Chapter 60 of 100

Chapter 60

15 min read3,846 words

As the relationship between Song and Xia deteriorated, Yan Prefecture became increasingly prosperous. Truly, once the market was opened, the major merchants from the Guanzhong region flocked in. They had substantial capital and strong backgrounds, which put the local merchants at a disadvantage, reducing them to mere spectators. However, closing the market and turning to private trade would benefit the local merchants.

This situation was reminiscent of a certain city in the south later on.

However, the main beneficiaries were not in Yan Prefecture. There were too many Qiang people, and it was a war zone with too many unpredictable factors. Therefore, the true beneficiaries were Fu Prefecture. Originally, Fu Prefecture had been upgraded to a major governorate during the Tang Dynasty, laying a solid foundation. In the Song Dynasty, due to the independence of Western Xia, it became a key town, "controlling the throat of the northern border and serving as the supply line for the capital." However, it was not on the front lines. Even during the Battle of Sanchuan Pass, Li Yuanhao did not dare to lead his troops deep into Fu Prefecture, so it was safer, attracting a steady stream of merchants. While its military significance was not as important as Yan Prefecture, it was even more prosperous.

Another reason was that it was a hilly area with many small mountains of varying heights, but there were more open areas suitable for farming.

However, the situation in Yunyan County was not good. The entire county had fewer than 3,000 households, and the large county town had only about 300 households.

But Wang Ju was very pleased.

After all, the backwardness of Yunyan County meant that the prices would be relatively low. If he had gone to Fu Prefecture, supporting a family of four would have been much more expensive, as everything would need to be bought, and the annual expenses would be substantial.

Moreover, there was Quan Erzhang. Wang Ju did not mention the issue of benefits, nor did he need to, but he could not give nothing. Quan Erzhang was a young man in his twenties who needed to save money for marriage and had family to support.

This issue was also easy to resolve. After receiving the dividends from the Zhu family, Wang Ju could give Quan Erzhang some money and silk as a reward. This was also a form of expense.

Zhu Huan led Wang Ju to the southern part of the city.

The house they rented was chosen by the Zhu family. It was a three-room brick and tile house with a kitchen and a storage room nearby. There was an ancient well not far away, shared by several households. The house also had some simple furniture, almost everything needed, so Wang Ju could move in immediately.

The key was its location.

In ancient times, officials rarely built government offices, and they were not given dedicated housing. This is why Yao Chong, as a prime minister, lived in an ancient temple. Zhang Zai did not live in an ancient temple but rented a house. The house the Zhu family rented for Wang Ju was to the north, not far away, only about 200 meters.

After Zhang Zai arrived in Yunyan County, he performed his duties well, being diligent and strict in his governance, promoting moral and educational reforms. Yunyan County had a small population, with only about 10,000 people, so on the first day of each month, he would gather the elderly from the surrounding areas at the county office, treat them to food and drink, and inquire about the people's hardships, asking them to relay the county's regulations and announcements to the villagers.

This made the government's policies transparent.

Everyone knew what the government intended to do, so the clerks below did not dare to act recklessly.

He also built a county school by the small river Kuli in the south of the city. There were only about 40 students, as Yunyan County was a small county. A scholar taught there, and Zhang Zai occasionally came to answer the students' questions.

Wang Ju would also enter this county school in the future.

After all, Zhang Zai, as the county magistrate, had to handle official duties and could not teach Wang Ju every day.

However, there was a difference between entering the school as a student and entering it without a formal teacher-student relationship. Entering the school without a formal relationship was easier. Wang Ju had talent, and the Zhu family could pay a few scholars to vouch for him. Even if Zhang Zai wanted to promote education but found few young people willing to be students, he would agree without a recommendation.

However, what was the point of entering the school that way? It would be better to enter the state school in Yan Prefecture.

Formally becoming a student was different. After class, Wang Ju would have the right to seek guidance from Zhang Zai, and he could even establish a formal relationship, allowing him to use Zhang Zai's connections in the scholarly world.

However, becoming a student was not easy, and accepting a student was also not easy. Establishing a teacher-student relationship was akin to establishing a father-son relationship, requiring patient guidance in both life and studies. This was what Han Yu referred to as "transmitting the way, teaching the profession, and resolving doubts." Decades ago, the famous minister Wang Yucheng, whose writings were renowned, had many students who wanted to be his disciples, but he only accepted Ding Wei and Sun He.

Although the various customs of ancient times made Wang Ju want to complain, the strict teacher-student rules still made him admire them. Why were teachers like a second father? They were the true teachers!

Because of these strict rules, the Zhu family believed that Wang Ju's attempt to become a student would be very difficult, and they did not reveal his arrival in Yunyan County in Yan Prefecture.

However, if Wang Ju successfully became a student, it would be very convenient. It was only about 300 steps to the county school to the south and about 100 steps to Zhang Zai's house to the north.

Moreover, the rent was very cheap, only 350 coins per month. The landlord, surnamed Liu, owned a shop on the north side of the city and rarely returned home. Upon hearing that a scholar was renting the house, he was very happy and rented it to Wang Ju at a low price.

Wang Ju looked around and felt very satisfied.

He simply put down his luggage.

