Chapter 44: Qingyang Academy

  The governor left with a satisfied smile, definitely something good happened.

  Chen Jiu sat in the house, deep in thought. Although this matter had some benefits and losses, it was not a big deal. The most important thing was that he could establish a relationship with the governor and have a connection with the military commander, which was absolutely worth it.

  The Imperial Army is the strongest military force in the imperial court. Even if it's a cultivator, the sect will retreat and give way when facing the Imperial Army. To put it bluntly, all heroes retreat when the Imperial Army passes by.

  Chen Jiu looked at the texts of various schools in his hand and then touched his chin: "I should be able to sign up today, right?"

  Qingyang Academy is one of the thirteen most famous academies in the entire empire, with a long history that can be traced back to the previous dynasty.

  Qingyang Academy is not far from Chen Jiu's wine tower, only a few streets apart. In the morning, you can even hear the students of Qingyang Academy reciting early.

  Chen Jiu walked down the stairs and instructed the old shopkeeper on some matters before slowly heading towards Qingyang Academy.

  It is indeed a prestigious academy with a long history. From afar, looking at the gate that has weathered many storms, one can feel the majestic and ancient historical atmosphere.

  The academy has a gatekeeper and a guardian, as a famous academy in the entire state government, of course, not everyone who wants to enter can enter.

  "I'm here to sign up." Looking at the fierce and intimidating guardian, Chen Jiu didn't wait for him to speak before stating his purpose.

  The guard glanced at Chen Jiu and looked at the expensive clothes on Chen Jiu, then opened the gate: "Turn left after entering".

  What came into view was not the imagined book house, but a forest, with small paths winding through it.

  Along the small path, passing by a pool of stream water, and even standing on the bridge can see the fish swimming in the water.

  The academy is located in the scenic Yuelu Mountain Qingfeng Gorge, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with lush greenery; facing the Xiangjiang River, with waves rippling. The famous mountain and beautiful water, with the front relying on the back, blend natural scenery and humanistic scenery into one, highly harmonious.

  From the Paifangkou on the west bank of the Xiangjiang River, straight to the top of the mountain, there has been an ancient path connecting them, forming a scenic central axis. The Yuelu Academy is located at the midpoint of this central axis. The academy covers an area of about 100 meters from east to west and currently occupies more than 25,000 square meters, with a building area of over 7,000 square meters.

  In front of the temple, there are Tianma and Fenghuang two mountains standing on both sides, like a natural gate. In ancient times, there were Zhu Zhangdu, Liu Di, Mei Di, Yonggui Bridge, Cuiwei Pavilion and other scenic spots in front of and behind it.

  Behind the academy, along the central axis, there are famous scenic spots such as Ai Wanting Pavilion, Sharira Pagoda, Gulu Mountain Temple, Baihe Spring, and modern buildings such as Cai E's Tomb and Huang Xing's Tomb. Other scenic spots are scattered on both sides of the central axis. The front gate, Hexi Tai, main gate, second gate, lecture hall, and Yushu Building of the academy are built along the central axis in sequence.

  The Wénmiào, Zhuān cí and Bàn xué zhāi are built on the north side of the central axis; The Jiàoxué zhāi, Bái quán xuān, Yuán lín and Bēi láng are built on the south side of the central axis.

  The entire courtyard is arranged in a crisscross pattern, with large and small courtyards; the pavilions and buildings are simple yet elegant; the beautiful flowers and famous trees have different postures; the inscriptions on the stele and couplets are everywhere.

  This fully reflects the characteristics of the ancient academy's study of classics and history, seeking truth and asking questions, writing poetry and couplets, and dancing with words.

  The existing buildings of Qingyang Academy include Shanchang Residence, Teacher-Student Pavilion, Teaching Lecture Hall, Book Storage Building, Holy Temple and Garden Stele Corridor. Adding to this are the two pavilions (Fengyu Pavilion and Chui Xiang Pavilion) in front of the courtyard, the two pools (Yinma Pool and Zhenmen Pool), as well as the ancient trees and lush bamboo forests behind the courtyard, making it the best-preserved and largest academy relic at home and abroad.

  If the eight scenic spots of the Qing people's academy (Willow Pond Smoke Dawn, Peach Garden Roasting Clouds, Wind Lotus Evening Fragrance, Tongue Shade Separate Path, Qu River Chirping Spring, Bi Ze Viewing Fish, Flower Mound Sitting Moon, Bamboo Forest Winter Green) are further refined and perfected, they will be even more beautiful.

  Qingyang Academy's main buildings include the Xingxing Gate, the Yuanchi Pool, the Lisheng Gate and the Lisheng Hall.

  The gatehouse is about 6 meters high. It has a brick and wood structure, with a four-sloping roof and two layers. The top layer has four sloping ridges, with the ends raised upwards. Under the eaves are long walls made of bricks, decorated with toe-shaped flower petals and prism-shaped patterns. The second layer is the same as the upper layer, with brick-carved square pillars under the eaves. In the middle of the gatehouse is embedded a horizontal plaque inscribed by Li Mengyang, Vice Minister of Education in Jiangxi during the Ming Dynasty and a literary figure, which reads "White Deer Cave Academy".

  "Kui Xing Men" is an ancient legend, "Kui Xing" means "Wen Xing", the gate was named after it, meaning that this place produces talented people, cultivating pillars of the state.

  The gate is in the style of a memorial archway, with six pillars and five bays, connected by two layers of stone beams. The middle beam is carved with intertwined peony branches, stone drums are placed on top of the columns, decorated with wave patterns, and the knife work is rough and simple.

