Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 217 The youngest of the thirteen
Following last year's turmoil, Luonan's canals underwent a systematic renovation, which not only greatly improved irrigation conditions but also made the landscape more pleasant.

It is early February, and the fields are lush with life, with grass growing and birds singing. Many farmers are tilling the land, preparing to sow seeds once the weather warms up.

The past few days had been lively and festive in the city, but also noisy. Now, arriving in the vast fields, they were immediately filled with a sense of peace and joy. The group rode swiftly along, and soon arrived at the outskirts of the farm south of the city.

"Congratulations, Your Excellency, on passing the imperial examination!"

Zhao Mingzao, the steward of the manor, led a group of villagers to line up outside the manor to wait. When they saw Zhang Dai and his party arrive, they cheered and applauded.

To avoid the other scholars from the same village feeling neglected, Zhang Dai waved his hand to signal the villagers to stop their congratulations. He then joked that he would give them an extra meal to celebrate and ordered them to come to the village to prepare a banquet.

"The valley here is quiet and the fields are beautiful. It's truly enviable that Zhang Liu owns such a beautiful business outside the city!"

The group immediately stood outside the village, admiring the wild and beautiful scenery outside the village, and couldn't help but praise it repeatedly.

"This is the estate left by my late mother. Fortunately, loyal family members have managed it so that it has not fallen into ruin. I am just a parasite who enjoys the fruits of others' labor."

Zhang Dai explained with a smile as he led everyone into the manor.

To be honest, the manor itself is rather ordinary in terms of scenery and layout, lacking elegance and charm. After all, Ding Cang was mainly focused on production to support his family when he ran the manor. He even built the chicken coop next to the main house, making it smelly and noisy. In the summer, swarms of mosquitoes and flies would swarm around it, which was one of the reasons why the young Zhang Luonu didn't like living there.

Nowadays, Zhang Dai no longer expects the farm's income to support his family. In addition, many monks from Changshou Temple have been brought here to live, so he has carried out a redesign and renovation of the farm, separating living and production areas, and adding some pavilions and terraces for viewing the scenery and entertaining guests, making it look more livable.

The family members had already followed instructions and prepared a lot of food and wine at the estate. In addition, Ding Qing came to inform them this morning, so the banquet was quickly prepared.

However, everyone was clearly more interested in the estate and did not rush to hold a banquet, but instead strolled around the estate to admire the scenery.

"This is Sichuan pepper! Although the branches are thicker and shorter, the peppers are more pungent and can be used in medicine to dispel cold, stop diarrhea, and expel intestinal worms in children. It's amazing that such a rare and wonderful plant is growing in Zhang Liu's house!"

Wang Changling, being knowledgeable and experienced, quickly noticed the two Sichuan pepper trees outside the hall and explained their origins. Upon hearing this, everyone gathered around, and after Zhang Dai explained with a smile, their eyes couldn't help but show even more surprise.

People are always deeply interested in things that have a long history and are full of the spirit of the times. Right now, as they circle around these two pepper trees, some people can't help but sway their heads and recite them.

Zhang Dai was amused by this. If any of these people could produce a widely circulated masterpiece, it would be a great advertisement for his peppercorns. It seemed he should invite them to more gatherings!
Since everyone was in high spirits, they didn't go into the hall, but simply sat on the ground under the pepper tree. Seeing this, Zhang Dai ordered his servants to bring a felt tent and set up a feast. He then moved the wine and dishes into the tent, and they drank and chatted, naturally discussing the provincial examination that had just ended.

This provincial examination was fraught with difficulties, and in the end only thirteen people were selected, making it the year with the fewest successful candidates since the Kaiyuan era.

Among the thirteen who passed the imperial examination, besides Zhang Dai, who was the top scholar, were two famous poets, Wang Changling and Chang Jian, whose names have been passed down through the ages. Moreover, Wang Changling was the second-best to pass the examination, after Zhang Dai. It is said that the prime minister Du Xian greatly admired him.

Next came Li Yi and Du Wei, the top scorers from both the Eastern and Western Imperial Colleges. No matter how capricious the examiners were, they dared not question the educational achievements of the Imperial College. The others included Guo Yong from the Guo family of Taiyuan, Yang Jian from the Yang family of Hongnong, Xue Yi from the Xue family of Hedong, and so on.

However, the Tang people's talk of ancestral homeland was just for show. Zhang Dai was from the Zhang family of Fanyang, but in reality, his ancestors were natives who migrated from Hedong to Luoyang. It was just a nice way of saying it, and there was no solid genealogy to back it up.

Among the thirteen, Zhang Dai was the youngest, only sixteen years old (by Chinese reckoning). Next was Xue Yi, who was only nineteen years old this year. Although he ranked thirteenth and was the last to pass this year, considering that this year's competition was much more difficult than in previous years, he could still be considered a child prodigy.

The rest were mostly in their early twenties, some even in their thirties or forties. Apart from Wang Changling and Chang Jian, who were known for their poetry, the others were largely unknown.

This is actually quite normal. The imperial examination was not the mainstream way to enter officialdom in the Tang Dynasty. Only twenty or thirty people entered officialdom each year through this method. The path in officialdom narrows as you go higher. If other factors are added, the number of people who can succeed will be even smaller.

Even though many prime ministers in the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty were graduates of the imperial examinations, they all went through various trials and tribulations before standing out. As for those who were eliminated, it wasn't necessarily because they lacked talent; luck was also a significant factor.

After discussing some trivial matters, Zhang Dai brought up one of the purposes of gathering everyone: "Before the final examination, we newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) still need to pay our respects to our teachers. However, our esteemed host, Master Yan, is still under supervision. What are your thoughts on how to proceed?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked worried. The normal procedure was that after the results were announced, they should first visit the host to thank him, then be led by the host to see the prime minister, and then be informed when the exam would end.

