Lingyan felt her ears burning and began to change the subject.
"However, Your Highness, 'Therefore, one should abandon what is liked and disliked, and take humility as one's dwelling place.' As the Crown Prince, you must keep this principle of power and strategy firmly in mind."
"Sir, if you have no likes or dislikes, what kind of person are you?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Zhong was taken aback and voiced his doubts.
"Nonsense!"
Feeling both amused and exasperated, Lingyan lightly tapped her forehead.
"Ouch! That hurts! Sir, you're so cruel!"
She ducked her head, and Gu Zhong looked at her with a grin, showing no sign of being hurt.
“Who says one cannot have likes and dislikes? It’s just that Your Highness shouldn’t show them so obviously…” Lingyan shook her head and explained.
"Sir, you said that if you can't express your likes and dislikes, what's the difference between having no likes or dislikes at all? Anyway, you can't like what you like or dislike what you dislike, so why bother learning to do it?"
Gu Zhong raised an eyebrow at her and retorted with an air of righteous indignation.
"This..." Lingyan was truly stunned. She couldn't respond to this, feeling that something was wrong but unable to put her finger on it.
“Sir, I truly dislike these political maneuvering tactics. A few days ago you said, ‘If a minister is too close, he will be in danger; if a minister is too powerful, he will usurp the throne.’ I treat you with such closeness, would you do anything to harm me?”
Gu Zhong continued to state his reasoning with righteous indignation.
"Your subject... naturally would not."
Lingyan quickly bowed and bowed, her head lowered and her long eyelashes concealing the myriad thoughts that were swirling in her mind.
"Oh dear! I was just giving an example; there's no need for such formality, sir."
Gu Zhong hurriedly got up and helped Ling Yan up.
"Let's put it another way, 'Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are the king's subjects.' If everyone in the world becomes a subject, wouldn't I be left with no one to confide in? Constantly on guard against scheming, I wouldn't even be myself anymore!"
"That's why there's the saying 'a lonely man,' Your Highness..."
Lingyan let out a long sigh. It's always better to be wary of others than to trust them too easily and lose your life without knowing why.
"...I understand."
After a moment of silence, Gu Zhongchang bowed deeply, as if the willful and temperamental child had vanished, leaving only the incomparably majestic Crown Princess of the Gu Dynasty.
With the autumn imperial examinations underway, Gu Zhong became increasingly busy. Emperor Gu entrusted her with all matters related to the special examination, paving the way for the Crown Princess, who was about to come of age, to establish her own residence and participate in government affairs.
If this task is handled well, the court officials will naturally be loyal and devoted, and the Crown Princess will gain a group of disciples. When she ascends the throne, she will inevitably have to rely on them more.
Compared to the political affairs that Emperor Gu had given Gu Zhong to practice on in the previous two years, she asked Ling Yan for advice much less this time, and handled all matters with ease.
He even nipped a fraud case in the bud, earning praise from Emperor Gu, but also offending some people in the court.
—For example, the censor who always liked to criticize her for her immoral words and deeds had his son implicated in this major case. Even though he did not lose his official position, he still received an imperial reprimand for "lax family management" and was ordered to suspend his duties and go home to reflect for half a year.
When Gu Zhong talked about this with Ling Yan, his words were full of joy.
“I have been criticizing my conduct daily, but I never expected that this old geezer would be the one truly lacking in moral cultivation. How can one raise a son who dares to cheat? I have truly learned a lesson… I wonder how many other hypocritical people like him exist in this court…”
"If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. Petty people have their own ways of being petty, so Your Highness need not be indignant."
"At this moment, I always admire Father Emperor."
As he said this, the young prince's eyes revealed genuine admiration.
However, Gu Zhong's good mood, which had been smooth sailing, was completely shattered after the results of the palace examination were announced. That day, after court, he did not return to the East Palace, but went straight to Changli Palace again.
"Why is Your Highness angry today?"
Sitting in the pavilion in the small garden, Lingyan picked up the purple clay teapot filled with boiling water from the small clay stove in front of her and slowly poured the water into the Yao Bian Zhan (a type of tea bowl) in front of the two of them.
The chrysanthemums in the cup slowly bloomed, releasing a delicate fragrance with the steam.
"Sir, you truly have a refined taste."
He sat angrily on the stone bench to the side, and Gu Zhong lifted the hem of his black robe.
"Your Highness, chrysanthemum tea is good for clearing the liver and reducing internal heat."
He pushed the brewed tea toward her.
"Well... Sir, you anticipated this, were you waiting to make fun of me here?"
While pretending to be angry, Gu Zhong's tone softened considerably, like a cat whose fur had been stroked, very obedient.
"If Your Highness doesn't speak, I have no idea what happened in the palace today."
Lingyan scooped up another pot of spring water from the jade bucket beside her and placed it on the stove.
With one hand supporting himself on the stone table, he gently fanned himself with a palm leaf fan, keeping the fire in the clay stove burning softly.
"Today, during the imperial examination, Father Emperor appointed the new top scholar."
Gu Zhong raised his teacup and took a sip of the flower tea.
"Oh? Who is it?"
"Chen Moxian!"
Gu Zhong almost gritted his teeth as he uttered those words, “I do not believe that Zhao Zhao did not report this matter to the Emperor. Although we have not been able to find anything wrong with his identity, this man’s actions are truly unrestrained. No matter how talented he is, he will only be a scourge to the country in the future. Moreover…” At this point, the young prince hesitated.
"?" Ling Yan turned her head and looked at her with a question in her eyes.
