Chapter 22: Prosperity for All
The cries and emotions deep in his heart finally affected Shen Yichen's rationality, otherwise he would not have said such words.
However, as his relationship with his mother Shen deepens, Shen Yichen can now better understand the pain hidden deep in his heart and the long-awaited voice of "father".
"Shen Yichen, how outrageous!"
After recovering from his shock, Zhu Yong sternly rebuked him. As the Duke of the Ming Dynasty, even if he was the legitimate son, he couldn't forget the hierarchy and talk to him like this, let alone a maid-born son like Shen Yichen.
This scolding also made Shen Yichen sober up a lot. This is the Ming Dynasty, and discipline and human ethics are the rules of the society. His behavior is simply courting death.
"Master, I have overstepped the boundaries."
After reason prevailed, Shen Yichen had no choice but to admit his mistake.
"snort."
Duke Cheng snorted coldly, seemingly very dissatisfied, but in his heart he was very satisfied with Shen Yichen's bowing his head.
This kind of satisfaction does not demonstrate the authority of the superior. With the status and power of Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong, there is no need for him to seek a sense of existence in a small fry like Shen Yichen.
Instead, Shen Yichen was able to quickly control his emotions and act appropriately. It was rare for him to be so steady at his current age.
Even though the maid's child has not been recognized, it is still her own blood after all. It is better to have a promising future than to have no ability.
"When did you become so knowledgeable?"
Zhu Yong's tone became much softer when he spoke these words, and the aura of a noble and superior man on his body also calmed down.
“It started when I noticed some gray hair on my mother’s temples.”
"Is this out of sympathy for your mother?"
With Zhu Yong's experience, he could naturally hear the hidden meaning in Shen Yichen 's words.
"My Lord, I dare not."
Although he didn't dare to say it, Shen Yichen's tone was very firm. He really felt unfair for the Shen family.
Not to mention the moral standards of later generations, even in ancient times, abandoning one's wife and children and refusing to admit it could be considered a complete "scumbag" act.
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Shen Yichen's heart began to beat again. If he contradicted Zhu Yong like this, he would probably suffer the consequences. But when he thought of Shen's increasing number of white hairs on her temples due to her daily hard work, as well as her silent dedication to him, he felt a rage in his heart that he couldn't let out .
Originally, Shen Yichen was prepared to be punished, but he didn't expect Zhu Yong to be silent for a long time, then sighed and replied: "As a son, it's not wrong for you to have such thoughts."
Are you letting me off?
It was really beyond Shen Yichen's expectation that Zhu Yong would say such words given his tough personality. He wondered if he felt a little indebted to the Shen family in his heart.
"Since your performance today is not for the purpose of entering the family tree, then it is nothing more than to gain a good reputation in the imperial examination, right?"
"Yes."
This time Shen Yichen did not deny it. With Zhu Yong's ability, it was only a matter of time before he realized this, and there was no point in denying it anymore.
"I really underestimated you before."
Zhu Yong said something meaningful. He really didn't expect that the abandoned maid's son would be so completely different. For a moment he didn't know whether he was happy or sad.
"I will be heading to the capital soon to lead my army to conquer Mongolia. I may not be back home for a while."
"If you want to make progress in the imperial examination, I can report to the court and guarantee you a place as a student."
The so-called "jiansheng" are students who study at the Imperial Academy, or it can be understood in a simpler modern way, which is equivalent to studying at a top public university.
In ancient times, there were roughly four categories of students: students who entered the academy to study were called Gongjian, children of bureaucrats were called Yinjian, those who entered the academy were called Jujian, and those who donated money were called Lijian.
Among them, Yinjian can obtain the qualification of Jiansheng without taking the examination, and can skip the college examination for the examination of Xiucai and directly participate in the provincial examination for the examination of Juren. For a "schoolboy" like Shen Yichen who couldn't even pass the examination for Tongsheng, it was equivalent to skipping a grade from elementary school to university.
And the significance is more than that. Duke Cheng is willing to recommend him as a Yinjian, which means that Shen Yichen will become a bureaucrat's son. Even further , it is equivalent to telling Shen Yichen that you will be included in the Zhu family genealogy and become the illegitimate son of the Duke!
Even though Shen Yichen had never entertained the extravagant hope of being included in the family tree, when he heard Zhu Yong's words, he looked at him in shock, feeling a little unbelievable.
Why did Duke Chengguo suddenly change his mind just because of a poem he wrote today?
"Very surprised?"
Looking at the change in Shen Yichen's expression, Zhu Yong was not surprised at all.
For Shen Yichen, this was not just a status, but also a lifetime of wealth and prosperity. Even if he did not make any achievements in the imperial examinations, he could still obtain an official position by relying on his status as a duke's illegitimate son, so it was normal for him to be shocked and surprised.
"Um."
Shen Yichen nodded in reply.
"The reason is very simple . You bear the mark of the Duke Cheng's Mansion. We will prosper together."
In addition to being a father, Zhu Yong is also the Duke of the Ming Dynasty, so he always represents more than just himself, but also the Chengguo Mansion and even the entire Zhu family.
Since the time of Taizu, countless meritorious officials and noble relatives had their titles stripped. As the saying goes, serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. No one can guarantee that the family will always prosper and stand firm.
Therefore, what Zhu Yong can do is to make the clan members as talented as possible, and then maintain the development of the entire family. This is why, as a military commander, he attaches so much importance to private school education.
In the past, Shen Yichen was a hopeless case, and he was a maid's son who was not included in the family tree, so Zhu Yong gave up on him. But now he has discovered the potential of this son. If he continues to ignore this rough diamond, it will be an insult to the vision and strategy of the Duke of Daming.
As for the rift between father and son, it was a joke to the noble families. From the moment Shen Yichen was born in the Duke of Chengguo's mansion, it meant that no matter what the relationship was in the future, they would rise and fall together!
"really."
Shen Yichen revealed a bitter smile. Zhu Yong's words were so clear that he could understand them without even thinking.
My performance today showed the value of being invested. And bloodline is something that cannot be changed whether you accept it or not, especially in the ancient society where filial piety was the rule.
To put it in the simplest and most brutal terms, if one day Duke Cheng is executed along with his entire clan, will he be able to escape?
"If you have figured it out, get ready and come with me to the capital in a few days."
After saying that, Zhu Yong waved his hand, indicating that Shen Yichen could leave. His meaning was very clear, so there was no need to say more.
"Thank you for your kindness, Duke, but I still want to achieve fame on my own."
What?
For a moment, Zhu Yong even doubted whether he had heard it wrong. Shen Yichen didn't want this opportunity to reach the sky overnight and chose to rely on himself?
"I thought you were a smart person, but I didn't expect you to act so impulsively."
Judging from Shen Yichen's previous words, he felt a sense of injustice in his heart. But if he used his scholarly spirit on such things, he would never achieve great things in the future. It seemed that he was right to give up.
"Sir, you have misunderstood. I am not acting on impulse, but my ambition is not just to be a student!"
After saying this, Shen Yichen raised his head and looked directly into Zhu Yong's eyes. At this moment, his inner ambition, or to put it more bluntly, his naked ambition burst out.
Because Yinjian seems to be a shortcut, but this world is relatively fair, and often what you get, you have to pay in other aspects.
Therefore, the lower limit of the Yinjian is very high, but the upper limit is not high. Shen Yichen does not want to be shackled by the "ceiling" in the future.
