Chapter 278 Di Fuzi
One month ago.
Luodu.
Ziwei City.
Early summer, afternoon.
A jujube tree grows beside the side wall of the red-walled, black-tiled main hall. Its age is unknown, and its lush branches almost reach into the window.
"Cicadas—cicadas—"
The warm sun baked the cicadas on the tree branches until their brown skins shone, and they chirped incessantly.
However, it did not disturb the person by the window at all.
Splatter—
In the center of the desk, which was covered with documents, a pile of small wooden sticks of uniform length were scattered on the empty surface.
They were frequently manipulated by a withered, wrinkled hand.
The sound of rattling continued as the small wooden stick was moved around.
It wasn't like playing; the old, withered hands handled them with great care.
Upon closer inspection, the pile of small wooden sticks is not disorderly; it subtly reveals a pattern.
Next to this pile of small wooden sticks, there was a thick booklet.
The other withered hand was holding a slender wolf-hair brush, slowly writing lines of regular script on a page of the thick book.
The regular script is neat and precise, each stroke like a woodblock print, devoid of any spirit.
On the thick book, the ink, still wet, formed dry, monotonous numbers:
[Grain, more than 2,357,000 shi]
[Silk, over 3,719,000 zhang]
【Hemp, five hundred and fifty…】
etc.
The fat old man knelt before the table, bent over, his eyes very close to the pages.
He habitually squinted, his withered hands registering ledgers.
It turned out that the pile of small wooden sticks next to the fat old man was a set of counting rods.
Similar to the abacus and accordion used in Ouyang Rong's previous life, but more complex and inconvenient.
The fat old man is doing the accounts.
On the table in front of him, documents were piled up, and the table itself was lacquered in a wine-red color.
The old man's hands and wrists, worn smooth and oily from manipulating the counting rods, reflected a faint sheen.
This plump old man, dressed in official robes and with squinting, wrinkled eyes, seemed to be doing the same monotonous accounting day after day, through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, at his workstation by the window.
If you move your gaze upwards, past the towering desks, you can see that the fat old man's workstation is actually at the very top of the entire hall.
Inside the hall, besides him, there were more than ten officials.
They sat upright behind their respective desks, focused on their work.
There were dashing young men and women, and old men with eyes as deep as a still pool. All of them wore official robes and fish-shaped pouches in neat rows. Looking around, there was a sea of crimson official robes, and most of them were of the fifth rank or above.
The dozen or so officials were calm and composed, exuding an air of nobility.
Outside the hall, officials in green robes would occasionally arrive at the hall carrying documents.
As they approached the palace gate, they unconsciously bowed slightly and lowered their heads. After entering the palace, they presented official documents to the officials in scarlet robes. These visiting officials spoke softly and cautiously, as if afraid of disturbing something.
This made the hall, and the dozen or so officials working inside, appear even more solemn and profound.
However, when the gazes of these officials in scarlet robes fell upon the workstation at the far end of the hall, with a small green window as its backdrop.
Upon seeing the figure of the ordinary, plump old man quietly doing his accounts, they all lowered their heads slightly, their eyes showing a hint of awe, before continuing their work.
In fact, this solemn office hall, in terms of its luxurious decorations, is insignificant compared to the entire extravagantly luxurious palace.
Not to mention comparing it to the Zichen Hall, where Empress Wei held her morning court session not far away.
But it's called the Secretariat... no, it's called the Phoenix Pavilion.
One of the highest authorities in the capital city.
At his simple workstation by the window, the portly old man was engrossed in calculating accounts. Occasionally, he would close the book, glance at the green branches outside the window, and mutter to himself with a worried expression:
"It's going to cost money again..."
He shook his head and continued working at his desk.
As the cicadas sang their hearts out, the sun on the jujube tree branches gradually began to set in the west.
"clang--"
The rhythmic ringing of bells echoed among the buildings of the Ziwei complex.
