Who would have thought that those who didn't study well in the academy would become princes and still read books?
Ouyang Wen touched his nose and chuckled awkwardly.
Situ Yan finished writing his comments and switched to the next book: "What are you here for?"
"Don't say I'm unreliable, brother. I'm here to help. Look, is there anything I can help you with? Tsk, the Emperor must have been quite busy before. Look at this pile of memorials. Surely they aren't this many every day?"
"I've already had the Grand Secretariat filter out quite a lot. Are you very idle?" Situ Yan narrowed his eyes. Indeed, this guy was quite idle. As a Duke who inherited his title through his ancestors and whose elders' only hope was for him to stay alive, Ouyang Wen didn't even have a minor official post besides his dukedom.
If the Emperor hadn't occasionally assigned him small tasks, this guy would have gone moldy from idleness long ago.
Ouyang Wen nodded gravely at the stack of memorials: "Compared to you, I'm certainly much more idle."
"Since that's the case, you can take care of this." Situ Yan pulled out a memorial and tossed it over.
Ouyang Wen opened it and said, "Yo ho, Minister Chen is showing some backbone. I thought he would tolerate Zheng Zhuo for his whole life."
Chen Hong, the Minister of Revenue, had his Left Assistant Minister, Zheng Zhuo, defect to Situ Jue, who had caused Chen Hong to make many concessions in official matters. Situ Yan chuckled: "Situ Jue is dead, so Chen Hong naturally doesn't need to tolerate him anymore."
"What do you want me to do?"
"It's written on the memorial. Impeach Zheng Zhuo for accepting bribes and selling official positions. Investigate it thoroughly, and if it's confirmed, you'll be the new Left Assistant Minister of Revenue."
Ouyang Wen's smiling face froze: "Your Highness, if you put it that way, I won't do it. I'm living a leisurely life with a comfortable post, why are you dragging me into the Ministry of Revenue to meddle?"
The place that handled money was the most complex in terms of human relationships. He wasn't brain-damaged.
However, speaking of meddling, Ouyang Wen's expression changed again. He leaned closer to Situ Yan's head and lowered his voice: "A'yan, the rumors outside say the Crown Prince has fallen out of favor and will be deposed sooner or later. What do you think about this?"
Situ Yan didn't even look up: "You don't do any real work all day and have the leisure to listen to these rumors? Go and do your job properly, otherwise, how will you set an example for your son in the future?"
"It concerns you, after all. If you want to contend for this position, then I don't mind going to the Ministry of Revenue to keep an eye on things for you." Ouyang Wen was loyal to his friends, that's how righteous he was.
Situ Yan glared at him: "That still has nothing to do with you. Live your life as a Duke properly. The glory of the Ouyang family was earned with your ancestors' blood. If you dare to mess around, I'll be the first to have the Old Madam break your legs."
Ouyang Wen was stunned, and then his eyes filled with understanding.
It seemed this matter was true, otherwise, A'yan would never have reacted like this.
Situ Yan finally looked up and instructed: "Did you understand?"
"Understood."
"If you understand, then go to work."
Ouyang Wen: ...
The affairs today were not too complicated. Situ Yan finished reviewing the memorials ahead of time and then called his second uncle, Gu Li, in: "Second Uncle, please help me check the archives of these few individuals."
Gu Li looked at them, the names were somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall them: "Who are these?"
"This year's Jinshi and Tong Jinshi, whom I've selected. Their writing style is a bit simple, but their views are quite commendable."
No wonder he found these names familiar: "What views?"
"They are more inclined towards the welfare of the common people and can understand the people's sentiments from their lives." Humph, Father also told him to go to his third brother for advice if he didn't understand. Who did he think he was looking down on? He understood it now. However, his third brother had indeed done a lot of practical work over the years, and his reputation among the common people was much better than the Crown Prince's.
With spring approaching and it being the time for sowing, he would likely be busy again.
He decided to go find him for a drink tonight.
The information of the candidates was sealed in the Hanlin Academy. Before long, Gu Li returned. As Situ Yan had predicted, these seven candidates, despite their differing rankings, were all legitimate scholars from humble backgrounds, which explained their different perspectives and writing styles.
In those days, it was rare for commoners to afford education, and even rarer for those who could achieve success.
Many people stopped at the level of Xiucai their whole lives. To reach the imperial examination, even with an unremarkable rank, was a significant achievement: "Have all these individuals been assigned posts?"
The special imperial examination was due to a shortage of personnel. As long as their requirements were not too high, it was not difficult to obtain an official position.
Indeed, Gu Li said: "Three have returned to their hometowns to serve as county magistrates, and three have been appointed as officials in the capital, all of the eighth rank. Only Peng Yuanli was appointed as a prefect and took office the other day."
"What about Xing Qian?"
The other five were Tong Jinshi. Only Xing Qian, like Peng Yuanli, was a genuine Jinshi. Gu Li had the highest hopes for these two.
"The Ministry of Personnel gave him a post as Director of the Directorate of Education at the Imperial Academy."
"He's going to be a teacher at the Imperial Academy right after passing the Jinshi exam? What was the Ministry of Personnel thinking? What about the other two, are they also at the Imperial Academy?" Was this a mistake? Was the court holding a special examination to find teachers for the Imperial Academy?
Fortunately, Gu Li replied: "No, that's not the case. One is at the Ministry of Works and the other at the Ministry of Revenue, both as scribes."
Situ Yan chuckled: "It seems Xing Qian has offended someone."
As for Peng Yuanli, it was obvious he had found a patron.
Gu Li cupped his hands and asked: "Your Highness, do you require the Minister of Personnel to be summoned for questioning?"
"A few insignificant minor officials, do you think the Minister of Personnel himself would appoint them? Second Uncle, you can go back now. I will have someone investigate this myself."