CH 120

TL: After this chapter, I truly get why PeiYan is always so blunt. All the pretentiousness by Gu chang is really annoying – both to read and translate.

Do bear with me regarding the translations for the political stuff. I had get a little help translating Peiyan’s view. TT_TT

他认为人君之志主于无逸，无逸以端其治源，则百私无所溢于外，而君德日益下宪，民隐日益上通，寿国之道。(The sentence I got help for, if anyone’s interested. xD)

Chapter 120 – Coincidence

Gu Chang, who was disliked by Peng Eleventh, was currently sitting in the lake pavilion of the Pei family’s gardens with Pei Yan, sipping on the freshly delivered Longjing Tea from Hangzhou City, watching the koi carp swim by and commenting on the papers of last autumn’s Jiangsu provincial examinations. “……Although it is believed that the path of a ruler lies in upholding governance and acting in accord with the laws of our ancestors, but upholding governance requires strict adherence to regulations whilst the laws of our ancestors involve understanding and consideration of people’s hearts and minds. The first place provincial scholar, Wang Chun He, in his discourse of Li Gu Chuan’s Han Book, ‘If one is seated and sees Emperor Yao on his walls, and when one eats, he sees Emperor Yao in the soup’, was too superficial. It is clear that those who were accepted in this year’s examinations barely made the cut.”

Pei Yan was not interested in conversing with Gu Chang, let alone discussing political ideas and theories with him. However, Shen Shan Yan was sitting beside him and had warmly introduced Gu Chang to the various scholars of Lin’an in the past few days, and unexpectedly accompanied Gu Chang on several visits to his residence. He was unaware of the relationship between Shen Shan Yan and Gu Chang, but as Shen Shan Yan had shown kindness to his senior brother Fei in the past, he restrained himself and half-heartedly entertained Gu Chang.

When he heard him commenting on the provincial exams in Jiangsu, he got a little annoyed and replied offhandedly, “I’ve read Wang Chun He’s paper and I think it’s not bad. He believes that if a ruler only pursues selfish, hedonistic pleasure, the people would not benefit at all. Rather, a ruler that cares and shows kindness toward his people, they will in turn, reciprocate his kindness. Only then will his rule last and his kingdom prosper. The fact that he dared to write such words, and Minister Yang could still appoint Wang Chun He as the first place provincial scholar, makes him a worthy official and examiner.”

The chief examiner for last year’s Jiangsu provincial examination was Yang Shoudao, a senior academic of the Hanlin Academy.

Yang Shoudao was the son-in-law of Pei Yan’s mentor Zhang Ying.

“It appears that Xia Guang is in agreement with Minister Feng’s view.” He chuckled as he looked at Pei Yan and took another sip of tea.

The current emperor was already advanced in age, and he loved to drink alcohol. Every time he drank, he would get drunk and become irritable and violent, killing people at his whim and fancy. The palace attendants, retainers and maids suffered greatly at his hands. During the Lantern Festival last year, he actually killed an official from the Department of Public Works by accident. The incident was suppressed at the time, but as time passed, word gradually got out.

The paper which Wang Chun He wrote that was selected to be the first place winner of the provincial examinations was a bold, poignant piece that cut right to the core, advising the emperor to behave himself as a proper ruler should. Yang Shoudao, who appointed Wang Chun He as the first place winner, was an even bolder character with iron running through his veins, an unyielding spirit of justice and duty to the common people.

As for Feng Zhi, the man Gu Chang spoke of, he was Gu Chang’s senior brother and served as an official in the Imperial Court. He was the first person to criticize the emperor after he killed an official.

Currently, he remains imprisoned for impeachment.

However, he earned the praise of numerous academics and scholars, especially those in Jiangnan.

Gu Chang’s mentor Sun Gao,  was the imperial court left censor, and together with Peng Yu, the seventh master of the Peng family, they were in charge of the Imperial Censorate.

When Pei Yan heard Gu Chang’s reply, he scoffed inwardly, but remained indifferent and remarked, “Chao Yang, were you hoping to free Minister Feng from prison? Unfortunately, both my elder brother and I are at home observing the mourning period. I have also inherited the family business, and will not be able to serve as an official in the future, so I am unable to offer you any assistance.”

Gu Chang indeed had such an intention.

Rather, it was his mentor Sun Gao who had such a plan, which was why he made a trip to Jiangnan initially.

Meeting Pei Yan was purely coincidental.

