"Qingling, do you think I could give his brother a job as well?" The Emperor asked.
Shen Qingling shook his head. "No, you cannot. Xu Qing's younger brother has no military record and no repute. If you genuinely want to give him a job, it would almost certainly result in bitterness and will only injure him."
The Emperor considered it and discovered that it was correct. Other people must have been perplexed by his decision to make a stranger an official for no obvious reason. And if he was truly capable of making achievements and advancing his career in the future, he would have the bad reputation of relying on relationships to get to the top because he had obtained his position for no reason at all. And that would be a horrible thing for him.
The Emperor thought about it for a moment and found it was improper, so he said no more about it.
Then, Shen Qingling added, "Your Highness, let's not talk about Xu Qing's younger brother. Let's talk about Xu Qing first. Do you want to give him the first name in the Royal Examination?"
The Emperor nodded. "That's what I'm thinking about. What do you think about it?"
Shen Qingling cupped his hands together. "Your Highness, forgive me if I have said anything disrespectful."
The Emperor reached out his heand and asked Shen Qingling to continue, "Qingling, you can just say it."
Shen Qingling said, "Your Highness, of course I hope he can win the first prize on the business side. And Xu Qing has the ability to win first place as well. On a personal level, however, I don't want him to be number one. With the title of "Number One Scholar," Xu Qing, a person with no experience, will have to withstand the complexities of the city while still serving the emperor. It would be extremely difficult, and what concerns me the most is that he has shown no interest in becoming an official in the last year or two."
His Highness immediately frowned. "Why? Why woulld he come to take the Spring Test when he didn't want to be an official? Didn't he know that after the Spring Test, it would be the Royal Examination?"
Shen Qingling said. "His Majesty, of course he knows, but he has his own difficulties. His brother's husband and child are still abroad and have not returned home. He wishes to participate in the Spring Test and reclaim his brother's marriage and child. The voyage is reported to be long, and the round trip takes nearly a year."
The Emperor nodded after hearing this. "This person is very affectionate."
"At the same time, I have something to confess to you, too. I fancy Xu Qing and want to be with him forever. At first I thought of asking you to grant me to marry him, but later on, I thought that me and Xu Qing were both men, so there is no difference of who marrying whom."
When he heard Shen Qingling's words, the Emperor was shocked. "Qingling, what did you say? You love Xu Qing?"
Shen Qingling nodded. "Yes, exactly. I love Xu Qing."
"But you are both men, how can you get married?"
Facing the Emperor's question, Shen Qingling smiled helplessly. "Your Highness, not only do you find this incredible, but I didn't think I would fall in love with a man at first sight. Your Highness, there's nothing we can do to stop a thing like feeling, if it comes."
The Emperor waved his hand to show that he understood, "Despite the fact that I am the king of a country, I have no authority to interfere with who you choose. I've never claimed I'd offer you a marriage because I want you to make your own decision. I will not stop you if you love Xu Qing, but Xu Qing must be mine."
Although the emperor stated "my" to signify that he wanted Xu Qing to listen to him, this term made Shen Qingling feel uneasy, but he said nothing.
Shen Qingling said, "Your Highness, Xu Qing's childhood education would not have been worse than ours. He was involved in everything from the courtroom to the battlefield to field geography, and he has his own distinct point of view. The man who taught him must have been well-educated, because Xu Qingwen is quite polite. In addition, he has a decent appearance and is a charming young man."
When it came to the end, Shen Qingling was a little off topic and the Emperor coughed softly to remind him. "Cough..."
Only when he was reminded by the Emperor did Shen Qingling realize that he had just said what was on his mind.
When the Emperor saw that Shen Qingling lowered his head awkwardly, he laughed softly. "It's said that even heroes fall for beauties. This is true, and the beauty might mean a childe or a man."
Shen Qingling reddened slightly when he heard this, but only for a split second. He swiftly suppressed his feelings and turned to face the Emperor. "Your Highness, you need not worry about Xu Qing betraying you; as long as you are a worthy emperor, Xu Qing will remain loyal to you."
"Oh, why are you so sure?" The Emperor asked.
Shen Qingling said, "I'm curious if you've ever heard of such a sentence. The typical person suffers whether the economy is prosperous or in recession. If you merely want to be the emperor who can keep the globe calm and people living and working in peace, those who truly want to help others will naturally do so for you."
The Emperor was stunned for a moment, then he chuckled. "Qingling, you are really worthy of being my virtuous servant. You are right. I just want to be the emperor who can keep the world peaceful. This is my wish to make the people live better. But it would be an injustice to your beloved brother. He probably won't be a general in his life."
