New Party Discusses Men, Hanlin Academy Robbed

"That's right, Qiu Yan is the top scholar in Jiannan Circuit this year, but his true identity is that of a scholar who has repeatedly failed the Xiucai examinations and couldn't even pass the county-level examination. He has no background and his family has no wealth."

Opposite Wang Fu, a young man was speaking eloquently. His eyes were bright as he spoke, and he had a spirited air about him. His every move exuded confidence and vigor.

Although everyone present was dressed differently, a closer look at their clothes revealed that they were not made of ordinary materials. Combined with their expressions and demeanor, they gave off an aura of wealth and power. When the young man spoke, they all smiled and listened attentively, highlighting that the young man was not of ordinary status.

The fact that this person could speak so freely in front of the Black-faced Chancellor shows that his relationship with Wang Fu was not ordinary.

All these factors combined have vaguely revealed his identity.

As soon as the young man finished speaking, a middle-aged man chimed in. "Having repeatedly failed the imperial examinations and lacking any family background, under normal circumstances, this person's chances of passing were slim. However, since the Prime Minister mentioned him, I have reviewed his records and discovered that he has had a remarkably smooth run in this Imperial Examinations, consistently outperforming many talented scholars from Jiannan. His success has been truly unexpected, and recently he has been making waves in the Eastern Capital, earning praise from many."

The person who answered had a square face and long, narrow eyes, giving him an air of authority yet shrewdness.

"Cen Bo, you're right." The young man glanced at the middle-aged man with the square face and smiled, "But if you had lived in Jiannan Circuit and knew a little about the inside story, you wouldn't have such doubts."

"Oh? Pan Xiang, why don't you tell me more?" Before the square-faced man named Cen Bo could reply, another man, who looked to be around thirty years old, asked in return.

His words revealed the young man's identity; he was none other than Pan Xiang, the second son of the Pan family of Yuanning Prefecture in Jiannan Circuit!

The current New Law enforcement officer has risen rapidly in recent years.

"Zhang Hou, since I've brought this up in front of the Prime Minister, I'm bound to make things clear. You don't need to rush me." Pan Xiang glanced at the man, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it and spoke calmly.

Just then, Wang Fu, who was sitting at the head of the table, suddenly spoke up, "According to you, Qiu Yan's smooth sailing in the Imperial Examinations and his growing reputation are actually related to Ma Yang?"

"Your Excellency is wise, that is indeed the case." Pan Xiang nodded quickly. Since the stern-faced prime minister had asked the question himself, he naturally wouldn't beat around the bush any longer and said directly, "When Chancellor Ma was in Jiannan Circuit, he happened to live in Qingchang County. He was in the same place as Qiu Yan, and for two years he taught him meticulously and imparted all his knowledge to him."

"Oh? Is that so?" Another man spoke up. He was fair-skinned, around forty years old, with bright, sparkling eyes. He was handsome and dashing. "So, Qiu Yan is Ma Yang's disciple?"

"Not bad." Pan Xiang glanced at the man. "If it weren't for Chancellor Ma's guidance, this man would still be wasting his time. How could he have achieved such success, even making a mark on the Emperor?"

"Yes. Now that you mention it, he is indeed a threat," the handsome man in his forties nodded. "His Majesty has mentioned this person occasionally recently, so he clearly remembers him well."

"Oh?"

His words surprised everyone else, who were clearly hearing the same thing for the first time.

Being mentioned by the emperor occasionally is no small matter.

The man who spoke was named Tian Youqing. He was responsible for recording the emperor's daily activities, essentially serving as the emperor's personal official and knowing the emperor's behavior.

In a centralized society, the emperor's every move and word has an unimaginable impact on others. Even an unintentional remark or two will be carefully analyzed to discern the emperor's intentions and preferences, and then countermeasures will be devised.

The reason why Wang Fu's New Party was able to gain the emperor's support was largely because he understood the emperor's thoughts and, while catering to his preferences, realized his own political ambitions.

Therefore, Tian Youqing's identity was extraordinary, and his position in the New Party was very secure.

After speaking, Tian Youqing continued without pausing, "Since he is Ma Yang's disciple, possesses both talent and strategy, and has already gained a reputation, we cannot let him go unchecked. If he were to meet the Emperor, it would be more dangerous than for any other talented scholar. Given the Emperor's mind, he might very well favor him and give him an important position."

He narrowed his eyes, a cold smile appearing on his face, "The Old Party is corrupt and hinders the progress of the nation. Once Qiu Yan gains a powerful position, he will become a key figure in the Old Party, which will be extremely disadvantageous to us. We cannot give such a person even the slightest chance to rise to prominence!"

His words were filled with a chilling intent.

The others exchanged glances, all understanding the situation. They knew that Tian Youqing wasn't targeting Qiu Yan. No matter how successful Qiu Yan was in the Imperial Examinations, he was still just a candidate for the provincial examination and didn't even hold an official position. Tian Youqing didn't care about him. The reason he said those words was actually aimed at Ma Yang, who was behind Qiu Yan.

Chancellor Ma Yang was highly respected. After returning to the court, he took charge of affairs and quelled the turmoil in the court caused by the reforms. Even the emperor, who harbored prejudices against him, had to rely on him more.

