Chapter Seventeen: Which Path to Take

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Zhao Dezhao himself did not recognize the significance of being appointed as Acting Deputy Supervisor of the Provincial Examination by Zhao Kuangyin. However, Liang Zhouhan, who had mingled in the court for many years, was different. Upon learning this, Liang Zhouhan exclaimed, “My lord, you cannot be joking! You are so young, and yet His Majesty has already appointed you as Acting Deputy Supervisor of the Examination?”

Influenced by later dramas and films, Zhao Dezhao still did not take this temporary concurrent post very seriously and casually replied, “Why would I joke about this? Acting Deputy Supervisor is just a deputy role, merely assisting my second uncle.”

Seeing Zhao Dezhao’s nonchalance, Liang Zhouhan was naturally surprised, but after a moment’s thought, he quickly understood the reason and laughed aloud, saying, “Your servant was foolish to forget that Your Highness comes from the imperial family. You wouldn’t know how important the prefectural and provincial examinations are to the common scholars, or what it means to be a provincial examiner.”

“Brother Yuanbao, from your tone, it seems that the Acting Deputy Supervisor position Father entrusted to me is quite extraordinary?” Zhao Dezhao finally became interested and could not help but ask Liang Zhouhan carefully what exactly this concurrent post entailed.

Only after Liang Zhouhan’s patient explanation did Zhao Dezhao somewhat gape in astonishment as he realized that the position his dear father Zhao Kuangyin had assigned him as deputy chief examiner for the provincial examination carried immense power and influence—far beyond what later dramas portrayed. If he wished, it would be effortless to gain prestige or reap benefits from this role; the scope for maneuver was enormous.

Unlike the Ming and Qing imperial examinations of later times, the Northern Song, just recently established, had no palace examination. The final ranking of the top scholars—whether the first, second, or third—was decided entirely by the provincial examination. The chief examiner not only had the authority to determine rankings but also personally set the exam questions. The power held was thus considerable.

Of course, as a deputy, Zhao Dezhao did not have the right to set the questions himself, but he had the authority to oversee every aspect of the provincial exam. Should he detect any irregularity, he could immediately object and intervene. Moreover, since the examination system was still imperfect, with many loopholes, Zhao Dezhao could easily use this position to either make a fortune or cultivate and promote his own faction.

That was not all. Liang Zhouhan added, “Furthermore, after you assist Second Prince in overseeing this provincial exam, the admitted candidates and those who passed will regard you as their teacher in reputation. In the future, they must observe the etiquette of disciples before you—not necessarily obeying blindly, but at least showing due respect. If you want to use them for your purposes, you can exploit this master-disciple relationship to great advantage.”

“So, does this mean Father is truly putting great trust in me this time?” Zhao Dezhao finally grasped the weight of the position.

Liang Zhouhan smiled wryly and said, “My lord, it is far more than mere trust. Since the Sui Dynasty first instituted the imperial examination, no one appointed as examiner was not a senior minister or a great scholar. For someone like you, not yet of age, to serve as an examiner is unprecedented in history—and likely will never be seen again.”

Only after Liang Zhouhan’s thorough explanation did Zhao Dezhao finally understand the immense significance of being a provincial examiner. Yet he frowned and said, “But I find it strange. With my age and knowledge, it must be extremely difficult for me to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. Father must see this too. Why then does he still want me to serve as Acting Deputy Supervisor?”

“Perhaps he intends to test your talents through this opportunity, to see if you are fit to be entrusted with great responsibilities,” Liang Zhouhan suggested, lowering his voice slightly. “Besides, there is another strong possibility: His Majesty hopes you will watch over Second Prince during the exam, so that he does not act recklessly or abuse his power to strengthen his faction.”

This possibility was certainly not small, so Zhao Dezhao nodded in agreement, though doubts still crowded his mind. He thought privately, “Is Father really doing this just to have me watch Second Uncle? If that were all, he could have appointed a more senior and reputable confidant. Why promote a newcomer like me so extraordinarily?”

