The Records of the Officialdom 02: Qian Dianshi and Zhao Xiaolian Discuss the Amusement of Officials
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The Zhao family was in a flurry of celebration, and after several busy days, a teacher from the local school came to deliver a message, summoning Zhao Wen to report to the provincial capital immediately to fill out his family background information. The three generations of the Zhao family treated the teacher to a feast of wine and meat, and also gave him several hundred copper coins. After the teacher left, Zhao Wen was hesitant about how to fill out the form, but fortunately, he sought advice from the elder Wang Xiaolian, who taught him everything in detail. Zhao Wen was overjoyed. His grandfather then discussed with his relative Fang Bizheng about inviting Wang Xiaolian to accompany them to the provincial capital, so that they could seek his guidance at any time.
He had to set out for two reasons: one was the order of his uncle, and the other was the great event of his daughter's elder brother passing the imperial examination. What more could he ask for? He immediately agreed with a mouthful of promises. Old man Zhao was extremely grateful. After checking the calendar, October 15th was a lucky day suitable for all activities, so they decided to set out on this day. Because they didn't have enough livestock, they also borrowed two donkeys from Mr. Fang's family. In the next few days, several relatives came to bid farewell and offer gifts, which Zhao Wen accepted in general.
Mendou: official duty in school.
② Proclamation of kinship: refers to the process of filling out age, native place and other formalities at the official office after a scholar has passed the imperial examination.
No need for idle chatter. Before he knew it, the fourteenth had arrived. His grandfather and father were busy all day until late at night, and they didn't sleep a wink as they busied themselves with this and that, restless with anxiety. On the fifteenth, early in the morning, Zhao Wen got up, washed his face, and ate his fill. The animals outside had already been prepared. After a brief moment, Fang Bi and Wang Xiaolian also walked over. Zhao Wen then bowed to his grandfather and father to bid them farewell. Old Zhao again made a bow to Wang Xiaolian, entrusting him with taking care of his grandson, and Wang Xiaolian hastily returned the courtesy. Once they had finished their farewells, they all escorted him out of the gate, mounted their animals, and set off along the main road towards the city.
A few days ago, Wang Xiangzhai sent a letter saying that if Zhao Shixiong came to the provincial capital to fill out the family register, he could come straight to the city and stay at his place for a few days. So Zhao Wen accompanied Wang Xiaolian, walked for half a day, and entered the city directly, rushing to the Stone Tablet Building. Wang Xiaolian was familiar with the place, and the doorman recognized him immediately, inviting them in without any obstruction; it was Zhao Wen's first time. Fortunately, he had always been meticulous, so after getting off the donkey, he carefully observed his surroundings.
In front of the gate, a white wall with two large characters "Hong Xi" was erected. On either side of the gate stood two stone lions and eight-character brick walls. The two black-lacquered doors had copper door rings that shone like snow. Outside the gate hung a sign that read "Qin Jin Relief Donation Branch". Two tiger-head plaques, each with four large characters, were posted on either side of the gate, reading "Important Matters" and "No Entry". Two half-red and half-black clubs hung from the plaques. Inside the gate stood six blue-lacquered screen doors, above which a red plaque with gold lettering read "Provincial Graduate's Residence". On either side were posted numerous notices from new provincial graduates, some recognizable, others not, but all from the same year. On the walls on either side hung several red and black hats and two leather whips.
The man at the gate let him in because he was with Wang Xiangsheng. After passing through the screen door, there was a large hall with three rooms, but no tables or chairs. On both sides of the wall, several plaques were placed horizontally and vertically, including "Bingzi Keju Ren", "Gengchen Kejinshi", "Ci Jinshi Chushen", "Qin Dian Zhupolitics" and "Jiangxi Dao Jiancha Yushi". Zhao Wen understood that these were all Wang Xiangsheng's official titles. There were also two half-new sedan chairs on display. After passing through another screen door, there was a large courtyard with five rooms.
Half red and half black stick: originally used by the yamen runners, with one half red and the other half black, hung outside the door to show dignity.
