Chapter 133: The Founding of the Academy

"You'an, Genju, please wait a moment." Liu Yao called out to Guan Ning and Bing Yuan, who were walking at the very back. He had long harbored a desire to recruit these two men, though he had never known their whereabouts. As for the Three Elders of Jingzhou and Kong Rong, he assumed they would not remain in Youzhou—one held an official post, and the other three had their roots firmly planted in Jingzhou. As for Zheng Xuan, Liu Yao knew he could not convince him personally; he would have to let his teacher, Cai Yong, act as the lobbyist.

Guan Ning and Bing Yuan were taken aback when Liu Yao stopped them. "Your Highness," they asked, "is there something else you require of us?"

"You two possess great talent," Liu Yao said tactfully. "I have long sent men to search for you, but I could never find you."

Guan Ning smiled. "Your Highness is too kind. In truth, for these past years, we have been living under your own jurisdiction."

"What! Where have you been staying?" Liu Yao was stunned, a flicker of anger rising in his heart. If they had been under his own command, how could he have failed to find them? He wondered what his intelligence network, the Dark Group, had been doing.

"Reporting to my lord," Guan Ning said helplessly, "we have been living in seclusion in Liaodong, Youzhou. It is only natural that Your Highness could not find us. Had we not heard of the establishment of the Youzhou Academy, we would likely still be there." Over the years, as the Han Dynasty declined, both he and Bing Yuan had lost faith in holding office, which was why they had retreated to a place as remote as Liaodong.

"Liaodong—no wonder," Liu Yao realized instantly. In recent years, he had brought every corner of Youzhou under his control, save for Liaodong, which had only recently been brought into the fold by Tian Chou. It was only logical that they had remained hidden.

"Two such great talents living in seclusion—is that not a waste of your abilities?" Liu Yao struck while the iron was hot. "Why not stay in my Youzhou? Govern a region and bring prosperity to the people. What say you?" These were men of exceptional administrative talent, more than capable of serving as prefects, and Liu Yao was unwilling to let such talent slip through his fingers.

"This..." Guan Ning and Bing Yuan were moved. While other parts of the Han Dynasty remained mired in their old ways, Liu Yao’s Youzhou was a place of peace and prosperity, where the people lived in contentment. Serving under him was an undeniably attractive prospect.

"Bing Yuan is willing to serve you, my lord," Bing Yuan said after a moment’s thought, bowing to Liu Yao. Bringing prosperity to the people had always been his ambition, and he would not pass up this opportunity.

"Good, very good! Genju, there is no need for such formalities." Liu Yao was overjoyed and helped Bing Yuan to his feet. He then turned to the still-hesitant Guan Ning. "And what of you, You'an?" Bing Yuan watched his friend with anticipation; having been companions for so many years, he truly did not wish to part ways with him.

"Reporting to Your Highness," Guan Ning said, gritting his teeth. "I did indeed have thoughts of serving under you, but now that I have seen this Youzhou Academy, I find myself desiring to become a teacher here instead. I hope Your Highness will grant this request." Serving as an official and teaching were both aspirations of his, but one could not have both, and Guan Ning chose the latter.

Liu Yao was stunned, then gave a bitter smile. Although Guan Ning was staying, he was only willing to be a teacher. It was a pity to lose such administrative genius, but Liu Yao would never force him. Besides, it was enough that Guan Ning remained in Youzhou; perhaps he might even raise a new generation of scholars. In the end, Liu Yao would still come out ahead.

"If that is your wish, You'an, I shall grant it. You and my teacher shall be in charge of the Youzhou Academy," Liu Yao said with a smile.

"Thank you, my lord," Guan Ning said, feeling a weight lift from his heart. He had truly feared that Liu Yao might refuse.

"By the way, You'an, Genju, you two are known as part of the 'Three Dragons.' Since we have the tail and the belly of the dragon, where is the dragon's head, Hua Xin? I heard you once cut your mat to sever ties with him—is that true?" Liu Yao asked with curiosity. History had recorded this, but he had always been skeptical. If Guan Ning were truly so detached from worldly affairs, he would never have considered serving as an official in the first place.

Guan Ning looked surprised. "My lord, where did you hear that?"

"Is there some hidden truth to it?" Liu Yao asked, his interest piqued by the prospect of an untold historical anecdote.

"My lord, the talent of Ziyu (Hua Xin) exceeds my own a hundredfold. He is upright and incorruptible; how could I have ever truly severed ties with him? The incident of the mat did occur, but it was merely a way for me to urge Ziyu to focus more on his studies. The idea that we cut off our friendship is a fabrication. We still correspond by letter to this day," Guan Ning explained with admiration.

Of course, Guan Ning was being modest; Hua Xin was indeed a man of great talent. History showed he would eventually serve under Cao Cao and rise to the rank of Grand Commandant.

"Oh! You still keep in touch with Ziyu? Could you invite him to serve in Youzhou?" Liu Yao asked excitedly. If Hua Xin came, the 'Three Dragons' would be complete, and he would gain another brilliant official.

Guan Ning smiled. "Even if you had not asked, my lord, I intended to write to Ziyu and invite him to Youzhou. Only then could the three of us truly be called the 'Dragons'."

"Indeed, indeed," Bing Yuan chimed in with a smile. In truth, he had never met Hua Xin. Although they were collectively known as the Three Dragons, he had only met Guan Ning after Hua Xin had already departed. He, too, was curious about the man known as the head of the dragon.

"Then I shall leave this matter in your hands, You'an."

"It is my duty, my lord. It is no trouble at all."

After recruiting Guan Ning and Bing Yuan, Liu Yao left the Cai residence to discuss the following day’s academy events with Ju Shou.

The next day, a grand and innovative opening ceremony was held at the Youzhou Academy in the north of Ji County.

The "grandeur" was mostly due to the presence of scholars like Cai Yong, who had come to show their support, along with countless intellectuals who had arrived out of curiosity. Many had come solely for the sake of Cai Yong’s name and had not truly expected much from this newly established academy. In their minds, the only true centers of learning were the Yingchuan and Jingzhou Academies.

However, to everyone’s surprise, the Three Elders of Jingzhou appeared, as did the young talents Guan Ning and Bing Yuan. Most importantly, the preeminent scholar of the age, Zheng Xuan, had also arrived. This forced the crowd to take notice; if such esteemed figures were here to support the academy, it must surely possess something unique. Celebrity influence, it seemed, was as potent in this era as it was in any other.

Then, Liu Yao played his trump card: paper books. The moment they appeared, the crowd erupted into chaos. Any scholar would be powerless to resist such light and convenient texts. Had it not been for the control exerted by Liu Yao’s personal guard, a violent scramble would surely have broken out.