gnovel 0013 [Each has their own needs]
0013 [Each has their own needs]
Bathhouse culture was very popular in the Northern Song Dynasty, with countless "bathing centers" in Kaifeng and Luoyang. These public bathhouses even formed an industry called "perfume shops".
However, in the south, this thing is still relatively rare, and it only exists in some large cities.
There definitely isn't one in Qingyuan County.
The place where Xu Lai and the others took a bath was in the staff quarters of the outer government office. It was located next to the six offices of the county government, and could be understood as the dormitory for clerks on duty. They would sleep here when they needed to work overtime on urgent official business.
One servant heated bathwater in a large pot, while another servant brought them clean clothes.
"Do you need to return these clothes after wearing them?" Liu Da couldn't help but ask.
The servant said, "It's a gift from the superior; you can wear it home."
Everyone was delighted.
The clothes delivered by the servants, though made of coarse linen and not particularly valuable, were brand new and filled with cattail fluff, making them very warm to the touch.
The mountain people don't ask for much; a new set of clothes is enough to make them happy.
Xu Lai untied his hair, wet it with hot water, and then picked up a soap pod and began to scratch and rub it.
He was so bothered by lice that he needed to wash himself thoroughly today!
"Uncle, do you have a comb?" Xu asked the handyman outside the door.
The servant brought in a small wooden basin: "We have combs and fine-toothed hairpins."
Everyone quickly washed their hair, first giving it a quick rinse, then combing each other's hair with fine-toothed combs to kill the lice.
Li Tian's scalp was bleeding. If you opened his hair and looked closely, you could see grayish-white adult worms moving around. They were the size of sesame seeds, and Xu Lai felt nauseous just looking at them.
After combing his hair several times, pulling out quite a bit, Xu Lai finally felt relaxed.
I'm finally clean again.
After taking care of his head, Xu Lai grabbed the fat bead and started taking a bath.
The fruit of the soapberry tree, also known as the soapberry, grows in Feixia Mountain, and the villagers pick it and sell it in the city.
Bu Chao rubbed his grime-covered belly and asked, "Sanlang, how much reward money will the magistrate give?"
"I don't know," Xu Lai instructed. "When you see the magistrate and the registrar later, say lots of flattering things to them. The happier you make them, the more reward they'll get."
Liu Da asked nervously, "When I meet officials, I can't even speak properly. How can I make them happy?"
Xu Lai chuckled and said, "Then don't say anything, I'll cheer them up."
Uncle Zhang reminded us: "You can ask for less reward money; exemption from corvée labor is the most important thing."
"I understand," Xu said. "The county magistrate can surely exempt our entire family of ten from corvée labor. I will do my best to ask the county magistrate to exempt the whole village from corvée labor."
Hearing this, everyone became even more excited, and they even scrubbed the mud with more force.
After a while of fussing, the servants outside shouted, "Hurry up! The commander wants to eat with you, don't keep him waiting."
"They're here, they're here."
"They're already getting dressed!"
"..."
In addition to new clothes, everyone also received a hemp cloth headscarf.
The servants led them away from the clerk's quarters, where a clerk was already waiting at the entrance of the inner yamen, prompting them to quicken their pace to see their superior.
The food had been laid out long ago, and Magistrate Shen and Registrar Wang were chatting.
Xu Lai led the group at the front, bowing respectfully and saying, "We are late, please forgive us, officers!"
The other companions also quickly bowed.
Shen Zhi found Xu Lai increasingly pleasing to the eye. Both being from the countryside, Xu Lai performed a standard bow, while the others used a crossed-hands salute.
Shen Zhi smiled and said to Wang, the registrar, "Look at this young man, he even knows how to use idioms."
Wang Houzhi asked Xu Lai, "Do you know the story behind the idiom 'arriving late'?"
Xu Lai replied, "Emperor Wu of Han and Lady Li."
Shen Zhi laughed and said to Wang, the registrar, "He really does know."
Wang Houzhi then asked, "Where did you hear this story from?"
Xu Lai replied, "I forgot. I probably overheard it at the village school and just kept it in mind."
Shen Zhi said to Xu Lai, "Please sit down here. The rest of you will be taken care of."
After he finished speaking, some officials came over and led Zhang Ershu, Bu Chao and the others out.
Seven people came together to present their merits, but only Xu Lai was allowed to stay in the inner office for a meal, while the other six had to go to the outer office for a meal.
Simply because he is polite, knowledgeable in classical allusions, and eloquent.
Xu Lai hadn't even settled into his seat when Wang, the registrar, personally poured him wine.
He quickly accepted the cup with both hands, secretly observing the expressions of the two officials, only to find that they were also watching him.
