Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 1 Palace Examination
March 15th, the 20th year of the Jiajing reign.

The imperial examination was held at Fengtian Hall in the year of Xin Chou.

The exam questions had already been issued, and many candidates had prepared their drafts and were carefully writing their answers.

There wasn't a single ink mark on the manuscript paper in front of Du Yanmaoqing. He was still biting the pen, resting his chin on his hand, and staring blankly into his mind's eye.

This posture naturally attracted the attention of the proctors and inspectors, who secretly regarded him as a key person to pay attention to.

"Good news, we've made it ashore after crossing over."

"There are no elimination slots in the palace examination. As long as you can reach the palace examination, you have already obtained the title of Jinshi. It's just a matter of being ranked in the top tier."

"The bad news is that we've reached the shore of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty."

"This emperor is so wise he's like a demon, and the court is full of ruthless officials, none of whom are human."

"It's difficult to be an official during this period."

"To defect to the purist faction is intolerable to Yan's party."

"He attached himself to Yan Song and was attacked by the 'pure stream' faction."

"Furthermore, the endless infighting within factions is even more difficult to prevent, and more brutal, with even retired officials seeking to exterminate their entire force."

“Loyalty to the emperor not only means being attacked by the Yan faction and the Qingliu faction, but also a great deal of chance that the emperor will use you as a white glove, discarding you like a worn-out shoe after he has used you.”

"Moreover, even the Jiajing Emperor himself was a clay idol barely able to protect himself. Although he didn't dabble in water, fires that threatened his life never ceased, and he was even nearly strangled to death by a palace maid. The depths of the situation are unknown."

"But what if I choose to be a loyal but isolated minister, devoted only to the fate of the nation and its people..."

Yan Maoqing focused his gaze on a fair-skinned scholar not far away.

This man is called Shen Kun.

If I remember correctly, he will become the top scholar in this examination and, according to the custom of the Ming Dynasty, will be directly appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy.

Then, because he insisted on not taking sides, he was not promoted for fifteen years. When he returned to his hometown of Huai'an to mourn his mother's death, Japanese pirates invaded the area. The corrupt government troops collapsed at the first sign of trouble. So he resolutely sold his property and organized the local militia to annihilate the invading Japanese pirates. He made great contributions to the defense against the invaders and was known as the "Martial Arts Champion" by the people. His local militia was called the "Champion Soldiers".

However, his ultimate fate was that he was recommended for promotion for his meritorious service in resisting Japanese pirates, but before he could take office, he was falsely accused and impeached by his ministers. Soon after, he was arrested in the capital, tortured, and died in the Jinyiwei prison.

Yan Maoqing then glanced at another scholar with slightly thicker lips and a tall stature.

This person is even more famous; he is Gao Gong.

He was ranked second in this examination and was selected as a probationary official, and was appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy.

He eventually rose to the position of Grand Secretary, but was dismissed from office because he could not defeat Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao. After retiring and returning to his hometown, he was still plotted against by Feng Bao. Although he was lucky enough to escape, he fell ill from shock and soon died.

"Most importantly, the salaries in the Ming Dynasty were notoriously low. The newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examination was recommended to become a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, which was already a sixth-rank official position, half a rank higher than a local county magistrate. His monthly salary was only 8 shi (a unit of dry measure), which was equivalent to just over four taels of silver."

"With such a small monthly salary, and often delayed payments, it's really hard to imagine people working themselves to the bone."

"It is said that if officials at all levels do not exploit the people and abuse their power for personal gain, they will not even be able to maintain their daily expenses."

"So... rather than feeding my conscience to the dogs and being forced to conform to the world, I'd rather retire and return to my hometown."

"Anyway, my family has some property in the local area. In addition, with the privilege of being a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), not only can my family be exempted from corvée labor and taxes, but my social status is also not low. At least ordinary local officials cannot bully me at will."

"With the knowledge I brought from the future, I can do some small business with the help of my clansmen, and occasionally help my fellow villagers. I can live a good life without making a fuss, and I won't feel guilty."

"Isn't there a saying like this in later generations?"

"The middle class is the happiest class in the world. They don't have to suffer like manual laborers, nor are they troubled by extravagance, ambition, and suspicion like the wealthy upper class..."

In fact, this idea had already taken root in Yan Maoqing's heart a few days ago when he transmigrated here.

This is related to the historical records of his current identity.

If he hadn't transmigrated here, the original owner would have been incredibly lucky.

Although he only ranked third in this examination, he soon became close to Yan Song and his career took off. He was promoted from a court official to a censor, then repeatedly promoted to vice minister of the Court of Judicial Review, then vice censor-in-chief, and finally vice censor-in-chief. He rose rapidly through the ranks and eventually became the head of the salt administration of the four salt transport commissions of Liangzhe, Lianghuai, Changlu and Hedong, holding the reins of power in the country and becoming the second most corrupt official in the dynasty after Yan Song and his son.

However, with the downfall of Yan Song and his son, he soon suffered the fate of having his property confiscated and being exiled to the frontier, a punishment he deserved.

So what's the point of climbing so high and being greedy for so much?

You can't take anything with you when you're born, and you can't take anything with you when you die. In the end, don't you just return to the original starting point?

As for reforming the country, a thankless task, Yan Maoqing would never overestimate his abilities.

Zhang Juzheng worked himself to death trying to reform. Did anyone thank him? In the end, he was notorious for many years and almost had his coffin opened and his corpse mutilated.

And surely no one is unaware that Zhang Juzheng's reforms were actually a continuation of the new policies implemented during the early years of the Jiajing Emperor's reign?
What kind of credence must Yan Maoqing have had to be to stubbornly try to break through this wall that neither the emperor nor the powerful minister could breach, something that even the Jiajing Emperor and Zhang Juzheng could not accomplish?

