Chapter 7

The two strings of fish weighed nearly twenty pounds and could sell for about two hundred coins at market price. However, this Chishan town was by the sea, and fish were not a rare commodity. Moreover, the common people always sold their goods at low prices. The man buying the fish was clearly not an ordinary person; he offered one string of coins, which was one hundred coins, which was not exactly a forced purchase.

However, the fish were originally a gift from Little Stone to Li Jing, and they were not all for him; the other string was to be taken back to Little Stone's family. Furthermore, this man had a deep connection with the Li family. When Li Jing saw that the man buying the fish was him, he immediately refused.

The man buying the fish was also a young man, about the same age as Li Jing, around twenty. However, he was dressed in black. In the Tang Dynasty, both xuan (a dark color with a hint of red) and zao (ordinary black) were black, but xuan had a hint of red, while zao was plain black. However, these two colors were forbidden for ordinary people to wear. Xuan, like red-yellow, was the color of the emperor's clothing. Zao, on the other hand, was the color of the clothing for officials and clerks, which is why they wore black clothes, black shoes, and black headgear in the government offices.

The man buying the fish was dressed in black clothes and black shoes, but he was not from the government office; he was from the Chishan military town.

"Isn't this Li Xiucai? Why aren't you at home reading the classics today, but instead came to town? Why don't you come and chat with me when you come to town?"

Li Jing knew that he would have to spend some time today when he saw this man. He walked to the edge of the wall, put down his burden, and said with a cold smile, "The fish are for Little Stone to take back to the village. If you have no other business, I'll be on my way."

"Why are you in such a hurry? Let's chat a bit more. I'm not my sister, who cries and wails, saying she won't marry anyone but you and threatens to hang herself or jump into a well if you don't agree." Wang Liang crossed his arms, narrowed his eyes, and said with a hint of anger.

Li Jing was silent for a moment. What Wang Liang said was true. The Li and Wang families had been close for generations, and they were neighbors in Qingzhou. Wang Liang's grandfather and Li Jing's grandfather were both military officers in the Pinglu army and died in the battle against the rebel Li Zhong in Ziqing. They moved to Wang Li Village together. Li Jing's father later became a government official and worked as a county clerk in Tancheng, where he asked Wang Liang's father to be his assistant. Both of them died in the rebellion led by Qiu Fu. Later, Wang Liang's older brother and Li Jing's older brother went to Xuzhou to deliver grain and never returned. Both families had experienced the same tragic events.

Wang Liang had a younger sister, two years younger than Li Jing. A few years ago, she was almost eaten by a wolf while picking wild vegetables outside. Fortunately, Li Jing saved her from the wolf's mouth. From then on, Wang Liang's sister said she would only marry Li Jing. This could have been a good thing. Wang Liang's sister was well-mannered and had a good character. Li Jing's mother also approved of the match, but Li Jing firmly opposed it. He didn't know why, but he just didn't want to marry Wang Liang's sister, perhaps because he had plans to take the imperial exams and revive the family.

This matter became very awkward. Wang Liang's sister asked a matchmaker to propose several times, but all were unsuccessful. The rumors spread, and Wang Liang's sister's reputation was tarnished. She attempted to hang herself and jump into a well several times, but was saved each time. After much persuasion, she finally gave up. Now, at eighteen, no one in the surrounding area would propose to her.

At the beginning of the year, Wang Liang's family asked a matchmaker to propose a marriage between Li Jing's fourth sister, Wan Jing, and Wang Liang. Wan Jing didn't refuse, but she had one condition: she would agree to the marriage only if they received two shi of millet, not asking for any dowry. The Li family didn't want to add this condition, but Wan Jing insisted, saying she wouldn't agree otherwise. Two shi of millet was about 240 pounds, worth about four strings of copper coins, or five bolts of silk.

However, the Wang family couldn't even afford this much. As a result, Wang Liang believed that the Li family was not sincere, and the relationship between the two families deteriorated. Wang Liang's mother even went to the Li family's door to curse several times, and Wang Liang destroyed two of the Li family's vegetable plots.

