Chapter 408: Understanding Each Other

Since the beginning of the year, scholars from all over the country had gathered in the capital to prepare for the annual imperial examinations. Although, due to the lessons learned from the Ministry of Rites examinations three years prior, many scholars from various provinces pooled their funds to rent or buy houses in the outer districts as associations for their fellow provincials, the number of candidates was still so large that inns were fully occupied. Many wealthy scholars rented separate houses to enjoy some peace and quiet. As the Jiangnan region was renowned for its literary talent, the Zhejiang Association in the Xuanan District of the outer city was always the most bustling, with scholars from other associations also coming here to exchange ideas and engage in lively discussions.

“The chief examiner for this Ministry of Rites examination is Lord Yang Shiqi, a grand scholar of the Left Spring Court. This elderly man favors essays that are steady and balanced—so everyone should not focus solely on showing off their rhetorical skills. Even if one has boldness, it must be tempered with maturity; only then can one succeed!”

“That’s not entirely true. As the saying goes, ‘One must shock people or die.’ Although Lord Yang is calm, he will still praise sharp and brilliant essays! I’m not saying that being steady is bad—after all, writing is like living. If one cannot follow one’s true nature and only seeks stability, they lose the spirit of progress!”

“Tingyi, you’re too stubborn. Being full of youthful vigor isn’t a good thing. This is your first time taking the imperial examinations, so you don’t understand the difficulties. How many people in the world manage to pass on their first try? No matter how splendid an essay may be, if it offends the examiners’ preferences, it won’t be accepted. The palace examination is even more stressful—the examiners often walk among the candidates, noting those who impress them early on. Even if one writes a draft too quickly to transcribe it, it doesn’t matter. If they’re not impressed, one will end up in the third tier.”

Several scholars dressed in blue or green robes discussed the chief examiner. Some shook their heads in dismay, others debated fervently, but most gathered together to study Yang Shiqi’s collected writings. Only the young scholar known as Tingyi disagreed. After walking around, he found that most people were talking about exam strategies, so he simply left the association.

Since there were several associations in the Moudao Hutong, and most of them were discussing the same topics, he wandered around in circles, too lazy to join in the chatter. Noticing it was nearly noon, he headed toward the Six-Happiness Restaurant at the entrance of the hutong.

This two-story restaurant, located on Xuanwumen Street outside the city, is already famous for its eight-delicacy chicken and mutton soup. Now, with various guild halls nearby, its business is even more prosperous—almost no tables are available at all. Noticing an empty table by the window, he hurried over. Before he could sit down, a waiter approached with an apologetic expression: “Sir, this table has already been reserved. There are a few empty tables elsewhere. Would you like to…?” Although the waiter said there were some empty tables elsewhere, he glanced around and found them all occupied, so he hesitated. Seeing that the young man was wearing a slightly worn blue cotton robe and faded black cloth shoes, he realized he was just a poor scholar and smiled again, saying, “I’m truly sorry, but there are no empty tables upstairs. Would you like to check downstairs?”
“We’re only three people, so there’s exactly one empty seat—no need to send this gentleman elsewhere!”
The young man turned around and saw that three more guests had arrived. Apart from one who seemed older than him, the other two appeared much younger. All three were dressed like ordinary scholars and bowed politely to him. After returning the greeting, he said with a smile, “Then thank you very much. Otherwise, I would have to find another place to eat.”
The waiter turned around and saw that the speaker had taken out a reservation card, so he promptly invited them to sit down, saying, “Since all three gentlemen have arrived, I’ll go order the dishes according to the reservation menu. Eight-delicacy chicken, stir-fried gluten, braised mutton, wild duck soup, stewed tofu, bamboo shoots with shrimp, and a pot of Fen wine—does that sound right?”
When they nodded, he invited the young man to sit down as well and then asked, “What would you like to order, sir?”
“A bowl of mutton noodles.”
The waiter was momentarily stunned before nodding, “Sure, one bowl of mutton noodles!”
The young man spoke casually, and the other three at the table didn’t find it strange. The first speaker even smiled and said, “Though this place is small, it’s located in a prime spot, so business is booming. I’ve managed to save some money, and I’ll spend it all soon! But it’s still better than three years ago. Back then, I came to the capital by taking advantage of your father’s boat during the Yuan Festival. The money I saved I gave to you for food and lodging. You even treated me to meals. Otherwise, to afford a bowl of mutton noodles, I would have had to sell paintings… Oh, no—back then, there were few people in the capital, and it wasn’t the Jiangnan region, so I couldn’t even sell paintings!”

It was Wan Shijie speaking. Having received his annual salary and money this year, his financially strained situation had finally improved a bit, which allowed him to host a feast like today. Xia Ji, sitting beside him, thought of the high rent and food costs back then and glanced at Zhang Yue with a smile. “Let’s not talk about that. If it weren’t for living in Yuanjie’s house these past three years, we would have spent countless amounts on rent. No wonder people say it’s hard to find a place to live in the capital—it’s true. Another three years have passed, and there are even more people now than before.”

Zhang Yue knew they were just joking. Seeing the young scholar sitting calmly, he remembered their chance encounter as tablemates and smiled, saying, “It seems this gentleman has also come to take the exam this year? The imperial examination is in two days. There are hundreds more candidates this year than three years ago. It’s truly like thousands of troops trying to cross a narrow bridge.”

