Palace Fighting: Naive Concubines' Ascent to Power-Chapter 442: You Don’t Know Shit (November 16th Mass Release Announcement)
Chapter 442: Chapter 442: You Don’t Know Shit (November 16th Mass Release Announcement)
Right after the court was dismissed today, the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Personnel continued their disputes, openly sarcastic and covertly mocking, the argument never ceased.
Seeing the two ministers arguing vehemently, someone tried to mediate, but alas, it was to no avail.
On the outskirts stood a man, tall and lanky, out of place among these civil officials. He was the very man left by the Ministry of War—a straightforward military general, one who came up through scouting and enjoyed hearing news and relishing in the bustle.
On any given day on the street, if someone looked up at the sky, he would follow suit without a second thought, looking up too. The gossip of the ministers in the Imperial Court and the talk of the town all came from this military general.
The Minister of Personnel, flushed with urgency, said, "Minister Fan has served the Imperial Court all his life, with great virtue and high reputation; I hold great respect for him. But just now, I saw Minister Fan seemingly fall asleep during the session. If age is catching up, it might be better to retire and enjoy a peaceful life. His Majesty is benevolent and will likely grant your request."
This old fellow said he was too inexperienced to instruct others. How could that be tolerated? He got back at him by saying this old fellow was too old to teach properly and could consider retiring. That’s not too much, is it?
The two had escalated from the morning’s court matters to attacking each other, face red and ears steaming.
The straightforward military general on the periphery listened and nodded, muttering under his breath, "True enough, if I hadn’t seen it so often, I’d have thought the old man kicked the bucket."
Everyone with a loud voice heard him.
The Minister of Personnel immediately breathed a sigh of relief, for the first time feeling that the brute from the Ministry of War had some sense, looking quite agreeable to him.
The Minister of Rites, cursing in anger, glared at the straightforward military general and bellowed, "Fool, what do you know? Even when dead, this old man is very much alive!"
The straightforward military general immediately realized his whispered words had been overheard, and dared not utter another sound. General Xu was right, he thought. It’s better to keep such thoughts to oneself; even self-talk is not safe.
The Minister of Rites, his beard quivering with rage, couldn’t be bothered with the thick-skinned, obtuse brute from the Ministry of War.
He turned and aimed his fire at the Minister of Personnel: "Master Feng, watch your words. As the Minister of Rites, don’t I know the proceedings of court sessions? I was merely closing my eyes in deep thought to avoid speaking carelessly like the young ones. It seems, however, Master Feng is the one today whose official attire has an excess of folds. Are you trying to show contempt for the court?"
The Minister of Personnel became enraged upon hearing this; the folds were a result of the old man’s inability to argue earlier, having pulled on his official robe in his agitation, and now he was being accused of disrespecting the court. Intolerable! ƒrēenovelkiss.com
He swiftly launched a counterattack.
The subsequent arguments grew more heated, the Minister of Rites being the first to clamor about going to seek His Majesty’s judgement, and the Minister of Personnel, provoked, also declared his intent to go.
Thus, a group of them majestically proceeded towards the Star Palace.
Inside the Imperial Academy.
Minister Jia, the Libationer, dispersed the students from Shanxue Square and invited Lian Musu to his lecture room in the teaching building, inquired about the situation, and sent word to Minister Qin, the Ministry of Rites, and the palace.
His Majesty was also greatly concerned about this matter.
Regarding the candidate disturbance in Taiyuan Prefecture, they had been aware for quite some time, and His Majesty had already notified the Ministry of Rites and Minister Qin about his decision.
He had just learned from Minister Qin the day before that the news had not even warmed up when people came to him, catching him off guard and unsure of how to deal with them. He could only invite them inside and then go to report it.
As for when the exam would take place, at what Shichen Chinese Time, and the method of examination, the Ministry of Rites had not yet provided the arrangement to the Imperial Academy. Now that people were here, he wondered whether to keep them waiting or otherwise, and he needed to ask for instructions on these matters.
At that moment, a group of students had gathered outside the window and door, craning their necks to peer inside, but Minister Jia’s shooing did nothing to disperse them.
These students, who usually scurried away at the sight of him like mice before a cat, taking detours around his teaching quarters, were now acting out of character, all because of this examinee from Taiyuan Prefecture.
In the end, he gave up trying to drive them away and let the students watch. After all, this affair was known to the whole world; letting the students of the Imperial Academy witness more would be beneficial, so they would not be so naive and easily deceived when they went out into the world.
At this time, Minister Jia sat upright, his face stern as he scrutinized Lian Musu. His fierce expression, combined with his current demeanor, made him look even more formidable.
He had inquired about the whole affair in great detail, and the young man answered each question with fluency. Even when interrogated about possible cheating, Lian Musu simply paused, seeming to realize something, but did not elaborate excessively. He calmly stated that he was here to take the exam and whether or not he deserved the top rank assigned by the Taiyuan Prefecture examiners was for the teacher to judge. He was willing to accept punishment if his talents were insufficient, showing great composure.
This impressed him somewhat, but it was still not enough; there are always those who are outwardly attractive but inwardly rotten, and one cannot discern such people by appearances alone.
He continued to probe why the young man had hastily left Taiyuan Prefecture and why he had arrived at the Imperial Academy so quickly, which were questions on everyone’s minds.
On learning that the young man’s family was temporarily residing in the Capital and that he hurried away from Taiyuan Prefecture due to a premonition of his mother’s severe illness, Minister Jia’s expression softened somewhat. This matched his own understanding: indeed, it was right before the postings were announced that Lian Musu had left the inn where he was staying.
No wonder the young man had arrived so quickly; the timing matched, and the accusations of guilt from the troublemaking students of Taiyuan Prefecture fell through.
The fact that the young man left before the results were announced to return home, sensing his mother’s condition, deserved admiration. Many scholars yearn for fame to advance their prospects, but this young man valued his mother more than fame and fortune, earning him a measure of respect.
After arrangements were made to notify various parties, he began to scrutinize the young man, examining him thoroughly from head to toe, as if to see right through him. His own students could not withstand such a gaze, avoiding eye contact and confessing their wrongdoings when they felt guilty.
Yet, no matter how long he scrutinized or how much pressure he applied, Lian Musu maintained his composure. His gaze was open and his demeanor easy, always with a gentle smile on his lips, allowing him to be scrutinized.
He felt a certain admiration inside but did not show it, and with his face stern, he pointed to a spot and finally spoke again, terse and clear, "Put your things down there, and wait."
Lian Musu bowed in thanks, "Thank you, teacher."
After the series of questions earlier, he began to form a guess in his heart; apparently, someone had accused him of cheating to obtain the top rank, sparking this incident.
He walked slowly to a small open space, lifted his book basket from below, and raised it high, intending to remove the book basket he had been carrying on his back.
Only then did the crowd realize that the book basket seemed to contain quite a few items; it looked heavy, but it didn’t seem so when it was on his back.
The onlookers outside grew anxious. During the back-and-forth between Minister Jia and Brother Lian, they had understood the reasons and couldn’t help but feel a greater fondness for Lian Musu.
Forgetting their fear of Minister Jia, someone shouted out, "Mr. Jia, lend a hand, please."
"Otherwise, let us do it!" One of the students volunteered to come in right there.
