Chapter 486
Chapter 486
Zhang Chong had rejected the Crown Prince's recommendation. This meant shaming the Crown Prince and betraying his faction. How could the Crown Prince and the Zhu Clan endure such a thing? They would naturally use every means possible to bring down the traitor. Thus, Zhang Chong would face a fierce assault from the Crown Prince's faction and might suffer another calamity. Last time, Zhang Chong had faced the disaster of imprisonment; this time, even if he wasn't jailed, he would surely be dragged through the mud. The specific calamity he would face depended entirely on the King's will.
“Lord Zhang, do not worry. I will put in a good word for you with His Majesty. Although His Majesty is quite annoyed with me, he will probably listen to what I have to say.”
“Then I shall thank Young Master Shen in advance.”
Shen Lang said with a smile.
“Of course, my position is not high. Duke Bian Wu is the one whose words carry enough weight to settle everything. If he speaks, the Crown Prince’s retaliation will cease immediately.”
Zhang Chong laughed along.
“In the end, will it not be decided by fate? In any case, since I, Zhang Chong, have made my decision, I will not regret it.”
* * *
The Special Examination was to be held the next day. A thousand scholars stormed the Ministry of Rites, and a thousand martial artists stormed the Bureau of Military Affairs. In an instant, both the Ministry of Rites and the Bureau of Military Affairs were thrown into chaos. Moreover, the number of people gathering at both locations was growing.
“If you don’t revoke the examination eligibility of Shen Lang’s beggars, we will boycott the exam!”
“If you don’t revoke their eligibility, we will boycott the exam!”
Thousands of people shouted in unison. The more they shouted, the more unified their chant became, their voices growing louder and more thunderous, their presence known for miles around. Seeing their protest, even scholars and martial artists who had not originally planned to participate in this Special Examination joined the demonstration. They believed that they, too, were men of letters and martial practitioners, and they had to protect the sanctity of the civil and military examinations. In the end, the total number of people gathered at the two ministries exceeded ten thousand. This was no longer a small matter; it had become a major incident.
Scholars and martial artists had jointly besieged and attacked the court’s ministries. Typically, when a large group broke the law, they were not punished. The Minister of Rites and the Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs could no longer handle this matter on their own authority, but inwardly, both magnates were deeply dissatisfied with Shen Lang's recent actions, finding them extremely offensive.
‘That wretched Shen Lang, riding on His Majesty's favor, has entered eleven beggars into the Special Examination? You've not only insulted the participants of the examination, but you've insulted us as well.’
The Minister of Rites had previously placed second in the highest imperial examination, and the Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, Zhong Yue, had also placed second in the military palace examination. The two of them personally stepped forward to appease the scholars and martial artists respectively.
“Rest assured. I will immediately enter the palace and convey your wishes to His Majesty. His Majesty will surely issue a fair judgment. Upholding the dignity of the examinations and the sages is a duty I cannot refuse.”
The Minister of Rites had essentially made a formal declaration that he stood with the multitude of examinees. The scholars who had come to surround the Ministry of Rites were overjoyed.
“Your Excellency is a man of deep integrity. Does not impartial justice naturally reside in the hearts of the people?”
The scholar leading the crowd presented a petition scroll. It was covered with the signatures and handprints of the men of letters. Some were even written in blood, sufficiently demonstrating the intensity of their emotions. The content was very simple: if the eligibility of Shen Lang’s eleven beggars for the Special Examination was not revoked, the state could not be called a state, and the sanctity of the examinations and the dignity of the King would be trampled into the dust. It wasn't just the scholars who submitted a letter written in blood; the students of the martial academy also presented a petition scroll.
The Minister of Rites and the Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs took the two blood-written letters and entered the palace to present them to King Ning Yuanxian.
“Your Majesty, ten thousand people have surrounded the Ministry of Rites and the Bureau of Military Affairs. We fear they will cause a great disturbance if they are not given an answer. They say they will boycott tomorrow’s examination if they do not get the answer they want. If thousands boycott the exam, it will become an eternal scandal. Your Majesty, for the honor of our State of Yue, for the sanctity of the examinations, I implore you to punish Shen Lang and revoke the eligibility of the eleven beggars. We can no longer go against the will of the people, Your Majesty!”
King Ning Yuanxian looked over the two long, blood-written letters, densely filled with the signatures of ten thousand people.
‘This is pressure. The men of letters and the students of the martial academy dare to pressure me? I, Ning Yuanxian, held this Special Examination to celebrate a great victory with everyone. And this is the result? They pressure me like this?’
Originally, Ning Yuanxian had been furious with Shen Lang and had been deliberately ignoring the daily impeachments from the censors. But now, with ten thousand people pressuring him, he was instantly enraged and immediately sided with Shen Lang, his hostility burning towards the protestors. All the King’s fury was now directed at those who threatened to boycott the examination.
“Hahahaha… A boycott, you say? Fine, just fine! Do as you please. If you don’t want to take it, then don’t! I hereby decree: the Special Examination will proceed as scheduled. Even if only one person shows up, I will recognize them. Furthermore, strip all who boycott this examination of their official ranks and ban them from ever taking the State of Yue’s examinations! Dispatch the Imperial Guard. Daring to surround the Ministry of Rites and the Bureau of Military Affairs is an outrageous transgression. Regardless of their status or rank, flog them all. Seize these fools and throw them in prison!”
