"Butler Wu, long time no see."
Shen Yichen clasped his fists and gestured to the middle-aged man, and also called out his last name.
This steward Wu used to be a steward in the Chengguo Mansion in Yingtian. Later, he followed Zhu Yong to the capital and was promoted to steward of the mansion, so Shen Yichen knew him.
"It's been a long time since we last met. My Lord has been waiting for you. Please come in, Mr. Shen."
Butler Wu replied with a smile and a bow, not being negligent in etiquette just because Shen Yichen was the son of a maid.
There is a reason why he was promoted to butler. After all, a doorman is just a doorman.
"Please lead the way, Butler Wu."
Shen Yichen was also very polite and considerate, which surprised Butler Wu.
Although I have met Shen Yichen many times in Yingtian Prefecture, that was many years ago.
In the impression of Butler Wu, after Shen Yichen was abandoned by Duke Cheng, he gradually became an uneducated and mediocre person, no different from a street kid.
I thought that if this trend continued, Shen Yichen would eventually be kicked out of the private school of Duke Chengguo's Mansion, and would have no relationship with the Duke anymore, and would be completely forgotten by everyone.
Who would have thought that when they met again today, Shen Yichen was like a graceful and elegant gentleman, calm and dignified, not inferior to the other two young masters in the mansion.
No wonder the master has recently started to pay attention to the child born to this maid again. It is true that when you haven't seen a man for three days, you should look at him with new eyes.
Shen Yichen and Aniu followed Butler Wu into the Chengguo Mansion in the capital. The layout here was similar to that of the Yingtian Mansion. Apart from the different scale, there was nothing special about it.
However, after passing the corridor, Butler Wu called another servant and took Ah Niu to the side room to wait, leaving Shen Yichen alone to meet Duke Cheng.
This was also normal operation. After all, Ah Niu was just an ordinary person, and he would not meet him as the Duke of Chengguo. In addition, it would be a private conversation between the "father and son", and it would not be convenient for multiple outsiders to be present.
Inside the main hall of the mansion, Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong sat on the main throne, watching Shen Yichen coming step by step from afar.
It has been almost a year since we last met at the family banquet at the Duke of Yingtiancheng's mansion. When I saw Shen Yichen again this time, in addition to being taller and stronger, I could also feel a calm temperament.
He is no longer the boy I remembered before.
"Shen Yichen greets the Lord."
Entering the main hall and looking at Zhu Yong, Shen Yichen did not have the turbulent emotions that he had when they first met. Instead, he became much calmer.
I don't know if he has adapted to this special father-son relationship, or if the emotions originally brought by Shen Yichen have been suppressed, but at least on the surface he can treat it calmly.
"I haven't seen you for a year. You seem to be much more stable."
In response to this, Shen Yichen just smiled and did not answer.
Perhaps it was the awkward relationship between the two that was not suitable for the "reminiscing about the past" mode, so after saying this, Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong did not continue speaking and went straight to the point.
"I heard earlier that you have already won the first place in the county and prefecture examinations. If nothing unexpected happens, you have already obtained the title of scholar, right?"
Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong still didn't know Shen Yichen's college entrance examination results, but under normal circumstances, the first place in the case would definitely pass the examination for a scholar. In addition, he was wearing a long shirt today, so it was obvious that he had already passed the examination for a scholar.
"My Lord, I have already obtained the title of Scholar."
"How was the college entrance examination result?"
"I was lucky enough to be selected by the Master of Education as the first in the academy."
When he heard the words "the first in the court's case", Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong's pupils shrank noticeably.
You must know that the chief , the Superintendent of Education, is an official sent from the capital. He will not be partial to others just because of his status as Duke Chengguo and make an exception to select Shen Yichen as the first place.
Even if you want to show favoritism, at least you have to greet him in person.
In other words, Shen Yichen relied on his own abilities to become the top three in the Yingtian Prefecture's list. This change was indeed beyond Zhu Yong's psychological expectations.
"good!"
Zhu Yong nodded and gave a rare compliment, even though he had no father-son affection for this "son" and had only met him a few times over the years.
However, as a member of the Chengguo Mansion, it is an honor to be able to pass the examination and become the top three in the Yingtian Prefecture. The maneuverability of the future career will also be significantly improved.
"Since you have already won the first place in the case and have come to the capital, you should report to the Imperial College as soon as possible."
"I have already informed the Imperial College's chief academic officer, Li Shimian, and I will be able to start my studies soon."
Zhu Yong originally thought that since Shen Yichen had chosen to come to the capital, he would definitely obey what he had written in the letter and go to the Imperial College in the capital to study.
Unexpectedly, Shen Yichen shook his head and said, "My Lord, I don't want to study in the Imperial Academy."
Upon hearing this rejection, a murderous look appeared on Duke Cheng's face. This was the second time that Shen Yichen had disobeyed his decision.
Even if he admired her in his heart and held the idea of ​​sharing weal and woe, as a super duke, he could not accept such an attitude.
"Shen Yichen, don't waste my patience with you."
