Song Chi remained silent. County Magistrate Feng had a powerful backer, so naturally he had some tricks up his sleeve.
He added, "If that's the case, can we use a sleight of hand to trick them into lowering their guard before delivering a thunderous blow?"
"You and I are on the same page."
Feng Yuan continued, "I was just about to pass on a piece of evidence and deliberately let them intercept it."
He looked at Song Chi and said, "I am in this situation entirely because you are by my side. Regardless of whether you will enter the officialdom in the future, you are inseparable from the Qingliu Party and will definitely be regarded as a thorn in the side by the Wen Party."
"You understand all this, right?"
How could Song Chi not understand? Feng Yuan was telling him clearly that he should join the Qingliu Party camp. If not for anything else, at least he could get some protection. With a clear reason, Feng Yuan could fight for him.
"It's difficult to avoid forming cliques while serving in the court. Even if you don't want to form cliques, you still need the support of your fellow townsmen and colleagues... Only then can you go further. If you don't have anyone in the court to speak up for you when you're in trouble, how can you achieve anything great if you can't even be an official?"
Song Chi was very surprised. He didn't expect that Feng Yuan, who looked a bit pedantic, could say such words.
Yes.
He is the one who formed the party and is also a student of Lu Taiyuan, the leader of the Qingliu Party, but this identity has not been made public.
I think this is also Lu Taiyuan's protection for him. The friendship between teachers and students is the most important. Once people know that he is Lu Taiyuan's student, he will be madly suppressed by the literary party.
"Remember this: if you don't work for yourself, you will be punished by heaven and earth!"
Feng Yuan said in a deep voice: "If you can't even protect yourself, how can you talk about ideal revenge, how can you talk about serving the country and the people?"
Song Chi nodded. This was Feng Yuan's heartfelt words, and also his experience. He was not clear about local government affairs and did not understand the complexities of the local area, but he had worked as an editor in the Hanlin Academy for ten years, and had Lu Taiyuan's guidance and instruction.
"You've been my advisor for two months, and during that time you've taught me a lot. We're both teachers and friends. Your actions in Ji County were too aggressive, and many of your actions were not in compliance with regulations..."
Feng Yuan paused, "You have a special relationship with that Madam Su. You must be the owner of the Datong Trading Company."
"It's not me. I'm going to enter the officialdom. How can I do business?" Song Chi denied it directly. It had nothing to do with him in the first place, and he had never taken a penny from Datong Trading Company.
"The money in Su Mingyue's hands is ill-gotten gains. You took the opportunity to stabilize grain prices to launder it. You don't really think I don't know anything, do you?"
Song Chi exclaimed in admiration, "Your Excellency has a keen eye."
He paused and continued, "The current situation is also due to Madam Su. This is the condition I promised him at the time, and I should fulfill it."
"That's why I turned a blind eye."
Feng Yuan said, "I'm saying this to remind you that a gentleman shouldn't stand under a dangerous wall. If you keep your house clean, you won't be afraid of welcoming guests in, let alone people talking about you. You're still young and have a bright future ahead of you, so don't make mistakes."
He spoke with a tone of earnest instruction.
Song Chi kept it in mind.
"So, you need to keep a low profile, calm down, stay away from distractions and focus on your studies. The academy is a good place to go."
Feng Yuan asked again, "After the Tongsheng exam, the government will recommend you to study at the provincial academy. If you pass the academy exam, you will be given student status and can continue studying at the academy. However, the academy has exams every year, and you can only stay at the academy if you can maintain your student status."
"With your current level of knowledge, passing the Imperial College Examination shouldn't be a problem. The difficult part is the Provincial Examination in August."
"If you pass the academy exam, you will be a scholar, and you will enjoy privileges. It shows that officials don't kneel. If you pass the provincial exam, you will be a juren, which means you are eligible to become an official!"
Song Chi nodded, and couldn't help but feel a little longing.
Juren.
I once learned about Fan Jin's success in the imperial examination in textbooks. Fan Jin was fifty years old at that time. He passed the examination for a scholar as a student, and then passed the examination for a juren, and then he went crazy.
The road to the imperial examination is long and full of obstacles at every step.
Song Chi entered the county government office and usually did not interact with the candidates and students. In fact, there were many students in their forties and fifties, and some of them would never pass the examination to become a scholar in their entire life.
After all, in this era, learning is still too luxurious.
The aristocratic families have an extremely severe blockade of knowledge. He has already passed the county and prefectural examinations. How many of them actually come from ordinary farming families?
Don’t say that a noble son comes from a poor family.
A poor family is not a poor peasant family. A poor family is a wealthy family that has fallen on hard times. Ordinary families are not even considered a poor family.
Song Chi was a top student in his previous life and a gifted examinee. He also had a photographic memory and Feng Yuan's generous teaching helped him connect the two levels.
"The provincial examination is held every three years, and this year is the year of the examination. If you can pass, you will have taken the exam four times in a row in the same year. Even if you don't get a ranking, your reputation will be greatly enhanced. You must remember that reputation is also a talisman. The greater your reputation, the more cautious others will be when trying to touch you."
Feng Yuan was reminding Song Chi that he had offended too many people after all.
“I will try my best to get a good ranking.”
Song Chi sighed, "I just hope I won't encounter any difficulties."
He was very disappointed with the Great Zhou. If a court was so corrupt even in selecting officials, what hope was there for this country?
Although he has real talent and knowledge, he is worried about being bullied and plotted against.
All he thought about all day was not how to get good grades, but how to avoid being embarrassed. For example, he had to put in a lot of effort to reach a deal with Zhou Zhengan during this provincial examination.
"The provincial examination is a formal imperial examination, so they dare not be too presumptuous." Feng Yuan said: "Good writing can be criticized, and when encountering injustice, we must fight for our rights."
"clear."
Song Chi knew that he was now also a member of the "organization".
He didn't like the Wen Party or the Qingliu Party, but he had to join them. Just as Lord Feng said, if he couldn't even protect himself, how could he realize his ideals and ambitions?
"The best academy in Jiangzhou is Nandu Academy."
Feng Yuan explained, "Jiangzhou City was once designated as the secondary capital by the imperial court, and it was at that time that it was converted into the Southern Capital Academy... However, over the years, Jiangzhou officials have all been members of the Literary Party, and the academy's atmosphere has been affected, becoming dominated by Literary Party members."
"You are the first in the prefecture case, so you are naturally qualified to be admitted, but you will probably encounter difficulties."
"Are you being difficult?"
Song Chi smiled faintly and said, "What I'm least afraid of is being made difficult."
"I'm not worried about that. You're not the one who'll suffer any loss."
Feng Yuan stood up and said, "This is all I have to say to you. It can be regarded as a parting gift. However, our friendship will never be severed. No matter what happens to you outside, I will always be your backer!"
Hearing this, Song Chi couldn't help but be moved.
He could tell that these were heartfelt words; Feng Yuan was a pure man of letters.
"I don't like drinking, and I've never drunk before. Today I'll have tea instead. I wish you the best of luck in your journey."
He raised his glass.
So that was why he poured himself a glass as well.
Song Chi also raised his glass, and the two of them clinked their glasses and drank together. "I also wish you..."
Before he could finish his words, Su Dahai pushed the door open and walked in.
"The county magistrate is dead."
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