SEHE Chapter 93

Pulling In 

Chen Sihong turned his body sideways, squeezing his corpulent frame between the desk and chair. After finally managing to sit down, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, only to see someone enter from outside to report, “Daren, Sui Daren and Pei Daren from the Imperial Academy have arrived.”

“Day after day, they’re always the ones stirring up trouble.” He irritably tossed the handkerchief he’d been using to wipe his sweat onto the desk and reluctantly stood up.

His massive belly was still trying to free itself from behind the chair when Pei Yanci had already entered. Seeing his clumsy and awkward movements, Pei stepped forward to help him sit back down. “Chen Daren, please sit. The weather is so hot—how could we trouble you to stand?”

Chen Sihong took advantage of the opportunity to sit back down, wiping his sweat again. A smile split through the layers of fat on his face. “It’s been several days since I’ve seen Pei Daren. You never visit without a reason—why have you come together with Sui Daren today?”

This person was a veritable god of wealth! Ever since he had proposed the Educational Affairs Bureau, Chen had felt that this man knew how to cultivate relationships and get things done. Conversations with him always resulted in matters being pleasantly resolved.

“That the Educational Affairs Bureau could be established by the end of July—this is all thanks to Daren’s efforts in navigating and mediating above. I’ve been so busy with this matter these past days that I haven’t had time to properly thank our greatest contributor.” Pei Yanci smiled. “Sui Daren feels that our Imperial Academy is no longer what it once was and should reach even greater heights, setting an example. Unfortunately, Qi Daren has recently caught a cold and is recuperating at home. I could only accompany Sui Daren to consult with Daren about this matter.”

As he spoke, he presented the prepared documents.

Chen Sihong’s plump hand pressed down on them without looking, smiling as he said, “Isn’t this a bit rushed? The Educational Affairs Bureau probably hasn’t even been properly organized yet. Things should be done one at a time—that’s the only way to avoid chaos.”

Sui Lu spoke up, “The Imperial Academy hasn’t produced a new top scholar in several consecutive years. Naturally, they’re somewhat anxious and want to reform the Imperial Academy—to open up the admission requirements and allow common people to enter the Imperial Academy as well.”

In Great Yu’s village and town private schools, outstanding students could be recommended by their teachers to county schools. The best students from county schools would advance to prefecture and commandery schools. This was the best educational resource most common people could access. Unless they showed exceptional talent in mathematics or law, they could only be recommended by prefecture or commandery schools to the Imperial Academy. Of the millions of students throughout the realm, only thirty to fifty of common birth could enter the Imperial Academy each year.

Seeing Pei Yanci nodding in agreement with Sui Lu’s words with a face full of approval, Chen Sihong understood this person’s intentions perfectly well.

Sui Lu had been feuding with Qi Xiang for over five years, with countless other grievances large and small before that. This proposal was clearly a trap. Anything disadvantageous to the Imperial Academy, he would happily see come to fruition without the slightest attempt to block it.

“If we open it up, we’ll be squeezing out the quotas for aristocratic families and court officials. Once this proposal is submitted, I’m afraid those old fellows will tear it to shreds.”

Chen Sihong rarely gave well-intentioned reminders. The interests of aristocratic families and the powerful were inviolable—this was their fundamental way of survival.

“Daren, the Imperial Academy has decided to release certain quotas to students whose aptitude is slightly inferior,” Sui Lu said. “Since we’re already opening things up, there’s no point in being coy and petty—why not open it up completely?”

Pei Yanci nodded approvingly once more.

It seemed Sui Lu truly wanted to infuriate Qi Xiang to death.

Upon hearing that Qi Xiang was ill at home, he had immediately contacted Chen Sihong directly, coming here together with him to strive for this measure to be implemented as quickly as possible.

“I’m not very well-versed in Imperial Academy affairs, but if both you and the Bureau of Ceremonies agree, I have nothing much to say. However,” Chen Sihong scratched his chin with his finger, his words pausing, “this matter involves many parties. Don’t be hasty—it needs to be considered and weighed from multiple angles.”

