Chapter 136
The group exited the side hall and headed towards the Left Shun Gate for the banquet.
In the palace, even in February, they were still enjoying pufferfish, asparagus soup, and peach blossom pickled fish. However, the banquet for the academicians did not feature such precious dishes. Instead, there were common local dishes like chicken, duck, fish,and river delicacies, with plenty of pickled fish. Additionally, there were roasted pig, chicken, and duck, large and small intestines, fried lamb tails, kidneys, roasted bamboo shoots with goose, stir-fried lamb tripe, braised fish, and steamed fish with willows— all common meat dishes in Beijing, along with numerous vegetables and pickles from various regions all over the country.
Except for Li da-ren, who was an official of the Ministry of Personnel, the rest of these future prominent ministers were still living modestly at the Hanlin Academy. They did not hold back and ate heartily at the banquet and encouraged the newcomer, Cui Xie: “Do not be reserved. Try these new dishes. It is a rare opportunity to dine in the palace.”
These officials could enjoy such feasts regularly, but Cui Xie might only come to the Imperial Palace once. He might not have another chance for many years, even if he participated in future lectures.
Cui Xie accepted their kindness and focused on eating the mushrooms and sea vegetables that he had not eaten since coming to the Ming Dynasty. He did not hold back and ate to his heart’s content until his stomach was full. The lecturers, each with their own preferences, also ate freely with their chopsticks, choosing their favorite dishes without concern for appearances.
After the banquet, the lecturers strolled leisurely to aid digestion, expressing their thoughts with a sigh: “The best part of being a lecturer is the food and drink provided by the palace. Those rural scholars running private schools earn fifty to sixty taels of silver a year, while our salary at the Hanlin Academy is barely half of that. Fortunately, we occasionally receive writing materials and some money and food from the Imperial banquets; otherwise, how could we manage to survive in the capital?”
These lecturers often joked among themselves, and now, with a young and fresh newcomer, they teased him: “Cui jiansheng, when you take the palace examination, aim for the second rank of a regular metropolitan examination graduate. Given your age and appearance, avoiding the Hanlin Academy would allow you to secure a stable position as a Supervising Censor. Your name would be well-known, and high-ranking officials of the six ministries would seek your friendship. Being posted as a Regional Inspector…is much better than sitting idle at the Hanlin Academy.”
Listening to these future dignitaries’ down-to-earth complaints, Cui Xie wished he could bring a set of Ming history books from his time to show them their future roles as grand secretaries and ministers, to boost their morale.
Unfortunately, he could not travel back in time. Instead, he joked, “Had this student not come to the palace today, I might have drifted aimlessly without ambitions with the crowd. But now, having met such extraordinary talents, I am determined to join the Hanlin Academy and, one day, become a lecturer like you gentleman, capable of truly teaching the Crown Prince.”
Although these Hanlin scholars often complained about the poor treatment at the academy and their uncertain futures, they were the cream of the crop, having fought their way through the rigorous imperial examinations, with even a top scorer, a zhuangyuan, among them. They were confident in their talents. Hearing Cui Xie’s ambition to follow their example after meeting such exceptional talents today, they appreciated his down-to-earth nature and possessed good judgment.
Li Dongyang casually gave him some advice, suggesting he should not rush to take the Imperial examinations—given his young age and the Emperor’s favor, there was no need to hurry into officialdom. It would be better to wait a few years after passing the provincial exams, aiming for second rank when taking the metropolitan exams.
Cui Xie was still looking forward to passing the exams quickly, spending more time with his boyfriend so they could do the deed. How could he be willing to delay for three more years? He did not respond directly to this advice, instead vaguely saying, “This student dare not hope for success in the provincial exams yet, so how can I think about the metropolitan exams?”
Deflecting the topic, he asked, “Listening to the lectures by the two da-ren in the hall was truly enlightening. This student wishes to reflect on them further, but there were some parts that have been forgotten. Could this student possibly borrow da-ren’s lecture notes for a look?”
Li Chun glanced at him and asked, “I heard you have a photographic memory. So you cannot remember everything you hear as well?”
Indeed, when he traveled back in time, he only had his hard drive, not a phone or a recording device; otherwise, he could have remembered everything he heard too. He sighed regretfully and replied, “This student hasn’t studied the 《Classic of History》thoroughly, and this student’s knowledge of the classics and histories is limited, so some parts sounded unfamiliar and this student couldn’t remember them clearly.”
Li da-ren stroked his beard with a laugh, “How much can you remember if you look at it now? Shiyong, Xiya1, let him see your notes. Let us see how much this prodigy can memorize from here to the Gate of Great Illumination and if he can live up to his reputation.”
