Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 4: The books of sages are utterly useless when it comes to practical matters!
The study in the Han residence.

The charcoal fire burns brightly, and the aroma of tea wafts from the tea stove.

Han Zhang held down the paper with one hand and wrote a letter.

Jiang Zhao sat upright by the stove, holding a book in his hand. He patted his sleeves, stared at the book, and turned the pages from time to time, watching the clouds drift by.

The master and apprentice were very harmonious.

After finishing the letter, Han Zhang sighed: "Compared to Jia Yan, Zhao'er is more suited to officialdom. This method of cultivating prestige is truly superior to its predecessor."

There was a hint of relief in his voice during the conversation.

He had three sons. The eldest and second sons were granted official positions due to their fathers' achievements. They were obsessed with their fathers' glory and spent their days either composing poems or indulging in brothels.

Saburo Yoshihiko is a promising student. He will take the imperial examination for the second time after the New Year, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should be able to pass the examination and obtain the title of Jinshi.

However, Saburo was too conservative and lacked adaptability.

This kind of personality is suitable for getting things done and governing a region, but it's not suitable for political infighting!

Unfortunately, within the imperial court, there are impeachments and attacks at all times, and factional political struggles at all times.

Without political struggle, there is no power; this is a fatal flaw!
If you're not good at political maneuvering and don't have the talent for it, then everything else is in vain.

Of course, if someone with such a pragmatic personality had a powerful and ruthless political leader backing them up and diligently governing the country, they might very well become a renowned minister.

The son who excelled in academics was not good at political maneuvering and was only good at maintaining the status quo. This meant that none of the sons could reach the level of their fathers and could not become true pillars of society.

Fortunately, if the son is useless, the disciple will be successful, which has the same effect.

"Cultivating prestige among scholars is a last resort." Jiang Zhao sat up straight and smiled modestly: "Scholars have always been good at cultivating prestige and flattery. If I don't find another way, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to stand out."

"How do you feel?" Han Zhang asked.

Jiang Zhao gently put down the book in his hand, pondered for a while, and sighed, "The books of sages are suitable for reading. But when it comes to doing practical work, they are utterly useless."

He used to only know this one sentence, but now he has a different understanding of it.

After all, who would have thought that such a magnificent story was actually staged?
Yes, it was acting!
In fact, Jiang Zhao had already successfully become an apprentice, but he just kept it a secret.

It should be noted that from the day Han Zhang arrived in Yangzhou, he had already taken the initiative to seek Han Zhang's teachings.

At that time, he was just a six-year-old child.

In other words, Han Zhang watched him grow up almost from the very beginning.

After six years of studying together, the two had already established a teacher-student relationship, though they lacked the formal title.

It's just a matter of becoming an apprentice; it's a trivial matter and not a problem at all.

He put on a show specifically to cultivate his reputation.

Reputation has always been the silent pillar of the officialdom.

Whether they were scholars or officials, they all flocked to it.

Those with high prestige will be among the first to be promoted when selecting officials, even if their political achievements are not particularly good.

Like Sima Guang, who "smashed the water jar to save his friend," he was a rising star in politics with a remarkable reputation. Since passing the imperial examination at the age of twenty, he had not achieved any outstanding political achievements, but he never missed the opportunity to be selected for office. In less than ten years, he had become a fifth-rank official in the capital. If he were to be sent to a post outside the capital, he would be a fifth-rank official in a red robe, with unlimited potential.

Like Han Zhang, "one memorial dismissed four prime ministers" and "Han and Fan were equally famous" were two anecdotes that made his career extremely smooth, and he became a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet at the age of thirty-seven.

The so-called high moral character and prestige are often the product of "reputation".

Therefore, Jiang Zhao planned for a long time in order to enhance his reputation.

Originally, he was somewhat inclined to use classic stories of filial piety, such as "lying on ice to catch carp" and "keeping oranges for one's parents," which have stood the test of time and been passed down for thousands of years.

It's simple and very easy to use.

However, after careful consideration, he chose to give up.

Most of the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars are from the Three Kingdoms and Jin Dynasties, and are well-known stories. Even with some improvements, they are still difficult to satisfy people and fail to achieve the desired dissemination effect.

