Chapter 631 - 352: Say Not the World Is Vast, Spread Your Wings and Soar Across the Seas
Chapter 631: Chapter 352: Say Not the World Is Vast, Spread Your Wings and Soar Across the Seas
Chen Yi spent two hours finishing the policy essay, knowing full well in his heart that Ma Shuhan was undoubtedly doomed to die.
Regardless of whether the current Holy Emperor would initiate a war or not, the emergence of such a topic would inevitably cause an uproar among the scholars.
The Great Wei Dynasty had enjoyed the Mandate of Heaven for two hundred years, and its foreign conquests were few and far between. Those worthy of praise could be counted on two hands.
The first was when Elder Master Xiao personally led a massive army to trample Poshisu Country; the second was the western expedition against the Loulan Kingdom fifty years ago; and the third was the northern campaign a century ago that massacred the Rong Tribe, the largest nomadic tribe on the steppes at the time.
Other than those, the rest were merely minor skirmishes. Campaigns such as suppressing the rebellion in Guangyue Prefecture or subjugating the Wokou in the east were won, but they were barely recorded in the history books.
And now, the world had only just been at peace for a few decades. At the very least, the State Capitals outside of Shu State had been peaceful for decades. If the Imperial Court wanted to launch a massive military campaign, how could it not send shockwaves across the world?
People might support it, refute it, or rub their hands together in preparation for a major undertaking—reactions would vary endlessly.
Amidst such a sensation, what fate awaited the instigator, Ma Shuhan? It was easy to imagine.
However, Chen Yi was no longer thinking about Ma Shuhan, but the person orchestrating him from behind the scenes. With Shu State newly settled, the general trend of the world was shifting toward the north. That person must have also realized this, which was why they were in such a hurry to have Ma Shuhan pose this topic, thereby letting more people know about this matter.
It was not difficult for Chen Yi to see their urgency, nor was it hard to deduce the treacherous undercurrents brewing in the Capital Prefecture. But in his view, while this person’s actions would certainly disrupt some plans and deployments, they would ultimately be of no help to the overall situation.
What was meant to head north would head north; what was meant to head south would head south.
Unless...
Chen Yi looked thoughtfully at the night sky outside his examination cell. Dark clouds rolled in from the north, faintly obscuring the bright moon and leaving no stars in sight.
A cool breeze blew past, causing the papers in the hundreds of examination cells to flutter and RUSTLE.
He thought, "Unless war breaks out in Shu State first, Great Wei’s troops will inevitably be stationed at the borders of the Northern Territory."
If it were Chen Yi, finding his numerous schemes dismantled one by one and falling behind at every step, he too would have no choice but to resort to such a desperate measure.
Provoking the flames of war in Shu State, Poshisu Country, the Peacock King Banner, and even the Barbarian Race could all potentially force the Holy Emperor to change direction.
In fact, Liu Hong’s previous schemes were exactly the same. Otherwise, how could Zhu Hao have sold ironware and Armor to the Peacock King Banner through the Ji State Trading Company? It was just that Liu Hong had mostly acted with a low profile back then, and despite calculating every possible angle, he still failed.
Chen Yi closed his eyes to rest his mind.
Meanwhile, in his mind, the chessboard deduction continued as several pieces roamed among the Capital Prefecture, Jiangnan Prefecture, Shu State, and Ji State. Ma Shuhan, Elder Master Xiao, Chen Xuanji, the Holy Emperor, King Landu, the Barbarian Left King, and others—a massive black dragon spanning the north and south was faintly taking shape.
The dragon’s head was directly facing the corner of Shu State, moving in to encircle it.
However, that great dragon was not complete; it was still missing a few pieces.
Chen Yi thought silently, "Liu Hong is a pawn, firmly grasped by the person behind him. He was driven into a corner but unwilling to accept it, which is why he came to the Xiao Family.
"Now, the intention behind Ma Shuhan posing this topic is clear. It’s nothing more than stalling for time in hopes of diverting the Holy Emperor’s attention.
"But it’s not enough; some conditions are still missing.
"The first is to create conflicts in Shu State, just like what Liu Hong and the Ji State Trading Company did previously.
"The second is to establish connections with Poshisu Country and the Barbarian Race. After all, war is not a child’s game; the responses of all parties are crucial.
"Therefore, there must be someone overseeing things here in Shu State, someone with enough status to make Poshisu Country and the Barbarian Race willing to take the risk."
Chen Yi’s heart stirred. "It seems I need to find someone to ask if any suspicious people have arrived in Shu State recently.
"The White Tiger Guard..."
It wasn’t that Chen Yi didn’t trust the Xiao Family’s influence, but compared to Noble Families like the Xiao Family acting in the open, the White Tiger Guard was much more convenient for clandestine operations.
However, there was no way for him to go out and look for Lou Yuxue and the others today. He could only wait until after Noon tomorrow to make further plans.
Chen Yi sighed softly. "The Annual Examination."
He had already done what he needed to do; the rest would be left to the will of heaven.
Thinking of this, Chen Yi got up, sat back down at his desk, and used a paperweight to hold down the corner of the paper as he continued to write the answers to the subsequent questions—the judicial ruling and poetry composition.
"At the end of the Qianyang era, a County Magistrate forcibly conscripted civilians’ jade and caned three objectors to death.
"Now, the children of those civilians have filed a lawsuit at the County Yamen. However, the County Magistrate has already surrendered to Great Wei and has rendered meritorious service in river control. Draft a reply from the Ministry of Justice."
Chen Yi skimmed over it and looked at the final poetry prompt: "Compose a poem on the theme ’The river reflects the autumn shadows as the first geese fly,’ rhyming with the ’qiu’ (autumn) character, in pentasyllabic six-couplet form."
Receiving the "qiu" character meant using the Qiuyun, which wasn’t an overly difficult topic. After a brief moment of thought, Chen Yi wielded his brush and wrote down several lines of poetry:
"A band of white silk stretches across the vast sky, a lone goose ushers in the clear autumn.
"Its shadow breaks the silence of a thousand mountains, its cry stirs the depths of ten thousand ravines.
"Beyond the clouds, its feathers gleam like swords, against the wind, its momentum remains unbroken.
"The sky hangs low, stars on the verge of falling, the river stretches wide, flowing with the moon.
"Twilight suddenly deepens into an ocean, on a solitary journey, it becomes its own boat.
"Do not speak of the vastness of heaven and earth, spreading its wings, it crosses the boundless shores."
This time, Chen Yi did not use Wei Qing’s Style again, but instead completed it in one stroke using Cursive Script.
After writing those one hundred and two eloquent words, he appended the line "Composed for the Annual Examination in the autumn of the 21st year of Anhe" at the end.
Finally, he picked up his brush to write the answer for the judicial ruling.
Generally, he needed to cite the Da Wei Law: Criminal Code’s clause that "the chief instigator must be punished, while coerced accomplices may be forgiven," as well as the Pardon Decree’s clause that "with the exception of regicide and high treason, the offenses of former dynasty officials shall be reduced by one degree."
The aim was to balance "providing Zhaoxue for the people’s grievances" with "placating surrendered officials," while also declaring the principle that "the laws of the new dynasty prioritize the lives of the people."
Chen Yi had seen many such judicial ruling questions in the previous Annual Examination topics of other State Capitals, so writing the answer went rather smoothly. Of course, this was entirely thanks to his familiarity with books like the Da Wei Law and the Pardon Decree.
If it were other Scholars, they might be able to grasp the core of the topic, but they would not be able to cite the rules and regulations as accurately as he did.