Chapter 24

（Although I've been overtaken again, I will keep my word and update three times, but it will be tomorrow, because I've been seething with anger all night... Forget it, I won't mention it. I'll update three times tomorrow.）

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“Confucius once said, ‘I did not hold office when I was young, so my life was relatively poor, and I had to learn many skills to make a living.’”

In the gentle voice of the woman from Jiangnan, there was a resilience and calmness that had been honed by life's trials. Without raising his head, Wang Xian knew that Lin Qing'er had arrived.

“Do I have to take this path too?” Wang Xian smiled bitterly. “But the things I know are not useful now...”

Hearing this, Lin Qing'er shook her head, deeply moved. “Life is hard without an official position.” The life of “picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the southern mountains” may be noble, but when faced with difficulties, one is at the mercy of others. How can one truly be at ease?

“Do you think I don’t know that?” Wang Xian raised his head and saw Lin Qing'er standing at the door in a white dress, holding a bamboo basket, as calm as a chrysanthemum. This was the first time she had come to his house since he returned from Sanyi Town. “What wind brought you here?”

“...” Although Lin Qing'er was still slim, her complexion was no longer as pale. Her face turned slightly red as she said, “The Chongyang wind.” She lifted the basket. “I brought some cakes for your mother.”

“It’s Chongyang Festival already...” Wang Xian sighed lightly. He had been awake for a whole month. “Why haven’t I seen Uncle Qi?”

“He, he has some family matters.” Lin Qing'er's face turned even redder, and she lowered her head slightly. “I can bring these things myself.”

“Come in and sit down.” Wang Xian turned around. “Try the lotus tea my mother made.” He reached for the teapot.

“I love flower tea...” Lin Qing'er's ears turned red as she saw Wang Xian about to make tea. She quickly put down the basket. “Rest, you’re not fully recovered yet.”

Wang Xian let go and sat down like a lord. After Lin Qing'er poured the tea, he picked up a cup. “Any news from the capital?”

Lin Qing'er also held a cup, gazing at the light green tea. She said softly, “No, but there shouldn’t be any major problems because Zhou Netai is there.”

Wang Xian realized, “So you went to Zhou Netai’s door back then!”

“I wouldn’t have been reassured if Zhou Netai hadn’t agreed.” Lin Qing'er glanced quickly at Wang Xian. “We weren’t close back then, so I didn’t tell you...”

“That should be fine then.” Wang Xian took a sip of tea and sighed. “Let’s get it over with quickly so everyone can live in peace.”

“Mm.” Lin Qing'er nodded lightly. After a while, she asked, “What do you plan to do in the future?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” Wang Xian smiled bitterly. “I think studying is the right path, but the ‘Analects’ you gave me, I still don’t understand many parts after reading it over and over.”

“Pfft...” Lin Qing'er almost spat out her tea, quickly covering her mouth and coughing several times before regaining her composure. “You’ve only read it for a few days, and you only don’t understand some parts. If you’re not satisfied, all the scholars in the world would have to find a piece of tofu to die in shame.”

“Uh, you misunderstood...” Wang Xian was quite embarrassed. “I’m not completely ignorant.”

“What books have you read then?”

“Uh,” Wang Xian thought for a moment and honestly said, “‘Hundred Family Surnames,’ ‘Thousand Character Classic,’ ‘Analects’... that’s it.”

“No wonder...” Lin Qing'er thought that Wang Xian had read for a few days before his father’s incident. She calculated seriously, “If you can start reading the ‘Analects,’ you must have finished the basic education. If you can persist in hard study and have a good teacher, you can take the county examination in about ten years.”

“Ten years?” Wang Xian opened his mouth wide. Studying for ten years, how is that possible?

“There’s no other way.” Lin Qing'er said, “We have too many scholars in Zhejiang. Getting a degree is harder than passing the imperial examination in other places. As far as I know, even the most talented geniuses need ten years of hard study... like my brother, who took twelve years. You can’t even write, so ten years is already...” She paused and said softly, “treating you as a genius.”

“I’m not a genius.” Wang Xian shook his head and smiled bitterly. He knew himself well; he had studied hard but still couldn’t be among the top.

“A swift horse can’t leap a thousand miles, but a slow horse can achieve its goal through persistence.” Lin Qing'er seemed happy to see his determination and encouraged him, “Even if you pass the examination at thirty, it’s not too late!”

“...” Wang Xian was sweating. “What if I don’t pass at thirty?”

“That would be quite tragic...” Lin Qing'er said softly, “But at least you can write and do calculations, and support yourself.”

Wang Xian didn’t respond.

Lin Qing'er wanted to say something but was too embarrassed to speak, so she just sat there quietly.

“Is there any other way?” Wang Xian asked.

