This young official is...
"It's him!" Xu Qi'an suddenly realized, remembering the great scholar who had taken his poems for free.
Yang Gong might not be a familiar name, but the name Layman Ziyang was instantly recognizable. Taking advantage of the fact that he had forgotten the name of the farewell poem, this fellow forcibly assigned a title to it after Erlang recited the poem.
That's utterly shameless.
Xu Qi'an later used poetry to entice the three great scholars of the academy, and then comfortably took advantage of them for free. This was inspired by the Layman Ziyang, and he felt no remorse whatsoever.
In this world, it's either you or me who gets something for free.
After hiring a carriage near the dock, Governor Zhang sat inside, lifted the curtain, and continued, "The Layman Ziyang was the top scholar in the imperial examination of the 14th year of the Yuanjing era. He retired the following year and devoted himself to teaching at the academy, nurturing countless students."
Xu Qi'an's heart skipped a beat. "Retire the following year?"
The top scholar in the imperial examination could enter the Hanlin Academy, and the probationary officials in the Hanlin Academy were also known as potential prime ministers. In other words, the top scholar could compete for the position of chief minister.
He retired the following year, suffering a huge financial loss!
"It's due to the infighting within the court. Despite the fierce competition among the various factions, when it comes to the scholars of the Cloud Deer Academy, they are united against a common enemy." Governor Zhang sighed.
"After Layman Ziyang became the top scholar in the imperial examination, he was relegated to a remote corner and ignored by everyone. He was depressed for a year, spending his days in the Imperial Academy of Music. The following year, he resigned from his post and returned to the Cloud Deer Academy to teach."
I've heard of that; they've been getting things for free for almost a year. Xu Qi'an was genuinely envious.
Regarding the fact that Layman Ziyang was being persecuted by various factions in the court, Governor Zhang could only sigh and offered no further explanation.
Xu Qi'an, who had a younger brother from the Cloud Deer Academy, knew exactly what was going on.
Two hundred years ago, the struggle for the succession to the throne made the royal family both wary and disgusted with the scholars of the Cloud Deer Academy. As a result, the Cheng family, a renowned Imperial Academy, rose to prominence, established the Imperial Academy, and replaced Cloud Deer Academy as the source of talent for the court.
It can be said that there was both a conflict of interest and a struggle for the orthodoxy between the two sides. If Emperor Yuanjing had not been a perfectionist, the Layman Ziyang would probably still be teaching in the academy today.
"The talent and skill of the Layman Ziyang are first-rate in this era. When he first arrived in Qingzhou, he swept through the Provincial Administration Commission with lightning speed. Within a month, he dismissed and imprisoned 178 corrupt officials, which shocked the entire Qingzhou officialdom." Governor Zhang's tone was full of admiration.
Is this really so reckless? While it's true that a new official makes a strong first impression, a high-ranking official transferred from the capital to a remote area, even if he wanted to clean up the Qingzhou bureaucracy, should have proceeded more gradually. How long has it been since Layman Ziyang accepted the imperial appointment and became the Qingzhou Provincial Governor?
Xu Qi'an was puzzled and frowned, saying, "Will the various factions in the court allow him to make such a big move?"
Governor Zhang said with a smile, "During the Capital Evaluation, the infighting among the various factions in the court was fierce, making cooperation impossible, and there was also the restraint of Duke Wei."
He gave Xu Qi'an a knowing look, then continued, "Besides, Layman Ziyang is shrewd despite his recklessness. He obtained all the evidence he needed to gather, and got those convicted officials to spill the beans. Hmm, aren't the scholars of the Cloud Deer Academy the best at reasoning?"
The "principle" the adult was referring to must be the principle of physics. Xu Qi'an understood immediately and exchanged a smile with Governor Zhang.
Upon arriving at the official post station in Qingzhou, Governor Zhang specially took Xu Qi'an to the Provincial Administration Office to visit the Layman Ziyang.
Xu Qi'an had already figured out why Governor Zhang had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation. This shrewd and capable governor was afraid that the Layman Ziyang would not buy it, so he had pulled him along.
After all, this governor was inspecting Yunzhou, not Qingzhou.
With Xu Qi'an by his side, the Layman Ziyang would definitely give him face and grant his every request.
Upon entering the Provincial Administration Office, an official led the group into the inner hall, where they were served tea and taken their seats.
"The Provincial Governor went to inspect the steles at various government offices."
They were received by the Left Assistant Administrator of the Provincial Administration Commission, Subordinate Fourth Rank official.
