Top Scholar

Chapter 369 The Power of the Scholar

The newly appointed magistrate of Hejiang County is surnamed Hou. Unlike Magistrate Lu, Hou is a legitimate Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) who passed the imperial examination twice. He is young and ambitious and was originally somewhat arrogant.

In addition, the Su family was too close to Prefect Lu, so Magistrate Hou kept his distance. But after a few months, he discovered that although Prefect Lu had left, the gentry in the county still only listened to that old dog Lu Zhaoye.

He can't get anything done without Lu Zhaoye's approval.

On the contrary, the Su family was law-abiding and never abused their power to bully officials. Therefore, Magistrate Hou was eager to befriend the Su family and asked them to help ease the tension between the county magistrate and his grandfather.

But the Jinshi official had his own pride, and he couldn't just force his way in without a reason. He was just worrying about how to break the ice when he received an urgent report today that the two Su brothers in the county had both passed the imperial examination, and Su Lu had even become the first Jieyuan in Luzhou in this dynasty!
He could no longer care about being reserved and had no choice but to press himself against her.

It turned out that once you broke through that barrier, it wasn't so difficult after all...

After Magistrate Hou sat down, he tried to curry favor by presenting the county's congratulatory gifts: twenty taels of silver, a bolt of silk and satin, and two plaques inscribed with "Wen Kui" (a title for outstanding scholars).

This gift alone was far from enough, so he said to the old man, "The county has decided to build a memorial archway for your grandson, who will be the top scholar in the imperial examination. It will be built on the main street inside the East Gate, so that everyone can admire the demeanor of the top scholar as soon as they enter the city!"

Although the previous "Yellow Armored Scholar" title was of a higher rank, it ultimately had a shallow connection with Hejiang, so it was not appropriate to place it in a conspicuous place. It would be more suitable to place it outside the gate of the academy.

But Su Lu was different. His family was from Hejiang, and he took the county exam and attended the county school there. He was a genuine Hejiang native, so of course he had to be displayed in the most prominent place!
"This old man doesn't understand; it's all up to my parents to decide," Su Dacheng hurriedly said.

"Old sir, you are too modest. Your extensive knowledge and experience have enabled you to raise such outstanding children and grandchildren," Magistrate Hou said with an extremely humble attitude, and then asked with a forced smile.
"As for the material, generally, Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) use white marble, while Juren (successful candidates in the provincial imperial examinations) use bluestone. However, the Jieyuan (top scholar in the provincial imperial examinations) is exceptionally honorable and cannot be treated the same as Juren. Therefore, what I think is that we should also use white marble?"

"Won't this be too expensive?" Su Dacheng asked worriedly.

“No, not at all.” Magistrate Hou waved his hand and said, “This archway for the top scholar is not just for your grandson, but also for the glory of our county. It will continue to inspire future generations even a hundred years from now, so of course we cannot be careless.”

"As for the gate of your esteemed residence, the county will also be responsible for its reconstruction, so that it will conform to regulations." He then smiled at Su Dacheng and said, "This task will be entrusted to the bricklayers and stonemasons who build the archway. They certainly won't dare to do it carelessly, otherwise they can forget about building the archway!"

"During the construction period, the security of the prefecture will also be the responsibility of the county government," Magistrate Hou continued.
"I have already instructed Liu, the head of the militia, to send a team of constables to take turns guarding your residence. Anyone who dares to make noise, disturb, or harass your family members will be taken directly back to the county government and severely punished!"

"This is too much trouble..." The old man was flattered.

"No trouble at all. It is my duty to take good care of the old lady, so that the top scholar can continue to bring honor to our county without any worries!" Magistrate Hou said with a smile.

"If there is any neglect in the future, old man, just send someone to the county government to inform me, and I will resolve it immediately!"

"Furthermore, when your grandson is enshrined in the local shrine of worthy men, the county will also enshrine the old man and Minister Su together, so that they may be revered by all the people..."

The old man was completely bewildered. His parents were being far too thorough in their planning. He wasn't even dead yet, and they were already preparing to place him in the ancestral hall.

~~
The news of the Su brothers' high school admission spread like wildfire, quickly reaching Taiping Town along the winding Chishui River.

Since the Chishui River became navigable year-round, the town has become much more lively. The bustling scene of boats coming and going and warehouses lining the streets, which could only be seen during the dry season in previous years, is now a constant presence all year round.

The docks were packed with merchant ships, cargo ships, grain ships, and wine ships. The teahouses and restaurants along the street were thriving every day, and several new establishments of that kind of business opened up, greatly enriching the town's nightlife. It was a scene of prosperity for all industries!

As the saying goes, "When the big river is full, the tributaries are full," and the town's prosperity has doubled Sweet Water Restaurant's revenue...

Unfortunately, as the Su family's business grew larger and larger, the sweet water business in Erlang Town became increasingly insignificant.

The central building in town is still the Thousand Household Office, oh, now it's the Defender Thousand Household Office.

In the room where the deposit was signed.

Commander Ma sat imposingly in the grand chair at the head of the table, chewing on a betel leaf roll while listening to Su Youjin's report from beside him:
"Prefect Lu has already received the official documents from the Baoquan Bureau and the Salt Transport Office, and can now take the lead in conducting salt and copper trade with Guizhou."

"These two notes are worth a fortune!" Commander Ma exclaimed in surprise. "Has Prefect Lu become so powerful now?"

“He’s following…” Su Youjin’s voice shrilly. “…the path of…”

"I see," Commander Ma said with sudden realization. "No wonder he's a selected scholar; he'll take any route."

