Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 356: Translation of Xiantai

Fang Zhenru was stunned by Zheng Shiyi's counterattack. He couldn't respond and didn't even know why Zheng Shiyi was so hostile to him.

The atmosphere in the back room fell silent. As the person with the least say in the room, Yang Zhang, the military commander, wanted to leave the room in one swoop, to escape this uneasy atmosphere. As for the case, damn it, it didn't matter what, just find some explanation and get it over with. It was getting late, and he wanted to go back to eat.

Although Shuntian Prefecture Magistrate Tan Shijiang disliked Zheng Shiyi's aggressive demeanor, he didn't want to provoke him, so he remained silent ever since Shen Guangzuo took over. On the other hand, he agreed with Zheng Shiyi's line of thought. If someone died, but their silver couldn't be found, then the person likely died because of the silver. This person must have died because of the silver!

The final person to break the silence was Shuntian Prefecture Governor Shen Guangzuo. He stared at Zheng Shiyi intently for a moment, then blinked, his frown softening. "Zheng Baizai, we've only just begun investigating this case. We haven't even asked the family's names yet, so it's best not to jump to conclusions about whether the case is related to them."

As soon as Shen Guangzuo opened his mouth, Fang Zhenru immediately nodded in agreement.

"You are right, but I still say the same thing. Even if no money of the deceased is found in this yard, this family cannot be ruled out as a suspect." Zheng Shiyi looked deeply at Shen Guangzuo and ignored Fang Zhenru at all.

Shen Guangzuo did not refute, but followed Zheng Shiyi's words and continued: "Zheng Baizai is right. We can't rule out the suspicion of this family at the moment. But whether they are related or not is not something we can tell by just talking. The case must be tried slowly and thoroughly investigated. Tan Tuifu!"

Tan Shijiang hadn't spoken for a long time, and his voice was a little distorted: "Your subordinate is here!"

"Let the yamen runners seal off the scene, collect the bodies, and then take the witnesses back to Shuntian Prefecture for resettlement." Shen Guangzuo ordered.

"Ah? Take him back?" Tan Shijiang was confused. He thought Shen Guangzuo was just trying to smooth things over, but he didn't expect Shen Guangzuo to put the blame on Shuntian Prefecture. Tan Shijiang glanced at Fang Zhenru and thought: Since this is a case handled by the Imperial Censorate, let them take him into custody and try him.

Tan Shijiang didn't dare to object, and Shen Guangzuo didn't agree to his wishes. "Yes! Take it back. But before that, return the silver to the owner. It's not stolen money, so the government doesn't need to confiscate it." Shen Guangzuo then looked at Fang Zhenru and Zheng Shiyi. "Censor Fang, Zheng Baizai, it's almost dark. How about we leave it at that for today?"

"Okay." Fang Zhenru responded immediately.

"Hmph!" Zheng Shiyi snorted coldly, stood up and left.

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The area surrounding the Mingshifang Armour Factory was dotted with houses specifically for rent. During the Spring and Summer Examinations, the brokerages that handled business in this area would see a surge in business, much like the inns and restaurants near the Imperial Examination Hall.

Many wealthy candidates, unwilling to stay in inns or restaurants, living in cramped quarters with dozens or even hundreds of others, would instead pay a large sum to rent a place nearby for three to six months. They would then consider renewing or canceling their leases after the results of the imperial examinations were released. Some wealthy masters and young men would even fill their already rented rooms to the brim with servants and concubines upon arriving in Beijing.

Wen Zhenmeng, a 47-year-old old scholar, was such a typical master.

Wen Zhenmeng came from a family of calligraphers and painters. His great-grandfather, Wen Lin, rose to become the prefect of Wenzhou Prefecture and died in office. His great-grandfather, Wen Bi, despite failing nine attempts at promotion and relying on recommendations to secure a lowly, ninth-rank position in the Hanlin Academy, earned him a position with a low salary. Yet, he became known as one of the "Four Heroes of Wu" alongside Tang Yin, Shen Zhou, and Qiu Ying, and as one of the "Four Talents of Wuzhong" alongside Tang Yin, Zhu Yunming, and Xu Zhenqing. The latter were also mistakenly referred to as the "Four Talents of Jiangnan." Of these "Four Talents of Jiangnan," Wen Zhenmeng's great-grandfather, Wen Bi, lived the longest, reaching the age of ninety. It was rumored that he died while writing.

As for Wen Zhenmeng himself, although he failed the imperial examinations nine times, he was a master of poetry, prose, and calligraphy. During his time in Beijing awaiting the imperial examinations, many admirers of his talent approached him, offering large sums of money for his masterpieces. Wen Zhenmeng politely declined all of them. The only person he favored was Wang Zheng, an old scholar who had a similarly difficult academic journey.

