White-robed Minister

Chapter 103 0101 [Entering the Capital for the Imperial Examination]

While Wang Anshi and his brothers were talking to Yu Jing's family, Xu returned to the guest room to retrieve two letters, as well as two copies of "Mathematics" and "Geometry" made by a scribe.

When he returned to the mourning hall, the Wang family had already left.

"Please wait a moment, gentlemen."

Xu Lai chased after him out of the mourning hall and handed him a letter: "When I left the capital, Shen Cunzhong asked me to deliver this to you."

This was given to Wang Anshi and Wang Anli; Wang Anren, Wang Andao, and others did not receive a share.

Thank you.

"Thank you for your help!"

Wang Anshi and Wang Anli bowed.

After returning the greeting, Xu Lai didn't say anything more and turned back to the mourning hall.

At times like this, nobody's in the mood to talk about anything else.

The mourning hall was set up in Jiangning for seven days, and then Xu Lai and Yu Jing's family escorted the body back to Shaozhou by boat.

Upon arriving in Shaozhou, a mourning hall was set up.

The mourning hall will be set up for a year, with Yu Zhongxun and Yu Shuying guarding it at all times, ready to receive those who come to pay their respects.

Xu stayed for several days before bidding farewell to the Yu family.

Madam Lin, along with her children and grandchildren, personally escorted Xu Lai to the dock.

Xu Lai was busy in Jiangning, especially when Yu Zhongxun hadn't arrived, he almost single-handedly handled all the funeral arrangements. The Yu family saw all this and already considered him one of their own.

Madam Lin instructed, "After the twenty-seven-month mourning period, have your parents come to propose marriage. Don't bring any expensive gifts; just follow traditional customs."

"I will remember this." Xu Lai bowed and then bid farewell to Yu Zhongxun and the others.

After exchanging heartfelt farewells, Madam Lin said, "Let's go first, let Sixth Sister speak with him alone."

The group then left and waited a few dozen paces away.

Only Pianpian and Yu'er remained.

Pianpian looked at Xu Lai, first smiled, then burst into tears. She didn't know why she was crying.

"Don't cry."

A surge of emotion welled up in Xu Lai's heart. Disregarding the boundaries between men and women, he reached out to wipe away her tears, saying, "I will come and marry you once I pass the imperial examination."

"Mmm." Pianpian blushed and lowered her head, but did not flinch.

Xu Lai then said, "Eat properly, eat more meat. It's not good that you don't like eating meat."

Pianpian took out a fragrant handkerchief from her bosom: "I embroidered this in Guangzhou, it's not very good. You can carry it with you to wipe your sweat."

Xu Lai took the handkerchief, which was embroidered with bamboo.

crooked and wobbly, yet endearingly naive.

They talked for a while longer, and then someone on the boat started urging them to hurry up.

"Take care, my lady." Xu Lai bowed and said goodbye.

She gracefully curtsied and said, "I wish my lord success in passing the imperial examination soon."

Xu Lai then said goodbye to Yu'er.

Yu'er hurriedly returned the greeting, watching him board the ship and leave with a lingering gaze. She kept the sachet hidden in her sleeve, never giving it to him. She had wanted to give it to him last year in Guangzhou.

The merchant ship sailed downstream and arrived at Yinsha Port several days later.

-

Xu Lai brought back far too many books; just those few volumes on justice alone weighed nearly a hundred pounds. Adding his other personal belongings, he couldn't possibly carry them all by himself and had to hire someone in Yinshabu to help him.

"Woof woof woof!"

The guard dog barked wildly at the village entrance.

"go!"

Xu Lai kicked him.

The guard dog immediately shut its mouth, sniffed Xu Lai's scent, and then wagged its tail around him.

"My third uncle is back!"

A group of children rushed out of the mountains and forests, each carrying a bamboo basket.

The children weren't just playing; they were running all over the mountains to collect cicada shells to sell for money, and incidentally, they were also picking up wild animal droppings. If they were lucky, they might even find mushrooms.

After not seeing her for more than half a year, the damselfly has grown taller again.

She carried a basket to show Xu Lai her catch: over a hundred cicada shells and a clump of feces wrapped in leaves.

"Damn damselfly is really amazing, she can help with chores around the house now," Xu Lai praised with a smile.

The damselfly jumped for joy and, together with her friends, escorted Xu home.

My mother and sister-in-law are weaving kudzu cloth at home using a foot-operated loom, which is much easier to use than the old waist looms. This alone has increased the income of the women in the village several times over, making it Xu Lai's second greatest contribution to Qingxi Village.

His greatest contribution, of course, was exempting the entire village from three years of corvée labor.

"Mom, Second Sister-in-law."

"Sanlang is back!"

Bu Erniang and Tian Chunlan were overjoyed. They quickly put down their work and welcomed Xu Lai into the house to rest. They also poured water for the porters Xu Lai had hired.

Xu Lai asked, "Where are Father and Second Brother?"

