Chapter Twenty-One: Mr. Li (Part One) — Third Update

The Dou Clan Village does not refer to a single settlement. South along the Yi River, there are more than a dozen villages of varying sizes, all thriving under the Dou family’s protective wing. Altogether, this clan village numbers over ten thousand souls. If gathered, they would form a sizable town. Since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Dou family has consistently aligned themselves wisely, forging vast networks with the military aristocrats of Guanzhong and the noble houses of eastern China.

Dou Yi was an imperial relative of the Northern Zhou, Dou Rongding of the Sui dynasty… If one counts the Dou family of the Han era, and later Li Yuan, the Dou family truly stands as an unambiguous lineage of imperial kin. With such alliances, the Dou clan’s influence in Luoyang has long surpassed that of the Zheng family.

Whether the Zhengs admit it or not, the Dou family, whose history rivals that of the eastern gentry, after a period of decline at the end of the Eastern Han, has revived with unparalleled vigor. They possess depth as well as strength. Even the Guanzhong military nobility must approach the Dou family with caution.

Zheng Shian seemed somewhat disdainful of the Dou family, believing their bloodline impure, overly influenced by non-Han elements.

Yet Zheng Yanqing dared not underestimate them… Such an aristocratic clan, eight hundred years old, only grew stronger with each dynasty’s rise and fall. To borrow a phrase from later generations: the Dou family is blessed with political acumen few can match.

They know how to choose, how to follow the tides. A single correct choice may be luck; repeated correct choices are vision. Without a doubt, the Dou family possesses remarkable foresight.

Thus, when Zheng Yanqing stepped into the Dou family’s academy, he bore no trace of contempt.

With reverence in his heart, he arrived at the academy, joining a group of children as one of its students.

The Dou family academy stood beside Luoyang’s Golden Valley Garden.

In the Western Jin, the wealthy Shi Chong built Golden Valley Garden, which had endured for three centuries. Its courtyard blossomed with lush grass and gentle streams. Though neglected for years, its beauty remained enchanting. The academy lay nearby; from its branches, one could glimpse the garden’s ornamental hills, flowing water, pavilions, and towers.

Only a mighty clan like the Dou family could establish an academy here; ordinary folk lacked such power.

The academy was an independent estate with three courtyards—front, middle, and rear—each dedicated to different disciplines. The elementary classes gathered in the front courtyard, where children sat in classrooms, gazing through windows at birds and flowers. The tranquil world held a sense of solemnity.

Their teacher was a man just past thirty, strikingly young.

He had a square face, skin tinged with bronze, thick brows, and large eyes, exuding authority without anger. His white robe lent him a scholarly elegance. Though he usually wore a warm smile, the children felt a lingering awe in his presence.

Perhaps it was an innate dignity.

Zheng Yanqing knew this teacher’s surname was Li, his name Ji—a scholar Dou Kang had invited from Youzhou.

Dou Kang, though not the clan head, was among the most powerful members of the Dou family.

His father, Dou Rongding, hailed from imperial kin, making Dou Kang nephew to Yang Jian.

Li Ji led his students in the academy’s main hall, bowing to the sages before commencing their lessons.

He taught from the “Five Cangs,” the most popular elementary textbook of the time. The Five Cangs resembled Yan Shigu’s instruction of Xu Shiji and Zheng Hongyi’s “Cangjie Chapter.” The Five Cangs included the Qin-era “Cangjie Chapter” by Li Si, “Yuanli Chapter” by Zhao Gao, and “Boxue Chapter” by Hu Mu Jing. Since the Han, these three texts merged as the “Cangjie Chapter,” transitioning from Qin seal script to Han clerical script, and became known as the “Three Cang Books.”

In the Wei and Jin eras, “Xunzuan Chapter” and “Pangxi Chapter” were added, thus renamed the “Five Cangs.”

In the Sui dynasty, this was the primer alongside the “Thousand Character Classic,” both four-character rhymed verses, sixty characters per section.

Written in clerical script, it served both as a model for children’s handwriting and an aid to recitation.

Li Ji read aloud in class, his cadence varied, his rhythm strong. The students followed, reciting though they barely grasped the meaning. Yet they managed to keep pace. It turned out recitation was a profound art.

Li Ji’s recitation differed greatly from later generations’ poetry readings.

He swayed with the rhythm, his voice mingling with the children’s, echoing through the hall. This style of reading easily drew one in. At first, Zheng Yanqing found the swaying amusing, but gradually he became immersed. Unconsciously, as the incense stick burned away, the lesson ended.

Li Ji put down his book, smiling, “Go out and rest for a while. When the bell rings, we’ll begin writing.”

“Thank you, sir!”

The students rose, bowing in gratitude to Li Ji.

Before classes began, these rituals had to be learned. Courtesy must never be neglected. Students bowed to teachers to show respect and gratitude for their instruction; teachers bowed to thank students for their attentiveness.

In sum, the rituals were many and precise.

Zheng Yanqing finally understood why later generations called theirs the “land of propriety”: through each ceremony, one glimpsed its deeper meaning. Perhaps it made little sense to the young, but as one aged, understanding followed. Regrettably, in Yanqing’s previous era, these traditional ceremonies had been lost or distorted beyond recognition.

During the break, the children left the academy.

Yanqing was about to depart when Li Ji called him, “Your name is Zheng Yanqing—is your family from the Zheng clan?”

“Sir, I am from Anyuan Hall; the old steward there is my grandfather…”

Zheng Yanqing answered respectfully.

For some reason, he found Li Ji particularly approachable.

Li Ji nodded, “I heard the Zheng magistrate engaged Yan Zhou as a tutor. Why then are you studying here at the Dou family’s village academy?”

“I… am not sure.”

Li Ji regarded him, speaking in a low voice, “Frankly, where you study matters little; what matters is yourself. Yanqing, from your performance in class, you seem to recognize quite a few characters. Who taught you before? Which books did you read?”

Zheng Yanqing, after reading something once, could recite it almost flawlessly.

His abilities set him apart, and Li Ji had noticed, hence he called Yanqing to stay behind.

“When I was young, I learned a bit from my nurse, and later, while cleaning the master’s study, I saw the Liu Xiong stele.”

Li Ji’s eyes lit up, “So you can write as well?”

“I have learned a little.”

Yanqing dared not exaggerate. The script of the Sui and Tang eras differed much from the simplified characters of later times. Some he recognized from copying steles or other sources; some, he did not.

This was why he needed the village academy.

Li Ji nodded, “I see… Your foundation is solid, but do not let it breed complacency. A high starting point means higher expectations. In days to come, I will demand more of you than others—be prepared.”

Yanqing could not guess what prompted Li Ji’s words.

Instinctively, he felt Li Ji treated him differently from the other children. Was it a blessing or a curse? Zheng Yanqing could not say. Yet since Li Ji spoke thus, Yanqing respectfully thanked him and left the classroom.

After a short rest, everyone returned to class.

Li Ji resumed teaching, this time focusing on handwriting, instructing everyone to write the Five Cangs text in sand trays.

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