Chapter 688: Dawn

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Jiade Hall houses the Diligence Chamber, which, unlike the Imperial Academy (Guozijian), serves as a place of study for the imperial family members of the Liyang Zhao court. Since adult princes, with the exception of the Crown Prince, were all required to be enfeoffed as kings and reside outside the capital, the Diligence Chamber primarily served as a place for the princes and princesses residing in the capital to receive their education. A select few descendants of high-ranking officials who had been ennobled for their merits were also permitted to enter this place, revered as a "mini Imperial Library," considering it a great family honor. The Diligence Chamber was overseen by the two positions of Junior Tutor (Shaofu) and Junior Guardian (Shaobao), who were responsible for educational administration. In addition, there were over twenty highly respected lecturing masters. They taught the Confucian classics and were also individually appointed by the emperor as personal tutors to various princes and imperial grandchildren. Without exception, these were all contemporary literary giants and great Confucian scholars of the dynasty. Occasionally, highly learned and virtuous senior eunuchs would also be invited to give lectures. These imperial descendants and children of meritorious nobles entered the Diligence Chamber at a young age, arriving at dawn and leaving in the late afternoon. They spent five unwavering hours studying daily, day after day, year after year, without interruption for summer or winter, until they were married or received their noble titles. This tradition, established by the late emperor and continued by the current emperor, had remained unshaken for twenty years. Moreover, the rules of the Diligence Chamber were numerous and extremely strict. Students were not allowed to use fans in summer or add charcoal to their braziers in winter. Regardless of their status, they had to bow respectfully when encountering a lecturing master. Minor transgressions resulted in "bamboo punishment," while serious offenses led to a degradation of their future noble titles by one rank. The late emperor, who conquered the realm on horseback, personally inscribed the plaque "Respect Teachers and Value the Dao" to admonish future generations. The current emperor wrote the couplet "Live with Sincerity, Seek Knowledge and Understanding" which hung on both sides. With the exception of the enigmatic Prince Zhao Kai, all imperial children, including Crown Prince Zhao Zhuan and First Prince Zhao Wu, spent a long time studying in the Diligence Chamber. If the Imperial Gate Keeper (Huangmenlang) in the capital held a distinguished position, akin to a carp leaping over the dragon gate with prospects of becoming a marquis or prime minister, then the lecturing masters of the Diligence Chamber were truly pillars of integrity, like dragons already ascending, earning the reputation of "quasi-imperial tutors." As for the positions of Junior Guardian and Junior Tutor, traditionally one was filled by an actual official while the other was a nominal appointment. Even the two masters of the Song family, who had dominated the literary world for thirty years, had sought these positions in vain. The previous Junior Tutor, Ma Rong, was a revered teacher to both the late emperor and the current emperor. Though not widely known outside the capital, when Ma Rong passed away four years ago, His Majesty the Emperor and the Empress personally attended his wake at the Ma residence, wearing mourning attire and keeping vigil for a night.

After Ma Rong's death, both the Junior Tutor and Junior Guardian positions became vacant. The aristocratic families in Taian City all believed that the newly arrived Qi Yanglong would temporarily serve as Junior Guardian, seeing it as a transitional role before he would decisively become the leading official of the Liyang Dynasty. However, a "young man" whose qualifications and reputation were deemed insufficient abruptly entered everyone's view and secured the position of Junior Guardian. This individual had passed the imperial examination at the very end of the Yonghui era, but he was far from as prominent as the top three scholars. He had served as an Imperial Gate Keeper in the Hanlin Academy, also without much distinction, until he became a Diarist in the Imperial Study, which finally drew the attention of influential figures in the capital, though only fleetingly. However, he subsequently quietly rose to become a Director in the Ministry of Personnel, assisting Minister of Personnel Zhao Youling and his old superior, "Future Prime Minister" Yin Maochun. He successively participated in two major events—the triennial capital review (Jingcha) and the grand provincial assessment (Daping)—which could determine whether officials of Fourth Rank or higher in Liyang retained their positions. It was only then that this scholar, considered young in the imperial court, truly astonished people. During the triennial capital review, he remained inconspicuous, but during the grand southern assessment, he proved to be ruthless, removing the Prefect of Pingzhou and six commandery governors in one swift move. This happened in just three months. He was quickly recalled to the capital; otherwise, everyone in and out of court believed he would have died on his journey south. By the time he was exceptionally promoted to Junior Guardian of the Diligence Chamber, most people were somewhat numb to it. This person's path of promotion in officialdom was indeed too obscure and hidden, giving no one a chance to "stoke a cold stove" (i.e., support an unknown talent). In the end, all that was known was that a few years prior, he had married an obscure princess, who was a royal relative of middling status. In court, he never involved himself in factional disputes, did not associate closely with civil or military officials, and had no interactions whatsoever with palace eunuchs. He had never even visited a pleasure house.

