Chapter 598: Mount Wen Academy! The Chaos Begins! Scholar Reports the News! The Situation is Critical! Words of the Sage!
In Pu City...
This county town was renowned for its scholarly culture and had a temple dedicated to the Literary Saint. Although it was not one of the major cities of Donglin Prefecture, it had produced a number of notable scholars and civil service candidates.
Pu City also had Mount Wen Academy, whose head, Mr. Jinyan, was admired both for his virtue and his literary talent.
Over the years, graduates of Mount Wen Academy had not fared particularly well in official appointments. Yet the character and spirit of these scholars, with their integrity and devotion to study, were widely praised.
Mount Wen Academy especially provided an accessible path for children from poor families, allowing many from humble backgrounds to rise through the imperial examinations.
Mr. Jinyan dressed simply and looked like a scholar in his early fifties, with a distinguished appearance.
In his youth, he had been a charismatic and elegant top-ranking scholar, known for his achievements as a tanhua[1].
Riding along the imperial streets in the capital, he had once been the center of attention. Yet most of the common folk in Pu City knew little of this glorious chapter of his past.
Mount Wen Academy was located in the west of the city. The environment was elegant. It lacked the imposing aura of larger academies but had a unique atmosphere conducive to quiet study and scholarship.
At this moment, a young scholar suddenly stumbled into Mount Wen Academy, bloodstains smeared across his clothes.
“It’s terrible. Something’s happened. Bandits have come into the city, and they’re pillaging the people.”
The scholar ran into the academy, bleeding heavily.