At the Yao residence, an unremarkable visitor from afar arrived. The Yaos, a family renowned for having five heroic men, received countless guests daily, so no one paid much attention to this new arrival. Although the Yao family had recently risen to prominence in the capital city of Tai’an, the visiting nobles and officials rarely included high-ranking ministers of the imperial court. Not even a single head of the six ministries, let alone the Grand Chancellor Zhang, had graced them with their presence. Today, however, an old man “broke the rules” by arriving with a bottle of Jianan Spring wine, seeking someone to drink with, which startled the gatekeepers of the Yao estate. Goodness, it turned out to be none other than Huan Wen, the esteemed Left Assistant Chancellor of the Gatehouse Department. Without time to report to the master of the house, they hurriedly decided to open the ceremonial gate themselves to welcome him, only to find that the old gentleman had already slipped inside through a side entrance.
Master Yao Baifeng, the leading Confucian scholar of the dynasty, quickly led people to search for the old gentleman known as “Tan Tan Weng.” Eventually, they found him with great difficulty in a pavilion. Inside, a young scholar from the capital was locked in a game of strategy with Yao Baifeng’s eldest grandson. Those visiting the estate who had not come to partake in food and drink but to gain reputation instead formed a circle around them, adhering strictly to the gentlemanly rule of watching without commenting. However, one old man could not squeeze into the crowd and instead stood atop a chair in the pavilion, looking down at the tense match. He constantly offered unsolicited advice. If his suggestions were wise, perhaps they could have been tolerated, but each time he gave guidance, his poor skill as an amateur strategist was evident, greatly irritating the others. Each time he spoke foolishly, he received countless glares, yet the old man, reeking of alcohol, continued joyfully.
Yao Baifeng, both amused and exasperated, silently leaned against a corridor pillar, not wishing to disturb Tan Tan Weng’s leisurely interest. Beside the great scholar stood a young face unfamiliar even to the Yao household. This young man also climbed onto the corridor chair to watch the game’s progression. Huan Laoye merely glanced at him and continued giving his strategic advice, instructing Yao Deng Zhi on where to place his next piece. After being noisily disturbed for half the game, Yao’s eldest grandson could only helplessly smile and naturally did not follow the drunken old man’s suggestions. After he placed his piece on the board, the old man from above coldly muttered, “A foolish move.”
No one knew exactly who was the first to notice the Vice Chancellor of the National Academy sitting inside the pavilion, but someone quickly and loudly offered greetings. With that, no one paid attention to the outcome of the game anymore. One by one, they hurriedly bowed respectfully. Most of the scholars in the pavilion came from modest backgrounds, and their ability to recognize Yao Baifeng was due to someone having recently joined the National Academy and having heard the great Confucian scholar lecture from afar. Yao Baifeng smiled, raised his arm, and pointed at the wine-carrying old man standing on the chair, saying warmly, “Children, why are you bowing to me? Don’t you see there’s also a Left Assistant Chancellor here? His official hat is much bigger than mine. Isn’t that right, Tan Tan Weng?”
Huan Wen, somewhat annoyed, said, “The game is only halfway through. Continue, continue. You two shouldn’t act like eunuchs without lower halves.”
The scholars in the pavilion were greatly startled and stood there like wooden chickens for a moment. The young man standing beside Tan Tan Weng jumped down from the chair, squeezed through the gaps in the crowd, walked toward the Go board, bent down, picked up a white stone, and gently placed it on the board, smiling as he said, “The game is over.”
Then he straightened up, turned to everyone with a smile, and said, “Come on, don’t just stand there like dummies. Let’s all bow to the Left Assistant Chancellor. Don’t miss such a great opportunity.”
Huan Wen stepped down from the chair and waved his hand, saying, “No need, no need. I’m just a guest today. I absolutely refuse to bear the criticism of a guest overshadowing the host. If you know what’s good for you, don’t push this old man into the fire. Otherwise, if one day you fall into my hands, just wait and see if I won’t make you walk seven or eight miles to buy wine, and even make you pay for the wine yourself.”
Yao Baifeng had his eldest grandson lead the group of honored scholars out of the pavilion, leaving only three people behind. Huan Wen and Yao Baifeng, the old and new Vice Chancellors of the National Academy, sat facing each other across the Go board. The young man who had “closed the game” stood behind Yao Baifeng. Huan Wen stared at the board and chuckled, “Indeed, you really did close the game. None of those kids had the skill to do that.”
Yao Baifeng nodded and said, “Minister Huan, this is Sun Yin, the one I told you about earlier. He will undoubtedly be the top scholar in this year’s imperial examination.”
