Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 142 The Scientific Expedition Begins!
As the day of the scientific expedition drew ever closer, the person who was more nervous than anyone else was not the examinee, but Chen Kefu.

Since that court assembly, he suddenly realized that no one was paying attention to him anymore.

Especially for civil officials, even if they personally visited the other party, the other party would avoid seeing them.

I was completely isolated...

Moreover, he gradually realized that there was a big problem with his memorial that day.

Not only that day's, but also the previous military memorial requesting the replacement of Song Shi'an in the midst of battle, which also had significant issues.

Especially since Song Shi'an couldn't make it out of prison, someone specially arranged for him to take a science exam in prison and then completely wake up.

broken.

The emperor never intended to sell Song Shi'an.

In fact, he wanted to protect Song Shi'an even more than the Sixth Prince.

Because the Sixth Prince, as a prince, doesn't need protection at all.

"Father, this is terrible!"

Just then, a burly young man, who looked exactly like him, entered the room and said, "We've been sold!"

"What?" Chen Kefu's heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "Tell me in detail."

“I specifically asked some of the young men, and it seems that all the military officers’ memorials were in support of the Song dynasty’s peace,” the son said.

"Protect them all? Even those nobles?" Chen Kefu asked in surprise.

Military colonies also harmed noble families.

Moreover, since the nobles suffered a defeat while he won, it's impossible for him not to hold a grudge.

"It's difficult to get in touch with the sons of noble families, but I've also heard that those noble families have been warned not to speak carelessly, especially about Song Shi'an."

"I knew it!" Chen Kefu frowned, looking very uncomfortable.

“And another thing,” the son added, “I have a friend who works at the Imperial Household Agency. He came to me privately and said, ‘Father, you’ve been tricked. Not a single one of those civil officials impeached Song Shi’an, and not a single one implicated the Sixth Prince. He told me not to talk about the Prince anymore, or I might be accused of ‘intending to collude with the prince.’”

"Damn it! How can I bear this accusation!"

Chen Kefu was instantly terrified and began to tremble, breaking out in a cold sweat.

His status as a second-rank military officer was not entirely due to his father's influence.

At his highest rank, Chen Kefu's father was only a third-rank official.

In his youth, he fought alongside his brother and father, displaying great bravery and achieving numerous merits. He himself rose through the ranks to the fifth grade, and his future seemed limitless. However, during an ambush, both his father and brother were riddled with arrows.

After that, he inherited his father's official position, and the court promoted him to the third rank in order to honor the martyrs.

Logically speaking, with such a background, one should be able to rise rapidly in one's career.

But after that battle, he was left with psychological trauma and became extremely timid and fearful...

A general who is afraid to fight is basically useless.

He was later promoted in name only but demoted in reality and transferred to Sheng'an as the deputy general of Sizhou.

There was basically no war in Sizhou. The soldiers in Sheng'anli were the Imperial Guards, the emperor's personal guards were the Imperial Guards, and the county soldiers of each prefecture were the commanders of each prefecture. In total, there were only a few thousand prefecture soldiers, and he was just a deputy.

Having no other choice, he decided to seek refuge with the Zhao family in Qinzhou.

As a result, he was humiliated by that brat Zhao Xiang.

Associating with civil officials was a way to arrange political marriages, acquire land, and cultivate relationships in order to pave the way for their sons.

Otherwise, given his family's lack of background and real power, if no outstanding individuals emerge from his family, the lineage would likely not last more than a few generations, and he might not even reach the fifth rank.

Otherwise, why would they go through all that trouble to stand out and become pawns for those civil officials? It's just plain stupid.
"But they betrayed me!"

Chen Kefu's mentality collapsed.

Originally, I wanted to join forces with Minister Sun because I admired their harmonious style of mutual protection, recommendation, and shared benefits among officials.

Sigh, even though I managed to squeeze in, I'm still an outsider!
"What should we do, Father?" the son panicked. "This matter could be a big deal or a small deal, but if it gets too big..."

"Wait a minute." Suddenly, Chen Kefu thought of something. "If I really did something wrong, why doesn't His Majesty punish me?"

“That’s true,” the son realized as well. “Besides, there aren’t many cases of people being punished for their words.”

“Right?” Chen Kefu continued his analysis, “The emperor is not on good terms with the officials, and now the officials want to isolate me, so I… am on His Majesty’s side.”

“That makes sense, Father.”

“Right?” Chen Kefu had an idea. “Song Shi’an has an exam tomorrow, and we don’t know when he’ll be released from prison. When that happens, we can cling to Song Shi’an’s coattails. If he wants to cultivate land, we can donate money and laborers. Wouldn’t it be enough to just become part of Song’s faction?”

After thinking it over, the son's eyes lit up: "You're right, Father!"

.........

The day of the scientific expedition finally arrived.

At dawn, the sun rises, and the sky reveals a pale, fish-belly white.

The weather was exactly the same as when the imperial examination was held last year.

The time and place are the same.

It was still the examination hall located in the outer city.

However, the age of the candidates was significantly older than that of the previous ones.

There were quite a few elderly scholars, some even in their fifties or sixties.

Of course, the only reason these people still have ambition is because they hold sinecure positions.

Many people passed the imperial examination and later became officials. After serving for a few years, they basically lost interest in taking the imperial examination again.

