Chapter 32: Ranks

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

"Sister Changxi, you only take a few stalks of each herb; don't you find it troublesome?"

Yu Gui looked at Hua Changxi in confusion, knowing that other laborers, when collecting herbs, wished they could take only one kind back, making the cleaning process much easier.

Hua Changxi shook her head: "I don't find it troublesome."

Yu Gui asked again: "Is there some specific purpose behind the way you collect these herbs?"

Hua Changxi glanced left and right; seeing that no one else was paying attention to them, she lowered her voice: "The Medical Bureau has such a wide variety of medicinal herbs, many of which I never had access to outside; now that I've encountered them, naturally I want to study them thoroughly."

Yu Gui said: "Laborers are not allowed to damage medicinal herbs; how do you intend to study them?"

Hua Changxi pointed to the herbs on the cart: "For herbs with extensive root systems, I will pinch off a small segment of root to taste; for those with abundant leaves, I will taste a leaf. This way, I understand the medicinal properties without damaging the herbs."

Yu Gui rubbed his chin: "Collecting herbs this way is too troublesome; here's what we'll do: when Wan Xiaozhou, Li Meng, and I are on night duty, you can come to the storeroom to conduct your research."

"But we must agree on one thing beforehand: you are not to damage any herbs, or else neither of us will be able to bear the consequences."

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

Seeing Hua Changxi's excited expression, Yu Gui smiled and added: "Tomorrow is payday; after breakfast, don't come to collect herbs first—go to the Internal Affairs Office to collect your silver. If you go too late, who knows how long you'll have to queue."

When collecting herbs at the storeroom, only the laborers from the Third Bureau had to queue.

However, when collecting silver at the Internal Affairs Office, the queue included all laborers from both the First and Second Bureaus.

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

Yu Gui looked surprised: "You don't even know this?"

Hua Changxi gave an embarrassed smile: "I didn't feel comfortable asking." The main reason was that her relationship with her roommates was not good, so no one had told her.

Yu Gui did not press the matter further and began to explain: "All head stewards receive a monthly allowance of ten taels; for second stewards, third stewards, and laborers, the allowance differs by gender."

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

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

"As for the three eunuchs managing the Laborer Hall, I do not know how high their monthly allowances are."

Hua Changxi asked: "Why are the monthly allowances different for men and women?"

Yu Gui laughed: "Of course they are different; men contribute far more effort than women."

Hua Changxi said: "But male and female laborers clearly wash the same quantity of medicinal herbs every day."

Yu Gui replied: "Male laborers are sometimes assigned other tasks, such as transporting herbs from the Herb Farm or Herb Valley, which female laborers cannot do."

Hua Changxi uttered an "Oh" and said nothing more.

On the thirtieth day of the tenth month, before dawn had fully broken, a long queue had already formed at the Internal Affairs Office of the Laborer Hall; by the time Hua Changxi arrived after breakfast, she could no longer enter the courtyard.

"Qingluo, come quickly, I've saved a spot for you!"

Standing at the courtyard gate, Hua Changxi heard Wang Yunchu's voice coming from within; turning her head, she saw Lu Qingluo pulling another young lady quickly into the courtyard.

As the two passed through the courtyard gate, they spotted Hua Changxi and both paused in surprise.

Meanwhile, Wang Yunchu, who was standing near the front of the line inside the courtyard, also saw Hua Changxi, but instead of calling out to her, she turned to speak with the three women from the Shi family who were queuing with her.

The three women from the Shi family also glanced at Hua Changxi and similarly remained silent.

Hua Changxi quickly averted her gaze; looking at the surging crowd inside the Internal Affairs Office, she thought for a moment and decided to go to the storeroom first to collect her medicinal herbs.

Watching Hua Changxi leave, Lu Qingluo looked at Wang Yunchu and the others: "Isn't our behavior a bit improper?"

Wang Yunchu snorted: "How is it improper? Given Hua Changxi's usual demeanor of not wanting to associate with us, isn't it normal that we didn't call out to her?"

Pausing briefly, she added: "If she had taken the initiative to approach us, would we have refused her?"

The group said no more on the matter and soon happily discussed what items they would buy after collecting their monthly allowances.

On the other side, Hua Changxi thoroughly washed all five hundred stalks of medicinal herbs, delivered them to the Second Bureau, and upon returning to the Internal Affairs Office, found that many people were still there.

Hua Changxi glanced at the sky; seeing that it was nearly noon, she went directly to the dining hall to eat.

Because she had cured the illnesses of several women in the dining hall, Hua Changxi was very popular there; besides the usual large-pot meals, she occasionally received small extra dishes as special treats.

After lunch, when she returned to the Internal Affairs Office, there were far fewer people.

