Chapter 122: Shi Gun’s Complaint
Ever since the Young Lord of Prince Rui’s Mansion moved into the villa outside the city last year, Prefect Liu of Pingjiang Prefecture had been on tenterhooks.
After passing the provincial examination, he went to the Capital City to await the imperial examination. He stayed in the Capital City for thirteen or fourteen years until he became a Jinshi Scholar and was then assigned to his post. He knew the Young Lord’s ways not perfectly, but at least quite well.
He didn’t dare to hope for the Young Lord’s favor at all; he only prayed that nothing would go wrong, and that would be the best outcome, a blessing from the Bodhisattva.
The Young Lord stayed for half a year, peacefully and quietly. When the Young Lord returned to the Capital City and then came back, Prefect Liu’s heart, which had been at ease, was again raised, but only slightly this time, and he was as stable and composed as usual.
Alas, I didn’t expect that this disaster could not be avoided!
Prefect Liu, with a grim face and a worried expression, his hands behind his back, hurried to the small house of his trusted staff member, Mr. Cao.
“Why has the esteemed master come?” Mr. Cao was replying to an official document when he saw Prefect Liu lift the curtain and enter, and he quickly put down his brush.
“Something has happened!” Prefect Liu sat opposite Mr. Cao and let out a long sigh.
“What has happened?” Mr. Cao was startled.
“Just now, Shi Gun came over,” Prefect Liu said in a low voice.
Mr. Cao’s eyes widened.
It’s about that Young Lord! This is indeed a problem, but fortunately, the Prefect didn’t say it was a major disaster. A problem and a major disaster are very different!
“What did he say?” Mr. Cao leaned forward, his face tense.
“Complaints! He said that every time he passes through Kunshan County, he gets angry. He said the roads are not smooth, and he sees nothing of interest. He wanted to look at sericulture, but even the silkworms were just black dots.”
Mr. Cao coughed violently.
It was the time for silkworms to hatch, and the silkworms were indeed just black dots!
“He said the education is inadequate and the local customs are bad. He spoke for over fifteen minutes, all about the shortcomings of Kunshan County, saying even the leaves on the trees weren’t green enough!” Prefect Liu said, tapping the table forcefully twice with his index finger when he mentioned “not green enough.”
“Did he come specifically to complain?” Mr. Cao asked, holding his breath.
“He said it was on his way, but what business could he have that would bring him to our prefectural yamen?”
“Then, did Master Shi, Shi Gun, come to complain on his own, or was he following instructions?” Mr. Cao continued to ask.
“He didn’t say. Alas, if he came on his own, and dared to complain like this, it must be because he heard his Young Lord complain even more. This trip was to pass on a message, to remove the people, matters, or things that displeased his Young Lord. This way, he would please their Young Lord, and also, if their Young Lord was happy, his task would be easier, wouldn’t it.”
Prefect Liu dared not think that Shi Gun’s complaint was a message for him; he didn’t have that kind of friendship with Shi Gun.
“Esteemed master’s words are very true!” Mr. Cao stroked his beard in agreement.
“If he was following instructions…” Prefect Liu looked at Mr. Cao, leaving the rest of his sentence unsaid.
“If Master Shi came with instructions, then this trip was not to complain, but to give orders!” Mr. Cao said with a look of horror.
“Exactly!” Prefect Liu slammed the table.
“How did Kunshan County offend the Young Lord? County Magistrate Huang is such a kind person, thoughtful and adaptable. Was it because of that little girl? That little girl’s family is from Kunshan County, but she has been living in Pingjiang City for a long time.” Mr. Cao frowned, puzzled.
“Alas, I have always been worried about Kunshan County, especially after the Young Lord took a liking to that young lady!” Prefect Liu sighed.
Mr. Cao raised his eyebrows, looking bewildered.
“Huang Xianzhou, alas!” Prefect Liu shook his head and sighed. “He is a Jinshi Scholar from the Renzi year examination, and I am from the Yimao year. The first time I met him was at a literary gathering where a few new Jinshi Scholars were invited, and he was among them. He was the most amiable to everyone and gave me the most guidance.
