A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 132: Not Cleaning the House (Part )
Song Xuan glanced at their expressions and put down the lottery ticket in his hand:
"If the people of the Song Dynasty are still struggling to make ends meet, more and more people will spend a few cents to buy themselves a dream."

Yan Shu picked up the cold drink and took a sip to calm his mind.

Although he was in charge of Yingtian Prefecture, the first thing he thought of was to recruit good teachers and students for Yingtian Academy.

Only in this way can we train more people to serve the court in the future, and at the same time we can also build up our own wings.

He has been serving Emperor Zhenzong for so many years. Although he is young, he holds a high position and wears a purple robe.

But Yan Shu was really unable to do and dared not to do the things that the emperor told him to do before his death.

How famous was Kou Zhun?
In order to curb Liu E's power and bring disaster to the Zhao Dynasty, Emperor Zhenzong specially summoned Kou Zhun to discuss what to do secretly.
Kou Zhun's solution was to let the crown prince be regent and get rid of villains like Ding Wei. However, the plan was leaked, Emperor Zhenzong refused to recognize it, and Kou Zhun was killed by Ding Wei at the instigation of Liu E.

With the precedent of Kou Zhun, even though Emperor Zhenzong treated Yan Shu like a son and gave him secret instructions before his death, Yan Shu did nothing.

In the end, he found a way to stay away from the central government and build up his own power in the local area, so that he might be able to complete the instructions of Emperor Zhenzong in the future.

Scholars are the force that Yan Shu needs to fight for, so he doesn't care much about the lives of the people in Yingtian Prefecture.

In other words, it was very embarrassing for him, the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, to just raise funds for the academy.

Where can we get so much money to provide a better life for the people?
Yan Shu came from an ordinary family. His grandfather was a yamen runner and his father was not an official. It was because of Yan Shu that his ancestors were posthumously awarded the titles of Grand Tutor and Duke.

In his early years, Yan Shu lived a very simple life with his brother in Tokyo. They had no money to go out for banquets. Many ministers went to various shopping malls and nightclubs in the Song Dynasty.

Zhenzong thought it was because of his personality that he was chosen as the prince's lecturer, but Yan Shu directly confessed that if he had money, he would go out to eat and drink, but he really had no money to go out.

Today, the poems about wealth and nobility written by Yan Shu can be said to be unique in the Song Dynasty that do not have any artificial flavor.

Years of living a life of luxury had long since extinguished his desire to truly understand the people.

After all, he had long been a top figure in the scholar-official circle.

But Yan Shu subconsciously felt that Song Xuan's words just now were a substitution of concepts.

Song Shou came to Yingtian Prefecture to serve as an official for several years before Yan Shu.

He did know that the people were living in hardship, but that was not because of the court.

Take the Xiang army for example. There were military officers and generals who were corrupt and embezzled money, but he had no control over it.

As for the people under his rule, he is not the chief official and has no chance to govern.

On the contrary, Fan Zhongyan had tears in his eyes. He was a person who had actually spent several years at the grassroots level and also had great ideals in his heart.

Now, just because Song Xuan could say these words, Fan Zhongyan immediately regarded him as a close friend, and it was obvious at first glance that he was a man who cared about the people of the world.

He also agreed with Mencius' idea that the people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important.

"So what do you think officials should do?"

Listening to Yan Shu's question, Song Xuan thought for a moment:
"As the ancients said, the right time, right place, and right people are all essential, but few people can have them all."

"So I think the way to be an official is to treat yourself as a local. This is what is called harmony among people. Only when people are treated as human beings can they live like human beings, not like pigs or dogs."

“Only where people are treated as human beings can they live like human beings.”

If you think about this sentence carefully, Fan Zhongyan will find it quite well said.

"You talk a lot, but when you actually get to that position, is it really as easy as you say?"

Song Shou criticized without hesitation: "There are over 200,000 people in Songcheng. With so many people, how could there be so many shops that need work?"

"Even in Tokyo, there are countless people living in the Ghost Tower, neither human nor ghost."

"That's what Judge Song criticized, but are there many things that you shouldn't do even though you know they're difficult?"

Song Xuan snorted and laughed: "If you can't even clean your own room, how can you clean up the world?"

"Can you do it?"

"I've provided jobs for at least three families, allowing them to support themselves. Maybe I can hire more people in the future."

"That's easy to say."

Song Shou shook his sleeves. In his early years, he was also a scholar with ambition to do something for the people of the world.