How could Pei Yanci not understand that his “weighing” meant seeing what conditions could be exchanged? “The Imperial Academy opening its doors wide to accept talented people from across the realm to receive Great Yu’s best education—if done well, it will naturally reflect the wise decision-making of the various darens. Should the Imperial Academy’s reputation decline because of this, if we can’t control the bureaus below, well, there’s nothing to be done about it. When that time comes, we’ll still have to trouble the Ministry of Rites to take over the Educational Affairs Bureau.”

Having reached Chen Sihong’s position, unlike Sui Lu, he no longer lacked money. Accepting too much would even arouse suspicion from above. He still remembered from over a decade ago, when His Majesty personally governed, the corrupt officials he executed could fill the street from one end of Zhuque Avenue to the city gate.

What they wanted more was power.

Just like the Educational Affairs Bureau—he had always wanted to take this new office into his own hands, but after much negotiation, he had only recovered the authority to assist with the imperial examinations.

“If your Imperial Academy is planning to reform internally, how could you possibly spare the energy to manage the Educational Affairs Bureau?” Everyone understood the principle that the longer the night, the more the dreams. No matter how well things were said, it was all empty talk. In any case, the Educational Affairs Bureau had already been established in various prefectures and commanderies. Chen Sihong now wanted to seize it directly.

“If Daren is willing to help, that would be excellent. The Educational Affairs Bureau has just been established—there’s simply a mountain of work. Besides a pile of rules that need to be formulated, there’s also the Ministry of Revenue, constantly crying poverty, wailing all the way to the Chief Overseer Daren. It’s truly a headache. I still need to make a trip to the Ministry of Revenue shortly. Would Daren like to go with me to see the Chief Overseer Daren?” Pei Yanci smiled.

In any case, as long as he wanted to meet, Tang Xizhui always had time for him.

These words immediately diminished Chen Sihong’s thoughts considerably. “You’ve all been working hard lately.”

Sui Lu quickly added, “Seeking more paths forward for the common people—that’s our duty. Once this measure was confirmed above, we were like headless flies, not knowing where to begin. Fortunately, Daren heard about it and rushed back day and night to take charge of the overall situation for us.”

Pei Yanci also smiled. “Young and inexperienced, we don’t understand these things. We rely entirely on the two senior daren to hold up half the sky above us. No one expected this matter would have so many twists and turns. It was almost settled, yet someone stuck their foot in sideways, making trouble unreasonably, even daring to disregard His Majesty’s vermillion endorsement. It’s only because we’re easy to talk to—if this were exposed to those above and others learned of it, who would have an easy time of it?

“Fortunately, in the end, things took a turn for the better and we achieved the good result we have now. Even if our feet bled from walking back then, our mouths broke from talking, and we suffered enormous grievances, it was all worth it. In the future, I will still need to rely on the two darens for guidance and opportunities to run the Educational Affairs Bureau and Imperial Academy even better.”

Both were shrewd men. How could they foolishly respond at this moment with “it wasn’t hard, it was all as it should be”? Even if they hadn’t contributed back then, they couldn’t say such things now. Moreover, Pei Yanci had run back and forth, working busily for quite a while, yet had nearly had the Educational Affairs Bureau snatched away by Chen Sihong, who had tried to intercept it halfway. He had been secretly annoyed about this for several days.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease. The one who should feel ashamed was Chen Sihong, who hadn’t contributed an ounce of effort yet wanted to reap the benefits.

Hearing Pei Yanci’s words, Sui Lu nearly laughed aloud. This person was just short of naming Chen Sihong directly.

He had experienced this man’s tongue once before when he’d been given the cold shoulder. At the time, he thought him formidable, not someone who would accept losses, assuming he was just like those pedantic scholars at the Imperial Academy. Later, through gradually becoming acquainted while handling Educational Affairs Bureau matters, he found their temperaments quite compatible. Now hearing him rebuke his own superior, his heart felt thoroughly satisfied.

An official rank higher crushes someone to death. In Great Yu’s bureaucracy, as a subordinate, if you wanted to get by comfortably, you had to flatter your superior and go along with them.

Sometimes, you even had to compromise your principles.