After the imperial examination ended that day, Wang Zheng could not resist Wen Zhenmeng's invitation, so he went with him to cancel the lease of Sanyuanlou and moved to the house rented by Wen Zhenmeng with his few luggage.

But upon arrival, he discovered this wasn't just a "small courtyard." Wen Zhenmeng had rented a vast, three-story quadrangle courtyard, housing five servant households, a testament to his opulence. This spectacle immediately dissuaded Wang Zheng from entering. However, given the availability of the Sanyuan Building and Wen Zhenmeng's enthusiastic hospitality, Wang Zheng reluctantly accepted Master Wen's hospitality.

Early in the morning, after breakfast, Wang Zheng saw that his host, Wen Zhenmeng, had also finished his meal, so he stood up and said goodbye to him. "Brother Wenqi, I'm leaving now."

Wen Zhenmeng had just received a warm handkerchief from the servant and was about to wipe his hands and mouth. Hearing Wang Zheng's words, Wen Zhenmeng quickly dropped the handkerchief and stood up, blocking his way. "Brother Liangfu, are you really going to the Censorate?"

Wang Zheng smiled and said, "The notice says that this job not only pays but also provides two meals. It's obviously a good job. Instead of waiting for the results with trepidation, it's better to find a job to distract yourself."

Yesterday, the emperor sent a eunuch to convey an oral order to the Censorate, allowing the Censorate to recruit people who are proficient in Western languages ​​to serve as interpreters to translate the letters and texts collected by the Northern Pacification Office in the Jesuit residence.

After receiving the imperial edict, the Left Censor-in-Chief Zhang Wenda responded quickly and immediately sent a large number of yamen runners to post notices "recruiting talents who have learned Western languages" at the Sixteen Gates of Beijing, large and small yamen, various markets, and even inns and restaurants where candidates gathered.

"This isn't an easy job; it's wading into muddy waters." Wen Zhenmeng continued to advise, "You saw what happened that day. There was so much noise and all sorts of talk. Even now, the rumors in the capital haven't died down at all. Why are you forcing yourself to get involved?"

Wen Zhenmeng and Wang Zheng not only witnessed the commotion at the Imperial Examination Hall entrance, but also overheard the candidates' discussion while checking out of their room at Sanyuanlou. Even aside from these incidents, the news that the Northern Pacification Office had dispatched troops to seal off the Jesuit residence under the pretext of investigating treason and demonic practices was now widespread throughout the city. Rumors were even circulating in Beijing that most candidates did not want to be personally selected by Chief Examiner Xu Guangqi. As for the extent of this truth, it was difficult to say.

"Rumors are not to be believed, and gossip is not to be feared. The court is recruiting talents, and I have some knowledge, so I will naturally go." Wang Zheng waved his hand, stepped sideways past Wen Zhenmeng, and walked towards the door.

"Alas." Wen Zhenmeng stopped persuading him and just followed Wang Zheng silently.

When the two men reached the door, Wen Zhenmeng raised his hand again to stop Wang Zheng. Before he could say anything, Wang Zheng said, "Brother Wenqi, don't worry. I know my destiny and I know what to do."

"I won't persuade you." Wen Zhenmeng said with a smile.

"Then why are you stopping me?" Wang Zheng gently patted Wen Zhenmeng's arm.

"Don't worry. It's more than ten miles from here to the Censorate. Are you ready to walk?" Wen Zhenmeng waved to the doorman who came to greet him. "Bring the mule over to Master Wang."

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Fucaifang, where the Censorate was located, and Mingshifang, where the armor factory was located, stood opposite each other in the east and west, with the entire imperial city between them. Even though Wang Zheng rode the mule given by Wen Zhenmeng, it took him nearly half an hour to reach Fucaifang.

After arriving at Fucaifang, Wang Zheng did not go to the Censorate immediately, but instead took his donkey and found a nearby inn with a stable.

"Sir, are you here for a meal or to stay overnight?" As soon as Wang Zheng reached the door of the inn, the sharp-eyed waiter came up to him and offered to help him lead the mule.

"I'm not going to stop for lunch or stay in a hotel. I'm just leaving this mule with you." Wang Zheng handed the reins to the servant.

"Oh! A mule. How long will it take? Do you need to feed it?" The inn with a stable also does business as a place to store animals for transportation.

"Let's dismiss the court in the evening and give the mule two meals of hay and beans," Wang Zheng said. "Are you also here as an interpreter at the request of the Censorate?" Hearing the words "dismiss the court," the servant immediately understood.

"How do you know?" Wang Zheng asked back.

"Well," the boy said with a smile, "everyone who has come all this way on your mule knows it. Our little shop is right next to the court, so how could they not know it?"

"You just said 'come too'?" Wang Zheng asked again.

