Di Ming

Chapter 171 Guanyin Descends to Earth?

Shen Yiguan is a senior official; he was already the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel four years ago.

However, he did not serve as a vice minister for long, and may have lost in a political struggle, so he had to resign and return to his hometown, and was never reinstated.

After leaving the imperial court, he immersed himself in the study of Zhuangzi, embracing a Daoist spirit and maintaining a very low profile.

Ning Caiwei had previously heard Zhu Yin say that Shen Yiguan only entered Beijing several years later and directly joined the cabinet to assist in governance.

However, due to the butterfly effect of the time traveler, Hai Rui not only did not die but also went to the capital to serve as the Left Censor-in-Chief. He proposed to reinstate Shen Yiguan, and Shen Yiguan was able to enter the capital several years earlier.

Upon receiving the news, Ning Caiwei immediately prepared a generous gift, including a wedding ceremony, mooncakes, mink fur, milk powder, and milk candy, and personally delivered it to Shen Yiguan.

When Ning Caiwei arrived at the Ningbo Guild Hall, the once quiet Shen Mansion was now packed with people.

There were dozens of sedan chairs parked there. The high-ranking officials went inside, while the other officials had to wait outside.

Everyone knows that Shen Yiguan's reinstatement as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel means he's likely to be put to great use. It's not impossible that he'll even enter the Grand Secretariat in the future.

Many officials were somewhat annoyed, having previously thought that Shen Yiguan had offended the government (cabinet) and had no hope of being reinstated, so they did not try to get close to him and missed the opportunity to curry favor with him.

Today I can only cram at the last minute to try and get some recognition.

Seeing that many officials had come to pay their respects, Ning Caiwei could only wait outside, but the gatekeeper had already spotted her and reported her inside.

The doormen, servants, and pageboys in the Shen mansion had all received money from Ning Caiwei. Even those who were potentially useful were not spared Ning Caiwei's small favors.

"Master." The doorman went straight into the flower hall and said to Shen Yiguan, who was receiving a group of high-ranking officials, "Miss Caiwei has arrived and is waiting outside."

Shen Yiguan smiled and said, "Let her in. This is enough."

"Yes!" The doorman was slightly pleased and quickly went out to bring Ning Caiwei in.

Unlike the officials waiting outside, the officials in the flower hall were all high-ranking officials and governors from the Six Ministries of Nanjing, each one a big shot.

But to their surprise, Shen Yiguan sent a young woman directly to the flower hall.

Before long, the tinkling of jade pendants and the wafting of fragrance filled the air as a graceful young girl, dressed in a moon-white dress and with her hair styled in two buns, entered the flower hall with poise and elegance.

This girl was naturally beautiful, with an elegant and refined demeanor; she was truly a rare beauty. Her mere presence seemed to brighten the entire flower hall.

Unfortunately, they had unbound feet. This immediately diminished their appeal, making them pale in comparison and insignificant.

"Your son greets the teacher and all the gentlemen. May you be blessed."

Ning Caiwei gracefully bowed, first kowtowing to Shen Yiguan, and then to everyone else.

There was no way around it. She was not only a junior, but also a woman, and a commoner.

In this situation, kneeling is absolutely necessary.

When everyone saw that Ning Caiwei was only twelve years old, yet she was poised and graceful in her speech and actions, and could remain calm and composed in front of them, they couldn't help but be secretly amazed.

The bad impression brought about by her "big feet" also vanished.

This woman is extraordinary!

No wonder Shen Yiguan liked her.

"Get up." Shen Yiguan stroked his beard and smiled. "Gentlemen, this woman is named Ning Caiwei. She is exceptionally beautiful and has a carefree and open demeanor, reminiscent of the Wei and Jin dynasties. She is the fiancée of my disciple Zhu Yin."

Upon hearing this, everyone realized that Zhu Yin, the child prodigy of Nanyong, was actually a disciple of Shen Yiguan.

The saying goes that a master and his apprentice are like father and son. So, this girl, who is Shen Yiguan's apprentice's wife, naturally had to come to see him off.

As expected, the wife of the child prodigy is also quite remarkable, with a relaxed and carefree demeanor reminiscent of the Wei and Jin dynasties.

Shen Yiguan then said to Ning Caiwei, "Caiwei, this gentleman is the Grand Minister of Rites, this gentleman is the Grand Minister of Justice... and this gentleman is the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel..."

Each time he introduced someone, Ning Caiwei would bow gracefully again and greet him with "May you have a long life, sir."

