By a twist of fate, the illegitimate son of the Marquis's family marries the county princess.

Chapter 89 The Grand Secretary's Teachings

After paying their respects to Confucius at the Imperial College, the newly appointed scholars were free to disperse.

After leaving the queue, Wu Fengyuan returned home immediately. Upon learning that Wu Yangeng was having lunch at the mansion, he rushed into the backyard without saying a word.

Seeing his angry face, Madam Wu knew he was here to interrogate her. Not wanting to get involved in their argument, she stood up and moved away, saying, "Master, Yuan'er hasn't had enough experience, so his thinking is inevitably not comprehensive enough. Please be gentler."

Wu Yangeng calmly drank his soup without saying a word.

Wu Fengyuan rushed into the house, took a deep breath to suppress his anger and grievances, and first greeted Madam Wu: "Mother."

Madam Wu nodded: "Talk to your father properly."

After saying that, he turned and went back into the inner room.

Watching Madam Wu's figure disappear, Wu Fengyuan turned to Wu Yangeng and asked, "Father, you knew perfectly well that the top scholar wasn't your son, so why didn't you tell me?"

Wu Yangeng said calmly, "According to the rules, no one is allowed to reveal the list of successful candidates before the announcement ceremony."

"Your son isn't stupid. You only needed to see him last night. Even if you didn't say anything, just a glance would have been enough for him to understand."

Wu Fengyuan felt wronged: "Today outside the Meridian Gate, many of my classmates wished my son success in the imperial examinations, and he was also full of anticipation. But what happened? At the announcement ceremony, he looked like a clown!"

Wu Yangeng put down his soup bowl: "Do you think this top scholar title should have been yours?"

"No! I have never thought that way. Lu Nian'an's scholarship is no less than mine, and I have also thought that he would be the top scholar."

"But last night, my father didn't say anything, which led his son to mistakenly believe that things could really turn out well. My father gave his son hope and then left him in despair!"

This is the real reason why Wu Fengyuan was angry and felt wronged!

He's not a sore loser!

My emotions were just too turbulent!

Wu Yangeng's expression remained calm: "Yuan'er, you have been intelligent since childhood and have a great talent for studying. Your teachers have praised you as having the talent to become a top scholar. You have not become complacent, but have instead become even more diligent. This makes your father very happy."

"Ke Yuan, from this day forward, everything you did in the past is null and void."

"To go further in the court, it's not about who can read more books, but about who can get things done better! Do the tasks assigned by the emperor, tasks that can relieve the people's worries and make the Great Chu a better place."

"No matter how many classic texts you read, it's all just empty talk."

Wu Fengyuan frowned: "What Father said, I understand. But what does this have to do with Father not telling me the list of successful candidates?"

Wu Yangeng said, "I knew long ago that you wouldn't be the top scholar!"

Wu Fengyuan looked at him in shock.

Wu Yangeng explained to him, "Passing the imperial examination with top honors in all three levels is indeed a great joy. Even the emperor would hope to have such a person to add to the achievements of civil administration. However, this person should not be the eldest son of the Grand Secretary."

This succinctly illustrates that even the imperial examinations, which Emperor Shun'an valued most highly, were not absolutely fair; there was always a balance to be struck.

Wu Fengyuan was no simple man; he simply hadn't quite grasped the situation for a moment: "Does the Emperor not wish for his son to achieve the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations?"

Wu Yangeng asked him, "Do you know how many people in the court are subservient to you as their fathers?"

"My father is the Grand Secretary, so naturally there are quite a few people who depend on him."

"If I had a son who achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations, what do you think would happen to those who depend on me?"

Wu Fengyuan remained silent.

Those people will do their utmost to pave the way for Wu Fengyuan, perhaps even more so than Wu Yangeng, and are determined to make Wu Fengyuan the future Grand Secretary in order to ensure the wealth and honor of their next generation.

Wu Yangeng stood up and stood by the window: "Those in power despise forming cliques and engaging in favoritism the most, but such things cannot be completely prevented. Even I, as a father, cannot control the thoughts of those below me. The Emperor's decision not to appoint you as the top scholar is both a matter of weighing the options and an indication that he has no intention of plotting against our Wu family."

