Chapter 83: Recruiting Talent

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Faced with the invitation from Lord Wu, Zhang Yue ultimately did not accept and declined politely. Wu Anshi was not surprised; he had long understood this young man’s character—always so cautious and reserved.

In truth, Wu Anshi genuinely wished to befriend these two brothers. The incident with Zhang Dun had caused quite a stir in the capital. The ranks of that year’s imperial examination, in the second year of Jiayou, were fiercely competitive. Even the Duke of Wei, Han Qi, remarked, “With the Two Sus present, how can so many candidates still dare to take the exam?”

Yet the Su brothers did not achieve top positions in this examination. To become a presented scholar, four rounds must be passed, each eliminating candidates: the first on poetry and rhapsody, the second on essays, the third on policy proposals, and the fourth on scripture transcription. It was Mei Yaochen who brought Su Shi’s essay, “On the Ultimate Benevolence in Rewards and Punishments,” to Ouyang Xiu. Ouyang Xiu, greatly impressed, sought out Su Shi’s poetry and rhapsody, only to discover he had already been eliminated by other examiners. Thus, Ouyang Xiu promoted Su Shi’s essay to second place, bringing him back into contention.

In the end, Su Shi placed among the fourth tier of successful candidates, his younger brother among the fifth. Zhang Dun ranked extremely high in the provincial exam but, during the palace examination, was surpassed by his nephew and forfeited his claim.

This recalls the story of the Song brothers, Song Qi and Song Xian. Both took the exam in the same year. During the palace examination, the emperor intended to award the younger brother Song Qi the top spot, and the elder Song Xian the third. However, the empress dowager objected, stating that it was improper for a younger brother to rank above his elder. Thus, Song Xian was made the top scholar, while Song Qi was not only deprived of the honor but demoted to tenth place.

Yet in this round, why should Zhang Dun, an uncle, be ranked below his nephew, especially as the nephew was nearly ten years his senior? By seniority, what justification was there?

Some viewed this as unseemly arrogance; others admired it, believing that a true scholar should treat fame and rank as mere dirt. Wu Anshi belonged to the latter group.

As for Sanlang’s knowledge of Zhang Yue, it stemmed from Chen Shengzhi’s high regard for him. Wu Anshi thus took an interest and had inquired about Zhang Yue’s performance in the classics division.

He was astonished by what he learned, and so today, he made an exception to invite Zhang Yue, hoping to establish a good relationship with the two brothers for the future.

Yet Zhang Yue believed Wu Anshi’s interest was due solely to his elder brother and that he was merely the beneficiary of reflected glory. Over the past half year, he had grown accustomed to this reputation as “Zhang Erlang’s younger brother.”

Whenever he achieved some success or received praise, he credited it to his second brother, never to himself. He had developed, unknowingly, a kind of psychological malaise. For months, he had been used to being called “so-and-so’s little brother.” People always compared the two; if he performed as expected, others would say, “Just as one would expect of such a brother.” If he exceeded expectations, they would say, “That’s how so-and-so’s brother ought to be.”

Such compliments seemed utterly inexplicable to him.

However, Zhang Yue’s refusal was not entirely sincere; after all, he still needed to borrow books and would have to return them later. At that time, it would be natural to cultivate a relationship with Lord Wu.

When Zhang Yue left, the snow had stopped.

After drinking, Lord Wu also returned to the main hall. Now that the wine had gone to his head, he sat down to rest and had someone massage his forehead.

At this moment, Shiqi-niang and a young lady in a lake-green gown approached the hall.

The hall was open on all sides, with black-lacquered columns at the entrance and several towering trees in front, their trunks so wide it took several people to encircle them. In summer, their leafy branches provided deep shade, but now, in winter, the leaves had all fallen, leaving the branches thick with snow.

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Upon entering, the furnishings and surroundings radiated an air of opulence—a grandeur that could not be achieved in merely a decade or two, but only by a family such as the Wus, officials for three generations.

“Greetings, elder brother Wu.”

“No need for formalities,” Wu Anshi replied. Though ninth among his clan, he was the eldest son of Wu Chong and enjoyed being addressed as Lord Wu.

Seeing her brother drunk, Shiqi-niang turned and asked, “Has the sobering soup been prepared, Madam Xu?”

The matron accompanying her replied, “It’s been kept warm as instructed.”

“Then see that my brother drinks it.”

After taking the soup, Wu Anshi looked somewhat refreshed. When the attendants had withdrawn, Shiqi-niang said, “Brother, you should really drink less. It’s bad for your health, and sister-in-law will scold you for drinking yourself into oblivion rather than studying.”

Wu Anshi replied, “And what shall I do if I don’t drink? I’ve had no luck in this round of examinations and must rely on the court’s favor. The Zhang girl is half family, so I’m not ashamed to say this before you.”

At her brother’s words, Shiqi-niang looked vexed, but the young lady in the lake-green gown smiled and said, “Elder brother Wu, you possess great talents—only, like me, you do not care for study. For us, the examination path is not suited; why waste time among dusty tomes?”

