Aoyama

Chapter 439 Number One Scholar
Today is the imperial examination.

The Imperial Guards, clad in armor, lined up in two rows in front of the Meridian Gate, their white pheasant tails swaying in the wind.

The candidates lined up outside the Meridian Gate, and the guards searched them one by one.

They had already changed into green official uniforms and black boots, and apart from not having official rank badges on their chests, they were no different from the officials of Da Ning.

Qi Zhenzhuo looked around, then turned to Li Xuan: "I just saw Zhang Zheng stop you in front of the Governor's Mansion. What did he say? Will my master appear today?"

Li Xuan did not look to the side and did not answer.

Qi Zhenzhuo pursed his lips: "Fine, fine, you don't trust me, do you?"

Bored, he turned his gaze to the examinees and saw Shen Ye standing in the front row yawning.

Qi Zhenzhuo teased, "Brother Shen, didn't you boast that you would win the top scholar title? Why are you so listless?"

Shen Ye wiped the sleep from the corner of his eye: "The provincial examination emphasizes the classics, while the palace examination emphasizes current affairs. I am inferior to Brother Wen Zong in the classics examination, so I am no match for him. Originally, I was thinking of competing with him in the palace examination, but Brother Wen Zong went back to Luzhou to mourn. Even if I win the top score today, people will just say, 'In times without heroes, even a nobody can become famous.'"

Shen Ye yawned again: "I wish I could go home and wait for Brother Wen Zongxian to come back and compete again in three years."

Qi Zhenzhuo's eyes widened: "You're not planning to win today?"

Shen Ye laughed heartily: "We still have to take it, since we're already here."

The Jie Fanwei guards shouted loudly in front of the Meridian Gate: "No noise is allowed. Anyone who behaves improperly before the Emperor will be stripped of their academic titles and never be employed again!"

After the body search was completed, a guard waved a command flag at the Meridian Gate, and the side gates on both sides suddenly opened wide.

The candidates filed in through the left and right side gates and headed towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Three hundred and twelve tables and writing implements were set up early in the square outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Shen Ye walked straight to the front row, lifted his clothes, and knelt down on the open ground.

Wu Xiu emerged from the palace, unfurled the imperial edict, and read aloud: "I have inherited this great legacy, and wish only to uphold the virtuous legacy of my ancestors and to accord with the expectations of my subjects. However, observing the current state of affairs, I am deeply saddened by the suffering of the people. The tax and labor system is riddled with abuses. Some have vast fields yet pay taxes without paying even a single pound, while others have no land to stand on yet their descendants are subjected to labor service. The poor are becoming increasingly impoverished, the rich increasingly extravagant, and the national revenue is consequently in deficit."

"You possess the strategic vision to govern the world, and you have thoroughly investigated its principles. I hope you will express your own opinions frankly, examine the past and present, and avoid being pedantic or superficial in your current discourse."

"I will personally review it."

These words shocked the court officials.

It was not unusual for the imperial examination to examine the deep-seated problems of the current administration; what surprised the court officials was the three words "I personally reviewed" at the end of the imperial edict.

In previous years, His Majesty never personally reviewed any of the numerous exam papers.

All of them were first sent to the Wenhua Hall, where the cabinet ministers and ministers selected ten copies to be presented to the Emperor. His Majesty then selected the top three scholars in the first class, as well as the top seven in the second class.

This year, His Majesty actually intends to review all the examination papers?

The palace examination begins.

Shen Ye shook off his previous fatigue, rolled up his sleeves, picked up his pen, and wrote: "I have heard that when a sage governs the world, he must carefully assess the times and circumstances, understand the changes, and ensure that the people are not weary. Now Your Majesty is in the hall, inquiring about the uneven distribution of taxes and corvée labor, and the corruption of officials. Although I am foolish, how dare I not speak frankly and honestly?"

"Your Majesty, the law cannot be abolished, but the abuses must be reformed. There are three essentials to reforming the law: first, to conduct a thorough land survey, as land survey is the foundation for equal taxation; second, to accept silver in lieu of corvée labor; and third, to implement performance evaluations, as performance evaluations are the whip for the law to be enforced; at the end of the year, an audit will be conducted, and those who perform well will be promoted, while those who are negligent will be dismissed."

