Chapter 80

In ancient Earth, Lan Chongwen was one of Ye Qing's examiners and mentors, but this world did not have such a tradition.

The reason was quite simple: in ancient times, there were no such strict procedures, and examiners had significant authority, often able to dismiss or promote candidates with a single thought, which was considered a great favor.

However, in this world, there was supervision from all sides, and both literary talent and destiny had standards. The examiners had very little authority in the selection process, and everything was handled according to official procedures, so there was no talk of such a great favor.

Nevertheless, gratitude was still necessary. Ye Qing performed a bow and prepared a hundred taels of silver.

This was a gesture of respect, and Lan Chongwen accepted it with a smile. However, given Ye Qing's boundless potential, Lan Chongwen did not dare to act arrogantly and immediately ordered his servants to set up a banquet to entertain him.

Ye Qing then mentioned the matter of reporting for the provincial examination. Lan Chongwen smiled and said, "This is a matter of procedure. You've come and informed me, so that's enough... However, passing the examination is not easy. Have you written any recent essays?"

Ye Qing was well-prepared and took out a scroll, saying, "These are three essays I wrote recently. I hope you can give me some guidance."

These were not plagiarized works but his own creations. After seven years of refinement in his dreams, he had integrated all his writings and felt a significant improvement in his literary skills.

There was only one gap that prevented him from truly advancing, but this was not a problem of literary skill but of his own cultivation, which could not be forced.

Lan Chongwen smiled, took the scroll, and at first glance, saw that the writing was elegant and refined, with a restrained and harmonious style. His expression turned serious, and he sighed, "Your calligraphy has improved even more."

As he spoke, he read through the essays carefully.

There were only three essays, but each word was like a pearl, the writing concise and refined, almost to the point of being unimprovable. The content was profound and the language harmonious, giving a sense of grandeur and elegance.

Lan Chongwen was so engrossed in the text that he forgot to eat, drinking cup after cup of wine as he read. After a few moments, he had read through the essays several times and sighed.

The Three Classics and Five Canons were written by the Daoist Emperor, not only discussing the art of governance but also the management of the entire world. Even though these classics were widely published, how many could truly understand them?

Scholars, who paid no attention to the world outside their studies, could only grasp a fraction of the wisdom.

The child examination required only a basic familiarity with the classics, the scholar examination required a thorough understanding of their surface meanings, the provincial examination required the ability to articulate one's own understanding logically, and the metropolitan examination required the foundation of Daoist cultivation.

To grasp even a fraction of the wisdom in the Three Classics and Five Canons and articulate it logically, one's literary talent would shine. If one could not only articulate it logically but also apply it in reality, one's talent would be pure and refined.

This required extraordinary talent and deep insight. For a scholar to reach this level, they had to be exceptionally gifted. Therefore, destiny was often used to help them shine. Those who could truly reach this level through their own talent and literary skill were rare and would be welcomed by the Daoist Court.

But these three essays at least reached the level of logical articulation.

Lan Chongwen read the essays repeatedly and sighed, "This is truly the talent of a metropolitan scholar!"

Ye Qing, personally selected by the Dragon Lord as a metropolitan scholar, had initially made Lan Chongwen skeptical. But after reading the essays, he had no doubts.

"This young man is only sixteen, yet he possesses such talent. I believe he has the potential of a metropolitan scholar."

"If he continues to improve, he might even pass the second-level examination and achieve immortality. But if that happens, the court will lose a valuable talent."

"I must send a message to the capital to help him pass the provincial examination and become a metropolitan scholar."

"Even if he is exceptionally talented, he is too young to pass the second-level examination this year. Passing the metropolitan examination will allow him to stay in the court and become a pillar of support."

"Moreover, it will strengthen our faction!"

With this thought, Lan Chongwen became even more enthusiastic. He did not immediately return the scroll but raised his cup and said, "I need to read your essays carefully. Can I keep them here?"

No matter how prescient Ye Qing was, he could not guess Lan Chongwen's thoughts and smiled, "If you wish to read them, I dare not refuse."

They enjoyed the banquet for an hour before Ye Qing left.

As soon as Ye Qing left, Lan Chongwen, who had been pretending to be drunk, immediately jumped up, sober as a judge. He rushed to a secret room, took out a jade token with green patterns, which was used for emergency communication and was very precious, with only three tokens available each year.

But he did not hesitate, carefully wrote down Ye Qing's background, and compiled the three essays. With a touch, the jade token transformed into a green bird, which flew away with the message, disappearing into the sky.

Tong Mansion

The night was bright with lights, and the guards were on high alert. Inside, the sound of deliberation could be heard.

"What is this pile of things... The summer harvest is approaching, and the regulations for grain and tax collection have not been reported yet?"

"Your Excellency, these are the two summaries we just received. The detailed regulations are being sent by fast horse."

