Chapter Twenty-Six: "Universal Literary Journal"

Song Mu walked along the road to the county academy, unable to shake the sense of strangeness from his recent conversation with Li Mo’er. There was a deep sense of helplessness as well. The girl was a member of the renowned Li family of poets, held the title of presented scholar, and was an officer of the Celestial Guard—any one of these would have been an immense burden if it had fallen upon him.

Any request from her—be it a favor or a veiled command—was something he could only accept; refusal was out of the question. Yet now she was staying in his home, and this was something that absolutely must not become public knowledge, whether for the sake of her mission or his own reputation.

Still, for all her impressive background, she was only a young girl, thirteen or fourteen at most—what could she possibly do? A girl so young, with a flat figure...

Song Mu indulged in a moment of private amusement, but then recalled her performance that day in the otherworldly realm. The thought left him even more baffled as to why Li Mo’er had sought him out.

Arriving at the academy, Song Mu had barely taken his seat and opened his satchel when Kong Zong and several other students gathered around.

“Song Mu, did you go to Temple Street today?” one of the students asked eagerly, his face lit with excitement. Song Mu nodded.

“Did you see the demon disturbance there?” The excitement in the student’s voice grew at his nod. “Do you know who caused it? I heard several people died at the temple fair today. The instructor came in person, and the county magistrate himself has just returned from an inspection, vowing to investigate thoroughly.”

The group broke into animated discussion. Kong Zong, standing by Song Mu, added, “Song Mu, I heard the instructor used a new Purification Verse to quell the chaos today—do you know which poem it was?”

This question piqued everyone’s interest, and some urged Kong Zong to elaborate, “Come on, Kong, what poem did the instructor use? Tell us!”

Song Mu already had an idea. Earlier that day, in order to suppress the chaos, Ouyang Hong had recited no less than three Purification Verses, most of them by the Tang poet Wang Wei. But one of them was the “Practice Gatha” Song Mu himself had composed last time.

“‘The body is the bodhi tree, the mind a bright mirror stand. Always strive to keep it clean, let no dust alight or land.’”

“What a fine poem! It’s full of Zen wisdom and carries a message of diligence,” one of the students praised.

The others nodded in agreement, admiration evident on their faces. Indeed, the poem’s literary quality stirred feelings of awe in those who heard it.

What intrigued them even more was that when Ouyang Hong had recited the poem, there had been no sign of original literary aura, meaning the poem’s author was someone else. Yet such an excellent Purification Verse had never been seen elsewhere—it was as if it had appeared out of thin air.

The group continued their lively debate, with one of them glancing at Song Mu and asking, “Song Mu, what’s your opinion?”

Song Mu smiled lightly, feigning nonchalance. “It’s certainly a good thing. The more useful Purification Verses, the more tools we’ll have at our disposal in the future, won’t we?”

The others nodded, readily accepting this logic.

But Kong Zong looked thoughtfully at Song Mu. “Song Mu, this poem hasn’t appeared before, and Lord Ouyang has never used it. Don’t you think that’s a bit suspicious?”

Song Mu said nothing, only grinning; after all, he knew quite well where the poem came from.

Kong Zong’s eyes gleamed. “That means the poem was probably written by a scholar here in Jizhou Prefecture—maybe even someone in our own Shiyang County!”

At this, everyone else smacked their thighs in realization, some glancing at Song Mu with knowing smiles. Kong Zong also looked at Song Mu, grinning.

Song Mu rubbed his nose, hesitating, just about to explain.

“Um…”

Just then, a student burst into the classroom, waving two books excitedly. “Everyone! The latest issue of ‘The World Literary Gazette’ is here! Come and see!”

At these words, the group immediately dropped their previous discussion and flocked toward the newcomer.

When the Literary Empire was founded, in order to uphold the spirit of scholarship and better preserve the literary heritage, the founding emperor established “The World Literary Gazette,” a monthly publication featuring national affairs, news from the imperial capital, poetry and essays by scholars, and folk anecdotes.

The Gazette was edited by a senior grand scholar, three Hanlin academicians, and seven presented scholars as contributing writers. Every article was of exceptional quality, and any scholar who could master the works within could enrich his own literary aura.

As a result, scholars across the empire vied to read every issue—so much so that extra printings were often needed. To ensure it reached everyone, the Gazette was dispatched by express couriers to every county, with each county academy guaranteed ten copies of the latest issue. Shiyang County Academy naturally received two copies.

The classroom was soon divided into two groups as students scrambled to get a look.

Song Mu suppressed the urge to push his way in; he knew it would soon make its way to him.

It wasn’t long before one student began to read aloud from the Gazette.

“As of late June, the wars in the three northwestern prefectures have ended. Grand General Du Feiying beheaded seven demon kings on the Western Plains, his fearsome reputation echoing throughout the realm!”

“His Majesty has recently decreed the renovation of the Eastern Palace to celebrate the Crown Prince’s tenth birthday at the end of the year.”

“In early July, a rain-summoning literary gathering was held in Yanzhou, where the provincial champion composed a poem of seven measures, and heavenly rain fell in response…”

“Demon traces have appeared in Zhongzhou; the Celestial Guard says this is connected to the destruction of several literary families in Qingzhou…”

As the student read, he glanced at Song Mu. Impatient, another student urged, “Shao Le, what about the rest? What about the poetry?”

“Yes, we must have made the list this time—hurry and turn the page!”

Shao Le, a tall student, grinned at their encouragement and flipped further into the Gazette.

“No need to rush—here we are. Let me see…”

“There it is! ‘For Brother Kong Zong and Fellow Students of the County Academy, Written on the Fifth Day of the Seventh Month!’”

Shao Le’s excitement was palpable as he brandished the Gazette. The “Nine Measures of Literary Talent” poem appeared at the very top of the poetry section, stirring excitement in everyone. Shao Le continued, reading the commentary below:

“The style is bold but not arrogant, the imagery vigorous and brimming with heroic spirit. Nine measures of talent, each one a testament to the scholar’s ambition. Written by a descendant of the Song family’s literary line, this poem both inspires others and encourages the self. The world is not lacking in poets like Li and Du, but when all follow in their footsteps, true innovation is rare. To break free from these shackles is the true spirit of a scholar—excellent! Excellent! Excellent!”

As Shao Le finished reading, he was filled with emotion. Seeing the signature, he was overcome with joy.

“It’s an endorsement from Grand Scholar Yan Fu himself!”

“What? The grand scholar praised our poem?” gasped another student, his face lighting up with delight.

…