Chapter 91: The Buddhist Temple (3)

Upon hearing this, Qi Ying gave a faint smile and calmly replied, “Such a fine autumn day for an outing, yet there are few visitors on Qixia Mountain. Entering the temple, there are no worshippers. Naturally, it’s not hard to deduce that a distinguished guest has arrived. If His Majesty wished to leave the palace to worship, he would more likely choose Jiming or Dingshan Temples. Thus, it must be one of the princes visiting today in plain clothes.”

Xiao Zihuan clapped his hands and laughed, saying, “Little Lord Qi truly lives up to his reputation for intelligence. I am deeply impressed.”

Qi Ying gave a slight bow and asked, “Your Highness personally came here; the commoners retreated, yet you didn’t send anyone to stop me from coming up the mountain. Presumably, you have something to convey—what are your orders?”

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Zihuan admired him even more.

Indeed, he had something to say to Qi Ying.

Encountering Qi Ying at Qixia Mountain today was purely coincidental. He had originally come alone to worship in the Buddha Hall, but the guards below reported that Lord Qi had brought female companions up the mountain, which indeed surprised him greatly.

There were two reasons for his surprise.

First, he didn’t expect Qi Ying to come to Qixia Mountain.

Lord Qi was renowned, and everything about him could become a topic of gossip. Xiao Zihuan naturally heard that he didn’t believe in Buddhism and had even been indifferent to grand Buddhist ceremonies personally organized by the emperor in the palace. Thus, seeing him enter the temple today was surprising.

Second, he didn’t expect Qi Ying to bring female companions.

He had long known that Qi Ying kept a young girl in his private residence, reportedly the daughter of his benefactor. Not many people knew about this, but those who did were half-believing, speculating that she was mostly his kept mistress. After all, he was burdened by the unclear marriage arrangement with Princess Liu, yet it wasn’t as if he lived a life of abstinence. Given his background and status, keeping a mistress wasn’t inappropriate.

However, he had always kept his mistress hidden and never brought her out openly, likely out of consideration for Princess Liu’s dignity, avoiding too much ostentation. Today, however, bringing her along naturally surprised Xiao Zihuan.

Nevertheless, these trivial matters paled in comparison to what Xiao Zihuan wanted to discuss. At the time, he had no intention of delving deeper.

He just smiled, the mole under his right eye appearing very dark, and casually pointed towards the stupa, saying, “Why not talk while we walk?”

Afterward, he glanced at Bai Song and added, “Just the two of us.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Song’s demeanor subtly tensed, his eyes flashing with vigilance. Qi Ying, however, remained calm, even leading the way, saying, “Your Highness, please.”

Bai Song was ordered to wait alone in front of the Great Buddha Hall, while Qi Ying and Xiao Zihuan walked slowly beneath the stupa. The mountain was wrapped in thin mist, and the cool autumn breeze made for a rare pleasant day.

Xiao Zihuan walked with his hands clasped behind his back, suddenly feeling something and remarked, “Speaking of it, this year is indeed a good year, with favorable weather and bountiful harvests. Who knows if next year will bring such good fortune again?”

Qi Ying’s expression remained unchanged, following his lead, “His Majesty’s benevolence blesses the myriad people, surely gaining heavenly protection.”

This was an overly standard official platitude, especially since he didn’t believe in deities. Yet now, he spoke of heavenly protection, making the trace of official jargon even more evident. However, regardless of what he said, his sincere demeanor made it seem as if he genuinely believed it.

Xiao Zihuan knew it was official jargon but still had to follow along. After some thought, he said, “Father is indeed benevolent, a blessing for the people of Jiangnan. However, governing isn’t solely dependent on the monarch; virtuous ministers are needed to assist, like stars orbiting Polaris, ensuring a truly clear court.”

Finishing, he looked meaningfully at Qi Ying.

