Chapter 247: What Begins Simply Shall End Mighty!

The weather was turning colder by the day.

Since winter set in, a few flurries of snow had fallen, then no more — only the howling north wind sweeping across the whole world.

But what cut deeper than this early-winter chill was the wave of New Policies surging out from the imperial city.

The Yongchang Emperor's work was intense yet orderly.

The "oxen and horses" under his command, naturally, had not halted their forward march either.

The magistrates of over a hundred counties and departments in Northern Zhili — no matter how anguished or conflicted they felt inside, or whatever tactics they resorted to —

in the end, before the deadline arrived, each delivered their weighty "New Policy Implementation Pledge" to the Northern Zhili New Policy Command. By this point, the entire officialdom of the capital had truly been swept, with a roar, into this mighty current.

Before the nearly one hundred interview rooms cleared out by the Ministry of Rites, streams of people surged back and forth.

Over five hundred officials, either native to Northern Zhili or possessing local governance experience, had been seconded as chief examiners by a single edict from the Emperor. Another four hundred juren and Imperial Academy students attended as observers, privileged to witness this unprecedented grand spectacle.

Add to that the hundred-odd county magistrates — some apprehensive, some confident — awaiting their "judgment."

In all, over a thousand people, under the Secretariat's dense interview scheduling, conducted dozens, even up to a hundred, interviews each day. These so-called interviews were, in essence, not "talent reviews" but rather "governance policy reviews."

Every examiner seated in the hall cared nothing for the character, scholarship, or even the past administrative record of the colleague before him.

Those matters had been handled in the earlier stages of the Northern Zhili New Policy county magistrate selection process.

In this interview stage, the one thing they cared about was every word, every policy item, and every figure in that pledge.

They would pursue every detail of the pledge with meticulous, comprehensive questioning.

"Why does the estimated taxable acreage exceed the previous figure by one hundred thousand mu? Where do the data come from?"

"For the water conservancy projects, where will the funds and grain be drawn from?"

Every question was more precise and more pragmatic than any policy discussion of the past.

After each interview, the chief examiners would use a "O" or an "X" to express their assessment of the session.

Only by earning the collective approval of all five chief examiners and receiving a "five circles" rating could this grinding interview be concluded early and a ticket to the next stage secured.

As for the pitiable Lu Zhenfei, the halfway successor to Leting County in Yongping Prefecture, his days were far less comfortable.

To date, he had not drunk a single sip of Leting County's water nor felt a single gust of its wind — so how could he easily win a "five circles" rating before that panel of shrewd, seasoned examiners?

Thus, this was already his fourth time coming here for an interview.

His "Governance Pledge" was revised daily, its word count ballooning from an initial dry six thousand-odd characters all the way to a daunting thirteen thousand characters.

The various appended tables had also expanded from that initial crude "Northern Zhili New Policy Farmland Projection Table" to over a dozen increasingly detailed items: "Luan River Water Conservancy Project Schedule," "New Clerk Interpersonal Relations Screening Table," "Powerful Household Farmland Estimation and Correction Table," and so on. Meanwhile, as the interviews progressed, Lu Zhenfei's pledge rating climbed from the humiliating initial "O" step by step to "OOO." As the overall situation brightened, all manner of bets and declarations of support came rushing in like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

The first to make a move was Zhang Woxu, Right Chief Censor of the Censorate, who wanted to place the first bet on him — but because the man's reputation was far too notorious, Lu Zhenfei found a pretext and politely declined.

Next, Zhong Xiyan, Director of Studies at the Imperial Academy and a native of Qinghe County in Guangping Prefecture, introduced him to many Imperial Academy students and capital-dwelling juren from Leting County, helping him investigate local conditions.

Wang Jianji, a Hanlin Corrector from Wei County in Guangping Prefecture, specially transcribed for him the water conservancy memorials from past reigns of the dynasty that the Hanlin Academy was currently collating.

And many fellow jinshi of the same examination cohort — whether serving in the Secretariat or in the various ministries, whether men of the New Policies or the old — also came one after another to exchange pleasantries, offer gifts, and rekindle old ties.

Gold, silver, and jewels — under the fierce gale of the New Policies, no one dared send those for the time being.

