Chapter 46: The Magistrate of Zhangqiu

Li Yu wore an expression of sudden realization. "...Oh, oh, oh, I remember now."

Inwardly, however, his mental projection was covered in dark lines of speechlessness. So many candidates had failed that exam; how could he possibly have the leisure to remember what this fellow looked like?

Liu Yansheng, courtesy name Moyuan, was a native of Jining and had placed twenty-eighth in the second tier of successful candidates.

Perhaps finding himself with entirely too much idle time, he proceeded to ask Li Yu right then and there how he viewed the problem of the Northern Di in the vast desert. Before Li Yu could even figure out how to offer a perfunctory reply, Liu Yansheng launched into his own opinions unprompted. His tone was fervent, his back held ramrod straight—clearly cutting the figure of someone prepared to fight the enemy to the death.

"In the early years of the new dynasty, their ancestors petitioned the founding Emperor to bestow a princess in marriage as a token of amity between our two nations. His Majesty countered by asking why they could not send a princess to us instead. Later on, they demanded that the Emperor of the new dynasty pay annual tributes and purchase their warhorses, all of which were firmly refused by the founding Emperor. It is only a pity that the subsequent rulers of the imperial house lacked competence, bringing shame upon the legacy and backbone of our ancestors. Our great Yong must never follow in their footsteps..."

These words elicited a murmur of resonance among the surrounding junior metropolitan graduates, though they also drew a few disapproving glances from others who wisely chose to keep their opinions to themselves at present.

Li Yu shifted his position slightly, initially intending to put some distance between himself and this hothead.

Yet, upon second thought, he gestured for the man to cease his rhetoric. "Offense and defense each have their own advantages and disadvantages. We need only await the court's appointments and attend diligently to our own duties."

Was this truly a suitable place for such grand pronouncements? Did the man not fear finding himself unwittingly implicated in some faction?

Of course, faction in this sense was hardly an organized political party.

Liu Yansheng harbored lofty ambitions; his mind was not occupied with the triviality of merely tending to his assigned duties. Rather, he dreamed of how to become a renowned statesman of his generation.

Seeing that Li Yu was disinclined to converse further, Liu Yansheng tactfully dropped the subject.

Nonetheless, in the privacy of his own mind, he quietly filed Li Yu away under the label of a slippery schemer.

Once the ceremonial roll call concluded, all the officials and newly minted graduates present were required to perform the ritual kowtow to the Emperor. Following this, the Zhonghe Shaoyue imperial orchestra struck up the chapter of manifest peace.

The Zhonghe Shaoyue was the imperial court orchestra utilized exclusively for grand ancestral rites, morning court assemblies, and state banquets.

With the conclusion of the musical rites, the ceremony drew to a close, and the Emperor withdrew to the inner palace, escorted by a retinue of eunuch guards.

Next, the rosters bearing the names of the successful metropolitan graduates and the various princes and civil and military officials were posted outside the East Chang'an Gate. The top-ranking palace graduate, the Zhuangyuan, led all the other scholars to view the official golden roster.

This was followed by elegant festivities such as the triumphant parade on horseback and the celebratory banquet at the Qiongmen Gate.

It had to be said that riding through the capital on horseback amidst the cheers was an exhilarating experience, especially when galloping through the streets of the imperial city while crowds of young maidens, youths, matrons, and elders gazed at you with eyes full of starry-eyed admiration.

The only minor regret was that the top three scholars—the Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua—were permitted to ride through the central gates during the parade, whereas graduates of the second and third tiers were restricted to the side gates.

During the ride, one also had to mind their speed, ensuring they never outpaced the leading three scholars of the first tier; otherwise, one would be branded as someone lacking proper decorum.

Despite these minor restrictions, the experience remained immensely thrilling.

"In the pride of spring, the horse's hoofs speed light; a single day sees all of Chang'an's blossoms in sight."

As for the second and third-tier metropolitan graduates who wished to enter official service, they were still required to sit for an entrance examination organized by the Ministry of Personnel within the Fengtian Hall.

Based on the combined scores of both the palace examination and this entrance test, those demonstrating exceptional literary talent were selected to enter the Hanlin Academy as probationary officials, commonly referred to among the populace as "entering the Hanlin."

The remaining graduates were distributed among the various ministries as departmental secretaries or dispatched to the provinces to serve as local magistrates. These results would be finalized within half a month.

Li Yu had no clear inkling of how Grand Councilor Wang had pulled the strings, but in any case, he successfully secured an appointment from the Ministry of Personnel, and a remarkably precise one at that.

Magistrate of Zhangqiu.

