Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 358 Do you have a grudge against your father? He's the hidden contestant at the Lantern Festival Poetry Competition!

Don't want to be the top student?
After listening to Liu Wan'er's retelling, Zhang Yunxiu was speechless. Our princess had been in the palace for too long and seemed a bit "pedantic." Victory was right in front of her and within her grasp, yet she chose to do it herself.
This is understandable, after all, Princess Yongning grew up in the palace from a young age, and what the palace taught her was nothing more than being virtuous and gentle.

Zhu Yaoying was somewhat unique; she had studied some ancient books and medical texts, but compared to other women, she still lacked contact with the outside world.

What troubled Zhang Yunxiu the most was that Zhu Yaoying was not thinking about getting the Wanli Emperor to grant her a marriage, but rather about going to the Golden Continent with him to have a baby.
What? You want to create an America together with yourself?
Thinking about how things had unfolded, Zhang Yunxiu's face became somewhat tense.

Liu Wan'er stood aside and saw Zhang Yunxiu's face change from being furious to grinning foolishly, almost thinking he was possessed.

With the Lantern Festival poetry gathering about to begin, she stamped her feet anxiously.

"Young master! What time is it? Why are you still standing here in a daze? Hurry up and think of a solution! Do you really want to marry that Japanese woman?"

After saying this, she gave him a scrutinizing look.

Zhang Yunxiu felt a little uneasy under the other party's gaze, so he snatched the paper from Liu Wan'er's hand. On it were several poems written by Zhu Yaoying herself.

"Let me take a look."

Before looking at it, Zhang Yunxiu had some expectations for the princess. After all, she was a princess. The people teaching all kinds of knowledge in the palace were basically all the best in the Ming Dynasty. They must all be Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). There was an excellent teaching staff. Even if they were bad, how bad could they be?

However, Zhang Yunxiu underestimated the power of the Zhu family genes. It can be said that apart from Zhu the Elder and Zhu the Fourth, who could be considered all-rounders, the remaining emperors were all somewhat "unorthodox," and even this princess was no exception.

Zhu Yaoying was a medical genius who often put forward medical views that made Zhang Yunxiu, a person of later generations, feel ashamed of his own abilities.

However, her achievements in literature and poetry are somewhat hard to describe.

It's barely passable.

Seeing Zhang Yunxiu's expression, Liu Wan'er sighed heavily and said, "Young master, you can see it too. The princess has no talent in poetry. If she submits these two poems, I'm afraid that Japanese woman will win first place today."

At that time, not only will my Great Ming Dynasty be disgraced, but you, young master, will also fall into the clutches of Japanese women. Will you still remain unmoved?

Zhang Yunxiu couldn't help but chuckle. He'd fallen into the clutches of a Japanese woman? Did he look that weak? Was he the kind of pretty boy who could be forced into sex by a woman?
"Young Master!" Liu Wan'er couldn't help but step forward and tug at Zhang Yunxiu's sleeve, but then she felt it was inappropriate and quickly shook him off, her face slightly flushed as she spoke.

"You must never marry that Japanese woman! If you marry her, what will happen to the princess? What will happen to the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhang Yunxiu narrowed his eyes and said, "This is not what I wanted, Wan'er, can't you see that?"

"What?" Liu Wan'er looked up at her fair face.

Zhang Yunxiu said quietly, "Today, Hosokawa I was able to get to this point. Could it really be because of her own true talent and learning?"

"not that simple."

He shook his head and answered his own question.

"If it weren't for Zhang Laobi's tacit approval and arrangements, how could things have come to this?"

As Zhang Yunxiu said this, he couldn't help but grit his teeth. When you are not in danger, your father is your greatest danger!

“This matter is not His Majesty’s doing,” Liu Wan’er said hesitantly.

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head: "His Majesty is just a child at heart. He organized this poetry gathering on a whim. He does have feelings of reluctance to part with his sister, but he doesn't have that much of a plan. On the contrary, someone else is the real shrewd strategist!"

Liu Wan'er shuddered. What exactly was the relationship between this head guard and his father? They didn't seem like father and son, but more like enemies.
She swallowed hard and couldn't help but ask.

"According to your meaning, even if the Japanese woman wins the prize, His Majesty will not agree to bestow a marriage upon her?"

“Not necessarily,” Zhang Yunxiu sighed. “You know His Majesty’s temperament. He’s the kind of person who likes to have fun all the time. If he really gets carried away, no one can stop him. At that time, I will have no choice but to obey the emperor’s orders and sell my body for the sake of the Ming Dynasty’s reputation.”

He looked somewhat sad when he said this.

Liu Wan'er became a little anxious and spoke in a rapid-fire manner.

"Young master, you can help the princess. She's just stuck in a rut, or perhaps she's reached a dead end. If you give up too, you're both finished, and this passionate love story will turn into a tragedy! You shouldn't be a tragedy!"

Her voice was somewhat hoarse, as if it were a strong indictment of this love affair that "ended without a trace".

Zhang Yunxiu, however, looked quite pleased with himself and sighed as he spoke.

