Chapter 127 Wen Huiyang

Chapter 127 Wen Huiyang

Two days after the Chuanlu Ceremony, during the morning court, the new Number One Scholar led the newly minted jinshi to express their gratitude in Chengtian Hall.

Du Yunse's letter of gratitude was eloquently written and deeply heartfelt, especially the parts about his parents' kindness and the teacher-student relationship.

After reading it, the Yuanhua Emperor inquired about Du Yunse's mentor, Wen Huiyang. Du Yunse took this opportunity to plead for his mentor, asking the Emperor to lift Wen Huiyang's house arrest.

The Yuanhua Emperor praised Du Yunse for his "pure filial piety" and immediately decreed that Wen Huiyang be reinstated as a Lecturer-in-Waiting.

Wen Huiyang is the most renowned great scholar of the time, with disciples and old friends everywhere, and he once served as the Crown Prince's tutor. His return to the court is good news for the Crown Prince.

Prince Jin, who has been striving to win over scholars, was somewhat displeased but could not obstruct it.

This was a request made by the new Number One Scholar, who achieved six top honors, during his expression of gratitude. The request was for the great scholar Wen Huiyang, under the name of "filial piety." Anyone who objected would be drowned in the spit of scholars across the land.

Standing at the forefront of the civil officials, Elder Bi Yongshi remained expressionless, showing no emotion despite the curious glances around him.

Bi Yongshi is the father of Consort Wen and the maternal grandfather of the Second Prince. As a veteran of two dynasties, he played a significant role in the Yuanhua Emperor's ascension to the throne and is now the leader of the civil officials in the court.

As Du Yunse unstoppably entered the court with six top honors, Wen Huiyang was also released from house arrest and returned to the Hanlin Academy. Many court officials keenly realized that a new and vast conflict was about to unfold in the capital.

...

The Yu Dynasty's ceremony at the Confucian Temple allowed onlookers. Qiu Huanian had agreed with Du Yunse the day before to arrive early at the Confucian Temple after breakfast.

The Confucian Temple is a shrine dedicated to the sage Confucius, established in every prefecture and county. The Confucian Temple in the capital is particularly grand and spacious, located next to the Imperial Academy in the northern city, covering an area of thirty acres. The district where they are located is called Chongjiao Lane.

In ancient times, all professions were considered inferior except for scholarship. The incense at the Confucian Temple has always been strong, with a continuous stream of worshippers coming daily to pray for their husbands or sons and nephews.

Today, three hundred new jinshi were to perform the Shicai Ceremony at the Confucian Temple, and countless people came to watch and share in the auspiciousness.

Qiu Huanian explained his identity and was welcomed into the temple, where someone specially served him tea and snacks, inviting him to rest for a while.

The Confucian Temple is vast, with many large and small courtyards and pavilions built around gardens. Qiu Huanian was arranged in a side room near the stele corridor.

It would take some time before the new jinshi arrived from the imperial city to the Confucian Temple. Qiu Huanian was in no hurry to go to the place where the Shicai Ceremony would be held and took Xing Mi to look at the steles in the stele corridor.

After each Palace Examination, the Ministry of Rites would erect a stele in the Confucian Temple, inscribed with the names and origins of the three hundred new jinshi. The stele corridor in the Confucian Temple is filled with steles at a glance, totaling ninety-six, with a large part left from the previous dynasty.

The once high-spirited and vigorous new jinshi of each session have long passed away, but their traces are forever engraved on the steles.

In a few days, Du Yunse's name would also appear here, at the forefront of the latest stele.

Qiu Huanian looked from the back to the front, quickly browsing through the several steles of the Yuanhua era.

He found that among those who passed the imperial examination, a significant proportion were commoners, but those famous families would produce a jinshi every one or two sessions. These jinshi would have their own colleagues, old friends, and disciples, climbing upward through mutual relationships, accumulating year after year, and their influence in the court was extremely deep.

To deal with such a behemoth while minimizing the impact on the country and the people is truly difficult.

Qiu Huanian lowered his eyes in deep thought when he suddenly heard footsteps beside him.

He turned his head and saw a noblewoman in her thirties walking along the stele corridor, followed by a long string of servants.

Qiu Huanian did not know who the visitor was, nodded, and prepared to go to the other side.

The woman then spoke, "I have long heard of the fame of Lady Qishu. Could Lady Qishu accompany me for a chat?"

Qiu Huanian had to ask her, "I am new to the capital and don't know many people. Who are you, madam?"

