Chapter 62 The Prince is Very Generous The Prince is Very Generous
"What are you talking about? It's so lively." A voice came through the courtyard.
The originally noisy courtyard suddenly became quiet. Looking up, they saw Prefect Fang standing in the corridor. They had been talking so excitedly that no one noticed the appearance of this adult.
Prefect Fang approached the group and asked with a smile, "What's going on? Is it something else I can't stand?"
Su Fengzhang, seated closest to the front, bore the brunt of the criticism. He quickly bowed and replied, "We were just chatting casually. It was just gossip, so we'd rather not pollute your ears."
Prefect Fang's eyes fell on Su Fengzhang's face. Seeing his appearance, he narrowed his eyes, as if with a certain satisfaction: "You must be Su Fengzhang, the first place in the original case. You are indeed a handsome man."
"Mr. Fang, thank you for your kind words." Unlike before, Su Fengzhang was unwilling to say another word at this moment.
Prefect Fang, however, took interest in him and continued to praise him, "This is no exaggeration. Confucius' seventy-two sages, what are their virtues? Yuntai's twenty-eight generals, what are their achievements? Even if this question were asked of a successful candidate, I'm afraid few could answer all of them correctly."
"I thought no one would pass the entrance exam, but I didn't expect two to pass. This shows that your foundation is truly solid."
"It's just a coincidence that students like to learn a lot."
Prefect Fang laughed heartily and said, "Good luck is also a skill. Throughout history, many scholars have lacked luck."
Su Fengzhang didn't know what to say. Fortunately, Prefect Fang didn't seem to care about his answer. He looked at the others present and said with a smile, "You are all scholars now. What are your thoughts on this college entrance examination?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the scholars present did not dare to speak, for fear that they would be sent to manage the river if they said one more word.
They didn't say anything, but Prefect Fang didn't show any sign of stopping and continued, "The test questions were a bit difficult, but they weren't off the mark. In the end, only two people answered correctly, which shows that you all still lack some knowledge."
"I've thought about this before. If you can't answer truthfully, I won't admit you even if it means losing face."
The scholars below were nervous, some with cold sweat on their foreheads, obviously worried that the prefect would wipe out their fame with just a casual word. Rather than that, they would rather continue to manage the river.
Prefect Fang continued, "However, everyone has made great contributions to the Qingjiang River renovation this time, and has spent a lot of time on this project. It is understandable that we can be a little lenient with them during the college entrance examination."
What this means is that everyone present here can stand here and achieve the title of scholar, all thanks to Qingjiang's blessing.
Su Fengzhang lowered his eyes slightly, watching his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose. In his opinion, this Lord Fang was a master of tricks. Originally, the students had complained about the river management, but now what he said turned out to be a merit.
When today's scholars leave here and spread the news, I'm afraid all the scholars will know the benefits of this.
As for this benefit, it is just a trick of Lord Fang to switch from one thing to another. Who would care?
Prefect Fang said, "I have discussed with several headmasters over and over again before deciding on the rankings. Now it seems that they are all pillars of the Great Zhou."
"Come, I offer you a toast. This toast celebrates your achievement of honor and honor."
When Prefect Fang raised his glass, everyone below naturally drank it all.
Fang Zhiwen waited for them to finish drinking, then raised his second glass of wine: "With this second glass of wine, I would like to express my gratitude to you all on behalf of the people of Qingzhou. If it weren't for you, the governance of Qingzhou would not have been so smooth this time."
Everyone drank this glass of wine happily. After all, the thing had been done, and being thanked by the prefect was something worth bragging about.
"This third cup of wine is for me to toast you all. As the father and mother of Qingzhou, I am truly delighted to have you all as my supporters. Only when officials and people are united can Qingzhou prosper."
It has to be said that this Magistrate Fang is a master of speaking. Before coming here, most of the scholars had some complaints about him, thinking that this Lord Fang did not respect the local students and even made things difficult for them.
But after three glasses of wine, they vaguely felt that Prefect Fang valued them and was therefore using them.
Even Su Fengzhang felt that the fact that a high and mighty prefect could toast them in such a amiable and courteous manner was a sign of his respect for them, a group of scholars.
After three cups of wine, the prefect smiled and said, "Come, come, eat some food. Please don't be polite."
However, most people cannot relax in such occasions. Wenzhu, on the other hand, happily took two bites of the snacks, but after finishing the meal, she felt that the taste was not very good and stopped moving.
Su Fengzhang was familiar with several of them. He knew what he was thinking when he saw his little movements, and secretly gave him a look that reminded him to be more restrained.
At this time, Prefect Fang suddenly asked, "I heard that Su Xiucai is from Hushan County?"
