Chapter 224: All Beginnings Are Strong, Few Reach Their End

As Liu Ruoyu's words fell, the clerks in the hall all sharpened their focus.

This first lesson for clerks, unexpectedly, had nothing to do with salaries, ranks, or even current political affairs — it was this kind of question probing their aspirations.

The newly selected clerks in the room, perhaps because of the Emperor's unconventional methods, were not the highest-scoring batch, but none were fools, and hearing this, every face grew solemn.

Liu Ruoyu's gaze slowly swept over the assembly, but a wave of self-mockery rose in his heart.

Once, long ago, someone had asked him the same question.

That was just after His Majesty ascended the throne.

The entire Directorate of Ceremonial was driven to exhaustion by His Majesty, working day and night on the collection and collation of all manner of official personnel dossiers.

Of course, that work has since gradually been set on the right track and now only requires routine updating.

But at the time, he was truly overwhelmed and utterly swamped.

He never expected that Gao Shiming, who had just been appointed seal-holder of the Directorate of Ceremonial, would suddenly stop him and ask, out of nowhere: "Ruoyu, what is your aspiration?"

It threw him into a fluster for a long while; he hemmed and hawed, and in the end could only fob him off with a few platitudes like "serve my godfather well, serve His Majesty well." At the time, Eunuch Gao listened, gave no comment, and merely sighed faintly.

It was not until over a month later, when he was granted an audience with His Majesty and received a red robe for his effective work in clearing the palace, that he understood.

Only then did he grasp why Eunuch Gao's expression had been so complicated, and why Gao had said "what is your aspiration."

Alone before the sovereign, facing that sagely and enlightened Son of Heaven, questioned with utter sincerity — how could he, Liu Ruoyu, continue to fob him off?

He hesitated for a long time, and finally bowed and confessed frankly: Ruoyu truly has no aspiration in his heart.

To his surprise, His Majesty showed not the slightest displeasure, but simply bade him sit.

Then, in a gentle voice, he said: No matter. First observe, first do the work; seek as you go. In time, you will surely find it.

He then cited for him Cai Lun, Zheng He, and a host of other eunuch predecessors whose names are recorded in history, his words brimming with expectation.

And yet...

His, Liu Ruoyu's, aspirations — after the dreams of his youth, at the moment that blade cut down — had already shattered entirely into mud.

The shock and disappointment of his father and elder brother, the utter ruin of over ten years of examination preparation in a single stroke — these clung to his young manhood like a nightmare.

In such straits, how could the matter of "aspiration" be so easily recovered?

How laughable that now, he, a man long bereft of aspiration, had been personally appointed by His Majesty to stand here and solemnly ask others about theirs. Truly, fate makes fools of men.

Liu Ruoyu reined in his wandering thoughts, and his gaze sharpened once more.

"Well? Will anyone come forward and speak of his aspiration?"

His voice deepened, and the atmosphere in the hall grew heavier still.

The crowd exchanged glances, none daring to be the bird that sticks out its head.

Liu Ruoyu paid it no mind and casually pointed at a square-jawed young man.

"You. Speak."

The man started violently, his face flushing crimson, and scrambled to his feet in a panic, not knowing where to put his hands and feet.

"I... I... this commoner, I mean, this student's... aspiration is... is to repay His Majesty, to... to share the court's burdens, to bring... bring glory to my ancestors!"

He stammered to a finish and exhaled a long breath as if a great weight had been lifted.

Liu Ruoyu, expressionless, called on two more.

Their answers were much the same, nothing more than phrases like "be loyal to the sovereign and serve the state" or "bring peace to the people and prosperity to the nation."

After hearing them, Liu Ruoyu neither nodded nor shook his head, but only asked flatly: "Is there anyone else willing to speak of his own accord?"

With the groundwork laid by the first three, the atmosphere in the hall finally loosened a little.

A young man in a Confucian robe was the first to rise and declare in a clear voice: "This student models himself on Ji An of the Han. I wish to be a minister of the altars for His Majesty, to assist a wise sovereign, remedy shortcomings and omissions, and thereby bring peace to all under Heaven!"

At these words, the crowd's spirits lifted, as if they had found a template.

Once someone had started, a second followed, then a third.

"This student, though untalented, wishes to emulate Yao Chong of the Tang, using practical ability to assist a sage ruler and lay the foundation for a great peace!"

"This student, though untalented, wishes to emulate Xiao He and Cao Can of the Han, to secure the state and soothe the people for His Majesty, so that the new policies may proceed without hindrance!"

