, “We came to the Imperial Academy to study the classics. Fighting with others like this seems inappropriate, doesn’t it?”
“Not at all,” Gao Rangji replied, waving his fan. “They brought this on themselves. If we don’t even have the courage to fight back, what kind of men are we? Brother Kuo, don’t refuse this time. If we fail, we die trying! With you, Zheng Wei, and Shucai as the ‘Three Talents of the Capital,’ I’m sure we can defeat those so-called ‘Three Wonders’ of theirs.”
“The Three Wonders?”
Zhang Yanji listened in a daze, questioning.

Clearing his throat, Li Kuo said casually, “Well, it’s a title personally bestowed by the esteemed He Zhizhang. Xiao Ziqiao from Luyang comes from a distinguished family. Though only seventeen years old, his strategic essays and parallel prose impressed even He Zhizhang so much that he couldn’t help but marvel at their excellence, showing just how profound his skills are. Pei Xingchen is the eldest grandson of the Pei family from Hedong—he’s quick-witted and eager to learn, skilled in both literature and martial arts. Recently, he became famous throughout Chang’an thanks to his poem ‘Moon over the Passes,’ overshadowing everyone else for a time. But if we’re talking about the one everyone holds in the highest regard, it’s the third young master from the Chen family of Ruyang. The Chen family has a long history of excellence, passing down knowledge through poetry and literature. This third young master, Chen Runzhi, showed extraordinary talent from a young age—able to write prose at three and compose poems by five, astonishing his relatives. To nurture this once-in-a-generation genius, the family invested everything they had, with tutors coming and going constantly. Starting at fifteen, Chen Runzhi began traveling to famous mountains and rivers, meeting scholars from various places, and gained vast experience over three years. When it comes to the most outstanding young talents in the Tang Dynasty, Chen Runzhi undoubtedly takes the lead.”

“Hmph, in my opinion, it’s all just flattery from followers. The world is getting worse and worse!”

Seeing Gao Ranji pretending to be refined while complaining, Li Kuo found it amusing.

“Great fame always implies real talent. If those three didn’t have genuine skills, why would their families spare no effort to promote them? Aren’t they afraid of being laughed at by everyone?”

Furious, Gao Ranji waved his sleeve and said, “I don’t care! Anyway, you must not embarrass us. This time, you have to agree—whether you want to or not.”

Amused by the young man’s persistence, Li Kuo finally agreed, “Alright, but let’s make it clear: if I can’t beat you, you’re not allowed to bother me.”

“Deal!”

The two young men shook hands as an oath, chatting cheerfully.

On the second-floor attic of the Yanjia Hall in the Imperial Academy, the third young master of Ruyang was flipping through a copy of ‘Records of Jiankang,’ casually annotating it. But suddenly, Chen Runzhi felt darkness ahead as a pair of fair hands covered his eyes.

“The sea has no bounds, with heaven as its shore; I climb the highest cliffs and become the peak.”

The voice was as soft as a zither and as delicate as a flute, stirring Chen Runzhi’s heart.

Gently pushing aside those hands, Chen Runzhi turned and pulled the person behind him into his arms.

“Ah!”

The “young man” dressed like a servant let out a soft moan before lying in Chen Runzhi’s arms. “Cousin, how did you know it was me?”

“Besides you, Miss Su Weixi, who else would dare to leave home, travel thousands of miles from Yuhang Prefecture to Chang’an, and then disguise herself as a servant to sneak into this Imperial Academy?”

With a slight force, he removed the square headscarf from Su Weixi’s head, revealing her long black hair.

“Isn’t it all for you?”

The young lady muttered in annoyance, then stretched out her delicate hand to gently stroke her cousin’s neck. His skin was smooth and fine as cream, pale as silkworm stone—yet it belonged to a man. How could it not captivate one’s soul? She threw herself at him eagerly, her waist bending slightly.

“Hiss.”

Exhaling a puff of air, Chen Runzhi regained his composure and joked, “Aren’t you afraid I might lose control and really ‘consume’ you?”

“And so what?”

Her eyes grew dreamy, her breathing faster. “Let’s give it our all for one day of pleasure. Even if my cousin takes me today, I’ll be happy about it.”

“You!” Chen Runzhi tickled Su Weixi’s nose and shook his head. “A man must achieve fame and success before he can build a family. Besides, even if I wanted to, my aunt wouldn’t agree.”

The young lady sat up, glared at Chen Runzhi, and said, “With my sweet lips, I’ll play the plum blossom melody; I’m willing to be like a jade flute. Why worry about what others do in a love affair? I won’t care. Cousin, I’ll only marry you in this life.”

Chen Runzhi felt an itch in his heart at her words, his whole body burning with desire. He hugged her tightly; her smooth face was buried against his chest. His restless hands wrapped around her neck, and in one move, he pressed his lips firmly against hers.

Gently parting her lips, he entered her mouth. His tongue moved softly, sucking and caressing—sending him into a state of ecstasy.

With a slight force, he lifted her and strode toward the bed.

The gauzy curtains were half-drawn, revealing a scene of passionate love amidst endless springtime beauty.

Her hair and beauty moved gracefully as he quickly removed his robe and undergarments. Lying on his side with his bare chest exposed, his legs gradually stiffened, his toes curling, creating ripples in the water-like surface between them.