Chapter Twenty-One: A Mind as Vast as Heaven and Earth, a Heart that Holds the Universe

"Are you there?" A voice called from outside the door.

Li Zisheng pushed the door open and saw a child about his own age standing there.

"Hello, I’m also a new student this year. Only the two of us entered the Hall of Talents, so I thought I’d make friends. My name is Zhang Ziyang. You must be Li Zisheng, right?" This boy, with his slicked hair and delicate features, tried to put on a serious air.

Li Zisheng nearly laughed at the sight—what a precocious little fellow.

"Yes, I’m Li Zisheng. I’m from Huiluotian Water Village. Where are you from? Since it’s just the two of us this year, I suppose that makes us brothers, doesn’t it?" After all, if someone could enter the Hall of Talents, they must be extraordinary in their own way. It couldn’t hurt to make friends.

"Yes, I’m from Chang’an, eight years old. It’s just that, due to some reasons, I arrived here earlier." As he mentioned Chang’an, pride lit up Zhang Ziyang’s face.

"Oh? Then why come to the academy in Huile County? Wouldn’t it have been better to go straight to one of the academies in Chang’an itself?" This truly puzzled Li Zisheng. After all, Chang’an was the imperial capital, beneath the Son of Heaven’s very gaze; the advantages there were obvious. Why travel all the way to Lingzhou to study?

"Well, since you call us brothers, I suppose I can tell you. I came to Lingzhou with my uncle. I’ll study here for a while before returning to Chang’an." Zhang Ziyang spoke with his head held high, unable to hide his pride.

"I see." Li Zisheng nodded in understanding.

Zhang Ziyang looked at him as though witnessing something unbelievable.

"Aren’t you going to ask who my uncle is? Or how I’ll get back to Chang’an?" Zhang Ziyang, still very much a child, wanted to show off, but Li Zisheng seemed uninterested, leaving him awkward and somewhat frustrated, as though a chicken feather were stuck in his throat.

Despite Zhang Ziyang’s expression, full of youthful pride and ambition, he was still a child at heart.

"I don’t care. It’s enough for me to know you’re you, and that you’re my classmate." Li Zisheng responded straightforwardly. Children always want to feel important—this was true in later generations, and just as true in the Tang dynasty, especially for those born to privilege.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ziyang looked at Li Zisheng with a gaze full of recognition, as if he’d finally found someone who understood him.

"But you didn’t come here just to make friends, did you?" Li Zisheng knew it couldn’t be that simple.

"What? You don’t know?" Now Zhang Ziyang was truly surprised. He’d assumed that anyone who could enter the Hall of Talents would already know all the important news, but Li Zisheng clearly had no idea—how could that be?

Now it was Li Zisheng’s turn to be surprised, because he genuinely had no idea what was going on or what was expected of him.

"You really don’t know? Your name has already spread everywhere. The teachers in the academy are planning to replace the current class leader, Yan Ziqing, with you. Your arrival has caused quite a stir, which is why I wanted to meet you—see who you are. The moment you arrived, you completely overshadowed me," Zhang Ziyang said, looking at him as if he were some strange creature.

Li Zisheng suddenly felt a chill run through him. He’d intended to keep a low profile and not get entangled in the affairs of the county academy. To become class leader would only mean endless mundane responsibilities. His goal was to become a student at the Imperial College, so his time was limited. Now, out of nowhere, trouble had found him.

Thinking back, the person who’d welcomed him earlier was none other than Yan Ziqing. If anything, Yan Ziqing must have known about this first and yet still greeted him with a friendly smile. Perhaps his character was just that mild and approachable, or perhaps, more disturbingly, he was someone of deep cunning, able to maintain such composure even before an eight-year-old child. Such a person would be truly formidable—boiling a frog in warm water, and Li Zisheng had even been grateful to him.

Still, adhering to the principles of kindness and harmony, Li Zisheng didn’t want to make an enemy before he’d even begun his studies, least of all someone so calculating.

"I’m not sure about that. The one who greeted me just now was indeed Class Leader Yan Ziqing. Is something the matter? The decision about the class leader is up to the teachers; I have no say in it." Li Zisheng kept his tone calm, though inwardly he was already considering how to handle this storm.

"You’re certainly calm. Aren’t you worried people will cause you trouble? Wherever there are people, there’s rivalry. You just arrived and you’re already being made class leader in someone else’s place—isn’t that asking for trouble?" Zhang Ziyang shook his head with exaggerated seriousness, trying to play the wise elder, his eyes full of the judgment that Li Zisheng was hopelessly naïve.

Seeing Zhang Ziyang’s act, Li Zisheng felt that this boy truly considered him a friend; not only was he warning him, but he was also explaining the situation’s risks. Such a friend was worth having.

"Brother Zhang, do you know what lies within my heart and mind?" Li Zisheng asked without warning.

"How should I know what you’re thinking? Are you even concerned about what I just told you?"

"Brother Zhang, what lies within my heart is the world itself; what resides in my mind is the universe. The vast lands of our great Tang are boundless, stretching farther than I can know. Petty rivalries and worldly squabbles are but trifles, not worthy of my concern—do you understand? Hahaha!" Li Zisheng threw his head back and laughed, his eyes brimming with resolve. In that moment, from his small frame erupted an imposing aura, the bearing of one who stands above the world.

Zhang Ziyang looked at him, suddenly feeling he had underestimated him. His own sister had spoken highly of Li Zisheng, and seeing such bearing, such words, and such ambition, he understood why.

"Well said! A heart that holds the world, a mind that contains the universe—Cheng Zhongliang was not wrong about you. Truly a remarkable person." A figure suddenly appeared around the corner. At the sight, even Zhang Ziyang’s previously cocky manner vanished completely. Reading the situation, Li Zisheng realized at once that this was no ordinary person.

"Greetings, sir," Li Zisheng said, bowing with composure, unaffected by the newcomer’s presence, for he had no idea who this person was.