There's a saying that goes, "Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad."

If Emperor Shun'an intended to use the Wu family to clean up the court, he could simply appoint Wu Fengyuan as the top scholar, watch those who supported Wu Yangeng gradually elevate Wu Fengyuan to a position where he was unworthy of the title, wait for them to make mistakes, and then strike once and for all to wipe them out.

Wu Fengyuan's gaze was complicated: "Does Father not want his son to become the Grand Secretary in the future?"

Wu Yangeng looked at him intently: "Having served in the court for so many years, I know that you should only do what you are capable of. Forcing a promotion will only harm you. If you are capable, I don't need to go to such lengths to plan for you."

"What I can guarantee is that I will never allow anyone to restrict your talents."

But how far he can go depends on Wu Fengyuan's abilities!

Emperor Shun'an was an emperor with both strong character and ability. Under his watchful eye, no one dared to harbor any thoughts of power.

Even though there are bound to be factional struggles in the court, they are still within a controllable range.

Such behavior, which disregards right and wrong and relentlessly engages in factional strife to eliminate dissidents, could not have occurred during the reign of Emperor Shun'an.

Wu Fengyuan stormed in, furious, and left in a daze.

After he left, Madam Wu came out of the inner room: "Master, you spoke so heartlessly, aren't you afraid of crushing Yuan-ge's spirit?"

Wu Yangeng said, "The eldest brother's abilities are mediocre. Even with my help, he can only reach the fourth rank. Yuan-ge'er is capable, but his character and methods need to be honed. This is not something that can be understood just by talking about it; ultimately, he needs to figure it out himself."

"If he can't figure it out, then he should give up some unrealistic fantasies as soon as possible."

Mrs. Wu had nothing to say.

Wu Yangeng then brought up another matter: "Has Madam been getting close to Princess Anhe lately?"

"We play mahjong together occasionally."

"I've read the article by Princess Anhe's husband. He seems to be a thoughtful person. With Princess Anhe around, the Emperor will likely give him a chance. Has Madam seen him?"

Madam Wu said, "I've only met him once, and he seemed to have a gentle personality."

"mild?"

Wu Yangeng shook his head: "That kind of article is not something a mild-mannered person could write."

Wen Zongji's ambition was made no attempt to conceal in his answer sheet.

"Madam, you might as well get to know Princess Anhe better in the future. Yuan-ge and Wen Zongji are the same age and will soon be working together in the Hanlin Academy. You'll have to socialize a lot in the future."

Madam Wu nodded: "Okay."

……

Yunguangyuan

Pei Rujing circled Wen Zongji several times, still feeling a sense of unreality: "You really became the third-ranked scholar?"

Wen Zongji asked, "Would you like me to accompany the county princess to the Meridian Gate to see the list of successful candidates in person?"

"That won't be necessary."

Pei Rujing pulled Wen Zongji to sit down and said excitedly, "I've already had someone reserve a table. Tomorrow I want to watch you parade through the streets on horseback from the best spot."

"To parade through the streets on horseback?" Wen Zongji subconsciously asked himself, "Do I even know how to ride a horse?"

He suddenly realized that he needed to ride a horse to parade through the streets.

Granny Feng said, "Don't worry, young master. There will be someone to lead the horses for you when you ride through the streets. You just need to sit on the horse."

Not all newly appointed scholars can ride horses. The court made the top three scholars ride horses through the streets to let them enjoy their moment of glory, not to embarrass them.

Pei Rujing rested her chin on her hand and looked at him: "You can't ride a horse? I can."

Wen Zongji tried hard to recall: "I learned it when I was young, but I haven't ridden a horse since."

The Marquis of Zhongyong's family was, after all, a founding noble family, and the young masters of the family must have received equestrian training. However, the original owner of this body was focused on studying and had not ridden a horse for a long time.

Pei Rujing's eyes lit up: "Then I'll teach you how to ride a horse!"

Wen Zongji: "...?"