The Hexi Circuit wasn't particularly wealthy, far inferior to the Jianghuai Circuit and Henan Circuit. However, Hexi Circuit had Longxi Prefecture, home to several powerful families that ranked among the top fifteen in the entire Sui Dynasty. The most famous of these was undoubtedly the Li family of Xiangcheng.
Among the powerful families of Longxi, the Li family was the most unique. In terms of historical foundation, this family, which had risen to prominence less than a century ago, couldn't compare to the Yu family, the Liu family, or even the Cui family. Families like the Yu and Liu were already renowned before the Sui Dynasty was even established. The Li family, however, only rose to prominence because of the Sui Dynasty's dominance in the Central Plains, and it wasn't until the time of the previous patriarch, Li Luan, that they truly entered the ranks of first-rate families.
But without a doubt, it was His Majesty's trust in the Longxi Li family that made this relatively young family, compared to others, the most prominent clan in Xiangcheng, Longxi Prefecture, and even Hexi Circuit.
Of the 140 cities in Hexi Circuit, each city selected one talented young man to participate in the entrance examination for the Martial Arts Academy. Regardless of city size, only one person was chosen. In the previous two examinations, Xiangcheng's candidates were all from the Li family. The person chosen six years ago was Li Xiaozong, now a general in Fan Gu. Li Fubo, chosen three years ago, is said to be even more outstanding than Li Xiaozong, consistently ranking among the top three in every examination for the past three years.
This achievement was enough to make the Li family proud.
It should be noted that after each graduating class of the Martial Arts Academy, the top three students were directly recruited by the Ministry of War. At the very least, they were directly appointed as a fifth-rank general.
The Martial Arts Academy's recruitment slogan was that regardless of family background, anyone with talent could apply. But this was merely a slogan; those from humble backgrounds had no chance of even becoming candidates. Only one student was selected from each city. The Sui Dynasty had twenty-four circuits, encompassing thousands of cities, yet the Martial Arts Academy only admitted three hundred. With an admission rate of just over one-tenth, how could someone from a poor family possibly get a chance?
Only one student per city? And you expect fairness?
Fairness is always just a facade.
However, it's said that the Dean of the Martial Arts Academy and the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty had a heated argument about this. Dean Zhou argued that since a system of one candidate per city was in place, another rule was necessary: candidates from aristocratic families and those from poor families must be split 50/50. Half from aristocratic families, half from poor families. The Emperor laughed and said, "Regardless of the candidates' backgrounds, aren't you already getting countless excellent students? Isn't that enough?"
Whether from a poor family or an aristocratic family, the selection of candidates was based on both character and academic excellence, from which the best were chosen to enter the Martial Arts Academy. Even if everyone came from an aristocratic family, would the Martial Arts Academy lack good students?
Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Dean Zhou immediately turned and left, coldly uttering the words "blinded by a leaf," completely ignoring the Emperor and walking away.
The Emperor, initially furious upon hearing these words, sat silently for half an hour before regaining his composure. He then issued an edict changing the rules for admitting candidates to the Martial Arts Academy. In addition to one candidate per city, a new rule was added: outstanding talents would be selected from the garrison troops, county troops, and border armies, and reported to the Ministry of War to participate in the Martial Arts Academy's examination. The number of candidates would be equal to the number selected from each city, and candidates with military backgrounds could not hold a rank higher than a captain.
This truly gave those from humble backgrounds the opportunity to enter the Martial Arts Academy and achieve great things.
Back at Qingluan Mountain, Dean Zhou, upon hearing the Emperor's decree, smiled to himself, thinking, "Fortunately, I haven't completely lost my mind." In the entire Sui Dynasty court, only two people dared to directly criticize the Emperor's mistakes. One was Huai Qiugong, the Minister of Rites and a veteran of three reigns; the other was Zhou Banchuan of the Martial Arts Academy.
However, Huai Qiugong's criticisms of the emperor were limited to matters of etiquette and scholarship.
Huai Qiugong was the emperor's tutor, and back in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, he had often slapped the emperor's hand.
Zhou Banchuan, on the other hand, was the kind of person who dared to smash the emperor's teacup.
The emperor once jokingly remarked that the Martial Arts Academy was indispensable for selecting talented individuals for the Sui Dynasty. But the Martial Arts Academy didn't belong to him; it belonged to Zhou Banchuan.
