Chapter 25: 025 The Young Master

The Holding Pearl Academy is the cultural bedrock of the Yanshan Fei clan.

After rising to wealth through commerce, the Fei clan established the "Holding Pearl Private School" and, via their merchant caravans, continuously purchased books from Fujian and Zhejiang. A hundred years ago, the "Holding Pearl Private School" expanded into the "Holding Pearl Academy," and over forty officials have since walked out its gates.

The academy is collectively owned by the Henglin Fei clan; each branch contributes funds annually for its operation, and students of other surnames are also permitted to study there.

If a promising seedling is discovered, no matter his surname, the Fei clan will invest in his cultivation.

Though the Fei clan itself has produced no jinshi for two generations, among the outside-surname scholars they have sponsored in recent years, one jinshi and four juren have emerged!

On the boat.

Qinxin, Jiandan, Jiupo, and Hu Mengtai's household boy Lerong — four little brats — were playing mahjong.

Wei Jianxiong, hugging his wrought-iron staff, leaned against the cabin wall, snoring loudly in his sleep.

Zhao Han, meanwhile, was diligently reading: the Spring and Autumn Annals that Hu Mengtai had brought along. This gentleman's chosen classic is rather difficult to read.

At the very least, Zhao Han could not treat it as a storybook; even with the annotations in the text, all those personal and place names gave him a headache.

The inner cabin.

Hu Mengtai sighed and said, "My father's heart has been swayed; he actually wants to donate five thousand taels of silver to secure me a county magistrate post in a major county!"

"That Wei Zhaocheng, a mere governor — does he really have the power to sell offices on such a scale?" Fei Yinghuan shook his head with a mocking laugh. "I, for one, don't believe it."

Hu Mengtai said, "My father speculates that the Donglin Faction's resurgence at court likely requires a great deal of silver. This Wei Zhaocheng is nothing but a ruthless pawn; most of the proceeds from selling offices probably have to be sent up as tribute."

Fei Yinghuan asked, "Do they really have that many vacancies for major county posts in hand?"

Hu Mengtai said, "The Donglin Faction now controls the capital and southern personnel evaluations, so they certainly hold no small number of vacancies. Brother Dazhao's family is also in business; in many cases, goods and payment need not be settled immediately. If Wei Zhaocheng sells twenty county magistrate posts in Jiangxi, at five thousand taels each, he can collect one hundred thousand taels of pure silver. He can fill only two or three of them and fob off the rest with the excuse of waiting for a vacancy — that wouldn't count as going back on his word. In this way, once a sales channel is opened, he can even raise the price on the spot; whoever pays more gets the actual post first."

Fei Yinghuan suddenly saw the light and exclaimed in shock, "It can be worked like that? Then wouldn't he, using only three to five actual posts, earn the office-buying silver of thirty to fifty scholars? This sort of thing cannot see the light of day, and those who can afford to buy offices also care about face; even if they discover they've been swindled, they wouldn't dare make a fuss."

Hu Mengtai said with a smile, "Whoever pays first to buy an office is more likely to get an actual post — that can be considered the 'horse bones' Wei Zhaocheng offers them."

Fei Yinghuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "With such a prodigious talent for commerce, why is he even an official? Retiring early to do business would be a great service to both the state and himself!"

Hu Mengtai added, "If Brother Dazhao wishes to purchase an office, he must act quickly. The current Minister of Personnel is, after all, Wang Yongguang."

"Would Wang Yongguang still dare to pull his shifting maneuvers?" Fei Yinghuan shook his head repeatedly.

Hu Mengtai said, "Should His Majesty show even the slightest hint of dissatisfaction with the Donglin Faction, given Wang Yongguang's disposition, he will inevitably turn and strike back."

Fei Yinghuan thought it over carefully and had to admit, "That is indeed the case."

That two provincial graduates who had yet to step into officialdom could see through Wang Yongguang so thoroughly was due, first, to their access to intelligence sources, and second, to the fact that Wang Yongguang was simply far too notorious.

In the first year of Taichang, this man spoke out for justice, offended many powerful figures, and his stance leaned toward the Donglin Faction.

In the third year of Tianqi, he became embroiled in the Guihai Capital Evaluation, fell out with the Donglin Faction, and was forced to resign and return home.

In the fifth year of Tianqi, he was employed by Wei Zhongxian and diligently clung to the eunuch faction.

In the sixth year of Tianqi, using the Wanggong Factory explosion case, he suddenly attacked Wei Zhongxian, submitted a memorial requesting the return of the vote-drafting authority, and spoke favorably on behalf of several Donglin Faction grandees. He was dismissed from office.

In the first year of Chongzhen — this very year — he was employed by the Donglin Faction and instantly became Minister of Personnel.

Repeatedly leaping back and forth, his art of shifting left and right was dazzling to behold; no one knew which side this fellow was actually on.

Call him a timeserver currying favor with the powerful, yet he did not fear the mighty.

When the Donglin Faction was in decline, he spoke up for them. When the Donglin Faction was at its strongest, he fell out with them. When Wei Zhongxian was just rising, he shamelessly clung to the eunuch faction. When Wei Zhongxian's power towered over all, he stepped forward to champion the Donglin Faction, and even clamored for Wei Zhongxian to hand over the Grand Secretariat's authority.

By this pattern, now that the Donglin Faction is riding an unrivaled wave, Wang Yongguang has once again reached the moment when he ought to turn traitor.

