When Fortune Arrived, the Dragon Revealed Itself

With his slap, he scattered several neatly arranged stacks of memorials, but he seemed oblivious, rising abruptly from his seat and heading out.

"I must go and meet the Emperor now!"

The Council of State Affairs and the Privy Council, together forming two offices, constituted the true central government of the Great Rui Dynasty, respectively in charge of politics and military affairs.

People often say "the highest position a minister can attain," and those who truly deserve these four words are the ministers who hold positions in the Two Offices, wielding the power to govern the Yin-Yang and managing the affairs of the realm. They can be called prime ministers or chancellors. In the previous dynasty, they would be the prime minister of the country, second only to the emperor!

However, times have changed, and the power of the prime minister has long been divided. It is no longer a matter of one person holding all the power, but rather it is divided between the Two Offices, with many ministers discussing and deciding on the matter.

The Council of State Affairs was the center of government affairs. Even if a high-ranking official wanted to go there, he would have to be led by a clerk from the Secretariat on horseback. He could not enter without permission.

The chief ministers handled daily affairs in the Council of State Affairs, which mainly consisted of two categories. The first was to meet with officials and understand the state of affairs in the country. The second was to review and execute imperial edicts and approve official documents from various government departments.

The hall of Council of State Affairs was not lavishly decorated. There were a few desks, and three men of different ages sat in the hall, each with a composed demeanor, presenting an air of grandeur and Great Qi.

The old man who suddenly spoke was emaciated, but his eyes were bright. When he spoke, his Qi and Blood rushed to his head, and a little red appeared on his face. He was reviewing official documents. After seeing a memorial, he slammed his hand on the table and stood up, looking furious, which puzzled the people around him.

"Old Zhang, what's wrong?" A middle-aged man, around forty years old, put down his memorial and frowned as he looked over.

This man had neatly styled hair and a long, flowing beard. He spoke with a strong, resonant voice, giving him an air of shrewdness and competence.

This man, named Xu Jin, was recently admitted to the Council of State Affairs.

The old man he called Elder Zhang was named Zhang Lian. He was a veteran official who served three dynasties and had a high level of seniority and prestige within the Council of State Affairs.

Since Chancellor Wang entered the Council of State Affairs two years ago to preside over the reform, Zhang Lian has been his adversary and is one of the major figures of the Old Party.

He didn't respond to Xu Jin's question. Instead, he strode out of the hall angrily. Just then, another aged voice came from the side—

"Is this a memorial from Wang Fu's side? Does it propose using the New Law for the Metropolitan Examination?"

The speaker had nearly gray hair, a thin body, but a large frame. He also had a long beard and looked very energetic. If Qiu Yan were here, he wouldn't need to see the person; he could recognize him just by his voice.

This man was none other than Ma Yang, a descendant of the Historians' School, who now held the high-ranking position of prime minister. He was a pillar and a leading figure of the Old Party, and during Chancellor Wang's reforms, he clashed with him several times. Although he lost more often than he won, he still caused the New Party a great deal of trouble.

As for Wang Fu mentioned in the man's words, that was the name of the Black-faced Chancellor.

Wang Fu, Ma Yang, Zhang Lian, Xu Jin, and Yan Dongting, who was recuperating at home from a cold, these five people constituted the entire staff of the Council of State Affairs, the most powerful figures in the entire Great Rui!

Zhang Lian stopped, raised his withered old hand, and pointed to a memorial. "That Pan Xiang a memorial, saying that the changes in grain prices in Prosperity Capital endangered the safety of the country and that prices should be stabilized as soon as possible. It's still the same old tune of praising the chaos of the law. He even said that he wanted to take advantage of the Metropolitan Examination to select the nation's talents! Isn't he just trying to take advantage of the situation to change the purpose of the Metropolitan Examination?"

"Oh? Pan Zhi Zhishang's memorial?" Ma Yang frowned. "He has some military achievements while supervising the war in the north, but we don't know if they are real or not. Now it seems that he wants to take advantage of the situation. However, we have already made concessions by Metropolitan Examination over the imperial examination to Wang Fu. What we want is to ensure that the main purpose remains unchanged. If they want to take this opportunity to change course, that would be going too far!"

"Wang Heimian's men are young, incompetent, and many are morally corrupt and act recklessly. They are absolutely capable of doing something like this," Zhang Lian sneered. "If we're talking about leveraging power, wasn't this whole mess with the merchants of Prosperity Capital caused by them? First, they disregarded quotas and Jiaozi to raise military funds. Now they're trying to enact Market Exchange Law to suppress the merchants of the Imperial City. These merchants are not easily manipulated; how could we let them have their way?"

The so-called Jiaozi was a paper currency issued by the Great Rui. It was originally a payment voucher made by a few wealthy merchants. After all, iron coins and copper coins were bulky and of little value. Ten strings of cash weighed sixty-five catties, which was inconvenient to carry and restricted commercial development. When people are poor, they think of ways to change, and that's how Jiaozi came about.

Subsequently, the imperial court changed it to a government-run system, establishing the Jiaozi Office in Prosperity Capital and Eastern Capital respectively to be responsible for the issuance of paper money.

In Qiu Yan's previous life, many people looked down on the ancients, believing that their understanding was limited. However, in this world that resembled ancient times, there were many intelligent people who clearly saw the drawbacks of paper money. They petitioned the court, which led to the establishment of laws stipulating that the issuance of Jiaozi should have a fixed quota of about 1.25 million strings of cash each time, with a reserve fund of 360,000 strings of cash. Every three years, new Jiaozi would be manufactured to replace the old Jiaozi, thus preventing inflation.