Shen Yiguan was no Hai Rui. He smiled and pointed at Ning Caiwei, saying to everyone, "After I go north, I hope you will all take care of this young lady."

"Although she has benefactors looking after her, she is still young and faces many difficulties."

Shen Yiguan's meaning had two layers. First, he wanted to convey that Ning Caiwei had powerful backers and shouldn't be bullied. Second, he hoped that among the influential figures present, someone would be willing to protect Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei.

It is also a statement: Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei are my juniors, Shen Yiguan.

The Imperial Inspector Qiao Bixing, who had met Ning Caiwei before, was the first to speak:
“I heard that you built a factory in Qingqiaoli, recruited workers, lent money at low interest rates, and reduced the burden on tenants. Many people praised you for your kindness and compassion. Keep up the good work, this is also a blessing.”

"Thank you, Minister Xie." Ning Caiwei bowed respectfully. "This is my son Zhihu's idea. He said that a gentleman should love all things and a scholar should have compassion for the suffering of the people. Even though he is still young and has not yet entered officialdom, he dares not forget the words 'benevolence and righteousness' and he dares not forget Master Shen's teachings."

Upon hearing this, all the bigwigs present nodded in approval.

It is truly remarkable that Zhu Yin, at such a young age, is already practicing the principles of "benevolence and righteousness." He certainly deserves the title of child prodigy of Nanjing University.

Ning Caiwei is indeed no ordinary woman, given that she could say such things.

Shen Yiguan was even more pleased upon hearing this and said with a smile, "Zhihu is currently taking the autumn imperial examination at the examination hall. He is only eleven years old, making him the youngest candidate among the candidates from the two capitals and thirteen provinces. However, his chances of passing this examination are slim."

He was just being polite.

“That’s not necessarily true,” said Wang Honghui, Minister of Rites. “Yang Gong passed the imperial examination at the age of twelve, so it’s hard to say that Zhu Yin couldn’t pass it at the age of eleven.”

Of course, he was just being polite.

In his mind, how could Zhu Yin compare to Yang Tinghe? They were not even comparable.

In fact, apart from Shen Yiguan and Qiao Bixing, none of the important figures present believed that Zhu Yin could pass the exam, let alone break Yang Tinghe's myth.

That was the provincial examination!
They believed that even if Zhu Yin was a child prodigy, it would take him at least several years before he had any hope of passing the imperial examination.

Minister of Personnel Qiu Shun also spoke politely, but with a hint of sarcasm: "The Grand Minister of Rites is right. Zhu Yin is my brother Jianwu's top student. Even if he doesn't pass this time, he will surely pass the next one."

Minister of Works Yin Wuqing smiled insincerely and said, "That makes sense. If he passes this exam, he will be an eleven-year-old who is both filial and incorruptible, which is a rare sight since the founding of the country and can be considered an auspicious omen."

Even if he didn't believe Zhu Yin could pass the imperial examination, he still had to say a few polite words in front of Shen Yiguan.

Shen Yiguan feigned ignorance and laughed, "Then I'll take your good wishes. If Zhihu really passes the imperial examination, he can serve you all wine at the Deer Cry Banquet during the provincial examination."

Everyone chuckled upon hearing this, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere. They had effectively used Zhu Yin as a topic to liven up the mood.

Ning Caiwei was very obedient, so she simply took on the role of a maid, brewing and serving tea for everyone, thus extending her time with these people and increasing their impression of her.

Then, taking the opportunity, they presented the men with pre-prepared milk candies, one box for each of them, for them to enjoy.

Although these gentlemen were well-traveled and had enjoyed all the riches of the world, they had never seen anything like milk candy before.
The outer box of the milk candy features an exquisite carving: a woman wearing a green gemstone necklace is holding a white rabbit, and above it are four seal script characters: Moon Rabbit Milk Candy.

The Chang'e in the painting not only has a green necklace, but also green hairpins, bracelets, and rings, which is quite novel.

Is this candy called Moon Rabbit Milk Candy? The name is quite novel.

Below is another line in slightly smaller running script: "Moon Rabbit Milk Candy, the sweetest and most fragrant."

Ning Caiwei took advantage of the fact that the Ming Dynasty had no advertising law and directly used the word "most" twice.

Below this line of text was another line of tiny print:
"Ningyin Sugar Industry, making life sweeter."

