[An Xiaoniao is awesome! Every page of the books I've read these past few days has been worthwhile. In a few years, I might even pass the imperial examination!]
If someone like Xiaoniao lived in the future, even from an ordinary family, with her patience, meticulousness, and talent, getting into a top-tier university would be a piece of cake.
No matter what she does, she can earn a bright and glorious future for herself. Even in this cutthroat harem, although she hasn't received any genuine affection from the chubby orange-haired prince, she has still been the one who received his exclusive favor.
If they also wield the weapon of thought, oh my god, their combat power would be off the charts!
The weapon of thought? Are these books it?
An Lingrong glanced at the History of Ming in her hand; she had just come across the records of the Jiajing reign.
The court is filled with high-ranking officials, all of whom are scholars. Others carry swords, but I wield a pen like a knife. In the morning, I was a peasant; by evening, I've risen to the emperor's court. Nobility is not inherited; a man must strive for it himself.
When she was still at home, she heard her younger brother recite the poems of child prodigies.
Others carry swords, but I have a pen that's like a knife...
An Lingrong felt as if she had finally understood...
Sun Miaoqing rested her chin on her hand, deeply realizing that aside from her God-like perspective and the knowledge gained from being born hundreds of years later, she simply couldn't outwit these people based on intelligence alone.
After all, Mei Jie was pushed into the water by Zhou Ninghai at Hua Pangpang's behest. When she woke up, she heard Zhen Huan say that Da Pang Ju and Hua Fei had returned to Yikun Palace together, and she knew about this incident. She could only accept her bad luck and say that she had accidentally fallen into the water.
If it were her, she would never have known the intricacies of the situation. She would have already been shouting that someone was trying to frame her, begging the fat orange and the queen to stand up for her, making everyone think she was being unreasonable.
Sun Miaoqing said, "Besides the matter of being buried alive with the dead, what else did you see? You just said that the general trend of the world is beyond human control. Did you see that from Zhu Yuanzhang?"
An Lingrong shook her head. What she saw in Zhu Yuanzhang was imperial achievements, the vast world, and who would rise and fall.
He had been a monk and a beggar, his origins even more humble than hers. Yet, in the end, he became a powerful and influential founding emperor. Thinking of this, An Lingrong felt an inexplicable surge of emotion within her, though she didn't yet know why.
She smiled faintly and handed the History of Ming Dynasty to Sun Miaoqing, saying, "I saw it here."
Sun Miaoqing took the book suspiciously and looked at the page she had turned to. "Hu Zongxian?"
"He was a capable leader who made outstanding contributions and quelled the Japanese pirates. He was a meritorious official who was willing to do things for the country and the people. However, in the end, he almost lost his reputation and died a miserable death in prison."
An Lingrong said, "Yes, seeing all this makes me think. Hu Zongxian was such a capable man. If it was because of corruption and factional strife, didn't the Jiajing Emperor already let him go?"
"After being dismissed from his post and returning to his hometown for two years, he was implicated in a forged imperial edict. Judging from his suicide and the court's exoneration of him, he was indeed wronged. However, it is also a fact that he pleaded his case several times in prison to no avail."
"The affairs of the imperial court are indeed unpredictable and treacherous; even if one knows the outcome, it is still difficult to fathom."
[The History of Ming was not completed until four years after the death of the emperor. Furthermore, even the historians themselves might not have known the details, making it even more difficult for later generations to discern the truth based solely on surviving texts.]
[The Ming Dynasty drama I'm most familiar with is "Love Through Time," but Hu Zongxian is no challenge for me either, given how mind-bending "Ming Dynasty 1566" was; I even had to Google him back then!]
Sun Miaoqing thought for a moment and said, "To wipe out the Japanese pirates, we need a large sum of money. It's not easy to get funding from the imperial court. Even if it's approved, we'll be lucky to get half of it. By then, it'll be too late."
“Hu Zongxian embezzled funds to satisfy his extravagant lifestyle and also used them to fight against Japanese pirates. Jiajing was well aware of this and would not be harsh on him for it.”
"If the emperor executes a minister on the grounds of corruption, it is certainly not because he is corrupt and therefore deserves to be killed, but for some other reason."
"As for joining Yan Song's faction, he was indeed on the wrong side. Given Yan Song's power at the time, if Hu Zongxian had not joined him, he would probably have met the same fate as Yue Fei."
“Besides the Yan family, who else could provide him with a stable rear, allowing him to focus all his energy on eliminating the threat of Japanese pirates? That’s why when Xu Jie used this to frame him, Jiajing spared his life.”
"But the Japanese pirates have been quelled, the southeast has been pacified, and Hu Zongxian is no longer of any use. Meanwhile, his political enemies are still around and hold great power. When the news of the forged imperial edict reaches the emperor's ears, and the emperor no longer protects him, his death is inevitable."
An Lingrong said, "But he is innocent. He has pleaded his case many times in prison. If the emperor orders a thorough investigation, he will surely be exonerated!"
Sun Miaoqing said, "If you were Xu Jie, would you have allowed Hu Zongxian's defense to reach the emperor's ears?"
An Lingrong was taken aback. Of course, she wouldn't either. No, if it were her, she would have stopped after Hu Zongxian was dismissed from office and returned to his hometown. There was no deep-seated hatred between them, so why insist on killing each other?
"But Hu Zongxian is no longer a threat, so why take his life? Aren't you worried that after you retire, others will follow suit?"
At this point, An Xiaoniao was still kind-hearted, not understanding that with other kinds of grudges, there might be a day when enemies could become friends. But political rivals could only be a matter of life and death.
The Ming Dynasty perished due to factional strife. Those scholars, while spouting Confucianism about achieving benevolence and Mencius about upholding righteousness, were in reality ruthless and cunning. If it weren't for this internal and external decay, the Aisin Gioro clan would still be fishing outside the Great Wall, with no chance of ever conquering the Central Plains.
An Lingrong's eyelids twitched, and she glanced quickly at Sun Miaoqing before looking away again.
Sun Miaoqing didn't notice any of this and said directly, "Because Xu Jie knew that Jiajing still had some affection for Yan Song, and Yan Song's cronies had not been completely wiped out and were still moving around."
"Even after the Jiajing Emperor, he considered recalling Yan Song. However, Xu Jie found out and persuaded him to return."
"If you were in that situation, would you let go of this capable and trusted subordinate?"
An Lingrong thought for a while, then smiled slightly and said directly, "I don't know, maybe yes, maybe no."
"No wonder everyone says that the imperial court is far more dangerous than the battlefield. Officials are not to be trifled with."
Sun Miaoqing laughed and said, "Aren't we all officials in our families?"
An Lingrong said, "Sister is right, but my father is just a minor county magistrate."
Seeing that An Lingrong spoke so frankly, unlike before when she was ashamed to speak, Sun Miaoqing felt that she was genuine and different from before.
She continued, "To be honest, Sister Sun, I used to think that my family was of humble origin, but after hearing what you said today, I feel fortunate."
"There are advantages to having a low-ranking official position, and having a high-ranking position is not necessarily a good thing. At least, you won't be involved in these major events."
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