Shen Qingling smiled and shook his head. "That is not correct, Your Highness. Even if you have no intention of attacking other countries, you cannot prevent those countries from attacking the Great Xia. The boundary is an indefinable location. It must be guarded by capable soldiers, exactly as Yanzhou; only in this way will Great Xia be quiet."
The Emperor nodded in agreement. "You are right. I don't think this massive Great Xia can't supply a good official post for talented people. Let's not go quite that far. Now, let's return to the Royal Examination. Do you want me to position your beloved sibling first, second, or third? Being outside of the top three has no meaning."
When Shen QingLing heard the Emperor's question, he really did not know what to say. After all, he could not make a decision on Xu Qing's behalf.
"Your Highness, I'll leave it to you to decide," Shen QingLing said after some thought. "It is OK to decide based on the results of the Royal Examination, no matter what it is, I think he got it all by himself, and this way, he will be more concerned about it."
Of course, the Emperor arrived to make the final choice. This kind of thing, no matter how close Shen Qingling was to him, could not go beyond him as the emperor. As a result, he was simply inquiring. He might see a way out after hearing what Shen Qingling said. "In that case, we'll wait till the Royal Examination."
"His Majesty is wise," Shen Qingling flattered him casually.
The Emperor also let go of this matter and ask Shen Qingling to have lunch with him. And of course Shen Qingling couldn't not refuse.
Three days went in the blink of an eye, and the Royal Examination arrived. Everyone who finished in the top ten in the Spring Test was required to enter the palace to take part in the Royal Examination. Guoguo couldn't follow him this time because they were going to the palace. He exited by sending Tangtang to the palace gate.
Guoguo told Tangtang before leaving. "Bro, be careful. You should see how it goes. Be stupid when you should be. If there's anything you can't handle, go find Shen Qingling. He will definitely help you. And if that doesn't work, you'll have to get out. I will pick up you outside."
Tangtang laughed. "I'm in the palace. How can you know if there is anything really wrong with me? All right, don't talk about it. I know what I'm going to do. Besides, I'm the older sibling. I should be the one to punish you. You are not forced to wait for me. Return promptly, or go shopping on your own."
Guoguo was dissatisfied with Tangtang's words. "Bro, don't forget that we are twin brothers. If there's something going on, I'm sure I'll feel it. If anything happens, I can definitely arrive in time."
After Guoguo said a few words, he saw a few people walking in and out. He pushed Tangtang and said, "Bro, go in now. As for me, you don't have to worry, I'll take care of myself."
Tangtang also felt that it was about time, so he waved at Guoguo and went in.
Guoguo watched Tangtang walked far away before turning to go away. Not away, but away from the palace gate. Then he made a circle round the wall as if he were scouting his surroundings.
When he thought he knew it, he left and hopped off to shop.
Tangtang entered the solemn hall with the other nine persons on this side. The Emperor sat high on the dragon chair, surrounded by ministers and tables in front of him. After the ten people saluted, they were escorted to their seats. The emperor delivered a few words before handing them pens and ink and instructing them to answer the questions on the spot.
The emperor himself devised the questions. "Whether it is prosperous or in recession, the common people still suffers," the Emperor stated, sitting on the dragon chair. "All students just need to say its major points. There's no need for a long story. So, did I make it clear?"
The group answered in unison, "To the Emperor, yes." Then they began to answer the questions.
Regardless of what the kids thought, the ministers were having a lot of talks. Nobody anticipated the Emperor to ask such a question.
Only three individuals smiled after he said it. Shen QingLing was the first to act as the initiator. And the second was the Emperor, who posed the inquiry. Tangtang, whose father had travelled, was the third.
When it came to the Emperor's test question, those students who had never heard of it before had no idea how to answer it. In actuality, this test question was both very easy and very difficult.
It was simple because these twelve words could be translated literally. It was just a simple test question. But, in the meanwhile, it was why it was difficult. Many pupils did not dare to answer it because it was a direct question that could be easily understood, and they were concerned that any carelessness would result in the loss of their heads.
Seeing that the students were hesitant to answer the question, the Emperor seemed to have read their mind and said, "Everyone, feel free to answer the question. I won't blame anyone."
As soon as the Emperor said this, numerous students who had already figured out the solution began to write. Only one or two classmates remained hesitant, and Tangtang was likely the first to begin writing. Tangtang has understood the significance of this sentence since he was a child.
