Chapter 29 "You said, Cuihua also gambled on him?...

That night, the Hall of Diligent Governance was brightly lit. Emperor Ji Heng leaned back in a large rosewood chair with carved dragons and lacquered gold, with nearly ten examination papers that had already been selected on his desk.

His gaze had been fixed on an exam paper in his hand for a long time, his expression unreadable.

Eunuch Chen, who stood with his head bowed to the side, dared not utter a sound, trying his best to minimize his presence.

However, Ji Heng did not go his way and raised his hand to say, "Come and show me this answer sheet."

Eunuch Chen inwardly groaned and tiptoed over. He saw that the handwriting on the answer sheet was elegant and unrestrained, unlike the regular script that most candidates used to avoid mistakes. Instead, he wrote in running script.

Since Eunuch Chen was able to serve the emperor with writing materials, he was certainly literate. However, asking him to critique articles was indeed a bit of a challenge.

However, he always knew how to play the game of Tai Chi: "In my opinion, this boy has a solid foundation in calligraphy and painting, and his actions are unconventional; he is quite unique."

Ji Heng glanced at him sideways and snorted coldly: "He is indeed different from others. I asked them to write a policy on governing the country, but he presented me with a treatise on civil engineering."

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Chen broke out in a cold sweat. However, his mind was quick, and he immediately said, "If it weren't for Your Majesty's kindness and benevolence, how could such a flourishing situation have occurred?"

Ji Heng's expression softened slightly as he placed the exam paper aside. "What you said is not wrong. This boy is quite capable in geography and can be called a prodigy."

Let's order the third-place finisher.

Two days later, the results of the imperial examinations were announced, and Shen Guitang was summoned to participate in the announcement ceremony.

In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, all civil and military officials wore court robes and were arranged according to rank, while the tribute students wore official robes and were arranged in order of rank after the officials.

The cabinet scholars have already placed the yellow edict on the table, awaiting His Majesty to move and ascend the throne.

The vast Hall of Supreme Harmony was filled with hundreds of people, yet not a single sound was uttered. Only when the golden palanquin made of dark wood stopped between the side passages did a figure in bright yellow emerge from the carriage. The attending eunuch announced in a shrill voice, "His Majesty has arrived!"

Everyone immediately bowed and saluted, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

Ji Heng wore a warm smile and looked even more spirited in his imperial robes. He truly resembled a wise and diligent ruler.

After making a few perfunctory remarks, he sat upright in his high position.

Seeing that everything was ready, the officials of the Court of State Ceremonies stepped forward, performed the three kneelings and nine kowtows ceremony, and began to proclaim the imperial edict: "On the 21st day of the fourth month of the thirteenth year of Zhenyuan, the candidates from all over the country will be tested. The first class will be granted the title of Jinshi (进士) and the second class will be granted the title of Jinshi Chushen (进士出身). The third class will be granted the title of Tong Jinshi Chushen (同进士出身).

After the imperial edict was read aloud, it was time to call out the names. The silence in the Hall of Supreme Harmony was now more oppressive than before, almost so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Except for the Emperor, who still wore a smile at the head of the table, everyone held their breath until the official from the Court of State Ceremonial spoke again:

"First place in the first class, Wen Jie."

"First place in the first class, Wen Jie."

"First place in the first class, Wen Jie."

...

After the names were called three times, the official from the Court of State Ceremonial led Wen Tinglan out of the ranks and made him kneel on the left side of the imperial path. Everyone in the hall glanced sideways, subconsciously observing the figure who, even while kneeling, remained as tall and elegant as a jade tree. This was the newly appointed top scholar of this year.

Some ministers at the front of the ranks exchanged subtle glances, seemingly trying to figure out what the Emperor meant by suddenly mobilizing the Wen family again after more than ten years.

Wen Tinglan, who instantly became the focus of attention, remained as still as a jade sculpture, his face expressionless, until the official of the Court of State Ceremonies announced, "Third place in the first class, Shen Guitang," at which point he slightly frowned.

Sensing the chill emanating from ahead, Shen Guitang, positioned behind Wen Tinglan, slightly curled his lips. It seemed this newly appointed top scholar held a rather strong grudge against him. After the official from the Court of State Ceremonies announced all the rankings, Ji Heng returned to the palace in the same carriage he had used to arrive. Zhou Ye, the Minister of Rites, carried the imperial edict out of the Meridian Gate, followed by the top scholar Wen Jie and the other successful candidates.

