Chapter 166 Meng Qing pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress...
Meng Qing was overjoyed for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. When the majestic palace walls came into view, she calmed down. Today should be the only chance she would ever have to meet the emperor, and she couldn't waste it on kowtowing and bowing.
Meng Qing kept her eyes down, lost in thought, until sweat beaded on her forehead. Only then did the person leading the way slow down. She looked up; the magnificent palace bore the three characters "Zi Chen Palace."
The eunuch asked Meng Qing to wait a moment while he went into the hall to ask for instructions. After a short while, he came out and invited Meng Qing inside.
Meng Qing put away the handkerchief she had used to wipe her sweat. She glanced at her clothes and, with her heart pounding, walked into the main hall. After a moment of dizziness, she saw a shadowy figure hiding behind a beaded curtain.
A eunuch coughed lightly, and Meng Qing came back to her senses. She tactfully lowered her head and looked down.
"Bow—" the eunuch reminded him.
Meng Qing knelt down and bowed deeply, saying, "This humble woman pays her respects to the Holy Woman."
"Rise," the person behind the beaded curtain said. "Take a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Meng Qing stood up and noticed two wet handprints on the blue brick where his palm had been pressed against the ground.
The female official who brought the low couch chuckled when she saw it. "Your Majesty, Lady Meng was so frightened that her palms were sweating and she left two handprints on the brick. With such little courage, it's no wonder she didn't dare to ask for a reward."
Meng Qing blushed deeply. She took the low couch and sat down on the ground, facing the figure behind the beaded curtain.
"I invited you to the palace today for no other reason than that I heard from Minister Zheng that for the merit of offering your advice, you only want a reward of wearing a scarlet crown and gold and jade?" the Empress asked.
"I think this plan is just a trivial little scheme, and I dare not claim credit for it," Meng Qing replied.
Do you know how much money was transported to the capital?
"The first batch of twenty ships that entered Beijing carried 320,000 strings of cash. We don't know how much the second batch of ships brought."
“Three hundred thousand strings of cash,” the female official replied.
Meng Qing looked up in astonishment. A total of 620,000 guan? She thought that 500,000 guan would be the most she could manage.
"You didn't expect this either? You were the one who set up these free schools, so you know the situation best. Tell me, how much money did you estimate before you offered your suggestion?" The female official stared at her.
"Around 200,000 strings of cash, at most 250,000 strings of cash," Meng Qing answered honestly without hesitation.
"Are you sure?" the official asked.
"This humble woman directly handled the accounts of six free schools in four counties: Luoyang, Henan, Heyin, and Heqing. She also had some understanding of the accounts of five free schools in five counties of Huaizhou. Before offering her advice, the six most profitable free schools were the top six, followed by those in the five counties of Huaizhou. This humble woman handed over the free schools to Minister Zheng's staff to manage in early August. Before August, the five free schools in the five counties of Huaizhou had a combined profit of over 9,500 strings of cash." Meng Qing presented detailed evidence.
Speaking of things she was familiar with, her dizzy mind calmed down, and to maintain this state, she continued: "Based on this calculation, apart from Huaizhou, the profit of the free school in the counties and prefectures near the Eastern Capital might be ten thousand strings of cash a year. However, in places far from the Eastern Capital such as Ezhou and Jingzhou, there is no market for colored paper effigies, and the people do not know that Buddhist verses were once presented in paper effigies during the Fengshan ceremony of the sage. Paper effigies are no different from Buddhism entering the Central Plains during the Han Dynasty in the local area. It would be good if the free school did not lose money."
She presented the most compelling evidence: "Before I got married, my family's paper horse shop only made a profit of twenty or thirty strings of cash a year."
The female official glanced at her, and she said seriously, "Minister Zheng is really generous, cutting off a large piece of leg meat."
A cryptic laugh came from behind the beaded curtain, followed by the question: "How much profit do the six free schools you personally oversee make in a year?"
“Heqing County and Heyin County are backed by Beiman Mountain, which gives them a geographical advantage. The free schools located there generate a combined annual profit of over 60,000 guan. The four free schools in Luoyang County and Henan County generate a combined annual profit of over 80,000 guan,” Meng Qing replied.