It was already October, with a large red burlap curtain hanging in the middle of the gate. The second master who had followed Wang Xiangsheng to the countryside last time and had been given two copper coins by Wang Xiaolian to buy roasted flatbread, was walking towards him from under the eaves, carrying a water ladle; as soon as he saw him coming, he hastily stood still, fortunately not forgetting past favors, came forward to greet Wang Xiaolian with a bow, asking when he had arrived, and Wang Xiaolian replied "just now".
Look at Zhao Wen, who also seems to know him, but ignores him, speaking while letting him sit in the house. Zhao Wen followed him inside. It turned out that the middle was a three-room hall, with two rooms on either side, and above it hung a plaque with the words "Chongxi Hall" written by Wang Mingluan. Zhao Wen had read "Mojuan" and knew that this Wang Mingluan was the same as Mr. Liu, who wrote "Neng Zijiangzhai Wengao". He was a literary master of his generation, and he couldn't help but feel respectful. In the middle hung a pair of imperial calligraphy, writing the words "Dragon Tiger", which were stone carvings with Zhu's seal; on either side was a couplet written by Yan Danchu, an old gentleman. On the table was an ancient tripod, a vase, and a mirror, with eight chairs and four tea tables on either side. Above the beam, there were several things that looked like niches for gods, made of red lacquer and gold, which were very beautiful. Zhao Wen didn't know what they were and quietly asked the elder. Wang Xiaolian told him: "This is where the ' Imperial Edict Axis' is placed."
Ink volume: refers to the volume written by the examinee with ink.
Edict scroll: an edict is an imperial decree conferring titles on officials of the fifth rank and above; a silk scroll mounted with such an edict.
Zhao Wen still didn't understand what " imperial decree" meant, and was about to ask again when Wang Xiangsheng came out from inside, wearing a pair of shoes and holding a tobacco pouch. Wang Xiaolian hastily went forward to greet him with a bow, and Wang Xiangsheng supported him with one hand. Before he could even react, Zhao Wen had already fallen to the ground, and Wang Xiangsheng hurried over to help him up, saying "please get up" as he did so. Although his mouth was still speaking polite words, his legs were not moving, and it wasn't until Zhao Wen got up that he returned a bow. They sat down in their respective seats. Zhao Wen sat in the second chair on the east side, Wang Xiaolian sat in the second chair on the west side, and Wang Xiangsheng sat in the third chair on the west side to keep them company. Wang Xiangsheng first asked about Zhao Wen's grandfather and father. But who would have thought that at this moment, not only could he not say the words his grandfather had told him to say when he arrived in town and met with Wang Xiangsheng, but even after hearing Wang Xiangsheng's question, he didn't know how to respond? His face turned bright red, and he stuttered for half a day before finally managing to get out a single word: "good". Seeing him like this, Wang Xiangsheng also didn't ask him any more questions, and instead chatted with Wang Xiaolian for a few sentences.
Here is the translation:
As they were chatting, Wang Xiangsheng brought up: "There's a relative of mine, surnamed Qian, named Bofang. He's my wife's second older brother and used to be a county official in Jiangnan. That year, when the new governor arrived, within three months, he somehow got 'dismissed'. But unexpectedly, although his time in office was short, he managed to bring back some money. When you enter the city, you'll see that new house - it's his residence. Being an official, no matter big or small, one should be like him, and then the position won't be wasted. Now he's already asked someone to help him find a 'reinstatement' opportunity, and after the New Year, he plans to come to Beijing to look for connections and try to get a promotion to become an official again." Wang Xiaolian said: "Since there are opportunities, why not just take the regular route and become a regular official?" Wang Xiangsheng replied: "It's not that simple. I've advised him several times, but our brother-in-law has his own ideas. He says that although being a county or prefectural official is close to the people, it's still a prestigious position with certain restrictions - there are things one can't get involved in personally, and sometimes one has to rely on the 'teacher' or 'second master'. The more hands something passes through, the more it gets whittled away, until what's left for the official is limited. So, in fact, being a county official isn't as good as being a registrar - at least then he can handle everything personally and be practical." Wang Xiaolian said: "The common saying goes: 'A thousand miles to become an official, all for wealth'." Wang Xiangsheng replied: "Exactly. Now I think that next year when Zhao Shixiong comes to Beijing for the imperial examination, we should ask him to follow our brother-in-law and let him take care of things - he's very experienced in these matters." Wang Xiaolian said: "This is the best idea - what more can be said?" At this point, Wang Xiaolian saw that Wang Xiangsheng was ignoring Zhao Wen, who was sitting there without a word to say, so he told him about their conversation. Zhao Wen only replied with a simple "good" and didn't have anything else to say. Wang Xiaolian asked on his behalf: "Should we go visit Qian Laobo's residence to pay our respects?" Wang Xiangsheng replied: "He went to the countryside today to collect rent. I'll make arrangements for you to meet him next year." Then he invited them to stay for dinner and spend the night in a room on the west side of the main hall. The next morning, they set off early towards the provincial capital. After several days of traveling, they arrived at the provincial capital, found accommodations, and settled their luggage.
