Chapter 91

The next morning, Wang Xian, carrying a night of spring dreams and a belly full of dark cuisine, listlessly went to the government office to sign in and line up for the morning assembly.

All his colleagues and superiors looked at him with a hint of lecherous smiles. Living in the dormitory had this disadvantage; any slight movement couldn't be hidden from anyone...

Many of the older colleagues, speaking with the authority of experience, said meaningfully, "Take it easy while you're young, or you'll age prematurely..."

Wang Xian was quite depressed. If he had really indulged, it would be one thing, but did Sister Lin ever give him the chance?

After the assembly, just as Wang Xian was about to leave with the crowd, the magistrate Wei's attendant called him, "Clerk, the master is waiting for you in the signing room."

"Uh..." Wang Xian straightened his clothes. Unlike his usual quick pace, he walked unhurriedly to the signing room to see Magistrate Wei.

Recently, he had been busy with his own affairs and hadn't visited the back office to seek an audience. This was certainly not a case of giving up, but a strategy, a stance.

"May I ask, Master, what do you need from me?" After paying his respects, Wang Xian asked formally.

"Heh, still at odds with your teacher?" Magistrate Wei had intended to scold him to vent his anger, but seeing his demeanor, he felt a twinge in his heart and immediately softened his tone, "Would you not come if I didn't call you?"

"Master ordered me not to step into the back office," Wang Xian replied. Although he still looked aggrieved, he had at least changed his address.

"That was said in anger," Magistrate Wei softened even more, "I misunderstood the situation and wronged you."

"I dare not," Wang Xian said, knowing when to stop.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Magistrate Wei stood up with a smile and handed Wang Xian a document stamped by the Ministry of Personnel, "The appointment as the head clerk of the household department has come through."

"Thank you, Master, for your efforts." Wang Xian glanced at it but showed no great joy.

"Ah..." Magistrate Wei sighed and sat down beside him, "I know you are now famous and have broadened your horizons, and you no longer look favorably upon this small position."

"Master misunderstands me," Wang Xian said seriously, "If I were such a person, I would not have refused Xu Tixue's kindness. Although I also yearn for a great leap forward, Master's kindness to me is like a mountain, and I am willing to serve you!"

His meaning was, I indeed don't value this small position, but I know how to repay kindness and will still work hard for you. Listen, how well he speaks!

Dealing with superiors is not about being overly submissive. If you do, they won't respect you and will treat you as a tool. No matter how hard you work, they won't be grateful, and when trouble comes, they will use you as a scapegoat... When you are sure that the other party has become dependent on you and that you are irreplaceable, you can appropriately show some emotions to make your superior realize that you are also a person with dignity. If you don't get respect, you can seek other opportunities and won't hang on to one tree.

Only then will your superior re-evaluate your value. If they confirm that you are irreplaceable but might leave, they will naturally adjust their attitude towards you. Even if it's just pretended respect, it is extremely important to you... Because only by giving you enough respect will they recognize your contributions and seriously consider rewarding you. Otherwise, you will always be just a toilet!

Of course, for newcomers, first try to be seen as a tool... Because in the eyes of most superiors, you are worthless and have no right to be proud.

Wang Xian was very clear about his importance to Magistrate Wei. In the entire county, 70% of the administrative work was in the household department. If the head clerk was not competent, the magistrate would be in endless trouble. Conversely, if the head clerk was capable and managed the household department well, the magistrate would be very relaxed, even to the point of governing without much effort.

Wang Xian was confident that there was no better head clerk in the Ming Dynasty than himself. Moreover, besides his duties, he had become Magistrate Wei's top advisor. Unless Magistrate Wei was crazy, he wouldn't ignore his face.

Moreover, he had the title of "First Clerk of Jiangnan" bestowed by Zhou Netai and the halo of "Great Poet" added by Hu Xueshi. He was no longer the ignorant youth of the past and was fully qualified to receive respect!

"You shouldn't think that I took you as a disciple just to use you," Magistrate Wei's attitude indeed changed, and he said earnestly to Wang Xian, "I love talent. You are young, smart, and talented, just lacking in education. I, in my life, am good at nothing but reading. If you have the heart for the imperial exams, I will naturally teach you everything I know. If you are only interested in poetry and literature and want to be a refined scholar, you don't have to call me Master anymore. We can be friends, enjoying poetry and wine together, wouldn't that be delightful?"

"Scholar, I still hope to have a degree." Hearing that Magistrate Wei was willing to help him achieve a degree, Wang Xian naturally couldn't be stubborn and honestly said, "Unfortunately, I have only memorized the Four Books and haven't even finished Zhu Xi's annotations. I don't want to waste Master's time."

"That's already quite good," Magistrate Wei pondered, "But don't underestimate the degree of a scholar. In our dynasty, the path to a degree starts from a child, then a scholar, then a provincial candidate, then a metropolitan candidate, and finally a Hanlin scholar. Although being a scholar is the first step, it is the hardest to achieve, especially in Zhejiang, where there are many educated people."

