109 Poor Scholars Enter the Court
"Those of lowly character must never serve in the court and bring disaster to the people."
Northern Desert, the capital of the Shatuo Kingdom.
The royal city was built against the mountain, with yellow sand stretching outside the city and the sky above as smooth as if it had been washed.
As night fell, Xingyuan Restaurant in the city closed. Wang Sheng, a waiter, went out with a bucket of swill, and when he came back, he was secretly holding a note in his hand.
He calmly entered the room, and before closing the restaurant door, he glanced around warily to see if anyone was following him.
After confirming that everything was safe, he closed the door, went into the kitchen to put down the swill bucket, then turned off the lights and went to rest in the backyard.
Unlike before, this time he didn't go into his own room, but went into the innkeeper's room next door. He didn't come out until half an hour later.
In the dead of night, when all was quiet, a small bird flapped its wings from the backyard of Xingyuan Restaurant and soared into the sky, flying eastward toward Daliang.
The bird eventually stopped at the Shule River.
Xiao Pingchuan removed the sealed paper strip from the bird's leg, unfolded it, and then used the agreed-upon code to decipher it. It read: "The new king is recruiting soldiers, intending to advance eastward."
Xiao Pingchuan raised an eyebrow in surprise. He had previously learned that after Zhu Xie Zhikun died, it was Zhu Xie Gebo's cousin who seized the throne. Immediately afterward, he deployed Zhu Xie's associates to Liangzhou to plant spies and carried out a major purge in the Shatuo capital, eliminating his arrangements in the capital.
After that, he fought several battles, big and small, with Zhu Xiegebo gaining almost no advantage in each one. He dared to say that he had killed almost all of the Shatuo soldiers.
Why is the new king still unwilling to give up and continues to recruit soldiers?
Therefore, he went back there to "explore again".
The little bird returned to the Shatuo Xingyuan Restaurant half a month later.
That day, the restaurant welcomed a distinguished guest, the steward of the royal palace. Ever since his maidservant had served him a reunion pot from Xingyuan Restaurant, he had been coming to eat there every few days.
Every time I eat here, I don't order anything else but ten or eight plates of mutton. I boil it in plain water, dip it in the sauce, and I absolutely love it.
His maids were also very diligent, not only accompanying the steward to meals, but also frequently coming on their own.
Right now, the steward is eating meat in the private room, while the maid has been sent to the kitchen to personally supervise them as they cut the mutton.
"The king has united the various tribes scattered in the west, promising them that together they will invade Daliang and divide the land," the maid whispered.
"Tribes? The Red Scorpion Tribe, the Sand Scorpion Tribe?"
"yes."
"He wants to unify the entire Nichijin Mountain region?"
Nichijin Mountain was the sacred mountain of the Shatuo people. The area at its foot was rich in water and grass, and herders lived there by following the water and grass. Later, the Shatuo established a dynasty and seized the foot of Nichijin Mountain, allowing only those who submitted to him to live there, while those who did not submit were driven to other places.
Now, a century later, the water volume at the foot of Mount Nichijin has gradually decreased, pastures have become scarcer, and yellow sand has increased, forcing the Shatuo people to set their sights on attacking Daliang to the east.
Unexpectedly, the newly enthroned king managed to bring the scattered tribes under his control.
"Yes."
Ju Tao asked her, "Are you sure?"
The maid was actually a spy planted in the palace by Ju Tao'an.
"able."
"I will pass the message on to the general as soon as possible."
The maid stepped aside. "And the gunpowder that injured the general last time—the source has been traced. The palace somehow acquired a Han Chinese alchemist, and it was that man who made the explosives. Right now, the new king is counting on him to create even more powerful explosives, so he's given him a lot of money and manpower."
"Um."
As the two were talking, Wangsheng handed over the cut meat and said, "It's time to go up. If we delay any longer, we might give ourselves away."
The maid nodded and led Wangsheng to serve meat to the steward.
In the kitchen, Ju Tao took off her apron and slipped into the backyard.
At night, in a room at Xingyuan Restaurant, Ju Tao, Wang Sheng, and the manager gathered together and discussed things in hushed tones.