"Your Majesty, this policy has three advantages: first, the laws are simple and easy to enforce; second, corvée labor is distributed to the land, thus relieving the people of their burdens and leaving no room for powerful and wealthy to hide; and third, the national treasury is sufficient while the people are not harmed..."

While the other candidates were still racking their brains, Shen Ye had already written more than two thousand words.

He picked up the Xuan paper, blew on it, and announced loudly, "Shen Ye, a scholar from Yangzhou, has submitted a proposal before the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Your Majesty, please read it."

Wu Xiu waved in front of the palace, and a young eunuch carrying Shen Ye's scroll ran into the palace, where Wu Xiu then presented it to the emperor.

Emperor Ning, seated on his throne, glanced at the document silently a few times and calmly said, "Great talent. Pass it on to the Grand Secretaries for their perusal."

Wu Xiu replied in a low voice, "Yes."

He walked out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony and whispered a few words to the little eunuch, who then carried Shen Ye's scroll and ran towards the Hall of Literary Glory.

……

……

The Wenhua Hall was quiet. The Grand Secretaries sat in the warm hall with their eyes closed, resting and waiting to review the documents.

The ministers gathered in twos and threes, whispering among themselves, but they weren't talking about the palace examination. Instead, they kept glancing furtively at Grand Secretary Chen.

The imperial examination was a momentous event, but the court officials' minds were preoccupied with something else entirely.

Just then, without opening his eyes, Grand Secretary Hu slowly said, "Grand Secretary Chen, I'm afraid you haven't been sleeping well these past few days."

Grand Secretary Chen, with his eyes closed as well, asked calmly, "What is it that Grand Secretary Hu is referring to?"

Grand Secretary Hu smiled and said, "Of course I'm referring to Chen Wenzong of your Chen family. He clearly won the top prize in the provincial examination, but he had to return to Luzhou to mourn, wasting three years of his life. Otherwise, the Chen family would be the main character in today's palace examination... Otherwise, what do you think I'm talking about, Grand Secretary Chen?" Grand Secretary Hu's words were barbed, comparing the Chen family to the main characters on a stage, implying that the poor are the lowest of the low. This was a veiled criticism, and the last sentence directly hit Grand Secretary Chen's sore spot.

The Wenhua Hall fell silent. The officials dared only to silently observe the two, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.

Grand Secretary Chen slowly spoke: "Grand Secretary Hu is mistaken. Our Ning Dynasty is founded on filial piety. How can holding a funeral be considered a waste of time? Do not say such things again, or the censor will impeach you again."

Grand Secretary Hu smiled and said, “My Hu family has never produced an unworthy son. On the contrary, I have heard of that boy from your Chen family. He severed ties with his biological father when he was in Luoyang, and when he returned to the capital, he caused chaos in his family.”

Someone brought the matter to light, and Grand Secretary Chen finally opened his eyes: "Grand Secretary Hu seems quite concerned about the affairs of my Chen family."

Grand Secretary Hu joked, "It's not that I care, but this matter has become common knowledge, so I can't help but want to know."

Grand Secretary Chen said slowly and deliberately, "A little commotion is good. Grand Secretary Hu, we are old now, and we know that we are but a grain of sand in the universe, and we also know that there are too many things in this world that cannot be done, and many regrets that must be taken to the grave. But my son Chen doesn't believe in fate. He thinks that as long as you dare to do it, there is nothing that cannot be done..."

However, the next moment, Grand Secretary Chen suddenly said in a resounding voice: "But, it is a good thing not to believe in fate."

Grand Secretary Hu was silent for a moment: "I thought your Chen family was going to stage another break, but I misunderstood."

Grand Secretary Chen smiled and said, "I know that Grand Secretary Hu's words today were meant to provoke me, hoping to anger me and cause him to leave the Chen family so that he can join your Hu family's border army. But family members need to be tested by their own family members to know what is important. I don't trust others to do it."

