Chapter 189 Meeting Prime Minister Zheng
Meng Qing's gaze shifted, and she said with feigned trepidation, "The little friction between our two families is hardly worth your special trip. Now that I'm in Luoyang, it's not difficult for me to buy anything rare. Just tell me about Cui Biejia's preferences, and I'll send someone to find them tomorrow. If you don't know, that's fine too. I'll ask someone to find someone knowledgeable to buy thirty or fifty good-quality parrots to take back to Hanoi County."
Prime Minister Zheng frowned inwardly. Thirty or fifty birds? Sending so many birds to Cui Jin, he's going further and further down the path of a playboy.
"No need to buy them. I went there for the same reason. When Chief Secretary Du first arrived in Huai Prefecture, he made a name for himself. He's been in Huai Prefecture for five years, and all he's done is raise birds. He's not acting like an official at all, and he doesn't even know how to be shameful." This is an obvious fact, and Prime Minister Zheng doesn't shy away from it. Anyway, he doesn't need to criticize, and he doesn't need anyone else to criticize.
“Prefect Cui comes from a distinguished family and lived in the luxurious Jin Yu Tang before coming to Huaizhou. He shouldn’t abandon his old ways just because he’s in Hanoi County. There’s nothing shameful about it. He has the right to enjoy life to the fullest. He was born to be blessed, and others can only envy him.” Meng Qing said sincerely.
Prime Minister Zheng glanced at her, seeing her earnest expression, and for a moment couldn't tell whether she was sincere or not.
“You’re mistaken. Noble families don’t raise spoiled brats,” he corrected. “The Cui family of Boling has passed down its traditions through poetry and literature, and its family has a clean and upright style. Its children are all outstanding talents who do not enjoy pleasure. Cui Jin has never had this bad habit before.”
Meng Qing felt a mix of relief and anxiety; it seemed Du Min had guessed correctly. She looked regretful and casually chatted with him: "This lineage was Du Min's lifelong pursuit. Unable to obtain it himself, he could only strive to secure it for his descendants. But Prefect Cui had it from birth, yet he didn't cherish it—it's truly hateful. However, I've heard that Prefect Cui's behavior has continued for several years now; haven't his father and brothers stepped in to stop it?"
"Of course I have. It's a long story, so let's not get into it." Prime Minister Zheng didn't reveal much. "How many people did you bring to Luoyang this time?"
“Ninety-eight, seventy of whom are men.” Meng Qing nimbly changed the subject, untied her purse, took out five pieces of paper, and spread them out on the table.
"This is the list, which records the names, genders, and places of origin," Meng Qing said. "There are also four free schools in Luoyang and Henan counties, and we estimate that we can find another thirty or forty paper craft masters."
"The free schools in these two counties remain untouched. Empress Wu has already issued decrees on behalf of the Emperor to all prefectures and counties, summoning selected scholars from various regions. By the end of this month, those scholars willing to take charge of managing free schools should gather in Luoyang to learn the art of paper craftsmanship." Prime Minister Zheng went to Luoyang to oversee this matter. Managing free schools involves dealing with merchants and funerals; no matter how nicely it's described, it can't hide its inherently lowly nature. If any official were simply sent to receive them, the scholars would likely hurl even harsher insults. His personal visit as Prime Minister would highlight the court's high regard for them and also make the selected scholars look more respectable.
"After the provincial examination results were posted, how many successful candidates were recruited?" Meng Qing asked.
"Fifteen new Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) and forty-eight Jinshi who were previously selected." Prime Minister Zheng flipped through the list and found that there were also markings on it, indicating that those who needed to travel in pairs had been marked.
Meng Qing did the math, "If we gather a few more, each Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) can take away two paper craft masters."
“No need to gather more, we have enough people. We recruited thirty or forty paper craftsmen in Chang’an, and the headmaster of the academy in the north led his people back to their hometown a month ago,” Prime Minister Zheng replied. “You have marked it very well, so I will allocate the manpower according to your list.”
"I promised them that the twenty-eight female masters would be assigned to counties and prefectures closer to Luoyang and Huaizhou as much as possible," Meng Qing requested.
"Alright." Prime Minister Zheng agreed. He heard footsteps and turned his head to look. It was his attendant coming over, carrying several books in his hands.
"It's getting late, I won't keep you any longer, go home as soon as possible," he said.
Meng Qing stood up. "When are you going to Hanoi County?"
Prime Minister Zheng waved his hand, signaling her not to ask too many questions. "Don't reveal what I said today, lest Cui Jin be prepared in advance."
Meng Qing laughed, "Fine, I won't tell. Let you catch him red-handed."
"Your Highness, this is a book that Lord Li gave to the young master. I'll take it to the carriage for you," the attendant said.
Meng Qing nodded, then bowed to Prime Minister Zheng before leaving.
Meng Qing's figure left the courtyard, and Prime Minister Zheng also got up and left.
Lord Li was weeding the vegetable patch in the backyard when he heard footsteps. Without turning his head, he asked, "Have your guests left?"
"They're gone."
"This woman is remarkable; she has earned your attention and led to such a long conversation."
"She's a smart woman, quite talented in business, and most importantly, she's not greedy and knows her limits." Prime Minister Zheng stepped down from the vegetable patch to help weed, and he smiled, "The strongest opposition in the court this time came from the Minister of Revenue. He wouldn't budge on the ownership of the paper mill, and in the end, he couldn't win the argument, so he had to settle for second best and build a paper mill in Chang'an, with the profits going to the Ministry of Revenue. If Lady Meng were a man, I'm afraid she would have been snatched away by the Minister of Revenue."
