Chapter 67

Listening to the old man's question, the man replied earnestly, "Although Minister Shen invited my son to dine at his residence, he did not eat any crabs. We have been friends for over a decade, but it was just an ordinary banquet. I noticed that Brother Shen is particular about every meal and drink, which does not seem like the behavior of a man of great ambition."

After a pause, the man continued, "If it were not so, how could the Chief Minister tolerate him and make him his right-hand man? Nowadays, most officials in the court bow and scrape, which truly chills my heart."

The old man, who was in his seventies, dipped a crab in ginger vinegar and said, "So, you have been to the capital twice and never visited the Zhang residence?"

The man remained silent for a moment and then said, "Father, I did not listen to your advice."

The old man said, "Not visiting the Zhang residence is fine, but when Zhang Jiangling brought his mother to the capital, many officials along the way prepared lavish gifts to welcome her. As the governor of Taiping Prefecture, you told your subordinates that you would not exploit the people to curry favor with the powerful. By doing so, you have offended the Chief Minister. Do people think it was your brother's idea or yours?"

Although the old man spoke calmly, his words were critical.

The old man sighed, "You passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty-two, and your career has been too smooth. This time, you are on leave at home. I want you to reflect and study at home. You are not allowed to go out, to temper your character."

"Yes, Father, I am tired. I will take my leave now." The man got up and left.

The old man stroked his beard and shook his head.

Soon, Lin Shibing and Lin Shisheng walked on the cobblestone path and arrived at the pavilion.

"Greetings, Grandfather!"

"Greetings, Uncle!"

The old man, of course, was the retired Minister of Rites in Nanjing, Lin Tingji, who was locally known as the Old Minister.

Lin Tingji smiled and said, "It's you two. Crabs are cold in nature. Eat them while they're hot; they taste better and are less likely to cause stomach trouble."

Lin Tingji waved to the maid, and she immediately removed the cold crabs from the table and brought hot crabs from the kitchen.

After Lin Shisheng sat down, he asked, "Grandfather, where is Second Uncle?"

Lin Tingji said, "Don't mention him. Why are you late, Shibing? Are you afraid that I and your second uncle will urge you to study?"

Lin Shibing poured himself a cup of wine and said, "Uncle, you know, you always mention it when you see me. I'm so used to it that I have calluses on my ears."

Upon hearing this, Lin Tingji and Lin Shisheng burst into laughter. Lin Shibing was known for his lack of formal manners and was not Lin Tingji's direct grandson, so his words were not surprising.

Lin Shisheng laughed and said, "Grandfather, earlier, Big Brother was competing with a young boy. They each chose a passage from the Four Books and saw who could break the topic faster. Big Brother lost both times."

Lin Tingji was surprised and said, "It's not unusual for your brother to compete with others, but it's the first time I've heard he lost. Is the boy well-versed in the classics?"

"I don't know if he is well-versed, but he broke the topic very quickly, without hesitation."

Lin Shibing, with a dark face, said, "What's the big deal? He just used a trick."

Lin Tingji said, "Those who value the classics are substantial, while those who value poetry and prose are literary. You like poetry and prose, and as an elder, I won't criticize you for that. However, if you value poetry and prose and neglect the classics, you are valuing the literary over the substantial. That is your fault."

If Lin Tingji had said this on a normal day, Lin Shibing would have been immune to it. He was naturally talented and had a high opinion of himself. But today, losing twice to a boy who was over a decade younger was a significant blow.

Lin Tingji's words suddenly struck him, and he lowered his head and said, "Uncle, you are right. I have learned my lesson."

Lin Tingji smiled kindly and said, "This young man who can surpass Shibing must have some tricks up his sleeve. Even if he has some talent, it's nothing special. Talented young men are as numerous as crabs in the river."

Lin Shisheng laughed, but Lin Shibing did not pay attention to Lin Tingji's words and lowered his head in deep thought.

As Lin Tingji and Lin Shisheng talked and ate the rich crabs, Lin Tingji said to Lin Shisheng, "Today, Mr. Wangzhai wrote to me, asking me to intercede with the governor to save his grandson."

Lin Shisheng nodded and said, "I almost forgot about Mr. Wangzhai. He was your fellow examinee when you took the provincial examination."

"Our families have been friends for generations, and his son is also a close friend of your father. His grandson is also your good friend. When his grandson was imprisoned, I heard that you did a lot to help. Now that Mr. Wangzhai has come to me, you know that I don't have many old friends left. I would not ignore his request. However, I am not reluctant to use my influence. The death of a student has a significant impact on the scholarly community. If I intervene, I might risk my reputation."