But all manner of literati miscellanies, memorial collections, classical texts, and even poems offered as gifts came one after another.

Elegant! Truly elegant beyond words!

The so-called bonds of shared native place and shared examination cohort suddenly blazed forth in full, exuberant flame!

Step outside and everyone was a friend; a nod of greeting and all were old acquaintances!

Even more remarkable, it was not only these connections from fellow provincials and examination cohorts — even local families from Leting itself took the initiative to make contact. Liu Tingxuan, Right Vice Director of the Court of Judicial Review, called in person and made clear that he had already sent word by express courier to his clan, instructing them to cooperate proactively with the land survey and absolutely not hinder the New Policies.

At the end, he introduced his eldest and second sons, who were studying at home, and stated plainly that once Lu Zhenfei took up his post, on any matter involving water conservancy, land surveys, or taxation, he could consult them — the Liu clan of Leting would spare no effort in supporting the New Policies!

Of course, in his words, he also hinted discreetly that if the "New Policy Implementation Pledge" could include an appended "declaration of support" from local families, it would make the pledge appear more solid and more readily win the examiners' approval.

Face was given, substance was given, and all that was asked in return was such a "trifling" thing — could Lu Zhenfei refuse?

The next day, a new module titled "Local Family Support" appeared in his pledge.

Zhang Guorui, Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shaanxi, also a native of Leting County, was far away in Shaanxi and had yet to feel the tempestuous force of these New Policies.

But his trusted private secretary and family members in the capital, witnessing this thunderous momentum, could no longer sit still.

After calling on him, though they dared not directly make promises that bypassed the head of the family, they did state clearly that an urgent letter had been sent to inquire, and within a month or so a reply was certain — they asked Magistrate Lu to wait a little longer.

Since passing the metropolitan examination and entering officialdom at age thirty-five, Lu Zhenfei had never experienced days so splendid.

The whole world seemed suddenly to come alive, extending olive branches to him from every direction.

And all of this, in truth, was not merely because of his so-called "OOO" ranking.

After all, there were quite a few who had already achieved four circles — what did a mere passing three-circle rating amount to?

What truly drove the momentum was, in fact, a newly circulated internal document from the Northern Zhili New Policy Command — the "Northern Zhili County and Department Rankings." Leting County, with the Luan River and Daqing River running through its territory, and a coastal outlet to the sea, possessed fertile soil, advanced agriculture, and exceptionally favorable natural conditions. Ultimately, by virtue of its current tax strength, it provisionally ranked twenty-fifth on this list!

(Attached image, haha — I roughly calculated it based on the summer tax and autumn grain figures. Oh, and the top-ranked ones are all from Daming Prefecture, while most of Shuntian Prefecture's rank very low. Interesting, isn't it — the farther from the capital, the higher the summer tax and autumn grain quotas, haha.)

Was this list accurate?

Of course not!

For instance, Baodi County, universally acknowledged as the best posting apart from the capital counties, was ranked a mere ninety-eighth on this list because of historical legacy issues such as noble land annexation and imperial estate occupation.

Yet, precisely because everyone knew that once the blade of the New Policies fell and these problems were completely excised, Baodi County's potential was incalculable — it could never be merely ninety-eighth.

Always trust the nobles' eye! If the land were not good, why would they have annexed it in the first place?

Thus, the enormous room for political achievement in between made every participant in the Northern Zhili New Policies salivate over Baodi County.

But so what if the list was inaccurate?

Of the hundred and thirty-odd counties and departments in Northern Zhili, who could truly examine the real conditions of every single county in detail?

Once the list was out, those ranked high naturally drew everyone's attention and thereby gained more abundant resources.

All the bets, speculations, and relationship-cultivation thus piled onto Lu Zhenfei from every side.

Lu Zhenfei was no callow, newly minted jinshi; having passed the examination at thirty-five, he had long outgrown the age of listening to flattery.

He understood better than anyone the truth that knowing others is wisdom, but knowing oneself is enlightenment.

These olive branches were never extended to Lu Zhenfei the man — they were extended to the title "Laoting County, provisionally ranked twenty-fifth."

All of it was nothing but illusion.

Those who come for profit will, in the end, depart for profit.

