The name of the second Emperor was Towering-Soul, who ascended the throne upon the death of Towering-Justice. Towering-Soul was an Emperor whose virtue was not in the slightest inferior to his father's, and the Realm continued to enjoy proper governance under his rule. Having studied the arts of both civil administration and military leadership under his father, he was an active and capable ruler and never lost a battle. He was also good at giving speeches to rally the people and incline their hearts towards objects that benefited the Realm. The lords and officials were inspired by his mien and charisma, which is why they did not slack off, and anyone who tried to exploit his government post for private gain was instantly given up by his peers to face punishment. Debate on the Law of Tengir as well as on ancient statutes filled the throne room every day, and ten new commentaries were produced. Towering-Soul was also extremely modest in his desires for women and wine, and this won the admiration of his government. He had only the Empress and a First Consort to wait on him, and only took wine at sacrificial feasts.
In the seventeenth year of his reign, a number of men of deep wisdom rose to prominence in the court, distinguishing themselves for the good council they had to offer the Emperor and his high officers as well as for their skill at public speaking and their embodiment of virtue and candor. In doing so, the teachers had developed positions on topics big and small and had synthesized their observations of everything under Heaven, and this resulted in their accumulation of dozens of disciples from every station in life, to whom they gave lectures in their private homes. But as the number of people seeking instruction grew, the teachers felt that this was no longer enough, so a group of them--in total almost thirty men primarily from clans of officials and priests--petitioned the Emperor to establish a national house of learning in the Capital separate from the religious seminary. Because the Emperor loved wisdom above all else, and because a number of meritorious officials were among the petitioners, he granted this and ordered the construction of the Academy of a Hundred Flowers in the outer district of the Capital, and put it under the charge of the Ministry of Sacrifices. He created an office at the rank of 2nd senior, the Great Preceptor, to head the Academy. Immediately hundreds of students flocked there to hear lectures, including noble youths from the provinces. Every three years a great examination was held at the Academy; every student who wished to graduate had to pass the examination. Those who passed were awarded a degree; the ones who scored in the top one-tenth of the passing participants were conferred with the degree of Doctor; three-tenths were conferred with the degree of Expounder; the remainder of those that passed were conferred with the degree of Teacher. Those who did not pass had to wait three years until the next examination.
In the twenty-third year of his reign, because he was fond of the excellent verses made by Capital officials and people from distant provinces, he commanded the lords of every province to compile the finest poems from their domains and submit them to the Capital. In total over twenty thousand verses were collected and entered into the Imperial Library. This volume was called the Imperial Book of Songs. He also began to hold poetry contests at the Court. The largest of these was held annually during the All-Congress, when every lord was required to be in the Capital. Then the most imaginative poets of the age would gather and demonstrate their wit and inventiveness and win fame and rewards. At these events the Emperor did not himself contribute verses, but would only act as the judge, and so the tastes and trends of the era were his to shepherd.