Chapter 11: What Can the Poor Do?

Outside the window, a wisp of sunset light skimmed the peach branches, casting mottled shadows on the green brick floor.

The family ate their meal.

At the table, Lu Beigu spoke of transferring his household registration: "The Magistrate personally praised me and wrote a letter of guarantee, permitting me to transfer my registration to Hejiang County."

"Must we transfer?" Pei Yan's willow brows furrowed slightly.

Under the Great Song system, the household register listed only adult males; in other words, neither she nor Lu Yuchi were registered, and since Lu Yanxi was too young to be counted as an adult, their family was landless "client households."

If they were to transfer their registration, the entire family would likely have to move to Hejiang County, which would be a considerable expense.

"Yes."

Having supported the household alone for these years, Pei Yan was long accustomed to planning for the worst.

She gently stirred the fish soup in her bowl with her chopsticks; amidst the rising steam, her voice sounded somewhat unsteady: "Renting a house in the county is not like in the town; even the most remote side room requires a year's lease upfront, costing at least four or five strings of cash."

Pei Yan set down her chopsticks, her fingers twisting the hem of her skirt until her knuckles turned slightly white.

"Last month, embroidered goods sold for 1,720 wen, washing and starching clothes earned 408 wen, and gathering medicinal herbs brought in 861 wen; after deducting miscellaneous expenses, 2,535 wen remained. The family must keep half to buy rice and salt, you need money for food and lodging while studying, and we still owe the clan 28 strings of cash; the household truly has no money left."

Among the common people in the lower districts of Kaifeng, a month's net income was just over four strings of cash, slightly higher than the pay for serving in the Imperial Guard.

But Gulin Town was a remote small town; even with the advantage of water transport, its economy naturally could not compare to Kaifeng, so even though Pei Yan worked without rest, her monthly net income was only these 2.5 strings of cash.

As for the price of rice, it was around 70 wen per sheng; without engaging in heavy physical labor, two adults and two children would need to spend nearly 2,000 wen monthly just for normal meals.

Therefore, when Pei Yan said to keep half for rice and salt, she was actually compressing the food rations for everyone except Lu Beigu.

Lu Beigu looked at the rice in his bowl, and his vision suddenly blurred.

He rubbed his eyes and said earnestly, "Sister-in-law, do not worry; I will find a way for the rent."

Pei Yan nodded without saying anything, but she had already made a decision in her heart.

No matter what, she would gather the money to rent a house in Hejiang County.

After all, nothing was more important than Lu Beigu's future.

"But if we transfer our registration to Hejiang County, isn't it required to reside and work there for a year?" she asked hesitantly.

Under the Great Song system, residing and working for a year meant one could be registered; in other words, regardless of one's original household registration, one could transfer it after living and working in the local area for a full year.

Lu Beigu shook his head: "My residing and studying at the county school counts as residing and working."

He paused, seeing Pei Yan's puzzled look, and decided to explain the matter thoroughly.

"The crux of the matter is not the transfer of registration, but what happens afterward if I can enter the Luzhou Prefectural School as a student of Hejiang County and take the prefectural examination."

"Can I truly enter the Prefectural School?"

Pei Yan's eyes widened slightly; Lu Beigu had given her far too many shocks today—first the top-tier ranking in the policy essay, and now speaking of entering the Prefectural School.

In her memory, her brother-in-law had often ranked at the very bottom of the county school examinations.

"Of course I can."

Lu Beigu's voice was steady and powerful: "Sister-in-law, from now on, I will certainly not fail your expectations."

Pei Yan stared at him, stunned.

It was still the same clear and handsome face, but the gaze in his eyes was like an ancient well or a deep pool, so calm that it inexplicably steadied her heart.

She suddenly realized that this Lu Beigu before her seemed different from the bookworm of the past who buried his head in piles of books daily yet never grasped the method.

Seeing Pei Yan's expression soften, Lu Beigu continued to explain: "The 'Examination Regulations for Jinshi Candidates' promulgated to all prefectures in the fourth year of Jingde stipulated strict penalties for scholars who did not return to their hometowns but secretly registered in other prefectures to take the selection exams; every autumn, the county assistants would investigate their conduct and character, recommend them to the prefecture, and if a recommended candidate was found lacking in conduct, both the prefecture and the county would be held guilty."

"In other words, the significance of Magistrate Li's letter of guarantee for transferring registration lies not in the transfer itself, but in his willingness to guarantee my future quota for the prefectural recommendation."

