Chapter Ninety-Two: The Desire to Establish an Academy

“Teacher, there is something else I’d like to ask your help with,” Liu Yao said.

“What is it?” Cai Yong asked, puzzled.

“Well, teacher, I still haven’t been given a courtesy name, so I was hoping you could help me with that,” Liu Yao replied, a little embarrassed.

Cai Yong was taken aback and couldn’t help feeling somewhat regretful—this was, after all, his oversight. Generally, a man would be given a courtesy name at his coming-of-age ceremony, but for someone of Liu Yao’s status, or with a great scholar like Cai Yong as his teacher, choosing a name in advance was quite common.

“Yao, come with me,” Cai Yong said, leading the way toward the rear courtyard. Liu Yao followed him at a leisurely pace.

Soon, Liu Yao found himself in what looked like a storage room. As they opened the door and stepped inside, he was stunned. The room was filled with bamboo slips, each densely inscribed with characters—these were the various books Cai Yong had collected over the years.

Seeing Liu Yao’s expression, Cai Yong spoke with pride, “Yao, what do you think of my library? It contains many rare volumes.”

Liu Yao forced a smile, asking, “Teacher, how many books are in here? And where did you get them all?” The scale of Cai Yong’s collection was second only to the imperial library of Emperor Ling of Han.

“I can’t remember exactly how many. But it’s certainly over ten thousand scrolls. Many I bought, some were gifts from friends, but the majority came from the imperial library. His Majesty granted me access, and I spent several years copying them all,” Cai Yong said, quite satisfied.

Liu Yao looked at him with awe. This was not the later era, where fine paper made copying easier. In this age, paper was expensive and fragile, so books were copied onto bamboo slips. A single book might require dozens or hundreds of slips. Cai Yong had personally copied at least five thousand volumes—a testament to his dedication.

Cai Yong began searching amidst the myriad bamboo slips. Choosing a courtesy name was no trivial matter; he needed to carefully consult his books before deciding.

Meanwhile, Liu Yao silently calculated, “How many lottery draws will it take to obtain the ancient papermaking and movable type printing techniques?”

“Host, it will require a total of twenty draws. Would you like to redeem them?” The mechanical voice of the system echoed in Liu Yao’s mind.

“Damn it,” Liu Yao cursed inwardly. He had worked hard to complete a task, earning twenty-eight draws, and now most would be gone in an instant. Still, he understood the importance of paper and printing, so he gritted his teeth and said, “System, redeem them.”

“Congratulations, host. Redemption successful. You now have eight draws remaining.” The blueprints had surely appeared among his ancient books, but it wasn’t convenient to retrieve them now. He would wait until he returned to Youzhou.

With papermaking and movable type printing in hand, paper books could finally be produced. Liu Yao could establish his academy. With a scholar like Cai Yong to help, he needn’t worry about faculty; countless talented commoners would emerge from his school to serve him.

When the imperial examination system was introduced, the monopoly of talent by noble families and the inability of poor children to rise would be broken. Not only would Liu Yao gain a wealth of talent, but the power of the aristocratic clans would be sharply diminished—a double boon.

“Ah! I’ve got it!” Cai Yong’s excited shout interrupted Liu Yao’s thoughts. “Yao, come see if this is suitable.”

“Please teach me, teacher,” Liu Yao replied respectfully.

Cai Yong, nodding with satisfaction, said, “As the eldest son, you should have the character ‘Bo’. ‘Yao’ means ‘high’, so how about ‘Bo Gao’?”

“Bo Gao… Liu Bo Gao…” Liu Yao repeated it a few times, finding it quite smooth, and agreed. As for the meaning, he neither wished to know nor cared.

“I leave everything to your guidance, teacher,” Liu Yao—now Liu Bo Gao—said.

With the matter of his courtesy name settled, the two returned to the hall. Liu Yao was ready to discuss the academy with Cai Yong, and intended to take the old scholar to Youzhou, lest he encounter trouble in Luoyang.

“Teacher, I have an endeavor that could benefit the people of the realm, and I hope you’ll lend me your support,” Liu Yao said.

“Oh? What is it? If it truly benefits the people, I will not shirk my duty,” Cai Yong declared, resolute.

Liu Yao smiled, “I wish to establish an academy in Youzhou, waiving all fees for impoverished children. This will allow poor families’ sons to receive an education, while also cultivating talented commoners for Youzhou—men who will serve me. Would you be willing to help?”

“Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!” Cai Yong exclaimed, moved. He himself came from humble origins and had suffered the pain of wishing to study but lacking the means. Liu Yao’s proposal struck a chord with him; how could he refuse?

“Yao, for such a noble cause, I will surely lend you my support. Whatever you need from this old man, just say the word,” Cai Yong replied, stroking his beard with a smile.

“Teacher, Youzhou is wealthy, so money is no issue. What’s lacking is teachers. I hope you’ll assist me here—and I must trouble you to serve as the academy’s head, borrowing your reputation in the scholarly world,” Liu Yao said with a laugh. Unlike Jingzhou, Youzhou had few scholars, so he had to rely on Cai Yong’s influence.

“Rest assured, Yao. Once you establish the academy in Youzhou, I’ll send invitations to my old friends. Many will surely join us,” Cai Yong agreed without hesitation, knowing that teaching and nurturing talent was a great virtue.

“In that case, I must thank you, teacher. Once the academy is established, I will present you with a gift. By then, these bamboo slips in your library may become obsolete,” Liu Yao said. The allure of printed paper books to scholars, especially someone like Cai Yong, was self-evident—it would bring about a revolution in the literary world.

“Oh? What might that be?” Cai Yong asked, curious and confident in his student’s words.

“I can’t say, I can’t say,” Liu Yao replied, feigning mystery.

Cai Yong rolled his eyes in response, lamenting his luck in choosing disciples.

“By the way, Yao, earlier you asked me to recruit talented people for you. As it happens, one of my disciples—your senior—will be visiting soon. I’ll introduce him to you,” Cai Yong said.

“I didn’t know I had a senior! Teacher, what is his name?” Liu Yao asked, surprised and curious. He recalled that historically Cai Yong had a disciple named Wei Zhongdao, but with his own presence, that sickly scholar had vanished.

“He is Gu Yong, courtesy name Yuan Tan, from Wu County in Wu Commandery,” Cai Yong replied.

Liu Yao was overjoyed. Gu Yong was indeed a great catch: later in the Three Kingdoms, he would serve as Prime Minister of Wu—a true talent in administration. To find that Gu Yong was Cai Yong’s disciple was a delightful surprise.