A few inquisitive individuals dug deeper and, upon learning the truth, became even more perplexed: this person was actually from Beiliang? It was already astonishing that the court had produced a soaring official in Jin Sanlang (Jin Lanting), but unexpectedly, this new individual's rise was even more impactful. It should be noted that Jin Lanting's path to power was hardly glorious; it was said he first entered officialdom in the capital with a letter of recommendation from the old King of Liang, and later gained entry into public service by promoting refined curiosities like Lan Pavilion Xuan paper. In contrast, this person, a fellow native of the Right Libationer of the Imperial Academy, had an impeccable background, and his path to advancement was straightforward and clean. Even after marrying a princess, there had never been any gossip about him gaining status through his wife. Moreover, in all his positions in the capital over the years, whether as a brief Imperial Gate Keeper in the Hanlin Academy, the longest-serving Tutor to the Crown Prince, or an even briefer Diarist, he had always been a scholar quite close to the imperial family. It was highly unlikely that anyone would believe him, even if he were to publicly declare himself a Beiliang spy. He was Chen Wang, a scholar from a humble family in Beiliang. Of course, everyone in the capital should now respectfully address him as "Junior Guardian Chen."

Today, in the Diligence Chamber, it was only three-quarters past dawn, and the sky was still dim, yet the sound of reading was already resonating. The Diligence Chamber was divided into three sections: lower, middle, and upper. Generally, children aged six to nine were in the lower section, ten to fifteen in the middle, and those over fifteen in the upper. The age divisions for girls were calculated separately. Students could only withdraw from school upon marriage or with the acknowledgment of their lecturing master. Today was a Confucian studies day, and in each of the three sections, an elder was leading the reading of the classics of the Confucian Sage Zhang, with varying levels of difficulty. Outside the lower section of the Diligence Chamber stood a "young scholar" dressed in a purple robe with an imperial mutton-fat jade belt. He watched the young children swaying their heads and earnestly reciting scriptures. According to the rules established by the late emperor, they were not allowed to wear mink hats or fur coats inside the chamber, even in the biting winter cold. At that moment, the only source of warmth in the room was a small copper brazier placed beneath the master's desk. Most of these children, who shared the imperial surname from birth, were no different from poor children attending a private school; their cheeks were mostly red with cold, and their hands and feet were drawn in. During the master's reading breaks, they would quickly bend down and blow warm air onto their stiff, frozen fingers. Outside, besides this uniquely dressed scholar, who was quite unfamiliar to ordinary people, there was an old palace eunuch, permitted to wear a crimson python robe, carefully standing guard. The aged eunuch was somewhat distracted and did not notice the scholar's arrival. This was understandable; he was supposed to keep an eye on the Diligence Chamber to prevent any mishaps, but he had been standing there for over ten years, having changed seven or eight robes in that time. After more than a decade, palace affairs were inherently strict and orderly; what mishaps could there be? Regardless of how arrogant the Zhao imperial descendants became outside after graduating, while studying, weren't they all as respectful as he was standing there, while they obediently sat and recited their lessons? Even famous princes and princesses like Zhao Wu and Zhao Fengya would behave themselves once they sat down in the Diligence Chamber. The old eunuch glanced outside. After winter set in, an extra large red lantern had been hung on a branch in the courtyard. He quietly sighed, having heard that things were not peaceful outside. It was rumored that the remaining rebels and thieves in Guangling Dao had found a young girl named Jiang and declared the restoration of their kingdom, causing many old eunuchs who had fled the Western Chu palace years ago to be terrified. They didn't even dare to have a few sips of wine in their free time, fearing they might be misunderstood as drowning their sorrows due to lingering resentment. It seemed that the barbarians, both big and small, in the west were also restless. The big barbarians of Beimang were causing trouble, and the small barbarians of Beiliang were following suit. He had certainly seen some turmoil in his life, but he just couldn't understand why these people couldn't live in peace and insisted on making such a fuss. Even the Grand Secretary seemed to have lost his mind. He thought, "You 'Green-eyed one' are not even as old as me, a eunuch, yet you've risen to such a high position. Why aren't you content?" Isn't it obvious he's inviting his own demise? The old eunuch inexplicably thought of the flowers and plants in the courtyard and couldn't help but sigh with regret, thinking, "Oh, Grand Secretary, human lives are not like those plants; if they're gone this winter, they won't grow back next spring."

