Top Scholar

Chapter 496 A Hero Needs Three Helpers
The day after the Thanksgiving Ceremony, the newly appointed top scholar, Su Lu, led his fellow graduates to the Confucius Temple to pay homage to their revered teacher and perform the ritual of offering vegetables to Confucius.

Afterwards, he went to the Imperial College next door to return his clothes... uh, to perform the "Shi He Ceremony," taking off his Jinshi (进士) official robes with ribbons and changing into the regular clothes of an official of his rank.

Except for the top scholar who was awarded the sixth rank, all the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) were awarded the seventh rank. They wore black gauze hats, black horn belts, and blue plain-colored cotton-padded shirts with mandarin ducks on the front.

Although the top scholar's official robe was also blue, it was adorned with egrets on the chest. Furthermore, while the belt appeared similar, it was actually replaced with a more prestigious black rhinoceros belt.

Once these two ceremonies were completed, the series of grand ceremonies and honors following the palace examination were essentially over.

Although there will be grand ceremonies such as erecting inscriptions and engraving the "Records of Successful Candidates in the Imperial Examinations" afterward, the newly appointed candidates no longer need to participate in person. The Ministry of Rites can coordinate and promote these events on its own. If it can be completed by the end of the year, it will be considered very efficient.

According to past practice, the top three scholars would then be directly appointed to official positions: the top scholar would be appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, and the second and third scholars would be appointed as editors in the Hanlin Academy.

Those ranked high in the second class will participate in the selection process for the Imperial Academy, and after passing the examination to become a probationary official, they will continue their studies for three years. The other Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) will be sent to the Nine Ministers' Offices to observe the administration for half a year. After the observation period, the second-class Jinshi will most likely remain in the capital. The third-class Jinshi will be assigned to various provinces to fill vacancies such as county magistrates and prefectural judges.

But this year, the emperor insisted on doing something different. Before conferring official titles, he set up some kind of "Dragon, Tiger, and Leopard" class, allowing the new scholars to participate in a two-month short training program.

This is a great thing both publicly and privately, and Su Lu naturally agrees wholeheartedly—this short training course not only helps the emperor cultivate his trusted inner circle, but also lays the foundation for his own future! It allows him to obtain power that he wouldn't normally get in ten or twenty years!
In the past, Guiguzi discussed the relationship between ruler and minister, saying, "When plans are combined and responsibilities are heavy, power is easily transferred." This principle is clear... When subordinates offer suggestions and superiors accept them and entrust them with the task, then favor and authority are transferred downwards. Su Lu had already understood this key point from his teacher.

~~
But the problem is that this class doesn't even have anything yet!
Emperor Zhengde slapped his forehead and came up with the terrible name 'Dragon, Tiger, and Leopard', then dumped everything else on him.

Teaching materials, lecture notes, class schedules, evaluation criteria, and subsequent reward, punishment, and appointment rules—everything needs to be carefully refined. How can it be done in just a few days?
Unfortunately, Zhu Houzhao was a man with sudden onset of convulsions, and Su Lu, the slow-moving doctor, didn't dare to utter a single word about delaying treatment by a few days.

He now understood the emperor's temperament very well. Despite his high spirits today, once he was fully prepared in a few months, the emperor might have long forgotten about this matter and gone off to pursue other new interests.

This possibility is extremely high, and Su Lu simply cannot afford to miss this golden opportunity.

You can't be picky when faced with a golden opportunity; you never know how it will arrive or when it will leave!
It's like having ten steamed buns in front of you; you either don't eat any, or you have to eat them all. And if you don't eat them now, you don't know how many years it will be before you have another meal, or you might never have another one in your life.

So Scholar Su chose to hypnotize himself into a "big eater," determined to devour all ten braised pork belly in one sitting, even if it meant bursting his stomach...

Of course, you don't necessarily have to eat alone; you can also eat in a group.

A hero needs three helpers, and a fence needs three posts. Su Lu also had three completely trustworthy helpers: his father, his elder brother, and Zhu Zihe.

It's not that I don't trust my second brother. First, he doesn't understand the ways of civil officials, and second, he will be taking the imperial examination soon, so I'd better let him focus on preparing for it.

These three men knew him inside and out. Even Zhu Zihe had long been part of his alliance of interests, so Su Lu could tell them everything...

Even so, the three of them were still stunned after hearing Su Lu's account.

"What? You proposed setting up the Dragon and Tiger Class?" Su Youcai exclaimed in shock, "You weren't even a Jinshi back then, and the Emperor listened to you?"

"This is too ridiculous!" The eldest brother also put his hand to his forehead.

Zhu Zihe, however, had a clearer perspective and laughed, "Even the Emperor listens to eunuchs, so why can't he listen to my brother? Is the dignified Su Huiyuan really less capable than a eunuch?"

“That makes sense, but Zihe, your words are too crude…” Su Lu straightened his collar and earnestly instructed him, “You are already a probationary official, so you need to learn to speak more politely in the future.”

“Sigh…” Zhu Zihe nodded, keeping his godfather’s teachings in mind.

"Son, why did you do that?" Su Youcai asked, puzzled.

“Father, the reason we came to the capital to take the imperial examination and become officials is because we still want to do something for the people. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be more enjoyable to just be a successful candidate in the provincial examination and dominate the local area?” Su Lu said with a sigh.

“Son, you’re not much better than Zihe…” Su Youcai said in a muffled voice, “Even if you’re a monk, you’re still just a scholar.”

"Father, don't be so picky. You're not the emperor." Su Lu chuckled.

"You've only been in Beijing for a few months? And you speak with such a thick Beijing accent..." Su Youcai muttered, finding fault with everything about him.