But what happens in the end?
Aren't you being ostracized in the court?

Everyone has been young and frivolous, thinking that everyone is inferior to themselves!
But the facts will slap you in the face and make you face reality.

Song Xuan thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll sweep the room first and show you guys how to do it. We have to do it first to see if it can be done."

"Okay."

Yan Shu did not argue with Song Xuan like Song Shou did.

Because he felt that Song Xuan was the same as he was when he was young, but less cautious. He would only think seriously after he encountered something.

Even if I tell him about the pitfall I encountered, he won't take it to heart. Instead, he will sneer at me and say, "How stupid of you to be!" I will definitely do better than you if I encounter this situation!
Everyone has been a teenager before, so it is normal to have this mentality.

Song Xuan called Tao Hong and asked him to bring the account book over, and also called the wives and daughters of He San and others to come outside.

"Mr. He, according to our previous agreement, you glued together 3,515 books in three days, which is equivalent to 703 wen. Of these, 155 books failed to meet the requirements, totaling 31 wen. This means you will be paid 672 wen. Do you agree?"

He seemed a little embarrassed.

However, she was not proficient at the beginning, and she did not know the basic words, so she made a lot of mistakes. When she heard Song Xuan's question, she nodded woodenly.

"But considering that this is your first time and you're not very experienced, I can forgive you for that. I'll give you another eight coins to make it a round reward. Here are six hundred and eighty coins. Count them aside. If you don't have the correct number, come back and ask me."

Song Xuan didn't even close the door, and the other women pricked up their ears to listen.

Even He San and others were standing outside the door, listening.

He quickly took the purse and said she didn't want to count it anymore.

Song Xuan said very seriously:

"No, Sister He, you have to count it. This is the money you earned with your own hands. I can't give you a penny less!"

"This will avoid many misunderstandings. You've earned every penny by gluing five booklets together."

He San was shouting anxiously outside:

"You stupid bitch, you stupid woman! Master Song asked you to count the money right in front of me, so you counted it. It's okay if you can't read, but don't you know how to count money?"

He San's vulgar remarks made He Shi laugh a few times, and she immediately felt relieved.

Her man was standing behind her, and besides, Shi Erlang was so kind, what was there to be afraid of?

So He obediently stood aside and began to count the money. The more she counted, the smile on her face became greater.

To be honest, she has never counted so much money in her life!

There wasn't much money at home, especially since all the money was in my mother's hands.

My mother was reluctant to spend money on food and clothes herself, but she loved her grandson very much. She was willing to give him food, but she refused to make clothes for him. Children grow fast, and clothes made today might be too short in two months. It's better for him to wear his sister's leftover clothes. But my grandson was too naughty and would get his clothes dirty, so he was often naked.

In the whole family, only the little grandson has some weight on his body, while the rest are all thin.

Yan Shu heard that He could only count to ten, so he piled them into a pile. At this time, there were more than ten piles on the table, which made it difficult for her to handle them.

The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art was generally useless in the imperial examinations, so not many men learned it, let alone women whose main education was needlework.

Unless one comes from a family of merchants or craftsmen, one will learn through arithmetic books or word of mouth.

Many women can master some basic numeracy skills, but not beyond what is needed for daily living.

In addition, He has never had much money to distribute, so he is very weak in this area.

He San looked at his wife lying on the hill and became more and more convinced that what his mother said was right. Your wife is a little silly, so don't bully her.

"He Xiaoru."

Seeing that her mother couldn't figure it out for a moment, Song Xuan called her daughter in first.

"You've made 2,312 booklets in the past three days, and only five failed. You're truly skilled. That works out to 462 wen. Those five failed ones will offset your other two successful ones, so I won't deduct any money from you."

Song Xuan handed her a purse and said, "Thanks to your low failure rate, I've given you an extra 100 coins, making a total of 562 coins. Count them and make sure they're not mixed up with your mother's."

He Xiaoru had dry and yellow hair and looked extremely thin. When she heard that Song Xuan would actually give her an extra hundred coins as a reward, she was stunned and at a loss as to what to do.

This was the first time she earned money with her own hands. When she heard Song Xuan talk about so much money, she felt like her feet were stepping on soft white clouds.

"You're a jerk."

He San looked at his daughter and saw that she didn't know how to thank him. He just stood there in a daze, slapping his thigh anxiously:

"Xiao Ru, thank Master Song for the reward."

"Thank you, Master Song, for the reward."