Lin Shibing and Lin Shisheng understood. The higher one's position, the more cautious one must be. It's not that they were afraid of failing, but of damaging their reputation.

Lin Shisheng smiled and said, "Grandfather, please rest assured. I have a plan. It's not difficult to save Mr. Wangzhai's grandson, but we are concerned about the public opinion afterward. We will give them an explanation."

Lin Shisheng handed a piece of paper to Lin Tingji. "Grandfather, the solution is here."

Lin Tingji glanced at it and nodded, drinking more wine. "Excellent, did you come up with this?"

Lin Shisheng looked embarrassed.

Lin Tingji smiled and said, "You are all serious scholars, so you probably didn't come up with this. Who did you ask to help you, Shisheng? It's not the group of poets and writers you usually associate with. Is it a legal advisor from the provincial court, or a magistrate from the county office, or a famous lawyer from the provincial capital?"

Lin Tingji put down the crab, and a maid brought a bowl of mung bean flour to clean his hands.

Lin Shibing and Lin Shisheng exchanged glances, finding it hard to speak.

After cleaning his hands and drying them with a towel, the maid brought a cup of fragrant tea for him to rinse his mouth. Lin Tingji turned and saw that his grandsons were not answering. "Why is my guess wrong?"

Lin Shisheng blushed and said, "Grandfather, do you remember the young man who competed with Big Brother earlier?"

"Surprisingly, it was him. Rare, rare."

Lin Shibing said, "Uncle, you said that talented young men are as numerous as crabs in the river. What's so rare about it?"

Lin Tingji pondered and said, "It's common for young men to be talented, but for him to apply the classics to solve cases, that's not ordinary."

Lin Shisheng said, "Grandfather, that's what I thought too."

Lin Tingji asked, "What is this young man's background?"

"Uncle, he is Lin Chengyi's disciple and studies at Lianjiang Academy."

"Ah, I remember. He recommended Lin Chengyi to Hu Tixue, and I wrote a letter recommending him to the academy."

"Yes."

"I remember he is also surnamed Lin. Is he from our Lianpu?"

"Probably not."

Lin Tingji nodded, looking regretful, and read the paper again. "This plan is good. I will write a letter to County Magistrate Zhou, and Mr. Wangzhai's grandson can be released. But what did you promise this young man in return?"

"He said he wants to study the classics with a Confucian scholar."

"Which classic will he study?"

"The Book of Documents."

Lin Tingji was somewhat surprised. "The Book of Documents? There are not many people in Fujian who study it."

Lin Shisheng said, "Although there are not many, I know a few."

"Tell me who."

"I have thought about it. There are not many experts on the Book of Documents in our prefecture, but Mr. Wangzhai is one. He is the best choice to teach the young man, especially since the young man has helped their family a lot."

Lin Tingji stroked his beard and said, "Mr. Wangzhai studied under Ma Zicui, who studied under Wang Yangming, which is not orthodox."

"Grandfather, what about Mr. Hengzhou?"

"That's even worse. Mr. Hengzhou's interpretation of the Book of Documents has no family tradition and no famous teacher. His arbitrary interpretations are misleading."

Lin Shisheng smiled and said, "It seems you already have someone in mind. If I studied the Book of Songs and Big Brother studied the Spring and Autumn Annals, I would also want this young man to study with us. But there is no one in our family who studies the Book of Documents except Second Uncle. Father, what do you think?"

Lin Tingji nodded. "Why not?"

Lin Shibing and Lin Shisheng exchanged glances. Lin Shibing said, "Grandfather, Second Uncle is a two-time imperial examination graduate and a Hanlin Academy scholar. Teaching a young student?"

Lin Tingji said, "So what if he is a two-time imperial examination graduate? He is now on leave at home, so he is just an idle person."

"Second Uncle resigned?" Lin Shibing and Lin Shisheng were surprised.

Lin Tingji sighed, looking somewhat regretful. "Your second uncle acted rashly and offended Zhang Jiangling. Resigning is for the best. He needs to temper his character at home. I asked him to teach a few disciples to keep him busy and to see the enthusiasm for learning in the young students, which reminds him of his own days of studying. Some people rush to take the exams, while others resign and return home. How ironic, how ironic!"

"Grandfather, you are doing this for Second Uncle!" Lin Shisheng and Lin Shibing nodded.

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