Chapter Fifty-Seven: Ye Wuji—When I Get Cruel, I Even Curse Myself

Upon learning that the tavern had experienced a roaring success on its opening day, Ye Xiren beamed with joy, his mouth splitting into a wide grin.

In exceptionally high spirits, he suggested sharing a pot of wine, a proposal Ye Xiu was naturally more than happy to accompany him on.

Zhao Youyou whipped up three of her signature cold dishes, and the two men began to drink opposite each other.

As dusk approached, Ye Wuji strolled back in a leisurely, swaying manner.

With the tavern's grand opening, Ye Wuji had enjoyed a couple of relaxed days as well.

The moment he saw Ye Xiren sitting at home, half of his drunken haze vanished instantly.

Zhao Youyou poured Ye Wuji a cup of hangover-remedy tea, and he took a seat at the table.

Noticing that all of Ye Xiren's books were packed away in sealed chests, Ye Wuji asked, "Sir, are you preparing to return to the capital?"

"Everything has been packed up. I'll be heading back the day after tomorrow." Ye Xiren paused slightly. "To be honest, returning means stepping into a tempest of swirling winds and pouring rain; it's hardly as comfortable as living here in Wulong Lane."

"Every day, I've had you here supervising my studies, Sir." Ye Wuji's eyes revealed a trace of reluctance. "With you suddenly leaving, I feel this sudden emptiness in my heart."

"Speaking of which, you have already squandered two days."

Ye Xiren wore a stern expression. "I heard that you composed a *ci* poem for the courtesan Dong Rushu, causing quite a stir throughout Jinling. Even more people will be seeking you out in the days to come. But you must guard against arrogance and impatience; you must not misbehave before passing the provincial examination. If you wish to drink or attend literary and poetry gatherings, you must wait until after you have passed."

"I will strictly heed your teachings, Sir." Filled with gratitude, Ye Wuji poured a cup of wine for Ye Xiren.

"This imperial examination is different from previous ones. You must treat it with the utmost seriousness." Ye Xiren picked up his wine cup. "For students of the Imperial Academy like you, this is a severe challenge."

"Oh? Why is that?" Ye Wuji asked, puzzled. "Could something have gone wrong with the autumn provincial examination?"

"When I went to the prefectural office to check in today, I happened to see the imperial decree issued by the court. The status and benefits of scholars in Jinling are being elevated by one rank."

There was no joy on Ye Xiren's face; instead, his expression was laced with worry.

"Elevated by one rank? Doesn't that mean..." Ye Wuji widened his eyes in shock. "Doesn't that make them equal to provincial graduates? If that's the case... when the autumn examination arrives, scholars will lose their advantage."

"Precisely." Ye Xiren heaved a sigh. "Because of this, Kong Chongyuan and Wang Yuanhui had no choice but to decide that this year's autumn examination in Jinling will abolish all favoritism and personal connections. Whether an examinee is a private candidate or an Imperial Academy student, all will be treated equally."

By "personal connections," he was referring to the fixed admission quotas reserved for the Imperial Academy and the nation's four major academies during every autumn examination.

Once the examination papers of the Academy students were submitted, they were stamped with a special seal to distinguish them from common examinees.

The imperial court mandated fixed admission quotas to ensure that the pass rate for Academy students remained higher than that of students from civilian academies.

Now, with all favoritism abolished, it was equivalent to eliminating the fixed quotas, which dealt a heavy blow to the Imperial Academy students.

Therefore, this session of the autumn examination would be the fairest one yet, but for the Academy students, it was also the most unfortunate.

True masters can be found among the common folk, while the incompetent often hide within official bureaus—this adage held true everywhere.

At any time, what people feared most was transparent, fair competition.

"Misfortunes never come singly! From now on, you must study diligently and refuse all invitations. Even if you fail to place first as the top provincial scorer, you must at least pass the examination."

Ye Wuji poured himself a cup of wine and gulped it down in one go. "Sir, why did the Emperor suddenly elevate the status of Jinling examinees?"

"I do have some inkling about that. The Emperor issued an imperial order to Kong Chongyuan demanding that the poetry and examination papers of a certain individual be copied and submitted directly to the capital." Ye Xiren's gaze grew profound and meaningful. "As for who this person is, I cannot say, lest I bring unnecessary trouble upon him."

"That bastard!" Ye Wuji cursed repeatedly. "Showing off for no reason when everything was fine? Now look where we are—he's ruined the game for everyone."