His words were vague and clouded, but what kind of person was Qi Ying? Hearing one thing, he understood ten. He already grasped his meaning: so, the Third Prince specially arranged this private discussion regarding the Spring Examination.

This matter was quite delicate.

It was well-known that the Third Prince was at odds with the noble families, but to ascend the throne, he needed support. Otherwise, he wouldn’t stand a chance against the Fourth Prince. Looking at the current Liang court, most officials were from noble families. Even those not from the three major surnames were mostly scholar-gentry, all prominent figures.

But throughout history, turbulent times often produced talents capable of breaking and establishing new orders. Nowadays, more officials from commoner backgrounds were gradually emerging in the court. The Third Prince capitalized on this, promoting them for several years, achieving modest results. A few standout individuals had reached the fourth rank, a significant improvement over a decade ago.

Although the career prospects for commoners had improved, they were far from being strong enough to aid the Third Prince in his quest for the throne. They were young, held low positions, and lacked seniority in the court, making it difficult for them to accomplish much. In such circumstances, to foster a flourishing trend required strength in numbers: one commoner official’s voice might not count, but ten could. Ants could bite an elephant to death. Once commoner officials occupied half the court, who could ignore such a force?

The only path for commoner candidates to enter officialdom was through the Spring Examination.

The Third Prince had been eyeing this for a long time. Originally, he guessed that the chief examiner for this year’s Spring Examination would be one of the old scholars in the Hanlin Academy, so he had already reached out to them early, warming up the papers for a few chosen candidates, even more diligently than the candidates themselves.

All this effort was disrupted by that dog official Mo Yufeng.

This official went all out to curry favor with the junior prime minister, using roundabout methods to promote the position of chief examiner before Qi Ying, colluding with other officials in the Hanlin Academy to persuade the emperor, eventually succeeding.

This left the Third Prince utterly enraged.

It wasn’t just anger but more anxiety. The Spring Examination occurred every three years. Once candidates were dismissed, they’d have to wait another three years to re-enter officialdom. Qi Ying, thoroughly from a noble family, sitting in the chief examiner’s seat, how could he allow commoner candidates to rise? He would surely do everything possible to obstruct and secretly elevate relatives of noble families.

Without the strong support of commoner officials, how could Xiao Zihuan stand in the court?

The Third Prince was extremely anxious, yet helpless. The matter was already settled unless he could kill Qi Ying before the year ended, but who in the world could kill Little Lord Qi, who held the Secretariat? Even Gu Juhang of Northern Wei couldn’t kill him. How could Xiao Zihuan possess such ability?

The Third Prince was mentally and physically exhausted, resorting to praying to gods and Buddha. Today’s visit to Qixia Temple was also to seek blessings for peace of mind.

Who would’ve thought he’d run into Qi Ying.

Though Xiao Zihuan believed talking to political rivals was futile, meeting him in front of the Buddha felt like a mystical fate. Thus, he couldn’t resist mentioning this matter.

Qi Ying naturally understood Xiao Zihuan’s thoughts. Calmly hearing his words, after a moment’s contemplation, he replied, “Your Highness speaks wisely. In such turbulent times, Liang particularly needs virtuous ministers.”

His words were meticulously crafted and beautifully spoken, his demeanor upright and composed, leaving Xiao Zihuan unable to discern whether this was mere official jargon.

He truly didn’t want to spar intellectually with Qi Ying. This Qi Second had exceptional patience and was adept at concealing his thoughts. Engaging in verbal sparring was fruitless; no matter how much he spoke, he couldn’t see through Qi Ying’s intentions. Now, he simply wanted to exchange a few sincere words, hoping to elicit some sincerity in return.

Xiao Zihuan sighed deeply, his somewhat feminine face revealing genuine feelings, then continued, “Candidates’ studies aren’t easy, especially for commoners. Since childhood, they’ve studied diligently, endured hardships, unlike the scholar-gentry children who are well-traveled and have famous teachers’ guidance. They read Confucian classics, aspiring to ascend to the emperor’s hall someday, glorify their families, and gain admiration. But besides fame and wealth, who can say they don’t have other ambitions?”

