Chapter 144: Right Into the Trap

Stepping out of the imperial palace, Wei Renshi let out a silent sigh of relief.

To be honest, having his first private audience with the emperor, Wei Renshi had no absolute certainty in his heart.

However, judging by the current outcome, it seemed to have gone reasonably well.

As for the Chongwen Pavilion...

In the Tang dynasty, besides the six schools under the Directorate of Education—the Imperial Academy, the School of Advanced Studies, the Four Gates Academy, the Law Academy, the Calligraphy Academy, and the Mathematics Academy—there were also the Hongwen Pavilion, subordinate to the Chancellery, and the Chongwen Pavilion, subordinate to the Eastern Palace.

Both the Hongwen Pavilion and the Chongwen Pavilion functioned to "teach students and other subjects," and enrollment in both was restricted exclusively to the scions of the imperial lineage and high-ranking officials.

The Hongwen and Chongwen Pavilions were vital components of the Tang central government schools and represented the most prestigious elite academies of the era. Occupying a position of immense status and located deep within the forbidden quarters, the scholars admitted to these institutions bore the dual nature of receiving an education while participating in political discourse. Furthermore, the future political standing and status of the students within these walls would be distinctly elevated.

These two pavilions were products of the Tang dynasty's political landscape. While the Hongwen Pavilion was attached to the Chancellery, the Chongwen Pavilion served as the academy of the Eastern Palace. This directly determined the different roles that the scholars and students of the two pavilions played in Tang politics.

Because of their lofty status, the admission quotas for both pavilions were extremely limited, and the qualifications for entry were exceptionally strict. Although each pavilion belonged to a different department, their admission criterion of "unblemished and elevated familial heritage" was identical, a standard collectively referred to as "the precedent for supplementing Hongwen and Chongwen students."

The students of these two pavilions were selected primarily from the descendants and scions of capital officials of the third rank and above, as well as those with distinguished merits and noble titles. In the early Tang dynasty, students of both pavilions enjoyed significant political and economic privileges; for instance, students were exempt from corvée labor, provided with board and lodging by the academy, granted audiences with the emperor, and given preferential treatment in official appointments and the imperial examinations.

Adopting and nurturing the scions of the nobility in these pavilions served to appease high-ranking officials of the court, display imperial grace and exceptional favor, and consolidate the stability of the ruling regime.

There were even special regulations within the imperial examinations known as the "recommendation examinations for Hongwen and Chongwen students," specifically designed to afford convenience to the scholars of these two institutions.

In the early Tang, students of both pavilions initially entered officialdom through the privilege of hereditary protection. Upon graduation from the academies, the requirements demanded of them were relatively low. When they participated in the imperial examinations, they sat for separate prompt-questions and enjoyed the privilege of passing through simplified examinations. Although numerous changes occurred subsequently, this preferential treatment remained consistently in place.

However, the status of the Chongwen Pavilion had long since plummeted.

During the early Tang dynasty, mindful of the lessons learned from the unstable imperial successions of the Sui dynasty and the early years of the Tang, the emperors believed that the root cause lay in the failure to properly nurture their successors.

Consequently, they placed considerable emphasis on the traditional primogeniture system, empowering the crown prince and strengthening the forces of the Eastern Palace. Yet the crown princes invariably disappointed the emperors, and the preferences of the sovereign were difficult to fathom, resulting in the frequent deposition and creation of heirs.

The struggle for imperial power was extraordinarily fierce, and bloodshed in palace coups was ultimately unavoidable.

By the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the previous practices were thoroughly reversed. Going against the grain, Xuanzong turned to weakening the power of the heir apparent.

The crown prince generally did not reside in the Eastern Palace, but instead lived in a secondary residence alongside the emperor.

Following this, the status of the Chongwen Pavilion, which served the crown prince, plummeted accordingly.

During Xuanzong's reign, the officials of the Eastern Palace in the Tang dynasty transitioned from assisting both the imperial palace and the Eastern Palace to a trend of absolute submission to imperial authority. When Xuanzong was still a prince, he had seized the imperial throne with the assistance of subordinates such as Yao Chong and Song Jing, which made him exceptionally cautious about restricting any overly close ties between the crown prince and the scholars of the Chongwen Pavilion.

By the late Tang dynasty, many emperors frequently left the position of crown prince vacant, and powerful eunuchs often enthroned new monarchs just as the reigning emperor lay on his deathbed.

Consequently, the power of the Eastern Palace waned even further, and the decline in the status of the Chongwen Pavilion can well be imagined.