At the second quarter of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the shift ends.
Inside the Phoenix Pavilion, a dozen or so officials in scarlet robes didn't even look up, continuing to work with their heads down.
However, at the small window at the head of the table, the fat old man put down his pen and closed his book, immediately got up, left the desk, passed by the crowd, and walked out of the main hall.
The dozen or so officials in scarlet robes breathed a sigh of relief and then rose one after another, packed their things, and left the palace to finish their shift.
A smile appeared on the face of one of the officials in scarlet robes.
This highest-ranking official of the Phoenix Pavilion, who spends his days doing tedious accounting, has one good quality: he never stays late and leaves on time.
Even the last time the Empress happened to pass by the Phoenix Pavilion on a whim and went in to offer her condolences and conduct an inspection, the fat old man was the same, not allowing Her Majesty to take up everyone's off-duty time in the slightest.
Ziwei City was the main palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty and a symbol of imperial power.
It is located at the highest point in the northwest corner of Luoyang, the capital of China.
The entire Ziwei City is roughly composed of two main parts: the Ziwei Palace and the Imperial City.
The Ziwei Palace, located within the palace grounds, was the residence of the Empress and the place where she held court and ruled.
The imperial city was located outside, while inside were the central government offices, including the five provinces and three ministries, as well as guesthouses for receiving foreign guests.
Therefore, very few government offices could be located within the Ziwei Palace and be close to the emperor; almost all of them were the highest institutions in terms of real power or ritual.
For example, this Phoenix Pavilion.
Although the Phoenix Pavilion was located in the inner part of the palace, the fat old man who was the first to leave the Phoenix Pavilion after finishing his shift was also the first official to walk to Yingtian Gate, one of the main gates of the Ziwei Palace, and wait with his hands clasped in front of him to leave the palace.
Everyone was left behind.
However, as time went by, a group of veteran officials and young and middle-aged officials who held key positions in the Great Zhou Dynasty gradually gathered outside Yingtian Gate to wait for it to open.
Upon seeing the familiar, plump old man's figure ahead, a small group of officials gathered around him.
The words "Master" and "Lord Di" came out of the mouths of this small group of high-ranking officials.
The plump old man, who had been deep in thought with his sleeves tucked in front of the city gate, turned around and bowed slightly in return.
The old man who was checking in on duty was none other than the renowned Prime Minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Di Fuzi, whom Empress Wei spoke of as a respectful elder statesman.
The title “Master” was originally a term used within the Confucian school, derived from the true name of a high-ranking scholar, and is considered one of the highest honors in Confucianism.
It is easy to imagine the high esteem in which the old man was held by scholars throughout the land.
Most of the civil officials in the court were scholars, so they were often addressed as "Master" and used interchangeably with the honorific "Lord Di".
Gradually, everyone in the world started calling him that, and as for Master Di's real name, it gradually became unknown.
Standing beneath the gates of Yingtian, facing his former colleagues.
The plump old man had a friendly smile.
His conversation was quite humorous.
With superiors acting this way, the atmosphere naturally became harmonious.
A short while later, the appointed time arrived, and the imperial guards on the city wall opened the city gates as usual.
The officials and nobles left one after another.
As soon as they stepped out of the city gate, several palace servants who had been waiting stepped forward, followed by a luxurious sedan chair. They respectfully bowed.
"Welcome, Master. Please get into the sedan chair."
Master Di shook his head and declined, took the reins from the old servant, mounted his horse, and rode away.
The palace servants, having no other choice, had to carry the empty sedan chair and follow the fat old man on horseback back to his residence.
Around them, ministers who had boarded their various carriages lifted the curtains and smiled knowingly at the sight, as if it were a habit, while some looked on with envy.
Riding in a sedan chair was not an privilege enjoyed by ordinary officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Only elderly and highly respected officials were allowed to ride in sedan chairs to and from court.
However, it seemed that Master Di was not used to the Empress's considerate arrangement for the elder statesmen.
