Chapter 111: The First Scholar's Porridge. (First update...
Dr. Zhou muttered something, then quickly changed his tone, "Come on, come on, sit down quickly. Look at the dark circles under your eyes. How did the Dali Temple make you so exhausted?"
After Chen Yan and Tao Yingheng sat down, Tao Yingheng couldn't wait to speak up: "Dr. Zhou, you don't know, if Brother Chen hadn't said he wanted to go back to the Imperial College to study, his immediate superior would not have let him go."
Among the petty officials in the Dali Temple, some just muddle through their days, while others are determined to climb the ladder.
For example, the new official who replaced Tao Yingce as Sizhi, after hearing that Tao Yingce was transferred to Hangzhou Prefecture as Tongpan, his work enthusiasm instantly soared, and he couldn't wait to make achievements so that he could be transferred. Naturally, he was unwilling to let go of a capable person like Chen Yan left by his predecessor.
At first, this man thought that Shen Yan and Tao Yingce had a conflict, and he wanted to win over Shen Yan by being nice. But when Shen Yan handed in his resignation letter, he immediately changed his attitude, piled the work on Shen Yan, and worked him to death.
"He said Brother Chen could resign if he wanted, but he had to finish his backlog of cases before he could leave." Tao Yingheng spoke up for Chen Yan. "But when my eldest brother left, he had already cleared his caseload! This guy, on the other hand, has dug up over a dozen deadly cases in one go and won't let him go until Brother Chen has dealt with them."
Dr. Zhou frowned, and Dr. Li's face darkened. He slammed his palm on the table and said, "Nonsense! How can you become an official like this?"
Due to the complexity of various ministries, the imperial court employed numerous minor clerks. These clerks only needed to pass departmental assessments to be hired. Their salaries were low, and their benefits were few. Therefore, leaving their positions was simple: simply submit a letter of resignation and complete the tasks at hand.
Although the new official did not violate the rules openly, his methods were indeed despicable and worthy of contempt.
"That's right! The most infuriating thing is that there's more than just that." Tao Yingheng's face was filled with indignation, and he became more and more angry as he spoke: "Brother Chen really did finish all the work, but I didn't expect that person to see how fast Brother Chen moved, and he still didn't give up, and even wanted to bring another batch of cases over. It really is - he's simply working people to death!"
Dr. Zhou's face darkened as he spoke earnestly, "Brother Yan, this is your fault. How could you allow others to bully you like this? Will you still behave like this when you become an official?"
Dr. Li agreed, and along with the others, turned their attention to Chen Yan. Unexpectedly, while they were discussing Chen Yan's past, he had actually put the tea powder that Dr. Li, Dr. Zhou, and the others had ground by hand into the net and carefully sifted it.
Chen Yan's hands kept moving, and he just smiled and said, "Master Zhou misunderstood. I also dug a hole in it."
"If he can follow the rules of the Dali Temple, check the files one by one, and review them carefully, then he will be able to notice the tricks inside. If he can't..." Chen Yan narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly: "Then it's hard to say."
Everyone was stunned when they heard this. After exchanging glances, Dr. Li asked in a deep voice, "Did you tamper with the file?"
Chen Yan put the tea powder in his hand into the small bowl, picked up the kettle and poured a cup of water, swirling the warm cup and said, "Master Li, how could I be that kind of person?"
He was in the Dali Temple, and every file was connected to one or even several lives, and concerned one or even several families. He didn't know how many people like his parents were waiting for the Dali Temple to clear their names.
Besides, he would take the imperial examinations and enter the officialdom in the future. If he deliberately messed up his job and was suspected of fraud at this moment, wouldn't he be deliberately casting a shadow on his future and digging a hole for himself?
"Then tell me, what did you do?"
"Nothing much." Chen Yan poured out the hot water, scooped up a spoonful of tea powder and put it in, then poured hot water into the teacup along the edge. He explained, "I just sorted the case files I handled this month, wrote down the progress and evidence, and then put the corresponding files aside."
"If he is careful, he will review these files again before submitting them, and he will naturally find the clues I left. If he is too lazy to even review them, and the higher-ups find problems during the second review, then it can't be my fault, right?" Chen Yan shrugged.
The new official can use the resignation requirements to ask him to complete those tasks before leaving, and he can also use the work process of the Dali Temple to create some minor problems for him.
