Chapter 135 Strategic Essay This old man still believes that the Grand Princess can share the empire equally with the Emperor…
Xie Wenjun turned her head and glanced at Gu Xie. Although he had grown older, his mind was not as calm as before. Since Yao Jifeng left, Gu Xie seemed to have figured out his destiny. He acted more and more erratically, and his words and actions had become more frivolous.
The carriage stopped outside the Sifang Pavilion. Xie Wenjun showed no obvious emotion and turned to walk out of the Sifang Pavilion.
The swan girl pouted and said to Gu Xie, "Teacher, you've really put me through a lot. I begged Your Highness early this morning and even worked hard to write a new article to get a chance to visit the Four Directions Pavilion. We haven't even been to the Four Offices yet, and Your Highness is leaving already."
Gu Xie tapped Zhao Hu on the head with his folding fan and said, "You heartless little thing. If you want to stay, then stay a little longer. I'll go and plead with your prince."
"Teacher, are you serious?"
"Go."
The young woman bowed respectfully and grinned, saying, "Thank you, teacher."
Xie Wenjun glanced back casually and saw the master and disciple whispering and laughing. "The lineage of the sect is clear. It's true that like teacher, like student."
Gu Xie said, "Your Highness speaks ill of others without regard for others, and I heard it all clearly."
"This is what I'm saying to you."
Xie Wenjun looked towards a spot against the wall, where a carriage that had been parked had already driven away.
The charcoal stove inside the carriage was still burning, providing a warm and cozy atmosphere.
The bamboo curtain was lifted by a folding fan and rolled up, revealing half of Gu Xie's face. "I will leave my sedan chair to you, Your Highness. Would Your Highness allow me to travel with you for a while?"
"what ever."
The flow of people and shops outside the car slowly receded, and long, slanted strips of light and shadow shone through the gaps in the bamboo curtains.
Xie Wenjun held the hand warmer with her ten fingers. On the small table in front of her, there was an article on a paperweight. It was brought out by Yuan Rong from the Sifang Pavilion with the Princess's private seal. The article was signed by Han Song, who had just denounced her for harming the country and the people in the pavilion.
The essay was sharp and incisive, its analysis of current affairs penetrating and incisive, and it coincided with several of her plans.
The charcoal wicks in Xie Wenjun's hand warmer flickered, reflecting the fleeting joy in her eyes.
She said, "You see, not all the staff at Sifang Pavilion are people who seek fame and fortune."
Gu Xie asked, "Does Your Highness wish to keep him by your side and use him for your own purposes?"
Xie Wenjun's gaze remained fixed on Han Song's article. "I see you are quite familiar with this person. What is his name and where is he from? Since you are so talented, why don't you take the imperial examination and become an official instead of coming to this makeshift troupe, Sifangguan?"
Gu Xie said, "This man's surname is Han and his given name is Song. He was a student of Hanhong Academy and passed the imperial examination in the same year as Chen Xingqian. After the palace examination, the retired emperor personally selected him as the second-place candidate in the twentieth year of Xuanyuan. That year, the Left Chancellor Xun Xian served as the chief examiner. The examination questions were leaked, which led to the case of the 'pairing up with a student,' and he was one of the scholars involved. He was stripped of his academic honors and was never allowed to take the examination again."
Xie Wenjun remembered this case.
Gu Xie continued, "In the council hall of the Sifang Pavilion, he told me that he was unwilling! I could see that he was truly unwilling. He had endured ten years of resentment in his heart, which would either dull his senses or sharpen his mind, enabling him to break through the situation in one fell swoop."
"Cheating in the imperial examinations," Xie Wenjun said calmly, but the tone clearly conveyed a sense of finality. "This person was eloquent but lacked sharpness; what a pity."
With just this one sentence, Gu Xie knew that Xie Wenjun had no intention of taking the person under her wing.
Xie Wenjun rolled up the article on the small table and handed it out through the window.
Yuan Rong immediately took it and handed it to Rong Jun, who sent someone to deliver the article to Sifang Pavilion by fast horse.
Xie Wenjun asked, "How's the tempering of Jiang Bojin going?"
Gu Xie said, "Upon hearing that Sifang Academy was recruiting talents, he couldn't sit still. If he weren't incapable of writing the essay for Sifang Academy, Xingqian and I wouldn't have been able to stop him. The Xuanping Marquis's Mansion and Lingjiu Academy both issued a ban on writing essays for him, causing quite a commotion. It was Xingqian who came up with a solution, telling him that the Emperor Emeritus knew he was still alive and had already deployed secret guards to kill him once he showed up, and that's how the matter was dropped."