Zhu Qing and Quan Erzhang vied to help, so Wang Ju took out his writing materials and began to write a letter of recommendation:

... I am a poor boy, my father died early, my mother remarried, and I live in the countryside, lonely and destitute. Although I am dedicated to learning and seeking the way, day and night without rest, exploring the meaning of texts, the way is not transmitted, and people are confused and hard to understand. Upon hearing of your arrival, I was overjoyed and boldly came to Yunyan, hoping to become your student and listen to your teachings day and night... I, Wang Ju, bow with tears.

The letter was not flowery but very sincere and touching, as everyone has some sympathy.

Then Wang Ju took out his reading notes from his luggage.

He removed the more radical parts and kept only the mild and valuable ones, placing them behind the letter. This was Wang Ju's confidence!

His foundation in classical studies was poor, but his perspective surpassed many people of his time, including some understanding of Confucianism. He believed that Zhang Zai would be interested in these notes.

As for his poor foundation, if Zhang Zai discovered he had been deceived after establishing a formal relationship, would he expel him? At that time, Zhang Zai would probably console himself that Wang Ju was "self-taught" and that a poor foundation was inevitable.

Wang Ju sealed the letter and, led by Zhu Qing, found Zhang Zai's house. Zhang Zai was working at the county office, but he had hired an old gatekeeper. Wang Ju respectfully handed the letter to the gatekeeper, asking him to pass it to Zhang Zai, and then returned home to wait for news.

...

"Little brother, you are a scholar, why do you practice martial arts?" Quan Erzhang asked amidst the sound of firecrackers.

Many people practiced martial arts in the Song Dynasty, and terms like "martial arts," "martial techniques," and "martial world" were already in use. There were various boxing techniques, such as "Yizhi Quan," "Shiheng Quan," "Shijian Quan," "Buleng Naoyao," and "Shiquan." However, the famous Taizu Longquan, which Wang Ju had not heard of, was probably a later fabrication.

Quan Erzhang was practicing boxing, and Wang Ju was also teaching his two daughters, Erniu and Sanmu, to practice boxing.

"To strengthen the body."

"You are a scholar."

"Scholars also need to strengthen their bodies. The Qingli Reforms were mainly aimed at officials, and many gentlemen proposed eliminating the old, weak, sick, and corrupt officials. 'Old' refers to high-ranking officials who are too old and lack energy to handle official duties."

"Cheng Gong is also old."

"He is an exception. How many people are like Cheng Gong at the age of seventy?"

"That's true. What about 'weak,' 'sick,' 'dark,' 'greedy,' 'cruel,' 'treacherous,' and 'evil'?"

"Weak refers to officials with poor abilities. Sick refers to officials who are often ill and cannot handle official duties. Dark refers to officials who are incompetent."

"Isn't 'dark' similar to 'weak'?"

"Yes, so 'dark' and 'weak' are often used together, but there is a difference. Weak officials may have good intentions but lack the ability to accomplish tasks. Dark officials have no intention of doing anything, just accumulating seniority to advance. Treacherous and evil are similar but different. Treacherous refers to those who act one way in front of you and another behind your back. Evil refers to those who use improper means openly. Greedy refers to those who are corrupt and take bribes. Cruel refers to those who treat the people cruelly and disregard human life."

In essence, officials should be capable and have integrity. Requiring officials to be both virtuous and capable was a good thing, but Ouyang Xiu and others' standards for virtue and capability were biased. They considered those who supported them to be virtuous and capable, while those who opposed them, even if they were first-rate officials like Lu Yijian and first-rate good officials like Du Yan, were considered treacherous and evil, making it seem like a farce. The reforms quickly failed. When Old Fan was demoted to the northwest and passed by Lu Yijian's house, he was silent, realizing the difficulty of the task and remaining silent thereafter.

But Wang Ju's intention in practicing boxing was truly to strengthen his body.

The medical standards of this era were abysmal. If his health was poor and he fell seriously ill, he would immediately face death.

However, he frowned: "Three days have passed, why has there been no news from Zhang Gong's house?"

He arrived in Yunyan County on the 28th of the twelfth month, and today was the first day of the new year.

"Perhaps Zhang Gong is busy."

Wang Ju shook his head. With such a small population, even a village chief or a neighborhood committee director would have more people to manage. What could he be busy with? He took out five guan in paper money: "Erzhang, go to Zhang Gong's house, give this paper money to the gatekeeper, and ask him for news."

"Alright."

A while later, Quan Erzhang returned: "The gatekeeper said that Zhang Gong saw your letter and said, 'Oh, it's that stubborn boy from Baoan Army.' Then he didn't even look at it and threw it away. Little brother, it seems Zhang Gong is not as great as his reputation."

Wang Ju was speechless but remained very calm. After thinking for a moment, he said: "No, Yunyan County is technically under Cheng Gong's jurisdiction. There is another layer of relationship. Wen Gong has been kind to Zhang Gong, and Wen Gong is Cheng Gong's close associate. Since Zhang Gong has a good reputation in the scholarly world, Cheng Gong must have communicated with him. He probably mentioned me in his letter. Think about it, would Cheng Gong say anything good about me?"

Quan Erzhang laughed and said, "That's a problem."

"It is a bit of a problem..." Wang Ju thought for a long time, almost an hour, and then stood up from his chair: "Let's go, we'll storm Zhang Gong's house!"

---