“However, Hongzhi, you couldn’t have stayed home and lived a peaceful life as a scholar. We’ve ended up like this because we were forced into this situation by the eunuch faction.” Su Man seemed to be speaking up for her second uncle, but in reality, she was helping Su Lu out of a tight spot.

"Third-place scholar level," Zhu Zihe praised. "That's higher than my mere candidate for the Imperial Examination." "Exactly," Su Lu nodded, his expression turning serious. "Both the teacher and the headmaster have been persecuted by the eunuch faction, and we have become thorns in their side. Therefore, how to fight against the eunuch faction is the overriding priority, and it is also my starting point!"

Su Youcai lowered his voice and pressed, "So you want to use... the Emperor's Party to replace the Eunuch Party?"

"Replacement is impossible. We didn't suffer that fatal blow that would wipe out our lineage, so naturally we can't become the people the emperor trusts most." Su Lu shook his head.

“Yes, eunuchs are never absent from any power struggle, so there must be a reason for their existence.” Su Man nodded.

"Dealing with the eunuch faction is easier said than done..." Zhu Zihe said with a wry smile, "Only those of us who are irreconcilably opposed to the eunuch faction dare to talk about this topic. If I were to talk to my other classmates, I would scare them to death."

“Shared fear is also a way to unite people.” Su Lu smiled faintly and said proudly, “Moreover, we have an advantage that eunuchs cannot match—we are graduates of the imperial examinations! We are more cultured than them, and the emperor can rely on us to govern the country. If the emperor can regard us as his confidants, the eunuchs will no longer be able to interfere in state affairs as they do now!”

"Wouldn't this restore checks and balances on the eunuchs?" he said, spreading his hands towards the three men.

"Moreover, we can do something that truly benefits the country and its people, so our lives will not have been in vain!"

The three men's eyes lit up; they finally understood Su Lu's ulterior motives in his "indirect approach." Su Man nodded happily and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you!"

“I’ve always followed my brother.” Zhu Zihe nodded emphatically.

Only Su Youcai clicked his tongue and said with a wry smile, "Son, you've gone too far with this. Aren't you afraid of messing it up and losing everything?"

Su Lu said solemnly, "Father, we have offended Liu Jin. If we don't plan ahead, how can we defeat him? If we can't defeat him, our whole family will die."

Su Youcai was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "That makes sense..."

"That's right, since we're fighting for a way to survive, let's just fight for a path to heaven!" Zhu Zihe slammed his hand on the table and said in a deep voice:
"So what if we want to share the spoils with that dead eunuch?!"

“That’s right.” Su Lu nodded, his gaze firm. “Moreover, we have seen the problems that plague the Ming Dynasty along the way—starvation is rampant, and the world is on the verge of chaos; this is the immediate worry. The number of imperial family members is increasing, and their annexation is serious; this is the long-term concern. If these immediate and long-term concerns are not properly addressed, the Ming Dynasty will inevitably decline and perish, and may even repeat the fate of the Song Dynasty, causing the land of China to once again become a plaything of foreign tribes, and our descendants to once again become slaves of a conquered nation!”

“Indeed.” Although the three of them thought that the ‘foreign race’ Su Lu was referring to were the Mongols, they all agreed with him. Only after leaving Sichuan did they realize that the situation in the Ming Dynasty was terrible, and Su Lu was not exaggerating at all.

Su Youcai asked with great concern, "What should we do?"

"Only reform!" Su Lu said decisively.

"The Ming Dynasty is now riddled with deep-seated problems, all of which are chronic and intractable! Conventional repairs are utterly ineffective, and without reform, it will inevitably perish! Only by reforming and restructuring the system can these hidden dangers be eradicated and the Ming Dynasty saved from its perilous situation!"

"Throughout history, reforms have rarely succeeded, and reformers have rarely met a good end; they either fail or perish! Why? Simply because reformers are too lonely, too reliant on the emperor's power alone, rather than uniting the interests of a group of people." Su Lu spoke eloquently for a while, then changed the subject:

"Therefore, if we want to implement reforms, we must first create a new 'interest group'—a power group with shared interests. Once the momentum is there, we can then implement reforms without any obstacles! In the future, even if we are no longer here, this group will continue the reforms, ensuring long-term stability and preventing the policies from ceasing after our death."

He paused for a moment and said in a low voice, "For us, this will also prevent us from bringing disaster upon our descendants and avoid losing our entire family."

Su Lu admired Zhang Juzheng, but he didn't want to become another Zhang Juzheng...

After listening, Su Youcai was stunned for a long time before exclaiming, "Good heavens! Son, how do you have so many ideas? Your father almost doesn't recognize you anymore."

Su Lu smiled and said, "I was too busy studying to talk about these things before. Otherwise, why do you think His Majesty values ​​me so much?"

“These words might have been laughable before, but now, they must be said!” Su Man stared intently at Su Lu and said, “What use is this top scholar if you don’t care about the well-being of the people?!”

"Of course, all of this is still just a goal. I don't have a specific plan on how to do it yet; I only have a vague direction. We still need to brainstorm together," Su Lu said in a deep voice.

"We can let our imaginations run wild, but correct understanding always comes from practice, not from wishful thinking. Therefore, we must conduct pilot programs and learn from mistakes. Thus, from any perspective, this imperial party must be established. Now you should understand why we are holding this training course, right? For the Emperor, for us, for the public good, for private interests, for the country, and for our families, it is imperative!"

"Understood!" The three nodded emphatically.

P.S. I'm a bit off-time, the next chapter will be a little later...

(End of this chapter)