Chapter 65: A Passerby in an Ancient Marriage Exchange Story (10)
After the old man was seated, Grandpa Jiang poured him a cup of tea. The old man took a sip and said, "It's like this. Jiang Ze passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. He is the only scholar from our village in recent decades. This is an honor for our village. We old folks discussed it privately and decided to erect a monument in the center of our village. On the one hand, it is to reward Jiang Ze, and on the other hand, it is to encourage the younger generation in the village."
While Jiang's father was weighing the pros and cons, Jiang Ze stepped forward and said, "Grandpa, let's forget about it. I'm just a scholar right now, and doing this is too ostentatious and will affect my reputation. If I can advance further in the future, it won't be too late to erect this monument."
Muramasa wanted to say something more, but the old man waved his hand to stop him: "Xiaoze, then we'll listen to you. But you've brought honor to our ancestors by becoming the top scholar this time. When we hold the ancestral worship ceremony, we should put up a monument in front of the ancestral hall to inform our ancestors. That shouldn't be a problem. It won't affect you, will it?"
When Grandpa Jiang finally spoke, he almost couldn't contain himself when he made a suggestion. He became incredibly excited when Grandpa Jiang mentioned erecting a monument in front of the ancestors: "Okay, that's fine, it won't cause any problems." Seeing his grandfather agree, Jiang Ze could only nod in agreement. At least it wouldn't be too ostentatious, and besides, which family doesn't hold ancestral rites?
After finishing the appetizers, the most important matter hadn't been addressed yet. The old man hesitated for a long time before slowly speaking: "There's one more thing. Since Jiang Ze passed the imperial examination this time, is he exempt from some land taxes? On behalf of the village, I'd like to ask if you have any arrangements for this."
The imperial court had this preferential policy: scholars could be exempted from land tax on fifty to eighty mu of land. Therefore, people in the same village were willing to register their land under the names of scholars and become their tenant farmers. In addition, they were exempted from corvée labor and poll tax for two people, which meant they did not have to do the work of digging canals, repairing river embankments, or other construction projects.
Most scholars' income comes from these two sources. Jiang Ze thought for a moment and said, "Grandpa, sixty mu under my name is about right. Our family has about twenty mu of fertile land. I think we should keep the twenty mu for our family and give the remaining forty mu to the village for allocation, preferably prioritizing some families in need."
After Jiang Ze finished speaking, his two uncles were about to say something when Old Master Jiang stopped them. The old master nodded in satisfaction and praised Jiang Ze for being sensible and understanding of the bigger picture. Of course, Jiang Ze could have chosen not to give away any of his land, as his own land was enough to fill his share. However, it would be better to give it away to help the widowed and orphaned, as that would sound better. Moreover, the share he gave away was not unrelated to him; he would still receive rent every year, although it would be less than the government's tax revenue.
Reputation was still very important in those days, unlike in later generations when you could say whatever you wanted. After the old man and the village elder left, the eldest and second uncles were somewhat indignant, and as a result, they were all scolded by the old man. Jiang Ze told his family and went out to visit his teacher from the village school.
After Jiang Ze left, the conversation turned to Jiang Yue. In the past few years, there have been two major events: one was that Jiang Yue did not plan to get married, and the other was that Jiang Ze passed the imperial examination. The protagonist of the other event is gone, and Jiang Yue is now surrounded by her aunts and other relatives. They all advised Jiang Yue not to be impulsive. It is okay for her to establish her own household, but she cannot not get married. When she gets older, she will have no children to rely on, and if she gets sick, no one will call a doctor for her, and so on.
Jiang Yue listened attentively and accepted the advice humbly, but whether she would change was another matter. Jiang Yue took out some candy and handed it to her second uncle's little cousin who had been staring at her. The little guy was clean and tidy, unlike other children who were messy. His mouth watered when he saw the candy, but he still looked at his second aunt and waited for her to nod before eating it.
"Xiao Zhou is so sensible. You've taught him so well, Auntie." After saying that, Jiang Yue took out some candy and handed it to the group of children who had gathered around.
"He's sensible on his own, I didn't really teach him much." The second aunt smiled modestly, not noticing that the eldest aunt next to her was rolling her eyes to the heavens. How dare she say she didn't teach him? I really don't know who the person who disciplines the child so strictly every day is.
The family chatted idly in the courtyard. When Jiang Ze returned, the women started cooking, while the men chatted around him, asking him to check if any of the children were suitable for school. Jiang Ze's passing the imperial examination had spurred them on. They recalled how Jiang Ze's attempt to take the imperial examination back then ended with the family splitting up.
Now, my uncle and his family are all glad that they didn't ruin the relationship between the two families. In the first year or two, when Grandpa Jiang asked them to send some grain every year, they were a little reluctant. But after all, they were his own brothers and nephews, so they sent some grain. Now that Jiang Yue's family has prospered, they can also benefit from it.
After dinner, the group went home. Grandpa Jiang originally wanted them to stay overnight, but Jiang Ze said he had made an appointment with his classmates to visit their teacher the next day. Seeing this, Grandpa Jiang didn't say anything. After packing their things, Jiang Yue's family set off for home. Once home, they were complimented by the neighbors for a long time. Jiang's father politely replied a few words. In the end, seeing that they all looked tired, the neighbors didn't say much and took their leave.
The next day, Jiang Ze went out early in the morning. Jiang Yue had also finished embroidering the large screen. After tidying it up, she asked Chen to take it to the shop. This was a custom order, and a deposit of five taels of silver had already been paid. Once the shopkeeper had checked it and found no problems, he would notify the customer to pick it up. The final payment would be made after the customer confirmed that there were no problems.
When Chen arrived at the shop she had been working with, she handed the goods to the shopkeeper after finding no one around. The shopkeeper checked them and, finding no problems, sent a servant to inform the customer to come and pick up the goods. Before long, an old nanny and a maid came over. The two were clearly servants of an official. The shopkeeper unfolded the screen, and the old nanny examined them carefully. Finally, she nodded in satisfaction: "Very good, beyond my expectations."
After putting away his things, he tilted his head and looked at the maid beside him. The maid stepped forward, took out a purse, took out silver notes, and handed them to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper looked at the two ten-tael silver notes and said, "Sir, fifteen taels is enough. You have given too much."
"Not much, but if your craftsmanship is good, there will be plenty of tips. There's also something else. My young lady is getting married soon, and all the embroiderers in the family are busy. Would you be willing to take on some odds and ends?"
The shopkeeper handed the silver note to Madam Chen and casually asked for her opinion. Madam Chen nodded and said that it was no problem. She had taken on similar orders over the years. Seeing that Madam Chen had agreed, the old nanny asked for Jiang Yue's address and said that she would deliver the goods there later. She also said that someone would tell her the specific requirements and that she should let her know in advance if she couldn't do them. After saying that, she returned to the mansion with her maid.
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