Confucianism under Heaven

Chapter 59 The Price of Paper in Luoyang

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Paper in Luoyang Becomes Expensive

Wang Renshu's gall bladder cracked open, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood before falling unconscious.

"You're not only unskilled but also harbor malicious intentions; Xingzhi Hall will never tolerate you..."

Chen Sijun snorted coldly, and with a final flick of her sleeve, a hurricane swept out, directly pulling Wang Ren away. Wang Xiaoyang and the others also scrambled away.

"Your writings are renowned throughout the world, your poetry unparalleled; from now on, I'll call you Ye Wushuang."

Chen Changfeng stroked his beard and smiled slightly.

Ye Ru gave a wry smile. Han Yu was the head of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, the advocate of the Classical Prose Movement, and was also known as one of the "Four Great Masters of Literature Throughout the Ages" along with Liu Zongyuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Su Shi.

His achievements in prose are also immense. Zeng Guofan once praised him, saying: "Han Gong is like a divine dragon, ever-changing and capable of anything."

This essay, "On Teachers," not only employs numerous rhetorical devices but also contains many famous sayings and proverbs.

It would be strange if it didn't become a global phenomenon.

"That concludes today's lecture. This article..."

Before Ye Ru could finish speaking, Chen Changfeng's hands moved incredibly fast, snatching the last one into his own hand. His face flushed, and he coughed lightly.

"This article is the first of its kind, so let me serve as a warning to future generations."

The psychological trauma Wen Zhubu is currently experiencing is probably as vast as the magnanimity of Confucius. Half a month ago, three candidates for the imperial examinations competed for a poem, and half a month later, a great Confucian scholar competed for an essay...

However, this great Confucian scholar was also a person of high rank and power, so everyone could only suppress their laughter and look at Chen Changfeng with strange eyes.

Chen Changfeng coughed again, then said seriously:

"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and go study! If you encounter any problems you don't understand, ask Ye Tongsheng for help immediately, do you hear me! Especially you, Chen Sijun, instead of studying the classics, you're always thinking about mathematics, astronomy, and calendars. What good are you!"

Feeling wrongly accused, Chen Sijun stared wide-eyed at herself, pointing at herself with tears welling up in her eyes. She thought to herself, "I didn't even laugh! Why are they insulting me like this over an article?"

An elderly scholar was reprimanding another elderly scholar who had passed the imperial examinations. The key was that the latter could not retaliate, but could only turn red in the face. This comical scene made everyone laugh even more. However, since all the scholars who had passed the provincial and imperial examinations were present, they could not retaliate.

"Alright, I'll be going now. This is my imperial seal. Remember it. I'll come back after you finish the imperial examination."

Chen Changfeng handed the Hongyin insignia to Ye Ru, and then walked outside.

However, as soon as he reached the door, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

This surprised Ye Ru and the others, who were wondering what Chen Changfeng was going to do.

However, the next moment Chen Changfeng bowed to Ye Ru and said something that made everyone stumble:

"Remember to call me next time you give a lecture. No matter how far away it is, I'll come even if I have to take a sick leave."

If this were to get out, Ye Ru's school would probably be overflowing with students, as this is truly a field of knowledge.

After saying that, Chen Changfeng quickly left, but no one saw the beaming smile on his face and his whispered words:

"This piece by Ye Ru can probably be passed down as a family heirloom to instruct future generations."

"This lecture has now come to a true end. Thank you all for coming to listen. I hope that all of you will strive together and never underestimate yourselves."

Ye Ru watched Chen Changfeng leave, then addressed the crowd again before finally stepping down from the podium.

The hundreds of people present bowed their heads slightly as they saw Ye Ru off.

"Thank you for enlightening me, Master Fang!"

"Thank you for enlightening me, Master Fang!"

……

As soon as Ye Ru stepped outside, deafening sounds transformed into torrents, echoing throughout the land.

Whether it was this lecture that answered their questions, or Ye Ru sacrificing a fifth-grade literary treasure to aid the border and resist demons for the greater good of humankind, it was enough for them to bestow upon him a grand and solemn ceremony!

