Getting Rich from Legend of Zhen Huan

Jiang Chen looked at Li Guangdi. He hadn't seen him for more than three months, but Li Guangdi had changed a lot. In the 28th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, Li Guangdi was demoted because he had made an article that displeased Emperor Kangxi, but he had never looked haggard or worried. But now, his well-maintained black hair had a hint of silver, and his face had many more wrinkles. His tired and vicissitudes of life were obvious at a glance.

Jiang Chen quickly stepped forward, held Li Guangdi's hand and was about to kneel down, "I am an unfilial disciple. My mistress is seriously ill, but you have ignored morality and only seek fame and fortune. You really deserve to be beaten!"

Li Guangdi tried hard to stop him from kneeling, and consoled him, "How can I disturb your studies when Chen'er is busy with important matters? Mother specifically asked me not to let you come to visit her."

Speaking of studies, Li Guangdi realized that Jiang Chen must have come here in such a hurry because he had good news. His clenched hands began to tremble, and his lips trembled slightly. He opened and spit several times before he spoke: "Chen'er, are you here to announce the good news?"

Jiang Chen let go of Li Guangdi's hand, kowtowed three times, and then stood up and said to Li Guangdi: "I have lived up to my master's expectations. The reporter just came to give me good news. I have passed the exam and got the first place by luck."

Hearing Jiang Chen's admission, Li Guangdi was ecstatic. Sixth Place! (Kangxi would definitely choose Jiang Chen as the top scorer in the palace examination for the title of Sixth Place.) I taught him!

If he wasn’t afraid of being accused of being arrogant and it didn’t fit his style, Li Guangdi would have wanted to go to court right away and show off to his colleagues that the one who won five prizes in a row was about to win six prizes. There was only one person in history who won six prizes, and the second one who would be born soon was Jiang Chen, and he was my apprentice!!!

Li Guangdi's heart was surging, but he remained calm, as if he had never worried about his little apprentice. He just smiled and said "OK", then helped Jiang Chen up and sat down in the study together. The maid brought him tea of ​​just the right temperature, and the master and apprentice started chatting.

Although he knew that the emperor would point out Jiang Chen for good luck, Li Guangdi had been with the emperor for many years, so how could he not know the emperor's mind? He dismissed everyone and said earnestly: "It's less than ten days before the palace examination, does Chen have any ideas?"

Jiang Chen understood the teacher's tone and immediately answered seriously, "I have studied hard for many years. I can get to this point now, thanks to the teacher's teachings. I dare not be arrogant. Now I am afraid that everyone wants to see what kind of person Jiang Chen is! But the teacher also said that I have not passed the palace examination. Even if someone wants to help me, I dare not lose my temper. I plan to continue studying hard behind closed doors these days and not give anyone a handle."

Li Guangdi listened and nodded, and explained to Jiang Chen in depth: "This imperial examination has been in turmoil since last year's provincial examination. The literary style of Jiangnan is prevalent, and all the previous champions have come from Jiangnan. You have now complied with the current emperor's wishes and broken the situation. The terrible thing is that you have offended a group of colleagues before you even entered the Hanlin Academy! And your most likely allies, your peers, will probably not get too close to you for the sake of their own reputation!"

Although Li Guangdi said that Jiang Chen might not be doing well in the officialdom, he did not look worried at all. He smiled confidently and said, "Do you still remember when we just returned to Beijing in the 27th year?"

"My disciple remembers that it was the period of mourning for Empress Xiaozhuang Wen, and an official from the Ministry of Rites impeached you for being late on your way and failing to come to Beijing on time to pay homage to Empress Xiaozhuang Wen's coffin. The case was referred to the Ministry of Personnel for discussion. The Ministry of Personnel wanted to punish you by demoting you by five ranks, but His Majesty was lenient and did not blame you."

Li Guang nodded, and he was not embarrassed to talk about the past. "Yes! Such things can be big or small. If you really think that I deliberately delayed, then I am afraid that my nine clans will be implicated and die without a burial place. But the current emperor can see clearly that he did not punish me because the emperor is not grieving for Empress Xiaozhuang Wen? Or is he reluctant to part with me, his trusted minister?"

Li Guangdi threw out the question and picked up the teacup to moisten his lips. Seeing Jiang Chen's puzzled expression, he put down the teacup and explained, "Neither of them! This guy of ours! We must stroke the hair. He can see clearly that someone is trying to kill me by taking advantage of the funeral ceremony! Believe it or not, His Majesty can tell all your little tricks with just one glance. Trying to use moral etiquette to force that person to deal with me is the biggest trick those people have used!"

After listening to Li Guangdi's explanation of the underlying game of this matter, Jiang Chen matched this information with the news of that year bit by bit. Sure enough, since then, the teacher was reinstated and stayed in Beijing. On the contrary, many people from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel were demoted or fined after the funeral of Empress Xiaozhuang Wen.

Seeing that Jiang Chen had understood, Li Guangdi continued, "So, as a minister, the official position you hold is not important. What is important is that the emperor remembers you. The most important thing is not to be clever. I, your teacher, have learned this truth after serving as an official in the capital for many years. In the local area, you need to coordinate relationships and make achievements. But the most important thing for an official in the capital is to understand the emperor's heart."

Li Guangdi was teaching his apprentice, thinking back to the past. These things were also figured out by himself after he had made a big mistake in the past 28 years. No matter how foolish or wise the emperor was, if he looked down on them and wanted to kill someone with a borrowed knife, he would be courting death. Fortunately, he figured it out at that time and appealed to the emperor. The emperor was kind to him, otherwise he would not know where he was now.

"The teacher can only lead you to the door, but the practice is up to you. Chen'er is very talented, but you must not be arrogant. You must know that there are always people better than you!" Li Guangdi ended his teaching. This was Jiang Chen's first time to take the 'Political Guidance Course', and he still had many questions in his mind, but these were not within the scope of the teacher's answers, and he needed to understand them himself.

After talking about the past, Li Guangdi told Jiang Chen the truth: "Chen'er, I'm afraid my mother's health is really not good! My father passed away early, and now I only have my mother. If God really doesn't give me a long life, I must return to my hometown to mourn for my mother."

He stopped Jiang Chen from saying anything and continued to make arrangements calmly: "If you pass the palace examination in April, you will be assigned to the Imperial Academy. However, the two parties in the court are fighting, and it will be difficult for you to stay out of it. You must try your best to win the emperor's favor to protect yourself. If you have any difficulties, just write to me directly."

After saying this, Li Guangdi took Jiang Chen inside to meet his mother. The old lady was tortured by illness, and her body was thin, but her face was as rosy as that of an ordinary person. She walked, sat, lay down, spoke, and behaved very flexibly, not like someone who had been ill for a long time. Jiang Chen felt bitter when he saw this. This was like a last gasp of life!

All the younger generations who were able to come back have returned. Everyone can see that the old lady's time is approaching, but they still have to suppress their sadness and joke with the old woman. The old lady hugged the great-grandchildren and let them go. People themselves are the ones who can feel the end of their life most, and she didn't want to scare the little ones.