Xie Wenjun said, "How could such a person be so afraid of the Emperor, and even afraid of death?"
Gu Xie said, "This old man has had a hard life these past few years, which has made him cowardly."
"Once your temper has been tempered enough, let it out."
"This subject understands what to do."
The library of Lingjiu Academy is next to the bamboo hut in the backyard. It stands in the warm sun of the first month of the lunar calendar. In the large open space in front of the library, the bamboo frame is sun-dried and turns yellowish.
The students of the academy were carrying stacks of books, which they were neatly laid out to dry on bamboo frames.
The pages turned, carrying a faint musty smell.
Gu Xie found Jiang Bojin on a tattered straw mat in a corner of the library, where he was fast asleep, his head resting on several books.
He was still wearing that old cotton robe, and his figure was slightly hunched.
Gu Xie couldn't figure out what kind of habit this was. When he was at the Xuanping Marquis's residence, he didn't stay in the guest room, but took shelter in the granary next to the stable where hay was stored. After Chen Liangyu was ordered not to return to Yongdu without permission, the Xuanping Marquis's residence was closely watched. Jiang Bojin was panicked. Even though he knew that those people were not tailing him, he still took his belongings and sneaked into Lingjiu Academy overnight.
Then, he retreated into the woodshed.
Gu Xie couldn't bear to treat him so lightly, so he tried his best to persuade him to move into the empty room in the bamboo hut.
He then picked up another tattered straw mat, spread it on the library shelf, and curled up in a corner. A living ancestor indeed.
"Mr. Jiang."
Gu Xie gently shook Jiang Bojin.
Jiang Bojin opened one eye, saw her, then closed it again, extremely angry, and with a "humph," turned over to face the wall, ignoring her.
Gu Xie coaxed him gently, "Mr. Jiang, I went to the Sifang Pavilion on your behalf."
Upon hearing the name Sifangguan, Jiang Bojin immediately turned over.
His sleeves, loose below the elbows, were now gathered in front of him, the cuffs tucked tightly into his belt. Then, as if remembering something, his white beard twitched. "You won't let me go anyway, so there's no point in saying more, you're just keeping me in suspense. I can see it now, you and those two little bastards from the Chen family are in cahoots, a den of snakes and rats, neither of you are good people!"
Gu Xie said, "The reason why I did not ask you to show yourself earlier was not because I doubted your renowned talent, but because the mind of the emperor is unpredictable and I had many concerns."
Jiang Bojin sprang to his feet, but lost his balance and stumbled forward. The bookshelf clattered, and Jiang Bojin's right forehead visibly swelled up.
“Sir,” Gu Xieyi helped him up, “I’ll go and fetch a doctor.”
"Come back, come back."
With his remaining forearm pressed against his forehead, Jiang Bojin was completely focused on the Sifang Pavilion. He said, "The young emperor is ambitious and innovative, which is a great thing. I may have lost an arm, but my strategic mind is still sharp. The Sifang Pavilion is a window that God has left for me. How can I not go?"
Gu Xie said, "What you say makes sense, sir, but the world still belongs to the Xie family, so it is really inconvenient for you to step forward."
Jiang Bojin flicked his two empty sleeves and said, "Heroes don't ask about origins. The little emperor himself said that the Sifang Pavilion doesn't care about background. In terms of talent, who in the entire court can surpass me? Even without leaving home, I can guess what the little emperor intends to do by opening the Sifang Pavilion."
Gu Xie made a "please" gesture.
"It is inconvenient for people in the library to discuss politics, so please move to another place to talk."
The bamboo hut was relatively quiet, with crisp, cool air; the only sound was the soft rustling of brooms across the stone slabs. Gu Xie dismissed all the servants who were sweeping and cleaning.
"Sir, you just mentioned that the Emperor's opening of the Four Directions Pavilion had a profound meaning, and I, as a junior, would like to hear the details."
"Taxation, border policies, and military administration are all pretexts; the real focus is on improving the administration. The young emperor intends to reduce the number of redundant officials in the court, but he is afraid of offending all the powerful families, big and small, so he wants someone to be the scapegoat. Reducing the number of minor officials is not enough. If the emperor only wanted to cut a few pawns, he wouldn't need to go to such lengths. The people the emperor wants are those who are willing to risk their lives and have the courage to take action against the powerful and wealthy."
