Chapter 389 Public Opinion

Chapter 389: Public Opinion

After the palace examination concluded, Song Tingzhou and several other civil officials were kept at Wenhua Hall to grade the examination papers. All present were jinshi degree holders, with the lowest ranked being top ten of the second tier, and countless among the top three of the first tier. At the head was Lord Ran, who had achieved the rare feat of topping all three levels of the imperial examinations back in his day—a man of extraordinary talent and one of the foremost Great Scholars in Yu. Having him serve as chief examiner was a real stroke of luck for this batch of candidates.

"Your Majesty, we have selected the top ten papers for your personal review," Lord Ran said, presenting a neatly stacked pile of examination papers with a bow.

His white beard trembled slightly with the movement. The old gentleman had been confined in the examination hall for nearly two months and hadn't yet recovered his strength. He looked at the emperor with eyes full of reproach.

Assigning such a grueling task to his own maternal uncle—some nephew he turned out to be.

The emperor was deep and inscrutable, exuding authority. He could don the mantle of a sovereign and also look the other way when it came to exploiting his own kin. He gave a cursory glance at the examination papers placed on the desk before him, with no intention of wasting time reviewing them one by one. Instead, he looked down at the assembled officials and spoke words that took everyone by surprise. "I thank you all for your hard work. You are no ordinary men—you are the pillars of this nation, whether through literary brilliance, administrative expertise, military acumen, or governance skills. I trust your judgment, of course."

He praised the bewildered ministers before him, then suddenly changed his tune. "All those in today's palace examination who argued against the Equal Field Edict—strike them from the rolls."

The officials were stunned. Even Lord Ran, who had been dozing with half-closed eyes, shot them wide open.

"Your Majesty! This cannot be done!"

"Your Majesty! The palace examination selects talent for the nation, testing classical knowledge, policy discourse, and ambition. How can we discard capable men like trash merely because their political views differ?"

"The Equal Field Edict, though a good policy, has not been implemented long enough for its merits and drawbacks to fully manifest. Scholars expressing diverse opinions is only natural. If we dismiss people for their words, won't we break the spirits of all scholars under heaven?"

"Your Majesty! Stopping people from speaking is more dangerous than damming a river! Better to guide than to block! If we only listen to pleasing words and reject loyal admonishment, in time the court will be filled with sycophants—who would dare speak frankly?"

"Your Majesty! This will surely provoke discontent among the candidates and destabilize the court. We risk another literary purge like King Wu's!"

The topic of this palace examination was the Equal Field Edict itself, and the candidates had answered all over the map. Besides supporters and opponents, some had even drifted off-topic mid-essay. If they followed Wen Zhao's directive—striking all who opposed the edict—then wouldn't the sons of aristocratic families in this examination be wiped out entirely?

Over half the officials in Wenhua Hall knelt and pleaded desperately, their words and expressions sincere, as if they had no personal stake whatsoever and only cared about the future of Yu.

But whether their in-laws belonged to centuries-old aristocratic clans—only they knew the truth.

The officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate, where Song Tingzhou served, remained silent. Grand Secretary Gu hesitated for a moment, then, to everyone's surprise, sided with Song Tingzhou, also staying quiet.

The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, looking down upon the officials below, his expression unreadable. Only when the clamor subsided did he speak slowly, his voice low but carrying undeniable authority. "I do indeed thirst for talent and wish to recruit widely through this examination. But what I need are capable ministers who can implement my policies and work sincerely for the people—not empty talkers who spout empty principles while critiquing national policy!"

With that, his tone turned icy. He swept his sleeve, knocking the teacup beside him flying, striking the official who had knelt foremost and spoken most vehemently.

The fine porcelain from the Jingdezhen imperial kilns shattered with a sound more exquisite than ordinary ceramics, underscoring the emperor's domineering words. "I will say it once more: in today's palace examination, all who opposed the Equal Field Edict—remove them from the list!"

The scalding tea splashed across that official's robes, and the sharp crack of shattering porcelain made him flinch. Yet he dared not show the slightest resentment, only pressing his forehead against the cold golden bricks in full prostration, not even daring to breathe loudly.

A new emperor ascending the throne must establish achievements—either crushing the old ministers with thunderous force or risk being hamstrung by powerful officials and veteran generals.

Wen Zhao was not the kind and gentle former emperor. Even when he had governed as crown prince before ascending, he had already displayed his iron fist. The Censorate followed his lead, going through the motions of having the thirteen circuit censors put up a token protest before ultimately carrying out the emperor's will.

