Chapter 264: Grain-Eaters Are Foolish, Meat-Eaters Are Base, Qi-Eaters… Perform on the Streets

In the Eastern Han, the *Comprehensive Meaning of Customs and Mores* records: "When a fox wishes to cross a river, it can do nothing about its tail."

In the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the *Family Instructions of the Yan Clan* adds: "The fox is full of suspicion; it listens until the river ice makes no sound of flowing water, and only then crosses. Hence the common saying 'fox-suspicious.'"

And the attitude of the capital's common folk toward the New Policies was exactly this — a fox about to cross, suspicious of every shadow and sound.

Yet even if it was merely fox-suspicion for now, that alone was already utterly inconceivable.

Because, since they were fox-suspicious, it already meant that in the hearts of these capital commoners, out of ten parts, a full two or three parts were actually hope, were actually belief.

They actually dared to believe in the Great Ming's Son of Heaven!

They actually dared to believe the New Policies had a chance of success!

They actually dared to believe that some White Crow and his ilk, some "cultivate oneself, regulate the family, order the state, bring peace to all under Heaven" Dao, could change this dark world!

These grain-eaters — so foolish after all.

But to be fair, you could not really blame them for their "foolishness." The truth was that this current New Policies team had somewhat surpassed every story passed down through their ancestors — take this Eternal Prosperity Divine Lord, for instance; even the most fantastical storybooks would not dare write him this way.

This Son of Heaven, on the very day of his enthronement, in the great hall, before the hundred officials, took up the Son of Heaven's sword and with his own hand struck off Wei Zhongxian's head, whereupon Heaven and Earth resounded in unison. (Later editor's note: This entry is most likely a rumor circulating in the capital at the time; no corresponding record appears in any of the standard histories. Of course, one cannot rule out that the historians concealed the truth out of discretion for the sovereign.)

And then, hot on its heels, came the Feast of the Torn Tassels, the Three Questions at the Daily Lecture, the Struggle over Man and Land, Together We Right the Tilting Sky, Cultivate Oneself and Order the State, the Beheaded Vice Minister, Three Shares for the Officials and One for the Sovereign, the Enterprise of Surpassing Victory, the Carved Stone Record Stele…

One story after another, one iconic scene after another.

The old masters and young gentlemen of the capital watched so much they could barely take it all in, exclaiming in wonder one after another.

And after that… in the court, it seemed that slowly, the multitude of the upright filled the hall.

Oh, as for whether those in the court were loyal ministers or treacherous ministers — originally, the common folk had no way to judge.

After all, those statecraft documents, though they had gradually shifted to plain vernacular, still ran to thousands or even tens of thousands of words, which was truly not conducive to wide circulation. Yet the various ills of the times contained in those documents seeped down bit by bit from the mouths of officials, juren, Imperial Academy students, and xiucai.

By the time they reached the very bottom, all the logical reasoning, the data enumerations, the proposed solutions had vanished, leaving only those case after case of blood-dripping ills of the times, spreading from one to ten, from ten to a hundred in the teahouses and wineshops, until even an old woman who could not recognize a handful of characters could recite a few lines.

Yes, they did not understand what was loyal or treacherous.

They could not even make sense of all that chaotic jumble — salt administration, official discipline, maritime transport, military provisions, troop pay, and the like.

But today this Secretary Li said that the Capital Camps' monthly grain ration was one dan, but only four dou actually reached the men — that was correct, wasn't it?

No, wait… the Li family's wife down at the ward gate said that seemed not quite right; her family was in the Model Battalion and could get seven dou.

Fine, fine… then tomorrow this Secretary Jiang said that the capital's housing levy was nominally fifty wen, but by the time it was handed over it had become two hundred wen — that was also correct, wasn't it? No, wrong again — everyone jeered together: clearly, those with connections paid not a single wen, and only those without connections paid those two hundred wen.

Later on, they heard a Secretary surnamed Chen say that the capital's corvée assignments were apportioned in such a way that the jia-head households were ruined one after another — that was correct, wasn't it? On this one, at last, everyone nodded in succession, without a single dissenting word.

In short, by now, as for whatever Grand Secretaries, Ministers, or Vice Ministers there were in court, everyone still harbored some doubts.

But so long as the surname was followed by the two characters "Secretary," that person was absolutely the most loyal of loyal ministers!

In the past, everyone said that the Emperor had treacherous ministers by his side, that he was deceived, and did not know the sufferings of the world.

This minister toppled that minister, and just when it seemed the realm would be cleansed, he was toppled by yet another minister.

