White-robed Minister

It was nearing noon.

Uncle Zhang returned to the archer's shop: "The matter is settled. I've negotiated a price with a group of boat people. For thirty coins, we can hide on their boat. After nightfall, they'll take us to a deserted beach to land."

Upon hearing this, everyone was delighted.

Compared to the government, the mountain people were more willing to trust the Tanka people, even though some Tanka people often colluded with salt bandits.

Uncle Zhang then instructed, "Once you're on the boat, take your weapons. With weapons, we're friends with the Tanka people. Without weapons, but still carrying reward money, we're easy prey in their eyes."

This made sense, and everyone agreed.

Uncle Zhang looked around: "Where's Xu Sanlang?"

"have no idea."

"When you left this morning, he went to the market too, saying he was going to buy candy for the damselfly."

"They're still not back?"

"no."

"..."

After a while, Xu Lai walked into the shop and announced to his companions: "The whole village will be exempt from corvée labor for three years, and Wu Yashi has already made a record of it."

"The whole village will be exempt for three years?" Everyone was overjoyed.

Xu Lai smiled and nodded.

Bu Chao asked, "Did you go to the magistrate again?"

"I suppose so," Xu Lai turned to Uncle Zhang and asked, "I heard the patrol office is forcibly conscripting Tanka people to salvage treasures?"

Uncle Zhang said, "They forcibly conscripted hundreds of young men from the Tanka people and forced them to jump into the river to retrieve fish. They couldn't stop even when they were shivering from the cold. I don't know how many of them would eventually die from illness."

Xu Lai handed over all the books and stationery he had bought, as well as the "protective charm" given to him by the county magistrate, to Uncle Zhang: "Uncle Zhang, please take these books and stationery back for me. If you encounter any trouble from the patrol soldiers, just take this document signed by the county magistrate. If the patrol soldiers dare to make a move, you can act accordingly. You can even kill the soldiers. Magistrate Shen will clean up the mess."

"Okay." Uncle Zhang accepted it solemnly.

Xu Lai then handed the snacks he bought for Dou Niang to Bu Chao: "Cousin, please take these home for Dou Niang to eat."

"Aren't you going back to the village?" Bu Chao asked.

Xu Lai said, "I'm going to Guangzhou to see Master Yu."

Liu Da asked, "Who is Master Yu?"

Xu Lai explained in detail: "Minister Yu's name is Yu Jing. He is the Guangdong Military Commissioner, the Guangdong Military Commander, the Prefect of Guangzhou, and concurrently the Maritime Trade Commissioner of Guangzhou. I've already inquired; Minister Yu personally allocated the funds and provisions to provide us with resettlement allowances, and our daily meals are much more than that. The funds and provisions have all been embezzled by the military officers of the patrol office!"

These words enraged everyone present.

"That damned Inspector Huang even embezzled our resettlement money!" Bu Chao gritted his teeth in anger.

Xu Lai continued, "If we bypass the patrol office and come directly to the city to show our merits, even if we conceal our origins, people will find out sooner or later. Therefore, we must take this opportunity to bring down all the military officers in the patrol office. Let them lose their positions and go to jail, so that no one will bother Qingxi Village in the future."

Uncle Zhang nodded: "This matter must be handled well. Sanlang, don't worry, I promise to bring all the things you bought back to you. Go to Guangzhou and focus on your work!"

Xu Lai then instructed, "When the county clerks registered our exemption from corvée labor, they already knew our real names and village names. With so many people talking, it will eventually reach the ears of the patrol inspectorate. After you return to the village, immediately arrange for able-bodied men to stand guard on the hills outside the village."

Uncle Zhang clenched his fists: "If they dare to make a move, we dare to kill too. I've regained my strength, and taking a few down with me won't be a problem."

If a fight really breaks out, the mountain people will have a greater chance of winning as long as the patrolmen don't come too often.

On one side, they were defending their homes and villages, so everyone was bound to fight desperately, and they were also familiar with the terrain.

One side was merely following orders, exhausted from days of searching for bandits and treasure, and hadn't trained at all. The patrolmen weren't going to fight to the death, and had too many concerns; they would flee at the slightest loss of life or injury.

After discussing it for a while, the group set off together.

Xu Lai escorted them to the south gate and found that the surrounding streets were in terrible condition, with two entire streets burned to ruins by salt bandits.

After a day and a half of effort, the ruins were still not cleared, and many people were forced to sleep on the streets.

Wang, the registrar, was actually personally directing the operation and allocating grain to distribute porridge to the people.

After a while, Wang Houzhi arrived at the dock and gazed at the distant Jiangxin Island.

He has his eye on the patrol station's grain and timber, which are intended for suppressing salt bandits. If he can eliminate the patrol station's military officers, he can get the grain and timber for disaster relief and quickly repair the burned-out streets.

After completing his term, Wang Houzhi will be able to switch to selecting personnel.

This is the most important moment of his life, and he absolutely cannot afford to make the slightest mistake. If things go well this time, he might even be promoted ahead of schedule.

Never underestimate a temporary worker's determination to become a permanent employee!

……

After seeing his companions off, Xu Lai immediately returned to the county government office.

