Top Scholar

Chapter 472 Paying Homage to the Master

Watching Jiao Fang's sedan chair leave the alley amidst the crowd, Wang Ao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He cupped his hands in thanks to Su Lu, whom he was meeting for the first time, saying, "Thank you, Hongzhi, for coming to my rescue. I'm sorry you had to witness this."

"Teacher, you flatter me. It is only natural for a student to serve when there is trouble." Su Lu quickly bowed in return and said, "Besides, Teacher is a gentleman. How can you deal with such a shameless villain? Let me handle it."

After Jiao Fang was driven away, the atmosphere immediately became more civilized.

"Oh, it's really too much trouble for Hongzhi." Wang Ao said with emotion, stepping aside to invite him inside.

Su Lu then accepted the gift box and sealed tube presented by Steward Peng and carried them inside to show his respect.

As for the door bag, we'll skip that this time.

~~
Wang Ao's residence was bestowed by the late emperor, so its scale and facilities were naturally first-class. Inside the bright and spacious gate, there was a large courtyard with four sections, and the upturned eaves were painted with colorful cloud patterns, which at a glance indicated that it was built for a first-rank official.

However, once you pass the screen wall, there is no trace of grandeur in the courtyard. Everything is arranged simply and plainly, with the ground paved with the most ordinary blue bricks, and even the water vats are not made of copper.

The furnishings inside were even more shabby. Apart from various calligraphy and paintings, there was nothing of value. There was only a set of rosewood wooden table and chairs for entertaining guests, the edges of which were worn smooth and looked older than Su Lu.

Even more outrageous, the bleating of sheep could be heard coming from the backyard. Su Lu looked around and saw that there were actually three sheep, leaving black specks all over the ground.

The wind blows, and there it is...

“Those three sheep were a gift from the Emperor, so it’s not appropriate to give them away,” Wang Ao said with an awkward smile. “We’ll just kill one today to celebrate with Hongzhi.”

"This is too much trouble for you, and besides, I shouldn't bother you too much, Master." How could Su Lu possibly accept a poor teacher's offer?

"Hey, it's your first time visiting, and you even helped me chase away those villains, so you deserve a meal," Wang Ao said with a smile. "But the two of us really can't finish it all."

At this moment, a servant served tea, and Wang Ao instructed, "Go and invite Scholar Liang and Compiler Zhan to come and eat mutton together."

"Yes," the servant replied and left.

“They’re both resting at home,” Wang Ao said to Su Lu with a smile, “which saves you the trouble of going to two other places.”

"Thank you for your care, teacher." Su Lu hurriedly expressed his gratitude, although he was still quite eager to learn about the place.

“No need to be so polite at home. Look at the mess in my house, I’m not exactly a refined person.” Wang Ao smiled and picked up his teacup. “Try our Biluochun tea from Taihu Lake. Is it palatable?”

"Yes." Su Lu then realized that this tea wasn't named by Emperor Kangxi. He took a sip and smiled, "It's fragrant, it's so fragrant!"

“Of course, in our dialect we call this tea ‘frighteningly fragrant’,” Wang Ao said with a smile. “I didn’t like it when I was young, but as I’ve gotten older and my palate has become less sensitive, I’ve come to enjoy this tea…”

"The camellias I've drunk since I was a child are just as fragrant," Su Lu said with a smile. "I'll have my family send some over for you to try, Master."

"well."

The master and apprentice then drank tea and chatted about everyday things, getting to know each other better.

The recent battle against Jiao Fang had greatly brought them closer. Wang Ao, without any hesitation, recounted his entire situation…

He had been a widower for many years, with no one to take care of him, and his life was inevitably difficult and arduous.

Wang Ao, holding the rank of First Grade Official, should have lived a very comfortable life with an annual salary of 880 shi (a unit of dry measure). However, the salary system in the Ming Dynasty was notoriously opaque, and receiving even half of it was considered good.

Moreover, he never accepted gifts of ice or charcoal from local officials, nor did he accept congratulatory gifts from subordinates on festivals and birthdays. Even when writing prefaces or calligraphy for others, he would only accept a handkerchief and a book, never asking for payment.

At the same time, he also had to maintain the basic dignity of a Grand Secretary... supporting sedan chair bearers, attendants, gatekeepers, and household servants, and also having to provide assistance to fellow townsmen and old friends who were in distress in the capital from time to time, so he was naturally stretched thin.

"The teacher's life is so poor. How could anyone imagine that this is the home of a high-ranking official if they didn't see it with their own eyes?" Su Lu sighed softly.

"Actually, it's not that I necessarily want to earn this reputation; it's just that I'm inept at making a living and don't know how to manage household chores," Wang Ao said with a wry smile, stroking his beard.
"In addition, my children got married one after another in recent years, and each and every event cost money, which completely emptied our savings. Fortunately, the weddings are now over, and we are also in the midst of a famine this year, so we should be able to make ends meet in the future."

"With your reputation, teacher, you could easily write a few prefaces or calligraphy pieces and still pay off any debts," Su Lu said softly.

“Alas,” Wang Ao shook his head and said, “Now that I am in this position, I can’t tell who is genuinely seeking calligraphy and who is taking the opportunity to bribe me, so I can only refuse to accept any payment.” “Teacher is truly strict with himself,” Su Lu said admiringly.

“On this point, you must learn from your teacher.” Wang Ao said solemnly, “There is no one else here, so I will not hide anything—for people like us, the rules of officialdom do not apply. Others can blend in with the world, but we must keep ourselves clean.”