"She is indeed an extraordinary woman, just like the one above," Lord Li said casually.
Prime Minister Zheng paused, then fell silent.
*
Meng Qing entered the post station as the curfew began. Du Li was waiting outside the courtyard with Wang Chuan in his hand. When he saw her return, he picked up Wang Chuan and went to greet her.
“Mother—” Wang Chuan shouted.
"Hey!" Meng Qing handed a stack of books to Du Li, who then took Wang Chuan's book, and the three of them walked into the courtyard.
"What book is this?" Du Li asked.
"It was such a coincidence that I met Prime Minister Zheng at the former Minister of Works' house. I asked him for a book list, intending to buy some books suitable for Wangzhou to read. He not only gave me the book list but also gave me five books as a gift. I flipped through them in the carriage; they had annotations on them, so I guess they were used by his children and grandchildren," Meng Qing said happily.
Du Li was also happy, "Tomorrow we'll go to the biggest bookstore in Luoyang to buy all the books on the list. When Wang Zhou receives the books, he'll be ecstatic."
"Brother—" Wang Chuan called out.
“Yes, your brother,” Meng Qing replied. She went inside, put the child off her body, and told the maid, “Go to the kitchen and get some food.”
The two maids left; one went to fetch water, and the other went to get food.
*
The next day, Meng Qing and Du Li took Wang Chuan to the bookstore to buy books. When they returned, the postmaster informed them that Prime Minister Zheng's advisor, Mr. Yang, had taken away ninety-eight paper craftsmen half an hour earlier.
Meng Qing pondered how to assign manpower today, estimating that the various school leaders would lead their people away from Luoyang tomorrow or the day after. To witness this grand occasion, which had only occurred because of her, she planned to wait at the ferry crossing.
That afternoon, she met Ren Wenqiu.
"Today I met the apprentices I recruited in Huaizhou last year and learned that you sent them to Luoyang. I asked for your address and came here to pay my respects," Ren Wenqiu explained. "At the beginning of the year, I heard the good news of your investiture in Chang'an and wanted to congratulate you, but I did not know your address, so I had to give up."
"The provincial examinations were approaching, so I didn't bother you. After the results were announced, I left," Meng Qing said. "Congratulations on passing the imperial examinations! Are you going back to Huai Prefecture to take up your post, or somewhere else?"
“Bianzhou and Huaizhou already have free schools, so they don’t need us,” Ren Wenqiu replied. “I don’t have time to return home this time, but I will visit Chief Secretary Du again when I have the opportunity to return to Huaizhou in the future.”
Meng Qing thought for a moment and said, "In theory, I should also set up academies in Huaizhou and other prefectures and counties and serve as the headmaster. Once you are settled in Bianzhou, please make a copy of the books you brought back from Chang'an and send it to me."
Ren Wenqiu smiled and said, "Gu Wudong and I had prepared it for you in advance, but we were worried that you might not want it, so I didn't bring it. I'll go back now and bring it to you."
Meng Qing was pleasantly surprised. She had always been one to anticipate others' needs, such as Prime Minister Zheng and Du Min. Before they even raised their questions, she had already come up with a solution. Now, she was enjoying the same treatment. She suppressed the urge to thank him and, mimicking Prime Minister Zheng's calm demeanor, offered a few words of praise. She then instructed the driver to take Ren Wenqiu back with her and retrieve the book.
"My lady, Gu Wudong wasn't feeling well today, so he didn't come with me." Ren Wenqiu had invited Gu Wudong to come along, but Gu Wudong refused, offering a flimsy excuse that he didn't understand. However, Gu Wudong had put in a lot of effort in copying the book, so he had to explain for him.
"I understand," Meng Qing said calmly. She was quite satisfied with Gu Wudong's cautious attitude. It would be best if he returned to Suzhou and had no further contact with them.
*
Two days later, at Luoyang Ferry.
Meng Qing and Du Li sat with Wang Chuan on the second floor of the teahouse, watching as more than twenty yamen runners led thirty or forty schoolmasters dressed in light blue official robes from afar. The leader was Prime Minister Zheng, who wore a purple official robe, a jade crown, and a gold fish pouch at his waist, standing out among the crowd of people dressed in black, white, ochre, and light blue.
Prime Minister Zheng smiled and said a few words to everyone, then instructed the yamen runners to lead officials from various regions onto the ship.
As Meng Qing watched this scene, she recalled her interactions with Prime Minister Zheng. She noticed that he was willing to associate with those in lower positions as long as it was beneficial to him, showing no arrogance befitting a scion of a powerful family. He had even considered making Du Min his son-in-law, suggesting a lack of strong class consciousness. Was it possible that he might later side with the Empress Dowager?
"Mother—" Wang Chuan called out.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Meng Qing snapped out of her daze.
"The boat's gone," Du Li replied. "Should we go too?"
Meng Qing glanced down and saw that all five official boats at the ferry had left, and Prime Minister Zheng was nowhere to be seen.
"Let's go to the bookstore and buy some books. We're going home tomorrow too." Meng Qing stood up. "Waiter, the bill."
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Author's Note: I'm being lazy during the day, so I can only work overtime at night. There will be another update at midnight.
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