Just then, a short figure tiptoed into the courtyard, bending low and scampering. The moment he saw the old eunuch, who stood like a door guardian, he instantly looked as if he had lost a parent. The old man could only chuckle inwardly. This little fellow was the grandson of Prince Feng, not the eldest son of the eldest son, but he was much doted upon. However, the boy was always a punching bag in the lower section. After all, Prince Feng's title might impress people outside the palace, but inside, no one really cared. Coupled with the boy's weak constitution and gentle nature, he was bullied so much that he dared not go home and complain to his elders. Even if he wore new festive boots, they would immediately be stomped on and made old by those mischievous rascals. The old eunuch had seen this child crying with a tear-stained face at the base of the courtyard wall several times. He looked at the child's sickly pale face and his pathetic attempts to cover his mouth to suppress a cough. Although the aged eunuch felt a pang of pity, as a castrated servant, how could he dare defy the rules set by the late emperor? One late arrival incurred a bamboo punishment, two meant a demotion in noble rank, and three meant further demotion until there was no rank left to demote, at which point the student was expelled from the Diligence Chamber. About ten years ago, under the current emperor, there was a lawless eldest legitimate grandson of an old princely relative who was directly demoted to commoner status. It was worth noting that this prince was the late emperor's own brother and the current emperor's uncle!

The old eunuch stopped Prince Feng's grandson, who was covered in sweat, and said coldly, "If I'm not mistaken, this is your second time being late. You go in first. I will record it and pass it on to the Imperial Clan Court later." The child, coughing intermittently, said, "Grandpa Liu, I really didn't mean to be late... I, I caught a cold..." The old eunuch waved his hand, completely unwilling to listen to the child's explanation. In imperial affairs, there was no small matter; this was a principle taught to junior palace staff by their seniors through countless bloody facts. He was merely a servant; why invite trouble for himself?

Just then, the old eunuch noticed a dazzling flash of purple beside him. Surprised, he became even more astonished. As he recovered and was about to bow, the person smiled and shook his head. The old eunuch, a grand eunuch of the palace, could only bow deeply from the waist. The scholar in the purple robe and jade belt walked to the old eunuch's side, took the child's cold little hand—the child who dared not cry out—and with a slight effort, pried open his fingers, revealing that they were already streaked with blood from coughing. The scholar looked at the teary-eyed child, smiled gently, patted his head, and without a word, took his other hand and led him over the threshold into the lower section. Inside, the lecturing master was an esteemed literary figure who had once served in the Hanlin Academy. He glanced at the scholar's robe, then at the late child, and his face showed displeasure. However, despite being removed from the political intrigues of officialdom, this literary titan was still somewhat wary of the profound implications of that purple robe. He stopped reciting, picked up a bamboo cane from his desk, and with a stern face, told the child, "Zhao Li, hold out your hand."

The child was about to step forward to accept the punishment, but the scholar, who was around thirty years old, said gently, "Lecturer Han, Zhao Li's late arrival is not due to mischief but because he has caught a cold. He is coughing blood at such a young age, yet he still insisted on coming to study. After all, his situation is understandable. The demotion of his noble rank by the Imperial Clan Court is unavoidable, but perhaps this bamboo punishment can be waived?" The old scholar snorted coldly, "Waive the bamboo punishment? What kind of precedent would that set?!" The scholar maintained a faint smile and said, "Law is not above human nature." The old scholar squinted at this "latecomer who had far surpassed his peers" and sneered, "Which is greater or lesser among law, human nature, and reason? Even Grand Libationer Qi would not dare to speak presumptuously on this. May I ask where Junior Guardian comes from?" Chen Wang, who was destined to be the first Junior Guardian of the Xiangfu era, calmly replied, "This junior is self-taught and has no master. However, Chen Wang humbly believes that principles in the world, as long as they are principles, do not differentiate by size. What the Confucian Sage Zhang said, what emperors and high officials said, even what common peddlers and porters say, all hold true." Minister Han scoffed, "Then I, Han, must ask another question: these principles that anyone can utter, who can prove their validity?" Chen Wang chuckled softly, "It's nothing more than the four words: 'Heaven and Earth, Conscience.' Heaven upholds fairness, Earth allows compassion; neither should conflict. Humans are not grass and trees; who can be without fault or emotion? Humans are not beasts; how can they lack compassion?" Minister Han's face turned ashen. He gripped the bamboo cane that had undoubtedly struck the palms of many imperial descendants. "Others might curry favor and show you some respect, Junior Guardian Chen Wang," he thought, "but I, Han Yusheng, don't take you, this Beiliang barbarian, seriously!"

