Prime Minister

Chapter 79, Chapter 078: [In the Silence]

"Let's not talk about serious matters today, Jing Che, don't be nervous."

While admiring him, Sun Yan was not about to let Xue Huai take the initiative in the conversation. He said with a look of emotion, "Jing Che may not know, but back then, although I had no personal relationship with your father, Xue Wensu, we worked together on several occasions in official matters. I don't have many colleagues I admire in my life, and your father was one of them. It's just a pity that fate is cruel and heaven is unkind. A virtuous and upright official like your father, who was dedicated to serving the people, did not live a long life."

He finished speaking with a sigh.

Xue Huai was well aware of what had happened back then, and at this moment he admired the old minister's thick skin even more.

In the tenth year of the Taihe era, Xue Mingzhang stepped down as the prefect of Yangzhou and concurrently served as the salt commissioner. He then went to the capital to serve as the vice minister of the Court of Judicial Review. The first case he took on was related to Sun Yan, who was then the Minister of Justice.

The specific details of the case will not be elaborated upon. Xue Huai only knows that Xue Mingzhang requested a review based on clues in the case file, which overturned the so-called ironclad case that Sun Yan had personally signed and sealed. If Sun Yan had not been unrelated to the case and had only made a momentary oversight, he would definitely have suffered a major setback because of it.

Even so, Sun Yan was forced to postpone his entry into the cabinet.

To some extent, Sun Yan's later awkward situation in the cabinet was related to Xue Mingzhang's keen insight.

Now, in front of Xue Huai, Sun Yan can display a genuine and profound sense of remembrance and reverence, truly a case of life being like a play.

Xue Huai lowered his head slightly and said, "If my late father knew in the afterlife that the Grand Secretary remembered me so well, he would be very gratified. I also often think of his teachings and always uphold justice and righteousness."

"If Lord Xue could see your outstanding achievements today, he would surely be extremely pleased."

Sun Yan naturally shifted the topic to Xue Huai, and then said, "Your loyalty over the past two years has been admirable. Among so many young officials in the country, there are very few as loyal as you. Some people laughed at you for overestimating yourself, but I don't think so. You just hadn't encountered the right opportunity, otherwise you would definitely have shown your brilliance. Sure enough, His Majesty transferred you to assist in the investigation of the Ministry of Works' corruption case, and you delivered a performance that amazed the court and the public."

"You flatter me, Your Excellency."

Xue Huai remained calm and said, "This humble official is merely following His Majesty's instructions."

"The most important quality is being able to remember this."

Sun Yan then said, "Take this year's imperial examination for example, does Jing Che know His Majesty's vision?"

Xue Huai said frankly, "Fairness and impartiality are essential for selecting virtuous and capable individuals for the country."

Sun Yan praised, "That's right. I believe Jing Che still remembers what Vice Minister Yue said that day. In fact, this is what I wanted to say to you young officials. As the grand ceremony for selecting talents in the country, the imperial examination is related to the fate of countless candidates and will also affect the stability of the court. As examiners, we must not be careless."

Xue Huai replied, "This humble official will keep it in mind."

At this moment, Sun Yan recalled the instructions that Ouyang Hui had Luo Xun convey, and thought to himself that the young scholar in front of him was indeed much more composed. This demeanor alone was better than his previous stubbornness.

He wasn't in a hurry and continued, "You have the teachings of your father and the dedicated guidance of Minister Shen. In terms of vision and knowledge alone, you have already surpassed your peers by a lot. Not to mention, you also have a dignified and upright character. Therefore, I hope that you can become a role model for the examiners of this year's examination."

As he received one compliment after another, Xue Huai gradually began to understand the true intentions of this seemingly kind-hearted Grand Secretary.

He calmly replied, "I dare not accept such an honor; I will do my best."

"What a fine example of doing one's best; this is the mark of a gentleman keeping his word."

