Chapter 124 It’s time to choose a good knife and cut away the diseased branches and insect leaves
Gu Yanjun endured the pain and stood up. He bowed to the emperor again and said, "Among the candidates in the capital, there is a candidate named Xi. He is good at calling on his friends and gathering candidates for essay review at regular intervals. Although he is not the only one who organizes essay review meetings, he is the only one who can invite some of the most famous candidates."
"For example, last time, he invited top scholars from the capital, Zhejiang, and Shandong to come together for a discussion and critique. I went there once, and it was quite interesting!"
The emperor was intrigued upon hearing this and asked thoughtfully, "The top scholar in the capital? But the one who wanted to marry Xu Chongnian and betrayed his loyalty?"
Gu Yanjun couldn't help but shake his head and smiled, "It is indeed that Du Heng, but Your Majesty, do you remember that the old princess even guaranteed him for this matter?"
The emperor nodded, then recalled Zhou Cheng's report and said, "So I only postponed his exam, not banned it."
As an emperor, he is not so soft-hearted. It was Du Heng who gave him a handle when he wanted to take action against Xu Chongnian. What can he do if he was wronged?
Gu Yanjun couldn't comment on the emperor's decision, so he changed the subject and said, "The emperor has also heard of the Zhejiang champion."
Sure enough, this one sentence caused the emperor to look at him: "Oh? Who is it?"
"This man's surname is Yuan, and his given name is just Song!"
"Yuan?" The emperor pondered for a moment, then hummed in understanding, "This Yuan Zhixu really knows how to achieve a successful career and a long-lasting family fortune!"
As if recalling that day, Yuan Song's arrogance and Du Heng's polite rebuttal, Gu Yanjun couldn't help but add, "Putting aside other things for now, just considering the talent of these two, I can't help but speak for them. Given time, if given the opportunity, these two will surely become pillars of our Great Zhou."
The emperor smiled and said, "Since I've known you, I rarely hear you speak so highly of others."
Gu Yanjun bowed again and said, "Your Majesty knows me well and never speaks nonsense."
Having followed His Majesty for many years, he has earned his trust not only through his counsel but also through his deep understanding of the art of serving the emperor. Some words should be kept to a minimum; any more will only lead to trouble.
Then, Gu Yanjun turned the conversation back to the literary appreciation meeting and said, "I can first give that student a hint and ask him to organize another literary appreciation meeting to take the opportunity to explore the opinions of this year's candidates on the North."
"The Spring Examination papers that can be presented to His Majesty have all been carefully selected. Gatherings like this can better reveal the level of their talents."
"Your Majesty, you can also use this opportunity to test Du Heng and Yuan Song to see if what I said is true."
After Gu Yanjun finished speaking, he lowered his head and waited respectfully without saying anything more.
Above the imperial desk, the jade-handled palace lantern illuminated the mountain of memorials: conflicts in the north, the spread of the epidemic, water warnings in the east, and a looming drought in the west. However, in the hall, only the Pei and Lu factions were fighting each other, while the rest of the people watched from the sidelines, saying nothing to avoid getting involved.
Somehow, the lamp flame suddenly trembled, making the urgent memorials on the imperial desk even more dazzling.
After a long pause, the emperor finally said, "If a tree is not cut down by itself, it will be infested with insects. It's time to pick out a good knife and cut away the diseased branches and leaves."
…
Xi Xiyue never thought that he would welcome Du Heng today after seeing off Yuan Song the day before yesterday.
"Junior brother."
Xi Xiyue personally greeted him, but he saw that Du Heng wasn't as depressed as he'd imagined. Instead, he looked quite cheerful. He immediately put away his prepared words of comfort and happily invited him into his study.
"Brother, excuse me for disturbing you."
Du Heng did not go in directly, but bowed according to etiquette before following Xi Xiyue into the study.
"Of course, of course. Seeing you're alright, I'm relieved!" Xi Xiyue sat down, ordered someone to serve him some good tea, and then got straight to the point: "Junior brother, is there anything you need from me? There's no need for formalities between you and me, just tell me."
Du Heng thanked him and stated his purpose: "I have decided to abandon literature and pursue medicine, and I plan to travel to the North. I recently heard that the red spot plague in the North is out of control and has begun to spread. However, this disease is not incurable, so why is it still so difficult to control? I want to understand the reason. I would like to borrow your connections to explore the situation in the North. I wonder if you can help me?"
After listening to Du Heng's story, Xi Xiyue couldn't help but sigh, "It's a pity that the Great Zhou has lost a pillar. However, it's also a blessing for the Great Zhou to have gained a benevolent doctor."
"I do have several close friends of varying ages serving in the imperial court, and I've heard that the court has been debating the affairs of the North for a long time. However, the information I've been able to gather is only superficial. The complexity of the North is beyond the reach of scholars like me. What do you think, Junior Brother?"
"Brother, what you say makes sense," Du Heng said respectfully. "In this world, very few can see through the mysteries at a glance. As long as we accumulate enough superficial appearances and eliminate the false and retain the true, we can always get closer to the truth. Brother, your willingness to help me with this is already a great favor. I will handle the rest of the matter with caution."
Xi Xiyue patted Du Heng on the shoulder and said, "I trust you, Junior Brother. Please wait for me for three days."
Before he could finish his words, a servant came to report. Xi Xiyue said goodbye and left the study.
After a cup of tea, Xi Xiyue returned to his study and sighed, "What a coincidence! Just as I mentioned that close friend of mine, he sent a letter inviting me to hold a literary appreciation meeting on the theme of the North before the Spring Examination. It seems my friend and I are thinking alike!"
Du Heng, however, was unconcerned, saying calmly, "The plagues in the north are frequent, and the people have heard about it. The early start of the Spring Examination is also somewhat related to this, so it's not a big coincidence."
Xi Xiyue thought this made sense, but he still felt unsatisfied. He suggested, "Now that candidates from all over the country have arrived in Beijing, this is not only the last literary appreciation meeting before the Spring Examination, but also a rare opportunity for us to learn from each other. Junior brother, I sincerely hope you will come."
Du Heng said, "Brother, to be honest, I was planning to write an essay on this matter, but this essay is only intended to serve as a research paper for my trip to the north, and I have no intention of returning to the court."
"This literary gathering," Du Heng paused and said apologetically, "Junior brother won't go."
Xi Xiyue felt it was a pity, but knowing Du Heng's temperament, he didn't force him. He simply took a step back and said, "Since that's the case, could you please send someone to bring the article to me for review? If you don't want to attract attention, you can keep it anonymous. This article is for reference before your trip north. Why not use it as a starting point to spark discussion? Perhaps you can get some different perspectives from talented people from all over the world. This is a great opportunity for exchange, and I really don't want you to miss it."
Seeing that Xi Xiyue's words made sense, Du Heng did not insist on refusing. He just said, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother. If I finish writing it, I will definitely send it to you."
Xi Xiyue nodded: "I'll wait and see!"
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