Just as the old scholar was about to erupt in anger, he suddenly noticed a distinguished and rare guest standing at the door, wearing a bright yellow python robe. He quickly put down the bamboo cane, rose, and bowed. All the students present also rose and bowed, and immediately, cries of "Greetings, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince!" rose one after another. Zhao Zhuan laughed heartily, "My apologies for interrupting Lecturer Han's lesson, my apologies. There's something I need to explain to Lecturer Han: my little nephew Zhao Li was delayed on his way to the Diligence Chamber because I stopped him for a long time to ask about his well-being. I will personally inform the Imperial Clan Court about this. As for the bamboo punishment, if Lecturer Han is worried about breaking the rules, I will take the punishment in place of little Li'er. Furthermore, this child has caught a severe cold, so I must also request leave from Lecturer Han for him. While studying is important, physical health is ultimately paramount. We study, and it doesn't matter if we study until we drop, but studying is ultimately beneficial and the more the better. However, if by some chance someone were to study himself to death, that would not be good..." Han Yusheng quickly chuckled, "Your Royal Highness speaks too seriously, too seriously." With the Crown Prince personally interceding, how could Han Yusheng dare to quibble? He didn't feel that he was bringing shame upon scholars; he simply believed that if Sage Zhang were alive, he would act in the same manner. "Well," he thought, "didn't Junior Guardian Chen just say that law is not above human nature?"

Zhao Zhuan rubbed Zhao Li's little head, smiling as he told him not to forget to ask his aunt for more sweets in the future. Then he had the old eunuch lead Zhao Li to find an imperial physician. He and Chen Wang walked along a dim path. After a moment of silence, he spoke teasingly, "Chen Wang, it seems you're not enjoying your role as Junior Guardian." Chen Wang merely smiled. Zhao Zhuan stopped and looked at him, asking seriously, "They say that every place nurtures its own kind of people. You and our unyielding Jin Sanlang are both from Beiliang, so why are you so different?" Chen Wang hesitated, then shook his head in self-mockery: "Even within one region, there are differences. I suppose while I, Chen Wang, was practicing calligraphy with a twig in the snow, Right Libationer was figuring out how to produce high-quality Xuan paper." Zhao Zhuan said helplessly, "With your temperament, who would dare send you out to be a local official?" This "who" was clearly not a general reference but specifically referred to him, the Crown Prince, who could theoretically even act as regent. Chen Wang smiled, "If I were to be sent out, at best I'd be a county magistrate in a lesser county. If the official hat were any bigger, I genuinely wouldn't be able to wear it steadily." Zhao Zhuan patted his shoulder, "Do you take me for a fool? Would I be willing to waste such talent on a trivial position?" Chen Wang did not reply.

Zhao Zhuan suddenly asked, "How do you evaluate the Grand Secretary and Libationer Qi?" Chen Wang, without any hesitation, replied straightforwardly, "Zhang Julu is a person both strict and awe-inspiring, like the scorching heat of summer. Qi Yanglong is gentle and amiable, like the warm breeze of winter. Both, in terms of governing ability and personal conduct, can be considered almost saintly. It is my honor, Chen Wang's, to serve in the same court as them." Zhao Zhuan sighed, "Unfortunately, one mountain cannot hold two tigers."

Zhao Zhuan quickly smiled and said, "Minister of Revenue Wang Xiongxian might be transferred to Guangling Dao to serve as Strategic Commissioner. Do you have any thoughts on this vacant position? Yin Maochun would certainly disdain such a minor post, so you don't have to worry about competing with him." Minister of Personnel Zhao Youling, Minister of Rites Bai Guo, Minister of Revenue Wang Xiongxian. Adding the "Future Prime Minister" Yin Maochun, all of them were once favored disciples of Grand Secretary Zhang Julu and Tan Tan Weng. Upon closer inspection, now only Wang Xiongxian, widely considered the least talented among the "Four Sons of Yonghui," remained, still striving to maintain the facade of Zhang's residence (Zhang Lu). It sounded as if even Wang Xiongxian was about to leave, and to become the Strategic Commissioner of Guangling Dao, a position of ridicule. The implicit meaning from the court should have been clear even to a blind man: To kill the flying tiger, first clip its wings! Chen Wang merely shook his head and remained silent. Zhao Zhuan hummed, then reflected, "I was too hasty. Instead of helping you, I made you a target. Ninety li is only half of a hundred li journey!" Zhao Zhuan seemed to be talking to himself, "Father's quiet border tour, dragging on like this, delaying court sessions, doesn't seem right either." Chen Wang, whom Ma Rong had once praised as "dignified and insightful," did not utter those two words. But as Zhao Zhuan watched the eastern sky turn pearl-gray with dawn, his eyes had quietly grown fervent: Regency.