Perhaps because of Xu Lai's lowly status, Wang Houzhi didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Tell me in detail what you saw and heard while you were a conscript. Don't say anything about going to the city to sell firewood; there's no need to carry weapons when selling firewood."
Xu Lai had no intention of hiding anything and took the opportunity to explain more: "Officers, my name isn't actually Han Li, nor am I a villager from Fenggu Village. My name is Xu Lai, and I live in Qingxi Village, Feixia Mountain. Last year, my eldest brother was repairing a plank road when he accidentally fell into the river, and his remains have never been found. The elders only sent someone with 20 coins as compensation. Last month, they came to my house again to conscript men, but my father and second brother were busy with farm work, so I had to take their place as a middle-aged man. There are only about thirty households in the whole village, and they all have to perform corvée labor every year. This time, ten households were conscripted."
Shen Zhi's expression darkened upon hearing this.
He knew his subordinates would definitely misbehave, but he never expected them to go so far.
The county magistrate would only personally oversee the heavy corvée labor for first-class and second-class households. He was truly unaware of the ordinary corvée labor (miscellaneous labor).
Xu Lai observed Magistrate Shen's expression and quickly added, "Both officials are naturally benevolent and love the people..."
Shen Zhi didn't want to hear any of this and interrupted, "Tell me about your time as a conscript."
Xu Lai said, "We first went to the sandbar southwest of the county town... There was only one Yu Tie Si there, and all the military officers from the patrol and inspection offices were gone... all the way to the Ma Du supervisor's camp..."
"Wait, Commander Ma came by? That Guangdong military commander?" Shen Zhi was surprised to find out.
Wang Houzhi explained, "Commander Ma did not dock in the county town, but went straight north and has not returned yet. He is probably going to Shaozhou, the hometown of Minister Yu, to personally oversee the suppression of bandits."
After a brief moment of thought, Shen Zhi said to Xu, "You continue."
Xu Lai then recounted how he organized the able-bodied men into teams to maintain order within the camp, but was instead moved around to different places to do hard labor every day.
"Deputy Inspector Huang only stayed at the camp for a few days before taking a boat to the county town... He probably wasn't here last night either." Xu Lai had been observing people closely and now he probably understood.
These two civil officials want to hear dirty tales about the military officer so they can write documents to shift the blame!
Sure enough, the news that Deputy Inspector Huang Bao was not in the camp immediately brought a look of joy to Magistrate Shen's face, and he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
Wang Houzhi was clearly more shrewd, and asked in a calm tone, "What about the camp over at Yinshabu?"
Xu Lai said, "That temporary camp was set up even later, and Deputy Inspector Huang has never been there. Only a deputy captain was stationed there. If you two officers want to know more, you can summon Yu Tiesi for questioning."
"Which Yu Tie Si?" Shen Zhi asked.
Xu Lai replied, "Yu Tiesi's name is Yu Shanyuan. He passed the imperial examination twice and is a fellow villager and relative of the magistrate Yu. Because of his poverty, he asked a classmate to find him a job in the patrol office. He is untainted by the corruption and is ostracized by his colleagues, so he no longer wants to work there."
Shen Zhi seemed very interested in Yu Shanyuan: "Is he really a fellow townsman and clansman of Elder Yu?"
"I don't know if it's true or not; it's what Yu Tiesi himself said," Xu Lai said.
Shen Zhi immediately had an idea.
Xu Lai then recounted how the officials of the patrol office embezzled the food rations of the able-bodied men, forcing them to do heavy labor on empty stomachs. When they fell ill, there were no doctors available, and more than a dozen able-bodied men had already died from exhaustion and illness.
Wang Houzhi listened attentively, remembering every detail.
He didn't care about the lives of the able-bodied men, but the more bad things Wu Guanqian did, the easier it would be for him to use that as an excuse to shift the blame.
Xu Lai asked cautiously, "Can I tell you about the money for conscripted men to settle down?"
Shen Zhi looked at Wang Houzhi.
Wang Houzhi shook his head, indicating that he hadn't taken it.
Shen Zhi nodded immediately, indicating that he hadn't taken any either.
Wang Houzhi asked, "How much resettlement allowance did you receive?"
Xu Lai then frankly admitted, "I didn't receive a single penny, nothing at all, not even clothes or shoes."
Magistrate Shen and Registrar Wang exchanged a glance and simultaneously revealed a knowing smile.
The officers of the Qingyuan County Patrol and Inspection Division are finished!
This is Shen Zhi's first year as an official, and he hasn't yet developed the audacity to embezzle. For now, he adheres to a rule: small sums are accepted, but large sums are not.
