Oh, the Chinese language section of the college entrance examination.
Counting on my fingers, if this body started school early, it really should be taking the college entrance exams by now.
Sigh, it's difficult.
The only upside was that Huang Chunyao had truly brought his entire family along. This was meant literally; he had not only brought his younger brother, but also his former employer Hou Dongzeng, his students Hou Xuanyan and Hou Xuanhan, his follower Lu Yuanfu.
These were all quite important people, he had also brought along several members of the Zhiyan Society.
After looking through the list, Zhu Ci said calmly, "Just summon Huang Chunyao."
It seems that factional struggles can no longer be suppressed; even a tiny place like Jiading can produce so many people. The connections between scholars are truly endless.
But it doesn't matter. When there are enough lice, you stop caring about the bites. As long as they don't drag each other down, let them form their little cliques.
Zhu Ci estimated that once these people arrived, their first move would be to band together to deal with Fu.
Recently, his people have frequently heard rumors suggesting that the fact that Fu, a mere merchant, has become a pillar of the state is a sign of a corrupt era.
Zhu Ci did not want to know who was spreading the rumors, nor did he intend to deal with it for the time being. After all, once things blew up, Fu would surely take action to handle it, by then, he probably wouldn't have time to watch him study every day.
He was truly exasperated. At first, he thought he had gained a right-hand man, but now he realized he had simply found himself a teacher.
To make matters worse, this teacher was no ordinary teacher; he had grain and troops in his hands and was a vital component in dealing with the Qing Army. Surely, one couldn't just turn against him just because of his studies, right?
Strictly speaking, they were only doing it for his own good.
Right now, Zhu Ci just wants to find something for Fu Chunsheng to do, so he doesn't spend all day staring at him, making him feel like his twenty-four hours a day are never enough.
Even meeting people was considered a break now.
Zhu Ci met Huang Chunyao in the side hall.
The main hall was already being decorated; after all, it was an enthronement ceremony, so no matter how humble the venue, the essentials had to be in place.
When Huang Chunyao entered, he stole a glance at the person sitting in the seat of honor. They had clearly shared drinks together before; how had he suddenly become the Emperor?
No, this person was originally the Crown Prince.
But why would the Crown Prince go to the remote countryside? And to hide his identity while doing business with the Canal Gang and recruiting refugees—no matter how one thought about it, it felt strange.
However, it did somewhat answer his previous confusion as to why this man possessed the Crown Prince's seal.
Previously, the Crown Prince's hand-written orders had appeared one after another; whenever they were needed, a hand-written order from the Crown Prince would inevitably appear.
At that time, Huang Chunyao's guess was that the Crown Prince had handed the Seal to his cousin. He felt that such a guess was already quite bold, but as it turned out, he had been too conservative. He never expected that this person was the Crown Prince himself—and one could not simply write a Crown Prince's hand-written decree whenever they pleased.
After entering, Huang Chunyao immediately performed the formal salutation: "This humble subject, Huang Chunyao, pays respects to Your Majesty. May my Emperor live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!"
Zhu Ci saw that he was about to perform the formal ritual of five kowtows and three prostrations, so he glanced at Jiang Xueyan and said, "Mr. Huang, there is no need for such formality."
Huang Chunyao immediately said, "This commoner is despicable; I do not deserve to be called a gentleman by Your Majesty."
Zhu Ci's mind raced through a cycle of thought, he immediately understood that what Huang Chunyao meant by "despicable" was that he was lowly and vulgar, rather than calling himself a despicable villain.
He raised his chin and said, "Grant him a seat."
Huang Chunyao was overjoyed. In his memory, the only time he had a seat in the Emperor's presence was during the Qionglin Banquet after passing the imperial examinations as a Jinshi. But back then, there were even more dazzling Top Scholars, Second and Third Rank Scholars, he was certainly not in a position to have a seat while presenting a solo response to the Emperor as he was now.