Anyway, toppling back and forth, the world never seemed to change; the treacherous ministers' power was simply too vast, forever keeping the Emperor's eyes blind and ears deaf. But now…

Was the court not filled with Secretaries? Had these various ills of the times not all been seen by the sagely and brilliant Son of Heaven?

Then this… the cards were all on the table now… surely they could not just leave things unchanged?

Surely they could not go back on their word?!

The common folk of the capital, these fox-suspicious people, these grain-eating masses.

Just so, carrying three parts doubt, three parts speculation, and four parts hope — hope pressed deep in their hearts, hope they themselves scarcely dared believe — they stepped into the final month of the Tianqi reign era.

Yes, the Yongchang New Policies had begun under the Tianqi reign era; this was entirely reasonable.

And yet, while the common folk had their expectations and speculations,

how could the meat-eaters of this capital not have their own expectations and speculations, their own doubts and caution?

Among the great eunuchs in the palace, the cleverer ones were already cutting ties and distancing themselves from the imperial estate managers outside the city.

The more foolish ones, however, were still grinning from ear to ear over the customary silver they received, still pondering which Buddhist temple they should gild another statue for. The various ennobled houses, while weighing how much of their concealed land to report, were also keeping a close eye on the movements of the two new imperial in-laws, household retainers Bo Zhou Kui and Xinle Bo Liu Xiaozu, hoping to use them as a reference.

Beyond that, from time to time, each of them would also string up and fiercely thrash those clan juniors who had performed poorly in the Front Guard of the Palace Army and received a bottom-rank evaluation.

The old-policy officials, meanwhile, were meticulously studying the detailed old-policy performance evaluation regulations that the newly appointed Grand Secretary Zheng Sanjun, after a month of settling in, had now formally promulgated. Each of them was mulling over his own scope of authority, trying to identify which tasks were simple and easy to execute, so they could report them upward and vie for a spot in next year's New Policies quota.

And the various subofficial clerks of the Six Ministries, the various courts, and the Shuntian Prefectural yamen were even quicker to stir at the scent of change.

Most of them were men of Wu and Yue, so naturally they moved about frequently, networking and liaising; when it came to channels of information, they were sometimes even more efficient than the capital officials. The Official Discipline Group led by Ni Yuanlu in the Secretariat had, at the start of this month, been suddenly split in two.

Ni Yuanlu now headed the "Official Governance" Group exclusively.

And that Jiang Sirui, who had previously submitted the "Memorial on the Governance of Subofficial Clerks Under Heaven," had abruptly emerged and been assigned to lead the "Clerk Governance" Group.

What did it mean? What did it mean?

Were they going to crack down on subofficial corruption? Or were they going to seriously sort out the promotion channels for subofficial clerks?

Was this Clerk Governance Group meant to govern the clerks in the localities? Or would the flames also be turned upon the heads of them, the clerks of the Six Ministries?

Or was it simply a punishment for Ni Yuanlu?

Yes, Ni Yuanlu had, last month, had the dubious honor of becoming the first among the New Policies officials to be "marked with green," for "having a loose tongue and leaking confidential information"…

The multitude of subofficial clerks were naturally in a state of anxious uncertainty, yet precisely at this moment, they truly could not ferret out any further news.

As for the other New Policies officials, they were naturally busy as ever, working diligently from dawn to dusk.

But from time to time, when they had a moment's leisure, a certain doubt would also creep in…

This new sovereign, ever since entering the twelfth month, had, for some unknown reason, suddenly pushed back the greater part of his schedule.

They had asked the Grand Secretaries to inquire of Eunuch Gao Shiming, but received only the reply, "Wait a few more days."

Had the new sovereign grown slack? Yet when they saw him occasionally join a meeting, he was still that same figure, brimming with energy, sharp and incisive.

Only… he would occasionally stare into space and chuckle to himself, that was all.

But even if you added up all the meat-eaters above, in sheer numbers they could not compare to this final group of meat-eaters — the 3,312 juren currently in the capital awaiting next year's metropolitan examination.

In fact, even this number was not the full total.

As the population multiplied and grew, though the figures in the Yellow Registers had never changed, the quota of juren had been steadily increasing, and the number of those entering the capital for the metropolitan examination had been rising year by year.

Judging by the numbers from the Tianqi fifth-year examination, a conservative estimate for the juren sitting this session would be at least over five thousand three hundred! Yet the quota for metropolitan graduates had been fixed at three hundred by Zhang Jiangling, the Duke of Xing, during the Wanli era.