"This student has personally experienced poverty and always harbors a compassionate heart. My sole wish is to emulate the aspirations of the ancients of virtue, to fill our Great Ming's granaries and banish hunger and cold — then this life will have no regrets." "This student holds that a true man should gird on a three-foot sword and perform deeds of unmatched merit!" For a time, the atmosphere within the great hall grew steadily more fervent.

People vied to stand, and the aspirations they voiced — some quoting classics and displaying literary brilliance, others plain-spoken and deeply sincere — swept away the earlier dullness, and there was truly a hint of vigorous, burgeoning spirit.

Qian Changle sat in a corner of the duty room, watching all this eagerly, so stirred that his palms were slick with sweat.

He clenched his fists tightly, several times on the verge of standing, but each time the words reached his lips, they were pressed back down by that surge of self-doubt and timidity. He glanced sidelong at Wu Yanzuo beside him, secretly steeling himself: If Brother Mengju stands, I will stand too! Yet Wu Yanzuo seemed utterly detached.

Though a smile still lingered on his face, he had stopped his idle chat with Qian Changle and simply sat quietly, his gaze following each person who stood, his expression more serious than Qian Changle had ever seen.

Qian Changle waited and waited, but saw not the slightest movement from him. Finally unable to restrain himself, he nudged him lightly with an elbow and asked in a lowered voice: "Brother Mengju, are you... not going to stand and speak?"

Wu Yanzuo, startled out of his reverie, came back to himself and then laughed ruefully: "Me? What aspirations could I have? I'm merely here at my father's orders, muddling along and waiting to die. Now, sitting by and listening to the lofty discourses of all you talents — isn't that pleasure enough?"

He shifted tone, a glint of sly mischief flashing in his eyes: "But you, Brother Yong'an — I've watched you holding it in for ages. Why not go up and speak, and let your elder brother here broaden his horizons by hearing your grand ambitions?"

Qian Changle's face went red in an instant, and he waved his hands frantically: "I... what grand ambitions could I possibly have..."

"Ah, Brother Yong'an, why so modest?" Wu Yanzuo gave him a nudge, half in jest, half in urging. "Speak freely, just speak freely." Under Wu Yanzuo's prodding, that suppressed impulse in Qian Changle's heart surged up once more.

Yes, what was there to fear?

Was he not also a clerk personally chosen by His Majesty? Why couldn't he speak?

He drew a deep breath, as if steeling himself for an enormous decision, and said: "Fine, then... then I'll try to speak."

Yet just as his legs tensed and his body had barely risen half an inch from the stool—

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Liu Ruoyu clapped his hands three times and let out an exclamation of praise.

"Excellent! As expected, all of you are loyal, upright, and outspoken men personally selected by His Majesty! This slave is deeply gratified to hear it!"

And so Qian Changle's backside hung awkwardly in midair, neither up nor down.

He froze there, his mind a complete blank.

In that instant, Qian Changle felt every gaze in the room converge upon him, laying bare his awkward, half-risen, half-seated posture for all to see. In truth, most people's attention had already been drawn to Liu Ruoyu, and barely anyone had noticed the young man half-standing in the corner.

Yet in Qian Changle's own perception, he was, at this very moment, the greatest laughingstock under heaven.

He froze for a moment, then in the end, silently, inch by inch, lowered himself back onto his seat, as if nothing had happened.

Liu Ruoyu swept his eyes over the assembly and slowly began to speak.

"The aspirations you have all spoken of — this slave believes that, at this moment, they are indeed spoken from the depths of your hearts."

His tone took a sudden turn.

"But since ancient times, those who set their resolve have been countless. Yet how many have been able to see it through from beginning to end, to hold fast to their purpose without ever wavering?"

"'All things have a beginning, but few reach their end' — so it is."

He paused, then said somberly, "This slave will tell you a story."

"There was once a young man."

"He was born on a small boat by the riverside."

"In his youth, his family was poor. He made a meager living teaching village children."

"At the age of twenty-four, his fortunes turned. He passed the jinshi examination and entered officialdom."

"By the time he was thirty-five, the northern barbarians had swept south in great force, their blades aimed straight at the capital."

"The entire court, civil and military alike, spoke of flight, of relocation, of surrender. But he — he stepped forward, submitted memorial after memorial, laid bare the stakes with fierce clarity, declared the barbarians' insatiable greed, and insisted that peace could never be negotiated, that surrender was absolutely impermissible!"

Hearing this, looks of admiration appeared on many of the clerks' faces. Such moral integrity — it sounded truly admirable.