“It does seem like crossing a narrow bridge. Those who have taken it before are fine, but someone like me, taking the exam for the first time, is naturally nervous,” the young man replied. Though he was straightforward, he wasn’t withdrawn. He immediately smiled and said, “I thought that since I’m here, I should give it my all. If I fail, I can wait another three years. After decades of hard study, I hope to achieve something, to live up to this life. I’m Yu Qianyu from Qiantang. Are you three also taking this year’s imperial examination?”

At that moment, Zhang Yue was deeply glad he hadn’t started eating yet; otherwise, he would have choked on his food after hearing the last sentence. He nodded with a smile on his face, but inwardly thought that his immediate goodwill toward this man wasn’t unfounded. Besides his good looks, Yu Qianyu’s calmness was even more impressive. Wan Shijie, with his unrestrained nature, laughed upon hearing this and said, “The three of us barely passed the last exam. We won’t join in the hustle this time.”

Indeed, as Yu Qianyu said, most of the people dining on the second floor of the Six-Happiness Restaurant were candidates taking this year’s exam. Although there were many who talked loudly, even more kept a watchful eye. Wan Shijie was used to speaking loudly, so the people at the neighboring tables began whispering after hearing him. Yu Qianyu was also surprised: “So it turns out I happened to meet three predecessors today—what a truly extraordinary coincidence.”

These days, in the imperial examinations, those who pass first are regarded as predecessors, so it’s not strange to call someone a predecessor—Zhang Yue couldn’t help but smile. Wan Shijie had always been fond of such things, so he nodded cheerfully and said, “Actually, it’s not really a remarkable coincidence. It’s just that I happened to hear that the eight-delicacy chicken and mutton at this Six-Happiness Restaurant are outstanding, and since it’s located in the outer city, the prices are low—perfect for a treat. Otherwise, with the expenses in the inner city, my annual salary wouldn’t even cover a few meals. Since there are guild halls everywhere nearby, it’s not strange to encounter scholars. But the fact that we’re all seated together now, with you sharing a table with us, that’s truly fate. And since you’ve invited me to sit, I sit; you talk to me without any pretense or shyness—this suits our stomachs even better.”

Xia Ji saw that Wan Shijie had fallen back into his old habits, so he helplessly said to Zhang Yue, “Yuanjie, you know how those senior scholars in the Hanlin Academy are extremely rule-bound. During my three years there, I at least pretended to be obedient. But Big Brother Wan just did as he pleased, saying whatever came to mind—because of that temper, I’ve suffered so much!”

“Xia, don’t you know Wan’s personality? He just likes to be free and carefree, indifferent to whether he suffers losses or not. Isn’t it precisely because of his temper that we’ve become friends with him?”

“That’s right! If I changed my temper, I wouldn’t be Wan Shijie anymore!”

Zhang Yue remembered that Wan Shijie had the same temper back when he was with Yang Shiqi, and it hadn’t changed at all after three years—what a strange thing. So he joked, only for Wan Shijie to immediately pick up on it. Just then, the waiter brought over a large platter of dishes, arranging six plates in a circle in the middle, followed by a jar of wine, before placing a big bowl of noodles in Yu Qian’s front. Since they had just talked to each other and somewhat gotten to know each other, Wan Shijie used the excuse that there were too many dishes and insisted that Yu Qian eat with them. Yu Qian, unable to refuse, agreed, and his bowl of mutton noodles was quickly divided among the four of them. After eating and drinking their fill, while other tables were discussing state affairs, their table was no exception. As they talked, Yu Qian mentioned Jiaozhi, and Zhang Yue picked up the thread.

“Jiaozhi is located in the southwest and was originally a vassal state of our country. It was only after it resisted imperial orders that the court sent troops to suppress it. The Duke of Yingguo achieved great success in pacifying Jiaozhi, but the repeated rebellions in southern Jiaozhi warrant further investigation into the reasons. After Chen Jikuo’s rebellion was quelled, there was Lei Li, followed by Pan Liao, Chen Kelun, Ruan Zhao, and many other local officials who defected. They had originally surrendered—why would they risk their lives by rebelling? Rebellions kept emerging one after another; even though the Marquis of Fengcheng and the Earl of Rongchang were both renowned generals, it wasn’t easy to suppress them merely through military force. Jiaozhi kept tens of thousands of troops of the court occupied, consuming countless resources each year and even straining the people in the southwest. Now, even the tribes in Yunnan and Guizhou often resist due to military conscription and other demands.”

Hearing this, Wan Shijie, another official from the Ministry of War sitting at the table, nodded repeatedly. Although Yu Qian was still just a candidate preparing for the imperial examinations, he had considerable insight into military affairs: “When the people are exhausted and impoverished, chaos ensues. Southern Jiaozhi has now become a useless burden—useless to keep but a shame to abandon. We can’t let our troops be constantly exhausted there.”

No sooner had these words been spoken than shouts could be heard outside. Those dining upstairs peeked out and saw dust rising on the main road. It took some time before they could make out the leading procession.

“It’s the King of Zhou! The King of Zhou has come to the capital by imperial decree!”