Chapter 79

After returning to the county town, it was natural to pay New Year's greetings to superiors, colleagues, and neighbors. Although Old Man Wang was now a ninth-rank official of the imperial court, he still had to pay New Year's greetings to the local gentry and officials. Wang Xian, on the other hand, first went to the yamen to pay his respects to Magistrate Wei.

Compared to the festive atmosphere on the streets, the yamen was much quieter. Not only were the clerks and constables on holiday, but even the attendants and maids in the rear yamen had returned home for the New Year. In the vast rear yamen, only Magistrate Wei and Sima Qiu, two bachelors, were staying with Sima Dan's family to celebrate the New Year.

However, Magistrate Wei enjoyed the tranquility. After a year of toil, he finally had time to tune his zither and read the scriptures, finding joy in this simplicity rather than feeling bitter. To avoid social obligations with colleagues and gentry, he adopted the custom of 'posting cards' from the capital, having Sima Qiu write greeting cards and send them to the doors of his colleagues and gentry, thus completing the New Year's greetings.

As for those who came to pay their respects, Magistrate Wei placed a guestbook in the reception hall. Visitors only needed to leave their names, and perhaps a few auspicious words, to complete their New Year's greetings. This formality was much simpler and faster than the usual formalities, but only someone like Magistrate Wei, a two-time imperial scholar and the county magistrate, could get away with it. If others tried to imitate him, they would be ridiculed.

However, Magistrate Wei treated Wang Xian differently and received him in the study.

After paying his respects to his teacher, Wang Xian accepted the red envelope from Magistrate Wei and sat down, saying, "Teacher, this New Year seems a bit too simple. It would have been better if you had brought your wife and daughter here earlier."

"Last year, my position was precarious, and I could have been dismissed or even imprisoned at any moment. How could I have brought my family here?" Magistrate Wei smiled bitterly. "Besides, such a quiet life is rare, and I enjoy it."

"Teacher has the temperament of a refined scholar," Wang Xian smiled.

"Unfortunately, I still have to go to Hangzhou to pay New Year's greetings tomorrow," Magistrate Wei sighed. "The provincial capital is too close, which is quite troublesome." Hangzhou was full of higher-ranking officials, and if Magistrate Wei did not pay his respects, his career would be over.

"This is also a good opportunity to build a closer relationship with superiors," Wang Xian consoled him. "Teacher now has a good reputation and should avoid being envied by small-minded people."

"Yes, I won't lose sight of the bigger picture," Magistrate Wei nodded. "But there's another reason I don't want to go to Hangzhou..." He hesitated but wanted Wang Xian's advice, so he finally said, "A prominent fellow townsman is in mourning and has returned to the province. If I go to Hangzhou, I will inevitably have to visit him with other fellow townspeople."

"Is it Grand Secretary Hu Ge from the Left Spring Pavilion?" Wang Xian, who read the official gazettes, was familiar with the movements of important figures.

"Yes," Magistrate Wei nodded and sighed. "Actually, I don't want to see him." The fact that he could confide this to Wang Xian showed the level of trust he had in him, not much less than in Sima Qiu.

"Huh?" Wang Xian was puzzled. "Grand Secretary Hu is a close confidant of the emperor, and others are vying to curry favor with him. Why...?"

"Ah, different paths..." Magistrate Wei frowned and said frankly, "Of course, I don't dare not go."

Wang Xian was still confused. Hu Guang, the状元 of the Jianwen second year, and Magistrate Wei, who had just started his career this year, seemed to have no connection.

Ignoring Wang Xian's puzzled look, Magistrate Wei slowly said, "I'm not a pretentious person. If it were just a visit, it wouldn't be a problem, but I'm worried that he will... ask me to petition the court to release Grand Secretary Jie Xue."

Wang Xian now understood. Jie Xue, also known as Jie Jin, was a renowned scholar and the first chief cabinet minister of the Ming Dynasty, and a native of Jiangxi. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Jiangxi had almost monopolized the top ranks of the imperial examinations, and most of the high-ranking officials in the court and local governments were from Jiangxi. This situation was partly due to Jie Jin's efforts in promoting Jiangxi scholars and nurturing younger talents, leading to the term 'Gan Party' and Jie Jin being seen as its leader.

This influential and well-known scholar, after completing the Yongle Encyclopedia in the fifth year of Yongle, was promoted to Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy and the Left Spring Pavilion. For a time, all imperial edicts and documents were written by him, and he was regarded as a prime minister. However, due to the issue of the crown prince, he was hated by the Prince of Han, who wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Jie Jin, known for his high talent and lack of attention to details, had many vulnerabilities. Soon, the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) found him guilty of 'leaking confidential information' and 'unfair grading in the imperial examinations,' and he was demoted to a counselor in Guangxi. He was then further demoted to a counselor in Jiaozhi (present-day Vietnam) due to a false accusation by Li Zhigang.