"If other free schools have developed to such a high level, can they also generate this much profit?" the female saint pressed.
“We have a sufficient number of skilled apprentices, a stable dyeing workshop producing colored paper, and in places suitable for bamboo growth, there are free schools in the prefecture, county, and township. It’s not a problem for a prefecture to make a profit of 50,000 strings of cash a year,” Meng Qing answered cautiously.
Silence fell over the palace.
"The woman believes that as long as the local officials in charge do not neglect their duties, the goal of making a profit of 50,000 strings of cash per year for the prefecture within five years is not difficult to achieve," Meng Qing added.
"Not lazy or negligent in governance? There are really not many officials in the court as diligent as Chief Secretary Du," the female sage said. "You've been traveling in Chang'an these past few days; have you heard anything from the common people?"
Meng Qing nodded hesitantly, "This year, the students who came to Chang'an to take the imperial examinations are very resistant to free schools and paper effigies. I have heard that some students are going to give up the exams, but I don't know if it's true."
"Do you think such a person will neglect his duties after returning to his hometown?" the female sage asked. "I ask you, were the ideas you offered to the court your own, or were they suggestions from Chief Secretary Du?"
"It was my own idea." Meng Qing's brows furrowed with disdain as she boldly declared, "The Sage should know best that if women are useless to men, how could they possibly treat us differently..."
"How dare you!" a eunuch shouted. "Who do you think you are to compare yourself to a female saint?"
“What’s all the fuss about? Aren’t we talking about women and men? What’s wrong with that?” the female official said, agreeing, “Madam Meng didn’t say anything wrong either.”
Seeing that the female saint remained silent, Meng Qing continued her previous words in a low voice: "Besides having a fairly clever mind, I have nothing. I have no good family background and no powerful backer. If this idea was proposed by Chief Secretary Du, how could he possibly be willing to give it to me?"
"The fact that your name could appear in the court despite the presence of Chief Secretary Du, Prefect Yin, and Minister Zheng shows that you do have some skill and luck," the female official continued. "This also shows that Chief Secretary Du and Prefect Yin are of good character and would not steal credit from others."
“You’re confused again. Lady Meng said that if a woman is useless to a man, how can he treat her differently? You still say she didn’t say anything wrong, but do you really understand what she meant? What nonsense about good character?” The female saint spoke, her words tinged with contempt.
“Character is no match for self-interest. I’m just trying to make myself more useful to others, which is why they’re reluctant to give me up as their strategist,” Meng Qing replied.
"A strategist?" The female saint chose these two words.
"Yes, perhaps it's because Chief Secretary Du comes from a humble background that he lacks arrogance and isn't conceited. He understands that 'among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me,' listens to advice, and cherishes talent." Meng Qing praised herself without putting down Du Min. She fabricated a story, saying, "I helped him become the emperor's disciple by using paper effigies of funerary objects, and I also assisted him in managing the extravagant funeral practices in Heqing County. When he was imprisoned by the former general of Nancheng Town, it was I who helped him escape. I am Chief Secretary Du's second sister-in-law and also his strategist."
Suddenly, the crisp sound of pearls clinking together rang out in the hall. Meng Qing subconsciously looked up and her gaze fell on the beaded curtain. She suddenly realized that the female saint was looking at her through the curtain.
She felt a surge of excitement and nervously stared at the ground with her eyes lowered.
"Whether you are a strategist or not, I will only know by testing you myself. You came up with the idea of using Buddhism to promote paper-made funerary objects, and you also considered solving the problem of the court's unwieldy power. But have you considered that the new and old scholars would look down on this official position, which is not much different from the way of doing business? If officials become negligent in their duties because of this, and the free school is not implemented smoothly, will this plan fail halfway?" the female sage asked.
Meng Qing fell silent, her brows furrowed in thought.
The hall fell silent, so quiet that almost no one could hear a sound.
After a cup of tea, Meng Qing's brows relaxed, and she said, "Since the Emperor values me, I would like to offer a few more suggestions."
"Speak," the female saint said.
