Sima Shi and Xiahou Xuan, led by a minor official, walked slowly inside the Chongwen Temple, looking around from time to time. Among the three people in Chongwen Temple, the division of responsibilities is actually very clear. Gao Tanglong was in charge of compiling history, Cao Zhi was in charge of compiling classics, and Wu Zhi was in charge of literature. A chief priest and two deputy chief priests, apart from living together in the Chongwen Temple, did not interfere with each other much. While Gao Tanglong was in the palace, Wu Zhi had recently been spending all day in Luoyang city socializing with literary men, either attending poetry gatherings or banquets. But this is also Wu Zhi's job. If one wanted to collect articles and poems by various people, having them passed down orally by the great scholars and literary men in Luozhong was actually a shortcut. After all, in this era, people who could write articles and poems were basically from aristocratic families or official families, which was also due to the limitations of the era in which cultural communication was restricted. When He Yan heard that the two were coming, he was already standing at the door to greet them. Seeing He Yan waiting, Xiahou Xuan and Sima Shi bowed in return. He Yan smiled and said, "Taichu and Ziyuan have come at the right time! I have many talented people here who are studying the Book of Changes with me. Come in and take a look!"
Xiahou Xuan said, "Thank you, Brother Pingshu." As He Yan led the two people inside, Sima Shi also saw the overall structure of the house. This large room was like an ordinary classroom in the Imperial College. There were less than ten tables and chairs in the room, making it seem a bit empty. In addition to He Yan, there were four other people sitting in the room. Seeing He Yan leading two people in, the four of them also stood up. He Yan smiled and said, "Everyone, let me introduce you to each other." He Yan patted Xiahou Xuan's arm and said, "You may not have seen him yet, but this person next to me is Xiahou Zhengnan's son, Xiahou Taichu." "This is Sima Sikong's eldest son, Sima Ziyuan. These two young talents are both top-ranked students of the Imperial College. You must know this." The person closest to the door said with a smile, "I have heard of Xiahou Taichu's name for a long time. I am Bi Zili, Bi Jin of Dongping, and I once served as the literary officer of Your Majesty's Eastern Palace." Xiahou Xuan bowed and said, "I have heard of Brother Zili's name for a long time, and today I finally meet him." Sima Shi stood aside and saw Bi Jin and Xiahou Xuan talking to each other without mentioning himself, which made him feel a little unhappy. After Bi Jin introduced himself, the remaining three people in the room also started to communicate with the two. But what made Sima Shi unhappy was that the three of them also communicated with Xiahou Xuan first, and hardly asked Sima Shi any questions. Didn't He Pingshu make a name for himself? Apparently, fame is useful to outsiders, but it has no effect at all on people who know him well. But I can't blame them. There were too many high-ranking officials in Luozhong, and Sima Shi, the son of Sikong, was not very famous. Compared with Xiahou Xuan, who was as bright as the sun and the moon in one's arms, his popularity was indeed much lower. After some discussion, He Yan smiled and said, "Bi Jin, Bi Zili, Deng Yang, Deng Xuanmao, Li Sheng, Li Gongzhao, Ding Mi, and Ding Yanjing, these four talented people are all my friends. Taichu and Ziyuan, you should interact more often in the future." Xiahou Xuan bowed and said, "Thank you very much, Brother Pingshu, for your introduction. Today, I heard that Brother Pingshu was studying the Book of Changes at Chongwen Temple, so Ziyuan and I came here specially to visit you." "Everyone, please take a seat." He Yan said with a smile: "Taichu is right. Logically speaking, the Five Classics should be revised and translated into vernacular." "But things have their priorities. King Yongqiu is now in charge of revising the Book of Songs and has ordered me to lead the revision of the Book of Changes. The Book of History, the Book of Rites, and the Spring and Autumn Annals will be revised after the Book of Songs and the Book of Changes are completed." Sima Shi asked curiously, "Brother Pingshu, I have a question. Do I have an official position to study the scriptures here?"