Liu Ruoyu's voice remained flat and unruffled as he continued the tale.

"Afterward, the capital fell. He, together with the reigning Emperor, was taken captive and dragged north by the barbarians. Trapped in the enemy camp, he endured every humiliation, yet maneuvered in every way he could, secretly protecting his sovereign."

The admiration on the listeners' faces deepened. Some even began silently guessing who this worthy forebear might be.

"However, in his thirty-ninth year, he fled back from the north — alone."

"After his return, he reversed all his former words. Instead, he began fervently advocating peace negotiations to the newly enthroned Emperor."

"He said, 'If you wish the realm to be free of trouble, let the south be the south, and the north the north.' That new Emperor was a spineless waste of a man, and upon hearing this, he was overjoyed. He immediately appointed him Chancellor."

The atmosphere in the hall began to shift subtly.

A few among them were slowly realizing just who this young man was. "By his forty-fourth year, he had at last brought the full weight of his authority to bear, brokering a peace accord with the northern barbarian chieftain. Henceforth, the Huai River became the border, the southern court declared itself a vassal, and in exchange, they bought a precarious corner of peace."

"By his fiftieth year, there arose in the southern court a peerless general, who launched northern expedition after northern expedition, shattering the barbarian chieftain's forces, on the very verge of driving straight to the enemy's heartland and restoring the old capital." "Yet at that very moment, this Chancellor, using the three words 'there need be no reason,' pressed that new Emperor to issue twelve consecutive golden tallies, recalling that famed general from the front lines, and ultimately brought about his death at Wind-Wave Pavilion."

Wind-Wave Pavilion! There need be no reason!

With the story told to this point, everyone knew exactly whom Eunuch Liu was speaking of!

And yet — how could this be!

Such a treacherous minister — in the past, he had actually been a hawkish, loyal, and steadfast subject?!

Liu Ruoyu looked around at them all and slowly spoke, posing the question to which everyone already knew the answer.

"So then — who was this man?"

No one answered.

But in the depths of every heart, the same name was silently repeated.

— Qin Hui!

"This slave asks you," Liu Ruoyu continued.

"Did he set out from the very beginning with the resolve to abandon the north and bow his knee to the barbarians?"

"When he was born in that boat by the river?"

"When he was destitute and down-and-out, teaching village children?"

"When he passed the jinshi at twenty-four, full of high spirits and ambition?"

"Or when he faced the barbarian chieftain's army at the city walls and cried out, 'We must never surrender'?"

No one responded. Many were still digesting this bombshell.

Liu Ruoyu looked at them, his tone softening slightly, yet growing all the more profound.

"A man may set his resolve, but that does not mean he can keep it."

"The road of life is long. One encounters all manner of circumstances, and makes all manner of choices."

"Every man has his own aspiration. Some are like the great swan beating its wings to soar high, its ambition set upon a thousand li; others are like the eaves-sparrow carrying mud to build its nest, seeking only the stability of the moment." "Yet among all things in this world, it is the two words 'from beginning to end' that are the hardest to achieve."

"Not everyone can carry their resolve through from start to finish and accomplish something of worth."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire hall.

"His Majesty has sent this slave to ask you all a question."

"Of the hundred men seated here — ten years from now, twenty years from now — how many will be Yue Fei, driving straight to the enemy's heartland?"

"And how many will be Qin Hui, whose infamy will stink for ten thousand years?"

The assembly remained silent.

Liu Ruoyu casually pointed at the young man who had earlier compared himself to Ji An. "You. Speak."

The young man was now thoroughly embarrassed. After a moment, he replied with a bitter smile.

"In reply to the Eunuch, this student... is naturally ashamed to be a Qin Hui. But as for a towering figure like Yue Wumu... how would this student dare to even compare..."

Liu Ruoyu could not help but shake his head.

"In your minds, was Yue Wumu born Yue Wumu?"

Without waiting for an answer, his voice dropped, and he declared with absolute finality:

"No!"

"Who was Yue Fei? He came from a farming household in Xiangzhou!"

"In his youth, he was nothing more than a mere constable in the local government office."

"What is a youjiao?!" Liu Ruoyu raised his voice. "Isn't that just a constable! Isn't that just a petty clerk?! Isn't that precisely the status of everyone seated here today?!"

At these words, the entire hall was stunned!

Qian Changle in particular shuddered violently, jerking his head up, his eyes filled with utter disbelief.

Grandfather Yue... was once a petty clerk?