They were heading to the Hanlin Academy and the Ministry of Personnel and should have exited from the Left Chang’an Gate, a few steps away, but walking to the Gate of Great Illumination meant passing through the long Corridor of a Thousand Steps, giving Cui Xie more time to read, reducing the difficulty for him. The group, looking towards the Great Ming Gate, laughed and said, “Li da-ren really has a leisurely mood. Since we have time and nothing pressing at the academy or the ministry, let’s let him try.”
Most of these scholars had been child prodigies themselves, often tested in their youth, and were not lenient when challenging new young talents, actually even more ruthless. They had grown tired of simple memory games and found Cui Xie’s question format intriguing. They agreed that each would pose a question. Whoever stumped him would have everyone else pool money to treat them to a banquet.
Li Chun, being a Vice Supervisor to the Household of the Heir Apparent and a mentor to Li Dongyang, Yang Yiqing and the others, was esteemed and virtuous, naturally refraining from joining the younger scholars’ games. He smiled and shook his head, “If he answers all of them, what will you do…”
If Cui Xie answered them all…
If he could answer all the deliberately difficult questions posed by this group of experienced scholars, such a promising talent surely deserved to be recruited as a disciple and a good seedling?
Everyone had this thought in mind and glanced at Cui Xie, smiling without speaking. Li Dongyang, however, eyed them and spoke first, “No need for everyone to fret. I have an excellent painting that every scholar would want. If Hezhong can answer these questions correctly, I will have it brought and presented to him.”
Some of the scholars guessed which painting he meant, while others had no clue. As they pondered their questions, they continued discussing the desirable artwork, strolling, chatting and laughing leisurely along the Corridor of Thousand Steps.
Cui Xie vaguely discerned that the highly esteemed painting, ‘famed in the capital, eagerly awaited by its owner’, seemed to be the life-sized portrait of Xiao Qiao that he himself had painted. Reflecting on the poem about Xiao Qiao, it indeed had a fresh and lively style, unlike the heavy and solemn ministerial style currently popular, more akin to the style of the Chaling poet group2.
However, Cui Xie was not ready to claim the title of the renowned artist and behind-the-scenes owner of the Peace of Mind Study just yet. He kept his head down and did not join in the chat, focusing on the two sets of lecture notes, preparing to tackle the upcoming questions.
While he was busy outside the palace preparing for his oral test, the Crown Prince was inside, reviewing the examination papers sent from the Imperial College.
The attendant, concerned for him, said, “Your Highness has been studying all morning and is not tired? This 《Classic of Poetry》is not something Your Highness must learn.. If Your Highness must read it, take a break first.”
The Crown Prince shook his head and instructed, “Light the incense and keep track of the time for me. This was sent by my Imperial father. How can Gu neglect it?”
The attendant, worried for his well-being, almost was so distressed that he wanted to call Empress Dowager Zhou to persuade him to rest, but the Crown Prince did not feel fatigued. He even found some enjoyment in tackling the exam questions.
These questions were not just dry excerpts from the classics. From the misleading incorrect answers and the historical material analysis questions, he could sense the thoughtfulness of the examiners. When he reached the two questions Cui Xie had erred on, he was particularly cautious, racking his brain for the correct answers, secretly determined to compare his performance with Cui Xie’s.
Though he was still alone in the Palace of Compassion and Celebration, surrounded by attendants, by working through this set of questions, it made him feel as if another boy of his age was accompanying him in the outer hall, tackling the same problems…
After more than an hour, Zhu Youcheng had completed his rough draft and carefully copied his answers onto the original paper. However, in the palace, there was no one to compare answers with or to correct his work.
He reviewed his exam paper several times, rolled it up, and placed it on the side of the desk. The next day, he personally sought the Emperor’s permission to have the paper sent to the Imperial College for evaluation.
The Chenghua Emperor, having missed much of his own education due to being deposed from the title of Crown Prince in his youth, did not hold frequent Imperial lectures or read the classics, and was not inclined to read the paper himself. However, like all parents, he wished for his children to be diligent. Seeing the Crown Prince so diligent and giving special treatment to Cui Xie and having written such a thick roll of paper, he could not help but show a satisfied smile: “Granted. Have someone, send it to Chancellor Qiu.”
Since Cui Xie was recommended by Gao taijian, Gao Liang eagerly rushed to accept the order. Just as he took the paper and was about to leave, the Crown Prince performed a deep bow and requested, “The exam questions that Father sent were excellent. Erchen3 feels more confident in my studies after completing them and wishes to receive more such questions.”
