Chapter 133: The Market

Ruan Dacheng hadn't expected Pang Yu to ask so directly. Although he had been cultivating Pang Yu's acquaintance all along, in his mind he still saw Pang Yu as nothing more than a yamen runner — a head runner was still a bailiff — and it had never occurred to him that Pang Yu harbored such lofty ambitions.

"This... allow me to think." Ruan Dacheng stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then asked, "Pang Xiaoyou, are you on the Service Register?"

Pang Yu shook his head. "My family is on the commoner register. This runner post was a voluntary enlistment."

"That makes things somewhat better. If you were on the Service Register, you could forget about becoming a civil official. Since it was a voluntary enlistment, the court has no explicit prohibition."

Ruan Dacheng stood up and paced about the Study, his head bowed and eyes fixed on the floor. It seemed Pang Yu's official career path was rather taxing on the mind, requiring pacing to generate more energy.

Pang Yu did not press him, but simply picked up his tea and drank. Only after a good while did Ruan Dacheng stop his pacing and sit back down in his original seat.

"What Pang Xiaoyou asked about just now — civil official or military officer — in our Ming Dynasty, civil officials dominate military control, and so civil posts are honored while military posts are base. Since the time of the Tianqi Emperor, when the Tartars rose in Liaodong, military men have gradually shown signs of arrogance, but in the end the court's institutional framework remains; this is merely a temporary trend. Once the Tartars and Roving Bandits are exterminated, things will return to the old order."

Ruan Dacheng paused, then continued, "At the local level there are counties, departments, and prefectures; above them, the Fenshou Circuit and the Provincial Administration Commission; and then there are the military-governing Supreme Commanders, Grand Coordinators, and Military Defense Circuits. All who hold territorial command are civil officials. If Pang Xiaoyou wishes to embark on an official career, civil official is still the better path."

Pang Yu nodded. "But from county and department to prefecture and up to the Provincial Administration Commission, none of them control troops."

"That is so, but those who do control troops must endure many years; that is getting ahead of ourselves. Originally, yamen runners were barred from the civil examinations, but Pang Xiaoyou was never on the Service Register to begin with — you merely enlisted voluntarily — so it should be permissible. If Pang Xiaoyou wishes to become a civil official, you must advance step by step from Tongsheng to Xiucai to Juren to Presented Scholar. Setting aside Supreme Commanders, the substantive post of Grand Coordinator is always Chief Investigating Censor of the Censorate, which no one but a Presented Scholar can hold. Even for a Military Defense Circuit, unless appointed from among the Capital Officials, one must serve in the localities as County Magistrate, Prefect, and Assistant Administration Commissioner — these years will be no fewer than ten, and before that there are still the years of examinations. Fortunately, Pang Xiaoyou is in the prime of youth, so a few extra years are nothing to fear."

Pang Yu frowned and asked, "Is there no shortcut?"

Ruan Dacheng coughed and cleared his throat. "Pang Xiaoyou must not think in such terms. Official posts are weighty instruments of the court; the civil examinations are the proper path. Pang Xiaoyou is gifted and intelligent — only by advancing step by step through the examinations can you win the sincere respect of others."

Pang Yu shot Ruan Dacheng a glance. He knew that Ruan Dacheng was a second-rank Presented Scholar, a fact he took considerable pride in during ordinary conversation, often using it to mock those Restoration Society scholars. The examinations were the proper path by which he had risen, so naturally he held them in especially high regard and could not bear anyone asking about shortcuts to the examinations. But Pang Yu had no leisure to study those eight-legged essays. In a dynasty where even corporal punishment could be commuted by Substitute Beating, Pang Yu did not believe there were no shortcuts.

"Ruan Xiansheng has been steeped in learning since childhood; I cannot compare myself to you, sir. I merely seek to obtain an official standing so that I may better serve the court."

Ruan Dacheng, hearing him put it this way, softened his tone and said, "For civil officials, there is indeed one shortcut — donating for an Imperial Academy Student place at the Imperial Academy."

"Imperial Academy Student?"