If the other party is serious, this matter will at most show that Chen Yan is thoughtful; if the other party is careless, it will only let the superiors see his perfunctory attitude and know who should be credited with the past achievements.
Dr. Li's brows relaxed and he finally smiled.
Tao Yingheng secretly glanced at Dr. Li's expression, breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly said, "Dr. Zhou, is the food ready?"
Dr. Zhou nodded, asked for the food to be served, and said with a smile, "Come on, let's sit down and talk."
Dr. Li snorted. "What is it? Didn't Tao Silang reveal his plan?"
Tao Yingheng was stunned at first, then he remembered that he had just mentioned that Chen Yan was planning to return to the Imperial College to study. His expression froze immediately: "Then——"
Dr. Li had a blank expression on his face: "This kind of thing..."
He glanced at the nervous Tao Yingheng, and Dr. Zhou, whose smile couldn't hide his guilty conscience, then glanced at Chen Yan, who was calm and smooth as he made tea. He tried to put on a straight face and tapped the table with his fingers: "Let's talk business."
He gradually beat the inkstone until the tea was smooth and light, like clouds. He paused and said with a smile, "Master, I cherish your deep love for me, and I will always remember it in my heart."
"Bah, you only know how to say nice things now." Dr. Li scowled at him with a sullen face. "It's been over a year since I left the Imperial College, and I haven't seen you come to visit me once."
"Dr. Li, Brother Chen came to visit," Tao Yingheng replied subconsciously. Halfway through his sentence, he met Dr. Li's fierce gaze. He shrank back, not daring to speak, and could only mutter quietly: "Didn't you kick him out? He scolded me every time he saw me. In the end, Brother Chen stopped visiting except for the New Year and other occasions when he gave me gifts."
Chen Yan brought the tea to Dr. Li's hand, without mentioning the past, but just smiled and said: "I was wrong."
Dr. Li took a sip and hummed again, "Your technique hasn't deteriorated? It seems you still have a lot of free time."
After a pause, he said, "Come with me to the Imperial College tomorrow. I'll give you two test papers and teach you how to do them. If you can keep up, that's fine. If not, go back to the academy and study for three years before trying again."
Everyone, including Chen Yan, was delighted.
The next day, Chen Yan wrote his essay in front of the chancellor of the Imperial College and many doctors. After finishing the test, needless to say, he passed the exam easily and was readmitted.
After seeing Chen Yan off, the Imperial College Chancellor flipped through the past exam papers and resume Dr. Li had handed him and sighed, "He was originally a student at the Imperial Academy, wasn't he? His grades were top-tier, but this time he can only be classified as a student at the Guangwen Academy."
Students under the Imperial College were collectively known as Jiansheng, including those from official families, also known as Mengyinsheng by the common people. Then came Taixue students, Guangwenguan students, and students of the military and law schools.
The last two types are those with relevant expertise. For example, if Chen Yan is still an official in the Dali Temple, he may be recommended by his superiors to become a law student and become an official after passing the judicial examination. However, his promotion path will be limited to the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice and other law-related offices. He will not be in charge of local government affairs, or he may be transferred elsewhere, so his room for advancement is limited.
The most outstanding among them were the Imperial College students, who were further divided into outer-house students, inner-house students, and upper-house students. Among them, upper-house students were excellent in both their studies and the subjects they were tested on, and were considered upper-class students, and could be directly appointed officials; those with one excellent and one average were considered middle-class students, and could wait for the palace examination; those with both average scores (one excellent and one average) were considered lower-class students, and could wait for the provincial examination. [Note 1]
In other words, students with excellent academic performance could directly obtain official positions or participate in palace examinations and provincial examinations without having to take the imperial examinations.
There were a large number of students in Guangwenguan. They obtained the qualification for the imperial examination through the Imperial College and then took the imperial examination to become officials.
Over the past few decades, the Minister of the Imperial College has seen more or less students. Even the most outstanding ones often failed in the imperial examinations and became depressed for many years without achieving their goals.
Dr. Li had a sullen face in front of Shen Yan, but in front of outsiders he still gave his apprentice face: "Brother Yan, you can give it a try."
The Imperial College Chancellor also sighed and raised his eyebrows when he heard the words: "Oh? Now that you mention it, I'm really looking forward to it."
