Chapter 149: Donation for the Imperial Academy

The next day Pang Yu went out early. Ruan Dacheng sent a household servant as a guide. They first went to Zhuque Street to cash a five-hundred-tael flying ticket. Five hundred taels weighed a full thirty jin, bundled into a cloth pack that Xu Lengzi alone carried on his shoulder. Guo Fengyou followed behind him, eyes fixed unblinking on the silver bag the whole way, instantly on high alert the moment anyone came near.

The group passed through Taiping Ward, crossed the Great Central Bridge, and arrived at the broad Chongli Street. All along the way, aside from porters and laborers, everyone on the street, men and women alike, wore gorgeous clothes. Though the women's dresses were mostly plain in color, the styles varied greatly, and their hair bun shapes each had distinctive features; many also wore heavy makeup. The carriages and sedan chairs they encountered along the way were also exquisitely decorated — the sedan cabins often had carved patterns, some even painted in color.

Walking these streets, there was an air of luxury one could never feel in Anqing. Judging by the pedestrians and the pawnshops on either side, the economy was also very active, nothing like Anqing's slightly desolate feel.

On Chongli Street the crowd grew even denser. The pawnshops on both sides mostly sold expensive gauze silk, porcelain, rare woods, and the like. What surprised them even more was encountering two or three golden-haired, blue-eyed Western Ocean people.

He Xianya and his two companions were seeing Ocean people for the first time and all stared fixedly at them. Even the wholly focused Guo Fengyou couldn't help turning his head for a few glances, then fixed his eyes back on the silver bag. But the surrounding pedestrians paid no notice. The Ocean people cast contemptuous looks their way, making Pang Yu's whole group seem like country bumpkins.

After viewing the Ocean people, they continued east along Chongli Street and reached Nanjing's remaining auxiliary offices — the very place Pang Yu had business to conduct.

During the Jingnan Campaign in the early Ming, after Zhu Di defeated his nephew, he established the capital at Beijing but retained a complete set of central government offices in Nanjing. Thus Yingtian Prefecture was also called Nanjing, serving as a backup for the Ming court.

Over the years Nanjing was never activated. Even during the Tumu Fortress Crisis, when the situation was dire in the extreme, the capital was ultimately not moved to Nanjing. Its actual function was not great, but this set of offices remained intact. Because the Nanjing offices were complete and of high rank, they often became a retirement home for has-been ministers or a place for newcomers to coast on seniority, since the ranks were the same.

Pang Yu and his group turned north at the intersection inside Zhengyang Gate and arrived at Hongwu Gate. Inside Hongwu Gate lay the Thousand-Step Corridor and Chengtian Gate; further ahead was the Imperial City.

But Pang Yu could not enter Hongwu Gate. The Southern Ministry of Revenue was on the right side of the Thousand-Step Corridor. Pang Yu went all the way north on Qinglong Street — the Six Ministries were all on this street. Pang Yu carefully observed the order: the Ministry of Works was placed at the very end, while the Ministry of Revenue sat between the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites, in second place. This basically reflected the status ranking within the court.

The steward Ruan Dacheng had sent stopped here. Pang Yu went in on his own to process the donation tribute. The Southern Ministry of Revenue had thirteen subordinate Purification Bureaus, basically the same setup as in the Capital, but their authority was far inferior.

The Southern Ministry of Revenue mainly administered the military farms, grain stores, reserves, and granaries of the various Guard Posts in Nanjing, as well as issuing the military stipend silver for Nanjing officials, troops, and Xuli.

Its most important authority was supervising the tax payments of the four Provincial Administration Commissions of Nanzhili, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Huguang, and Fujian. Although these taxes did not enter the Southern Ministry of Revenue's own coffers, the supervisory duty was still a significant power, making it one of the departments among the Nanjing ministries with real authority.

Pang Yu went in and asked around everywhere, finally going to the Huguang Bureau to process the Imperial Academy Student donation. The Director of the Huguang Bureau was not in, nor was the Chief Clerk. Pang Yu waited a full half shichen before a Chief Clerk finally arrived. Pang Yu had He Xianya offer ten taels of silver. The man's attitude remained poor, but he quickly arranged for a clerk to handle it.

He examined Pang Yu's prefectural and county-level verification documents, then issued a document for Pang Yu to go to the Receiving Treasury to pay the silver. It was faster than Pang Yu had expected, probably because the Ministry of Works was competing and the Ministry of Revenue feared losing the business.

When they reached the place for paying the silver, two Xuli and a silver assayer sat inside, with a steelyard placed to the side. Pang Yu and He Xianya exchanged a glance — they had seen this scene many times the previous year, though the roles were now reversed.

The Xuli in the middle was around forty, a sallow beard hanging beneath his pointed face, perfectly fitting Pang Yu's mental image of a cunning, crafty private secretary.

He raised his head and glanced sidelong at the group, who looked like country bumpkins. He flattened his mouth, then said lazily, "Bring the silver over."

Pang Yu nodded at Xu Lengzi. With a bang, Xu Lengzi slammed the entire bundle onto the desk, startling everyone in the hall.

