Prime Minister.

Chapter 57 [The Teacher]

Xue Huai pondered for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Teacher, could it be that His Highness the Crown Prince doesn't want me to leave the capital?"

After thinking it over, he felt that this was the most likely possibility.

Leaving aside whether the Ning Party will continue to pay attention to him, even if the Grand Secretary really has the leisure to cast a glance at him, wouldn't it be better to send him far away from the sight of him and avoid seeing him altogether, provided that he cannot directly destroy his body?
The Crown Prince, however, was different.

It's not that the Crown Prince values ​​Xue Huai so much, but rather that if the Crown Prince wanted to gain the support of the upright faction in the court, directly approaching Shen Wang would seem too abrupt. Moreover, he also had to consider the Emperor's feelings. Therefore, Xue Huai was undoubtedly an indispensable link.

Shen Wang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and calmly asked, "How could the Crown Prince have guessed that you wanted to be transferred to a post outside the capital?"

Xue Huai was even more puzzled.

A thought suddenly popped into his mind, then he found it hard to believe and hesitated, saying, "Could it be..."

He raised his finger and pointed to the top of his head.

Shen Wang nodded and said, "You guessed right."

Xue Huai was immediately somewhat helpless.

If the emperor doesn't want him to leave the capital, then he really can't leave.

But why would the emperor have such a thought?

Although Xue Huai was promoted this time because of his merits, he understood that it was all thanks to Shen Wang's support and help. Otherwise, he would never have been able to eradicate the corrupt officials in the Ministry of Works on his own. The emperor could not possibly be unaware of this and would not make the wrong judgment.

Shen Wang gave Xue Huai enough time to think, and then reminded him, "As I said before, it was His Majesty's decree to send you into the investigation department."

As if a blocked ditch had been opened, Xue Huai's thoughts gradually became clear. He pondered and said, "From the beginning, His Majesty wanted to see how I would perform. If I could barely pass muster, he would continue to use me. If my performance was unacceptable, he would leave me in the Hanlin Academy to fend for myself."

He recalled Cui Yanqing, who had been the second-place scholar in the imperial examination. Initially, Cui Yanqing was highly regarded by the emperor. While he was busy compiling history in the Hanlin Academy, Cui Yanqing was already able to serve before the emperor.

It was only because Cui Yanqing was too keen on speculation and scheming that the emperor disliked such a cunning person, so he sent him back to the Hanlin Academy. Now he spends all his time dealing with old papers and can't even find an opportunity to be sent out to other places.

"Probably so."

Shen Wang smiled and said, "His Majesty employs people without regard to background, only based on their value. Now, especially after the Ministry of Works case broke out, I can sense that His Majesty is somewhat dissatisfied with the status quo. At present, Chief Minister Ning's position is still very stable, but as time goes by, Ning's faction is becoming more and more powerful and entrenched, even daring to embezzle huge sums of money behind His Majesty's back, which crosses His Majesty's bottom line. He can tolerate officials taking advantage of others, but he cannot tolerate being completely unaware of it."

Xue Huai said frankly, "But I am ultimately just a reader in the Hanlin Academy."

Each official in the court had their own duties. The duty of the Hanlin Academy Attendant Reader was to lecture the emperor and the princes on classics and history. If the emperor wanted him to test the strength of the Ning Party, he should at least send him to the Censorate, so that it would be legitimate.

Shen Wang explained, "This kind of thing can't be accomplished overnight. Even if His Majesty wants to use you, he has to proceed gradually, otherwise it would be like pulling up seedlings to help them grow."

Looking at his mentor's meaningful expression, Xue Huai suddenly recalled the Crown Prince's expectations when he first entered the Eastern Palace. He couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, is His Majesty going to investigate another case?"

It was reasonable for him to join the Ministry of Works' corruption investigation office. Firstly, as a member of the Hanlin Academy, he was responsible for clerical work. Secondly, he exposed Gu Heng's false accusation in public. Thirdly, he was arguably the victim. There was no more suitable candidate in the Hanlin Academy than him.

However, this should not be done frequently.

He has already offended Xue Minglun, the Prince of Dai, and many Ning Party officials. If he does it a few more times, wouldn't he offend most of the officials in the court?

After arriving in this world, Xue Huai carefully corrected the original owner's behavior style, trying his best to befriend others without arousing suspicion, all in order to make his situation more comfortable.

He was indeed ambitious, but he did not want to become a tool in the emperor's hand used specifically to deal with established forces.

If he were to do that, he would most likely be pushed out to appease public anger after the emperor has achieved his goal.

But in today's world, imperial power is like an iron curtain. How can he, a mere sixth-rank official, break through this impasse?

"It's not an investigation."

Shen Wang shook his head slightly and said calmly, "What His Majesty cares about most is the stability of the court. The case in the Ministry of Works has already caused a great uproar. If the blame is directed at other ministries, His Majesty will hardly have a day of peace. For example, when you helped the Shen family's business, did His Majesty not know about the existence of the Shanxi merchants? But he can't possibly send someone to investigate the Ministry of Revenue. At most, he will give Minister Wang a few words of advice."

Xue Huai nodded in agreement.

Even the emperor cannot do whatever he wants unless he doesn't care about the country and its people.