However, after stabilizing the court, Ma Yang began to fight against the New Party and had grudges against everyone in the New Party. Among them, Tian Youqing was undoubtedly the one who hated Ma Yang the most, because Ma Yang had specifically named him as saying that he had ulterior motives and was bewitching Wang Fu's mind, giving him the evaluation of "treacherous and evil"!

For officials in the court, what could be worse than being denounced as a traitor in front of the emperor?

From that day on, Tian Youqing regarded Ma Yang as an enemy, but he would not let go of any opportunity to strike. However, although Ma Yang was conservative in his political views, he was self-disciplined and had high prestige. How could a junior like Tian Youqing shake him? He was defeated nine times out of ten when he targeted him, and the last time was often not satisfactory.

Now that he knows the relationship between Qiu Yan and Ma Yang, how could Tian Youqing let it go? As he spoke, he was already plotting how to use Qiu Yan's breakthrough to attack Ma Yang.

Everyone present was a member of the New Party, and could be considered the core of the New Law, in charge of the policy direction of Great Rui. The reason for their gathering was to take advantage of the Lantern Festival to welcome Pan Xiang back.

Pan Xiang's military achievements during his supervision of the Northern Frontier have expanded the New Party's influence within the military, a significant contribution indeed. It should be noted that although the New Party controls most of the government, its foundation is weak, partly due to the lack of suitable representatives and supporters within the military. Pan Xiang's military exploits have undoubtedly opened a breakthrough.

After everyone gathered, they discussed important military and national affairs. However, after a few rounds of drinks, Prime Minister Wang recalled a name he had heard in the palace and asked about it, which startled Pan Xiang and led to the scene before them.

Seeing that the conversation was getting more and more in-depth, Wang Fu patted the table, and everyone understood his meaning and stopped talking.

Wang Fu looked at Pan Xiang and asked, "Ma Yang is no ordinary person. Ordinary people are hard to catch his eye. He wouldn't favor someone for no reason. Although Qiu Yan has failed the imperial examinations many times, he must have some extraordinary abilities. Otherwise, with tens of thousands of scholars in Jiannan Circuit, why would Ma Yang favor this person alone?"

As he spoke, he remembered something else. "Speaking of which, the reason Qiu Yan caught the Emperor's attention was not because of Ma Yang's help, but because of a military strategy he wrote. That strategy was written in the examination hall, and I have read the copy. It can be described as anticipating the enemy's moves. It is definitely not something an ordinary scholar could write. Even if he fails the examinations repeatedly, and even if he really has no official rank, with this ability, he will not have to worry about finding a way out."

As soon as he said that, everyone else fell silent. Then Wang Fu glanced around and steered the conversation away from there.

Pan Xiang felt uneasy. He noticed that there seemed to be a deeper meaning in the way Wang Fu looked at him.

"The Prime Minister saw through my ulterior motives?" Cold sweat rolled down his forehead. "It seems that trying to manipulate the Prime Minister is not so easy."

Later in the banquet, everyone talked about other things, but Pan Xiang became much more low-key.

However, he did not notice that across the table, a man was watching his expression from time to time. This man was thin and did not have the noble air that the others exuded, but his eyes flashed with a cold light, and he remained calm from beginning to end.

He was very close to Wang Fu, and they would often whisper to each other.

After the banquet, when everyone had left, Tian Youqing arranged to meet Pan Xiang again the next day, which pleased the latter.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city...

"Missing out on Qiu Yan is indeed a loss. He is a talented scholar with a good background. He is valued by Ma Yang and praised by many Grand Confucian. There are rumors in the court and among the people that the theme of this year's imperial Metropolitan Examination will change. In order to appease the Old Party, Wang Fu will definitely have to make some compromises and let the Old Party's candidates pass the examination. This is one of his methods. Qiu Yan has a good chance!"

A figure stood vaguely in the shadows, uttering a clear voice, each word carrying a thought-provoking quality.

Opposite this person, the innkeeper of the Book Hoard Inn knelt on the ground, nodding repeatedly. Then he looked up and tentatively asked, "You mean to act as soon as possible? Through Qiu Yan's friend, to collect his Literary Qi before he makes it onto the list and make it into bookmarks?"

"This matter..." the person in the shadows began to speak, but their voice abruptly stopped. They shuddered, their voice rising abruptly, "How dare you! Stealing from the Hanlin Academy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of wind rose from the ground. When the bookstore owner looked again, there was no one left in the shadows.

"Hmm? The Hanlin Academy has been robbed?" The shopkeeper sensed something amiss from the previous sentence and found it somewhat unbelievable.

Inside the inn, Qiu Yan sat at the table, pen in hand, paper spread on the table, lost in thought, his brows furrowed.

Finally, he shook his head and sighed.

"No, I haven't fully prepared my thoughts yet, so I can't start writing."

With a sigh, he put down his pen and was about to get up when he suddenly heard a "whoosh" behind him. Turning around, he saw four creatures: Ginseng Baby, Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription, Incense Burner, and Trial Beast. They crashed through the window and fell down with a whoosh.

Snap!

Two books fell to the ground. (To be continued...)

P. S.: Thanks to "Wan Xia Xia La", "Side of the Bridge of Helplessness", and "Master of Tea Ceremony" for their generous donations!!

Thank you to "Everyone Travels Through Time" for the monthly vote!