Behind the exquisite paper box, there was first a short letter:
"In the nineteenth year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, Lady Ning presented milk candy, which was called 'Soft Jade Candy'. The imperial concubines, princes, princesses, nobles, and envoys were all delighted. Emperor Taizong was pleased and named it Milk Candy, and conferred upon Lady Ning the title of Zhongsan Dafu and bestowed upon her a scarlet fish-shaped pouch."

Below this letter are a few more lines:
Grade: Limited edition superior item.

Production date: August 8th, the 16th year of the Wanli reign.

Shelf life: three years.

Interesting, very interesting. Even before tasting it, the calligraphy and paintings on the outer box are enough to attract attention.

However, everyone was very learned and well-versed in classics and history, yet they could not recall any historical record of "Ning's offering of sugar." Could it be that they were not well-read and were ignorant?
Upon opening the outer box, one finds a series of items wrapped in oiled paper. Inside, they are one-inch-long, milky-white sugar cubes, resembling mutton fat jade, with a faint milky aroma.

Putting aside the taste, the appearance of this milk candy alone is already quite appealing.

Qiao Bixing was a serious person; otherwise, how could he be a native of Shanxi? He unwrapped a milk candy, but instead of tasting it immediately, he asked:

“Caiwei, I have never heard of the Ning family offering sugar before. Am I just ignorant?”

Qiu Shun stroked his beard. "I haven't seen any records of this either. I consider myself quite knowledgeable about Tang history, but I didn't know about the story of the Ning family offering sugar."

Wang Honghui also said, "Even if this were true, to bestow a scarlet fish pouch and appoint a fifth-rank official as a mid-level official simply for presenting a piece of milk candy is going too far. Emperor Taizong was not a ruler who would indiscriminately bestow titles and rewards based on his gluttony."

Ning Caiwei, having been exposed, cursed these people for being so serious, but smiled without changing her expression:

"This is a secret history of the Ning family, and there was even an imperial edict of reward back then. It may not be recorded in historical books, but the descendants of the Ning family know about it."

Qiao Bixing and the others said "Oh" and smiled without saying anything.

Shen Yiguan coughed and quickly smiled:

"History books include official histories and unofficial histories. How can we possibly know all the stories from the Tang Dynasty? Even if they are not recorded in official histories, they may still have happened. Let's just consider them as unfounded."

"Unfounded accusations?" The crowd looked at each other strangely, but could only nod, not daring to say for sure that it was true.

Everyone could only silently think that Shen was always cunning.

Shen Yiguan had already tasted the milk candy, and Ning Caiwei had even sent dozens of kilograms of it to Ningbo for his family to try, so he was very confident in it, saying:

"You are welcome to try it and taste what this milk candy, which was once popular in the Tang Dynasty, is like."

He spoke of the unfounded claim that the candy was "popular in the Tang Palace" with such conviction and without any pressure. Upon hearing this, everyone dropped their pretenses and started popping the candy into their mouths.

The first taste is a milky aroma, sweeter than human or sheep milk they've had before, and it's very elastic and chewy, with a truly wonderful texture.

After everyone tasted one, although their expressions remained calm, they were all secretly surprised.

It's really delicious. While it might not be the "sweetest or most fragrant," the sweetness and aroma are just right, the flavor is rich and full-bodied, and the taste is superb.

It turned out to be a delicious snack I'd never tasted before.

If you said it was a lost dessert that was "popular in the Tang Dynasty palace," some people would definitely believe it.

Ning Caiwei said with a smile, "It's just a dessert. The fact that the gentlemen are willing to taste it shows how much they care about me."

"If you gentlemen find the Moon Rabbit Milk Candy palatable enough, I will prepare more and send it to each household so that the young masters and ladies can have a taste."

Everyone was somewhat tempted, but it was inappropriate for them to openly agree.

Qiao Bixing asked, "How much silver is a pound of Moon Rabbit Milk Candy worth?"

Ning Caiwei held up a slender, spring-green finger. "It's not expensive. One tael of silver per pound."

A tael of silver?
Everyone nodded. "Yes, it's not expensive, a real bargain. A pound of this milk candy for one tael of silver is excellent value."

Is it actually expensive? Absolutely. Ning Caiwei is making several times the profit!

Nowadays, a bushel of white rice isn't even worth a tael of silver. A pound of milk candy is more expensive than a bushel of rice.

But it's actually not expensive. That's because Moon Rabbit Milk Candy is an exclusive product with limited production.

Seeing that no one spoke, Ning Caiwei knew that they had tacitly agreed.

This was one of her goals for the day: to use Moon Rabbit Milk Candy as a medium, with Shen Yiguan's help, to make connections with these bigwigs in Nanjing and build a network of resources for Ningyin Trading Company.