The elegant and dignified woman smiled faintly, "I am the aunt of Jie Tanguang, this year's Palace Examination Tanhua. Today, I came to the Confucian Temple to watch the Shicai Ceremony. My husband's family is the Yu Clan of Liaozhou, which makes us fellow townsmen. You may address me as Madam Yu."

Qiu Huanian almost raised his eyebrows. A lady from the Jie family of Jinzhou married into the Yu Clan of Liaozhou at this age must be the sister-in-law of Yu Min, the matriarch of the Yu clan in this generation.

It was she who, with her evasive words and traps, invited a nanny from the palace to torment Min Leyi, causing him much suffering.

As if sensing Qiu Huanian's confusion, Madam Yu softly explained, "My husband, Yu Wen, was recently transferred to the capital and appointed as the Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments. I have followed him here."

Though she smiled throughout, her smile never reached her eyes, like a wooden or clay figurine, exuding an innate arrogance that made Qiu Huanian uncomfortable.

The Court of Imperial Entertainments was responsible for imperial banquets, feasts, and sacrifices. Though not a powerful department, it was quite lucrative. The Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments was its highest official, holding a third-rank position.

Given Madam Yu's age, her husband Yu Wen must be only in his early thirties. To reach a third-rank position at such a young age, and in a lucrative capital post, the influence of the Yu clan was indeed formidable.

They happened to be standing before the jinshi stele from the seventeenth year of Emperor Yuanhua's reign. Following Madam Yu's gesture, Qiu Huanian saw Yu Wen's name.

Thirty-fifth in the second rank, a jinshi, a position in the upper-middle range.

By this calculation, Yu Wen had passed the imperial examination six years ago, served as a Hanlin Academy probationer for three years, and after his term, took an official post in Liaozhou. With the help of his family's influence, he accumulated enough achievements to be promoted to a third-rank capital official in just three years.

Even a first-rank jinshi might not rise so quickly.

Qiu Huanian understood the source of Madam Yu's arrogance. Although Du Yunse was the Number One Scholar, he came from a farming family. If he weren't connected to the Crown Prince and the Yuanhua Emperor, his official career would certainly not be as smooth as Yu Wen's.

The Yu clan must have invested all their resources in Yu Wen, the eldest son of this generation.

Madam Yu chuckled softly, "When I was in Xiangping Prefecture last year, I heard of you, Township Lord. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to meet you then. Now that we are both in the capital, we will surely cross paths. It's good to make your acquaintance today."

Qiu Huanian looked at the steles before him and said slowly, "Madam Yu knows that Headmaster Min is Yun Se's teacher and that I am close to Leyi. Are you saying this in hopes that I will 'let bygones be bygones'?"

Madam Yu laughed, "You overstate it, Township Lord. I merely happened to meet you and, fearing future awkwardness, offered a word of advice."

"Look at these ninety-six steles in the corridor. Since the previous dynasty, every stele has names related to the Jie and Yu families. Although your husband is the Number One Scholar, his name will only appear on one stele."

"If you can't understand good from bad, then I need not waste my breath."

Qiu Huanian turned and looked at Madam Yu quietly, his expression ambiguous, making her uncertain of his thoughts.

"You..."

"Such arrogance," Qiu Huanian said slowly. "Compared to you, Yu Min is merely child's play."

He raised his chin, indicating the endless rows of steles in the corridor. The distant steles were already weathered, bearing the marks of time.

"What is carved in stone is merely the past. Throughout history, the descendants of countless kings and generals have vanished without a trace. The family behind you, Madam Yu, may not have any extraordinary qualities to ensure its perpetual prosperity."

"What is yet to be carved in stone is what you, Madam Yu, will truly experience in the future."

After saying this, Qiu Huanian turned and left, with Xing Mi quickly following.

Only after they had left the stele corridor did Xing Mi whisper to Qiu Huanian, "Township Lord, you were amazing! Your words were so profound, you completely refuted Madam Yu!"

Qiu Huanian chuckled, "Alright, it's almost time. Let's go to the front to watch the Shicai Ceremony. If we're too late, we won't get a good spot."

The Shicai Ceremony was held in front of the main hall dedicated to Confucius. The new jinshi were to offer various fruits and vegetables recorded in the "Rites of Zhou" to the ancient sage.

Many of these items were no longer mainstream foods, and their names were so obscure that Qiu Huanian didn't even know how to pronounce them at first.

Qiu Huanian had only brought Xing Mi, making them more agile. They found a spot near the front and watched as Du Yunse led the jinshi through the steps of the Shicai Ceremony.

