Chapter 32: Hierarchy

After the misunderstanding with Yu Gui was resolved, Hua Changxi went to the storeroom to collect medicinal herbs, and the variety of herbs she received increased again.

"Sister Changxi, you only take a few plants of each kind of medicinal herb, aren't you annoyed by that?"

Yu Gui looked at Hua Changxi in confusion; after all, when other menial servants came to collect herbs, they wished they could take only one type, so that washing them would be easier.

Hua Changxi shook her head: "I'm not annoyed."

Yu Gui asked again: "Is there some purpose behind collecting herbs like this?"

Hua Changxi looked left and right, and seeing that others weren't paying attention to them, she said in a low voice: "The Medical Office has a wide variety of medicinal herbs, many of which I couldn't get access to outside. Now that I've encountered them, of course I want to study them thoroughly."

Yu Gui: "Menial servants are not allowed to damage the herbs. How can you study them?"

Hua Changxi pointed to the herbs on the cart: "For herbs with many roots, I pinch off a small piece of root and taste it; for herbs with many leaves, I taste a leaf. This way, I both learn the medicinal properties of the herb and don't damage it."

Yu Gui stroked his chin: "Collecting herbs like this is too troublesome. How about this: when I, Wan Xiaozhou, and Li Meng are on night duty, you come to the storeroom to study."

"But we must agree beforehand: don't damage the herbs, otherwise we'll both be in trouble."

Hua Changxi's face lit up with joy: "Brother Yu, don't worry, I promise I won't cause you any trouble."

Seeing Hua Changxi's excitement, Yu Gui also smiled and added: "Tomorrow is the monthly payday. After you eat breakfast, don't come to collect herbs first; go to the Internal Affairs Office to collect the silver. If you go late, you'll have to queue for who knows how long."

The only people queuing at the storeroom for herbs were the menial servants of the Third Division.

But when going to the Internal Affairs Office to collect silver, the queue includes all the menial servants of the First and Second Divisions.

Upon hearing that she could collect her wages, Hua Changxi was also very happy: "How much silver can we collect?"

Yu Gui looked surprised: "Don't you know that?"

Hua Changxi gave an embarrassed smile: "I was too shy to ask." Mainly because her relationship with her roommates wasn't very good, and no one told her.

Yu Gui didn't press further and began to explain: "All head stewards receive a monthly pay of ten taels. The monthly pay for second stewards, third stewards, and menial servants differs between men and women."

"Male second stewards and third stewards receive eight taels and five taels respectively, and male menial servants receive three taels of silver per month."

"Female second stewards and third stewards receive five taels and three taels respectively, and female menial servants receive two taels of silver per month."

"As for the three eunuchs managing the Servants' Hall, I don't know how high their monthly pay is."

Hua Changxi: "Why is the monthly pay different for men and women?"

Yu Gui laughed: "Of course it's different. Men contribute much more physical effort than women."

Hua Changxi: "But the number of medicinal herbs that male and female menial servants are responsible for washing each day is exactly the same."

Yu Gui: "Male menial servants are sometimes assigned other tasks, such as transporting herbs from the Herb Village or Herb Valley. Female menial servants can't do those tasks."

Hua Changxi let out an "oh" and didn't say more.

On the thirtieth day of the tenth month, before the sky was fully bright, a long line had already formed at the Internal Affairs Office of the Servants' Hall. When Hua Changxi came after breakfast, she couldn't even enter the courtyard.

"Qingluo, hurry, I've saved a spot for you."

Hua Changxi stood at the courtyard entrance, hearing Wang Yunchu's voice from inside. She turned her head and saw Lu Qingluo pulling another young woman as they quickly entered the courtyard.

When the two passed the courtyard gate, they saw Hua Changxi and both froze for a moment.

Wang Yunchu, who was queuing quite far ahead in the courtyard, also saw Hua Changxi, but she didn't call out to Hua Changxi; instead, she turned her head to talk with Aunt Shi and the other two who were queuing together.

Aunt Shi and the other two also glanced at Hua Changxi but likewise said nothing.

Hua Changxi quickly averted her gaze, looked at the bustling Internal Affairs Office, thought for a moment, and decided to go to the storeroom first to collect herbs.

Watching Hua Changxi leave, Lu Qingluo looked at Wang Yunchu and the others: "Isn't what we did not very nice?"

Wang Yunchu snorted: "What's not nice about it? Given how Hua Changxi usually acts like she doesn't want to associate with us much, isn't it perfectly normal that we didn't call her?"

She paused, then said, "If she had taken the initiative to come over, would we have rejected her?"

The group didn't discuss this matter further and soon happily started talking about what they would buy after collecting their monthly pay.

On the other side, Hua Changxi washed all five hundred herbs clean, then pulled the cart to the Second Division to hand them in. When she came to the Internal Affairs Office again, there were still many people inside.

