Chapter 194 Coaxing

Chapter 194: Winning Over

Shengjing City — The First Day of the Second Month

Song Tingzhou put on his green official robe early in the morning, donned a black gauze cap, wore a round-collar robe with right-side lapels, fastened a leather belt around his waist, and put on black boots. The rank badge on his chest and back was embroidered with mandarin ducks.

Tao Ba and Tao ShiYi drove the household carriage to send him to the Censorate, but carriages already clogged the streets two blocks away. Tao Ba had to park the carriage at the periphery and walk in with Song Tingzhou.

Actually, the Ministry of Personnel had already compiled the officials' performance records, and what needed verification had been verified by their local superiors. However, whether there was any padding or deception remained unknown.

Starting from the first day of the second month, the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate began to evaluate one by one the thousands of local officials and capital officials below the fourth rank, issuing final assessments. The evaluations could be finished in half a month.

The preliminary results still needed to be presented before the throne for the emperor to decide. Barring any surprises, the results would be announced on the twentieth day of the second month.

The assessment results were divided into three grades: competent, average, and incompetent. Those rated competent could get promoted; those rated average mostly stayed put; those rated incompetent were demoted.

Even worse, such as the previous county magistrates of Heshan, if they served three years and attended the imperial audience, could also be penalized, including being forced to retire or stripped of their post and made commoners.

After all the hardship of passing the imperial examinations, to be demoted to a commoner was considered the heaviest punishment.

The current emperor was benevolent; in the assessments over the years, he had never imposed harsh penalties, at most just demotions.

Of course, those who doubted the assessment results could also defend themselves by presenting evidence that they had not been negligent.

The evaluation at the Censorate proceeded in an orderly manner. Song Tingzhou even saw Lord Wang there, but this occasion was not suitable for small talk. To avoid suspicion, Song Tingzhou had not even visited Lin Congrong since entering the capital, let alone initiate a conversation with Lord Wang.

The other party acted as if he didn't know him, kept his eyes lowered and focused on his own business.

After leaving the Censorate, there was nothing left but to wait patiently.

Song Tingzhou, Wu Zhaoyuan, and Zhu Zening had not seen each other for many years. Except for Wu Zhaoyuan's duty days, the three of them gathered almost daily to chat about everything under the sun.

However, before Song Tingzhou's evaluation results came out, someone sent him an invitation card.

"Chai Jun? Why did he send you a card?" Zhu Zening took the card Song Tingzhou handed him and was quite surprised to see the name.

Song Tingzhou squeezed the teacup in his hand and said, "This man is not on the same path as us. We have no friendship anyway. I'll just write back and decline."

Zhu Zening let out a cold laugh, "Back then, he humiliated Lan Niang like that. Now, knowing your relationship with me, he still dares to send you an invitation. He's really thick-skinned."

In Shengjing City, etiquette and moral codes were strictly observed, class distinctions were clear, and social customs were complex. From the nobility in the palace to the common people, every word and action was strictly bound by various norms.

Although Lan Niang later married Zhu Zening, and the Zhu family gave her absolute face in the wedding, the Chai Jun incident was still gossip even three years later, and she couldn't escape people pointing fingers when attending banquets.

Fortunately, Meng Wan had guided her back then, and Zhu Zening had lived harmoniously with her all these years; otherwise, the gossip would have driven her to suicide.

Under such circumstances, Zhu Zening naturally wouldn't give Chai Jun any good face.

From Chai Jun's perspective, the guest he'd invited started trouble at his wedding, ruining it, and even married his own fiancée later. He was also extremely angry.

The two were both graduates of the same imperial examination session, yet they rarely spoke, and when they occasionally met, they couldn't stand each other.

Song Tingzhou had no intention of attending the banquet at all. He wrote a reply that very day and had Tao ShiYi deliver it to the Chai residence. He thought the matter was settled, but who would have expected Chai Jun to come uninvited.

Talking with someone at the doorstep is bad manners. Since Song Tingzhou was at a critical moment of official evaluation, he naturally didn't want to give others something to talk about, so he had Chai Jun invited into the courtyard to talk.

Upon entering the front hall, not even a cup of tea was prepared—the message was clear: he wasn't welcome.

The smile faded from Chai Jun's face. "Brother Song has served outside for three years; have we become estranged?" Song Tingzhou sat down and said flatly, "I was never really close to you, Chai Jun. How can there be any talk of estrangement?"

These years of political ups and downs may have made Chai Jun grow a brain. Actually, being able to become the top scholar, he was no fool—just narrow-minded and full of himself. But now he was much more composed than before; at least he just changed his expression a little, not throwing a fit on the spot.

"Brother Song, do you look down on me because of what happened with Miss Fu back then? I've heard that you and your husband are deeply in love, so I thought you would understand me..."

