Chapter 035: Traitorous Minister 35
This is the truth. If it is possible to refuse, Brother Ling will naturally refuse.
"It's the Queen Mother's birthday." A hint of deep meaning flashed in Brother Ling's eyes.
Lin's invitation, under the pretext of celebrating the Empress Dowager's birthday, wasn't so much a invitation to attend as a signal as a sign of whether or not to join the Eighth Prince's group. If he didn't attend, he'd be targeted by these people in the future, and even accused of disrespecting the Empress Dowager, a chance for them to use it to cause trouble.
Although the Ling family is the emperor's party, if the empress dowager wants to deal with the Ling family, even the emperor will be restricted in every way. Moreover, the Ling family is not so important that the emperor needs to risk his life for them. This is why the Ling family was invited.
This is both a threat and an open conspiracy.
If Brother Ling attended the banquet, the emperor would certainly know about it with his spies, which would be like being attacked from both sides and put him in a dilemma.
That's why Brother Ling is in such a difficult situation.
Selfishly, he didn't want to get involved in this mess, but if he didn't go to the banquet, the emperor would have a hard time protecting the Ling family. If he went, the emperor would hold a grudge against him and he would become a member of the empress dowager's faction.
This is what they call "when the great gods fight, the little devils suffer." Whether it was the Empress Dowager or the Emperor, these two great Buddhas were not ones the Ling family could afford to offend.
The most important thing is that even if he becomes a member of the Queen Mother's party, he will definitely not be able to reach the center of the Queen Mother's power because of his betrayal. He can only become a marginal figure. Therefore, Brother Ling is thinking about how to refuse, rather than whether to attend the banquet.
Xiao Yan nodded: "What do you think, Father?"
Brother Ling smiled bitterly and said, "It's beyond my reach."
This banquet was quite unexpected, and it was likely that the Lin family was trying to catch them off guard. Younger generations were always easier to deal with than the more experienced ones, but they also represented the reputation of their respective families. No matter what they did, they would ultimately offend one of them.
"Since you've made up your mind, why are you so hesitant? What's coming will come eventually. It's just a matter of time."
Since he has become the emperor, it is inevitable that he will offend the empress dowager. Compared with the empress dowager, the emperor is the one who is in charge of the life and death of the country and will also be their future superior.
As for who the future new emperor will be, we still have to wait and see. It may not necessarily be the eighth prince, after all, the emperor still has the fifth prince hidden in his hands.
Brother Ling was enlightened when he heard this. "I was overthinking it. Thank you for your advice, Brother Yan."
Since then, Brother Ling had been busy for several days without a single mention of what he was up to. This had left Xiao Chen, who had already adapted, feeling somewhat uneasy. However, as the exam was approaching, the two of them were immersed in intense preparation, and the chaos of the outside world hadn't affected them.
The provincial examination was coming soon, and it was held at the Gongyuan in Zhuzhou City, so it was naturally more rigorous.
After the search, Xiao Yan entered the cell, skillfully put down the chopping board, and then waited quietly for the papers to be distributed.
The test questions this time were quite normal. There were no issues of taking sides, or whether to attack or defend, or any selfish questions that were influenced by the emperor's personal emotions. However, there were still quite a few problems.
The test questions include policy essays, rhetoric, political views and current affairs. It is necessary to be familiar with the three classics. What is tested is the candidate's memory ability, and more of the questions are about current affairs.
At the stage of the provincial examination, anyone who could pass would become a Juren, which was also a reserve candidate for court officials. Most people were stuck at the Tongsheng examination, so the test questions at this time were mostly about current affairs, current policy discussions, as well as essays on imperial edicts, memorials and judgments. There were even questions that contained implicit sarcasm, the intention of which was thought-provoking.
For example, this test question on "Filial Piety" says: Filial piety is the first of all virtues. If a country is governed by filial piety, it will be peaceful and last forever.
Since ancient times, filial piety has been greater than heaven. If we only talk about filial piety, it is commonplace. But now, looking at the world, if filial piety is used to govern the country, who will benefit the most? It must be the Queen Mother!
Talking about filial piety at such a sensitive time must have ulterior motives!
It seemed the Emperor's control over the Ministry of Rites was now compromised, and this was also the Empress Dowager's retaliation against the Emperor. Xiao Yan felt that these forces were like the modern-day Weibo, with the exam questions being Weibo, where various forces were engaged in a back-and-forth exchange, and the only ones harmed were the examinees.
Using the imperial examination system to fight is quite arbitrary, and it can also be seen from this that the imperial examination system is not yet perfect. As long as one has enough power, anyone can make a fuss about it.
Since Xiao Yan chose to become a member of the emperor's party, he naturally spoke on the emperor's side, but it could not be too obvious.
The Ministry of Rites is no longer what it once was, with its power structure divided. He first agreed with the view on filial piety, then argued that while respecting elders is a fundamental ethical principle, it should not be followed blindly and requires individual opinion.
The question about filial piety had been asked by Master Wei before. He argued that only law could suppress filial piety. Xiao Yan slightly modified the theory of filial piety and law, citing examples from the works of his ancestors and current cases. After carefully checking and confirming that they were correct, he copied them.
The heat still lingers in the south in August, so burning some insect repellent incense at night can help you get a good night's sleep. Of course, fire prevention is essential, as fires during the imperial examinations were not uncommon.
Xiao Yan had a strong ability to adapt and was not limited by his shortcomings. By the time it was light the next day, he felt refreshed and had recovered.
