Chapter 150: Pretend to Be Sick

Although the rankings had already been announced, the ceremony in the Hall of Heavenly Mandate was not merely about revealing those rankings—it was also a way to assert imperial authority over the newly appointed scholars. Thus, this audience with the emperor was entirely different from Zhang Yue’s previous experiences. The 250 scholars were called upon one by one: those in the top tier were called three times each, while those in the second and third tiers were called once each. All knelt in order beneath the red steps.

It was spring, and the weather was pleasant with gentle winds and sunny days, yet the lengthy process of calling names lasted for quite some time. Among the new scholars, there were those who were older or in poor health, many of whom appeared pale, while others clenched their teeth to endure. Next, officials in the Hall of Heaven led the scholars to bow three times and kowtow nine times. The emperor then gave them words of encouragement before ordering those in the third tier to enter the hall first, while the rest waited kneeling.

For the new scholars, this ceremony in the golden hall was a monumental event, but for the officials, it was merely routine, so no one paid it much attention at first. It was not until Zhu Di changed the name of the top-ranked scholar, Li Ma, to Li Qi after meeting him that some stir arose. Although those in the top tier were supposed to be done after that, Zhu Di met with several scholars from the second tier as well, leaving the officials puzzled. Only those like Yang Rong, who knew the ins and outs, understood what was going on.

Fortunately, though this year’s ceremony lasted a bit longer than usual, it still concluded smoothly.

On the day of the ceremony, the scholars entered the palace on horseback through the main streets, naturally attracting widespread attention. The next day, a “Banquet of Honor” was held at the Military Command Headquarters for the new scholars. Though it was a grand affair, it was nothing more than a formal ceremony.

On the surface, the scholars drank and socialized, but in secret, none of them dared get drunk. As for the seemingly exquisite dishes, they merely touched them with their chopsticks. Everyone’s attention was initially on Xia Ji, who had won third place at just 15, but when the emperor changed the top scholar’s name in front of everyone, and it was said that the new top scholar, Li Qi, was the brother of Ma Duo, the top scholar from the 10th year of the Yongle era, the focus shifted back to the top scholar.

Yet the activities for the new scholars did not end there. Next, they spent three days learning rituals at the Hall of Protocols. The emperor bestowed a crown, robes, and silver belt on the top scholar and five gold bars on the other scholars. The top scholar led the group to express their gratitude at the Confucian Temple. After various activities over half a month, the Ministry of Works finally inscribed names on steles in honor of the new scholars. Naturally, as the chief examiner for this examination, Yang Rong’s name was also recorded on the steles—a greatest honor for a civil official.

Once he became a teacher, all the scholars of that examination became his students, thus solidifying their teacher-student relationship. No matter whether he was promoted, demoted, or retired in the future, there would always be someone among his students to take care of him. “Once a teacher, always a father” — in the world of officials, what could be more precious than that?

As all the ceremonies came to an end, the selection of officials began. Although the Hanlin Imperial Academicians had already been selected once before, Zhu Di ordered another selection this time. Therefore, aside from the top three who were appointed as Hanlin Imperial Academicians as usual, the rest had to participate in the selection ten days later. Taking advantage of this break, Zhang Yue, who had already been exhausted both physically and mentally, naturally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that even with the three joys in his family and the preparations for the wedding, his promotion from deputy commander of Jinxiang Guard to commander of the Front Guard’s Valiant Troops only added to the joy in the Zhang family, completely dispelling the shadows cast by Zhang Xin’s demotion.

Since he no longer needed to return to Jinxiang Guard to take up his post, Lady Gu, who was preparing to choose an auspicious day for the betrothal ceremony, thought that although Zhang Chao, as her nephew, didn’t have to observe mourning for his married aunt, Lady Wang had just finished mourning for Concubine Zhang and was still pregnant, and Zhang Fu had been summoned to court less than nine months after his great achievement. Holding a wedding ceremony in such a hurry might be disrespectful to the recently deceased Concubine Zhang. So, she personally went to discuss the matter with the wife of Marquis Xiangcheng and moved the betrothal date to June.

That night, the father and son in the Zhang family spent over an hour in a heartfelt conversation. Earlier, they had to review their studies and deal with various rituals after passing the imperial examination. Even preparing their official and daily clothing consumed a great deal of energy, leaving little time to discuss important matters. Now, after hearing Zhang Yue recount Zhang Fu’s words and Yang Shiji’s advice, and learning that Zhang Yue had received a deed to a large farm from Lady Gu, he had to admit that as a father, he seemed unable to help his son.

The only thing he could think of was one person. After deliberating for a long time, he finally spoke up: “When you first arrived in Nanjing, you were secretly taken care of by Commander Yuan of the Jinyiwei. Do you still remember that?”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue’s heart skipped a beat. How could he forget? This person and that unresolved case had been on his mind the most these days. If not for believing that Zhang Zhuo would explain everything when the time was right, if not for his inability to investigate on his own, if not for realizing how complex the situation in Beijing was and that patience was the best strategy… he might have lost control long ago.