Grand Secretary Hu scoffed, “I hate the word ‘polishing’ more than anything in my life. If you polish away all your sharpness, how can you do anything? Your Chen family has too many rules and your hearts are not united. Don’t waste a good seedling.”

As they were speaking, the door to the Wenhua Hall was pushed open, and a young eunuch entered carrying Shen Ye's scroll: "Esteemed Grand Secretaries and Ministers, this is the scroll of Shen Ye, a tribute student from Yangzhou. His Majesty praised his great talent and has brought it here for you all to see."

Someone took the Xuan paper and handed it to Grand Secretary Chen.

The young eunuch continued, "His Majesty has issued an edict that the list will be posted today, and a banquet will be held at the Imperial Academy. His Majesty will personally attend."

The courtiers in the Wenhua Hall were stunned again, and then looked at each other in bewilderment.

In previous years, the results of the palace examination would be announced two days later. First, the names would be called out in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and then the list of successful candidates would be posted to the world.

But what's wrong with you today? You're not even willing to wait two days to consider things?

Grand Secretary Hu chuckled and said, "His Majesty can't wait any longer and also wants to see the excitement."

Grand Secretary Chen ignored him, lowered his head and focused on reading the scroll. After a moment, he handed it out, saying, "You all take a look too."

A middle-aged official took the scroll, glanced at it twice, and quickly and discreetly handed it back, taking a step back without uttering a word. Shen Ye's words were all about new policies, and many were quite bold. However, in the Wenhua Hall, some people supported the reforms while others opposed them, and he couldn't afford to offend either of them.

The toilet paper was passed around, and no one dared to speak.

When the scroll reached Grand Secretary Hu, he shook it and said loudly, "Lord Zhang, is this person your student? What's written on this scroll are clearly the new policies you want to implement!"

The Wenhua Hall fell silent, and everyone looked toward a corner.

Zhang Zhuo was engrossed in writing documents and papers, and he didn't say a word when Grand Secretary Hu and Grand Secretary Chen were arguing.

If it weren't for Grand Secretary Hu speaking up, everyone would have almost forgotten that this young and middle-aged new Grand Secretary was also in the Wenhua Hall!
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhuo looked up and slowly smiled, "Oh? Let me see what Shen Ye wrote."

Someone passed the scroll to his desk. Zhang Zhu examined it for a moment and exclaimed, "The words are sincere and practical. Indeed, great minds think alike."

Someone quietly rolled their eyes.

No wonder Shen Ye dared to speak so arrogantly outside the examination hall; he was Zhang Zhuo's man!
Previously, no one had heard a word about it.

Is it still about testing academic ability these days?
It's clearly about setting the tone for the court's direction.

Grand Secretary Hu exclaimed, "Lord Zhang is truly shrewd. If it weren't for the fact that he had already finalized the new policies for several prefectures at Renshou Palace a few days ago, this man would probably have given the officials of the court a great shock today."

Zhang Zhuo humbly replied, "I did not expect the new policy to proceed so smoothly. Many thanks to Grand Secretaries Hu and Chen for their great assistance."

As he had previously told Chen Ji, if it weren't for the matter of the Crown Prince, it would have taken him five years to enter the cabinet and implement new policies. During those five years, he would have had to keep stirring things up, and Shen Ye's palace examination was one such step.

Now, Shen Ye's move seems less important.

Grand Secretary Chen suddenly asked, "Lord Zhang, has my son from the Chen family been staying at the Zhang family's residence recently?"

Zhang Zhuo shook his head: "Your Excellency misunderstands. Chen Ji has not been at my Zhang family's residence these past few days."

At this time, the papers from the other candidates were also brought to the Wenhua Hall and passed around among the Grand Secretaries and Ministers.

Someone handed a roll of paper to Grand Secretary Hu: "Grand Secretary, please take a look."

Grand Secretary Hu waved his hand impatiently: "His Majesty has already decided on the top scholar, why should we both take a look? Just wait for the Qionglin Banquet tonight."

He turned to look at Grand Secretary Chen: "However, there is something even more interesting today than the Qionglin Banquet, and I am quite impatient to see it."

(End of this chapter)