Governor Zhang pondered for a moment and said, "Is it the stone tablet that stands in the front yard?"
The Left Councilor nodded with a smile, "The Provincial Governor wishes to erect a warning stele to admonish the officials of Qingzhou to be honest and upright, and to bring benefits to the people."
Governor Zhang nodded. This was the aftermath of the cleanup of official corruption. "The Provincial Governor's actions were well-intentioned, but why is the monument blank?"
The Left Councilor said helplessly, "The Provincial Governor hasn't decided what to carve yet, and he's been troubled by this matter lately. He's even asked us to brainstorm and provide inspiration, which has caused us all a lot of trouble."
"Layman Ziyang is quite impressive; he knows how to organize essay contests," Xu Qi'an thought with a sigh.
The territory of the Great Feng Dynasty was divided into sixteen prefectures. Xu Qi'an understood a prefecture as a province, but not every prefecture was a province; there were also many small prefectures.
For example, Qingzhou has more than a dozen prefectures under its jurisdiction, as well as other prefectures and counties.
At this moment, Provincial Governor Yang Gong led a group of officials from Qingzhou into the Qingzhou Government Office, with the Prefectural Governor humbly accompanying them on one side.
Yang Gong, dressed in a scarlet robe, stood before the stone tablet and nodded in satisfaction. "Gentlemen, do you have any suggestions regarding the inscription?"
In just a few months, the refined and scholarly air he once possessed gradually disappeared, replaced by the imposing manner of a local official.
"This humble official believes that the deeds of the Provincial Governor in eliminating corrupt officials and upholding righteousness should be engraved on a monument to warn future generations," the Prefect of Qingzhou said, bowing.
Yang Gong was somewhat tempted. In that case, the inscription would surely be recorded in the local chronicles of Qingzhou and passed down to future generations.
But he quickly rejected the suggestion. "The inscription should not be too long, otherwise it will be too complicated and lengthy, and not eye-catching enough."
"Then let's engrave poems on it," an official said instinctively.
Then he noticed that everyone present was looking at him, their gazes calm.
The official chuckled dryly a few times and then fell silent.
For well-read scholars, writing poetry is not difficult; who hasn't written a few poems in their youth? Whether they can be considered elegant is another matter.
Poems inscribed on steles like these not only need to be well-written, but also need to serve as a warning to the world; they cannot be written casually.
During the discussions, a clerk from the Provincial Administration Commission rode up to the government office, trotted in, stood a short distance away, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:
"Your Excellency, a new governor has arrived in the capital and is already at the Provincial Administration Office."
A governor? Is the governor here so quickly this year? The year of Gengzi is the year of the Capital Evaluation. According to custom, the governor should be sent down from the capital after the results of the capital Capital Evaluation are in.
This involves the unspoken rules of officialdom. The conclusion of the capital's Capital Evaluation also signifies the end of the power struggle among various factions, and the winners and losers are now a foregone conclusion.
Only then will a governor be dispatched to remove the officials from the defeated camp.
Yang Gong, who had received the letter a few days in advance, explained, "I am not here for Qingzhou, but on my way to Yunzhou. I am just passing through Qingzhou."
"Yunzhou, ah." The officials all wore knowing expressions.
Yang Gong looked at the clerk and said, "Tell the governor that I have important business to attend to and will not be seeing him. If he needs anything, he can ask his advisors."
Yang Gong was a renowned Confucian scholar at the Cloud Deer Academy, but he had no connection with the officials in the imperial court, let alone any friendship with them. He was preoccupied with the matter of the inscription and couldn't be bothered to deal with the unfamiliar governor.
"Yes!" the clerk replied first, then added, "The governor also asked me to pass on a message to you."
Yang Gong and the other officials looked over.
The clerk said, "Xu Qi'an, the Xu Qi'an, will accompany us."
"Xu Qi'an —who is he?" The officials didn't immediately recognize him, but Yang Gong did, because he had always been paying attention to the developments in the capital and maintaining correspondence with the great scholars of the Cloud Deer Academy.
"Get out of the sedan chair and return to the Provincial Administration Commission immediately." Yang Gong's attitude changed completely, his tone revealing urgency and joy:
"Quickly, lift the sedan chair!"
Having said that, he left the officials behind and walked straight out of the government office.
The officials of Qingzhou looked at each other blankly, staring at Yang Gong's retreating figure.
"Who is Xu Qi'an, the gong-wielding official? The name sounds familiar," the prefect of Qingzhou asked, frowning.