"Imperial Academy Student. The Imperial Academy is in Nanjing. Originally, when the Grand Ancestor established the Imperial Academy, his intent was to gather talent for the state. Students were to be assessed and then assigned to service; after gaining experience handling affairs in the various government offices, they would be selected for office by the Ministry of Revenue. In this way, they would be thoroughly versed in governance and could serve as pillars of the state. However, since the Chenghua reign, as students accumulated year after year, there were not enough official posts to place them. The Ministry of Revenue's expenditures exceeded its income, and the Imperial Academy's costs were considerable, so the precedent of accepting donations was opened — and from there it spiraled out of control. In the present-day Restoration Society, those who have donated for Imperial Academy Student status are not few. These people... these people — enough, I shall not speak of them."

When Pang Yu heard the words 'Imperial Academy,' he felt that anything prefixed with 'Imperial' must be quite lofty and grand. He had vaguely heard of it before — it was probably the highest institution of learning in the Ming Dynasty, and its students should all be talented scholars. Now it sounded like you could get in just by paying. But whatever the case, it was still a status.

"Then could I donate for an Imperial Academy Student place? Might I ask how much it would cost?"

"Within this, one must distinguish between Stipend Students, Expanded-Recruitment Students, Supplementary Students, Blue-Robe Guest Students, Stipend Students Demoted to Expanded-Recruitment, Stipend Students with Suspended Stipends, Government Student with Conduct Deficiencies, Handsome Youths, and other categories. The donation prices are all different." Ruan Dacheng cleared his throat and looked at Pang Yu. "Pang Xiaoyou has not entered the county school, so you can only donate under the category of Minjian Junxiu Zidi — which is the most expensive."

"Minjian Junxiu Zidi?" Pang Yu rubbed his Chin in surprise, feeling that the term actually suited his peerless looks. But Ruan Dacheng's expression and tone both told him that 'Minjian Junxiu Zidi' was not a flattering term — otherwise why would it be the most expensive, even pricier than Government Student with deficient Virtue?

After digesting the information in Ruan Dacheng's words for a moment, Pang Yu more or less understood: 'Minjian Junxiu Zidi' referred to people who had never studied a single book. The court wanted to collect money from these local tyrants but felt that writing it plainly would disgrace the court's dignity, so some talented clerk in the Ministry of Revenue had come up with this term to fool the common people. To the ears of a scholar, however, it sounded more like mockery.

Pang Yu paid no mind to any of that and directly asked Ruan Dacheng, "Dare I ask, sir, how much silver is required for a Minjian Junxiu Zidi?"

"Three hundred fifty taels — not really that much," Ruan Dacheng said casually. He knew Pang Yu could certainly afford it, but for the vast majority of commoners at this time, three hundred fifty taels was still an astronomical figure.

Pang Yu was relieved to hear it; he had originally thought it would cost several thousand taels. "Then with this Imperial Academy Student status, can one become an official?"

"You cannot become an official directly. It only confers a nominal rank and an official standing. Even with further donations, one still had to wait ten years. However — that was before." Ruan Dacheng shook his head as he spoke, with an expression of pained regret. "At first, donations only allowed exemption — exemption from service terms and from the waiting years for selection while attending the Academy. Later, it went so far as directly donating for official posts. By the time of the Tianqi Emperor, the state was in ever-greater peril, and the precedent for donating offices was thrown wide open. After His present Majesty ascended the throne, the Ministry of Personnel memorialized on the matter of Imperial Academy Students making additional donations for substantive appointments. Posts ranging from Prefectural Assistant Prefects, Transport Supervisors, to Principal and Vice Superintendents could all be obtained by donation. Some who had already donated, if they felt the post was too lowly, could even donate again."

Pang Yu asked in astonishment, "The Assistant Officials of the various prefectures are all of the sixth rank. How much silver does a sixth-rank post cost?"