.........

On the thirteenth day of the eighth month of the sixteenth year of the Wanli reign, Shen Yiguan, who had been reinstated as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, went north to Beijing after paying homage to the Xiaoling Mausoleum as required by custom.

Outside Tongji Gate, Shen Yiguan instructed Ning Caiwei, who was seeing him off:
"If Zhihu fails the imperial examination, tell him not to be discouraged. He should continue to study diligently according to the methods I taught him. He can try again in three years, or even six or nine years later."

"A man should stand tall and upright in this world. Without enduring hardship, he cannot achieve great things. Encountering setbacks is not a bad thing. As long as one's fighting spirit remains strong, one will only become more courageous with each setback."

"If you are fortunate enough to pass the exam, you must remain humble and diligent in preparing for the next spring's imperial examination. You must never be arrogant or look down on the heroes of the world."

Ning Caiwei replied, "Yes. Don't worry, sir, I will remind Zhihu from time to time."

Shen Yiguan added, "There is one more thing I must tell you. If Zhihu passes the imperial examination, you must set off north before the seventh day of the first lunar month to avoid missing the spring examination period."

Ning Caiwei replied, "Yes, I understand."

After saying this, he ordered a large box of gifts to be loaded onto Shen Yiguan's official ship, and privately gave each of Shen Yiguan's attendants five taels of silver, instructing them to take good care of Master Shen on the journey.

Shen Yiguan knew what was going on and couldn't help but secretly praise Ning Caiwei for being filial and virtuous.

After bidding farewell to everyone who came to see him off, Shen Yiguan boarded the official boat and couldn't help but recite:

"Where does the name Ruotu come from, rising gently in the breeze? His poems remain in the Western School, his Zen mind is close to the Northern School. The flowers are bright red like a woman, the pines are old and bald like an old man. The other day I went to Tiantai, diligently breaking several walking sticks."

.........

After seeing Shen Yiguan off, Ning Caiwei went to the garrison headquarters to visit Tian Yi and Ning Shi.

As soon as Tian Yi saw Ning Caiwei, he said, "Zhihu was right to warn us! There really is a major epidemic in Suzhou! It has already started to spread! If we hadn't been prepared, we don't know how we would be in such a mess right now."

"Caiwei, have you prepared all the medicines you mentioned before?"

Ning Caiwei's heart skipped a beat. "I've prepared some, but it might not be enough, and I don't know how effective it will be."

It turned out that Ning Qingchen had already researched several useful new Chinese medicines for future generations as early as June. So Ning Caiwei came to Tian Yi and offered to take over the government's drug procurement.

Isn't this all just a matter of Tian Yi's word?
Tian Yi also believed in Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei.

Tian Yi agreed that if an epidemic broke out, he would purchase medicines from Ningyin Trading Company in the name of the Ministry of Revenue. If the medicines were effective, he would purchase them in large quantities and designate Ningyin Trading Company as the official medicine supplier.

With Tian Yi's support, Ning Caiwei immediately recruited all the more than 100 pharmacists from the eight herb gardens to the pharmaceutical workshop in the factory compound, where they worked day and night to prepare the medicines according to Ning Qingchen's prescription.

In two months, they have produced more than 8,000 catties of medicine, worth more than 10,000 taels.

This was still a cheap price set by Ning Qingchen.

Tian Yi said, "This epidemic is fierce and it will probably take at least half a year to quell. Send all the medicines you have made to the Nanjing pharmacy. I will write a hand order to have the Ministry of Revenue immediately pay the money."

"Now that you have cash, hire more people, buy more medicinal herbs, and produce more medicine. I'm entrusting the medicine business to you."

Ning Caiwei had just returned to Qingqiaoli when she immediately transported the medicine to Nanjing.

The medication must be effective; she trusted her sister's expertise.

She doesn't need to worry about the pandemic response; she's not a government official. Her responsibility is simply to provide sufficient, effective, and affordable medicines in a timely manner.

That is the greatest contribution.

In order to manufacture medicine to fight the epidemic, she even suspended her original "Spring Sun Pill" project.

The second thing Ning Caiwei did upon returning to Qingqiao was to dispatch four of her oldest students—Fan Yi'an, Li Xuancheng, Luo Yan, and Le Zhengyuan—to Beijing under the guise of the Registrar's Office, along with 1,000 taels of silver and several guards, to establish the "Beiliao" (Northern Registrar's Office).

