Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 229 Hai Gangfeng Enters the Hanlin Academy

"Mingwei!" "The leader!"

As soon as Haiyue stepped out of the Northern Garrison Command, Yan Shifan and Zhao Wenhua eagerly came to greet her.

Upon learning of the latest developments in the case, Zhao Wenhua was the first to breathe a sigh of relief, beaming with joy: "With the head of the organization personally overseeing the case, it is truly a cause for celebration that the clouds have parted and the sun has finally come out!"

If the Embroidered Uniform Guard were to be disgraced by this incident, they would inevitably hate the two people who exposed it. Now, everyone is indeed happy, and he immediately felt relieved.

"With Madam Sheng dead, it seems the Duke of Dingguo can only vent his anger on the Shen family. Who would have thought that a mere matchmaker could cause such a commotion!"

Yan Shifan wasn't worried about the resentment of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Given his father's position as a leader of the Qingliu faction, digging up the Embroidered Uniform Guard's dirty laundry would actually garner more support from the court officials. However, it was a pity that the credit for this case had once again fallen through.

Haiyue saw through their thoughts, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "There are still some hidden details in the case of Madam Sheng. If Donglou and Yuanzhi want to investigate, they can dig deeper!"

"Oh?"

Yan Shifan perked up and adopted a listening posture.

Haiyue said, "Based on my deduction, Gu's biological father should be a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. In your opinion, what characteristics should this person have?"

Yan Shifan pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "According to the servants' testimonies, Madam Sheng appears gentle and kind on the surface, but in reality, she is extremely opportunistic. Whenever a powerful or wealthy family's fortunes decline even slightly, she will be respectful to her face, but behind their backs, she will do everything in her power to ridicule them..."

"If Gu's biological father were the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, or even just a Vice Commander, she would definitely fawn over him. After all, the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is far greater than that of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works."

"But right now, she outwardly treats Madam Gu well, while secretly favoring her second disciple the most. This shows that the other party's official position is far inferior to that of a vice minister, yet she still manages to force Madam Sheng to feign compliance, even threatening to leave all her family property to her youngest daughter..."

Yan Shifan concluded: "So, this person doesn't hold a high position in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but he wields real power, and... he's greedy and avaricious?"

Haiyue nodded and said, "The East Tower is as clear as a fire!"

Yan Shifan laughed loudly: "Mingwei, you flatter us. The clues are right in front of us. If we still can't figure out the key to it, wouldn't we be letting down the name of our Yixin Society?"

After saying that, he patted Zhao Wenhua on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, leave this to the two of us. We'll make sure that scoundrel has nowhere to hide!"

Zhao Wenhua smiled bitterly to himself, but said respectfully, "Rest assured, Leader, we will do our utmost!"

"it is good!"

This dedication is exactly what Haiyue wants.

Although he had previously asked Lu Bing to investigate, the other party seemed uninterested in the response.

This is understandable, as Lu Bing is currently focused on clearing the name of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and naturally does not want to create any unnecessary complications.

Little did they know that some truths, if not thoroughly investigated, could backfire.

Now, with Yan Shifan and Zhao Wenhua assisting, this deficiency can be made up for.

He himself returned to the Hanlin Academy.

"Mingwei! You're finally back!"

"Oh dear! Why were you so impulsive? You were provoked by those Imperial Guards and went to the Northern Garrison Command."

"They didn't give you any trouble, did they?"

Before they even entered the house, a group of people surrounded them, asking questions all at once.

Most of them were compilers, editors, and junior scholars; Hai Rui, the younger brother, was among them, and he also showed concern in his eyes.

Just yesterday, the Ministry of Rites held an examination for probationary officials, selecting ten probationary officials from among the top thirty second-class Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examinations). Hai Rui was successfully selected.

On the one hand, his current knowledge has made great progress under the influence of Yixin Huizhong Hanlin Academy; otherwise, he would not have been able to achieve such a good result as sixth in the second class and ninth in the country.
On the other hand, he is young enough.

There are age requirements for becoming a Shujishi (a junior official in the Hanlin Academy). Theoretically, one's energy declines after the age of forty. Furthermore, Shujishi need to study at the Hanlin Academy for three years, so being too old would be unsuitable. Therefore, generally speaking, one should not be older than thirty-five, and the younger one is, the more advantageous it is.

Hai Rui did not perform as well as he did in the imperial examination, nor did he receive Yan Song's appreciation. However, due to his young age, he was selected for the Hanlin Academy, taking a crucial step towards becoming a future prime minister.

Yesterday, colleagues jokingly remarked that with two Hanlin scholars from the Hai family, they should be addressed differently based on their seniority.

Today, they all surrounded Haiyue, inquiring about the situation with the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

When they learned that Haiyue, a member of the Hanlin Academy, had actually been invited by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, even though the commander himself had come, many veteran Hanlin scholars had some reservations.

They clearly felt that this was self-degrading and that they were going to collude with the other party.

But when the latest developments in the case were announced, the commotion caused by the young duke in the imperial prison took an unexpected turn. The crowd fell silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"It's laughable that the Imperial Guards, who are usually so arrogant and domineering, actually want to rely on us, the Hanlin scholars, to clear their names!"

"Our Hanlin Academy holds the reins of the nation's literary tradition. Today, it is truly gratifying that we have been able to set things right for the court. Those imperial guards who used to flaunt their power are now bowing and scraping. Isn't this the natural order of things?"

"Once this matter is settled, I must write several 'Records of Injustice' and 'Poems of Repentance' so that future generations will know that in the end, it is up to us to uphold justice in this bright and clear world!"

Everyone clapped and praised, feeling a sense of triumph. Although these Hanlin scholars were happy to see the Embroidered Uniform Guard suffer a setback, they also knew very well that even with the Embroidered Uniform Guard's infamous reputation, the court would never abolish it.