"Why don't we go together to the Provincial Administration Office and receive the governor from the capital?"
"That makes sense, let's go."
The officials left the government office in groups, and sedan chairs proceeded to the Provincial Administration Commission.
Xu Qi'an didn't wait long at the Provincial Administration Office before being greeted by an official in a scarlet robe. This man had an ancient face, a goatee popular among middle-aged and elderly people, bright and piercing eyes, and an imposing demeanor.
He is a very imposing adult.
The person with a golden pheasant embroidered on their chest is a second-rank official, and the provincial governor seems to be Subordinate Second Rank as well.
Xu Qi'an only recognized appearances, not people. He guessed that the imposing man in the scarlet robe must be the Qingzhou Provincial Governor, the great Confucian scholar of the Cloud Deer Academy, and the Layman Ziyang had taken his farewell poem for free.
After bowing to Governor Zhang, the Layman Ziyang turned his gaze to Xu Qi'an, who was dressed in a black official's robe and had Xu Qi'an, Law Artifact, strapped to his chest, and silently scrutinized him.
At this moment, he was no longer agitated; his gentle demeanor was tinged with authority.
He was the only one holding the gong, so he must be Xu Cijiu's cousin. Judging by appearance alone, the two brothers bore no resemblance whatsoever, a stark contrast to Cijiu. Yang Gong laughed:
"So you are Xu Ningyan?"
Xu Qi'an quickly clasped his hands in greeting. "It is indeed your humble servant."
"Don't be so reserved in my presence; you can consider yourself my student." Yang Gong's smile widened as he said, "Indeed, you are a handsome man, no less so than Cijiu."
"Layman Ziyang has excellent judgment," Xu Qi'an said happily. "You flatter me, sir."
After some pleasantries, Yang Gong inquired about the recent situation in the capital, even though he had learned a great deal about the inside story through letters sent from the academy.
Bringing Xu Ningyan on the visit was indeed the right decision; otherwise, the Provincial Governor wouldn't have had such an attitude. Governor Zhang sighed, "The situation in the capital is chaotic, and factional strife remains fierce."
Currently, the discussion has ranged from the Sangbo case to the Yunzhou case involving the Minister of Ministry of Works.
Layman Ziyang listened with a series of cold laughs, but did not comment much on the situation in the court. The main reason was that Governor Zhang was not one of his own. If it were only Xu Qi'an present, he would have spoken his mind directly.
After dusk, the Layman Ziyang hosted a banquet for Governor Zhang in his elegant courtyard. Jiang Luzhong was also invited to attend, along with a host of high-ranking officials, including the prefect of Qingzhou.
The courtyard was brightly lit, with curtains hanging low. Officials sat at tables, drinking and chatting merrily.
The band and dancers invited from the Imperial Academy of Music) danced gracefully in the cold courtyard to entertain the adults.
Originally, the Imperial Academy of Music was a purely entertainment department, specializing in singing and dancing to entertain officials at banquets. Later, it gradually evolved into a government-run brothel.
The young women went from performing to selling their bodies, forced into a business.
The central figures at the banquet were Provincial Treasurer Yang Gong and Governor Zhang Xingying. As for Jiang Luzhong, although he was highly skilled at Nightwatchers and civil officials were natural enemies, and few people liked to pay him any attention.
Xu Qi'an originally thought that he was the same way, enjoying his leisure and not having to worry about the social obligations of officialdom.
Unexpectedly, an official dressed in a scarlet robe embroidered with wild geese raised his cup to Xu Qi'an, tentatively asking, "Young sir, are you perhaps the poet who wrote 'Sparse shadows slant across the clear, shallow water; a faint fragrance drifts in the twilight'?"
PS: There was a mistake in the previous chapter. Layman Ziyang was a provincial governor, not a prefect. This has been corrected.
PS: At the beginning of the month, I'm asking for your votes. There's an event where you can get Qidian coins for voting for monthly tickets. Please check the "Author's Note" in this chapter for details. I didn't manage to stay in the top ten for monthly tickets last month, so I'm counting on you all this month.
Also, thank you to the leader of the "Failed Life" alliance, who is also an old hand in my harem.
There's a monthly ticket sprint event in the book review section. First, reply "participate" to the book review, then cast your monthly tickets. Once the total number reaches 600, Extended Net Moon will earn you 100 Qidian Coins. The more you cast, the more you get! (Please don't complain about why we're offering so few; it's because the event lasts a long time and there are many tickets available, so we hope more people can claim them! Don't you like selling newspapers if there aren't rewards?!)