Chapter 253: Before the Wine Cup, Exchanging Toasts — Ambition Set Upon the Azure Clouds

Zhu Youjian treated the realm as a chessboard.

He even strove to constrain certain pieces that might leap beyond his control.

He never realized that every piece on the board possesses its own world, its own wind and thunder — how could he possibly constrain them all?

Lu Zhenfei's temporary lodging.

Two waiters hired from a restaurant were laying out dish after dish of ingredients across the table.

The freshly sliced mutton still bore a trace of blood, its grain clear and distinct; the tofu cut into cubes was white and lustrous as jade, dense in texture; cabbages brought up from the cellar and brown mushrooms set each other off. On a cold winter's day like this, the mere sight of it made one's mouth water.

They deftly set up a hot pot, lit the charcoal fire beneath it, and the broth in the pot soon began to roil, sending up wreaths of white steam. The waiters received their tips, bowed, and withdrew.

Today, Lu Zhenfei had at last completed his final interview, earning an evaluation of "four circles."

Starting tomorrow, it would be five days of intensive crash training.

Lu Zhenfei had learned from a colleague in the secretariat that once a person reached this training stage, barring someone so irredeemably stupid that there was simply no cure, virtually no one would be weeded out any longer.

And Lu Zhenfei had only passed the metropolitan examination two years ago.

He was confident that although his mind had deteriorated somewhat, it surely had not deteriorated to the point of "stupidity."

His splendid future was now truly nailed down; all that remained was the business of governance once he took up his post.

With that weight off his mind, and mindful that his two private secretaries had accompanied him through over a month of running about and toil,

he had spent some silver to order this hot-pot feast from a capital restaurant, planning to hold a small celebration banquet.

As for why they did not go to the restaurant to eat and drink, credit was due to Secretary Wang's counsel.

They were now at the very last step; going to a restaurant would, first, be ostentatious, and second, walls have ears — who could tell whether, in the flush of wine and warmth, some remark might leave a handle to be seized upon?

At a time like this, whether it was the censorial officials seizing a handle or the Depot and Guard making a house call for questioning, neither would be anything good.

Lu Zhenfei accepted counsel as readily as flowing water and obediently did as advised.

Now, the broth in the pot had come to a boil, bubbling and gurgling; the aroma of meat and spices filled the little room.

Yet neither Lu Zhenfei nor Secretary Wang had lifted their chopsticks.

That was because the other secretary, Mister Li, had gone out on an errand and had not yet returned.

Between an employer and his private secretaries, the relationship was nominally one of hiring but in truth half mentor, half friend; waiting a while for a meal was no matter, and instead showed respect.

The two men thus warmed the wine and chatted idly as they waited.

"It is a good thing I had you to advise me, Mister Wang," Lu Zhenfei spoke first, raising his cup in salute. "Otherwise I would have nearly made a grave mistake!"

"In an interview, one truly need not lay out everything one has. Speak too much, and all those methods will be copied by other colleagues the moment you turn your back — letting them reap the advantage instead."

"That would be winning a small victory in the interview, yet losing the great victory in next year's merit assessment!"

Secretary Wang was past fifty, his beard and hair already somewhat grizzled. Hearing this, he merely stroked his beard and smiled, his manner perfectly composed.

"I too merely ventured a bold suggestion. The main thing was that you, my employer, could endure the tedium, make the hard decision, and heed advice — only then could this stratagem work." "But now that the outcome is good, one can indeed breathe a little easier."

Lu Zhenfei smiled, then lowered his voice, a trace of lingering fear in it.

"I was also flustered by His Majesty's questions, and only then was I forced to come up with those ideas."

"Afterward, I charged headlong into a dead end, thinking only of forging boldly ahead, and forgot the way of 'the golden mean and guarding one's dullness' that you, sir, so often speak of."

"Come, let me first toast you, sir."

This time Secretary Wang did not decline; he raised his cup frankly and drained it in one draught, his face unable to conceal his satisfaction.

What the two were discussing was precisely the matter of how much force to exert in the interview.