Resignation due to implication: An official resigns due to being implicated.
Reinstatement: reinstated.
③ Ba Xing: Letter, because letter paper has eight lines of seal impression, so it is called.
Rising through the ranks by relying on personal connections.
Now, let's talk about Zhao Wen. Although he passed the imperial examination, he was not familiar with social etiquette. In the previous year's small exam and this year's exam for selecting talented scholars, he had met the Academician only twice, but it was just a brief encounter where they exchanged names and handed over his exam papers without any conversation. This time, after passing the imperial examination, he came to pay his respects and couldn't avoid chatting with him for a bit. Normally, when he met someone slightly more prominent, he would become flustered and incoherent, so how could he possibly face the Academician, who was a high-ranking official? He had never seen him before and was already intimidated.
Fortunately, Wang Xiaolian helped him out by instructing him on what to do. Whatever Zhao Wen couldn't think of, Wang Xiaolian would remind him. The night before, Wang taught him how to kowtow and respond to questions, just like in a play. It wasn't difficult for Zhao Wen to learn, thanks to his clever nature. He practiced throughout the night until dawn and managed to memorize all the etiquette.
The next morning, Wang Xiaolian woke up, and Zhao Wen hurriedly got him to get up and wash his face. He himself changed into formal attire and held a name card in his hand. Wang Xiaolian also told him to prepare four strings of cash as a gift for the Academician, known as "guan jian," and some extra money for miscellaneous expenses.
When they arrived at the gate, they found the patrol officer and Zhao Wen bowed to him, handing over the name card and asking him to pass on their greetings. He also gave the patrol officer one string of cash as a "door gift." The patrol officer thought it was too little and asked for more, so they added two hundred cash before he agreed to go and inform the Academician.
After a while, the patrol officer came out and said, "The Academician is not seeing guests today. Has your name been registered?" Zhao Wen felt relieved when he heard that the Academician wasn't receiving visitors, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He quickly went to the office to fill out the registration form with great respect and clarity.
All the expenses were taken care of by Wang Xiaolian the night before, so Zhao Wen only needed to spend some money on trivial matters. After completing the formalities, they returned to their lodgings, packed up, and headed back to their hometown together. Wang Xiaolian also taught him how to write a draft for the palace examination essay, in preparation for next year's exam.
Yi Cai: A term referring to the candidates who were not listed in the top three grades of the imperial examination, but could still participate in the "Lu Ke" and "Yi Lu" examinations. Those who passed these exams could then take the separate trial exam.
② "Minglun Hall": The ceremonial hall in the academy.
③ Ceremony: Refers to the Confucius worship ceremony.
Bribe: gift for officials.
② Imperial Examination Strategy White Folded Paper: Imperial Examination Strategy refers to a type of examination question. White Folded Paper was a type of examination paper at that time.
