Top Scholar

Chapter 598 The Virtuous Son-in-Law
Upon receiving the news, Wang Chaohan waited for his father outside the Northern Garrison Command. He saw that Wang Qiong had indeed walked out of the prison unharmed, which made Naiping so happy that he burst into tears.

"Waaah... Dad, you're finally out! I was so worried!"

But when he heard that his father had been appointed as the governor of Sichuan and would take up his post immediately, his heart, which had just settled down, was once again filled with anxiety...

Because the rebels in Sichuan were different from ordinary bandits, they were salt producers and farmers who could not make a living and had no other choice but to follow Lan Tingrui and Yan Benshu in rebellion. Therefore, their fighting will was exceptionally firm!
They continuously attacked and captured prefectures and counties, opened granaries to distribute grain, plundered wealthy households, slaughtered local tyrants and gentry, and burned all land deeds and loan agreements. As a result, they won the hearts of the people, and their ranks expanded rapidly. In just a few months, they grew from a few dozen to a hundred thousand!
The Sichuan Provincial Military Command naturally mobilized a large army to try to wipe them out. However, relying on the natural defenses of the Bashan and Shushui mountains, the rebels not only repelled the government troops but also cut off the passage out of Sichuan, causing the merchants to stop traveling!
Before the rest of the world was in chaos, Shu was already in chaos; the ancients were right!
To make matters worse, seeing the government troops suffer repeated defeats and their efforts to suppress bandits prove ineffective, the local chieftains, both large and small, in Sichuan began to stir. These self-proclaimed emperors, who were not of our race, were simultaneously intensifying their military preparations while coldly observing and waiting for the government forces to collapse.

At that time, the entire Sichuan province will be utterly ruined and will no longer belong to the imperial court...

The government troops suffered heavy losses, the situation was extremely precarious, the Sichuan Provincial Administration repeatedly sent urgent reports, and the capital was shaken!

Going to Sichuan at this time, let alone quelling the rebellion, whether we could even make it to Chengdu Prefecture alive was uncertain...

Naiping was truly terrified now. Her face turned deathly pale, and she cried out, "Father! Even if we have to go back to prison, you absolutely cannot take this job! Sichuan is now a den of dragons and tigers; it's far too dangerous!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Wang Qiong shouted, a proud arrogance rising on his face. "When the country is in peril, good generals are needed; when times are tough, loyal ministers are revealed! Sending my father to Sichuan at this time is a testament to His Majesty's high regard for him! If you treat me as a national hero, I will repay you with my life. What I, Wang Qiong, enjoy most in my life is tackling tough challenges!"

After leaving the Northern Garrison Command, Wang Qiong went to the inn where Nai Ping was staying, took a hot bath, changed into clean clothes, and then ordered a carriage to be prepared.

"Dad, we've only just come out, why aren't you resting and going out to wander around?" Naiping said in a muffled voice. "Wandering" in Shanxi dialect means to stroll around aimlessly; it's not a derogatory term, but it's not a compliment either.

Now that things have come to this, Wang Qiong saw no need to hide anything any longer. She sighed and said, "These guys got us out of trouble. If we don't hurry up and go to thank them, won't they look down on us even more?"

Old Wang's skill level is definitely eighteen stories higher than Nai Ping's...

"Hey!" Upon hearing that her father was going to thank her brother-in-law, Naiping jumped for joy and skipped off to prepare the car.

"Sigh..." Wang Qiong sighed. He was no longer the naive young man he once was. After twenty years of navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom, the first lesson he had learned was that you need someone powerful above you.

If his original backer hadn't fallen, he wouldn't have been so easily captured and brought to the capital for questioning...

Thinking of this, Old Wang couldn't help but sigh again. What the hell is going on?

If she had listened to her sons earlier and reconciled with her son-in-law, she could have handled things calmly and easily. But she couldn't bring herself to do it, and ended up making a complete mess of things, tumbling and crawling around in a sorry state...