Huan Wen smiled faintly and said, “Oh, Vice Chancellor, you’ve been thinking about him so much, and now your wish has come true? Just as you were nodding off, did the Northern Liang send you a pillow? Do you have any secrets? Tell me about them.”
Yao Baifeng could not help but hear the “hidden daggers” in Tan Tan Weng’s words. Clearly, he did not trust Sun Yin, who came from Northern Liang, and frowned slightly. Sun Yin smiled calmly and said, “Only a long journey can reveal the strength of a horse, and only time can reveal a person’s true heart.”
Huan Wen looked up and asked calmly, “Oh? What do you mean?”
Sun Yin replied, “After three years of silence, when one finally makes a stunning debut, I hope that the Left Assistant Chancellor’s office will accept me.”
Huan Wen continued on his own, “Hmm, not participating in the imperial examinations for three years might not be significant for an ordinary person, since even if they took the exams, they wouldn’t achieve great success. I heard you are skilled in the eight-legged essay and aiming for the rare feat of passing all three levels of the examination. That’s somewhat rare. Not going to the National Academy, which is close at hand, not seeking profit in the Six Ministries under the ‘Green-Eyed’ official, not earning reputation in the prestigious Hanlin Academy, but instead coming to the underfunded office of the Left Assistant Chancellor to sit on a cold bench? That’s interesting. Taking advantage of the fact that there are no outsiders in the pavilion, I’ll speak frankly under the influence of alcohol. The Northern Liang produced Yan Jiexi and the ungrateful Baiyan Wolf, Jin Lanting. As the old saying goes, things don’t happen thrice. I always feel that it’s time for a heroic figure who is in the Zhao family but loyal to Xu to appear. So, no matter how eloquently you speak, I still don’t trust you. As for Yao Baifeng, I know him well. This old man has spent his whole life dealing only with sages in ancient texts and doesn’t understand the treachery of human hearts or recognize a few human-faced ghosts. I’m different; I’ve spent most of my life rolling around in the alchemical furnace of the Supreme Elder God. I don’t like you, young man, not at all. So, as long as I’m alive, I won’t allow you to take the imperial exams. You can only start as a minor official in the Left Assistant Chancellor’s office. What do you think about that?”
Sun Yin replied calmly, “That’s fine.”
Yao Baifeng was furious. He no longer addressed Tan Tan Weng or the Left Assistant Chancellor by their titles and directly called him by name, “Huan Wen! Don’t push people too far!”
Old Master Huan took a sip of wine and glanced sideways, saying, “What, are you going to hit me? Remember, gentlemen use their mouths, not their hands. Besides, I already beat up the Right Sacrificial Official Jin Lanting. If I fight another battle with you, the Left Sacrificial Official, where would that leave the face of the National Academy?”
Yao Baifeng stood up in anger and said, “Sun Yin, don’t bother with this old rascal. Let’s go. Let him have his fun by himself.”
Huan Wen laughed and said, “Alright, alright, old Yao, don’t act so much. Look at you, more anxious than the emperor himself. Look at Sun Yin, he’s still so calm. Don’t get too greedy. If it weren’t for our friendship of several decades, I wouldn’t bother to come out and play the villain. To put it bluntly, even if this kid manages to win all three levels of the examination in one go, do you think the court would dare to employ him? Would ‘Green-Eyed’ use him? Achieving fame too early and too greatly isn’t a good thing. Zhao Youling and others achieving their current success isn’t because of their great abilities, but because of how broad ‘Green-Eyed’s’ heart is. When it comes to scholarship, you’re naturally excellent, the Wang Xianzhi of the literary world. But when it comes to being an official, you’re not even as good as your junior, Sun Yin. Although I don’t like this Proud disciple ( Proud disciple: Proud pupil) of yours whom you’re intentionally entrusting your legacy to, I’ve still taken the risk of jeopardizing my reputation in my later years to be his protective charm, getting him into the Left Assistant Chancellor’s office, reducing the troubles, and allowing him to establish a foothold in Tai’an City. The court already has Jin Sanlang, making it difficult to promote young people from Northern Liang in an extraordinary way. Moreover, if Sun Yin dares to challenge ‘Green-Eyed’ in these years, he won’t escape unscathed; he’ll be lucky to survive with just a few layers of skin left. If you keep shouting at me, I’ll take back my words and let you ruin Sun Yin. How about that?”
Yao Baifeng was left speechless.
Huan Wen tossed his wine gourd to the Left Sacrificial Official, saying, “Go on, fill it up for me personally as an apology.”
Yao Baifeng angrily threw the wine pot back and sat down again.
