Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 431: The Ambition of a Failed Young Man
"...Master, we are still very young! Don't worry, we will definitely be on the list in the next exam!"

On the bulletin board outside the Grand Examination Hall, the list of successful candidates in the imperial examination of the 16th year of Taichang has been posted.

The servant looked at the people not far away who were crying with joy and celebrating wildly, and then carefully looked at the expression of his own young master.

Lu Xiangsheng sighed softly: "You are still not well-educated."

His name was not on the list.

Of course, this was not too far-fetched. On the fourth day of the third month, his birthday had passed. Even if we used the standard that one year older is one year older, and one year older is one year older after the birthday, he was only eighteen now. And since people over thirty-five were not allowed to continue taking the exam, scholars who were interested in taking the exam had more pressure, so they worked harder.

If Lu Xiangsheng was only focused on preparing for the exam, he would not have traveled all the way to Henan.

But even though he had originally prepared himself mentally to take the examination once, now that he had confirmed that he had failed, Lu Xiangsheng still felt quite disappointed.

After forcing a smile, he said, "Let's go. Since I failed the exam, I feel embarrassed to continue living in the guild hall. I'll go back and pack up."

"Master, the guild hall didn't say anything..." The servant followed him, "Besides, why are you in such a hurry to leave Beijing? Wait until the palace examination is over..."

"Who said I'm leaving Beijing?" Lu Xiangsheng looked a little dazed. "I'll find a place to rent first. I'll write a letter home. I plan to study in Beijing for the next three years."

"...Ah? Donglin University..."

"I have to learn something new so it won't be like..."

He stopped talking here and just continued on his way.

He had expected this result, but it's inevitable for people to be prepared for the worst.

He thought over and over again about the essay for the final round of the imperial examination, but he could not convince himself when he was preparing the draft in his mind, and still felt that many places were not well thought out. When he realized that time was running out, he hurriedly started writing. Although it was finally completed, since he was not very satisfied with it, how could the examiner be satisfied with it?
After I heard and saw more in the capital, I thought more deeply and further, and I had more doubts.

After walking for a while, although he still felt regretful in his heart, he gradually became more motivated and expectant about himself.

"Do you know why I can't go to high school this time?"

The servant knew that his master just wanted to talk, so he nodded: "Master, you already know? That's good, next time..."

"How can it be so easy to learn the strategies of generals and ministers, and the rules of military and national management?" Lu Xiangsheng laughed, "You can't be too ambitious. The more you know, the more you feel like you're neither left nor right. It's easy to talk big, but when I think about the fact that I'll have to take up a job after passing the exam, I'm afraid that my words and writings will not live up to my heart!"

"...Master, I don't understand." The servant told the truth.

"I just need to study harder." Lu Xiangsheng looked back, his heart filled with pride, "Iron bones are forged from raging fire, and the Wu hook is forged through thousands of hammers. Then dip it in the ink of the galaxy for three years, and carve a Douniu on a journey of 90,000 kilometers!"

The servant still couldn't understand, but someone not far away suddenly said "Huh!" and an old but strong voice praised: "Good poem! Good spirit! Good ambition!"

Lu Xiangsheng just wanted to express his emotions for a moment, and now he felt it was abrupt when he heard it. He bowed to the carriage from which the voice came, and said, "I am sorry for being abrupt, elder, please praise me..."

The curtain of the carriage was lifted a corner, and the old man looked at him, then asked with a smile: "Did you fail the exam this time?"

"Hey, what's wrong with you..." The servant was unhappy when he heard it. How could he expose someone's shortcomings? The young master had just adjusted his mood.

"Shut up!" Lu Xiangsheng glared at him, then bowed to the old man again, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, elder. I'm ashamed that I failed the exam this time."

"I see that you are very young, so this should be your first attempt, right? Failure once is nothing. But I don't know if you are qualified for this Wu Gou Fighting the Bull. Or are you just using this allusion to boost your ambition?"

"…I am not very knowledgeable, so I dare not be arrogant. As the elders have taught me, I am still young, so I must study hard from now on."

The old man smiled behind the curtain of the sedan chair and said, "It is fate that we meet. Since you have written a good poem, I have heard it, so I should give you a glass of wine in return. Do you have time to go home with me and chat?"

"I am invited by the elder. Since I am going to receive instruction and guidance, and I am going to visit the elder's house, I should prepare a small gift first." Lu Xiangsheng bowed, "I am Lu Xiangsheng from Yixing. I haven't asked for your name yet. After preparing a small gift, I will definitely visit you."

"Why do we need all this red tape? Since you have figured out something and you don't doubt what I say, just follow me back."

"What are you talking about, elder? If that's the case, I'd better obey your orders."

The curtain was lowered, the driver pulled the reins, and the carriage slowly moved westward again.

"Young Master..." The servant felt puzzled and pulled Lu Xiangsheng's sleeve to remind him.

An old man suddenly appeared on the roadside. Although he could afford to hire a carriage, why did he just follow him home?
Could it be that there is a little daughter or granddaughter in the family who has fallen in love with the young master?
Although the young master did not pass the exam this time, he is still young after all, so there is a good chance for him.

