The palace examination results were posted on the seventeenth. On the twenty-first, Emperor Yongchang would bestow the Wenxi Banquet to feast the newly successful scholars. On the twenty-second, the Ministry of Personnel would conduct selections for second and third-tier scholars.
Entrusted by Prince Hui, Yan Lun ideally needed to recommend Di Xian to Emperor Yongchang before the Wenxi Banquet. If Emperor Yongchang also felt Di Xian was suitable, he could personally inquire about Di Xian’s canal repair methods at the Wenxi Banquet, building momentum for Di Xian to take over the Fengyan Canal project.
The Ministry of Works was busy with affairs. Prince Hui only approached him on the morning of the eighteenth. During the day, Yan Lun had no time to see Di Xian. At dusk, returning to his residence, he sent a servant to the inn where Di Xian was staying to find him, determined to bring Di Xian over that very evening.
Di Xian was just about to set out for a banquet with fellow successful scholars when he heard it was the Minister of Works. Guessing Prince Hui had opened doors for him, he asked He Wenbin to apologize to their fellow scholars on his behalf and immediately followed the servant.
Other second and third-tier scholars were all currying favor with Ministry of Personnel officials, hoping to remain in the capital. Di Xian’s family circumstances were straitened—he had no silver to take this route. Even if he had silver, he would still petition the Ministry of Personnel to post him to Qingxia County or a neighboring county as magistrate. Now Heaven had sent Prince Hui to deliver this opportunity into his hands. Even if the Minister of Personnel invited him to a banquet tonight to offer him a capital position better than the top scholar’s, Di Xian would still definitely go to Minister Yan’s residence.
The setting sun blazed like fire. Di Xian watched his long shadow on the ground, walking while reminiscing about his father.
After his father passed away, Di Xian had once followed his father’s dying wish to travel to Qingxia County, burying a lock of his father’s white hair beside the head of the new canal his father had personally selected. His father said if the souls of those who died with regrets truly lingered in the mortal world, his soul would be drawn by this lock of white hair. His father would keep watch on the Yellow River bank until the new canal was completed.
That year, Di Xian had walked the route of the new canal his father had selected again and again, personally surveying the dozens of nearly abandoned, blocked old canal channels of the Fengyan Canal. Each winding, dilapidated canal seemed to transform into the wrinkles on his aged father’s face, deeply imprinted in his mind.
If he could have his wish fulfilled and reach Qingxia County, Di Xian would walk the routes several more times. When both new and old canals were repaired, he would dig up his father’s white hair to carry with him and walk the route once more, happily sending his father on his final journey.
Yan Lun was much more talkative than Prince Hui and seemed more approachable. Upon seeing Di Xian, he first asked about Di Xian’s family situation, learning Di Xian was twenty-eight this year, already married with children. Above him were a recommended scholar elder brother who had given up the examinations to wholeheartedly teach, and a second brother who didn’t even want to take the recommended scholar exam and focused on farming. His elderly mother had passed away shortly after his elderly father.
After thoroughly understanding Di Xian’s knowledge of various canal construction projects, Yan Lun pulled out three project disputes and asked Di Xian how to resolve them. They involved work stoppages faced when funding couldn’t keep pace with projects, families of conscripted laborers who died in service coming to make extravagant demands, and geological difficulties frequently encountered in canal repair projects.
Over ten thousand laborers, a half-year construction period, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in projects—if Di Xian only understood canal repair but not practical affairs, he could only serve as a deputy.
That Di Xian could be selected by his father Di Yong from three sons to inherit his aspirations meant he had already passed one test with his elderly father. Prince Hui’s was the second. He thought Minister Yan’s should be the final one.
Di Xian deliberated deeply and answered each question. Even when Yan Lun pointed out where his handling wasn’t quite adequate, Di Xian only humbly accepted without any sign of panic or anxiety about gains and losses.
Yan Lun nodded and reminded him, “Regarding meeting me or Prince Hui—knowing it yourself is enough. Don’t tell outsiders.”
Di Xian understood.
The next morning, Yan Lun estimated Emperor Yongchang should have finished seeing the ministers he needed to see that morning before heading to the imperial study to request an audience.
Hearing it was Yan Lun, Emperor Yongchang’s head ached a bit. Projects throughout the realm needed doing, but doing them consumed both silver and labor. Every step required careful deliberation.
Tiring as it was, an emperor couldn’t delay important matters just because he wanted to slack off. He still had Eunuch Wang bring Yan Lun in.
After performing the courtesies, Yan Lun raised his head and showed Emperor Yongchang a big smile. “Your Majesty, this minister has great joyous news to report!”
Emperor Yongchang stared at him for a while, then snorted. “There’s certainly another project that can bring great benefits to the court and people, right? First tell me, approximately how much silver will it cost?” Projects yielded benefits slowly, but silver had to flow out like water first.