Di Fuzi rode out of the city in a light cavalry and returned home along the street.
Having parted ways with his colleagues, the fat old man on the thin horse had long since lost his smile and lowered his eyes, lost in thought.
He gripped the reins, his two withered fingers slightly bent, rhythmically tapping the horse's mane.
He kept muttering to himself.
They're settling accounts again.
This prominent prime minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, a pillar of the pro-Wei faction in the hearts of scholars and a frontline fighter against the Wei clan, lived a life devoid of any grand gestures or cunning schemes. Instead, he did the most mundane things in the world.
Settle accounts.
The fat old man was calculating the taxes and levies of the more than a thousand prefectures and counties across the ten circuits of the empire, as well as the deficit in the national treasury and the budget for the coming year.
There were also the extravagant and unrestrained spending of Empress Wei and the nobles and princesses of the Great Zhou Dynasty in Luoyang.
Oh, and there's also that tiny bunch of useless Qi cultivators kept by the imperial court.
In the eyes of the fat old man who came from a Confucian family,
Those who live in seclusion are one thing, but those who practice Qi cultivation outside of prominent sects like Confucianism and other worldly schools, who are active in the world, do not engage in production and are incapable of governing the country and maintaining peace.
Aside from adding icing on the cake to the already fierce and powerful neighboring armies on the battlefield, it was nothing more than a pretty accessory.
Due to various restrictions such as the pressure from the mythical cauldron, these Qi cultivators outside of Confucianism should have stayed away from the supreme imperial power, which is most likely to corrupt their Dao heart, and instead become 'wandering ghosts' in the martial world, their fate left to fate.
As a result, they took a shortcut, and in order to obtain resources, they studied Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, using the guise of self-cultivation to enter the world.
Her Majesty the Empress and powerful families such as the Prince of Wei's Mansion particularly favored these "beautiful ornaments," or rather, they themselves invested in and produced such "beautiful ornaments."
They're just wasting their time and energy, and only exacerbating the internal strife and power struggles.
But the most helpless thing in this world is:
There are no people willing to farm, and few cooks who can cook properly, but there are many people who climb onto the table to eat, grumbling about big fish and meat dishes, and some even kick around under the table legs after burping.
If you ask Master Di, what is the position of the prime minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty?
That was the head cook, responsible for preparing meals for the whole family. In the words of a young county magistrate, "The economy determines the superstructure."
On the street, a fat old man riding on horseback gazed ahead, completely silent.
A thin, old servant following closely to the side was used to his master's silence.
This scholar, whose hair had turned white from calculating accounts, presented a different image in the imperial court or in front of a crowd: humorous and eloquent, with sharp and incisive words.
But when working or alone, he is a completely different person... taciturn and sparing with words.
After leaving the magnificent Ziwei Palace, one still needs to exit the imperial city through the Right Side Gate.
After leaving the imperial city, the Luo River flows ceaselessly in the distance directly ahead.
If viewed from above, Luoyang is almost square in shape.
The Luo River runs through the middle of the area, dividing it into two neighborhood districts: Luobei and Luonan.
The Great Zhou Imperial Palace was located northwest of Luoyang.
The royal family and nobles lived in the neighborhoods of northeast Luoyang.
Luonan Lifang District, separated from these areas by the Luo River, is where most ordinary people live and move around.
Most of the officials and ministers of the imperial court also lived in the neighborhoods of Luonan.
However, most of them lived near the Luo River because there were long bridges over it. This way, they could reach the imperial city directly by crossing just a few bridges and attend the morning court session.
Di Fuzi's residence was located in Jishanfang, which was adjacent to the south bank of the Luo River.
The group crossed the Luo River and had just arrived at the main street of Dingding Gate when they encountered a group of foreign envoys dressed in strange clothes.
They seemed to be on their way to the capital to pay tribute, looking around with great curiosity at the colorful streets of Luoyang.
