Chapter 37

Zhuo Siheng had never dreamed that to find his brother a school, he'd have to sit an exam himself.

How was this any different from answering a policy essay? Not one whit less brain-racking wording required.

The only difference was, this question he already had an answer to.

Back when he'd first heard of the matter before the throne, Zhuo Siheng had modeled a solution in his mind; only, he wasn't an official of the education branch and knew little of the particulars — what he'd gathered from the few ministers and the emperor was limited after all, and to truly put it into practice would need him to go do some grassroots investigation himself to be sound.

So he didn't think his notion then was a foolproof plan — just a little self-test to stretch his mind, many of the ideas propped up by theory alone with no room for real operation. But what was needed right now was exactly an answer that wasn't so perfect, yet sounded like one he'd seriously thought through.

As Zhuo Siheng pondered, Tong Duo had already sipped his tea, and said kindly: "You're busy before the throne now, and it's right to be careful and prudent; but this discussion of ours touches no state secret or military intelligence or foundation of governance — just a few idle words; this old man only wishes to hear a younger man's fine views. No need to be so tense."

It wasn't that Zhuo Siheng was tense — a surprise ambush engagement like this needed a little while to sort his thoughts, and here barely ten seconds had passed and he was told to hand in his paper; even the emperor wasn't this strict!

But a thought flashed through him: perhaps a subject really did have to think faster than the emperor, and who was to say old Tong hadn't been honed just this way?

Luckily he'd already worked out how to express his views accurately and with restraint, and said with a modest smile: "Then your junior will make his clumsy attempt."

Tong Duo obligingly set down his teacup, at his ease.

"The Imperial Academy and Grand Academy were established for the sons of three kinds: officials, great houses, and imperial kin. Yet in truth, from the very founding, this system has had a fatal contradiction with another system." When Zhuo Siheng spoke seriously without smiling there was a natural gravity to him, even though his voice stayed clear and bright: "That is, hereditary privilege."

Tong Duo listened in silence, his face still as water, only the peaks of his brows stirring ever so slightly.

"The sons of all three kinds may enter office by hereditary privilege; with a little less pushing at home, they can pluck the stars from the sky without toil. Though a privilege-granted rank isn't the equal of a jinshi's, it can still reach the height of ministerial office. That being so, why should they toil away at their books in the Academy?"

"By Attendant Zhuo's meaning, ought hereditary privilege to be abolished?" Tong Duo asked with a smile.

What Zhuo Siheng thought was, old man, don't dig me a pit; on his face he broke into a smile: "It must not. Hereditary privilege is a most fitting ancestral institution, and those it favors are all people who ought to be favored. To abolish it would be to cut off one's own arm."

The dynasty's rule of hereditary privilege was simple: households with titles, officials of the fourth grade and above, model exemplars specially approved by the emperor, and one's own relatives — the children of these several kinds could all enter office without sitting the examinations. Though the range of posts open to such an official and the room for advancement were far smaller, it was, plainly and truly, a genuine shortcut. This was the most important means by which the regime bound the ruling class to it, a basic state policy for steadying men's hearts, an underlying logic of a feudal dynasty's rule — absolutely not to be abolished.

Tong Duo of course knew what Zhuo Siheng meant by cutting off one's own arm; such things needn't be said outright, and he nodded for Zhuo Siheng to go on.

"Hereditary privilege can't be abolished, and the Imperial Academy and Grand Academy are the very banner of the state's education and scholarly spirit; the two contradict, yet it isn't that they can't coexist. If the Academy is to truly serve the purpose of its founding, I have in fact no sound and practicable plan — only a notion I've turned over in my own mind. Uncle Tong is Brother Fangze's father, so I won't treat you as an outsider; I only hope you won't laugh at my shallow understanding." Zhuo Siheng was modest, neither servile nor arrogant, and only then spoke his real idea: "And that is to open the Imperial Academy and Grand Academy to all students."

This carried quite a jolt — even the ever-Mount-Tai-steady Tong Duo checked slightly, fixing his gaze on Zhuo Siheng's face, waiting for him to go on.