It's just that time flies like an arrow, and the days pass like a shuttle. Before you know it, the New Year has passed, and the Zhao family is busy preparing for the imperial examination in the capital. One day after lunch, someone reported that there was a letter from Wang Xiangguan's residence. When Zhao Wen opened it, he saw that the first half of the letter was just some auspicious phrases for the new year, and then it said: "At our humble abode, we have already agreed to travel together in the same boat, with mutual benefits. Our old servant He Gen has been following us for many years and is very reliable. He is also familiar with the situation on the northern road. We hope you will hire him." Zhao Wen knew that this was the steward recommended by Wang Xiangguan. He saw He Gen wearing a red hat, a blue feathered satin padded jacket, an outer layer of green satin horseback cape, and a pair of black boots with white soles. When he saw Zhao Wen, he bowed and said: "Thank you, young master, for the meal." Then he said: "The master of the house asks for your well-being." Zhao Wen was taken aback by his attire, which he had never seen before in the countryside, and didn't know what to say. Fortunately, He Gen understood and saw that the young master couldn't speak, so he asked him to take him to see the old master and pay his respects. Zhao Wen had no choice but to follow him inside, where they first met his grandfather. After the introduction, his grandfather said: "This person was recommended by Wang Gonggong, and we must not be rude to him." So he kept He Gen in the study to live. When it was time to eat, his grandfather would always serve He Gen a separate bowl of rice and two dishes from the pot. No one asked him to do any chores, but later Wang Xiaolian came over and saw this, saying: "Now that He Er Ye is the steward of our mansion, we don't need to be polite to him. We should let him handle things, and once he gets familiar with them, it will be easier for you to get along." The Zhao family listened to this and gradually began to assign tasks to him.
On the eighteenth day, it was a good day to set out on a long journey. All the tedious formalities of bidding farewell were unnecessary to describe in detail. On this day, Wang Xianggong was still invited to escort him to the city. This time, because he was traveling with Qian Dianshi, they went straight to his house, settled their luggage, and together went to Wang's mansion to pay their respects. After meeting, they were asked to stay for dinner; at the table, there were only three people talking: Wang Xianggong, his uncle, and his cousin. Zhao Wen was unable to get a word in edgewise. After dinner, when it was time to leave, Wang Xianggong bowed to him and said, "I'll be listening for good news." He also made a bow to his elder brother-in-law and said, "Please forgive me for not coming to see you off tomorrow. When you arrive in the capital, let me know where you're staying as soon as possible." Then he bid farewell to Wang Xianggong, saying, "We'll meet again." Only then did they enter. The three of them returned to Qian's house together and spent the night there. The next day, Qian and Zhao set out together. Wang Xianggong waited until he had seen them off before returning to his village.
The story has two threads. To speak of Qian Dianshi, he had always been frugal and knew that He Gen was recommended by his sister's husband, so he didn't bring a steward and called out to He Gen to do things along the way. After a couple of days, he couldn't help but forget himself and gradually put on airs as an uncle. Behind his back, he didn't know how many times He Gen cursed him. Fortunately, Zhao Wen was inexperienced and had no idea. Moreover, Qian Dianshi was a seasoned veteran of the social scene, and now seeing that Zhao Wen was a new noble with unlimited prospects; although he took advantage of him being a country bumpkin in some matters and secretly made money off him, on the surface he always tried to make a good impression. He also found out that Zhao Wen's mentor Wu Hanlin had recently opened a school and been promoted to Right Spring Pavilion and Right Zan Shan. The influence of an official in the capital was not ordinary, so Qian Dianshi thought of currying favor with him.
You Chunfang, You Zanshan: official titles in Ming and Qing dynasties, actually promotions from Hanlin Academy compilers and others.
