The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 035 A Gentleman's Friendship, Insipid As Water
The Confucius Temple in the Imperial College was different from the one Tang Shen had visited in the modern world
This Confucius Temple was located at the back of the Imperial College dormitories. Normally, like the Biyong Palace, students were not allowed to enter. Except for the annual Confucius Memorial Day and the triennial autumn and spring exams, students participating in the imperial examinations could enter the Confucius Temple to pray for blessings, led by the dean.
First, they passed through the gate of the First Teacher, then through the Stele Forest of Scholars. Tang Shen and the other two behaved cautiously, not daring to raise their heads, following behind Eunuch Ji.
After an unknown length of time, they reached the deepest part of the Confucius Temple, the Chongsheng Shrine. Eunuch Ji waved his duster and smiled, saying, "This is as far as I go. Please, you three scholars, proceed inside."
Tang Shen and the others replied, "Thank you, gonggong."
The inner palace guards standing outside the Chongsheng Shrine pushed open the door for the three. None of them entered first. Tang Shen looked at the dark bricks and suddenly took the first step inside. Liu Fang and Mei Shengze followed him.
Behind them, the door creaked shut.
In the center of the main hall of the Chongsheng Shrine stood a life-sized white jade statue of Confucius. A faint scent of ambergris incense wafted through the air. On the left was a carved display cabinet showcasing various rare treasures. On the right hung a painting of the evening glow over the mountains, with Mount Tai standing majestically among them.
The three of them looked up to see an elderly man in a white robe with a white beard sitting in the main seat. They were startled, and Liu Fang and Mei Shengze immediately knelt down. Tang Shen didn't have the instinct to kneel, and only after they had knelt did he hurriedly follow suit. However, he heard Zhao Fu kindly say, "Rise."
At his words, two young eunuchs beside Zhao Fu stepped forward and helped the three up.
Liu Fang and Mei Shengze exchanged glances, feeling both excited and confused.
Even the top three in the imperial examinations did not have the chance to meet the emperor so closely! Though they were outstanding in the Imperial College and might one day make the list of top scholars, they were currently only juren, and Tang Shen was just a xiucai!
How could a mere xiucai have such an opportunity to meet the emperor!
Zhao Fu's thoughts were entirely different from theirs. He was gentle in temperament, dressed in a silver-patterned Taoist robe, and said to the three, "Zhen simply only wants to ask some ordinary questions."
The three replied, "As you command."
Zhao Fu appeared to be seriously observing the three young talents before him. However, the two eunuchs familiar with him noticed his impatient fiddling with the tea cup and knew that the emperor was already bored.
Half a year ago, Zhong Taisheng was secretly poisoned to death in prison by the emperor, disguised as a severe illness. Following that, seven high-ranking ministers died overnight. Unbeknownst to the world, more than twenty low-ranking officials who were once part of the Songqing Party also died that night!
Since then, Zhao Fu had been in a foul mood, feeling a growing resentment whenever he thought about it. It was only half a month ago when Li Xiaoren, the chief official of the Bureau of Astronomy, suggested that the emperor could host a “Son of Heaven Comes to Biyong" to win the hearts of the scholars, that the emperor's mood slightly improved.
The eunuchs thought: What is the top three of the Imperial College's examination worth? It’s uncertain if they can even pass the palace examination and become jinshi! Even the dynasty's zhuangyuan, of these eight zhuangyuan seen over the 26 years of His Majesty's reign, how many have actually caught the emperor's eye? Most were still idling away in the Hanlin Academy as idle book compilers!
The emperor wanted to put on a good show but was unwilling to bother with these three students.
At this moment, Eunuch Ji entered the room and approached Zhao Fu. He immediately noticed Zhao Fu's intention to dismiss the students casually but struggled to find a good pretext. Eunuch Ji's eyes flickered as he poured tea for Zhao Fu and said, "Today, His Majesty wishes to test the three students. It is indeed a fortune brought from their previous lives."
Mentioning reincarnation and the pursuit of immortality, Zhao Fu showed a bit of interest. He said, "In that case, let me test you."
The three replied, "As you command."
Zhao Fu casually glanced around the room and noticed the tea the eunuch had just poured for him. He said, "Seeing this cup of water, what does it make you think of?"
