Chapter 42

Shi Manqiang and Jixiang had already let out a sigh of relief. Chen Sheng excitedly shook the short stick in his hand and shouted loudly, "Let's have a match!"

Zhao Jin turned back with a smile and a tear in his eye, saying, "There are only a dozen or so of us, why bother with a match? Let's divide up this food and eat while we chat."

Most of the people who came here had already had lunch, but at this age, boys' stomachs are bottomless pits, and eating sweets is just an extra meal.

Everyone sat in a circle, and the large portions of pastries piled up into a huge mound. Zhao Jin and his friends didn't mind, but Shi Manqiang and the others were all excited. Solving the problem and having such a feast was indeed a good thing.

Before eating, Zhao Jin said, "Shi Tou, take out ten pieces first and wrap them up. Your younger brother and sister haven't had what you won for a few days, right!"

Shi Manqiang was taken aback, and Zhao Jin smiled, saying, "Wrap them up first, or they'll be swept away by everyone!"

Everyone laughed, and Shi Manqiang nodded heavily to Zhao Jin, saying, "Thank you, Big Brother Zhao!"

Then he took the cloth and wrapped up ten pieces of pastries. Zhao Jin knew that Shi Manqiang had younger siblings and that those close to him called him Shi Tou. He did this to make a friend, and from the other person's reaction, he knew he had done the right thing.

A dozen or so teenagers sat in a circle, surrounded by a feast of pastries. Everyone was in high spirits, eating and drinking heartily. Without water, some people were choked from time to time, which led to more laughter. Even the little kids like Mu Shulan and Chen Hong were eating with big smiles.

"Now that everything is settled here, everyone should tell their close ones to come back to the cargo yard for a match!" Zhao Jin suggested while eating, and everyone agreed loudly.

One by one, the news spread, and the cargo yard would soon be bustling with people. At this point, the middle-aged man who came with Wang Zhaojing and the old steward from Chen Sheng's family had already returned. Thinking about the two people the little girl brought, Zhao Jin knew that even if he didn't seek out his father, the matter would be resolved smoothly by noon.

Today, Zhao Jin brought osmanthus cake and red bean cake, Chen Sheng brought meat buns, Sun Dalei brought sesame cakes, and Wang Zhaojing brought silver thread rolls with meat.

After everyone had tasted the various foods, they all agreed that what Wang Zhaojing brought was the best. Wang Zhaojing couldn't help but boast about the "chef's skills," which surprised everyone, as it turned out to be made by his own chef.

Rich families rarely ate out and usually had their own chefs. But among the teenagers who came to play at the cargo yard, only Chen Sheng's family could afford this level of luxury. The others, though well-off, were still small households.

Every day, the boys competed and fought at the cargo yard, and they were familiar with each other. But after yesterday's conflict and today's perfect resolution, their relationships had suddenly become much closer, and they now felt more like friends.

So, despite Wang Zhaojing's short time there, he had been involved in several events, and now everyone treated him as one of their own.

Today, without a match, everyone ate until they were full and relaxed, chatting and joking. They all lived in Xuzhou, and after playing together for so many days, they had a general understanding of each other's situations. With their parents and elders also talking about these things, many people were quite familiar with each other. Wang Zhaojing, who was relatively unfamiliar, became the focus. Moreover, this young master had just returned from the capital, and everyone was very curious, leading to many questions.

"Wang Zhaojing, why did your father stop being an official?"

The one who asked this was poked by someone next to him, who whispered, "Don't say things recklessly. Don't ask about such matters."

Teenagers may be innocent, but they are not naive. They have learned a lot from their surroundings and know what to say and what not to say. Of course, some don't know this.

The one who was reminded was不服气 (unwilling to accept it) and said, "Being an official is so good. Who wouldn't want to be one..."

Before he could finish, Zhao Jin turned back and glared at him, and he immediately lowered his head, not daring to speak. Zhao Jin's authority had been established.