One day, after dinner, he asked He Gen to open the bedding and light the lamp. At that time, Zhao Wen was holding a new book of examination essays under the lamp in the outer room, studying them carefully. Qian Dianshi said, "The wind is strong in the main house, it's better to lie down on the smoking platform and read." Zhao Wen listened and brought his books into the room, lying down on one side of the smoking platform, still reading aloud. Qian Dianshi didn't dare stop him, so he smoked a few mouthfuls, ate some fruit and snacks, picked up the teapot, took two sips from the spout, put it down, and then picked up a purple copper water pipe to smoke. He Gen was annoyed by his noise and couldn't bear it anymore, so he used He Gen's arrival as an excuse to vent his anger. First, he scolded him for being lazy and not doing anything, then he said that he had bought steamed buns on the road today, four cents each, but he insisted on paying five and a half cents each, earning eighteen cents from twelve steamed buns, what a swindler! He Gen had already been unhappy when he heard Qian Dianshi scolding him for being lazy, and now he was even more angry when he was accused of making money and called a swindler. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, saying things like "Earned money to buy a coffin, to bury your old man" and "Swindler, it's our big uncle". Qian Dianshi didn't hear him at first, but when he did, he immediately became furious, put down the water pipe, picked up the root of the tobacco gun, and rushed over to hit He Gen. He Gen wasn't easy to deal with either, seeing that Qian Dianshi wanted to hit him, he pushed his head into Qian Dianshi's chest and said, "You hit me! I'm not afraid, I'm your big uncle!" Qian Dianshi saw that he was so unafraid, he couldn't bring himself to hit him, but instead shouted, "What a wild thing! Go back and write a letter to your old man, he recommended such a good person, who doesn't even put me in his eyes!" He Gen was about to retort when the shopkeeper intervened, having heard the commotion inside, and pulled He Gen away. Qian Dianshi was still fuming at this point. When the two of them were quarreling, Zhao Wen wanted to come up and mediate, but didn't know how to do it well. Later, seeing that the shopkeeper had pulled He Gen away, he stood there for a while before saying, "It's getting late, Qian Laobo is also sleepy." Qian Dianshi heard this and turned to him with a serious expression, saying, "Young master! If you want to manage the household like this, you should have some authority as the master. If you're too soft, the servants won't be able to control themselves, they'll offend the guests, what will happen when you become an official and govern the people?"
Zhao Wenming knew that Qian Dianshi had brought this trouble upon himself, but he was too weak to respond. He could only let Qian speak and listen silently. Qian continued: "In the past when I was an official in Jiangnan, although my office was small, there were three or five managers, as well as clerks and runners. I alone had to manage them all, and if I wasn't careful, they would take advantage of me. If you can't even control a lowly person like him, how can that be allowed?" Zhao Wen said: "Because he was recommended by the Duke, Grandfather instructed us to be polite to him, so we've been letting him have his way in some matters." Qian Dianshi coldly laughed and said: "You'll let him succeed in plotting rebellion? You still want to be polite to this kind of person? It's truly absurd! I should scold him at least a hundred times a day!" Zhao Wen said: "Since Uncle has spoken, I will take charge of him tomorrow." Qian Dianshi said: "I'm not asking you to manage him, I'm teaching you the ways of being an official."
Zhao Wenxin felt puzzled and said, "What does this have to do with being an official?" He didn't dare to refute him, so he had no choice but to listen attentively. Qian Dianshi continued, "'First, govern your family, then govern the country, and finally bring peace to the world.' You scholars should know these two sentences. If one can't even manage their own household, how can they be considered a good governor? If you can't govern your family, you can't govern the country. Tell me, what use is this official position to the emperor? You don't need to go to the capital to take the imperial examination and rush for fame. Just like me, although I was only a county clerk in the past, I actually made some real contributions to the imperial family. Not only did everyone in the yamen obey me, but even those local officials, such as the village headmen, township heads, and directors, didn't dare to deceive me!"
Although Zhao Wen was a countryman, he knew that the county magistrate was inferior to the assistant magistrate. Hearing him speak with relish, he intentionally teased him and asked: "Please teach me, elder sir: is the position of assistant magistrate greater than or less than that of the county magistrate?" Qian Dianshi looked down on him as an outsider and said: "They are generally equal. The areas under his jurisdiction are also under mine. In theory, I am the true master of this county. When something comes up, I show courtesy to him and let him sit in the center, so they all call him 'zhèngtáng' (main hall). I sit in the secondary position, so they all call me 'yòutáng' (right chamber). Actually, it's the same, without any distinction between greater or lesser." Zhao Wen said: "The assistant magistrate is still somewhat inferior to the prefect."
Xiangyue, Tuzheng: Xiangyue refers to a person who is in charge of affairs in the countryside by imperial order. Tuzheng: refers to a person in charge of the fish-scale register in rural areas; the fish-scale register is a land register established for taxation and labor service.
"He's in the provincial city, I'm in the county town. I don't interfere with him, he doesn't interfere with me. Zhao brother, don't underestimate this position of a tax collector. It's harder to do than other officials. Once you get the hang of it, when the time comes to give you the title of Zhuangyuan, you won't even want it. I'm not belittling the title of Zhuangyuan. People often say that those in the Hanlin Academy are noble and refined, and when they're sent out on external assignments, they'll either be chief examiners or education officials, and naturally, there will be officials under them who come to pay their respects. However, being one level removed, it's not very convenient after all.