“Dad, of course I remember.” Seeing Zhang Zhuo staring at him intently, he simply admitted, “When you first arrived in Nanjing, I went to your room to see you one day. Pearl reminded me, and I found a note in the drawer next to the treasure chest. The note was signed by Mu Ning—I remember it was that Mu Qianhu from the Henan military unit. Since that surname isn’t common, I paid attention to it, but I never asked you about it.”

“You’re just too thoughtful. Pearl told me back then that I expected you to ask, but who knew you’d wait until now.” Zhang Zhuo casually closed the fan in his hand, stared at Zhang Yue’s face for a while, then sighed. “During the flood in Kaifeng, you asked me about it later. I told you at that time that I had nothing to do with the Jinyiwei. I guess you’ve been thinking about it ever since. The Jinyiwei is in charge of punishment and investigations; they naturally have nothing to do with our Zhang family. The only one who has a faint connection to them is me.”

Zhang Yue couldn’t help but widen his eyes. Though he was somewhat prepared, hearing Zhang Zhuo admit it so openly still shocked him, and his mind filled with countless complicated theories about conspiracies. If not for his in-depth knowledge of the Ming dynasty’s official system, he might even have suspected that his own father could be a secret agent for the Jinyiwei, like someone in charge of secret guards.

“To be more precise, I only have some acquaintance with Commander Yuan. All the Jinyiwei officers in the Henan military unit were trained by him, so including that Mu Qianhu, they can offer help when necessary.” At this point, Zhang Zhuo dropped his joking tone and spoke seriously, “The Jinyiwei has a terrible reputation among officials, so unless it’s absolutely necessary, I wouldn’t ask Commander Yuan for help, and he certainly wouldn’t get involved with you. I’m telling you this to clear up your doubts and to give you an understanding—not to make you think of any improper plans.”

What improper plans could I possibly think of? How dare I think of such things? Zhang Yue wore a bitter smile, thinking that although the Jinyiwei commander seemed imposing, even someone as domineering as Ji Gang had fallen, let alone someone without any real power like Yuan Fang. If things continued as expected, the establishment of the Eastern Depot was just a matter of years. If he tried to use the Jinyiwei for his own purposes, it would be sheer recklessness.

“Though you are calm by nature, you are still my son. There are things that outsiders can’t see, but as your father, I understand them. The Hanlin Academy has too many rules, and I’m afraid you’ll mostly dislike it. Coming from a prominent family, you’ve never faced many hardships. Even if others praise you, minor trials are nothing compared to great storms. It would be better for you to go out and gain experience through official duties. Since your great-uncle and Grand Secretary Yang share this view, during the selection in three days… pretend to be sick and don’t go.”

At first, Zhang Yue found those words reasonable. After all, his father knew him well. Although he appeared calm and composed to outsiders, that was just an act; deep down, he wasn’t the kind of person who liked to tread carefully as if on thin ice. His caution stemmed from helplessness. This young man was naturally passionate and eloquent. Even with the years he had lived in his past life, he was still young. How could he possibly want to stay in the stifling capital?

However, when he heard the words “pretend to be sick,” he was stunned, even thinking his ears must be failing him.

“The position of a scholar in the Hanlin Academy is an honorable one. After three years of evaluation, one becomes a compiler or editor, during which time they study current affairs in the academy. I’ll try my best to take the exam in three days. It doesn’t matter if I fail. As for you… rather than deliberately failing and drawing ridicule, it’s better to pretend to be sick.”

“Deliberately fail… Father, don’t you think I have no chance of passing the selection at all?”

“If Master Du’s student can’t even pass the selection, wouldn’t that shame your teacher? Master Du was once renowned for his brilliant writings. I’ve heard many people praise him these days, saying you’re a master who produces outstanding students. If you really can’t pass, then there’s no need to go. At least you rank high among the second tier!”

Seeing Zhang Yue’s gloomy expression, Zhang Zhuo gave him a few more tips on pretending to be sick, then got up and left the room. After standing in the courtyard for a while, watching the stars, he returned to his room. There, he found Mrs. Sun, who was usually kind, sitting with a stern face, while the maids stood nearby like cats afraid of mice. He was somewhat puzzled.

“Go out all of you!”

Mad, Sun slapped the table, sending her most trusted confidant, Pearl, flying out as well. Only after the door curtain fell did she say resentfully, “Tell me, what on earth is going on? That old lady actually told me she wants to give Lingxi to Yue as a maid! Lingxi is already nineteen—if she goes to another family, she’ll either be married off to a decent family or to one of their servants. Besides, the old lady should just say outright that Yue should marry her; why mention a maid? She’s practically half a master in our household. If she follows Yue, it would be improper, and it would be awkward for us too.”
Hearing his wife’s continuous complaints, Zhang Zhuo was greatly surprised. It was almost common knowledge in the family that Gu Shi couldn’t do without Lingxi—so why bring this up suddenly? After all, in earlier years, many families had come to propose marriage, but Gu Shi rejected them all, and Lingxi had also been resolute. If now, instead of her three sons and two older grandsons, she gave her to Zhang Yue, what would others think?