If the Crown Prince had asked for anything else, the Emperor would have had to consider the state treasury or his private funds. But requesting exam questions was easy. He nodded and instructed Gao taijian to convey the order to the Hanlin Academy, asking them to prepare similar exams based on the Crown Prince’s academic level and send them periodically
Gao Liang did not hurry to leave. He waited to see if the Crown Prince had more to say. Indeed, the Crown Prince took a deep breath, raised his hands in a cupped manner and requested, “Yesterday, erchen noticed that Cui Xie from the Imperial College is young and diligent. I wish for him to benefit from Imperial Father’s grace and accompany erchen and the academicians in taking these exams. Hoping Imperial Father will allow this.”
The Chenghua Emperor was bewildered: “Have him accompany you? Why not have your brothers…” Halfway through his sentence, he then remembered that the Crown Prince’s eldest younger brother, Youyuan, was only eight or nine years old, inferior in his studies and not yet comparable in academic level.
The Crown Prince, pretending not to hear, respectfully said, “Erchen wishes to compare my performance with someone else’s to better understand how much was learned.”
While attendants from the Imperial Study could also accompany the Crown Prince, the Emperor, feeling a bit guilty for almost forgetting his son’s age, changed his initial rejection to approval.
Besides, it was not making Cui Xie come to the Imperial Palace to accompany the Crown Prince. At most, he would just hand in his paper and let the Crown Prince compare answers. What would the trouble be? The Emperor, realizing this, and felt that it was too little for the Crown Prince to have only one companion to do the examinations, so he decided to extend the privilege further. He ordered the Imperial College to select well-educated, morally upright young scholars and juren to accompany the Crown Prince in the exams. After the exams, the Imperial College’s instructors would review and identify the best answers to be sent to the Eastern palace for the Crown Prince for reference.
The Crown Prince, imagining these young scholars joining him in his studies, felt a slight anticipation. With a faint smile showing through his eyes, he thanked the Emperor before retreating.
Gao Liang promptly headed to the Hanlin Academy and the Imperial College to deliver the Emperor’s edict. At the Imperial College, he specifically called for Cui Xie. After announcing the decree in person, he cheerfully said, “Cui Jiansheng, His Highness values you highly. You must strive to excel, study diligently, and show good results.”
Cui Xie, having been tested by the Hanlin scholars just the day before, now found himself decreed by the Emperor to accompany the Crown Prince in exams, it was indeed an enviable position that would make people jealous to death if they told him about it. Even the Chancellor and the instructors looked at him with smiles, pleased and relieved at how highly the Crown Prince valued him. However, Cui Xie remained calm and composed, thanking Gao gonggong respectfully before escorting him out with the instructors and returning to his studies in the Hall of Sincerity.
After Gao taijian left, Chancellor Qiu instructed the instructors to announce the news to the students to each hall and prepare questions to select suitable candidates from among the Imperial College’s students.
Cui Xie, being specifically chosen by the Crown Prince, did not need to take the selection exam. His classmates, full of admiration, congratulated him with envy. Several ambitious young students, eager to take the exams prepared by the Hanlin scholars, approached him, joking, “Even if we cannot study with the Crown Prince in the palace, we can still be considered his study companions, right?”
Study companions in the palace… those were taijian, whereas scholars were the academicians.
Cui Xie curled his lips and patted his classmate’s shoulder, gently advising, “Ordinary people like us can accompany him from outside the palace; there is need to set our aspirations so high.”
Footnotes:
- Shiyong = Xu Pu Courtesy Name
Xiya = Li Dongyang ↩︎ - Chaling poet group: A group of poets and essay writers, the so-called Earlier Seven Masters — inspired by the Chaling poet group – rebelled against the solemn and overloaded style of the ministerial style/lyrics and created their own idea of writing poetry, by taking Han- 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE) and Tang-period works as paradigms. ↩︎
- Erchen: son-servant(or subject), used when speaking to empress, mother or emperor. It means that when the person is an imperial child, they are still a subject of the emperor. ↩︎
TN: Have a good rest of your week everyone and enjoy the chapter! Almost the New Year!
Update 12/23/24: I just updated it so that all my advance chapters for TMD are up on patreon! Sorry for being so lazy with it and apologies for taking so long to do so. I had to organize a lot of my random documents after a long hiatus last year.
Announcement: We have set up a kofi and patreon account! If you would like to support us or get early access to advance chapters for Blood-Sucking Empress OR TMD, those options are available for you (in support us page)! I have just added a patreon tier for Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examinations in which patreons can have access to a google document with ALL of my advanced translated chapters for the novel. Since I am a grad student, there should usually be at least 10 advance chapters in the document at a time, but depending on my schedules, there may be fewer or more. I’m currently extremely busy, but I have translated out some new chapters for you all! But, I will still post each week with the same schedule. Thanks!
Twin Dragons Translations 
Our bubu is going to conquer the Palace!
Thank You for the new chapter (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧❤️ Happy New Year!
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