The King issued his stern command, and all the men of letters and martial academy students were instantly terrified, scattering in dismay and returning to their homes.
The next day, the Special Examination officially began.
* * *
The news that Zhang Chong had rejected the Crown Prince's recommendation and declined the position of Grand Governor of Tianxi Province had, as expected, leaked. Upon hearing the news, the Crown Prince was enraged, and Zhu Rong was stunned. However, Zhu Rong stayed at the Crown Prince’s residence and, after two arduous hours of persuasion, managed to temporarily calm the Crown Prince. Then, Zhu Rong went to see Zhang Chong in person.
“Why? Why?”
Zhu Rong’s voice trembled. No matter how he thought about it, there was no reason for Zhang Chong to refuse the position, so he had never imagined that Zhang Chong would reject it. Zhang Chong had originally been a talent discovered by Zhu Rong, a capable agent of the Zhu faction. Although he had wasted some time before, the position of Grand Governor of Tianxi Province far surpassed any position Zhang Chong had previously hoped for. Only by ascending to that post could one truly be said to have reached a high and powerful position.
“Zhang Chong, do you resent His Highness the Crown Prince for not saving you in time?”
At Zhu Rong's question, Zhang Chong shook his head.
“No.”
He certainly did not resent the Crown Prince. Just as the King was ruthless, he clearly knew the Crown Prince was ruthless as well. If the King was the sovereign, the Crown Prince was the young sovereign. And a young sovereign was still a sovereign. How could a subject blame his lord for being ruthless? That was an utterly immature thought.
“Then why?”
“I owe Young Master Shen the grace of saving my life. Furthermore, we fought side-by-side in the White Night Army. I don't want to be his enemy.”
Upon hearing those words, Zhu Rong was completely astonished.
‘Is that the only reason? Zhang Chong, since when did you become so naive? You’re letting emotions dictate politics? Zhang Chong, how ruthless were you in the past? Didn’t you personally destroy the family you were betrothed to?’
Zhu Rong said coldly.
“Zhang Chong, you were not one to be swayed by emotions.”
Zhang Chong was certainly not such a person. The old Zhang Chong, in particular, was like a finely honed blade, sharp and regarded as a harsh official. But a person’s heart is not forged from meteoric iron. The death of his son, Zhang Jin, had carved a hole in Zhang Chong’s heart. Later, when he was on the verge of death from appendicitis, Shen Lang saved his life. Finally, after experiencing fifteen days of hellish battle in the White Night Army, his heart was bound to change to some degree. This could be expressed with a poem by Lu Xun:
After experiencing life and death, Zhang Chong had transformed from a man as hard as meteoric iron to one who could overcome hardness with softness, entering a new realm. If his former self was a figure who could become a power-hungry minister, his current self could become a pillar of the state. A person who is only ruthless cannot become a great minister; no matter how capable, they could never become a cornerstone of the nation like Xiao He, Cao Shen, or Huo Guang.
Zhang Chong remained silent, offering no explanation. At this, Zhu Rong slowly said.
“You know His Highness the Crown Prince's personality well.”
Of course, Zhang Chong knew. The Crown Prince's personality was most like the King's, but he lacked the King's romantic side and was far more cold and detached. Moreover, the Crown Prince was extremely arrogant, to the point of being condescending. At critical moments, he would even provoke the King to establish his own authority. For example, last time, despite knowing that Shen Lang had achieved unparalleled merit in the White Night Army and that the King was very fond of him, the Crown Prince still made a move against him. First, he sent troops to surround Shen Lang’s party on Vermilion Bird Grand Avenue, intending to disarm and imprison them all. Then, he sent troops from the Admiralty to surround the Fifth Prince’s estate, where Shen Lang and his group were. The Crown Prince had presumed that even if the King knew of his actions, he would turn a blind eye. Since Shen Lang had proactively rejected the Crown Prince's offer of reconciliation, the Crown Prince could not be blamed for suppressing him.
Zhu Rong said.
“I just spent a full two hours persuading His Highness the Crown Prince, and only then did he grant you this opportunity. Will you accept the position of Grand Governor of Tianxi Province, or not? Think it over carefully and give me your answer.”
Zhang Chong bowed, expressing his apology.
“Lord Zhu, my mind is already made up.”
In that moment, Zhu Rong was so angry that his whole body trembled. He pointed at Zhang Chong and roared.
“Zhang Chong, do you know how much my heart aches right now?”
Zhu Rong was indeed deeply hurt. Even if His Highness the Crown Prince had wronged Zhang Chong, Zhu Rong never had. He had always given Zhang Chong his unwavering support; even when Zhang Chong was imprisoned, Zhu Rong had worked tirelessly to get him out. The important thing was that he had discovered Zhang Chong's talent. Of course, Zhang Chong had already caught the King's attention after eliminating the Count of the Eastern River’s estate, but it was Zhu Rong's nurturing that had smoothed his path. Zhang Chong bowed once more.
“I apologize, my lord.”