Chapter 307: The Year of the Great Examinations

In the warm second month of spring, grass grew tall and orioles darted through the air.

It was a beautiful season, and the capital was as bustling as ever. Everyone was talking about only one thing—this year's imperial examinations.

The examinations had always been a major affair in every passing year, but this year, no one could have guessed who would serve as chief examiner.

According to the rules of the Great Ming, the chief examiner for the examinations should come from the Hanlin Academy or the Ministry of Rites. But this year, he came from the Imperial Academy of the Great Ming, which made people somewhat suspicious.

Feng Congwu was a man of high prestige among the literati, but over the past year, his reputation had been about equally praised and criticized.

Promoting the doctrines of Xunzi—that single point alone was enough to make his reputation mixed. And now, on top of that, he had been made chief examiner for this year's examinations.

Everyone was pondering one thing: had the court's political winds shifted?

At this moment, in front of a small stall at the gate of the Imperial Academy, several people were eating.

One of them sat on the right side. He was powerfully built, with a great beard on his face, looking somewhat mature—but in truth, he was a young man.

"Brother Jiandou, have you heard? The army that went to Yunnan this time is coming back."

On the other side of this man, a young man looked at the bearded fellow and said with a smile: "Want to find some time to go watch? Haven't you always wanted to see the court's new army? You never had the chance before—this time, if you go, you're sure to see it."

The bearded man raised his head, glanced at the young man who had spoken, and said with a smile: "You still have the mind for that now? The examinations are almost upon us. People like us probably won't have an easy time of it!"

"You, Lu Xiangsheng, are worried about that?" Another young man on the other side also spoke, a smile on his face, clearly full of confidence in the bearded Lu Xiangsheng.

"I'm afraid criticism will be unavoidable." A steady man on the east side said slowly.

The young man who had just suggested going to watch the army now said with a smile: "Big Brother, this is a matter for the court; it has nothing to do with us. Even if there's criticism, it won't fall on us."

The one called Big Brother was none other than Song Yingsheng.

Turning his head to glance at his younger brother Song Yingxing, Song Yingsheng said: "It's a matter of time, fortune, and fate. We stand out too much right now. Once we pass the examinations and enter officialdom, we'll likely face heavy exclusion. If we're really sent out to serve as local officials, life in the provinces probably won't be easy either."

Hearing Song Yingsheng's words, the several people fell silent at once.

But Zhang Yu, who had just been teasing Lu Xiangsheng, spoke up: "I don't see it that way. Instead, I think this is our chance to spread our wings and make great plans."

"I have some understanding of affairs at court. There hasn't been much happening in the court lately. Everyone originally thought that after spring began this year, the political situation would see some changes—but as you all know, the court has not been peaceful during this period."

"First, in the first month, the Mongols of the Ordos invaded Yan'an, Huanghuayu, and other places, penetrating six hundred li deep, killing and capturing tens of thousands of people. Governor Zhang Zhihou and Regional Commander Du Wenhuan concealed the matter and did not report it, but were secretly impeached by their own subordinates. The entire court was thrown into an uproar, and this matter delayed some time."

"On the seventh day of the second month of the second year, earthquakes struck Yanzhou Prefecture, Jinan Prefecture, and the Eastern Depot Prefecture. Jining Prefecture suffered the greatest earthquake in a century. On the night of the sixth day, Yuncheng was hit by an earthquake—the sound was like thunder, the earth split open and springs gushed forth, chickens and dogs barked and howled, and walls and houses collapsed. In Juye, more than half of the city walls and battlements toppled, and the halls and side buildings of the Confucian temple were all destroyed. In Licheng, the earthquake roared like thunder, houses shook, and the ground moved."

"This earthquake affected over thirty prefectures, departments, and counties across three provinces, including Shandong and Henan. The entire court is busy organizing disaster relief efforts—it can be said to be utter chaos—so the political situation has remained very stable up to now."

"The staff department that was originally planned to be established still has no news. Although the nobles' work of surveying and measuring land is still ongoing, in order to maintain the stability of the situation, many matters have been handled with light punishments as a warning, allowing people to atone for their crimes through merit—mostly fines of silver. All of this is to raise funds for disaster relief."

The several people all looked at Zhang Yu, listening to him speak.

In fact, among the group, Zhang Yu was the only one who had a relatively good understanding of court politics, and he had considerable talent in this regard. As for schemes and calculations, he was thoroughly skilled in them as well.

"But what does this matter have to do with us?" Song Yingxing looked at Zhang Yu and asked.

"It has everything to do with us." Zhang Yu said: "Since last year, the court has been promoting Xunzi's doctrines. You haven't forgotten why the Imperial Academy was established in the first place, have you? You don't think that matter is finished, do you?"

"Back then, it was for the sake of all the academies under heaven, not just a single Imperial Academy. Don't forget—the Imperial Academy is only a pilot project. This time, the three provinces were hit by earthquakes and the court is providing disaster relief. It looks like there's no connection, but in reality, the connection is huge."

"Let me tell you, this disaster relief across three provinces will definitely bring down a whole batch of officials. Anyone who handles relief poorly, anyone who is corrupt—they will all be severely punished this time."

"We newly minted jinshi might be assigned to official posts very soon. Add in the affairs in the northwest, and I'll tell you plainly: His Majesty will definitely put us to important use, because those old, stale officials have already disappointed him. That's why I say this is the time for us to spread our wings."

