Chapter 15: I am just a child, why would I lie to you adults?

"No worries, no worries. A good child is one who doesn't hold grudges."

Ying Ziji beamed with a smile, though a deep, cunning glint remained hidden in the depths of his eyes. "What do you all think about transcribing the classics of the Confucian school and all other schools onto paper?"

To establish an academy, a collection of books and textbooks was indispensable. And here they were—free labor. Most importantly, these people had excellent penmanship; they were as efficient as printing machines.

Upon hearing this, the Confucian disciples were immediately invigorated, eager to splash ink across the paper.

"Move aside, all of you! The *Analects* must be transcribed by me!"

"I'll take the *Doctrine of the Mean*. Even if I have to go without food, drink, or sleep today, I will finish it!"

...

The Confucian disciples were not ones for ceremony. They rolled up their sleeves and began transcribing right there in the courtyard.

Xiao He, however, remained still. He appeared to have something to say, hesitating before finally speaking: "Young Master, how do you intend to deal with Zhang Liang?"

Since beginning to assist Ying Ziji, Xiao He had dedicated his full effort to the task. Especially after the advent of paper, his loyalty had become absolute. But Zhang Liang was a traitor. If handled poorly, even with the Young Master's favor, it would inevitably invite endless trouble. As a strategist, it was his duty to worry on his master's behalf.

Just as he finished speaking, a figure walked in from outside. It was Yu Huatian, just returned from the prison.

"Your Highness, Hu Hai ignored your decree and attempted to execute Zhang Liang in private. I have already detained him."

"As for Zhang Liang, I have brought him here, awaiting your disposal."

Oh? Xiao He froze, his hand pausing in mid-air.

"As for Hu Hai, let him stay in the Black Tooth Prison for now. Bring Zhang Liang in," Ying Ziji said with a wave of his hand. Those noble scions, relying on their ancestors' merits to the Qin state, actually dared to break into the Black Tooth Prison. And that fellow Hu Hai—locking him up was for the best; it would save him from causing trouble outside. Still, he would need to notify Brother Zheng about this. Even if he didn't, the Black Ice Terrace would certainly send word to him.

Subsequently, Ying Ziji wrote a letter and handed it to Yu Huatian. "Deliver this letter to my Imperial Father."

"Understood." Yu Huatian respectfully took the envelope and gestured. Several embroidered-clad guards brought in a man wearing a hood.

"Untie him. Master Zifang is a scholar; how can you treat him so rudely?"

As the words fell, the ropes on Zhang Liang were loosened, and the black cloth was removed. The sunlight made him squint, and at the same time, he saw standing before him a child in luxurious robes with a round face, no taller than his waist. Despite his young age, he possessed an extraordinary aura, not to be compared with a dim-witted fool like Hu Hai. His gaze was smiling, as if he had been waiting for him all along.

Zhang Liang realized the situation and immediately bowed. "Zhang Liang, a sinner of the former Han, greets the Seventeenth Prince. I do not know what use a sinner like me could be to you, Young Master."

He was exceptionally clever and resourceful. But now, his life and the lives of his followers were in the hands of this child. What was more, he could not fathom the mindset of a child like Ying Ziji; if the whim struck him, he might turn against him in an instant. This was a master who would kill someone like Zhao Gao without a second thought.

"Tomorrow at court, the civil and military officials will demand I execute you, and the task I am about to give you will make them want to kill you even more."

"Are you afraid of death?"

Ying Ziji sat leisurely in a chair. The maids on either side began massaging his small shoulders.

This remark, which defied all expectations, choked Zhang Liang. He had just attempted to assassinate the First Emperor of Qin, for heaven's sake—would he be afraid of death? However, Zhang Liang was a smart man; he knew what to say and when. He straightened his back slightly and said, "That depends on what I am dying for."

"To die for a cause, one may die a death heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather, is that it? But if you die like this, you will truly be lighter than a feather."

Zhang Liang: "..."

Attempting to assassinate the First Emperor and failing, only to fall into the hands of an eight-year-old... that did not seem like a glorious achievement. But... how did this Seventeenth Prince come up with such profound remarks?

"Heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather... that is a deeply philosophical observation." Xiao He's eyes lit up. He immediately took a brush and transcribed this classic quote.

*The Seventeenth Brother is always full of surprises. His actions are unpredictable; is it truly the heart of a child, or a wisdom as cunning as a demon?* Fusu thought to himself. Seeing this, it appeared the Seventeenth Brother truly did not intend to execute Zhang Liang. During their time together, he had more or less grasped his brother's temperament. If he really wanted someone dead, he would have had them beheaded long ago; he would never dither.