Magistrate Shen has rewritten the official letter, sealed it with lacquer, and handed it over to Yu Shanyuan for safekeeping.

Yang Shu also wrote a letter, instructing his attendant to return to the cargo ship and deliver it to Chen Xiuqi, the military officer in charge of escorting the cargo. He offered to help and try his best to plead on Yang Shu's behalf with Yu Jing.

According to custom, Chen Xiuqi and the deceased Luo father and son must jointly compensate for the loss of the ship whose treasures were stolen.

But this time is different.

The Inspection Division should take the blame for its series of questionable actions.

Chen Xiuqi was seriously wounded in the battle, but he prevented the salt bandits from completely capturing the cargo ship. The three members of the Luo family, father and sons, all died in battle protecting the cargo.

They have done a great job!

If Yu Jing agrees, the compensation can be reduced accordingly, or even eliminated altogether.

The greater the responsibility of the patrol officer, the lighter the responsibility of the escort officer.

With Xu Lai's opportunistic networking, the county magistrate, the registrar, Yang Shu, Chen Xiuqi, Yu Shanyuan, and Qingxi Village have temporarily formed a community of shared interests, and they share the same group of enemies!

"When do we depart?" Xu Lai asked.

Yu Shanyuan said, "Two days later. Even though we have a heavy responsibility, it's impossible for us to send a special official ship. This time, we'll go by convoy."

"What kind of ship is it this time?" Xu Lai asked curiously.

Yu Shanyuan laughed and said, "Qingyuan County has the Dafu Silver Mine, the Jingding Iron Mine, and the Qianjiu Lead Mine, whose output is transported to Guangzhou at the end of each year. At this time, it is time to organize the transport of goods, and even the escort yamen has been selected. We might as well take this opportunity to send them to Guangzhou in advance to make up for the financial deficit caused by the suppression of bandits."

Xu Lai couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Magistrate Shen really knows how to be an official."

He even took the opportunity to curry favor with Yu Jing by sending money to Guangzhou, and he did so in a completely official manner, not as a bribe.

In fact, Shen Zhi, who was taking office for the first time, was not very familiar with this kind of business.

These suggestions were all provided by Registrar Wang!

Yu Shanyuan had already assumed the role of a retainer, and he said to Yang Shu, "Brother, rest assured. Once the convoy ships heading to Guangzhou return, and the local residents have completed their duties and gone home, the soldiers, laborers, and boatmen who accompanied the ships will all be assigned to you. Won't that be enough manpower for your two convoy ships?"

Yang Shuxi said with delight, "Thank you for your help, Brother Yu."

This had nothing to do with Yu Shanyuan, nor was it Magistrate Shen's idea; it was still the suggestion provided by Registrar Wang.

Even the boatmen and laborers were young men conscripted from the burned-down neighborhoods. As long as they helped complete the escort mission, the county government would provide them with supplies to rebuild their houses, and those supplies were obtained by overthrowing the patrol inspector.

Make the most of all resources!

Based on the abilities demonstrated by Wang, the registrar, he would be more than qualified to be a prefect.

Unfortunately, Wang, the registrar, failed the imperial examination, meaning he would have to waste more than a decade in his acting official position before he could be officially appointed and receive the待遇 (treatment/benefits) of a newly appointed, last-ranked scholar. If any problems arose along the way, his acting years would have to be recalculated.

The three chatted and laughed in the county government office, and then had dinner together in the evening.

Yu Shanyuan handed the wine pot to Yang Shu: "I didn't like drinking before, but I became an official and developed a drinking habit. This matter is of great importance, so I won't drink. I'll offer you both a cup of water instead."

Yang Shu then handed the wine pot to Xu Lai: "I made a mistake because of drinking. I almost lost my qualification for the imperial examination and also caused trouble for my family by failing to pass the exam. I have sworn that I will never touch a drop of wine again in this life."

"Then I'll have some water too," Xu Lai said, asking the servant to bring him some cool boiled water. He raised his cup and said, "A toast to my two elder brothers!"

The three of them finished their drinks, ate their food, and chatted.

Xu Lai asked, "Brother Yu, have you met Master Yu?"

Yu Shanyuan said, "Eleven years ago, Master Yu was in mourning at home. I, as a junior member of the same clan, took the opportunity of the Spring Festival to ask Master Yu for his teachings. Eleven years have passed since then, and I wonder if Master Yu still remembers me."

Yang Shu said, "At the end of last year, I met Minister Yu at the state school. He personally presided over the annual examination at the state school."

Taking the opportunity, Xu Lai inquired, "What kind of person is Master Yu? What are his hobbies?"

Yang Shu shook his head: "I don't know."

Yu Shanyuan said, "Master Yu is known for his uprightness and integrity, but in private he is actually very approachable and extremely patient when explaining things to me."

Xu Lai thought to himself: Isn't that obvious? He's in mourning at home, and you're a junior member of the same clan, yet you went to seek his guidance on the Spring Festival. He'd definitely be willing to give you pointers. Otherwise, it would damage your reputation if word got out.

