Top Scholar

Chapter 435 Arrival in Beijing (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"What are you saying?!" Zhu Zihe was even angrier.

"It's because you civil officials are incompetent and can't collect taxes, so only eunuchs can!" Qian Ning sneered. "Are there any good eunuchs left? Isn't it normal for them to wield power like chicken feathers?"

"Nonsense!" The scholars, relying on their sworn brotherhood with Qian Ning, were not afraid of him and began to refute him by citing classical texts.

"Sigh, you scholars can't explain this to me." Qian Ning shrank back, not wanting to argue with them.

"Alright, alright, let's all go inside and warm ourselves by the fire." Zhu Zhishan then pulled Zhu Zihe and the others into the cabin.

Only Su Lu and Qian Ning remained on the deck.

Su Lu asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"It's because the imperial court is short of money. The emperor can't afford to do whatever he wants, so we have to find money for him," Qian Ning said. "Why does the emperor trust eunuchs? Because they can give him money. Civil officials, on the other hand, just say they have no money."

Su Lu gave Qian Ning a deep look. His words, though rough, were reasonable and had unintentionally hit the nail on the head regarding the Ming Dynasty's problems.

As the two continued their conversation, Su Lu discovered that despite Qian Ning's rough and uncouth demeanor, he was surprisingly knowledgeable. Moreover, due to his professional background, he possessed a remarkably keen eye for people and situations.

It was actually quite helpful for him in finding the answer...

~~
In the days that followed, that carefree feeling never returned.

Two days after passing Huai'an Pass, the ship arrived at the heavily congested Grand Canal. Su Lu saw the last batch of cargo ships heading north this year... those ships were so heavily loaded that the waterline was almost level with the deck, and they were sailing against the wind, relying entirely on the towmen pulling them forward.

Su Lu had seen an oil painting called "Barge Haulers on the Volga" in his previous life, but the scene before him was a hundred times more shocking than that painting.

Thousands of people, some wearing straw sandals and others barefoot, trudged across the frosty riverbank. Their tattered clothes offered little protection from the wind and cold, and their legs and faces were covered in frostbite. Their hoarse work chants sounded like broken gongs as they trudged the heavy cargo boats forward with agonizing difficulty…

In reality, the chants were useless; they were driven entirely by the whips of the canal soldiers. The soldiers, on the other hand, were dressed warmly, and even wore cotton gloves on the hands that held the whips.

“Qian Ning…” Su Lu said in a low voice.

"Godfather, there's really no way to deal with this," Qian Ning said helplessly. "This is a task from the Grand Canal Transport Office, and it has nothing to do with the Imperial Guards or eunuchs."

"Sigh..." Su Lu sighed.

Zhu Zihe asked, puzzled, "Why did those grain transport soldiers load the boats so full? They're official boats anyway, what's the harm in loading them less?"

"Hehe, brother, this is your first time on the canal, you don't know the ins and outs here," Qian Ning explained with a smile.
"According to regulations, each grain transport ship carries 462 shi of grain, of which 330 shi are regular grain and 132 shi are rice consumed. These are the official figures."

"But the soldiers in the canal transport army earn very little, and their meager rations are simply not enough to support their families. So the imperial court tacitly allows them to bring in some local specialties as a supplement, which is their source of income!"

"How much to carry on each ship?" Su Lu asked in a deep voice.

"Initially, the rule was that each boat could carry ten shi of private goods to exchange for firewood and salt, but this was gradually relaxed to sixty shi of local products. But how could that be enough? Cotton cloth and tea from the south, soybeans and furs from the north—a single trip could earn several times the profit, and so many people depended on them for their livelihood!"

