Chapter 188: I’m brain-dead to go to Great Yan!
Representatives of the Great Yan Dynasty, upon seeing this scene, laughed smugly.
One cannot deny, this move is ruthless!
Precise! Accurate! Fierce!
Originally, they were talents of the Great Wu Dynasty, but they were forcefully pushed into the enemy camp by your corrupt officials. And now they are turning against you, doesn’t this prove that your Great Wu Dynasty is incompetent?
If your Great Wu Dynasty is incompetent, what qualifications do you have to compete with us, the Great Yan Dynasty?
At the same time, it is also telling the talents of the Great Wu Dynasty, is it worth serving such a corrupt court?
It makes you doubt yourself, losing all your confidence and spirit!
Ding Shaojie, with a satisfied smile, looked at the low morale of the young representatives of the Great Wu Dynasty and applauded his own idea!
At this moment, Lin Beifan stepped forward, bowing his hand and said, “Your Majesty, after hearing the speech of the Great Yan representative, Ding Shaojie, just now, it has deeply touched me and evoked countless emotions. I also have something to say, may I have your permission?”
The empress blinked her eyes in confusion, not knowing what the other party was up to.
But out of trust in Lin Beifan, she smiled and said, “Sir, speak freely!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Lin Beifan raised his head and glanced at the civil and military officials, sighing, “Actually, I am not originally from the Great Wu Dynasty!”
“Ah!” The scene erupted in an uproar.
As the top scorer in the Imperial Examinations and a principal at the Imperial Academy, he was not from the Great Wu Dynasty?
The empress was somewhat astonished, but considering the other party’s background, she began to understand.
After Lin Beifan became the top scorer, she secretly investigated his identity and background.
However, the investigation only revealed information from three years ago, beyond that, it was a complete blank. It was as if he had suddenly appeared.
Now, he was openly declaring it, which piqued the empress’s curiosity.
“Sir, which country are you originally from?” the empress asked.
Lin Beifan shook his head and said, “I am a man of the mountains and wilderness, without a country! At that time, I lived in a place that was on the border between the Great Wu and Great Yan Dynasties, and it was relatively close to Great Yan! However, to showcase my talents and to benefit the people, I chose to come to Great Wu!”
The Third Prince of Great Yan couldn’t help but interject, “Sir Lin, since you wanted to showcase your talents, why didn’t you come to Great Yan?”
“What benefits does your Great Yan have to offer?” Lin Beifan retorted.
The Third Prince opened his heart and said resoundingly, “Our Great Yan has a clean government, seeks talent eagerly, and embraces all rivers! All talented and learned individuals will be highly valued! Sir Lin, with your talent and learning, if you come to our Great Yan, promotion and nobility are just around the corner!”
Lin Beifan chuckled lightly, “Third Prince, you are joking!”
“I’m joking?” The Third Prince was stunned.
“Yes! Look at these talents!” Lin Beifan pointed to the group of talented representatives beside the Third Prince and said, “They are all from the same batch of scholars as me, and it has been over half a year now! I, on the other hand, am already a Principal at the Imperial Academy in Great Wu, promoted to a first-level official, a fourth-ranked official! And what about them now?”
The Third Prince, Yan Xinghe, was at a loss for words. “Ah, well…”
Lin Beifan turned his head and looked at Ding Shaojie, exerting his powerful authority, “Ding Shaojie, you were the champion of Great Yan! I ask you, what rank are you now, and what position do you hold?”
Ding Shaojie stammered, “Currently, I am a Compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a seventh-ranked official!”
“In the past half year, what contributions have you made to Great Yan?” Lin Beifan questioned again.
Ding Shaojie once again stumbled, “Um…I haven’t made any significant contributions!”
In the Hanlin Academy, his role was essentially organizing books and drafting documents, similar to a menial office job.
He couldn’t even think of any contributions that could come from such work.
Even if there were any, they would be insignificant and not worth mentioning.
Lin Beifan turned his head to another person, “Tang Yong, you were the top scorer of Great Yan! What rank are you now, and what position do you hold?”
The top scorer, Tang Yong, felt ashamed and said, “Currently, I am a Drafter in the Hanlin Academy, a sixth-ranked official!”
This position was actually similar to Ding Shaojie’s, both doing menial tasks, somewhat similar to an office secretary.
“In the past half year, what contributions have you made to Great Yan?” Lin Beifan asked again.
Tang Yong became even more ashamed, “I haven’t made any significant contributions, I’m ashamed!”
Lin Beifan looked at the third person, “Liu Hai, you were the second-place scholar of Great Yan…”
Like this, Lin Beifan asked them one by one.
Everyone questioned by Lin Beifan felt embarrassed and wished they could find a hole to hide in.
Because, they were all scholars of the same year, but Lin Beifan, who was younger than them, had climbed to a high position, exerting his influence in the court, guiding the nation, and demonstrating his lifelong accomplishments!
He had numerous achievements and contributions, renowned throughout the world, making people envious and admiring!
And they, on the other hand, were meager officials in the Hanlin Academy, doing menial tasks like screws in a machine!
They had no political achievements and were unable to exhibit their ambitions!
The gap was too wide, and the more they thought about it, the more embarrassed they became!
Lin Beifan held his head high, “Third Prince of Great Yan, this is my answer!”
“They and I are all scholars of the same year, yet after over half a year, their ranks haven’t been promoted and their abilities and knowledge haven’t been displayed. They are so obscure that they are almost forgotten!”