He Xiaoru finally came to her senses and took the heavy purse in a daze.

Song Xuan asked her to go over and count the money, and joked to others:

"He San, stop whining. I heard that girls take after their fathers. When you were her age, you probably couldn't even get a fart out of your father. And you still have the nerve to talk about your daughter."

"Hahaha." He San laughed out loud. "Master Song has predicted this."

He Xiaoru carefully poured out the money from her purse. The sound of the coins colliding with each other made her eyes shine brightly.

Qianfa’s voice is really nice.

Because she had to follow her grandmother to do errands and buy things, she could already count to one hundred.

He Xiaoru quickly sorted the copper coins into piles, counted them carefully, and found that not a single penny was missing. She then carefully put all the money into her purse, holding it tightly in her hand, feeling very excited.

Song Xuan glanced at He Xiaoru and saw that she had already put the money bag away, but her mother was still counting it. Finally, with the help of her daughter, she confirmed that everything was correct.

Song Shou looked at the mother and daughter, both of whom were pale and thin. He felt a little emotional when he saw that they could earn more than one yuan in three days with their own hands, and they did it in a legitimate way.

"Song Xuan is really generous!"

When Jiang's mother and daughter counted the money, they were in tears. They had never earned so much money even by selling their smiles.

So she pulled her daughter to kneel down in front of Song Xuan, expressing her great gratitude for pulling them both out of the quagmire.

Otherwise, I don’t know when this kind of days will end!

Song Xuan invited the three families in and gave them a few more instructions, saying that this afternoon was a holiday and they could go home and have a rest, but they needed to keep their mouths shut about the wages.

After all, my business is small now and I can't afford to hire too many people.

Once others know your income, they will be envious and their eyes will turn red, and it is hard to avoid accidents.

There are small groups of mutual assistance within the Xiang Army, but that is also based on the principle that everyone is a poor buddy.

After all, if your family doesn’t have it, mine doesn’t have it either.

Now those who are stuck in the mud suddenly have some money, but if they don't keep their mouths shut, it may bring disaster.

He San and others nodded repeatedly.

"I haven't settled the wages for the three old ladies. If it's convenient, have them come this afternoon and Shopkeeper Tao will settle their bills."

Song Xuan put down the account book in his hand:
"I know you're their relatives and you should take them back, but when it comes to money, I always think it's normal to hand it over in person. It can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble."

"So we still have to trouble the old ladies in each family to come here. Children at home must be taken care of, to prevent them from being kidnapped and sold for harvesting because of the issue of collecting money."

He San and others thanked him repeatedly, saying that Shi Erlang had thought of everything.

At this time, Zhang Fangping also came back from the toilet. He might have drunk too much cold soup and had a stomachache. He came in, bowed, and sat aside.

Seeing his expression, Song Shou asked a lot of questions.

Fan Zhongyan asked with some confusion, "Just now, the mother and daughter of the Jiang family kowtowed to you and you couldn't stop them. What happened to them?"

"Just a smile on your face."

Yan Shu gave the answer directly. Compared with the mother and daughter of the He family, the mother and daughter of the Jiang family were a bit pretty, but that also depended on who they were compared with.

Fan Zhongyan was stunned for a moment, but soon realized that it was not that simple.

"Have the families of our Song Dynasty soldiers reached this point?"

Listening to Fan Zhongyan's question, Song Xuan closed the account book:
"This is by no means an isolated case. I'm weak right now and can only clean up the mess in front of my door."

"As for the families of so many soldiers, they still have to be managed by the imperial court. Otherwise, if a war breaks out in the future, how can we fight?"

Fan Zhongyan quickly looked at Yan Shu who was standing beside him and asked, "Mr. Yan, is it the same with the other wing troops?"

Yan Shu was silent. Not to mention the wing troops, even some of the powerful imperial guards had extremely difficult lives.

Fan Zhongyan understood Yan Shu's silence.

He fell into deep thought. The Song Dynasty was obviously very rich, and even low-ranking officials could live a life of luxury.

But the families of these soldiers were so miserable.

It’s easier in the summer, but once winter comes, many people can’t even make a fire.

Especially in winter, there are fewer workers and many people are unwilling to leave their homes. Where can they go to make money?

"This is not right." Fan Zhongyan looked at Yan Shu:

"Prince Yan, if the soldiers are treated so poorly, the Song Dynasty will be in trouble sooner or later."

(End of this chapter)