Chapter 100: Causing a Commotion at the Imperial Academy on the Very First Day?

Xu Cunren looked at Zhang Yi deeply, certain that he had not misheard earlier. Although he was advanced in years, his senses were sharp, and he was far from the frail old man he appeared to be.

Did this young Daoist have a problem with him? It did not seem so, yet Xu Cunren did not take the matter to heart. By now, they had reached the entrance of the Imperial Academy. He said to Zhang Yi, "You are ignorant of the rules today, so I have made an exception to let you in. But if you are late again starting tomorrow, I shall have to report you to the palace."

Zhang Yi nodded hurriedly. Rebellious as he might be, he dared not provoke Zhu Yuanzhang over such a trivial matter. Xu Cunren, satisfied with his attitude, continued, "This Imperial Academy teaches the ways of the sages. Even though you are a Daoist, once you enter these gates, you must be like everyone else; you must not stand out. From tomorrow on, come to school in plain clothes. If you wish to be a Daoist outside the academy, that is your business, but not inside! If you must, wear civilian clothes over your Daoist robes and take them off once you leave the academy."

This was exactly what Zhang Yi had hoped for, as it suited his own intentions. Although "Old Zhu" had made an exception for the Zhengyi sect, the suppression of Buddhist and Daoist orders meant that Daoists were rarely seen on the streets, and Zhang Yi drew stares wherever he went. Wearing his robes made it inconvenient to conduct certain affairs.

"Understood!" he said, bowing to thank the old man for his guidance.

"Your classroom is the third one on the right after you enter," Xu Cunren said before walking away.

Zhang Yi watched his retreating figure, lost in thought for a moment before realizing he needed to hurry into the academy.

"Are you Zhang Yi from Mount Longhu?"

Following the old man's directions, Zhang Yi reached his classroom. As he announced his name, every gaze in the room fell upon him. The teacher, a gaunt, stern-faced man, looked Zhang Yi up and down with clear distaste. "Tell me, why are you late?"

"This humble Daoist is unfamiliar with the roads of Yingtian Prefecture, so I got lost..." Zhang Yi answered honestly, but the teacher only frowned deeper.

"If you truly had the heart to learn, you would not have gotten lost. Look at your classmates... Yan Bo, stand up and tell us: you only arrived in Yingtian Prefecture the day before yesterday, so why didn't you get lost?"

A young man in the classroom stood up, neither arrogant nor servile. "Student came yesterday to scout the route, and fearing any accidents, I arrived early today..."

"Good! That is the attitude a true scholar should have. Truly worthy of a descendant of the Kong family!" The teacher’s favoritism toward Kong Ne was blatant.

Zhang Yi curiously sized up the boy. To call him a "youth" might have been a stretch; he was at most two or three years older than Zhang Yi himself—still just a child, really. *So this is that unlucky fellow from the Kong family?* Zhang Yi knew of Kong Ne, the future Duke Yansheng. In the original flow of history, he should not have been brought to Yingtian Prefecture. Who knew what had happened? Zhu Yuanzhang had simply swept him up along with everyone else. While Zhang Yi disliked Kong Kejian, he bore no ill will toward Kong Ne. In a classroom where most students were much older—some even looking thirty years of age—Zhang Yi naturally felt a sense of kinship with the only other boy his age.

"Student knows his error. Please, teacher, considering this is my first offense, show mercy! You look like a reasonable man; I feel as close to you as I do to my own father..."

Zhang Yi knew how to change with the wind. A wise man does not fight when the odds are against him, and since he could not run away from the academy, he might as well play the part of the repentant student.

The teacher scowled. "Do not speak of me in the same breath as a Daoist. Fine, this once, but let it not happen again!"

Zhang Yi sat at his desk as the teacher began the lesson: "Let us continue with the Analects..." Soon, the room was filled with the sound of rhythmic recitation.

While the others were lost in their studies, Zhang Yi, who knew nothing of the Analects, could only feign participation. When they finally finished, the old teacher, looking satisfied, said, "Let us review yesterday’s material. The Master said: 'If you lead the people with administrative measures and regulate them with punishments, the people will evade them and have no sense of shame. If you lead them by virtue and regulate them with ritual, they will have a sense of shame and become rectified.' Who can explain this?"

While others vied for the chance to speak, Zhang Yi desperately tried to shrink into his seat, but his Daoist robes made him the most conspicuous person in the room. The teacher spotted him instantly. "Zhang Yi, stand up and explain it."

Zhang Yi stood up under the scrutiny of all, feeling a mix of shame and annoyance. *Is this old man targeting me?* Even though he didn't know why, the teacher had specifically picked him out for a review of yesterday's lesson—a day Zhang Yi had spent trapped in a Daoist temple. He had no idea what the lesson had been. Or rather, he did, but he had no desire to waste effort on it.

"Teacher, I have not studied this," he replied.

"I just had you all recite it; you have already been taught. If you don't know, you can still try! Did your father not hire a tutor for you on Mount Longhu...? Kong Ne, do you know?" Ignoring Zhang Yi, the teacher turned to Kong Ne. Kong Ne nodded silently and stood up to recite the meaning.