The Li family, at the request of Lady Han, always tried to be tolerant of Wang Liang's actions, but Li Jing didn't have a good impression of him.

After Wang Liang's failed proposal, he later found a job in town through someone. It wasn't a proper job; he was just a servant to the warehouse official in Chishan town, running errands and buying groceries.

"Scholar, today our warehouse official is hosting a banquet for Liu Zhenjiang's favorite, Zhao Yaya. Zhao Yaya doesn't like seafood but loves river fish. Your fish are very fresh, and Zhao Yaya will definitely like them. Since we are from the same village, I won't cheat you. I'll buy these two strings of fish from you, and I'll give you a dou of sorghum later. Is that okay?"

Li Jing saw that Wang Liang had made a concession and didn't want to be too stubborn. He said, "I'll give you this string of fish, no money or grain needed. But the other string is for Little Stone's family, so I can't give it to you. This string of fish is nearly ten pounds, which should be enough for you. What do you think?"

As they were talking, a fat, well-fed man in a green round-collar official robe shouted at Wang Liang from a distance, "You peasant, why are you taking so long to buy fish?"

The man walked over in a few steps, looking arrogant and not even glancing at Li Jing. He threw a string of coins in front of Li Jing, "Peasant, this is your fish money." Then he turned to leave.

Li Jing immediately recognized that the string of coins on the ground was not a full hundred. Such a string usually had only seventy coins, known as a "mò" (a string of seventy coins). A mò was often used by officials and wealthy families when buying from common people.

"Sir, I heard there is a banquet at your house today. I am willing to offer one string of fish to you. The other string is a favor for someone else, so I cannot sell it to you." Li Jing bowed to the warehouse official.

His words were reasonable, and Li Jing thought that after giving the man a string of fish for free, he wouldn't be too difficult. However, he clearly underestimated the late Tang Dynasty's official relationships.

The green-robed official stopped, turned to look at Li Jing, and after a moment's thought, said, "I'm giving you money, so take it. I want all the fish, no more discussion."

"Sir, this is really too much to ask," Li Jing tried to reason.

Unexpectedly, the green-robed official immediately turned angry and shouted, "You refuse my offer, you brat. Come, tie him up and take him back."

"Sir, what are you going to do?" Li Jing was shocked; he didn't expect the fat man to turn on him so quickly.

"What am I going to do?" The fat man laughed coldly and said to the onlookers, "In the third and nineteenth years of Kaiyuan in the Tang Dynasty, the court twice banned the capture and consumption of carp. It was stipulated that 'if a carp is caught, it should be released immediately and not eaten,' and anyone selling carp would be punished with sixty strokes. This is the law. You, a commoner, have openly violated the law by catching and eating carp. Do you not know your crime? Come, take him back and give him sixty strokes."

As the green-robed official laughed coldly, the onlookers carefully observed and indeed found that one of the fish in Li Jing's hands was a copper carp with red scales and whiskers.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang did indeed issue an edict banning the consumption of carp, but the reason was not simply to avoid offending the imperial surname. "Daoists do not eat carp" was originally a Daoist rule. Daoists believed that carp could turn into dragons and had 36 scales, each with a black spot, and that carp were worshippers of the sun, hence called "Red Carp Gong." Eating carp would bring divine retribution. The Tang Dynasty, claiming to be descendants of Laozi, also prohibited the cooking and consumption of carp. It was said that anyone who caught and sold carp would be punished with sixty strokes.

However, although such edicts were issued, they were not strictly enforced in the civilian world. Especially in the late Tang Dynasty, the law had become a dead letter, and people still caught and ate carp. But when the warehouse official used this law to arrest Li Jing, everyone suddenly realized they had no grounds to oppose it.

Li Jing naturally knew that what the fat man said was true, but he also knew that the law had long been a dead letter and had never been strictly enforced. However, at this moment, he couldn't use this to argue his innocence.

As the saying goes, a county magistrate can ruin a family, and a town military warehouse official could control Li Jing's fate. Faced with this sudden disaster, he regretted not selling the fish directly.

Ps: Those who do not vote for recommendations will be punished with sixty strokes for eating carp!~

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