Given this, how should the emperor use him next?
Shen Wang had obviously guessed this, but he said nothing. Some things Xue Huai had to figure out for himself.

Through investigating the Ministry of Works' cases, Shen Wang had come to acknowledge Xue Huai's ambition and courage, but that was not enough. Compared to the great things he wanted to do, Xue Huai needed to unleash his full potential as soon as possible.

After a long while, Xue Huai slowly exhaled and said seriously, "Teacher, I think I've guessed it." "Tell me."

"His Majesty's promotion of me to the position of Attendant Reader is clearly not because I am capable of teaching the princes. There are many great Confucian scholars in the court, and this is not my place. Apart from that, this position has only one function, which is to participate in the grading of the imperial examination papers."

Xue Huai said earnestly, "The imperial examination for the Bingxu year will be held in Beijing next spring."

A hint of approval appeared in Shen Wang's eyes as he said, "The chief examiner for the Bingxu imperial examination should be either Grand Secretary Sun Yan or Hanlin Academician Lin Miao. The Ministry of Rites, the Hanlin Academy, and the Imperial Academy will send a large number of officials to assist. As a reader, you will most likely be appointed as a co-examiner."

Xue Huai nodded in agreement.

"This imperial examination..."

Shen Wang paused for a moment, then said softly, "You need to be careful."

"The disciple understands."

Xue Huai solemnly agreed.

As the grand ceremony for selecting talents in the imperial examination system, the imperial examination has always been a battleground for various factions in the central government to fight fiercely for their interests, and cheating was commonplace.

Whether it's the Grand Secretary, the Second Grand Secretary, the Qingliu faction, or even powerful officials and members of the imperial family, everyone wants to get a piece of the pie. After all, cultivating more Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) means absorbing more fresh blood and gaining a greater advantage in the future court structure.

Xue Huai didn't foolishly ask if his mentor had any plans. First, it would be an insult to his mentor's character. Second, Shen Wang was the chief examiner of the Gengchen imperial examination three years ago, and he already had a large number of disciples who had passed the imperial examinations. If he made another move, he would definitely be besieged by various forces.

Shen Wang continued, "If you get entangled with some people, remember to stay within your bounds. The imperial examination is different from other matters; if large-scale problems arise, the consequences will be far beyond what you can bear. In short, just do your job honestly and pretend to be deaf and dumb the rest of the time."

"Disciple, please remember this."

Xue Huai nodded, then, remembering the purpose of his visit, said, "Teacher, my classmates are going to hold a winter gathering on the day before the Lunar New Year. Gao Tingbi, the compiler, personally delivered an invitation to me, and I have already accepted."

"Gao Tingbi?"

Shen Wang was certainly familiar with this top scholar.

The top three scholars of the Gengchen examination were all exceptionally talented, but Shen Wang valued character above all else. Gao Tingbi was too hypocritical, and Cui Yanqing was too eager to scheme, which was why he valued Xue Huai more.

Seeing his teacher fall silent, Xue Huai asked, "Teacher, is there something wrong with this matter?"

"There is nothing wrong with people of the same age gathering together."

Shen Wang brushed it off, then reminded him, "However, you've been promoted ahead of all your peers this time, and you also stole the limelight when the results of the palace examination were announced. You should be prepared for this gathering to be anything but pleasant."

Xue Huai understood immediately and said, "Then this disciple will simply ignore the insults at the gathering."

Shen Wang couldn't help but laugh and said, "I don't believe it. Since ancient times, scholars have been jealous of each other. Now that you are standing out from the crowd, when others make sarcastic remarks, can you still endure it? Since Gao Tingbi has sent an invitation and no one else has any objections, you should of course go to the meeting. Moreover, you should tell everyone in a dignified manner that Xue Jingche's success today is not entirely due to the protection of his father, but because he has enough confidence."

Xue Huai was slightly surprised. Was his master going to let him display his talents?

Shen Wang earnestly said, "Jing Che, it is a sign of mediocrity that you are not envied. Humility and caution are certainly virtues, but excessive forbearance will only make people think you are weak and easy to bully. Conversely, if you compete with others everywhere, it will not show your strength, but will instead lead you to a situation where everyone abandons you."

This is a very simple principle, but considering Xue Huai's current situation, he quickly gained a deeper understanding and murmured, "What my teacher means is that if someone jumps out to target me that day, I should fight back in the most direct way. Besides that, I should get along well with others."

Shen Wang felt quite pleased and praised, "This young man is teachable."

The master and disciple chatted for a long time, and seeing that it was getting late, Xue Huai got up to take his leave.

Shen Wang stood up and looked at him, slowly saying, "Jing Che, everything in the world has its limits, especially in officialdom. I once told you that you cannot take the path of being too forceful, because extreme force is easily broken and extreme strength is humiliated. Now I hope you understand that if you want to seek a post outside the capital, you must let His Majesty see your ability and loyalty, while also thinking that you are a young man who is not so sensible."

Upon hearing this, Xue Huai felt as if he had been enlightened.

The entanglement in his heart suddenly became clear, and the knot was suddenly untied.

"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher."

Xue Huai bowed.

Shen Wang smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Let's go back."

(End of this chapter)