Sun Yan smiled gently and said, "Perhaps you feel that it is a bit abrupt for me to talk to you about this today. Actually, I just hope that you can use your strengths to be fearless of powerful people and see through evil in the subsequent review of the papers. No matter who is suspected of favoritism or fraud, as long as you notice anything suspicious, you can bring it up in public. Even if you suspect me or Vice Minister Yue, you don't need to have any reservations. I think you will understand my good intentions."

Actually, your real intention is to have me keep an eye on Yue Zhongming, isn't it...?

Xue Huai chuckled inwardly. It seemed that the original owner had left too deep an impression on the officials in the court over the past two years. Even though he had tried to change his style of doing things in the past few months, these people still viewed him with a stereotype.

Sun Yan's pretentious act today clearly reveals his intention to use him as a tool against Yue Zhongming and even the Ning Party.

Perhaps he thought Xue Huai wouldn't think that much, and would only be stirred by his words, thus charging forward with great enthusiasm.

Xue Huai was certainly not foolish enough to give Sun Yan any reason to think too much. He said solemnly, "Your Excellency is so selfless, how could I dare to shirk my responsibility? The imperial examination is so important, I will certainly follow your example and fight against all evil spirits to the end."

Sun Yan was neither disappointed nor satisfied with the answer, but he was confident that he could gradually bring Xue Huai into the picture, so he smiled approvingly and said, "That's very good. I still need to go and see other places. Jing Che, you might as well conserve your energy. In a couple of days, it will be time to test us."

"Please take care, Your Excellency."

Xue Huai got up and escorted Sun Yan to the door, watching him leave.

Although Sun Yan looked down on him, the information he vaguely revealed gradually gave Xue Huai a plan.

This spring examination not only involves the Crown Prince's scheme through Jiang Li, but also reveals the power struggle between Ning Hengzhi and Ouyang Hui. It seems that Yue Zhongming and Sun Yan both want to establish an image of impartiality and selflessness. Moreover, Sun Yan has directly set his sights on Xue Huai, undoubtedly because he values ​​Xue Huai's dual identity as Shen Wang's personal disciple and a member of the Qingliu faction.

But... why would Xue Huai get involved in this mess?
He shook his head slightly and turned back into the room.

The following day, Hengjian Hall.

This is where the examiners from the eighteen chambers will soon conduct the initial review of the exam papers. Sun Yan and Yue Zhongming specially summoned the examiners here for the crucial task of assigning chambers and responsibilities. The imperial examination system of the Great Yan follows that of the previous dynasty. The spring examination is divided into three sessions. The first session lasts for three days, during which candidates must answer three questions on the Four Books and four questions on the Five Classics.

The Five Classics are the Book of Changes, the Book of Poetry, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, and the Spring and Autumn Annals.

The Five Classics are vast and complex, and very few people can understand them thoroughly. Therefore, in major examinations throughout history, candidates only need to choose one classic to answer questions on, which is what is called the "original classic".

The division of rooms and the assignment of responsibilities were based on the classics studied by the examiners, which were divided into one room for the Four Books and five rooms for the Five Classics, with three examiners in each room.

After everyone was seated, Sun Yan solemnly reiterated the rules and taboos of the examination.

"Everyone——"

Sun Yan raised his voice slightly, his unusually sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd before lingering briefly on Xue Huai's face. Then, he spoke earnestly, "I have always admired Minister Shen of the Ministry of Works for his integrity and uprightness. Three years ago, during the Gengchen imperial examination, no one cheated, which became a widely praised story. I hope that the Guiwei examination will be no different. Although Minister Shen is not among the examiners this time, Xue, as his personal disciple, is equally virtuous and known throughout the court and the public. I hope that you will all take Xue as your role model and ensure that you remain focused, fair, and impartial."

Everyone couldn't help but look at Xue Huai, feeling a little envious, but they also knew that this was the reward for Xue Huai's unwavering adherence to principles for nearly three years. So they could only earnestly say, "We will obey the Grand Secretary's orders!"