Huan Wen carefully held the wine pot, glared at it, and then softly sighed, “The Three Provinces and Six Ministries, the court has always intentionally left the Zhongshu Province without a chief official. Although I, Huan Wen, have taken Sun Xiji’s position and become the Left Assistant Chancellor of the Menxia Province, the Menxia Province has never really taken off. In theory, it should have been the echo of the Zhongshu Province, but now the Zhongshu Province is in a standoff between the Grand Secretaries of the Hall and the Hanlin Academy, unable to make much noise. The Menxia Province has become the pitiful one, allowing the Shangshu Ling ‘Green-Eyed’ to become the Grand Chancellor of our dynasty. However, the Six Ministries are too powerful, which is not a sustainable situation. A well-oiled door hinge never rots, and flowing water never stagnates. In the grand house of the imperial court, some of the beams and pillars need to be replaced. Sun Yin, I’ll test you. I’ve already set the question; you come up with the answer. Briefly tell me about the future direction of the court and why it will be so.”
Sun Yin smiled and said, “Let’s start with two of the three imperial edicts. Lu Baijie has been promoted to Minister of War, and Yuan Guo has been appointed as Minister of Rites. The Shangshu Province has the Zhang and Gu Pavilions, wielding great power. Now, the Gu Pavilion has changed from General Gu Jiantang to the Little Butcher, Chen Zhibao, and then to Lu Shitang of the Yangzhou Lu family, the Sword Immortal of Tangxi. The Gu Pavilion’s cohesion is gradually dispersing, unable to maintain the unity it once had. With Lu Shangxiang of the Guangling Circuit entering the Ministry of War, the Ministry of War has truly become the emperor’s own. The Gu Pavilion is now merely a shell without its former spirit. Before Chen Zhibao left his post, he suppressed the Chief Accountant Huang E, and the former pillar of the Gu Pavilion, Gu Jiantang, deliberately turned a blind eye. This was a message actively sent from the border to the court, indicating that the Gu Pavilion no longer belongs to the Gu family. As for its future, it will be decided by the emperor. With the Gu Pavilion gone, only the Zhang Party’s Zhang Pavilion remains. It should have been in a better position, but the Grand Chancellor did not act accordingly. In fact, over the past decade, the Grand Chancellor has intentionally pruned his branches, expelling Yuan Guo, rebuking Han Lin, deliberately distancing himself from the Hanlin Academy where he started his career, allowing the future chancellor Yin Maochun to switch allegiances. Finally, he let the two tigers in the Ministry of Personnel, Zhao Youling, and the Ministry of Revenue, Wang Xionggui, fight each other. The Zhang Pavilion made an unexpected choice, keeping the relatively weaker Minister of Revenue instead of Zhao Youling. It can be said that the Zhang Party has been gradually retreating in recent years, but it doesn’t matter. As long as the Grand Chancellor remains in the Zhang Pavilion, no one dares to act recklessly. The Grand Chancellor’s initial years of hiding in the Hanlin Academy were an unseen move ahead of time. His layout in the Shangshu Province was a mid-game strategy that left many people puzzled. Now, it seems the endgame is approaching. The Minister of Rites not being given to the widely expected future chancellor Yin Maochun is clearly the first step in the ‘struggle between wise ruler and powerful minister’ during the endgame. Both sides have tacit understanding. In the next few years, Yin Maochun will end the structureless state of the Zhongshu Province, becoming the nominal Grand Chancellor and the actual deputy chancellor, sharing power equally with the current Shangshu Ling, Zhang Julu. The Minister of Rites, Yuan Guo, will take over the position of Shangshu Ling from the Grand Chancellor, not the naturally expected successor from the Zhang Pavilion, the Minister of Revenue, Wang Xionggui. With the support of Old Master Huan in the Menxia Province acting as a mediator, the three provinces will maintain harmony, preventing too much national strength from being consumed by factional struggles. As for Zhao Youling of the Ministry of Personnel, at best, he will only receive the title of Grand Secretary of the Hall before his death and an excellent posthumous honor afterward. Losing face first but gaining prestige later is generally acceptable, especially with his relative-in-law Yin Maochun taking a prominent position first, Zhao Youling must also avoid any appearance of impropriety.”
Huan Wen nodded frequently, smiling as he said, “Then after my death, who will take over the Menxia Province? Don’t even dream about it, Sun Yin. Before I die, I will surely submit a secret memorial to the emperor, ensuring you don’t gain too much power.”
Sun Yin’s expression remained calm as he smiled and said, “There are other capable individuals who can play this game, not just the Grand Chancellor. Since the future chancellor Yin Maochun has already surfaced, there must naturally be another future chancellor who is currently a hidden dragon in the abyss, though I, Sun Yin, cannot guess who this person is or where they are. It will probably take many more years. However, this person will certainly not be a student of the Grand Chancellor or the Left Assistant Chancellor.”