Song Tingzhou wore a dark blue cotton long gown today, all clothes that Meng Wan had left at the house as spares, packed with mothballs, and Yue Mei often aired them, so they weren't damaged.

His features were stern and cold, and dark clothes made him look even more somber. His pitch-black eyes mirrored Chai Jun's brocade robe and sleek, powdered face. "If you had truly married that young man back then, I might have respected you more. But I heard you only made him your concubine and instead married a general's daughter?"

Chai Jun's marrying up had clearly been criticized by many. He raised his voice slightly, "My marriage to my current wife is only a temporary solution. Yun Geer will always be my true love!" That one sentence showed Chai Jun hadn't changed.

Song Tingzhou was never an arrogant man, but now his eyes carried a hint of contempt. "I am not a censor in the Censorate; Lord Chai need not explain to me. If there is nothing else, I'll take my leave."

Chai Jun sat firmly on his chair, as though glued to it. Perhaps realizing Song Tingzhou had no intention of reminiscing, he finally got to the point, "Brother Song, do you still remember Wu Qianzhang?"

Song Tingzhou remained silent, his expression cold. "Lord Chai, please speak directly."

"This year's capital official evaluation has a vacancy for a fifth-rank junior vice minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments. We both want to compete for it. But he is destined to fail—do you know why?" Chai Jun's words were full of self-satisfaction. If Zhu Zening held a grudge for having his wife taken, then Wu Qianzhang was a mortal enemy who had nearly cost him the top scholar spot.

In the past, he had been overshadowed by Wu Qianzhang because of his family background. Now that he knew he would come out on top, how could he not be smug?

Song Tingzhou had already risen to see him out, but at this display, he paused abruptly and sat back down, asking with feigned confusion, "The evaluation isn't over yet. How do you know you'll come out first?"

Chai Jun lifted his chin slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips, his tone dripping with smugness. "Naturally, I have an important backer to help me... Brother Song and I both come from farming and scholarly families, studied alone by lamplight for ten years, finally passing the imperial exams. Has Brother Song forgotten how the Wu family suppressed us back then?"

After speaking passionately, he lowered his voice, "If there's a chance to rise quickly, Brother Song, wouldn't you want to seize this golden opportunity?"

"You want to introduce me to this important backer?" Song Tingzhou lowered his gaze to the thick calluses on his hands, worn from labor and writing, and spoke slowly, "Who might that be?"

"Prince Lian, the fifth among the princes."

—

That evening after seeing Chai Jun off, Wu Zhaoyuan came straight from his official duties to find Song Tingzhou. "Did Chai Jun come to see you today?"

As fellow first-rank scholars serving together in the Hanlin Academy, Wu Zhaoyuan knew Chai Jun.

Song Tingzhou was not surprised that Wu Zhaoyuan knew; Chai Jun had likely spread the news deliberately. "Yes, he wants to recruit me into Prince Lian's faction."

Wu Zhaoyuan was shocked. "You must not agree!"

They were just low-ranking officials, easily replaceable. Song Tingzhou might have been targeted by Prince Lian's people because of his outstanding performance. Aligning with a prince wasn't impossible, but they had no influence yet and would just be cannon fodder if recruited.

Wu Zhaoyuan said worriedly, "I'm afraid that after you refuse openly, someone will deliberately make trouble for you." Even without Prince Lian saying anything, low-level officials could carry out his will by reading his expression.

Sure enough, most of the Lingnan officials who came with him had already received their evaluation results, except for Song Tingzhou, who was still waiting.

Song Tingzhou could remain patient, but Lin Congrong, who had been quietly monitoring his progress, could not. Unable to go to the Censorate due to suspicion, he had a servant stop the carriage of Vice Censor-in-Chief Wang Zan on his way home.

"Lord Lin, this is rare. I thought Lord Wu would come to me first." Wang Zan said with a smile.

Lin Congrong saw his smile as utterly insincere. Without beating around the bush, he asked directly, "I've inquired about Jingxing's achievements—all evaluations were top-grade. Why hasn't there been news of his promotion?"

Wang Zan's smile did not fade. "Lord Lin need not worry. County Magistrate Song's outstanding achievements will lead to promotion sooner or later."

Lin Congrong almost laughed in anger. "That day, you and the director of the Personnel Ministry sang a duet so nicely. What, does Lord Wang suffer from forgetfulness?"

Even when mocked, Wang Zan remained unruffled and instead advised meaningfully, "Lord Lin, Jingxing's brilliant contributions are not just superficial. His secret plans stabilize the state, his silent actions determine the

After finishing, he left by carriage, leaving Lin Congrong standing there with an uncertain expression. After a moment, he boarded his own carriage and instructed the driver, "To Shichun Lane."

It was already late when he left the yamen, and by the time he arrived at Shichun Lane, the sky had darkened. He personally instructed Song Tingzhou, "Do not worry; His Majesty will make the final decision," before hurrying away.