Lu Zhenfei understood perfectly: all the present bustle was like flowers in a mirror or the moon on the water — one gust of wind, and it would scatter.

The crux of everything lay, ultimately, in the solid, tangible results of the Northern Metropolitan New Policies after he took office.

If those results proved poor, or even very poor, the carriage-choked bustle of today would turn in an instant into the desolation of a gate so deserted you could net sparrows.

If the great roc means to ride the wind and soar, in the end it still comes down to real strength!

"Next — Laoting County Magistrate, Yongping Prefecture: Lu Zhenfei!"

The calling voice of the Court of State Ceremonial official rang out beneath the corridor eaves, cutting through the howling cold wind.

Lu Zhenfei's spirits lifted. He exhaled a long white breath, cast every stray thought from his mind, straightened his official robes, and with a steady stride entered the interview chamber that would decide his future prospects.

The room's furnishings were the same as the previous days — simple and oppressive.

A single table and chair sat isolated in the very center: his seat.

To the east and west sides, two desks each had been placed for the juren and Imperial Academy students attending as observers.

And directly facing him were five desks, screened so tightly by bamboo blinds that nothing could be seen — the interviewers sat upright behind them.

This was to ensure faces went unrecognized and no personal favor was shown.

How much effect did this measure actually have?

As much as might be expected.

In officialdom, what absolute secrets were there?

In the earlier interview rounds, he had already picked out the voices of several acquaintances.

In the first round, the second man on the left was a fellow jinshi of his from the same examination cohort, also a County Magistrate summoned to the capital for assessment — only he had lacked Lu Zhenfei's luck in seizing one of the New Policy posts. The questions he asked had been utterly merciless.

Son of a bitch, I'll remember you!

In the second round, the first man on the right was the voice of Liu Tingxuan, Vice Director of the Court of Judicial Review, who had come to visit him. His questions were far gentler; sometimes the questions he asked practically handed him the answers.

However, the interviewers for each round were assigned by the New Policy Command Headquarters, and they seemed to be in constant rotation.

So Lu Zhenfei could not identify everyone every time.

But none of that mattered anymore.

Lu Zhenfei drew a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with the light of absolute determination.

Today, he had come with the resolve to seize all five circles and bring this long selection ordeal to an early end!

Yes — the interview did not require sitting through all ten full rounds.

Any parent-official who earned five circles passed directly; after that, all they had to do was wait for the training course to begin.

Lu Zhenfei kept his eyes straight ahead, walked to the table and chair, sat down squarely, and held his back ramrod straight.

Bang!

The crisp crack of a wooden mallet came from the chief examiner in the very center.

No pleasantries, no courtesies — only a young voice, piercing through the bamboo blinds and striking straight at him.

"In your pledge statement, you wrote that Laoting County's original registered farmland was somewhat over three hundred thirty thousand mu, with a subsequent estimate of four hundred twenty thousand mu. Why, then, has the pledge statement you submitted this time suddenly ballooned to seven hundred thousand mu?"

Such a young voice — and such impeccable court Mandarin.

Lu Zhenfei's heart stirred faintly. The voice was entirely unfamiliar; it did not sound like any examination-year colleague or senior he knew.

Nor did it belong to any interviewer who had examined him before.

Was this some fellow jinshi? A man of Northern Metropolitan origin?

But Lu Zhenfei had no time to dwell on it. He immediately cupped his hands and answered:

"As His Majesty has said, without investigation, one has no right to speak."

"The estimates this official made previously were based either on the situation reports left by my predecessor, or on what the juren and Imperial Academy students of Laoting County told me."

"Yet cadastral land surveys touch upon local vested interests — how could such men possibly disclose the full truth? To ask the people of Laoting about Laoting is no different from asking a blind man for directions."

"Each man would only add a little to the original registered figure, but none would ever state the facts honestly."

Lu Zhenfei paused, then continued.

"This official's fellow jinshi Wu Kongjia was demoted to Laoting over the Huangshan case and now humbly serves as its Constable."

"In the month and more since he took up his post, he has paced and measured on foot, and by his reckoning, the already-cultivated land beyond the original registered figure amounts to perhaps another two hundred thousand mu."

"While the riverside mudflats and such, with a little improvement, can also be farmed — these account for two hundred thousand mu. Adding them together gives seven hundred thirty thousand mu of taxable land." As his words fell, Lu Zhenfei felt a moment of unease.

