Jackie Chan's Son-in-Law

Chapter 33 Humanity and Sophistication
Chen Qing certainly wouldn't manage Anrentang.

He hasn't married Miss Gu yet, and if he were to devote himself entirely to the Gu family's business, he would only be looked down upon by them.

Even if they get married, taking care of the family will probably only be seen as an asset, not his main job.

Through Magistrate Hong, Chen Qing had a general understanding of the operating rules of a society where officialdom was paramount; a thousand bushels of grain might not be worth a single word from him.

So, naturally, Chen Qing needed to plan for his future.

According to what Master Gu had told him before, this marriage into the family could very well become a legitimate marriage. If it were a normal marriage, there was a possibility that Chen Qing would enter the officialdom.

However, it is still very difficult.

If he were to enter officialdom through his father's connections, he would probably need to reach the level of a vice minister in one of the six ministries before the court would have any chance of granting him an official position through hereditary privilege.

If the father and son have a "kind father and filial son" relationship, then this path is still worth considering. With the Gu family's financial resources and some effort, it's not impossible for them to help their father succeed.

However, the relationship between the father and son is clearly not at that point yet, and it is unlikely that the father will take over.

If one doesn't rely on their father and instead relies on themselves, then there are roughly only two paths left: one is to devote themselves to studying and to enter officialdom through the imperial examinations.

This is the right path; if you pass the exam, you can become an official and become one of Magistrate Hong's "kind."

However, given Chen Qing's current level, this path is only worth trying, and the hope remains slim.

Then...

Chen Qing's mind was racing with various thoughts. When he came to his senses, he was already standing at the entrance of Anrentang. Chen Qing walked in with his hands behind his back, found Manager Lu Qing, and said with a smile, "Manager Lu, I would like to withdraw some money from the account. I wonder if it is convenient?"

"convenient."

Without hesitation, Manager Lu smiled and said, "Before the owner left, he instructed that as long as the amount is not too large and will not affect the shop's operation next year, you can use the remaining money in the account as you wish."

Chen Qing thought for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "I don't need much, about a hundred taels. Just write it down in your account and tell them that I'm using this money to take care of the Gu family's affairs."

"I'll talk to Uncle Gu about it when he gets back."

Manager Lu's gaze shifted, but he didn't answer immediately. Instead, he asked, "Young Master, if I may be so bold as to ask, what was the county magistrate's verdict today?"

Chen Qing said quietly, "Gu Shouzhou, who carried out the act, and Gu Yong, who instructed him, were both exiled to the border army."

Manager Lu nodded: "Young Master, please wait a moment."

He turned and went to the inner room. After a short while, he brought back a piece of gold, placed it in front of Chen Qing, and said, "This can be exchanged for about two hundred taels of silver. The silver ingot is too heavy, so please take this instead, young master."

Chen Qing looked up at Manager Lu, and without any hesitation, took the rather bulky piece of gold from him, then turned and left: "Thanks, I'll return the rest to Manager Lu later."

Chen Qing took the money from the shop and didn't go anywhere else. He went to a shop that sold stationery, picked out two reams of paper, two brushes, five ink sticks, and an inkstone.

After selecting the items and settling the bill, the smiling white-haired shopkeeper bowed to Chen Qing and said, "Thank you, young master. The total is one hundred and nineteen taels and eight mace. Please round it up to one hundred and twenty taels."

Chen Qing glared at him.

"You actually round it up like that?"

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "I'll add another stick of ink for you, young master."

Chen Qing pursed his lips: "That's more like it."

Having said that, he took out the gold and handed it to the shopkeeper to weigh. The shopkeeper calculated the amount and bowed to Chen Qing, saying, "Young master, shall I give you your change in cash, or send it to your residence?"

In this era, gold and silver were too heavy to be used as currency, so delivering money to the door became a standard service offered by most merchants.

Chen Qing, carrying the wrapped items, waved his hand and said, "I'll deliver them to the Gu family later."

Upon hearing the name "Gu Family," the shopkeeper immediately lowered his head: "So you are the young master of the Gu Family. The money will be sent to the Gu Family shortly."

Chen Qing ignored him, picked up his things and walked out of the store. As he walked down the street, he looked back at the store and couldn't help but purse his lips: "Damn, that's expensive!"