"Pang Xiaoyou, listen carefully as I explain in detail. After you donate three hundred fifty taels for Imperial Academy Student status, you may then, according to the Ministry of Personnel's regulations on additional donations, immediately proceed to donate for an Assistant Prefect, Transport Supervisor, or Superintendent. For an Imperial Academy Student, it is one thousand five hundred taels. You may even choose the location of the post yourself. Once chosen, you make the additional donation."

Pang Yu was dumbfounded. You could even choose your official post — this was already complete marketization. One thousand five hundred taels was not something an ordinary family could afford, but this price also indicated that after taking office, one could absolutely earn it back. Otherwise, no one would go for it, because this was fully marketized — if no one went, the court would not collect any money.

Then he heard Ruan Dacheng add, "But that is only the open price. Within these Ministry of Personnel regulations, there is considerable room for private interest. They do not differentiate between posts in different locations. Consider an Assistant Official post in the wealthy lands of Suzhou and Songjiang versus one in Yungui — the difference cannot be measured in miles. Why give you the same one thousand five hundred taels? That is where the Ministry of Personnel has room to maneuver. Among the posts available by donation, even the Lianghuai Salt Transport Division is included. As for this Transport Division post — beyond the one thousand five hundred taels, without five thousand taels in lobbying and solicitation fees, don't even think about it."

After this long speech, Ruan Dacheng's mouth was dry, but he could not very well pick up his tea and drink, for at this moment, picking up one's tea signaled that one was tired of talking and meant to see the guest out. But he still needed to discuss the matter of sharing credit with Pang Yu, and after all this time they were still talking about Pang Yu's future prospects — naturally, he could not yet send his guest away. He could only pause and rest for a moment.

Pang Yu, meanwhile, was still in a state of shock. Ruan Dacheng's words had illuminated a broad and smooth highway through the hazy future. With his current financial resources, donating for a post in the Lianghuai Transport Division would allow him to both distance himself from Anqing Prefecture, which was ravaged by Roving Bandits, and make an enormous fortune.

Ruan Dacheng observed Pang Yu for a moment, then spoke. "If Pang Xiaoyou intends to take the path of donating for Imperial Academy status to become an official, I can serve as a go-between for this matter. In my opinion, if you're going to donate, donate for the very best. Even for the Lianghuai Transport Division, as long as there is a vacancy, I still have some confidence — though the expense would indeed be considerable."

Pang Yu nodded. From the implication of these words, he realized he had previously underestimated Ruan Dacheng's influence. He had only known that Ruan Dacheng's family was well-off, assuming it was inherited from his father's generation. But for Ruan Dacheng to speak this way today showed that he frequently acted as a broker in official circles, collecting intermediary fees. The profits in this arena of fame and fortune were, naturally, far easier to come by than income from landholdings.

"These donated official posts you speak of, sir — can one still be promoted later?"

"Pang Xiaoyou will understand once I explain. Donations can only reach the rank of Assistant Official. The court still maintains its institutional integrity: principal officials must all come through the examinations, and each level has its own system. A County Magistrate must be at least a Juren; a Juren County Magistrate, upon Examination Complete, can at most become a Prefect — it is difficult to advance further. A Grand Coordinator must be a Presented Scholar of the second rank. A Grand Secretary must be a Hanlin Bachelor. If Pang Xiaoyou wants a post that commands troops, it must be at least a Military Defense Circuit, which absolutely requires a Presented Scholar background."

Ruan Dacheng finished and sighed. "But since His present Majesty ascended the throne, some of these rules are no longer observed. Consider that Liu Zhilun — he only passed the Presented Scholar examination in the first year, and in the second year, when the Tartars invaded, he claimed he could lead troops, and the Emperor immediately made him Vice Minister of War. And then there's Sun Yuanhua — a mere Juren who was actually promoted to Chief Investigating Censor and Grand Coordinator of Denglai Dongjiang. In the end, a perfectly good Denglai erupted in mutiny, and Shandong was plunged into misery and suffering. Sure enough, it was still a case of deficient talent and Virtue."

Pang Yu detected the despondency in his tone — naturally, he was jealous of those two men, with a touch of schadenfreude mixed in. Of course, Pang Yu did not believe it had anything to do with Presented Scholar background; otherwise, why were the other Presented Scholar Grand Coordinators utterly helpless against the Roving Bandits, allowing them to rampage across the north unchecked?