Wu Anshi burst out laughing. “See, the Zhang girl knows how to speak! Not like Shiqi-niang here, who spends all day urging me to study and improve. Now even a younger sister tries to manage her brother—where are the rules?”

Shiqi-niang replied, “I wouldn’t dare. But there are regulations: without passing the presented scholar exam, one cannot attain a good post. From my grandfather’s time to my father’s, the Wu family has produced five scholars in two generations, yet in your generation, not one has succeeded. Can we rely only on inherited favor?”

Wu Anshi said, “Seventeenth sister, can you not be like your sister-in-law? Speak more kindly to me sometimes. Have I not treated you well?”

Shiqi-niang turned slightly, annoyance on her face. “You have always treated me well, I know that. But sister-in-law is only thinking of you, always planning for your future. How can you say such things? If word got out, would it not be a betrayal of her care for you?”

Wu Anshi sighed, “See, Zhang girl, my Seventeenth sister sides with her sister-in-law all day long.”

The young lady in the lake-green gown smiled, “How could I dare say otherwise? I lost a box of palace powder to her just today. But Shiqi-niang is right: look at the Han and Lü families—generation after generation of scholars. There’s even a saying: ‘All scholars under heaven come from either Han or Lü!’”

Wu Anshi retorted, “And yet, are not the Han and Lü families destined to be our in-laws? What is there to worry about? But when it comes to gathering talent, they do have their ways. Zhang girl, what means do they employ to attract the talented?”

The young lady smiled, “That depends on the talent. The worthy cannot be enticed by profit, the brave cannot be cowed by danger, the wise cannot be deceived by falsehood; each must be approached accordingly.”

Wu Anshi was impressed. “I always said, though the Zhang girl does not study, she has lived in the capital with Lord Xun for years and has seen far more of the world than most men.”

The Zhang girl smiled with a hint of pride. Born to a noble family, she had always been more learned than others, raised at her grandfather’s knee—the current prime minister—her experiences were indeed unique.

“So, you wish to gather talent, elder brother Wu?”

“It’s not so much talent at first—it was for his brother’s sake. But now, I respect his own ability.” Wu Anshi handed her a slip of paper. “Tell me what you think of this poem.”

The two women read together.

“Several plum branches by the wall, alone they blossom in the cold. From afar, I know they are not snow, for a subtle fragrance comes.”

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“What a wonderful poem!” both women exclaimed.

“This was written by him?” the Zhang girl asked.

Wu Anshi smiled, “Indeed. He’s one of your own clan, though only a classics student. Yet for some reason, his poetry is excellent.”

At this, the Zhang girl and Shiqi-niang exchanged glances, both recalling the young man who had come to borrow books from the library.

“Speaking of which, Master Chen of Kuaiding also values him highly—once inviting him to tutor his nephew, though he refused. If not for that, I would have recruited him long ago. My uncle, the prime minister, is always in need of talented men and often asks me to look out for promising youths from humble backgrounds in the county.”

The Zhang girl asked, “So who is he, exactly? If he’s a member of the Zhang clan and well-known, I would surely have heard of him.”

She thought to herself, “If he’s of the Zhang clan, why should it be for the Wu family to recruit him? Lord Wu must truly be rambling in his cups.”

Wu Anshi was about to answer when Shiqi-niang interjected, “Brother, you’ve not quite sobered up—let me send for another bowl of soup.”

With this interruption, Wu Anshi realized he had nearly spoken out of turn and quickly changed the subject.

The Zhang girl glanced at Shiqi-niang, thinking her rather provincial.

By now, the snow had ceased, but the air was colder than ever.

A carriage waited outside the Wu mansion, and the Zhang girl was preparing to depart. Shiqi-niang saw her to the door.

“Seventeenth sister, I may not return to the capital for several years; by then, perhaps I’ll already be married,” the Zhang girl sighed.

“Take care, elder sister. When I visit the capital with my brother, I’ll bring you the embroidered robe I promised.”

“Thank you so much,” the Zhang girl said with feeling. “By the way, your brother is not cut out for study. It’s not that he lacks intelligence, only that he loves comfort too much, and with the option of a hereditary post, he simply will not apply himself. Don’t urge him anymore—he’s the eldest, after all, and you might harm your sibling bond.”

Shiqi-niang replied, “I only encourage him to study so he’ll settle down and not be so reckless, and also to spare sister-in-law from constant quarrels. He may complain, but he values our bond as siblings; sister-in-law, though, has suffered enough. At least he still cares for the family and seeks to help our father find worthy men.”

“But however glorious our ancestors, if none of the descendants achieves the scholar’s degree, it’s hard to preserve wealth and rank. I envy your Zhang clan—you produce scholars in nearly every exam.”

The Zhang girl smiled, “Only the distant branches! My brothers are much like yours—unwilling to apply themselves. But you love to read, and if you were a man, you’d far surpass your brothers.”

Shiqi-niang said, “My family’s honor comes from literature; I study to please my grandfather and father.”

The Zhang girl sighed, “You have a hard path, little sister.”