Lu Beigu tapped his fingertip on the transcribed policy essay lying on the book satchel beside him: "Otherwise, even if I pass the prefectural examination and become a Juren, I might still be unable to travel to the capital for the metropolitan examination."

Pei Yan heard this in a daze but vaguely understood the gravity of the situation: "So, Magistrate Li's meaning is that he will not only transfer your registration but also guarantee you will obtain that quota in the future?"

"More or less so," Lu Beigu nodded. "However, while it is good for a noble patron to assist, one must still strive to make oneself worthy. If I fail to pass the county examination and enter the prefectural school, or if I enter the prefectural school but fail the prefectural examination, then there is no question of the quota at all."

Outside the window, the last wisp of twilight was swallowed by the night.

After finishing the meal, they cleared the bowls and chopsticks and tidied the stove.

Still at the family's only wooden table, Lu Yuchi lay on Pei Yan's lap yawning, his small face flushed by the embers of the stove fire, while Lu Yanxi was already asleep with drool running from his mouth.

Pei Yan gently stroked her daughter's hair and suddenly asked, "Is this 'quota' you just mentioned related to that son of Master Zhou in the town? I heard he excelled in the memorization of classics and written explanations, became a Juren two years ago, yet could not travel to Kaifeng for the examination."

"Exactly so; although the Zhou family is wealthy, they are a Luo clan tributary household, so the Luzhou government naturally prioritizes protecting the Juren from its own prefecture."

Lu Beigu paused: "There is a subtlety here: the number of quotas in each prefecture is not absolutely correlated with the number of candidates."

At the beginning of the Great Song's founding, the number of candidates was small, so those passing the prefectural examination could basically obtain a quota; but later, as candidates increased, the system was forced to establish the "Fixed Quota System" starting in the first year of Xianping under Emperor Zhenzong.

This system stipulated that each prefecture be allocated a fixed number of slots based on population and cultural-educational levels; major prefectures might have dozens of slots, while remote prefectures had only a few; those passing the prefectural examination had to rank within the quota slots to qualify for the metropolitan examination in the capital, and excess Juren would be eliminated.

What if one was eliminated? Naturally, one would wait three years and take the exam again.

Pei Yan blinked, signaling him to continue.

"Simply put, some prefectures have few candidates but many slots, while others are the opposite."

Lu Beigu dipped his finger in some tea and drew a few circles on the table: "Without restrictions, scholars would naturally all wish to take the exam in prefectures where admission was easy; to curb this flaw, the court established dual barriers of household registration and guarantees."

Pei Yan suddenly understood: "No wonder Master Zhou's entire family moved to Luzhou; it was for this reason."

"Exactly so," Lu Beigu said with a bitter smile.

"But while wealthy households can transfer their registration, what can the poor do without the help of a noble patron?"

Lu Beigu's household registration was not in Hejiang County, Luzhou, but in Gulin Town, a Luo clan tributary region.

Although in actual execution, students in tributary regions studied and took exams nearby, which would not affect his entry into the prefectural school, there would be obstacles if he passed the prefectural examination, became a Juren, and then traveled to the capital for the metropolitan examination.

Yes, there was an unspoken rule that could not be spoken of openly.

Because prefectures near tributary regions often chose to protect the interests of candidates holding their own prefecture's household registration, they would manipulate the quota rankings to eliminate candidates with similar scores but from tributary regions, temporarily setting them aside.

Those candidates who were not eliminated still had to have their conduct investigated by the county magistrate and be guaranteed by him to obtain the "quota" for the metropolitan examination; if a guaranteed candidate failed to take the exam and wasted the precious "quota," the chief officials of both the prefecture and the county would be held jointly liable.

Therefore, without Magistrate Li Pan's appreciation, following the normal trajectory, even if Lu Beigu passed the prefectural examination and became a Juren, he might still be unable to take the provincial examination due to "quota" restrictions, wasting his time in vain.

How much time in life is there to be squandered?

Can a youth whose name graces the Golden List, riding the spring breeze of success, be compared to an old man who endured decades of hardship before finally passing the imperial exam?

Of course, Li Pan's appreciation ultimately stems from Lu Beigu's own talent and learning; this is the root cause.

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① Hu Tie, i. e., the Song Dynasty household register, recording information on population, land, houses, livestock, and more.

② Ke Hu, in ancient times referred to outsiders or newcomers.

(End of this chapter)