The three discussed in detail how to contact Yu Jing and finally decided to go directly to the Military Affairs Department to request an audience.

That night, they slept in the same office of the county magistrate.

They didn't dare to separate, afraid something might happen along the way.

Xu Lai took the opportunity to inquire about how to write examination poems, and said that he had no idea how, and that he would be taking the county examination at the end of the year.

"You've never studied poetry, yet you dare to take the county exam?" Yang Shu was extremely shocked.

Xu said, "Let's give it a try."

Yu Shanyuan cautioned, "You can only take the state school exam three times. If you fail three times, you can never take it again in your life."

"I still want to give it a try," Xu Lai insisted.

Yu Shanyuan stopped trying to persuade him and first explained how to approach and develop the poem. Then he offered his advice: "When writing the poem, based on the topic given by the county magistrate, go directly to the *Rhyme Dictionary of the Ministry of Rites*. First, select a rhyme group, choose suitable characters, and copy them down. Then use these characters to conceive and compose a poem. After you finish writing it, use the rhyme dictionary to check if there are any errors in the tonal patterns. If there are any, correct them."

The word "piece together" is used well.

For the imperial examination poems, "piecing together" is more effective than "writing".

There's also an advanced version: memorizing a large number of poems and essays by predecessors, then modifying and piecing them together for the imperial examinations. Doing this makes it difficult to pass the Jinshi exam, but makes passing the Juren exam very easy.

Yang Shu also offered advice: "When writing a fu (a type of classical Chinese prose-poem), first figure out the examiner's original intention in setting the question. Then, based on that intention, break the fu into several parts and piece them together one by one. Use allusions if you can, and if you don't know any, you can make them up yourself."

Xu Lai took notes carefully, which boosted his confidence.

With his knowledge base, he should have no problem passing the county exam, and he can also give it a shot at the state-level university entrance exam.

Xu Lai then inquired about the situation at the Guangzhou Prefectural School.

Yang Shu explained to him in detail: "The Guangzhou Prefectural School was built during the Qingli Education Promotion Campaign. It was initially built in the Fanfang area outside the city, where all the people living were foreigners. Coincidentally, the Confucius Temple was also located there, so the prefect converted the Confucius Temple into the prefectural school."

"The later prefect raised funds to move the prefectural school into the city. It was not a large school, and had only one or two hundred students in total."

"The state school in the foreign quarter outside the city was not abandoned. Instead, it began to enroll the children of foreigners. The tuition for those children was extremely expensive, and they were not even qualified to take the imperial examinations. The entire state school did not even have any land for its students; it was entirely supported by the tuition fees from the foreign students."

Well, they're quite the player.

They charged foreign students exorbitant tuition fees but prevented them from participating in the imperial examinations, and used those fees to maintain the state school's operations.

Yang Shu said, "Students of our Great Song Dynasty who study at the Guangzhou Prefectural School only need to pay one coin per day for food. Everything else is free."

Yu Shanyuan said enviously, "When I was young, I studied at the Shaozhou Prefectural School, where we paid three copper coins a day for meals. I thought the Guangzhou Prefectural School also charged three copper coins."

Yang Shu laughed and said, "It's definitely because there are no foreign students in Shaozhou to be taken advantage of."

After chatting about the state school for a while, Xu Lai asked Yang Shu, "Is Jihua Township, where Brother Yang is located, in Foshan?"

"Does my brother even know about Foshan?"

Yang Shu explained, "Foshan is just a village in Jihua Township. But Foshan Village has become increasingly prosperous, with many iron cauldrons there that can cast iron pots, tripods, bells, anchors, and other such items. My family lives in Di Nan Village, which is more than ten miles away from Foshan Village."

Yang Shu began to boast about his family background: "Our ancestor, the Yang family of Jihua Township, was Huan'an, the governor of Lingnan Circuit during the Tang Dynasty. Huan'an had a residence back then, which is now the ancestral home of the Yang family. The village to the northwest of the ancestral home is called Dibei Village, and the village to the southeast is called Dinan Village. All seven villages in the surrounding area were founded by our Yang family."

Half of the names of these seven villages have been used into the 21st century.

The three chatted for half the night, getting more and more engrossed in their conversation, as if they had known each other for a long time.

When I woke up the next morning, I was still eating at the county government office.

After finishing his meal, Yang Shu went out for a while and returned with four books. He presented them to Xu with both hands and said, "I took the liberty of asking Brother Ti Ren, and learned that you don't usually have any books to read. Please don't refuse this set of 'Commentaries on the Analects'."

Xu Lai naturally wouldn't refuse, and immediately cupped his hands and said, "If Brother Jiezhi needs anything in the future, please just let me know."

They exchanged courtesy names last night.

Yu Shanyuan, courtesy name Ren.

Yang Shu, courtesy name Jiezhi.

Xu Lai, without a name.

Yu Shanyuan was somewhat embarrassed at this moment. His salary was not high, he was ostracized by his colleagues and had no opportunity to embezzle, and he was also frustrated and liked to drink. Therefore, he didn't even have enough money to buy a set of "Commentaries on the Analects".

To put it bluntly, I'm broke; I can't even afford to give away books.