“That Han Chinese who knows alchemy cannot be kept alive; the gunpowder is too powerful,” Ju Tao said.
She was unaware that Shen Suqin was also researching gunpowder, and that he was far more skilled than them.
"Indeed, I heard it exploded a few days ago, collapsing half a hill. If this thing exploded on Daliang soil, how many people would die?" the shopkeeper said.
"You bastard, you're still Han Chinese, yet you've stained Han blood!" Wang Sheng said angrily.
Ju Tao laughed at him: "Indeed, you are not as courageous as someone with half Han blood like yourself."
Wangsheng is not a pure-blooded Han Chinese; his mother was a Shatuo, and his father was Han Chinese.
The family originally lived in a small village outside Yiyang County. Later, the Shatuo invaded and the village was completely massacred.
What is most hateful is that Shatuo hated Wangsheng's mother for submitting to a Han Chinese, so he tortured and killed his mother and father in front of him, and then captured him and brought him into the army to be abused from time to time.
Later, Xiao Pingchuan led his troops in a charge, and the Shatuo troops scattered and fled for their lives, which saved him.
Because he looked somewhat like a Shatuo person, he was later sent to Shatuo to change his name and lie in ambush.
He originally obeyed Xiao Pingchuan's orders, but they ran into some trouble a while ago and were wiped out by the Shatuo. He barely escaped and was later recruited by Ju Tao to work in the kitchen of Xingyuan Restaurant, where he has been working ever since.
"But that's all I said. The general instructed us not to take action without permission," the shopkeeper said.
“But this Han Chinese is too much of a threat,” Ju Tao said. “Besides, we have people in our palace, so poisoning him or causing an accident shouldn’t be a big problem.”
The shopkeeper was somewhat tempted.
"But......"
Wang Sheng said, "Let's give it a try, what if it works?"
After hesitating for a long time, the shopkeeper finally gritted his teeth and agreed: "Let's give it a try. Let's plan this out properly."
Meanwhile, the imperial edict from the capital was delivered to Ningyuan at the fastest speed possible.
The wheat had just been planted at that time.
This year, the number of people willing to grow wheat has increased several times compared to last year. It has been planted throughout Jinzhou, and dozens of counties outside Jinzhou have also sent people to ask for wheat seeds.
The planting area of millet has been shrinking, and it will probably be replaced by wheat in a few years.
The imperial edict was delivered to the Shen residence, and Yan Lin knelt to receive it.
The gist of the document is that Ningyuan Iron Mine openly evaded taxes and showed contempt for the imperial court. Therefore, the person in charge was ordered to pay the outstanding tax of 10,000 taels of gold within three days and transfer the mining rights to the local mining bureau. The person in charge was also ordered to be beaten with fifty strokes of the cane and imprisoned until the mining rights were clearly transferred.
Yan Lin listened, respectfully accepted the imperial edict, and saw the messenger off. Only then did he call Shen Suqin over and ask her, "Don't you think this is a bit too much? Fines for taxes, demands for mining rights, fifty strokes of the cane, imprisonment—aren't you afraid of being hunted down by those mine owners?"
"What's there to be afraid of? I didn't issue the imperial edict. Besides, with the salt mines as an example, they know exactly what the court wants. They only want the mining rights and some taxes; they're not trying to wipe them out. They'll understand."
“I don’t think so. Salt mines are easy to deal with; they’re essentially run by merchants who have been in business for generations, not officials who sit comfortably in the court. But iron mines are different. Iron mines are mostly in the hands of powerful families who have both money and power. They won’t just listen to you.”
"I know."
"Knowing you still..."
"A new emperor brings a new court. His Majesty can't just keep stepping down forever. He should teach the powerful families a lesson. Otherwise, they'll start to think that anyone can be emperor."
Are we talking about the same thing?
"Of course, this is like a blood oath. The obedient ones can stay longer, while the disobedient ones can be eliminated first."
"Hmm?" Yan Lin finally understood. "So you're not trying to make money for the national treasury, nor are you trying to reform taxation. Your scheme... tsk tsk, aren't you afraid of getting burned?"