The Guanshi was an examination conducted by the Ministry of Personnel to test the candidates' ability to interpret texts. Only after passing the Guanshi could they obtain the qualification to be selected and begin to be selected under the management of the Ministry of Personnel. After the selection period was completed, they would participate in the selection process and then be appointed to official positions.

The final examination wasn't difficult; it was usually just a formality, something anyone could pass. Sometimes, you didn't even need to take the exam; just having someone sign in was enough. Of course, this year's graduates had just been purged, so they didn't dare to be careless about the final examination. But regardless of how difficult the final examination was, the current situation was that there was no patron to pay respects to, so naturally no one would lead them to the prime minister and inform them of the final examination.

"Should we go to Cui Sanqi's residence to express our gratitude? Cui Sanqi is in charge of the Ministry of Personnel and also serves as an examiner at the examination hall..."

Someone couldn't help but say that the host and the examinee have a special bond, and it would sound good to have Cui Mian, a high-ranking official of the third rank, as the host!

Upon hearing this, some people showed interest, but Li Yi shook his head repeatedly and said, "The reason why the master calls us 'master' is because he has the grace of selecting and recommending us, so we need to express our gratitude. We have already passed the three tests and all of us have taken Master Yan as our master."

"Not only has Cui Sanqi shown us no kindness, but he has also been harsh in his rebukes. If we were to appoint him as our lord, wouldn't we be ridiculed by the people of the time for being sycophants?"

Upon hearing this, the person who made the suggestion also showed displeasure. Although that was indeed what he thought, he still felt embarrassed to have it said so bluntly. So he said in a deep voice, "In that case, what is Li Shiqi's opinion?"

Li Yi was speechless upon hearing this. After pondering for a moment, he looked at Zhang Dai and said, "Since Zhang Liu has brought people here, he must have a plan! Tell us frankly so that everyone can consider it."

"I do have a plan, but once I speak of it, I will do it, whether you follow it or not!"

Zhang Dai first expressed his firm stance, and then said: "Our master is Master Yan, whose authority is beyond question in terms of both national law and human sentiment. However, due to the leak of past events in the miscellaneous writings, the officials in charge of performance evaluation have not yet decided on the punishment, and perhaps some people are secretly harboring ulterior motives."

But I want to tell you all that even now, the quality of our tools is still subject to public opinion. If we reveal our desire for advantage and avoidance of harm before even removing our hempen clothes, we will be trapped in a dead end from now on!

Therefore, tomorrow I will first visit Master Yan's residence, pay my respects in the empty hall, and then go to the Southern Province to plead with the Prime Minister. If Master Yan cannot make a fair judgment, then I will not participate in the provincial examination!

"This...this is a bit offensive, isn't it? How can one be selected without participating in the examination? Besides, Master Yan did indeed make a mistake in handling the matter, it wasn't an unjust punishment..."

Upon hearing Zhang Dai's words, some people immediately looked troubled, clearly unwilling to gamble their hard-earned future by coercing the prime minister.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai sighed. He thought that having such thoughts only showed that the person was too naive, and could not even be considered selfish, because he had not yet understood the basic logic of the Tang Dynasty's officialdom.

They were not particularly important officials, and their statements had no decisive impact on the matter. Their actions were merely a reflection of their integrity and character, and an attempt to get things back on track.

This was precisely what the powerful figures in the court who determined their futures valued. Cui Qun, the Tang Dynasty official in charge of the imperial examinations, boasted that the thirty students he had selected the previous spring examinations for were like thirty beautiful estates and fertile fields. He meant that these students would repay his kindness like farmland, providing a continuous stream of income.

Besides these official ethics, the factor of the capriciousness of power must also be considered. These people did not follow the usual path to success, so it is unpredictable whether the subsequent examinations would change according to circumstances, be postponed, or have their format altered to increase difficulty.

Even if they manage to pass the selection process, they will still be considered outliers within the overall pool of candidates. As an outlier, unless one's abilities are so exceptional that they cannot be suppressed, one is bound to be ostracized within a system.

Therefore, the first thing to emphasize for these newly appointed scholars is that they are talents selected through proper imperial examinations, not products of infighting. They also need to be treated normally and fairly!
"I agree with Zhang Liu's plan, and we will definitely work together in the future!"

Li Yi was already quite grateful for Yan Tingzhi's appreciation of him, and even though he failed to become the top scholar due to setbacks, he quickly nodded in agreement when he heard Zhang Dai express his support for Yan Tingzhi.

Wang Changling and several others nodded in agreement. They may not have a thorough understanding of the rules of officialdom, but out of their own moral integrity, they felt that they should not rush to distance themselves from Yan Tingzhi at this moment.

However, a few people remained silent with their heads down, clearly finding it difficult to make such a decision.

Seeing this, Zhang Dai stopped pressuring them. He simply raised his cup and said with a smile, "We've gathered here today to celebrate the success of the imperial examinations. How we act in the future is up to us. If you're willing to work with us, let's meet in front of Master Yan's residence. If you have other plans, you can handle them calmly! Let's drink this cup and enjoy the present moment!"

Upon hearing this, everyone stopped dwelling on the matter to avoid an awkward atmosphere, raised their glasses in response, and prepared to reflect on it later.

In fact, it's not just between the master and the disciple; there is also a rare friendship among those who are the same age. However, people's personalities and experiences are different, and whether it is worthwhile to associate with them remains to be seen.

Yan Tingzhi's matter provided just such an opportunity. Zhang Dai did not think that refusing to work together meant he was of low character; he only thought that their temperaments and perspectives on issues were different, so there was no need to continue their friendship.

(End of this chapter)