Bu Erniang said, "Working in the fields. It rained last night, so it's not hot today, and the ground is easier to hoe."

Xu paid the porter, who was very happy, drank a bowl of water, and left.

Xu Lai opened his luggage again, distributed a large bag of snacks to the children, and specially saved a small bag for Dou Niang.

The children cheered and ran after each other, sharing the snacks.

Tian Chunlan then brought over her son, Xu Lai's little nephew, who was already two and a half years old: "Hu Tou, quickly call him Third Uncle."

"Third Uncle."

The little nephew was a bit shy, hiding timidly behind his mother, clinging to her leg and peeking at Xu Lai.

Xu Lai took out a piece of maltose.

My little nephew curiously tasted it, and grinned from ear to ear at the sweetness. He ran over to Xu Lai and kept calling him "Third Uncle."

Not long after, the father and brothers, having received the news, finished their work in the fields and went home ahead of schedule.

Xu Lai briefly explained his situation, saying that he would study diligently at home for several months and would not travel to the capital by boat until the depths of winter. He also mentioned that Yu Jing had passed away and that he could only propose marriage after the mourning period was over.

Then, Xu Lai inquired about the situation in his hometown.

Xu Yongnian said, "The county magistrate is neglecting his duties. This summer's tax reduction has become severe, forcing many farmers to sell their land to pay taxes. Our Qingxi Village is doing alright, probably because of your influence."

The reforms were one of the major misdeeds of the Song Dynasty.

For example, the summer tax should have been paid in cloth, but local officials said they wouldn't accept cloth and insisted that farmers exchange it for other goods.

Moreover, the goods specified for the exchange were often hard to find locally. Merchants took the opportunity to raise prices, landlords took the opportunity to borrow money, and together with the government, they ruthlessly exploited the farmers.

Xu An said, "Mr. Yu (Yu Shanyuan) left in anger and refused to serve as the county magistrate's advisor anymore. He left just a few days ago. He even came to our house for a visit and said he was going back to Shaozhou to prepare for the imperial examination."

If Xu Lai had returned home a few days later, he probably would have run into Yu Shanyuan, since Yu Shanyuan would definitely have gone to pay his respects to Yu Jing.

After listening to his family's story, Xu Lai felt that going home was the right thing to do.

He made friends in the capital, mostly sons of officials, and rarely even interacted with the poor people in the suburbs. All he could feel was the wealth of Tokyo, where everything was lavish and beautiful.

Now, back in his rural hometown, a few words are enough to bring him back to reality.

Officials, merchants, and gentry colluded to levy exorbitant taxes and exploit the people, accompanied by rampant land annexation.

For decades, land consolidation in Qingxi Village has not been a serious problem because landlords looked down on the barren mountain land. As a result, the oppression of the mountain people was manifested in the "blood tax," which was the frequent forced conscription of various kinds of labor.

Farmers outside the mountains, while having fewer corvée labor duties, faced heavier taxes and had to sell their land if they couldn't repay high-interest loans.

Xu Lai settled down in the village, studying diligently every day, occasionally helping with housework, and teaching his nephews and nieces to read and count.

Because there were no distractions, the learning progressed rapidly.

He only went into town once during this period to replenish his writing materials and ask Uncle Zhang and Bu Chao to keep an eye on the boats. In the dead of winter, if any official boats sailed north and stopped in Qingyuan County, he would immediately go to the village to inform Xu Lai.

Uncle Zhang has already married that widow. He got a child for free and two rooms in the county town for free, but he needs to take care of the widow's mother-in-law until her death.

Ordinary people don't have that many rules.

The child changed his surname to Zhang, and the old woman treated Uncle Zhang as her own son. She would do his laundry and cook for him, and would boast to everyone that Uncle Zhang was more filial than her own son.

The widow usually did odd jobs and was a diligent and honest person. Whenever she had free time, she would sew new clothes and make new shoes for Uncle Zhang, while she herself only wore her old clothes and shoes. She said that Uncle Zhang was a public servant in the government office, and only by wearing nice clothes could he appear respectable.

Bu Chao was incredibly envious!

Bu Chao also wanted to find someone as virtuous as her, but his standards were too high. Not only did she have to be virtuous, but she also had to be beautiful; he wouldn't be interested in a clumsy or awkward woman.

He wants both, yet remains unmarried.

Several months have passed in the blink of an eye, and Xu Lai has finished studying "Shangshu Zhengyi" and reviews and consolidates the books he has learned before every day.

Of the Four Books and Five Classics from the Ming and Qing dynasties, he only had the Book of Changes and the Book of Poetry left to study. He also delved deeply into the Analects, Mencius, Spring and Autumn Annals, Book of Rites, and Book of Documents, and incidentally studied other classics such as the Erya.

He also knew the famous passages in "Zhaoming Wenxuan" by heart.