"Young Master, did you call me here just to humiliate me with these words?" Zhang Liang couldn't hold back anymore. He had always taken opposing the Qin as his life's ambition. Being lectured by an eight-year-old child now was somewhat demoralizing.

"Ah, that's not what I meant. I meant that a real man, if he is to die, must die a death heavier than Mount Tai." Ying Ziji said, placing a sheet of paper on the table. "What do you think of this for writing?"

What was this? Zhang Liang’s attention was drawn to the paper, and he reached out to take it. He looked back and saw many Confucian disciples in the courtyard bent over desks, transcribing characters onto similar sheets.

"Is this for recording text? I have never seen this before. Was it developed by the Qin craftsmen recently?" Zhang Liang frowned slightly.

"This is called 'paper.' It is cheap to produce, a thousand times cheaper than silk, and ordinary people can afford to buy and use it. Moreover, it is easy to carry. The impact of this on the spread of knowledge will be immense. Do you know who invented it?"

Zhang Liang’s figure froze. He was a smart man and instantly grasped the implications. The appearance of paper was enough to allow knowledge to spread to the lower classes. And the one who created it was...

"That's right, it was the Seventeenth Prince." Xiao He looked at Zhang Liang with a smile. He was clever enough to know that the Young Master didn't intend to kill Zhang Liang. Furthermore, the Young Master’s eye for talent was never wrong; this man would likely become his colleague.

"!!!" Zhang Liang looked over in disbelief, standing there stunned, as if turned to stone.

What made his heart surge even more was Ying Ziji’s next sentence:

"Heh heh, you are Zhang Liang. Even if you are to die, it must be heavier than Mount Tai, right?"

"I intend to open an academy to widely recruit scholars from humble backgrounds, so that everyone has books to read."

"Are you willing to be the dean?"

At this, not only was Zhang Liang stunned, but the Confucian disciples, Fusu, and Xiao He were all shocked to their cores. To widely recruit scholars and ensure everyone had books to read... perhaps it was just the idle talk of a child, but it gave them the feeling that the world was about to be turned upside down.

"The Young Master doesn't intend to kill Zhang Liang, and he wants to open an academy?"

"To ensure everyone has books to read—this is exactly what the Sage Confucius called 'teaching without discrimination.' It is an act of boundless merit."

"I never would have guessed the Young Master was this kind of person."

"How can you judge the Young Master by ordinary standards? He is only an eight-year-old child..."

...

Fusu, however, showed clear concern on his face. *What merit does this Zhang Liang have? Although opening an academy is a deed for the ages, why must it be a traitor? This is too reckless. If the Imperial Father finds out, he will surely be furious.*

"I am to be the dean?" Looking at Ying Ziji’s indifferent little face, Zhang Liang felt it was all rather unreliable. He had expected the Young Master to ask him to help seize the throne or serve as a strategist. He had even expected to be dismembered at the gates of Xianyang as a public example. He had never expected Ying Ziji to go through such trouble just to have him run an academy. If he didn't value him, why go to such lengths to bring him here, and even risk the wrath of the world to pardon a traitor who had tried to assassinate the Emperor? Just to open a school and have him teach? This was completely illogical.

"Why would I lie to you? Usually, it's the adults who lie to children; there's no such thing as a child lying to an adult." Ying Ziji rolled his eyes in a cute gesture.

"Besides, don't think this is all fun and games."

"I will put the classics of all schools in the academy for instruction. By then, it won't just be Xianyang; poor scholars from the entire Northwest will flood in. Will you be able to handle that? This is a task that only you can do."

Zhang Liang fell silent upon hearing this. *So that's it.*

He came from a renowned noble family and had lived among the common people; after a moment of thought, he understood the crux of the matter. At least half of the current court were nobles. What caused such a situation? Knowledge had always been monopolized by the upper-tier nobility. Poor scholars might even sell their lives for the sake of a single scroll. After the Han was destroyed, his greatest inheritance was not his family wealth, but the books left by his forefathers!

Breaking the monopoly on knowledge was naturally beneficial to the world. But at the same time, it was incredibly dangerous. This move was undoubtedly more serious than digging up the ancestral graves of the noble families; it would draw their fierce backlash.

"Oh, talking to a smart man like you is so tiring. Can a real man just be more decisive?"

"Young Master, I am, after all, a man of Han. I won't hide it from you: I spent the first half of my life thinking about how to oppose the Qin..." Zhang Liang’s heart began to waver. To cultivate the world—what a monumental task! He had harbored ambition since he was young, and the reason he opposed the Qin was precisely because he wanted to achieve a great cause.

Just how old was Ying Ziji? He had no confidence in following an eight-year-old child.