The Imperial Academy (Taixue) was the earliest institution of higher learning in China.
Before the Han Dynasty, knowledge was largely a private affair, rarely taught openly. This is why Confucius, who openly accepted disciples, was so revered. Even so, it is said that Confucius only took on 72 disciples, with records stating, "Five or six were adults, and six or seven were children," totaling exactly 72. However, research suggests that Confucius actually had around 2,000 to 3,000 disciples in his lifetime, though only a few became famous.
Historically, Confucianism made more significant contributions to education compared to other schools of thought. The idea of "education without discrimination" was a revolutionary concept at the time, akin to a divine revelation for many.
In the fifth year of Yuanshuo (124 BCE), Emperor Wu of Han, who promoted Confucianism while suppressing other schools of thought, adopted Dong Zhongshu's suggestion: "I hope Your Majesty will establish the Imperial Academy, appoint renowned teachers, and nurture scholars from across the land." Thus, the Imperial Academy was founded in Chang'an, teaching Confucian classics such as the *Book of Songs*, *Book of Documents*, *Book of Rites*, *Book of Changes*, and *Spring and Autumn Annals*.
Although Dong Zhongshu's proposal for the Imperial Academy was self-serving and lacked the inclusivity of later universities, for people in the centuries before the Common Era, having a place to learn was already a great fortune.
At that time, most knowledge was closely guarded by powerful families and rarely shared, let alone taught to outsiders. Therefore, the establishment of the Imperial Academy was like a hurricane sweeping through the academic world, further solidifying Confucianism's dominance.
The *Book of Rites: Royal Regulations* records: "When the king orders education, then schools are established. Elementary schools are located to the south of the palace, while higher learning institutions are in the suburbs. The Son of Heaven calls it the 'Piyong,' and the feudal lords call it the 'Pan Palace.'" Here, the "Piyong" was the prototype of a national university, while the "Pan Palace" in feudal states was modeled after the Imperial Academy.
Through the efforts of successive Han emperors, the Imperial Academy grew from its initial small scale of 50 students under Emperor Wu to 100 under Emperor Zhao, 200 under Emperor Xuan, over 1,000 under Emperor Yuan, 3,000 under Emperor Cheng, and a staggering 10,000 under Wang Mang. By the time of Emperor Zhi in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the number had reached "over 30,000 students."
What does 30,000 students mean? It's comparable to the student population of a modern university.
With so many students, a whole industry naturally formed around their daily needs. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Imperial Academy's dormitories alone consisted of "240 buildings with 1,850 rooms," not to mention other facilities.
When young, passionate students gather, it's inevitable that they would have opinions and ideas about national policies, dreaming of how they would change things if they were in power...
While such discussions were usually harmless, they could be incited by those with ulterior motives. Imperial Academy students had participated in national politics several times. During the reign of Emperor Ai of the Western Han, doctoral student Wang Xian once gathered over a thousand students to try to rescue the incorruptible official Bao Xuan. In the late Eastern Han, figures like Chen Fan and Li Ying, who opposed the eunuchs' arrogance, also rallied a group of students. As a result, these students became targets of the eunuchs, with many implicated in political purges. Records show that over a thousand students were arrested and imprisoned, and the Imperial Academy was even temporarily shut down.
During the later years of Emperor Ling of Han, those affected by the political purges were rehabilitated, and the Imperial Academy was reopened to admit new students.
Logically, Fei Qian, who was already a court official (Langguan), didn't need to go through the Imperial Academy. However, Cai Yong was an important academician at the academy, teaching courses such as the *Book of Songs*, *Book of Documents*, *Spring and Autumn Annals*, *Erya*, and even specialized music lessons. These classes weren't open for students to attend at will; it depended on Cai Yong's mood. He only taught two days a month, and the content was decided by him, with the academy announcing it a few days in advance.
Therefore, every time new students were admitted, Cai Yong, as a representative academician, was invited to participate in the enrollment ceremony. Cai Yong had asked Fei Qian to join the ceremony and complete the master-disciple rites, partly because the most solemn form of such rites was the Imperial Academy's enrollment ceremony, and partly to show his regard for Fei Qian.
Thus, Fei Qian had prepared the gifts required for the master-disciple ceremony and stood behind the new students of the autumn term, waiting for Cai Yong's summons.
However, Cai Yong's private disciple ceremony couldn't take place before the official event. First was the group master-disciple ceremony for the autumn term students.
The new students of the autumn term all wore green-collared robes (a traditional scholar's attire) and scholar's caps, forming a neat square formation.
Behind the student formation, Fei Qian stood alone, wearing a long official robe with a dark outer garment and a light inner garment, topped with a long official cap. Compared to the students, he stood out like a crane among chickens, completely out of place.
Fei Qian felt that people kept glancing at him, which made him somewhat uncomfortable. However, having spent years in the professional world, he maintained a composed demeanor. Though inwardly uneasy, his face showed a standard, closed-mouth smile, and he stood perfectly still.
While Fei Qian felt awkward, others were practically starstruck—Cai Yong's new disciple, wow... and a newly appointed court official, wow... and so handsome, hmm... and reportedly unmarried, ohh...
Unlike Fei Qian, who was enduring the stares in the crowd, Cai Yong was somewhat annoyed when he saw Liu Hong nearby—I invited you to observe the ceremony, but here you are, wearing the same academician robe as me. What are you trying to do?
In fact, Liu Hong was also a specially invited teacher of the *Classic of Calculations* at the Imperial Academy and naturally had his own academician robe. He just hadn't told Cai Yong, and Cai Yong hadn't asked the academy's administrators...
As the ceremonial music for the master-disciple rite began, Cai Yong whispered to Liu Hong, "What are you up to?"
Liu Hong, half-joking and half-serious, replied, "I see the gifts Ziyuan brought are quite nice. How about sharing half with me?"
Cai Yong glared at him. So, you're here to poach my disciple! He snorted, "Absolutely not!"
Liu Hong didn't mind Cai Yong's attitude. After all, he was trying to steal someone else's disciple. If the roles were reversed, he would probably be even more hostile.
However, Liu Hong had come prepared. He leaned in slightly and said, "When I was in Kuaiji Commandery, I happened to acquire a scroll of the *Dao Yuan Jing* attributed to the Yellow Emperor. If you, hmm..."
Cai Yong was startled. "The *Dao Yuan Jing*? You mean one of the four classics of the Yellow Emperor? I thought it was lost!"
"I've examined it, and it's undoubtedly the *Dao Yuan Jing*. Probably the only copy in existence..."
Cai Yong pondered for a long time, reluctantly gritting his teeth as he replied, "Still no. It's just one book. My family has a library of ten thousand volumes. One more won't make a difference." Though his words were firm, the twitching of his facial muscles betrayed his true feelings.
"Cough, cough, how about adding the 'Lüqi' zither? If you still refuse, I'll have to take it back as a family heirloom..."
"Sima Xiangru's 'Lüqi' zither? You're not lying, are you?" Cai Yong stared at Liu Hong.
"A lost classic and an unparalleled zither, just for half of your disciple. Be decisive—just one word! It's the *Dao Yuan Jing* and the 'Lüqi' zither, after all..."
Cai Yong closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and finally whispered weakly, "You can only take half. No more..."