A few days earlier, during his interview, Lu Zhenfei had been caught off guard, badgered by the Emperor's questions until he was utterly flustered, and had received the lowest evaluation of "one circle." His heart had long since been panicked and at a loss.

That very day, upon returning to his lodgings, he had pulled his two secretaries aside, wanting to refine his policy essays through the night, preparing to astonish everyone the next day.

The younger Secretary Li had naturally nodded in agreement, ready to accompany his employer through a long night's work.

But Secretary Wang, seasoned to cunning by age, had discerned from this "one circle" certain clues that others could not see.

He had asked Lu Zhenfei only three questions.

He asked: That single circle — does my employer still recall who gave it?

He answered: It seems... it was the evaluation given from behind His Majesty's desk.

He asked: Then since my employer is someone to whom His Majesty gave a "circle," so long as his subsequent performance is not excessively poor, would the other gentlemen truly dare to screen my employer out?

He answered: That... it seems they would not dare.

Finally, he asked: In that case, during the interview, pouring out all one's strength, astounding everyone with one's brilliance, and winning five circles — what benefit would that bring my employer?

Could it secure an immediate promotion, or could it make the imperial favor uniquely his?

If one were to hide these methods away for a while, and bring them out one by one when actually putting the new policies into practice next year — between the merit in the official assessment and the empty fame of the interview, which is weightier and which is lighter? These words struck Lu Zhenfei like a thunderbolt to the crown of his head, winning his instant prostration and admiration.

Indeed! A private secretary who cost one hundred twenty taels of silver a year and one who cost eighty truly had different breadth of insight!

You get what you pay for — the ancients did not deceive me!

And the subsequent course of events had fully borne out Secretary Wang's foresight.

The next day, Lu Zhenfei deliberately concealed his abilities, performing even worse than the day before, yet in return received an evaluation of four circles.

And thereafter, no matter how poorly he performed, this "four-circle" evaluation never changed again.

Moreover, his idea of "granting Imperial Academy student quotas to active participants in the county's new policies" brought someone from the secretariat to his door the very next day, asking him to write it up as a complete policy essay for submission and discussion.

Yet when it came to "red marks," they were stingily given only a negligible zero-point-three marks.

Oh, speaking of this zero-point-three, there is a little story behind it.

Ever since the new policies were rolled out, among the many minor achievements, it had become truly difficult to reward them all with a full red mark.

His Majesty had thus introduced these notions of zero-point-something or zero-point-something-something, to be used for apportioning credit among the subordinates under each supervisor.

Only by solidly accumulating a full red mark could one be considered to have truly entered the gateway of the new policies.

But let us set aside this method of "decimal fractions" invented by the Great Ming Emperor.

In any case, from that point on, Lu Zhenfei had thoroughly "lain flat," each day merely taking the methods already made public and expounding them over and over, refusing to divulge the slightest new thing any longer.

The two chatted idly a while longer, even placing a wager on Adviser Li, before Adviser Li finally returned.

He came in trailing a chill, and after taking his seat, he poured himself a cup of hot wine and downed it in one go, letting out a satisfied shiver before he spoke. "Master, I squatted half the day on Chessboard Street and found a few newly appointed clerks who'd just finished their lessons, but not one was willing to lend out their books for copying." "The most infuriating was a young fellow named Qian, who actually said he would report it to his instructor — made things terribly awkward for me."

"Does my master know how I finally resolved it?"

Lu and Wang exchanged a smile. Long familiar with his habit of leaving people hanging, they did not take the bait, but each helped himself to a slice of mutton and swished it in the bubbling broth.

Adviser Li waited a good while, and when no one played along, his patience indeed ran out and he spilled everything himself.

"Aha! You'll never guess!"

"I went straight to a fellow townsman of mine who works in the Ministry of Personnel! His side handles the printing of books, and sure enough, they had printed extra copies. I promised to treat him to a meal tomorrow, and he gave me all eight books the new clerks use for their lessons — a complete set!"

"On the way back, I stopped by a book shop and had them urgently copy ten sets. In five days, when my master leaves the capital, he can take them along!" He finished and looked at the two smugly, waiting for praise.

