Chapter 80: Du Min, the Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and the author of the Mingqi (artifacts).
Du Min returned to the Ministry of Rites with a stern face and a huff. He went to Chen Yuanwai's duty room, ignored Zhao Xingwu who was guarding the door, and barged in.
"My lord, how did my second sister-in-law's free school become the Ministry of Rites's? She's just a woman who works hard to take on students and teach them skills, just to make a living, and you want to take credit for it?" he questioned loudly.
"How dare you!" Master Chen glared. "I think you don't want to keep your job."
"Yes, I don't want to do it anymore." Du Min pulled the wooden plaque off his waist and smashed it on the ground. "I'm quitting. Not only did I sacrifice myself to repay a debt of gratitude, but I also caused my brother and sister-in-law to suffer losses and grievances. What am I getting out of this? What are they getting out of this?"
After saying that, he turned to leave.
"Zhao Xingwu, stop him!" Master Chen shouted.
Du Min didn't really intend to leave. He was stopped by Zhao Xingwu, and after struggling for a while, he gave up.
Master Chen came down and said kindly, "Look at your stubborn temper. Your temper is getting worse and worse. You just quit whenever you want. This is not like Du Min, who would grit his teeth and climb the ladder."
“You’ve cut off my official career, and you’ve also taken away my sister-in-law’s way out. We have no way to survive, so what’s the point of us trying to make a living?” Du Min sneered. “Master Chen, even if we were sheep, we couldn’t withstand you constantly fleecing us.”
“You’ve misunderstood me. I affiliated the free school with the Ministry of Rites to protect you from being bullied. I know your abilities; you’ll definitely make your paper effigies famous in Chang’an. I’m just a sixth-rank official. I can handle minor officials causing you trouble, but what can I do if my superiors try to steal your credit? I can’t protect you.” Master Chen patted his shoulder, and he sighed in disappointment, “I had good intentions.”
Du Min looked completely incredulous.
“The matter of the free school has already been made public to the Vice Minister. If you try to back out now, you'll offend more than just me,” Master Chen threatened again.
Even though Du Min knew in his heart that Meng Qing had benefited from this matter, he still couldn't suppress his anger when he heard these words.
Master Chen was extremely pleased. These two ignorant fools dared to lecture him. Now they were tasting the bitter fruit of their actions.
However, not wanting to push people too far, he changed his tone and said, "It's easier to get things done if you have powerful backing. The expenses of the free school will be covered by the Ministry of Rites. You can have Meng Qing keep good accounts, and you can submit the accounts at the end of each month."
"The expenses are handled by the Ministry of Rites, but what about the revenue?" Du Min asked.
"I haven't discussed this with the Vice Minister yet. After all, the free school doesn't have any income yet, so it's too early to talk about it. But don't worry, your second sister-in-law definitely won't suffer any losses," said Master Chen.
Du Min closed his eyes in anger.
Master Chen smiled and said, "Don't worry, so that your second sister-in-law can work with peace of mind, we won't treat her unfairly."
"But they'll discard you after you've served your purpose." Du Min sneered, kicked over a stool, and walked past Chen Yuan with a cold face.
"My lord..." Zhao Xingwu hesitated before speaking. Should he stop him or not?
Master Chen waved his hand, and in a good mood, he picked up the stool. This was the exhilarating feeling of being in a higher position, and how could he possibly give up the opportunity to be promoted?
Du Min left the Ministry of Rites and went straight back. He didn't show his face for ten days until Master Chen couldn't tolerate his willful behavior anymore and sent someone to summon him. Only then did he return to the Ministry of Rites to report for duty. He got to know the officials of the Ministry of Rites through Master Chen and also found out what the special examination was.
"The Imperial Examination is a temporary examination personally ordered by the Sage to select extraordinary talents. Commoners, those who have passed the imperial examinations, and officials can all participate. The Sage himself presides over the examinations, so those selected are called the Emperor's disciples." That evening, after dinner, Du Min sat next to Meng Qing and Du Li, explaining the information he had gathered. "The Imperial Examination has many unique and varied subjects. The Sage selects whatever talents he needs, and one can even recommend oneself without needing to ask others for recommendations."
"When will there be a special exam? Why don't you give it a try?" Du Li said.
“The imperial examinations are all held on an ad hoc basis. They are only held when the sage needs talent.” Du Min already had a plan. He said, “I plan to use paper effigies to make a name for myself again and get the sage’s attention to them. If the sage takes them seriously, there may be an imperial examination. If I take the exam, I will be unmatched.”
Meng Qing understood. "You want me to teach you everything I know when I teach you?"
“Yes, you should try to extend the lifespan of believers as much as possible,” Du Min said.
"If you use this as an excuse to take the exam, will you also have to become your second sister-in-law's apprentice and learn to make paper offerings?" Du Li asked.
"I do plan to do that," Du Min nodded. "I'll try to come back more often in the future, and I'll learn from them after my night shift."
“Fine, I’ll teach whoever I want.” Meng Qing had no objection. “The point is, how do we make you famous? Not just by making paper effigies famous, but by making you famous.”
Du Min swallowed a few times and said with difficulty, "When you take on disciples, use my name. I've already thought of the name: Du Min, the Jinshi of Mingqi. The newly appointed Jinshi Du Min won the favor of the Yuanwailang with a piece of Mingqi. He went to Chang'an and brought ten cartloads of Mingqi to the Qujiang Banquet. Now, I invite you in the name of an official from the Ministry of Rites to come to the free school to learn the craft."
Meng Qing laughed heartily, "Alright, if you don't mind the damage to your reputation, I'll use your name to take on disciples."
Du Min shook his head. "I've figured it out. What's the point of maintaining a good reputation for a white-robed scholar like me who can be manipulated by others? I might as well make people laugh. If a pragmatic official like Prefect Yin notices me, then I'll have met another benefactor."