How could Chen Sihong not hear the implication? His thoughts ran even deeper than Sui Lu’s.

Hearing Pei Yanci speak this way, displeasure arose in his heart. He sent Sui Lu away and probed Pei’s intentions.

“Just now, hearing Pei Daren’s tone, you wouldn’t be thinking of exposing certain matters to those above, would you?” He spoke with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

He had dared to obstruct the Educational Affairs Bureau even after the imperial endorsement, using this to make things difficult for the Imperial Academy and force them to hand over the authority to assist with the imperial examinations. Naturally, this wasn’t the first time he’d done such things—he knew the tricks involved.

His Majesty’s endorsement agreed to establish the Educational Affairs Bureau, and Chen Sihong hadn’t opposed it. But he had obstructed the Imperial Academy at every turn on other miscellaneous matters, determined to make the Imperial Academy uncomfortable. If one tried to find fault, not a single error could be picked out.

And previously, even if those below had complaints, they didn’t dare openly say “no” to his face. As Minister of Rites, he still had the ability to manage his subordinates.

Pei Yanci didn’t know his place, daring to criticize him to his face and even hint at making a complaint above—this was challenging his authority.

It was necessary to properly discipline this person.

“Pei Daren has rarely visited the Zheng residence lately. Minister Zheng often sits and chats with me, and when he mentions Pei Daren, there’s quite a sense of disappointment, as if wishing iron could be made into steel. He wished to entrust me to properly train you.”

Zheng Qinglai had secretly instructed him not to give this person any aristocratic family advantages, and moreover, to “train” him extensively.

“How could I trouble Chen Daren to personally intervene? After all, I am also a Zheng family member.” Pei Yanci had been standing for quite a while and was somewhat tired. He simply sat down in the chair beside Chen Sihong’s lower seat. “Minister Zheng doesn’t come personally—could Daren really overstep his bounds?”

“Then I don’t know what channels your complaint would take,” Chen Sihong said.

How could the Son of Heaven be seen at will? How could high-ranking powerful officials be met by a mere sixth-rank minor official like him?

“That needn’t concern Chen Daren. Daren should think more about how to explain if His Majesty investigates deeply why the Imperial Academy would suddenly volunteer to hand over authority to assist with the imperial examinations, and how Daren would explain the evidence in my hands.”

The expression on Chen Sihong’s face slowly subsided, showing not a ripple of emotion.

“Pei Daren, aren’t you being somewhat unprincipled in your conduct?” he said. “You think I’ll believe in evidence that you may or may not actually have?”

“Whether you believe it or not is still Chen Daren’s concern.”

Seeing his unmoved, confident demeanor, Chen Sihong’s heart began to waver with uncertainty.

“If you had the ability to see His Majesty, why didn’t you make a complaint in July? Why would you lower your head and compromise?”

“Yes, Daren seems to have figured it out.” Pei Yanci revealed a smile. “If I had made a complaint in July saying that Daren violated the imperial decree, creating difficulties at every turn and obstructing from within, His Majesty would have given Daren a harsh scolding, after which things would have proceeded as usual.

“Now that Daren has clearly defied the imperial decree and abused power for personal gain, and the Imperial Academy losing the authority to assist with the imperial examinations is a fact laid before His Majesty, then as long as His Majesty inquires, my evidence becomes even more ironclad, doesn’t it?”

Fine beads of sweat emerged at Chen Sihong’s temples.

He too had grown accustomed to this position, commanding wind and rain, covering the sky with one hand. Among colleagues and subordinates, all was courtesy and deference. He never expected that one day this eagle would peck out his eye.

Thinking more carefully, that wasn’t quite right either. Why would this person offend him? Besides his connection to the Zheng family, what other channels did he have?

The Crown Prince?

“You deliberately set a trap for me?” Thinking that Pei might really make a complaint, he panicked for an instant, then immediately steadied himself.

If he truly planned to make a complaint, he wouldn’t waste breath here discussing these things with him. “What do you want?”

“Why is Daren so anxious? Just sit peacefully in this position.” Pei Yanci smiled slightly. “After this episode, the relationship between myself and Daren will obviously become even more intimately close, won’t it?”