Yet Lu Zhenfei and Adviser Wang exchanged a glance, then burst out laughing together.

Lu Zhenfei even waved his hand and said, "A loss is a loss, a loss is a loss — I'll down a cup as forfeit!" With that, he drained his cup in one go. Adviser Li stared blankly, and only after a moment did he catch on, both angry and amused.

"This is outrageous! You were betting on my temperament again!"

Lu Zhenfei laughed heartily and cupped his hands toward him. "Master Li, forgive us. Adviser Wang and I were just chatting with great relish and made a little joke."

Adviser Li was not truly angry, but he gave a mock-furious cold laugh.

"Then you're both in trouble. At my Ministry of Personnel townsman's place, I also picked up a piece of news."

"This piece of news — if you don't each pour me a cup of wine in apology, I absolutely will not tell it!"

At the end, he added extra emphasis.

"It is absolutely a matter of great importance!"

Lu Zhenfei knew the principle that too much is as bad as too little, and that a joke among friends, if pushed too far, breeds estrangement.

He stopped teasing, rose personally to fill Adviser Li's cup to the brim, and presented it with both hands. "Master Li, the fault is mine. Please drain this cup." Adviser Li accepted it and drank it down, then turned his eyes toward Adviser Wang.

Adviser Wang rolled his eyes in resignation and had no choice but to reluctantly pour him a cup as well.

Adviser Li drained that cup too, and only then, fully satisfied, did he reveal the answer.

"That clerk townsman of mine told me that for the new clerk training manuals, the Ministry of Personnel originally printed a dozen or so extra sets as spares."

"These spare manuals were at first ignored by everyone."

"But ever since we County Magistrates of Northern Zhili entered the capital, over the past month and more, four or five sets have been taken away, one after another, through various channels."

As his words fell, the room instantly went quiet.

The easy atmosphere of moments before turned heavy in an instant.

Adviser Wang's expression changed and he quickly pressed, "People who thought of the same thing as us?"

Adviser Li nodded, then shook his head.

"My townsman was unwilling to disclose the names of those who took the manuals, but…"

He lowered his voice and leaned forward.

"As I was leaving the Ministry of Personnel, I ran straight into another townsman of mine."

"I remember clearly — at a previous gathering of townsmen, he once said that he is now the private secretary to Qu Shisi, the County Magistrate of Baodi County!" "From this, I infer that we are likely not the only ones who thought of this. More people are simply keeping silent and quietly getting things done."

Lu Zhenfei's gaze was grave. After a moment, he sighed. "The talents of the realm are indeed as numerous as carp swimming upstream. Qu Jiaxuan has been a County Magistrate for nearly ten years — it is only natural that he could discern this crucial point about the clerks." "An able minister paired with a prosperous territory — I truly dare not imagine how great an enterprise this Brother Jiaxuan will accomplish in next year's performance evaluation."

The matter they were discussing was precisely the issue of the clerks.

The many questions the Emperor had posed to Lu Zhenfei — although he had not elaborated on them further during the interviews these past few days,

in private they had repeatedly discussed various solutions.

Among them, the conclusion they reached for breaking the deadlock on the clerk issue was to ride the momentum of the new clerk selection examination to be held next year and first carry out a rectification in Laoting.

And since they were going to rectify it, there was no more suitable reference material than the first-term clerk textbooks.

In this way, the clerk problem could be solved, and the task of next year's new clerk selection would be conveniently resolved as well — truly killing several birds with one stone.

The only thing they had not expected was that there would be so many clever people.

Seeing the atmosphere grow somewhat heavy, Adviser Li smiled and fished out a piece of tofu saturated with broth, placing it in his bowl.

"Master, why belittle yourself? He, Qu Shisi, may have the geographical advantage of Baodi, but we have the advantage of human harmony."

"On this trip to Laoting, when I met with Hanlin Wu, I learned that he still frequently corresponds with his old acquaintances in the capital."

"Among the former 'Five Sons of Statecraft,' the two gentlemen Zhang Zhiji and Ni Yuanlu still exchange many letters with him."

