The Emperor was very angry.
Rarely had he felt such fury toward his son.
And the reason was a trivial matter, hardly a question of principle.
Indeed, as the current eldest legitimate son, the Prince of Jin was without fault. After the Crown Prince's death, he had spent over a decade treading carefully, and in court affairs he could even be called diligent.
So why am I so enraged?
Because the Emperor felt it—he truly was old.
"Father Emperor..."
Bewildered by the scolding, the Prince of Jin looked at the Emperor, then quickly stood and knelt before him, tears streaming down his face: "This son is foolish. Please, Father Emperor, teach me!"
Seeing him like this, the Emperor's anger gradually transformed into helplessness.
"Raise your head."
The Emperor spoke coldly to the Prince of Jin.
The Prince of Jin raised his head, fear in his eyes.
Just moments ago, when he had forcibly pressed the Emperor down onto the throne, he had felt a fleeting moment of secret joy.
Only if Father Emperor truly regarded him as the genuine successor would he do such a thing.
This wasn't something one could joke about.
But that shout of "Call me Zhen!" made the Prince of Jin sense the disappointment and frustration in the Emperor's tone.
As if to say: Having such a person as his successor filled him with despair.
He didn't want the Emperor to give up on him completely.
Gazing at the Prince of Jin, the Emperor finally spoke after a long while: "This civil examination, with this as the topic—do you know why?"
"The imperial treasury is depleted, and the Qi bandits in the northern territories raid incessantly... Father Emperor wishes to reform the land system, to make those aristocratic clans yield their profits."
The Prince of Jin forcibly steadied his breathing to avoid appearing too weak.
"You're correct."
Sitting on the round stool, the Emperor looked down at the Prince of Jin kneeling on the ground, his gaze piercing: "When Zhen ascended the throne, I was only eleven years old. Maternal relatives controlled the government, powerful ministers assisted the state. The aristocratic families' power passed down through generations. Though Zhen was Emperor, I was constrained at every turn and suffered much humiliation. Therefore, Zhen established the civil examination system, created special examinations, promoted those from humble backgrounds to serve me. Moreover, Zhen personally led military campaigns, warring in the south and north, personally suppressing every rebellion. Why?"
"Father, Father Emperor, please teach me." The Prince of Jin continued earnestly.
"First, waging war allows control of military power." The Emperor spoke word by word. "Second, whenever there is domestic turmoil and fierce factional struggle in court, only war can cover up these contradictions."
"This son understands."
"Now, Zhen is old and no longer has the opportunity to unite the realm."
"Father Emperor is not old... Father Emperor will live as long as Heaven." The Prince of Jin said with a sob in his voice.
The Emperor smiled bitterly, then spoke with apparent earnestness: "Ziyu, if this Great Yu falls, those aristocratic clans will merely serve a different ruler—what impact would it have on them? But our Wei family, if the country falls, could even one person survive?"
The Prince of Jin had never considered that Great Yu might fall...
He hadn't expected the topic to become so grave.
"Therefore, we must take action against the aristocratic families."
"Father Emperor, this son understands."
The Prince of Jin wasn't foolish—he was merely afraid of making mistakes. And now, he understood everything: "This civil examination was meant to draw out this 'Strategy for Military Farming.' Then, the author of this strategy was designated as Jieyuan. The Jieyuan model answer will be studied by scholars throughout the realm. The national policy of military farming reform will also be discussed among the common people. Finally, officials will jointly submit memorials to implement the military farming strategy."
If you want to accomplish something, you must let the world see that people want this thing done!
Only now did the Prince of Jin fully grasp his father's earlier words.
A national policy cannot be directly promulgated.
It must first be released for discussion.
This examination was meant to bring forward this "Strategy for Military Farming."
It wasn't about who wrote the best essay becoming Jieyuan.
Rather, whoever divined the Emperor's intentions would become Jieyuan.
With so many examinees in the realm, there must be others who mentioned military farming.
In the third month, when Father Emperor saw the memorial "Five Strategies for Military Farming to Relieve Disaster," the national policy of military farming was already determined to be implemented!
"Do you understand?" The Emperor asked again.
"This 'Strategy for Military Farming' is not only the best policy essay in Si Prefecture. It will also be the model answer for the national examination." The Prince of Jin spoke with certainty.
The Emperor closed his eyes, then nodded: "Ziyu, go do it."
"Father Emperor, this son takes his leave."
Wiping away his tears, the Prince of Jin kowtowed and departed from the inner chamber.
Raising his hand, the Emperor slowly turned it over.
Looking at the back of his hand, wrinkled like tree bark, fear of aging arose in the Emperor's heart.
"I just encountered Ziyu at the palace gate—he was trembling... Did you scold him?"
Empress Hua walked before the Emperor, asking with some confusion.
Raising his head to look at Empress Hua, the Emperor asked: "After Zhen, who can bear great responsibility?"
"..."
The inner palace must not interfere in government affairs. Empress Hua had essentially never discussed this matter with the Emperor, so she felt caught off guard by this question. But simultaneously, she also felt a sense of authority: "Erlang, Ziyu is currently the legitimate eldest son. Moreover, he is without fault."
"What about Zisheng?" The Emperor asked.
Zisheng was also the Empress's own son, one of the legitimate sons.
Being asked this question made the Empress even more sensitive: "With Ziyu succeeding to the throne and Zisheng assisting him, if the two brothers work together, can they not protect this Great Yu realm? Furthermore, with so many examination scholars, Erlang, you can select one person, properly cultivate him, and leave behind a loyal minister to assist the state—wouldn't that work?"
A loyal minister to assist the state...
These four words reminded the Emperor of that cursed dream.
"Ziyu is benevolent and righteous by nature. If Zhen had unified the realm and let him be a monarch who maintains what was achieved, it naturally wouldn't be a problem. He could even do it very well."
The Emperor didn't think his son was completely worthless, but what made him uneasy was in the north. Thus, he sighed deeply: "But in these chaotic times, how could he be a match for that Ji Yuan?"
————
"'Strategy for Military Farming' first place, 'Ode to the Great River' second place, 'Graduated Tax Law' third place."
Returning to the Imperial Academy, having already wiped away his tears and fully restored his princely dignity, the Prince of Jin announced his decision to Gu Yixin and the other Grand Secretaries.
No one had any objections.
In fact, all seven of them understood perfectly.
"Strategy for Military Farming" was indeed the first-place essay.
What puzzled them was that the Prince of Jin hadn't seen it.
A son's understanding of his father was insufficient.
"Then according to this ranking, let us prepare to unseal the anonymous names," Gu Yixin said.
"Since the rankings are already determined with no further changes, why not unseal the 'Strategy for Military Farming' first?" Zhang Zhao suggested.
"Indeed, 'Strategy for Military Farming' and 'An Exhortation to Learning' were written by the same person. The Jieyuan candidate has already been determined."
And so, with proper procedure maintained, a young scholar from the Imperial Academy used a cutting knife to slowly reveal the name.
Sheng'an Prefecture, Song Shi'an.
Place of origin and name, thus revealed to all present.
That he was an examinee from Sheng'an surprised no one.
The level of Sheng'an students was naturally higher than other commanderies and counties in Si Prefecture.
However,
Looking at everyone present, Gu Yixin slowly asked: "Who is Song Shi'an?"
The Grand Secretaries all shook their heads.
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Zhao said: "I only know Song Ce. I don't recognize Song Shi'an."