White-robed Minister

0060 [The Reward is Here!]

"Is Judge Shi inviting me to drink?"

Wu Anli, the magistrate of Nanhai County, looked at the newcomer with a strange expression.

Liu Shizhong smiled and said, "Of the eight counties in Guangzhou, only Nanhai is a prominent one. Judge Shi has been in Guangzhou for over two months and has yet to get close to Magistrate Wu. This invitation is both to forge friendships and to discuss official business."

Wu Anli showed no mercy: "Making friends is fine, but if we need to discuss official business, I'll go to the magistrate's office now. Let's go!"

Liu Shizhong was taken aback and quickly led the way carefully.

The Nanhai County Government Office is very close to the Prefectural Magistrate's Office; it's only a few dozen steps away after you step outside.

Wu Anli stopped once he reached the main hall, determined not to go to the backyard of the magistrate's office. He needed to keep his distance from Shi Xun; the news of the courtesans performing last night had already spread throughout the entire government compound.

"Please, Magistrate Wu, move to the inner courtyard," Liu Shizhong said.

Wu Anli said, "Since this is for official business, we can do it here in the main hall."

Feeling rather helpless, Liu Shizhong compromised and said, "Please, Magistrate Wu, move to the East Pavilion. That's where the Prefectural Magistrate handles official business. It's quieter and less crowded there, making it suitable for a detailed discussion."

"Let's go." Wu Anli didn't insist any further.

They soon arrived at Dongxuan, which was deserted.

Liu Shizhong apologized and temporarily withdrew, but soon invited Shi Xun over.

Shi Xun was very enthusiastic, while Wu Anli only offered polite greetings. When Shi Xun inquired about the affairs of Nanhai County, Wu Anli answered fluently, as if they were truly discussing official business.

As they chatted, the topic turned to their elders.

Shi Xun recalled the past: "In the third year of the Qingli era, my father was appointed as the Transport Commissioner of Hedong. Your uncle and your great-uncle both came to see him off with willow branches. At that time, everyone worked together with one heart and one mind, vowing to vigorously implement new policies and eliminate long-standing abuses. Thinking about it now, I am filled with emotion."

Wu Anli sneered: "Indeed, it's lamentable. Some people, instead of eradicating long-standing problems, have themselves created new ones."

Shi Xun was taken aback by these words. He understood that the other party was being sarcastic. However, he never expected that Wu Anli would show such utter disrespect.

He genuinely wanted to befriend Wu Anli and, incidentally, ask him to take care of Yang Shu's family.

"Official business is finished, but there's still work to be done at the county office. Farewell!" Wu Anli stood up and left.

Shi Xun hesitated, watching Wu Anli leave, his face turning red and then pale with anger.

He now holds a grudge against the person surnamed Wu as well.

In Wu Anli's eyes, Shi Xun was a piece of shit, and he absolutely could not be touched by her.

The Shi family is nothing.

Wu Anli's grandfather, father, uncle, and two other uncles were all Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). Although his father died young, his uncles held high positions.

His fourth uncle's four daughters were the daughters-in-law of Ouyang Xiu, Lü Gongzhuo, and Wen Yanbo, and the granddaughter-in-law of Xia Song!

He himself was also a government official in the capital, but his seniority and duties were inferior to Shi Xun's. If it really came down to a fight, even without relying on his family's influence, he was not afraid of that scoundrel Shi Xun at all.

Given the terrible reputation of the Shi family, Shi Xun's official career was already over. Shi Changyan shamelessly pulled strings everywhere, exhausting all his old connections, before finally getting his son a position as the Vice Prefect of Guangzhou.

Human relationships have their limits; once you use them, they're gone.

Just watch, soon no one will be protecting Shi Changyan anymore, and that old guy will have to resign next year at the latest.

Without his father's connections, it would be extremely difficult for Shi Xun to get promoted.

……

The East Pavilion of the Prefectural Office.

Shi Xun sat there for a long time, getting angrier and angrier, and finally couldn't help but smash the cup.

The advisor, Liu Shizhong, said in a low voice, "Wu Anli has served as the magistrate of Nanhai County for two years and will soon be transferred. After he leaves, the new magistrate will definitely be easier to deal with."

"I'm dealing with a student from a prefecture, and I have to wait to be replaced as the county magistrate?" Shi Xun sneered.

If a prefectural judge wanted to target a wealthy family in the countryside, he had to go through the county magistrate (or county official); he couldn't act directly.