“That’s right.” Meng Qing nodded. “I’ve bought bamboo, paper, thatch, ox glue, tung oil, and alum. Give me another ten days, and I’ll make a brass paper horse. Your second brother and I will take you with us, and we’ll parade through the East and West Markets to recruit apprentices.”
“Okay.” Du Min nodded.
For the next ten days, Du Min ran home whenever he had the chance. He followed Du Li to learn how to split bamboo strips, dye paper, dry paper, and make bamboo hoops. This was the most difficult part. He couldn't understand how bamboo strips were wound into hoops and strung together to form the skeleton of a horse. He couldn't visualize the shape in his mind.
Even after the brass paper horse was finished, he was still unable to independently skewer a complete horse skeleton.
"It's too difficult, even more difficult than writing policy essays." Du Min leaned against the bamboo pile, feeling dizzy.
"You'll get the hang of it after a few years of practice; practice makes perfect," Du Li said.
Meng Qing crossed her arms and looked at the brass paper horse standing in the courtyard. She had a vague idea. Brass horses were rare and precious in the eyes of the powerful and wealthy in Chang'an. A brass paper horse appearing at a funeral meant that it was a cheap substitute and would damage their status. But what if it was made into a colored paper horse? However, a colored horse might not look as noble as a brass or black and gold paper horse. She could equip the brass paper horse with a colored saddle and colorful reins.
"Second sister-in-law, second sister-in-law?"
Meng Qing snapped out of her daze. "What's wrong?"
"What are you thinking about so intently? I'm asking if you're going to be paraded through the streets tomorrow."
"No, a few days later, I'll make another set of colorful horse tack," Meng Qing said. "What color saddle would look elegant on an amber-colored horse?"
“I know, blue,” Du Min said. “Have you ever seen the Sogdians? Their eyes are blue, the whites of their eyes are white, their pupils are amber, and the outer ring is blue.”
Meng Qing understood. "I know. Let's go buy paint."
With the Ministry of Rites covering all expenses, Meng Qing no longer considered prices when buying things. She directly bought a box of mineral pigments, which were already mixed. To have an accurate reference, she even went with Du Min to the Hu Ji Tavern to observe the color of the women's eyes.
Five days later, Meng Qing wove a set of horse tack out of thatch, pasted it with paper, and then colored the saddle with lapis lazuli pigment, lime and charcoal. The reins were blue and white patterned, and the bridle and bit were painted jet black with charcoal mixed with ox glue.
With the harness on, the brass paper horse instantly looked much more elegant.
On the second day of the sixth lunar month, after the East Market opened, Meng Qing, Du Li, Du Min, and Wang Zhou hired a donkey cart and set off with a gong and a paper horse made of brass.
Arriving at the busiest part of the East Market, Meng Qing struck the gong.
With a clang, Du Min, standing on the donkey cart and holding onto the brass paper horse, announced loudly: "Fellow villagers, I am Du Min, the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) this year, and I am now serving as an official in the Ministry of Rites. My achievements today are inseparable from the great help of paper effigies. Today, to give back to them, I am using my name to promote paper effigies. The Qingniao Paper Efficiency School in Changlefang is now recruiting apprentices. There are no tuition fees; we will teach you the craft for free, and we guarantee you will learn it."
Du Li carried a half-basket of flyers and handed them out. "Take a look, everyone. This was written by Du Min, the third-ranked scholar this year. He is the first scholar to achieve the highest rank since the founding of the Tang Dynasty."
"Give me one!" someone in the crowd shouted.
Give me one.
"Let me take a look too."
"What does it say?" an illiterate onlooker asked loudly.
"The newly appointed Jinshi, Du Min, gained the favor of the Assistant Minister with a single paper offering of funerary objects. He traveled all the way to Chang'an, bringing ten cartloads of funerary objects to the Qujiang Banquet. Now, in the name of an official from the Ministry of Rites, he invites learned individuals to come to the free school to learn their craft." An old man read aloud the contents of the paper, then chuckled and said, "So this funerary object Jinshi also gained the Assistant Minister's favor by making funerary objects?"
“Yes, all the scholars in Wu County know that I, Du Min, won the promotion of the Assistant Minister by writing a policy essay using paper funerary objects.” Du Min replied while standing on the donkey cart.
Someone burst out laughing, "Shut up, your face is redder than an official's vermilion robe."
Du Min's face flushed again. He waved his hand and forced himself to say, "This is my first time. I'm not used to it yet. I'll come again tomorrow or the day after. I'll get used to it after a few more days."
Seeing that the noise was about to drown out his voice, Meng Qing struck the gong heavily.
Du Min seized the opportunity to loudly proclaim, "Regardless of age, as long as you are interested in learning how to make paper effigies, hurry up and come to the Qingniao Paper Efficiency School to register. It's free, and we guarantee you'll learn."
Du Li silently handed out flyers one after another.
Seeing that the commotion had subsided, Meng Qing struck the gong again, then pushed her donkey cart through the crowd and continued on her way.
"Hey? Why don't you bring the paper effigies down for us to see?" someone asked as they caught up.
"Let's talk about it in a couple of days. We still have to parade it around for a few more days. If it gets damaged, no one will buy it." Meng Qing could tell that he really wanted to buy it, so she planned to delay for a few more days. This brass paper horse still needed to shine and accompany Du Min through the parade for a few more days.
In the morning, I would drive a donkey cart back and forth through the East Market, and in the afternoon, I would drive it back and forth through the West Market. I did the same thing on the second and third days.
On the fourth day, Meng Qing and her family did not go out again. They had been promoting the campaign for three days, and it was time to check the results.
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