Catching Monsters

Chapter 667 The Day of Sacrifice to the Saints

In the Imperial Study at dusk, Xiao Jingzhi had been quite relaxed these past few days.

Now that the rebels in the southwest have been completely wiped out, many things are no longer so important.

Although he was diligent, he was not like his father, Emperor Xiao Yuzheng, who had the energy to make decisions on both big and small matters.

"Your Majesty, Lord Jiang has returned and brought you a gift."

Inside the study, Xiao Jingzhi was having dinner.

He has a good habit in this respect; he is not extravagant and wasteful. He simply eats eight meat dishes, eight vegetable dishes, and two servings of broth.

After all, he was quite diligent in his duties, so he could just make do with whatever he could find in the Imperial Study.

Upon hearing this, he put down his chopsticks and bowl and said, "Brother Jiang is back. Please come in."

Soon, Jiang Yun strode in from outside the door.

"Brother Jiang, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Come and have a bite to eat." Xiao Jingzhi warmly pulled Jiang Yun to the table.

Jiang Yun didn't stand on ceremony. Of course, he had brought a generous gift worth two hundred thousand taels of silver. What was a meal to him?

After sitting down, an extra set of bowls and chopsticks was added, and Xiao Jingzhi curiously inquired about Jiang Yun's itinerary for this trip.

Jiang Yun ate her meal while recounting her story.

Of course, the corruption of the local prefect Chen Qilang was omitted, and only the deeds of Zhou Hanshan were mentioned.

Hearing what Jiang Yun said, Xiao Jingzhi frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "This Zhou Hanshan colluded with evil spirits and sold smuggled salt. It's too good for him to die like this."

After Jiang Yun chuckled, he got down to business: "This search has yielded a great deal of results. There's no need to elaborate on the many land deeds of Zhou Hanshan's family."

"There are also two hundred thousand taels of gold and silver, and silver notes."

"Regarding the land deeds, I've decided to hand them over directly to the Ministry of Revenue. As for the gold and silver, I've already taken people to transport them to His Majesty's private treasury."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingzhi's eyes lit up slightly, but he still said in a low voice, "According to procedure, this should be given to the Ministry of Revenue. Giving it directly to me is not quite right."

"The whole country belongs to His Majesty. What difference does it make whether this money is in the Ministry of Revenue or in His Majesty's hands?" Jiang Yun replied with a smile.

“That makes sense.” Xiao Jingzhi felt a surge of joy.

You should know that emperors also spend a lot of money.

It's impossible to transfer money from the Ministry of Revenue without restraint; throughout history, only those notoriously incompetent rulers would have done such a thing.

After all, the Ministry of Revenue's funds are subject to fixed budgets; if the emperor were to take them away at will, some places would be short of money.

The imperial treasury, with a fixed allocation from the Ministry of Revenue each year, and the royal lands and royal properties, were the emperor's legitimate sources of income.

"By the way, there's something else I'd like to discuss with Brother Jiang," Xiao Jingzhi said. "I wonder if you'd be interested in the commander of the Tongyou Guard."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun was slightly taken aback and said, "Your Majesty, this is not a good idea. I am already the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. It would be inappropriate for me to also serve as the commander of the Tongyou Guard."

"Look at what you're saying." Xiao Jingzhi poured Jiang Yun a cup of tea: "Brother Jiang, the person I trust most is you. Moreover, in terms of ability and methods, you are the most suitable candidate."

Hearing this, Jiang Yun was also slightly tempted.

This is the organization that controls the strongest organization in the Zhou Kingdom.

The Tongyou Guard is full of experts; to be able to mobilize so many people...

Jiang Yun was just about to agree.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Jingzhi continued, "However, ancestral precepts are hard to disobey. Here's what I've planned out."

"Don't leave the capital during this time. Stay home and have a baby."

"Once your wife becomes pregnant, you will be castrated and officially take charge of the Tongyou Guard."

"In that case, I will no longer have to worry about the Tongyou Guard..."

Jiang Yun coughed and slowly said, "Your Majesty, I still believe that the great responsibility of the Tongyou Guard is too difficult for Your Majesty to undertake. Please choose another wise and capable person."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingzhi sighed.

He also knew that Jiang Yun probably wouldn't easily undergo castration.

But things are not going well right now. Xiao Jingzhi said helplessly, "It seems that I have no choice but to go to the imperial mausoleum and ask Eunuch Qin to come out of seclusion again."

There were indeed many eunuchs in the palace who underwent castration, but very few were truly capable, let alone those who commanded the Tongyou Guard.

Jiang Xing was certainly loyal to him, but he lacked the strength to command respect.

Seeing Xiao Jingzhi's worried expression, Jiang Yun ate a few bites of food and then got up to say goodbye.

I'll stay, just in case Xiao Jingzhi lets me continue to command the Tongyou Guard...

Well, I'd better get out of here quickly.

After leaving the palace, Jiang Yun went straight back to the Jiang residence.

As soon as I returned to the courtyard, I saw Xu Suwen selecting fabrics inside.

"Husband, you're back?" Xu Suwen looked up and saw Jiang Yun, her eyes lighting up with joy. She then said, "You're back just in time. I was choosing fabrics."

"In a few days, it will be the day of the Qiaoqiao Academy's major exam, and it will also be the day of the Renyi Academy's sacrificial ceremony."

"If you have time, let's go and join in the fun."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun asked with some curiosity, "The day of the holy sacrifice? The grand examination?"

At this moment, Jiang Yun also recalled his limited knowledge of Confucianism.

Within the academy, students would take a major exam every year on the day of the sacrificial ceremony.

Firstly, it was a way to worship the sage, and secondly, it was a test of the students' knowledge.