Although things had not yet reached the desperate straits of the late Tang, the practical status of the Chongwen Pavilion could no longer be compared to that of the Hongwen Pavilion in any way.

Therefore, sending Wei Renshi into the Chongwen Pavilion was truly not much of a reward.

Entering the Hongwen Pavilion would have been the true emblem of imperial favor and lofty expectations.

However, being assigned to the Chongwen Pavilion instead of the Hongwen Pavilion might have caused others to feel disappointed, as it implied the emperor was merely bestowing a casual favor without any special regard.

Yet for Wei Renshi, it hit the mark precisely.

Because no matter the era, and no matter how much the Chongwen Pavilion declined, it could never change the fundamental fact that it existed to serve the heir apparent.

Since it served the heir apparent, then even if the status of the Chongwen Pavilion was diminished and the Eastern Palace had lost its former power, it remained the academy of the Eastern Palace.

And being the academy of the Eastern Palace, it naturally belonged to the lineage of the Eastern Palace and to the crown prince.

No matter who assumed the role of crown prince, this reality would never change.

This meant that Wei Renshi would not only have the opportunity to approach the current crown prince, Li Song, while in the Chongwen Pavilion, but he might also have the chance to connect with the future crown prince, Li Chun, and perhaps even Li Chun's own imperial sons.

In actual history, the present time was not far from the moment of Emperor Dezong's passing.

According to the original trajectory of history, Li Song was a rather unfortunate individual.

Having spent half his life as the heir apparent, he suffered a debilitating stroke before he could even ascend the throne, losing the ability to move and speak. After reigning as emperor for a mere eight months, he was elevated to Retired Emperor, and just a few months after Li Chun's ascension, he breathed his last.

That was going to happen in just these next few years!

So it was better to latch onto Li Chun's coattails as quickly as possible.

Looked at this way, going to the Chongwen Pavilion was actually much more convenient.

So be it.

Wei Renshi was in high spirits. Humming a little tune, he stepped out through the Vermilion Bird Gate and headed back home.

When he returned to his residence, the other four were still there. Seeing him return, they hurried over to ask questions.

"The Emperor asked me a few things, and for now, I'm not sure if I can tell you all about it," Wei Renshi said to the four of them.

Upon hearing this, Han Yu immediately remarked, "In that case, Wei Langjun had better not say any more."

The rest of them nodded in agreement.

Wei Renshi nodded as well and refrained from elaborating further, simply saying, "There is one thing I can mention, however. Today, the Emperor issued a decree preparing to send me into the Chongwen Pavilion to study."

Hearing this, the four of them were all startled. However, Liu Yuxi and Liu Zongyuan immediately wore expressions of joy after their initial shock, while Han Yu and Zhang Ji showed no particular reaction.

Liu Zongyuan asked in astonishment, "The Chongwen Pavilion! The Chongwen Pavilion is the academy of the Eastern Palace, where His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also attends lectures. Wei Langjun, this move is... To think the Emperor would directly have Wei Langjun enter the Chongwen Pavilion! I wonder what His Majesty's intention is?!"

"Who can fathom the mind of the Sage?" Liu Yuxi shook his head and said, "Still, this way, Wei Langjun will be able to directly meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Imperial Reader Wang."

Heh, did one even need to fathom it?

Li Dezong was preparing a retinue for Li Song.

He must have already sensed that his own physical condition was deteriorating day by day.

Li Dezong was quite satisfied with Li Song as his heir. In actual history, even when Li Song was paralyzed by a stroke, unable to speak or move, Dezong never once considered naming a different crown prince, ultimately letting Li Song inherit the throne.

Dezong had been deeply concerned about the illness of his son Li Song, letting his anxiety show plainly on his face and personally visiting him numerous times. He had dispatched people far and wide to seek out famous physicians to treat him.

Because Li Song was bedridden and unable to attend the New Year grand audience that year, Dezong had sighed in profound grief, which further worsened his own health. When he lay gravely ill, various princes, ministers, and relatives all gathered by his sickbed to serve him medicine; only Li Song, bedridden and unable to make the journey, could not attend to him. Because of this, Dezong wept uncontrollably and remained inconsolable for a long time, causing his physical condition to deteriorate even further until he passed away not many days later.

Wei Renshi believed that Dezong's arrangement placing him in the Chongwen Pavilion was, on the one hand, a way to keep a closer eye on him, and on the other hand, a means to prepare a trusted circle for the crown prince, Li Song.

However, for Wei Renshi himself, it was all for the best.