He was tortured to the point of madness in the imperial prison, and wrote a confession to Liu Jin, leaving an indelible stain on his record. In the end, he discovered that his patron had always been there—clinging to his grandson's coattails, though unsightly, was still far cleaner than Liu Jin's!

He also learned a second lesson: he had to learn from his mistakes, so this time he had to swallow his pride and try to mend the broken relationship no matter what...

~~
The father and son arrived at Chang'an Street in a horse-drawn carriage, and Naiping called for the driver to stop the carriage from afar.

"Why don't we go to the door?" Wang Qiong helped Nai Ping out of the car.

"Father, the guards here are even tighter than at the Governor's Office. We need to make sure they see my face." Wang Chaohan, once bitten by a snake, is now extremely wary of ropes, and his voice trembled.

"Yes, it's alright." Wang Qiong nodded. It was normal for such security to be available when her grandson could get the eunuchs to release people with just a word.

The Imperial Guards, both overt and covert, saw that Nai Ping's face bore a striking resemblance to that of a martial arts champion, and as expected, they did not stop the father and son.

Wang Naiping went to the gatehouse to report, while Wang Qiong stood before the magnificent, gleaming gate, gazing at the gilded plaque above the lintel inscribed with "Zhuangyuan Di" (状元第, meaning "Residence of the Top Scholar") and the gilded couplet:
'A family with a long tradition of scholarship has achieved the highest honors, ranking among the top three scholars;'

Two outstanding scholars, like twin beauties, vied for the top spot!

"Alas..." A deep sense of regret turned into a long sigh.

Inside the mansion, Su Youcai wasn't sent to self-study by his son today; he was reading at home. But after hearing his son talk about the situation in Sichuan last night, he was restless and very worried about his parents, wife, and children back home. How could he possibly concentrate on his studies?

Just as he was getting anxious and sighing, unable to sit still, the gatekeeper reported that Naiping had come again, this time with an old scholar.

Upon hearing this, Su Youcai knew who had arrived, so he quickly put on his overcoat and hurried out to greet them.

Upon arriving at the gate of the mansion, he indeed saw Wang Qiong standing behind Nai Ping, looking at him with barely concealed embarrassment.

Su Youcai was a kind and honest man; how could he be pretentious with him? He quickly bowed deeply and said, "Sir, please come inside."

~~
In the main hall, the guests and host were seated, and maids served tea. Looking at the imposing plaques, Wang Qiong couldn't help but sigh again; the Su family, which he had once looked down upon, was now someone he needed to climb the social ladder to reach…

I'm making progress just as fast, so how did my son-in-law manage to surpass me?
After drinking a cup of tea, Wang Qiong looked at the talented man before her, suppressed her overwhelming emotions, and then rose and bowed deeply to the ground:
"If it weren't for my son-in-law's rescue, I fear I would have perished in the imperial prison. I am deeply grateful!"

"Sir, please don't be so polite to your student!" Su Youcai quickly helped him up: "What are you saying? What did you just call me?"

"My dear son-in-law," Wang Qiong sighed, his face full of regret, "I truly regret it! A person's life is but a few decades, how short it is! What does it matter if you have fame and fortune, or if you are not successful? Why be so heartless? In the end, it is all our own family who suffer..."

"You're too kind, sir. We were also at fault back then, but it was mostly fate that played a trick on us. So let's just let it go and not bring it up again," Su Youcai comforted Wang Qiong gently, and she calmed down.

After they sat down again, Su Youcai asked with concern, "I wonder what your next plans are? Perhaps you could rest and recuperate in the capital for a while and then discuss it after the New Year?"

"Alas, there's no time." Wang Qiong shook his head, his expression grave. "The military situation in Sichuan is dire; not a day can be wasted. His Majesty has ordered me to immediately assume my post as Governor of Sichuan and take charge of suppressing the rebellion!"

