During the twelve years of the imperial family's rule, their public image was always one of benevolence mixed with weakness.
In the ghostwriter incident, he failed to eradicate the ghostwriter phenomenon, but he protected the talented scholar An Jun and allowed him to participate in the imperial examination.
In the imperial examination cheating scandal, he failed to expose the Fang family, but instead went along with it and had to retake the metropolitan examination.
He seems to be doing something wrong in every aspect, constantly being constrained, yet he can still do something to salvage his reputation and prevent himself from becoming completely incompetent.
Perhaps it cannot be entirely blamed on him.
The late emperor acted too ruthlessly. The military power that should have been in the emperor's hands was diluted. The cabinet, which was originally established to consolidate imperial power, instead restricted the emperor. Even the Imperial Guard, the defensive line of the imperial city, had spies from powerful families.
It's already quite remarkable that the imperial family has managed to achieve this much, given that they lack real power and absolute decisiveness.
He's like a roly-poly toy, swaying back and forth, listening to whoever talks the most and agreeing with whoever makes sense.
Even Chang Yan believed that his elder brother Xu Mo's ability to become the top scholar was the result of his behind-the-scenes manipulation and schemes.
It wasn't until everything came together that we realized it wasn't like that at all.
The emperor was fully aware of the seriousness of cheating in the imperial examinations, yet he still appointed both Fang Yuan and Xu Mo as top-ranking officials. This was likely because he admired Xu Mo's talent and also appreciated Fang Yuan's suggestion.
The former, a rising star, could help him compete with established families; the latter, a proposal, would bring enormous wealth.
But the cheating in the imperial examinations will always escalate. It is impossible for two people involved in a cheating case to become pillars of the country at the same time. The anger of scholars and talents will reach the heavens, demanding the truth from the entire dynasty.
The Fang family was fully aware of the situation, which is why they joined forces with their in-law families to donate. This would not only please the imperial family and temporarily suppress public opinion, but also squeeze out rival families, achieving three goals at once.
The imperial family did nothing but wait for the cheating in the imperial examinations to come to light.
He could gain benefits from the Fang family by joining them, and the only cost would be the sacrifice of the insignificant Xu Mo.
Retreating him would also severely damage Fang Yuan, freeing him from some constraints while consolidating imperial power.
Without analysis, how can one achieve a thorough and vivid understanding?
Chang Yan then realized that his understanding of his father might not be as thorough as he thought.
"So, after the Spring Festival banquet, the Fang family made money for the imperial family, and the only option was to sacrifice my elder brother when the imperial examination cheating scandal escalated?" Jiang Sheng finally turned around after a long struggle, her face pale. "Then should we ruin the Spring Festival banquet? We can't let the Fang family succeed."
If the Fang family succeeds, what will happen to their eldest brother?
“No, we can’t,” Chang Yan sighed. “Not only can we not, we must also make sure the Spring Festival banquet is held in a grand and extravagant manner.”
It was called a spring appreciation banquet, but it was actually a donation.
The Fang family and other prominent families, along with several princes, donated a total of 300,000 taels of silver.
Today, there are more aristocratic families, and their wealth is even greater. They may be able to raise nearly a million taels of silver.
If the emperor were to use that million taels of silver for lavish spending on food, drink, entertainment, and extravagant renovations of his mansion and mausoleum, his actions would be despicable and he would be remembered with infamy for eternity.
In reality, this money was intended to be sent to the frontier to provide food and clothing for hundreds of thousands of soldiers, to provide relief to their families, and to ensure they could comfortably get through the cold winter.
They also forged iron ore to create stronger armor and sharper blades for warriors to use in battle and drive away the Tartars.
When you reach a certain level in life, you lose the absolute black and white, right and wrong.
From Xu Mo's perspective, for millions of students, this emperor was irresponsible, even daring to rig the imperial examinations.
But for the frontier soldiers who are well-fed and clothed, and the relatives of soldiers who have lost their children and husbands, who can say he is bad!
Even the Fang family, who proposed the donation, will gain a lot of goodwill.
"But shouldn't the Fang family's coercion of aristocratic families to donate have incurred resentment?" Jiang Sheng asked, puzzled.
Chang Yan nodded. "It might attract some resentment, but he has united with his own aristocratic families to squeeze out the rival aristocratic families. Even if there is resentment, he has nothing to fear."
Later, the donation was turned into a spring banquet, which may have displeased some officials or wealthy families.
This displeasure could turn into a sharp blade when the Fang family declined, but as long as they won the favor of the emperor and the respect of the people, the Fang family would always be the Fang family, and they would not dare to voice any resentment.
Jiang Sheng ultimately lacked understanding of officialdom, naively believing that offending someone meant death and betraying them meant certain death.
If that were the case, the imperial family would not have been so easily controlled by the powerful clans.
“However, you are right about one thing.” Changyan glanced at the time and suddenly quickened his pace, “Big Brother is indeed in great danger.”
The Fang family did so much only to delay the spread of cheating, not to suppress it. Everyone knows that scholars and talented people will eventually speak out.
Once this situation escalates, someone from Fang Yuan and Xu Mozhong will inevitably become the culprit.
The emperor's favoritism makes the voices of scholars and students very important at this moment, and can even become the key to a decision.
"You must tell your elder brother to be cautious during this period, and remember to make many friends to establish his reputation as a literary giant."
"Also tell Third Brother to return to the frontier with General Jiang, not to be alone, and to quickly seize military power and have enough say."
"My second brother may face a crisis even more intense than the Liao family's business dispute. Tell him not to worry or be afraid, and to just send lychees if he needs anything."
"And fourth brother... study medicine diligently under Doctor Wu, don't let my efforts go to waste."
The distant bells tolled again, signaling that the banquet was about to begin.
Changyan glanced one last time at his sister, who seemed to have grown taller, but said nothing. He then turned and climbed over the window.
We met despite all the hardships and dangers, but who knows when we'll meet again?
With tears in her eyes, Jiang Sheng choked on the word "Fifth Brother" and couldn't bring herself to say it.
"The imperial family is about to arrive at the main hall," Yao Siqing reminded from outside. "Should we hurry back, or wait a while?"
They are such close relatives, yet they have to rack their brains to avoid suspicion, even having to stagger their appearances to avoid arousing doubt.
"Let's wait a bit." Jiang Sheng wiped away her tears. "Fifth Brother is having a harder time than us. Let him go back first."
The two sat in the latrine for a while before slowly getting up and returning to the Hall of Preserving Harmony.
The once noisy hall was now solemn, with members of prominent families, rarely seen on ordinary days, sitting in their respective places, waiting for the arrival of the banquet's host.
The Fifth Prince had just sat down and was talking to the Fourth Prince, seemingly expressing that he was experiencing stomach discomfort.
Jiang Chengyu sat alone at the large table, feeling bored in the empty seat next to her. When she finally saw Jiang Sheng, she waved and called out, "Here, here, sister, come quickly."
Yao Siqing nodded and took the lead in returning to the seat behind the second wife of the Yao family.
Jiang Sheng then returned to stand behind Madam Jiang.
The two sisters had just sat down, and before Jiang Chengyu could even ask any questions, they heard a commotion coming from the main hall: "The Emperor has arrived."
A member of the imperial family, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, strolled out from behind the screen. He glanced at the room full of wealth and nobility, and a strange look appeared in his eyes.
The four princes and one princess were the first to rise, followed by high-ranking officials and their wives and children, who all bowed and greeted the Emperor (Father).
May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace.
The emperor, whose story has been told by many, has finally made his appearance.
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