Chapter 2691: The Capital (Part 47)

According to Zhou Lezhi's reasoning, given the existence of such a "confidant" as Liang Cunhou, Master Wang would likely introduce the Teacher to the Yuyuan Society. However, he had guessed completely wrong—the Teacher remained unaware of the Yuyuan Society's existence from beginning to end.

Unexpectedly, the one sent to exchange knowledge with the Yuyuan Society was none other than Zhou Lezhi himself.

"You will go to the Yuyuan Society to share what you know. You may discuss anything, with two exceptions," Wang Yehao instructed. "First, nothing about Hearthstone Immortal. Second, nothing about the 'Heavenly Book.'"

"What about the books the Teacher has written? If someone asks for guidance, should I..."

"That presents no problem. Regarding Ao Learning, you may speak freely and without reservation."

"Yes, this lowly one understands."

"From now on, when addressing me, there is no need to call yourself 'this lowly one.' Simply refer to yourself as 'Student.' Henceforth, you shall be counted among the gentleman advisors in my service."

Zhou Lezhi was overjoyed. He immediately knelt to kowtow, saying, "Many thanks for the Master's grace."

Originally, his status in the Wang Prefecture had been that of an undefined concubine's attendant. Though nominally counted as "Hearthstone Daoist's" disciple, in practice he was little different from the Wang family servants. Before Master Wang he had to kneel and bow, addressing him as Master [Laoye]. But starting from this day, he would be a "Sir" [Xiangsheng], properly treated with equal courtesy. For a farm boy who had failed at scholarly pursuits, this represented an enormous leap in station.

"Serve diligently, and in the future you shall not lack the title of Imperial College Student."

"Yes, I still require the Master's continued support and guidance." Zhou Lezhi bowed deeply, imitating the manner of a proper scholar. He asked further, "If there are questions that I myself cannot answer, may I consult Mr. Zhou before responding?"

"That is permissible. Just ensure they never learn of it."

Zhou Lezhi's appearance at the Yuyuan Society immediately caused a sensation among its members. At that time, the Society numbered fewer than seven or eight people in total. Apart from Liang Cunhou, it formed an extremely small circle within Guangzhou's scholarly community.

Liang was quite discerning in selecting members; he would not accept someone into the Society merely because they harbored a passing interest in the Kun and their artifacts. After all, these objects were novel and fascinating—almost everyone found them intriguing. Only those who possessed genuine insight and knowledge regarding the Kun and their artifacts could gain entry.

However, no matter how much insight they possessed, it amounted to fragmentary, half-understood knowledge. How could any of them match Zhou Lezhi's coherent logic and systematic mastery? After attending two or three gatherings, he solemnly became the "Master of Ao Learning" of the Yuyuan Society. Liang Cunhou then invited him to come to Guangzhou twice monthly to deliver lectures, transmitting the Dao and imparting specialized knowledge.

As for the Teacher's writings, they did not create too great a sensation. As Australians returned to Guangzhou, many Australian books had also begun appearing on the market. After Liang Cunhou sent people to purchase them, he kept one copy at the Yuyuan Society and sent another to Zhaoqing.

The Teacher's reactions to these books varied considerably. Most he appreciated quite well, even adopting them as textbooks for his teaching. But certain books he dismissed with disdain. For example, this The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

This particular book had not been sent by Liang Cunhou—his focus in acquiring books was Ao Learning, and novels naturally fell outside that scope. So when this book appeared in the Teacher's courtyard, and even in Yourong's room, he was visibly startled.

"Where did this book come from?" Mr. Zhou held up the volume, questioning Yourong sternly.

Yourong had given birth to a son in the capital, just as she had wished. At half a year old, the child was collected by people sent by Wang Yehao and brought to the Zhou Residence in the Governor-General's Office in Zhaoqing. The Teacher was overjoyed, immediately naming the boy Zhou Newton.

At present, Yourong could be said to be quite satisfied with her circumstances. Although Mr. Zhou had never explicitly declared who ranked higher between his women, Yourong considered herself a "meritorious official," and her arrogance had clearly begun to overshadow Jieyi.

Yourong relied on her "merit," and given that Mr. Zhou had a gentle temperament and doted on children above all else, her arrogance within the Zhou Residence grew ever higher.

When the Master's face suddenly transformed into that of a fierce and wrathful deity, she was frightened into hastily suppressing her petty temper. She answered in a small voice, "Wang Zhi bought it."

"Wang Zhi!" The Teacher shouted into the courtyard. Wang Zhi, who had been waiting outside, hurried over.

"What instructions does the Master have?"

"Did you buy this book?"

Wang Zhi took the book and examined it, scratching his head as he recalled. "That should be right. No one else reads books in our residence. It was all at Miss Yourong's request—she asked me to buy some novels and songbooks for her entertainment."

Compared to Jieyi, who could barely recognize a few characters, Yourong's cultural level was indeed much higher. Not only was she proficient in various forms of poetry and verse, but playing instruments and singing were also among her distinctive skills. Originally, Zhou Lezhi had hoped to cultivate her talents further. Unfortunately, within a few days he discovered that a classical tsundere literary girl and a modern, straightforward, science-minded middle-aged man were truly not people of the same path. Separated by a generation gap of nearly four hundred years, exchanging feelings proved far less simple than exchanging bodily fluids.

For her part, Yourong had also experienced the universal thought process from initial joy to eventual disillusionment. When she first learned that the man taking her as a concubine was an advisor in the Governor's Yamen, she had been genuinely happy for a time. However, upon meeting him in person, she discovered that he was unexpectedly a man without scholarly refinement or artistic accomplishment. Not only was he unversed in poetry and prose, ignorant of Ci lyrics and Qu songs, but sometimes he could not even understand the official notes passed to him by Master Wang.