After pondering for a moment, he said to Ruan Dacheng, "If I cannot be promoted to a troop-commanding civil official, then I shall not pursue this additional donation. But donating for an Imperial Academy Student place would do no harm."

Ruan Dacheng grunted in acknowledgment. "For the matter of donating for Imperial Academy status, Pang Xiaoyou may go to the Personnel Office to inquire in detail. They can explain it more clearly."

Pang Yu saw that Ruan Dacheng was being somewhat perfunctory and understood that, hearing he would not be donating for an official post, Ruan Dacheng had no interest in acting as his broker for a mere few hundred taels of silver for Imperial Academy Student status.

Ruan Dacheng lightly tapped the armrest. "If we're speaking of ease, then military office is simpler. Nowadays, the Guard Posts everywhere have fallen into neglect; those who can fight are all Conscription troops — you can go if you wish. There's no need for endless examinations that waste months and days. With Pang Xiaoyou having single-handedly quelled Civil Unrest and this time dealt the Roving Bandits a Meritorious Service blow, if you wish to join the military, you need only approach Zhang Guowei and Wang Gongbi. It should be easy."

"But no matter what, having the standing of a scholar is always a good thing. Without any standing, joining the army makes you a mere soldier. With a proper status, I would be a scholar who cast aside his brush to take up the sword."

Ruan Dacheng looked at Pang Yu twice, then suddenly laughed and pointed at him, without saying whether he was right or wrong.

Ruan Dacheng was himself obsessed with officialdom, utterly infatuated with power and influence, and had spent many years navigating the bureaucratic world, making him thoroughly versed in court regulations and institutions. Whenever the topic of court institutions came up, his demeanor was far more confident than usual. Pang Yu had indeed asked the right person.

"If Pang Xiaoyou wishes to rise quickly as a military officer, I have some former colleagues and old friends who are already in command of entire regions. With my recommendation, going to them and being promoted to Battalion Commander or Mobile Corps Commander might not be out of the question. But you would have to go far from home — I do not know if Pang Xiaoyou can bear to leave his hometown by a thousand miles."

Hearing that Ruan Dacheng was again offering to act as a broker, Pang Yu shook his head. "I thank you for your kind intentions, sir, but I would still prefer to remain in Tongcheng, or at least in the vicinity of Anqing."

Ruan Dacheng gave an "Oh." Pang Yu detected a trace of disdain in his expression. With Ruan Dacheng's breadth of experience, he would naturally not think highly of someone who dared not leave his hometown. Since Pang Yu was currently seeking Ruan Dacheng's advice, he felt it would be better to explain.

"My reason for staying in Anqing is not out of attachment to my native soil, but because Anqing is the gateway to our Nanzhili. Whether by water or land, it is a place that must be contested. For travel to and from Huguang and Nanzhili, passing through Anqing is the most convenient Road Passage. Judging from this Roving Bandit invasion, their advantage lies in speed and surprise; in a direct frontal engagement, they may not be so formidable. To defeat the Roving Bandits, the key is to block their raiding routes at strategic points. Without passage routes, speed is out of the question. Our Anqing is just such a strategic point."

Ruan Dacheng slapped his thigh. "Pang Xiaoyou's thoughts align perfectly with my own. It is a pity they are difficult to convey to the imperial ear. Regarding the matter of establishing a military force in Anqing, I have heard a little about it in Huaining. Last year, when Zhang Guowei first took office, he paid particular attention to Anqing. He once submitted a memorial to the Emperor, stating that the Anqing Guard had long been neglected, its Military Households scattered and nearly gone, and requesting that funds be retained in Anqing to discuss the establishment of a new army. The Emperor's rescript replied that where there is a Guard, the Guard itself should naturally be reorganized, rather than establishing a new force — and there the matter ended. If you wish to establish a force in Anqing, the first priority is for Zhang Guowei to issue troop quotas and equipment. Anqing must have been severely damaged this time; the several counties to the south, having no City Walls, will certainly have fallen to the Roving Bandits. Pang Xiaoyou's night raid on the bandits, taking over a thousand heads, is a timely gift to Zhang Guowei. He will surely do his utmost to trumpet the Tongcheng Great Victory to offset his fault in losing several counties. If Pang Xiaoyou joins the military at this moment, obtaining a Military Appointment will not be difficult, but a separate Ying designation cannot be created. It can only be an existing Military Camp under the Anchi Military Defense Circuit, with a detachment assigned to Pang Xiaoyou. If you want a separate Military Camp with ample pay and provisions, you would still need the Emperor's approval to retain funds, supplied directly by Nanzhili."