This unease was not from any doubt about Wu Kongjia's survey findings, but from hesitation over the very act of bringing up Wu Kongjia.

This man, once one of the "Five of Statecraft," had been cashiered over his involvement in the Huangshan case and reduced to a Constable — a post beneath the official rank system. By any reckoning, his future was utterly ruined. Yet why, of all the places they could have banished him, had they chosen to banish him precisely to Northern Metropolitan, this land of the New Policies?

Did this perhaps represent some hope on the part of His Sacred Majesty? A kind of tolerance that set aside past offenses?

But the affairs of officialdom were treacherous and unpredictable — how could one ever be sure?

The words of his adviser, Secretary Wang, still seemed to echo in his ears.

"Your Honor, the best course is to take no risk at all. Simply attribute everything to the investigations of Secretary Li."

"Later, once you have gauged which way the wind blows, it will not be too late to bring Wu Kongjia forward."

"If you wish to repay him for his counsel and service, that can wait for another day. There is no need to gamble on it at this critical juncture of the selection."

Yet reason was one thing, and principle another.

Had it not been for the principles in his heart, Lu Zhenfei would never have defied orders back when the Prefect of Xi'an commanded him to build a living shrine to Wei Zhongxian. So then… what would come of this gamble on principle?

— Of course, no result would come immediately. If there were consequences, they would only manifest later.

When Lu Zhenfei finished, the young voice, utterly unruffled, pressed on with its questioning.

"In other words, half of the newly added taxable land comes from local concealment, and the other half from undeveloped tidal flats and wasteland?" "In reply, my lord — some of that land was not concealed but simply abandoned. And among the tidal flats, some portions have already been occupied. But broadly speaking, that is not far from the mark." Lu Zhenfei answered cautiously.

The voice pressed on immediately:

"Then what will you rely on to make the local gentry disgorge the hidden fields? After you take office, in carrying out the clearance of concealed land, what is the single most important thing?"

Each question was more concrete than the last, each cut deeper than the one before.

Yet they still lay within Lu Zhenfei's grasp.

Lu Zhenfei no longer had the leisure to ponder Wu Kongjia's future. Thoughts racing, he organized his words, then spoke in a grave tone:

"Upon taking office, this official's first act will be to summon the local gentry and village heads, publicly explain the general plan of the new policies, make clear the pros and cons of cadastral surveys, and set out the rewards for returning land and the punishments for withholding it. Should any come forward voluntarily with the registers, their past offenses will not be pursued. Should any persist in fraudulent registration, they will be severely punished by law and banished to the frontier garrisons. This I call 'extending good faith.' The second act: to select men of integrity and upright character from the villages by public recommendation, swear a blood oath with them, and carry out the survey jointly. This I call 'public recommendation.' The third act: to make inspection tours of the localities, conduct spot checks, and any guilty of corruption or dereliction of duty will be sentenced to banishment as a warning to others. This I call 'spot inspection.' With these three measures, grasping the key links by the force of open authority, the cadastral survey of Laoting can be completed in half a year at the quickest, one year at the slowest." He finished, lifted his head with confidence, and looked toward that motionless bamboo screen.

What he awaited, however, was not approval, but an even more oppressive line of questioning.

"Your method is modeled on the Wanli-era cadastral survey, is it not."

That young voice, flat and unruffled, continued its interrogation.

"But there is a very great difference here."

"The Wanli survey's main purpose was to 'audit the shortfall' — to recover the figures from the dynasty's founding and nothing more. That is the logic of modeling oneself on later kings, the logic of treating the realm as static, and moreover the logic of failing to see that the population steadily grows and that fields are steadily brought under cultivation."

"Even if we set aside these principles and consider only interests — making the landlords and magnates disgorge one part in ten, versus making them disgorge one part in five — can the resistance possibly be the same?"

"Have you made any preparations for the fierce opposition that the entire new policy will face? If you have, what measures will you take?"

This barrage of questions crashed down, blasting Lu Zhenfei's mind into utter blankness.

It was not merely the difficulty of the questions themselves.

It was that the manner of questioning was profoundly wrong!

