The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

"Alright, since you don't approve, then forget it. Anyway, there are many noble ladies in the capital, so I have plenty of choices. I'll wait until I pass the imperial examination," Xiaoyuer said, not insisting.

Speaking of another matter, "By the way, Dad, Zhong Zheng has been with our family for seven or eight years now, hasn't he?"

Zhong Zheng is Zhong Xiaobao. Now everyone calls him Zhong Zheng and no longer calls him by his nickname Zhong Xiaobao.

"Hmm, more than seven years, what happened?"

"I want to train some of my own people, and have Zhong Zheng train them. Dad, can you transfer some people to me?" Xiao Yu'er said.

“Alright, you’re getting on in years. I was planning to gradually assign some people for you to practice with and teach you these skills of managing subordinates,” Zhang Ping’an readily agreed.

He then smiled and asked, "But haven't you never really liked Zhong Zheng? Why are you willing to let him be in charge of training his men this time?"

"Father, didn't you always say that we must learn to use people? Whether they are princes or commoners, everyone has their own place and use. I did not like him before, but he is indeed very capable. I will not use him just because I don't like him. If I really drive him away, it only means that I cannot control him. If I can't even control him, how can I make great strides in the court in the future?" Xiaoyu smiled and leaned back in his chair, speaking casually.

Hearing this, Zhang Ping'an looked at his son with newfound respect and nodded in approval: "You have indeed grown up and matured. The sign of growing up is learning to control your emotions. Although Zhong Zheng is young, he is very shrewd. He has no parents and nowhere to go. As long as you treat him a little better, he will be devoted to you and can become your right-hand man in the future."

"But, do you remember another phrase your father taught you before?"

"What?" Little Fish looked up.

"You must learn to keep your subordinates in check. No matter how much you trust, believe in, or value them, you must have the power to check and balance them. Only by making them restrain each other can you secure your position and make good use of these people," Zhang Ping'an said earnestly.

“I remember, just like Your Majesty,” Little Fish sat up straight and replied earnestly.

"His Majesty's health is deteriorating day by day, and he can no longer attend the morning court session as scheduled every day. The reason why the Great Zhou Dynasty can still prosper and enjoy peace throughout the land is because his subordinates check and balance each other and work hard for him."

"Watch your words!" Zhang Ping'an raised his hand and said in a deep voice to stop him.

"I've always followed the middle path. I don't know where you get such ambition from. Your strength is obvious—you're smart—but your weakness is equally obvious—you're too smart!"

"Dad!" Little Fish called out.

"Alright, just listen to these court affairs and that's it. You can learn about them after you enter officialdom. Right now, the most important thing is to prepare for next year's imperial examination. Don't be careless or complacent just because you did well in the provincial examination. You don't know that there are always people smarter than you, and there are countless people in this world who are smarter than you!"

"Leaving aside others, take the candidate ahead of you. He's only twenty years old, and he came from a poor, remote area to pass the imperial examinations, which led him to the Imperial Academy. He then had to pass the provincial examinations to become a Juren. In terms of resources, he's far inferior to you, yet he's ahead of you. Can you say he has no talent?" Zhang Ping'an admonished.

His son is too smart, and sometimes he worries that he might take too big a step and become unsteady.

Xiaoyuer knew immediately who he was talking about. At that time, resources were not so polarized, and Zhou Ziming was extremely strict in managing his subordinates. His subordinates dared not be too careless or do too much trickery in the selection of tribute.

After all, scholarship cannot be faked; one can find out its true worth by taking a stroll around the Imperial College.

Therefore, even exceptionally talented scholars from commoner backgrounds could be selected to study at the Imperial Academy, thus becoming a reserve of talent for the imperial court.

Those selected were all people with photographic memory or exceptional talent, and many of them were known as child prodigies in their local areas from a young age.

After the list was released, Zhang Ping'an carefully read it from beginning to end and found out the backgrounds of all the people on the list.

The father and son spent half a day analyzing the list.

Hearing this, Xiaoyuer had to admit, "He is indeed exceptionally talented, a natural for the imperial examinations, and better than me!"

“Being able to admit that others are better than you is also a kind of improvement. Alright, go and do your own thing. Your cousin also made the list this time. Although he ranked at the bottom and his chances of passing the imperial examination are slim, he still wants to try. He will be coming to the capital from Lin'an in a few days and will stay at our house. You can discuss your studies together.”

"Cousin Pengpeng is coming? Is he bringing his whole family again this time?" Xiaoyu muttered.

“He came alone this time. Ever since I scolded him last time, he hasn’t brought anyone back to the inner quarters. He’s been focusing all his energy on his studies. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have passed the imperial examination this time,” Zhang Ping’an explained helplessly.

I know that when my second sister's son Pengpeng came over last time, he didn't leave a good impression on Xiaoyuer.

"It's all thanks to the money. Uncle Liu and the Ge family gave him so much money to hire famous teachers. Even a stone would have figured it out by now," Xiaoyuer joked.

There was a hint of disdain in his tone.

For a top student like him, it was completely incomprehensible that someone could spend their entire life trying to pass the imperial examinations and still not even become a Xiucai (a lower-level scholar). In his view, that person was just a blockhead.

Therefore, Pengpeng, who only made the list three times, clearly had a sense of superiority.

Zhang Ping'an was too lazy to say anything more and waved his hand to let his son leave.

He pondered how to respond if Zhou Ziming summoned him tomorrow to inquire about the fiefdom.

Zhou Ziming has been seriously ill for the past two years, but he still values ​​him highly and even shows an undisguised preference for him.

After returning from mourning, his official position remained unchanged; he continued to serve as the Privy Councilor.

This is not an easy thing to do.

The recent enfeoffment has caused quite a stir among the court officials, and Zhou Ziming clearly wants to send away the second, third, and fourth princes.

Therefore, the matter of granting fiefdoms will certainly be decided as soon as possible.

For such an important matter, Zhou Ziming would certainly consult the opinions of his close ministers, and he was one of them.

Qian Ying's bringing this up today may well be a test.

But serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; the emperor's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea.

Zhang Ping'an sometimes couldn't figure out what Zhou Ziming was thinking. Although to outsiders, Zhou Ziming did value him highly and treated him very well, often inviting him to dine in the palace.

But sometimes, when Zhang Ping'an inadvertently saw Zhou Ziming looking at him thoughtfully, he would also feel a chill.

How should I put it? It feels like... like prey being targeted by a wild beast.

Therefore, Zhang Ping'an was not as relaxed as he appeared to others, and had been on edge lately.