Yan Lun smiled. “Your Majesty is wise and perceptive—one guess and you’re correct. However, this time it only requires this amount, with a half-year construction period. If we’re in time, next year we can collect this amount in land taxes.”
His left hand first extended five fingers, his right hand then extended four.
Four or five thousand taels of silver wasn’t worth bringing before the Emperor. Emperor Yongchang asked in surprise, “Five hundred thousand taels in project funding, and next year we can collect four hundred thousand taels in land taxes?”
Yan Lun: “Precisely.”
He produced the Fengyan Canal channel diagram. “Once this canal is repaired, it can transform the barren forty thousand qing of wasteland in this area into good farmland. Forty thousand qing equals four million mu. One mu of land’s summer grain and autumn grain taxes together total two dou. Four million mu of good farmland’s taxes would be eight hundred thousand shi. According to the current market price of one tael of silver buying two shi of rice, that’s precisely four hundred thousand taels. Moreover, it solves the local people’s poverty, sparing the court from separately issuing grain rations for relief.”
Emperor Yongchang frowned. “Hasn’t this matter been proposed before?”
Yan Lun: “Yes, in April six years ago. However, at that time border conflicts were frequent in the north. The border army had no confidence they could definitely hold this region. The ministers unanimously opposed investing silver in canal repair. Now the Wu Kingdom has been defeated and submitted, the borders are stable. This is precisely an excellent opportunity for the court to repair canals and transform waste into treasure.”
Before the Great Qi Dynasty’s founding emperor achieved grand unification, the Central Plains had endured over four hundred years of division among various states. Precisely because warfare was frequent—this year it might still be the Li imperial family, next year it could be the Wang family—the court focused on self-preservation. How could it have surplus energy to repair for the people ancient canals gradually abandoned due to Yellow River channel shifts?
The Great Qi Dynasty had been established for over a hundred years, but in these hundred-plus years, only one Di Yong had stumbled upon the idea of repairing canals to improve local people’s livelihoods. Other county magistrates might have thought of it too, but not knowing how to repair new canals, they stopped pondering it. More common were those who had neither canal repair talent nor hearts serving the people.
Emperor Yongchang carefully examined the diagram, somewhat tempted. He casually asked Yan Lun how he suddenly thought of this.
Yan Lun borrowed Prince Hui’s explanation, claiming he’d heard there was a newly successful third-tier scholar named Di Xian whose father was named Di Yong. Summoning him to ask, it truly was the Di Yong who had proposed the canal repair method.
Emperor Yongchang: “Is this Di Xian deliberately showing off his father’s canal repair method? Otherwise, how would his father’s name have spread?”
Unless a father was extremely renowned, there was no custom of newly successful scholars introducing their fathers’ identities to everyone they met.
The court had already rejected the proposal, yet Di Xian was still showing off everywhere. Could he be secretly satirizing the court’s incompetence for deliberately not using an excellent people-enriching strategy?
Yan Lun was amused inwardly. Prince Hui had come up with this flimsy excuse himself, so he couldn’t be blamed for lazily copying it.
“Well, this minister has met Di Xian. This young man is rigorous and steady, absolutely not someone who seeks fame through deception.”
Emperor Yongchang: “Then how did a third-tier scholar background’s father’s name reach the ears of you, a dignified Minister of Works?”
Yan Lun’s face showed hesitation, his eyes darting left and right.
Emperor Yongchang gestured for Eunuch Wang to leave.
As soon as Eunuch Wang left, Yan Lun dropped to his knees with a thud, lowering his head. “Your Majesty’s clear judgment—this minister didn’t intentionally deceive the throne. It’s truly that, that Prince Hui deliberately recommended Di Xian for canal repair but didn’t want to claim credit, insisting this minister take credit for the recommendation.”
Emperor Yongchang was startled. “Prince Hui?”
Yan Lun explained clearly and thoroughly yesterday’s matter of Prince Hui suddenly summoning him.
Emperor Yongchang temporarily suppressed his pride in Second Son’s talent recognition and his heartache over Second Son yielding credit, continuing to ask, “How did Prince Hui come to know Di Xian?”
Yan Lun: “This minister doesn’t know. Prince Hui just told this minister so. This minister dared not ask more. But this minister speculates Prince Hui has been knowledgeable and well-read since youth. When the court deliberated the Fengyan Canal that year, Prince Hui was also at court. He might have heard Di Xian’s name somewhere. Due to the Di surname being rare, he recalled Di Yong. Oh yes, a few days ago Prince Hui alone went to the storage room containing rejected proposals. He should have gone to retrieve Di Yong’s memorial.”
