Chapter 214: Sowing Beans to Become Soldiers

Two months passed in a flash.

The refreshing Jiangnan turned the cherries red and the banana leaves green.

Over these two months, Zhang Yunxiu spent his time accompanying a beauty while touring Songjiang Prefecture, all the while keeping a close watch on the first selection examination for Junior Officials in Songjiang Prefecture.

Because the official positions offered were only those of Junior Officials, some of these Scholars looked down upon them.

With only two months left until the start of the examination, only a little over a thousand people had signed up. One must know that the number of positions being recruited for this time was over three hundred.

A registration-to-recruitment ratio of three to one.

As long as one went and answered properly, one could basically obtain a post.

Seeing that the examination he had organized was not getting a response, Zhang Yunxiu naturally could not feel good. Early this morning, he hurriedly finished his breakfast and then summoned the Huating Magistrate Wei Ming to his study.

The two sat down according to the etiquette of host and guest.

Wei Ming wore a respectful expression, his buttocks only touching the edge of the stool, ready to stand up and answer at any moment. Think of it: he had studied hard by the light of a cold window for over twenty years and had never even passed the imperial examination, whereas this person here had not only been selected for the Hanlin Academy...

... but upon leaving the academy, he was directly promoted to be an Imperial Study Attendant to the Emperor.

How could he dare to be negligent?

Just sitting here, he felt immense pressure.

While he was lost in his thoughts, Zhang Yunxiu took the lead in opening the conversation: "Magistrate Wei, I have been in Huating for quite some days now. This place is filled with the fragrance of books; even a five-year-old child can recognize some characters. It truly lives up to its reputation as a land of fish and rice."

"The Imperial Study Attendant is right." Wei Ming stood up with a sheepish smile. He did not boast, but instead spoke of the reasons regarding the examination, "It is precisely because the common people here are too wealthy that these Scholars have such high aspirations."

"So, for Scholars from other places, this is a good thing, but for them, it is not necessarily so."

Zhang Yunxiu also understood the ins and outs of this.

However, he had not expected that some impoverished Scholars would rather go into business than become Junior Officials. Shouldn't intellectuals be the most "aloof" and look down upon merchants reeking of copper? The Emperor's Imperial Edict also stated that Junior Officials would be registered with the Ministry of Personnel, making them official government servants eating the state's rice.

Yet, even so, no one came.

Seeing Zhang Yunxiu knit his brows, Wei Qing, who was to the side, blinked his small eyes and suggested: "Imperial Study Attendant Zhang, how about this? You send people to Shandong to shout a few times; most of the Scholars who came this time are from there."

One would not know until one asked, and one was startled once one did.

At least more than half of the Scholars who came to take the assessment this time had their ancestral homes in Shandong. They seemed to have a special longing for becoming officials and eating the state's rice.

A mark carved into their blood.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunxiu slapped his forehead.

In his later life, he had heard so much about the obsession Shandong people had with the "iron rice bowl" that his ears were calloused; he had not expected that in the Great Ming hundreds of years ago, Shandong would still be like this.

If that was the case, things would be much easier to handle.

After thinking it over, Zhang Yunxiu stood up and instructed Wei Ming: "Like this, go and call those Scholars from Shandong to the Huating County Government Office, and tell them I have a great piece of news to share with them."

"Yes."

Summer days are long; it was already the You hour (5 PM - 7 PM), and the sky had only just begun to darken.

At this moment, over a hundred Scholars gathered in front of the Huating County Government Office. In front of them, a temporary high platform had been erected, and Zhang Yunxiu and Magistrate Wei Ming stood upon it together.

Below the platform were a dozen or so government runners acting as guards.

These Scholars looked at each other and whispered, extremely curious about what was about to happen.

Since Zhang Yunxiu said it was a great piece of news, it must certainly be a great piece of news.

Could it be that if they performed well, they could directly land an official position with a rank? That would be like a pie falling from the sky, and it would not be in vain that they had traveled all the way from Shandong to here.

Seeing the excitement and restlessness below, Wei Ming felt a bit embarrassed. He stepped forward a few paces and waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "Ahem... quiet, quiet, everyone be quiet!" Soon, the crowd below quieted down.

Wei Ming nodded, turned to cast a fawning smile at Zhang Yunxiu, and simultaneously gestured with his hand to invite him. Zhang Yunxiu stepped forward quickly, met the gazes of the crowd, and swept his eyes over these Scholars.

Seeing that most of them were dressed plainly, he figured they were Scholars from ordinary families.

He immediately felt confident.

Clearing his throat, Zhang Yunxiu looked at the Scholars below and said: "You all have come from Shandong. This Songjiang Prefecture is not like Shandong; everything is expensive here. You have arrived two months early, so I fear your purses are feeling the pinch."

As soon as these words were spoken, the Scholars below blushed and lowered their heads one after another.

Zhang Yunxiu felt pleased and continued: "However, you need not worry. There are still two full months until the examination. This examination is very simple, and with your talents, you will certainly all pass."

"I have another job here that pays money; would you all like to do it?"

"What kind of job?" someone bold asked.

"Well asked."

Zhang Yunxiu cast an approving look at that person and added, "You also know that this Songjiang Prefecture is now under the direct jurisdiction of the Emperor, and this assessment for selecting Junior Officials is something the Emperor has personally issued an edict to handle on a grand scale."

"Yet now, there are only this many people; wouldn't that be a disgrace to the Emperor?"

The people below were completely confused.

The fewer the people, the better it was for them.

Taking advantage of the gap, Zhang Yunxiu revealed the good news: "Now, I will let you take travel expenses, and within a one-month period, you go back and find more people to come over. For every Scholar you find, I will give you one Silver Dollar. Find two Scholars, and I will give you two."

"The more you work, the more you earn."

"One Silver Dollar for each one?" A Scholar in tattered clothes swallowed his saliva.

"Correct, one for each one." Zhang Yunxiu looked at the man and replied with a smile, then suddenly added in a cold, threatening tone, "However, their identities must be verified. If I discover you are trying to pass off unqualified people, don't blame me for turning hostile and not recognizing you."

Hearing Zhang Yunxiu's confirmation, a commotion immediately broke out below the platform.

Amidst it, sounds of discussion arose from time to time: "One is one Silver Dollar, ten is ten dollars, so if it's a hundred, wouldn't that be a hundred Silver Dollars? That's so much for just one month."

"Are you a pig-head? Do you really think it's that easy?" his companion beside him glared at him and scolded.

"I think this is doable. Anyway, we came with the mindset of just taking the test; if we don't pass, pulling a few people to earn money is also fine."

"Then what are we waiting for? The sooner we leave, the better."

"..."

A thousand Arhats with a thousand mouths, saying all sorts of things.

After an hour had passed, the scene finally quieted down.

By this time the sky had turned completely dark; Wei Ming ordered people to light the lamps, and with the help of the lamplight, the willing Scholars lined up in a long queue.

One by one they signed and pressed their thumbprints, then set off on their return journey.

Watching this scene, Zhang Yunxiu walked down from the high platform and let out a long sigh of relief.

Wei Ming, who was behind him, followed closely and stepped forward to flatter him: "Imperial Study Attendant Zhang, by using Han Xin's 'scattering beans to turn them into soldiers' strategy this time, this selection of Junior Officials will surely make a good start in Songjiang Prefecture and even the various provinces of the Southeast."

"I hope so." Zhang Yunxiu glanced at the backs of the departing Scholars and nodded slightly.

(End of this chapter)