Top Scholar

Chapter 411 Yang Yiqing (Seeking monthly votes)
After leaving Huguang, Su Lu and his party passed through Anqing, Chizhou and Taiping, and finally arrived in Nanjing on the fifth day of the eleventh lunar month.

Along the way, the officials and common people welcomed them with the same enthusiasm as in Sichuan and Huguang, perhaps even more so. At this time, dozens of boats of various sizes accompanied the Imperial Guard's official ships on the river. Many of the boats even displayed conspicuous flags bearing large characters for "injustice"!

A competitive atmosphere has emerged; anyone who doesn't give Su Jieyuan a grand and respectful welcome is considered afraid of Liu Jin's cowardice. So even if officials don't want to take the lead, the common people won't stand for it. They can't let other prefectures look down on them…

Now it's the men of Nanjing's turn to shine, and they certainly can't afford to mess up, or they'll be laughed at to death by the people of Suzhou, Yangzhou, and Changzhou.
On this cold day, the river was shrouded in mist, and the temperature was very low, but the Jiangdongmen Wharf was bustling with the sounds of gongs and drums. In addition to the throngs of Nanjing citizens, hundreds of officials dressed in various colored robes gathered together to welcome Su Jieyuan, who was now a rising star.

Although Nanjing was a secondary capital, it was still the capital in all its right. The sheer number of officials gathered there immediately overshadowed all the previous prefectures!
On the second floor of the tavern next to the dock, a beardless old man in his fifties, dressed in a blue robe and cloth shoes, sat at a table by the window, pouring himself a drink while watching the lively scene on the dock outside.

He smiled as he watched Su Lu, who was immediately surrounded and fawned over by officials and commoners as soon as he stepped off the boat, and took a leisurely sip of his wine. His satisfied expression was like that of a theatrical troupe leader watching his protégé take the stage and receive a standing ovation.

"A young phoenix sings in the tall tree by the river, and a newly opened frost-covered blade reflects the blue sky..." When he was feeling quite pleased with himself, he even started singing a little tune.

"Excuse me, sir, this room is occupied!" The waiter's voice suddenly rang out from outside.

"He's the one I'm looking for!" a familiar voice rang out.

The next moment, an elderly man dressed in a simple dark brown robe lifted the curtain and entered, coldly saying, "Yang Shizong, what are you so smug about?!"

It turns out that the old man drinking was Yang Yiqing, the man whose ancestors were being greeted by Master Yangming!
The visitor seemed ill-intentioned, but Yang Yiqing remained unperturbed, instead greeting him with a smile. "So it's Scholar Wang. Come, come, sit down and have a drink together."

His voice was rather high-pitched, and his demeanor lacked masculinity; he looked more like Eunuch Wei.

"Ah?" The waiter was startled upon hearing this, not expecting to have stopped a top scholar. He quickly bowed and apologized. "I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness, Scholar Wang, please forgive me..."

The man who arrived was Wang Hua, the retired Minister of Rites in Nanjing and father of Wang Yangming. He was tall, handsome, and had a magnificent beard, making him far more dashing than the thin-faced and monkey-like Yang Yiqing.

Yang Yiqing waved his hand, signaling the waiter to leave, and personally poured Wang Hua a cup of wine, saying, "Have a cup of wine to warm yourself up. This is the Jieyuanlang wine named after your esteemed grand-disciple. You can't buy it here."

"Is this really necessary?" Wang Hua stared at the slightly yellowish liquid in the wine cup, his anger rising again. "I've always respected you as a virtuous and talented gentleman. Is manipulating people like this the behavior of a gentleman?"

"Don't portray me as so sinister." Yang Yiqing put down his wine cup and said seriously, "I've exhausted all my connections to protect your grand-disciple along the way, helping him make a name for himself. Did I do this just to toy with him?"

“Alright, let me put it another way.” Wang Hua then changed his tune, saying, “Your faction is using my grand-disciple as a pawn, isn’t that right?”

“A gentleman associates with others but not with any factions. I have not formed any faction with anyone!” Yang Yiqing shook his head again and said in a deep voice, “On the contrary, after last year’s defeat, a huge eunuch faction has been formed. If we do not immediately regroup and strike back hard, even more people will side with Liu Jin!”

As he spoke, he became slightly excited and said, "The top scholar and Grand Secretary Xie are from the same hometown and are good friends. They must know how badly the people of Yuyao have been harmed by the eunuch faction, right?"

“Indeed…” Wang Hua’s expression darkened. Liu Jin’s frenzied revenge against Grand Secretary Xie had already affected the entire Yuyao area. Jiao Fang, pandering to Liu Jin, had absurdly stipulated that people from Yuyao could not serve as officials in the capital, effectively condemning everyone from Yuyao…

"So, my dear top scholar, the world is like a furnace, and life is like a game of chess. You and I are all in the game, and everyone must be prepared to be a piece. When it's our turn, we must take responsibility, otherwise there will be no hope for this world."

As he spoke, he took a sip of the Jieyuan Langjiu and said, "Of course, your grand-disciple is no exception."

"Then why not let Yang Shen be the pawn?" Wang Hua's voice suddenly rose.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yiqing paused in his cup-holding hand, then smiled and said, "Who told Yang Yongxiu not to become the top scholar in the provincial examination?"

"Don't give me that. You already chose my grand-disciple before the provincial examination!" Wang Hua snorted.

"Is it possible that we made the same preparations for Yang Yongxiu?" Yang Yiqing asked calmly.

"Your grand-disciple has come all the way east, and wherever he goes, the streets are deserted and carriages and horses are used to welcome him. His fame has spread throughout the north and south of the country! Now he is the most famous rising star in the two capitals and thirteen provinces, even Yang Yongxiu can't compare. Such good fortune is something that ordinary candidates can only dream of. You should be secretly happy that it has been given to your grand-disciple. Don't blame me."

