Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2841 Master Qingsong 59.0
"They hadn't agreed on where they were going beforehand, but unexpectedly they met in the capital?" Shen Cha put down the orange in her hand, rinsed her mouth with warm water, and said, "Is this really a coincidence? Isn't it too much of a coincidence? Could it be that someone guided them all away from the capital, just to catch them all in one fell swoop?"

"Why do you think that?" Shen Haolin turned to look at Shen Cha, a faint smile on his face. "Why do you think they couldn't have come on their own?"

“Didn’t Brother Yaojia say before that because of the Imperial Observatory in the capital, fortune telling, face reading, and feng shui are not easy to establish themselves in the capital, and they are not guaranteed to make money? So, very few people run such businesses in the capital, right?” Shen Cha spread her hands. “So, I’m thinking, if they all feel that they are not very popular in the capital and cannot make money, why are they all flocking to the capital if there is no one guiding them? This doesn’t make sense, right?”

“Well, that’s true, but,” Song Yaojia smiled, “everything is subject to change, isn’t it?”

"Changes?" Shen Cha asked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"These fortune tellers were previously neglected because the Imperial Observatory was located in the capital, and many people trusted the Imperial Observatory more. As you know, the Imperial Observatory used to be composed of two departments, the East Department, which was specifically for the government, and the West Department, which was responsible for the common people."

"Just like the Maritime Trade Office?"

“Yes!” Song Yaojia nodded and said, “However, the West Courtyard was later abolished because it was simply not making ends meet, and there were fewer and fewer people who could be qualified fortune tellers.” He sighed softly and said, “As I just mentioned, the West Courtyard was specifically for serving the common people, which resulted in a constant stream of cars and people at the entrance of the West Courtyard every day. Generally speaking, it’s one thing for people to come and have their fortunes told for weddings and funerals, but there are even people who come to have their fortunes told for the loss of valuables or lost cats and dogs.”

"Huh?" Jin Miaomiao was taken aback. "If it were gold or silver jewelry, gold ingots, or silver, it wouldn't hurt to calculate the loss. But what about losing a cat or dog? Are you sure you're not just looking for trouble?"

"It's definitely not to cause trouble, Xiaochai. You know, many families keep cats and dogs as family members. They would definitely be heartbroken if they lost them, right?"

“Yes, I know that.” Shen Cha nodded. “If you put it that way, I can understand it.”

"So, the Western Courtyard of the Imperial Observatory is as bustling as a market every day. Everyone is constantly running around, helping this person and busy with that person. It's just as busy as the Western Courtyard of the Maritime Trade Office, which distributes supplies and assists foreign merchants." Song Yaojia looked at Shen Haolin, Shen Cha, and Jin Miaomiao, and spread her hands helplessly. "Do you know how many people the Western Courtyard needs at its busiest times?"

"I don't know." Jin Miaomiao shook her head gently and said, "I remember the Imperial Observatory had fewer than a hundred people in total, right?"

“Yes!” Song Yaojia sighed and said, “At the busiest time, the West Courtyard requires seventy or eighty people, but” he shrugged, “they receive almost no compensation.”

"Working for free?" Shen Cha frowned slightly. "If I remember correctly, even officials or imperial relatives who hire people from the Imperial Observatory have to pay them. The West Courtyard doesn't accept payment." "Because some can't afford it, and some just default. Merchants who come to calculate weddings and funerals can get some money, but ordinary people," Song Yaojia shook her head gently, "are too embarrassed to come and ask for it back if they deliberately default, right?"

"That's true." Jin Miaomiao nodded. "If you're too embarrassed to ask for it, does that mean you're destined to be in debt? Maybe not?"

"The claim of insufficient income to cover expenses is just an excuse. The main reason is that fights and brawls occur in the West Courtyard every day. The yamen runners from the Jingzhao Prefecture have to come and mediate every few days. Not only are the officials of the Imperial Observatory extremely annoyed, but the Jingzhao Prefecture is also having a headache. If we don't do anything about it, there may be injuries or even deaths. But it's not a good thing to keep coming to the door like this. So the Prefect directly consulted with Gongsun Yue, suggesting that we just abolish the West Courtyard to save a lot of trouble."

“If the West Courtyard is abolished, it will probably be much harder for ordinary people to have their fortunes told. They probably won’t agree to that, right?” Jin Miaomiao frowned slightly. “They’ve had such a convenient service for so many years. If that convenience is suddenly gone, they’ll probably object.”

"Quite the opposite." Song Yaojia held up a finger and gently waved it at Jin Miaomiao. "After the announcement of the abolition of the West Courtyard was published, the people of the capital, especially the wealthy merchants, praised it highly. Finally, they no longer had to queue up to go to the West Courtyard."

"I don't understand this. They've enjoyed this convenience for so many years and paid very little money. Why would they be willing to cancel it?" Jin Miaomiao thought for a moment. "Could it be that they think the fortune tellers outside are better value for money?"

"Of course not, they know very well that it will be more expensive outside, it's just..."

Song Yaojia sighed, but before she could speak, she heard Shen Cha's voice.

“Because you have to compete with people from the capital, you have to queue, and you also face the risk of fighting.” Shen Cha looked at Song Yaojia, and seeing him nod slightly at her, she continued, “If I remember correctly, the West Courtyard of the Maritime Trade Office wasn’t this big before. I heard it was merged with other government offices. Could it be…” She looked at Shen Haolin, then at Song Yaojia, and said, “These other government offices… could they be the Imperial Observatory?”

“That’s right.” Song Yaojia snapped her fingers lightly. “The west courtyards of the Imperial Observatory and the Maritime Trade Office are connected. Every day before dawn, they’re noisy and disruptive, which really bothers the local people. The Maritime Trade Office is alright; foreign merchants are afraid of not getting their goods back, so they’re well-behaved and don’t fight. But the Imperial Observatory is different; it’s even more bustling than a marketplace. Besides the daily fights, there are also people who are unhappy with the days they’ve been paid for, or unhappy that their belongings haven’t been returned in time. They come here to cause trouble and hurl insults. So, when they heard that the west courtyard of the Imperial Observatory was to be abolished, no one disagreed. Rather than suffer like this every day, it’s better to spend a little more money outside for peace and quiet.”

“Luckily, the East Campus isn’t here, otherwise…” Jin Miaomiao couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of the scene Song Yaojia described, “It would have been better if it had been abolished, otherwise, who knows what might have happened.”

"So, with the abolition of the Western Courtyard of the Imperial Observatory, legitimate fortune tellers and swindlers in the martial arts world have found a foothold." Shen Cha nodded. "The swindlers from the Gong and Ma families must have heard the news, which is why they flocked here."