When Fan Zhou first came to the bustling Jiang capital with a few fellow scholars from his hometown and stood in front of the gate of the Lanxin Palace, he was actually not very optimistic about this trip to the Jiang capital.
The sky is not yet bright, but the front of the Lanxin Palace was bustling with people, the gates were like a marketplace.
Ever since the fourteen-year-old Crown Prince of Jiang opened his own mansion under the authorization of Emperor Jiang and issued a decree of recruiting talents to the world, this noble and elegant palace gate has been filled with such scenes every day.
In this era, the north and south were governed by the Yangtze River, with warlords vying for power and aristocratic families prevalent. The court did not yet have a fair and just talent selection system, and the appointment and promotion of officials were mostly achieved through “recommendation”. The recommenders were officials from the state and county, as well as famous local scholars. The number of recommended positions was very small, and the competition was extremely fierce. They are just focusing on family background and cutting off the path for most underprivileged scholars to enter politics. As a result, for some scholars and talented people, joining the mansion of noble officials as staff or servants and choosing a master to serve has become the best way to seek a way out.
If one has a good eye and bets on the right treasure, they can also soar with the Lord in the future.
In the decree of seeking talents issued by the Crown Prince of Jiang, not only is there no restriction on one’s background or social status, but there is also no restriction on the types of talents. In addition to strategy, theory and essay writing, many obscure subjects are also included. The Crown Prince even wrote at the end of his request, “As long as you are talented, Gu is willing to have you be a guest of honor even if you are crowing like a cock and stealing like a dog1Basically, for everyone even if they are bandits..”
The gimmick was so great that almost all the scholars in the Jiangnan region were boiling with excitement, wanting to see what the Crown Prince of Jiang, who was not limited to talent, would look like. Is it true that meritocracy is practiced as stated in the recruitment order?
Emperor Jiang was ambitious and had a cold and fierce style. After more than a decade of conquests, the entire Jiangnan region, including several ping, had fallen into the hands of the Jiang Empire. Today, the Jiang Empire is undoubtedly a powerful suzerain, and other small countries in Jiangnan are eager to flatter it. The Sui Empire, which is only separated by a river, is also rapidly rising. It is said that the Crown Prince of Sui, who was only sixteen years old and known as a general, established a cavalry unit called the Qinglang Battalion in the northern region a year ago. He is brave, skilled in battle, and unparalleled in all directions. Recently, he rose to fame in the north of the Yangtze River due to his heavy damage to the Shahu cavalry known for their bravery.
Jiang and Sui were mortal enemies. They had been at war for many years, and each owed a heavy debt of blood. Once Jiangbei completes its unification, saying goodbye to the scattered state of affairs. Sui’s next target is likely to be the land of Jiangnan, which is separated by a river.
Emperor Jiang has changed his usual dictatorial style and was willing to delegate power to allow the Crown Prince of Jiang to open a mansion and recruit talents, adding fresh blood to the court. There may not be any intention to fight against Jiangbei.
But not everyone is optimistic about this matter. Due to Emperor Jiang’s favoritism towards King Chu, it’s common knowledge that a disfavored Crown Prince is now wielding power and cultivating influence. Some people couldn’t help but worry that in the future, this disfavored Crown Prince would attract Emperor Jiang’s scorn and be doomed to no good end.
Fan Zhou didn’t think that much at that time.
He simply came over to join in the fun.
In fact, he did not come from a humble family, and there was no need to use the Lanxin Palace to find a way out for himself. Even before the Crown Prince of Jiang issued the order to seek talent, he had already obtained the only recommended position in his state and county.
The name Fan Zhou, Fan Shiyuan, is even quite famous throughout the entire Jiangnan region. As long as he is willing, he can immediately find a good job in the Jiang Empire’s court. The officials of other small Jiangnan countries have also sent people to send him large sums of money more than once, hoping to invite him to take up a position in their countries and work together to achieve a great cause.
However, he was naturally not fond of restraint, nor did he like the rules and regulations of the court. He knew that as long as he wore that official uniform, he would no longer have freedom. Therefore, when he came to the Jiang capital with a recommendation letter, he did not follow the normal process and immediately went to pay respects to the high-ranking official he was supposed to meet. On a whim, he came to the Lanxin Palace to join the fun.
And not only that, but he’s dressed himself up as a disheveled drunkard, with disheveled hair like a chicken coop, holding a jar of wine lighter than white water in his hand, and wearing a gray and smelly robe, striving to look no different from the beggars on the street.
Good birds choose trees to nestle in, and good ministers choose masters to serve.
In this chaotic era, being an advisor who can assist the ruler in stabilizing the world’s chaos is much more exciting and interesting than being a mediocre court official.
The department where he is about to work in the court is under the jurisdiction of King Chu and the Shen family.
Although it is now widely rumored that Emperor Jiang favored King Chu, according to his knowledge, the actions taken by King Chu and the Shen family are no different from those of other aristocratic families. They have great ambitions and powerful abilities and are arrogant and invincible. If the Jiang Empire really falls into this King Chu’s hands in the future, then he’s afraid that this Jiangnan land will sooner or later become that Jiangbei wolf cub’s possession.
