Top Scholar

Chapter 271 Grandmaster's Wrath

"Anyone who doesn't go is a coward!" The gentlemen then followed Instructor Hai and arrived in a grand procession at the county government gate.

When the guards saw so many scholars coming in with such a menacing air, they quickly reported to them and went inside while blocking their way, saying, "This is a restricted area of ​​the county government. You must submit a petition if you have something to report!"

"You all wait here," Hai Han said to the gentlemen. "If I don't come out in half an hour, I'll beat the drum!"

"Alright! We'll wait another half hour!" The gentlemen still gave Instructor Hai face.

Haihan then entered the yamen and went straight to the signing room in the back hall to prepare for the final negotiations.

Upon entering, they were immediately berated by Magistrate Lu: "What are you trying to do? Are you bringing them here to rebel?"

"They came to my house before dawn to demand their unpaid wages!" Haihan slammed his fist on the table, arguing with Magistrate Lu. "My rice jar is emptier than my face! Where am I supposed to pay them their wages?"

"You can't bring them here!" Magistrate Lu slammed his fist on the table and exclaimed, "Don't you have any respect for the law?!"

"They came to see the magistrate on their own initiative!" Hai Han shouted. "If I hadn't stopped them, they would have already started beating the grievance drum!"

As he spoke, he lowered his posture, cupped his hands, and said, "Sir, we can't delay any longer. This time, only about ten representatives came. What will happen if more than a hundred of them come next time?"

To be honest, Instructor Hai didn't have much hope. He had warned the county before, but Magistrate Lu completely ignored it, even sending people to check if the yamen had enough cangues, saying that if not, they'd make another batch, and then all those idiots would be canguesned and paraded in public...

But this time, Magistrate Lu couldn't maintain his composure. This was exactly what he feared most right now, so he muttered, "Who said I wouldn't give it to you?"

"The master himself said it yesterday, there's no way!" Hai Han said angrily.

"No door, but there are windows..." To everyone's surprise, Magistrate Lu made a complete turn and laughed, "I was just joking with you yesterday. Actually, I've already prepared the money for you."

“Yes, the old man has been keeping this in mind all along. After much effort, he finally managed to raise the money.” You Muyou then handed a signed and stamped withdrawal slip to Haihan and said, “Go to the household registration office to collect the money.”

"..." Hai Han took it and saw that it had all the seals, signatures and fingerprints, and the reason for the loan was clearly stated - to pay the outstanding salaries of the community school teachers this year.

It was clearly prepared long ago...

"If that's the case, why did the master say that yesterday?" He was completely dumbfounded.

"How about I give you a surprise?" Magistrate Lu said irritably. "Take the money and get out of here. Why, why, are you an idiot?"

"..." Haihan's face turned bright red.

You Muyou quickly pulled him away from the signing room and tried to smooth things over for Magistrate Lu, saying, "Actually, we only managed to gather the money last night, and we were thinking of giving it to you today. But you caused such a scene, how could the magistrate not be angry?"

"Sigh..." Hai Han knew that no official was afraid of being forced to resign, so he sighed and decided not to argue with Magistrate Lu.

After thanking You Muyou, he left the back office with the red paper money in his pocket.

As Haihan walked out, he suddenly remembered Su Lu's words: "Don't worry, if nothing unexpected happens, things will have changed when you return."

He couldn't help but marvel at Mr. Su's unparalleled foresight...

Little did they know, the master and servant in the signing room also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Luckily, Hongzhi tipped us off, otherwise we would have been in deep trouble today," Magistrate Lu said with lingering fear.

“Indeed, a little commotion wouldn’t be a big deal under normal circumstances, but times have changed, and we can’t afford to cause any trouble,” You Muyou said, deeply agreeing.

"Hongzhi is indeed a lucky star for this county!" Magistrate Lu exclaimed.

~~
Chengdu, the provincial capital, is located on the south side of the city, in front of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Street.

This wide avenue paved with bluestone, stretching from East Street in the north to Qingshiqiao Street in the south, was the seat of all the central government offices in Sichuan. From north to south, the offices of the Governor, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, and the Provincial Education Commissioner were arranged in succession!

Barricades were set up at every end of the street, and a large number of officers and soldiers were on guard day and night, so that no unauthorized personnel could get close!
At this moment, a procession of ceremonial guards led an eight-bearer sedan chair to the entrance of the street in front of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office.

Behind the "Silence and Avoidance" sign, the official title plaque clearly read "Right Provincial Administration Commissioner of Sichuan and Other Places," a "Second Rank Official." It was obvious that the Provincial Governor was arriving, and the soldiers guarding the provincial government office quickly let him pass.

The provincial governor's sedan chair went straight into the provincial education office.

Upon hearing of Du Fantai's arrival, Xiao Chong, the Vice Commissioner of Education of Sichuan, hurriedly went out to greet him.

After the two high-ranking officials in scarlet robes exchanged greetings according to their ranks, Xiao Chong invited Governor Du inside for tea. "If Governor Du has any requests, he can simply send someone to summon me," Xiao Chong said politely. "How could I trouble you, sir, to come in person?"

"Ah, Brother Ling Han is an imperial envoy, so it is only right that I, a local official, come to pay my respects," said Governor Du politely.

"You flatter me, Your Excellency," Xiao, the Provincial Education Commissioner, said with a smile. However, Provincial Education Commissioner Du was right; the Provincial Education Commissioner was an imperial envoy dispatched by the central government to each province to oversee education. His term of office was only three years, and he would return to the capital after each provincial examination, with no possibility of being retained.

