Imprisonment II
The doorman hadn't returned for a long time, and Li Qingyan couldn't sit still any longer, pacing back and forth in the living room.
He was in a hurry to deliver the message, and had not eaten since noon. Now his stomach was empty, and he was hot and hungry.
All the dry rations had already been given to the coachman who brought him here. Besides, even if there were dry rations, Li Qingyan dared not lose face by eating and drinking lavishly in the living room. Only the half-full water in his water bag could solve his immediate problem.
He opened the lid and poured it all into his stomach, and the acidity in his stomach finally subsided considerably.
The physical discomfort disappeared, but the mental tension was amplified infinitely.
The longer he waited, the more unbearable it became. Just as he was about to give up, thinking that studying was the same no matter where he was, and picked up his bundle again to leave the Imperial Academy, a student finally came running into the living room.
The young scholar ran into the living room, slightly out of breath, and said to Li Qingyan, "Mr. Li, the Grand Secretary requests your presence."
With her anxiety finally subsiding, Li Qingyan exclaimed "Hey!" and picked up her bundle to follow the student.
"Sir, you can leave your luggage in the living room." Seeing this, Tong Sheng quickly helped Li Qingyan stack the package and book basket in the corner of the living room, and then led him through the winding corridor to Lu Zhan's room.
The young scholar gently knocked on Lu Zhan's door and reported, "Lord Lu, Mr. Li has arrived."
Li Qingyan entered the inner room, where an elderly man in his sixties sat at the table in the center.
The old man sat upright, and his gray hair could not hide his spirited demeanor.
This must be Lu Zhan, the Grand Scholar.
Li Qingyan bowed respectfully in his direction.
Lu Zhan held the letter of recommendation, also sizing up this soon-to-be new disciple.
Compared to the ease of the scions of prominent families, this student was noticeably more reserved, but only somewhat restrained and uneasy, without the slightest hint of timidity.
Lu Zhan had always disliked those who lacked integrity and were obsequious. He nodded vigorously, holding the letter in his hand, and asked Li Qingyan, "What is your relationship with the person who wrote this letter?"
Li Qingyan didn't know what her relationship with Mu Chuan was.
The employer's lover?
Master and apprentice, or friends?
None of them seem quite right.
He couldn't answer for a moment and stood there awkwardly, stammering.
A look of understanding crossed Lu Zhan's eyes. They probably weren't very familiar with each other. Perhaps his beloved disciple approved of this person's character and conduct, which was why he entrusted the letter to him. Fortunately, he did not fail in his mission and successfully delivered the letter. He did not try to curry favor with anyone, showing some integrity.
He casually picked up an exam paper from the table: "The letter said that you came to the capital to participate in the autumn imperial examination. Right now, I need to go to the palace to meet the emperor. I'll see how you answer the questions when I get back."
Li Qingyan respectfully accepted the paper handed to her by Lu Zhan, and watched as Lu Zhan hurriedly got up and rushed out the door.
The doorman then led him to a study, randomly found an empty seat, and had Li Qingyan answer the questions.
With pen and ink readily available, Li Qingyan sat down, sorted out her thoughts, picked up the pen, and began to write fluently.
When Lu Zhan rushed to the Imperial Study, the Emperor had just finished lunch and was taking a nap.
However, the emperor always respected his teacher, so the chief eunuch who served him personally went into the study and woke him up.
About fifteen minutes later, the Emperor was dressed and opened the door to welcome him in.
His Majesty was very young, about 28 years old.
Lu Zhan showed no sign of negligence, bowing respectfully. The letter he held in his hand was quite conspicuous, and the Grand Eunuch, with keen insight, presented it to the Emperor.
Upon seeing the handwriting, the Emperor's expression turned grave. He read it carefully, word by word, his chest heaving more and more violently, and the veins on his right hand, gripping the letter, bulged visibly. He forced himself to remain calm, but to no avail. His voice trembled as he said, "A rebellious minister, his crime is unforgivable!"