"Everything needs a just cause. The reason why the court has become so corrupt is that at the beginning of the new emperor's reign, the eldest princess created a set of documents called the 'Records of Ten Thousand Officials' to consolidate the country's rule. Now that the emperor has secured his throne, he no longer acknowledges these documents. So, who do you think will be the first person he targets to reform the bureaucracy?"
Times change and the world changes.
In just a few years, those who had secured the nation's fate transformed into ministers who brought ruin to it.
“Our eldest princess, back then she stabilized the aristocratic families, inspected the fields, and managed the grain tax. I thought she could share the world with the emperor. I never expected that she would not make any progress in recent years and would give way to the emperor step by step.”
Gu Xie said, "According to your words, if the Emperor takes action, the Princess will be helpless?"
Jiang Bojin asked, "Are you a descendant of the Gu family?"
Gu Xie was puzzled, but still answered seriously: "That's right, when we were in Linxia, you asked me about my grandfather's name."
"Is it your own child, or was it adopted?"
"My elder brother and I are both direct relatives of our grandfather."
Jiang Bojin shook his head, adopting the lecturing demeanor of a respected elder, and said, "It depends on the Princess's character, and also on how many of the two prime ministers, the seven ministers, and the two powerful families of Nanheng and Beichen are on her side. The 'Record of Ten Thousand Officials' is inextricably linked to the hereditary privileges of these families. If the emperor wants to reduce hereditary privileges, he must abolish the 'Record of Ten Thousand Officials.' Which high-ranking official would agree to that? If the Princess harbors rebellious intentions, she will become isolated in an instant once the emperor issues an edict abolishing hereditary privileges. Unless the Princess suddenly dies, and there is no one in the world who can rival the emperor, it will be much easier to rectify officialdom."
“Those who are not afraid of the Princess’s power are not from wealthy or influential families; they are only the poor commoners from the Four Directions Pavilion.”
"If we start a new stove, what wrong have we done with the firewood?"
Gu Xie said, "Since you know this, why do you still go to such lengths?"
"At my age, if I miss this opportunity, when will I be able to enter the court again? When people talk about Jiang Bojin, they will only say that he is a sycophant who is ambitious and willing to slaughter an entire city for his own advancement. How can I face my mentor in the afterlife?"
Gu Xie bowed and said, "Sir, your insights are profound; I have learned a great deal from your teachings."
The time was ripe. She said, “The Sifang Pavilion needs to test the policy essays first. The essays will be presented to the Emperor. If they are appreciated by the Emperor, the writer will be summoned to the palace to meet him. I am willing to submit the policy essays on behalf of you, sir. You will dictate them and I will write them down.”
Jiang Bojin's beard trembled with excitement. He was in high spirits. "Then what are we waiting for? Quickly, spread out the paper and grind the ink! I see now that you are different from those two from the Chen family. You are a good person."
This praise didn't sound very pleasant either.
Gu Xie smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment, sir."
Jiang Bojin, with his empty sleeves tucked behind his back, paced back and forth in deep thought. He had only used half of his old horse's strength in the stable when he suddenly realized what was going on. "Haven't you always been on the Princess's side? What are you plotting to trick me into writing this article?"
Gu Xie said, "My elder brother is an official in the court. He must be careful in everything he does and leave himself a way out. If the Gu family suffers misfortune in the future, I hope you will remember what happened today and help us out."
This statement is quite reasonable.
Jiang Bojin said, "If a person doesn't look out for themselves, they'll be punished by heaven and earth. Your way of thinking is reasonable and there's nothing wrong with it."
Once the article was completed, Gu Xie delivered it to Sifangguan on his behalf.
Just one day later, after dinner, Gu Xie was sitting in his study, looking at a stack of students' homework with worry, when Jiang Bojin rushed in, leaned close to the lamp, and asked urgently, "Has the young emperor read my 'Ten Strategies for Governing Officials'?"
Gu Xie cleared his throat and deliberately read the reply from the Sifang Pavilion in a steady, measured tone, “The Ten Policies on Governance have been presented to His Majesty for review. We are grateful for your patriotic sentiments…”
Jiang Bojin stamped his foot in frustration, "Hurry up and continue!"
"...not selected."
He finally calmed down, his expression frozen on his face.
Jiang Bojin seemed unable to understand these two simple sentences. After pondering for a while, his two gray eyebrows suddenly stood up, forming an inverted V-shape.
Gu Xie said, "It must be those pedantic scholars who are only good at writing official essays that are causing trouble. They are jealous of your great talent and your unique insights, so they did not select your work."
Jiang Bojin exclaimed in disbelief, "This is outrageous!"
Author's note: Thank you for reading this far!
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