"I think this person and I were sworn enemies in a past life. I always feel uncomfortable when I see him."
Upon hearing this, Ling Yan paused slightly in her fan-waving hand, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. Wasn't this her nemesis from a past life who plotted to usurp the throne? But how could something that hadn't happened have such an impact?
"Your Majesty is confident that you can subdue this person. If Your Highness is truly unhappy, you can simply place him in a sinecure at the Hongwen Academy and let it go. There is no need to worry."
Lingyan temporarily suppressed her doubts and offered words of comfort to the depressed Gu Zhong.
"Sir, I... have another question to ask you."
After venting his dissatisfaction, Gu Zhong straightened his robes and said solemnly.
Chapter 7 The Imperial Tutor and the Crown Princess (Part 6)
==========================
"Your Highness, please speak freely." Lingyan put down the palm-leaf fan in her hand and sat up straight.
His Highness's posture clearly indicates that he intends to discuss something serious.
"Today, the list of candidates for the two examinations was announced in the palace. As you know, Father Emperor, under the pretext of the new dynasty's establishment and the urgent need for talent, has held special examinations for five consecutive years. This has been met with considerable obstruction from aristocratic families, so he had to limit the number of candidates from humble backgrounds to be included."
I have reviewed this year's examination papers, and while many were brilliant, only a fraction made it onto the list. Eight or nine out of ten of the top-ranking candidates were from aristocratic families, which truly infuriates me! What then is the point of this special imperial examination?
Gu Zhong's words were full of sorrow.
The Gu family's iron-fisted founding of the dynasty, aside from the rumored assistance of the shamanistic religion, was inseparable from the support of many aristocratic families. Even though Emperor Gu was decisive and ruthless, he still had to restrain himself from these aristocratic families.
When the struggle over the foundation of the state involves the affairs of the imperial family, aristocratic families have no choice but to back down. However, when it comes to the selection of officials, the establishment of the imperial examination system shakes the very foundation of these aristocratic families.
Emperor Gu was so prestigious that he was able to keep his ministers in check. Even though he opened the door to the special imperial examinations, he still had to set a limit on the number of people from poor families to be selected, and the recommendation system was still in full swing.
“The Yuan family of Qinghe, the Cui family of Jiangling, and the Wang family of Luyi—which of them is not a prosperous and wealthy family, whose wealth is so great that it is not easy to touch any of them.”
"Your Majesty has achieved the best possible balance. The gradual advancement of those from humble backgrounds, while the gradual decline of aristocratic families, is a long-term strategy."
Ling Yan lowered her eyes and spoke in a flat tone, as if she were stating an insignificant fact.
Even ants know how to survive by clinging to life; how could a noble family not struggle in its death throes?
Besides, everyone wants to become a powerful family, but hoping for those families to disappear on their own is less desirable than dreaming… Sir, please be more serious!
Gu Zhong shook his head in disapproval, reached out and grabbed Ling Yan's sleeve, shaking it in a coquettish manner.
"Is Your Highness impatient?" Lingyan sighed softly, letting her grasp the wide sleeves of her white brocade robe.
She looked closely at Gu Zhong, and in those bright, star-like black eyes, she saw the boundless ambition of an emperor.
"Change has always been difficult, why does Your Highness choose this perilous path?"
Furthermore, with the empire newly established and everything in disarray, the court must not be allowed to experience any further turmoil, lest war break out again.
Personally, Lingyan hoped that Gu Zhong wouldn't go through all this trouble.
The claim of being a century-old family is not just empty words; they have ruled the world together with the emperor for hundreds of years. Their families are deeply intertwined, and a single move can affect the whole situation.
The once powerful aristocratic families held the cultural lifeline of the entire dynasty, and scholars from all over the country were their students.
In other words, almost everyone in the court, from top to bottom, had subtle connections with powerful families.
The previous dynasty was controlled by powerful families, which eroded the imperial family and caused its decline.
Opening up the imperial examination system would be tantamount to cutting off their foundation and strangling them, and the aristocratic families would certainly resist fiercely.
At the height of the power of aristocratic families, even Emperor Gu had to avoid their wrath. The idea of recruiting officials from humble backgrounds sounds easy, but in reality, it was incredibly difficult.
I fear that if the reforms fail, we will suffer the consequences instead.
"I understand, but as long as these powerful families exist, I always feel uneasy. The lessons of the previous dynasty are clear, yet is there no one who can bring about a change?"
Gu Zhong let out a sigh of relief, his whole body slumped, and a layer of weariness appeared on his young face.
"Sir, I feel like there's nothing I can do..."
"Your Highness need not belittle yourself. This is merely a matter of long-term planning. The future will be your time to realize your great ambitions. It is I who have failed you in your ability to make you so dejected."
Lingyan was taken aback, but quickly comforted her, saying that it was just a matter of time.
"It is not your fault, sir; it is I who was too presumptuous and did not know that things could not be accomplished."
Gu Zhong waved his hands repeatedly, as if afraid that Ling Yan would take all the blame.
"To do something knowing it's impossible is also a kind of courage... Who knows if we might not find a way out of a desperate situation?"
Ling Yan finally sighed softly, her eyes filled with tenderness as she looked steadily at her.
Gu Zhong, everyone said you vanished into the world and there was no possibility of you being brought back to life, but I still managed to find you. Who says things can't be done?
"Why are you looking at me like that, sir?" As if burned by the scorching gaze, Gu Zhong turned his face, revealing his slightly red ears, and asked shyly.
"Your Highness, shouldn't the coming-of-age ceremony be next month...?"