[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers":3,"chapter-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-346":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Restoring the Mountains and Rivers",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2364615,4623,"Chapter 346: Proposal for Taking a Concubine","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-346",346,"\u003Cp>Warm moments are always brief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After resting at home for three days, trouble came knocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court could not afford to pay the troops, so it handed out a pile of official titles, telling them to find their own way to cash in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chance to buy an official post was highly attractive to merchants and landowners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, everyone should have fought over it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But reality was the opposite—this sale of offices offended the interests of the scholar-officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment buyers left the Viceroy’s yamen, they were surrounded and attacked by Guangzhou scholars; had the yamen guards not arrived quickly, they would have lost their lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the incident, all the scholars who took part in the beating were arrested and thrown into prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the yamen could pass judgment, new chaos erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scholars from Guangdong and Guangxi, upon hearing the news, streamed in from all over, united in protest against the court’s sale of offices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The matter grew too large, and even the Marquis of Wuyang began to fret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Releasing them was out of the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since these men had bought their posts, they were now court-appointed officials, entitled to legal protection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If assaulting a court official could go unpunished, the value of these offices would be too low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone would know they were fake, and no one would buy the next batch of titles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cut off this revenue stream, and the massive shortfall in military pay needed to suppress the rebellion would have no source of replenishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Punishing the protesting scholars harshly would bring endless troubles too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, the power of speech rested in the hands of the literati; offending this group could ruin one’s reputation for eternity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caught between two evils, the Marquis of Wuyang summoned his trusted aides to the Viceroy’s mansion for a meeting, including Li Mu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You all know the situation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those scholars come every day to block the gates of the Viceroy’s yamen—how should we resolve this? Discuss it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang spoke, weary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To raise military funds, all three Grand Coordinators of the noble faction had participated in selling offices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Huguang had just been retaken, the region still chaotic; only a small fraction of the fleeing scholars had returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Duke of Cheng was on the front lines in Songjiang; scholars from Fujian and Zhejiang, even if they wanted to stir trouble, couldn’t reach it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for rushing to the front lines to protest—that would be pure suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A little “accident” could easily see them killed by rebel forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Guangdong and Guangxi had been retaken early, and the local situation had stabilized; scholars who had fled the war had all returned home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellency, the speed with which scholars from all regions have coordinated suggests someone is directing them behind the scenes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even before the incident, scholars had been arriving from all over—clearly something was amiss.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why not arrest the ringleaders and interrogate them under torture to uncover the masterminds?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Commander Zhuang Chenyang spoke, everyone was startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such brutal methods, even if they uncovered the culprits, would never convince anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, the mastermind didn’t need to be investigated—you could already guess who it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who else in Guangzhou would dare provoke the Viceroy, besides that bloc of bundled civil officials?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang had not moved against them—not because he couldn’t, but because he dared not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Power requires balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only balanced power makes those above feel secure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The civil officials’ bloc had been deliberately allowed to form by the Marquis himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without his tacit approval, those civil officials could never have gathered together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, breaking up the civil bloc would be simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether by reassigning subordinates’ duties or swapping officials between regions, you could easily spark internal conflict among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not advisable!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now is not the time to make arrests.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scholars outside are merely sitting in protest—no violent acts have occurred.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Great Yu law, we cannot punish them severely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When saying “Great Yu law,” the Marquis of Wuyang emphasized the words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Status determines stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Viceroy of Great Yu, to target a group of scholars would make you a laughingstock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you must act, you must do so within the rules, so no one can object.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellency, scholar protests against the sale of offices have occurred not only in Guangdong and Guangxi, but also in the capital.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they were dispersed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the sale of offices was handed over to the Eastern Depot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our situation is different—we have no Eastern Depot hounds to intimidate them, so we must find another path.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scholars protest the court’s sale of offices and demand the release of those who assaulted court officials—mainly because they’re bored.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the war, the imperial examinations have been repeatedly postponed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why not spread word that the court intends to restore the imperial examinations, to distract them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over ninety percent of the scholars protesting are just following the crowd—they don’t understand the inner workings of the office sales.