Prime Minister

Chapter 80, page 079: [The Beginning of Chaos]

The night outside the window was as dark as ink, like a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey.

Xue Huai remained expressionless, but his heart was filled with turbulent emotions.

He knew that Jiang Li was still hiding many secrets, such as why he had to place his hopes of finding out about the past of the Prince of Qi on him—given his current status and seniority, it would probably take him one or two decades to climb to a position where he could access such secrets.

Jiang Li may have targeted Xue Huai because she was worried about attracting the attention of the palace and because she couldn't trust those scheming old officials.

However, this is still not a reasonable and strong explanation. Xue Huai's temperament means that he is not an easy person to control, and Jiang Li's choice to cooperate with him already carries a great risk.

This shows that the princess did not truly show complete honesty.

Xue Huai didn't mind this at all. He never completely let his guard down around Jiang Li. Even when Jiang Li subtly showed jealousy about Shen Qingluan, Xue Huai remained absolutely clear-headed.

Jiang Li is a smart person. Before the two of them have a conflict of interest, she would never do something foolish like scheming against Xue Huai and causing all her previous efforts to be in vain. Therefore, she would not deliberately hide key information, such as whether the list entrusted to her by the Crown Prince was more than five people.

However, Xue Huai is now witnessing firsthand the sixth answer sheet right in front of him.

This method of marking codes is very subtle and ingenious, with nothing strange about it on the surface; the previous five answer sheets were an example of this.

Candidates embed pre-arranged words into their essays at pre-defined paragraph locations, and this marking is done in multiple places to ensure that there are no coincidences that could lead to misjudgment by the examiners.

Before the sixth answer sheet appeared, Xue Huai had already figured out how to handle the matter: to grade the papers with a fair mind, neither to make things difficult for the five candidates nor to recommend papers against his conscience.

Upon entering the examination hall, he discovered the undercurrents between the two chief officials, Sun Yan and Yue Zhongming, which represented yet another contest between the Grand Secretary Ning Hengzhi and the Second Grand Secretary Ouyang Hui.

Even Shen Wang wouldn't easily get involved in power struggles at this level, let alone Xue Huai, who had just started his career in officialdom.

Therefore, he only wanted to stay out of it and quietly get through the imperial examination.

The problem is that he doesn't want to get involved, but trouble keeps coming to him.

The light and airy answer sheet in his hand felt like a scorching fire, burning Xue Huai's brain to a fever pitch.

Why did a sixth answer sheet with a coded mark appear?

Jiang Li shouldn't leak the news, so there's only one possibility: something's wrong with the Crown Prince.

Xue Huai forced himself to calm down. His first task was to determine how many answer sheets had similar markings.

"What time is it?"

After an unknown amount of time, Gao Tingbi's extremely tired voice sounded from the other end of the line.

The servant hurriedly replied, "Reporting to the compiler, it's almost midnight."

Gao Tingbi put down the exam paper, raised his hand to rub his stiff neck, exchanged a wry smile with the editor Liu Yu next to him, and shook his head, saying, "It's really a tough job."

The examiners were like that; they did the hardest work but received no real reward. The candidates they recommended would eventually only recognize the chief examiner as their mentor.

However, this is a path that almost every Hanlin scholar has to take. Listening to Gao Tingbi's complaints, Liu Yu comforted him, "There are still about eighty copies left. Tomorrow should be much easier."

"That's true."

Gao Tingbi turned to Xue Huai, who was still engrossed in reviewing the papers, and asked admiringly, "Brother Jingche, are you planning to work through the night?"

Xue Huai raised his head and sighed, "There are still two more rounds to go, how can I dare to push myself so hard? Brother Liu was right just now, there aren't many papers left, we can finish reading them in a morning at most tomorrow."

Gao Tingbi took a sip of strong tea, which cleared his mind considerably. He took the initiative to ask, "After reviewing these past two days, have you found any answers that you particularly admire?"

"What a coincidence, I just happened to see one."

Liu Yu smiled and picked up the answer sheet beside him, praising, "This answer sheet's first question on the meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals is truly remarkable!"

"Oh?"