The intensity of his studies over the past few months was the same as when he was preparing for the college entrance examination and postgraduate entrance examination. Xu Lai didn't feel it was too hard; he was already used to it before he transmigrated.

"Saburo, there is a boat!"

Around midnight, Bu Chao hurriedly returned to the mountains to deliver the message.

Xu Lai hurriedly got up and dressed: "Merchant ship or official ship?"

"The official boat arranged by Qingyuan County," Bu Chao said, "is full of scholars heading to the capital for the imperial examinations, except for a few messengers delivering official documents. Magistrate Shen will host a banquet tomorrow to personally see off the passing scholars."

During the annual provincial examinations, after determining the quota for each region, the Privy Council would issue corresponding official certificates.

These official vouchers were also called post station vouchers.

Those who passed the imperial examinations in Beijing and came to government offices or post stations with official vouchers were required to provide free transportation, boats, and food.

Of course, if there are only one or two successful candidates, the government will not arrange special boats for them; at most, they will let you wait and catch a ride.

If a group of successful candidates gathered, the government would arrange special boats to transport them out of their territory. The local officials would then consider their task complete; they would not escort them all the way to the capital.

The next day, Xu Lai bid farewell to his family and the villagers.

He left all his other books at home, asking his father and brothers to take them out and air them every now and then, while he only brought along the "Rhyme Dictionary of the Ministry of Rites".

Use the "Zhaoming Anthology" to take the exam.

Xu Lai arrived in the county town after noon, and the farewell banquet hosted by Magistrate Shen was nearing its end.

"Haha, Xingzhi, you've come at just the right time," Shen Zhi was very happy to see Xu Lai. "Let me introduce you all. This is Xu Lai, Xu Xingzhi. He is also going to the capital to take the Ministry of Rites examination."

As Xu Lai greeted everyone, he noticed that there were thirty or forty people present, most of whom he knew a classmate from the Guangzhou Prefectural School.

The others I didn't recognize were either scholars who had already left the Guangzhou State Academy or scholars from other states.

For example, scholars from Kangzhou (Deqing) would take a boat through Duanzhou (Zhaoqing) and then head north to Qingyuan, where they would gather and wait for a special boat.

One of the tasks of the magistrate of Qingyuan County was to arrange special ships to send scholars from various prefectures northward during the years when the successful candidates in the provincial examinations were selected.

Including Yang Shu, one by one, the old classmates left their seats to reminisce with Xu Lai.

Those scholars who didn't know each other whispered and discussed among themselves.

"Is he the Xu Xingzhi that the scholars of Guangzhou were talking about? He doesn't seem particularly special."

"He is Master Yu's disciple."

"He got a place in the Imperial Academy? But that doesn't make sense. He should be taking the Imperial Academy's preliminary examination in the fall, so why is he in Qingyuan County now?"

"There is only one possibility: no solution required."

"I heard that the Imperial Academy usually only has one or two places for exemption from the provincial examinations each year, and it will never exceed five."

Yang Shu and the others were also quite surprised: "Xingzhi, you only entered the Imperial Academy last year, and you've already received an exemption from the provincial examinations?"

Xu Lai explained simply: "I did quite well in last year's Imperial Academy annual examination."

He has never mentioned that he ranked first in the annual examination, and even Magistrate Shen is unaware of it.

Luo Dunxin, holding Xu Lai's hand, said, "Xingzhi, the dam upstream of Ganxi was completed last winter. It's called the Xue Dike. Now, everyone in Guangzhou knows about our water conservancy survey. The newly arrived military commissioner, Lord Lu, has given half of Guangzhou's quota for the provincial examinations to us classmates who surveyed the water conservancy together. As long as you pass the provincial examination, you're guaranteed to pass the provincial examination!"

"Haha, we've all benefited from Xingzhi's success," Liang Wensu laughed.

Xu Lai asked, "Ding Erlang didn't pass the exam?"

Upon hearing this, the smiles of the crowd turned somewhat awkward.

Yang Shu said in a low voice, "He passed the exam, but he didn't pass the preliminary exam."

He passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations). He also made contributions by surveying water conservancy projects together, but Ding Zhengchen was the only one whose title was not removed.

The reason is obvious: Ding Zhengchen is a descendant of a foreign people, and the newly arrived military commissioner and prefect does not like him.

Unless he encounters an official who doesn't mind this matter, Ding Zhengchen will never be able to go to the capital to take the imperial examination.

(Some say Xu Lai didn't save Yu Jing. By the time Xu Lai rushed to Nanjing, Yu Jing had already been seriously ill for a month, because it's impossible for a servant to notify Yu Jing's family as soon as he fell ill. Forget about allicin; even if Yu Jing traveled to a modern hospital, doctors would have a hard time saving a patient on the verge of death.)

(I know readers are complaining that the plot hasn't been exciting enough lately. Now we're speeding up the pace, and the exam is coming up soon.)

(An extra chapter today; the third chapter may be after 10 PM.)