Huan Wen laughed heartily and said, “You’re quite something, kid. In the next twenty or thirty years, things will likely be like this. Later, I’ll take you to ‘Green-Eyed’s’ house. You can play a few games of elephant chess with him. He’ll definitely hold a grudge against you for losing, and you can Content and dutiful ( Content and dutiful: Content and dutiful) in the Menxia Province as a loyal dog under the gate.”
Yao Baifeng’s face darkened with displeasure, and he let out a heavy snort.
Sun Yin hesitated for a moment and then curiously asked, “Grandpa, why did you punch Jin Sanlang?”
Huan Wen curled his lips and said, “That kid Jin Lanting, he’s probably a good official for the common people of the Liyang region, and he’s very loyal to the emperor as a minister. But when it comes to being a person, he’s just not very decent. I hit him for his own good, to keep him from getting too full of himself and thinking that because I and ‘Green-Eyed’ are backing him, he can look down on everyone. Oh, right, Old Yao, this kid was forming factions in the National Academy. I did you a favor by venting my anger and said I’d pay him back for the money he spent on good paper. You should repay the money for me, right?”
Yao Baifeng sneered and said, “Do you think I’ll help you pay for that?”
Huan Wen shook his empty wine gourd and looked helplessly at it, saying, “No money, no wine, this life is no good anymore.”
Sun Yin continued to ask, “I heard that the new Prince of Northern Liang has stationed troops at the border of Youzhou and refused to accept the imperial decree?”
Huan Wen smiled and said, “When faced with two evils, choose the lesser one. This way, the court’s current test of the bottom line will let them know that the new Prince of Liang is not an easy target to mess with. In the future, when dealing with Northern Liang, they’ll have to be more cautious. Public moves like bestowing posthumous titles won’t be too frequent, but the covert tactics, such as the grain transport through the canal to Liang, will increase compared to before. Speaking of which, during the discussion of posthumous titles in the Hall of Awakening, those who spoke honestly were few. Yan Jiexi was only half honest, with half of it being pretense. Only you, Yao Baifeng, foolishly touched a big nerve. In the future, the National Academy will surely be Jin Lanting’s possession. Well, I never wanted you, Old Yao, to have any official position. Scholars should shut themselves away and study, which is better than anything else. After Emperor Liyang unified the Spring and Autumn Period, the emperor has been very lenient towards the scholars of the world, and there hasn’t been a single case of literary inquisition. I hope it doesn’t start with your Yao family.”
Yao Baifeng sighed and said, “If the world can be tolerated, why can’t a dead man’s posthumous title be tolerated?”
Huan Wen rolled his eyes and said, “Yao Baifeng, Yao Baifeng, have you read so many books that you’ve become a fool? Isn’t the monarch a person? Can’t he have emotions? Be content. Having such an enlightened ruler is already a great blessing for a minister.”
Yao Baifeng sighed deeply.
Huan Wen handed over the wine gourd and said, “Old Yao, I’m begging you, give me a pot of good wine. My old wine worms are rebelling in my belly!”
Yao Baifeng helplessly took the wine gourd and left the pavilion.
Huan Wen chuckled and said, “Sit down. The old pedant has finally left. Now we can speak freely without worrying about being disrespectful.”
After sitting down, Sun Yin softly said, “Between the previous emperor and the current emperor, there was a Prince of Northern Liang. Between the emperor and Crown Prince Zhao Zhuan, it’s now our Grand Chancellor’s turn. The general was at least far away with his thirty thousand elite soldiers, with the Northern Man watching hungrily, so the court dared not turn on the Xu family after they had served their purpose. They could only wait until Xu Xiao died to take it out on his posthumous title. But as for the Grand Chancellor…”
Huan Wen glanced at this young scholar and slowly asked, “You’re so smart. Does Northern Liang know about you?”
Sun Yin countered with a question, “I came to Tai’an City not to plot for the emperor, but to plan for the common people. Do you believe me, Old Master Huan?”
Huan Wen stared at Sun Yin and then sighed, “There was once a scholar named Xun Ping who had the same aspirations. In the end, he died a very tragic death.”
Outside the pavilion in the courtyard, a group of spring orioles chirped noisily, vying for the warm branches basking in the sunlight.
Suddenly, Huan Wen said, “If the Northern Man’s cavalry rides south, the Prince of Northern Liang dies defending the northwest gate for Central Plains, and the court stands by and watches, with Xu Fengnian dying on the border. If it really comes to that, Huan Wen hopes he will already be dead and not witness this scene.”
Sun Yin said indifferently, “If that day ever comes when the whole country celebrates, I will surely tell you when I visit your grave with wine.”
Huan Wen laughed and scolded, “You little bastard!”
Sun Yin, expressionless, retorted, “Old bastard!”
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