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Have local officials step forward to explain clearly, and make this explanation work a key criterion in evaluating their performance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who fail to complete the task shall be deemed derelict in duty and reported to the court for dismissal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu spoke calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t want to step forward—but in this room full of officials, aside from a few civil officers, all the rest were his old subordinates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone instinctively turned to look at him; staying silent now would make him seem odd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director Li, won’t this cause too much commotion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s not even a shadow of the court restoring the imperial examinations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they were to restore them, it wouldn’t be until after the war ends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, scholars from provinces still engulfed in war would have no chance to take the exam—this would violate the fairness of the system.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If people find out we’re spreading false news, it will only further inflame the scholars’ anger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So dismissing local officials? That’s even less acceptable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if no one completes the task—can we dismiss them all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged civil official in the second seat on the right spoke up in doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve seen bold men, but never one this bold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To spread rumors about restoring the imperial examinations—truly beyond his expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing is fixed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If politics demands it, falsehoods can become truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for dismissing derelict officials, no need to worry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Great Yu lacks everything—but never lacks men eager to become officials.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t be fooled by how loudly these scholars protest—given a chance to serve, they’ll be the most eager of all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After removing the unfit officials, we can replace them with capable men, reversing the corrupt atmosphere of the bureaucracy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu’s explanation drew no reaction from the military officers, but several civil officials were startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this were done, dividing the protesting scholars would be no problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much they resisted, they couldn’t afford to delay the imperial examinations for this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the juren traveled to the capital to take the exam, even those below would think twice before stirring trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director Li, won’t this have a bad impression?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too many people will be involved—it will make outsiders think we’re eliminating rivals.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the old man could finish, the Marquis of Wuyang cut him off:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their mouths are their own—let them talk!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I walk upright and sit straight—I fear no criticism.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Private Secretary, draft a memorial for me, petitioning His Majesty to restore the imperial examinations and calm the hearts of scholars across the land.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear the Marquis of Wuyang was furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, letting the below stir trouble was for the Emperor’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, these people had grown too bold—they no longer cared for the bigger picture, crossing the line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already planned to infiltrate rebel remnants among them, provoke an incident, and label them as traitors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now a better option had appeared—no need for such crude methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the same tactic had been used once before in Yangzhou Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Repeating old tricks would make it easy for others to find fault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the art of verbal attack, he truly wasn’t a match for those civil officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The minor incident ended; Li Mu returned to his mansion, bringing with him blank appointment documents from the Ministry of Personnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fill in the name, and you become a government official; afterward, simply report to the Ministry of Personnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The incident of scholar protests made the sale of offices troublesome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To distribute the pressure and draw more people into sharing it, Marquis Wuyang chose to assign tasks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone demanding money from the Viceroy’s office must have their request offset by blank official credentials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a major spender, Li Mu received a thick stack of blank documents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hollow titles were worthless; the cheapest, a ninth-rank junior post, cost only one hundred and fifty taels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prices rose step by step; even the highest available, a fifth-rank senior hollow title, was no more than three thousand taels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the first time the Great Ming had sold offices, so prices were relatively high; as more were sold later, prices would likely drop further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Official robes, ceremonial processions, and official sedan chairs—all the trappings of office—required additional payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you didn’t want to pay, you could make them yourself—or simply do without.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, they were hollow titles; no need to report to the yamen, no need for such formality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actual posts had no fixed standard—none had been sold in the capital; their value depended entirely on the clerks handling them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frankly, the positions offered by the Ministry of Personnel weren’t too bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The postings were mainly in Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Qiongzhou Prefecture; though remote, at least they were safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they’d tried to send people to Liaodong or even more distant Pacification Commissions, no one would have bought them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My Lord, you’re not planning to place your own loyalists, are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the stack of blank official credentials, Jing Yaqing asked anxiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having grown up in the Guogong Prefecture, even without formal training, she had far greater political sensitivity than ordinary people from mere exposure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court generously provided a pile of offices for them to sell, raising military funds while also testing them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hollow titles were easy—anyone willing to pay could have one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key was the actual posts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you stuffed them with loyalists, it would be political suicide—exactly the trap the civil officials wanted you to fall into.