These words from Duke Cheng are already a clear warning. The Duke blood in one's body cannot be a talisman. Once he becomes arrogant and crosses the bottom line, he will be abandoned again.
"I dare not. The reason I did not enter the Imperial College is simply to prepare for the provincial examination."
To be honest, Shen Yichen didn't have any rebellious heart, and he didn't deliberately go against Duke Cheng. It was purely Zhu Yong's decision that conflicted with his own development plan, so he had to choose one of the two.
"There are still two months before the provincial examination. Are you sure you will pass it?"
Although Shen Yichen's progress in a year was beyond the expectations of ordinary people, and he even won the title of the first place in the Xiao Sanyuan case in Yingtian Prefecture, the difficulty of the provincial examination was not comparable to that of the boy's examination, and it was not so easy to pass the imperial examination.
Of course, the more important reason was that Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong did not have much confidence in his son. The impression of his son's transformation in one year was far less than that of his son's ignorance in the previous ten years.
"My Lord, if I were in Yingtian, I would have a 50% chance of getting the middle score. Now that I'm in the capital, I have a 90% chance of getting the middle score."
There is one thing about Shen Yichen that makes him different in Zhu Yong's mind, and that is that you can't guess the answers to many of his answers at all.
Just like this time, if it were an ordinary person, they would either say yes or no. Only Shen Yichen dared to directly give a very precise probability, and he dared to say so in front of his own dignified Duke.
"Then tell me why it is so."
It's true, this answer aroused Zhu Yong's curiosity. He wanted to hear what explanation Shen Yichen could give.
"Since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, various factors have led to an objective gap between the scholars in the north and south, so Taizu divided the imperial examination into the north and south lists in order to ensure the basic fairness of the imperial examinations in all regions."
"As a southerner, I will take the provincial examination in Northern Zhili. The competitive pressure will be much less than that in Southern Zhili, which will definitely increase my chances of passing."
This was the first reason Shen Yichen gave. The reason why he was willing to come to the capital to take the provincial examination was that the competition in the northern imperial examination was relatively less difficult, and it would be easier for him to stand out.
In fact, there is a more intuitive and clear term to describe this model in later generations, that is, "college entrance examination immigration."
Of course, not every southern scholar could do this. The fundamental reason why Shen Yichen could do this was because the power of Duke Cheng allowed him to participate. Otherwise, he would not be able to participate in the northern provincial examination even if he came to the capital.
"It can indeed be called a shortcut, but what else?"
Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong nodded. He had never paid attention to the different difficulty levels of the provincial examinations in the north and south.
Because of this method, only the children of nobles and ministers could do so, and other scholars were restricted by the household registration system.
"Also, the chief examiner of the provincial examination needs your help."
Shen Yichen's words were quite explicit, he almost directly asked Zhu Yong to help him use the back door and say hello.
However, this is exactly why Shen Yichen chose to come to the capital. Since Zhu Yong’s philosophy is that everyone prospers together, he must do his part before he can bring honor to his family and establish the Duke’s Mansion.
At this moment, Zhu Yong had a playful smile on his face. He looked at Shen Yichen and said, "When Yingtian was preparing to recommend you as a student, I still remember you said that you wanted to pass the imperial examination on your own. Have you changed your mind now?"
“He who knows the times is a hero.”
When talking to a military general like Duke Cheng who prefers simple and direct communication, there is no need to beat around the bush like scholars.
Therefore, Shen Yichen's conversations were not as literary as those with Lin Zhen and Sun Ding, but he directly expressed what was in his mind.
"What a wise man who knows the current situation. Shen Yichen, you really have the ambition to become a noble and a general."
To be honest, Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong was really shocked at this moment.
His previous impression of Shen Yichen was that this guy was standing up for his mother and had some scholarly spirit, so he was unwilling to submit to his arrangements.
Even if Shen Yichen had said such a bold statement, "Who has written history in the past ten thousand years? I want to be a marquis three thousand miles away." Zhu Yong did not take it seriously.
People who don't know how to judge the situation and rely solely on arrogance will not be able to achieve anything. When they enter the officialdom in the future, such people will understand the cruelty of reality.
Today, Shen Yichen's words no longer had the scholarly spirit of the past. Instead, they sounded more like a completely ambitious man who was plotting strategies with himself.
You have to know that the maid-born child in front of you is only sixteen or seventeen years old. How can such a change not be shocking?
"My Lord, I will never forget what you said , that we all prosper together."
Shen Yichen replied with a smile that the reason why he became what he is now is all because of the good teaching of you, his "father".
Isn't this exactly what you want now? Perfectly tied together with the Chengguo Mansion, we will prosper together?
Hearing the words of "prosperity for all" coming from Shen Yichen's mouth, Zhu Yong felt something was wrong for some reason, and even had a vague sense of crisis of raising a tiger to cause trouble.
Logically speaking, under the moral principles of monarch, minister, father and son, even if it had not been included in the family tree, Shen Yichen's blood relationship could not be denied. He never had to worry about his son's rebellion, this was a naturally stable "alliance of interests".
But Shen Yichen now behaves too realistically and no longer has the feelings he once had for his father.