  Behind the Star Gate is the Yuanyuan Pool. Historically, the pool in front of the Imperial Academy was called the Yuanyuan Pool. "Yuanyuan means education". The pool is rectangular in shape and has a stone arch bridge on it. The bridge is equipped with granite railings and balustrades on both sides. Originally named Yuan Bridge, now known as Zhuangyuan Bridge.

  Lixiangmen, also known as the main gate of the academy, was originally called Xianshi Temple Gate or Dacheng Gate. The gate has ten leaves, with a wooden corridor in the shape of a hollow geometric pattern, and the skirt board is a flat wooden board. There are pavilions on both sides, with a hard mountain top and ceramic dragons at both ends of the ridge. The main gate has four pillars and five bays, measuring 22.10 meters long and 7.30 meters high. A plaque inscribed "Zhengxue Zhi Men" (Gate of Orthodox Learning) hangs above the lintel.

  Zhu Zi Temple, the temple is a brick and wood structure, with a hard mountain top, gray tiles and white temple. The floor plan is rectangular, with four pillars and five openings. Inside the temple, there is a stone carving of Zhu Zi's self-portrait, to the left stands the "Wen Gong Zhu Zi Special Temple Monument", to the right stands the "Qingyang Academy School Rules", and above hangs Tang Xi's handwritten "Learning Attains Heavenly Nature" golden plaque. Upon entering the temple, one has a sense of "The Southern Crossing of Confucian Forests, Mr. First Person".

  Bao Gong Temple, west of Zhu Zi Temple, "those who have made contributions to the study of the cave". Originally called Xianxian Temple and Sanxian Temple.

  Dan Gui Ting, in the middle of the courtyard, is built on a rectangular platform, with a wooden structure, a hip roof, four sloping roofs, and a main ridge made of bricks. The eaves are supported by four wooden pillars, and the foundation is made of granite drums. In front of it stands a stele inscribed "Zi Yang holding Dan Gui".

  The east side of the gatehouse is Qingyang Academy.

  This group of buildings is the main body of the academy, each building embodies its practicality from different angles, and its main buildings include Yushu Pavilion, Minglun Hall, Bailu Cave, and Sixian Platform.

  The building is a wooden structure with two floors and a square floor plan. It has corridors surrounding it on all sides. On the second floor, there is a vertical plaque inscribed "Yushu Ge" in the center.

  The main building is a wooden structure, with two floors and a square floor plan. The second floor has a plaque that reads "Yushu Pavilion". The roof of the pavilion is majestic and imposing. On the pillars outside the pavilion are inscribed couplets: "Clear spring water can wash inkstones, beautiful mountains can hide books."

  Minglun Hall, also known as Yilun Hall. Brick and wood structure, white temple gray tiles, character-shaped hard mountain top, four open intervals, with a corridor in front. Minglun Hall is the place where the academy teaches classes, so outside hangs the couplet "Deer and You, the land of forgetting each other; Spring Peak reflects, the heaven of obtaining Renzhi", to encourage students to study hard and obtain "the heaven of obtaining Renzhi".

  The stone cave is made of granite, with a barrel vault shape, 4 meters high, 4.15 meters wide and 6.35 meters deep. On the right side of the cave there are stone steps, ten levels up to the top, which can be climbed to the Thinking Platform.

  Si Xian Tai, built with the intention of "contemplating the virtuous from afar", hence named Si Xian Tai.

  The platform is square in shape, the pavilion is a wooden structure, with a square plane, a hip roof, double-layered brackets supporting the eaves, and a door in the middle. The four sides have wooden flower windows, and the front has a protective railing made of granite.

  "There is a saying: 'A tower in the air, a universe within stillness.'"

  To the east of Qingyang Academy is Yanbing Hall, its main building named Chunfeng Building. It has a wooden structure, a hip roof with upturned eaves and a projecting lower floor supported by four round columns, forming an outer corridor. The facade is 15 meters wide and 8 meters deep, with two stories. It looks both solemn and quiet, implying the intention of entertaining guests. Two rows of wing rooms are built on either side of the building.

  In the ancient building complex of Feiguanliudan, hundreds of inscriptions on stele from past dynasties are arranged in two corridors, east and west, adding a touch of antiquity to the academy.

  The building complex of the academy, with its main buildings symmetrically arranged along the central axis. If this building is likened to a "frozen music", then the platforms, halls, pavilions and temples are the brilliant musical phrases in this piece, fully unfolding a theme that has been lingering for hundreds of years. Gazing quietly at the academy's interior, one can see the numerous couplets and horizontal inscriptions, the hundreds of ancient steles imbued with philosophical ideas, and the lush trees and fragrant flowers, all exuding a rich cultural atmosphere.

  There is a clear and shallow stream in front of the temple, called Guan Dao Creek. On the creek, there is an ancient bridge named Zhēn Liú Bridge. The bridge is made of stone, with railings on both sides, spanning across Guan Dao Creek. Underneath the bridge, the water flows rapidly, with large rocks supporting it. There is a stone inscription with Zhu Xi's handwriting "Zhēn Liú", hence its name. The bridge is 12.5 meters long, 3.2 meters wide and about 10 meters high.

  The poem says: "The gorge is urgent, how can there be a mind? The stone on the bridge is stimulated; Suddenly surprised to listen on the bridge, the sunset is independent." Described the danger of this bridge. On the cliff rocks in the Guandao Creek, there are inscriptions such as "White Deer Cave", "Hidden Place", "Fishing Platform", "Rinsing Stone" and "Flowing Cup Pool". The stone carvings create a deep cultural atmosphere, making this place truly embody the charm of "The sound of the spring, the rhyme of the pine, the literary heart is dotted, the white stone is cold, the cloud is headed, it is Taoist."

  "Do not ask about worldly affairs outside the empty temple, this heart is just with this mountain." Qingyang is precisely shaping her immortality with such an independent spirit and transcendent sentiment.