It seemed that while Grand Councilor Wang might leave much to be desired in other respects, he was considerably more formidable than an ordinary official.

"Magistrate of Zhangqiu?"

Upon receiving this news, Ning Yuan and Wu Jingcheng both felt a sense of disappointment.

Particularly young Wu Jingcheng, who lamented, "I had originally hoped you would remain in the capital so the three of us could look out for one another. Even if not in the capital, we should have been stationed somewhere close to our hometowns. Just look at how unkind the heavens are—how could they send you off to such a distant place?"

Zhangqiu was over four thousand li away from their home region. Once he traveled out there, how many times could they possibly hope to meet again in this lifetime?

"Distance is hardly something to fear. Going out to temper oneself through practical experience for a few years is a good thing," Ning Yuan remarked. He believed he would inevitably climb the ranks to high office sooner or later, and securing a post for his brother-in-law at that time should pose no great difficulty.

"The real issue is that Zhangqiu falls under the jurisdiction of the Prefecture of Jinan, which happens to be the territory of Prince Lu."

Grand Councilor Fan had long desired to bring Prince Lu to heel.

Unless Prince Lu willingly surrendered himself into custody, an internal rebellion was practically inevitable.

Once civil conflict erupted, what was Zixuan—a mere local magistrate—supposed to do?

Was he to stand firm and resist Prince Lu, or directly defect to Prince Lu's camp?

Regardless of which path he chose, the risks appeared overwhelmingly high.

It was a thankless task that made pleasing either side impossible, rendering him much like a perpetually aggrieved young daughter-in-law.

"I'll go seek out Old Master Hanlin and see if we can find a way around this," Ning Yuan said, rising to his feet. "We'll get you reassigned. With so many newly minted graduates, what harm is there in swapping you with someone else?"

Why should his brother-in-law be packed off to such a perilous post?

"Ah, Shuben, there's no need to be so hasty," Li Yu said quickly, reaching out to pull his brother-in-law back down to his seat at the wine table.

"Actually, I think Zhangqiu is quite a fine place. What if your maneuvering ends up getting me stuck permanently in the capital? With my temper, the capital is no place for me. Besides, it's just a minor matter—why trouble Old Master Hanlin over it?"

While Zhangqiu was undeniably fraught with danger, it simultaneously represented an opportunity, did it not?

Although Ning Yuan did not understand why Li Yu wished to go to Zhangqiu, he had always been one to respect the decisions of others.

"When you go to assume your post, will you be taking my elder sister and little Chun along?"

Was that not stating the obvious?

Li Yu immediately replied, "Your elder sister and I are like the beam and the weight of a scale; have you ever seen a scale and its counterweight separated?"

It had cost him no small amount of effort to finally acquire a wife; did his brother-in-law expect him to live apart from his spouse?

What was the boy thinking?

As for his chubby eldest son, a child of such tender years naturally could not be parted from his mother.

The baby was still nursing; without his mother, would the child not starve to death?

Hearing this, Ning Yuan said nothing further, though he quietly selected ten fiercely skilled hired musclemen to accompany Li Yu to his official post.

These bodyguards were genuinely formidable in martial arts, hitting a target like a rabbit with absolute infallibility. Operating on the principle of wasting nothing, Li Yu instructed Xiaolu to follow along and learn from them.

Given Xiaolu's innate extraordinary strength, failing to pick up a few martial techniques would indeed be a waste.

Nor did Xiaolu disappoint his expectations; within a matter of days, he was already mimicking their moves with impressive form, actually managing to catch a flying dagger barehanded without drawing a drop of blood.

"Your Honor, little brother Xiaolu possesses truly unusual talent," said Zhao Tieyi, the leader of the bodyguards, expressing profound fondness for this unexpected pupil. "Once we reach our destination, if Your Honor permits Xiaolu to study archery and horsemanship, I daresay it won't be long before he surpasses us all."

Without any systematic training whatsoever, the boy had managed to catch a flying dagger after merely watching a demonstration twice.

What did that indicate?

It proved that the lad was an absolute genius.

Li Yu was likewise gladdened to see the boy display such aptitude, though he could not help a twinge of regret. How could such a brilliant child happen to be mute?

Had he not been mute, perhaps his future prospects would have been truly limitless.

Upon returning home, Ning Zhaonan set about packing his bundles, only to discover an unfamiliar, locked small box hidden away inside one of them.

"Husband, what is this?"

She rummaged through the pack for a considerable while without finding the key to the lock. Seeing this, Li Yu hurriedly stepped forward and retrieved the box himself.

"This... I cannot tell you just yet. Once we arrive at our post, I will explain everything."