It is said that it is difficult to be an official in the capital.
The biggest reason is that riches and glory are everywhere under the Son of Heaven's feet. With three steps, one can become a fifth-rank official; with five steps, one can become a third-rank.
The illustrious families gather here, and members of the imperial clan are everywhere.
As the prefect, you must be just and equal, because the imperial family is watching you from the Imperial City. If you show the slightest hint of selfishness, you will be punished on the spot.
Yet when one encounters the powerful families or members of the imperial clan or the legitimate sons and daughters of high-ranking officials, who would dare to remain absolutely just and incorruptible?
Thus, those with even a hint of family background and connections would rather spend three years as the magistrate of a remote small town like Anshui Prefecture, than serve as the prefect of prosperous Fengjing.
The old prefect thought more and more bitterly, his hand shaking like a sieve.
As the prefect, he wanted to remain just like the late Prefect Xu Mo.
As a subordinate official, he feared the Fang family.
Reason told him that he should yield to the powerful family - at least that way he could keep his black gauze hat, since Prefect Xu Mo seemed to have little ability to resist.
Yet the proud backbone he developed during his years of studying, and the lofty ambition he held when he first took office, kept pricking his conscience.
After repeated inner debates, the gavel in the hand of the Fengjing Prefect finally came down. "Since this concerns fraud in the imperial examination, which has great implications, allow this old man to memorialize to the throne before making a decision."
This is a tactic called neutrality, also known as kicking the ball or shifting the blame.
Steward Fang was dumbfounded. Xu Mo knitted his brows. Inside and outside the hall, there was dead silence.
The Fengjing Prefect paid them no mind. He banged the gavel again. "Officers, dismiss the court."
The bailiffs began striking the fire-and-water sticks, and their stern shouts resounded through the entire hall. Even the most stubborn had no choice but to bow and take their leave.
The commoners outside the gates of the Fengjing government office were still immersed in the scene, some criticizing out loud, some murmuring, some sighing regretfully. Yet they all dispersed without exception.
Only Jiang Sheng and his siblings, Qi Huai, and others crowded into a corner to wait.
The first one to emerge was House Steward Fang. He did not even glance at Jiang Sheng and his siblings right in front, only shooting a look at Qi Huai and Zhao Yuan before arrogantly taking his leave.
Only then did Xu Mo come out.
This youth, who had just experienced twists and turns and anxiety, who had just received a deep lesson from a powerful clan, had strode in with back straight as a javelin. And he still returned with his bearing tall and unyielding, only now with more introspection and a few traces of mature composure.
Adversity does make one grow.
"Big brother!" Jiang Sheng reacted the fastest, rushing up to the blue-robed figure.
Wen Zhiyun and Chang Yan followed right after. "Big brother!"
"Brother Xu," Qi Huai and An Jun came up as well.
In an instant, Xu Mo, who just moments ago seemed isolated and powerless, was now surrounded by a clamoring crowd. His younger siblings and friends all spoke over one another, asking question after question out of concern.
He smiled and waited for everyone to finish before replying in summary, "I'm fine. Although the Prefect cannot be absolutely impartial, at least he did not show overt favoritism towards the Fang family."
And this was already enough. Only after going through this would one know, the Fang family's power and threats were not something even the Fengjing Prefect could withstand.
To have the current outcome, Xu Mo was quite satisfied.
"But big brother still hasn't gotten his top provincial graduate status back," Jiang Sheng mumbled softly. "Haven't we just wasted over twenty days for nothing?"
If Anshui Prefecture produced few metropolitan examination graduates due to its remote location, then the top provincial graduate status was the strongest proof of Xu Mo's talents, and the key to him advancing smoothly in the capital.
Most importantly, they had already offended the Fang family. Without the top provincial graduate status, the road ahead would be even harder.
"It wasn't for nothing. At least we've won the hearts of the common people," Qi Huai analyzed. "The eyes of the common folk are sharp. The Fangs will find that provincial graduate status hard to hold onto."
"Serves them right. They shouldn't have targeted Brother Xu's status in the first place," Zhao Yuan chimed in, cursing. "I heard it clear as day outside. They had their eyes on Brother Xu for a while already. They thought everything was ready, but they didn't expect Brother Xu to earn the top provincial graduate status."
This was an oversight on the Fang family's part - the only loophole in their scheme.
In other words, Xu Mo's talent had saved him.
It was just a pity that the powerful families were still too difficult to shake. The Fengjing Prefect could only play the slippery neutral party, unable to uphold justice for Xu Mo.
"That's right. The Prefect said he would memorialize. Where is he submitting the memorial to?" An Jun asked the critical question.
Everyone quieted down.
Only Chang Yan calmly uttered two words. "The Imperial City."
The Fengjing Prefect was directly under the jurisdiction of the Imperial City. And the ones in ultimate authority there were...the imperial family.
This was an answer that elicited both hope and worry.
The hope lay in how the imperial family was not muddle-headed. Not only did they govern diligently for the people, but they were also fair and impartial.
The worry was that the imperial family's personality tended somewhat towards weakness. Especially with the powerful families in power nowadays, their hands were often tied when trying to act.
Back when the assassins appeared, all they did was protect An Jun. As for the rest, they mollified and appeased.
Now with fraud in the examinations, could they really redress injustice for Xu Mo and ensure fairness for the scholars of the day?
It would be difficult.
When even the Emperor has no authority over life and death, the powerful families who held sway over discourse were raised to an unparalleled position. No wonder the Fang family was so arrogant that they only sent a house steward when summoned by the Fengjing government.
"Could it be that the court will continue on like this?" Qi Huai said indignantly. "Clearly the imperial family is the rightful master of this dynasty, yet they let the powerful clans stick together and even cannot deliver justice!"
In truth, there were reasons for this.
The late Emperor had a brutal personality. His southern and northern military campaigns emptied the national treasury. Although he conquered territory, the common people also suffered unspeakably and their lives were destitute.
In his later years he realized his mistakes and decided to empower the powerful families - supporting the already flourishing clans and giving them the capability to rein in the Emperor.
If the Emperor's decisions were reasonable, the families would concur.
If the Emperor's decisions were unreasonable, the families could jointly veto them.
This was originally meant to prevent the next generation of emperors from being cruel and unbenevolent. But unexpectedly, the imperial family's personality turned out to be too weak. In their contests with the powerful families, they repeatedly retreated until finally they were controlled by the families.
The families had tasted the sweetness of holding power. Their ambitions swelled increasingly. Through intermarriages and other means, they tied most of the clans together, sharing the same boat and the same fate.
They used their numbers to suppress the imperial family, uniting closely to seek personal gain. Their cooperation grew ever tighter.
"Could it be there is no other voice at all in the entire bureaucracy?" An Jun asked doubtfully.
Qi Huai snorted coldly. "Of course there are. The imperial family has also elevated many impoverished scholars. But how many generations would these lone individuals have to struggle before they can match up against families with hundreds of years of foundation?"
As the legitimate son of the Minister of Rites, he truly understood this deeply.
"So even after submitting this to the imperial family, there is still no way to deal with the Fang family?" An Jun asked blankly, the light in his eyes gradually dimming.
After decades of bitter suffering to study, he originally thought he could finally display his brilliance. But in the end, he was just a pawn for those in power.
This would be intolerable no matter which scholar it happened to, much less this group of vigorous, spirited youths.
Seeing the light in their eyes retreat, either bowing dejectedly or listless, Chang Yan's lips moved slightly, as if wanting to say something.
Just then, an energetic voice rang out behind them. "Who says there's no method left? Who says justice cannot be served? It's not as if the Fang family and their ilk are the only ones at this court!"