"First, divide the Academy's intake in two — not necessarily in equal halves; how to split it is truly hard to say, this is only the gist. I think the Academy might hold a small examination twice a year: one for students who originally had no right of entry, and those who pass may enroll — they take one share of the intake. The remaining share is for the kin of officials and nobles who originally had the right, entering after passing the same exam. The two study together in the Academy. For one thing, houses long counting on hereditary privilege needn't send their children to sit an exam they might not pass and lose face over — better than taking up a place in name only, wasting the famed teachers the court assigns. For another, there truly are outstanding sons of poor families; give them one more chance, and the future may gain one more worthy minister or able official. To select talent for the state, the state must come first; and in most worldly affairs, blocking is worse than channeling — water of many sources runs abundant."

In fact his idea was simply to introduce a competitive mechanism, spark internal vitality, and let healthy competition drive the development of education.

But he really didn't know the actual state of the Academy, and such talk was mere paper strategy; he knew himself it carried no real weight.

Yet Tong Duo listened with relish, and even when he'd finished seemed unsated, as if savoring it, or tasting out the essence within.

Just as Zhuo Siheng thought he'd get no clear answer from the grading teacher today, Tong Duo rose and applauded: "Worthy of the zhuangyuan indeed — such insight I certainly hadn't at your age."

Zhuo Siheng hurried to stand too, saying he'd spoken rashly and out of turn — without investigation there's no right to speak — and that it was only because he was close with Brother Fangze that he'd dared say this to his father; otherwise he'd never, on pain of death, have gone rambling on about education administration.

"Not so — in truth, what you can see others may well have seen long since; only each has his own belly of schemes, and education administration being none too pressing, why go to extra trouble and offend those who oughtn't be offended?" Tong Duo spoke a good many plain truths too; perhaps feeling he'd said enough here, he smiled and turned the subject: "With such an elder brother, surely the younger, taught by word and example, is no worse; bring me two of your brother's usual essays tomorrow, and I'll write a letter of recommendation to send to Xiongya Academy — I've a bit of a friendship with the headmaster, and hereafter your brother can study there... oh, by the way, do you know Xiongya Academy?"

Zhuo Siheng shook his head, very honestly.

He truly didn't know it.

There was, in Tong Duo's great laugh this time, a layer of an elder's fondness for a junior: "Have that son of mine tell you about it — that's where he studied his way out; you see, if even so unruly a boy could be taught into a jinshi, then if your brother strives, he's sure to make his own gains."

Hearing Uncle Tong actually introduce him to the very place his own son had studied, Zhuo Siheng at once made a deep, full bow of thanks, his excitement plain to see.

On his face Tong Duo smiled that he needn't be so; but in his heart was a hidden, mournful ache, thinking that had Tong Shipei's two elder brothers lived, they too would surely have been willing to run about and plead so for a younger brother's studies...

And so he felt a few parts more warmth and kindness toward Zhuo Siheng; he kept him to dine, and called Tong Shipei to prepare some study things to give the school-bound Zhuo Xiheng, standing for his own bit of an elder's encouragement. Zhuo Siheng thanked him again and again, grateful beyond words; Tong Shipei hadn't expected his father's sudden warmth either, but was sincerely glad his friend's worry was solved.

Home again, Zhuo Siheng badly wanted to tell his brother: your big brother's gotten you an extremely rare acceptance letter by passing an interview-plus-extra-exam! But fearing to add pressure, he only said he'd asked a friend's father to help. Xiheng had striven since childhood; his attitude toward study needed no correcting, and at most Zhuo Siheng noted a few points of etiquette.

The next day, Tong Shipei came to call with the two meeting-gifts he and his father had prepared for the Zhuo family.

"You really have the heart to send your brother to Xiongya Academy?"

In the front hall, Tong Shipei asked nervously.

"What else?" Zhuo Siheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Aren't you the very jinshi who studied his way out of there? Uncle Tong took the place where you studied as his recommendation — clear proof he's sincerely finding my fourth brother a good berth; I can't thank him enough — how could I refuse?"

"My father's sincere, of course — that place is so hard to get into, only a shade easier than the Jiangxiang Academy; how many sharpen their heads to a point and pull strings to get in? A month ago my uncle's family wanted to use my father's connection to send my younger cousin there, and my father turned him down cold. He's truly helping you, I can see that. It's just because I studied there that I have to warn you! When the time comes, don't go soft over your brother suffering!"