The Xuli in the middle slapped the table and stood up, scolding furiously with a fierce voice and harsh expression, "What do you lot think you're doing? This is the Southern Ministry of Revenue, a Second Rank government office! How dare you bumpkins run wild here!"

Xu Lengzi was so frightened he stood dumbly, retreating backward repeatedly. Although he was a bit slow, he knew this government office was big — many levels higher than the county office — and absolutely not to be provoked.

Pang Yu hurriedly said to the Xuli, "Sir, calm your anger. How would we dare run wild in the Southern Ministry of Revenue? It is merely that the servant does not understand the rules."

"The servant doesn't understand the rules — does the master also not understand the rules?"

Pang Yu shot He Xianya a look. He Xianya quickly brought out several five-tael silver ingots and presented them one by one before the men. "Sirs, please forgive us. We caused some offense just now; please, sirs, do not take it amiss."

The several Xuli accepted them as a matter of course, and their anger only slightly eased. Once the standing Xuli sat down, He Xianya hurriedly opened the bundle and took out the silver ingots one by one.

The Silver Husband sat to the side, casually picked up a piece, turned it over, and said, "Seventy percent silver purity. Weigh it."

He Xianya hesitated a moment and said, "Sir, this was just withdrawn from the Mace Zhuang; it is indeed ninety percent purity."

"The official tells you it's seventy percent, so it's seventy percent. Say another word and it'll be sixty percent."

"That's..." He Xianya stopped himself. Originally, those were his own lines; now he had become the Tax Household paying taxes.

He turned back to look at Pang Yu. Pang Yu was also frowning. They both worked in government offices and were somewhat prepared for this situation, having deliberately withdrawn five hundred taels. They had only thought the Ministry of Revenue would be somewhat better than the grassroots level, not as utterly shameless as the yamen runners, but they hadn't expected seventy percent right from the start.

If calculated at seventy percent, the five hundred taels of silver he had withdrawn would only count as three hundred fifty taels. When weighed, the balance scale and steelyard would certainly have been tampered with — a twenty percent bite was guaranteed, thirty percent not impossible. Five hundred taels would end up calculated at two hundred eighty or less, which would definitely not be enough.

Accepting seventy percent meant the silver was insufficient; not accepting seventy percent meant the matter couldn't be done. Either way, it couldn't be done — unless they went to exchange another remittance note, with no telling how much more they'd have to add in the end. After an awkward silence of a moment, Pang Yu pondered briefly and prepared to speak.

At that moment, Guo Fengyou's voice came from behind: "Young Master, if they won't take it, then forget it. Let's go to the Ministry of Works and do it there."

"Preposterous!" The Xuli in the middle slapped the table and stood up again. "Another insolent household slave! You think bringing up the Ministry of Works can frighten us in the Ministry of Revenue? The Ministry of Works is ranked dead last — where do they not have to watch our Ministry of Revenue's expression? By the Emperor's own golden words, all Imperial Academy Student donations go through the Ministry of Revenue — that is the king's law. Who in the Ministry of Works would dare accept it? If you dare go there to handle it, I guarantee your young master won't be able to donate for Imperial Academy Student."

Another Xuli scolded, "Your verification documents are already filed in the bureau. Even if you go to the Ministry of Works, you can't process the donation. Ignorant servant — you're delaying your own young master."

Pang Yu, however, inwardly praised him. He turned around and shot Guo Fengyou a meaningful look, saying angrily, "Who told you to run your mouth? Do you understand the rules or not? Although we do have another set of verification documents, the Imperial Academy Student donation is of course handled at the Ministry of Revenue. How could matters of rations and pay ever pass through the Ministry of Works? Go back and fetch the family discipline code yourself — you won't escape a hundred strokes!"

After scolding him, he turned back to the Ministry of Revenue Xuli, put on a smiling face, and said, "Sirs, the servant is ignorant. When I return, I will certainly discipline him severely. But if it is calculated at seventy percent, the silver I brought today is indeed insufficient, and I'm afraid the donation cannot be processed. I can only go back, gather enough, and return — my apologies for troubling you, sirs."

The Xuli hesitated. That household slave had just mentioned the Ministry of Works, and now this young master said he had another set of verification documents. Normally, only one set of verification documents could be issued, but in local government offices, with silver, anything could be done — he had seen even more outrageous things. The Handsome Youths who came to donate for Imperial Academy Student were all local tycoons, prominent figures in their localities who could get things done in the yamen. It wasn't impossible that this young master really had two sets. Once this man left, he might truly go to the Ministry of Works to donate.

Although the Ministry of Works was ranked lowest, in terms of money-making ability it could rank second. A considerable portion of total tax revenue entered their coffers. Chongzhen had indeed said the Ministry of Revenue should exclusively manage donations for the Imperial Academy, but it was only verbal. The court had not formed a regulation, nor had it issued documents to the various Provincial Administration Commissions. The Ministry of Works had continued small-scale donations all along.