Lu Zhan looked over with concern, only to see that the young emperor had only been angry for a moment before immediately backing down, shrinking back on the dragon throne, looking weak and pitiful.
The current emperor is the son of the Imperial Concubine, who comes from a military family. The late emperor, wary of the former Grand General's illustrious military achievements and popular support, suppressed the careers of all his descendants. After the Grand General's death, the Grand General's family declined. At that time, the late emperor was in his prime, and with the concubines vying for power, the Imperial Concubine lost her support. Furthermore, lacking the late emperor's favor, she felt extremely vulnerable in the palace. Therefore, she took the emperor to a temple for quiet contemplation, distancing herself from the court and protecting herself.
The late emperor was pleased with this outcome, using the struggle for succession as a means of checks and balances. However, he never imagined that his scheming would lead to his own demise in the succession battle, with his sons either dying or becoming crippled. Only the current emperor, who was taken out of the palace by the imperial concubine, remains intact.
Whether the late emperor could rest in peace was still unknown, but now Your Majesty, though on the throne, felt as if on pins and needles. He murmured dejectedly, "My own foundation is unstable, so how can I possibly eliminate these parasites that devour the people?"
His Majesty doesn't cultivate strategy, he cultivates Buddhism. He has lived in temples for a long time, never participated in the struggle for the throne, and has witnessed much of the people's suffering. Although he lacks the decisive and ruthless abilities of the other princes, he has not developed the wolfish ambitions of the other princes, which are often fueled by self-interest.
In Lu Zhan's view, ability can be cultivated, but what is truly difficult is straightening a tree whose roots have already crooked. The emperor before him, by sheer coincidence, was the prince he considered most suitable to sit on the throne. It was a loyal minister's responsibility to ensure that an emperor who cared for his people could firmly establish himself on the throne.
Lu Zhan stepped forward, walked to the Emperor's side, picked up his pen and began to divide the factions of the high-ranking officials in the court. While analyzing the current situation with the Emperor, he instructed, "Your Majesty is not yet powerful enough. Rather than purging the court and causing turmoil, it would be better to incite a struggle between the Cabinet and the Six Ministries, so that they can fight and wear each other down. Your Majesty can then secretly cultivate a force that can be used to your advantage and reap the benefits."
The Emperor perked up a bit and looked at the lines Lu Zhan had drawn on the Xuan paper: "If that's the case, then I will continue to be a puppet emperor who is neither here nor there and is timid and hesitant. Only when they are not afraid of me can they fight for power more openly."
Lu Zhan stroked his beard and nodded: "Your Majesty can cultivate power by starting with those from humble backgrounds. It is currently the autumn imperial examination season, and we, your subjects, are willing to do anything to select talented individuals to share Your Majesty's burdens and solve your problems."
His Majesty may not be ruthless, but he is certainly astute. He knows that Lu Zhan is old and has few children, yet this loyal minister of three reigns remains active in court, solely to maintain order in the current chaotic situation: "Having a pillar of the state like you, my teacher, is my good fortune. However, in your opinion, who is most suspicious in the case of the illicit iron smuggling?"
Lu Zhan frowned and pondered for a long time: "Without knowing the truth, we cannot make a hasty conclusion. I only know that the Minister of Revenue raised doubts about the Ministry of Works' accounts, but the Ministry of Works is doing as usual. In the face of the Ministry of Revenue's accusations, we can also provide strong evidence to refute them."
The emperor pursed his lips; he still couldn't quite grasp the implications.
Lu Zhan continued, “Metal smelting is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works. If the other five ministries want to profit from it, the manpower and resources required to start construction on the Ministry of Works' site are many times greater than if they were to do so within their own jurisdiction. Moreover, even if it is an outsider who can operate on the Ministry of Works' site, the probability of the Ministry of Works enriching itself is extremely high. However, these are all my speculations and cannot be taken as definitive conclusions. But since the Ministry of Revenue has exposed this, and the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue are already at odds, Your Majesty can certainly instigate a struggle between the two ministries first.”