How about us tax collectors? We don't have to wear official robes when we go out, and we can walk on the streets, visit brothels, gambling dens, and other places without being recognized. Those who know me in this county are all my subjects, and who dares not to come and pay their respects? Those who don't know me, if there's no business, then it's fine, but when something comes up, I'll still be fair and impartial.
In less than two years, who won't know me? Within a year, we have my birthday, my wife's birthday, these are fixed events that must be done. Then there are the birthdays of the old master and mistress, the young master getting married, the young lady getting engaged, and so on. There are several such events in a year.
Zhao Wen said: "I've heard Wang Da Ge say before, but Old Master hasn't even raised you as his own son, how can he be doing these things?"
Qian Dianshi said: "You originally didn't enter officialdom, it's no wonder you don't know. Generally speaking, for us tax collectors, we rely on celebrating birthdays and weddings to make money. One event brings in one payment, and there are five or six events in a year, so we receive five or six payments. Each payment is several hundred taels, and when added up, it's over two thousand. This is truly a big deal that can't be underestimated.
Don't say I don't have children, not even my parents, who passed away many years ago when I was in office. But under the pretext of being at our hometown, we just take a few taels from people's families. These are all superficial things, and receiving them doesn't bring any guilt. There are also those that aren't on the surface, but as long as it's within human capability, it's hard to say.
This time I came out, I don't think about anything else, just want to get selected quickly, and once in office, no matter how difficult things are, as long as you have ability, you can always make a living."
Just then, someone outside the window said: "It's getting late, guests should also rest. Tomorrow will be a good day for traveling." It turned out that the carriage driver had gotten up in the middle of the night to relieve himself and was walking under the window when he heard the conversation inside, so he said these two sentences.
Qian Dianshi laughed and said: "Really, I got carried away with my talk and forgot about tomorrow's journey." He then urged Zhao Wen to sleep, and after eating a few more bags of water tobacco, he finally rested. The next day they continued their journey as usual.
He and his two servants traveled day and night, and encountered another heavy snowstorm in Henan. They didn't arrive in Beijing until after the 20th of February. Qian Dianshi had a lot on his plate with social engagements every day and was extremely busy. Zhao Wen met up with some fellow students and entrusted one of them to take care of all the paperwork for the re-examination, so he wouldn't have to ask someone else for help, which saved him a lot of trouble. However, the big re-examination had already passed, and it wasn't until the 28th that he took the re-examination in the imperial court along with some other latecomers. He was overjoyed when he found out he had been selected as one of the top three candidates and would be allowed to participate in the palace examination. Zhao Wen wrote a letter to inform his grandfather and father about the good news. Since arriving in Beijing, the first thing he did was pay respects to his teacher. Zhao Wen asked for advice from his fellow students, wrote a formal letter, and prepared two taels of silver and four strings of cash as gifts. His teacher, Wu Zanshan, lived outside the Shunzhi Gate, while Zhao and Qian lived in the rice market alley, which wasn't too far away. On this particular day, Zhao Wen got up early and woke up Qian Dianshi, who helped him get ready by putting on his official robes, tying his belt, and doing his hair. He also called out to He Gen: "Is the letter of introduction ready? Has the sedan chair arrived?" Before long, a brand new sedan chair stopped in front of their door. Zhao Wen got into the sedan chair, and Qian Dianshi saw him off at the gate. The sedan chair bearer cracked his whip, and the bearers started walking. Before long, they arrived at Wu Zanshan's residence. Zhao Wen got out of the sedan chair and looked up to see a pair of cloth shoes and four pieces of fabric with the words "The Zhan family strictly prohibits noise; violators will be punished" written on them. It turned out that it was still early, and the Wu family hadn't opened their main gate yet. On the gate, there was a couplet that read: "The imperial favor is vast and boundless, the literary world shines with glory." Zhao Wen thought to himself that this must have been written by his teacher. He lingered outside the gate for a while before hearing the sound of the gate creaking open. An old steward came out and greeted him. Zhao Wen presented his letter of introduction and gifts, and the steward invited him to wait in the gatehouse. The steward took the gifts and ran inside. After a while, he didn't come back out. Zhao Wen was starting to get suspicious.
