Chapter 20: The Unwritten Rules

The Office of the Left Censor-in-Chief.

Having just calmed down the families of students seeking aid, Yue Shufeng felt for the first time how exhausting it was to be a leader of the Pure Stream.

As the vanguard of the anti-eunuch faction, his Censorate had become the hardest-hit area for arrests.

“Lord, the eunuch faction is growing bolder; the rank of officials they’re arresting keeps rising.

Even your students are now being targeted—we cannot sit idle!”

Du Shiyeh’s words were like pouring oil on fire.

Originally, Yue Shufeng had viewed opposing the eunuchs as merely a political slogan to build capital; the escalating crisis left him no choice but to fight them to the death.

So many subordinates had been arrested—if he ignored them, no one would follow him anymore.

“Prepare my sedan chair—I’m going to Grand Secretary Pang’s residence!”

Yue Shufeng said coldly.

The eunuch faction’s tactics had shattered the traditional model of political struggle.

The old method—censors leading the charge, ministers following—no longer held any power.

“Lord, you’ve forgotten.

Yesterday in court, Grand Secretary Pang and the traitor Liu Guang’en fiercely debated—and were so enraged they fainted on the spot; he still hasn’t regained consciousness.”

Du Shiyeh stepped forward to remind him.

It was precisely because the Zhe Party’s anchor in court had fallen ill that the families of escaped officials had come to him seeking protection.

“Old fox—he’s falling ill at the perfect moment!”

Yue Shufeng couldn’t help but curse.

Whether Grand Secretary Pang was truly unconscious or feigning it, he had now stepped out of the storm.

“Lord, this isn’t the time for such talk. The urgent matter is to rally more anti-eunuch patriots.

The Eastern Depot has arrested so many—besides us, the Chu Party, Min Party, Xiang Party, and Hui Party are also victims.

Add fuel to the fire, ignite everyone’s anger, and organize a mass ministerial strike…”

Du Shiyeh’s idea was the ultimate weapon of the civil official bloc.

Every historical ministerial strike had produced profound consequences.

“It’s not yet time. The eunuchs have only arrested people—they haven’t yet convicted them.

There’s still room to maneuver. If we jump out to organize a strike now, we’ll only further inflame the emperor-minister conflict.

Don’t forget: behind this escalation lies a mastermind we haven’t yet exposed.

Send out whispers to steer scholarly opinion, and wait for the chance to incite students from the Imperial Academy to petition the palace.

I recall you have a classmate teaching at Tonghe Academy—entrust this task to him.

If he succeeds, the court will appoint him to office.

If he's not in a hurry to enter official service, as long as I oversee the next imperial examination, I'll guarantee him a jinshi position.

The conditions Yue Shufeng promised startled Du Shiyeh.

Appointment to office wasn’t a big deal.

Juren already had official eligibility; it was just that court positions were scarce, making appointment extremely rare.

Pre-securing a jinshi position, however, constituted examination fraud.

Since the imperial examination system began, every case of cheating had resulted in heads rolling.

“Lord, isn’t this too risky?”

Du Shiyeh urged cautiously.

No one could refuse the chance to enter official service as a jinshi—not even himself.

What he feared was that it was an empty promise.

If Yue Shufeng, the Left Censor-in-Chief, later denied it, Du would be left in an excruciating position.

Such broken promises had led to deaths before.

If it were real, the consequences would be even more severe.

Such a deadly leverage point was something no one wanted exposed.

He might end up, along with his fellow townsman, silenced.

“You’re overthinking it. It’s not that complicated.

Anyone who passed the juren exam and teaches at Tonghe Academy must have solid literary skill.

He didn’t pass the jinshi exam merely because his writing was mechanical, not to the examiners’ taste.

Arrange an opportunity for him to take his essays and seek advice from a few examiners.

If he aligns with their preferences, how could he fail to pass?”

Yue Shufeng laughed heartily.

This practice was an open secret among the elite.

Everyone moved in the same circle; everyone had proteges to protect.

Helping others was helping oneself.

Before every examination, countless juren flooded into the capital, seeking connections and visiting senior officials.

The powerful figures normally hard to meet would collectively set aside time to receive these juren from across the empire.

No matter how distant the connection, as long as there was a reason to visit, one had a chance to meet them.

It wasn’t that they particularly liked mentoring juniors—it was simply a matter of cover.

Otherwise, if everyone who had contacted them passed, anyone could spot the pattern.

To avoid suspicion, those who truly needed favors had already established ties years ago.

If one lacked power to open doors for others, one could at least join one of the Four Great Academies.

Each academy had its own character; students received the same education, and their interpretations of classics and exam techniques inevitably showed similarities.

Examiners who had graduated from these academies, upon seeing familiar patterns, would unconsciously give slight favors in scoring.

If a senior from one’s own academy served as examiner, the chance of passing jinshi rose noticeably.

Once or twice seemed insignificant, but after countless examinations, these academies became the backbone of a vast interest network.

…

“Left Chancellor, we can’t arrest any more people.

Most officials in the capital come from powerful local clans; arresting so many at once will spark major unrest.”

Minister of Personnel Shi Yuanhu offered a cautious warning.

The Eastern Depot’s strength was too great—it had arrested over a hundred officials at once, even drawing the ire of their own faction’s leaders.

Even if you need to clear space for your own men, you must proceed with tact.

“Minister Shi, rest assured—we act with restraint.

Though we’ve arrested many officials, all are below the third rank; not a single high-ranking minister has been touched.

I know these men are hard to handle, so we’ve merely detained them without yet convicting them.

But since Minister Shi has spoken, we’ll halt arrests for now—first, resolve the cases already in hand!”

The Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Palace Affairs had long been called the “Interior Chancellor,” though that was merely an outside nickname; in all of Great Yu’s history, few eunuchs dared call themselves that.

Fortunately, everyone here was from the eunuch faction—if the Pure Stream learned of this, they’d charge him with grave disrespect.

“Left Chancellor, the whole empire is watching. We must be mindful of our image.

To convict these arrested officials, we must find evidence—ideally, ironclad proof.

Otherwise, if someone later reverses their verdicts, it’ll be another headache!”

Minister of War Yi Chuanliang added his own blade.

Since the news of the great defeat in Liaodong, the Ministry of War had become the Pure Stream’s target, with impeachment memorials never ceasing.

Had it not been for the sudden crackdown by the secret police, he would have been forced to resign.

Now the tide had turned—he must strike back, or he’d be seen as a pushover by the outside world.

(End of Chapter)