After retracting his gaze, Zhao Zhuan was once again the gentle, jade-like Crown Prince. He smiled slightly and said, "I heard that Master Yuan brought someone with him on his travels across the north and south." Chen Wang asked, "May I speak?" Zhao Zhuan smiled with a hint of helplessness, "What is there that we cannot say to each other? That person is the Song family's fledgling phoenix, Song Keli, who is now seen as a fallen phoenix no better than a chicken." Chen Wang asked, puzzled, "Isn't Song Keli serving as a county commandant in an upper county north of Guangling River? He has achieved quite a lot in bandit suppression; this impressive administrative record was simply deliberately suppressed by those above." Zhao Zhuan gave Junior Guardian Chen a deep look, then his eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled, and he poked this cautious, seemingly tight-lipped man with his finger. "Pretend, keep pretending. Others might not know Master Yuan's schemes, but would you, Chen Wang, miss the key points? The Song family was annihilated in an instant; what happened overtly and what happened covertly? Most of the old foxes in the front five or six rows of the imperial court can see 'clearly,' but those who can see 'very clearly' are truly few. The Grand Secretary and Yin Maochun certainly count as two, and if there's only one left, it would definitely be you, Chen Wang." Chen Wang neither admitted nor denied anything. Zhao Zhuan sighed softly, "Yin Maochun, Bai Guo, Song Dongming—all of them were once favored by Master Yuan as potential hidden prime ministers. Even if the latter two are out of the running, Yin Maochun, by all accounts, should have become the next Grand Secretary. I never expected Song Keli to quietly 'hijack' the position in the end." Chen Wang hesitated, then said, "Master Yuan chose Song Keli, but the Grand Secretary also made a choice." Zhao Zhuan was truly confused about this matter, like seeing flowers through a mist, and said with great curiosity, "It definitely wouldn't be Wang Xiongxian, nor Zhao Youling. Who could it be then?" Chen Wang calmly stated, "Bai Guo, Minister of Rites." Zhao Zhuan instinctively laughed aloud, clearly disbelieving this absurd claim: "Bai Guo? Impossible, impossible. Although Bai Guo enjoys an excellent reputation among both the court and the populace, especially in the capital's official circles where everyone feels close to him, and I too greatly admire this unconventional yet exceptionally talented Minister of Rites—but if you tell me that Zhang Julu, after more than a decade of careful selection, finally chose Bai Guo, whom he had once dismissed, to be the next master of Gu Lu, I wouldn't believe it even if you killed me!" Chen Wang calmly replied, "This humble official certainly cannot literally kill Your Royal Highness." Zhao Zhuan was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. Chen Wang had always been, in his mind, a solemn, old-scholar type who never joked, so this comment truly opened his eyes. But after his laughter subsided, Zhao Zhuan began to ponder.

To pave the way for himself, his father had tirelessly and meticulously strategized; among these efforts, the most troubling and painful for his father was undoubtedly the "green-eyed one," his crucial supporting minister. Zhao Zhuan himself, while acknowledging the Grand Secretary's accomplishments, harbored absolutely no fondness for Zhang Julu as a person. Even before he became Crown Prince, as Fourth Prince Zhao Zhuan, he was extremely wary of this Grand Secretary who, despite holding immense power, harbored no personal desires. If Zhang Julu had merely been a Confucian sage devoted to scholarship, at most he would have been honored by the court with a statue on a pedestal beside Sage Zhang—a simple outcome. But Zhang Julu was different; he prioritized practical achievements over academic pursuits, making him a quintessential powerful minister and chancellor. Deep down, Zhao Zhuan felt that Zhang Julu was like a living dead man, utterly devoid of vitality, and he wished to keep him at arm's length.

If Zhang Julu had indeed chosen his former favored disciple Bai Guo, as Chen Wang suggested, to be his "tomb guardian" after his death, then Zhao Zhuan would have to carefully weigh the pros and cons. Song Keli, whose wings would take many years to fully grow, could be easily handled by Zhao Zhuan in the future, even if he lacked considerable skill. This was merely a distant concern. Because every new emperor never feared new officials; they only feared the old ones. Evidently, Bai Guo could become an immediate and serious threat. This was an immediate worry.

Chen Wang did not disturb the Crown Prince's reverie. After waiting for a moment and seeing that he still hadn't snapped out of it, he quietly turned and left. A long time later, Zhao Zhuan stretched his arms in a comfortable yawn. He turned to look, but Chen Wang was not there. Zhao Zhuan departed alone. The sky had brightened.

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