Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 29 Heading to Chengdu
He closed his eyes and took the first spoonful. The boiling hot soup made the tip of his tongue numb, but what followed was the unique deliciousness of mutton, mixed with the spiciness of dogwood, which exploded in his mouth.

The meat was stewed until it was soft and almost melted in the mouth. The oil that seeped out from the fibers blended perfectly with the wheat rice. Every bite was an ultimate enjoyment for him who had not tasted meat for a long time.

Then he scooped some tofu with a spoon, dipped it in some soup and put it into his mouth. The aroma of beans and meat intertwined on the tip of his tongue. It was so tender and smooth that he almost didn't need to chew.

"Honestly, Brother Lu," Zhang Sheng lowered his voice and leaned forward. "How did you do it? Jumping straight from 198th to 9th? You didn't see the faces of He Cong and his gang. They looked like they'd eaten a fly."

Lu Beigu swallowed the food in his mouth and thought for a moment: "Actually, there is no secret. The key to practicing calligraphy is to memorize more. I go through the different parts of the Analects every morning. As for Mo Yi, I need to put more effort into understanding it."

Lu Guangyu said, "Thanks to Brother Lu, I didn't waste my time during the Cold Food Festival holiday. My scores on this ten-day test improved a lot compared to the last time, and my ranking went from 32nd to 24th."

"Yes, morning reading is also very effective these days."

Zhang Sheng agreed, "When I was taking the sutra exam today, as soon as I saw the familiar characters, I immediately memorized them in my mind."

Meimei enjoyed a sumptuous lunch. Just when Lu Beigu was about to go back to take a nap with a bulging belly, a clerk suddenly walked into the dining room.

"Lu Beigu? Pack your things and follow me to the county government office to see the magistrate."

In the front hall of Hejiang County Government Office, Li Pan was reading an official document.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Lu Beigu had some difficulty bending down to salute.

Li Pan nodded slightly: "I heard that you did well in the ten-day test this time?"

"Thanks to your teachings, I am fortunate to have made some progress."

"A fluke?" Li Pan chuckled and picked up a document from the desk. "The principal reported that you were ranked B-A in Classics, B-B in Mo Yi, and ninth overall. From the bottom to the top ten, if this was all just luck, then wouldn't all the over 200 students in the county school be useless?"

Lu Beigu didn't expect that Li Pan knew the specific results so quickly. Just as he was about to answer, he saw Li Pan take out a letter from the side of the desk. The wax seal was stamped with a seal he didn't recognize.

Lu Beigu silently calculated the time in his mind. If Li Pan had previously sent people to go by land and return by water, the round trip would only take just over ten days, which means he was basically moving at full speed without a moment's rest.

"Mr. Zhang values ​​your suggestion very much. After I finish my official duties, please come with me to Chengdu Prefecture. I have already made arrangements for you at the county school."

"Mr. Zhang?" Lu Beigu showed surprise at the right time.

It's okay for common people to compliment a scholar by calling him "sir", but if the county magistrate says "sir", it's no joke. The person who can bear this title must be a person of high position and power.

"Well, have you heard of Zhang Fangping, the Minister of Revenue and the Prefect of Chengdu?"

Let’s put aside the confusing official system of the Song Dynasty for now. After all, not only modern people are confused, even the people of the Song Dynasty themselves might not be able to figure out the differences between officials such as casual officials, salaried officials, positions, assignments, honors, and titles.

Here we will only talk about two things that people can understand quickly, namely "official" and "dispatch".

"Official" refers to your official rank, meaning your salary is based on your level of salary. "Assignment" refers to what you actually do, which determines how much power you have.

Zhang Fangping was appointed as the prefect of Chengdu with the treatment of an assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue. In the Song Dynasty, although prefectures, prefectures, prefectures and military prefectures were theoretically at the same administrative level, ordinary places were basically prefectures, and only important places had prefectures, such as the Kaifeng prefecture in the capital, and the Jiangning prefecture where Renzong was granted the title.

Chengdu, as the heart of Sichuan, was promoted from Yizhou to Chengdu Prefecture in the second year of Baoyuan in the reign of Emperor Renzong. It has been 17 years since then. The court has always sent senior officials to govern the affairs of Chengdu Prefecture and to be in charge of the southwest.

Oh, if one is an official of the second rank or above, or holds the title of Zhongshu or Privy Councilor, he is called "Judge of Chengdu Prefecture".

Because the "Lu" of the Song Dynasty at that time actually still had the nature of a supervisory area and had not formally evolved into an administrative district, the prefect of Chengdu actually had a huge influence on the entire Sichuan.

"Never heard of it." Lu Beigu pretended to be stupid.

Of course he had heard of the characters mentioned in "History of Song Dynasty", but his understanding of them was not particularly in-depth. In addition, the records of Zhang Fangping's resume and tenure in office in "History of Song Dynasty" were quite vague, so he had not reacted before.

"Back when Li Yuanhao rebelled and established himself, Prime Minister Zhang wrote the 'Ten Strategies for Subduing the Enemy', saying: 'The defenses of the enemy's lair must be weak; it's best to roll up your armor and march on them.' Unfortunately, Prime Minister Lü Yijian failed to implement his plan. The Xia army launched an all-out attack on the border, leaving our army on the defensive and suffering a crushing defeat at the Battle of Sanchuankou."

Li Pan introduced Lu Beigu slowly.

"Later, Zhang Xianggong was sent as an envoy to the Liao Kingdom as a minister. After returning, he served as the Imperial Edicts Director, Kaifeng Prefect, and Chief Censor. He was promoted to the rank of Sansi Envoy, responsible for rectifying the Hebei Salt Administration. Due to some issues, he has been demoted and exiled for many years. I heard that there are some developments in the court, and Zhang Xianggong will probably be reinstated next year."

To be reinstated to his original position means to be the Minister of the Three Departments again.

The Former Tang Dynasty established the Salt and Iron Department, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Households, collectively known as the "Three Departments". The Song Dynasty followed the Tang system, and this system was inherited by the Great Song Dynasty.

The Three Commissioners were in charge of the national finances and were called "Prime Ministers". Their status was second only to the Prime Minister of the Secretariat and the Privy Councilor of the Privy Council. They were decision-makers in the financial system of the Song Dynasty. Their powers included tax collection, military supply deployment, treasury management, etc. It can be said that they were extremely powerful.

If one could gain the appreciation of such a high-ranking figure who is about to be promoted, then one's future would indeed be limitless.

"I've contributed to the 'Ten Strategies for Subduing the Enemy' and rectified the Hebei Salt Administration. No wonder Magistrate Li is so sure my strategy will be appreciated by this person."

Everything suddenly became clear.

Seeing that Lu Beigu understood, Li Pan didn't waste any words. He dealt with the documents in his hand and took Lu Beigu out of the county government office.

The two close followers could ride horses all the way to Chengdu Prefecture, but Lu Beigu did not know how to ride a horse, so the means of transportation chosen for this trip was a horse-drawn carriage.

As the magistrate of Hejiang, Li Pan's rank was not high in the entire Song Dynasty, but he was the head of a county after all, and his travel was subject to regulations.

The carriage they rode in was not the simple carriage commonly seen among the people, but a lacquered wooden carriage. It was painted black, with copper-plated corners and curtains made of indigo-colored coarse cloth embroidered with simple twined branch patterns.

The carriage is not big and can accommodate two people sitting opposite each other or leaning against each other. It has built-in cushions to slightly reduce the pain of bumps.

(End of this chapter)