The Ministry of Works was an entirely separate system. They would directly report the name register to the Capital Ministry of Works, which would then report to the Ministry of Personnel — it had nothing to do with the Southern Ministry of Revenue at all. All that talk about guaranteeing it couldn't be done was empty bluster. It was just that because the Ministry of Works operated secretly, the Ministry of Personnel might not grant full quotas, so sometimes there were delays. To Pang Yu, this seemed an unknown risk, which was why he had prioritized handling it at the Ministry of Revenue.

The Xuli pointed at the bundle on the table and said, "Even if this bundle is insufficient, it's not far off. You could scrape together a bit more and it would be enough. Or if you have another remittance note you can cash, there are various Mace Zhuang inside Zhengyang Gate — send one person and it's a moment's work."

"I truly did not bring enough." Pang Yu drew a little closer. "Sir, see clearly — this bundle contains five hundred taels. Whatever the case, this is all the silver there is."

The Xuli narrowed his eyes and looked at Pang Yu suspiciously. Pang Yu was not the least bit flustered. Smiling, he lowered his voice and said, "Sir, you may certainly take a look. Apart from that one ingot you just examined, which is seventy percent, all the rest are eighty percent. When weighed, they will come to exactly three hundred fifty taels. That way, sir completes your duty, and this humble one avoids returning home to scrape together silver — convenient for both sides."

What Pang Yu meant was: he was giving five hundred taels; the extra one hundred fifty taels was for them. If they wanted more, there was none. What made the three men most hesitant was that this young gentleman might very well walk out of here and go straight to the Ministry of Works to donate, in which case they would lose this income for nothing.

Pang Yu had given them a multiple-choice question. If they insisted on the seventy percent calculation now, they would reap nothing. If they abandoned the seventy percent calculation, they would gain one hundred fifty taels. The Xuli's choice was very clear.

The two Xuli and the Silver Husband exchanged glances. Finally, the Xuli in the middle turned to Pang Yu. "Seeing that the master understands reason, I won't quibble with these servants. I see some of this silver is indeed eighty percent. Then weigh it quickly and give this gentleman his tax ticket."

"Thank you for your trouble, sir."

Coming out of the Southern Ministry of Revenue, the expressions on the several attendants' faces were not good.

Pang Yu sighed, then smiled and said, "The matter is done, that's what counts. You all did quite well. Guo Fengyou's line in particular was key — it gave us the leverage to counter them. If I had said that line, the Ministry of Revenue Xuli wouldn't have been able to back down, and the matter couldn't have been done. Fengyou saying it was just right. So Fengyou performed excellently; I will have a reward for you when we return."

Guo Fengyou bowed and repeatedly said he dared not accept, but his face showed considerable excitement. He Xianya's expression was calm. Only Xu Lengzi looked utterly dejected.

Pang Yu turned to Xu Lengzi. "You set the bag down a bit heavily — it's no big deal. Just be mindful of it next time you come to a government office. You still need to act boldly. Problems always arise when doing things; don't shrink back because of this."

Xu Lengzi nodded, but his mood was still low.

Pang Yu patted his shoulder to comfort him. Ruan Dacheng's household servant came over and asked, "Would Pang Squad Leader like to first go see the Imperial Academy? This humble one can guide Squad Leader there."

Pang Yu shook his head repeatedly. He had no interest in the Imperial Academy; he was just after the title. He had no intention of attending classes there either.

"Go to the Fang Family, west of the city."

The household servant acknowledged and led the way. Their starting point was City East in Nanjing; to go to West of the City was basically to cross the entirety of Nanjing.

Since arriving in the Ming dynasty, Pang Yu had stayed in Tongcheng the whole time. Even Anqing was not large, so his estimate of Nanjing had been off. This journey, Pang Yu felt, was a full ten-plus li. In the middle, the household servant had also taken two wrong turns, adding another two or three li.

After walking for over a shichen like this, they finally reached the main street inside Qingliang Gate in West of the City, Yingtian Prefecture. The household servant stopped when he brought them to Longpan Lane. Pang Yu and his group walked north into Longpan Lane on their own. After asking around several times, they arrived before a residence.

This residence was extremely plain in appearance, and judging by the length of the courtyard wall, the compound was not large either — utterly incomparable to the grand mansion Ruan Dacheng was about to construct.

Pang Yu looked the place up and down. Only when he saw the two characters "Xi Yu" hanging above the main gate did he confirm he had not made a mistake — this was indeed the Fang Family residence.

He stepped forward and knocked at the side door. The one who opened it was a household servant of the Fang Family, brought from Tongcheng. The servant had seen Pang Yu before. Hearing that Pang Yu sought an audience with Fang Yizhi, he had Pang Yu wait outside and hurried off to report.

A moment later the servant returned and led Pang Yu inside. His several subordinates were all left in the gatehouse.

The garden was indeed not large, and soon they arrived at a place resembling a study. Pang Yu strode in, about to greet Fang Yizhi, when he suddenly froze. There was no sign of Fang Yizhi inside. Seated high in the place of honor was none other than Fang Kongzhao, whom he had not seen for a long time.

There was also another person beside him, looking at Pang Yu with a cold expression.

Pang Yu smiled, first bowed in salute to Fang Kongzhao, then turned to that person and said, "Fang Bazong, it has been a while. Why have you abandoned your post again and come running to Nanjing?"