Chapter 63: The Great Ming

The Inner Palace School beside the Directorate of Ceremonial was the most richly staffed academy under Heaven in the Great Ming.

All who taught here were masters from the Hanlin Academy — even a third-rank jinshi was not qualified to come teach.

As for its graduates' prospects, those too could be called the finest under Heaven: the seal-holders of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the directors of the Eastern Depot who came out of this school were beyond counting.

The Imperial Academy, the Donglin Academy — they were not even fit to ride its coattails.

On ordinary days, the sound of recitation filled the air here; it was the Great Ming's most unusual "preparatory class," dedicated to teaching the young eunuchs of twelve or thirteen to read and write.

But today, that tranquility was shattered.

"All of you, stand properly! Quickly, quickly! A pack of clueless brutes!"

In the courtyard, a crowd of young eunuchs in blue-green robes were noisily forming up in ranks.

An older eunuch steward was pinching his throat, barking orders in a shrill voice, the wrinkles on his face squeezed into a tight mass by the force of his expression.

Amid the disorderly ranks, a eunuch of about fourteen or fifteen shoved a thin, small figure backward with one hand, cursing impatiently.

"New-come bumpkin! Don't you know the rules? Is this a place you can stand? Get to the back!"

The young eunuch was about thirteen, frail of frame; caught by the sudden shove, he stumbled several steps and nearly tripped over a desk.

His face was full of terror; he hung his head and mumbled obsequiously, his shoulders shrinking together unconsciously.

Just then, another hand reached out, steadied him firmly, and at the same time blocked the half-grown eunuch's hand.

"Brother Du, he's just entered the palace, he doesn't know any better. A word to him is enough — no need to lay hands on him."

The speaker was another youth, about the same age as the one being bullied, but with a bit more composure and a sense of loyalty between his brows.

The older eunuch shot him a contemptuous glance, as though he thought he was meddling, but at this critical moment he said nothing more after all; he merely gave a snort and commandeered the frontmost desk for himself.

Only then did the bullied young eunuch let out his breath. He tugged uneasily at his companion's sleeve, his voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.

"Grandpa Fang, you scared me to death. So now… is the Emperor coming?"

His companion hastily put his index finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, leaned close to his ear, and cursed under his breath: "Silence! You must say 'Your Majesty' — have you forgotten?"

He looked at his companion's bewildered and slightly timid eyes and could not help sighing.

This new companion of his was fine in every way — he was just too timid, and too honest.

"Then I'll ask Grandpa one thing," the timid companion said, swallowing hard, a faint gleam rising in his eyes. "When we take the exam in a bit, if I do well… will there be meat to eat?"

"What ambition!"

Grandpa Fang glared at him with the exasperation of one who hates to see iron remain steel, but his tone softened without his noticing.

"If you can take first place, never mind meat — what won't you have in the future? And that cur Du and his lot will never dare bully us again!"

The young eunuch pressed on. "And second place? What rank do I need to get meat?"

Grandpa Fang was utterly speechless, but seeing his companion's still-bewildered look, he could only shake his head helplessly.

"Forget it, forget it. I'm not counting on you. This time it's still up to your Grandpa Fang!"

"When your grandpa here takes first place and catches His Majesty's eye, I'll make sure you're looked after — good food and good drink!"

He patted his chest and was just about to boast a bit more.

But from outside the courtyard came a sudden rush of fine, dense hoofbeats.

Immediately after, a senior eunuch strode swiftly through the gate, his face solemn, and barked sharply: "Silence!"

A humming hush fell; the entire courtyard seemed pressed down by an invisible giant hand, instantly so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Every young eunuch lowered his head, even his breathing lightened.

"Kneel —"

With a long, drawn-out chant, the hundred or so people in the courtyard dropped to their knees in a rustling wave, foreheads pressed tight against the cold bluestone slabs.

"Long live His Majesty! Long live! Long, long live!"

A sound like a roaring mountain and a crashing sea echoed through the little courtyard.

That timid young eunuch was half a beat slow in kneeling; in the instant before he lowered his head, he caught a glimpse of a figure from the corner of his eye.

A young figure in a bright yellow informal robe, striding through the courtyard gate.

The owner of that figure seemed to sense it; his gaze swept over and met the young eunuch's eyes directly.