"With such a man of high connections, our advantage over many County Magistrates is already far too great."

Adviser Wang also chimed in:

"Master, tomorrow you begin your training, and afterward there should be no major matters."

"Why don't the two of us, after finishing this hotpot and resting for the night, set out for Laoting tomorrow ahead of you to prepare the ground?"

This minor matter, though hardly good news, ultimately could not dampen Lu Zhenfei's mood today.

He waved his hand and raised his cup, brimming with high spirits.

"Tomorrow's business, leave for tomorrow!"

"Come, come! Raise your cups together — to the new policies! To the Great Ming! To His Majesty!"

"Drink up!"

"Drink up!"

Wang and Li raised their cups as well and echoed him loudly.

The three cups clinked together with a crisp sound.

Three rounds of wine had passed, and five flavors of dishes had been tasted.

All of them were slightly tipsy, and their words gradually grew more numerous.

Adviser Li's cheeks were flushed. He set down his chopsticks and suddenly spoke.

"Master, today, buoyed by the wine, Liye… has an unworthy request to make."

Lu Zhenfei was still enthusiastically fishing around in the pot for his favorite meatball, and upon hearing this he waved a hand dismissively.

"Adviser Li, speak freely. Between us, why talk of obligation or no obligation?"

Adviser Li — or rather, Li Liye — glanced toward Adviser Wang, and seeing him give an almost imperceptible nod, seemed to steel his resolve and continued. "Next year… the matter of the new clerk selection examinations…"

"Though Liye is of no great talent, I too wish… to give it a try!"

Plop.

Lu Zhenfei's chopsticks, clamped around the meatball, trembled. The meatball dropped back into the scalding pot, splashing up a few drops of broth.

He jerked his head up and stared at Li Liye, the drunken haze in his eyes vanishing by more than half in an instant.

He opened his mouth, wanting to dissuade him, but suddenly found he did not know where to begin.

The three had worked together for two years and knew one another's temperaments extremely well by now.

Adviser Wang was seasoned and smooth, planning thoroughly before he acted.

Li Liye was young and impetuous, seemingly rash, but once a matter was decided, he would invariably see it through to the end.

Since he had spoken of it today, it meant this matter had already been turned over in his mind countless times, and his resolve was iron.

Lu Zhenfei remained silent. He picked up the meatball again, placed it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.

Only after a moment, once he had swallowed the food, did he open his mouth and ask.

"Adviser Li, do you truly believe?"

The question came out of nowhere, yet everyone knew exactly what he meant.

"It is hardly a matter of believing or not believing."

He gave a self-deprecating smile and filled a cup of wine for himself.

"If we speak of belief — a new sovereign of such caliber, who in all the dynasties past has ever seen his like? What harm is there in believing?" "This path for clerks has only just opened, but the three of us can see it clearly: His Majesty surely intends to use it to break the abuses of the petty sub-official ranks, to breach the barrier between officials and clerks." "Though we do not know what rank it can ultimately reach, in the end, it is already a road to the heavens."

"But if we speak of not believing…"

He paused, hesitating for a moment, but in the end did not dare to speak those words of great irreverence, even here in this private room.

Yet both Lu Zhenfei and Adviser Wang understood what he left unsaid.

This "not believing" spoke of the off chance.

It spoke of the new sovereign's youth, of how ambition and resolve are easily altered. In every dynasty, the annals are full of wise and brilliant rulers who were sagely in their early years and fatuous in their later ones. It spoke of the new sovereign's health. Deep passion does not make for long life; excessive brilliance is easily wounded. The more a sovereign seems unlike an ordinary mortal, the more one worries for his imperial constitution. And it spoke of the new sovereign's progeny. The Tianqi Emperor and the Yongchang Emperor came from the same line. The Tianqi Emperor's progeny were plagued with misfortune — who could guarantee that the new sovereign would surely flourish with lasting heirs? Once His Majesty ascended to heaven on the dragon's journey and the succession fell into chaos, all these grand and vigorous new policies — white crows today — would turn on a dime into the prime culprits to be "set right again." Li Liye drew a deep breath and drained his cup in one go.