"Excellent! Truly worthy of being a descendant of the Most Holy Sage..." The teacher showered Kong Ne with praise before turning back to Zhang Yi. "And what is meant by 'The gentleman is not a vessel'?"

If Zhang Yi hadn't realized by now that the teacher was intentionally picking on him, he would have been a fool. He had never met this man before, so why did he harbor such malice? Zhang Yi was not a man of great patience, especially when someone was trying to make a fool of him.

"The gentleman is not a vessel... ah, Teacher, I understand now!" Zhang Yi exclaimed with an expression of sudden enlightenment. "The Sage Kong meant that we gentlemen should use our words and not our hands. We must never be like those brutes who reach for their weapons at the slightest provocation..."

Silence fell over the classroom. The teacher pointed at Zhang Yi, trembling so violently he could not speak for a long time.

"You deserve a beating!" The teacher recovered and reached for his cane, ready to lash out at Zhang Yi. Zhang Yi realized then that the man was indeed out to get him.

"Teacher, 'the gentleman is not a vessel'—let us use our words, not our hands!"

"Shut your mouth!" The mention of the quote only infuriated the teacher more. He grabbed the cane and marched toward Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi was not about to just stand there and take it. He hadn't come to this academy out of genuine desire; he was only here for the sake of the Hongwu Emperor. He would respect the Emperor's wishes and accept punishment if he were truly in the wrong, but since this man was playing favorites and trying to humiliate him, Zhang Yi would not play along. He ran around the desks with the teacher in pursuit, turning the classroom into a scene of chaos.

Kong Ne watched the little Daoist in utter shock. *He actually dares to do this!* Respecting one's teacher was the fundamental rule of the age; even princes had to submit to a teacher's discipline. He had never seen anyone like Zhang Yi, who would run rather than be struck. Other students, stunned by the spectacle, remained frozen. Students from neighboring classrooms poked their heads in to watch, which only enraged the teacher further.

"Teacher, let us be reasonable. If you just decide to hit me, I refuse to submit!"

The teacher gritted his teeth. "You speak nonsense and disrespect the path of the teacher. And you think you are in the right?"

Zhang Yi had his own retort. "Teacher, a teacher is one who imparts the Way, teaches skills, and clarifies doubts. I find your conduct unfair. As for teaching skills, you asked about yesterday's lesson, which I never studied, and I told you I did not know it. You knew this, yet you purposely made things difficult for me. You do not teach, nor do you clarify doubts; you only single out a student to bully. You do not act like a teacher, but rather like a bandit chief in a story, trying to intimidate me!"

Zhang Yi’s words left the teacher trembling with rage. The man had indeed intended to establish his authority, but such things were meant to be understood, not spoken aloud. He had not expected this Daoist to ignore the rules of decorum and lay his petty intentions bare, which put him on the defensive.

"Furthermore, the Master said: 'Lead them by virtue... regulate them with ritual.' Yet you, Teacher, preach virtue but act with punishment. You are all high-minded when preaching, but act quite differently in practice. You cannot reconcile your knowledge with your actions—you are a hypocrite!"

Zhang Yi had never lost an argument in his life. The teacher was so infuriated he nearly fainted. He had thought a seven-year-old would be easy to bully, but Zhang Yi’s sharp tongue was nothing like that of a child. Being called a "hypocrite" was perhaps the greatest insult one could level at a scholar.

The teacher clutched his chest and shouted, "I knew it! Everyone from Mount Longhu is nothing but an ignorant charlatan!"

"Stop!"

Just as Zhang Yi was about to fire back, someone spoke, and the room fell deathly silent.

"Director Xu!" the teacher exclaimed. Zhang Yi turned around. He froze—was this not the same old man who had claimed to be a gatekeeper? This was Xu Cunren, the unlucky fellow who was supposed to die soon?

"Teacher Li, regardless of his background, once he enters the Imperial Academy, he is a student of this institution and must be treated equally! Moreover, do not forget—he was brought here by the Emperor himself!"

Teacher Li broke into a cold sweat.

"Come with me," Xu Cunren said to Zhang Yi, then looked around the room. "The rest of you, continue your lessons..."

The students dispersed in a flurry. Only Zhang Yi and Xu Cunren remained. Xu Cunren looked at Zhang Yi with genuine interest and turned to walk away. Zhang Yi followed him out of the academy and back to the spot where they had first met.

The old man sat down and teased him, "Ever since before the Emperor took the throne, I have served him, teaching students here in the Imperial Academy. I have seen many unruly pupils, but never one who would cause such a scene on his first day and leave his teacher in the dust! Tell me, how should I punish you?"

Zhang Yi grinned, testing the waters. "How about... expelling me?"

"Hahahahaha!" Xu Cunren was amused by the little boy. He composed his face. "That will not do. But if you can answer one question for me, I shall not punish you at all."

*Why do scholars always love to do this?* Zhang Yi sighed helplessly. "Then ask, Teacher."

"Do you know why Li Zhi is targeting you?"

Zhang Yi was taken aback. He had expected to be quizzed on the Four Books and Five Classics, not this. "Because of who I am!" he answered without a second thought.