“But in Great Wu, I have been continuously promoted, from a lowly sixth-ranked official to the present fourth-ranked official, the Principal at the Imperial Academy! I can also enter and leave the court, share the burdens of Her Majesty, and seek the well-being of the people!”
“And, I have received the favor and richness of Her Majesty, enjoying them endlessly!”
Lin Beifan sneered, “So, I must be a fool to go to Great Yan!”
“Haha! Sir Lin, what you said is absolutely true!” The Empress and all the civil and military officials burst into laughter.
The Third Prince of Great Yan, along with the other representatives, were speechless and couldn’t find a way to argue.
They wanted to defend themselves, but they realized that the facts were undeniable.
Their momentum, which they had just built up with great difficulty, had been completely shut down!
The Third Prince became somewhat angry and ashamed, “Sir Lin, no matter how eloquent you are, no matter how you try to argue, it is an undeniable fact that Great Wu has many corrupt officials! In such an environment, how can talent be recognized? Not being persecuted is already a good outcome!”
“I do not deny that there are indeed problems in Great Wu! But because of these problems, people with talent and knowledge like us are even more needed! Only by solving these problems can we prove our abilities! Otherwise, if there are no problems to solve, what use do we scholars have?”
Lin Beifan pointed at the representatives of Great Yan’s scholars with scorn and said mockingly, “Do you want to be like them, with your knowledge wasted, spending your whole life reciting poems, indulging in refinement?”
The Third Prince and others felt ashamed and embarrassed.
“Haha!” The civil and military officials burst into laughter once again.
Even the Empress couldn’t help but shake her head and laugh.
This guy’s sophistry skills were simply too strong!
Although it was sophistry, every sentence made sense!
In the presence of problems, scholars were needed!
Solving problems was the proof of a scholar’s abilities!
Without problems, what use did scholars have?
Were they only there to indulge in refinement and recite poems?
Lin Beifan completely dismantled the words of the Third Prince of Great Yan!
“So, let me give you a word of advice, there is no future in Great Yan, it’s better to come to Great Wu!” Lin Beifan smiled and issued an invitation, “Only here is the grand stage to showcase your knowledge! Our Empress thirsts for talent, and only talent is chosen! As long as you have the ability, you will be recognized! Don’t be deceived by the prevalence of corrupt officials here; as long as you have the ability, you can replace them!”
Lin Beifan shook his head, “Unlike in Great Yan, where there is an abundance of talent! Even if you have the ability, you have to climb up step by step, waiting for promotion, which seems endless! By the time you’re old, you’ll probably only be a small official of the fifth or sixth rank! To reach the position I am in now, who knows how long it will take, maybe a whole lifetime of waiting!”
“Of course, if you’re afraid of death, it’s better not to come! What we welcome here are scholars with knowledge and courage, not timid scholars who hide in their comfort zone, spending their entire lives playing with words and ink, just being superficially knowledgeable!”
“Hey!” The talented individuals from Great Yan were extremely indignant.
This statement was really a mixed bag!
But upon further reflection, it was not completely unreasonable!
They possessed immense knowledge, but they were not valued in Great Yan.
The main reason was that there were simply too many talented individuals there.
People with both knowledge and connections were more abundant, leading to a serious hierarchy based on seniority.
And for them to have a chance to realize their ambitions, they would have to wait for a very long time?
How many years did they have left in their lives?
Were they going to waste it all away?
Why not come to Great Wu and give it a try?
In Great Wu, there were problems, and that’s where they had the opportunity to showcase their abilities!
Look at Lin Beifan, who was from the same generation and was valued by the Empress, now holding the position of a fourth-rank high-ranking official in the court!
To say they didn’t envy him would be a lie!
Their own knowledge was not inferior to his, so why couldn’t they give it a shot?
Perhaps they could also achieve great success!
The Third Prince witnessed this scene and silently cursed; he was so angry that his teeth were about to break!
He glared at Lin Beifan, that bastard was truly despicable!
He was actually recruiting people right in front of me!
The most critical thing was that what he said made sense, and some people were tempted!
At this moment, the Empress laughed and spoke, “Though Sir Lin’s words may have been a bit harsh, they are not without reason! Only in Great Wu can scholars showcase their talents, and only in Great Wu can they achieve rapid wealth! I am in great need of talent. As long as you have the ability and are willing to serve the court, I will definitely value and reward you, regardless of your nationality!”
“And you!” The Empress turned her head to the participants from Great Wu and encouraged them, “Display your talents and let me see! If you have the ability, I will surely reward you generously! Promotion and titles are within reach!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” The young talents from Great Wu were overjoyed.
With their heads held high and full of confidence, they were ready to show their abilities!
In this way, the morale in Great Wu was further boosted, even more so than before!
In comparison, the morale in Great Yan had weakened.
Everyone was considering what Lin Beifan had said, and some lost their desire to compete.
The Third Prince, Yan Xinghe, panicked, “Your Majesty of Great Wu, it is getting late now, can we start the competition?”
“That’s a good point!” The Empress nodded with a smile, feeling satisfied in her heart.
Earlier, Great Yan tried to suppress Great Wu’s momentum by citing examples of officials in Great Wu persecuting talented individuals and being unable to retain them.
But Lin Beifan turned the tables by using examples of Great Wu being the place where talented individuals should be, where they would be valued, and he completely extinguished the opponent’s arrogance. He also boosted his own momentum, inspiring everyone!
Truly, he is my reliable Minister when it matters the most!
I love this little guy so much!
“Great! The intellectual debate continues!” The Empress said cheerfully.
