The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

As the provincial examination drew near, the scholars in the city became increasingly restless, with banquets and poetry gatherings every night. Hai Rui, however, continued to go to bed early and rise early, eating a very simple diet of coarse tea and plain rice. He never left his house, but instead repeatedly studied the provincial examination essays and memorials from famous officials over the years, scrutinizing the meaning of each word and phrase. He did not seek ornate language, but only content and the essentials of his words.

"Ruxian!" The person pushed open the door and entered. Seeing Hai Rui still sitting upright reading, he said, "What are you still reading at a time like this? Don't say I'm not showing consideration for our fellow townsmen. I have something important to remind you of."

Hai Rui frowned and looked at him: "Brother Liu, what's the matter that's so urgent?"

"I have some fantastic news for you." Liu Zheng plopped down next to him and said smugly, "Yesterday we had the honor of visiting Lord Zhang, one of the examiners for this year's provincial examination. Afterwards, we asked Master Zhou from the Guangdong Provincial Administration Commission to give him eight hundred taels of silver, as well as some Duan inkstones, Suzhou embroidery, and other items."

As long as your initial question and subsequent questions incorporate the specific two words I instructed, you're guaranteed to succeed.

"Your article is excellent, but now it's being copied anonymously. Without connections, it's just a matter of luck. I've already spoken with Master Zhou; I'll bring you a copy for only three hundred taels. The code is the same, and I guarantee you'll pass."

Hai Rui ignored him and continued reading. The man thought that this guy was truly an ignorant blockhead who would never amount to anything even if he passed the imperial examination.

No one is as shrewd as him. The fortune teller said that he is destined to rise to high positions, and at the very least, he will become a high-ranking official in one of the six ministries!

But in order to recoup some of his losses, he continued, "We are from the same hometown and are even from the same examination. In the future, we will inevitably have to help each other in the court. I know your family is poor, and I'm afraid you don't have that much money on hand."

"Alright, I'll lend you the money for now. Once you pass the imperial examination, people will offer you land and silver, and you can pay me back then."

The saying goes, "Poor scholar, rich graduate." Three hundred taels of silver is an enormous sum for a scholar, but for a graduate, it's just a small amount.

Hai Rui put down the book. He moved slowly, first taking out the bamboo bookmark from between the pages and neatly placing it on the page he was reading. Then he closed the book and placed it on the corner of the table, along with the other books that were stacked neatly.

Only then did he raise his head and look at Liu Zheng, who felt somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze.

Hai Rui's gaze was direct, not in a deliberate, hostile way, but in a natural, unpolished way.

Like an unplated bronze mirror, it reflects whatever is shown, neither beautifying nor distorting it.

Liu Zheng saw himself in the mirror, a smug man who had just spent eight hundred taels of silver and was now trying to get others to recoup their investment. He couldn't help but look away.

It looks a bit ugly now, but once the official hat is on, does it become ugly?

"Brother Liu," Hai Rui's voice was not loud, but clear, "which Lord Zhang are you referring to as your fellow examiner?"

Liu Zheng thought he was interested, so he quickly moved closer and lowered his voice, saying, "Lord Zhang Xueyan, the Vice Commissioner of Education in Guangdong, is one of the examiners for this provincial examination."

Don't tell anyone. Not many people know about this. Master Zhou is a veteran of the Provincial Administration Commission. He's from the same hometown as the clerk next to Lord Zhang, which is how he got this connection.

Eight hundred taels is already a generous gesture from Master Zhou. For anyone else, it would cost at least a thousand taels, but with your connection to me, it'll only cost three hundred taels. That's really not much!"

Hai Rui neither nodded nor shook his head. His gaze shifted from Liu Zheng's face to the stack of books on the corner of the table, the top one being the "Great Ming Code".

He brought it from Qiongshan. The pages were worn and frayed from repeated readings. Next to the legal texts were densely covered with tiny notes, his insights written down line by line over the years as he studied the law.

"Brother Liu, you just mentioned Duan inkstones, Suzhou embroidery, what else?"

Liu Zheng was taken aback, not expecting him to ask this, so he counted on his fingers and said, "Two Duan inkstones, both from the old pit. One was given to Lord Zhang, and the other to Master Zhou. The Suzhou embroidery was also sent from Suzhou."

There were also two jars of Huizhou aged wine and some dried abalone and shark fin—all presentable items that wouldn't make a fool of oneself.

As he said this, he suddenly remembered something and added, "Oh, right, there's also a pair of Hetian jade pen holders, specially prepared for Lord Zhang. I heard from Clerk Zhou that Lord Zhang likes to collect pen holders."

Hai Rui nodded, as if carefully noting down the items, then suddenly asked, "Brother Liu, is that blue robe you're wearing newly made?"

Liu Zheng looked down at his clothes. They were indeed newly made, made of Huzhou silk. Although not the best quality, they were still much more expensive than the cotton robes worn by ordinary scholars, and far superior to Hai Rui's coarse cloth clothes.

He didn't understand why Hai Rui suddenly asked this, and subconsciously replied, "Ah, yes, I had someone make it for me from a tailor shop in Guangzhou last month."

"How much silver?"

"This... three taels and two mace." Liu Zheng was a little confused. "Ruxian, why are you asking this?"

Hai Rui did not answer his question, but asked instead, "Brother Liu, what is your annual income?"

Liu Zheng's expression changed slightly. He wasn't stupid; when Hai Rui asked this question, he already vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

But he still answered: "My family owns several dozen acres of paddy fields. In good years, after deducting rent and various expenses, we can save thirty or forty taels."

"Thirty or forty taels." Hai Rui read these words slowly, as if calculating a very simple account. "Eight hundred taels, that's twenty years' worth of savings. Brother Liu, do you still have parents to support? Do you still have brothers to help? Do you still have a wife and children to feed?"

Liu Zheng's face flushed red. He stood up abruptly, the chair leg scraping against the brick floor with a piercing screech.

"Hai Ruxian! I came here out of kindness to give you advice and even offered to lend you money, and you not only don't appreciate it, but you're also interrogating me about my family's finances. What do you mean by this?"

Hai Rui also stood up. He was a head shorter than Liu Zheng and thinner, standing in front of Liu Zheng like a slender coconut tree swaying in the sea breeze. But his back was straight.

He stood there, without anger or fear, simply looking at Liu Zheng calmly, as if he were looking at a fallacy in a policy essay that needed to be refuted.

"Brother Liu, you just said that once I pass the imperial examination, people will offer me soil and silver, which I can repay later. Who told you that?"

Liu Zheng opened his mouth, but couldn't answer. It wasn't that he didn't know, but he suddenly realized that he couldn't respond to this question. If this madman went out and talked nonsense, he would be in trouble.

Ugh, I wish I hadn't come!

Hai Rui didn't wait for his reply, so he continued in a steady voice: "You send silver because you want to pass the imperial examination. You want to pass the imperial examination because if you pass, you can become an official. If you become an official, you can get back the silver you sent out tenfold or a hundredfold."

Where did the silver you brought back come from? It was squeezed from the people, extorted from prisons, and deducted from the imperial court's taxes.

"For every tael of silver you squeeze, a family will sell their children; for every tael of silver you extort, a wronged soul will cry out in despair; for every tael of silver you withhold, the border defenses will lack a bushel of grain, the river will lack a bag of soil, and the region will gain another Li person forced into rebellion."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Brother Liu, the eight hundred taels you gave away today will have to be repaid with human blood in the future."

…………