Chapter Twenty-Nine: Becoming One’s Own Deity

In the days that followed, Gao Buyi was constantly occupied between the Hall of State Affairs and the side palace by the Taiye Lake. Ever since Geng Wenjing took office, the disaster in Chang’an Prefecture had been greatly alleviated. After much deliberation, Gao Buyi finally decided to hold the grand examination for the selection of talent as scheduled.

At the start of the year, an imperial edict had been issued throughout the realm, allowing anyone skilled in an art to come to Chang’an to participate in the examination. Thus, on this day, the area before the Hot Spring Palace, chosen as the site for the Great Tang Academy, was teeming with people, lively and bustling.

Early that morning, Gao Buyi arrived at the Hot Spring Palace, accompanied by sixteen consorts and concubines selected to serve as teachers and students in the academy, as well as by Consort Wang and Consort Yang.

According to the old custom of Emperor Xuanzong, he would spend almost nine months each year at the Hot Spring Palace with Consort Yang. This was the first time this year that, standing halfway up the mountain, Gao Buyi looked displeased. “Didn’t I say to transform the entire Hot Spring Palace into the academy? Why is only half of it done?”

“Your Majesty’s devotion to talent is deeply appreciated by us all,” Pei An bowed and replied, “However, the buildings and halls below add up to more than three hundred chambers. We believe that study should not be conducted in excessive comfort. Thus, the student dormitories accommodate eight to sixteen people per room, which is sufficient for over a thousand students. After converting rooms into dormitories, classrooms, offices for teachers, dining halls, laboratories, and sports facilities, there was still space left unused. To avoid unnecessary waste, we did not expand further.”

Li Shizhi, standing nearby, added, “There are many hot springs in this mountain, especially concentrated at the mid-level. According to Your Majesty’s instructions, most have been diverted to the academy below for the use of teachers and students; those higher up are directed to the side palaces for the imperial household, so there is no interference between the two.”

Gao Buyi nodded. “Very well, leave it like this for now. There’s no need to set forbidden zones above or below the mountain—the academy is conveniently accessible from here. Let it be.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Is that also part of the imperial palace complex?” Gao Buyi asked, pointing to some buildings faintly visible among the distant trees.

“Your Majesty, those are no longer part of the palace grounds; they are temples and Taoist monasteries.”

Gao Buyi nodded again. “Very well. I’ll leave the examination in the hands of you two. As Consort Wang has particular talent in this area, I’ve appointed her as Vice President. The two of you will serve as Dean and Vice Dean, respectively. Of the sixteen concubines, six are qualified to teach music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; the others will be students. In the academy, everyone will be treated equally, regardless of status. Arrange everything accordingly.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Consort Wang, since you wished to be Vice President, I have made you the Executive Vice President in charge of daily affairs, fulfilling your desire. You are well acquainted with my educational philosophy, and I hope you will live up to expectations. I’ve specially arranged for you to have the President’s office; go and see if it pleases you. Run the academy well for me, and it will be a great achievement.”

“I obey, Your Majesty! Please rest assured.”

“Very well! Go about your business. I’m going to check on how Lishi has managed the relocation of the research departments to the academy—make sure there are no mishaps.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

When Consort Wang and the others had left, Consort Yang, delighted to finally have some private time with the emperor, approached him merrily.

Seeing her approach, Gao Buyi smiled. “You’ve always enjoyed tranquility, and it’s been a long time since you last visited the Hot Spring Palace. Have a good rest; I’ll take a look around the academy.” Without waiting for her reply, and dressed in plain clothes as he had been upon arrival, Gao Buyi, accompanied by Shangguan Peihui, left the palace and entered the Great Tang Academy.

Consort Yang’s joy instantly turned to frost; flinging her wide silk sleeves, she strode back into the inner palace without looking back.

To distinguish the Great Tang Academy from the old-style schools from the outset, Gao Buyi established eight disciplines: National Studies, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Agriculture, Mechanics, Engineering, and Music and Dance. Each was divided into upper, middle, and lower levels; after completing three, two, and two years, respectively, and passing the exams, students would advance automatically. Enrollment was open to both males and females under the age of twenty. Those over twenty who passed the examinations would be directly appointed to official posts.