Gao Tingbi, slightly curious, took the answer sheet from Liu Yu's hand. As soon as he saw it, his brows furrowed slightly.

He said noncommittally, "So this is the exam paper. I've already seen it before. Brother Jingche, you might as well take a look."

Xue Huai knew something was amiss when he saw this situation, and sure enough, he found a clear cross at the beginning of the paper. During the initial evaluation, the examiners would use simple symbols to represent their judgment of the answer sheet: one circle meant excellent, two circles meant strong recommendation, a triangle meant to be discussed later, and a cross meant rejection.

He immediately understood the reason for Gao Tingbi's sudden coldness. The other examiners would generally respect his opinion if he left a cross on the answer sheet, and would raise any objections tactfully, unlike Liu Yu who praised him so enthusiastically.

Liu Yu, seemingly oblivious to Gao Tingbi's emotional shift, continued to praise, "Gentlemen, this scroll is elegantly written, with perfect parallelism. The opening line, 'The sages established laws, profound meanings are embodied in the words; correcting disorder, praise and blame are determined by the tip of the brush,' is so insightful and powerful! I believe this scroll possesses extraordinary talent and lofty ideals, absolutely worthy of recommendation. It should be submitted to the two chief examiners, Grand Secretary Sun and Vice Minister Yue, for their final decision!" Gao Tingbi's eyes were like ice, his voice steady yet carrying an undeniable chill: "At first glance, this opening line does indeed have some momentum, seemingly possessing a certain brilliance. However, upon closer examination, isn't it nothing but empty rhetoric? 'Profound meanings are embodied in the words,' 'decision is determined by the tip of the brush'—these phrases are universally applicable; what topic couldn't they be used for? It's purely a piling up of grand words, ornate but insubstantial, precisely exposing its lack of profound insight."

Liu Yu's smile faltered for a moment, then he retorted, "Commissioner Gao is mistaken! The opening statement gets straight to the point, capturing the essence of the entire piece, and its strength lies in its conciseness and power. Look at the explanation of the profound meaning of 'not recording the accession'—'Duke Yin's humility established his right to the throne from the beginning; Duke Huan's usurpation and murder revealed the reason for the usurpation.' The explanation is clear and the citations are well-structured. How can it be considered empty?"

Xue Huai sat quietly, his gaze fixed on the answer sheet, but his peripheral vision drifted to Liu Yu, who seemed to have suddenly become a different person.

Over the past two days, Liu Yu has maintained a low profile, even when faced with Gao Tingbi's complaints just now. Yet now he is showing such a tough stance.

He quickly finished reading the answer sheet and made his judgment.

As Gao Tingbi said, this scroll was all show and no substance, full of fancy words but no real meaning. No wonder Gao Tingbi dismissed it directly.

only……

Liu Yu should be able to see why he is so persistent.
The two seemed oblivious to Xue Huai at this moment. Gao Tingbi sneered, his words like hammer blows: "Editor Liu, he did 'cite' it, but only superficially, with far-fetched connections! 'Duke Yin's humility'? Where are the historical records? He concluded that it was intended to 'rectify the status' based solely on conjecture? And look at his description of 'Duke Huan,' it's utterly perfunctory. 'Explaining the reasons for usurpation'? How to explain it? Why explain it? There's not a shred of in-depth explanation; the whole thing is just empty rhetoric! This kind of paper, seemingly eloquent, is actually like a tower built on sand, without any foundation!"

Liu Yu was anxious inside, inwardly cursing Gao Tingbi for being a cunning old fox who nitpicked over words, but on the surface he appeared even more righteous and awe-inspiring: "Commissioner Gao, you are being too harsh. This paper's opening is amazing, and the clear and logical arguments are enough to demonstrate the candidate's talent. How can you expect the candidate to be eloquent and cite every single word? The flaws do not detract from the overall excellence! If we bury talent because of minor flaws, wouldn't that go against the original intention of seeking talent for the country?"