"I was well-versed in the classics and history by the age of eight, and could compose poetry at twelve. At sixteen, I entered the Imperial Academy, and a single essay I wrote was widely praised by teachers and students alike, earning me the title of 'the scholar of the world.'" He paused, then explained in a deep voice:
"In the tenth year of the Chenghua reign, I took the provincial examination in Jiangnan and became the top scholar. The following year, I went to the capital for the metropolitan examination and again came in first place, becoming the top scholar. Just like you..."

"I have heard of your deeds since I was a child." Su Lu said softly, "I heard that if someone hadn't interfered and made you the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination, you would have been the second person in the country to achieve the highest honors in all three categories."

"Alas..." Wang Ao sighed deeply, indeed feeling regretful as well, and said in a deep voice, "You shall make up for my regrets."

Su Lu couldn't help but smile bitterly: "My teacher was disliked by the court in the past, and now I also dislike Eunuch Liu and Grand Secretary Jiao..."

"What are you afraid of? The top scholar is decided by the emperor. You won't fall out of the top ten, so you'll definitely have to present your paper to the emperor." Wang Ao waved his hand and laughed, "Besides, your teacher and Scholar Liang will most likely be serving as examiners, so we won't let them interfere. Just take the exam with a normal mindset."

"Yes," Su Lu hurriedly replied in a deep voice.

"See that? This is the grand road to success that the imperial court has prepared for 'scholars of the land' like us! On this road, there's no need to bow and scrape before the powerful, nor to sacrifice principles and collude with treacherous officials. All we need to do is serve as an honest and upright official, cultivating our reputation with integrity." Wang Ao instructed his top disciple.
"No matter who is in charge, when the time comes, you will naturally be appointed as a vice minister in the Ministry of Rites or the Ministry of Personnel, then promoted to Grand Minister of Rites, and appointed as the chief examiner of the imperial examination. Then you will be recommended to the cabinet. That will be the time for you to truly show your abilities."

Su Lu listened attentively to Wang Ao's words, not daring to miss a single one, for this was the direction of his future career!

"Why arrange it this way? First, because the officialdom is treacherous, and one can easily get into trouble. As a key candidate for prime minister, if he is placed in a department that manages specific affairs, he is likely to die halfway through. Not to mention falling into the corrupting influence of various provinces, how many handles will he leave behind along the way? Even if he becomes prime minister, he will still be subject to others."

"Secondly, to prevent the Grand Secretary from having too strong a faction and becoming a true prime minister, we were only appointed as chief examiners before entering the cabinet, to take on some young students like you. This way, we won't be completely isolated, nor will we be unable to truly control the court." Wang Ao spoke very frankly, clearly treating Su Lu as his successor.

"Therefore, after the palace examination, you will spend a long wait between the emperors and the ministers. I have two pieces of advice for you. One is to observe, listen, and learn more, so that you are well-prepared and have a wealth of knowledge. Only in this way can you be competent for the position of Grand Secretary in the future."

He paused for a moment, then said earnestly to Su Lu, "Another important thing is to protect yourself and persevere until the day you enter the cabinet. Don't collapse halfway through; that would be a huge disservice to the court's efforts in nurturing you. This requires you to do as I just said—"

"Be an honest and upright official, and cultivate your reputation with integrity," Su Lu said softly.

“That’s right.” Wang Ao nodded emphatically. “And also, never act impulsively like you did today. Jiao Fang is not only the second-in-command of the cabinet, but also in charge of the Ministry of Personnel. He is also Liu Jin’s chief advisor. If you offend him like this today, he will definitely retaliate in the future.”

“But he was causing trouble outside the teacher’s door and even threatened to kill the teacher. The students really couldn’t just sit idly by,” Su Lu said angrily.

"Let him curse. It's not worth ruining your future." Wang Ao waved his hand.

"Yes, student understands." Su Lu nodded hurriedly.

"Remember, you must be able to endure loneliness and stay true to your original aspirations," Wang Ao sighed.

"Don't think it's easy. Take Wang Laozhuangyuan for example. He endured decades of hardship, but on the eve of his entry into the cabinet, something happened that happened to your teacher Yangming. He was directly ousted. That's why I entered the cabinet before I even had a chance to become the chief examiner."

"I see..." Su Lu suddenly realized. No wonder his mentor had to become the chief examiner after entering the pavilion; it was to fill this gap.

Wang Ao couldn't help but laugh again, "Speaking of which, I'm from the same clan as the old scholar Wang, and we've always been close friends. He even wrote to me before, asking me to take care of you, his grand-disciple. Now that you've become my disciple, it seems like I'm at a disadvantage."

“Hehe…” Su Lu couldn’t help but laugh.

"That's not all," Wang Ao continued with a wry smile, "Later, the Grand Secretary also asked me to take care of you, his grand-disciple. I'm truly speechless; marrying you makes me feel inferior to them by a generation."

"Let's each do our own thing," Su Lu said with an awkward smile.

"Hahaha, I was just kidding!" Wang Ao laughed loudly. "You've risen to prominence at a young age, so this kind of thing is bound to happen... By the way, did you pay your respects to the Grand Secretary after arriving in the capital?"

"No." Su Lu shook his head.

"Why?" Wang Ao asked, "Do you also have a prejudice against the Grand Secretary and want to distance yourself from him?"

"That's not true." Su Lu quickly waved his hand and explained, "I met Senior Tang Bohu in Nanjing before. He told me to learn from his mistakes and not to visit people randomly before the exam."

“Alas, Bo Hu…” Wang Ao sighed and said, “He once studied literature with me and always considered himself my disciple. Unfortunately, that case has long been closed and the person involved is still in office, so there is no way to overturn the case for him.”

(End of this chapter)