What surprised Zhao Dezhao even more was that by the next afternoon, the current Chancellor Zhao Pu had sent his eldest son Zhao Chengzong to Zhao Dezhao’s residence, courteously inviting him to visit. Needing Zhao Pu’s assistance to counterbalance Second Uncle, Zhao Dezhao did not decline and promptly agreed, then set out for Zhao Pu’s chancellery with Liang Zhouhan.

This was Zhao Dezhao’s third visit to Zhao Pu’s residence since arriving in this era. The first two visits related to the Daying Granary case, where Zhao Pu had shown favor by refusing to shield Wang Zhao, an associate of Zhao Dezhao’s faction, and instead allowed Zhao Dezhao to handle the investigation impartially. Sacrificing a convenient scapegoat, Zhao Pu helped Zhao Dezhao successfully expose the corruption.

Precisely because of this, Zhao Pu spoke frankly. After only a few rounds of wine, he got straight to the point: “My lord, I have heard that His Majesty has decided to appoint Second Prince as the chief supervisor of this provincial exam and you as the deputy, assisting the prince. Is this true?”

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“Minister Zhao’s news is very swift,” Zhao Dezhao complimented sincerely. “Father only made the decision yesterday in the Wende Hall, and it hasn’t been officially announced yet. I didn’t expect Chancellor Zhao to know so soon.”

“You flatter me,” Zhao Pu smiled faintly, but with a hint of malice. “When it comes to being well-informed, I’m far behind your second uncle. No matter what happens in the palace, if Second Prince needs to know, he will find out swiftly.”

“Is that so?” Zhao Dezhao seemed doubtful but inwardly understood Zhao Pu’s words were not mere alarmism. He also began to think, “I should quickly set up a few informants inside the palace. Otherwise, if something unexpected happens, I will be at a serious disadvantage.”

Apparently not wanting to dwell on the topic, Zhao Pu smiled and suddenly asked, “May I ask if Your Highness has ever heard of the name Chai Chengwu?”

“Chai Chengwu?”

Zhao Dezhao was momentarily stunned and shook his head after some thought. He had never heard the name. However, Liang Zhouhan, well-read, recalled and said, “Minister Zhao, is this Chai Chengwu the son-in-law of Chai Zimu, Assistant Minister of War?”

“Brother Yuanbao, you are most knowledgeable,” Zhao Pu nodded with a smile, then casually asked, “Yuanbao, do you know that although Chai Chengwu has not yet officially entered the bureaucracy, his reputation for great learning has spread throughout the capital? Many believe he will be this year’s top scholar.”

“Of course I have heard,” Liang Zhouhan said with a hint of skepticism. “I also heard that this talented Chai is a favored disciple and frequent guest of Second Prince.”

“Yuanbao is indeed well-informed,” Zhao Pu praised again, then said nonchalantly, “Chai Chengwu is indeed Second Prince’s disciple. He ranked first in last year’s Kaifeng prefectural exam, which was overseen by Second Prince. I’ve also heard a rumor that even before last year’s prefectural exam, Second Prince had already secretly designated Chai as the top candidate.”

Hearing this, Zhao Dezhao immediately caught the implicit meaning behind Zhao Pu’s words and cautiously asked, “Minister Zhao, does this mean that Second Uncle, as chief examiner this time, will likely promote his favored disciple to become top scholar?”

Zhao Pu smiled but did not answer directly, instead changing the subject: “My lord, you must know that in our Great Song, the provincial exam questions are drawn up by the chief examiner himself. Thanks to the blessings of His Majesty, in the past eight years, there has never been any leakage of exam questions that would embarrass the court…”

At this, Zhao Pu’s tone shifted, and he sighed before continuing, “But this year, I worry. With Second Prince personally supervising and his favored disciple Chai Chengwu determined to be top scholar, if Chai resorts to unscrupulous means, and Second Prince craves fame, this precedent could be broken.”

Zhao Dezhao exchanged a glance with Liang Zhouhan, realizing Zhao Pu was hinting at guarding against leaked questions without stating it outright. He then tried to probe, “Minister Zhao, that seems unlikely. Chai Chengwu’s reputation is widespread, so he must truly be talented. Surely he would not resort to such methods to claim the top scholar title?”