Lu Xiangsheng just shook his head to indicate that he should not speak, and at the same time, he followed beside him and observed the posture of the coachman again.

The carriage was just an ordinary carriage, nothing special, and no one could tell its origin. But the man driving the carriage looked straight ahead, calm and capable, and his every move was not like that of an ordinary horseman, but more like... Lu Xiangsheng remembered the look the man had given him when the carriage had just stopped beside him.

Lu Xiangsheng had only seen that kind of calm aura hidden in his eyes in the two guards beside Yuan Keli.

It was a coincidence that he suddenly had an inspiration and recited a poem on the street. But Lu Xiangsheng also thought that since it was the day of the announcement of the results and happened on the street west of the Grand Examination Hall, it might not be a coincidence.

As the carriage moved forward, the old man in the carriage didn't say anything.

Afterwards, the carriage went all the way to the Chengqingfang area. When Lu Xiangsheng's servants arrived here, they were no longer suspicious, but lowered their heads and became reserved.

The five eastern and four western districts of the imperial city are not simple. For example, Anfufang, located in the west of the imperial city, is where most of the five prefectures' guild halls are located. Is there no reason for this?

The location of Chengqingfang was the former palace of the Ten Kings and today's Lifanyuan, and it also has many private residences of dignitaries - and they were not ordinary minor officials.

For example, the carriage just passed the entrance of Wu'anhou Hutong, and now it is passing the entrance of Taininghou Hutong. Whose mansion is in the alley? Is there any need to ask?

When the people coming out of the alleys on this side of the street saw the carriage, most of them stepped aside cautiously and bowed.

Lu Xiangsheng was somewhat shocked and had some vague guesses.

When the carriage arrived at Shuaifu Hutong and stopped at the gate of a large mansion, Lu Xiangsheng's guess was confirmed.

"You stay here with the gatehouse." He first instructed the servant, then went to wait beside the carriage, and then respectfully extended his hand to help the old man get out of the car.

The two did not speak during the process. The old man smiled and then walked up the stone steps in front of the door: "Follow me."

The servant raised his head and looked at the words "Tian Mansion" and his legs began to go weak.

During the Zhengde reign, Emperor Wuzong proclaimed himself the Great General, Grand Tutor, and Duke of Zhenguo, and a Marshal's Mansion was built here. From then on, this alley was called Marshal's Mansion Alley.

Now, the former Privy Councilor, current Advisor, Grand Tutor, and Supreme Pillar State Tian Le Tian Xizhi has been granted the privilege of living here. How could this master and servant, who have already stayed in the capital for several months, not know about this?
There are countless stories about Tian Wuxiang written by storytellers in the capital. Tian Le, the head of the Tian family, sat in the main seat in the flower hall, and Lu Xiangsheng bowed solemnly again: "I am so embarrassed to meet Tian Taishi in person!"

"Sit down." Tian Le looked at him curiously, "How could Li Qing be so wrong? Why did you fail this exam? I have looked at the test paper, and it doesn't mean that you are a nobody."

Lu Xiangsheng was extremely embarrassed: "I am ashamed of Prime Minister Yuan's support. The Grand Tutor made a special trip to the Grand Examination Hall to watch the candidates read the list. Not only did I fail, I also made some outrageous remarks..."

"I didn't go there just to see you." Tian Le smiled, "Of course, I saw you leave, so I asked him to follow you first."

"…How could I have the ability to do that…"

"That's something I want to know, too." Tian Le pointed to the small desk in front of him. "Don't worry, have some tea and talk slowly. I don't have any official duties right now, so I have plenty of time."

For ordinary people, this is of course an unimaginable opportunity.

Lu Xiangsheng just thought that it was by chance that he attracted Tian Le's attention after visiting Yuan Keli.

But only Tian Le knew that the emperor also mentioned him.

The oral instruction was: Lu Xiangsheng failed the exam this year? How about Xizhi go and take the exam? Now is the time to recruit people.

Tian Le could only sigh inwardly that the emperor really attached great importance to the young man recommended by his trusted ministers.

Anyway, he is indeed keeping an eye on some candidates who failed this year's exam together with the Lifanyuan and Jinxianyuan: if there are some good prospects, they can be persuaded through various connections to join the future plan for Japan.

Hence this meeting.

Now of course Lu Xiangsheng was on pins and needles.

Last time, a group of Henan scholars visited Yuan Keli together, and he was just one of them.

This time, he was invited to Tian Le's house for an examination by Tian Le, a more prestigious and important official than Yuan Keli.

Compared with the failure in the imperial examination, this exam was much more important to him.

After all, the person in front of him was a real general or famous minister, someone who possessed and realized his ambitions.

If we say that the current situation in the Taichang Dynasty was the most important, of course the emperor, and the second is generally recognized to be Tian Le.

In front of him, Lu Xiangsheng naturally had to be honest.

"...So, if you hadn't traveled this way, you would have been able to write some brilliant essays, and your writing would have been very convincing, and you would have a good chance of getting on the list." Tian Le smiled, "Why did you go crazy in the exam room?"