Fang Jie had caught a lucky break, as the Martial Arts Academy was now open to low-ranking soldiers.
However, the noble children had always harbored animosity towards candidates from military backgrounds, for a simple reason. Without military candidates, the Martial Arts Academy would select three hundred from thousands of applicants. Now, it was selecting three hundred from nearly ten thousand. Half the spots had been snatched away by those low-born soldiers; how could they not be angry?
Li Yuan was even angrier because this time, the Governor-General of Hexi Circuit, Yang Xiuchen, had recommended that idiot from the Cui family for the Martial Arts Academy's admissions. How could someone as proud and arrogant as him accept this?
The previous two years' candidates were all from his own Li family. Li Xiaozong was merely an insignificant figure born of a concubine, yet he still managed to rank among the top five in the Martial Arts Academy upon graduation. Li Fubo, the eldest son of the Li family's main branch, was even more promising, and with graduation approaching, entering the top three was no problem.
Li Yuan, on the other hand, was also a legitimate son of the Li family, far superior to Li Xiaozong in status. Within the Li family compound, even though Li Xiaozong held a fifth-rank military position and was his uncle, Li Xiaozong would still give way and greet him respectfully.
Why could someone born of a concubine succeed? Why couldn't I?
This was Li Yuan's greatest anger, even more so than upon learning that Cui Lueshang had become a candidate for the Martial Arts Academy.
In the dense forest of Mushan, he knew that if he let slip even the slightest hint, his sycophants would do exactly as he wished. If Cui Lüshang were crippled, who in Xiangcheng would be more suitable to enter the Martial Arts Academy?
Crippling someone is no big deal, even if it's someone from a noble family… his father's surname is Li too!
…
…
When Fang Jie found Cui Lüshang, the guy was washing his face by a stream at the foot of the mountain. People from noble families value appearance above all else, and his face was already cleaner than Fang Jie's backside. But he was washing vigorously, and if Fang Jie didn't stop him, he might wash his skin raw.
Fang Jie knew that Cui Lüshang wasn't washing his face because it was dirty, but because it was hot.
After giving each of Cui Lueshang's servants a piece of silver, he knelt down beside Cui Lueshang with a forced smile, saying, "Brother Cui... don't wash anymore, or you'll bleed."
Cui Lueshang turned around and saw it was Fang Jie. He was first surprised, then annoyed, saying, "I'm too ashamed to go back to Xiangcheng. It's better to bleed; then no one will recognize me. I don't know how I listened to your lousy idea and did something so disgraceful! Alas... I've met the wrong person!"
Fang Jie chuckled and said, "Brother Cui, you don't need to worry about that. I know where those women came from and where they're going. They don't intend to enter Xiangcheng. Besides, only your servants were there; do you think they would dare to tell anyone?"
"Those women aren't going to Xiangcheng?"
Cui Lueshang was taken aback, unsure whether to be happy or... "How did you know?" "They're in a hurry to get to Chang'an. And think about it, they're already attracting so much attention in this remote place; if they entered Xiangcheng, they'd inevitably cause a stir. If they got entangled with those high-ranking officials, escaping would be difficult. So they're resting here tonight, going to the mountain town to buy what they need for the journey, and setting off early tomorrow morning. They won't even go into Xiangcheng."
"That's good..."
Cui Lueshang smiled awkwardly: "But my classmates who came with me saw it too. When I ran back, they weren't waiting for me. Obviously, they were ashamed of what I did and went back first, too."
Fang Jie thought to himself, "Your good classmates are probably in the woods discussing how to break your limbs; naturally, they don't have time to deal with you right now."
"I saw them heading up the mountain just now; maybe they're looking for a place to stay."
Fang Jie comforted them, "I bet they'll be back for you soon. If they were truly good brothers, how could they let such a small matter damage their friendship?"
"That's true..."
Cui Lueshang sighed, "They're all sincere to me; they're friends I'd risk my life for."
Fang Jie cursed him inwardly, "Fool! Friendships I'd risk my life for? They're probably plotting to kill you right now."