Historically, the Donglin Faction cabinet of the Chongzhen reign was precisely brought down by Wang Yongguang in alliance with the Zhou and Wen figures... He is a shit-stirring rod threaded through the entire late-Ming factional strife; so long as he himself does not find it disgusting, then it is everyone else who will be disgusted!

Although Fei Yinghuan and Hu Mengtai lived in remote Jiangxi, they read the court gazettes every month to understand the situation at court.

Every time they read major news about Wang Yongguang, it left them utterly baffled; they simply could not fathom what Wang Yongguang was trying to do.

Hu Mengtai said, "My purpose in coming to Mount Holding Pearl for secluded study is precisely to stop my father's office-buying scheme. I have already sworn an oath at the Hu clan ancestral hall: if I cannot pass the jinshi examination in three years, I shall return to Mount Holding Pearl and continue my seclusion!"

"Youli, what lofty ambition! Your elder brother here shall accompany you in arduous study... for two months!" Fei Yinghuan made a painful resolution.

Hu Mengtai laughed. "For Brother Dazhao, two months is already no small feat."

The boat reached the shore.

Zhao Han set down that copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals and returned it to Hu Mengtai's household boy. Without a teacher to explain it, this thing was simply impossible to master through self-study.

No wonder Lord Guan spent his whole life reading the Spring and Autumn Annals — this book could be read for several lifetimes.

Carrying his bookcase in hand, Zhao Han followed the group forward, strolling leisurely toward Mount Holding Pearl.

The private school was at the foot of the mountain; its students had all yet to pass the xiucai examination.

The academy was halfway up the mountain; only those with examination honors could ascend the mountain for advanced study.

The Holding Pearl Private School was not large in scale, with only a few classrooms, each seating twenty to thirty students. There was also a library and student dormitories; students who lived far away could choose to board.

Zhao Han entered the private school courtyard and saw that among the students in the classrooms, a few were dressed extremely shabbily, still going barefoot in the late autumn chill. He could not help asking, "Uncle Wei, can children from poor families study here for free?"

Wei Jianxiong nodded. "So long as one has the will to learn, all may come to Mount Holding Pearl to study. No tuition fees are collected, but books, brushes, and ink must be provided by oneself. Should there truly be a child prodigy with a photographic memory, the Fei clan will certainly sponsor his pursuit of examination honors."

In the Jiangnan region, the literary atmosphere was extremely strong, and the literacy rate was very high.

Even among the Fei household's servants, if you randomly grabbed a few, half of them could read popular novels.

According to the diaries of Korean literati, as early as the mid-Ming period, one could communicate in the Jiangnan region simply by writing. This was not possible in the north; the Korean literati said that in Jiangnan, if you asked enough passersby, you could always find someone literate, whereas in the north you might go an entire day without seeing one.

It was the same here in Yanshan; since the Holding Pearl Academy waived tuition fees, the common folk were happy to send their children to study. Even if they could not pass the xiucai exam, they could still become household slaves or shop assistants for the Fei clan, and literacy often earned them preferential treatment.

Fei Yinghuan rested for a moment in a pavilion, and his foolish son was brought over.

Fei Ruhe was a chubby little fellow — not puffy fat, but stout and solid. The boy trotted over, kowtowed, and called out, "Greetings to Father, greetings to Cousin-in-law (Hu Mengtai)!"

Before his son, Fei Yinghuan was especially stern. With a severe expression, he asked, "How far have you progressed in your lessons?"

Fei Ruhe answered, "I have studied up to the 'Ji Shi' chapter."

Fei Yinghuan instantly flew into a rage. "After several years of elementary learning, you are still on the Analects?"

The Four Books have a set order of study: first the Great Learning, then the Analects, then Mencius, and finally the Doctrine of the Mean.

To still be studying the Analects after several years of schooling — that level of intelligence was truly a bit... touching.

Fei Ruhe knelt on the ground, not daring to speak, his eyes darting shiftily toward Hu Mengtai, hoping his cousin-in-law could put in a few good words for him.

Hu Mengtai smiled without speaking, even holding back from laughing out loud.

Fei Yinghuan's head throbbed as if it would split. Not wanting to waste any more words, he simply said, "I've found you a study companion to read with you. He hasn't even finished the elementary Four Books. If he ever overtakes you, I will personally break your legs!"

Fei Ruhe muttered, "I already have a study companion."

Fei Yinghuan scolded, "Your scholarly progress is sluggish, and your study companion cannot escape blame. I'm getting you a better one!"

Fei Ruhe pleaded, "Father, Fei Chun is perfectly fine, there's no need to change. If you switch study companions, your son will inevitably need time to adjust, and I fear studying will only become harder from now on."

That actually made some damned sense.

Fei Yinghuan thought it over and said, "Then we won't change, just add one more study companion. Zhao Han, come over and meet the young master!"

Zhao Han stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Greetings, Young Master."

Fei Ruhe looked up at Zhao Han and immediately grew displeased. "You're my study companion. Why am I kneeling while you're still standing? Kneel with me at once!"

Zhao Han replied, "I was sent by the master to urge the young master to study, not to kneel alongside the young master."

Fei Ruhe promptly tattled, "Father, this study companion is disobedient. Drive him away at once!"

Fei Yinghuan was thoroughly satisfied. Smiling, he said, "That's exactly how it should be. Zhao Han, if the young master slacks off in the future, you may discipline him on my behalf. So long as you don't beat him to death, cripple him, or scar his face, you may strike him however you like!"

"As you command!" Zhao Han cupped his hands and bowed.

Fei Ruhe stared dumbfounded, sensing that his days ahead would not be easy.

(End of Chapter)