"When all is said and done, it is simply that I am unwilling to accept my lot, that I merely wish to take a gamble."

"I do not possess the heaven-and-earth-spanning ambition of our host. What I gamble on is nothing more than the word 'prospects'!"

He added:

"As for the penal and fiscal matters in my hands, our host need not worry. I can write home and recommend to our host another private secretary well-versed in these fields to come."

"Furthermore, the new clerk selection examinations are not until the fourth month of next year. Before then, in the matter of this clerk training, I shall surely devote every effort to helping our host seize the top honor — I will not delay anything!"

"I only hope our host will grant his blessing!"

With that, he rose to his full height and bowed deeply to Lu Zhenfei, hands clasped, until his body was nearly level.

Lu Zhenfei set down his chopsticks. His expression solemn, he straightened his robes and cap.

He did not move to raise Li Liye up. Instead, he filled the three wine cups on the table one by one and set them out in a row.

"Since you have such resolve, from this day forward I shall no longer treat you as a mere advisory friend, but as a protégé of my household."

"You seek your prospects — that is only human. I will not stand in your way."

"But I ask you only three things."

He pushed the first cup of wine forward and asked in a grave voice.

"Can you be true to the people?"

Li Liye straightened up, accepted the cup, pondered for a moment, then drained it in one gulp and declared in a clear voice.

"In the end, Liye's selfish motives are too strong. I dare not boast of serving the people with a single heart. But at most, Liye will drift with the current — I will absolutely never, of my own accord, do anything that harms or ruins the people!" Lu Zhenfei nodded and pushed the second cup of wine before him.

"Can you be true to the country?"

Li Liye drained it once more.

"The board is set for the heavens to collapse — who with blood and breath in him would not think to strive with all his might? I have only just turned thirty this year; this game is bound to my very fate. So long as the new policies do not change course, I, Li Liye, to the end of my days, shall be a man who serves his country!"

A trace of approval showed in Lu Zhenfei's eyes. He pushed the third cup over.

"Can you… be true to your conscience?"

This time, Li Liye was silent the longest.

He gazed at the clear wine in the cup, which reflected his own face. Only after a long while did he slowly raise it and drain it in one gulp.

"Here and now, Liye asks himself, and he can be true to his conscience."

"If in days to come…"

"Say no more." Lu Zhenfei cut him off. "You go forth from my household, and I shall naturally do all I can to aid you. But if a day comes when you betray the words you have spoken today, I will not let it pass lightly either!"

He raised his own cup, drained it in one gulp, and let out a long sigh.

"Go, then. Go. Since this is your heart's desire, how could I play the villain and block your path to advancement."

With that, he gave a sharp flick of his robe sleeves and, ignoring the meatballs still uneaten in the pot, rose directly, pushed open the door, and left.

A blast of cold wind poured in, making the candle flame on the table flicker and scattering the warmth that had filled the room.

Only Adviser Wang and Li remained in the room, their spirits now dampened as well.

They drank a few more cups hastily, then sent someone to call the waiter over to clear things away.

Though today's conversation had ended on a somewhat sour note,

what Lu Zhenfei regretted was no more than losing a capable right-hand man.

And what Li Liye felt guilty for was, more than anything, being unable to assist Lu Zhenfei through the entire undertaking.

A little unpleasantness — once they reached Leting, it would naturally dissolve without a trace amid the press of busy affairs.

This was also why Li Yeli chose to speak up today, rather than waiting until they reached Leting.

A resignation letter — not submitting it two months in advance would be improper!

But no matter how angry or hesitant they were.

From beginning to end, not one of these three ever doubted that this path, which currently had only a hundred officials, was anything other than a new and good road. Many of Zhu Youjian's measures, he himself thought were subtle traces, like a snake's faint line in the grass.

But in the eyes of those paying attention, they were as plain as reading the lines on one's own palm.

This is the fate of an emperor — forever studied, forever speculated upon, forever scrutinized.