Xue Huai remained calm, but couldn't help feeling a little disgusted.

The reason Sun Yan specifically singled him out was simply to push him into the limelight and force him to consider Xue Mingzhang, Shen Wang, and his own reputation for "integrity" at certain crucial moments later on.

At that moment, Xue Huai turned his head and met Yue Zhongming's gaze.

A moment later, Xue Huai deliberately looked away, but the solemn and serious look in Yue Shilang's eyes remained in his mind.

To his slight surprise, until the first day of the third month, when the examination hall welcomed thousands of nervous and anxious candidates, Yue Zhongming did not approach him privately. It seemed that he could not see the purpose behind Sun Yan's various actions.

When the sound of cannons rang out at the Dragon Gate of the Imperial Examination Hall, the spring imperial examination of the nineteenth year of the Taihe reign officially began.

On the fourth day of the third month, the first session of the imperial examination was successfully completed. The transcribed examination papers were continuously sent to Hengjian Hall, and Xue Huai, who was assigned to the Spring and Autumn Annals room, officially began his work of grading the papers.

This is indeed an extremely tedious and arduous task.

Besides Xue Huai, the other two examiners for the Spring and Autumn Annals were Gao Tingbi, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, and Liu Yu, an editor. They had to cross-evaluate more than 600 exam papers within three days.

The workload was simply too great, so they couldn't scrutinize every single exam paper. They could only quickly skim through them and give a general grade. Then they would keep the papers that were qualified for recommendation for detailed reading. Each examiner had to leave a mark on the paper indicating whether or not to recommend it. If a paper was selected as a recommendation, the examiner also had to write comments.

By late at night on the fifth day of the lunar new year, Xue Huai had finished reviewing nearly four hundred exam papers. He stopped for a moment and rubbed his sore eyes wearily.

Gao Tingbi and Liu Yu opposite him had bloodshot eyes and were in no better condition than him.

At first, the three of them would chat and laugh for a while, especially Gao Tingbi, who seemed to be trying to get closer to Xue Huai, mentioning and praising his poems about plum blossoms more than once. But now he had long lost that interest, drowning in what seemed like an endless sea of ​​exam papers.

After resting for a moment, Xue Huai resumed reviewing the papers.

When he saw the familiar words in certain fixed positions on the test paper in his hand, a complex emotion welled up in his heart.

Before entering the examination hall, Jiang Li had told him that the five candidates whom the Crown Prince intended to promote would choose the Spring and Autumn Annals from the Five Classics as their topic. This was obviously because Xue Huaizhi's classic was the Spring and Autumn Annals. In this way, even if their papers were copied anonymously, they would eventually end up in Xue Huaizhi's hands.

At this point, they only need to write down those special words in their answers according to the pre-arranged code, and Xue Huai will be able to recognize their test papers.

Although Jiang Li hoped that Xue Huai could help the Crown Prince once, Xue Huai did not want to do so. Firstly, such an action would have endless consequences, and secondly, he could not lower his standards too much. Therefore, in the end, he would only look at the level of the test paper itself.

"The fifth one is not bad."

Xue Huai silently recited in his mind. He remembered very clearly that there had been four similar papers before. The fourth one was quite outstanding, while the other three and the fifth one in front of him were of above-average quality.

He left a circle on this exam paper and continued grading the remaining hundred or so.

About fifteen minutes later, Xue Huai picked up an exam paper and glanced at it.

The room was extremely quiet at the moment. The other two people were frowning as they read the documents, remaining motionless for a long time.

Xue Huai was reading quickly and was about to put the exam paper down when his movements suddenly froze.

At that moment, he could almost hear his own heartbeat suddenly quicken.

On the test paper in my hand, there were still those familiar places and those familiar words.

A sixth exam paper has appeared, seemingly bearing a secretly agreed-upon mark!
In the quiet and peaceful night, a strong sense of crisis instantly enveloped Xue Huai.

(End of this chapter)