Ye Ru turned around, bowed deeply, and then left.

"Thank you very much."

"Perhaps from now on, Xingzhi Hall will become a famous scenic spot."

Chen Sijun and Pang Jun exchanged glances, looking at the fervent eyes of the scholars and students, and gave a wry smile.

"Ye Ru first helped us defeat the people of Ningfeng County, and now he has made Xingzhi Hall the center of the seven great phenomena through his lectures. He has also inscribed an ancient stele here, taking Xingzhi as Jingru, firstly to respect Confucius and all the sages, and secondly to commemorate Ye Ru's lectures here. Why don't we change Xingzhi Hall to Jingru Hall?"

Pang Jun pondered for a moment, then smiled and said.

"That's indeed a good idea. Ye Ru has worked hard and deserves this reward."

'Ye Rucai is only a student at the lowest level of the imperial examinations. Wouldn't it be met with opposition if he changed Xingzhi Hall to Jingru Hall?'

Li Wenfeng frowned.

Chen Sijun ignored Li Wenfeng and, amidst the crowd's discussion, suddenly shouted:

"How about we rename Xingzhi Hall to Jingru Hall?"

The voice was loud and clear, startling everyone into silence. Then, as if they understood something, a chorus of voices rose and fell.

"it is good!"

"Let's change it to Jingru Hall!"

'Your Excellency is wise!'

A cacophony of voices rose and fell, and then Chen Sijun looked at Li Wenfeng with a smug expression.

"How about it? You owe me a drink!"

After saying this, Chen Sijun laughed heartily and strode away from the place.

As Ye Ru wrote "On Teachers," the entire Qingyun County was plunged into an unprecedented wave of seeking knowledge. Scholars asked students, students asked novice students, and successful candidates asked successful candidates. A strange phenomenon permeated Qingyun County.

However, it is encouraging that everyone has adopted the right attitude towards learning, and there are people everywhere who are not ashamed to ask questions.

Moreover, Ye Ru's "On Teachers" was copied by tens of thousands of scholars, greatly increasing Ye Ru's literary reputation and spreading to other counties at an extremely rapid pace.

As for the Wang family, after this lecture, everyone took the initiative to sever ties with them, and their influence gradually diminished, to the point that Wang Xiaoyang and others didn't even dare to leave their homes.

The Wang family is now truly filled with regret. If they had known this would happen, why would they have provoked such a terrifying opponent?

However, all of this was self-inflicted, and Ye Ru did not seek selective revenge.

Ye Ru returned to Wenxing Private School and became a celebrity in the entire school. After all, everyone was reciting "On Teachers" during this period, which became a phenomenon for a time.

Some people even used this as inspiration to create a satirical poem: If you want to do well in the imperial examinations, you can't do without Ye Ru's "On Teachers".

Ye Ru could only smile wryly at this phenomenon, as he couldn't stop it. After resting for two days, Ye Ru began to prepare for the invention of woodblock printing and movable type printing.

"Boss, give me ten sheets of Xuan paper."

"One tael per sheet. How many do you want?"

In a bookstore, Ye Ru asked the owner.

"One tael per sheet? Didn't it used to be ten coins per sheet? Why is it so expensive now?"

Ye Ru's eyes widened in surprise as he asked.

"You must be from out of town. Back when Ye Tongsheng was lecturing in our county, he wrote a famous essay called 'On Teachers.' Because everyone was eager to copy Ye Tongsheng's work, 'On Teachers,' it became so popular that it was in short supply and expensive."

"This Ye Tongsheng is such a good person. My shop has benefited from it, and he even helped my son get a wife. If I ever meet Ye Tongsheng, I must invite him to my house for dinner."

When the old man mentioned Ye Ru, he immediately straightened his head and puffed out his chest, with a hint of pride in his eyes.

This is the pride of Qingyun County.

This scene brought a wry smile to Ye Ru's face. Then, remembering an idiom, he murmured:

"I never imagined that Han Yu's masterpiece would be so popular; I've actually witnessed the phenomenon of 'paper becoming scarce in Luoyang' here..."