Zhang Jiangling's many achievements in life were of course excellent; his tragic end and the posthumous honors and favor later bestowed by the Eternal Prosperity Emperor were things everyone accepted wholeheartedly. This one matter alone, however, was truly detested by the scholars of the realm — it was, in truth, the petty act of pulling up the ladder behind him!

Fortunately, this session is the "Dragon Flight First Examination," with the additional hundred places granted by Your Majesty's grace decree — a blessing amid misfortune, after all.

So what is it that these greatest of the meat-eaters care about most right now?

What else could it be!

Naturally, it is the science — the study of the examinations — that is now the talk of the capital!

Outside Guangqu Gate, the scene at this moment was truly bustling.

The north wind swept the ground, breath freezing into frost.

Yet this patch of open ground outside the city was steamed hot by the surging tide of people.

The crowd pressed shoulder to shoulder, thick winter coats rubbing against one another.

Song Yingxing and his elder brother Song Yingsheng were squeezed among the throng, like two small boats tossed in wind and waves.

"Excuse us, excuse us!"

Song Yingxing strained his arms to fend off the surging pressure while using his body to shield his elder brother from the jostling.

The human wall around them seemed frozen solid; the frontmost rows were impenetrable, not even a needle could be driven in, not even water could be poured through.

Those packed tightest at the very front were mostly juren gentlemen in straight-hemmed robes and square scholars' caps, stamping their feet, rubbing their hands, craning their necks to see the center of the open ground.

The two brothers seized upon a slight surge in the crowd and finally stumbled their way to a somewhat better position.

By this point, they had already missed some of what came before; the two enormous copper hemispheres had already been joined together.

Several craftsmen stood holding either side of the sphere, while one man operated a strange-looking contraption, drawing water out from within.

"Is this... the capital hemisphere experiment the newspapers spoke of?"

Song Yingxing stood on tiptoe, craning his neck to peer inside, his eyes glinting with curiosity.

Once the craftsmen finished drawing out the water, they began bringing in the horses.

Two horses, four horses, eight horses, sixteen horses.

The clamorous chatter of the onlookers gradually fell into utter silence.

The common folk watching gaped wide-mouthed, not daring even to breathe, and the encircling crowd even unconsciously edged outward a little further.

Bang!

A thunderous report, as if a sudden clap of thunder had burst from level ground.

The two copper spheres, at last unable to withstand the immense pulling force, burst apart with a roar.

The horses, thrown off balance, lunged forward several steps before the grooms — long since inured to such things — brought them to a halt.

"Aiya!"

A cry of astonishment erupted from the crowd; timid women covered their eyes, but far more people stared wide-eyed, their faces full of disbelief. "It took sixteen horses to pull them apart?!"

"Is this the power of the atmosphere?"

The ignorant fools and simple women marveled, but the lofty juren gentlemen forced themselves to remain composed, stroking their beards and nodding as if they had foreseen it all. The experiment concluded, the crowd gradually dispersed.

The Song brothers made their way back with the flow of people.

From this open ground to the outside of Guangqu Gate, it was a scene of extraordinary bustle; all the peddlers from Chongwen Gate had now squeezed over here.

A monkey-trainer wrapped in a tattered jacket, his monkey also dressed in a comical little red coat, shivered as it turned somersaults to the sound of a brass gong; a street performer swallowed a gleaming longsword before the crowd, his Adam's apple bobbing as he puffed out clouds of white breath.

Food stalls of every kind spread out along the road by the city gate, their billowing white steam merging into one continuous haze.

Chestnuts clattered noisily in iron woks, their sweet fragrance mingling with a scorched aroma; before the wonton stands, the soup pots boiled endlessly, chopped scallions swirling upon the oil slick; when the steamers were lifted, the cloudlike hot vapor from freshly made buns and steamed cakes surged upward, stirring the cravings of all who saw it.

Most amusing of all was a troupe of acrobats performing feats like shattering stone slabs on the chest, treading on steel needles, and bracing iron spears against the throat.

The old troupe master thumped his chest, swearing that every member of his troupe had drawn the "atmosphere" into their bodies and cultivated an indestructible diamond-hard physique — sending the crowd into roars of laughter, and copper coins flying in wave after wave.

When they reached the wall of Guangqu Gate, they saw a stream of people descending the horse ramp atop the fortifications.

These were the ones who had purchased "viewing seats."

For this experiment, the Academy of Sciences, following the precedent of selling ranks, had specially arranged seating.