"So they've already completely altered the grain transport boats! Look at those boats, they've basically all been lengthened by two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) and widened by two chi (approximately 1.3 meters), and the cabins have also been secretly deepened. Originally carrying four hundred shi (approximately 200 tons), they can now crammed in eight hundred or a thousand shi!" Qian Ning then introduced them as if reciting a familiar story:

"They also made hidden compartments in the bottom of the ship, added hidden layers to the bulkheads, and even installed a fake bottom. The upper layer was used to store official grain to pass inspections, while the lower layer and hidden layers were filled with smuggled goods. In fact, they were carrying more smuggled goods than official grain! How could the ship not sink?"

"How do you know all this so clearly?" Su Lu asked.

"What does your son do?" Qian Ning said proudly, "Actually, it's because the smuggling of goods by the grain transport troops seriously affected the revenue of the customs, so the higher-ups instructed us to investigate the shady dealings long ago."

"Only investigate where there is no investigation?" Su Lu asked.

“There’s no way to handle it.” Qian Ning spread his hands: “This matter seems to involve only the Grand Canal Administration, but in reality it involves the interests of officials of all ranks along the route, the canal soldiers, and even the wealthy families in the two capitals of Suzhou and Hangzhou. It’s a very complex and intertwined situation. Even Eunuch Liu would have to think twice about it.”

"Is there anything that Eunuch Liu wouldn't dare to do?" Zhu Zihe didn't believe it.

"It's not that I'm afraid, it's just that things are very complicated here." Qian Ning smiled and said, "Brother, things in this world are often not what they seem."

"For example, the more heavily the eunuchs at the customs office levy taxes, the better the grain transport army's business will be. There are even rumors that they're working together... Of course, they can't squeeze all the civilian cargo ships out of business, otherwise the customs office would be useless, wouldn't it?" He paused, then lowered his voice.
"Alas, that's how things are in this world; we are all interconnected. If you ever become an Imperial Censor, remember, never investigate anything related to this canal. Whoever does will die!"

"..." Zhu Zihe, who loves to argue, didn't refute it.

“The most miserable people in the world are the laborers…” Su Lu looked back at the boatmen who were gradually being left behind and sighed softly, “No wonder those neighbors would rather be slaves than do forced labor. Compared to exorbitant taxes, forced labor is the most deadly.”

He now actually feels that the fifty exemptions from corvée labor for those who passed the imperial examinations are also a form of protection for the common people.

Thinking of this, Su Lu couldn't help but smile bitterly. This world truly is a blur of right and wrong; gray areas are everywhere…

It seems that my problem cannot be solved overnight.

~~
After traveling for several more days, the boat arrived at Peicheng Post Station in Pei County. The canal was covered with a thick layer of ice, making it impossible for the official boat to proceed any further.

The candidates had no choice but to follow the arrangements made by the post station and abandon their boats to travel by horse-drawn carriage.

The next morning, ten carriages adorned with apricot-yellow flags lined up and set off on the post road. The north wind of the twelfth lunar month, carrying sand and gravel, seeped in through the gaps in the carriage curtains, chilling everyone to the bone.

The post road had fallen into disrepair over the years, and the surface was full of potholes and gravel, making it difficult for the carriage to even sit still, let alone light a charcoal brazier for warmth.

"Why don't we get off the carriage and walk?" Su Tai was the first to jump off, rubbing his red hands. "Walking will keep us warm and we won't get drafty."

"Yes, I'm here." Su Lu also lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage, wrapped his fur coat and mink hat tighter around his body, and followed behind the carriage with his second brother.

The carriage didn't really block the wind, but it helped them break through the wind, making it much easier for the two brothers to walk.

The scholars simply got off the carriage and, like the two brothers, followed the carriage on foot in twos and threes.

Seeing how difficult it was for everyone to walk, Su Lu sighed, "I told you not to wait for me and to set off earlier, but not one of you listened."

“That’s how we show how deep our friendship is,” Xia Bangmo said with a smile. “How could we abandon our senior brother?”