Ultimately, the real power of those lackeys is far beyond what these impoverished scholars, who spend their days with pen and ink, can compare to.

But now, it is precisely these powerful Imperial Guards who need to rely on their wisdom and talent to clear their names. How can this not make people feel proud?
As for why Haiyue's achievements were attributed to the entire Hanlin Academy—this is simply common practice in officialdom.

Just as outside, everyone addresses you as "Hanlin," who cares whether you are an editor or a probationary official? The Hanlin Academy has always been a place where everyone shares in the glory!
Moreover, they wouldn't take credit for nothing. Once that masterful pen is in hand, Haiyue's reputation will naturally rise to even greater heights.

The literati's reputation is forged in this way.

When those brilliant articles spread throughout the world, Haiyue's fame will naturally reach its zenith!
Haiyue would naturally not refuse such an opportunity to gain fame.

Even those with lofty ambitions must first establish a solid foundation.

After chatting and laughing with his colleagues, seeing them all working up a high as they wrote articles and sent letters, he took his younger brother to a corner and said with deep emotion, "Back in Qiongshan, who could have imagined that we brothers would both be admitted to the Hanlin Academy?"

Upon hearing this, Hai Rui's expression turned solemn, and he respectfully cupped his hands and said, "If it weren't for your meticulous guidance, brother, with my past dullness, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have been able to achieve the title of a successful candidate in the imperial examinations!"

"You are not dull-witted, so don't underestimate yourself!"

Haiyue smiled and changed the subject, then said seriously, "You should take a courtesy name. As a Hanlin scholar, do you expect others to call you Fourteenth Prince?"

Hai Rui said, "Once Mother arrives in the capital, she will bestow a name upon me upon my coming-of-age ceremony. Brother, you need not worry..."

Historically, Hai Rui's courtesy name was Ru Xian, an extremely common courtesy name, meaning "hoping you will become a virtuous person," serving as a moral exhortation. It was probably chosen by the gentleman from Qiongshan.

Now, Haiyue and Hairui are both nineteen years old, not yet of age to come of age, and they have already passed the imperial examinations with flying colors. So, aside from others, their tutors in the provincial and metropolitan examinations will definitely take great care of them, making it easy for them to obtain a courtesy name. This will also further solidify the teacher-student relationship.

As a result, Haiyue reached the Emperor's ears early and was personally bestowed a courtesy name by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. His younger brother, Hairui, was influenced by him and has not had a close tutor to this day. He is now a junior official in the Hanlin Academy but has no courtesy name. This is indeed an exception.

Of course, once his mother, Lady Xie, arrives in the capital, he can also take a courtesy name. However, just as this matter came up, Hai Rui's eyes flickered slightly, and he said, "I wish to take a courtesy name to practice the principles of being a person and an official. What do you think, elder brother?"

A courtesy name is given by someone else, while a pen name is usually chosen by the user themselves and is not restricted by family or etiquette. Haiyue nodded and said, "Choosing your own pen name shows your will. What name do you wish to choose?"

"Gangfeng!"

Hai Rui said solemnly, "I wish to call myself Gangfeng!"

"Using mountains as a metaphor for one's aspirations, one should be upright and unyielding, refusing to flatter the powerful or seek personal gain!"

Haiyue was filled with relief.

Whether one is a Juren (举人) or a Jinshi (进士).

Whether one is a late bloomer or achieves early success.

A dignified and unyielding spirit, consistent throughout!

Hai Rui not only adopted the pseudonym Gangfeng, but also made a decision early on: "Brother, do you know that the cabinet has recently issued an order that all officials in the capital below the fifth rank who have not served in other regions should be recommended by the Ministry of Personnel to serve as local officials so that they can learn about civil affairs?"

"I know about this. There's been a lot of discussion about it within the Hanlin Academy, and people are worried about being implicated..."

Haiyue never underestimated this man's political acumen, and immediately said, "You want to use this as an excuse to transfer here?"

"miss you!"

Hai Rui replied without hesitation: "I want to experience local affairs and understand the people's lives, instead of spending my days in the Hanlin Academy with pen and ink!"

If others knew that a probationary scholar who had just entered the Hanlin Academy on his first day was already thinking about being transferred to a local post, countless people would be astonished and even find it incredibly foolish.

Why give up the prestigious position of Hanlin scholar to become a miserable local official?
If that's the case, why did you take the exam for the position of Shujishi?

But that is precisely what pragmatism is about.

Since he ranked highly in the imperial examinations and had the opportunity to be admitted to the Hanlin Academy, Hai Rui would definitely not miss it.

To voluntarily give up the opportunity to study at the Hanlin Academy and instead choose to be appointed to an official post outside the capital would be absolutely foolish.

Having acquired this qualification, he had no intention of spending his days buried in old papers in a place where he could see the end of the road, wasting his time and becoming increasingly detached from the suffering of the people!
Therefore, Hai Rui made a point of inquiring about the turmoil in officialdom. Since he had already entered the officialdom, if he were to continue to engage in self-deception, spending his days only reading the classics and ignoring what was happening outside, he would be completely deceiving himself.

Haiyue exchanged a glance with her younger brother and instantly understood his plan. She nodded and said, "This is indeed a good opportunity, but we must wait for the right moment... It's not too late to make a decision after your aunt comes to the capital and your marriage is settled!"

Hai Rui was resolute, yet unhurried: "Alright!"

"The key is that since you are determined to give up your prestigious position in the Hanlin Academy, you should be even more careful in choosing a post outside the capital!"

Haiyue thought of many things in an instant, and slowly said, "I need to obtain an important position in a region, directly in a place where the people are impoverished and the administration is corrupt, so as not to fail my ambition to save the world!"

(End of this chapter)