In addition to the current affairs policies and historical theories discussed yesterday, there are also views and positions on filial piety, as well as interpretation and judgment of certain events. The test is about the candidates' understanding and comprehension, which covers a wide range.
It's like a test question with only one circle, and you use that circle to explain your own perspective and understanding. Why did this person draw a circle? Is there some hidden meaning? What does the circle express?
Everyone has different perspectives. Xiao Yan wrote: "The sky is round and the earth is square, yin and yang are balanced, and this is the beginning of all things." He interpreted the theory of yin and yang to explain various systems, including food, clothing, housing, transportation, military deployment, and national security and governance.
Of course, these systems are not unchangeable. After all, there will always be deviations in the growth laws of all things, and what Xiao Yan wants is this deviation.
The Yin-Yang theory originated from Taoism, which predicts future developments based on the laws of nature. This prediction is wonderful, mysterious, and at the same time frightening, such as the change of dynasties.
What emperor would want to see his dynasty fall? To prevent this, they would devise every possible means. For example, the Xia Dynasty, whose Five Elements belong to Wood, overcomes Earth, and thus became the Xin Dynasty. Later, the First Emperor, influenced by Yin-Yang philosophy, drew on the element of Water for his deductions.
The reason why Xiao Yan quoted the Yin-Yang theory was to show his extraordinary insight and "all-powerful" talent, but he also wanted to prevent the emperor from feeling fear and then use this deviation to neutralize it.
If the purpose of the previous provincial examination was to gain the emperor's attention, then answering this exam question would allow the emperor to have a deeper understanding of him, to the point of being 'irreplaceable'. This way, even if something were to happen to him in the future, the emperor would be forced to protect him because of his 'irreplaceability', rather than putting the Ling family in the same dilemma.
This was also because the Ling family was inspired and answered this way after careful consideration.
He wanted the emperor to trust him and even rely on him. At the beginning of his plan, he was not restricted by any ideological or theoretical basis. In his eyes, it was just a means of applying to politics.
After several days, the provincial examination finally ended and the results were usually announced in early September.
After the exam, Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen rested for several days to get rid of the fatigue brought by the provincial examination.
Examinations, whether in ancient times or modern times, are always inseparable from the activity of answering questions.
Brother Ling, whom I hadn't seen for a long time, finally came to visit me. His first words were -
"Brother Yan and brother Chen, what does O mean?"
Xiao Chen summarized his response: "Overfullness leads to loss, excess leads to loss, everything reaches its limit and reverses, and sharpness cannot be maintained for long. Respecting the virtuous and being humble to those below is the way of a ruler, an official, and a human being."
When Xiao Yan heard this, he understood that what Xiao Chen was writing about was how people of different classes should behave in the world, and it was also advice to different people.
For example, the monarch is the will of the entire country, and the monarch's words and deeds affect the people of the world. What qualities should a wise monarch possess? For example, what should officials do to govern a region and benefit the people?
When Brother Ling heard this, he slapped his head in frustration and said, "Why didn't I think of this?"
Xiao Yan was puzzled. After all, this guy was as cunning as a sieve. How could he not have thought of this? He always felt like he was pretending!
Unexpectedly, Brother Ling was genuinely upset. "When I saw that O, I thought it meant a chicken. Then I thought of a debate I'd read in an essay: Which came first, the chicken or the chicken? So I wrote it this way."
Xiao Yan: “…”
Good boy, really good boy, this guy actually thought about this question about the origin of the universe and life...
Xiao Yan was very curious. After all, there was no clear answer to this question in the modern world. After all, the origin of the first chicken in the world was an eternal mystery that could not be traced back. So how did he write it?
Seeing the two of them looking at him, Brother Ling told him his answer, and Xiao Yan suddenly fell silent.
Brother Ling sighed, "I've always prided myself on my talent, but I know nothing about farming. I can't even answer the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg."
Xiao Yan: “…”
He said to himself, "After writing this, I still haven't found the final answer, so I have to give up. I plan to return to Yangzhou City in a few days to find the chicken and the egg to see which came first."
Xiao Yan: “…”
Xiao Chen: “…”
Good heavens, the truth about why this guy didn’t make a name for himself in officialdom in his previous life has come to light!
So this guy has gone off to study which came first, the chicken or the egg? If he conducts this experiment, he'll probably never find the answer! With his intelligence, he might even be able to come up with the theory of evolution!
Xiao Yan was speechless, not knowing what to say. Seeing how serious he was, he wanted to stop him, but he was afraid of disrupting his original trajectory. Besides, since you are not a fish, how can you understand the joy of a fish?
But as a friend, I still have to say what I should say.
"Brother Ling, it's very likely that you won't be able to figure out the answer to this question in your entire life. In that case, do you want to continue?"
Brother Ling was very stubborn. "Things have exteriors and interiors, coarse and fine. Even Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs and was able to study things to gain knowledge. Why can't I study things in the same way? Even if I spend my entire life studying, what do I have to fear?"
After saying this, he hurriedly stood up and said goodbye to Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen, intending to return home immediately to continue his pursuit of knowledge through investigation of things.
Xiao Yan: “…”
Xiao Chen:…"
The two looked at each other in silence for a long time.
We said we would be colleagues, work together in the court, and stick together, but halfway through, he went to study the origin of life.
However, Xiao Yan still respected and blessed this. After all, this was what he asked for, and as a friend, he could only support him.
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