Chapter 57: The Exchange of Interests

When Qian Shilin asked this question, everyone fell silent.

They all looked at Chen Xiaofu.

Even Ah Lai, standing outside the pavilion, did the same.

Chen Xiaofu did have a plan in mind, which was to turn the Huaxi Courtyard into a fortified castle!

However, such matters could not be shared with outsiders.

Seeing Chen Xiaofu remain silent, Qian Shilin stroked his white beard and continued, "It is not that this old man is raising a false alarm. You have concealed your brilliance for so many years; had you continued to do so, you might have remained safe."

"But now, your talent can no longer be hidden."

"Consequently, people will feel jealous, people will feel deeply uneasy, and on top of that, you have after all offended the Left Chancellor's estate. Pan Buhu, that old fox, is extremely deep in his scheming!"

"He will test the waters, he will observe what Zhuang Qingdie intends to do, and more importantly, he will see what Her Majesty the Empress's true attitude is toward you."

"If you prove disadvantageous to him, he will wait!"

"He will wait for Zhuang Qingdie to pass away, wait for the storm surrounding you to subside until Her Majesty gradually forgets you, and only then will he truly bare his fangs!"

"Perhaps you do not comprehend the might of absolute power."

"Let me put it to you this way: if no one remains to shield you, it would be a trivial matter for Pan Buhu to dispatch troops and trample the Huaxi Courtyard into dust."

"He would have a legitimate pretext—such as suppressing bandits, or proclaiming to the world that the Huaxi Courtyard harbored outlaws, executing you amidst the chaos of the night. Even if Her Majesty were to remember you eventually, you would already be dead, and she would not punish Pan Buhu on account of a corpse!"

Hearing this, Chen Xiaofu experienced a sudden surge of shock in his heart.

He realized that he was still far too naive.

Even if he were to forge the Huaxi Courtyard into a fortress of bronze and iron, it would still be utterly powerless against the might of state machinery!

Should Pan Buhu dispatch troops, demanding entry into the courtyard under the guise of searching for bandits, would he allow them in or not?

To permit or deny entry—either way meant defeat!

Because the opponent held the banner of righteousness!

It was an open, inescapable plot!

Qian Shilin observed Chen Xiaofu's increasingly solemn expression and spoke with earnest sincerity once more, "You possess great talent!"

"The Huaxi Courtyard is exceptionally beautiful!"

"Your fiancée is even one of the four greatest beauties under heaven!"

"The existence of all this rests entirely upon the foundation that someone is currently shielding you from the wind and rain!"

"Should that tree fall one day... you will face the elements directly."

"Scholars—not that this old man holds scholars in contempt, for strictly speaking, I am considered a scholar myself. Yet scholars often harbor a distinct flaw: they hold themselves in excessively high self-regard!"

"Having read too many books, they assume that everything in the world must be governed by reason, fairness, and justice."

"In truth... where is there any reason to be found in this world?"

"So-called fairness and justice..."

Qian Shilin let out a dry chuckle, lifting his sparse eyebrows slightly, "Look closely through millennia of history, taste it carefully, and tell me: where in any dynasty has there ever been true fairness and justice?"

"Those who wield power will reason with you when it suits them. When reason fails, or when they simply no longer wish to reason, they will swing their iron fists and tell you that it is all in defense of fairness and justice!"

"In this world, the easiest things to fool are... the common people!"

Qian Shilin shook his head, "These political machinations were tools I frequently used when I was an official, so I have never considered myself a good official."

"Among the officials of this world, 'good' is entirely relative."

"By relative, I mean that an official deemed good by the common folk may not necessarily receive favorable evaluations in the evaluations of the Ministry of Personnel. Because... if your reputation among the people is too exceptional, it serves to highlight the inadequacy of all the other officials."

"Consequently, you will be envied, slandered, attacked, and ostracized!"

"Therefore, good officials rarely attain high office."

"Good officials do not walk the same path as their superiors, and thus good officials rarely endure for long."

"The best outcome is resigning of one's own accord, leaving behind the myriad umbrellas of the populace and a lingering legacy of a fine tale among men."

"As for the worse outcome... accidents always happen, and accidents always result in deaths."

"I digress. Let us return to the predicament you will likely face in the future. I say all this to impress upon you that the world is not as pristine as you imagine."

