Top Scholar

Chapter 346 Chengdu Chengdu
"Who is your senior brother?" Yang Shen was taken aback when he heard this.

"My eldest brother's surname is Su, his given name is Lu, and his courtesy name is Hongzhi!" Liu Henian said with a proud look.

"Pfft..." Yang Dun almost couldn't hold back.

Yang Shen almost coughed up blood... Over the past year, he had turned down all social engagements, ignoring even the repeated invitations from several famous courtesans in Chengdu.

He studied with unprecedented diligence, not for any other reason than to wait for an opportunity, to prove himself, and to show his cousin that he was better than that guy surnamed Su!
Before they even got that opportunity, their partner was poached...

"It's alright, it's all the same as a school, you can study hard anywhere," Yang Shen said, trying to maintain the demeanor of a young master.

“Brother Xiuxian, don’t misunderstand. Our senior brother isn’t trying to challenge you. You’ll understand once you talk about it later…” Xia Bangmo quickly explained.

"How did he become your senior brother?" Yang Shenqiang asked with a smile.

“Oh, I have already entered the school of Wang Suzong’s teachings,” Xia Bangmo said with a smile. “Brother Xiuxian, you must listen to your senior brother’s lectures later. They will definitely broaden your horizons.”

"My vision is already big enough..." Yang Shen gritted his teeth, but still had to keep a smile on his face.

"How did you all end up together?" Yang Dun asked curiously. "And did you even join some kind of academy?"

“Oh, we met on our way to the imperial examination. At first, we wanted to outdo him and vent our anger for Brother Yongxiu,” Xia Bangmo said.

“I’m not angry with him…” Yang Shen said irritably.

“That’s even better, it just means I was misled by the rumors.” Xia Bangmo hurriedly said with a smile, “In short, at first, we wanted to compete with him, but we didn’t expect Brother Hongzhi to be so charming and his thoughts so profound! In particular, the philosophy he and Master Yangming created is simply the ultimate truth in the world! After hearing it, we were all enlightened and sincerely convinced, and we all wish to become disciples of the philosophy to learn the principles of being a person and doing things.”

"Ah..." Yang Shen nodded weakly, glancing at the dozen or so Chongqing scholars behind the two. "Do you also call him Senior Brother?"

"Yes," everyone said in unison. "When Brother Yongxiu enters the sect of Zongxue in the future, he will also have to call him Senior Brother..."

"Heh..." Yang Shen was so angry his nose almost twisted out of shape. Was this guy surnamed Su selling mind-altering potions? Why was he trying to get everyone hooked?

"Let's go back and talk later." Seeing this, Yang Dun quickly stopped the conversation and said, "We've prepared accommodations for you."

"Oh dear, we've really troubled you," Xia Bangmo, Liu Henian, and the others hurriedly thanked them.

"Of course," Yang Dun said with a smile. "Brother, let's go."

"Let's go!" Yang Shen exhaled a long breath, feeling as if he were raising someone else's child.

~~
After the Yang brothers left, the scholars from Luzhou arrived at Chaoyang Gate in no time.

Chaoyangmenwai Street is over ten feet wide, its bluestone pavement polished smooth by the constant flow of pedestrians and carriages. Shops line both sides of the street, their various vermilion signs, Shu embroidery banners, and gilded plaques creating a dazzling display, each vying for attention with its own grandeur.

"Wow, Chengdu truly lives up to its name!" Li Qiyu exclaimed in amazement. "I thought Luzhou was bustling enough, but after coming to the provincial capital, I realized that's nothing compared to what I've seen."

"This is nothing," Bai Yunshan said with a meaningful smile, putting his arm around his shoulder. "After the exams, I'll take you to some really fun places to broaden your horizons!"

"Okay, it's a deal," Li Qiyu said happily.

"You should pass the entrance exam first," Cheng Wanfan said.

"Why do you always dampen my spirits?" Li Qiyu said, annoyed.

"Let's go, Uncle Tian is here to pick us up. Let's hurry into the city." Su Lu used his folding fan to shield himself from the sun, looked towards the city gate, and saw Steward Tian waving at him.

Old Tian is really too capable. He always manages to arrive first and arrange the food and lodging for all the gentlemen.

"Young Master and gentlemen have arrived!" Steward Tian hurried forward to greet them. He had lost weight from running around and managing things these past few days.

"Yes, Uncle Tian, ​​thank you for your hard work." Su Lu nodded.

"It's no trouble at all, it's all just my duty," Steward Tian said with a smile. "The prefectural government has already made arrangements, let's hurry over there."

"Alright." Su Lu and the others responded in unison and followed Steward Tian into Chaoyang Gate.

All the scholars had travel permits in their hands, but the soldiers guarding the city didn't even glance at them and let them into the city.

"How come this is even more lenient than the customs and county documents?" Lin Zhihong put away the customs clearance documents.

"Chengdu is home to half of the province's population. There are just too many people entering and leaving the city every day, it's impossible to keep track of them all," Manager Tian explained with a smile. "As long as you don't commit any crimes and don't deal with the government, nobody cares where you're from."

"Wow, this is truly a big city!" Li Qiyu exclaimed again.

"Don't look like you've never seen the world before, it's embarrassing." Cheng Wanfan gave him a disdainful look.

~~
Chengdu's circumference is twenty li, about the size of four Luzhou. It is divided into inner and outer cities. The inner city houses the Shu King's residence, occupying a large area, while the outer city is where officials and civilians live. Steward Tian explained the situation of Chengdu to Su Lu and the others as they walked.

