Top Scholar

Chapter 106 The Origin of the Name Su Lu

Daonan Hall, in the headmaster's study.

"Therefore, the strength of a country's imperial power can be measured by its tax collection capacity. A strong tax collection capacity means more wealth at its disposal, and thus, greater imperial power! Conversely, a weak tax collection capacity also means less wealth." Su Lu said, then asked quietly, "How much tax did the Song Dynasty collect, and how much does our dynasty collect? How dare you compare them?"

“That’s different.” Zhu Liu was going to take the imperial examination, and the last exam was a policy essay. Naturally, he needed to be well-versed in national politics and wouldn’t be easily refuted by Su Lu.

"The tax system of this dynasty was established by Emperor Taizu. Unlike the previous dynasty, it adopts a system of initial transport and retention. In short, a portion of the local tax revenue is supplied to the nearby garrisons and border towns, while the remainder is used directly by the local government offices. Local governments only need to report their accounts clearly to the Ministry of Revenue. There is no need to send the money and grain to the imperial granary first, as was the case in the previous dynasty, and then have the court transport them to various places. This greatly saves on transportation costs, which is convenient for both officials and the people. It is truly a benevolent policy of Emperor Taizu."

"If you're so capable, why have you only received half your official salary for so many years?" Su Lu's probing question stumped Zhu Shanzhang once again. He could only offer vague statements like, "It's for the sake of promoting the paper money," and "The difficulties are only temporary," things he himself didn't believe.

Finally, Zhu Liu smiled wryly and said, "Well, this ancestral system is indeed problematic. The country is short of money everywhere, and officials' salaries can't even be paid. The Emperor is leading by example in frugality, not only stopping all procurement but also limiting the daily imperial meals to only four dishes and a soup. Even when Empress Zhang wanted to buy a new embroidered gold cloak, he dissuaded her, saying, 'If the palace's expenses are reduced by a penny, the people's burden will be lessened.'"

He sighed and said, "But the problem is that the burden on the people has not only not lessened, but has become even heavier."

"If the emperor is poor and the people are poor, then who is truly rich?" Su Lu asked quietly.

"Well..." Zhu Liu's expression changed and he said, "Stop, stop, don't say any more."

He then steered the conversation back to Su Lu's article, saying, "Believe it or not, this article can help you stand out!"

"This disciple finds it hard to believe," Su Lu said, shaking his head.

“Alas, some things are too early to tell not only Zihe, but also too early to tell you.” Zhu Liu pondered for a long time and said, “In short, you must stand firm on this point and not take another step forward. Since you have studied the Doctrine of the Mean, you should know the principle of moderation, which is as bad as excess. I should not need to teach you it again.”

"Yes, disciple will keep the headmaster's teachings in mind." Su Lu then understood where the red line was in the headmaster's eyes.

The red thread doesn't belong to the emperor, but to...

~~
Emerging from the headmaster's room, Su Lu sped off. He knew his family would be waiting for him for dinner, and since it was already late, he couldn't afford to be late...

He didn't even notice that Zhu was standing under the corridor, waiting to talk to him.

"Don't be so smug..." Zhu Zihe's words were cut short as Su Lu had already vanished. Enraged, Zhu Zihe snorted and turned to enter the study, where he questioned his uncle with a wronged expression:
"Am I no longer worthy to share a spit with him?"

"Huh? Hahaha!" Zhu Liu was stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening, then burst into laughter: "Finally convinced, are you?"

"That's what my uncle thinks." The boy's eyes were filled with tears; he had never been so humiliated before.

And the person who humiliated him was his own uncle...

"You're overthinking it. I'm doing this for your own good." Zhu Liu felt he had achieved his goal of bringing his nephew to the mountains. He took out a handkerchief and handed it to him, saying gently, "People aren't plants or trees; it's inevitable to have different degrees of closeness. Can even the most outstanding disciple be more important than the nephew you raised?"

"Then why won't you let me hear it?" Zhu Zihe said, feeling even more aggrieved, and sobbed.

"Because you are still too young, being exposed to certain things too early will do more harm than good," Zhu Liu said earnestly.

“He’s the same age as me,” Zhu Zihe said.

"The difference between people cannot be judged by age. Su Lu is exceptionally intelligent and far surpasses his peers. He is born with the ability to have a broad perspective and grasp the essentials, which even the prodigy Yang cannot match," Zhu Liu said in a deep voice.

"Uncle speaks of him so highly?" Zhu Zihe couldn't help but raise his voice. In his mind, Yang Shen was an unattainable figure, the kind he wouldn't even be jealous of.

"Of course, but his literary talent still can't compare to Yang the Prodigy's. They each have their strengths." Zhu Liu then softened his assessment to avoid making a fool of himself in the future.

As he just said, talent alone is not enough to pass the imperial examinations; one also needs "the right time and the right circumstances." Therefore, Yang Shen's passing the imperial examinations was a certainty, and he even had a chance to challenge for the top spot.

As for Su Lu, whether he can pass the imperial examination at the county level is still uncertain...

The two were far too different in terms of their circumstances. Therefore, he dared not guarantee that Su Lu would be able to be compared to Yang Shen in the future.

But in Zhu Zihe's view, Su Lu and Yang Shen each had their own strengths, which was already quite remarkable. He couldn't help but complain to his uncle, "Why didn't you tell me sooner, Uncle? I wouldn't have been constantly arguing with him."

"My opinion of him has gradually improved to where it is today." Zhu Liu glanced at his nephew, whose arrogance had completely vanished, and said, "Besides, even if I told you, would you be convinced?"

"I definitely have to go up against him." Zhu Zihe sighed. "He was no match for me at first, but he has improved so fast that I can't keep up with him in the blink of an eye."