These new terms that had never appeared in the New Policy Cihua! Static! Growth!

This exposition of various "principles"!

And that bone-deep distrust of the powerful landlords, that thoroughly pessimistic assessment!

It was him!

It was the new sovereign of Yongchang!

Lu Zhenfei felt his scalp prickle and go numb.

How could it be His Majesty himself, here in person?

He had been undergoing interviews for four days and had never caught the slightest whisper of it!

Was his luck exceedingly good, or exceedingly bad?!

No… this was no time to think of such things!

His mouth parched, his tongue dry, Lu Zhenfei swallowed hard twice.

He forced his already somewhat rigid brain to spin, recalling every word of the New Policy Cihua, recalling every Yongchang annotation circulating in the capital.

The great hall was terrifyingly silent.

This deathly stillness filled Lu Zhenfei with a fear he had never known before.

He knew he could not remain silent any longer.

"Your Maj—"

The brief initial sound had just left his lips when he strangled it dead in his throat, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"This official… ahem… this official believes…" He slurred past the words "this official" and continued in a parched voice, "…the argument of pros and cons is indeed crucial. Yet matters of pros and cons can also transform into one another…"

He struggled to piece together those new-policy terms, buying himself precious time to think.

Knowing is not hard — doing is what is hard! The ancients did not deceive me! I thought I had everything prepared, yet before His Majesty's questioning, my own strategy proves so utterly fragile!

At last, a flash of light appeared in his chaotic thoughts, and an idea gradually took shape.

"The dynasty's tax is one-thirtieth of the harvest, already light to begin with. Even with the Liaodong levy added, compared to the fifty percent land rent taken by landlords, it is no more than half a tenth." His voice began to recover its composure, even gaining a measure of conviction.

"Why then does everyone groan with resentment? It is all because the petty clerks exploit their positions, piling on exaction after exaction!"

"A tax of half a tenth on the books becomes one tenth, even two tenths, by the time it reaches the common people!"

"Thus, the harm the new policy does to the localities lies in the tax increase after the cadastral survey; but the benefit of the new policy lies in the drastic reduction of surcharges once the petty clerks are cleaned out!"

"In this way, the harm is not wholly harm, the benefit not wholly benefit — precisely the means to turn one force against another!"

The more Lu Zhenfei spoke, the more confident he grew, his thoughts suddenly opening wide.

"His Majesty has said: always unite the many to strike at the few."

"Then in the new policy, who are the many, and who are the few? The petty clerks are precisely the few."

"These people attach themselves to the yamen and run rampant through the villages, using the authority of officialdom to oppress the locality on the one hand, and using local ties to coerce the officials on the other. That is why every County Magistrate, upon taking office, must hire private secretaries — without them, it is nearly impossible to conduct business."

"Therefore, to carry out the survey, the three measures I spoke of earlier can still be employed, but one must start with the petty clerks, splitting the crowd apart first."

The more Lu Zhenfei spoke, the smoother his words flowed; he was even growing somewhat impassioned.

"Moreover, not all landlords are the same."

"In Laoting itself there are the Liu clan and the Zhang clan, both of whom have members serving as officials at court — they will naturally cooperate with the new policy."

"If they rely on having officials at court to obstruct the new policy, then this matter should be traced upward to its root, and those principals impeached."

"There are also many landlords from decayed old families, who once had men at court but now have none; yet they still have sons and younger kin studying in the county school — these too can be separated out."

Inspiration came from who knows where, surging wave after wave into Lu Zhenfei's mind.

"Right! The students in the county school! One can start from there as well!"

"Speaking further of the county school — why do the xiucai and the scholars study? Precisely to set the times aright and serve the nation!"

"These men are young, their spirit not yet extinguished; not every one of them is a base schemer! Using them as auxiliaries, organizing the survey — it both tests and trains them in practical affairs and lets them share the nation's burdens. Truly a convenience on both counts!"

"Furthermore, the provincial examinations are held once every three years, and the most recent session has just concluded. Having the scholars take one year out of the three years of bitter study ahead to participate in such a great new-policy undertaking will not unduly delay their studies — that is yet another convenience!"