With these words, Song Tingzhou felt at ease and stayed home contentedly.

Zhu Ze Ning's official position had been confirmed. With the help of his elder brother-in-law, who was also an official in the capital, and the silver provided by Third Master Zhu for networking, Zhu Ze Ning was smoothly promoted. He was now a Vice Director in the Ministry of Works, a rank of Senior Sixth Grade.

Although the Ministry of Works among the six ministries was the most arduous and offered the least perks, being an official in one of the six ministries still carried more prestige than some idle posts.

Zhu Ze Ning was unable to conceal his joy, but when he thought of Song Tingzhou's pending imperial audience and performance evaluation, his face fell again. "It should have gone smoothly—why are there still complications?"

Song Tingzhou kept a low profile and had not been in the capital long. If he had offended anyone powerful, it would likely be just one person.

"Is it that old villain, Wu Wei?"

Before Song Tingzhou could respond, Wu Zhao Yuan strode in from the doorway. "It can't be Wu Wei. The Wu family has been in major trouble these days!"

They were gathered at Zhu Ze Ning's home that day. Zhu Ze Ning dismissed the attending servants and eagerly asked Wu Zhao Yuan, "What happened? I haven't received any news at all!"

Wu Zhao Yuan had rushed to the Zhu residence right after leaving the office, his throat parched. He picked up the teacup and took a drink, then delivered shocking court news: "Wu Qianzhang was arrested and imprisoned a few days ago. Wu Wei is rushing to get him out of prison and has no time to scheme against Jingxing."

Zhu Ze Ning grew animated. "How did he end up inside? Tell us quickly!"

Even Song Tingzhou leaned forward slightly.

"He was found to have accepted bribes during his tenure," Wu Zhao Yuan said, not knowing much; he had only heard about it from colleagues.

"How is that possible? Even if he wasn't careful, wouldn't his uncle Wu Wei have kept an eye on things?" Zhu Ze Ning exclaimed in surprise.

It wasn't that he thought Wu Qianzhang was of impeccable character, but he found it hard to believe that the man would be caught for such an offense during such a critical time as the capital evaluation.

Song Tingzhou was puzzled. "Wu Qianzhang has some talent and ability. He wouldn't need Wu Wei to oversee everything."

Zhu Ze Ning refilled Wu Zhao Yuan's tea. "You've been serving in the provinces for years and don't know—since you were sent to Lingnan three years ago, the Wu family has been in decline as if under a curse..."

It turned out that the Wu family in the capital had gradually been marginalized. Wu Wei, now advanced in age, had been repeatedly reprimanded by the emperor at court. Moreover, in the spring imperial examinations three years later, not a single member of the Wu family had passed.

Excluding those who had been killed and those too old to advance, Wu Si was actually the last Wu family member to become a jinshi and hold office. The other Wu family officials in power had either been demoted or executed for mistakes. Under these circumstances, Wu Wei would have to be a fool not to see that the emperor was targeting them.

The Wu family now lay as low as possible, practically tucking their tails between their legs. Even Chai Jun, whom Wu Qianzhang had once looked down upon, could now ride roughshod over him.

Although the Wu family's accumulated wealth and connections over generations remained vast, since they were not a noble family, the failure to get anyone into court was the beginning of their decline.

So now Wu Wei valued his only remaining scion, Wu Qianzhang, even more highly.

"Never mind how he got inside. If it's not Wu Wei pulling strings, who else holds a grudge against Jingxing?" Wu Zhao Yuan turned his gaze to Song Tingzhou.

Song Tingzhou frowned, recalling Chai Jun's inexplicable attempt to recruit him the other day. There was a reason for Prince Lian to recruit Wu Zhao Yuan—his mother's family were military officers, and the prince had few trusted allies among civil officials, so he wanted to cultivate some rootless civil officials. But recruiting him, a Lingnan-appointed official, was rather thought-provoking.

"Sir, a letter from home has arrived."

Tao Shiyi trotted over to find Song Tingzhou. Having grown up in the countryside, he didn't notice the hesitant look on the Zhu family steward's face. Rushing and shouting in front of the host was a major faux pas.

Song Tingzhou stood up abruptly and asked quickly, "When did it arrive?"

Tao Shiyi, noticing the servants of the Zhu household casting sidelong glances, realized he had breached etiquette. Slowing his pace, he lowered his voice and replied, "It should have arrived yesterday."

Agitated, Song Tingzhou stepped forward, took the letter from him, and scolded him, "You are a government officer, not an ordinary servant. Why the fuss?"

"Yes, sir!" Tao Shiyi straightened his back and spoke loudly, causing the maidservants outside to stifle their laughter.

Ignoring his antics, Song Tingzhou picked up the envelope and examined it. His movements suddenly halted—the wax seal's color was wrong!