News of the commotion quickly spread throughout the palace, as a bustling crowd surged toward the place where the imperial edict had been posted...

Er Gou started to feel uneasy about this early in the morning. "Sister Cuihua, let's go check the list together later."

Hengbo shook her head. Not to mention that she wasn't interested in scientific expeditions, even if she were, she wouldn't go out in such a crowded place. Who knew if she might run into patrolling soldiers?

Er Gou pouted, "Alright, but you can't go back on your word if you lose!" With that, he hurriedly left and ran off with the crowd...

As Shen Guitang was walking with the crowd, he suddenly felt his sleeve being tugged. He turned around and saw that it was Er Gou, who had been secretly following behind him, taking advantage of his agility.

Shen Guitang lowered his voice: "What are you doing here?"

Er Gou said in a slightly guilty voice, "I, I just came to join in the fun."

Looking at her rapidly darting eyes, how could Shen Guitang not know what she was thinking? He covered his lips with his hand: "Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I'm just a mere third-place scholar."

A sly smile still lingered on his lips, as if he didn't care about the outcome.

Er Gou was struck dumb, "Then, who is the top scholar?"

Shen Guitang pointed to Wen Tinglan, who was walking at the front of the crowd, and said, "Look, that is our new top scholar, Wen Jie."

As if sensing the gaze of others, Wen Tinglan turned around at that moment and saw the little girl he had met that day looking at him and murmuring, "So he is the Wen Jie who could write poetry at the age of five? It turns out, it turns out that Cuihua won the bet, the top scholar really is him!"

Wen Tinglan was taken aback upon hearing this. His indigo-blue scholar's robes made him appear as aloof and unapproachable as a distant snow-covered mountain. However, at this moment, a smile that seemed to melt away the snow bloomed from the corner of his eyes, allowing one to see the whole spring in just one face.

Er Gou suddenly felt relieved: "He's so good-looking, it's only natural that he would be the top scholar in the imperial examination."

Shen Guitang: ? ? ?

His eyes narrowed dangerously, and the smile on his lips gradually froze: "So, you guys made a bet?"

Er Gou's eyes were still glued to Wen Tinglan's face, completely unaware of the approaching danger: "Yes."

His tone grew increasingly nonchalant: "You're saying, Cuihua even gambled on him?"

Finally sensing that something was amiss, Er Gou struggled to tear his gaze away from Wen Tinglan and turn it to Shen Guitang, who was beginning to radiate coldness. He said tremblingly, "No, that's right."

“Heh,” Shen Guitang straightened his sleeves, which had been wrinkled by Er Gou, and said indifferently, “Go back and tell the kitchen that Cuihua wants to eat chicken again tonight. If Cuihua can’t finish it, you can help her eat it.”

Er Gou: ? ? ?

What did I do wrong this time?

After receiving two pieces of bad news, Er Gou went home and stood dejectedly in front of Heng Bo, holding a wooden box that was locked. He sadly handed it to her and said, "I accept my loss."

Hengbo happily opened the box and counted the contents, a slight surprise on her face. She hadn't expected Er Gou's little treasure trove to be so full; there were at least twenty or thirty taels of silver alone. And besides the silver, there were even a few gold beans.

She carefully selected the smallest piece of silver, worth about one or two taels, and then closed the box.

As Er Gou watched her actions, the light in his eyes rekindled. So, Sister Cuihua was actually such a kind-hearted person?

But then Hengbo handed her the loose silver, as if dismissing a beggar, telling her to take it and buy some candy. Then, carrying the box, he walked towards his room without looking back.

Er Gou: ? ? ?

Shouldn't you just accept a token amount of silver from me? Sister Cuihua, did you take the wrong one?

"Sister Cuihua?"

No matter how reluctant she was to stay, Hengbo left her with only a firm and light back view. In fact, her steps back to her room grew longer and longer, until finally she almost used her light-footed skills...

Er Gou: !!!

No, give me back the box!

After tearfully sending off the New Year's money, Er Gou went to the kitchen to give instructions for dinner. This was not because she was particularly obedient, but because years of painful experience had taught her the consequences of offending Shen Guitang.

So, when Hengbo saw the whole chicken feast on the dinner table that was exactly the same as that day, her good mood, which she had been feeling particularly comfortable because Shen Guitang was not sharing dinner with them, vanished instantly.