It was Xu Ran who had informed him of it. When it came to these subjects, Xu Ran had never shied away from expressing his thoughts. He had also asked the twins to express themselves. They were young at the time, so he and Guoguo took its meaning literally.
Rise indicated riches, whereas decline meant failure. It was always the people that suffered, no matter what kind of situation they were in.
Even though the Emperor was brimming with talent and ideas, he couldn't handle everything in the world. He was on top of the world, yet he couldn't see far enough.
As a result, he was unable to see all of the world's problems. His father had mentioned that he had two favorite emperors. Kangxi was one, while Qianlong was the other.
They like traveling incognito to observe people's lives. Tangtang had no idea who Kangxi or Qianlong were, but his father had admired them and had told them numerous stories about them. He and Guoguo used to like the stories and recalled quite a few of them.
Tangtang remembered what his Dad had said. The reason why a good emperor was a good emperor was because he could win people's heart and think for the people, and that was what a good emperor should do.
A wise emperor would make both political and military achievements.
Water could carry a boat, while it could also overturn it. Thus, water was the most critical factor.
Tangtang did not provide a direct answer to this query. He instead presented two examples.
One of them concerned how the emperor chose the correct person for the post. It was the story his father had told him about Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and Wei Zheng.
Tang Dynasty Emperor Taizong lauded Weizheng as the mirror.
Another example was a previous anecdote shared by his father. It was the story of a man named Qin Hui. Despite the fact that both were prime ministers, they made very different decisions. To put it simply, one caused the nation to rise, while the other caused it to fall. Tangtang, on the other hand, examined the people's lives.
When Tangtang finished writing, he put down his writing brush. Seeing that the students around him were still busy answering the question, Tangtang wanted to check his answer again. If he found anything wrong, he could correct it.
But the Emperor, who had been paying attention to these students, had naturally seen Tangtang stop writing. He broke the silence, "Someone has actually finished writing. Hand it in and let me see it!"
Shen Qingling was another person who was staring towards Tangtang. Shen Qingling couldn't help himself when he saw Tangtang stop writing and was eager to read Tangtang's response.
Shen Qingling rose up when he heard the Emperor's order and took the initiative to play the role of the eunuch, retrieving Tangtang's paper for the Emperor. Shen Qingling couldn't calm down any further when he saw the two names in the instances on the page.
He wished he could read Tangtang's response attentively right away. Shen Qingling, on the other hand, was aware that the Final Imperial Examination had not yet concluded, so he managed to hold himself back.
When Shen Qingling passed the paper to the eunuch beside the Emperor, he was a little reluctant.
The eunuch tried hard to take the paper over.
The Emperor, who had been watching at Shen Qingling, had observed his unusual behavior as well. He grew more expectant all of a sudden. This was the first time he had seen his Minister of Works act in this manner.
The Emperor examined the name written on the examination paper. It had to be Xu Qing. He reflected to himself. It was, indeed, him. Only this guy was capable of causing his minister to act inappropriately.
Because the Emperor only had one test paper, he read it attentively. When he first started reading, he thought the author was pretty daring. There was a slight mismatch between his query and this response. To put it frankly, that was an insignificant response.
However, when the Emperor finished reading, he understood why Xu Qing answered the question this way. Apparently, his style of writing was better than those papers that only elaborated the meaning of the twelve words, despite its unconventionality.
Nonetheless, the Emperor entirely overlooked this minor defect. He smiled contentedly and asked the eunuch to hand over the document to the previous Spring Imperial Examination examiners.
For the Spring Imperial Examination, there were multiple examiners. They read the paper one by one, each with a different expression.
Some were pleased, while others were disgusted. Xu Qing, on the other hand, sat upright on his seat and acted as if he knew nothing, looking composed. The Emperor and Shen Qingling, who had been watching at him, were both pleased with his actions.
When Tangtang's test paper was read by every examiner, the other students had also finished writing. They handed in their papers one by one.
This time, the Emperor didn't show any expression anymore, as if he didn't want anyone else to read his mind at all.
When the Emperor finished reading one paper, he passed it to the examiner, and then went on to the next paper.
Tangtang's test paper was passed round among the officials. Finally, it went into Shen Qingling's hands. He couldn't wait to start reading its contents.
Shen Qingling had seen the names Wei Zheng and Qin Hui before, so he had a general sense of what was inside. His hypothesis was verified now that he had finished reading it. Shen Qingling had often wondered if Tangtang was from the same region as him, but he had never had the chance to ask. Shen Qingling resolved that he would not waste this opportunity this time.