Those who were poor officials in the capital, it was easy to drag on for three years and then take a trip. Originally, they had hoped to collect more tuition from wealthy families, so that they could pay off their old debts and start new accounts. Since Wu Zanshan arrived in Beijing at the beginning of February, he has met many new jinshi who have come to the capital for the examination. He saw Zhang San and asked about Li Si; he saw Li Si and asked about Zhang San. If they were from the same prefecture or county, it was natural that one would know; even if they were from different counties in the same province, if one didn't know, it didn't matter, as long as there was some rumor, when he met them, he would always try to find out about their background. This is generally true, and not just Wu Zanshan alone.
At the moment, Wu Zanshan was only talking about how good Zhao Wen's family background was. He had already figured out that Zhao Wen was a wealthy landowner from Chao County and a nouveau riche who had made his fortune quickly. He thought to himself that if Zhao Wen came to visit, he would at least bring 200-300 taels of silver as a gift.
When the servant brought in the visiting card, Wu Zanshan was still half asleep in bed. As soon as he heard the name "Zhao Wen", he called out, "Please ask him to sit in the study and have some tea." The old servant replied, "Yes, sir."
Luckily, Madame Wu asked carefully, "Has the gift been brought in?" Just then, the old servant had already handed over the visiting card along with two taels of silver to a maid to bring in. Madame Wu took it from her hand, weighed it, and said, "It's only two taels." Wu Zanshan didn't hear this, but when he did, he quickly jumped out of bed, not even putting on his clothes, and snatched the gift from Madame Wu.
When he opened it and saw that there were indeed only two taels of silver, he felt as if he had lost something. His face changed color immediately. After a moment, he suddenly laughed and said, "Maybe they brought in their door gift instead? Zhao Wen is very rich, he wouldn't just send such a small amount." The old servant replied, "The servants received four strings of cash separately. Zhao Wen clearly stated that there was only two taels of silver as a gift."
When Wu Zanshan heard this, he became furious and shouted, "Return it to him! I don't need his two taels of silver to buy rice for dinner! Tell him... tell him not to come see me again!" Saying this, he stormed back to bed.
The old servant had no choice but to go out and reply to Zhao Wen, saying that the master was indisposed and would not receive guests today. After finishing this sentence, he carelessly swept the visiting card onto the table and pocketed the two taels of silver.
Zhao Wen rushed out, looking refreshed and energetic, but left dejectedly after sitting in the carriage. Qian Dianshi immediately asked, "Why did you come back so quickly? Did you see him?" Zhao Wen replied, "The teacher didn't receive guests today." Qian Dianshi said, "Then we should go again tomorrow." The next day, he got up early and rushed out again. The old servant didn't even bother to respond to him, letting him sit alone in the gatehouse for a long time before saying, "I think you'd better just leave, don't come back tomorrow." Zhao Wen was perplexed by these words and was about to ask when the old servant said, "I'm going out with the teacher, so you don't need to wait anymore." Zhao Wen had no choice but to return to his lodgings in the carriage. Qian Dianshi knew he still hadn't seen the teacher and sensed that something was amiss, so he also gave up on the idea of relying on Zhao Wen to get an introduction to the teacher.
After a few days, it was the first day of the eighth lunar month. Zhao Wen went in and worked hard to write three articles, which he carefully wrote on the paper. He heard that no one had added any notes or corrections to their papers for the past three exams, so he put extra effort into this. Who knew that by the tenth day, when the sun was setting, he still hadn't finished writing a poem? Suddenly, many people wearing boots and hats rushed in shouting "Grab the papers!" There was also someone blowing loudly on a horn, which flustered him and made him hastily pick up his pen to write. Unfortunately, his eight-line poem had four missing lines, so he had no choice but to add twenty characters as notes, which annoyed him greatly. In a rush, he packed up his exam basket and handed in his papers. He couldn't shake off the feeling of unease until the next day when the "blue list" was posted and his name wasn't on it. For the second and third exams, he suffered for nine days straight. After leaving the examination hall, he slept soundly for two days and two nights before waking up. Later, there were gatherings where students invited their teachers, and fellow students paid respects to each other. Because the deputy examiner had taken leave to return home and repair his ancestral tomb, only Wu Zanshan was invited.