After hearing Zhang Lian's words, Ma Yang remained silent. He had always held a negative attitude towards the New Law because New Law contradicted his political ideology. He also knew that any reform would inevitably create chaos and give others an opportunity to take advantage of it.

In his view, reforms and new policies are, in essence, a redistribution of existing interests.

The cake is only so big; if you get a bigger slice, others will get a smaller one. This involves not only political struggles but also a battle for interests.

Cutting off people's livelihoods can lead to murder of parents; the more people's interests are harmed by this reform, the greater the resistance it will generate.

Similarly, the transition between the old and the new, and the lack of a complete system, makes it easy for people to take advantage of the situation and cause all sorts of chaos.

Ma Yang's roots are in Eastern Capital, and his resistance to the reforms stems primarily from his ideology. Zhang Lian, on the Central Passes, has interests in Guanzhong and also has entanglements with merchants in Prosperity Capital, so he certainly wouldn't allow the Market Exchange Law be implemented.

After thinking for a moment, Ma Yang also stood up. "In any case, the Imperial Examinations cannot be treated lightly. If it is suddenly changed, I don't know how many students' years of hard work will go to waste."

However, before he and Zhang Lian could leave the Council of State Affairs, a eunuch rushed in.

"Your Excellencies, His Majesty has issued an imperial edict."

The three ministers exchanged glances, straightened their clothes, and pretended to listen attentively. However, a sense of unease flashed through the hearts of Ma Yang and Zhang Lian.

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.

Emperor Li Kun sat on his throne, listening to the words of the person opposite him across the table, and nodded to himself.

"... The Imperial Examinations sets the trend for Scholar Forest across the land. Imperial Examinations importance, students will naturally study diligently. Moreover, the merchants in the Imperial City are now colluding, disregarding the court's financial difficulties and only concerned with their own interests, worsening the situation. The officials in the court are either indifferent or helpless, indicating a lack of talent for reform. This Imperial Examinations should be used to select one or two talented individuals to fill the gaps..."

Li Kun has become increasingly composed over the years, but a burning passion still burns within him, though he rarely shows it. Recently, sporadic battles broke out in the Northern Frontier, causing him great anxiety and sleepless nights. Now, Pan Zhi's report has reassured the emperor and filled him with anticipation for the future of the reforms, giving him a clear idea of the next steps in financial and military reforms.

At this critical moment, Wang Fu, the person in charge of the reform, suddenly came over and said that this year's Metropolitan Examination would focus on the assessment of reform-related aspects. This made Li Kun hesitate, but he did not object much.

Since ascending the throne, Li Kun has been eager to tighten his belt and save money, hoping to revitalize the Great Rui and restore the prestige of the founding emperor. He has shown an urgent desire and is an impatient person. As long as he can achieve his goal, he will sometimes disregard the advice of others and break some conventions.

Wang Fu's proposal, combined with the price crisis in Prosperity Capital and the good news of victory in the Northern Frontier, had already led Li Kun to make a decision. His predecessor summoned other ministers of the Council of State Affairs, ostensibly to discuss matters, but in reality to issue a decision.

Wang Fu was very clear about this. This shrewd and capable prime minister was an unremarkable man with a dark complexion and a considerable height. If he weren't wearing the court robes of First Rank- rank official, he would easily be mistaken for an old farmer.

But this very person not only thoroughly understood the emperor's thoughts, but also stirred up the world's affairs, standing at the forefront of the storm, and was the true helmsman of the great ship of Great Rui!

He will lead this ship of people to a brand new watershed.

However, this process requires utmost caution and treading on thin ice.

At this moment, an old man with a white face and no beard waved his hand, and a young eunuch came over to serve Wang Fu tea.

Although the Great Rui was a centralized government, Aristocratic Clan families wielded considerable influence. Scholars and officials shared power with the emperor, and there was no significant difference in rank. When meeting the emperor, they did not need to kneel. Even high-ranking officials like Wang Fu would be offered a seat.

"Oh, right," Li Kun suddenly remembered something, "I remember there was a scholar in Jiannan Circuit who wrote a military strategy, which was quite good. Will he also participate in the Metropolitan Examination this time? What was his name again?"

The pale-faced old man pondered for a moment, glanced at Wang Fu, and then said, "Your Majesty is referring to Qiu Yan, the top scholar from Jiannan, isn't he? This old servant will inquire about it."

Li Kun shook his head and said, "You don't need to inquire about it. I just remembered it when I heard about the Imperial Examinations. It will be time to meet him if he becomes a Jinshi."

The white-bearded old man nodded in agreement, while Wang Fu remembered the name "Qiu Yan" and seemed to be deep in thought.

At the same time, Qiu Yan, who was trekking along the Official Path, suddenly felt a change in his own Fortune. A wisp of energy rose from his Fleshly Body and connected with the Unseen entity in the sky.

"Dragon Qi?" Qiu Yan pondered to himself. Suddenly, on a whim, his Divine Soul Spirit Projection and soared into the sky. Following this connection, he floated and drifted towards the heavens.

The sky was cloudless, but in Qiu Yan 'Divine Soul perception, the seemingly empty sky was filled with many things, the largest of which was a...

Dragon!

P. S.: Thank you to "Tea Master" and "Minor Character" for the donations!