He originally thought that since the Pei family was the leading family in Lin’an and Pei Yan was the intermediary for the Li family’s dispute, he should ask Pei Yan directly instead of getting information from third-party sources. However, he did not expect that Pei Yan, who was described by his mentor as being “noble and arrogant, oblivious to the ways of the world”, was misjudged by his mentor.

Not only was he condescending and arrogant, but it was to the highest degree that no one was worth anything in his eyes. However, this arrogance was a result of his strong confidence in himself and his keen and thorough understanding of the ways of the world. This was the complete opposite of what his mentor called “oblivious to the ways of the world”. Using his connection with Shen Shanyan, who was his previous qin instructor, he asked Shen Shanyan to introduce him and came to the Pei residence a few times.

Gu Chang had only just begun the conversation, but Pei Yan was already able to immediately determine the purpose of his trip to Jiangnan.

Even Shen Shanyan, who was once an official in the imperial court for several years, did not see it, let alone Pei Yan who said it aloud with fearless candor.

This showed Pei Yan’s strong self-confidence.

Those with the ability to stand at the peak often appreciate those talented ones who are capable of standing alongside them or rising above them.

Gu Chang said ambiguously, “Minister Feng is aptly concerned about the welfare of our country and its people, and is greatly respected and admired by the scholarly community. We should not allow the wicked to rampage and honorable men to suffer wretched fates!”

At present, the palace prison was under the control of the Grand Secretary of Justice.

Countless people were unjustly executed every year.

Pei Yan was unimpressed and didn’t even want to act polite by refilling Gu Chang’s tea. He lazily leaned back on his chair and made himself comfortable. He poured himself a cup of tea before commenting, “You may not be aware of this, but my eldest brother’s brother-in-law served as an official at the Tai Chang Temple for many years.”

Taichang Temple was responsible for ceremonial rites, performances and state sacrifices. Under the wide expense beneath heavens, all land belongs to the emperor. There was no clear-cut way to distinguish between what was considered a family matter of the emperor and what constituted a national affair. The palace eunuchs of the 24 inner courtyards occasionally omitted to report their expenses, so they would put the expenses under the Tai Chang Temple’s account. The Tai Chang Temple would also ask the eunuchs of the 24 inner courtyards to help out with some of the items that could not be reported. Thus, the relationship between these two families have always been excellent.

Pei Yan’s words implied that he would not interfere with the eunuchs’ affairs.

This was markedly different from the attitudes many court officials had.

Shen Shanyan was concerned that these two young, handsome and talented juniors, who both had equally smooth-sailing careers with powerful family resources, would be unable to tolerate each other at that moment, and their relationship would turn sour and create a rift. It would be a great loss to Jiangnan’s officials if they were unwilling to even share a meal together in the future, despite being aware of the other party’s name and accomplishments.

He hurriedly interjected with a smile. “Today is such a beautiful day, and the both of you are learned men, so how could you spoil it with a discussion of politics and neglect to appreciate this fine weather we have? Chaoyang, you are the one who started it, so you should punish yourself with three cups of tea to set an example.” After saying this, he poured a cup of tea and gave it to Gu Chang, urging him with a smile to “drink quickly”.

For Gu Chang, he just couldn’t resist testing Pei Yan’s knowledge and ability. It’s not like the two of them harbored any deep animosity, so why would he want to offend Pei Yan?

Shen Shanyan provided him with an excuse, and so with a dashing smile, he lifted his cup of tea and raised it towards Pei Yan several times, saying earnestly, “Xia Guang, I have stayed too long in the capital and thus become unrefined, conversing in such matters to everyone I meet. Xia Guang is sophisticated, well-mannered and has not driven me out, so let me drink to you as a token of my respect.”

Pei Yan was really sick of his pretentious attitude and decided that he would tolerate him just this once.

If Gu Chang continued to carry on like this, he would throw him out.

Thankfully, thereafter, Gu Chang only spoke about the origins of a small bronze tripod caldron he found in the capital some time back. They conversed comfortably with each other and even looked like they were somewhat enjoying each other’s company by the end of the day.

Shen Shanyan was delighted.

There was no one in the world more fortunate than Pei Yan.

The cunning old fox, Zhang Ying had taken him on as a closed-door disciple when he was just about to retire and return to his hometown, giving him instant access to a vast network of envy-inducing connections and political resources.

