novelhk Chapter 78 Hanlin Academy
Chapter 78 Hanlin Academy
The Hanlin Academy was the emperor's exclusive advisory body, and in addition to this, it also had functions such as drafting imperial edicts, compiling national history, and training officials.
Due to its unique nature, unlike other institutions located in the imperial city, the Hanlin Academy's offices were located within the imperial palace.
Early that morning, Wang You changed into his green official robes and, accompanied by Old Madam Wang and Madam Feng, rode in a carriage to the palace.
Although Old Mrs. Wang was still angry, it was Wang You's first day in office, so she gave him some instructions and personally saw him off.
Sitting in the carriage, Wang You felt awkward about his official robes.
It's not that they don't fit; official robes are all custom-made by the imperial court according to measurements, so there's no way they would be ill-fitting.
Wang You felt awkward simply because the sleeves were too wide.
And this thing is green, except for the hat.
Wang You arrived outside the imperial city by carriage, then disembarked and walked to present his appointment document. After inspection, he was led by an attendant to the Hanlin Academy.
The imperial palace is divided into the inner court and the outer court. The rear court, also known as the harem, is where the emperor's concubines lived.
The outer court was where the emperor lived and worked.
However, strictly speaking, the outer court can be divided into two parts.
One part is located not far from the palace gate, where special institutions such as the Hanlin Academy and the Zhizheng Hall are situated.
The core area was where officials lived and conducted official business, as well as a complex of palaces for various purposes.
Compared to the core area, the area where institutions such as the Hanlin Academy are located is not as strictly managed.
Although there were imperial guards stationed in this area, there were no palace maids or eunuchs.
As long as you don't leave this area, no one will care if you move around within it.
However, to leave this area, one must be led by a palace attendant.
If you dare to walk alone, the Imperial Guards will arrest you without caring about your identity.
These were all told to Wang You by the eunuch who led the way.
After all, Wang You was so young that he could become a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, and his future was limitless.
Although eunuchs were the servants of the emperor, even those eunuchs assigned to the palace gates to guide the way did not have a particularly high status.
Although Wang You already knew all this, he still expressed his gratitude and slipped a silver note to them.
Although the eunuch leading the way was only seventeen or eighteen years old, he had been in the palace for seven or eight years and was quite adept at reading people's expressions.
He could sense that Wang You was unlike other officials; he was polite to him on the surface, but his eyes held contempt.
Wang You showed him no disrespect, which made him feel respected.
Therefore, he repeatedly declined the silver notes, but finally accepted them only after Wang You insisted.
Perhaps feeling obligated to speak his mind, he offered some practical advice, subtly reminding Wang You not to discuss the matter of choosing an heir.
He gave this reminder because there has been much discussion in Bianjing recently about establishing an heir apparent.
After the young prince died before the New Year, the Emperor fell seriously ill due to the shock.
The illness lasted for nearly two months, and the official's health did not improve until the beginning of the year.
As a result, just as the emperor's health improved and before he could officially attend court, when Prime Minister Fu and a group of officials visited the emperor, they petitioned for the establishment of an heir apparent.
This enraged the emperor, but Fu Xiangong and others did not back down. Instead, they argued their case and pleaded with the emperor to establish an heir apparent.
The official gave them a severe scolding and kicked them out; the next day, they fell ill again.
This illness lasted for more than half a month, and I only felt better a couple of days ago.
It's not hard to imagine that the officials will continue to pressure the emperor to establish an heir.
There's no right or wrong in this matter; choosing the crown prince early is beneficial for the stability of the court.
After all, if the emperor has many sons and does not establish an heir for a long time, it will cause other princes to have inappropriate thoughts.
According to ancient etiquette, if there is a legitimate heir, the eldest son should be chosen; if there is no legitimate heir, the eldest son should be chosen. In fact, the selection of the crown prince is the least controversial matter.
If the emperor delays in establishing an heir apparent, the other princes will feel that the emperor is dissatisfied with the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and their opportunity will come.
Some ambitious courtiers also began to take sides, wanting to gamble.
This is naturally detrimental to the stability of the imperial court.
This was under the condition that the emperor had children; now the emperor has no children and is not young anymore.
In theory, all members of the imperial family have a chance.
Since the death of the young prince, the thoughts of these members of the royal family have become active.
They might not dare to openly curry favor with officials, but they can do it covertly.
Only by establishing a crown prince can these people give up their hopes.
It's understandable that the emperor doesn't want to establish an heir.
After all, the family had just lost their son, and now they were being forced to adopt a son to inherit the family business. No one could accept that.
Although the emperor is called the official, he is still a human being after all.
However, even Fu Xiangong and others had no choice, not to mention the issue of court stability.
The emperor suffered a tremendous blow from the loss of his son, and he looked as if he had aged more than ten years.
If he were to suddenly pass away one day without having designated an heir, wouldn't that create chaos?
Therefore, both morally and logically, they had to persuade the emperor to establish an heir.
Lost in thought, the eunuch led Wang You to the outside of the Hanlin Academy.
"Editor Wang, this is the Hanlin Academy. You may go in by yourself."
"Thank you for your trouble, Father-in-law."
Wang You bowed and thanked the eunuch. After the eunuch left, he entered the Hanlin Academy, which had its doors wide open.
Upon entering, Wang You saw rows of public housing units on both sides, and could faintly hear voices coming from them.
Just as Wang Youzheng was wondering where to go, a young man in his early twenties walked out of a public housing unit on the left.
The young man, like him, wore a green official robe.
Upon seeing Wang You, the young man paused for a moment, then smiled and stepped forward.
"Are you Prince Qian?" the young man asked, bowing.
"Exactly!"
Wang You quickly returned the greeting, then asked in confusion, "Brother, do you know me?"
"My name is Feng Yuan from Guangling, and I have been appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy."
Feng Yuan first introduced himself, then smiled and said, "The Hanlin Academy rarely welcomes new people, and the news that Ziqian is coming has already spread throughout the Hanlin Academy."
I guessed that you were young and wearing official robes.
Wang You suddenly realized that his age was too easily recognizable.
Officials who entered officialdom through the imperial examinations were almost all in their early twenties, with a few younger ones being in their late teens.
It's similar to the practice of granting official positions through hereditary privilege; it's impossible for someone to be granted a substantive official position at around ten years old.
If he were around twenty years old, Feng Yuan might have mistaken him for an official who came to the Hanlin Academy on business.
"I never expected to be so famous," Wang You couldn't help but smile wryly.
Only those who passed the imperial examinations could enter the Hanlin Academy; generally, no more than one person could be selected for each imperial examination.
These are all top-notch individuals.
He remembered that Sheng Changbai was ranked in the second class, around tenth place. If you count the three people in the first class, that means he was in the top twenty in that imperial examination.
Even so, he was only a junior scholar.
Strictly speaking, a Shujishi was not considered a Hanlin scholar.
The term of office is only two years, and it is more of a learning experience. After the term expires, one will be assigned to one of the six ministries or a local government position.
The Hanlin Compiler was a member of the regular staff of the Hanlin Academy.
Of course, it's not a matter of good or bad; having experience working in the Hanlin Academy guarantees a good future.
Therefore, the Hanlin Academy was filled with the pride of heaven, while Wang You entered through the prodigy examination, so he naturally faced some discrimination.