Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 76
In Mingshifang, the capital, there is an inn called "Sanyuanlou" between the Imperial Examination Hall and the Armoury.

This inn has been open since Emperor Chengzu first moved the capital. Initially, it was not called "Sanyuan Building" but "Zhuangyuan Building." This was simply because the inn was close to the Imperial Examination Hall, so it took on this auspicious name.

It was not until the tenth year of Zhengtong that Shang Lu, who was already a Jieyuan (Seventh Prize) in the imperial examination, won both the Huiyuan and the Zhuangyuan (Top Prize) titles in the imperial examinations that the "Zhuangyuan Building" was renamed the "Sanyuan Building".

It is said that Shang Su'an received his title of first place in the imperial examination at this inn, but no concrete evidence has been found to date.

Regardless of whether the rumors are true or false, every spring examination, many students would gather in "Sanyuanlou" to take the exam.

"Yesterday, the whole city was firing cannons. I thought it was the Tatars attacking." The execution on the first day of the winter month was even more spectacular than the sacrifice to heaven. Naturally, this incident became a hot topic for conversation among men, women, and children from all walks of life.

"Brother Xiuzhi, the Jiannu were Jurchens, not Tatars." Zhang Sizhi chuckled.

"Brother Yibai, how do you know that I am talking about the Jiannu?" Wang Yongji got angry when he saw Zhang Sizhi's arrogant look.

"Brother Xiuzhi, if you are not talking about the Jiannu, then what are you talking about?" Zhang Sizhi's ridicule increased instead of decreasing.

"You!" Wang Yongji suddenly became angry.

Aside from personality factors, their frequent arguments were largely due to their accents. Zhang Sizhi was from Shandong, while Wang Yongji was from Zhejiang. Although the Qi and Zhejiang factions temporarily united in the court due to the Donglin Party, this did not make the candidates from either region more sympathetic to the other.

"Did you know that they used flogging yesterday?" A short, dark-skinned but handsome young man at another table said mysteriously.

"Brother Yuze, did you also go to the imperial city yesterday?" Wang Zheng was fifty-one years old and had grandchildren, but he still treated the person sitting opposite him as a brother.

"Um, I heard about it." Yang Qian was preparing for the exam in his room yesterday, and was startled by the sudden sound of cannon fire. So he went out for a walk after dinner and asked around.

"Why do we need to use a whip? Among the five punishments, flogging is the least severe." Wang Zheng stuffed the steamed bun into his mouth.

"A whip can also kill people." Lu Xiangsheng, a "doctoral student" of the Imperial College, came over with his breakfast.

"Excuse me, bro?" Yang Qian had never seen this person before.

"Excuse me. My name is Lu Xiangsheng, courtesy name Jiandou, and I'm from Yixing, Zhili." Lu Xiangsheng wasn't staying at the Sanyuan Building, but rather making friends. Having spent three years as a student at the Imperial College in Beijing, he had developed a natural Beijing accent and could converse with anyone. "Excuse me, sir?"

"My name is Yang Qian, with the courtesy name Yuze, and I'm from Datong, Shanxi." Yang Qian stood up and saluted, introducing himself.

"My name is Wang Zheng, with the courtesy name Liangfu, and I'm from Xi'an, Shaanxi." Wang Zheng quickly swallowed the food in his mouth, then put the steamed bun on the plate and saluted.

After the names were announced, Lu Xiangsheng said, "Of the fifty people tortured yesterday, at least twenty must have died."

"So many?" Yang Qian couldn't believe it.

"Everyone received at least twenty lashes. Afterwards, their backs were covered in blood, with not a single healthy spot. Fortunately, it was winter, otherwise they would have gotten suppurative infections." Lu Xiangsheng arrived early and ran fast, so he stood in the front row.

"The worst-off one received fifty lashes." Wang Zheng felt so sad when he saw this.

"That's Eunuch Cui, the commander of the Eastern Depot." When the Zheng family was ransacking their property, Lu Xiangsheng had gone to watch, so he had met Cui Wensheng once.

"He's definitely dead." Yang Qian guessed.