Just then, Li Yuan, the handsome and dashing young master of the Li family, dressed in white, with a tall, slender figure and a face like jade, strolled over from afar with his entourage. Even from a distance, Li Yuan called out loudly, "Lueshang, where have you been? We went to the mountainside Taoist temple to donate incense money and were planning to stay there for the night, but we waited and waited and waited, and you didn't come. We had to come back down the mountain to look for you, and you seem to be enjoying the scenery here!"
Cui Lueshang whispered to Fang Jie, "You were right, that's a true brother."
Fang Jie stood up and slowly walked towards Li Yuan and the others. His clothes, though scholarly, weren't luxurious. Compared to the elegant Li Yuan, he looked rather shabby. However, his features were delicate; while not exceptionally handsome, he was still pleasing to the eye.
Li Yuan had a photographic memory from a young age and remembered the boy beside Cui Lueshang as the wild boy who urinated on the other side of the hill. Seeing him standing with Cui Lueshang, he was somewhat surprised, but then thought that perhaps this person was an old acquaintance of Cui Lueshang; otherwise, why would they be so familiar? Cui Lueshang was an anomaly in Xiangcheng. He not only befriended the sons of aristocratic families, but also associated with many scholars from impoverished families in the city.
His most foolish statement was, "Heroes often come from humble backgrounds," a statement that Li Yuan and his friends nearly laughed their heads off when they first heard it.
"And this gentleman is?"
Li Yuan gave Fang Jie a slight bow as a greeting. While there was nothing wrong with it, the undisguised contempt on his face was irritating. Fang Jie already disliked the Li family, and Li Yuan's arrogant attitude only intensified his disgust. This was typical of people from aristocratic families; they clearly looked down on those of lower birth, yet to maintain their dignity, they would feign politeness even to commoners.
Such affectation was particularly repulsive to Fang Jie.
"My surname is Shang. I come from the border town of Fangu. I'm a small businessman."
When it came to acting, Fang Jie was second to none. He returned the greeting with clasped hands, bowing deeply. His expression was humble, and his eyes even held an unmistakable fear. It was as if he truly felt inferior.
"I've heard that there's a lot of big business in Fangu City," he said.
Li Yuan smiled and said, "I've heard that Shu brocade transported from Xichuan to Fangu can fetch twice the silver in the Central Plains? That's quite a lot. Can you earn five hundred coins on a single trip? Judging from your demeanor, Young Master Shang, you must earn several dozen strings of cash a year. Even in Xiangcheng, several dozen strings a year would make you quite wealthy."
Fang Jie smiled obsequiously, "Please don't call me 'Young Master,' I have no official rank."
"Haha!"
Li Yuan laughed, "You're quite sensible, interesting."
Although the Sui Dynasty didn't have a clear class system for its people, merchants were historically looked down upon. Among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants held the lowest status. Even a poor farmer, destitute and unable to afford food, can proudly hold his head high and wait for a merchant to make way when they meet on a narrow road.
Fang Jie chuckled a few times, then cautiously said, "I hit it off with Young Master Cui immediately, and I was just about to invite him for drinks this evening. I happened to have hunted some game on the mountain earlier; if you gentlemen don't mind, would you do me the honor of joining us for a drink?"
The short man retorted, "I don't have time to drink with you! Go do what you're supposed to do! Cui Lueshang, we've already booked a fine meal at the Taoist temple; let's go."
Cui Lueshang looked at Fang Jie with embarrassment, about to apologize, when Li Yuan said with a smile, "We can often eat at the Taoist temple on the mountain, but not with this Brother Shang's game. Liu Yineng, you're just so vulgar. Brother Shang kindly invited us; aren't you afraid of hurting his feelings by refusing?"
He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Fang Jie and said politely, "I'd be honored to accept; I'll trouble Brother Shang tonight."
His quick change in attitude was truly admirable. Fang Jie sneered inwardly, but his face remained impassive: "Please, please. My servants have likely already prepared the game. Tonight, I'll personally roast the meat for our distinguished guest… Luckily, there are a few jugs of good wine in the carriage."
Li Yuan exchanged a few more polite words, then, as Fang Jie turned away, lowered his voice to the short, thin man named Liu Yineng: "You almost chased away a scapegoat! You can't even take advantage of this… idiot!"
Liu Yineng paused for a moment before understanding, then couldn't help but give a thumbs-up and exclaim, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"