“Actually, even if we leave a month earlier, it will still be freezing cold,” Zhu Zhishan said. “So next time we take the imperial examination, it’s best to set off in the autumn and spend the winter in the capital…”

"Pah, pah, I don't want to take the exam again." Bai Yunshan said fiercely, "If I don't pass this time, I won't take it again."

“I say this every time, but I can’t help it every time,” Zhu Zhishan said bluntly. “This is the fate of us scholars.”

“But I think this trip was really worthwhile.” Xia Bangmo took off his earmuffs and said seriously, “Firstly, it will test my will and toughen my body, so that I can be more patient and resilient, and improve what I am not good at.”

"Secondly, if we don't witness the suffering of the common people with our own eyes, we might think we're living in a peaceful and prosperous era." He paused, then looked at the dilapidated houses and the ragged, emaciated people lining the official road, and said with deep sorrow:

"The imperial court has treated us scholars well, but the common people have reached a point where they can no longer survive..."

“Yes, gentlemen! If you pass the imperial examination in the future, you must not only think about your own private interests and forget the tragic situation on both sides of the canal!” Su Lu also said loudly.

"Don't forget!"

"How could we forget!" the classmates replied solemnly.

~~
Braving the wind and snow, the scholars trekked arduously and finally arrived in Gaotang County, Jinan Prefecture, Shandong Province on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month.

On New Year's Eve, they did not continue their journey and spent the New Year at Yuqiu Post Station in Gaotang County.

That evening, firecrackers crackled and fireworks lit up the sky in Gaotang County.

A row of eight-immortal tables were set up in the main hall of the post station, with steaming hot food and a sumptuous feast on them. The Gaotang tofu was smooth and tender, the stewed free-range chicken was fragrant with soy sauce, the pig's head meat was glistening with oil, and it was served with warm rice wine... This was the county's best effort to provide.

However, the scholars found it difficult to drink heartily. The sights and sounds they had seen and heard along the way lingered in their minds, making the cups and chopsticks in their hands feel as heavy as a thousand pounds.

"Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, the bones of those frozen to death lie..." No one said this aloud, but everyone thought of it.

It was only through Zhu Zhishan's witty remarks and gentle coaxing that everyone managed to smile and eat the New Year's Eve dinner.

Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, the old year gave way to the new. When dawn broke again, it was already the third year of the Zhengde reign.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the candidates set off northward through the snow.

I arrived in Dezhou on the third day of the Lunar New Year, and finally set foot in Beizhili on the fourth day.

Everyone had assumed that the capital region would finally be at peace. Little did they know that they would soon be given a shock from the capital itself—

On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, a hundred or so bandits, armed with sharp weapons, openly blocked the road and robbed people!

Although the bandits immediately retreated upon seeing the twenty apricot-yellow flags planted in their convoy, it still deeply shocked the young scholars.

"What a strange thing!" Zhu Zhishan couldn't help but sigh, "It's the New Year, and good people aren't working, so why would bad people be working?"

"Actually, they weren't robbers, just starving common people," Qian Ning said. "There are many eunuchs in the capital area, and they cause a lot of trouble. They don't care about the principle of 'a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow,' they just cause trouble wherever they can. When ordinary people can't even afford to eat, they don't care whether it's the New Year or not."

"Many people visit relatives during the Spring Festival, so the gains are not small," he analyzed professionally.

Seeing that the people in the capital region were on the verge of rebellion, the scholars were no longer safe just by waving yellow flags. When they stayed at the post station again, they reported the situation to the government.

The local governments dared not neglect their duties, as they could not afford to take responsibility if anything happened to the candidates on their way to the imperial examinations. So they dispatched troops to escort them station by station, finally ensuring their safe arrival in Tongzhou.

It was already the twenty-fifth day of the first lunar month.
Beitongzhou then flourished again, resembling a place under the emperor's nose.

As soon as Su Lu and his party arrived at the city gate, they saw Su Youcai and Su Man waiting there eagerly...

P.S. This is a post to be edited later. Please vote with monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)