Moreover, most of the time they had to travel to the prefectures and counties, and could only stay in the provincial capital for a few days at most. Therefore, the provincial education officials were generally not very approachable and deliberately kept their distance from local officials.

"The preliminary examinations for all the prefectures and counties have concluded. Next, the Grand Masters will take the examinations at the Imperial Academy." Governor Du explained his purpose and said, "I wonder if you have made your travel arrangements, my brother? I hope you can ensure that the prefectures and counties make adequate preparations in advance so as not to delay your important matter."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Excellency. I just drafted a proposal yesterday and am about to discuss it with you."

Xiao Tixue nodded, signaling his attendant to bring the documents from his desk. He took a look at them, then presented them to Governor Du with both hands, saying, "Please take a look, Governor. If there is anything inappropriate, please do not hesitate to speak up."

"Alright, let me see." Governor Du took it and opened the schedule for the provincial examination prepared by the Education Bureau. The first stop was undoubtedly Chengdu, with the registration scheduled for April 30 and the examination to begin on May 1.

This is exactly what the question should mean. Governor Du nodded, turned to the next page, and suddenly his gaze sharpened. He asked in confusion, "Why is the second stop Luzhou? There are many prefectures between Luzhou and Chengdu. In previous years, it would have been arranged after August."

"Yes, in principle we should proceed from the nearest to the farthest, examining each prefecture and county one by one. But this time the situation is special. This court needs to go to Luzhou first to deal with a serious disciplinary incident!" Xiao Tixue explained, "So this arrangement was made, going the long way around instead of the nearest, which has caused trouble for you and the local area."

"What matter is so serious that it has made you break with long-standing rules, my worthy brother?" Governor Du asked curiously.

"Someone reported that in the first round of the Luzhou provincial examination, Prefect Jia Xuan actually decided the top score based on just a draft!" The Provincial Education Commissioner said angrily, "At that time, the exam had only been going on for less than half an hour, and the candidates hadn't even written a single word on their papers! Yet he dared to decide the top score directly!"

"This is utterly lawless and unheard of!" he exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table. "If this isn't dealt with seriously, won't the nation's grand plan to recruit talented individuals become a complete farce?!"

"Brother, calm down," Governor Du said with a smile. "Our office receives at least a thousand reports every year, but only about half of them are verified. The whistleblowers may be acting out of personal grudges, deliberately exaggerating or fabricating facts."

"The whistleblower said that the whole of Luzhou knows about this, and our court can find out by asking any examinee," Xiao Tixue said angrily. "Don't worry, I won't wrong Prefect Jia, but I will absolutely not tolerate this kind of abuse of power!"

"..." Governor Du hadn't expected Xiao, the Provincial Education Commissioner, to be so angry, but he could understand. After all, the Provincial Education Commissioner wasn't the proper superior of the prefectural or county officials, and what he feared most was that those arrogant and domineering officials like the Marquis of Baili and the Duke of Qianli wouldn't take him seriously.

In that case, the provincial examination would become a joke due to collusion and corruption among local officials, and might even ruin the future of the provincial education commissioner.

Knowing that direct persuasion would only backfire at this point, he smiled and said, "I've also heard of a similar story. It's said that during the county-level examination in Hejiang, a county under Luzhou, the magistrate of Hejiang also determined the top scorer in the first round, and that was without even looking at the other candidates' papers..."

"Although not as extreme as Jia Xuan's actions, the nature of the problem is the same," said Xiao Tixue with a dark face. "It's clear that the unhealthy trends in Luzhou have reached a point where they absolutely must be addressed!"

"Oh, by the way, what's the name of the top scholar appointed by Prefect Jia?" asked Governor Du.

"It seems to be called Su something..." Xiao Tixue thought for a moment, but couldn't remember.

"Is his name Su Lu?" Governor Du asked again.

"Yes, that's the name!" Xiao Tixue nodded and said, "Has Governor Du also heard of him?"

"Yes, because the county magistrate of Hejiang selected him as the top scholar in the county examination!" Governor Du said with a smile.

"Oh?" Xiao Tixue frowned, sensing that things weren't as simple as he had thought. "Who is this Su Lu, the nephew of some important figure, that even the prefect and magistrate are fawning over him like this?"

“He is a mountain boy from a military family.” Du Fantai laughed and said, “His father was an old scholar who had taken the county examination more than ten times, and his grandfather was a centurion who was dismissed from his post.”

He jokingly asked, "Is this background strong enough?"

"Brother, you jest." Xiao Tixue's expression softened slightly, but he looked at Du Fantai with increasing confusion and said, "How do you know so much about this person?"

"Because this child is the creator of 'phonetic symbols,' the Grand Chancellor is seriously considering whether to promote it throughout the province, so of course I need to know the relevant information," said Governor Du with a smile.

"I see..." Xiao, the provincial education commissioner, had been in Sichuan for a year and a half, just in time to promote the phonetic symbols at the same time as Magistrate Lu. Later, the prefecture and the military commissioner both submitted reports to the province, detailing the miraculous effects of this method. They said they had personally witnessed it enabling illiterate children to learn to read and write within two months.

At that time, the late emperor was still alive, and both the Grand Chancellor and the Provincial Governors attached great importance to this law, even asking him to consult on it together. After repeated verification, it was confirmed that this law was genuine and not a deception.

The two officials were overjoyed and had already submitted their memorials, but then the late emperor passed away... and the matter was lost forever, indefinitely shelved.

P.S. I haven't had time to check the next chapter yet...

(End of this chapter)