As the final bell tolled, rows upon rows of incense sticks burned quietly, signaling the conclusion of the festivities for the newly minted imperial scholars that began with the proclamation ceremony.

Qiu Huanian returned to the carriage to wait for Du Yunse, who arrived shortly after.

"How did it go?"

"The Emperor has ended our teacher’s house arrest. Huanian, let’s go see him." Du Yunse's voice carried a rare urgency and excitement.

For Du Yunse, the mentor who had taught him for nine years and accompanied him as he grew up was like a father to him.

"That’s great. I’m all set. We’ll get there just in time for dinner."

Qiu Huanian was very curious about Wen Huiyang. From the gossip he had heard before, he didn’t come off as a stuffy scholar at all.

Wen Huiyang was both a teacher and a father figure to Du Yunse. Today's meeting would also be Qiu Huanian's first real meeting with a father figure.

Thinking of this, Qiu Huanian felt a little nervous.

"I had a few new outfits tailored and selected some writing supplies and decorations from the previous gift lists. I hope Mr. Wen likes them."

Du Yunse gently held Qiu Huanian's hand, "Brother Hua, you’ve really gone all out. Teacher’s sure to appreciate them."

Bai Quan, aware of his masters’ urgency, drove the carriage swiftly. Chongjiao Fang wasn't far from Mingzhao Fang, and they arrived in just over half an hour.

The imperial guards stationed in front of Wen Huiyang’s courtyard had already left. Qiu Huanian and the others got off at the gate, surprised to find several carriages already there.

Just as Qiu Huanian was about to ask what was going on, he saw someone emerge from the outer gate.

The man wore a black leather mask with silver threads, showing only his deep, dark eyes. But Qiu Huanian instantly recognized him—it was Sixteen.

Before Qiu Huanian could speak, Du Yunse quietly pulled his sleeve.

Qiu Huanian knew that Sixteen's identity and appearance were always kept secret, so he had to act like he didn’t know him.

Sixteen saw them, hesitated briefly, and in a deliberately altered, raspy voice, said, "By the order of the Crown Prince, I come to convey regards to Mr. Wen."

Du Yunse nodded, and without another word, Sixteen bypassed them and left in a carriage.

Qiu Huanian watched the departing carriage, feeling a sudden heaviness in his chest.

"Master Du? You're here! This must be Lady Qishu, right? Please, come in. The master has been waiting for you for a long time."

Qiu Huanian's emotions were interrupted by a series of crisp voices.

He turned to see a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy standing inside the gate, with a round face, a few freckles on his nose, and a sweet, innocent smile.

"My name is Ru Shi. Master Du knows me. I’ve been looking after Mr. Wen for the past few years."

Ru Shi led Du Yunse and Qiu Huanian through the gate. Inside, Wen Huiyang, hearing the noise, rushed out from the house.

The group met in the courtyard, and Qiu Huanian finally saw the legendary Wen Huiyang.

Wen Huiyang was forty-five this year, lean and vigorous, with a handsome beard, regular features, and a graceful demeanor, hinting at his youthful charm.

After three years, Du Yunse saw his mentor again, overwhelmed with countless thoughts, and took half a step back to kneel and bow.

"Your student, Du Yunse, pays respects to my esteemed teacher."

Tears welled up in Wen Huiyang’s clear eyes. The child who once stood no taller than his waist had now become renowned, surpassing even his mentor.

"Good, good, I am already aware of your achievements, six top honors in one sitting, unprecedented in history. I am deeply comforted!"

"Du Yunse's success today is inseparable from your teachings, Master. I..."

Wen Huiyang smiled and shook his head, helping Du Yunse up with both hands.

"No need for such formalities between us. I heard you’ve returned home and married. Why don’t you introduce me to your spouse?"

As Wen Huiyang spoke, he turned to look at Qiu Huanian. When he saw his disciple's husband’s face, his eyes flashed with extreme shock.

Wen Huiyang opened his mouth, and tears suddenly streamed down his face.

"Mr. Wen?"

"No, it's just..." Wen Huiyang raised his hand to signal that he was fine, slightly bowing his head, "I’m just so happy to see Yunse happily married."

Du Yunse frowned slightly.

Wen Huiyang changed the subject and invited them inside, casually asking, "Yunse is from Liaozhou, is the Township Lord also from there?"

"Mr. Wen, you can call me Huanian. I am also from Liaozhou, born in Shangliang Village next to Dujia Village."

Wen Huiyang was silent for a moment, then laughed.

"Huanian, Huanian..."

His voice held a hint of barely noticeable bitterness, "Yunse is a good child I have personally taught. Huanian, you must grow old with him."