Just after the New Year, the sun seemed to carry hints of spring. For several consecutive days there were brilliant sunny skies, making the capital extraordinarily lively with joyful scenes everywhere.
The students of the Imperial Academy, however, had no mind to feel the joy of the new spring, all preparing for the imperial examinations in just over ten days. Inside the buildings, students were in heated discussion while in the courtyard, the Registrar was speaking with the Rector.
“For this imperial examination, this humble official believes several candidates are quite good.” Registrar Song glanced inside.
Rector Chen was at the age of forty, yet his hair already showed gray and white, giving him an immortal bearing. He stroked his beard under his chin and said: “Tell me about them.”
“They are Mo Cong, Wang Ziling, and Liu Min.” Registrar Song pondered: “These three have excellent grades in the Four Books and Five Classics, laws and regulations, and mathematics.”
After hearing this, Rector Chen didn’t immediately respond. After a moment of silence, Registrar Song carefully glanced at him and hesitantly asked: “Does Your Excellency find something inappropriate? Please enlighten me.”
Only then did Rector Chen shake his head: “Liu Min is good, but his policy essays are somewhat biased. He doesn’t understand the current court situation and is rather too extreme.”
“This…” Registrar Song also frowned: “Student Liu Min comes from a poor family, so naturally knowing nothing about court affairs is understandable.”
“I think Jiang Chao is good,” Rector Chen interrupted him: “I’ve read his essays—comprehensive in all aspects, quite a talent.”
Registrar Song shook his head: “Too smooth, only knowing empty principles—not necessarily a good thing.”
Rector Chen’s gaze flickered slightly, then he slowly smiled: “What you and I say doesn’t count anyway. In the end, it’s still His Majesty’s decision.”
Registrar Song also smiled in agreement.
After morning classes, students walked out of the Imperial Academy in twos and threes. Walking at the front was Jiang Chao, his face beaming with smiles as he spoke with two good friends beside him.
“Brother Wang’s scholarship grows ever more refined, making this younger brother ashamed of his inferiority.” Jiang Chao’s face showed faint embarrassment.
Wang Ziling bowed with cupped hands: “Brother Jiang must never belittle yourself. In mathematics, I’m not your equal.”
The green-robed youth beside them laughed cheerfully: “If you two brothers continue being so modest, we others will have to jump into the moat.” This person was Mo Cong, who seemed to be in excellent spirits at the moment. He waved his hand: “These days of studying have made my brain ache terribly. Why don’t we go have some proper fun? Today I’ll be the host—let’s gather at East Wind Tower. How about it?”
As they were speaking, the surrounding students heard these words and all gathered around with grins: “Brother Mau is hosting, why not invite us along? How stingy.”
Mo Cong laughed heartily: “Actually calling me stingy! Fine, today I’ll be generous for once and invite you all, so as not to disappoint our friendship as classmates for several years!”
The group walked out talking and laughing, all showing the high spirits of young scholars. Yet behind everyone, one person was left behind at the Imperial Academy’s main gate. This person had a tall, slender figure in a blue cloth shirt washed until it was nearly white. His features were refined and clean, yet carried hidden indignation. He watched the group’s retreating figures from afar, a trace of disdain flashing across his face.
This was Liu Min, mentioned by Registrar Song and Rector Chen. Unlike other Imperial Academy students, he wasn’t from noble birth. Liu Min came from a poor family with only a widowed mother at home. His mother had an old friend who was a noble lady in the capital, and she found a way to get Liu Min into the Imperial Academy. Liu Min’s mother had strong self-respect all her life, only asking for help from her former friend for the first time so Liu Min could attend school. Since entering, Liu Min had vowed to distinguish himself and properly repay his mother’s nurturing kindness in the future.
Most noble sons in the Imperial Academy were idle and frivolous, merely possessing empty reputations. Liu Min looked down on them from his heart. The only one he found decent, Mo Cong, was a wealthy young master who wouldn’t associate with someone poor like him. So Liu Min became the Imperial Academy’s odd one out, always coming and going alone.
Liu Min returned to the Imperial Academy dormitory. The dormitory housed only him. Though the Imperial Academy provided dormitories, compared to the various students’ family mansions, they were worlds apart. Students were unwilling to live in dormitories, conveniently leaving Liu Min to occupy a spacious large room alone.
He placed his textbooks on the desk. Turning his head, he was startled to see an envelope had somehow been placed on the desk. Only Imperial Academy servants would enter the dormitory for cleaning—he didn’t know who had placed it there. Liu Min hesitated, then walked over to open the letter. As soon as he opened it, a snow-white paper fell out.
It was ordinary writing paper, quite rare compared to the fine pear blossom paper the Imperial Academy’s noble sons used. Liu Min bent to pick it up. As soon as he opened it, what met his eyes was a line of vigorous, sharp calligraphy: “I once heard that sages governed the country with ritual, and the country prospered. After the sages departed, the country declined. Thus governing with ritual is the righteous path. However, some say: Though ritual is good, it’s difficult to constrain the people. Only by binding with law can the world follow order and achieve peace and prosperity. I am but a foolish child who cannot understand after much thought. I hope for your enlightenment.”
This was asking for instruction. Imperial Academy students often did this—whenever they had perplexing questions needing discussion, they would write letters with their doubts, a refined method among scholars and also a pleasure. Only because of Liu Min’s status, no one had ever actively discussed problems with him. The letter bore no signature, so he didn’t know who wrote it. Liu Min thought through his mind but still had no clue. Looking at this handwriting again—elegant and transcendent, legend said seeing writing was like seeing the person. This handwriting appeared full of sharp edges at first glance, but looking carefully, the brushstrokes were smooth, giving an unfathomable feeling. His competitive spirit was aroused. He found writing paper from his desk, ground ink, and began writing brushstroke by brushstroke.
After finishing, he lifted the paper from the table and blew on it, but then was troubled again. He didn’t know who the letter’s owner was or to whom he should give what he’d written. After standing there for a moment, Liu Min shook his head, laughing at himself for being bewitched. He put the paper in an envelope and after much thought, simply placed it directly on the desk, treating it as a joke.
Liu Min wasn’t the only one writing. In the Jiang Manor, Jiang Ruan put down her brush. Bai Zhi lifted the paper from the table and blew on it. Lian Qiao asked: “Shall we have that servant boy deliver it again?”
Jiang Ruan nodded: “Go later, after today passes.”
“Miss, this matter is truly improper,” Lu Zhu said somewhat hesitantly: “What if someone discovers it? After all, he’s a strange man, and such private correspondence…”
“What’s there to fear? I didn’t sign it,” Jiang Ruan was completely unconcerned: “Besides, people won’t connect me with him, since we’ve never met.”
Lian Qiao asked: “Speaking of which, it’s strange—since Miss has never met him, why write these things to him?”
Jiang Ruan smiled slightly but didn’t answer. Liu Min should be reading her first letter now. In her previous life, Jiang Ruan remembered the top three clearly: Wang Ziling, Mo Cong, and Jiang Chao. Liu Min only placed eighteenth, but three years later, news broke that the chief examiner had accepted bribes. His Majesty was furious, punished the chief examiner, and reviewed that year’s papers, uniquely favoring Liu Min’s work. From then on, Liu Min was appointed to the third rank, steadily rising until he finally became the current dynasty’s Grand Tutor.