Next, Shen Qingchen felt a meaningful gaze directed at her. She sighed almost imperceptibly and lowered her head. This handkerchief would probably keep Xu Silin clinging to her and making her laugh for another year.
Xu Silin unfolded the handkerchief in his palm, examined it carefully, and then put it down and sniffed it. He smelled a faint scent of ink, which was quite pleasant.
He walked to Shen Qingchen's table, waved the handkerchief a couple of times, and asked, "Yours?"
Just as Shen Qingchen was about to take it, he withdrew his hand and said, "Did you go slaughtering pigs this morning? Why are you bleeding so much?"
Yu Ren laughed for a while. Qing Chen looked at him and whispered, "It has nothing to do with you. Give it back to me."
Xu Silin leaned against her desk with a faint smile. His gaze inadvertently fell on the pink handkerchief wrapped around her fingers, and his brow furrowed slightly. He thought to himself, "He actually has a pink handkerchief, embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water. Some young lady must have embroidered it herself as a gift." Then, looking at her handsome brow bone and clear eyes, a strange, inexplicable feeling welled up inside him.
So he immediately abandoned his idea of returning her handkerchief, casually tossing it behind him, and the handkerchief flew out again.
At that moment, Song Yue walked in amidst everyone's gaze, and the handkerchief just happened to float onto his desk.
He looked down and was startled when he saw the blood-stained handkerchief on the table. He immediately removed his hands from the edge of the table, without even getting them on his sleeves.
Her gaze swept downwards, her cool voice tinged with displeasure, "Whose is this?"
Everyone looked at Shen Qingchen, so she had no choice but to stand up and say, "Teacher, it was the student..."
Song Yue looked at the top student in the second-highest tier, a student who had previously mocked him for wasting his time on frivolous pursuits, and frowned slightly. "Get your things out of here!"
His complexion wasn't good, and sweat was already beading on his forehead. He really did have hemophobia. Shen Qingchen bent down, took out a handkerchief, and quickly stuffed it into her sleeve.
As she passed Xu Silin's table on her way back to her seat, he suddenly grabbed the sleeve of her blue robe. Shen Qingchen staggered, and then heard his voice behind her: "The handkerchief that you saw earlier, teacher, was drawn by Shen Qingchen with her own blood. It is a replica of the 'Winter Plum Blossom in Snow' painting by an ancient artist. I heard that it was specially made to give to you, teacher."
She opened her eyes wide and turned around, only to see him smiling at her, his eyes gleaming. "Shen Tongnian, if you were going to give a gift, why did you take it back after giving it away? Although I hold a high position and have seen many rare treasures bestowed by the Emperor, I believe I will not disdain your sincerity."
Shen Qingchen's head suddenly went "buzz," and his legs went weak.
A high-ranking official of the second rank in the imperial court, the Second Grand Secretary, with such a dirty, bloodstained handkerchief? This was clearly meant to embarrass both Song Yue and her. He really was Xu Yan's son.
Song Yue glanced at her and said, "Bring it up."
Shen Qingchen nervously pursed her lips, lowered her head and walked forward, not daring to even look at him. How could she give away something like this?
She folded the handkerchief, trying to cover the bloodstains, and then presented it to him with both hands, her hands trembling. "Teacher..."
Song Yue glanced at the handkerchief, then at her pale, nervous face, and took the handkerchief with one hand, holding it tightly in her hand. "Thank you for your trouble."
Qingchen lowered his head in embarrassment.
"I forgot to tell you, I don't like receiving gifts." He looked at the crowd below and said seriously, "There's no need to send anything in the future. This is the last time, and there will be no exceptions."
A dirty handkerchief is bad enough, but he also hates receiving gifts. He'd only been here a short time, and she'd already caused him this much trouble and unpleasantness…
Song Yue looked at her, and her cool voice rang out again, "This time... I want to thank you."
She looked up in surprise, her confused gaze meeting his dark eyes.
"A few days ago, an envoy from Goryeo came to pay tribute. His Majesty wanted to prepare a return gift for them and summoned me to discuss it with him. This gift should be both precious and unique, showcasing the grandeur of our great Ming Dynasty, and capable of intimidating Goryeo and making them obediently become a vassal state of our great Ming Dynasty."
"You reminded me, so I'll send them a painting of plum blossoms in the snow. If they don't obey, I'll make them suffer like the vanished dynasty, with the whole country in a cold night and blood falling from the sky... Those who offend my Great Ming, though far away, shall be punished."
"I'll accept this handkerchief." With that, he tucked it into his sleeve.
Shen Qingchen stared blankly at his teacher.
He truly lived up to his reputation as a top-tier civil official. Having witnessed the treacherous nature of the empire, he possessed a sharp mind and was quick-witted and eloquent. Although he was clearly using rhetoric to extricate himself from a predicament, every word he uttered was perfectly appropriate and left no room for argument. He always seemed to possess an air of composure, giving the impression that he was invincible.
Xu Silin frowned, his amused expression completely gone.
This Mr. Song was underestimated after all.
