Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 142 Cui Yue: His Character
"Oh? Seriously?"

Sheng Hong's face lit up with joy, a blush appearing somewhat unnatural. He then couldn't help but ask, "Does Lord Cui truly value you so much that he even personally instructed you?"

There seemed to be a sense of disbelief in his words.

"Father, Lord Cui did indeed give me some guidance!"

Sheng Changquan nodded, somewhat puzzled as to why his father was so excited.
Even if the other party really gave me some pointers, so what?
Is there some other special reason for this?
"Ah~"

"Changquan, you don't understand!"

As if sensing Sheng Changquan's confusion, Sheng Hong suppressed the joy on his face and began to explain to him.

Do you know who this Lord Cui is?

Without waiting for Sheng Changquan's reply, Sheng Hong continued, muttering to himself, "This Lord Cui Yue is truly no ordinary person!"

"Although he and I are both fifth-rank officials, we are not comparable!"

Sheng Hong gave a slight self-deprecating laugh, then suddenly raised his head, his tone filled with an indescribable flavor, seemingly both envy and admiration.

"Speaking of which, Lord Cui has also had a difficult time!"

"He came from a poor family with extremely poor social standing. His childhood education environment was even worse than that of ordinary farming and scholarly families!"

"Especially in the earlier years, Lord Cui almost got dismissed because he didn't have enough tuition fees!"

"Fortunately, Mr. Huang Zhifeng, Mr. Cui's mentor at the time, had a keen eye for talent and saw the hidden brilliance in Mr. Cui at a glance. He did not care about the opinions of the outside world and insisted on taking him in. It was because of this that Mr. Cui had the opportunity to study."

Sheng Changquan remained silent, simply listening quietly to Sheng Hong's story.

"In the end, Lord Cui did not disappoint Mr. Huang's expectations. While managing the family's livelihood, he also studied diligently day and night, working hard to master the literature!"

"Ultimately, it was under these circumstances, day after day, year after year, that Lord Cui achieved great success late in life, passed the imperial examination with flying colors, and became famous in the eyes of the emperor with his essay 'Miscellaneous Essays,' thus becoming a Jinshi!"

Although Sheng Hong was also a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), people are different, and there are differences between Jinshi.

Putting aside other things, Cui Yue was a second-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), while Sheng Hong was only a third-class Jinshi. The two were not comparable.

"..."

"Later, Lord Cui entered the Hanlin Academy and became a lecturer there, specializing in explaining the ways of sages and the principles of governing the country to the emperor."

Sheng Hong said a lot, and gradually, Sheng Changquan also began to understand the underlying meaning.

"It seems that this Lord Cui is no ordinary lecturer!"

Watching Sheng Hong speak eloquently, Sheng Changquan understood his father's unspoken message: it was essential to maintain a good relationship with Lord Cui, and ideally, to take it a step further and gain a legitimate and open friendship with him.

In fact, what Sheng Changquan was unaware of was that Cui Yue's current status could be described in just four words: "He is favored by the emperor."

The reason why Sheng Hong cared so much about Cui Yue was actually because of his status as a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy. Sheng Changquan's guess on this point was absolutely correct!
However, the reason why Cui Yue's identity is so peculiar is because he is highly favored by the current emperor.

As a lecturer, Cui Yue's job, besides compiling and editing classics in the Hanlin Academy, was naturally to explain the classics to the emperor, the crown prince, and others, helping them understand the profound meaning of the ancient sages.

Perhaps because he had a deep understanding of the hardships of ordinary people due to his own poverty since childhood, when Cui Yue lectured the emperor, he did not simply use flowery language and exquisite writing to tell those great truths that had been said countless times before.

The emperor had long since heard these wise sayings so many times he was about to vomit. In fact, if he were given a blindfold, he might be able to recite them by heart!
Based on classical texts and drawing upon his own observations, experiences, and even personal observations, Cui Yue presented the most authentic aspects of the country to the highest ruler of the court in a straightforward yet sophisticated manner.

Although the current emperor is of noble birth and has never experienced the hardships of ordinary people, he is kind-hearted by nature. Moreover, he ascended the throne during a period of national turmoil, having suffered hardships and injustices, and thus naturally developed compassion for the people.

When ruler and minister share the same aspirations, they naturally become "good friends"!
Although the current emperor has not directly promoted Cui Yue, he frequently summons him to the palace to lecture on scriptures. In their leisure time, they play chess and converse like friends, treating him differently from others. "Changquan, do you understand now?"

The social expert Sheng Hong subtly yet bluntly taught his son the ways of officialdom: "Since Lord Cui has already given you guidance, you must listen to him and participate in the imperial examination!"

"Once you pass the imperial examination, I will personally visit you to express my gratitude!"

"Have you remembered this?"

Sheng Hong, though not stern, gave Sheng Changquan detailed instructions.

"Yes, father!"

"I've remembered it all!"

In response, Sheng Changquan bowed his head in apology, indicating that he understood.

After all, Sheng Changquan was just an ordinary man, without the refined and unconventional "ambition" of the neighbor, Master Jia—who only wanted to get to know women as pure as water, but did not want to get to know men made of mud.

……

Zeyutang.

"ah!"

"The young master is back!"

Sheng Changquan had just stepped into his courtyard when he saw a little girl, who looked like a bean sprout, suddenly exclaim in surprise. She then hurriedly put down the sweeping she was doing and ran towards the house.

"Hehe, this girl!"

Sheng Changquan shook his head and smiled, finding it inexplicably funny.

Sheng Changquan naturally recognized the impetuous little maid from before; she was the one he named Qingfeng, one of the four maids that Madam Wang had given him.

Speaking of which, Sheng Changquan's names are quite good. At least, Qingfeng is the right name!
A gentle breeze, just right.

"Brother, you're back!"

As Qingfeng went back to fetch people in a loud voice, several people quickly came out of the house.

Leading the group was none other than Cui Ming, who had been with Sheng Changquan the longest.

Cuiming was a first-class maid in Sheng Changquan's household, and her character and conduct served as a role model for the other maids.

At this moment, she was seen holding a lantern, smiling and greeting people as she gently led the way for Sheng Changquan.

As she walked, she explained, "Brother, you're finally back!"

"Earlier, Brother Changqing also sent someone to say that you have returned today!"

"But the few of us in the courtyard waited for a long time and didn't see the young master return. We almost thought that Brother Changqing was making fun of us!"

"..."

As he listened to Cui Ming's rambling, Sheng Changquan smiled.

(End of this chapter)