Tang Shen and the others were stunned.
The first to speak could catch Zhao Fu's attention. Liu Fang first spoke, "To answer Your Majesty's question, as it is said, 'The highest good is like water. Water benefits all things without competing. It dwells in places that all disdain; thus, it is close to the Way.' Water is a model for us gentlemen."
Zhao Fu took a sip of tea but did not respond.
Liu Fang's face dimmed.
Mei Shengze thought for a moment and said, "As Xunzi said, 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The people are like water, vast and mighty. The state is like a boat, broad and endless. When the water is calm, the boat is steady, and the world is at peace.'"
Zhao Fu's eyes moved, but he still showed little interest. He smiled perfunctorily and said, "Pillars of the state."
Mei Shengze was overjoyed.
After the two had finished speaking, only Tang Shen remained. Tang Shen said, "To answer Your Majesty's question, the ancients said, 'When water is too clear, there are no fish; when a person is too scrutinizing, they have no followers.' I have some thoughts, but I dare not speak."
Zhao Fu glanced at Tang Shen indifferently, with the demeanor of a wise ruler, and said, "Speak freely."
Tang Shen bowed slightly, neither humble nor overbearing, and said something that made the room fall silent: "The ancients said, 'When water is too clear, there are no fish; when a person is too scrutinizing, they have no followers.' If one demands too much of others, they will have no companions, just as if water is too clear, there will be no fish. But I have always wondered... in this world, is there really any water that is completely clear?"
Eunuch Ji was startled, holding his whisk, unsure whether to scold Tang Shen for great disrespect or to have him arrested immediately. But seeing Zhao Fu's flickering expression, he kept silent. Whatever the emperor decided, he need not interfere.
In the stifling silence, Tang Shen bowed even lower and continued, "A gentleman's friendship is as bland as water; a villain's friendship is as sweet as wine. Using water as a mirror, one should sharpen oneself and take on the responsibility of being as clear as water. If there truly is clear water, clear water merges with clear water, like mutual oversight, so how could there be no followers? I don't understand. Could it be that there is no truly clear water?"
After saying this, Tang Shen's bow was parallel to the ground.
He respectfully asked, as if he were an innocent student purely seeking knowledge.
Mei Shengze and Liu Fang did not dare to speak, and the eunuchs did not dare to move.
After a long time, Zhao Fu laughed and said, "Childish words."
Liu Fang was delighted, and Mei Shengze looked worriedly at Tang Shen. Only Tang Shen continued to bow respectfully, as if he had not heard the emperor's rebuke.
Zhao Fu gently placed the teacup on the table, making a clicking sound that made everyone's heart tremble.
Zhao Fu: "Return to the palace."
Eunuch Ji shouted loudly: "Return to the palace."
Amid the scent of ambergris incense, Zhao Fu and three eunuchs left the Chongsheng Shrine.
After they left, Mei Shengze hurried to Tang Shen's side and said, "Jing Ze, why did you say such things? A gentleman is like water, how could you say there is no truly clear water and no true gentlemen! Fortunately, His Majesty did not blame you and only said you spoke childishly because of your young age. Otherwise, if it had led to punishment, what could be done?"
Tang Shen stiffly straightened up. Seeing Mei Shengze's anxious look, he smiled and said, "It's nothing."
Mei Shengze: "Oh, you!"
The three left the Chongsheng Shrine together.
Although Tang Shen said it was nothing, Mei Shengze didn't know that his back was already drenched in sweat.
Back at the Imperial College, Dean Lin summoned the three and asked them what they had said to the Emperor. They recounted everything. When he heard Tang Shen's answer, Dean Lin gave him a strange look, frowning. Suddenly, as if understanding something, he said oddly, "Who knows if it might be a blessing in disguise."
Back in the classroom, Tang Shen wiped the sweat from his back. He picked up his book and listened to the lecturer, but his thoughts drifted back to the Chongsheng Shrine an hour ago.
The emperor's visit to the Imperial College was one of the greatest opportunities of Tang Shen's life.
And he had the chance to meet the emperor!
Tang Shen was only fifteen this year. No matter how gifted and talented he was, he had only been in this era for three years, and next year, the fourth year, he would take the spring huishi examination. Once he passed the exam and became a jinshi, he would then participate in the dianshi examination. Historically, no official who did not come from a jinshi background had ever reached a third-rank official position; only jinshi could become high-ranking officials.