Hua Changxi glanced at the sky, saw it was almost noon, and went directly to the cafeteria to eat.

Because she had cured several women in the cafeteria of their illnesses, Hua Changxi was very popular there. Besides the usual communal pot meal, she occasionally got to eat something from the special kitchen as an extra meal.

After lunch, there weren't many people left at the Internal Affairs Office.

Hua Changxi queued for a while and received two taels of silver, but she didn't leave immediately: "Accountant, I entered the Chores Hall on September twenty-first, and I haven't collected my September monthly salary yet."

The accountant distributing the monthly salary glanced at Hua Changxi: "It's already been taken."

Hua Changxi: "Impossible, I never came to collect it."

The accountant was a bit impatient: "Go ask your supervisor. Next."

Urged by the people behind her, Hua Changxi had no choice but to step aside and hurried back to the Sixth Department. At the end section of the ditch, she found Du Ruo: "Supervisor Du, the accountant said my September monthly salary was already claimed, but I never claimed it. What's going on?"

Seeing that Hua Changxi absolutely had to know, Du Ruo didn't hide it either: "Your September monthly salary was six hundred wen. Supervisor Leng went to collect it."

Hua Changxi: "But she didn't give it to me." She paused, "She might have forgotten. I'll go find her now."

Hearing this, Du Ruo and Wang Yunchu, who was not far away, looked at her as if she were an idiot.

Seeing their expressions, Hua Changxi knew there must be something shady going on. She turned around to go find Supervisor Leng.

Seeing that Hua Changxi was serious about it, Du Ruo hurried over to block her: "Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to?"

Hua Changxi frowned: "What do you mean?"

Seeing her like this, Du Ruo sighed: "You've never worked a job before, have you?"

Hua Changxi: "That's right, this is my first job."

Du Ruo: "Every menial laborer has to hand over six hundred wen in tribute every month. That's been the rule in the Chores Hall for years."

Hua Changxi's eyes widened: "Tribute? To whom?"

Du Ruo didn't answer that, but Wang Yunchu enlightened Hua Changxi: "To the supervisors, of course."

Hua Changxi fell silent. After a moment, she looked at Wang Yunchu and the others: "We work from dawn to dusk for just two taels a month, and we have to hand over nearly a third of it as tribute? Doesn't anyone object?"

Wang Yunchu glanced at Du Ruo and said quickly: "Some have objected, but in the end they were all kicked out of the Chores Hall."

Seeing Hua Changxi's unconvinced expression, Du Ruo didn't want her to cause trouble and tried to persuade her: "After handing over six hundred wen, you still have one thousand four hundred left. That's already more than what outside jobs would pay."

"People need to learn to be content and not get too hung up on immediate gains and losses."

"If you want to keep working in the Chores Hall, you have to follow the Chores Hall's rules."

Hua Changxi cursed angrily: "Bullshit rules!"

Seeing her like this, Du Ruo's tone turned unpleasant: "If you've got the ability, go ahead and change those bullshit rules. If you don't, then stop complaining."

Hua Changxi was very frustrated, but she knew she couldn't fight the Chores Hall's rules. With a dark face, she prepared to go back to her room.

"Wait!"

Du Ruo called her back: "You still haven't paid this month's tribute."

Hua Changxi took several deep breaths before taking six hundred wen from the salary she'd just received, handing it to Du Ruo, and then leaving without looking back.

Seeing that Hua Changxi actually dared to give Du Ruo attitude, Wang Yunchu said to Lu Qingluo and the others in amazement: "With a temper like Hua Changxi's, her family actually let her come out and work as a menial laborer?"

Lu Qingluo watched Hua Changxi's retreating figure with some envy: "Changxi's family must really spoil her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have such a personality."

Having her wages docked made Hua Changxi furious. Unable to calm down and cultivate, she went to the storage room to find Yu Gui.

"Brother Yu, do you all have to pay a tribute too?"

Yu Gui could tell Hua Changxi was in a bad mood and guessed what had happened. Since there was nothing to do at the moment, he chatted with her.

"Paying tribute to the supervisors is an old rule in the Chores Hall."

"Every menial laborer hands over six hundred wen a month: one hundred wen to the Third Supervisor, two hundred wen to the Second Supervisor, and three hundred wen to the Head Supervisor."

"And the Head Supervisor doesn't just take in without giving out; he also has to pay tribute to the eunuchs above him."

"That's the rule. We have no choice but to follow it. Everyone feels bad the first time they pay the tribute, but you'll get used to it over time."

"The Chores Hall's treatment is still much better than outside jobs. Even working outside, you'd have to pay tribute."

"So, little sister, look on the bright side. No matter where you go, it's the same rule."

Hua Changxi: "But this rule isn't reasonable."

Yu Gui shrugged: "That's just how the world is. What can you do about it?" He lowered his voice as he spoke, "Let me tell you, it's not just the Service Hall—the Apprentice Hall and Disciple Hall follow the same rules."

