Chapter 1110

The person hauled up wore a furious expression; even with the Embroidered Uniform Guard's grip on his neck, he struggled violently, his face set in defiance to the death.

Pan Yun fished around in her sleeve, pulled out a string of coins, and dangled them before him: "Want to be a guide?"

The man being held up paused, hesitated for a full three seconds, then reached out and tucked the money into his clothes.

Only then did the Embroidered Uniform Guard release him.

He carefully felt his way along the roof ridge and sat down beside Pan Yun; once he was sure there was no danger, he introduced himself: "I am Luo Yu."

Pan Yun swept a glance over his features and said, "You don't look like a Han."

"I am of the Jurchens; Luo Yu is the Han name I took for myself," Luo Yu said proudly. "I have already passed the tongsheng examination and am about to sit for the Licentiate."

Pan Yun immediately cupped her fist: "Congratulations, congratulations. I've heard the imperial court holds a special grace examination for your people, and the test papers are simpler than those for the Han."

"Only a little simpler," Luo Yu said. "And candidates selected through the grace examination can only take office locally. I still want to enter officialdom through the great examination, just like the Han."

His face full of longing, he said, "If I am fortunate enough to enter the palace and meet His Majesty, I shall have no regrets in this life; and if I could meet the National Preceptor, three lifetimes would hold no regret."

"You can only be master of this one life—you have no right to be master of the next two as well." Pan Yun tilted her chin and nodded downward, asking, "What's going on here? That fellow over there looks like he's being cursed out something fierce."

Luo Yu glanced down and said, "Oh, that's our Heilongjiang Provincial Administration Commissioner, Xue Shao."

Pan Yun had at first assumed no one recognized Xue Shao, which was why they dared to gather around cursing him like this—but it turned out everyone on the entire street knew he was the Provincial Administration Commissioner.

"Who doesn't know him? When he came to take up his post, he had gongs and drums beaten the whole way; when he entered the city, people packed both sides of the road. Here in Wuzhe Guard, there's no one who doesn't recognize him."

"Why is he being cursed at?"

"The reasons are plenty," Luo Yu said, pointing at a ruined wall in the distance inside. "See that? That used to be the wall of Wuzhe Guard. After he came, trade in Wuzhe Guard flourished, the population grew dense, so the city was expanded, and that stretch became the inner city. The wall was mostly torn down. That old woman originally lived inside that wall. Now the Commissioner thinks the inner-city roads are too narrow and the houses are low and messy, and wants to move the Provincial Administration Office, the prefecture government office, and the county government office all outside the wall—turning the inner city into the outer city. Would she be willing?"

"Those three are from three nearby tribes. The Commissioner was willing to provide them various machines at low prices, so they could hire Mr. to come back and teach the clan youths. But they think the Han practice sorcery and refuse to let Han people into the tribe. So the Commissioner had a school built at the junction of the three tribes, and ordered them to send all the age-appropriate people from the tribes to study."

Luo Yu shook his head and said, "The men of those tribes are all afraid of Han sorcery and refuse to go. But the Commissioner issued an iron decree, setting a quota for them—if the number sent to the school falls short, taxes will be heavily increased."

The imperial court now mostly supports these unruly minorities, collecting only a small amount of tax, with most being reduced or waived.

But that doesn't mean they don't understand Han taxation; on the contrary, long ago they suffered under crushing taxes.

So, weighing the options, they sent the women of the tribe, along with some frail, disabled, or very poor men, into the school.

Luo Yu said with a mocking laugh, "Forced to deal with the imperial court, they could only push these weak ones out to receive Han sorcery. But they never expected that in just half a year, these people learned farming, weaving, hunting—even witchcraft—in the school, and not only themselves but their whole families began to live better."

Pan Yun: "With benefits plain to see, even if they still worry about Han sorcery, they can't help being tempted."

"Exactly, so they picked a new batch of people to send to the school."

Pan Yun: "Lord Xue should be very pleased then—why is he still being cursed at?"