"That's right, both the student and Wen Xiucai were born in Hushan County." Su Fengzhang replied.
Prefect Fang smiled and asked, "Last year, during the flood disaster in Qingzhou, bandits appeared in Hushan County. Have you heard of them?"
"It's true." Su Fengzhang didn't hide it. "The village where the students were was once hit by bandits. Fortunately, the soldiers arrived in time and captured them. No one was injured, which is a great blessing."
"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Lord Fang. If it were not for Lord Fang's order to apprehend the bandits, I and my clansmen would have suffered greatly."
Prefect Fang laughed heartily, nodded, and said, "As a parent official, this is what I should do."
Ignoring Su Fengzhang, Fang Zhiwen began to ask other people about their hometowns. Su Fengzhang listened silently and suddenly realized that this prefect Fang was surprisingly familiar with every scholar.
It would have been fine if he didn't speak, but once he spoke he sounded like a local, and the things he mentioned seemed extremely familiar to the scholars present.
This was a prefect who had a deep understanding of the area under his jurisdiction and had strong control.
Su Fengzhang made this conclusion in his mind, and then he heard him carefully question everyone. He didn't ignore anyone, nor was he particularly warm to anyone, but he successfully left an impression of consideration.
After the whole circle, the prefect nodded and said, "Next year will be the year of the provincial examination. I look forward to your further progress."
After saying this, the prefect's tone suddenly changed: "I have something else to tell you, but it was instructed by His Royal Highness the Fifth Prince."
The expressions of the scholars below changed drastically, their original relaxed and happy expressions disappeared, and some of them even turned pale.
Obviously, every move of Prefect Fang reminded them of the sudden disaster last time. Is it possible that they have to manage the river this time? The management of Qingjiang River is a long-term task. How long will it take this time? Will it be a year, and will they be released only when the provincial examination starts next year?
Prefect Fang, however, seemed not to notice their expressions and said with a smile, "His Highness sympathizes with your hard work and was originally planning to attend the evening banquet today, but he was afraid that his presence would make you all uncomfortable."
"Although His Highness didn't come in person, he sent a reward." Prefect Fang shouted with a smile, "Someone, bring it up."
A few yamen runners came over carrying two large boxes. They looked very heavy and made a noise when they were put down.
When the boxes were opened, all the scholars present were stunned. The reason was that the boxes were filled with silver ingots. There was quite a lot of silver ingots in the two large boxes combined.
Prefect Fang smiled and said, "This time, you all helped to manage the river. The court did not pay you for your work, so His Highness the Fifth Prince took some from his private treasury, and I also added a little, making a total of 500 taels of silver."
"Silver is only a vulgar gift, but it is a token of my appreciation. Please do not refuse. I have also included a commendation order as an encouragement."
So this time when they left the prefectural yamen, everyone was in high spirits.
Su Fengzhang and Wenzhu were also very happy. Not only did they each receive ten taels of silver, but they also received a commendation letter tied with red satin! Compared to ten taels of silver, the latter was more important to most scholars.
Although this commendation order was only issued by the Qingzhou government office, it was stamped with the government office's official seal and was very formal.
There was bright red paper, clear commendation, and even if everyone wanted, they could erect a memorial archway to pass on when they got home.
Wen Zhu also smiled from ear to ear and said happily, "I never thought that I would get a commendation order in my life. This is a commendation order."
Su Fengzhang was also surprised by this, but in his opinion, this was no different from the certificate for being a three-good student. It was not surprising that everyone had one, and it was not even as cost-effective as ten taels of silver.
Wenzhu was obviously different from him. She kept saying along the way, "Hey, if I don't pass the imperial examination, I can still live a good life with this commendation order. It's issued by the imperial court."
"If my father knew I received the commendation, I don't know how happy he would be. He probably won't beat me anymore."
"Feng Zhang, do you think it would be better to place this commendation order in the ancestral hall, or in the study? Or should I place it by my bed so I can kowtow and burn a stick of incense every day when I wake up?"
Su Fengzhang could no longer bear it and reminded him, "This is just a commendation order from Qingzhou Prefecture."
Wen Zhu also sighed and said with some disappointment, "Yes, if it is a commendation from the Great Zhou, then it must be worshipped with flowers and fruits every day."
"The Fifth Prince and Lord Fang are very scheming." Su Fengzhang said silently in his heart.
Five hundred taels of silver was not much for either of them, and the commendation order was a no-cost business, but this small amount of money changed their reputations in an instant. Within a day, I'm afraid all the scholars in Qingzhou Prefecture would support them.
However, Su Fengzhang looked at the commendation order with black words on a red background in his hand, and felt that although he didn't like it, his mother would probably be very happy after he took it back. When he thought of home, he felt a little eager to go home.
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