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to wartime needs, everyone would pretend to be deaf and blind for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the war ended, memorials from censors would flood the court, and no amount of washing could clean it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry—your husband isn’t foolish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though we’re selling offices, there are still thresholds; not just anyone can buy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ministry of Personnel set rules: even a ninth-rank junior post required at least a scholar-candidate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a key post like County Magistrate, the minimum requirement was a provincial graduate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of my subordinates are semi-literate; very few hold any degree.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu pulled Jing Yaqing close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a major clan from Guanzhong, if he truly wanted to place loyalists, he could find people who met the criteria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But manpower was scarce—his trained loyalists who met the criteria were few.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Ming has not yet collapsed; the most talented scholars still vie to enter the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Few literati were willing to join military commanders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who came as provincial or metropolitan graduates wanted to serve as secretaries or private advisors, not to take up lowly posts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the time was right, they’d still take the imperial examinations to earn their degrees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even recommended posts were feared for their impact on future advancement; bought offices were even more despised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To place loyalists and control the grassroots of these provinces, you’d need clan power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if you did that, any sensible person would notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, Li Mu had always been placing loyalists in local yamens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many retired, wounded soldiers with merit had returned home to serve as Police Inspectors, Constables, Jail Wardens, or Station Masters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, the court, to save on reward silver, granted them a pile of hollow titles, turning many veterans into officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Assigning them to local yamens as low-ranking clerks, no one could find fault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In many remote prefectures and counties, where the chief magistrate had long been vacant, these men were running affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The infiltration was already complete; there was no need to do it again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a sense, the court’s sale of offices had somewhat undermined his control over the regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because those buying these remote posts were mostly local gentry, who already held considerable local influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Letting them become chief magistrates would inevitably spark fierce struggles over control of the county.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My Lord understands well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Officialdom is a brutal battlefield; one misstep and you lose everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the way, many elders in the clan have written, asking about your heir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why not take a few more concubines?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jing Yaqing said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being the Lady of the Hou Fu was hard—not only managing the inner quarters, but also handling social obligations and clan relationships.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no in-laws above her, she’d never been mistreated, but her lack of an heir remained a weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a feudal dynasty, pressure over heirs never fell on Li Mu—it all landed on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ignore it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your husband has spent years campaigning on the frontier; this is not your fault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, there's a difference between legitimate and illegitimate sons; if an illegitimate firstborn were born, it would be a trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu immediately refused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Few men could refuse the lure of multiple concubines, but now was clearly not the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The commander was the soul of the army; his every word and action directly shaped troop morale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he took concubines, his subordinates would surely follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, at his rank, even a concubine wouldn’t be an ordinary woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once word got out, noble families and civil elite clans would line up to form alliances with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might not get a legitimate daughter, but illegitimate daughters would be freely available for him to choose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The political alliance between the Jing and Li families needed the next generation of the Hou Fu to solidify it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking a concubine before producing a legitimate son would inevitably make the Jing family suspect ulterior motives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this critical moment in planning Annan, stillness was better than action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My Lord, you refused yourself—don’t blame me for being jealous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jing Yaqing said with a flick of her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She and Li Mu had deep affection; had it not been for reputation, she’d never have wanted a third party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that Li Mu had refused, it suited her perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even as she felt relief, a trace of worry creased her brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a legitimate son continued to be delayed, taking concubines was inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In noble families, such things happened all too often.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2489,"2026-06-21T08:09:04.021Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","4449582fc3e3ff7768d624752ab21da183ec0375f862e1eb0107746e31bd9499","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-347","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-345",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]