From the heartfelt terror with which Tong Shipei brought up Xiongya Academy, the place was probably the dynasty's answer to those infamous cram-school factories back home — likely with a terrifying study atmosphere. But on second thought, come the departmental-exam prep, Tong Shipei had felt the sky go dark and life unlivable at reading one more book or writing one more essay; set him to study and he'd surely grumble to high heaven, so Zhuo Siheng didn't take it too much to heart. He kept Tong Shipei to dine with the family.

The Zhuo family was no great house; back in the countryside there hadn't been so much strict separating of men and women, and Zhuo Siheng simply took Tong Shipei as his friend introduced to the family. Tong Shipei felt at first it was a bit too casual — not quite the training he'd had since childhood — but the warm daily life of the Zhuo family made him envious, and after a meal he sighed all the more that having brothers and sisters was true happiness. Witty and humorous, he was much loved by Ciheng for their rambling, free-and-easy chatter, and the two soon talked like true brother and sister, could not have hit it off better.

Back home, Tong Shipei spoke to his father of the Zhuo family; the words came to Tong Duo's lips to remind his son he ought to mind propriety a little, but seeing him tell of the four Zhuo siblings' fond, amusing doings with such envy and rapture, he hadn't the heart, and only listened throughout, smiling now and then.

As for Zhuo Siheng, it was only half a month after Xiheng started school that he understood Tong Shipei's warning.

He truly regretted it!

Xiongya Academy was not in the capital but halfway up Xiongya Mountain in the near outskirts; the students went home once a fortnight, two days at a time, then back to their books. His brother had gone off to study fair and clean-faced, and came back half a month later so thin it was as if he'd shed a layer of skin, eye-sockets sunken, cheeks puffy, gone too the vigor he'd had on first reaching the capital; back home he dropped straight to sleep. Zhuo Siheng was both heartsore and fretful, and the next day two fever-blisters rose on his lips.

Only on asking did he learn the academy's coursework was crushingly heavy — not just Xiheng; every student went home once a fortnight to renew his life, then back to the academy to grind on; everyone alike, without exception.

Zhuo Siheng was just this way: however hard he himself studied he took it as light and untroubled, but watching his sister and brother suffer, his five organs burned and he wished he could bear the ordeal in their place.

So before Xiheng went back, Zhuo Siheng grabbed him and declared: "Good brother, at worst we just won't study anymore!"

Zhuo Xiheng was dumbfounded, not knowing what nerve his brother had struck, and stared blankly, waiting for him to finish.

"Your brother's a zhuangyuan too, you know! And I didn't study myself to this state! Just stay home — I'll teach you myself, and I guarantee I'll teach no worse than your teachers!" This much confidence Zhuo Siheng did have.

Zhuo Xiheng felt his brother's ideas sometimes leapt beyond understanding, yet he could feel his elder brother's care too, and in his heart was warmth mixed with a touch of rebellious distaste; he said in a low voice: "I like the academy very much."

"What is there to like?" Zhuo Siheng couldn't understand. "You like this environment of coerced learning?"

In his anxiety, even a trendy term long asleep in the depths of his last life's memory popped out.

"I just like it." Zhuo Xiheng had no intention of understanding his brother's oddness today, and only spoke his heart's truth: "I want to keep studying. Elder Brother needn't worry; I look worn out, but inside I'm happy."

With his brother saying so, he'd never go against Xiheng's own wishes, whatever the case.

Seeing his brother talk no more nonsense, Zhuo Xiheng made to go back to his room; reaching the door he suddenly stopped, turned his head, and said word by word: "Elder Brother — a doting mother spoils the child." With that he shut the door and left to pack his things for returning to the academy the next day.

For the first time in his life Zhuo Siheng had been lectured by his little brother, and sat in the study feeling thoroughly deflated.

But he'd never have guessed that, compared with his "rebellious-phase" little brother, the one with far more damage to deal him was the rebellious-phase emperor... and the ministers who'd gotten rebellious right along with the emperor.