“There are other ways.” Lin Qing'er, now well-informed, offered advice. “The current dynasty selects officials through three paths: the regular path, recommendations, and clerical positions. When the emperor orders local recommendations, our county will have a quota. If recommended and pass the examination in the capital, you can be granted an official position. However, Emperor Yongle has only ordered local recommendations twice in nine years, far fewer than during the Hongwu era.”

“Another way is through clerical promotions. Clerical positions are examined every three years, and after three examinations, you can obtain a degree and be eligible for selection by the Ministry of Personnel.”

“Oh...” After listening to Lin Qing'er’s explanation, Wang Xian realized that in the Ming Dynasty, officials were still selected through three paths, although the imperial examination was becoming more important, officials from recommendations and clerical positions could still be promoted normally.

This made him feel relieved. He asked, “Is recommendation difficult?”

“Those recommended are all talented and virtuous. They must pass the emperor’s personal examination. Emperor Yongle is wise and powerful; without ten years of hard study, you won’t pass.” Lin Qing'er looked at him. “Why not take the imperial examination instead of relying on luck?”

“...” Thinking of the recommended students in his previous life, Wang Xian lost hope for recommendations and sighed. “It seems I only have the clerical path left.”

“Why do you look down on clerical positions?” Lin Qing'er looked at Wang Xian in confusion. “Uncle Wang is a clerk.”

“I don’t look down on them, but I often hear people call them ‘little clerks’...” Wang Xian was influenced by his previous life and thought being a clerk was not very respectable.

“Only officials call them that. I don’t understand why you think the same.” Lin Qing'er found it incomprehensible. “Clerks are officials who serve the people. In the Yuan Dynasty and the early Ming, many high-ranking officials came from clerical positions. Even now, many serve as vice-ministers and provincial governors!”

She looked at Wang Xian and bit her lip softly. “Besides, you can’t even become one...”

Wang Xian felt a chill, thinking she was pouting. He thought, “I’m being too self-centered. Why would she pout at a rascal like me?”

He asked, somewhat不服气 (unconvinced), “Why can’t I become one?”

“Clerical positions are filled by those from farming families with a clean record, under thirty years old, and able to write.” Lin Qing'er looked at him. “The first two conditions aside, just the third one...”

Wang Xian was sweating. He couldn’t write with a brush, and he couldn’t write in traditional characters... His face turned red. “I’ll practice writing!”

“Mm, you need to practice writing. Whether it’s a clerical position, recommendation, or the regular path, you need to be able to write.” Lin Qing'er’s head gradually lowered, and her voice became softer. “Actually, I can teach you...”

“I should practice writing.” Wang Xian nodded. “I can’t even write, so everything else is pointless. I’ll buy some paper and a brush and start practicing.”

“You don’t need to buy them...” Lin Qing'er looked at him and said softly, “I have some at home. I’ll bring some over tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” Wang Xian smiled. “Actually, I don’t have any money.”

“...” Lin Qing'er was already numb to Wang Xian’s rascal behavior. Just as she was about to say something, she heard the door open. It was Wang Xian’s mother returning.

Lin Qing'er couldn’t sit still and got up nervously to greet Wang Xian’s mother.

Wang Xian’s mother was in a good mood. She looked at Lin Qing'er and smiled, “Lin girl came to see my son?”

Lin Qing'er’s face turned red. She said softly, “No, I came to give your mother some Chongyang cakes.”

“Is that so?” Wang Xian’s mother, being experienced, saw Lin Qing'er’s red face and smiled ambiguously. “I won’t disturb you. You two can keep talking...”

“I’ll leave first and come back another day to see your mother.” Lin Qing'er’s face turned red to her ears, and she didn’t even say goodbye to Wang Xian before fleeing.

After Lin Qing'er left, Wang Xian’s mother smiled at him. “This girl is nice. Especially since she didn’t look down on you when you were in trouble.”

“Mother...” Wang Xian coughed dryly. He changed the topic. “How did my father become a criminal registrar?”

“Well...” Wang Xian’s mother thought for a moment. “Your father read books when he was young, but the family was poor, so he only studied for a couple of years. He worked in a pawnshop for a few years and learned accounting. Later, by chance, he met the chief of the county medical hall, Doctor Wu. Doctor Wu, using his position, helped him get a job in the government.”

“Your father started as a scribe, writing petitions for others, and gradually became a clerk in the criminal department. After a few years, he finally became a regular clerk with a government appointment. He worked for a few more years before becoming a registrar...”

“How many years did it take in total?” Wang Xian remembered that his father seemed to be quite capable.

“Twenty years...” Wang Xian’s mother thought for a moment. “But your father only worked in the government for a few years before the family became well-off. I would rather he didn’t become a registrar.”

“...” Wang Xian was speechless. It seemed he needed to re-evaluate this so-called ‘little clerk.’

Actually, if he thought about it in the context of his previous life, it wasn’t hard to understand. The six departments were like county bureaus. Who could become a bureau chief in one step? Everyone had to struggle for ten to twenty years.

It seemed his father was quite remarkable...

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