Just wanting to take part in the Autumn Examination meant only about four months remained. During this period, Chen Yan rose early and went to bed late, completely absorbed in his studies. He would often come to Linzhiji for dinner with dark circles under his eyes, much to the dismay of the Linzhi family.
"The Dali Temple has so many tasks?"
"When Tao Lang was here in previous years, I never saw him so tired?" Lin Sen was also puzzled, and secretly wondered if Chen Yan's current boss was that kind of madman?
When Tao Yingheng came over, the family of three asked around and heard the story of how the unscrupulous boss exploited the poor Chen Yan. They were filled with indignation.
But Brother Heng still wanted to comfort the three of them, saying that the matter was over - but what a past!
Seeing Chen Yan dozing off while serving rice and nearly falling headfirst into the rice bucket, Lin Zhi secretly cursed the unscrupulous boss and decided to change Chen Yan's diet to help him improve his brain.
When Chen Yan came over the next day, before he went to get his meal, he saw Lin Zhi serving a bowl of porridge in front of him.
"Here, I made it specially for brain nourishment."
"Hey..." Chen Yan subconsciously sat up straight, looked at the porridge in front of him curiously, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
What was placed in front of him was a bowl of rice porridge, but this bowl of rice porridge was made by sautéing glutinous rice with lard, then adding pine nuts, walnuts, lotus seeds and other ingredients, and then simmering it over low heat. Before taking it out of the pot, it was sprinkled with candied fruit crumbs. Because it was extremely loved by the two previous top scorers, it was called the top scorer porridge by the people.
Chen Yan's heart was beating like a drum: "You know?"
Lin Zhi thought Shen Yan was talking about an unscrupulous boss, so she nodded sternly, "I heard from Brother Heng that I can't help you with anything else. I can only make you something delicious. Let's recuperate and we will definitely be able to get through this period!"
Chen Yan's heartbeat became stronger and stronger, and a faint blush appeared on his face: "Yeah."
Perhaps he felt his response was too brief, so he took another deep breath before stumbling over his words, "Wait for me, wait until September."
Linzhi tilted her head and responded in a daze.
Before Chen Yan could say anything else, she urged, “Eat quickly, don’t let the food get cold.”
In addition to this pine nut and walnut porridge, Linzhi also prepared stir-fried shrimp with wild bamboo shoots, chicken with scallion oil, and steamed mandarin fish in lotus leaves. All the dishes on the table are good for promoting salivation and benefiting the stomach, replenishing the essence, and soothing the mind and nourishing the brain.
Chen Yan stopped what he was about to say, thinking that speaking directly would be too disrespectful and unprepared. He quietly put his mind at ease, his eyes fixed on the porridge in front of him. The rice slurry was a warm white, with a few drops of oil floating on the top, making the porridge slightly shiny.
Light brown pine nuts, dark brown walnuts, snow-white lotus seeds and light yellow candied fruit crumbs were scattered among them, floating up and down. The aroma of rice, sweetness and nutty oil filled the air, making Chen Yan swallow his saliva.
He scooped up a spoonful and placed it in his mouth, instantly filled with a rich, mellow aroma: crispy, oily pine nuts and walnuts, soft and glutinous lotus seeds with a hint of bitterness, and finally, a touch of sweetness from the candied fruit.
Next came stir-fried shrimp with wild mushrooms, chicken with scallion oil, and steamed mandarin fish in lotus leaves. Each dish was refreshing and delicious, and would whet your appetite.
Chen Yan buried his head in his food. Not satisfied after finishing his bowl of rice porridge, he ate another bowl of rice before putting down his bowl and chopsticks. He looked at the empty plate and felt his slightly bloated stomach. He felt embarrassed and wanted to speak, but he couldn't help yawning, and yawning again.
"You should take a rest first before leaving." Lin Zhi couldn't help laughing. The rice porridge raised blood sugar quickly. In addition, Chen Yan had a big appetite and ate a lot, so it was normal for him to feel sleepy.
Lin Zhi tiptoed out the door, leaving Chen Yan inside to take a nap. She found Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang and said, "I've asked Yan Ge'er, and he seems to have an idea. He said to hold on for another two months, and it will be fine after September."
The couple breathed a sigh of relief at the same time: "That's good."
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