The chances are too slim.

Only about thirty students are admitted each year, and in each year, many students from prominent families take up the spots.

Instead of forcing myself to take the exam, I should try to get a rank of seventh grader before I retire, so that I can create better conditions for the next generation.

Therefore, among these several thousand successful candidates, those who were full of vigor and ambition were still the sons of officials in their twenties and thirties who were also exceptionally talented.

These people were all dressed in fine silk and brocade, wearing hats adorned with red tassels and precious stones, and they shone like gods.

The most distinguished of all is the young master of the Sun family.

As soon as he stepped off the carriage in front of the examination hall, he became the focus of the entire audience.

Many scholars from other places stood on tiptoe and craned their necks, eager to catch a glimpse of the handsome man.

"The Sun family of Yangzhou are indeed all outstanding and intelligent people." "At this age, they are only seventh-rank officials and have achieved three times the political achievements. If they pass the imperial examination, their potential will be immeasurable."

"With all those things happening in the imperial court this year, I feel like either Song Shi'an or Sun Qian will become the top scholar in the imperial examination."

"Be careful what you say. Besides, even if you have great influence, your writing must be worthy of a top scholar."

"That's for the world to see..."

"But Song Shi'an is definitely a sure thing. I could never write an essay like 'Exhortation to Learning' in my entire life."

"However, he was fighting in Shuofeng before, and then he was imprisoned in Dali Temple after returning. He hasn't had time to read books, which has greatly affected his writing skills and knowledge accumulation."

"Yes, if I don't write for a month or two, I feel awkward."

"If one could pass the imperial examination under such circumstances, or even rank in the top three..."

"What if he's the top scholar?"

"If someone can become the top scholar in this kind of environment, then we should all hang ourselves from the rafters and have no chance of survival!"

"Hahaha."

Officials throughout the land were interested in Song Shi'an and Sun Qian.

For a time, they were regarded as the two prides.

Of course, there were still some who were not convinced. After all, the top scholars and runners-up from each prefecture had all come. Who wasn't a prodigy of their sect?

Let's see. If the essay doesn't live up to the top scorer's reputation, then it just goes to show that it's better to flatter than to do well on the exam.

"Gentlemen, it's been a long time."

Outside the examination hall, the group of junior scholars from Sizhou finally gathered together.

Sun Qian was the first to speak.

After all, he wanted to become the leader of the new generation of aristocratic families.

Lead these people.

"Yes, it's been a year," Han Zhongchen said with a smile. "Among us, only Young Master Qian has already reached the seventh rank."

He had just started flattering Gao Yunyi when Gao Yunyi interjected, "There's another one who started as a seventh-rank official, and he's in jail now."

Upon hearing this, Han Zhongchen immediately expressed his disgust: "Yeah, they sent their whole family to jail just to gamble for riches. That's impressive."

“That’s not right. This isn’t a gamble for wealth and fortune,” Gao Yunyi retorted again. “Shuofeng really held his ground. Without him, it’s questionable whether we could even take the exam here.”

Han Zhongchen got angry: "What does our exam have to do with him...?"

“It is related to nature,” Fan Wuji said. “If there is a major battle, and it ends in defeat, the scientific expedition will be postponed or canceled.”

Han Zhongchen: "..."

These two people defended Song Shi'an in front of Sun Qian.

But none of them were licking.

It was purely a counterattack.

After being embroiled in Sun's mess at the banquet last year, the two men harbored resentment towards Sun Situ.

Sun Qian could tell.

Therefore, he coldly echoed, "Yes, among us, the one in prison really is the best official."

"But the path to officialdom is long, and we all have the opportunity to catch up."

After bowing to Sun Qian, Fan Wuji smiled and took his leave.

He and Gao Yunyi walked into the examination hall together.

Two former Asian champions hesitated briefly before bowing and saying goodbye, then followed the other two.

"Looks like they're trying to curry favor with Song Shi'an," Han Zhongchen said sarcastically.

Suddenly, Sun Qian sensed that something was wrong.

The officials in Sheng'an were indeed mostly from the Sun family.

However, of these ten top scholars and runners-up, only five remained on their side.

Those four people were unwilling to associate with the Sun family.

That is... five against five.

Could it be that after Song Shi'an is finally released, the obstacles he faces are not as great as he imagined?

He himself was blinded by the atmosphere of civil officials in the capital.

After looking around, he realized that there were very few powerful families in the world who had the ability to protect their people!

.........

"Young Master Song, please."

Song Shi'an was finally released from prison.

He was led to a room by a scholar from the Imperial Academy and two jailers.

The room was enclosed, with a table in the middle, water and dry food next to the table.

Then, people were everywhere.

Two Imperial Guards stood guard on the left and right, and four officials from the capital were positioned at the four corners.

Directly in front of him was a sixth-rank scholar-official.

This is quite an exaggerated display.

But Song Shi'an didn't care at all.

Calmly, he walked to the desk and sat down.

"Young Master Song, apart from requesting permission to use the restroom, you are not allowed to utter a single word during this time," the Imperial Academy scholar reminded him.

Song Shi'an smiled faintly and extended his hand.

A moment later, the bell rang.

Scientific expedition, start!

(End of this chapter)