He Yan nodded and said, "Of course they are officials. The chief priest and two deputy chief priests each hold a salary of two thousand dan. I am a scholar at Chongwen Temple, and I also hold a salary of one thousand dan." Bi Gui laughed and interrupted, "Brother Pingshu is a bachelor, and the four of us are also bachelors. It's just that Brother Pingshu is a bachelor of 1,000 stones, and the four of us are only 600 stones." Six hundred shi...is much higher than the three hundred shi that one can get as a Taixuelang after graduating from the Imperial College! "The court is really generous in treating scholars so well." Sima Shi asked again, "But are scholars appointed by Chongwenguan alone, or do they have to go through the Shangshutai?" He Yan smiled and said, "Ziyuan, what are you thinking! Although Chongwen Temple is favored by His Majesty, who will pay the salary for an official position without the approval of the Shangshutai?" "But Chongwenguan is still much better than other positions." Deng Yang followed up He Yan's words and said proudly, "We all owe our good positions to Brother Pingshu!" Xiahou Xuan was puzzled and asked, "What do you mean, Brother Xuanmao?" He Yan turned his head and looked at Deng Yang, but Deng Yang seemed to have a good idea. He smiled and said to He Yan: "Brother Pingshu, don't you want me to talk? Taichu and Ziyuan are also my friends. They are just six hundred stone positions. What can't they say?" He Yan shook his head helplessly, and Deng Yang's voice came from the side again. Deng Yang said: "Chongwen Temple is a newly established institution, and Lord Gaotang and Lord Wu are not in the temple all day. The only important official in the temple now is Prince Yongqiu." "Some time ago, Brother Pingshu went to find His Highness and wanted to bring us into the temple. But His Highness said that he only cared about the literary matters of the sutras and didn't care about other matters, so he asked Brother Pingshu to go directly to the Shangshutai." "Yuan Kan, the official of the Ministry of Personnel of the Shangshutai, has always been friends with us. He directly approved our official positions of 600 dan, and it took less than half a quarter of an hour!" He Yan glanced at Deng Yang with a hint of blame: "Xuan Mao, don't talk nonsense." "The reason why Yuan Gong approved it so readily is only because Chongwen Temple is valued by Your Majesty. What does it have to do with you or me?" “Hahaha.” Deng Yang smiled and bowed towards the rooftop: “Brother Pingshu is right. It’s all thanks to the grace of Your Majesty.” Xiahou Xuan and Sima Shi looked at each other, and there was a hint of surprise in their eyes. Six hundred koku! This is not a small official position. When Sima Fang, Sima Shi's grandfather, recommended Cao Cao as the Northern Inspector of Luoyang, he was also the magistrate of Luoyang with a salary of 600 stones. Xiahou Xuan had accompanied the emperor on a southern expedition, and Sima Shi spent the whole day listening to his father, who was the recorder of the imperial secretariat, talking about administrative affairs. Both of them were not unfamiliar with government affairs. Of course, what Yuan Kan and He Yan did was a private transaction that violated the rules! If the normal process was followed, after He Yan went to see Yuan Kan, the Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel, Yuan Kan should have reported the matter to Wei Zhen, the Shangshu You Pushe. For officials in important positions such as the salary of 600 shi or the magistrate of a non-large county, the approval process would not reach Sima Yi, who was the recorder of the Secretariat, so Wei Zhen could make all the decisions on his own. But doesn’t Wei Zhen work in the palace all day? It is obvious that Yuan Kan knew that Wei Zhen would definitely approve this, so he exceeded his authority and gave the official position to He Yan in advance. Xiahou Xuan asked He Yan somewhat awkwardly: "Brother Pingshu, this appointment seems to be inconsistent with the procedures, right?" He Yan smiled and said, "Taichu is worrying too much!" "The Chongwen Temple's revision of the sutra is a major matter of concern to Your Majesty. It is only natural that you should approve one or two things in advance. Taichu is too kind." Xiahou Xuan's official position was also awarded by the emperor, so he stopped worrying and said, "How about Brother Pingshu's revision of the Book of Changes? And how long will it take?" He Yan smiled, stood up and paced around the room: "The so-called study of Yi can actually be divided into two steps." "The first step is to translate the Book of Changes into vernacular Chinese. I'm sure all the students at the Imperial College already know the reasoning behind this, right?" Xiahou Xuan nodded in agreement.
He Yan continued, "The second step is to annotate the Book of Changes. Did Taichu know that the Chongwenguan annotated the Five Classics this time to be made public to schools all over the country as official textbooks." Sima Shi saw this and asked, "Brother Pingshu, I have a question." "Ziyuan, please feel free to speak." He Yan looked at Sima Shi. Sima Shi hesitated for a moment: "Brother Pingshu, isn't it said that the Five Classics in current circulation are based on Zheng's school of thought? Your Majesty ordered Chongwenguan to annotate the Five Classics. Is it to be based on Zheng's school of thought, or is it up to Brother Pingshu to decide for himself?" "The one who can accomplish the affairs of the world is Sima Ziyuan. What he said is really true." He Yan raised his finger and pointed: "Ziyuan really hit the nail on the head." He Yan smiled and said, "What do you think Ziyuan meant by the annotation?" Sima Shi shook his head slightly: "I don't know. But the last time I met Brother Pingshu, it seemed that Brother Pingshu had a unique understanding of the Book of Changes?" He Yan nodded: "The court uses our annotations, how can they follow Zheng Xuan's words on everything? I said that Kang Chenggong might not be completely right, but I didn't say that casually." "Kang Chenggong was well versed in the Five Classics, but when he annotated the Five Classics, he always used his understanding of 'ritual' to explain the sentences in the classics." "Some are exaggerated, and some are biased." Sima Shi's own attainments in Confucian classics were not enough to discuss annotations to the classics, so he did not know how to comment on He Yan's words. Sima Shi could only bow and say, "In learning, the most accomplished ones come first. Brother Pingshu is very talented, and I am far inferior to him." He Yan waved his hand: "Ziyuan is just young. If he were older, maybe all of us would look up to him." He Yan's original intention was to praise Sima Shi's kindness, but when Sima Shi heard it, it seemed to have another meaning. If you have to be older to look up, then are you looking down or looking straight at the same level now? Considering that when they just entered the room, several people were obviously more enthusiastic about Xiahou Xuan, Sima Shi became even more suspicious. Sima Shi's personality was different from others. When he saw a learned man or a talented person, he would always admire him. However, he was more sensitive and always cared about other people's evaluation of him. A heightened awareness isn't always a good thing. Sima Shi bowed and said, "I will remember what Brother Pingshu taught me." Just as He Yan and the other four were discussing the explanation of the Book of Changes in the Imperial Academy with Xiahou Xuan and himself, Sima Shi began to lose focus from time to time. It’s so easy to get 600 shi... After graduating from the Imperial College in October this year, should I become a student of the Imperial College or enter the Chongwen Temple? Go back and ask your father! (End of this chapter)