Zhao Pu smiled and countered, “My lord, may I boldly ask: if during this year’s examination there is indeed favoritism or cheating, how would Your Highness respond?”

“Of course, I would act impartially,” Zhao Dezhao answered without hesitation. “As Acting Deputy Supervisor and Censor at the Censorate, if I discover any corruption or cheating violating the law during the provincial exam, I will surely apply the law fairly and not spare any corrupt officials who seek personal gain.”

“Excellent, excellent,” Zhao Pu nodded in satisfaction and, with a hint of significance, reminded, “My lord, if the questions are leaked, candidates seeking advantage will prepare answers in advance to sneak in. So please be thorough when searching candidates to prevent any cheating.”

Zhao Dezhao blinked and smiled, saying, “Thank you for your advice, Minister Zhao. Please rest assured, I will carefully inspect to ensure no one carries answers into the exam.”

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Zhao Pu smiled with satisfaction, his expression carrying a hint of mystery.

Some things, of course, could only be spoken in private. Although it was late when Zhao Dezhao left Zhao Pu’s chancellery, Liang Zhouhan, who had a family, did not go straight home but chose to ride back with Zhao Dezhao to Jingming District.

Only after they were alone did Liang Zhouhan say to Zhao Dezhao, “My lord, Chancellor Zhao’s remarks today clearly warned you about leaked exam questions. Judging from his tone, he seems very confident about this.”

“I think so too,” Zhao Dezhao nodded, somewhat puzzled. “But it’s strange. Second Uncle was only appointed chief supervisor yesterday morning. He shouldn’t have had time to prepare the exam questions. How could Chancellor Zhao already be sure the questions will be leaked?”

“There are two possibilities,” Liang Zhouhan held up two fingers and analyzed, “First, Second Prince is determined to win this provincial exam and has already prepared the questions. Not only does Chancellor Zhao know this, he might even know the content. Second, even if Second Prince hasn’t decided on the questions, Chancellor Zhao is confident he will find out the content in advance, so he deliberately warned us to watch for this and be ready to strike, joining him to bring Second Prince down.”

Zhao Dezhao nodded slowly, approving Liang Zhouhan’s analysis. Liang Zhouhan then asked, “My lord, how do you plan to respond? Will you remain aloof and watch from the sidelines? Or will you go with the flow, helping Chancellor Zhao ensure this matter ruins Second Prince’s reputation?”

Logically, since Zhao Pu had hinted so clearly, the ideal choice for Zhao Dezhao was to cooperate and help trap his own Second Uncle. However, as he considered this, another thought arose: “If I do this, Father entrusted me as deputy examiner, yet I use this chance to help Chancellor Zhao sabotage my own brother. How would Father think of me?”

Thinking further, Zhao Dezhao pondered, “If I were in Father’s position, what would I want my son to do to make me happiest and most satisfied?”

...

Coincidentally, at this moment, Chen Congxin, the absolute confidant of Zhao Guangyi, appeared smiling in front of Chai Chengwu, the famous scholar of Kaifeng Prefecture recently mentioned by Zhao Pu and Liang Zhouhan. Chen placed a folded paper on the table before Chai and said with a smile:

“Brother Baochen, I have good news. His Majesty has decided to appoint Second Prince as chief supervisor for this provincial exam. This is sent by the prince himself, wishing you success in achieving top scholar and fame throughout the world.”

Looking at the folded paper, Chai Chengwu’s expression remained calm. He asked, “Brother Siqi, what does the prince mean by this? Does he not trust me?”

“Brother Baochen, don’t misunderstand,” Chen hurriedly shook his head and earnestly replied, “It’s not that the prince distrusts you. This provincial exam is too important to him. You are the prince’s designated first-place candidate from last year’s Kaifeng prefectural exam. If anything goes wrong this time, not only will your years of hard work be wasted, the prince will lose face as well.”

“In other words, it’s still because he doesn’t trust me,” Chai Chengwu snorted coldly and waved his hand. “Please take this back to the prince and tell him that although I am not a strict and upright gentleman, I disdain unfair cheating. This provincial exam, I will rely solely on my own ability to take it. Whether I succeed or not, I will have no complaints.”