Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2681 Still Vigorous in Old Age 65.0
"After ten years of being sent away, he's still like this? That's unbelievable." Ying Shisan shook his head in disdain. "The place he was sent away to back then must have been a wealthy region, otherwise, he wouldn't have developed such an arrogant and ignorant personality, would he?"

“Even in the wealthiest prefectures of Jiangnan, no official would utter such words. The purpose of being sent to the provinces is to understand the people's plight, know their hardships, and always remember to stand up for them. But how many can truly do that?” Shen Cha sneered. “We don’t allow aristocratic families to participate in the imperial examinations, nor do we allow them to recommend officials for positions, precisely to prevent the emergence of such officials. But now I’ve discovered something: new aristocratic families have quietly emerged, haven’t they?”

“Hmm!” Shen Haolin nodded. “Back in the capital, I discussed this topic with my master and His Majesty. The chief examiner for the imperial examinations changes every three years, and those who have already served as chief examiners are not allowed to serve again for ten years. This does have some restraint, but,” he sighed softly, “we later discovered that there were only a handful of people qualified to be chief examiners in the imperial examinations. Later, when there was really no other way, my fourth grandfather and my master had both served as chief examiners. Those in the royal family who were well-educated and could pass the examinations by the old scholars in the Hanlin Academy were qualified to serve as chief examiners. We managed to get by like that over the years, it wasn’t easy.”

“But most of the chief examiners came from the imperial examination system. They had their own mentors and recruited their own students through the spring and autumn imperial examinations and special examinations. In a few years, their students would recruit new students.” Shen Cha shook his head helplessly. “That’s how new powerful families were born.”

"So, it's not so easy for His Majesty to deal with Vice Minister Fan, is it? If he's dealt with, it will implicate many people. His Majesty must have some concerns, right?"

“That’s natural, but Vice Minister Fan hasn’t made any major mistakes. We haven’t found any fault with him to deal with yet, so Brother Xiao Jue will have to be patient with him for a while longer. But…” Shen Cha stroked his chin, looked at Shen Haolin, and said, “Who is his mentor? I’ve never heard anyone mention him.”

“His mentor passed away a few years ago, the previous Minister of Revenue, Shi Yun.” Shen Haolin sighed. “In his short forty years, Shi Yun only had one direct student, who specially asked his uncle for a favor before his death. Speaking of which, the two of them are somewhat related. Vice Minister Fan should call Shi Yun his cousin, but the relationship is a bit distant, beyond the fifth degree of mourning.”

"They wouldn't be like Ning Changguo, would they?"

“No.” Shen Haolin shook his head gently. “Shi Yun’s ancestral home is the same as that of Vice Minister Fan, but the Shi family has not returned to their hometown for at least fifty years and has always lived in the capital. Before Shi Yun, no one in the clan was an official; they were all businessmen. He had a cousin who participated in the imperial examinations but barely passed and failed the next few times.”

"Was Shi Yun the only one who passed the exam?"

“Although he was only a second-class graduate, he was indeed the only one who passed the exam. Before him and after him, no other member of the Shi family passed the exam.” Shen Haolin took a sip of tea. “I know him quite well. He is nothing like Vice Minister Fan. He is quite aware of the hardships of ordinary people. My uncle said that he often saw him mingling in the city, looking around and sitting there. Moreover, if there were any problems with the Ministry of Revenue’s accounts, he was the one who brought them up first.”

"Minister Shi is so capable, how come Vice Minister Fan didn't learn anything from him? He was even a direct student!" Shen Cha rolled her eyes. "Oh, right, Minister Shi recommended him before he passed away. I'm afraid that by the time Vice Minister Fan is transferred back, he won't even have a chance to see Minister Shi one last time, right?"

"Hmm!" Shen Haolin nodded. "As you know, the title of 'mentor' is just a nice name. Although the two of them are related, they are beyond the fifth degree of kinship. Shi Yun had never met Fan Shilang before he passed the second-class examination. It was only when he was about to become a mentor that he learned that the two of them were related. As for why he recommended him before his death, it's because Shi Yun really only had this one student left."

"why?"

"This is Shi Yun's fate. Although he was the chief examiner that year, apart from Vice Minister Fan, who actually had a formal apprenticeship, the top three scholars (Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua) didn't actually have formal apprenticeships. It was just a formality for the sake of appearances." "They had their own formal apprentices?"

“That’s one reason. There’s another reason. They all say he’s the emperor’s disciple, not a disciple of a particular court official.” Shen Haolin sighed softly. “There has never been such a situation before, from ancient times to the present.”

“That’s interesting.” Shen Cha stroked her chin. “If I remember correctly, those three with the worst tempers in the Secretariat were not only from the same cohort, but also from the same cohort as Vice Minister Fan, right?” Seeing Shen Haolin nod, she snorted. “I knew it. They have such bad tempers every day, always talking back to this person and that person, and no one dares to do anything to them. So that’s why.”

"They just don't like forming cliques. There are also conflicts among the three of them, and they fight every now and then."

“Hey, now that the Duke has brought this up, I have something to say.” Ying Shisan raised his hand. “Before I came back, Lord Yang and Lord Pu had just had a fight. It was a real fight. The two old lords beat each other up, leaving each other with black eyes and swollen faces. When the Secretariat reported it, His Majesty’s expression was very helpless, as if to say, ‘Here we go again.’”

"Indeed, these two have been at odds for years, neither willing to back down, which has led to them resorting to violence. Old Master Ou just watches from the sidelines, occasionally trying to break up the fight. But these two don't know their own strength when they fight, and anyone who tries to intervene usually gets caught in the crossfire. So everyone stays far away and doesn't get involved in their affairs at all."

"Neither the late emperor nor His Majesty cares?"

"What's the big deal? No one's going to die. It's good for them to vent their remaining energy, isn't it?"

Ying Shisan thought for a moment and nodded slightly. That made sense. Those old men in the Central Secretariat were indeed full of energy. If they didn't fight each other, it would be others who got beaten up.

"Those three are one thing, but the top three scholars in the imperial examinations—the first, second, and third place—don't the others who passed also acknowledge their teachers? That's outrageous!"

"I don't know, I guess they just want to follow the crowd!" Shen Haolin waved his hand. "However, it's good that they don't acknowledge it. Shi Yun wasn't one to abuse his power for personal gain. Apart from asking his uncle for a favor before he passed away to transfer Vice Minister Fan to the Ministry of Revenue, he never asked for anything else."

"Actually, he probably still wanted to see Vice Minister Fan, but unfortunately he couldn't."

"Yes, when Vice Minister Fan returned to the capital, it seemed that the seventh day after Shi Yun's death had already passed. He was extremely grieved and did not rush to take up his post. Instead, he went to the temple to chant sutras for Shi Yun for seven days."