Anyone holding a capital identity plaque could spend one tael of silver to ascend the city wall for a broad view, or one hundred taels to ascend the gate tower, where tea and refreshments were served and minor clerks explained the principles behind it all.

The Song brothers were, in truth, from a family of some means, with twenty tenant households to their name.

But some days earlier, a great fire had burned down the family's ancestral home, and rebuilding it had cost a great deal of silver.

So although they could not be called impoverished at present, they could only scrimp and save.

To spend two taels of silver merely for a broader view — they truly could not bear to part with it.

But if they could not bear it, there were plenty of others who could.

The capital, the foremost seat of refinement, had no shortage of gentlemen who prized their dignity above all.

Especially as the experiment had been performed for several days and word had gradually spread through the surrounding region, those local rich men who brought their sons and younger kin, traveling specially from nearby capital counties like Liangxiang, Zhuozhou, and Fang County, scattered money like dirt.

The one-tael viewing seats might not always sell out, but the hundred-tael seats were fully booked every single session — all so that upon returning home, a man could say, "I, sir, am one who has stood upon the gate tower of the capital!"

Now, with the metropolitan examinations drawing near, housing prices everywhere in the capital were soaring, fleecing precisely these juren gentlemen from the provinces.

And near the Examination Hall and the Confucius Temple, prices had risen to dizzying heights.

The two brothers could not afford a good location, yet were unwilling to settle for less, so they had simply sent in their calling cards and come to stay at the Jiangxi Provincial Guild Hall.

The two hurried all the way back, entered their lodgings, shut the door, and shut out the clamor outside.

They hastened to rekindle the charcoal fire, and only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.

But as they sat down facing each other, for a moment neither spoke.

The elder brother, Song Yingsheng, bowed his head to poke at the charcoal; the younger brother, Song Yingxing, rubbed his hands together — both were somewhat distracted.

After a moment, it was Song Yingsheng who spoke first:

"Changgeng, have you thought it through clearly?"

Song Yingxing did not answer that directly. He only pressed his palms together and pulled them apart several times, then suddenly his expression grew animated.

"Elder Brother, the rumors circulating among the people are all wrong!"

"What His Majesty said is absolutely true."

"Science… is simply science. It is not some 'examination learning'!"

With that, Song Yingxing pressed his two hands firmly together, then extended them before his elder brother.

Then he suddenly pulled his hands apart, and at once a soft pop sounded — "Bo."

"Elder Brother, try it yourself. Pay close attention to the sensation of resistance."

Song Yingsheng felt a jolt in his heart. He imitated the motion several times, carefully sensing it for a moment, and instantly understood where the problem lay.

"You mean to say that the hemisphere in the capital, and this business of pressing one's hands together, are actually the same thing?!"

"The air between the palms is squeezed out, so when you try to pull them apart again, there is inexplicably a slight suction force, just as the hemisphere was held fast." "And the popping sound when they break apart — that is, as the newspaper said, the result of air rushing in all at once? It is only because the air between one's hands is less than the air within the hemisphere that the sound is so small?"

Song Yingxing was overcome with excitement and nodded repeatedly.

"Elder Brother, exactly so, exactly so!"

"This so-called power of the atmosphere has been right beside us all along. It can be proven with nothing more than one's two hands — what need is there for sixteen horses?" His tone grew increasingly fervent.

"Yet from ancient times until now, who has ever discovered the principle within it!"

"It is just like the matter of population multiplying and growing. Living here in Jiangxi, who among us cannot see it?"

"But who has ever, like His Majesty, used data to rigorously deduce it, and arrived at the truth that the dynasty's span of rule has only forty years remaining?"

"Extending this further — how many more principles in this world remain undiscovered!"

"And how many more principles, like the theory of the atmosphere and the contention between people and land, are there for the taking, right before our eyes!"

"To discover these principles — is that not the true 'investigation of things and extension of knowledge'!"

"To discover these principles — how is that not an even greater, more surpassing achievement of merit!"

Watching his younger brother so agitated, Song Yingsheng's brow furrowed even tighter.

He let out a long sigh and simply threw out a whole string of questions.

"Then, have you truly thought this through?"

"Do you truly mean to abandon the examinations and walk this… path of science?"

"Decades of examination study, cast aside in a single day — can you truly be content with that?"

"Are you certain you will not wait a little longer, and first try the metropolitan examination before deciding?"

"A jinshi place, after all, is the most orthodox of orthodox paths. No future prospect can compare to it."