Hearing this, Emperor Yongchang also recalled that this year Second Son hadn’t paid much attention to the spring examinations. Yet precisely after the palace examination, when he and several ministers discussed the top three scholar candidates, Second Son had seemingly casually perused some examination papers. He must have been looking at Di Xian’s essay then.
But Second Son normally stayed cooped up in his office when at the Ministry of Works. Leaving the Ministry, he went directly back to the mansion. Even encountering Eldest or Third on the road or other officials, he wouldn’t chat idly. How had he heard about Di Xian?
Suddenly, Emperor Yongchang recalled Empress Zhou’s household chat, saying Second Son’s wife planned to select a cousin-in-law from the new scholars, having learned about quite a few talented scholars’ information, saving her much trouble selecting a prince consort.
Thinking further of Second Son’s wife’s mouth that, like a lark’s, could rattle off a long string once opened, Emperor Yongchang immediately understood.
The speaker had no particular intention; the listener took it to heart. Second Son truly had this excellent memory!
Moreover, Second Son not only had good memory—he genuinely wanted to accomplish real work for the court and people. Having accomplished it, he still didn’t want to claim credit, didn’t want to compete with Eldest Brother and Third Brother for the limelight.
Emperor Yongchang looked again at the canal diagram on the table.
Of course it should be repaired! Once repaired, it wouldn’t just let local people fill their bellies and increase the court’s land taxes. In the future, if there were more warfare in the northwest, having this additional granary, the court could transport less military provisions from elsewhere. Manifold profits—Second Son was proficient in military strategy and must have seen through this level before deciding to push this matter forward.
After long silence, Emperor Yongchang said to Yan Lun, “Since Prince Hui has you appear publicly, treat it as your recommendation.”
Yan Lun: “This minister obeys the decree.”
On the twenty-first of the third month, the Emperor hosted the Wenxi Banquet. Three princes also appeared at the banquet accompanying the Emperor.
Emperor Yongchang improvised a topic, having the scholars compose a poem on the theme of “Spring.” When evaluating everyone’s poems, Emperor Yongchang praised several. Flipping through them, he pulled out Di Xian’s poem. Utterly mediocre, yet Emperor Yongchang still summoned Di Xian forward, building momentum for Di Xian step by step as Yan Lun had envisioned.
When Di Xian wielded the brush before numerous officials and over three hundred fellow scholars to draw a clear and comprehensible diagram of the Fengyan Canal’s new and old canal channels, the spring breeze stirred his blue fine cotton scholarly robe. The young scholar was full of lofty ambitions and high spirits. The first-tier top scholar, second place, and third place had their brilliance eclipsed. Even the two prime ministers and indeed the three princes yielded their luster in this moment.
Emperor Yongchang changed from his previous appreciation, his brows knitting tightly. He asked Prince Kang, “What do you think?”
Prince Kang surveyed the circle. Seeing the officials and scholars who had just been nodding had all revealed grave expressions, Prince Kang pondered for a moment and said regarding the canal diagram, “The canal repair’s initial intention is excellent, but renovating over two hundred li of canal channels consumes enormous labor and materials. For safety’s sake, it would be better to request the various ministers deliberate together.”
Emperor Yongchang nodded and looked toward Prince Qing.
Prince Qing: “This son believes this canal should be repaired. However, the old canal head is only eight li from the Yellow River bank. This son believes we could dispatch capable ministers proficient in river channel construction to go first, conduct surveys to determine whether directly digging eight li of new canal to connect with the old canal is feasible. After all, Father and Son Di Yong’s knowledge is limited. Difficulties in their eyes may not be difficulties when placed before capable ministers.”
Emperor Yongchang still nodded. His gaze passed over Prince Hui sitting in his wheelchair and asked Yan Lun, “Minister Yan is precisely a capable minister in river management. You speak.”
Yan Lun respectfully said, “Six years ago, the Ministry of Works dispatched people to verify. The old canal head truly cannot directly reconnect with the Yellow River bank. Rash excavation would certainly trigger levee breach disasters. The sandbar area Di Yong selected is the canal head choice nearest to the old canal.”
Emperor Yongchang: “Since this is so, entrust the canal repair matter to Di Xian. You select two more capable people from the Ministry of Works to assist him.”
Yan Lun received the decree. Di Xian knelt and kowtowed in gratitude.
Emperor Yongchang waved his hand and continued the banquet.
Prince Kang and Prince Qing exchanged glances. Prince Kang felt he hadn’t answered incorrectly. Prince Qing felt his consideration was also quite thorough. As for Father Emperor—just hearing Di Xian’s impassioned speech, he entrusted a project worth hundreds of thousands of taels to a humble scholar background who probably hadn’t even handled three hundred taels of silver. Wasn’t this somewhat improper?