Shen Suqin smiled slightly: "I never said I would let the aristocratic families off the hook. They provoked me first. As for whether they will get burned or not, they should think about how to break this deadlock first."
"So what do you want me to do?"
"Just put on a show, go to the government office tomorrow and get fifty strokes of the cane, then stay home and recover. Don't worry about anything else."
"Are you really going to fight?"
"How could that be?"
The next day, Yan Lin really went to the prefectural government office, where Liu Zimu personally supervised the execution.
The gates were tightly closed during the execution, and no one knew what was happening inside; only occasional screams could be heard coming from within the high walls.
Inside the high walls, Yan Lin was drinking tea with Liu Zimu, while the one being beaten with a cane next to them was nothing more than a dead pig brought from the ancient ancestral hall.
"Brother Yan, His Majesty asked me the other day how the firearms were coming along?" Liu Zimou asked.
Yan Lin can now be considered the head of firearms in the entire Great Liang.
"That should be enough to equip a third of the Black Flag Army," Yan Lin replied. "Why does His Majesty think it's too slow?"
Liu Zimou shook his head: "It's just a routine question. You know, he's always been thinking about Shatuo."
Yan Lin nodded: "I know."
"Did my master say when she's going back to the capital?" Liu Zimou asked in a lower voice.
Why are you asking this?
"I asked her but she wouldn't tell me, so I had to ask you."
"So I'm asking you, why do you care about this?"
"Just asking."
Yan Lin's eyes darkened. He brought the teacup to his lips and glanced at him indifferently, saying, "It'll be soon. She has a three-month bet with the Ministry of Revenue. Now that two months have almost passed, she has to go back to keep her promise."
Liu Zimou knew about this, and he nodded, saying, "I know that."
"Then what?"
"And then what?"
Yan Lin shook his head. Not far away, he heard the sound of slapping flesh. The sun was shining overhead. He squinted at the sky and said calmly, "Spring is over."
"ah?"
The torture lasted for an entire afternoon. According to onlookers, the person was beaten until he was covered in blood and could not speak when he was carried out.
The news quickly spread from Ningyuan, with the Chen family of Yuzhou reacting the most.
Ever since they nearly emptied their savings to avoid disaster, the people in the capital have lost interest in them and stopped urging them to teach ironwork. It seems they intend to abandon the Chen family.
The head of the family summoned his two sons and asked, "What do you think?"
Chen Fengnian said anxiously, "That Crown Prince, no, His Majesty, is quite cunning. This move is definitely a warning shot. We probably can't avoid it."
The eldest son, being more composed, pondered for a while before replying, "Now that our Chen family is on His Majesty's side, if we are found to have any disloyalty, we probably won't be able to keep what little wealth we have left. Moreover, the situation of that nobleman in the capital is unclear, and we may not be able to rely on him. Therefore, I think we should listen to that Minister of the Three Departments, go to the Iron Bureau, and settle the accounts that need to be settled."
"But if that happens, how will our Chen family survive in the future?"
Once the iron ore is handed over, how will they make money?
"There weren't many minerals left underground anyway, so we could sell them for a good price. As for the future, luckily we still have some savings, so we can look into doing some other business. It's better than going bankrupt."
After these words were spoken, no one present dared to say another word.
As it turned out, the eldest son of the Chen family was farsighted. Some of those who resisted to the very end and refused to back down did enjoy a few years of carefree life, which made others envious for a while. But looking back a few years later, those families either got into trouble and were arrested, or their patrons fell from power, and in the end, the mineral resources they held were still taken back by the imperial court, and they lost everything.
For families like the Chen family that voluntarily paid their taxes, aside from the higher taxes and restrictions on sales, there were almost no other impacts, and they managed to hold out for several more years before things calmed down.
At the end of May, when the weather was just about to get warm, Shen Suqin traveled from Ningyuan to the capital.
This time, I'm going to report back.
There are still about two weeks until the agreed time.
In the imperial court, Shen Suqin took the initiative and said to the Minister of Revenue, "Although it is still early, the first batch of tax silver has already been deposited into the treasury. I don't want to keep dragging it out, so let's finish this matter ahead of time and get back to our own business."