Lu Zhan gave the Emperor a full explanation, and the Emperor finally understood the schemes and intentions: "Very well, then I will summon the Minister of Works and the Minister of Revenue separately, and pretend to be helpless to seek their help. If their intentions are pure, they will wholeheartedly assist me; otherwise, those who want to control and coerce me must have other intentions."
Even among those born into imperial families, unless they are born with congenital deficiencies, how many are truly foolish? Although the current emperor is naive, he is not lacking in understanding and is adaptable. Given time to understand the situation in the court and master the art of diplomacy, he will surely be able to govern the country well and restore a life of plenty for the people.
Lu Zhan was pleased: "This is a very appropriate move."
The Emperor breathed a sigh of relief: "I have another request."
Lu Zhan straightened his expression and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, please give your orders. I will do my utmost, even at the cost of my life."
"Please select an imperial envoy, Lord Lu. I will now draft an edict to dispatch the elite remaining troops of the former General of the State's office to Jinzhou Prefecture to provide secret support overnight. Collect as much evidence as possible, and close the case immediately if lives are in danger."
Lu Zhan stopped and solemnly bowed to the Emperor: "Your subject obeys the order."
After receiving the order, he hurriedly left the palace and quickly discussed with his staff the selection of the imperial envoy. Finally, he made the decision to entrust the important task to Sun Mingyuan, the vice minister of the Ministry of Rites.
Sun Mingyuan was a relative of the Princess's maternal family, and his father-in-law held an important position in the Dali Temple. He himself was upright and incorruptible, making him the only suitable candidate.
In this urgent situation, Lu Zhan personally carried the imperial edict and handed it to Sun Mingyuan.
Sun Mingyuan accepted the imperial edict, kowtowed, and then set off with the remaining elite troops of the former Zhenguo General's Mansion, who had already been reorganized.
When Lu Zhan returned to the Imperial Academy, it was already dark. Being of advanced age and exhausted from a day's journey, he lacked the strength to maintain an upright posture and could only slump down, supporting himself on the armrests of the chair. It wasn't until his students brought him food that had been kept warm in the kitchen, and he ate and drank his fill, that he regained some of his strength.
He asked his students, "Is the student who delivered the letter today still here?"
The student replied, "After Mr. Li finished the test, he went back to the living room to rest. During that time, I treated him to dinner, but he insisted on waiting for me to return before leaving."
"He does have a consistent approach to things." Lu Zhan raised his droopy eyelids. "Here's the answer sheet. Let me see it."
The student spread out the scroll of paper and weighed it down with a paperweight. Thinking that it was getting late and that his teacher's eyesight was not as good as before, he carefully lit a candle and handed him a magnifying glass.
The paper is clean, and the handwriting is neat and fluent in running script. It lacks the style of a famous calligrapher, but its strength lies in its clarity and legibility.
That makes sense; the student's simple attire and adherence to official fonts made him the safest bet.
The more Lu Zhan read, the more satisfied he became, nodding repeatedly.
Li Qingyan was a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations) because he only achieved that level. However, by Lu Zhan's standards, his talent far surpassed that of a Juren (a scholar who passed the provincial-level imperial examinations). Whether he could rank first and become a Jinshi (a scholar who passed the highest level of the imperial examinations) was uncertain, but becoming a Gongsheng (a student who passed the provincial-level imperial examinations) was definitely within his reach.
Lu Zhan instructed, "Let him enter the Imperial Academy, assign him to an outer class first, and then see which class he will be promoted to after we get his assessment results at the beginning of next month."
As for whether to accept him as a close disciple, we still need to observe his character further.
Even if he doesn't take on any disciples, the news that he can study at the Imperial Academy has already excited Li Qingyan quite a bit. Once he enters the Imperial Academy, he won't need to look for a place to stay anymore. The Imperial Academy has dormitories, charity halls, and libraries. He only needs to focus on reviewing his lessons and wait for the autumn examinations to arrive.
Scholars are known for their etiquette. Li Qingyan, carrying his belongings, greeted each of his fellow students in the dormitory before tidying up his bed and lying down contentedly.
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