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Pingyang City was situated at the folded, crumpled edge of the Loess Plateau. Not far to the west, range upon range of mountains and valley floors rose and fell in layer after layer, like a sheet of yellow paper that had been viciously crumpled in someone's fist and then spread out flat again. Though it could still be called a sheet of paper, the creases and wrinkles etched into it could never again be made to vanish.
It is much the same with a person's character. The mind is originally a smooth, blank sheet, and then, as life unfolds, every word spoken and every deed performed leaves a mark upon that paper. When one grows old and looks back, one realizes that the path of one's entire life had, in truth, already been traced out by one's own nature from the very beginning...
Would a man habitually timid and fearful of trouble ever find the nerve to stake his entire family fortune on some venture?
No, he would not. In the vast majority of cases, such people will lead relatively calm and uneventful lives. Only late at night, in the occasional fleeting dream, might they vaguely recall that once upon a time, a certain man named Ma had approached them about an investment.
Would a man given to habitually coveting petty gains ever have the chance to expand his business into a great enterprise and elevate his clan?
No, he would not. For such people are, for the most part, fixated solely on what is right in front of them. Whenever they spy some small advantage, they must seize it clean. Yet the larger the business, the more it hinges upon a man's character. Even setting that aside and taking a step back, in the ordinary course of daily life, no one enjoys associating with a person who only takes and never gives, who always profits and never suffers a loss.
It was precisely for this reason that Fei Qian had deliberately chosen Jia Qu to take charge of this particular matter.
Jia Qu was young, and therefore relatively untouched by influences from various entrenched factions. The direction and extent of his growth and development could still be molded and guided. If an older, more established scholar had been chosen instead, when that scholar grew stubborn and obstinate, who exactly would end up listening to whom?
Moreover, there was a hidden benefit as well.
Cai Yong would be listed as the nominal head, which effectively made him the honorary chancellor of the academy. Fei Qian, for his part, absolutely had to hold a formal position within this academy, otherwise he would simply be laboring to make a wedding dress for someone else. Consequently, if the task of overseeing this project were entrusted to anyone else—the Wei clan, for instance, or some other party—it would be unavoidable that some would attempt to mix sand into the rice, bringing in their own clan members and associates. This was practically inevitable...
With Jia Qu, however, this problem did not exist, for Jia Qu's family was solitary and threadbare.
Fei Qian rode silently on horseback, stealing a glance at Jia Qu. At times, he felt that compared to his old self from the later era, he had changed far, far too much...
Back in the later era, he had been nothing more than a company employee. When he met people pleasant to his eye, he would chat a few words more. When he met those who rubbed him the wrong way, he would exchange only a few words less. Eight hours at the office, and when the workday ended, he would grab his bag and leave. Though the money was not much, the advantage lay in the ease and freedom.
Now, however, it seemed he was constantly calculating and scheming in his mind at every waking moment...
"Ah..." Fei Qian let out a quiet, melancholy sigh deep within his heart.
The mountain path stretched long and far, the yellow dust hazing the air. The horses' hooves clopped and clattered steadily along. As they rounded the flank of the mountain, the view before them suddenly opened up, and a great swath of vivid pink and delicate beauty flooded into sight.
Jia Qu extended his hand and pointed, saying to Fei Qian, "My lord, this is the place!"
Fei Qian lifted his gaze, and his entire mood lightened at once. He had never imagined that such exquisite beauty could be hidden away among these mountains!
No one knew when, nor how it had begun, but this swath of mountain land had become covered with peach trees, filling the entire slope and stretching across the ridges.
It was now the third month, and the peach blossoms were unfurling in profusion. Pale pink, deep pink, tender pink, diffuse pink—they blazed with such intensity that it seemed as if nothing remained between heaven and earth but these bewitching, gorgeous hues. They were like hundreds upon thousands of young maidens in the bud of youth, spirits frolicking and laughing softly among the branches. Each blossom in full bloom resembled the shy blush upon a maiden's cheek.
A mountain breeze swept through, carrying wave upon wave of lush, heady fragrance directly into their faces, like the tender hand of a lover, gently and softly, with delicate and moist caresses, soothing from head all the way down to the feet. In that moment, every pore of the body seemed to sigh in bliss, to groan in pleasure, to sing in exultation. All at once, it felt as though every last worldly care could be cast away entirely.