“They are different,” Xiao Zihuan’s tone was profound. “They’ve seen the most broken parts of Liang, emerged from poverty, often more resilient and ambitious. Everyone has read the sage’s words about governing the country and pacifying the world, but how many truly take them to heart? They do, and genuinely intend to act on them.”

Xiao Zihuan sighed again, glanced at Qi Ying, paused, then continued, “I’m not saying scholar-gentry children are inferior to them. It’s just that within noble families, there are often those unworthy of their positions, relying on family privileges to obtain official titles and becoming parasites of Liang—Jingchen, they’re not all like you. You’re an exception.”

This last sentence sounded like flattery but was actually Xiao Zihuan’s honest opinion.

Even though their stances opposed each other, he couldn’t deny that Qi Ying was a talent of extraordinary caliber. Without him, Liang might not withstand the iron hooves of Gao Wei.

He was someone everyone would admire and praise upon seeing.

But not all noble families’ children were like Qi Ying. Xiao Zihuan admitted that promoting commoners was partly to compete with his fourth brother for the throne, but who could say such self-interest was harmful to the nation? And who said Jiangnan could only be dominated by noble families? Commoners rising would make the court clearer and strengthen Liang, benefiting both the country and its people.

Unfortunately… this path was fraught with difficulties.

Xiao Zihuan felt utterly powerless, his gaze towards Qi Ying showing helplessness.

He knew that no matter how eloquent he was, it was useless in the face of real interests and stances. He knew Qi Ying’s firm character, not easily swayed, but some words he couldn’t suppress.

Rarely showing sincerity, he looked at Qi Ying and said, “If I entrusted you to care for commoner candidates, it would show my immaturity, and such foolish words are better left unsaid. But Jingchen, you’re a reasonable man of principle. Surely, you understand the reasoning here. I have one impertinent request: if during the Spring Examination you truly encounter pillars of the nation, please show leniency and judge impartially.”

Those in power often speak little, as silence makes them appear inscrutable and authoritative. But today, the Third Prince spoke a lot, even launching into lengthy discourses, unintentionally placing himself at a disadvantage, allowing Qi Ying, a subordinate, to take the upper hand.

But Qi Ying didn’t become arrogant because of this. On such matters, he had his own sincerity.

He was indeed from a noble family, an unchangeable fact that determined his stance after entering officialdom, often unrelated to his personal will.

He couldn’t let the Third Prince suppress noble families; he would protect his clan. But this didn’t mean he would dismiss those commoner candidates who studied hard.

He treasured talent and was fair.

Not for power struggles or interest balancing, ultimately, he hoped the country would improve. A clear court could make wiser decisions, benefiting the people of Jiangnan—this was the most practical and crucial matter.

Though he thought this way, he had no intention of speaking eloquently to reveal his true heart. He knew no matter how beautifully he spoke now, Xiao Zihuan wouldn’t believe him. But on this matter, he wasn’t afraid to lay his cards on the table.

Qi Ying smiled faintly, his phoenix-like eyes showing some restrained brilliance, deeper than in his youth.

He said, “I’m shallow in talent and young in virtue, unfit to be the chief examiner for the nation’s candidates. But holding the position, I must fulfill its duties, doing my utmost to be fair. The Spring Examination situation is ever-changing. I don’t dare promise that this selection will only consider talent without regard to background, but within my reach, I’ll do my best.”

Had Shen Xiling been present to see Qi Ying’s expression at that moment, she would know these words were heartfelt. But Xiao Zihuan wasn’t Shen Xiling; he didn’t understand him and couldn’t discern whether this seemingly simple statement was beautiful official jargon or Little Lord Qi’s true intention.

He could only hope that he was a man of high integrity and relied on him to disdain unfairness and misconduct.