Promotion

The morning the article came out in the Archeology Gazette (and on the front page no less), Lin Yuchen woke up to a bulging pile of mail sitting under the mail slot of his door.

It would have taken him hours to go through all of them, so he just skimmed a couple. Letters of congratulation from professors scattered across the country. Short notes from government officials. Requests for research positions from students and wannabe scholars. Even letters from casual admirers--a few written in markedly female hands.

Lin Yuchen was wreathed in smiles. He thought he was dreaming.

Today, he thought, is the day my career truly begins.

He thought back over the many long years he had spent working for this. He remembered taking the entrance exam and getting a slightly less-than-satisfactory score. He remembered spending hours digging through texts and journals, looking for any sentence, any phrase, that might be useful for his research. And he remembered, more vividly than anything else, defending his thesis in front of the chilly eyes of his mentors, and ultimately receiving his diploma.

And after all that, he remained at the Junior Eighth rank. His business card was a dull, creamy color with a gray trim. And it was the fate of most scholars like him to remain there until retirement at the ripe age of seventy or seventy-five. It was a thankless job--no one did it to become famous.

The next day he was called into Professor Bai's office.

"Lin Yuchen, I've called you in here today to discuss the future." His aging voice boomed. Yet despite his age his fingers were nimbly twirling a pen. The previous day's edition of the Gazette was laying on the desk.

"Yes, sir."

"This recent discovery was enough to speak to your merit, but that article you wrote really was the icing on the cake. You are no common scholar. I proposed promoting you to an associate professor to the faculty the other day and received unanimous support. I'm very proud of you. We also sent a letter to the Office of Personnel asking them to promote you to Senior Eighth. You're welcome."

"Thank you, sir," he replied, eyes turning glossy. "I truly have no words."

"And, I'm seeing to it that this Qiu Shujie lady is given a position in the graduate program, if she is interested. Surely you won't mind taking her under your wing, will you?"

Now that he thought of it, it definitely seemed like she had an interest in archeology. Though it can be hard to tell with shy students like her.

"That won't be a problem at all. Only if she wants to, of course. It seems as though most of my students hate me."

"That's quite normal," Professor Bai nodded his head, then went on, "One more thing. I'm going on an expedition to the Western Continent in a couple months, after the semester ends. I'd like for you to join me. Bring some of your students, too. Yes, bring that Qiu Shujie. Among the professors, I'd like to take you and Professor Kang. Captain Song will be escorting us--as you know the farther-flung regions of the Emperor's Realm harbor outlaws of all sorts. We'll only be gone for a month, but I'd like to hit several of the new hot spots over there and hopefully make some fantastic discoveries. Are you up for it?"

"Professor, I would be honored."

That was the gist of their conversation. Sooner or later, Lin Yuchen took his leave.

When he returned to class the next week, he found that nearly all his students were treating him with a renewed respect. Even Ju Tianzong was acting differently. When Lin Yuchen entered the classroom, Ju Tianzong didn't hesitate to bow like he used to, and when he spoke to Lin Yuchen his tone was much more subdued. Maybe teaching these brats isn't a huge waste of time after all, he reflected.

And, to be certain, from that point on his lectures were much more pleasing to listen to.

That day after class, he asked Qiu Shujie to stay behind for a few minutes.

"What is it, Professor Lin?" she asked in her usual shy voice.

"Qiu Shujie, you are still my favorite student," he said nonplussed, "Tell me about your future plans. Do you want to be an archeologist?"

When she heard that, her face changed drastically. Her thin eyebrows minutely knit themselves.

"I still haven't really decided what's best for me, practically speaking," she told him, "but, to tell you the truth, there is nothing I want more than to become an archeologist. This last expedition to the eastern foothills was one of the best experiences of my life."

"Well here's your lucky break. You found that record-breaking coin after all, and I made sure to let them know the credit was all yours. My boss, Professor Bai, is very pleased with you. He's offering you a position in the archeology graduate program. That's not a guarantee you will get in though; you will still have to sit for the entrance exam and have some research experience under your wing first. But if you're interested, don't hesitate to let me know."