After Song Tingzhou became Vice Minister of Justice, the Minister above him was little more than a figurehead, playing deaf and dodging responsibility at every turn. Cases sent up from Shuntian Prefecture were reviewed again by Song Tingzhou himself at the Ministry of Justice. Had he harbored any private agenda, the room for manipulation would have been enormous—a clear sign of just how much the emperor trusted him.

The Ministry of Personnel was controlled by the emperor's old uncle, Lord Ran. All things considered, even if the court wasn't a one-man rule for the new emperor, at least half the ministers supported his reforms. If these officials went to die protesting, the emperor wouldn't lack for replacements even if half of them perished. Moreover, not everyone was willing to die—some were already having second thoughts.

The hall went dead silent. The officials who had been speaking so passionately moments ago now stood pale-faced, silent as the grave.

It was then that Song Tingzhou stepped forward at just the right moment. Beneath his black gauze cap adorned with white jade beads was a handsome face as sharp and cold as a hidden blade. Without sparing a glance at those kneeling ahead, he bowed to the emperor above and spoke in a level, measured tone—each word clear, with the same steady, dependable calm that defined the man himself. "Your Majesty's decision is a true blessing for the people. In the watery south, floods ravage the land from time to time, and poor households selling their fields keep growing in number, while the landholdings of country gentry grow ever larger. The Equal Field policy does not seize private property—it ensures that farmers have land and refugees find a home. The people are the foundation of the state. This measure will not only relieve the people's suffering but also increase state revenue and secure the borders—when the people have stable property, they have stable hearts, and only then can they live and work in peace."

As his words fell, Wang Zan, Grand Secretary Gu, and others stepped forward one after another to echo him. "Your Majesty's heart is with the people, your vision vast—a wise and enlightened sovereign!"

"Your Majesty is most enlightened!"

"We humbly obey Your Majesty's decree!"

The officials in the hall drew up a new list. Occasionally, a minister would pick up a failed examination paper and pretend to be devastated, but the emperor ignored them all, and they could only heave heavy sighs before setting the papers down.

After the ceremonial announcement of results, the Ministry of Rites officials displayed the golden list at the Dragon Pavilion of the Meridian Gate, escorted by ceremonial guards and drummers to be posted outside the East Chang'an Gate.

As expected, the release of the palace examination results stirred up an uproar among the candidates. Of the several celebrated southern scholars who had passed the metropolitan exam, only a dozen or so made the cut. Only three from the second tier, and they were obscure students ranked somewhere in the middle-to-upper range in the south.

Even though fewer candidates were admitted this year than in previous sessions, the several popular scholars who failed were clearly brilliant—how could they have met such a fate, failing to make the list at all?

The young scholars who had been brimming with confidence standing before the list had sensed something wrong when they were hastily escorted out of the palace. Now they shoved aside their servants, staring wide-eyed at the list again and again, as if struck by lightning, their faces filled with disbelief and bewilderment.

How could this be?

Why?

The top ten from the metropolitan exam all failing—it had never happened before!

Questions erupted from all sides. Some pointed at names on the list they'd never even heard of, demanding an explanation. In past palace examinations, seven of the top ten were southern scholars, three from the north, and that godforsaken Lingnan region could barely produce a single Associate Jinshi.

But this year, Lingnan claimed two of the top ten and eight from the second tier—a veritable bumper harvest. The northern scholars, meanwhile, had finally managed to outnumber the south and take the lion's share. Yet these talented scholars from prestigious academies had been humiliatingly rejected!

The golden list always brought joy to some and sorrow to others. Setting aside the pleasantly surprised Lingnan scholars and the northern scholars who'd lucked into placement, in a corner stood a man in soiled robes. He lowered his head from gazing at the list, disheveled hair falling across his pale face, emitting bursts of miserable laughter like a wailing ghost.

Only when the surrounding onlookers began staring at him strangely did the man drag his lame leg away from beneath the list, retreating into a shadowed alley where sunlight never reached. His face twisted as he glared at the golden list, hands clenched into fists at his sides, overgrown nails digging into his flesh, eyes filled with hatred that pierced to the bone.

—

The next day, the Qionglin Banquet was held as scheduled at the Ministry of Rites. The music master from the Music Bureau began playing "Ode to Yu," and sounds of celebration for the new scholars drifted in from outside. But the Ministry of Rites gates were blocked by a crowd of failed southern scholars, and the noise was quickly drowned out by their accusations.

Jiang Yan of Jinghuan Academy—the original top scorer in the metropolitan exam, a sure bet for champion, now disheveled and grief-stricken in his rumpled blue robes—cried out at the ministry gates, "We spoke for the people of the southern lands, laying out the flaws of the Equal Field Edict. What crime is that? Is my top-ranked essay from the metropolitan exam truly inferior to the flattery of those sycophants?"