He had Lishi relocate research personnel working on steam engines and kerosene distillation apparatus to the academy. The steam engine was eighty percent complete; the kerosene distillation setup was already being upgraded and was fairly mature. These would form the core of the mechanical and engineering classes. He also provided blueprints for gasoline steam engines, steam rollers, steam shovels, steam trucks, and steam trains.

Within National Studies, he created subdivisions for Literature, Economics, and Traditional Medicine; within Engineering, he separated Civil Engineering and Mining Engineering, inviting palace masters to teach. With the help of the imperial court’s master of mathematical arts, he himself compiled basic textbooks on mathematics, physics, chemistry, and agriculture—the rest would have to be developed further by the academy.

Strolling through the academy, he found everything well arranged. Several sons of princes and high officials whom he had personally interviewed and accepted had already enrolled, busily hurrying about in the academy’s uniformed skirt, energetic and lively.

“This is what a true academy should be,” Gao Buyi remarked with feeling. “Listening to those outside, droning on and reciting archaic texts, feels like such a waste of time.”

“But, Your Majesty,” Shangguan Peihui said softly, “for nearly a thousand years, most schools have been like this, and even then, much was only transmitted privately from master to disciple, never made public—even wealth could not buy true learning.”

“I know what you mean—knowledge passed down by master to disciple or within families, to elevate themselves above others. But don’t they realize that, while this may raise their own status for a time, true learning does not endure. To pursue learning—true learning—everyone must be involved; only thus can there be constant innovation and progress. It’s like the relationship between brooks and rivers.”

“May I ask, Your Majesty, what do you mean by brooks and rivers?”

“Knowledge is a great river, and those who pursue it are like small brooks. Only if the brooks continually flow into the river will the river remain full and unimpeded, eventually merging into the vast ocean!”

“That is profound indeed.”

“Haha! Just a small insight. Hui’er, do you know why, when you applied to be a teacher, I appointed you Vice President instead?”

“I do not, Your Majesty.”

“Haha! Because you are quick to accept new things, yet you also master the essence of traditional learning. Only by placing you in a senior position at the academy can you effectively integrate and promote both old and new knowledge. In this, both you and Consort Wang are as capable as any man. It was only recently that I discovered Consort Wang’s mastery of the healing arts.”

“Thank you for Your Majesty’s trust! In truth, the Great Tang is already blessed with many talented people.”

“But not enough. To govern a country requires those capable of practical administration, not idle dreamers or romantic scribes. Of course, they too can elevate material pursuits to spiritual ones—much like the role of Taoism and Buddhism—but for the battered reality of the Great Tang, that is not yet essential. For the nation to prosper, practical people are needed; only by working hard can the country flourish. It’s a simple truth: people must eat to stay alive, and even offerings to the gods require food; have you ever seen anyone offer gold or jewels? Food is fundamental, and it must be grown and prepared by people. Those who grow and make food are the true pragmatists.”

“Your Majesty is quite right, but may I dare to ask a question?”

“Ask.”

“Your Majesty seems not to believe in the gods?”

“The gods are within me; I am my own divinity. But first, I must eat my fill before I can be my own god.”

“I don’t quite understand.”

“Let me ask you: when you pray to the gods, aren’t the words you speak really said to yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s take those words as small goals. Because they’re spoken before the gods, it’s like making a vow, and the gods become the overseers of that vow. To keep faith with the gods, we’ll do everything possible to fulfill that promise. Once we succeed, we go happily to thank the gods for their blessing. But if you think about it, isn’t it really yourself you should thank?”

“That does make some sense.”

“So, you are your own god. That’s why hardworking people who pray often see their wishes come true, while the lazy, no matter how devout, gain nothing. ‘Sincerity leads to results’ means that only effort brings rewards. Do you understand now?”

“I do—thank you, Your Majesty, for enlightening me!” Hearing Gao Buyi’s words, Shangguan Peihui was instantly enlightened, as if touched by divine inspiration—this was her great moment of awakening.