Though his scholarly arts were unrefined, at least Master Wang looked after him, so he could be counted as faring well enough. The only pity was that honors like "Lady of Mandate" would never fall upon her.

"Where did you buy it?" The Teacher continued to press Wang Zhi.

"The Ziyuan Bookshop in Guangzhou. A newly opened bookstore with quite a large storefront—very impressive."

"This is probably also Manager Guo's enterprise, is it not?"

"Yes. The Australian books originally sold by Zizhenzhai have all been moved there now. They have also added many new titles. Besides this novel, there are also many picture books..."

"Lianhuanhua [Linked Pictures/Comics]."

"That might be the name. Few words and many pictures, convenient to read. And cheap—many people buy them..."

"You bought some as well?"

"Yes..." Wang Zhi did not understand why the Master was suddenly so agitated over this matter. "I bought a few volumes."

"Bring them for me to see."

Holding the Lianhuanhua in hand gave him a familiar feeling; they turned out to be several volumes of The Biography of Yue Fei.

"Is the complete set fifteen volumes?"

"Yes..." Wang Zhi looked at the Master with some surprise. "I could not afford the full set, so I bought a few first. I will buy more once my monthly wages are issued."

"You may go." The Teacher waved Wang Zhi away.

Zhou Lezhi did not understand why the Teacher was so alarmed and agitated. This Australian novel was hardly a rare object. The Teacher might be unaware, but Zhou Lezhi, who frequently traveled to Guangzhou, knew the situation with perfect clarity.

"Teacher, this is the latest batch of Australian books sent from the Liang Residence."

"Just place them on the table," the Teacher said impatiently, picking up The Legend of the Condor Heroes again.

"They have even reprinted this book—they must have nothing better to do!"

Turning a page, the Teacher's gaze fell upon the cover. "They have even changed the author! Shameless! I wonder what Old Man Cha would think if he saw this..."

Zhou Lezhi asked cautiously, "This author..."

"The author is not this person." The Teacher tossed the book aside carelessly. "I suppose there are also The Return of the Condor Heroes and The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber?"

"I have not seen those."

"Was this book also obtained by that Liang Cunhou?"

"Yes. According to Master Liang, the Australians have now opened bookstores in Guangzhou..."

"Their strides grow ever bolder." Mr. Zhou began another of his cryptic, seemingly disconnected monologues. "Cultural infiltration, tsk tsk..."

Zhou Lezhi dared not speak, merely watching as the Teacher leafed through the various latest Australian books that had been sent over to the study. Whenever books involving the Classics, History, Philosophy, or Literary Collections appeared, he set them aside directly and tossed them away. The remainder—classified according to Industry, Agriculture, and Science—fell to Zhou Lezhi to register and shelve.

"They certainly have their methods," the Teacher muttered to himself while sorting. "Their moral character may be base and inferior, but their foresight reaches tall and far."

The book collection grew ever larger. As the sources of books increased, the occasions when the Teacher wrote his own teaching materials became fewer and fewer. For the most part, he made annotations and modifications to purchased Ao books, then conducted his lectures from those.

"Teacher, if the Kun print and sell their own learning so freely, are they not afraid that others will master it all and also create powerful military weapons and tools of national strength?"

"Hehe." The Teacher sneered. "This is precisely where their formidable cunning lies!" He picked up a book at random. "This book serves as an example."

It was Elementary Theory of Optics. The Teacher used it as a textbook, teaching much knowledge of optics. Because they had prisms, telescopes, magnifying glasses, and other optical equipment purchased from Zizhenzhai on hand, learning yielded twice the results with half the effort. Many optical principles could be explained with great ease.

"...This book discusses optical principles throughout and teaches the structure of many optical devices. But possessing only this book, could you actually manufacture these telescopes and magnifying glasses?"

"It would be difficult..."

"Correct. Merely knowing principles and structure, even while possessing the actual objects, one still cannot produce them. Although we know how to smelt glass, we do not know how to make colorless transparent glass, nor how to grind and shape concave and convex lenses of varying degrees... All of this requires the support of an entire system. Do you understand now?"

Zhou Lezhi grew thoughtful. "Speaking thus, manufacturing each component requires its own book..."

"This is precisely where their scheming lies. Does everyone not recognize that Australian learning is formidable and useful? They let you learn, but even after learning you cannot apply it. Yet when the day comes that they too arrive in Guangzhou, those people who have studied Australian learning—they will be able to use it then."

Zhou Lezhi felt an involuntary shiver run through him. "Teacher, do you mean that in the future, the Kun still intend to... to... attack Guangdong?"

"I fear they even wish to water their horses at the Yangtze River and contend for dominion over all under Heaven!"

This terrible future made Zhou Lezhi shudder despite the warmth. After all, Guangdong—especially the vicinity of Guangzhou—had enjoyed nearly a hundred years of peace, free from major wars.

"Is there a method to thwart the Kun's ambition?"

The Teacher regarded him for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "You actually possess quite the ambition of embracing all under Heaven..."

"The Teacher jests. This concerns the safety of our native land. How could one simply disregard it?" Zhou Lezhi spoke solemnly. "Has the Teacher not heard of the miserable conditions in Sanshan, Sanliang, and those other places?"

Hearthstone Immortal's expression showed some surprise, as though he had not expected his own student to utter such words. He watched him in silence for a long while before speaking. "At present, Australian power has already taken form. Attempting to confront them with a dignified formation would be as difficult as ascending to heaven. One can only proceed covertly, engaging in acts of stealth and subterfuge."

He pondered for a moment and said, "Starting today, I shall teach you the Australian Techniques of Espionage."

(End of Chapter)