Wang Houzhi was in his last term as regent, and as long as nothing went wrong, he could be transferred to the selection of a replacement. At this critical moment, he did not dare to make any big moves.
Both civil officials knew that moving the money could cause problems.
Under normal circumstances, Qingyuan County would be responsible for raising this money.
The fact that Guangzhou was willing to allocate funds sent a strong political signal, indicating that Yu Jing was personally involved in the matter and was eager to get it done!
They never expected that the inspector general would dare to embezzle, and that he would embezzle every last penny.
It's not just a resettlement allowance; there's also money to buy all sorts of supplies!
Xu Lai then recounted how he had planned the ambush the previous night, embellishing the details of the capture and killing of the salt bandits to showcase the bravery and wisdom of the emperors. However, the two civil officials had no interest in such matters, only offering a few perfunctory compliments.
Seeing that Xu Lai had stopped talking about the military officers' dirty laundry, Wang Houzhi turned to ask, "Among you men, are there any with outstanding martial arts skills? The county command is short of archers; we are still lacking a deputy captain and a tenth officer."
This is to ask Xu to recommend candidates.
Xu Lai said, "There was one named Zhang Er, who lost his family at a young age and grew up eating food from many families. I don't know his real name. He was a hunter in the mountains and was extremely skilled with a bow and arrow. The other was named Bu Chao, who was very strong and skilled with a spear and club. He slashed his knife into the skull of a salt bandit, and the bone was stuck."
Wang Houzhi nodded and said, "I understand."
Shen Zhi picked up his wine glass: "Go and collect your reward."
Xu Lai cursed inwardly: These two corrupt officials won't even let people finish their food. I thought I could show off my wine and meat!
Xu Lai rose and bowed: "Your Excellency, I do not ask for any reward, but only request that Qingxi Village be exempted from corvée labor. Every year, we are forced to levy labor and conscript men, and many in the village are injured or disabled. We simply cannot bear it any longer."
Magistrate Shen didn't really care about a small mountain village with just over thirty households.
Whether or not one is exempt from military service is irrelevant.
Shen Zhi casually said, "Those who participate in the capture and killing of the salt bandits will have their entire families exempted from corvée labor for three years. The rest of the villagers will be exempted from corvée labor for one year. Go on."
Xu Lai then said, "I have another request."
Wang Houzhi sensed something different from the self-reference of "this junior student": "You want to study?"
Xu said, "I have heard that the prefectural school holds an entrance examination every January. I wish to participate, but I cannot find a guarantor. I beg Your Excellency to act as my guarantor!"
According to the regulations during the Qingli era, one had to first study at the county school before being able to enter the prefectural school.
However, at that time, Guangdong's educational resources were extremely poor. They searched all over Guangdong but couldn't find a single county school.
Every year, the county magistrate organizes an examination to select outstanding candidates to go to the prefectural capital to directly participate in the prefectural school entrance examination.
Shen Zhi was amused by his words: "You only listened in at the village school, and you want to take the county exam, let alone get into the prefectural school? Do you even know what the exam is about?"
Xu Lai replied, "I inquired with the county magistrate. The county examination questions are set by the county magistrate. In the past, they tested knowledge of calligraphy and painting, but in recent years they have only tested poetry and prose."
"Have you studied poetry?" Shen Zhi asked.
Xu Lai said, "I know a little."
Shen Zhi then asked, "Do you have a copy of the *Rhyme Dictionary of the Ministry of Rites*?"
Xu Lai replied, "No."
Shen Zhi couldn't help but chuckle: "I can vouch for you. Take the reward money and go buy a copy of 'The Rhyme Dictionary of the Ministry of Rites'."
"Yes, sir!"
Xu Lai bowed and withdrew.
After he left, both Magistrate Shen and Registrar Wang laughed.
Whether a joke is funny or not is subjective.
A village boy who didn't even have a copy of the "Rhyme Dictionary of the Ministry of Rites" dared to boast that he would take the county examination. In the eyes of the two civil officials, this was the funniest joke in the world.
They even developed a perverse interest, wanting to see what kind of monstrosities Xu Lai could produce in his poems.
The guarantee that Xu Lai had fought so hard to obtain was nothing more than a source of amusement for Magistrate Shen during his leisure time.
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(Thanks to Captain Iron Flag, Wardrobe Guest Bald Song, Zu Shu, Fa Wen Bao Bao, and many other brothers for their generous donations.)
(I also recommend Dan Zong's "Kuo Jin". This book needs no introduction; it broke the record for the highest number of first-day subscriptions for historical fiction on Qidian.)