In particular, Hengbo was unaware that he had been betrayed by Ergou, which made him feel even more that the man surnamed Shen was unpredictable.

Er Gou, who also had a long face, didn't dare to tell her the truth. Seeing Heng Bo venting her anger on Shen Guitang with the chicken leg in her hand, she didn't dare to say anything. Instead, she comforted her, "That's just the kind of person he is. You'll get used to it in the future."

...

Recently, two things have been the talk of the town in the capital. The first, of course, is the Qionglin Banquet, which is highly regarded by scholars. Which scholar in the world doesn't aspire to pass the imperial examinations? The Qionglin Banquet was specially bestowed by the emperor upon the newly appointed scholars who passed the examinations, and it is said that it lasted for three days.

While the first incident only circulated among scholars, the second incident became a topic of conversation among ordinary people.

In the teahouse, the storyteller took a sip of tea and said, “Today we won’t talk about those old, tired stories. Instead, let’s talk about a shocking case that the Dali Temple has been handling recently.”

"Some time ago, a woman named Bai San Niang bypassed the Jingzhao Yin Prefecture and went directly to the Dali Temple to file a complaint, and the person she was suing was Zhao Lian, the head of the Ministry of Works of the Imperial Court."

"Logically speaking, one of them is a small villager who came to the capital to seek refuge with relatives, and the other is a sixth-rank official of the current dynasty. How could they possibly have any connection?" He deliberately paused here, poured himself another cup of tea, and blew on it unhurriedly.

The tea drinkers in the hall were intrigued by his words but waited in vain for further details. One wealthy gentleman simply rewarded them with a silver ingot: "Stop dawdling. If you're going to say something nice, I'll give you even more rewards."

The storyteller chuckled as he accepted the money before continuing, "It turns out that Bai San Niang's relative was the owner of Bai's Woodware Shop in the east of the city. Zhao Lian, the head of the Ministry of Works, had ordered a large quantity of woodware from Bai's Woodware Shop. However, in addition to buying some of the best quality, he also ordered a lot of inferior goods."

At this point, a tea drinker who happened to live in the east of the city chimed in: "Bai's Woodware Shop? I know that shop. It's a huge storefront and the business is booming, but it hasn't been open for some time now. I don't know if it's closed down."

The storyteller wasn't angry at being interrupted. Instead, he continued the conversation, saying, "Indeed, they're not doing it anymore. To be honest, the reason Bai San Niang reported it to the authorities is because the owner and his wife of Bai's Woodware Shop have been missing for several days."

One customer asked curiously, "What does this have to do with the Ministry of Works? Bai's Woodware Shop is doing very well and has many customers. You can't just suspect anyone who buys woodware from their shop, can you?"

His words made sense, and a chorus of voices echoed in the hall: "Yes, is it illegal to buy something these days?"

One man, seemingly unconcerned, retorted, "So, if I drink your tea today and your manager's wife runs away tomorrow, will you blame me?" His words immediately drew a burst of laughter.

After everyone had finished laughing, the storyteller slowly said, "As I just mentioned, this official in charge of the Ministry of Works also bought a batch of substandard goods. Although Zhao Lian is not from a very wealthy family, he is still a sixth-rank official. Unlike you and me, who are short of money, this batch of substandard goods couldn't possibly be for his own use, could it?"

"Moreover, I've heard that he didn't just buy ordinary wooden items, but a whole batch of wooden burial objects!"

In the Great Jin Dynasty, filial piety was highly valued. The ancestral halls of wealthy families were invariably magnificent, representing the family's heritage. As for ordinary people, they preferred to live frugally themselves to uphold the dignity of their ancestors. Therefore, upon hearing his words, someone immediately condemned him, saying, "What he did was extremely dishonorable; this could lead to the extinction of the family line!"

“What you say is absolutely right, brother!” The storyteller stroked his beard. “But since even we know that this is a heartless act, Zhao Lian still dares to do it. There must be something he can gain from it, and the profits behind it must be more than we can even imagine!”

Without giving anyone a chance to interrupt, he continued, "We all know that His Majesty is benevolent, righteous, filial, and fraternal," he said, bowing respectfully towards the sky, "and just this year, Empress Dowager Zhengde passed away, so His Majesty allocated funds to the Ministry of Works to rebuild the imperial mausoleum."

"Since the imperial mausoleum is to be rebuilt, shouldn't the wooden burials inside be replaced with a new batch?"