"You're the third person to come here today to deposit livestock. And you always keep them until the court is dismissed before taking them away." The servant led the mule toward the stable in the backyard, and Wang Zheng followed. "But you're the first one with a northern accent."

"I see." Wang Zheng nodded.

"I heard that the Westerners are causing a big stir?" the servant asked in return.

Wang Zheng shook his head. "I don't know about that. I just read the notice from the Censorate, hoping to earn some money and kill time. Waiting for the results is just too painful."

The servant was stunned for a moment, then held the rope and bowed repeatedly. "So you are the juren, sir. Let me congratulate you in advance!" Although elderly candidates are common, it is rare to see an old man like Wang Zheng with a white face and beard.

"Then I'll take your kind words." Wang Zheng returned the greeting with a fist and asked, "How much would two meals of fodder and beans cost?"

"A meal of pure hay is five cents, and adding bean cakes is another four cents, so two meals total eighteen cents. If you buy the meal, the stall is free." Seeing that Wang Zheng's mule was quite clean, the servant didn't ask if he wanted to help wash it. If he did, that would be charged extra.

Wang Zheng thought eighteen copper coins for two meals was a bit expensive, far less cost-effective than buying hay and beans to feed the donkey himself. But after all, it was "dining out," so it was still within an acceptable range. He took eighteen copper coins from his purse and handed them to the servant, saying, "You still have to feed the animal some salt."

"Don't worry, our bean cakes are made with oil and salt, all top-quality goods." The servant took the copper coins, counted them, and weighed them. "Okay, go ahead. I promise to take good care of them for you." The servant collected the coins and said hello to the servant who was responsible for tending to the animals.

After leaving the inn and crossing just one street, Wang Zheng arrived at the gate of the Censorate. Since he had already given notice, the gatekeeper didn't bother to stop him. After a few simple words, he let Wang Zheng in.

Wang Zheng followed the instructions and arrived at the main hall, where the person sitting there was still the Left Censor-in-Chief, Li Zongyan. Wang Zheng walked up to Li Zongyan and called out softly, "Sir."

"Are you here to interpret as well after reading the notice?" Li Zongyan extended his hand, picked up a registration book from the edge of the table and placed it in front of him.

"Yes." Wang Zheng bowed.

"I have to ask you a few questions first." Li Zongyan opened the booklet.

"Your Excellency, please feel free to ask." Wang Zheng bowed again.

"Don't be nervous." Li Zongyan gestured, "There's a stool at your feet. Sit down and talk."

"How dare a student like that?" Wang Zheng refused.

"Haha." Li Zongyan didn't force it. "What's your name?"

"My surname is Wang and my given name is Zheng." Wang Zheng replied.

"How to write it?" Li Zongyan asked.

"The character zhi is the same as the zhi in 'zhengyin'." Wang Zheng replied.

"Oh!" Li Zongyan suddenly realized. He first wrote down "Wang Zheng" in the name column, then asked: "When was he born? What is his academic title? When did he achieve it?"

"Born in the fifth year of the Longqing reign. Passed the imperial examination in the twenty-second year of the Wanli reign." Wang Zheng said

"Are you from the north?" Li Zongyan nodded and wrote down the information.

"Yes. I am from Jingyang County, Xi'an Prefecture, Shaanxi Province." Wang Zheng completed his native place in one breath.

Li Zongyan smiled and said, "The ones who came before are all from the south."

"Is the student the only one from the north?" Wang Zheng asked doubtfully.

"At least so far, you're the only northerner summoned to the Xiantai to translate Western texts and assist in the investigation." Li Zongyan asked, "Can you tell me how you came into contact with these Western studies?"

Wang Zheng was silent for a moment. "I initially believed in Buddhism, but after my mother passed away, I converted to Taoism. I remember the 42nd year of the Wanli reign very clearly. That year, I saw the book 'Seven Grams' from a friend, and that's when I began to learn about Western learning."

"Qi Ke? Is that a book?"

"It's a book." Wang Zheng nodded.

"Who wrote this book and what is its content?" Li Zongyan asked.

Wang Zheng said happily, "Seven Grams was written by Mr. Shunyang, a Jesuit missionary, and Mr. Pang Diwo."

"The book says that God has forbidden seven sins: pride, envy, stinginess, anger, greed, lust, and laziness in doing good."

"Mr. Shunyang quoted the words of the great sages and ancient teachers, as well as stories of ancient saints and sages who cultivated virtue, and expounded their meaning. He taught that gentlemen should overcome arrogance by humility, overcome jealousy by pacification, overcome stinginess by resolution, overcome anger by quenching resentment, overcome gluttony by suppressing gluttony, overcome lust by indulgence, and overcome laziness by encouraging virtue. In other words, only by overcoming the seven vices with the seven virtues and constantly reflecting on oneself can one become a benevolent and noble person."

(End of this chapter)