"Father-in-law, you want to go to Sichuan to quell the rebellion?" Su Youcai's heart trembled. He could no longer suppress the passion in his chest. He immediately stood up, clasped his hands, and said, "Father-in-law, Sichuan is also my hometown. My parents and family are in danger. How can I sit in the capital? I am willing to go back to Sichuan with you and do my best to save my hometown from disaster!"

~~
That evening, when Su Lu returned home and was unconscious, Su Youcai called him to his residence and told him that Wang Qiong had come to thank him that day, as well as his own decision.

Su Lu was silent for a moment after hearing this, then nodded with difficulty: "Grandpa and Grandma are in our hometown. No matter how worried I am, I can't stop Dad."

"Alright, alright!" Su Youcai breathed a sigh of relief when his son agreed. "Don't worry, I don't know how to fight. I'll just help your grandfather with paperwork. I'm not going to the battlefield, am I?"

"..." Su Lu glanced at him, thinking to herself, what's the point of you going back then? After pondering silently for a moment, she said in a deep voice, "Sigh, forget it, I'll ask my teacher to come out of seclusion and help you."

“Mr. Yangming? He knew about warfare?” Su Youcai asked.

Su Lu glanced at his father and said softly, "I should be a little better than you, Father."

"What's the use of being better than me?" Su Youcai chuckled awkwardly, then said with some reluctance, "Master Yangming is currently in Longchang, living a simple life, but he is also quite content and respected. How can you drag him back into this vortex?"

“Father is right.” Su Lu nodded and said seriously, “But if he were still alive, hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people could have been saved in Sichuan.”

He paused for a moment, then said, as if defending himself or stating a fact, "My teacher's ambition is to become a saint, to establish virtue and words, and to make meritorious contributions. He won't blame me."

~~
Upon returning to the inn, Wang Qiong burned incense, picked up his pen, and submitted a memorial to express his gratitude, vowing to do everything in his power to quell the rebellion in Shu and repay the Emperor's kindness in restoring his life!
After submitting his memorial, Wang Qiong waited to be summoned to the Emperor to take his leave. He didn't have much hope, as the Emperor was very hostile to civil officials, and even a local official like himself had heard of this.

But whether it was because of the great responsibility he was on this trip or because the emperor had a sudden whim, he received an imperial decree that afternoon, ordering him to present his nameplate to the Leopard Chamber for an audience.

Wang Qiong was flattered and, before dawn the next day, dressed himself neatly and waited respectfully at the entrance of the Leopard Chamber.

As soon as the palace gates opened at dawn, he saw a large number of craftsmen and laborers lining up and entering the Leopard House under the supervision of officials and soldiers.

Many young men dressed in the robes of officials of the seventh or eighth rank also entered the Leopard House early to take their duties.

Wang Qiong glanced at the bustling Leopard House before her, then looked back at the deserted Forbidden City, lost in thought.

"Are you Lord Wang?" At this moment, a eunuch took the initiative to greet him.

"It is indeed I, Your Excellency. Do you recognize me?" Wang Qiong hurriedly asked politely. At the same time, he presented his ivory token, with a gold ingot placed underneath it.

“His Majesty never sees officials from outside the capital; you’ve been the only one for the past ten days.” After verifying that he was indeed a court official, the eunuch gave him a token and led Wang Qiong into the Leopard Chamber.

"Huh? Then these..." Wang Qiong looked at the young officials who were still going in.

“They’re from the Imperial Household Department, they work in the palace, they’re different from you.” For the sake of the gold ingot, the eunuch replied casually.

"I see," Wang Qiong thought to himself. "Then the Court of Imperial Sacrifices has become a mini-cabinet."

Then he thought of his grandson's official position as Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, which was practically the position of Junior Grand Secretary.
In the past, he would have thought his guess was ridiculous, but now he feels that it makes sense.

The Emperor clearly intends to emulate the story of the Six Ministries checking and balancing the Six Offices, using the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to check the Grand Secretariat, using the small to control the large, and maintaining balance between the inside and outside!
(End of this chapter)