"If the new-policy measures include some preferential treatment for the scholars who come to assist, and if counties that perform well after their surveys are either granted additional juren quotas or allowed to select a number of outstanding students to enter the Imperial Academy — then not only will their inner aspirations align with the dynasty, but there will also be solid, tangible benefits to be gained!"

Lu Zhenfei himself had not expected to prove so formidable — following the thread all the way down, every point was a practical and workable sound policy!

These were even somewhat beyond the governance of a County Magistrate; they were matters of national governance!

Push a man hard enough, and his potential truly knows no bounds!

Growing impassioned, he could not help but wave his arms about.

"Thus — lure them with profit, rouse them with honor, bind them with law, and crown it all with the majestic momentum of righteous authority! In all of Leting, who would dare raise their head!" "And if someone truly dares raise their head…"

He slammed the table with a thunderous crack!

"Then that is precisely the moment to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys, to behead the officer and anoint the battle standard with blood!"

His words fell, and the room sank into silence.

The four observers seated to the east and west were so stirred by his speech that their faces flushed crimson and their blood ran hot.

One juren was the first to lose all restraint and sprang to his feet: "I am Liu Xingye of Leting! If I fail the examination this session, upon returning home, I shall gladly lend your excellency a hand!"

"We too shall lend your excellency a hand!" The other two rose in turn, echoing him.

Only the last juren, who hailed from Liangxiang County, though his heart surged with fervor, had no outlet for his strength.

He held it in for a long moment before finally shouting: "My lord, your words and deeds are those of a true upright official! This humble man shall have today's words transcribed and circulated, so that all under Heaven may know Magistrate Lu's noble bearing!" Lu Zhenfei, caught off guard by this sudden adulation, coughed repeatedly and waved for them all to sit.

Yet the voice behind the curtain seemed utterly unmoved by this fervent scene.

Amid this atmosphere of cracking open champagne at halftime, as if victory had already been declared,

that voice merely, calmly, posed another question.

"In other words, your core principle is to divide the populace, unite the majority, and strike at the minority."

"And you intend to implement tax increases and tax reductions in parallel under the new policies — the so-called increases being cadastral surveys, the so-called reductions being the purging of subofficial functionaries."

The voice paused briefly, then the questions came one after another.

"But that raises a further question. To purge the subofficial functionaries — how do you purge them?"

"Replace them all, or replace them in part?"

"And how do you guarantee that the new petty officials will remain incorruptible?"

"If you wish to recruit new functionaries, where will you recruit them from? Juren will certainly not stoop to such posts, and young xiucai, I fear, would be unwilling as well." "How do you propose to solve this problem?"

Lu Zhenfei felt his scalp prickle again.

He had passed the jinshi examination in the fifth year of Tianqi, and after registration and observation, had been assigned to Shaanxi.

After returning to the capital, he had only glimpsed the new sovereign from afar at the grand court assembly half a month ago.

As a County Magistrate of the seventh rank, he stood at the very rear of the ranks and saw only a blur of yellow.

Only today did he truly understand what the capital rumor — "The new sovereign is keen and astute, like a born veteran official, meticulous down to the last penny" — really meant! No wonder! No wonder these new policies had taken on such an unprecedented form!

His mind raced furiously, desperately trying to wring an answer from his brain. After a moment, he finally squeezed out another line of thought.

"This subject believes…"

This back-and-forth questioning lasted a full two quarter-hours.

That voice hurled question after question, utterly without mercy.

Once the matter of the subofficial functionaries was exhausted, it pressed on to the allocation of labor for water conservancy projects.

Then, following the thread of water conservancy allocation, it pursued the questions of slack farming seasons and busy farming seasons.

For the peasants of Leting, converted into figures, how many slack-season days per year could be devoted to water conservancy?

During those slack-season days, what work did they originally do, how much money did they earn to live on — and if they were sent to build waterworks, would it disrupt their original livelihoods?

Then it pressed further: for these waterworks, where would the grain and materials come from? How to prevent the peasants' lives from being affected by the construction, lest some agitators stir up trouble among them?

The most terrifying chain of questions even pursued how much land in Leting now yielded one harvest a year, and how much yielded three harvests in two years.

Under the three-harvests-in-two-years system, if the summer tax or autumn grain fell due when no crop was at its harvest node, how were taxes to be paid — and was this a source of resistance to the local shift from one harvest a year to three in two years?