"If nothing else, why not first attempt this session's metropolitan examination, and then wait for the next recruitment period? What harm is there?"

"If the new sovereign does not change course, this path of science will always be an opportunity — but the metropolitan examination comes only once every three years!"

This whole string of arguments — every sentence correct, every sentence spoken from sincere concern — dashed Song Yingxing's fervor straight to freezing point.

Song Yingxing lowered his head, his palms unconsciously pressing together and pulling apart over and over. His voice was hoarse:

"Elder Brother, I know all these arguments. Let me think it over again. Let me… think it over again."

Song Yingsheng sighed deeply, yet still pressed on with his counsel.

"Between you and me, brothers, nothing cannot be said. Your elder brother will be so bold as to speak one more word of grave disrespect…"

"This new policy has only just begun. Though a great wind is rising, no one knows where it will lead."

"That Academy of Sciences, that White Crow — they might, in the blink of an eye, turn into a Yuanyou Partisan Stele…"

"But a jinshi degree, once obtained, is obtained. That is something every emperor, whoever he may be, must acknowledge!"

"Your elder brother is not unmoved by the new policy, nor unwilling to join in saving the age from collapse… It is only that one must not be too hasty in all things."

"Your elder brother only fears… that ten years from now, you will regret today's decision."

Having said this, and seeing that Song Yingxing now resembled a wilted eggplant, he sighed helplessly at last.

"Your elder brother will say no more. Think it over carefully…"

He patted Song Yingxing on the shoulder, rose to his feet, opened the door, and made to leave.

But standing in the doorway, struck by the cold wind, he could not bear it after all. He turned back and said one more thing.

"If you have truly thought it through, then set your hand to it and do it… In our Song family's way of doing things, what matters most is holding fast to the spirit within."

Yet these words, spoken in a low tone, were swallowed outright by the howling gale.

Song Yingsheng looked at Song Yingxing one last time, sighed deeply, and did not wish to repeat himself. Shaking his head, he closed the door and left. In the room, only Song Yingxing remained.

He turned the matter over and over in his mind, and in the end could not resist picking up that copy of the Great Ming Times from the table to study it closely once more.

This whole conversation between the two brothers had, in fact, arisen because of this issue of the newspaper.

This issue of the newspaper had published a great many pieces of weighty news:

The first-phase "White Crow Register" of the Yongchang New Policy, as well as the "Black Crow List" of those named and taken down in the twelfth month.

The regulations and explanations for the Northern Zhili New Policy's "obtaining the method, promoting the method, verifying the method," along with introductions to the various systems of commendation, rewards, and performance evaluation.

The official definition of "science," an explanation of the principle of atmospheric pressure, and a forthcoming efficiency comparison between air-pressure wells and traditional water wells. The tax reform measures in the capital's new policy, the establishment of the Capital Camps' demonstration battalion, and so on — the issue was nearly twice as thick as previous ones.

But what truly sent Song Yingxing into hesitation and inner conflict was an essay that followed immediately after:

"A Proclamation Broadly Seeking Extraordinary Talents Throughout the Realm to Jointly Pursue the Investigation of Things and the Exhaustion of Principles — the Great Way of Science"

"…In the time of Qin and Han… in the time of Tang and Song… in the early days of our dynasty…"

…The above examples clearly prove that from the Three Dynasties to the present, in agriculture, medicine, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and the various fields of learning, our people's knowledge, skill, and ability have all been in a process of continuous advance. The present must surpass the past; people today must exceed the ancients. This is an immutable principle of heaven and earth, an irrefutable truth, as solid as a mountain of iron, beyond all dispute! …Yet, can such progress be called sufficient? Looking across the whole sweep of history, has there ever been any dynasty or any age that gathered the strength of the entire realm, collected the ingenuity of a hundred crafts and the principles of all phenomena, synthesized and summarized them, researched and refined them, tested and clarified them, and then, by the orthodox path of obtaining the method, promoting the method, and verifying the method, caused superior techniques to spread throughout the land? There has never been! No successive dynasty has ever done so!"

…His Majesty asks: If we broadly summon the ingenious artisans and capable scholars of the world, and extend an invitation to all those across the four seas who devote themselves to the investigation of things — honoring them with official rank and title, encouraging their resolve with generous stipends, so that all who improve upon material objects or gain insight into true knowledge shall receive commendation — and then, according to the procedures of obtaining the method, promoting the method, and verifying the method, select the very best and promote and spread them… …By this path of science, pursuing the enterprise of surpassing the ancients, must we still, as in ages past, see a single advance in technique take a hundred or a thousand years to spread? Or even be lost entirely?"