He had grown up listening to storytellers, and the tales were always the same — serving the country with utter loyalty, spearing the Little Prince of Liang, the great battle at Niutou Mountain, the twelve gold tallies... But this talk of a "youjiao" was something many were hearing for the very first time!

It was just as startling as the earlier revelation that Qin Hui, in the beginning, had actually been a loyal minister who advocated war! Liu Ruoyu continued, "Yue Fei, starting from the station of a mere petty clerk, ultimately earned a name that endures through the ages. You today share his starting point — so why can you not do the same?"

"Even taking ten thousand steps back, even if you cannot become Yue Fei, can you not even become the Tang Huai, Wang Gui, or Zhang Xian at his side?!" These words set everyone's hearts surging with emotion.

Liu Ruoyu observed their expressions, and his tone returned to calm.

"His Majesty has said: the aspirations of youth are the most precious."

As he spoke these words, his gaze unconsciously skipped over a few middle-aged clerks whose hair was already faintly graying.

"When you return today, write down your aspirations, stroke by stroke, clearly and distinctly, and bring them tomorrow."

"These aspirations will all be collected and brought into the palace. After His Majesty has reviewed them, they will all be sealed away."

"Ten years from now, they will be unsealed and opened for inspection."

"We shall see then, among these hundred new clerks of today, how many have become Yue Fei, and how many have become Qin Hui."

"This — is the ten-year covenant of aspiration that His Majesty makes with all of you!"

As his voice fell, within the duty room, there was a profound silence.

But beneath this silence was not stagnant water — it was an undercurrent.

Some clenched their fists.

Some stared wide-eyed.

But most merely flushed red, glancing left and right, yet not daring to make a sound.

Just as everyone was still surging with emotion, Wu Yanzuo, who had been observing for a long while, had already made his choice.

Without the slightest hesitation, he rose decisively, faced Liu Ruoyu, and bowed deeply from the waist. His voice rang out, loud and clear, reaching every ear: "We students respectfully obey His Majesty's sacred instruction!"

This single cry jolted everyone awake.

The rest hurriedly rose to their feet and bowed in succession: "We students respectfully obey His Majesty's sacred instruction!"

Liu Ruoyu's gaze lingered on Wu Yanzuo for a moment. He nodded.

"What His Majesty wished to say to all of you — this slave has now conveyed it in full." He spoke evenly. "The new policies have just begun, and there are many pressing affairs. This slave will not linger. Next, let Master Ni speak on the matters that follow."

With that, he cupped his hands slightly toward Ni Yuanlu at his side, said nothing more, and turned to walk out of the hall.

After Liu Ruoyu's figure disappeared beyond the doorway, the hall remained quiet for several breaths.

At last, someone — no one knew who — let out a long, deep exhalation.

That breath was like a signal. The taut silence shattered in an instant.

The rustle of clothing, the dull thuds of shifting bodies, and barely suppressed whispers quickly merged into a continuous hum. "The ten-year covenant..."

"A clerk of the new policies — so it is a path watched over by the Son of Heaven himself!"

"Indeed, speaking out with integrity was the right thing to do!"

"Grandfather Yue was actually a petty clerk too?"

A wave of hushed murmuring filled the hall. People leaned close, exchanging the excitement and fervor in each other's eyes. The flame they had just forced down was on the verge of blazing up.

Yet at that very moment, Ni Yuanlu stepped onto the platform. He did not even open his mouth — merely swept his gaze lightly across the room.

The buzzing noise from moments before was as if smoothed away by an invisible great hand, subsiding layer by layer from front to back. Ni Yuanlu waited until not the slightest sound remained in the hall. Only then did he slowly begin to speak:

"This official is a Junior Compiler of the Hanlin Academy, Ni Yuanlu. I shall be in charge of all your training matters over the coming month or so."

He paused, looked down at the assembly, and his tone turned abruptly cold.

"The dynasty's hundred ills have been reborn, and we now face the millennial upheaval of this struggle between man and earth. Those in the new policies are precisely the ones who must turn back the raging tide and shore up the great edifice before it collapses. Yet such a heaven-saving enterprise is not something just anyone can join in doing."

"A mere single clerks' examination is far from enough!"

"That was only the first checkpoint you have passed."

"Next, there are several more major examinations. Each one demands both loyalty and integrity, and ability."

"After a few rounds, of these hundred new clerks before me now, who can say whether even fifty will remain."

"Gentlemen!"

"Before you get excited, you had best first hear this official's regulations!"

"The path of Yue Fei is not so easy to walk!"

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