The questions were so detailed, so profound, so devilishly tricky that Lu Zhenfei felt like a fish being slow-roasted over a gentle flame.

He was grilled to the point of blissful agony, sweat beading on his forehead. Of every ten questions, he could answer only four.

So much so that in the depths of winter, he was drenched in sweat, his innermost garments soaked clean through.

By the end of the entire interview, Lu Zhenfei was nearly in a daze, no longer remembering when that voice had fallen silent. He only vaguely recalled that after some point, the voice had ceased, and other examiners had taken over the questioning.

And those questions, following His Majesty's method, were all equally meticulous down to the last penny — a world apart from the questioning style of the preceding days.

After an indeterminate time, the interview finally ended.

The five examiners all displayed their evaluations.

Damn it all — only one circle!

Lu Zhenfei stared at that glaring circle, but he had not a shred of strength left.

He had come brimming with confidence, thinking he would shake the heavens, storm away with five circles, and return in triumph — only to end up back at the starting point of the very first day.

On the verge of tears but finding none, he rose, saluted, and dragged his utterly exhausted body toward the door like a beaten cur.

"Next — Qu Shisi, County Magistrate of Baodi County, Shuntian Prefecture."

The calling voice of the Court of State Ceremonial usher rang out. Lu Zhenfei brushed past the placid-faced Qu Shisi, managed a perfunctory cupped-hand salute, and continued outward. His mind was a blur of chaos, filled with defeat and unwillingness.

Yet when the icy winter wind struck his burning face, his mind suddenly sprang back to life.

Of course!

Of course!

How could His Majesty's methods be so simple!

A thought, like a lightning bolt, slashed through the gloom in his heart, sweeping away his dejection in an instant.

He whipped his head around to gaze at that interview chamber, bustling with people coming and going, and sudden clarity dawned in his heart.

The new sovereign dealt with ten thousand matters daily — how could he have the leisure to personally come and interview a mere County Magistrate of the seventh rank!

This was never an interview at all!

This was setting the template!

It was because all the previous interviews had been superficial, unable to draw out real substance, that His Majesty had personally stepped in to set a benchmark for all the examiners! What begins simply must, in its completion, grow vast!

Your Majesty is telling everyone that this New Governance, which on the surface looks like merely surveying and measuring the fields, will in the end inevitably tug one hair and move the whole body — it will become an incomparably arduous and complex systems project!

Everyone must thoroughly understand every branch and leaf before they can do the New Governance solidly and well!

I get it now, hahaha! I've figured it out, hahaha!

Lu Zhenfei was roaring with laughter inside!

Starting tomorrow, everyone's interview will be hellish in difficulty!

Everyone's pledge letter will probably have to be reworked into a full-circle rating!

And he, though the first man crushed by the "Heavenly Might," was also the first to receive guidance, the first who could begin to revise!

It is like raising a mound on level ground: though I have tipped only one basketful, to advance is my own going forward!

Today's circle was not the finish line, but the starting line! It was His Majesty personally tipping the first basket of earth for him!

Having thought through this point, all of Lu Zhenfei's dejection and exhaustion transformed into boundless zeal.

His face full of smiles, he turned toward that tiny duty room and made a deep bow.

"My thanks to Your Majesty for the instruction."

With that, he strode off in high spirits, two steps where others would take three, heading back.

Three days from now? No! Just tomorrow!

He would make certain that His Majesty, and all the examining officials, looked at him with new eyes!

The first five-circle pledge letter of this New Governance in the Northern Metropolitan Area of the Great Ming — it would belong to none other than him, Lu Zhenfei!

And yet, Lu Zhenfei's guess was only half right.

When he was bowing from afar toward the duty room, Zhu Youjian had long since returned to the Hall of Earnestness in the Western Park.

Inside the hall it was warm as spring, the charcoal fire burning vigorously.

Before him sat a lean, shrewd, dark-complexioned middle-aged official.

The two had walked back together arm in arm from the interview duty room to the Western Park, chatting only of family matters along the way, without a single word of court politics.

Now, with sovereign and minister seated, Zhu Youjian dispensed with pleasantries and spoke directly.

"That interview just now — Minister Yuan, what did you make of it?"