For example, the process for yamen runners involved the county magistrate finalizing the list of service recipients, who would then report to the prefectural government office. The officials in charge of the prefectural government office would determine the specific duties performed, and finally, the prefect and the vice-prefect would jointly sign off on the approval.

Without the close cooperation of the county magistrate, the prefectural judge has no right to precisely levy miscellaneous taxes or corvée labor on a particular household!

Liu Shizhong said, "Yang Shu's family completed their yamen service last year and cannot be assigned to another post for five years. Once a new magistrate takes over, they can acquire property through tax allocation and land purchase. Even if they can't bankrupt the family, they'll have to sell off a large portion of their land!"

After a long silence, Shi Xun decided to hold back for now and said, feeling extremely frustrated, "Then let's wait a little longer."

Liu Shizhong echoed his sentiments twice, then bowed and took his leave.

There was another way: the prefectural judge could contact the county clerks directly. But this was extremely risky, as a powerful local family like the Yangs would certainly have a clerk in the county government.

The prefectural magistrate's actions against the Yang family through county officials will inevitably be quickly discovered by the village clerks from the Yang clan. If this escalates, the magistrate of Nanhai County will be furious, because the prefectural magistrate has overstepped his bounds!

Liu Shizhong didn't want to do this kind of thing.

He was even planning to switch jobs, since he had already made quite a bit of money. When Old Master Shi passed away and Shi Xun returned home to observe the mourning period, Liu Shizhong would take the opportunity to resign.

Shih Hsun was the most petty person he had ever met; if he continued down this path, he would inevitably get into trouble sooner or later.

……

Good morning, Brother Xingzhi.

"Xingzhi, come eat too."

"..."

early morning.

Before Xu Lai even entered the cafeteria, students, whether they knew him or not, all came over to greet him.

Moreover, the way people addressed him changed; they all started calling him by his courtesy name, "Xingzhi," and some even went so far as to call him "Brother Xingzhi."

It was obvious that the news of Yu Jing bestowing a calligraphy scroll had spread throughout the entire school.

You don't have to wait for the tables to be full for breakfast; you can get your own congee and pickled vegetables.

"Two boiled eggs." Xu Lai took out two coins.

They're at the age where they're growing, and just plain porridge and pickled vegetables aren't enough. If they want extra meals, they can pay extra for them; the same applies to lunch and dinner.

"Go ahead, this way!"

An old man waved to him.

Xu Lai looked closely and realized it was the tutor from the outer dormitory who taught the Classic of Filial Piety, the Book of Poetry, and the Guliang Commentary. He couldn't remember the exact name.

The table was full of teachers, who were smiling kindly at Xu Lai.

Well, Yu Jing helped choose a courtesy name, and the teachers' attitudes changed.

Xu Lai carried over white porridge, pickled vegetables, and eggs, bowed respectfully to the teachers, and then sat down to eat and chat with them.

An anonymous teacher tested Xingzhi with the question: "What scriptures has Xingzhi studied?"

Xu Lai answered truthfully.

The teacher encouraged him, saying, "You still need to work hard. Master Yu has just changed the rules. If you want to be promoted from the outer dormitory to the inner dormitory, you must be proficient in either the Zuo Zhuan or the Book of Rites, and be tested on their main meaning. You will also be tested on the main meaning of the Analects. There will also be one poem and one policy essay."

Yu Jing's standards are really high.

The exam for promotion from the outer dormitory to the inner dormitory had more question types than the exam for the imperial examination. Of course, it was definitely easier.

The teacher in charge of poetry and calligraphy said, "I've heard your poems; you have great talent, but your foundation isn't solid. Go buy a copy of the 'Zhaoming Anthology,' and memorize all the famous pieces until you know them by heart. Even the less famous ones must be thoroughly studied; it will greatly benefit your future career as an official."

"I will heed your teachings," Xu Lai said, chewing on an egg.

With that courtesy name, he was surrounded by excellent teachers who vied to guide Xu Lai in his studies.

Xu Lai naturally accepted this kind offer and took the opportunity to learn more.

For the next period of time, nothing special happened, and Xu Lai continued to study diligently every day as usual.

It was already late April.

Xu Lai has finished studying "The Phonetic and Semantic Interpretation of Mencius" and is continuing his self-study of "The Correct Meaning of Zuo Zhuan in the Spring and Autumn Annals". However, he still makes time every day to read a few passages from "The Analects" and "Mencius" to deepen his memory and consolidate his understanding.