As for the Crown Prince of Jiang he’s about to meet today, there are many praises from the public and the government. However, the reputation of those in power, such as the title “Respect for the wise and follow the virtual”, is often deliberately promoted to stabilize their position. Fan Zhou didn’t have much expectations, he just came to see the excitement.
He had already planned to return the recommendation letter to the state and county officials after watching the excitement so that they could choose another talented person to recommend.
Fan Zhou’s down-to-earth attire quickly caught everyone’s attention, and some even directly said, “The Crown Prince of Jiang is recruiting talented people. Why did even beggars come to join the fun?”
Instead of being displeased, Fan Zhou was happy—happy that he had succeeded in dressing up.
Those fellow scholars could recognized him as their fellow townspeople just because of his accent, without knowing that he was the famous Fan Shiyuan.
When the time came, the gate of Lanxin Palace slowly opened, and the scholars presented their identification documents in order. After registering their names and birthplaces, they entered the palace gate one by one.
Fan Zhou also stood among the group of scholars, shaking his wine.
The scholars in the front and back each covered their noses with their hands, deliberately distancing themselves from him. Although the Crown Prince of Jiang said in his request that even the bandits would be honored as guests, the vast majority of people still have self-awareness. Like butchers and thieves, they never have the courage to stand outside this palace gate.
There was a strange person who took polite words seriously.
The person responsible for registering information is an official from the Crown Prince’s mansion.
The scholars were all waiting to watch Fan Zhou’s jokes, waiting for the internal official to give order to the guards and drive this person away.
But to everyone’s surprise, when it was Fan Zhou’s turn, the internal official showed no signs of disdain and kindly asked for Fan Zhou’s name and hometown information before handing a jade plaque to him and inviting him in.
“This Crown Prince of Jiang really receives even the beggar ah.”
“That’s just unbelievable.”
Amidst discussions, Fan Zhou calmly put the jade plaque into his sleeve and followed the scholars in front into the gate of the Lanxin Palace.
After registering the information, everyone was divided into two groups according to the two categories of civil and military. Fan Zhou followed the group of civil and military officials, and was led by the official to an elegantly decorated palace. Inside the hall, there were seats spread out, but in the direction where the main seat was located, there was a golden curtain hanging.
According to the official, the Crown Prince of Jiang will sit behind the curtain and examine everyone’s knowledge.
The crowd could not help but speculate for another moment as to why the Crown Prince of Jiang was sitting behind a curtain to see them.
Someone couldn’t help but whisper, “Could it be that they think we are too lowly to be worthy of witnessing His Highness’s true face?”
Fan Zhou sat at the very end of the table, listening to the discussions around him and furrowing his brows slightly, as if lost in thought. He thinks, Is it true that the Crown Prince of Jiang only issued such a shocking recruitment order to create a false reputation of being a courtesan?
It’s just that if he can even come in with this appearance, this performance is a bit too much.
He only came to watch the excitement tonight and didn’t really expect to meet a wise master who would meet his expectations. He had a very good mentality, he picked up the wine jug, took a sip of wine leisurely, and sat crookedly on the seat, eagerly waiting for the show to begin.
“His Highness has arrived.”
At this moment, the voice of the internal official suddenly sounded.
Everyone stopped talking and brushed together to look at the location of the golden curtain.
At only fourteen years old, the Crown Prince of Jiang, wearing a light robe and carrying a jade pendant with a resounding voice, sat behind the curtain.
“The humble are waiting to see Your Highness.”
Everyone stood up and saluted.
“Sirs, please sit.”
Behind the curtain, the jade falling from a clear spring-like sound came out.
Fan Zhou was attracted by the voice and also not only raised his head but also looked behind that curtain with some inquisitiveness.
But like everyone else, he only saw a blurry shadow.
The people thanked him and sat down on their knees as they were told. Immediately, palace attendants rushed in and offered pastries and tea. The young Crown Prince behind the curtain did not explain why he had set up such a curtain, hiding himself behind to answer the confusion in everyone’s hearts. The internal officials who were waiting on the side also did not politely make up a grand reason for the Crown Prince’s physical discomfort.
Everything is going on as usual.
After the inner officer handed the roster to the inside, the Crown Prince behind the curtain directly began to test questions in order, testing the talents who came to serve in the academy hall. The result will be released on the spot, and those who pass will receive a “yes” evaluation. Those who fail the assessment will be directly led by the palace attendants to exit through the side door.
The entire process is fair, transparent, and supervised by all present individuals.
Fan Zhou had been listening for a while, listening to the clear, gentle yet sharp voice echoing in the hall, and unconsciously sat up straight.
There are over a hundred people in this hall.
Near noon, only half of the examination was completed, and the inner officer went in and saw that he was still sitting behind the table. He saw his Highness’s eyelashes droop slightly, focusing on the list. He tentatively said, “Your Highness has just recovered from a serious illness, so it’s not advisable to work too hard. How about Your Highness take a break in the middle first?”
The young Crown Prince looked up, revealing a pair of bright black eyes and a beautiful and elegant face like autumn water, and casually uttered two words.
“Not necessary.”