To enter the three departments and six ministries and hold significant power, he at least needed to be a top rank candidate!
Without a top ranking, he would need strong backing.
Wang Zifeng, at the age of twenty-five, was already the Minister of Revenue, partly because he was the zhuangyuan of his year, with the emperor personally inscribing "Unparalleled Scholar." And since entering politics, he had also gained the emperor's favor. Additionally, because he was Wang Zifeng!
The Wang family of Langya had thirty-six officials in the court. Ten of them were of the fifth rank or higher. Five were of the fourth rank or higher. Three were of the third rank or higher. The Minister of Revenue, Wang Zifeng, held a second-rank position. The current Right Chancellor of the Palace Secretariat, Wang Quan, was Wang Zifeng's second great-uncle, holding a first-rank position.
Tang Shen had no backing, so his only path to success was to gain the emperor's favor.
From the moment Dean Lin informed him of the emperor's upcoming visit to the Imperial College half a month ago, Tang Shen had been pondering why the emperor would come.
The emperor's visit to the Imperial College was a tradition. It showed the emperor's respect for scholars by coming to lecture at the Imperial College, demonstrating care for Confucian students. This had happened many times in previous dynasties, but rarely in this one. Especially in the twenty-six years of Zhao Fu's reign, this was his first visit to Biyong Palace.
Zhao Fu would not come to Biyong Palace to lecture without reason; something must have happened.
Over the past year, many events had occurred: snow disasters in the south, earthquakes in the southwest, the Liao people plotting to break the treaty and seize Song territory. But none of these were enough to make Zhao Fu lecture to a group of students. Only one thing...
"Zhong Taisheng died."
After Zhong Wei's death, scholars everywhere mourned.
Every scholar in the country knew this. Zhao Fu came to lecture at Biyong Palace to win the hearts of scholars.
Tang Shen had this suspicion but didn't expect that Zhao Fu would personally meet three students from the Imperial College. This was a rare opportunity he couldn't miss.
In the Imperial College, even if Tang Shen said something as "childish" as he did, as long as he wasn't treasonous, Zhao Fu wouldn't take his life. Because just after the emperor's visit, if Zhao Fu immediately killed a student from the Imperial College, his purpose for visiting would be ruined.
So Tang Shen took a risky move, using "childish words" to gain the emperor's favor. Even a little favor would be the foundation for his future rise.
There are no true gentlemen of absolute purity in this world. The saying "a gentleman's friendship is as insipid as water" is an utter joke.
These words were a scolding directed at Zhong Taisheng and the great scholars who followed him in committing suicide!
If his teacher was still alive, he would probably kick him out the door and angrily call him a "rascal."
Tang Shen propped his chin on his hand, looking at the words in the book, and suddenly felt that his own skin had grown thicker and his heart darker.
Of course, he didn't know that after nightfall, Zhao Fu returned to the palace. He first bathed and changed clothes, then meditated and cultivated for an hour on the altar, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. As he was about to sleep, the chief eunuch, Ji Fu, helped Zhao Fu change clothes. Zhao Fu suddenly remembered: "That student from the Imperial College today was quite interesting."
Ji Fu was startled. His first thought was of Mei Shengze. But Ji Fu didn't speak; he pondered carefully in his mind and then said, "Is Your Majesty referring to the student who talked about 'a gentleman's friendship'?"
Zhao Fu didn't respond further. He changed into a Gusu embroidered robe while Ji Fu knelt to remove his boots.
Zhao Fu asked, "What was his name again?"
Ji Fu replied with a troubled expression, "This slave doesn't know, Your Majesty."
Zhao Fu: "Oh."
After serving Zhao Fu until he fell asleep, Ji Fu left the emperor's bedchamber an hour later. He called for his godson and said, "First thing tomorrow morning, go to Dean Lin's residence at the Imperial College and tell him to send me information about that student before the morning assembly. The youngest and handsomest one. Tell Dean Lin that I ask for this favor and will repay it in the future."
AN: Neighbor Wang: Does this chapter count as containing my scenes?
Author [pointing at four instances of the name 'Wang Zifeng']: Of course it does!