Blue List: a list written in blue ink. During the county-level imperial examination, those who did not follow the writing regulations had their qualification to take the exam cancelled and were publicly announced on the list.
Zhao Wen was dressed in his finery and mingled with the crowd. Qian Dianshi followed him in to watch the commotion. He saw Wu Zanshan sitting at the top watching the play, while Zhao Wen's seat was still far from his. They waited until the end of the performance, but didn't see Wu Zanshan pay any attention to him. After everyone dispersed, Qian Dianshi couldn't bring himself to say anything openly, so he whispered behind Zhao Wen's back: "There's a ready-made teacher who doesn't even know how to curry favor, what about us who are trying to make a name for ourselves by studying under a famous teacher? From now on, I won't take him seriously." But then he thought again, "Scholars can be unpredictable, and I'm afraid he might still pass the exam, so let's wait another two days before making any conclusions."
Zhao Wen had been waiting anxiously since the day before, and he had already made two copies of his essay: one to send home and one to carry with him, so that he could ask for feedback at any time. Everyone was praising his writing, saying it was excellent and would definitely pass. Some people said that on April 9th, the list of successful candidates would be posted, and on the 8th, the list would be written. For several days, he hadn't been able to sleep well. On the evening of the 8th, before dawn, he woke up He Gen and told him to go to Liulichang to wait for news. He Gen said, "Master, it's still early, what's the hurry?" Zhao Wen insisted that he go, but He Gen pushed back, saying it was too early and he needed to rest a bit longer. The two of them started arguing. It wasn't until Qian Dianshi intervened, scolding He Gen a few times, that he reluctantly left. This whole day, Zhao Wen was like an ant on a hot pot, unable to eat or drink, restless and agitated. In the afternoon, someone came to say that so-and-so had passed, and so-and-so had also passed. But He Gen didn't return until evening, after being out since dawn. Zhao Wen was frantic with worry, and when he heard from people on the street that the list was already complete and they were just waiting for the "filling of the five blanks", He Gen finally returned to the residence, knowing all hope was lost.
Wu Kui: Wu Kui, also known as the top five in the imperial examination, refers to the first five names in the list of successful candidates in the county-level examination. When the results were announced, the names were read out from the fifth place to the first place.
Zhao Wen saw him and his eyes blazed with anger, scolding him as "heartless". He Gen hated him extremely, saying: "There are still five more to come out, I'll go ask again." While speaking, he ran out and found a pancake seller, discussing with him to pretend to be a messenger, saying that his young master had won the lottery, in order to swindle money from him. The pancake seller followed his words and ran over to knock on the door to report the good news. He Gen was already waiting at the front gate, seeing the messenger arrive, he also followed in. Zhao Wen was naturally delighted, asking how much silver should be rewarded to him. He Gen said: "This is the first report, you should reward him a few more taels." Zhao Wen said: "Reward him two taels." The messenger shouted that it was too little and insisted on having a big ingot. Later, He Gen did his best to persuade him, giving ten taels of silver. After the messenger left, He Gen followed out, wanting to divide eight taels with the pancake seller, who only agreed to five taels. The two argued in front of Qian Dianshi, who was going out to pay respects, and both heard them say: "He Gen, your young master has not passed the imperial examination, you shouldn't cheat him again." He Gen said: "Old man, don't interfere with this matter. My cheating his money has nothing to do with you, whoever speaks of this will be killed by me!" Qian Dianshi heard these words and stuck out his tongue, unable to retract it, not daring to speak more. Only poor Zhao Wen sent ten taels of silver for nothing, empty happiness for one night. Until the next day, no one came to congratulate him, he bought a list of successful candidates and saw that his name was not on it, only then did he know he had been deceived the previous night, angry for a whole day without eating. To know what happens next, listen to the next chapter.
Are there flowers on the bookshelf in a 3-meter radius?