His question caused everyone in the hall to gasp. If that were the case... Zhao Lian was truly audacious!

Some people still couldn't believe it: "But, even if money can tempt people, Zhao Lian shouldn't have set his sights on it... That's a capital offense!"

Some people sighed, "He's just being greedy, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant."

Others disagreed, saying, "It's just a matter of being one step behind. If the Court of Judicial Review hadn't investigated and uncovered this, who would have known about it?"

Seeing that they were all expressing their own opinions, the storyteller sat quietly, sipping tea and listening attentively, occasionally shaking his head and smiling.

Only when the voices of the crowd gradually subsided did he put down his teacup and say with a smile, "In my humble opinion, what you gentlemen have said makes sense. If Bai San Niang had not found the ledger of Zhao Lian's transaction with Bai Ji and had not escaped by chance, then Zhao Lian's murder to cover up the crime would not have been exposed. Naturally, the Dali Temple would not have followed the clues to find out that he embezzled the court's silver."

"But is Zhao Lian really only acting out of greed? That's hard to say."

"Oh?" one customer asked, puzzled. "You, old man, clearly said it was for the silver, but now you say it wasn't out of greed. Isn't that a contradiction?"

"Yeah, how come you're going back on your word?"

When the storyteller heard them start to criticize him, he didn't explain himself. Instead, he brought up something completely unrelated: "I wonder if anyone has seen the new play 'Soaring to the Clouds' that the tea garden is currently staging?"

"I didn't understand why Zhao Lian wanted so much silver before, but after watching this play, I suddenly have some different insights."

After he said that, those who were initially unhappy with his sudden change of topic all shut up and waited quietly for him to continue.

"This novel, 'Soaring to the Clouds,' tells the story of Duan Qingyun, the son of a merchant whose family suddenly suffers a calamity, and his gradual rise to the position of prime minister. However, what I want to talk about today is not how glorious his rise to power was, but rather how he went from being the son of a wealthy man to a penniless young man with nothing left."

"There must be many businessmen here, and you must know that what merchants fear most is not the thugs who take things without paying, but rather the officials who abuse their power, act tyrannically, and are insatiably greedy."

These words resonated with many people, and the gentleman who had initially given the storyteller a silver ingot immediately threw his money bag onto the storyteller's table, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"The Duan family was originally a well-known and wealthy family in the Yangzhou area. However, when he was twelve years old, the entire family was confiscated and all their assets were seized due to some fabricated charges."

"The reason behind this is simply that the newly appointed magistrate was not given enough money or kickbacks."

One naive person angrily exclaimed, "How can such scum be fit to be a public official?"

Those in the hall who had seen the play explained to him: "It's because the magistrate's elder sister is the prefect's favorite concubine. Wouldn't it be easy for the prefect to help her out with a little maneuvering?"

"Indeed!" The storyteller clapped his hands and laughed. "This gentleman has actually seen this play before?"

The man nodded: "This 'Soaring to the Clouds' has really become a hit recently. Who hasn't seen a good show?"

The storyteller nodded and continued: "Let's go back to the protagonist, Duan Qingyun. Since he has risen to the position of prime minister, he must take revenge for this family. The county magistrate, relying on his brother-in-law, the prefect, has been accumulating wealth everywhere. His evil deeds are too numerous to count, so he naturally ends up being beheaded. The prefect was also dismissed from his post for the crime of harboring a criminal."

"However, what moved me most was the scene of the prefect's concubine visiting her younger brother in prison before her execution."

His sister said, "It's all your fault for not knowing when to stop. Now you've not only lost your own life, but you've also dragged me into this mess." The magistrate laughed after hearing this, "Sister, you are truly heartless. I accept that I deserve a bad death for my evil deeds! But do you really not know where all the money I amassed ended up?"

“‘Sister, you only think I’m so proud of being a county magistrate because of him, but whenever he needs money, doesn’t he always reach out to me? If I were completely innocent, where would I get the money for him? Even the gold hairpin in your hair, sister, is probably stained with the blood of several people.’”

After saying that, he sighed deeply: "If you say that this magistrate is embezzling money, I would agree, but you say it's because of greed? In my humble opinion, the greedy one is probably someone else."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Wangcai's Double Standards

To Black Wind: Jumping into the sea a thousand times really means a thousand times.

For Hengbo: I'll punish you by making you eat chicken, but I'll allow you to secretly drop it, and someone will cover for you.

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