[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers":3,"chapter-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-20":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Restoring the Mountains and Rivers",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2364289,4623,"Chapter 20: The Unwritten Rules","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-20",20,"\u003Cp>The Office of the Left Censor-in-Chief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the vanguard of the anti-eunuch faction, his Censorate had become the hardest-hit area for arrests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord, the eunuch faction is growing bolder; the rank of officials they’re arresting keeps rising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even your students are now being targeted—we cannot sit idle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Shiyeh’s words were like pouring oil on fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So many subordinates had been arrested—if he ignored them, no one would follow him anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Prepare my sedan chair—I’m going to Grand Secretary Pang’s residence!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Shufeng said coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eunuch faction’s tactics had shattered the traditional model of political struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old method—censors leading the charge, ministers following—no longer held any power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord, you’ve forgotten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Shiyeh stepped forward to remind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old fox—he’s falling ill at the perfect moment!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Shufeng couldn’t help but curse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether Grand Secretary Pang was truly unconscious or feigning it, he had now stepped out of the storm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord, this isn’t the time for such talk. The urgent matter is to rally more anti-eunuch patriots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Eastern Depot has arrested so many—besides us, the Chu Party, Min Party, Xiang Party, and Hui Party are also victims.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Add fuel to the fire, ignite everyone’s anger, and organize a mass ministerial strike…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Shiyeh’s idea was the ultimate weapon of the civil official bloc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every historical ministerial strike had produced profound consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not yet time. The eunuchs have only arrested people—they haven’t yet convicted them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s still room to maneuver. If we jump out to organize a strike now, we’ll only further inflame the emperor-minister conflict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t forget: behind this escalation lies a mastermind we haven’t yet exposed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Send out whispers to steer scholarly opinion, and wait for the chance to incite students from the Imperial Academy to petition the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I recall you have a classmate teaching at Tonghe Academy—entrust this task to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he succeeds, the court will appoint him to office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conditions Yue Shufeng promised startled Du Shiyeh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Appointment to office wasn’t a big deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Juren already had official eligibility; it was just that court positions were scarce, making appointment extremely rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pre-securing a jinshi position, however, constituted examination fraud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the imperial examination system began, every case of cheating had resulted in heads rolling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord, isn’t this too risky?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Shiyeh urged cautiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one could refuse the chance to enter official service as a jinshi—not even himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he feared was that it was an empty promise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Yue Shufeng, the Left Censor-in-Chief, later denied it, Du would be left in an excruciating position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such broken promises had led to deaths before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were real, the consequences would be even more severe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a deadly leverage point was something no one wanted exposed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might end up, along with his fellow townsman, silenced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re overthinking it. It’s not that complicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who passed the juren exam and teaches at Tonghe Academy must have solid literary skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t pass the jinshi exam merely because his writing was mechanical, not to the examiners’ taste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arrange an opportunity for him to take his essays and seek advice from a few examiners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he aligns with their preferences, how could he fail to pass?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Shufeng laughed heartily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This practice was an open secret among the elite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone moved in the same circle; everyone had proteges to protect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Helping others was helping oneself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before every examination, countless juren flooded into the capital, seeking connections and visiting senior officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The powerful figures normally hard to meet would collectively set aside time to receive these juren from across the empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how distant the connection, as long as there was a reason to visit, one had a chance to meet them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that they particularly liked mentoring juniors—it was simply a matter of cover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, if everyone who had contacted them passed, anyone could spot the pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To avoid suspicion, those who truly needed favors had already established ties years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one lacked power to open doors for others, one could at least join one of the Four Great Academies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each academy had its own character; students received the same education, and their interpretations of classics and exam techniques inevitably showed similarities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Examiners who had graduated from these academies, upon seeing familiar patterns, would unconsciously give slight favors in scoring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a senior from one’s own academy served as examiner, the chance of passing jinshi rose noticeably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once or twice seemed insignificant, but after countless examinations, these academies became the backbone of a vast interest network.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Left Chancellor, we can’t arrest any more people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most officials in the capital come from powerful local clans; arresting so many at once will spark major unrest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister of Personnel Shi Yuanhu offered a cautious warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you need to clear space for your own men, you must proceed with tact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Minister Shi, rest assured—we act with restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though we’ve arrested many officials, all are below the third rank; not a single high-ranking minister has been touched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I know these men are hard to handle, so we’ve merely detained them without yet convicting them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since Minister Shi has spoken, we’ll halt arrests for now—first, resolve the cases already in hand!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, everyone here was from the eunuch faction—if the Pure Stream learned of this, they’d charge him with grave disrespect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Left Chancellor, the whole empire is watching. We must be mindful of our image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To convict these arrested officials, we must find evidence—ideally, ironclad proof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, if someone later reverses their verdicts, it’ll be another headache!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister of War Yi Chuanliang added his own blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it not been for the sudden crackdown by the secret police, he would have been forced to resign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now the tide had turned—he must strike back, or he’d be seen as a pushover by the outside world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1191,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","9567eb3def9b380f89026a6bc3985e98326227fac61e5fa0d987c3383fa95559","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-21","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-19",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]