"Retire! He must retire!"

"If you don't make a decision when you should, you will suffer the consequences!"

Yan Maoqing finally made up his mind when there was still half an hour left in the palace examination.

Now that the goal is set, the biggest challenge naturally lies ahead:

How to secure a safe official position? In those days, passing the imperial examination was tantamount to selling oneself to the court. Even if one was not granted an official position, one's freedom of movement was strictly restricted. One was not allowed to leave the capital without authorization, otherwise one would be charged with "avoiding the selection of officials".

Especially during the reign of Emperor Jiajing.

"Those who have passed the imperial examinations are those whom I have selected; how can they be allowed to act as they please?"

These are Emperor Jiajing's original words.

"Avoiding the selection of officials" and "resigning from office" were among the most intolerable serious crimes for him. Even "passive responses" were unacceptable, as they could be seen as a strong protest against his rule, which would be a serious problem.

Given Emperor Jiajing's conduct of "ruthlessly punishing and killing, and protecting his own shortcomings."

It's likely that the punishment won't be as simple as just stripping someone of their official title. At the very least, they might be exiled to the frontier, or even beheaded or beaten to death.

That leaves only mourning for the deceased and pleading illness.

However, this has strict requirements and only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause.

The mourning period for parents can only begin after their deaths. This is uncontrollable unless the person performs the sacrifice himself, and it is only valid for three years. After the three-year period expires, the person must return to the Ministry of Personnel to report.

Even if someone was faking illness, they would still need an official medical certificate issued by officials from the Imperial Medical Academy and the Ministry of Personnel, and it might even require the personal approval of the Jiajing Emperor.

Regardless of whether Yan Maoqing has the power to influence the officials of the Imperial Hospital and the Ministry of Personnel in a short period of time, if any oversight occurs during this process and he is found to have committed fraud, it will become a case of deceiving the emperor, and the risk is simply too great.

and so……

Yan Maoqing finally regained his composure, picked up his pen, and, disregarding his deviation from the essay topic, relied on his former master's writing skills to write with great effort:

[Cultivate profound knowledge to solidify the mandate of heaven]

It is said that a truly wise person, when governing the world, must first understand the divine; a sage king, when ruling the people, should first and foremost revere the Way and its arts.

【…】

【…】

[Your Majesty, I humbly request:]
He widely recruited alchemists, just as Emperor Wu of Han treated the young emperor, and extensively sought the secrets of longevity.

The Zhaigong Palace was expanded, following the example of Emperor Huizong of Song's construction of Genyue, in order to gather the spirit of heaven and earth;
He often composed poems in the style of Tao Hongjing, aiming to attain enlightenment and reach the realm of the Three Pure Ones.

【…】

[The Emperor rejoices, and spiritual cultivation flourishes daily; the nation is secure, and millions rejoice in spring!]

The patrol officer, who had been paying special attention to Yan Maoqing, became alert when he suddenly started writing and quietly approached to examine him.

Only after confirming that Yan Maoqing had not cheated did they turn their attention to his answer sheet.

After only a few glances, the patrol officer's eyes widened in astonishment, marveling at the extraordinary beauty.

When Confucius discussed the "punishment of a gentleman," he identified five major evils deserving of punishment:

First, one's heart is rebellious and treacherous; second, one's actions are unorthodox and resolute; third, one's words are false and eloquent; fourth, one's memory of ugliness is extensive; fifth, one's actions are compliant and benevolent.

Based solely on this answer sheet, the patrol officer could already see that this scoundrel was utterly wicked and would not only be unable to gain power in the future, but would surely bring disaster to the court once he did!
Unfortunately, this person misdirected their ambition and used the wrong methods.

The examination papers had to be reviewed by Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet and senior officials of the Six Ministries in turn. The Emperor would usually only flip through or listen to the first-class papers with the most markings to determine the ranking of the top scholars.

While the current Grand Secretary Xia Yan is the chief examiner of the examination papers, he is somewhat arrogant and extravagant, but relatively upright, especially in his opposition to the emperor's cultivation of metaphysics.

When he sees this answer sheet, he'll probably find it too filthy to even use as toilet paper.

The reason they didn't tear it up directly must be because they were afraid of being held accountable by the emperor for not having a proper answer sheet. They were just enduring it for their own sake and would never let the emperor see the answer sheet easily.

Moreover, opposing the emperor's practice of metaphysics is now considered politically correct in the court and among the public, especially among the literati. Even though the emperor recently had the Grand Master of the Imperial Stud executed for his outspoken criticism of the absurdity of metaphysics, it only temporarily suppressed the voices of outspoken criticism.

In this situation, it doesn't matter which examiner is reading the papers, or whether they are loyal or treacherous.

If anyone dares to circle or mark on such an answer sheet, it's as if a treacherous official has come forward, and if word gets out, they'll be the subject of gossip and slander.

If Yan Maoqing makes a name for himself in the future...

So it's not impossible that he'll drag you down into the annals of history and leave you infamous for eternity!

However, one thing is certain.

After this imperial examination, this person will surely leave a very deep impression on the cabinet and the important officials of the six ministries.

After the results of the palace examination were announced, the top three scholars (Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, Tanhua) and the junior scholars (Shujishi) would directly enter the Hanlin Academy. The other newly appointed scholars would enter the Six Ministries, the Censorate, and other government offices to observe politics for several months before being selected by the respective ministries and granted official positions.

Whoever elects this person at that time will be no different from a treacherous minister stepping out himself. Who would dare to do that?

The patrol officer gave Yan Maoqing a deep look, memorizing his face, while secretly thinking to himself:

"Trying to be clever backfires and ruins one's future."

"Isn't this the kind of person who's both stupid and wicked?"

(End of this chapter)