This was a plan that Zhu Yin had already decided on, and even the rules and regulations for establishing the "Beiliao" had been formulated. However, Zhu Yin had been busy preparing for the exams for the past few months and had not had time to implement it.

Ning Caiwei didn't want to wait any longer, so she decided to set up the North Retreat as soon as possible.

On the third day, after celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, Fan Yi'an and the others, having received instructions from Ning Caiwei, left Qingqiao Lane with a budget of one thousand taels of silver and headed north to the capital.

From now on, the Records Office will have two major branches: the South Branch and the North Branch. However, the headquarters will remain in Jiangning for the time being.

In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, Ning Caiwei realized that she hadn't celebrated the two Mid-Autumn Festivals since arriving in the Ming Dynasty properly; she had been quite careless with them.

Last Mid-Autumn Festival, a major case occurred at Confucius Temple.

This year's Mid-Autumn Festival coincided with both the provincial examinations and a major epidemic.

Sigh, when will a family of three and a dog be able to properly celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Is next year possible?
Ning Caiwei had just finished a lot of things when another matter came to her.

But it was Zhao Chan'er who arrived.

Zhao Chan'er is now a teacher in the factory compound, specializing in teaching new employees with limited literacy skills to read. She only teaches for half an hour each day.

As Ning Qingchen's wet nurse, she was considered half a family member and was very close to the Zhu family.

“Caiwei,” Zhao Chan’er said casually, sitting down and peeling a milk candy for herself, “what are your plans for this year’s Autumn Festival?”

"Autumn Society?" Ning Caiwei suddenly remembered that last year's Autumn Society was already being prepared at this time.

Zhao Chan'er explained, "In the past, the annual Autumn Festival was organized by several wealthy and powerful families, including the Zhang family, and the chief officiant was also taken by these families in turn."

"But now, the Wang family is gone, the Liu family has fallen into ruin, and the Zhang family is no longer standing up for them. So, no one is going to preside over this grand autumn festival."

"Now, all the villagers are looking to the Zhu family with great anticipation. They all say that this year, everything depends on the Zhu family in Beili."

Zhao Chan'er chuckled, "Other families are just ordinary households; they wouldn't have the financial resources to do it. Even if they did, they wouldn't have the prestige, would they?"

Ning Caiwei's eyes lit up; how could she possibly refuse such a rare opportunity?

Although there is a major outbreak right now, it's still in Suzhou, which is quite far from Nanjing. It's not that it can't be done.

Even if you prevent gatherings and don't hold it, the surrounding villages will still hold them. What's the point if only Qingqiao Village doesn't hold it?

If the Zhu family hosts this Autumn Festival, they can use it to declare their status in the entire Qingqiao area and establish their influence.

Whoever controls the power of village sacrifices is the ruler of the village.

At the same time, this opportunity can also be used to launch milk candy advertisements, linking milk candy with celebratory events.

Although whoever organizes it pays the money, it's definitely worth it.

"Sister-in-law's reminder is good," Ning Caiwei said with a smile. "How much silver will it cost for the Zhu family to organize this year's Autumn Festival?"

“Not a small amount,” Zhao Chan’er said. “There are five large villages in Qingqiao, with more than a thousand households. Every year, the Autumn Festival must cost at least three or four hundred taels of silver.”

Three or four hundred taels of silver is indeed a large sum of money, and only wealthy families can afford it.

But Ning Caiwei felt she had made a good deal by acquiring the power to hold local sacrificial rites for just a few hundred taels of silver.

She nodded and said, "Although it costs a lot of money, the Zhu family is willing to do it. We can't expect all six thousand villagers of Qingqiao to go to other places to watch the village opera, can we?"

Zhao Chan'er laughed and said, "You are so dignified, compassionate, and straightforward! Otherwise, how could I call you a little bodhisattva? I'll go tell them right now that the Zhu family will be attending this year's Autumn Festival!"

"Do you know what they say? They say Ning Dajiao has big feet because she is Guanyin Bodhisattva descended to earth! Guanyin Bodhisattva has naturally beautiful feet, she has never bound her feet, so big feet are the right word."

Guanyin descending to earth? Ning Caiwei opened her mouth, but was speechless.

It turns out that it wasn't just great Confucian scholars who debated the classics.

P.S.: That's all for today. Thank you, and goodnight. I'll only briefly mention the pandemic response, because historically, there was indeed a major epidemic in Jiangnan during the sixteenth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, which is unavoidable. But I don't want to write about it, so I'll just gloss over it.

(End of this chapter)