"Hmm... Chengzhou is requesting a one-year tax exemption for fishermen. How much damage did the typhoon cause? Why is it not clearly stated? Is Huang Zishi drunk? He only knows how to ask for relief! Send someone to investigate and report back!"

"Yes, I will handle it immediately!"

The door creaked open, and a middle-aged official in a yellow robe and official hat rushed out, nearly colliding with two maids. He glared at them, but upon seeing the trays they carried, he realized it was a secret message and adjusted his hat, running off.

The maids, startled, hesitated to enter the room, where a sea of documents and a middle-aged official in a blue and purple robe were busy. After a moment, another middle-aged official entered and asked, "What brings you here? Spying on secrets is punishable by death, do you know that?"

Seeing the trays in their hands, he smiled, "I almost forgot about this. I'll take care of it. You may leave."

"Thank you, Lord Chancellor!" the maids whispered and hurried away.

The official, holding a silver tray, could not immediately enter and waited at the door.

"... For now, let's handle the agricultural matters. The Ministry of War has submitted a proposal to repair and reorganize the border garrisons to prevent the northern tribes from raiding in the fall. We need to carefully draft the regulations and present them to the cabinet."

After discussing the political matters, the atmosphere changed, and the officials, having reached a decision, politely took their leave, leaving only Chancellor Tong in deep thought.

At this moment, the Lord Chancellor approached with the tray and said, "Madam saw that His Excellency was still working and prepared a bowl of rock sugar bird's nest and silver ear fungus soup. She was afraid it would cool, so she sent it over. You can have it shortly—this is a secret message, delivered by a green bird, from Nancang County."

Chancellor Tong, snapped out of his thoughts, smiled bitterly, "I have no choice..."

In the development of Dazhao, the cabinet system was in place, and all officials except the prime minister held the title of Chancellor, which was a high-ranking position, essentially a deputy prime minister.

A Chancellor was a second-rank official, almost at the pinnacle of human service. The Lord Chancellor, an eighth-rank official, was a trusted steward recommended by the court, sharing the chancellor's fortunes and misfortunes, and could speak freely in private.

Chancellor Tong, whose name was Tong Shan, stood up, took the letter, and smiled, "Lan Chongwen? He is only an eighth-rank official and usually cautious. Why is he using a green bird to send a message?"

Tong Shan pulled out the letter and, at first, read it casually, smiling, "Why is he treating a mere scholar as a major event..."

As he spoke, he pulled out the scroll and, upon reading it, fell silent, his expression serious. He read it again, then carefully read the details about Ye Qing.

He put down the letter, paced a few steps, and sighed, "How many heroes are there in the world!"

Tong Shan's mood seemed conflicted. He sighed and said coldly, "Investigate this person named Ye Qing thoroughly, both inside and out."

"Yes, I will handle it immediately!"

"Even if it takes a few weeks, I cannot allow it. Tell them to prepare immediately," Tong Shan said, "Only you know about this. Read the letter first."

"Yes!" The Lord Chancellor read the letter and was surprised, "My lord, this young man is indeed extraordinary, but is it necessary to treat him with such importance?"

Tong Shan smiled, "You've been with me for twenty years and have seen much, but you still don't understand this."

He stood up and paced slowly, saying coldly, "You cannot know the details. Just know that these are not ordinary times. Take five thousand taels of silver from the mansion... no, I'll give it to you now, and don't record it in the mansion's accounts to avoid suspicion."

He pulled out a silver note from his boot and said, "Here are five thousand taels of silver. Take it, but remember, your task must be done well."

"Yes!" The Lord Chancellor left without another word.

Seeing him leave, Tong Shan, who was exhausted, did not want to rest. He took a sip of tea and read the letter several times. A rumble of thunder echoed, and he rubbed his eyes, sitting up. A flash of lightning illuminated the room, and the bamboo grove swayed in the wind...

Another thunderclap shook the house, startling Tong Shan.

He stepped out of the room, and a gust of wind, carrying rain, blew in. A servant hurried forward, bowing, "My lord, the wind and rain are strong. Don't catch a cold!"

"It's fine. I just want to take a walk," Tong Shan waved his hand and continued to ponder.

"The dragon's aura is changing, and no one in the cabinet dares to be negligent. During this transformation, there is confusion between fish and dragons. Is Ye Qing one of them?"

"However, the original supervision by the court suggests that the Yu family might be involved?"

"Regardless, early supervision is always beneficial and might even add strength to the Sixth Prince!"

This world was not one of equal physical strength. An individual's power could often sway the tide. Now, Ye Qing was only a scholar, but given time, he might influence the course of events!

This was the wisdom of hundreds of thousands of years. Now, every important official understood this and dared not be negligent.

Thinking of this, Tong Shan looked up at the sky, where thunder rolled and lightning flashed, and sighed, "The will of heaven is hard to fathom!"