“This city of Chengdu is also centered around the Bell and Drum Towers, with government offices concentrated in the city center and the north. The Provincial Administration Commissioner’s Office is located in the north of the city, surrounded by many government offices, guild halls, and wealthy merchants’ residences. Our Luzhou Public Office is also located there.”

As he spoke, he led everyone to the Fu River, which runs through the entire city, and onto a stone arch bridge with white marble railings and bluestone slabs.

Upon reaching the middle of the bridge, everyone's view suddenly opened up, and they were all shocked by the sight before them—a vermilion wall stretching for several miles and more than three zhang high stood before them!
The wall is topped with blue glazed tiles, its ridgeline straight as a blade, stretching as far as the eye can see. At the very center of the wall stands a palace gate with a double-eaved hip roof, covered with golden glazed tiles that gleam dazzlingly in the sunlight!
Everyone was stunned; this was completely different from the style of art they were used to.

Even the most magnificent building they had ever seen—the Grand View Terrace in Luzhou—looked like an ugly duckling with a dusty face in front of this palace wall.

“I’m just ignorant, but you are?” Li Qiyu retorted, pointing to the palace wall in front of him.

"I've never seen it either..." Cheng Wanfan's mouth hung open, his gaze fixed on the scene. At this moment, the supreme authority of the emperor finally became tangible in his mind.

"This is the Shu Prince's Mansion?" Su Lu, having visited the Forbidden City before, was a bit better prepared, but was still quite shocked...

In later generations, skyscrapers have sprung up everywhere. Even though the imperial palaces and royal residences remain magnificent, they are now just historical sites for people to reminisce about.

But in this Ming Dynasty, it stood out above the low and simple folk buildings, making people clearly feel its extremely magnificent and absolutely supreme aura!

Looking up at the vermilion palace walls stretching endlessly, the blue glazed tiles shining in the sun, even the air exudes an unassailable majesty, making one subconsciously hold their breath and feel a sense of awe and reverence.

At this moment, Su Lucai truly admired Mr. Yangming and the headmaster, for they dared to face the Forbidden City, which was even more magnificent and arrogant than this.

His ambition can shake mountains and rivers!

Steward Tian stood respectfully to the side, and only after the young master and his companions came to their senses did he smile and say, "Young master, shall we go? You're just standing here blocking their way."

"Let's go." Su Lu nodded and followed Steward Tian down Duanli Bridge, then chuckled self-deprecatingly, "This is the first time I've seen a Prince's mansion. I didn't expect it to be so big. How long will it take us to walk around like this?"

"Be content, young master," Steward Tian said with a smile. "In the old days, commoners were not allowed to cross this Duanli Bridge. We had to take a much longer route. It was only because His Highness the previous King of Shu was kind and considered the inconvenience of transportation for the people that he allowed them to cross this bridge."

“Speaking of which, our Shu Kingdom is synonymous with a virtuous kingdom. All the Shu kings throughout the ages have been wise and respectful, and rarely involved in disputes. Among all the vassal states in the country, none can compare to them.” Lei Jun cupped his hands toward the red wall and said solemnly, “We, the people, should respect and love them.”

"Indeed." The scholars all nodded in agreement. It was common for feudal princes to commit evil deeds and harm the people. It was truly a stroke of luck for Sichuan to have such a law-abiding feudal prince.

"Moreover, the Shu Kingdom has always valued culture and education. The best printed books in Shu were all printed by the Shu Prince's Mansion," Qiao Feng said. "The gradual improvement of culture and education in Shu is largely due to the great contributions of the Shu Prince's Mansion!"

"Hehe, what you say is well said, Master Qiao." Steward Tian laughed. "In a few days, His Highness will hold a literary gathering at Xiqing Academy, inviting famous teachers and scholars from Sichuan to lecture the candidates. If you gentlemen can attend, it will surely be beneficial."

"Of course I want to go, but not just anyone can go, right?" Cheng Wanzhou asked. "Invitations are definitely needed for this kind of occasion."

"..." Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but recall the scene of buying invitations before the provincial examination...

"Don't try to get a bargain this time," Li Qiyu instructed Cheng Wanfan. "For such a high-class occasion, an invitation won't cost less than ten taels of silver."

"Don't bring up the sore spot. I'll learn from my mistakes," Cheng Wanfan said irritably.

"Haha, there's no need to buy invitations. Everyone will be able to get in," Manager Tian laughed.

"Uncle Tian is amazing!" Everyone gave him a thumbs up.

“This has nothing to do with me,” Steward Tian hurriedly shook his head and said, “The Prince’s Mansion has already sent an invitation to the government office, inviting the young master and his friends to attend the event.”

"Wow, even His Highness the Prince of Shu has heard of Senior Brother's name?" The classmates couldn't help but feel envious.

"..." Su Lu was also a little surprised. Then he realized that his "The Difficulty of Coloring the Book" seemed to be in the hands of the Shu vassal. He guessed that the vassal was curious about what his hen, which laid the egg, looked like.

He laughed and said, "We don't know the situation yet, so don't talk nonsense."

~~
As they spoke, the group finally left the Prince's Mansion area and arrived at Gulou East Street. They followed Steward Tian into the quiet alley on the south side of the street and arrived at an inconspicuous courtyard gate.

"We've arrived." Steward Tian knocked on the door. Like the county government, the prefectural government also preferred to keep its doors closed.

"Who is it?" the doorman asked.

"It's me, I've brought the gentlemen back," Steward Tian announced.

"They're here, they're here." The gatekeeper quickly opened the courtyard gate, his face beaming with smiles. "Gentlemen, please come in."

"We're sorry to have troubled you." Su Lu was always so polite, smiling as he led the group into the government office.

(End of this chapter)