Shen Qingling held his test paper and wouldn't let go, so many people failed to read it.
Shen Qingling had seen the names Wei Zheng and Qin Hui before, so he had a decent sense of what was inside. His hypothesis had been validated now that he had finished reading it. Shen Qingling had often wondered if Tangtang was from the same region as him, but he had never had the opportunity to inquire. Shen Qingling resolved that he would not pass up this opportunity this time.
The two people who had previously ranked higher than Tangtang in the Spring Imperial Examination both came from wealthy families. One was the son of a minister from the Ministry of Revenue, while the other was the son of a prince. According to Shen Qingling, these two were evenly matched, and each had many admirers among the officials. The two were the most highly suggested. The fourth and fifth followed next, although Xu Qing's name was barely discussed.
It wasn't that no one recommended him, but there were not that many. Among the examiners, only three of them recommended his work. The others either hadn't read his paper or had long taken his side.
The Emperor's face darkened once he heard what these people said.
These eleven papers were read for the first time by the Emperor. He had read them all, whether they were good or horrible. The one he liked most was, of course, Xu Qing's, while the rest of the students spent the entire piece elaborating on those twelve phrases but never gave any useful suggestions. Many of the papers contained no suggestions at all, and neither the first nor the second had done a good job in their papers.
The more the Emperor thought about it, the angrier he became. Just as he was about to pound the desk and fly into a rage, someone had already stepped forward ahead of him.
Shen Qingling walked to the middle of the hall and knelt down. "Your Majesty, I have something to say."
When the Emperor saw Shen Qingling leaving his seat, he let out a sigh of relief. He knew that Shen Qingling must have come out to help Xu Qing.
The Emperor raised his hand, "Please speak out freely."
Shen Qingling kept kneeling and didn't move, saying, "Your Majesty, please allow me to tell everybody here a story."
The Emperor said, "If you have something to say, get up and say it."
Shen Qingling stood up, looked around and then began slowly, "Today, I'm telling a story about an evil minister, who almost ruined the whole country. His name is Qin Hui. He was a prime minister, but a treacherous one..."
It was not difficult for Shen Qingling to tell the story of Qin Hui, because it was in the textbook of junior high school. Even if he was not familiar with it, he could remember it roughly.
People found it difficult to adore Qin Hui since he didn't care about them. All he cared about was his own selfish gain. He was also a slacker. Perhaps the only thing people loved about him was how differently he was remembered by subsequent generations, given that he had gone down in history as a symbol of infamy. People had also remembered the faithful officials who had been slain by him. Shen Qingling delivered the narrative solemnly, and many who had earlier dismissed Xu Qing's test paper changed their minds after hearing the story told by Shen Qingling.
They didn't know who Qin Hui was, but Qin Hui had indeed committed some monstrous crimes, and he absolutely deserved to be beheaded. Besides, Shen Qingling told the story in a metaphorical language, which made those guilty ones even more guilty.
However, Shen Qingling didn't stop when he finished Qin Hui's story. He bowed to the Emperor again, "Your Majesty, after the story of an evil minister, could I tell another story of a loyal minister?"
Since Shen Qingling asked, the Emperor had no reason to let him stop. He waved his hand and said, "Please go on."
As a result, Shen Qingling began to relate another narrative. It was about a minister named Wei Zheng, who was regarded as the Tang Dynasty's mirror by Emperor Taizong. Even in front of the Emperor, he was an outspoken individual.
He was one of the Tang Dynasty's most prominent bureaucrats. Shen Qingling, as before, narrated the story deliberately and solemnly this time. Because this narrative was about another minister, a loyal one, the atmosphere among the officials improved, but the students sat there looked downcast.
Tangtang had a dismal expression on his face since he was perplexed as to how Shen Qingling knew about those stories. Tangtang had only heard them from his father and had never read them in a book. Later, he discovered that his father had arrived from a very far away place, so far that he could no longer return. As a result, these stories had never occurred in this universe, so how did Shen Qingling become aware of them? Could it be that Shen Qingling, like his father, came from a distant land?
Shen Qingling had already concluded what he planned to say while Tangtang was thinking. Then he sat back down and stayed silent, impersonating a human background plate.
However, the pond rippled due to his two stories.
11.14.21
uhhh... so i said that i'll finish the novel this week.. but i reached my limit again so ╮(╯▽╰)╭
tomorrow it'll be done.. promise.. hehe