However, Grand Elder Pei not only called Pei Yan to return home, but even made him the patriarch. Shen Shanyan felt that the Pei family’s grand elder was utterly blinded to make such a foolhardy decision before he died. When he found out about it, it was already too late. Even if he wanted to dissuade Grand Elder Pei, he couldn’t. Instead, he pinned his hopes on Pei Yan to become a leading literary figure and do his utmost to contribute to the Jiangnan scholarly circle.

For the past decade or so, they had been tacitly suppressed by the Northern region’s scholarly community. If there is no further advancement, the Jiangnan scholars would probably suffer a great loss in strength.

This was not a matter concerning one or two families.

Rather, it affected the entire Jiangnan academic circle.

Pei Yan’s willingness to take a step back and Gu Chang’s ability to respond accordingly gave him some hope for the rise of Jiangnan scholars.

Shen Shanyan and Gu Chang even remained at the Pei’s residence to share an evening meal before returning to the local school.

At present, Gu Chang was staying with Shen Shanyan.

When Shen Shanyan’s accompanying attendant saw his bright and lively eyes, he couldn’t help but ask incredulously, “Didn’t Master drink wine today?”

“We went to the Pei Residence!” Shen Shanyan responded, and he exchanged pleasantries with Gu Chang for a while more, as they planned to invite Pei Yan to accompany them for a trip to Zhaoming Temple tomorrow, before dispersing.

Gu Chang’s personal attendant was a man in his thirties called Gao Sheng. After his mother’s death, Gu Chang’s grandfather feared that he would be bullied by his other siblings and thus arranged for Gao Sheng to serve him. Instead of being his attendant, Gao Sheng was more like a bodyguard, loyal servant and trusted confidant.

When he saw Gu Chang return, he quickly helped him change his clothes.

Seeing that no one was in the room, Gu Chang asked quietly, “What’s the progress on the task I gave you?”

Gao Sheng was tall and burly, with ordinary features, but he gave off a sense of reliability and steadiness in the way he carried himself.

“Everything was done as per your instructions.” He said with a flash of contempt in his eyes before continuing, “The Li family is like a headless housefly, they still haven’t managed to uncover the instigator.”

“Useless!” Gu Chang’s face instantly hardened at his words, and he said disgustedly, “Didn’t people describe him as youthful, handsome and talented? Yet, he can’t even settle a merchant’s family! Has all of his studies been for naught? I left him so many clues, yet he still remains oblivious. No wonder my sister despises him! I think he’s just empty talk and no substance. Send someone to deliver a letter to my sister and tell her that I approve of her withdrawal from the marriage.”

Gao Sheng respectfully answered “Yes”.

Gu Chang then spoke of Pei Yan. “It’s not surprising that although he has never attended any literary events or poetry gatherings in the Capital, his name still carries considerably high prestige and weight. He certainly has the talent. It’s a pity he’s at home observing the mourning period, otherwise he would be an excellent candidate.”

Gao Sheng did not say a word.

Gu Chang changed his clothes and freshened up before speaking about Pei Yan again, “I used to think that the Pei family stayed in Lin’an as they didn’t have sufficient financial resources to move elsewhere, but now it seems that I have underestimated the Pei family and Pei Xia Guang. Do we have any in-laws who are acquainted with their family and who could speak in the presence of Grand Madam Pei? If I could have my sister appear before Grand Madam Pei, I might be able to pull it off. However, the current marriage has to be withdrawn first. It cannot remain ambiguous. We have to show him sincere respect and preserve his dignity.”

Eldest Young Master has his eye on Pei Yan?

Gao Sheng hesitated for a moment before answering, “Why don’t I just enquire about the Pei family first? Logically speaking, a man like Third Master Pei should be the golden son-in-law that everyone wants. What if he’s already betrothed?”

Who would Eldest Young Miss marry if she withdrew her marriage to the Li family? She wasn’t that young either, and although Li Duan wasn’t that suitable, but he was still a proper scholar, tall and handsome. With Eldest Young Lady and Master’s skills, he should be easy to manipulate, so the result would be the same.

It would be troublesome if they ended up with nothing.

Gao Sheng’s words cautioned Gu Chang.

“You’re right.” He mused, “Eldest Young Lady wasn’t keen on this marriage in the first place. Especially after Mrs. Li knelt in front of her father in front of so many people, It’s akin to her bearing an unfilial name even before she marries into the Li family. Let’s find out more about Pei Xia Guang’s situation first. I have to stay here for a couple more days anyway, so I might as well settle her marriage before leaving.”