"I must respect Her Highness's choice. If she does not wish to seek help, why should I force her? Wan'er, let's not mention this matter again."

"But!"

Liu Wan'er blushed. She didn't understand why things had come to this. They clearly loved each other, so why wouldn't they take the first step?

Indeed, there are deep obstacles and gaps between the princess and Zhang Yunxiu, but shouldn't this make their love even stronger?

That's how it's written in vernacular novels!
Liu Wan'er continued, "Young Master, you are capable. You and His Majesty are like brothers. You could secretly plead with him, bribe the examiners, or even submit a better poem to help His Highness."

"All right."

Zhang Yunxiu interrupted Liu Wan'er and waved his hand, saying...

"There's nothing I can do about this. I respect the princess's choice and will not force her. You should go back now, as the poetry gathering is about to begin."

"you!"

Liu Wan'er's expression gradually changed from earnest persuasion to anger; she couldn't understand why Zhang Yunxiu felt the same way.

"I misjudged you!"

Her eyes were a little red, and she turned and left without looking back.

Watching the other person's departing figure, Zhang Yunxiu couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh. Looking down, he noticed that the paper with Zhu Yaoying's two poems written on it was still in his hand.

By the faint moonlight at the base of the wall, Zhang Yunxiu could see the words on it again. Zhu Yaoying's delicate handwriting clearly showed that she had put a lot of thought into it. The poem was written smoothly, and it was hard to tell how many times it had been written.

It was at this moment that an idea suddenly popped into his mind. He lowered his head and pondered the poem for a long time until a patrolling soldier passed by outside, which brought him back to his senses.

Finally, he pulled out a tiny pen from his pocket, rearranged the poems, and changed some words.

"It was the Lantern Festival of the tenth year of the Wanli reign; the Milky Way hung low over the earth, and lanterns illuminated the entire city."

"Now, our Great Ming Dynasty, with its imperial might spreading far and wide and its virtue extending to the four seas, has attracted all nations from all directions and thousands of countries to submit their tribute and pay homage. They have traveled over mountains and sailed across seas to come here. It is truly a magnificent scene of 'all nations coming to pay tribute'!"

"May Your Majesty live a long and prosperous life, and may our Great Ming Dynasty prosper! We respectfully invite Your Majesty to join guests from all over the world in appreciating the lanterns and enjoying fine poetry!" On the city tower of the Great Ming, Yu Youding's voice was quite loud. As the Minister of Rites, he was naturally the one to initiate this Lantern Festival poetry gathering.

As he recited his poem, the foreign envoys, who had been prepared beforehand, bowed and kowtowed three times to Emperor Wanli at the foot of the steps, calling out three times.

"May Your Majesty live a long and prosperous life!"

"May Your Majesty live a long and prosperous life!"

"May Your Majesty live a long and prosperous life!"

This scene was witnessed by all the people of the Ming Dynasty, and they were all deeply moved. They knelt down under the gate of the Ming Dynasty and shouted three times.

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

This thunderous shout, along with the perfectly synchronized movements, and the dazzling lights of tonight's Lantern Festival, made it feel as if we had returned to the glorious Tang Dynasty.

Hosokawa Yusai knelt at the bottom of the steps. Even with his best efforts, he could only see the Wanli Emperor's shoes. He could hear the deafening shouts. This scene made him grit his teeth, but when he thought about the possible outcome of today's poetry gathering, a hope arose in his heart.

As it turns out, even the mighty Ming Dynasty had its weaknesses that were unknown to others, and he seized that opportunity.

The Ming Dynasty was never a monolithic entity. As long as the contradictions and entanglements between various forces were properly utilized, even a small country could overcome adversity and achieve great things in time.

Thinking of this, Hosokawa Yusai's body trembled with excitement. No one noticed his abnormality. In this scene, ordinary people would only think that he was trembling with fear because he was awed by the might of heaven.

In the past, Emperor Wanli was excited by such grand occasions of wielding power, but after a while he grew tired of them. Clearly, he only wanted to have fun today.

Emperor Wanli waved his hand and addressed the envoys below.

"Everyone, please rise and be at ease. Let the people live their lives in peace and enjoy themselves as they please. Let's not have these rules and regulations."

The carefully prepared etiquette was dismissed by the emperor as "rules and regulations." Yu Youding's face showed signs of strain, but it was too late. With the emperor's order, the eunuchs relayed the message with great efficiency. The envoys rose to express their gratitude as if they had been granted a pardon, and the common people returned to normal. Qipan Street resumed its lively atmosphere.

Emperor Wanli looked at Yu Youding and said, "Minister Yu, summon all the scholars who have passed the imperial examinations. Today's poetry gathering is already highly anticipated, and we cannot keep the people waiting."

The common people were not in a hurry, but the emperor seemed quite anxious. Yu Youding grumbled inwardly, but dared not disobey, and immediately ordered people to summon the first and second-class Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

Ten "Jinshi" (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) filed in. Emperor Wanli focused his attention on the first two: one was Hosokawa Iya, dressed in a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and the other was Liu Yongning, disguised.