"Uh." Wang Xian couldn't contribute much to this topic and could only listen attentively.

"The Ming Dynasty holds exams every year. There are two sayings in the academic world: 'Zi, Wu, Mao, You' for the provincial exams, and 'Chen, Xu, Chou, Wei' for the metropolitan exams. In a twelve-year cycle, eight years are for major exams, and the remaining four are for minor exams." He paused and said, "That means next year is another year for the scholar exams." He glanced at Wang Xian and lowered his voice, "Next year is also your best opportunity to become a scholar. If you miss it, it will be very troublesome."

"Next year?" Wang Xian smiled bitterly, "I am not a genius, and even if I were, I couldn't finish in a year what others take ten years to study..." He had some understanding of the scholars of this era. For almost all scholars, studying was a one-way street. If they couldn't pass the provincial exams, their lives would be ruined by studying. Therefore, almost everyone studied hard from dawn to dusk, suspending their hair from the beam and pricking their thighs with awls, resulting in a large number of bookworms.

However, it didn't matter because the imperial exams tested the eight-part essay, which was rigidly structured. It was like performing a ritual in a snail shell; without ten to eight years of hard work, it was impossible to write well... This was clearly the strong point of bookworms.

Lin Qing'er firmly told Wang Xian that it took ten to eight years of hard work to write a good eight-part essay. Wang Xian believed this deeply, so he could only smile bitterly at Magistrate Wei's judgment. Without the necessary preparation, how could he dare to climb the mountain?

"Master knows this is like forcing a duck to climb a tree," Magistrate Wei said solemnly, "But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The provincial examiner's term is three years, and they must select a batch of scholars. However, to prevent favoritism, they usually hold the provincial exams immediately upon taking office. This time is special... because the emperor's northern campaign delayed the 1409 imperial exams until last year. But this year is also an imperial exam year, so two batches of exams are held consecutively."

"What does this have to do with the provincial exams?"

"Of course, it has a lot to do with it. Because the metropolitan exams and provincial exams cannot be held in the same year. Last year should have been the provincial exam year, but the metropolitan exams were held instead. This year, there are also metropolitan exams, so last year's provincial exams are postponed to next year." Magistrate Wei, being an expert in the imperial exams, explained to Wang Xian, "This is different from any previous time. In the past, provincial examiners would hold exams immediately upon taking office, but Xu Tixue has been in Zhejiang for two years before holding the exams. Moreover, although the provincial exams are anonymous, the candidates personally hand their papers to the examiner. In short, if you gain his favor, do you think you won't be selected?"

Wang Xian suddenly understood. No wonder Xu Tixue was so confident in promoting him and even suggested he study at the academy. He really could make him a scholar!

"But before the provincial exams, there are the county and prefectural exams. Even if Master lets me pass, the prefectural governor can still block me," Wang Xian thought for a moment and said.

"You really are a novice," Magistrate Wei finally had a chance to teach Wang Xian and took full advantage of it, "Actually, the county and prefectural exams are both important and not important. They are important because if you get the top place, whether in the county or prefectural exam, as long as you don't violate the rules in the provincial exam, you will be selected. This is also a way to give face to the county and prefecture. They are not important because even if you don't pass the county or prefectural exams, you still have a chance to take the provincial exam..."

"Then what's the point of the county and prefectural exams?" Wang Xian was puzzled.

"There are many unreasonable things, why do you care so much?" Magistrate Wei glared at him, "In short, if you don't pass next year, you won't have Xu Tixue as the examiner in the future. Competing with Zhejiang's scholars on your own merit, you won't have a chance in ten to eight years."

"But didn't you say that the top candidate in the county or prefectural exam will definitely be selected?" Wang Xian asked.

"The top candidate is the first place!" Magistrate Wei was furious, "Who in Fuyang County doesn't know how much you can eat? If I put you as the top candidate, would anyone be convinced? They would appeal for sure! At that time, forget about becoming a scholar, we'll both end up in jail!"

"Yes." Wang Xian nodded and asked softly, "Then would there be any controversy if I were selected by Xu Tixue?"

"No problem. In one provincial exam, thousands of scholars are selected in the entire province. Unless you get a small triple first, no one will notice you." Magistrate Wei frowned slightly, "But your essay must be passable, or it will still be exposed." He coughed twice and said, "Don't look so worried. With Master here, I guarantee you will be able to write an eight-part essay in a year!"

"Thank you, Master!" Wang Xian finally showed a long-lost fawning smile. "Master's great kindness, I would be willing to die for you."

"Stop with the empty words." Magistrate Wei smiled faintly, "The prerequisite for everything is to do your job well. If you don't do your job well, don't expect me to teach you!"

"Of course not!" Wang Xian beamed, "Master can rest assured!"

"That's good." Magistrate Wei nodded. He finally began to learn to respect Wang Xian...

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