Chapter 81 (1/2)
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Chapter 81 Studying in the Yan Empire Academy
“What is etiquette? This is a very wide and grand question, but one of which we can never explore the limits of. But for the very reason that it is a grand question, we must, since a question would not be ”grand” if it weren’t also important.
And this word ‘etiquette’, though it is as unreachable as the sky, can we not still gaze curiously at it just as we gaze at the sky? During the day we observe the clouds and test the wind, and at night we view the stars and explore the silence: we want to know what the sky is, and what the sky is like. We want to know what is on top of it.”
“With such an extremely grand question, we need to answer in a way that all people can understand, our answer must be extremely detailed—down to the slightest form of the most specific inquiry. Because we look up at the starry sky, we watch the stars move, and in our hearts we draw the beautiful and firm star-line: this is astronomy came to be.”
“What is the sky? We should start from the specific lines: from the roads of cloud, to the breath on the edge where sky and earth meet, to the peaks of the earth to feel and understand—such is also the case with ‘etiquette’. Your teacher can only wonder, were we to explore the limit of the principles of etiquette, even down to the manner of asking just what that limit may be…just what kind of answer would we get?”
“Teacher can only say my own explanation, so called etiquette, is a law.”
It’s a heavy talk about etiquette of Sir Su, a.s.sociate Professor of Academy, age about sixty some. The speed of his lecture is extremely slow, but his words are very clear, the content of the lecture is kind well prepared. The students below the stage, from straight and horizontal row in front of the lecturer’s table, are extremely serious about the lecture; however Ning Que is already sleepy—the clearer the words from the lecturer’s lips, the bigger the sleep wore on in his brain, the more irresistible that sleep would be.
During the entry exam, his etiquette test was his lowest grade, he had no interest before and he has no interest now; lately he is busy with writing, meditation, killing, setting fire, gambling, and sleeping—there’s really nothing he can do about it.
Semi-conscious, Ning Que couldn’t help but think that if this few years life in the Academy, every day he needed to waste such a great morning on this obscene lecture, what a suffering.
During a later situation in the room, saving him from this desperate fantasy, he once again understands the highest status Academy in Great Tang: it is not an ordinary place, of course the student here is also not ordinary.
When the lecturer say etiquette is law, suddenly a disagreeing voice sounded in the room: “Sir, our Great Tang empire rules four seas, our holy emperor descended from heaven, how can we be ruled by etiquette?”
Academy rules state that students can ask questions in cla.s.s, so it is natural for this student to ask, after all it is the first day of the school, so the atmosphere in the room is a bit strange. Ning Que, awakened from his sleep mode, asked Chu You Xian beside him in a whisper: “Who?”
Academy talks about equality, they teach because of potential and that many students can enter Academy are from common folks, but the student who dares to question in the first lesson certainly must have an unusual background or unusual personality; in fact, the student stand beside the lecturer’s chair at this moment is a general’s son.
The lecturer stared at him coldly, asking, “In your opinion, do people in the world have no say in the law?”
“Right.” That general’s cub proudly said, “Our Great Tang empire used military to build the nation, not relying on those pedantic rules, but on strong s.h.i.+elds and sharp spears to naturally obtain eternal victory—none of that involved etiquette.”
The wrinkles on the lecturer’s face flattened, staring at the burly student with a poker face, said, “Your words mean that, whoever has the bigger fist is correct, whoever is stronger is right.”
That student, feeling a little embarra.s.sed and scratching his head, said strongly, “It’s not wrong to take it like that, because like how our Great Tang overwhelmed Yan empire, is there any time we didn’t beat them till they cried for dad and mom? They even needed to send their prince to Chang An as hostage! Their emperor dare not have the slightest disrespect toward His Majesty, respecting him like the son of a holy G.o.d.”
Ning Que heard this sentence at the back of room, he thinks that student must have even worse etiquette scores than himself.
The lecturer walked slowly toward the student, his face still emotionless. Walking to the front of the student, raising a dry stick of wood in his right hand, hit that student right in the face, roared angrily, “Whoever has the biggest fist is right? Then my hitting you is right!”
A howling sound in the room, that burly general’s son, possibly because he is scared of the Academy’s rules or out of respect the teacher, couldn’t fight back; he was being hit by a thin old lecturer until his nose turned green and his face was swollen, his mouth bleeding—he looked absolutely miserable.
After a while, the lecturer finally stopped. Panting and staring at the general’s son, he said gloomily, “If you are correct, then now my hitting you is right, because my fist is bigger than yours.”