"That's not necessarily true. Eunuch Cui was breathing heavily when he was carried away. I saw it with my own eyes." Lu Xiangsheng was not only very curious, but also had very good eyesight.

"How could that be? He is the evil ringleader." Yang Qian frowned slightly.

"Brother Yuze, whether a eunuch lives or dies does not depend on whether he is evil or not, but on..." Wang Zheng raised his index finger and pointed to the sky, which was enough to stop. "You mean..."

"I didn't say anything." Wang Zheng quickly waved his hand and shook his head.

"Do you know what the lyrics of the capital guards were yesterday?" As soon as Lu Xiangsheng left the imperial city, he went to the library of the Imperial College in the capital.

"Brother Jiandou, please don't keep us in suspense." Yang Qian urged.

"That's the inscription on the Langya Stone Stele, written by Li Si." Lu Xiangsheng smiled faintly and said, "Within the six directions of the universe, the Emperor's land is his. West it stretches across the Quicksand Mountains, south it reaches Beihu. East it borders the East China Sea, north it passes Daxia. Wherever he goes, all are his subjects. His achievements surpass those of the Five Emperors, and his benevolence extends to cattle and horses. All receive his virtue, and each lives in peace."

"I remember there was a sentence at the end: 'May prosperity last forever,'" Wang Zheng said.

"That was added later. There is no such sentence in the inscription." Lu Xiangsheng sighed softly. He originally wanted to keep the secret.

"Is it the one praising the First Emperor?" The Langya Terrace Stone Inscription was not something that was required for the imperial examination, so Yang Qian had never heard of it.

"Yes, the stone carving has two parts. The first part is the 'Ode to the First Emperor', which records the achievements of Qin Shihuang in unifying the world and the ministers who participated in writing the text and carving the stele." Lu Xiangsheng really likes this feeling of "solving doubts".

"What about the second part?" Yang Qian was obviously a good student.

"The second part is the 'Second Emperor's Edict', which is not very interesting." Lu Xiangsheng curled his lips.

"No wonder flogging is used." Wang Zheng understood.

"What's wrong with flogging?" Yang Qian felt that he should read more other books.

"When it came to the First Emperor, he unleashed the remaining vigour of the six previous dynasties, wielded his long-term strategy to rule the world, swallowed up the two Zhou dynasties and destroyed the feudal lords, assumed supreme authority and controlled the world." Wang Zheng paused, then added emphatically, "He whipped the world with a slap and whip, and his power resonated throughout the four seas."

"Han Dynasty, Jia Yi, On the Qin Dynasty." Lu Xiangsheng added.

"'Guo' Qin?" Yang Qian thought for a moment and asked, "Isn't it written to list all the mistakes?"

"How can you talk about achievements without any accomplishments?" Lu Xiangsheng had already considered this question. He lowered his voice and said, "If there were no Qin, how could there be the fall of Qin? The founding of Qin and the enthronement of the First Emperor—this alone is enough to make him immortal in history. Although the Qin was destroyed, it laid the groundwork for the Han Dynasty to establish itself."

"Brother Jiandou, are you saying that establishing the Qin Dynasty and destroying it are two different things?" Yang Qian, though not well-informed, was highly perceptive. "So, the current emperor is using the Chengtian Gate punishment to establish the First Emperor's ambition?"

"That's it." Lu Xiangsheng nodded.

"What if people like Cui Wensheng become Zhao Gao?" Wang Zheng frowned slightly.

"Why don't we die for our advice?" Lu Xiangsheng smiled silently, his eyes firm.

"It's just about being loyal to the emperor, defending the country, and protecting the family." Yang Qian nodded in agreement.

"If I fail again, no matter how much I say, it's all groundless worry," Wang Zheng said self-deprecatingly. He had passed the imperial examination in the 22nd year of the Wanli reign. If he failed this time, it would mean he had failed nine times.

"Brother Liangfu, isn't Hai Gangfeng also a juren?" Yang Qian said with a soothing smile.

"Yu Ze's words are worth more than ten thousand books. I am the one who imprisoned myself." Wang Zheng was stunned, then burst into laughter.

(End of this chapter)