"The first step is screening. For those who are still waiting for selection, they are allowed to choose whether to continue waiting for the Ministry of Personnel to select them or to return to their hometowns to establish schools and promote paper-made funerary objects. The former will not receive an official position or salary, while the latter will be a low-ranking official with a salary. This is the first screening. There is a second screening. Those who are willing to take up an official position and receive a salary must first learn the craft for half a year in free schools in Chang'an, Luoyang, and other places. Those who can persevere will mostly not neglect their duties," Meng Qing said.
"If there is one, then there will be two. And what about two?" the female saint asked.
"Secondly, it's about prestige. This woman, born in Wu County, Suzhou, only learned after marrying the second elder brother of Prefect Du that all the students at the Suzhou Prefectural School came from official families; students from farming families had no right to study there. Suzhou is a superior prefecture, a place with developed canal transport, not a desolate wasteland. If the prefectural school here is like this, it's probably no different elsewhere. The sons of farmers, gentry, and poor minor officials, because their families lacked books, had their precious years and lofty ambitions wasted copying books, gradually eroding their potential." "If the sage were willing to donate some handwritten copies of his books, and the students gathered in Chang'an were willing to generously donate their ink to copy them, then the minor officials in charge of the free schools could take several boxes of books with them when they returned home. They could then build an official school next to the free schools to educate and nurture students—that would be extremely prestigious," Meng Qing said. "A portion of the free schools' annual profits could also be used to buy books, and the imperial court could also bestow books. After many years, every prefecture in the Tang Dynasty would have a well-stocked library, and poor scholars throughout the land would have access to books. The era of books being exclusively held by aristocratic families would be over."
"Excellent! Truly a strategist!" The female saint laughed heartily. "Are there three more?"
"Thirdly, there is supervision. The imperial court has a sound system in place, so ordinary women dare not interfere," Meng Qing said.
"What do you think of the water situation in Huaizhou?" The female saint suddenly changed the subject.
"This..." Meng Qing was stunned, unable to come to her senses for a moment.
"Du Changshi should have already gone to Huaizhou to take up his post. This transfer order was issued half a year ago. Have you discussed how to deal with this year's floods?" the female saint asked.
There really wasn't, but Meng Qing couldn't say. Her mind raced, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
"Fine, I won't make things difficult for you. This is a problem that even the officials of the court can't solve." The female sage gave up.
"No, I have a plan." Meng Qing became excited and raised her voice, "The people who lost their land due to the Yellow River changing its course and drying up can move south."
“Doesn’t this mean giving up a portion of Huaizhou’s land? If the people move away, who will farm the land?” the female official said. “Besides, it’s hard to leave one’s homeland. Do the people of Huaizhou really want to leave their homeland?”
"This is a safety net. When the day comes that we can't save the land, we can only save the lives of the people," Meng Qing replied. "As for the latter, that's something for local officials, township heads, and village chiefs to worry about."
"By my decree, Lady Meng is hereby granted the title of Lady of Wu County. Her parents are hereby granted special favors. She may wear silk clothing and travel by carriage." A voice suddenly rang out from behind the beaded curtain.
Meng Qing was startled, then overjoyed. She bowed deeply and kowtowed, "This humble woman thanks Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live a thousand years!"
"Rise." Laughter rang out from behind the beaded curtain. "I entrust the waterways of Huai Prefecture to you and Chief Secretary Du. Manage them diligently."
"Yes!" Meng Qing replied.
"Please rise, Your Highness." The female official bent down to help you up. "It's getting dark, I'll escort you out of the palace."
Meng Qing stood up, took a few steps, then stopped and looked back at the figure behind the pearl curtain.
"Your Highness?" the female official reminded her.
"Your Majesty, may I see you?" Meng Qing asked, her voice filled with pleading.
"Come forward."
Meng Qing strode forward, and as the distance closed, she involuntarily slowed down. The figure behind the beaded curtain became clearer and clearer, and she could see the golden hairpin reflecting the flickering light of the fire.
One step, two steps, three steps, Meng Qing trembled as she parted the beaded curtain and met a pair of smiling eyes.
Why are you crying?
Meng Qing did not answer. She took a step back, knelt down in front of the beaded curtain, and prostrated herself in deep worship.
Meng Qing pays his respects to Her Majesty the Empress.
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Author's note: See you tomorrow night.
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