Five days later, Shen Mu arrived at Jiangling Commandery. It was far more prosperous than any of the county towns he had seen along the road—a city built almost entirely upon a river. This river was not the Yong River but the Jin, and so Jiangling was also called Jinling.

The Jin ran fierce and swift, its waters spreading vast as a sea. The original Jiangling had been built upon an oasis amid that endless expanse of water, but in time, as boats came and went and the place grew ever more prosperous and crowded, the city was expanded and great works of construction undertaken. The prefect of Jiangling in those days was none other than the present Imperial Preceptor of Jingping.

Already a man of brilliant talent and formidable strength, he displayed extraordinary ability, gathering numerous master craftsmen and countless wielders of divine powers to drive deep stone piles into the river—each pile a hundred zhang in length, more than three thousand eight hundred in all. The tops of the piles stood thirty zhang above the water, allowing great ships to pass beneath and great floods to flow through unimpeded. The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping, together with those craftsmen and divine-power wielders, laid roads of massive stone and stabilized them with divine arts, expanding the city of Jiangling. It was a colossal undertaking; tens of thousands of divine-power wielders toiled here for ten years before the new city was complete. Beneath the new city were light wells that provided illumination; in heavy rains they served to drain the water away.

There were also docks built under the city, connected by winches and cables. Along the city's edges were wharves great and small, where passing vessels often moored to unload and take on cargo.

So prosperous was this place that it came to be called the Little Capital, and the scholar-officials of the day criticized it, saying the prefect of Jiangling was suspected of plotting rebellion—that the newly built city had severed the empire's dragon vein—and urging the emperor to put him to death. Others said the prefect had built a dragon's head upon the Jin River, harboring treacherous designs.

After the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping accomplished this feat, he was summoned to the capital.

Many assumed the emperor meant to execute him, but unexpectedly the Crown Prince Yanfeng held him in the highest esteem. The Crown Prince was a man of grand vision and great strategy; after ascending the throne, he promoted the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping time and again, and before long raised him to the position of Imperial Preceptor of Jingping.

Shen Mu had heard these amusing tales from the boatman, and knew not whether they were true, but the talent of the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping and Emperor Yanfeng's discernment in recognizing and employing him filled Shen Mu with admiration for both men.

Aboard the same boat were scholars of Jiangling Commandery—some poor scholars from humble families, others from wealthy and powerful houses. Shen Mu made inquiries and learned that most of them came from the primary schools and colleges of Jiangling Commandery, all fellow disciples of the same institutions. Shen Mu was surprised and asked about the primary schools and colleges of Jiangling, and so learned the reason behind it all.

The primary schools and colleges had been established by the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping and had already spread throughout the realm. The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping said to Emperor Yanfeng: "When a child reaches the age of eight, all from the sons of princes and dukes down to the children of commoners shall enter primary school, where they are taught daoyin exercises, rites and propriety, the rules of advance and retreat, ritual and music, archery and charioteering, writing and mathematics, cultivation, and foundation building.

Observing their talents, one teaches according to aptitude; awakening the spirit fetus, breaking through the divine treasury—those who qualify may be selected to enter college. "

The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping also said to Emperor Yanfeng: "At fifteen, from the eldest son of the Son of Heaven and his other sons down to the legitimate sons of dukes, ministers, grand officers, and chief officers, as well as the outstanding among the common people, all shall enter college, where they are taught divine powers, swordsmanship, the rectification of the heart, self-cultivation, and the way of governing others, mastering the divine arts and learning of ancient and modern times. College scholars are all disciples of the Son of Heaven and need not attach themselves to any sect.

In time, the scourge of the sects may be eliminated.

"

The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping further said: "Upon graduating from college, one may enter the Grand Academy.

There the scholars are taught the ways of serving as officials and generals, exhaustively studying the Daoist arts, and governing the realm, so that the four seas are at peace and the Son of Heaven may rest easy. "

Shen Mu was deeply moved. With the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping governing education in such a manner, how could the nation fail to prosper? The sects of Jingping had their space for survival squeezed by the primary schools and colleges, leaving them no room to exist—no wonder they rebelled.

On the boat, Shen Mu took from his bundle the Classic of Calculation he had bought in Jiangling and studied it closely, writing Yuanjie fractions on paper with a charcoal pencil. Suddenly a plump scholar asked, "Brother Shen, are you also going to the capital for the examinations? "

Shen Mu nodded and smiled. "Yes. I intend to seek my fortune in the capital.

Is Brother Wei also going to take the examinations? "

That plump scholar was named Wei Yong.

He nodded and said with a smile, "To pass the examinations and enter the Grand Academy to read widely—that is my long-cherished wish!

"

Another scholar laughed.

"Brother Wei, the Imperial Grand Academy is not so easy to enter. You are only fourteen and still a primary school scholar—you cannot get into the Grand Academy!

"

Wei Yong sneered.

"Are college scholars so impressive?

They might not be able to beat me and Brother Shen in a fight! "

The scholars all roared with laughter.

Shen Mu smiled too. Most of the scholars aboard were going to the capital for the examinations, hoping to enter the Imperial Grand Academy.

The colleges of Jiangling taught only basic swordsmanship and spells, with limited scope, whereas the Grand Academy in the capital held a million volumes, encompassing all things—nearly every technique and divine power of every sect in Jingping was gathered there.

It could be called the empire's highest seat of learning!

To enter the Grand Academy was extremely difficult; college scholars from all over the realm fought tooth and nail for admission.

As for primary school scholars, they went to the capital usually hoping to enter a college there. For a primary school scholar to enter the Grand Academy was even harder—unless one was exceptionally outstanding, there was no chance of being admitted by exception. Each year, only a handful of primary school scholars passed the examination into the Grand Academy.

The boatman steered the boat toward the opposite shore. Shen Mu noticed that the boat used a strange alchemical furnace. A flame burned within it, and when medicinal stones were fed in, the spiritual power within them drove the gears above the furnace to rotate, and the gears in turn turned a massive paddlewheel that churned the water like a waterwheel, propelling the boat forward. The boatman needed only to manage the rudder and control the direction.

Shen Mu clicked his tongue in wonder.

Where in the Wasteland could one see such strange and marvelous things? Before long the boat reached the shore. He and the scholars disembarked, and before they had gone far, they arrived at the carriage and horse market.

Shen Mu looked around, even more curious.