The values ​​embodied in the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars of ancient times are not entirely compatible with today's social atmosphere. If not handled properly, they could easily lead to a poor imitation, ridicule, and a complete collapse—the risks are too high. Most importantly, he has a better option now.

Standing in the snow at Han's door!

Compared to the somewhat outdated Twenty-Four Filial Piety Stories, the story of Han Men Li Xue (Standing in the Snow at Han's Door) is undoubtedly a better choice.

As a story about respecting teachers and valuing knowledge, it is very suitable for an era when literature is flourishing.

A purely "original" script is unlikely to be ridiculed and carries almost no risk; at most, it just won't achieve the desired dissemination effect.

Of course, a purely "original" script has many advantages, but also many challenges.

In particular, original screenplays are inherently less popular than classic screenplays and can't ride the wave of popularity.

The best way to achieve instant success is to leverage the protagonist's popularity to drive the script's popularity. Once the script becomes a hit and widely circulated, it can then be used to support the protagonist.

Either the script is popular, taking the route of reviving a classic script; or the protagonist is popular, taking the route of generating buzz and creating a new classic. Either one of these two is necessary.

Unfortunately, both Jiang Zhao and Han Zhang are highly regarded.

Even as a child, Jiang Zhao had already gained a reputation as a child prodigy due to his academic achievements. The Jiang clan had a strong presence in Huainan and a wide network of connections. Through deliberate promotion, he was even given the elegant title of "Huainan Qilin" and became famous throughout the three prefectures.

With this foundation, it will undoubtedly be much easier to spread one's reputation further.

Han Zhang, needless to say.

From a high-ranking official in the capital to a demotion, a tiger fallen into the plains, many people want to know what the final outcome will be, and the level of attention is only increasing.

The master and apprentice duo are both highly popular, making them perfect for a "standing in the snow at one's own door" scenario.

Therefore, after a series of improvements, Jiang Zhao proposed the action plan of "Han Men Li Xue 2.0" to Han Zhang.

That's a superimposed version of "Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage" and "Standing in the Snow at Cheng's Door," combining the proverb "Once, twice, but not a third time" with the story of "Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage," thus increasing the points of conflict.

The three attempts to become an apprentice, two of which ended in failure, increased the level of discussion surrounding the event and served as a warm-up for the third attempt.

Once, twice, but not a third time. One should give up after two failures, but he was determined to seek a master a third time. It may seem shameless and violates the rule of "once, twice, but not a third time", but in fact, it adds a bit of courage and sincerity. It is a case of praising by first criticizing.

As for Han Zhang, the teacher, his refusal to accept apprentices due to his demotion and fear of implicating his students highlights the integrity and ethics of a teacher.

Han Zhang was perfectly comfortable with this script and cooperated fully.

After two failed attempts to become an apprentice, some time was spent spreading the word and laying the groundwork.

By this time, which was the third time he had become an apprentice, the level of interest had already reached an astonishing level.

It was the twelfth lunar month, and out-of-town merchants were preparing for business and returning home, a time when good stories could be told.

After the New Year, the triennial Spring Imperial Examination will begin, attracting scholars from all over the country. They will chat idly and spread the news.

After the imperial examinations are over, scholars will return home and will surely recount their encounters on the journey, including strange and wonderful stories, which will then be passed down.

The timing was perfect, a stroke of luck; Yangzhou had many ports, providing a convenient resting place for ship merchants, a favorable location; and the scholars spread the word, a stroke of luck.

It has the right timing, the right location, and the right people.

Literati and scholars, those who feign refinement, love to join in the fun and are all witnesses.

How could something I witnessed with my own eyes be false?

Some poems, paintings, and articles have already begun to praise it.

At that time, people will be sent to spread the word, and a reputation for "sincerely seeking knowledge and respecting teachers" will be firmly established.

In this era of flourishing literary culture, [Han Men Li Xue] possesses the three labels of "prodigy", "respect for teachers and the way", and "sincere pursuit of knowledge", and is destined to fully benefit from the version's advantages.

High investment, high requirements, high returns.

A legendary tale of officialdom that will be famous throughout the world is already destined!

(End of this chapter)