Chapter 51 Encouraging Agriculture and Sericulture (7)
Meng Guanqi remained silent for a long time before whispering, "They have never been to Xiaoye Village, they have never even been to Biyang County... Biyang County is a miserable place that no one wants to come to."
Li Xiaoxiao didn't understand: "Why? Aren't the people of Biyang County ordinary people? Would officials in the imperial court divide the people into different classes?"
This topic was too heavy, and even Meng Guanqi didn't know how to answer it.
Magistrate Meng walked over and heard Li Xiaoxiao's question. He knew the answer, but he didn't know how to say it to his son.
They were unwilling to serve as officials in Biyang County, perhaps because it was far from the center of power. They only thought about how to get closer to the emperor and focused on making their resumes look better, hoping to get out of here as soon as possible and go to a more prosperous, more bustling place closer to the center of power. Therefore, they inevitably used Biyang County as a springboard, sacrificing its limited resources to pave the way for them.
Inferior land was recorded as medium land, and medium land as superior land. The number of households was only allowed to increase, not decrease. Layer upon layer of taxes were transformed into impressive performance evaluation results, paving the way for the future of successive county officials. They then left, leaving behind a scene of devastation and people who were destitute and starving.
But how could he mention this to his son? He still had to take the imperial examinations and embark on the path of becoming an official. If he were to inadvertently plant a seed of resentment in his son's heart, it would be too late for regrets.
My son shouldn't only see the suffering of the people of Biyang County. Dawu is so big, and the imperial court has many capable and pragmatic people, as well as people who live in peace and prosperity. After he passes the imperial examination, he will travel to more places and meet more people. His vision should not be limited to the suffering of Biyang County.
As he pondered how to answer the question, Li smiled and said, "Young master, I hope you can pass the imperial examination in the future. If you become the imperial envoy, these people will no longer have to live such a miserable life."
Meng Guanqi raised his head, his eyes gradually showing emotion.
Li smiled and said, "I think you will definitely tell the emperor everything you have seen, so that he will not only focus on the people in front of him, but also recognize that the people who are far away are his subjects."
Meng Guanqi's eyes widened suddenly, and he reached out to cover Li Xiaoxiao's mouth. Magistrate Meng's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly said, "Shut up! How dare you say such things!"
His expression was stern, and he lowered his voice, saying, "This is extremely disrespectful. You must never say such things in front of others again."
Li Xiaoxiao was startled by their reaction. She was right. The people of Biyang County were living such a hard life. Did the emperor have no responsibility at all?
Magistrate Meng was both shocked and frightened. He knew that the little girl with extraordinary skills by his son's side was incredibly audacious, but he never expected that she would even dare to discuss the Emperor. If someone with ulterior motives overheard this, it would become another reason to attack him.
He had no choice but to give her a lecture on loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, as well as the duties of a subject and the people. After a moment of thought, he said, "You can read now, right? When I teach Qi'er in the future, you and A-Sheng can listen together."
These two were Meng Guanqi's closest attendants, so they couldn't act recklessly like children; they had to know the proper rules.
Li Xiaoxiao's face fell. She hadn't expected that just saying the wrong thing would mean she'd have to pack up and go to school with Asheng. But she really felt that as long as she wasn't completely illiterate, that would be fine. No matter how well she studied, she could never take the imperial examinations like Meng Guanqi.
Seeing her listless appearance, Meng Guanqi couldn't help but tap her head with a book: "You really don't know how lucky you are. My father is a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) who passed two examinations. Do you know how many scholars want to hear a Jinshi lecture? They would kill for such an opportunity, and you dare to complain about it?"
For more than half a month, even though he followed Magistrate Meng around every day, climbing mountains and wading through rivers to inspect agricultural affairs, Meng Guanqi still kept his books in his hands whenever he had time. Magistrate Meng would also take time to teach him, sometimes explaining the classics, sometimes writing policy essays, sometimes studying the eight-legged essay, and composing impromptu poems was a daily task. Meng Guanqi felt that although it was hard to work outside with his father, seeing the mountains and rivers of Biyang County, feeling the local customs and even the hardships of the people, made him feel excited. He could study more effectively and his understanding of some interpretations was also more profound.
Li Xiaoxiao scratched her head, thinking to herself, "I can't just openly take the exam like you do, so arranging for a PhD to teach me to read is really unnecessary..."
Time flies, and a month later, Magistrate Meng finally finished his tour of the entire Biyang County, walking through every village in the five towns. The notebooks he kept on his carriage were piled up thickly. Finally, he embarked on his journey home, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, we don't have to climb mountains and wade through rivers anymore. Starting from Pingling Town, the last stop of this trip, we can walk along the official road and return to the county town before sunset after a day's journey.
After nearly a month away, even Meng Guanqi, who had the fairest skin, had gotten much darker. Ah Sheng finally dared not laugh at Li Xiaoxiao anymore, because her skin tone hadn't changed much. On the contrary, Ah Sheng had gone from a yellow-skinned little rascal to a black mudfish.
Back in the backyard of the county government office, Liu hugged her son, who seemed to have grown up in an instant, and wept bitterly: "How did you get so sunburned? And you were gone for so long, I was so worried about you..."