Although the items Chen Qing bought were top-of-the-line goods in a small place like Deqing, the prices were still somewhat unacceptable to him.

No wonder in this era, only a wealthy peasant could support a scholar. The cost of ink, paper, and inkstone alone was beyond the reach of ordinary families. Even buying the cheapest items was a considerable expense, not to mention the large number of books and officials' notes and journals to be purchased.

After all, to pass the exam, one must read the examiner's essays; otherwise, if one writes something that contradicts the examiner's ideas, no matter how capable one is, one can forget about passing.

Carrying the "treasures" he had acquired for over a hundred taels of silver, Chen Qing returned to the county government office. After having the constables at the entrance announce his arrival, he soon arrived at the county magistrate's study and met Magistrate Hong, who was reviewing documents.

Chen Qing casually put the things aside, then smiled at Magistrate Hong and said, "Your Excellency has already passed the imperial examination and is still studying diligently. It is truly admirable."

Magistrate Hong put down the documents in his hand, placed them on the table, pointed to the book, and shook his head, saying, "Look at this book, how can we manage without reading it?"

Chen Qing looked down and saw that the cover of the document read "Collected Works of Yuanfu Gong".

These words are clearly handwritten, and it's likely that the contents were also handwritten, since handwriting such a booklet is much cheaper than printing.

Chen Qing thought for a moment and asked, "Is he a high-ranking official in the imperial court?"

"You do not know?"

Magistrate Hong looked at Chen Qing with some surprise, then shook his head and said, "That's right. You're not in officialdom, so naturally you don't know what's going on in the court. Lord Yuanfu was the prime minister who presided over the central government for ten years."

"He is also the leading literary figure in the world today."

Magistrate Hong shook his head, his tone full of envy: "In this life, I don't know if I will ever have the chance to meet Lord Yuanfu."

Chen Qing memorized the name, then took out the things he had just bought and placed them one by one on Magistrate Hong's table. He said with a smile, "If it weren't for Your Excellency's keen insight in today's case, I might have been implicated. Knowing that Your Excellency is incorruptible and dedicated to serving the people, I dared not send anything particularly valuable. So I bought some writing brushes and ink to give to Your Excellency as a token of my appreciation."

Magistrate Hong looked at the items on the table, picked them up one by one and examined them, then looked up at Chen Qing and said with a smile, "I'm afraid it won't be cheap, will it?"

"None of them are expensive."

Chen Qing remained calm and smiled as he said, "I haven't been with the Gu family long, and this is all I can afford. My uncle from the Gu family will be back in a few days, and he will most likely come to thank the county magistrate again..."

"He upheld justice for me and for the Gu family."

Magistrate Hong picked up the inkstone, examined it from all angles, and then looked at Chen Qing, shaking his head and saying, "This inkstone is a bit inferior, but everything else is fine."

He looked at Chen Qing and said with a smile, "After I took office in Deqing, I rarely accepted anything from people. But I am still destined to meet you, Young Master Chen. I can use these things."

"I'll accept it."

Hearing this, Chen Qing felt much more at ease.

Giving gifts to superiors is an art in itself; being able to deliver them is a great success.

Without making a sound, he picked up the inkstone on the table and pretended to smash it on the ground.

"I am still too ignorant. I will try my best to find a fine inkstone, such as a She inkstone or a Chengni inkstone, for the magistrate."

Magistrate Hong quickly stood up, took the inkstone from Chen Qing's hand, shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Why smash a perfectly good inkstone? It's not like it's unusable."

He took the inkstone back and smiled at Chen Qing, saying, "If you bring me an inkstone that's too good, I won't dare to accept it."

Chen Qing said solemnly, "I've come to deliver something, but to express my gratitude to the magistrate, I won't trouble him with anything."

Magistrate Hong put the inkstone away, then looked at Chen Qing with his hands behind his back. After a while, he sighed, "It's such a pity that Young Master Chen is going to marry into the Gu family."

He said with a smile, "When I see Brother Gu next time, I'll give him a good talking-to."

"correct."

Magistrate Hong looked at Chen Qing and asked, "When will Brother Gu return to Deqing?"

Chen Qing looked at Magistrate Hong, his expression calm.

"It will happen within this month."

(End of this chapter)