"He certainly is quite a bastard." Ye Xiren smiled with deep meaning. "As for Wang Yuanhui, you can rest easy; he won't put obstacles in your path. Right now, he is regretting his actions so bitterly his intestines are turning green, so you shouldn't harbor any grievances either. His official career has reached its peak, and coming to you to call off the engagement was only human nature."

"Sir, what I resent isn't him coming to my home to call off the engagement," Ye Wuji confessed, opening his heart. "If he had straightforwardly uttered the words to break the betrothal, I would have handed him the cancellation notice right then and there. But he wanted to play the whore while setting up a memorial arch for chastity, forcing me to be the one to say those words. How could I not be furious?"

"In the future, you should still show him a certain degree of respect. Theoretically speaking, most of your family's connections and networks remain intact." Ye Xiren sighed softly. "The capital is calm right now simply because it is brewing an even greater storm. The power of the three Grand Secretaries in the Cabinet is simply too vast, faintly overshadowing even the imperial authority. Your father is a veteran of two reigns and a loyal servant of the imperial household... He will undoubtedly weather this hurdle."

"So, Dad, you don't need to worry about Grandfather anymore..." Ye Xiu smiled brightly as he poured Ye Wuji another cup of wine. "Before the autumn examination, you must apply yourself diligently. I shall paint a portrait of Master Ye and hang it in your study to keep you supervised."

"Good heavens, you're going to be the death of your old man."

"You'an, can you paint?" Ye Xiren looked at Ye Xiu with a surprised expression.

"I know a little." Ye Xiu said with utmost modesty.

"There's no time like the present. Why not do it right now?"

Seeing anticipation in Ye Xiren's eyes, Ye Xiu nodded heavily. "If the painting turns out poorly, please don't blame me, sir."

Early the next morning.

The prefectural office issued an official announcement: the status and benefits of all scholars in Jinling Prefecture were to be elevated by one rank.

Immediately following this was the announcement that for the upcoming autumn examination, the guaranteed baseline quotas for Imperial Academy students were cancelled.

As soon as the news broke, it hit Jinling Prefecture like a nuclear bomb detonating.

Some rejoiced while others wept.

The Imperial Academy students all wore long, bitter faces.

Most of them were scions of high-ranking officials and nobles, well-versed in eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, while lagging miserably behind in their studies.

Had it not been for the guaranteed quotas, why would any of them bother showing up to check in at the academy every day?

Commoner examinees, on the other hand, were overjoyed.

Not only did they send tokens of appreciation to the prefectural office, but they also crafted a "Umbrella of Ten Thousand Names," petitioning Xu Yougong to present it to the Emperor on their behalf.

An Umbrella of Ten Thousand Names was not something just anyone could craft, nor was it something just anyone could present.

Since this umbrella was commissioned by the civilian scholars of the entire Jinling Prefecture, its significance was all the greater, and Xu Yougong naturally had to treat it with the utmost solemnity.

As he pondered this, Xu Yougong thought of Ye Xiren, who was soon to leave Jinling.

Having Ye Xiren take this umbrella back with him was by far the most fitting arrangement.

When Ye Xiren arrived at the prefectural office and learned the details of the matter, he readily agreed.

"Lord Ye, take a look at this as well."

Xu Yougong immediately produced a document and handed it to Ye Xiren, his eyes filled with helplessness. "Old Sir, this time we've gone and offended everyone we should—and shouldn't—have offended. Now, the Ministry of Revenue is coming to me, the Prefect of Jinling, demanding money."

Initially, Ye Xiren remained unconcerned; after all, how few people had Ye Tianxiang managed to offend anyway?

However, once he read the contents of the document clearly, Ye Xiren was dumbfounded and blurted out a curse on the spot: *What the hell, how did he dare do that?!*

As it turned out, in order to raise military funds for the Emperor, Ye Tianxiang had first had Madam Wei organize a massive fundraising campaign.

During the imperial court assembly, Madam Wei had addressed the Emperor in her capacity as a titled noble lady and presented all the proceeds from the fundraising directly to His Majesty.

Overjoyed, the Emperor promoted Madam Wei to Commandery Princess of Luoyang (a rank just below a primary princess) and asked if she had any other requests.

Madam Wei had dropped a bombshell right out of the gate, petitioning the Emperor to erect a monumental stele in the Triumphal Arch Square, engraved with the personal identification information of every single person who had contributed to the fundraising...