"...I dare not say I am sure, nor can I say I am possessed by a demon." Lu Xiangsheng answered tactfully, "I feel that I have great ambitions but little talent, and I am unsure. Since the victory in Malacca and the entry into Beijing, I have gone to the Great Library to look up books on Southeast Asia. In the examination room, I thought that if Yuan Xiang asked me a question that day, I would not be able to answer it now, so what is the use of those specious articles and policy papers?"

At this point he continued awkwardly: "But even though I knew this, I realized that I hadn't started writing yet, and I hadn't let go of my obsession, so I hurriedly wrote it down, making a fool of myself."

"It's common to want to be an official. It's rare to be afraid of not being a good official." Tian Le looked at him, "You said you read a lot of Nanyang books. What did you learn that made you unable to answer Li Qing's question?"

"In the final analysis, even if the maritime trade is now vigorously promoted, the lack of taxation in the market and the cunning of officials, merchants and civilians in charge of business are the reasons why the imperial court cannot guarantee that the troops deployed in the South Sea can cover their expenses or even have a surplus."

After he said this, he began to ask for advice.

He first talked about his understanding of the complex local situation in Nanyang, and then talked about his research on the smuggling in the past and the current licensed maritime trade on the southeast coast. Taking into account the methods and procedures of the Maritime Customs and other government offices in levying taxes on maritime trade, his point was simply this: the commercial tax revenue from Nanyang under the existing institutional and technical conditions does not seem to be enough to support the huge Nanyang Fleet and the Xingang Xuanwei Division in the long term.

So in Yuan Keli's question, how to resolve the contradiction between the emperor's emphasis on people's livelihood and his "warmongering" and long-term maintenance of huge military expenditures?
From Tian Le's perspective, he saw that this young man was indeed willing to delve into the problem and was indeed spending time and energy to understand as much detailed reality as possible.

Of course, he also felt that this kid was indeed crazy.

So he smiled and asked, "Why? Can't you figure out these problems yourself and come up with a perfect solution? Are you stuck in it?"

Lu Xiangsheng was stunned for a moment, then said helplessly: "I can't even justify myself, how can I be perfect?"

"Do you think that the court's current military and national plans are all the work of one person?" Tian Le looked at him deeply. "Your Majesty is a scholar of heaven and man, and is wise and unparalleled, but you still need to pay respect to all the ministers and gather the will of the people to build a fortress. It is easier to learn from others, fill in the gaps, and improve according to the times and circumstances. From this point of view, you haven't learned the theory of knowing things through investigation of things."

"…I am ashamed of myself."

"It's good to have high ambitions, but it's not good to have too high ambitions. Human power is limited. Li Qing said that you aim to learn the strategies of generals and ministers, and the rules of military and national governance. Don't you think that one day you will be able to rule the world?"

"…It is my late-born arrogance."

Tian Le looked at him silently, then sighed, "Studying is a lifelong endeavor. The road ahead is long, and you can't just dip your pen in the stars for a few more years and you can write freely. Governing affairs is not just about having a pen and ink. Doing things and studying are two different things, and they complement each other. If you rank at the top of the list one day, will you boast of your talent as a general? Then, after twenty or thirty years of officialdom, will you feel resentful that you are bound by one side and your ambitions cannot be fulfilled?"

Lu Xiangsheng was sweating profusely after hearing what he said. He stood up and said, "I dare not."

"You are still possessed!" Tian Le pointed at him, then pressed his palm and asked him to sit down. Then he slowly said, "With your attitude towards studying, you will have no worries about improving your knowledge and gaining more experience in the future."

After he finished speaking, he fell silent, looking a little hesitant.

After a while, he sighed and said, "Forget it. I thought since you failed the exam, I would trick you into following me. But the Ming Dynasty is still the foundation, so you should stay in the Ming Dynasty."

Lu Xiangsheng was confused: "Follow... the old master?"

Tian Le laughed: "If you want to dip your ink in the Three Years of Stars again, the best place to go is the Imperial Study. But, you failed the exam again, which is a bit difficult..."

Lu Xiangsheng's heart gurgled: "I..."

What qualifications does he have to be one of the most outstanding new scholars to work and study in the Imperial Study in front of the Emperor?
This inexplicable blessing also made him feel even more uncertain.

However, since Tian Le had been through so much, he already had rich experience with the people who the emperor looked upon with a special eye - none of them were easy to deal with, they were all powerful.

Although this kid in front of me tends to get stuck in a rut, he is indeed a good candidate.

The emperor asked him to test this kid. Isn't there another meaning?
So Tian Le looked at Lu Xiangsheng and said, "If I asked you to take the military examination, would you be willing?"

"Martial Arts Examination?"

"Since you are a candidate, you can take the military examination. There are still a few months." Tian Le looked at him, "People's livelihood is the responsibility of the Executive Yuan and other government offices, and military expenditure is only the responsibility of the Privy Council. I didn't even think about the overall situation back then, so why do you want to come? If you only focus on one aspect, you may not be able to pass it. What do you think?"

Lu Xiangsheng could only stare at him blankly.

How do you know that I actually have some experience in boxing and weapons?
(End of this chapter)