Unexpectedly, this touched a sensitive spot for Wang Zhaojing. He cleared his throat and said solemnly, "My father retired and returned home not because of any misconduct, but to maintain friendships. When he left the capital, his colleagues and superiors all held banquets to see him off, which became a famous story."

This speech was so refined that everyone was confused, but Zhao Jin's classical education from his youth helped him understand it roughly. He found it interesting, as in the official world, one would never step down if they could go up. Maintaining friendships and stepping down must have some hidden reason. Seeing that everyone was still discussing it, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "These matters are not convenient to ask about. Let's not talk about it."

This made Wang Zhaojing even more anxious. In his view, Zhao Jin's consideration implied that his father's resignation was forced or due to some scandal. He immediately stood up to explain, "After my father passed the imperial exams, he served as a censor in the Censorate. His superiors and colleagues were very supportive. This year, my father had two options: to go up and become a supervisor of schools in the two capitals, or to go down and become a salt inspector in various regions. Both positions, whether clean or corrupt, were top-notch. However, my father did not want to hurt his friendships over this matter, so he retired and returned home to maintain those relationships..."

This left Zhao Jin even more confused. According to Wang Zhaojing's explanation, a censor in the Censorate was a 7th-rank official, but the two options, whether going up or down, were also 7th-rank positions. So, what was the difference between going up and down?

The topic had already shifted, and everyone was no longer interested in the ranks. Instead, they pestered Wang Zhaojing with questions about the capital's attractions, delicious food, and rare items. Zhao Jin didn't want to press further.

Zhao Jin, who was not familiar with the Ming dynasty's official system, didn't know the differences. In the Ming dynasty, the importance of officials and their ranks were only superficial. There were many nuances. First, officials in the capital were far more prestigious than those in the provinces. Additionally, clean officials were far more prestigious than corrupt ones, and their career prospects were vastly different.

A 7th-rank clean official, if sent out of the capital, would be a 4th-rank governor, which would be considered a demotion. The censors in the Censorate were standard clean officials in the capital.

Even among censors, there were distinctions. Although they were of the same rank, there were differences in prestige and corruption. The most prestigious and noble position was that of a supervisor of schools, with one in the capital and one in Nanjing. The number of scholars in the northern and southern regions was too large to all participate in the provincial exams, so before the provincial exams, the supervisor of schools would travel to various prefectures to examine the scholars. Those who passed could then participate in the provincial exams.

According to Ming tradition, the candidates became the students of the examiners, and the examiners became the grand masters of the candidates. This relationship laid the foundation for future networks. Serving as a supervisor of schools, the next position would be a provincial governor, and upon returning, a vice-minister in one of the six ministries, a position considered a candidate for the central government. Therefore, this position was considered the most prestigious, and once one held it, their future was secure.

Below the supervisor of schools were the provincial inspectors, who were on par with provincial governors. Next were the censors of various circuits, all of whom were clean officials. Below them were the corrupt officials.

The salt inspector, which Wang Zhaojing mentioned, was the pinnacle of corrupt officials. These positions, though with no prospects for advancement, were highly lucrative.

There were four salt inspectors: for the Huai River, Changlu, Zhejiang, and Hedong. The saying "one term as a salt inspector, ten generations of wealth" was not an exaggeration. The Ming dynasty's tax system heavily relied on the monopoly of salt, and the illegal salt trade was a gold mine. Salt inspectors were crucial in overseeing this, and the salt merchants and salt fields had to bribe them heavily.

Even the least prestigious salt inspector in Hedong could earn about 100,000 taels of silver a year. In the Huai River and Changlu regions, earning several hundred thousand taels a year was common.

Censors in the Censorate, if they wanted to advance, would naturally prefer to be supervisors of schools. If they were older and wanted to make money, they would prefer to be salt inspectors.

If Zhao Jin were familiar with this system, he would be even more confused by Wang Zhaojing's explanation. What kind of background did a censor have to have to choose between these two positions?

However, this conversation gave Zhao Jin a lot of new knowledge.