Chapter 861: Your Son Is a Great Talent

Eunuch Kuang smiled and continued, "A young prodigy, surely brimming with patriotic fervor, yet thwarted by factional strife, unable to advance even a single step further on the path to official honors — what a pity. This young man, full of resentment, felt the road to Chang'an was closed, so he went to Hebei to seek office. Truly a waste of talent!"

Wang Youshan was startled again. He certainly understood the allusion in the other's words — it referred to the scholars of the mid- and late Tang dynasty who, denied official honors by the Tang court, went to serve the military governors of Hebei, helping them oppose the imperial court.

Wasn't this saying that because Wang Zhaojing failed the imperial examination, he had committed treason against the court? And these "Hebei military governors" surely referred to Zhao Jin.

Wang Youshan did not take the bait. Forcing himself to remain calm, he said, "In the civil examinations, success is seven-tenths talent and learning, three-tenths luck. My unworthy son did not pass, which must mean his scholarship is still lacking and his destiny insufficient. He can blame no one else. My son himself has come to terms with it and bears no resentment."

Eunuch Kuang narrowed his eyes in a smile and waved a hand to one side. Faint footsteps receded into the distance — clearly he had dismissed his attendants. Once he heard the outer door close, Eunuch Kuang smiled, shook his head, and said, "If there were no resentment, how could things have blown up so large? If he felt wronged, he could have appealed to the authorities and sought justice; the court would have given him a fair hearing. How could he have cut off the Grand Canal? That is not seeking justice — that is rebellion!"

"What?!" Wang Youshan cried out involuntarily. He had been nodding along instinctively, but then the enormity of it struck him. He stepped forward, grabbed the bars of the cell, and stared at Eunuch Kuang. "What do you mean, cutting off the canal transport? What exactly has happened out there?"

"Your young master and a few of his friends have blown things up. They led their local militia and cut off the canal, claiming they are seeking justice for you. They even defeated the government troops the court sent to quell the unrest. Tell me, why go to such extremes? Young people act so hot-blooded and impulsively, with no thought for the consequences. Now the situation has become very difficult to clean up. Eunuch Wei is deeply troubled by it." Eunuch Kuang sighed as he spoke, though his expression was somewhat affected.

Wang Youshan stumbled backward a few steps and collapsed into a chair, his face a mask of disbelief. He muttered to himself, "How did it blow up so big? How did it… How can this ever be settled? This…"

After muttering to himself a few times, Wang Youshan stood up again and asked, deeply conflicted, "Eunuch Kuang, what is the situation now? Has it already become outright rebellion? Has it already blown up completely?"

The young eunuch Kuang from the Ceremonial Room of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs gave Wang Youshan a few thoughtful glances and said with a smile, "Your noble son has exercised admirable restraint. A message has already been sent to the capital, asking the court to release you, Brother Wang, after which everything can be discussed. The court is hardly eager for a massive armed conflict. Besides, there are indeed grievances in your case. The higher-ups have already decided — they will release you, Brother Wang, and then offer amnesty and recruitment to your son's contingent."

Hearing this, Wang Youshan swayed and nearly collapsed to the ground, only just managing to grab the wooden bars in time. After being imprisoned for so long, on the verge of going mad from confinement, he suddenly heard this news — and learned that those youngsters in Xuzhou, to save him, had not hesitated to raise arms on a massive scale, even going so far as to cut off the Grand Canal, a deed shocking to all who heard it. He truly never imagined they would go to such lengths.

At this moment, a tumult of emotions surged through Wang Youshan's heart. Outside, Eunuch Kuang continued, "Brother Wang, the court has its dignity to uphold. Moreover, Eunuch Wei has only recently taken charge of affairs, and his venerable self also has his dignity. This offer of amnesty, this release — it is already an act of great magnanimity. I must ask you one thing: the Wang family's young master wouldn't be so ungrateful as to push his luck and demand even more, would he?"

Wang Youshan shuddered and shook his head repeatedly. "The younger generation knows their limits very well. As long as the court fulfills what it has promised, they will not break faith. On this, I can vouch!"

Over so many years, Wang Youshan had indeed come to know his own son and Zhao Jin and the others very well. Zhao Jin was a man of audacious courage, yet his sense of proportion was exquisitely calibrated. He seemed utterly reckless, yet he never crossed the court's bottom line. Thinking of this, Wang Youshan nearly wept. Such a measured young man, yet unafraid of having his family exterminated and his clan wiped out, had stirred up trouble on this scale.

Eunuch Kuang narrowed his eyes and studied Wang Youshan for a moment, then spoke with great sincerity: "Brother Wang, your family's young master has been spending money in the capital these days like water, using every possible method to get messages through to Eunuch Wei, greasing every connection high and low. And then he launched major military operations across South Zhili and Shandong, defeating several government columns in succession. Such boldness, such strategic brilliance, such decisiveness — it truly compels admiration."

After a couple of compliments, Eunuch Kuang turned to the main point: "The reason His Venerable Eunuch Wei agreed to offer amnesty this time is chiefly out of regard for your son's talent. The court is short of talent these days. The Liaodong frontier is a complete mess, yet the courtiers are still bickering. The Mongol raiders have been increasingly active lately, yet the border garrisons can't even spare the troops. His Venerable self is deeply worried. With your son's great talent — able to use local militia to thoroughly rout government troops — he must be well-versed in military strategy and skilled at leading soldiers into battle. For such a talent to be merely a country gentleman in Xuzhou would be a waste. How much better for him to come out and serve the nation."