"He was driven to desperation by the garrison eunuchs. He barely managed to get through last year by selling everything he owned, and now they're pressuring him again this year," Su Youjin explained on behalf of Prefect Lu.
“These days, the fate of civil officials is decided by a single word from the eunuchs. Prefect Lu has worked his way up to this position over a decade ago, so of course he doesn’t want to lose it just like that.”

He said in a deep voice, "However, Prefect Lu guarantees that as long as enough silver is paid each year, no eunuchs will appear on the Chishui River."

"That's alright." Commander Ma breathed a sigh of relief. He was genuinely afraid that Taiping Town would also become the territory of eunuchs.

He then asked, "What did Prefect Lu ask you to do?"

“The salt and copper trade is naturally not something we can get involved in,” Su Youjin said in a deep voice. “But Prefect Lu said that the task of transporting goods to and from the area can be assigned to our Thousand Household Office and the River Works Office!”

Although the Chishui River project has been completed, it still requires annual dredging and maintenance. Therefore, the River Works Bureau has not only not been abolished, but has also established three River Works Offices to manage the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the river. Su Youjin is the co-director of the River Works Bureau and a member of the upper section River Works Office, responsible for all matters related to the maintenance, management, and navigation of the entire upper section of the river.

"Hiss..." Commander Ma's eyes lit up, he spat out the betel leaf roll in his mouth, and said in a deep voice:
"This is a lucrative job! A round trip by boat would surely yield a net profit of over a hundred taels of silver, right? We can also take our Erlang wine to Guizhou to sell, which is another sure-fire way to make money. Over the course of a year, it's no small sum!"

"That's exactly right!" Su Youjin nodded repeatedly, but then said with some uncertainty:
"But sir, this piece of fat meat is indeed tempting, but are we really capable of eating it? Don't end up working hard only to benefit others!"

"Yes, I, a mere commander of a thousand households, can't handle cross-provincial trade." Commander Ma sighed heavily, leaned back in his chair, and said sadly, "Sometimes I wonder, even though I've risen to the rank of a regional warlord, why am I still not enough?"

"Because we're military officers," Su Youjin said with a wry smile. "In Taiping Town, our words carry weight both on land and water. But once we step out of this territory and into the civil officials' domain, nothing works for us!"

"Sigh..." Commander Ma exhaled a long breath, gazing earnestly at Su Youjin:
"We can't count on you soldiers, we can only hope that you, the son of the Su family, can pass the imperial examination and come back with a title!"

He emphasized, "Only if they can obtain official positions will we dare to go all out and build a lasting legacy for our descendants!"

Clearly, Ma Qianhu felt he lacked the ability and did not want to get involved in the shipping business.

Su Youjin also agrees with earning money within one's means, but it's not just about money!

“Sir, if we don’t do this business, someone else will. Then there will be another dragon crossing the Chishui River!” He continued to persuade, “How can we tolerate someone else snoring beside our bed?”

"You little rascal, you're quite cultured," Commander Ma couldn't help but chuckle. "You're right about everything, but I'm not wrong either. Let's see how the provincial examination goes!"

He paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "As long as one person in your family passes the imperial examination, we'll do it!"

"If you don't have it, then forget it!" Su Youjin said in a deep voice.

"Haha, that's exactly what I mean!" Commander Ma laughed and nodded, then glanced at the almanac on the wall and said, "The results have been posted for two days now, haven't they?"

"Yes. The good news will be announced the day before the results are posted, so it will reach Luzhou on the day the results are posted. In two days, Youma should be bringing the news back to town," Su Youjin nodded.

“That’s today,” Ma Qianhu murmured.

"That's right..."

Before the words were finished, a rapid sound of horses' hooves came from outside the courtyard, followed by Su Youma's loud shouts:

“Big brother, big brother!”

"What's all the commotion about? What kind of behavior is this in a government office?" Su Youjin pushed open the door and scolded his third brother.

"Big brother! Qiu-ge'er has passed the provincial examination with top honors! Chun-ge'er has also passed the imperial examination!" Su Youma shouted to himself, wishing the whole town could hear.

"Really?!" Upon hearing this, Commander Ma rushed out with a lithe physique beyond his years, excitedly shouting even louder, "Our Commander's Office has produced a top scholar and a successful candidate in the provincial examination?!"

“Yes!” Su Youma proudly raised his head and said, “Absolutely true!”

"Oh my, the God of Literature and the God of Literature have actually descended to earth in our remote mountain village!" All the officers of the Thousand Households Garrison ran out, excitedly offering their congratulations, each one feeling honored.

"Thank God!"

"Congratulations, my dear nephew, no, congratulations, sir!" Commander Ma bowed deeply to Su Youjin, his manners impeccable.

Su Youjin opened his mouth wide, and after a long while, he said, "Help me up first, I'm a little dizzy..."

Ma Qianhu and his son Ma Baicheng quickly helped Su Youjin back into the house and sat him down in the main seat.

"This is the commander's seat, how can I sit here?" Su Youjin was just dizzy, his mind...

Still conscious.

"Hey, Lord Su, please take a seat, please take a seat!" Commander Ma pressed him into a seat and laughed loudly.

"From now on, our Taiping Town will be relying on your two masters!"

"We are counting on Lord Su and the two gentlemen!" All the officers below the rank of deputy commander bowed to Su Youjin and said that the incident was sudden and they were unprepared, but they would definitely make up for it with generous gifts later.

"What about our business?" Su Youjin looked at Commander Ma.

"We'll do as you say!" Commander Ma nodded emphatically, no longer hesitating.

P.S. I'll revise this later, please vote with your monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)