The others were equally impassioned. "Ten years of hard study, and for a single policy disagreement we're all cast aside—is this the court of today? Ridiculous! Absurd!"

"Vice Minister Song Tingzhou wields great power, and the Equal Field Edict was first proposed by him. This examination surely had his hidden hand at work!"

"We're not causing trouble—it's the court that's unjust!"

Meng Wan, hidden inside a carriage, listened to their nonsense and nearly laughed in anger. "No wonder they were rejected. Grown adults without a shred of sense! With so many officials at the examination and the emperor personally reviewing the papers, how could Song Tingzhou possibly manipulate anything? Who would he even manipulate?"

Chi Yu, with his sharp ears, had heard even more outrageous talk. He stomped his feet in fury, cracking the neat blue stone slabs beneath him into spiderweb patterns. "These reckless fools! Husband, shall I go kick them all away?"

Though Meng Wan was tempted, he restrained him. "That would only treat the symptoms, not the cause. Scholars hide blades in their words—once they band together into a single rope, they can stir up a storm of public opinion more troublesome than open warfare. Even Qin Jiao didn't dare offend these scholars before. And since our lord is the associate examiner this year, doing something like that would only give them ammunition and confirm their accusations."

The candidates led by Jiang Yan still blocked the Ministry of Rites gates, refusing to back down, shouting injustice at the top of their lungs, singling out Song Tingzhou for accusations of favoritism and burying talent. Spittle flew as their shrill voices vented their frustration at failing.

Chi Yu was furious. "Then what do we do? Let them spout nonsense here? There are so many examiners—why do they only curse our lord?"

Though cursing anyone was wrong, Chi Yu's words reminded Meng Wan of something. He called over Gui Qian, who was riding beside the carriage. "Find some people and ask around about where the top southern candidates from the metropolitan exam are staying. Check whether they've been in contact with anyone unusual lately."

Gui Qian was quick-witted. Receiving Meng Wan's instructions, he soon rode off to the Song residence to gather people.

Huang Ye was also in the carriage with Meng Wan. He mused thoughtfully, "Husband suspects someone is deliberately targeting our lord?"

"Alas." Meng Wan sighed. "Those targeting our lord are more numerous than you'd think."

The aristocratic clans were united, and a man of pure background without connections—wasn't he the most convenient target to break through?

Huang Ye pursed his lips, somewhat indignantly. "Are we just going to let these people slander our lord without consequence?"

The candidates had been shouting for quite a while now. The Ministry of Rites gates remained tightly shut, ignoring them entirely, letting them make a scene. But surely the Wucheng Military Office could hear the commotion?

There are numerous security systems both inside and outside the imperial city. Under normal circumstances, someone would have arrived long ago, but now everyone is turning a blind eye and pretending not to hear, because it is neither easy nor safe to intervene.

The thing is, this situation is even trickier than when Qin Jiao got cornered before.

At the forefront, Jiang Yan, on the surface the dean's only son at Jinghuan Academy in Yangzhou, is in fact also a member of the Jiang family's collateral branch, renowned nationwide for the silk trade.

Besides him, there are several other talents carefully groomed by the southern aristocratic families.

If they were just out for a good time, chasing fame, and coasting on their families' wealth, that would be one thing. But unfortunately, among these people, besides the ones who have no real skills and flunked the metropolitan exam, just joining the noise out of spite, the remaining few, like Jiang Yan, are genuinely learned scholars.

Raised on stories of their families' ups and downs over the generations, they instinctively believe that maintaining the status quo is what benefits the common people. That Lingnan is barren is known to all; having never seen or lived through the equal-field reform in Lingnan, how could they push such a policy on pure guesswork? They genuinely start from the perspective of ordinary people, believing their policy essays are beyond reproach, which is why they are so indignant.

That's exactly what makes this so tough to deal with.

Because these young scholars' patriotic fervor and sincere attitude toward serving the people are absolutely genuine. If they used force to break it up, even the right side would look wrong, and it would chill the sincere hearts of the literati.

Moreover, although the officials temporarily conceded during the palace examination, how could they truly abandon their efforts to obstruct the implementation of the equal-field reform? At this moment, some are likely watching from afar, hoping these dismissed candidates will stir up as much trouble as possible.

"Once the officials come out, won't they be blocked right in the middle of these people?" Chi Yu chimed in anxiously.

Meng Wan lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, quietly observing the scholars for a moment, then suddenly spoke: "Blocked? They know how to stir up public opinion—can't your big bro Meng do the same?"