Hua Changxi queued for a while and collected her two taels of silver, but she did not leave immediately: "Sir Accountant, I entered the Laborer Hall on the twenty-first day of the ninth month; I haven't collected my allowance for the ninth month yet."

The accountant responsible for distributing allowances glanced at Hua Changxi: "It has already been collected."

Hua Changxi said: "That's impossible; I never came to collect it."

The accountant, somewhat impatient, replied: "Go back and ask your steward; next!"

Hearing the urging from the person behind her, Hua Changxi could only step aside; she hurried back to the Sixth Division and found Du Ruo at the end of the drainage ditch: "Steward Du, the accountant says my ninth-month allowance has already been collected, but I never collected it; what is going on?"

Seeing that Hua Changxi was determined to know the truth, Du Ruo did not hide it: "Your ninth-month allowance of six hundred wen was collected by Steward Leng."

Hua Changxi said: "But she never gave it to me." Pausing, she added: "She might have forgotten; I'll go find her now."

Upon hearing this, Du Ruo and Wang Yunchu along with the others nearby all looked at her as if she were a fool.

Seeing their expressions, Hua Changxi realized there must be something fishy going on; she turned to go find Steward Leng.

Seeing that Hua Changxi was serious, Du Ruo hurriedly stepped forward to block her: "Are you truly unaware, or are you pretending not to know?"

Hua Changxi frowned: "What do you mean?"

Seeing her reaction, Du Ruo sighed: "You've never served as an official before, have you?"

Hua Changxi replied: "Correct, this is my first job."

Du Ruo said: "Every laborer must submit six hundred wen each month as a tribute fee; this has been the rule in the Laborer Hall for many years."

Hua Changxi widened her eyes: "A tribute fee? Tribute to whom?"

Du Ruo did not answer this question, but Wang Yunchu provided the explanation for Hua Changxi: "Naturally, it is tribute to the stewards."

Hua Changxi fell silent; after a moment, she looked at Wang Yunchu and the others: "Working from dawn till dusk for a month to earn just two taels of silver, yet having to hand over nearly one-third as a tribute fee—has no one ever objected?"

Wang Yunchu glanced at Du Ruo and quickly said: "Someone did object before, but they were ultimately expelled from the Laborer Hall."

Seeing Hua Changxi's defiant expression, and not wanting her to cause trouble, Du Ruo advised: "Even after handing over six hundred wen, you still have fourteen hundred wen remaining, which is already more than what one earns from jobs outside."

"People must learn contentment and not haggle too much over immediate gains and losses."

"If you want to continue working in the Miscellaneous Labor Hall, you must abide by its rules."

Hua Changxi cursed furiously in frustration: "Bullshit rules."

Seeing her like this, Du Ruo's tone turned unpleasant: "If you have the ability, change these bullshit rules; if you don't, stop complaining."

Hua Changxi felt stifled but knew she could not fight the Miscellaneous Labor Hall's rules, so she put on a grim face and prepared to return to her room.

"Wait!"

Du Ruo called out to her: "You haven't paid this month's tribute fee yet."

Hua Changxi took several deep breaths before taking six hundred cash from her newly received monthly allowance, handing it to Du Ruo, and leaving without looking back.

Seeing Hua Changxi actually dare to show displeasure to Du Ruo, Wang Yun said to Lu Qingluo and the others with curiosity: "With Hua Changxi's foul temper, I'm surprised her family dared let her come out to work as a laborer."

Lu Qingluo watched Hua Changxi's retreating figure with some envy: "Changxi's family must dote on her greatly; otherwise, they couldn't have raised her with such a nature."

Having had her wages deducted, Hua Changxi felt too aggrieved to calm her mind for cultivation, so she went to the storage room to find Yu Gui.

"Brother Yu, do you guys have to pay tribute fees?"

Yu Gui saw that Hua Changxi was in a bad mood and guessed the reason; since he had nothing pressing to do at the moment, he started chatting with her.

"Paying tribute fees to the stewards is a rule the Miscellaneous Labor Hall has followed for many years."

"Every laborer submits six hundred cash monthly: one hundred as tribute to the Third Steward, two hundred to the Second Steward, and three hundred to the First Steward."

"And the First Steward isn't just taking without giving; he must also pay tribute to the Eunuchs above him."

"This is the rule, and we can only obey. Everyone feels uncomfortable paying tribute for the first time, but once you get used to it, it becomes fine."

"The treatment in the Miscellaneous Labor Hall is still much better than jobs outside; even those serving outside must pay tribute fees."

"So, sister, try to look on the bright side; no matter where you go, this is the rule."

Hua Changxi said: "But this rule is unreasonable."

Yu Gui shrugged: "Such is the world; what can be done about it?" Then, lowering his voice, he added, "Let me tell you, it's not just the Miscellaneous Labor Hall; the Apprentice Hall and the Disciple Hall all follow this same rule."