To the Wanli Emperor's surprise, this Liu Yongning had absolutely no connection with Zhu Yaoying, yet he looked very familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before, though he couldn't quite place him. He didn't mind, after all, the combination of "medical clinic" and "Yongning" made it obvious to the Wanli Emperor that it was related to his sister.

"Set the questions," the Wanli Emperor said lazily.

Yu Youding was in charge of hosting today's event. He cleared his throat and turned to the examinees.

"Tonight, the grand banquet begins, and the lanterns are lit, as the literary talents of our dynasty gather here. By imperial decree, this ministry has specially chosen 'Lantern Festival' and 'Paying Tribute from All Nations' as the themes for composing poems, hoping that all of you will use your brilliant pens to praise the prosperity of our Great Ming Dynasty and commemorate this celebration from all directions."

With the etiquette simplified, Yu Youding put a lot of effort into the lyrics, even more so than he had in the imperial examination, leaving the ten candidates stunned.

Standing in the crowd, Liu Wan'er couldn't help but appear a little awkward. She didn't dare to look at Emperor Wanli, as if she was afraid of being discovered by him. Fortunately, the emperor didn't notice her at all. With a half-smile, he focused all his attention on the person at the very back.

Emperor Wanli chuckled and said, "Shiyuan, I never expected that you, the person in charge of Xishan, would actually 'steal from your own post,' selling melons for yourself and eating them yourself, yet you still managed to achieve a seventh-place ranking in the second class. I believe there must be no fraud involved here; Shiyuan would never do anything to disgrace the Zhang family."

Zhang Yunxiu stood in the crowd, feeling a bit like cursing. All his attention had been on the top three in the first division; who would care about the seventh place in the second division, such a bottom-ranked position?

But when he turned around, good heavens, it was his own name! You should know that he had been watching the whole thing from the city wall. The Wanli Emperor was a dog, how could he say such a thing?

Zhang Yunxiu's gaze fell on the Wanli Emperor, who had a half-smile, and then on Zhang Juzheng, who had a stern face. There must be a bad seed between these two!
Zhang Juzheng's expression remained unchanged, but Shen Shixing could clearly notice that the Grand Secretary's fingers were trembling slightly, so Shen Shixing couldn't help but lower his voice and say something.

"This is also part of the En family's arrangement."

Zhang Juzheng was so angry he was about to vomit blood, but he couldn't show any expression on his face. He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice.

"If I were to arrange things this way, wouldn't I be shooting myself in the foot?"

Shen Shixing was stunned for a moment before he remembered that others might not know, but he and Zhang Juzheng knew best that Zhang Yunxiu's poetic talent was not only extraordinary, but also unprecedentedly top-notch!
That poem, Qing Ping Yue, is now considered by many to be the "greatest masterpiece of our time"!
The line "Today we hold the long spear in our hands, when will we bind the azure dragon?" stirs the hearts of countless students.
Shen Shixing sighed inwardly, staring at Zhang Yunxiu's expression, and felt that this must have been his arrangement.

We old folks are actually a notch below him in intelligence?
"Passing the papers!"

At Yu Youding's command, a group of eunuchs filed in from behind, carrying Xuan paper in their hands, and carefully placed it in front of each examinee's desk.

“Sir,” Zhang Yunxiu said with an innocent expression, “you took an extra sheet of Xuan paper.”

He immediately picked up a sheet of Xuan paper and handed it over. The eunuch trembled and looked at the Xuan paper as if it were a hot potato.

Zhang Yunxiu then mouthed, "Still want to save your godfather?"

The young eunuch nearly lost his composure, but quickly regained his composure, took the Xuan paper, and said...

"Thank you for the reminder, sir."

The examination was then moved on to the next candidate. The light on the city gate was dim, and compared to the actual palace examination, it was naturally not as rigorous today.

Soon, the young eunuch came to Liu Wan'er's side. When he saw Liu Wan'er's face, he was quite surprised and almost cried out. He broke out in a cold sweat.

He mouthed, "Wan'er?"

Liu Wan'er also winked and made faces. The two were acquainted in the palace and had a good relationship.

The young eunuch didn't expose Liu Wan'er, nor was it his place to do so. He placed the sheet of Xuan paper in front of her and said...

"Please answer the question, Miss Liu. You can write the poem on paper, and His Majesty will ask you questions later."

"Thank you, father-in-law."

Liu Wan'er took the Xuan paper, somewhat puzzled as to why the little eunuch had spoken to her alone. Could it be because he knew her?

This is obviously even more suspicious!
But when the Xuan paper was unfolded, she was immediately startled. In the center of the originally white Xuan paper, there were extremely small characters written. These characters were so small that they could be covered by a single stroke. However, Liu Wan'er had excellent eyesight and could see them clearly even on the poorly lit city tower.

Then, recalling the little eunuch's words, "Poetry can be written on paper," the deeper meaning becomes clear: the little eunuch wanted him to cover up these small characters with his own handwriting!
But what did he mean by giving himself these small words?

Liu Wan'er took a closer look and suddenly looked up in Zhang Yunxiu's direction. The latter was also looking at her with an innocent smile on his face!

(End of this chapter)