He glanced at Shen Qingchen and saw that the sunlight was shining on her fair face. Her body, covered by a green robe, was slender and tall, and her back was very straight. Her gaze towards Song Yue was filled with respect.
It seems that ever since he made that bet with her—no, ever since Song Yue became their teacher—luck has been on his side.
Song Yue continued, "The affairs of the Cabinet and the Ministry of Rites are very busy, so I don't have much time to teach you and I won't be here often. How well you learn in the future depends on yourselves."
The Shujishi were not ordinary Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations); they were the elite among the scholars of the Ming Dynasty. While learning practical skills, their literary cultivation was naturally indispensable. Therefore, they had to continue studying classical texts and calligraphy, and the court would send teachers specializing in these subjects to instruct them.
Song Yue was a special kind of teacher, so it's unlikely that he would teach them classical texts and calligraphy.
Sure enough, he then said, "Each of you should formulate three policy topics and discuss them. Show them to me when you're done."
As recorded in historical texts, his teaching method was through policy questions, and the questions were even proposed by the students themselves.
If he only asked them to formulate policy proposals, it wouldn't be a difficult task for these seasoned scholars who had been through countless policy-making processes. The abilities he assessed might only be partly test-taking skills. However, if the students were to formulate the proposals themselves, he could understand what they cared about, whether they only knew how to praise the virtuous and wise, and whether they truly considered national affairs and civil matters. This was both a teaching exercise and, in a way, a diagnostic test.
Shen Qingchen was the top scorer in the second class. The policy questions were the part she did best in the imperial examination. She studied history and researched a lot of historical documents. She was very familiar with the current political issues of the Ming Dynasty, so it was not difficult for her to write three policy questions.
The difficulty lies in choosing which topic to write about.
She had read Song Yue's biography and knew what he cared about, what theories he proposed, and what policies he implemented. Now, as she picked up her pen to write, her mind was filled with the viewpoints that Song Yue had mentioned.
Should I write it?
She hesitated for a moment, then put down her pen, picked up the ink stick, tucked it into her sleeve, and began to grind the ink unconsciously. Gu Shaoheng turned his head and saw that her gaze was somewhat fixed beside her neatly trimmed temples, her slender, fair fingers holding the ink stick, and the fine veins on the back of her hand were visible.
He guessed that she, the best among the junior scholars, was probably seriously working on the problem, so he didn't disturb her. He also had his own ideas, so he began to write.
Song Yue, standing on the podium, glanced around and noticed that everyone had already started writing, except for the top student in the second class who hadn't yet picked up a pen. He couldn't help but twitch his eyebrows slightly, thinking of the handkerchief he had tucked into his sleeve.
After a while, Shen Qingchen finally began to write, but she did not follow Song Yue's political views. It felt a bit like cheating, and it made her feel uneasy.
The group had only been writing for a short while when an eunuch arrived at the door. The man, carrying a whisk and wearing a vermilion robe embroidered with gold thread, was none other than Huang Heng, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, one of the emperor's trusted inner ministers. He bowed to Song Yue and said, "Grand Eunuch, His Majesty requests your presence at the Qianqing Palace."
Song Yue calmly responded, glanced at them, and then followed Eunuch Huang. The lesson lasted less than half an hour. Just as the two left, a man dressed as a clerk from the Six Ministries came to find him, presenting him with a document. He walked along, reading it with a serious expression, and gave the clerk a few instructions, to which the man nodded repeatedly.
Once he stepped out of the lecture hall, he transformed from a teacher back into a Grand Secretary and Minister.
Shen Qingchen stared at his retreating figure, gradually lost in thought.
The reigning emperor was a careless ruler who rarely attended court and relied on the Grand Secretariat and the Directorate of Ceremonial to handle many matters. As a result, the Grand Secretariat members and the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial wielded considerable power.
Grand Secretary Xu Yan had been deeply involved in the court for decades. Not only did he place many of his faction members in the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, but he also maintained close ties with the Five Military Commands. Even the Grand Eunuch and the Chief Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial had a close relationship with him, with some secret dealings involving mutual benefits. He controlled civil officials, military officials, and eunuchs, ultimately leading to the Xu family's immense power.
In comparison, the current Vice Minister Song Yue seems to have little power. He is not affiliated with any party and has no prominent background. He got to his current position on his own merit.
However, one day in the future, her teacher still became the Grand Secretary, the most powerful person in the vast land of the two capitals and thirteen provinces, second only to the emperor.
Seeing Shen Qingchen lost in thought, Gu Shaoheng wrote a note, crumpled it up, and tossed it over: Does your finger still hurt?
She shook her head at him.
He leaned closer and whispered, "Your hand hurts, so you can't write well. Shall we go to the outhouse and rest for a bit?"
She nudged him in the chest with her elbow to create distance between them, saying, "My left hand is injured."
Hearing the sound, Xu Silin turned around and saw the two people making small movements with their hands, and frowned twice.
Time passed, and Song Yue never returned. When the time came, they ended the class on their own.
Another teacher came to teach classical texts in the afternoon, and Shen Qingchen listened somewhat absentmindedly. After the tumultuous morning class, she found this class rather dull for the first time.
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