Gao Tingbi's gaze flashed like lightning, suddenly piercing Liu Yu: "A minor flaw? The Spring and Autumn Annals speaks of the great principles of governing a country. What is this scholar's counter-argument? He could at first string together some ornate language, but by the end, he was utterly at a loss for words. His last sentence is, 'By upholding the hearts of the people and securing the foundation of the state, the nation will be forever at peace.' How to uphold? How to secure? The whole piece is just empty talk about benevolence and morality, offering no practical help whatsoever. This is not a minor flaw, but clear evidence of his utter exhaustion of talent and wisdom! Such so-called talent, which only knows how to spout pedantry and empty words, should be dismissed as soon as possible, lest he actually enter officialdom and harm the affairs of the country!"

Liu Yu was embarrassed and annoyed when Gao Tingbi pointed out his weakness.

The rushed ending was indeed a major flaw in this answer sheet, putting him at a disadvantage from the start. However, remembering Yue Zhongming's instructions, he could only grit his teeth and say, "Consultant Gao, I firmly believe that this paper should be recommended for its 'outstanding literary talent and commendable theme'! If you insist on rejecting it, I will have no choice but to attach the controversial points of this paper along with my recommendation, and ask the two chief examiners to make a wise decision!"

The two men who were responsible for assisting the servants never expected such a fierce argument to occur in the middle of the night. They were instantly wide awake and became incredibly energetic.

At this moment, Xue Huai put down the answer sheet, but he did not immediately speak to make peace, because he sensed a strange familiarity in Liu Yu's attitude.

He suddenly remembered Jiang Li's instructions.

If he had agreed to Jiang Li's request, he would have recommended the five candidates recommended by the Crown Prince. However, two of them clearly did not meet the requirements and could not gain the approval of Gao Tingbi and Liu Yu. So, would he now have to argue with Liu Yu about favoritism and corruption?

"Liu Yu!"

Gao Tingbi stood up abruptly, anger flashing in his eyes, but he had already made up his mind.

Liu Yu is hiding something!

Upon realizing this, Gao Tingbi said sternly, "Are you questioning the fairness of my judgment? I always judge papers solely based on the content itself. This paper is merely ornate and empty, with a hasty and perfunctory ending. Recommending this paper would be to condone a boastful writing style, which goes against the purpose of selecting officials. My mind is made up; it is rejected! There is no need for such a paper to further tarnish the examiner's eyes!"

Undeterred, Liu Yu stepped forward, retorting sharply: "Commissioner Gao, opinions differ on whether this paper is outstanding in its writing style and whether its arguments are feasible. In my opinion, it certainly has its merits; what is wrong with that? Why is recommending it considered 'indulgence'? Is your standard the only one that can be accepted in this grading room? If you insist on rejecting it, I will argue my case and plead my case before the chief examiner! If the chief examiner still finds it unsatisfactory after reviewing it, I have nothing to say! But to forcibly reject the paper I recommended without the chief examiner's approval is something I cannot comply with!"

"Alright, we'll see!"

Gao Tingbi's face flushed red, and then he said sarcastically, "This volume has such obvious flaws, Editor Liu really has a unique and distinctive eye."

"you!"

Liu Yu was not a warrior who would resort to violence at the slightest provocation, and since he could not delve too deeply into this topic, he could only slam his hand on the table and storm off in a fit of rage.

The examination room fell silent, a silence so profound it was unsettling. The two servants exchanged a glance and then quietly slipped out.

Xue Huai got up to refill Gao Tingbi's teacup with water and said, "Brother Gao, calm down. You and Brother Liu just have different opinions, why get so worked up?"

"This is not a matter of opinion."

Gao Tingbi suppressed his anger, looked up at Xue Huai, and said in a low voice, "Brother Jingche, do you know who Liu Yu is?"

Xue Huai's heart stirred slightly, but he remained calm and said, "This... I really didn't know. Could it be that Brother Liu has an extraordinary background?"

"Ah."

Gao Tingbi snorted coldly and said disdainfully, "He's just lucky and shameless. In order to climb up to Vice Minister Yue's high branch, he actually married his own sister to Vice Minister Yue's good-for-nothing stupid nephew. That's why he dares to slam the table in front of me."

Yue Zhongming...

Xue Huai immediately understood.

As if suddenly, the fog before his eyes gradually dissipated.

Like a complex game of chess with one move inside another, the most crucial move has been revealed.

(End of this chapter)