"Then I beg Ruan Xiansheng to advise me: how can one get a word through to the Emperor?"

"The most convenient way is through Tongcheng's Capital Officials at court — have them submit a memorial. However," Ruan Dacheng stroked his beard and mused, "Capital Officials may look impressive in the localities, but in the Capital, those who can truly sway the Emperor are not many. If you need someone with real weight..." He paused. "Pang Xiaoyou, you must seek out He Laoxiansheng. Although he has already retired, there are plenty of people at court who can submit memorials on his behalf."

Pang Yu gave an "Oh." The He Laoxiansheng Ruan Dacheng referred to was He Ruchong of Tongcheng, who had once risen to Grand Secretary and had nearly become Chief Grand Secretary the previous year. As for why he ultimately did not take the post, Pang Yu did not know the details, but it at least showed that He Ruchong held a very high position at court. Even in retirement, his words still carried weight.

"As for Zhang Guowei and He Laoxiansheng — Ruan is not in a position to assist," Ruan Dacheng said with a sigh. "The grievances between the Donglin faction and myself — Pang Xiaoyou has already heard of them."

Pang Yu thought of Fang Yizhi, Mace Bingdeng, Sun Lin, and that whole group of Restoration Society scholars he knew, and could not help asking, "What about going through the Restoration Society? I often hear people say that the Donglin and Restoration Society are of the same lineage. Could they put in a word with Zhang Guowei and He Laoxiansheng?"

Ruan Dacheng laughed aloud twice. "Pang Xiaoyou, you must absolutely not think this way. Donglin is Donglin, and Restoration Society is Restoration Society. The Donglin leader in Nanzhili is Mace Qianyi; the Restoration Society leader is Zhang Pu — neither is a good... In recent years, the Restoration Society's influence has been astonishing. Those who do not know say the Restoration Society is at its zenith, but those with clear eyes say that such ostentation may not be a good thing, and some within the Donglin probably think the same. The world holds only so much fame and profit — what you gain, I lose. The two factions each have their own designs. They appear to be of one lineage, but at the root, they are not. At present, if we speak of power at court, the Restoration Society is not yet worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as the Donglin. In short, if you wish to go through Donglin connections, you must absolutely not go through the Restoration Society — otherwise, it may well backfire."

Pang Yu sensed that Ruan Dacheng had not said all he wished to say, but also had no intention of elaborating further. He understood that Ruan Dacheng perhaps had reservations and had not yet reached the point of speaking without reserve to him.

Pang Yu stood up. "I thank Ruan Xiansheng for his guidance. It seems that whether civil or military, I must make a trip to Nanjing and Suzhou. When the time comes, I shall have to trouble you again, sir."

Ruan Dacheng also stood. "I felt an instant kinship with Pang Xiaoyou; the word 'trouble' must not be spoken. When you come to Nanjing, it is only right that I act as host. Wherever I can offer a measure of assistance, I shall spare no effort."

Pang Yu expressed his thanks, took his leave, and departed. Ruan Dacheng saw him to the main gate and watched as Pang Yu hurried away into the distance. Ruan Dacheng's expression was somewhat complex. This little yamen runner could always give him a somewhat different feeling.

Once Pang Yu's silhouette had vanished, Ruan Dacheng suddenly smacked his own head. "Ah, I never even got to mention my City Defense merit."