“Later, he was assigned to the Ministry of Revenue for training. I went to ask him for help two or three times when I had matters, and each time he was excellent, as you said, thoughtful, considerate, understanding human affection, and adaptable. I thought then that he would surely rise rapidly, perhaps even become a Grand Secretary.
“The year I passed the examination, he was appointed County Magistrate of Qingchi County. Qingchi is a large county, and I thought this might be a sign of him being heavily relied upon. A prime minister must rise from prefectures and counties, right? Later, he was transferred to Shen County, and then to Kunshan County.
“When he first arrived in Kunshan County and received the documents from the Ministry of Personnel, I tossed and turned all night, feeling deeply regretful. Later!”
Prefect Liu let out a long sigh.
“After meeting him, I knew why he had been demoted all the way down!”
“Why?” Mr. Cao listened with great interest.
“He can only go up, not down! The first time he came to the prefectural yamen, I treated him as I had in the Capital City. Who knew he was sarcastic and awkward in every way, and every word he said made me feel suffocated.”
“Uh!” Mr. Cao raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes in surprise.
“Later, I wrote to several fellow students. Some who knew him said he was arrogant and resentful. He must have thought I was not worthy of being his superior. He ranked sixth in the second class, and I was at the end of the second class. He must have looked down on me. I suppose~”
Prefect Liu dragged out the end of his sentence, pursing his lips.
“Only those in the first class and the top five of the second class are worthy of being his superior; others are not. Perhaps he also looks down on the Young Lord.”
“Alas, what kind of person is he!” Mr. Cao slapped the table, looking regretful.
“He brought it upon himself!” Prefect Liu snorted, then sighed again. “And he has implicated us too. Tell me, what should we do?”
“Esteemed master has good fortune. Esteemed master, look at this. It arrived yesterday.” Mr. Cao stood up, pulled out a document from a pile of pending official documents, and handed it to Prefect Liu.
This was an official document from the Ministry of Revenue, with endorsements from the Liangzhe Circuit Transport Office, Marshal’s Office, and Censorate on the envelope.
Prefect Liu opened it and scanned it at a glance, exclaiming in surprise, “It’s been assigned to our Pingjiang Prefecture?”
This was a routine duty. Every year or two, the Ministry of Revenue would issue a notice to Liangzhe Circuit, requesting them to select an official to go to the Linhai Town Maritime Tax Bureau to inspect incoming and outgoing goods.
This task had always been rotated among the Marshal’s Office, the Cao Division, and the Censorate, selecting subordinate officials to stay in Linhai Town for one or two years. This was the first time it had been assigned to a local area.
“Why has it been assigned to a local area? This has never happened before!” Prefect Liu slapped the official document.
“Mr. Zhao wrote me a letter and told me about this. He said that the entire Hangcheng is suffering from the Wei Educational Commissioner’s tireless teaching, which has made them more than twice as busy as before, and they are truly unable to spare any personnel,” Mr. Cao said in a low voice.
Mr. Cao’s fellow townsman, Mr. Zhao, was a staff member at the Cao Si Prefecture, and they were close friends.
Upon hearing the phrase “tireless teaching,” Prefect Liu chuckled, then sighed with a troubled expression.
Since the talented scholar Wei took office in Liangzhe Circuit, the number of assignments and examinations for students from prefectural schools and county schools, from instructors to students, had multiplied several times over.
Not only that, but Wei the Great Educational Commissioner also said that learning is a lifelong pursuit. Every few days, he would send a few new books and an essay to the officials of Liangzhe Circuit, starting from the Marshal’s Office, inviting everyone to study.
The officials in Hangcheng were also often gathered by him for literary gatherings, which were truly gatherings for discussing and studying knowledge without any pretense.
Alas, he still had one essay left to write.
“Do we have any idle people?” Prefect Liu thought about his coursework and then looked at the official document, his face full of worry.
“Esteemed master!” Mr. Cao tapped the table with his finger.
“You mean, Huang Xianzhou?” Prefect Liu immediately understood. “This is too much, isn’t it? He is a county magistrate.”
“This is also for his own good,” Mr. Cao sighed.
Prefect Liu froze for a moment, then let out a long sigh.
This was truly for his own good!