"It's your good fortune to be able to share a trough with a thoroughbred horse." Zhu Liu finally told the truth: "Originally, I brought you to Taiping Town just to temper your mind and let you observe the world firsthand and understand the principles of things. But I was also worried that you would become too complacent if you had no rivals, so I also need to give you some extra training."

"Yes. I did go through that phase." Zhu Zihe said with shame, "It was the appearance of... Brother Su that made me tense again, and I dared not slack off in the slightest."

"A virtuous person in one's village befriends another virtuous person in one's village; a virtuous person in one's country befriends another virtuous person in one's country." You have actually met a future national hero in your own village, so I say this is your good fortune. Zhu Liu said earnestly to his nephew:

"You are fortunate to have such a senior brother as a role model and to be able to ask him for advice from time to time. You should cherish it, Zihe."

“But I’ve already offended him…” Zhu Zihe said with difficulty.

"Haha, if he were to hold a grudge against you, how could he deserve my praise?" Zhu Liu reassured him, "You are the same in his eyes as I am in his eyes, he won't hold it against you."

"Am I still just a child in his eyes?" Zhu Zihe asked shyly. "What do you think?" Zhu Liu laughed heartily, reciting a poem on the spot:

"A thousand kinds of fate are formed by nature, and a great bird can be found deep in the wilderness."

Together we gradually grasped the art of soaring through the clouds, and together rode the long winds to the Jade Capital!

~~
As darkness fell, 'Kunpeng' flew home, and sure enough, he was waiting for dinner.

Tonight, in addition to the usual vegetables and tofu, my aunt also used the leftover ingredients from yesterday to make steamed taro with cured pork.

Cut taro into chunks and place them at the bottom of an earthenware bowl. Cover with slices of cured pork and sprinkle with a little Sichuan peppercorn salt for flavor. Then place the earthenware bowl in a steamer for cooking rice. With the heat from the steaming rice, slowly steam the taro until the fat from the cured pork seeps into it. The sweetness of the taro then balances the saltiness of the cured pork, making the taro soft, sticky, and savory.

It's so delicious with rice and millet, it's intoxicating.

The only drawback is that the mixed rice uses sorghum and millet instead of regular rice, so the texture is a bit rough.

"Wife, let's replace the sorghum with rice. We can afford it now." My uncle has been eating and drinking well every day outside, and his tastes have become increasingly picky.

"What's wrong with you?" The old man, who was enjoying his meal, rolled his triangular eyes upon hearing this.

“Father is right.” Aunt nodded vigorously and said, “There’s still more than half a vat of sorghum left; we can’t waste it.”

"Just feed the chickens," the uncle said. "That way they can lay more eggs and provide some nutrition for the old and the young."

"Show-off!" The old man rolled his eyes again.

“That won’t do,” Auntie asserted. “How can you feed chickens with food meant for humans? If you waste food, the Kitchen God will complain.”

"Uncle, the food is already very good now," Su Lu said, unusually speaking up for his aunt.
"This is nothing more than what I had always dreamed of."

"Hey, eating this won't make you tired," the old lady nodded in agreement.

"I'd be happy to eat it every day," even Little Jinbao chimed in.

"Alright, alright, never mind." The uncle quickly raised his hands in surrender. "I was just thinking of giving you a little something better, and you don't even appreciate it."

"Virtue!" The old man gave a triple assessment.

“There are many places in the family where money is needed. Let’s save up more before we talk about it.” Auntie said, then said to Su Lu, “Qiu-ge’er, I’ll give you some money after dinner. It gets dark early in the future, so you should eat and stay at the academy.”

"Alright, thank you, Auntie." Su Lu nodded happily. Now that his second brother is busy all day and not at home, there is much less to memorize, and he doesn't need to use the 'sleep memory method' much anymore. Boarding at school is indeed more convenient.

"It just means I won't be able to eat Auntie's cooking anymore," he said regretfully.

"Hahaha! That's what your older brother said back then." Auntie was very proud when she heard this. "Don't worry, when it gets colder and things are a bit better at home, I'll bring you plenty of good food. I guarantee you won't miss home for eight days."

"Why eight days instead of nine?" Su Lu asked, trying to sound amused.

"Because you came back on the ninth day!" Auntie said proudly.

"Auntie is so thoughtful!" Su Lu exclaimed.

With just a few words, he had his aunt completely charmed, and she started pickling all sorts of side dishes for him overnight...

~~
Before the evening music lesson, Su Lu told his father that Magistrate Lu was going to visit Lin Academy.

Upon hearing this, the old man gritted his teeth, wishing he could ambush that old dog on the way.

Su Lu then told his father about the gossip the headmaster had told him, and asked, "Is that county magistrate really that superstitious?"

"Absolutely!" Su Youcai nodded emphatically. "Do you know why your father always failed the county-level examination?"

Su Lu thought to himself, "I not only know, I know three reasons," but he still nodded and asked cooperatively, "Why?"

"Because he thinks my name is unlucky!" Su Youcai indeed gave a fourth reason.

"What's so unlucky about it?" Su Lu didn't react for a moment.

“Think about it,” Su Youcai said with a wry smile, “the name ‘Su Youcai’ sounds like ‘losing with talent’… No matter how talented you are, you will still lose. How could Master Lu, whose career is in turmoil, not be wary of my name?”

"I see." Su Lu thought to herself, "They've made it sound quite convincing." Then, a hint of worry crept in, and she asked, "And what about my name?"

"Don't worry, I specially designed your name for good luck," Su Youcai said confidently.
"Su Lu, Su Lu, hurry up and get admitted, hurry up and receive your reward! The county magistrate will be too busy admiring you to even think about it!"

(End of this chapter)