The entire city of Luoyang was filled with an atmosphere of openness and prosperity.
There were young men from Luoyang dressed in Hu clothing and hats, as well as bold young ladies dressed in high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) like they stepped out of a painting, and Taoist priests and monks walking slowly and respectfully.
As the saying goes, "The palace gates open to the heavens, and the officials of all nations bow before the emperor."
The people of Luoyang were already used to seeing these tall, foreign-looking people who had come from who-knows-where.
The city of Luoyang was never short of people from other regions. There were Hu merchants in the West Market, Hu women in the taverns, and envoys from vassal states—they were everywhere, and they all spoke fluent Chinese. They were all mixed in with the daily lives of the people of Luoyang.
Many locals even cast mocking glances at these newly arrived foreigners, as if they were looking at country bumpkins.
When Di Fuzi saw these foreign envoys who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, he frowned slightly.
"Return gifts will cost money."
With a muttered remark, the fat old man rode away, but the empty carriage following behind him betrayed his identity.
On the main street of Dingdingmen, the common people and envoys made way for the prime minister's carriage to see him off.
"It's Master Di!"
"At this hour, the court should be ending, but the Master still doesn't like to ride in a sedan chair..." a Luo Ren boasted to his companion.
The blond-haired, blue-eyed foreign envoys were unaware that they had been slightly disliked by the fat old man. The Dali Temple officials who were receiving them quickly pulled the envoys aside and made way for them to move to the side of the road. They turned to look at the back of the powerful minister of the Celestial Empire with eyes full of admiration and respect.
Di Fuzi rode back to his residence in Jishanfang.
The mansion is not large. When he was reinstated, the Empress bestowed upon him a luxurious mansion as a reward, but it was located in the noble district in northeastern Luoyang.
He didn't go to live there because it was too far from the capital, making it inconvenient for him to be on duty or attend court.
This simple residence in Jishanfang was close to the imperial city, so Master Di often stayed there and hired few servants, which saved him money.
However, the small house also has its disadvantages. For example, at this moment, people from all over the country have come to visit and deliver invitations, and the queues have stretched out onto the street. The parked carriages have almost blocked the streets of Jishanfang.
The fat old man was quite experienced. He whipped his horse, leaving the clumsy sedan chair behind, and took a detour, entering the mansion through the back gate.
The old steward, who had been waiting near the back door, hurried forward and handed over the prepared invitation:
"Sir, please review today's official document..."
Master Di dismounted, led his old companion into the stable, squatted down to sprinkle some hay, clapped his hands, walked out of the stable, and accepted the invitation.
He habitually squinted, scanned the document, and suddenly pulled out the last one, opening it for a closer look.
The fat old man handed the rest of the stack back to the steward:
"I declined."
After a short while, he closed the invitation he had left behind and said:
"Take Xie Xun's eldest disciple to the study."
"Yes, sir."
About half an hour later.
A simple study with books piled up like mountains on a wooden couch.
With a slight creak, the door opened from the inside.
A serious-looking young man with a square face, who had rushed from Jiangzhou in Jiangnan Province, quietly left the study, respectfully closed the door, and walked away along the long corridor.
Inside the room, beneath the half-closed window.
Master Di sat behind an old desk with books propped up on its legs, and casually flipped through the letters and... a picture album that Xie Xun had sent.
The picture album is opened.
A map of the county town that was both incredibly familiar and slightly unfamiliar came into view.
Master Di raised his eyebrows.
It was familiar because it was Longcheng County, where he had been demoted and served.
It feels unfamiliar, because this Dragon City is missing something, yet has gained something else.
The sullen, unsmiling, fat old man squinted and continued to scrutinize her.
A moment later, he suddenly exclaimed "Eh!", closed the book, looked up, and muttered to himself:
"You can save money like this?"
The Master smiled.
P.S.: I tested the illustration function in this chapter.
(End of this chapter)
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