"An excellent place!" Fei Qian could not help but exclaim in loud praise.
Because the mountain was covered in peach trees, wild peaches would naturally bear fruit there. Thus, wild beasts and people alike had come in search of food, and in doing so had trodden out a small mountain path, twisting and winding its way upward.
Fei Qian, Jia Qu, and the company of guards followed the little mountain trail all the way to the summit. There, on a broad stone shelf near the peak, they actually discovered the remains of a Daoist temple. Yet it was utterly dilapidated, its gate collapsed and its beams askew...
The original walls of the temple had long since crumbled beyond any recognizable shape. In the front courtyard, wild grasses had grown taller than a man, making it impossible to enter. Fei Qian stood outside and examined the ruined main hall of the temple, but he could find no plaque or inscribed board of any kind, and thus had no way of knowing the temple's original name.
In the early Han, the teachings of Huang-Lao had been greatly favored. When those above showed a liking for something, naturally those below followed suit, and so Daoist temples were built in great numbers across the realm. Later, beginning with Emperor Wu of Han, the imperial court shifted its favor toward Confucianism. Coupled with the chaos of warfare, the number of those pursuing the Daoist path gradually dwindled. Without the support of officialdom and the great clans, a temple established deep in the mountains like this one was akin to a body whose veins that supply it with vital nourishment had been severed. In the end, it was only natural that it would wither away and decay...
Behind the ruined temple, the faint trace of a small stream could be glimpsed, its water gurgling and murmuring. It must have originated from a mountain spring higher up the peak, winding its way down to this spot.
Perhaps, for a Daoist temple, a place with no incense offerings and so far from any city or town was not an ideal location. But for Fei Qian's present purposes, it could scarcely be better. After all, what he intended to establish was an academy, and it was said that the pursuit of learning first required the calming of the heart. This place was neither too close to Pingyang City nor too far away—a perfectly balanced distance—and it also possessed such a breathtaking natural landscape. It was practically a heaven-sent site, tailor-made to serve as an ideal location for an academy.
"Shuliang, perhaps several decades hence, this place will become a renowned scenic spot," Fei Qian said with a cheerful laugh, the accumulated weariness of many days seeming to be swept clean away. "...If we were to erect a gateway marker at the foot of the mountain, what would you say to calling it the Qu Gateway?"
Jia Qu gaped in astonishment, his mouth hanging open. He stood stupefied for a long moment before frantically waving his hands. "I am but a person of the most negligible standing! How could I possibly be worthy of lending my name to such a thing? Absolutely, utterly out of the question!"
To speak the honest truth, though Jia Qu's mouth uttered such protests, how could his heart not yearn to have his own name left behind for posterity? Even if it were merely a name, for him it would represent a supreme and unparalleled honor. He had to consider that, in the future, countless students might pass through this place on their way up the mountain, and beneath this very gateway marker, they would gaze upward...
But his own reputation and fame were indeed far too obscure. Though the temptation was immense, Jia Qu forcibly mastered himself and refused Fei Qian's suggestion.
"Qu, meaning a thoroughfare reaching in all four directions. Is this not precisely the way of learning? To use the meaning of the Qu Gateway—the time for it could not be more apt," Fei Qian said with a smile. "Besides, you are the one who has labored to build this place. How could there be any principle that you should not leave your name behind? Remember the story of Zilu receiving the ox as a reward—it serves to influence and guide those who come after, far and wide."
The story of Zilu accepting the reward of the ox was one that practically everyone who had ever read the Analects would know. Thus, Jia Qu fell silent for a moment, and then refrained from further refusal. Instead, he changed his words and said, "I shall naturally devote my heart and soul to the utmost, so as to bring this achievement to completion."
Fei Qian smiled and nodded, then continued to look around with keen and spirited interest.
Jia Qu remained standing behind him, his gaze resting on Fei Qian, his eyes glinting with unspoken thoughts. With this name, he reflected, his own painstaking efforts would have been worthwhile. Moreover, from a certain perspective, if he performed excellently in this endeavor, his name might be passed down in the annals of history—a real possibility. But could Fei Qian's intention truly have been as simple as the single character "Qu" from his name, Jia Qu? It was written in the classics: "He who walks the road that branches in all directions will never arrive..."