…With the talents of all under heaven, why not strive to use ten years' effort to surpass a hundred years of accumulation; to use fifty years of dedication to surpass two thousand years of groping in the dark?!"

…Now we proclaim to all under heaven: The Academy of Sciences seeks only true knowledge and broadly seeks refined skills. It does not inquire into a person's origin, nor does it weigh their worthiness or ignorance. All those who, in the fields of agriculture, mathematics, medicine, chemistry, physics, geography, maritime studies, astronomy, and the various branches of learning, possess knowledge, possess expertise, or possess innovations — all may be recommended or may proceed to the capital to sit for the examination. Those selected shall be appointed to the various ranks and offices of the Academy of Sciences, to jointly carry forward this great enterprise of surpassing all through science!"

"Excellent!!"

"What a grand undertaking of ten years! What a striving of fifty!"

"What a great cause — the surpassing of science!"

Merely rereading it once, the struggle in Song Yingxing's heart eased a little, and his spirits rose high again.

The two brothers were natives of Fengxin County in Jiangxi.

That year, when they both passed the provincial examination together and were hailed by their fellow townsmen as the "Two Songs of Fengxin" — how full of high-spirited pride they had been.

Yet ever since, five times they had entered the capital for the metropolitan examination, and five times they had failed.

Ten years of their prime had slipped away, wasted on the road to the examinations.

Both brothers had already made up their minds: if they failed again this session, they would go to the Ministry of Personnel for appointment and take office under their juren status.

Whether as a judge or as a county instructor, they would do solid work, and in that way at least be worthy of all their years of bitter study.

But Song Yingxing still harbored another thought in his heart.

On his five journeys to the capital for the examinations, he had traveled the length and breadth of the land, and had discovered that most scholars of the age were useless with their hands and ignorant of the grains, knowing nothing of the myriad ways of the world. After his appointment, Song Yingxing wanted to concentrate his energies on compiling a book about the crafts of agriculture and industry — he had even thought of a title: Tiangong Kaiwu. And the language of this Academy of Sciences manifesto, though it differed utterly from his original purpose of enlightening the common people —

Yet when one compared the vision behind the two, the difference was like that between mud and cloud!

The moment he saw this manifesto, he had flung all thoughts of Tiangong Kaiwu beyond the ninth heaven; his whole mind was now fixed on this matter of surpassing through science.

But the problem was —

The first recruitment period of the Academy of Sciences closed on the first day of the second month of the first year of Yongchang.

While the metropolitan examination fell at the end of the second month next year.

Moreover, the official posts offered by the Academy of Sciences were clearly only "transmitted-appointment officials," not the proper path of the civil examinations.

How to choose? How am I to choose?!

On one side, the obsession born of ten years of bitter study by a cold window — the "proper path" that brings glory to one's ancestors.

On the other side, the true longing of his heart — the "great way" that would make his name resound through the ages.

Hot blood cannot last forever. Song Yingxing closed the newspaper, let out a long sigh, and slumped back into his chair, sinking into an even deeper battle between heaven and man.

He did not know how long had passed.

Suddenly, a tremendous roar of cheering came rolling in from the distance, surging like a tide into the guild hall and shattering the silence in an instant.

Then the cheering seemed to echo back from every direction, as if the entire capital itself had begun to boil over.

What was happening?

Such a commotion had occurred only once before.

That was when the Son of Heaven ascended the throne and executed — forced Wei Zhongxian to hang himself.

And this time, the commotion was even more terrifying than that!

Could it be… that this new sovereign had once again done something to shake heaven and earth?

Song Yingxing shot to his feet and pushed open the door.

In the corridor, the doors of every room had opened; countless scholars poked their heads out, looking left and right in bewilderment and alarm.

Just then, a Confucian student came sprinting toward them.

He had run so hard his topknot had come loose and he had lost one shoe, but his face was all wild ecstasy, as if he had gone mad.

Song Yingxing looked closely and hurriedly called out:

"Brother Yuangong! What has happened?!"

The man was Song Yingxing's fellow townsman and close friend, Huang Duanbo of Xincheng County in Jiangxi.

Hearing the shout, Huang Duanbo braked sharply, grabbed a pillar, and gasped for breath.

He raised his head, met the searching eyes of the crowd, drew a deep breath, and bellowed with all his might:

"Gentlemen!"

That one cry instantly seized every heart and lodged it in every throat.

"His Majesty… His Majesty has joyful news!!!"