Of course, such events are usually held inside the five major academic palaces.

Previously, impoverished scholars living far away were naturally not eligible to participate.

However, on this day, colleges in various places would give some meat to poor students.

"I'll be staying in the capital for the next few days, so there shouldn't be anything to do."

Upon hearing this, Xu Suwen's face lit up with joy: "That's good, wait a moment." She took a measuring tape and personally measured Jiang Yun's size: "I'll have someone make you a new set of clothes. You can't go there wearing your official robes, can you?"

"Turn around."

Jiang Yun turned around and said, "By the way, could you help me find some shops in the inner city these days? I'm planning to invest in opening a roast duck shop and a rouge shop."

Upon hearing this, Xu Suwen asked curiously, "What's wrong with you? Do you want to start a business?"

"A promise made to someone."

Jiang Yun then revealed that he had taken on another disciple.

Upon hearing Jiang Yun's words, Xu Suwen's face lit up with joy, and she said, "You've found that reincarnated Celestial Master?"

"We're lucky," Jiang Yun said with a smile. "We need to arrange two shops for his companions."

“Okay, I’ll take care of it.” Xu Suwen nodded.

Afterwards, Jiang Yun accompanied Xu Suwen as they selected fabrics in the courtyard.

The next morning, Xu Suwen went out and took the things Jiang Yun asked her to do very seriously.

Of course, shops are not hard to find. There are many shops below the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. You can just pick a couple when you get home.

She even went to the Sanqing Temple to reveal her identity, and then took Tian San and Dongfang Yao for a stroll in the inner city.

He led the two of them to choose a shop.

On the way, Xu Suwen was secretly surprised by Dongfang Yao's appearance.

She's probably just as good as Feng Beier.

Pedestrians on the street stopped to watch when they saw it.

Some people even tried to ask the girl her name.

Before these people could even get close, they were driven away by the servants of the Marquis's mansion brought by Xu Suwen.

"Miss Yao, Uncle Tian, ​​did you see any shops you liked?" Xu Suwen asked with a smile.

Tian San smiled awkwardly, somewhat speechless.

The shops in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion are all in prime locations where land is incredibly valuable. Wouldn't it be a waste of his talents to use them to open a roast duck restaurant?

"The Marquis's wife can choose any room she likes; we're not picky," Tian San said.

Dongfang Yao nodded, clearly agreeing with that.

“Alright, then I’ll make the decision myself.” Xu Suwen smiled and then said, “I’ll have the housekeeper arrange all the distribution channels for you, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

Xu Suwen could tell that the two were a little nervous, so she took them for another stroll around the capital and bought them a lot of things.

Dongfang Yao and Tian San were not greedy; they only chose the cheapest option.

……

Jiang Yun has finally had some free time these past few days, and he enjoys spending time alone with Xu Suwen.

Xu Suwen accompanied Jiang Yun to visit various Sanqing Temples in the capital.

Jiang Yun couldn't stop grinning as he looked at all the Sanqing Temples in the capital. Xu Suwen, however, was curious and asked, "Husband, you've been grinning for days. Are these Sanqing Temples that important to you?"

“Of course.” Jiang Yun nodded, then slowly said, “Consider it my promise to my master and to the Three Pure Ones.”

One cannot live a life solely for money, wealth, and status.

Jiang Yun no longer lacks these things; promoting Taoist teachings is a spiritual sustenance for him.

If I were to die someday, and if I could see the Three Pure Ones, I could at least hold my head high.

Soon, the day of the academy's sacrificial ceremony arrived.

It was also the day of Jiang Qiaoqiao's big exam.

Early in the morning, the family rode in a horse-drawn carriage and slowly headed towards the Renyi Academy.

Jiang Qiaoqiao was still eating two pancakes in her hand.

"It's a big exam today, aren't you going to take a look at the questions?" Jiang Yun asked curiously.

Xu Suwen, standing to the side, said with a smile, "The questions for today's exam were secretly hinted at by the Confucian scholars at the academy a few days ago, and Qiaoqiao has already reviewed the general direction..."

"That Confucian scholar's younger brother has practiced martial arts and wants to join the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I have already sent someone to speak to Dong Qiaofeng about it."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun nodded, while Jiang Qiaoqiao, who was standing next to her, said, "Sister-in-law, didn't I tell you? I already know all the exam questions in the academy."

"You don't need to go out of your way to do things for the Confucian scholars at the academy and ask them to provide the exam questions."

Xu Suwen raised her hand and tapped her forehead, saying, "Whether you can or not, you should always do others a favor."

"Could it be that you'll need someone's help later?"

"The exam questions are secondary; the main thing is whether you can receive the saint's baptism during the sacrificial ceremony," Xu Suwen said solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun asked curiously, "A baptism by a sage?"

Xu Suwen was somewhat puzzled: "You didn't know? Hmm, that makes sense. Although you were a scholar before, it's normal that you didn't hear about these things in Nanzhou Prefecture."

"On this day of worshipping the saint, every academy will hold a large-scale worship ceremony for the saint's image."

"Every ten years or so, a baptism of saints will occur."

"The physical strength of those who are baptized by the saint will be greatly enhanced."

"At that time, based on their position, whoever is closer to the image of the saint will receive more baptisms."

Jiang Yun's eyes lit up slightly, somewhat surprised: "There's such a thing?"

"Otherwise, why do you think Confucianism produces so many masters? Taoism and Buddhism simply can't compare," Xu Suwen said.

As they talked, the carriage slowly arrived outside the Renyi Academy.

Countless carriages were already parked here, clearly indicating that many students and their families had arrived.

(End of this chapter)