"Just like sunlight—no matter how blindingly fierce it may be, there are always places it cannot reach."

"When there is no longer a great tree to shelter you from the wind and the rain, you must grow into a great tree yourself!"

"However, that requires time, cultivation, and maneuvering."

"Therefore, after pondering this day and night, I believe the most crucial task for you at present is to find another great tree capable of buying you the time to grow!"

Chen Xiaofu understood.

These words were not difficult to grasp.

Yet they were the heartfelt advice of an elder, and to Chen Xiaofu, they were pearls of wisdom of inestimable value!

This was true deliberation, true foresight!

Whatever he had previously contemplated was evidently far too superficial.

Compared to the machinery of the state, what use was it even if he forged the Huaxi Courtyard into walls of bronze and iron?

He rose, bowed deeply, and said, "I beg the Elder to dispel my confusion and guide my path!"

Qian Shilin raised his gaze to look at Chen Xiaofu, "It is very simple!"

"Since your talent is so extraordinary, why not sell it to the imperial household?!"

Chen Xiaofu was startled, and Qian Shilin continued, "There is no greater tree in this world than Her Majesty the Empress!"

"And in this world, only Her Majesty the Empress can guarantee your peace for a lifetime, or even for generations to come!"

"Go and become an official!"

"The brush in a scholar's hand can do more than merely write poetry and essays; it is actually the finest weapon of all!"

"Generals wield sabers to take lives, while scholars wield brushes... to slay the soul!"

"Do not bother striving to be some idealistic 'good official'!"

"Only when you stand below one person and above ten thousand do you truly earn the qualification to be a good official!"

Chen Xiaofu mused for three breaths, then asked in a low voice, "Does the Elder mean that... this junior should take the imperial examinations?"

Qian Shilin smiled faintly, "Look, this is precisely where unfairness and injustice lie. The vast majority of scholars in this world must cross the narrow single-plank bridge of the imperial examinations, yet certain individuals can simply board a boat, cross the river, and step directly onto the shore."

"And you... you are even more exceptional."

"You are already standing on the shore!"

"I shall write a letter of recommendation to Her Majesty the Empress on your behalf... you may attain official rank without ever sitting for the examinations!"

"Naturally, I do not know what specific post Her Majesty will bestow upon you, but Her Majesty will undoubtedly grant you an office."

"From that point onward, the magnitude of your achievements will depend entirely upon your own skill at maneuvering."

"The skill of which I speak is how to win the favor of Her Majesty the Empress!"

"Does that sound somewhat preposterous to your ears? Yet these are the sincere words of one who has served as an official for many years!"

"You must remember, to embrace that great tree, your very first step must be to find every possible means to draw close to it!"

"That great tree is already crowded with people!"

"Those individuals have long since formed alliances; they cling tightly to the tree and naturally wish to prevent outsiders from wedging their way in."

"Therefore... you must either join them, or... carve a bloody path of your own!"

"Only when you stand firmly beside the trunk of the great tree can you command the lives and futures of others!"

"You must thrive and grow robustly right beside the trunk of the great tree!"

"Whether you can protect your Huaxi Courtyard, your wife and children, your future wealth, and those who have followed you along the way... all of this will depend entirely on how massive a tree you are able to grow into!"

"I sincerely hope that you can truly grow into a towering tree that reaches the heavens. By then... spare a thought for the sufferings of the common people, offer some shelter from the wind and rain to the populace, and you may indeed be considered a good official—perhaps even leaving a name that echoes through history."

"Therefore, I summoned you here today to frankly lay out the predicament you are about to face, to tell you what this old man might be able to do for you, and then... to hear your thoughts."

"Of course, my decision to recommend you to Her Majesty is, on the one hand, due to your talent, and on the other hand... driven by my own selfish motives."

"I am old, and this tree that is myself is about to fall."

"Yet I still have children and grandchildren, as well as followers such as Prefect Ge."

"My hopes rest upon you."

"Should you ever become powerful enough one day, look out for them to some extent, and shelter them from the wind and rain..."

"You may interpret this as an exchange of interests."

"Very well, you may remain in Lin'an and await the arrival of the storm, or you may enter the imperial capital and step directly into the tempest."

"What is your choice?"

[Seeking collections, seeking tickets, seeking whatever you have to offer, Xilou bows in profound gratitude!]