"..." Wang Hua exhaled a breath of stale air, slammed his hand on the table and said, "Are those 'Injustice' banners on the Yangtze River also meant to build his reputation? You're just using him as a target! To attract Liu Jin's wrath!"

“I didn’t arrange for this ‘injustice’ flag; it must have been put there by his supporters on his behalf,” Yang Yiqing said.

"Even if it wasn't you, it's still your fault!" Wang Hua glared at Yang Yiqing and said resolutely, "My grand-disciple will never be your pawn!"

He then said, enunciating each word clearly, "If we're going to be anything, it won't be something like this—a disposable consumable..." "Rest assured, Scholar!" Yang Yiqing met his gaze and said solemnly, "We won't use and discard him. I guarantee with my integrity that we will give Su Hongzhi a bright future!"

"Such a karmic entanglement in the future is better off gone!" Wang Hua sneered. "The world is ruined by the word 'human relationships.' This kind of interdependence at the local level is disgusting enough. If it continues like this in the imperial court, when governing the country, then the Ming Dynasty is utterly hopeless!"

“There’s another way to talk about human relationships, called connections.” Yang Yiqing shook his head and said, “Whether you’re an official or doing business, the most important thing is connections. With connections, you only need one of three things: ability, character, or reputation, and you can succeed.”

He then gestured with his chin towards Su Lu, who was getting into the sedan chair and leaving, and said, "Su Hongzhi now has fame and connections; he lacks nothing."

"You only talk about the benefits of connections, but you haven't mentioned the drawbacks!" Wang Hua sneered. "What about the mutual protection among officials?"

"If people of the same kind don't protect each other, how can this group survive? Even beasts know this." Yang Yiqing said matter-of-factly.
"So as long as you don't touch everyone's interests, all your colleagues will be your people."

"What if it involves interests?" Wang Hua asked a probing question.

“Hehe…” But that didn’t stump Yang Yiqing. He retorted, “Even if you don’t owe anyone any favors, can you bear to touch your own people? Do you dare to?! Even that idiot Wang Jinggong knows that you can’t do that.”

“It’s one thing for others to say that, but for you, Yang Shizong, to say it too, is truly disheartening,” Wang Hua sighed.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yiqing shook his head and smiled, his voice tinged with vicissitudes, "You, Scholar Wang, have lived a life of integrity and purity, never tainted by the tedious and corrupt affairs of the common people, so naturally you can retain that innocence. But I, Yang Yiqing, have spent my entire life moving between the imperial court and local areas, handling military and civil affairs; my innocence has long been completely worn away..."

He picked up his wine cup, but didn't drink. He just stared at the swirling liquid in the cup, his voice growing increasingly desolate: "Besides, I'm already a man with my neck buried in the yellow earth, I have no children, and I've even lost my official position. All this painstaking effort, this meticulous planning, for whom? Isn't it all for this Ming Dynasty, for the sake of all the people under heaven!"

Wang Hua couldn't refute this statement; Yang Yiqing truly had no offspring, and it wasn't for personal gain...

“I also wish I could be like Scholar Wang, retiring from officialdom and then turning a deaf ear to worldly affairs, devoting myself to taking care of my elderly mother at home.” Yang Yiqing’s eyes were slightly red as he said, “But I am not fortunate enough to do so. I wish to care for my parents, but they are no longer there. I can only turn filial piety into loyalty to the country and die for my country.”

Wang Hua frowned, unable to continue the conversation with such an invincible person, and sighed:
"Fine, I respect your ideals, but you have to spare my grand-disciple and not use him as a pawn. Otherwise..."

"You people from Yuyao have already had your careers ruined by Liu Jin and Jiao Fang, yet you're still clinging to this womanly compassion!" Yang Yiqing snorted.

“Sigh…” Wang Hua’s expression darkened, but he insisted on shaking his head and said, “You can go find whoever you want. There are plenty of people who want to make a fortune and are willing to be pawns. But you absolutely cannot sacrifice me, your grand-disciple!”

"Is he your grandson?" Yang Yiqing scoffed. "You care that much?"

“Of course not.” Wang Hua shook his head and softened his tone, saying, “My son Yangming said that Hongzhi is the hope of the Ming Dynasty.”

"Who isn't the hope of the nation?" Yang Yiqing snorted again, but he didn't dare to truly offend Wang Zhuangyuan and his son Wang Shouren.

Having known each other for many years, he was not worried about a virtuous gentleman like Wang Zhuangyuan, but he was very wary of Wang Shouren, who was serving as a post station official in Guizhou.

He believed that if Wang Shouren tried to sabotage what he was doing, he would achieve nothing...

After pondering for a long time, Yang Yiqing finally relented to Wang Zhuangyuan and said, "Alright, I'll give you a month. During this month, we'll temporarily cease our activities and give you time to save yourselves."

He paused, then continued, "If you can save yourselves within a month, then fine. If not, then you'll have to follow my rules! Whether you agree or not..."

"Okay." Wang Hua nodded, cupped his hands in farewell, and said no more.

Once the beaded curtain had settled, Yang Yiqing picked up his wine cup, drank the entire cup of the top scholar's wine, and sighed softly:

"Sigh, having offspring is such a hassle..."

He glanced out the window at the dock; the bustling scene was gone, and he found drinking tasteless.

"Master, are we really going to suspend all plans?" the attendant standing to the side asked softly.

"Did I give any orders? Just do what you're supposed to do." Yang Yiqing gave him a disdainful look.

P.S.: Posted first, edited later. Please vote with monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)