Zhu Ci spoke, "I met Mr. Huang when we were both of little consequence, we can be considered friends who have shared hardships. Since we are familiar with one another, I shall speak plainly. Now that the mountains and rivers are broken, I have been forced to ascend the throne amidst mourning, the imperial court is fragmented, everything must be rebuilt. Mr. Huang is exactly the kind of talent the court needs. I know Mr. Huang is indifferent to fame and fortune, but I ask you to prioritize the world and return to official service."
Huang Chunyao rose with a solemn expression and cupped his hands, saying, "Since Your Majesty has the ambition to restore the mountains and rivers, how could this humble subject begrudge his own life? If Your Majesty had not intervened to save me back then, I would have long since become a soul under a bandit's blade. My heart remains as it was yesterday; Your Majesty need only command, I will plunge into fire and water without hesitation!"
Zhu Ci stood up, helped Huang Chunyao to his feet, said, "Minister Huang is indeed a hero of this age. With your talent, you are worthy of being the Left Censor of the Censorate."
Huang Chunyao was momentarily stunned. He had speculated about his official position, but he never imagined it would actually be Left Censor of the Censorate.
The highest officials of the Censorate are the two Censors, the Left and the Right. According to the rule that the left is superior to the right, the Left Censor's status is slightly higher than that of the Right Censor.
But no matter how high the status, it couldn't erase the fact that this was a Censor.
Does the current imperial court need censors? It does, but not that much.
Huang Chunyao hesitated for a long while before saying softly, "Your Majesty, although I passed the imperial examinations back then, I never entered official service. Is a rank of second grade.. perhaps too high?"
He would rather have a lower rank in another department, or even serve as a magistrate or prefect in the provinces, than serve as a second-rank censor.
Zhu Ci held his hand and said earnestly, "The imperial court is currently in need of practical people like you who speak their minds without reservation, the duties of the Censorate are different now than they were in the past."
Huang Chunyao was somewhat puzzled. Zhu Ci had someone bring a document and said, "This is a state secret. Once you have finished reading it, Minister Huang, remember not to leak it."
Huang Chunyao opened the document with extreme caution. At first, his expression remained relatively calm, but as he read on, his astonishment grew. Sitting in the seat of honor, Zhu Ci watched his eyes, which were widening more and more, thought to himself that this new Left Censor might just pop his eyes out.
After Huang Chunyao finished reading, he continued to hold the document in the same position, clearly lost in thought.
After a long pause, he carefully closed the document and presented it with both hands to Jiang Xueyan, asking, "Your Majesty, this.."
Zhu Ci knew what he wanted to ask and said directly, "This is my intention."
Huang Chunyao was momentarily conflicted. The imperial regulations in this document were clearly intended to restrict imperial power. He was somewhat worried that the young Emperor had been deceived into agreeing, yet he also felt that this was for the best.
The emperors of the Zhu family are truly beyond being called wise rulers; they are even lacking in being moderate, yet they certainly have no shortage of eccentric ones.
If it was like this before, then the Grand Secretariat and the Censorate could completely rectify the chaos.
However, the young Emperor is his savior; if he fails to give him a warning, would that not be considered deceiving the monarch?
From any perspective, Huang Chunyao felt that he should give the young Emperor a warning.
Thinking of this, he spoke cautiously, "Does Your Majesty realize what the situation in the imperial court will be once the Censorate and the Grand Secretariat are separated?"
“Just like this incense burner, with the imperial power forming a three-legged tripod.” Zhu Ci tapped the incense burner lightly with a paperweight.
Upon hearing this, Huang Chunyao knew the young Emperor saw through everything, he couldn't help but say with excitement, "Since Your Majesty has entrusted me with such a heavy responsibility, I shall not fail you!"
“Very well!” Zhu Ci said with a very warm smile. “Minister Huang, you have endured a long and weary journey; go and rest first. In two days, the coronation ceremony will take place, I will require your assistance then.”
Huang Chunyao tactfully withdrew. Before he left the side hall, he heard the Emperor say nonchalantly, "The imperial court is in dire need of talent right now; Minister Huang, remember to recommend a few people."
Huang Chunyao immediately replied, "Your servant obeys the Imperial Decree."
Huang Chunyao had been somewhat apprehensive when he arrived, but as he left, he walked with a commanding, tiger-like stride, his face glowing with health.