Let's not advance to the inner quarters yet; let's finish studying the important scriptures first.

The true meaning of ascending to the inner academy lies in integrating and understanding various scriptures. The inner academy teacher will take a particular sentence and explain it through multiple scriptures; those with a weak foundation will find it useless to listen.

That day, Xu Lai was studying in the dormitory when the dormitory head asked everyone to go to the Minglun Hall.

As everyone left the dormitory, they discovered that students from other dormitories were all heading towards Minglun Hall.

Guo Shen asked excitedly, "Are we going to be rewarded?"

"It should be." Wen Zhonghe's mouth was crooked from smiling.

More than two hundred students gathered in Minglun Hall.

Chen Yanhong, who attends the day school program, was also there. He came to listen to the principal's lectures every day, and his behavior became increasingly polite.

Principal Chen Cigong appeared with all the teachers in the school.

Chen Cigong said loudly, "The Water Transport Office dispatched waterworks to survey the river channel. After more than a month, they have confirmed the situation of the Changyao Ridge branch, which is crucial to the water level of the lower reaches of Ganxi and Juhu Lake..."

"Lord Yu of the Military Commission has decreed that the construction of a dike will commence in winter to alleviate the drinking water shortage for the people of the prefecture. The following students, Xu Lai, Yang Shu, Liu Xian, Luo Dunxin... have made contributions to water management and their deeds should be recorded and specially rewarded..."

"In addition, each person will be awarded two calligraphy brushes, one inkstone, three catties of soot ink, and five rolls of writing paper..."

The entire audience was in an uproar.

The material reward was not generous; it was just pen, ink, paper, and inkstone.

But the school-wide announcement of the award, along with the recording of his outstanding deeds, clearly indicates that his quota has been secured.

The students' eyes were all red.

Part of it was excitement from winning the award, and another part was anger from having their quota taken.

Next autumn, in the provincial examinations, those students from the inner palace who didn't win awards must rank very high to have a chance of being recommended to the capital. Otherwise, even if they pass the provincial examinations and become Juren, it will be almost impossible for them to be recommended to the capital!

The inner group is now divided into two groups: one group loves Xu Lai to death, and the other group hates Xu Lai to death.

Chen Yanhong, who had become polite and courteous, felt a mix of emotions welling up inside him as he watched Xu Lai go up on stage to receive the award.

How did that country boy, who couldn't even afford a simple robe, become the center of attention in just a few months?

I heard that Lord Yu also bestowed upon him a courtesy name.

More than twenty students lined up in two rows to receive their awards on the spot, each carrying a large pile of pens, ink, paper, and inkstones.

Principal Chen Cigong seized the opportunity to expound his doctrines: "Some students may question why helping the government survey waterways would earn such a heavy reward, and even potentially affect their chances of being selected for the provincial examinations next year. The Rites of Zhou states: 'A river is greater than a stream, and a stream is greater than a canal…'"

"The Zhou Li (Rites of Zhou) records water conservancy in great detail, which shows the importance attached to water management. Water management is also a matter of ritual!"

"If rituals do not benefit the people, they are empty rituals, false rituals, and distorted rituals. When you study, do not study books to the point of being rote. The words of the sages are not meant to be stored away on high shelves. If you cannot apply them to practical use in the world, then reading more books will be of no use whatsoever..."

"My teacher, Mr. Xujiang, summarized his doctrines in eight characters: 'Understanding the classics and clarifying the principles, bringing peace and prosperity to the country and benefiting the people!'"

When Chen Cigong gave his speech, Xu Lai stood on the stage the whole time, feeling like a primary school student receiving an award certificate.

When he stepped down, all the scholars who had participated in the survey actively surrounded him, as if they were the moon surrounded by stars.

Yang Shu stood beside him with a smile on his face, and couldn't help but think: I knew long ago that Xu Sanlang was an extraordinary person, and that he would become famous sooner or later. His fame in Guangzhou is just the beginning.

Regardless of their own thoughts, the other scholars all came over to offer their congratulations.

Even Chen Yanhong came over; the arrogant and aloof guy from a few months ago was now politely bowing and saying, "Congratulations, Xu Sanlang!"

Her manners were natural and unpretentious, making people feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze.

Chen Cigong was very skilled at training students.

Xu Lai thought to himself: Holy crap, this guy actually evolved?