"On the nine streets before the Medical Bureau, the pharmacists and physicians on the rear streets must also curry favor with those on the front streets."

This was the first time Hua Changxi had heard of such a thing: "What? Do the physicians and pharmacists of the Medical Bureau have ranks?"

Yu Gui replied: "Of course they do. The First Street of the Medical Bureau is where the Director and other officials have their offices. From the Second Street onward are the medical halls of the various pharmacists and physicians."

"The Medical Bureau does not normally treat patients; most of the time, the pharmacists and physicians are engaged in researching new medicines and medical techniques."

"With so many pharmacists and physicians, how are medicinal herbs, medical instruments, and personnel allocated? It depends on which street the pharmacist or physician is located on."

"The pharmacists and physicians on the Second and Third Streets hold the highest status; medicinal herbs, disciples, apprentices, and the like within the Medical Bureau are supplied to them first."

"Naturally, their pill-refining techniques and medical skills are also the highest; only they can refine the medicines consumed by eighth and ninth-grade martial artists."

"By the way, the pharmacists on these two streets are also responsible for researching new medicines."

"Next come the physicians and pharmacists on the Fourth and Fifth Streets; their medical skills are also quite good, and seventh-grade martial artists rely on them for their pills."

"Then come the Sixth and Seventh Streets, responsible for refining and developing pills for fourth to sixth-grade martial artists."

"Finally, there are the Eighth and Ninth Streets, responsible for researching medicines for first to third-grade martial artists and ordinary people."

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

Yu Gui replied: "You sensed correctly; that is exactly how it is. Do you know what one of the Medical Bureau's primary tasks is?"

Hua Changxi asked: "What?"

Yu Gui answered: "To provide all martial academies throughout Great Jin with the medicines required for martial artists' cultivation."

"Otherwise, the Miscellaneous Labor Hall wouldn't be so busy. Calculate it yourself: how many medicinal herbs must the Miscellaneous Labor Hall clean and process in a month?"

"These herbs, along with the pills refined by all the pharmacists and physicians across the nine streets, will eventually be sent to the Capital Martial Academy and various local martial academies."

"Of course, medicinal herbs from all regions across the nine provinces of Great Jin are also transported here to our Medical Bureau."

Yu Gui glanced toward the storage room entrance; since the monthly allowances had just been distributed, the guards holding the keys had extra cash and had gathered together to gamble.

"Let's go; yesterday, a batch of medicinal herbs arrived from Jiaozhou that you've surely never seen. Since you enjoy tasting herbs, I'll take you into the storage room."

"Thank you, Brother Yu."

The unhappiness in Hua Changxi's heart caused by her deducted wages instantly vanished.

After entering the storage room, Hua Changxi's gaze immediately fixed on a pile in the corner consisting of discarded medicinal herbs that had been severely damaged due to improper storage and rough handling.

Hua Changxi walked over and sifted through them: "Brother Yu, many of these herbs are still usable; are they all going to be thrown away?"

Yu Gui shook his head: "They won't be thrown away. The Medical Bureau discards countless herbs daily; our Miscellaneous Labor Hall is actually doing well. The amount of discarded herbs in the Apprentice Hall and Disciple Hall is truly enormous."

"These discarded herbs are taken away by designated merchants. These merchants have powerful connections and deep backgrounds; it is said they all have noble patrons backing them."

Lowering his voice, he continued, "Let me tell you, some of the inferior pills sold in external apothecaries are refined using the Medical Bureau's discarded herbs."

Hearing Yu Gui's words, Hua Changxi felt tempted looking at the discarded herbs. After a moment's thought, she whispered to Yu Gui: "Brother Yu, I can refine Qi and Blood Pills for first-grade martial artists, Bone-Strengthening Pills for second-grade, Viscera Pills for third-grade, Tendon-Unblocking Pills for fourth-grade, Marrow-Cleansing Pills for fifth-grade, and Shackles-Breaking Pills for sixth-grade martial artists."

With each pill Hua Changxi mentioned, Yu Gui's expression trembled slightly; by the time she finished, he was so excited that he directly grabbed her arm.

"Sister, are you deceiving me?"

Hua Changxi smiled at him: "Brother Yu, you have personally experienced my medical skills."

Yu Gui was so excited his face flushed red. Born a beggar, he had always dreamed of becoming strong so he would never be bullied again. Unfortunately, even after acknowledging Eunuch Yu as his father, the silver he earned was insufficient to support his martial training.

"Sister, I'll be honest with you: the discarded herbs here in the storage room are not accounted for. However much is taken away is fine; as long as we are careful, it's no problem for me to use some of them."

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

Yu Gui desired strength so intensely that he nodded in immediate agreement: "Good."