"Once we can achieve results, the Imperial Academy is certain to gain great fame. At that point, the Imperial Academy will definitely be promoted and expanded—it will never remain just one institution in the capital. So this time is not our crisis, but rather our turning point."

"As for the debates at court over doctrines, you don't actually need to worry. The matter of Xunzi has been raised for so long now—isn't it still in the same state as before?"

"If it were going to fail, it would have failed long ago. There's no need to wait until now. This matter doesn't require our concern—we just need to do ourselves well."

The several people nodded thoughtfully.

But Song Yingsheng still took this moment to ask: "How can you be so sure that something will go wrong in Shandong? What if those officials handle things properly?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yu immediately laughed. "Don't you know what sort of people those are?"

"Calling them idle placeholders who occupy their posts without doing anything is putting it lightly. All day long they chant poetry and lament their sorrows, mouthing 'the Master said' and 'the Odes say'—but when it comes to actually doing things, none of them can manage it. Besides, after so many years of peace and comfort, when have they ever encountered matters like this?"

"Let me put it to you this way: not only will these people fail to devote themselves to disaster relief, they'll actually embezzle grain and funds. Last year, the court cracked down hard on corruption—but as you all know, that was only in the capital, at most including Shuntian Prefecture. Outside of that, no one felt a thing."

"This time, if they dare to reach out their hands, His Majesty will chop off their claws. Looking at the court's situation, His Majesty has relaxed his grip on the nobles and imperial relatives—clearly, he's preparing for the affairs of the provinces in Shandong and elsewhere."

"Just you watch—this year, they'll have plenty to cry about!"

Hearing these words, the several people exchanged glances.

Lu Xiangsheng turned his head to look at Zhang Yu and asked: "Then where do you think I should go to serve?"

Zhang Yu picked up his teacup and took a sip, then said: "You're different from us. Brother Jiandou, you're accomplished in both letters and martial arts—far above us by who knows how much. Your best direction is the military, and ideally Liaodong."

"His Majesty has poured a huge amount of money into drilling the new army. I've estimated that in just the second half of last year alone, His Majesty invested no less than one million taels into the new army."

"Spending that much money and drilling that many troops—do you really think His Majesty is just playing around?"

"Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has been purifying the court, stabilizing the people's hearts, and drilling the new army—it can be said he has been preparing all along. What do you think His Majesty is preparing for?"

"After the Battle of Sarhu, the court lost all face in Liaodong. This time, His Majesty has made it clear he intends to wipe away that shame."

"Back in the day, Emperor Wu of Han fought the Xiongnu with Wei Qing and Huo Qubing. Now His Majesty is governing diligently and will surely open war in Liaodong. Once the Jianzhou barbarians are pacified and destroyed, His Majesty will inevitably turn to war against the Mongols."

"This time, with the invasion from the northwest, His Majesty was extremely angry. The Governor and Regional Commander dared to conceal the matter and not report it—this time, they're finished. So I think the military has the most promising future."

"If I weren't truly unsuited to military affairs, I'd want to develop in that direction myself. Brother Jiandou, you need to work hard—who knows, in the future you might even enter the staff department."

Hearing this, Lu Xiangsheng shook his head, then said: "Aren't we talking about this too early? The examinations haven't even started yet. We might not even pass. If we fail, all of this will have been idle dreaming."

"You can rest easy—none of us will fail to pass." Zhang Yu said with full confidence: "Once we pass, that will be the time for us to spread our wings and make great plans."

The four young men were envisioning the future.

In the depths of the imperial palace, Zhu Youxiao was in a complete mess.

The new year had just passed, and already he had been handed a great gift.

Earthquakes—earthquakes involving three provinces. An earthquake of such massive scale could be said to be rarely seen in history.

Fortunately, he had spent all of last year stockpiling grain and money; otherwise, he would have been at a complete loss. Even so, the money and grain were still insufficient.

Disaster relief across three provinces—the matter was simply too enormous. The entire court was busy. The examinations and disaster relief—neither could be halted.

Letting out a soft sigh, Zhu Youxiao set down the teacup in his hand. Now he didn't even have the mood to drink tea.

Glancing at Chen Hong, who came running over in a panic, Zhu Youxiao furrowed his brow.

Chen Hong looked like he was about to die — clearly not good news again.

"What happened now?" Zhu Youxiao asked Chen Hong with a blank expression.

"Your Majesty, it is good news!" Chen Hong fell to his knees with a thud and said tearfully, "Your Majesty, the Empress is with child! This servant congratulates Your Majesty! Rejoice, Your Majesty!"

Hearing this, Zhu Youxiao abruptly stood up.

He was going to have an heir?

The key issue was — this was clearly good news, so why were you crying?!

Zhu Youxiao wished he could kick Chen Hong out the door, but he also knew this was what they called weeping for joy.

"Quick, quick, lead the way — I'll go see her!" Zhu Youxiao said with an excited expression, heading toward Empress Zhang's residence.

Having an heir — this was a major event!

More importantly, this was the best news Zhu Youxiao had heard since the start of the year, bringing a ray of sunshine to his gloomy mood.

How could Zhu Youxiao not be happy?

He was extremely, extremely happy!