[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-literary-genius-in-the-song-dynasty":3,"chapter-a-literary-genius-in-the-song-dynasty-a-literary-genius-in-the-song-dynasty-chapter-48":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Literary Genius in the Song Dynasty",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2336431,4568,"Chapter 48: Someone Above Is Watching Over You","a-literary-genius-in-the-song-dynasty-chapter-48",48,"\u003Cp>After bidding farewell to Zhao Bian, Lu Beigu returned to Qingyang Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was afternoon, and slender beams of sunlight filtered through the dense green foliage of ancient cypresses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stone lanterns stood silently beside the path; bronze bells hanging from eaves occasionally chimed faintly in the wind, their tones ethereal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire Qingyang Palace felt unusually serene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are there so few people?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he walked, Lu Beigu grew puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few days ago, Qingyang Palace had been far busier; now, its sudden quiet made him feel like Lin Chong stepping into the White Tiger Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet nothing seemed to have happened within the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thin wisps of incense still curled from the censer before the Three Pure Ones Hall, winding around carved eaves before dissolving quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mats beneath the corridor were neatly arranged; occasionally, a Taoist priest in wide sleeves passed by at the corridor’s end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Filled with confusion, Lu Beigu returned to the rooms where pilgrims like himself stayed, only to find the four clerks—normally confined here by Li Pan and forbidden to wander—had vanished too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Li Pan was inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After knocking on the slightly ajar door, Lu Beigu entered Li Pan’s room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Magistrate.” Lu Beigu shut the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you finished studying with Transport Commissioner Zhao?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Pan sat cross-legged on a mat, idly flipping through a Taoist text, not looking up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after Lu Beigu sat down did Li Pan raise his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This trip to Chengdu seems to have yielded much for you all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not sure what Li Pan was driving at, Lu Beigu replied, “These past days, under Transport Commissioner Zhao’s instruction, my poetry and prose have improved dramatically.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Pan’s face broke into an unmistakable smile. “If all goes well, I won’t remain County Magistrate of Hejiang much longer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Beigu paused, then realized—Li Pan was being promoted?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Congratulations, Magistrate!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But,” Lu Beigu asked, “where will you be promoted to?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Judge of Luzhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not a Jinshi, so my career path has been hard,” Li Pan said. “I spent years jostling among the selection officials, barely scraping up to County Magistrate. After three transfers and six evaluations—all rated ‘best’—I finally earned this chance to become Judge. But Assistant Prefect? That’s still out of reach.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Song local administrative system, the chief official of a prefecture was the Prefect; subordinate officials were primarily Assistant Prefect, Judge, and Prosecutor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Assistant Prefect and Judge were, in theory, the Prefect’s deputies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Assistant Prefect held oversight authority over the Prefect and all county officials within the prefecture, wielding immense power; the Judge’s authority was smaller—no oversight, only administrative duties, assisting the Prefect in governance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A County Magistrate aiming for promotion usually advanced to Judge, unless he was a Jinshi with outstanding achievements, deep seniority, and backing from ministers in the State Council—only then could he leap over Judge and be appointed Assistant Prefect directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Judge had one advantage: the process moved faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Appointment as Assistant Prefect required approval from the Central Secretariat and the Emperor’s personal endorsement; appointment as Judge only needed the Ministry of Personnel, which assessed qualifications and evaluation records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Judge and Assistant Prefect required approval from the Prefect of the prefecture, plus evaluations from the Transport Commissioner and the Judicial Intendant. Li Pan came to Chengdu to secure the backing of these two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since both Zizhou Road and Yizhou Road lay within the Sichuan Basin, they were artificially divided; their networks were already tangled. Li Pan already had some connections, and Zhang Fangping had recommended him to two major figures in Zizhou Road—so his promotion was only natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Magistrate, your governance is exemplary; Assistant Prefect is merely a matter of time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Beigu paid a compliment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahahaha, you know how to speak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Pan, in high spirits, spoke plainly: “As the saying goes, ‘If you give me a quince, I’ll repay you with jade.’ This promotion of mine owes much to your strategy. Let me be clear: my qualifications and evaluations are complete. If the Ministry of Personnel’s selection proceeds without error, I can offer you support once I take up my post as Judge of Luzhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was only to be expected: the recommender and the recommended were bound together. If it failed, both bore risk; now that it succeeded, there was no reason to part ways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Pan’s promotion stemmed primarily from his having completed “three postings, six evaluations”—his seniority and records were sufficient, and by procedure, he deserved promotion. But secondarily, it was due to patronage: how did that patronage come about? Precisely because Li Pan recommended Lu Beigu, whose strategy solved the Song Dynasty’s current economic crisis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the one who recognized talent and recommended him, Li Pan owed his recommendation to Zhang Fangping and the two Zizhou Road figures—but he could not ignore Lu Beigu’s contribution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Lu Beigu was about to speak, he waved his hand: “By ‘support,’ I don’t mean violating exam fairness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Song imperial examinations emphasized fairness above all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Judge was chief examiner of the prefectural exam, he did not set questions or know their content—only supervised the exam and grading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exams themselves were first “sealed” then “transcribed”; all papers were graded in identical handwriting, making any marking impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely because it was so fair, the chief examiner Ouyang Yongshu once mistook Su Shi’s paper for his disciple Zeng Gong’s and lowered its rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What I mean is: prefectural exams occur every three years. By then, I may no longer be in Luzhou. But for this exam, I guarantee you: if you pass, no one will block your quota. You will definitely receive the quota and proceed to the Ministry of Rites’ provincial exam.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I must be clear: if your score is insufficient and you fail, no one can help. Prefectural exams are vastly harder than county exams; under such fierce competition, whether you pass depends entirely on you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, Li Pan had only given him the transfer-of-residency letter, never explicitly promised a quota recommendation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as County Magistrate, even if he wished to write a quota recommendation, he had no say in quota allocation—that was decided by the prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, after his Chengdu trip, Li Pan’s promotion to Judge of Luzhou gave him direct authority over quota allocation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Pan was repaying kindness openly and directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The quota was the most critical threshold for any student aiming for Jinshi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consider Zhou Mingyuan’s experience: wealthy, well-connected with prefectural officials—yet three years ago, though he passed the exam, he couldn’t secure the quota.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Lu Beigu, this condition was perfect—no one wanted to pass the exam only to be denied the quota at the last moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the prefectural exam itself—if it was purely merit-based, he had no fear!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Beigu said, “To receive such support from Magistrate, I am deeply grateful. I dare not ask for more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. Go prepare well for the exam. The county exam is barely over a month away—if you can’t pass that, how can you hope for the prefectural?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Pan was rising to dismiss him—he likely had other matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, take this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He unfastened a jade pendant from his belt and handed it to Lu Beigu: “If you ever have personal matters—wherever you are—come to me. If it’s not beyond reason, I’ll help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Beigu bowed and accepted it; the pendant was fine, heavy in his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, go wander the city this afternoon. The Buddha Bathing Festival is near—I’ve let everyone go out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving Li Pan’s room, Lu Beigu tucked the pendant away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thing was best left unused—Li Pan wasn’t a wish-granting turtle; every favor drained goodwill. Use it too often, and he might stop answering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still… it’s wonderful to have someone powerful watching over you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1301,"2026-06-20T21:44:14.864Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b183150db4ce692cff45c3373a3f094d03e1d03c6de4bf81451dd3bab7f9cb52","a-literary-genius-in-the-song-dynasty-chapter-49","a-literary-genius-in-the-song-dynasty-chapter-47",56,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-literary-genius-in-the-song-dynasty-cover.jpg"]