"The nine streets in front of the Medical Affairs Bureau, and the apothecaries and physicians on the streets behind, also have to fawn over and curry favor with those on the front streets."

Hua Changxi was hearing about this for the first time: "What? Are the physicians and apothecaries of the Medical Affairs Bureau divided into ranks?"

Yu Gui: "Of course. The first street of the Medical Affairs Bureau is where the Bureau Chief and other officials have their offices. From the second street onward, that's where the various apothecaries and physicians have their dispensaries."

"The Medical Affairs Bureau doesn't usually treat patients. Most of the time, the apothecaries and physicians are engaged in research on new medicines and medical techniques."

"With so many apothecaries and physicians, how are medicinal herbs, equipment, and personnel allocated? It depends on which street the apothecary or physician is located."

"The apothecaries and physicians on the second and third streets have the highest status. The herbs, disciples, and apprentices in the Medical Affairs Bureau are all prioritized for them."

"Of course, their pill-refining skills and medical techniques are also the highest. The medicines used by eighth- and ninth-rank martial artists can only be refined by them."

"Oh, and the apothecaries on these two streets are also responsible for researching new medicines."

"Next are the physicians and apothecaries on the fourth and fifth streets. Their medical skills are also good, and the elixirs needed by seventh-rank martial artists depend on them."

"Then come the sixth and seventh streets, responsible for refining and researching elixirs for fourth- to sixth-rank martial artists."

"Last are the eighth and ninth streets, responsible for researching medicines for first- to third-rank martial artists and ordinary people."

Hua Changxi: "I feel like the ranks of apothecaries and physicians are determined by the ranks of martial artists?"

Yu Gui: "You're not wrong. That's exactly how it is. Do you know one of the main tasks of the Medical Affairs Bureau?"

Hua Changxi: "What?"

Yu Gui: "To supply all the martial academies in the Great Jin with the medicines needed for martial artists to cultivate."

"Otherwise, the Service Hall wouldn't be so busy. Just think about it—how many medicinal herbs does the Service Hall have to wash and process in a month?"

"These herbs, along with all the elixirs refined by the apothecaries and physicians on the nine streets, end up being sent to the Capital Martial Academy and various local martial academies."

"Of course, herbs from all nine prefectures of the Great Jin are also escorted to our Medical Affairs Bureau."

Yu Gui glanced at the warehouse entrance. Today was payday, and the few warehouse guards, having some spare cash, had gathered together to gamble.

"Come on, a batch of herbs arrived from Jiaozhou yesterday. I'm sure you've never seen them before. Since you like tasting herbs, I'll take you into the warehouse."

"Thanks, Brother Yu."

The displeasure Hua Changxi had felt from having her wages docked instantly vanished.

After entering the warehouse, Hua Changxi's eyes immediately fixed on a pile of discarded herbs in the corner—ones that had been ruined due to improper storage and severe damage during transport.

Hua Changxi walked over and sorted through them for a while: "Brother Yu, a lot of these herbs are still usable. Are they all going to be thrown away?"

Yu Gui shook his head: "Not thrown away. The Medical Affairs Bureau discards countless herbs every day. Our Service Hall is relatively well off; the Apprentice Hall and Disciple Hall discard far more."

"These discarded herbs are taken away by designated merchants. Those merchants all have connections—deep backgrounds—and it's said they have nobles backing them."

He lowered his voice as he spoke, "Let me tell you, some of those low-quality elixirs sold in outside pharmacies are actually refined from the Medical Affairs Bureau's discarded herbs."

After hearing Yu Gui's words, Hua Changxi looked at the discarded herbs and felt tempted. After thinking it over, she said softly to Yu Gui, "Brother Yu, I can refine Qi-Blood Pills for first-rank martial artists, Bone-Strengthening Pills for second-rank, Viscera Pills for third-rank, Tendon-Clearing Pills for fourth-rank, Marrow-Washing Pills for fifth-rank, and Shackle-Breaking Pills for sixth-rank. I know how to refine all of them."

With every kind of pill Hua Changxi named, Yu Gui's expression shook a little more. By the time she finished, he was so excited he grabbed her arm.

"Little sister, are you serious?"

Hua Changxi smiled at him: "Brother Yu, you've experienced my medical skills firsthand."

Yu Gui's face flushed with excitement. Having been a beggar, he dreamed of becoming strong so he would never be bullied again. But even after being adopted by Eunuch Yu as a son, he still didn't earn enough silver to support his martial arts training.

"Little sister, I'll be honest with you. The discarded herbs in the warehouse aren't inventoried. They just take away however much there is. As long as I'm careful, I can divert some without any issue."

Hua Changxi smiled: "Brother Yu, then let's cooperate. You provide the discarded herbs, I provide the technique, and we split the refined pills fifty-fifty."

Yu Gui was too eager to become stronger to hesitate. He nodded immediately: "Deal."