Meng Guanqi had gotten darker and thinner, but because he had been exercising, he had become much stronger. He helped Liu Shi up with a wry smile and said, "Mother, there are nine of us in total, what's there to worry about? We're in Father's jurisdiction, and this time we've traveled to almost every inch of Biyang County. Although we often didn't have enough to eat or sleep, we still gained a lot."
Liu wiped away her tears: "Even you've gotten a tan. Your father has been away from home for so long after just recovering from a serious illness. Is he alright?"
Meng Guanqi said, "Father is fine, he's doing well. He's been walking more mountain paths and eating more, so his health is much better than it was at home."
Liu was relieved: "That's good. I thought you would be back in half a month, but it's been almost a month. I've had people waiting at the city gate every day to look for you, but I don't know where you've gone..."
The family gathers together in the evening, and there is a special kind of joy.
Considering that Officer Shi and his group had been traveling for a month, Magistrate Meng gave them three days off. Li Xiaoxiao thought she might also benefit from this, but Magistrate Meng spotted her at a glance: "You and Asheng will also be going to the study to study with the young master starting tomorrow."
Ah Sheng looked at Magistrate Meng pitifully, wondering what he had done wrong.
Everyone else can rest, so why do he and Sister Xiaoxiao have to get up and go to school?
If it were just a matter of recognizing and reciting characters as usual, he and Li Xiaoxiao could still slack off a bit, but when they had to sit in the same study with Meng Guanqi and listen to Magistrate Meng's lectures, they didn't even dare to doze off.
After attending classes for two days in a daze, on the third day, the two of them went to the study with their eyes half open. As usual, Magistrate Meng pointed out an article from the Analects to them and asked them to memorize it first. Then he began to teach Meng Guanqi.
Around noon, the sound of horses' hooves came from the front yard. Li Xiaoxiao and Asheng couldn't help but peek out. A short while later, Zhao Jian came in carrying a bundle: "Master, it's a book that Mao Neng sent from the capital."
Magistrate Meng was delighted: "Put it down quickly."
Zhao Jian placed the bundle on the desk, and Meng Guanqi stepped forward to open it. Inside, it was tightly wrapped in oiled paper and contained books sent by Mao Neng, Mao's mother's son, through a security escort agency from the academy in the capital. Among them were the latest poetry collections, policy essays, and journals published in Shengjing, as well as handwritten copies of current affairs. Particularly precious were several examination papers purchased from the Imperial Academy.
These books, which Meng Guanqi could easily find in the capital, are now rare. Magistrate Meng was right to keep Mao Neng in the capital.
Biyang County is over a thousand miles away from Shengjing, and the political situation there changes almost every day. These changes mean that the questions for the imperial examinations will also change. If Meng Guanqi is completely unaware of this information, he will have no chance of outperforming others in the imperial examinations.
Biyang County has not produced a Juren (successful candidate in the provincial examination) for more than ten years, and even Xiucai (successful candidates in the county-level examination) are few and far between, far inferior to other counties in Lin'an Prefecture. This is because they lack access to first-hand educational resources. These hard-to-obtain educational resources are regarded as treasures and are not easily shared. Therefore, it is evident how difficult it is for children from poor families to pass the Juren examination.
Magistrate Meng eagerly picked up the political documents to read, while Meng Guanqi opened the few examination papers he had purchased at great expense from the Imperial Academy.
The two of them spent the whole morning looking at each other. Li Xiaoxiao brought out lunch, but it had gone cold and no one ate it.
Magistrate Meng finally put down his political writings, still feeling somewhat unsatisfied. Looking at his two younger children waiting to be called upon, and then at his son who was writing furiously, he pondered for a moment and said, "You two should also have a two-day holiday."
It's estimated that Meng Guanqi will focus all his attention on these papers these next two days, and he'll have to put his studies aside for now. The two younger ones shouldn't bother him here.
Li Xiaoxiao and Ah Sheng exchanged a glance, immediately bowed and withdrew, saying, "Thank you, sir!" and scurried away as if their pants were on fire.
Li Xiaoxiao first went back to her room and slept soundly for an hour. After waking up, she asked Liu Zhi to go shopping: "Liu Zhi, let's go shopping! I've saved up so much money that I haven't spent it all!"
Little Willow rolled her eyes. Here we go again. Now everyone in the household knows that Li Xiaoxiao never manages to save a single copper coin; she eats it all. She imitated Granny Qi's disappointed tone and said to her, "Sister Xiaoxiao, my grandma told me to advise you not to spend money so extravagantly..."
Li Xiaoxiao immediately retorted, "Nonsense! I haven't spent a single penny this month. I've been away for a month and haven't had anywhere to spend my money!"
Liu Zhi said, "You just haven't had time to spend it this month. Didn't you spend it all last month and the month before last?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "I was with the adults in the mountains, not getting enough to eat or sleep. Can't I eat more now that I'm back? Good sister, tell your grandma I'll treat you to barbecue. Let's go buy some now!"
Liu Zhi was still a child at heart. When she heard that there was meat to eat, she hesitated for a moment and then ran to find Granny Qi.
A moment later, she came out with a string of coins in her hand, excitedly saying, "Grandma gave me money so I can go out and buy something to eat."
Li Xiaoxiao immediately grabbed her hand: "Let's go!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com