The root of the matter was the marquis title. The imperial edict came from the Emperor himself, and the title was granted by the Emperor. But his mother, Madam Shen, foolishly believed that the title of marquis should have gone to his younger brother, Shen Qing.
Madam Shen was partial, quarrelsome, and sharp-tongued. She felt that Shen Nian was unfilial and unbrotherly and had a bad reputation, so she genuinely wanted Shen Nian to give up the title.
But Shen Nian was no pushover. He refused her outright and told her that if she was unhappy, she could take it up with the Emperor himself.
Give up the title? Never. Not in this lifetime.
Shen Qing, after listening to some no-good friend's advice, discussed it with Madam Shen. They decided that since Shen Nian would inherit the title anyway, they wouldn't say much more. Instead, they came up with a wild idea: they wanted Shen Nian to get Shen Qing an official post.
Shen Qing even made a list of demands: preferably in the capital; if not in the capital, then the closest possible post outside so Madam Shen could visit easily; if that didn't work, then a county magistrate position in the prosperous region south of the Yangtze...
Shen Qing added that there was no rush, since they were still in mourning, but they should start making arrangements early—after all, not everyone strictly followed the full three-year mourning period.
He spoke as casually as if Shen Nian were the one sitting on the dragon throne.
Shen Nian was so angry he nearly laughed. If the imperial edict hadn't arrived just then, he would have lost his temper.
Of course, there was no need to mention all these inner thoughts in front of the Emperor.
Qi Junmu smiled faintly upon hearing this. "Your brother's ambition is a good thing. For your sake, I could give him a minor post."
Shen Nian looked up at him, expressionless, but with a trace of shock in his eyes. He could hardly believe the Emperor would say such a thing.
Qi Junmu's smile deepened. "Of course," he said leisurely, "an official position requires a certain level of learning. Which year's jinshi is your brother? Or tongjinshi would also do."
[Jinshi (进士): Highest imperial exam degree, qualifies for top official posts.
Tongjinshi (同进士): Lower secondary rank, "equivalent to jinshi," still qualifies but with less prestige.]
Shen Nian understood the Emperor's meaning. His expression shifted at once to one of hesitation and embarrassment. "Well... this humble subject's younger brother is still young and has always been weak in his studies. He hasn't even passed the county-level exam to become a xiucai yet."
To say Shen Qing was weak in his studies would be an insult to the word. Spoiled by Madam Shen's indulgence, he could barely read a paragraph fluently, let alone pass the xiucai exam.
Qi Junmu was silent for a moment, then hinted, "If that is the case, then Minister Shen should go home and diligently urge his brother to study. Only after entering the palace examination can he truly settle into an official post."
With the Emperor's words, Shen Nian was already thinking of hiring the strictest tutor for his dear brother and buying every book needed for the imperial exams—collecting all the past exam papers from the bookshops over the years for Shen Qing to study. He would not let him out until he had made a name for himself.
He was confident that this would leave Shen Qing no time to spend with his no-good friends and no energy to stir up trouble.
The more Shen Nian thought about it, the better the plan seemed. The Emperor truly was the Emperor—to come up with such a devious, bloodless trick. Shen Nian's own approach was usually physical discipline, which could be justified as an elder brother teaching his younger brother, but it was ultimately one step inferior.
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty," Shen Nian said sincerely, rising to his feet.
Qi Junmu pressed his hand down, signaling him to sit. "No need to mention such a small matter. Minister Shen, when will you return to court?"
Shen Nian said, "This humble subject awaits Your Majesty's command."
"Then after the New Year," Qi Junmu said. "Everyone knows you are a filial son, having kept vigil at your father's frontier grave for seven days before setting out for the capital. Attending court or not does not determine your filial piety."
Shen Nian said nothing more and bowed in acknowledgment.
Qi Junmu spoke with him about a few other matters and then dismissed him from the palace.
The moment Shen Nian left the palace, a rumor spread through the palace that the Emperor truly valued Marquis Zhenbei greatly—so much so that when the marquis sought an official post for his brother, the Emperor agreed without a second thought.
Only upon learning that the marquis's brother had not yet passed the xiucai exam did the Emperor reluctantly put the matter on hold, but made it clear that the day the brother could enter the palace examination, an official post would be guaranteed.
Once the rumor spread, some people genuinely envied the Shen brothers, thinking Shen Nian had been incredibly lucky to receive such favor from the Emperor.
Others, however, furiously denounced Shen Nian for using his military exploits to bully the Emperor into such a decision.
The rumor grew wilder. By the time it reached Shen Nian—who had already, under the banner of the Emperor's authority, hired the strictest tutor for Shen Qing—the story had changed into this: Qi Junmu and Shen Nian had a huge fight over Shen Qing's official post. The Emperor wanted to strike Shen Nian with the imperial sword, but Shen Nian stood his ground, drew his own blade to parry, and the two fought three hundred rounds in Qianhua Hall. In the end, Shen Nian was defeated and returned to the Marquis Zhenbei's residence to shut himself in.
When Shen Nian heard this, he was speechless.
The sheer imagination left him with nothing to say. What annoyed him most was that some of his own men actually came to ask if it had really happened.
Shen Nian kicked them straight out of the residence. It was clearly the Emperor's trap. If others failed to see the trap, that was one thing. But his own men added to his frustration. The worst part was that he had to swallow his anger.
---
Despite all the gossip, Qi Junmu did not dwell on it. There would be many more such incidents in the future. As the New Year approached, everyone was focused on having a good holiday, and there were few troubles at court.
Under the Emperor's direction, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau selected two auspicious dates: one for sealing the imperial seals, and one for reopening them.
The Emperor announced that the seals would be sealed on the twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month and reopened on the twentieth day of the first lunar month of the coming year.
Once the seals were sealed, there was little to do. Qi Junmu had also given an order earlier that, out of respect for Emperor Jing, the New Year's Eve banquet at the palace was canceled.
With the Emperor setting the example, others dared not feast or celebrate lavishly either.
That year, the New Year passed blandly both inside and outside the palace.
On New Year's Eve, Qi Junmu personally wrote fu (blessing) characters on golden dragon-patterned paper, using different calligraphy styles. A cursive-script piece hung in Qilin Hall, where court was held. The pieces given to his ministers were more conventional.
Among the imperial guards, Hu Ze and Wang Jun each received a piece, much to the envy of the others.
In any case, the first New Year since Qi Junmu's ascension passed quietly.
On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month of the second year, the Emperor reopened the seals, and the officials returned to their posts.
Su Ren, the Prefect of the Capital, submitted a memorial stating that on New Year's Eve, Imperial Censor Guan Han had taken his own life at home, leaving behind a blood-letter. It said that Emperor Jing had been cruel, that Qi Junmu had inherited his father's nature and refused to heed his ministers' advice—making him a incompetent and foolish ruler—and that Guan Han was willing to die to show his resolve, in the hope that the court would become clear and upright.
As soon as Su Ren finished speaking, heated discussions broke out in the court.
The young emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, his gaze icy. Qi Junmu understood: this was a trap. Someone had killed Guan Han and used him to proclaim to the world that the emperor on the throne was no merciful ruler, thereby shaking his foundations and position.
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