The Minister of Revenue neither agreed nor disagreed.
"Lord Pei, the account books, thank you for your trouble." Shen Suqin reached out his hand.
Pei Tingfeng handed it to her, and Shen Suqin said, "These three account books were sent from Yunzhou, Chazhou, and Xizhou respectively. Would the Minister like to take a look?"
The Minister of Revenue shook his head. "Just tell me directly, a few hundred or a few thousand will do."
Shen Suqin turned to Emperor Xingwu: "Your Majesty, guess how many there are?"
Shi Ye already knew how much tax silver there was, and now that he knew she wanted to play around, he shook his head in agreement.
Shen Suqin smiled and said, "Gentlemen, this first batch of salt tax totals 53.14 million taels. Compared to the previous national treasury surplus of 50,000 taels, this is several times more than before."
Everyone present was stunned, wondering if there was something wrong with their ears.
"How much? More than fifty million taels?"
"How is that possible? Salt taxes from only three states could amount to so much?"
"Exactly, impossible."
Shen Suqin waved the account book in his hand and said, "Anyone who doesn't believe it can come and take the account book to see for themselves. Although it's only three prefectures, these three prefectures control the vast majority of the salt mines in Daliang. Bringing them under the supervision of the court is equivalent to cutting off the source of all salt routes. It's not surprising that there are so many tax revenues."
"Of course, other smaller and more remote salt mines will gradually be brought under control, and this matter will be handled by the salt officials newly established in each prefecture and county. The same goes for tea gardens; each prefecture and county will establish tea officials, who will be directly under the three central government departments and collect taxes separately. As for iron mines, this will take some time, but several have already voluntarily surrendered, such as the Chen family in Yuzhou."
When she mentioned the Chen family, she exchanged a knowing glance with Shi Ye.
"In short, I have paved the way. Let's come back in a year and see if the three departments can support half of the national treasury."
As soon as she finished speaking, the hall fell silent.
She did what she was supposed to do, and the national treasury did indeed see a large influx of funds; no one could say anything about it.
So they all kept their eyes down and stopped talking about how women couldn't serve as officials.
Emperor Xingwu spoke up at the opportune moment: "Commander Shen has lived up to my expectations. He will be richly rewarded. I wonder what Commander Shen desires?"
Shen Suqin suddenly knelt down and slowly said, "Your Majesty, I would like to ask you for some talent. According to the plan, salt bureaus, iron bureaus, tea bureaus, and countless accountants will be added throughout the country. These are all tiring jobs that require running errands, and most sons of noble families are unwilling to take up the post. I really can't find enough people here."
Emperor Xingwu also knew about this matter. The group had discussed it last night, and it was Liu Zimou who suggested that people from humble backgrounds be allowed to enter officialdom and take over practical affairs.
After much discussion, they finally decided to break through the Three Departments, which led to the above remarks.
"So what do you plan to do?"
"I propose to establish a special examination, without regard to social status or academic qualifications, open to all students of the Great Liang, to select talent through examination," Shen Suqin said. "Of course, the positions offered will only be lowly and mundane tasks that noble families are unwilling to do, but someone has to do them. I believe that students from humble backgrounds are hardworking and capable of handling these tasks."
As soon as she finished speaking, fierce opposition arose in the court.
"I disagree. Scholars from humble backgrounds and of low character should never be allowed to serve in the court and bring harm to the people."
"I second that it is true that those in power should not be of humble origin; otherwise, once they rise to power, they may easily lose their sense of propriety."
Shen Suqin listened quietly, with various people talking around her.
"You woman, since you're so good at scheming, then just focus on making money for the national treasury. Why bother with anything else?"
"If you ask me, she must have much bigger ambitions. Have you forgotten that a few years ago, it was precisely because of her instigation that poor scholars from all over the country started a riot that lasted for several days and almost shook the foundations of the country?"
"That's right. She keeps saying that students from poor families are hardworking and resilient, but she definitely can't let go of what happened back then."
"Ahem," Emperor Xingwu coughed, and the hall fell silent instantly.
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