What kind of eyes were those…

Deep, calm, as though they could see through a man's heart, yet carrying a trace of gentleness that he could not understand.

The young eunuch's heart gave a violent leap; his mind went blank. He actually forgot to bow and simply stared dumbly.

"Have you lost your mind!"

The "Grandpa Fang" beside him was scared out of his wits. Rules be damned — he slammed a hand down on the boy's back and forced his head to the ground.

The young eunuch's head struck the ground hard; the pain brought tears springing to his eyes, yet his mind still lingered on those eyes.

"This Emperor… is really good-looking."

Zhu Youjian swung down from his horse and walked straight through the first gatehouse of the Inner Palace School.

Due south in the courtyard stood a spirit tablet dedicated to Confucius, with incense still burning fragrantly in the censer.

The couplets on either side were rather intriguing.

"If your learning has not yet reached the gate and walls of the Sage Confucius, you must press forward with all haste; as for the family duties you can never finish, set them cheerfully aside."

After savoring it carefully, Zhu Youjian could not help being amused into a laugh.

The first half was a perfectly proper exhortation to study, but the second half was filled with the unique helplessness and self-mockery of that special group, the eunuchs.

Once you entered the palace and were cut off at the root, those so-called "family duties" could indeed only be "cheerfully set aside."

He rounded the gatehouse, and the scene before him opened wide.

In the courtyard stood a dozen or so lush, ancient locust trees, their branches and leaves dense and flourishing, casting broad swaths of shade.

Beneath the trees, several hundred desks were laid out in perfect order, and behind each desk knelt a blue-robed eunuch.

The moment he entered, the cry of "Long live His Majesty" erupted.

Zhu Youjian's gaze swept casually over the crowd, then stopped precisely at the farthest corner in the back.

There, a young boy was staring blankly at him, his eyes holding no fear — only… curiosity?

Behind Zhu Youjian, Gao Shiming, the brush-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, instantly furrowed his brow.

A breach of decorum before His Majesty — this was gross disrespect!

He was about to step forward and rebuke the boy, but Zhu Youjian raised a hand and stopped him.

"Forget it. He's only a child."

Zhu Youjian said it flatly, his gaze sweeping once over the boy's face without lingering.

From his wide sleeve he drew out two folded sheets of paper and handed them to Gao Shiming.

"No more delays. Begin the examination directly."

His voice was not loud, yet it reached every ear with perfect clarity.

"One paper, for those currently studying at the Inner Palace School. The other, for the brush-holders and attendant eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial."

"Both papers are to be completed within two hours."

With that, he looked no more at the assembly and walked straight toward the main hall deep within the courtyard.

Gao Shiming received the two sheets with reverence, long accustomed to this new sovereign's swift and decisive manner.

He unfolded the first examination paper and quickly scanned it.

The questions were not many — twelve items in all.

Some tested judgment on corruption, such as: "If you encounter another soliciting a bribe, how should you handle it?"

Some tested practical arithmetic, such as: "One dou of rice costs ten wen; buying three and a half dou, how much should be paid?"

Some tested palace regulations, such as: "When entering or leaving the Forbidden Palace, how should waist-tokens be presented and managed?"

Gao Shiming understood at once.

Among these questions there was not a single item on classical learning; they tested practical affairs exclusively — a glimpse of His Majesty's pragmatic spirit.

His eyes swept over the final question, and he was suddenly baffled.

Gao Shiming could not help murmuring it aloud:

"Composition: Write of your experiences before entering the palace, limited to five hundred characters."

The word "composition" was already rather peculiar; having a group of eunuchs recall their lives before entering the palace was stranger still.

What was there worth writing about those days before entering the palace? Nothing more than a gambling-addicted father, a sickly mother…

What was His Majesty after?

Puzzled, he hastily picked up the second examination paper.

This time, the sheet bore only a single brief line — yet it weighed far heavier than all twelve of those questions combined.

"— The privy purse is riddled with entrenched abuses, palace personnel are bloated and superfluous, palace discipline is lax: how should such ills be reformed?"

Holding that thin sheet of paper, Gao Shiming felt at once as though it weighed a thousand catties.

So that is how it is…

This was the main event.

It seemed this true storm within the inner court was, after all, about to rise from this tiny Inner Palace School.