He brought so many people with him for the sole purpose of seeking official positions.
Alas, Huaian Prefecture is still a bit too small; the Huaian Prefecture Office is not grand enough as a place for an enthronement.
But it was precisely because of this that they had a place to truly show their capabilities. If it had been the imperial court of the past.. one might as well have never entered officialdom!
Huang Chunyao had just left when Fu requested an audience.
Zhu Ci felt a bit guilty when he saw him, as he hadn't read a single word today.
He decided to take the initiative: "What important matters does my dear minister Fu have to report?"
Fu saw him putting on his imperial airs and knew what was happening. He simply removed his gauze-veiled hat, gave Zhu Ci a calm glance, then handed over a piece of paper: "Your Majesty, please take a look."
Zhu Ci did not use Jiang Xueyan; instead, he took it directly with his own hands and asked, "What is this?"
Fu said, "A manifesto from the Prince of Tang to Your Majesty."
Zhu Ci: Oh, he's cursing me.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: I used to make others study every day, now, I have someone watching me study. A little cat dozing off on a book. jpg
Next update tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM~
Chapter 99
Zhu Ci looked at Fu speechlessly. "What's so good about this thing?"
He didn't even need to look to know what the Prince of Tang, or rather Emperor Longwu, would say; he would certainly challenge the legitimacy of his succession.
If it were him, he would definitely target Fu, after all, Fu's rebellion back then was the real deal; now, the fact that he, the Crown Prince, is associated with rebels and has been installed by them would be quite a scandal.
Emperor Longwu would most likely think he was nothing more than a puppet emperor.
From the looks of it, this manifesto was likely intended more as an insult toward Fu Chunsheng.
Fu must have been angry after reading it, which is why he wanted him to experience it as well?
However, no matter how much he looked left or right, he couldn't see any sign of anger on that exquisite face; Fu was simply terrifyingly stable in his emotions.
He himself would get angry if the subordinates were disobedient or acted recklessly, but Fu seemed to never get angry; he was as stable as a robot, solving problems as soon as they arose.
After observing, Zhu Ci said, "Sit down."
Fu Cai sat down and waited quietly for the young Emperor to finish reading the manifesto.
Zhu Ci took a quick glance downward and felt a bit dizzy from the words; he had no idea who Zhu Yujian had found to write this manifesto, but it was a long, sprawling piece.
Zhu Ci stared at it for a long time, until in the end, he was practically just guessing.
It was much like what he had expected; Zhu Yujian's words, in every sense, were cursing Fu for being a rebel, while also taking the opportunity to curse Zhu Ci.
He didn't quite understand exactly what was being criticized, but it was nothing more than implications that he was muddled and incompetent.
Before he could even speak after setting down the manifesto, Fu spoke first and asked, "Has Your Majesty noticed which allusion this manifesto uses?"
No, are you crazy?
Zhu Ci looked at him in disbelief; he was using someone else's memorial to examine him?
In fact, Fu could not only use the manifesto for an exam, but he also used it to give him a lesson, making it incredibly vivid and far more memorable than reading a book.
Zhu Ci was also convinced; by the end, he felt that even when he closed his eyes, he saw the words from the memorial attacking him and Fu.
Oh, not only that, but the memorial even contained slanderous rumors about his sex life.
It claims that Fu You has the habit of being a male lover, that Zhu Ci used his status as Crown Prince to have an affair with him.
In short, it was a comprehensive attack on his character, his abilities, his private life.
Fu said, "The manifesto has been spread throughout the world; people in places like Suzhou and Yangzhou have already been spreading it in secret, it directly accuses Your Majesty of being tyrannical and inhumane. How does Your Majesty intend to respond?"
Zhu Ci waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind them for now; I can't be bothered with them."
Fu Lue raised an eyebrow. "But nowadays, the number of officials willing to submit because of this manifesto is incredibly small."
Zhu Ci let out a sneer. "My dear Fu, there is no need to play dumb. The reason they are unwilling to submit is not because of the rumors, but because they fear their own wealth will be carved up."
Before, every single official of the Southern Ming was a parasite, each of them lining their own pockets to their heart's content.