She was silent for a few moments. Finally, she said, "Thanks for the offer. I will have to think about it some more."

"Take your time," he said, "Though, if I may ask, what is stopping you?"

"I originally came to the capital to study medicine. Both my parents are doctors, and so was my grandfather. I know they're expecting me to follow in their footsteps, especially since I was able to get into the Imperial University--something they never even dreamed of. They're from one of the eastern provinces, very rural, and studied at the provincial capital. I just don't know how they would react if I told them I'm switching to archeology all of a sudden."

"But, the more important question is, which of the two would you rather do?"

"That's hard to say," she giggled quietly, "I guess if I really wanted to study archeology I would have signed up for that in the first place. If that makes sense..."

"Fair enough," Lin Yuchen replied, "Think about it for a while."

"I will, thanks."

"And, don't let me sway you. Ultimately it's your decision."

After that, she bowed and trotted out of the classroom.

About four or five days later, Lin Yuchen received a giant letter in a gold-colored envelope. It wasn't real gold, of course, only gold-colored, but it looked just about as expensive. The envelope read, "Imperial decree issued on behalf of His Majesty at the Office of Personnel, to Lin Yuchen."

Shocked, Lin Yuchen tore open the envelope with unusual vigor. Wide-eyed, he read to himself, "For his distinguished scholarly achievements and immense breadth of learning, upon unanimous recommendation of the faculty of the archeology department of the Imperial University, it is hereby decreed that Lin Yuchen shall henceforth hold the rank of Senior Eighth..." It went on in that vein, filling up most of the heavy sheet of paper. A huge red seal was stamped at the bottom.

The envelope also contained an updated official ID card that reflected his new rank.

Lin Yuchen couldn't contain his joy. At that moment, to call him "ecstatic" would be a mean understatement. He promptly hung the decree on his refrigerator. About an hour later, Professor Bai and a few other colleagues showed up at his door.

"What are you doing moping around here for?" Professor Bai teased, "Come drink with us. We're about to stop by a few restaurants in East Gate."

Needless to say, he went out with them. They went to some high-end restaurant where they repeatedly passed Lin Yuchen a cup of some of the finest wine he had ever tasted in his life. They stayed there late into the night, singing songs and composing poetry and enjoying the live lute and zither performances. Yes, that night they were true scholars.

By about 3 AM, Lin Yuchen was too wasted to even stand, and the whole world was spinning for him, so a few colleagues had to carry him back to his apartment. By the time his head met his pillow, he had already been fast asleep for a good ten minutes.

That night he once again had that same dream. Even now, it was still recurring. In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time he had dreamt of something else, which he found extremely odd. When he woke up the next morning, he had a pounding headache and keen discomfort in his stomach. It was worth it, he said to himself.

As he stepped into the living room, hand pressed up against his forehead, the last few moments of that dream were replaying mercilessly in his mind. That last image, of the blinding sky blurring into his very soul, made him feel very uncomfortable. For a dream as strange as that to keep recurring, he thought, there must be some kind of meaning to it.

His field of vision suddenly fell onto the countertop, where the dark blue business card Diao Zhen had given him was still laying, untouched since the day he put it there. Lin Yuchen didn't clean his apartment often. He remembered that some Priests, especially those belonging to one of the Five Priestly Clans, had special aptitudes for interpreting dreams. The words she had told him the other day echoed, "The ability to see fantastic things runs in our blood."

In all likelihood, he ranked far too low to even register in her world, let alone come to her with such a personal request. Still, he figured it might be worth a try to write her a letter.

He wrote, "Dear Diao Zhen,

I hope my letter does not come off as too forward, but I have been having the same dream night after night. It's a very strange dream, but even stranger is the fact that it always happens exactly the same, every time, and I haven't been able to dream of anything else. I won't go into any more details here--I have heard that some priests are good at interpreting dreams, and was wondering if you were willing to try for me. I would be very grateful if so.

Respectfully, Lin Yuchen."