From Guangxi to Vietnam, Jie Jin's fall from grace was dramatic. After three years of hardship, Emperor Yongle finally remembered him and summoned him to the capital. Upon receiving the imperial edict, Jie Jin was overjoyed and rushed to the capital. Unfortunately, the emperor had already left for a northern campaign by the time he arrived.

Jie Jin had to wait in Nanjing, and the officials assumed he would be reinstated, so they vied to visit and invite him. Jie Jin quickly regained his status as a literary leader and mentor to officials, feeling once again on top of the world. However, in his elation, he privately visited the crown prince. The Prince of Han, who had been watching him closely, immediately reported to the emperor in the north that Jie Jin had secretly met the crown prince and must have a hidden agenda.

The emperor, away on a campaign, was extremely wary of such actions and was furious. He ordered the Jinyiwei to imprison Jie Jin for 'disrespecting the emperor,' and he has been in prison for a year now. Although Jie Jin was not well-liked, officials still tried to rescue him, partly because he was the leader of the Gan Party and partly because he was the primary advocate for the crown prince's succession.

Emperor Yongle had three sons, all born to Empress Xu. The eldest son, Zhu Gaochi, was a large, overweight man with a limp, which the robust and agile Zhu Di did not like. Zhu Di favored the second son, the Prince of Zhao, who was brave and handsome and had saved his life during the Jingnan Rebellion. Zhu Di had even promised to make him the crown prince.

However, Zhu Gaochi was chosen by the founding emperor as the heir to the Yan Principality and was known for his benevolent and scholarly character, which won the support of the civil officials. Jie Jin, as the leading civil official, spoke highly of the crown prince on several critical occasions, ultimately leading to the eldest son being made the crown prince.

By defending Jie Jin, the officials were indirectly protecting the crown prince. With such a powerful and suspicious father and a ruthless and ambitious brother, the crown prince's position was precarious, and the officials, unable to speak out openly, supported him by defending Jie Jin.

Hu Guang, the second most important figure in the Gan Party, was a close friend of Jie Jin, having grown up and studied together. He was making every effort to rescue Jie Jin and was urging his fellow townspeople, students, and subordinates to petition the court to release him, creating a public opinion that could not be ignored.

Although Magistrate Wei was a junior official, he was a trusted servant of the emperor, and others believed his words would have some influence. If he met Hu Guang, he would likely be asked to petition the court.

The matter involved palace secrets, and Magistrate Wei did not know all the details, but his dislike of Jie Jin and Hu Guang made him want to stay out of it. As a Confucian scholar, Magistrate Wei valued 'integrity' highly, but both Jie Jin and Hu Guang, his former idols, had failed in this regard.

It is undeniable that the current emperor had overthrown his nephew to become emperor. When Nanjing fell, 463 officials fled their posts. In the early Ming Dynasty, there were few redundant officials, and almost all of them had fled.

Of course, some surrendered to Zhu Di, but this was not called 'surrendering'; it was called 'welcoming and supporting.' There were only 24 such officials, including Jie Jin and Hu Guang. Why did this happen? Because they were all disciples of the sage, and Confucius taught loyalty and filial piety, so they fled rather than serve Zhu Di. Only a few shameless officials openly welcomed the usurper while the emperor was still alive.

More shamefully, the night before Nanjing fell, Jie Jin, Hu Guang, Wu Pu, and Wang Gen, the leaders of the Gan Party, had met to discuss their strategy. Jie Jin had spoken righteously about loyalty, and Hu Guang had been equally passionate, vowing to die for the country if Zhu Di invaded. The next day, both of them surrendered.

Wang Gen, the second-place winner of the Jianwen second year, who had remained silent and wept, committed suicide by poisoning himself, truly dying for his country.

Wu Pu, the third-place winner of the Jianwen second year, later surrendered to save his life at Hu Guang's urging. His son, Wu Yubi, was deeply ashamed and vowed never to take the imperial examinations. After returning home, Wu Yubi befriended Wei Yuan, who was studying at home, and often expressed his disdain and disgust for Jie Jin and Hu Guang.

Influenced by him, Magistrate Wei had no good feelings toward these two and did not want to get involved in their affairs.

"Teacher is just a small county magistrate, and it is inappropriate to speak about such important court matters," Magistrate Wei said carefully. "Thunder and rain, all are the emperor's grace. Attempting to pressure the emperor with public opinion is not the way of a loyal subject."

"Does Teacher want to stay out of trouble and focus on personal virtue?" Wang Xian asked softly.

"Yes," Magistrate Wei nodded and said frankly, "When the gods fight, the devils suffer. I'd better stay far away."

"That's not hard," Wang Xian smiled. "Teacher just needs to tell Grand Secretary Hu that Grand Secretary Jie's imprisonment is actually a joint plot by the Prince of Zhao and Ji Gang. Simply crying injustice won't help; the emperor needs to understand the true nature of these two. He won't dare ask you to petition the court..." He paused and added, "Of course, this must be kept secret. Such words should not be leaked."

"Oh..." Magistrate Wei thought for a moment and smiled. "You really have a lot of tricks up your sleeve!"

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