Wang Youshan listened, somewhat dazed. He was beginning to grasp the other's line of thinking. Eunuch Kuang continued, "Eunuch Wei has already agreed: if your son is willing to serve the court, a place on the golden roster of the imperial examinations is guaranteed, as is entry into the Hanlin Academy. If he is willing to lead troops and defend the borders against the enemy, then posts like Grand Coordinator or Governor-General will not be lacking, and sooner or later he will become a Minister or enter the Grand Secretariat. What Wang Yue had back then — that can be given here as well."

Entering the Hanlin Academy, barring any missteps in one's official career, meant reaching the rank of Minister at the very least, and entering the Grand Secretariat was no vain hope. A civil official leading troops, serving as Grand Coordinator or Governor-General, returning to the capital to rotate through Vice Minister and Minister, and then entering the Grand Secretariat — that was one path. And as for Wang Yue, that was a case of a civil official achieving unparalleled merit and being enfeoffed with a noble title, tantamount to glory in both civil and military spheres.

As a civil official himself, hearing a eunuch casually promise the jinshi degree and a career path through the Grand Secretariat and the Six Ministries made Wang Youshan deeply uncomfortable. Yet he vaguely understood in his heart that, given Wei Zhongxian's background and his relationships with various factions, these promises might very well be deliverable.

After a moment of mixed emotions, Wang Youshan realized the most critical point. He shook his head and said, "Eunuch Kuang, could it be that you believe my unworthy son is the one in charge, the mastermind behind the scenes?"

Eunuch Kuang of the Ceremonial Room of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs let out a scoff and retorted, "In a remote backwater like Xuzhou, if not for a widely learned and experienced young prodigy like the young master Wang, who else could have pulled off something so grand with such a bold hand? Brother Wang, there's no need to explain further. I understand this sort of thing. It's simply the story of how Chen Ping rose to power. Your son's sense of proportion is truly admirable — he actually disdains empty fame!"

The so-called story of Chen Ping's rise referred to the transition between the Qin and Han dynasties, when rebellions against the Qin erupted everywhere. Chen Ping's home region also rose up. The able-bodied men of the village wanted to make Chen Ping their king. Chen Ping's mother said that their family had no one destined to be a king, and becoming a king would easily invite disaster. But he could support someone else as king — that way, if they lost, there would be no great calamity, and if they won, he would still be rewarded with a marquisate.

Using this as an analogy meant that Wang Zhaojing was unwilling to stand at the forefront, merely directing things from behind the scenes. That way, whether they won or lost, he would always have room to maneuver and reverse course.

Hearing this, Wang Youshan could only smile bitterly. He wanted to explain, but how could he possibly make it clear? He thought to himself that even those who had personally interacted with them couldn't figure it out, let alone these outsiders who knew nothing of the true situation. He opened his mouth, but in the end only shook his head and said nothing.

"Very well. Since Eunuch Wei thinks so highly of him, I will go back and speak with my unworthy son and see what he thinks," Wang Youshan could only agree in this way.

Eunuch Kuang smiled and nodded, then said leisurely, "Young men must ultimately walk the proper path. Imperial examinations, official rank, serving the court — these are the proper pursuits of a scholar. By the way, Brother Wang, do you know why you were arrested?"

No one expected the topic to shift so abruptly to this. Wang Youshan frowned and asked in return, "Was it not because of implication in the Xuzhou rebellion?"

Eunuch Kuang chuckled a few times and explained in a muffled voice, "It was the Prince of Lu who took a fancy to your Xuzhou wealth. A pack of scoundrels in the princely estate colluded with some muddle-headed fools in the capital, scheming to seize the Xuzhou properties, and even fabricated charges of rebellion. And now it's been stirred up to this point. Truly absurd."

Wang Youshan stood frozen, grinding his teeth and wanting to curse. He had assumed that the Xuzhou affairs had gone too far and thus drawn the court's attention. Who could have imagined it was all because of greed, a desire to swallow up family property? These people acted with such utter lawlessness and reckless abandon.

"Bring the man over!" Young Eunuch Kuang raised his voice. The outer door was opened, footsteps sounded, and before long, someone was dragged in.

Two grim-faced, burly men were holding up a slightly plump middle-aged man. The man's mouth was gagged, his face full of despair. On closer inspection, this middle-aged man had a pale, beardless face and no Adam's apple — he was actually a eunuch as well.

Eunuch Kuang, who had been all smiles moments before, now wore an expression of pure disgust. Staring at the man, he said, "This is the chief instigator in the capital who had you thrown into prison, Brother Wang, and stirred up all this trouble. Serving in the Document Office, with countless ways to get rich, yet he was stupid enough to collude with the eunuchs of a vassal prince's estate and do this sort of vile property-grabbing business."

Wang Youshan stared at the man for a few moments. A post in the Document Office of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs meant managing all the directorate's documents — in other words, all the memorials, imperial edicts, and confidential papers of the entire realm. It was an exceedingly important inner court position. To get rich, he probably only needed to drop a hint, and countless people would rush to curry favor. Yet this man had colluded with the Prince of Lu's estate. Truly stupid.

"Ignorant of his place, unable to gauge when to advance or retreat, causing such a colossal mess. What use is there in keeping such a man? Right here, we'll give Brother Wang an accounting." After young Eunuch Kuang finished speaking, he made a gesture.

The two burly men holding the middle-aged man immediately acted. One pried open the middle-aged eunuch's jaws, while the other produced a pill and shoved it in. The pill took effect with extreme speed. The middle-aged eunuch tried to struggle and cry out in pain, but was firmly held down by those beside him. His struggles slowly diminished, and a dark, blackish hue spread across his face.

Thanks to Qidian book friends "Wulai Liaoluan" and "Feng Zhong Long Wang" for their tips, and thanks to all supporters on Chuangshi and Qidian. It's the start of the month — please cast your monthly votes for Great Ming Wufu!