Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 76 The Ambition to Restore the World
"Han San Niang won a round, so she should get a share."

Lu Beigu pondered for a moment and said, "Although you two lost, you have given it your all. If I take everything from you, I will feel guilty."

After thinking for a moment, Han Sanniang suggested, "Let's calculate it as 500 strings of cash. Elder brother's share goes to Young Master Lu, and I'll leave mine as is. Ji and Lu will each take 50 strings, and Young Master Lu will take a total of 300 strings. How does that sound?"

The group readily agreed.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Han Ziyu then spoke to Han San Niang.

"Alright, then let Brother Lu keep this copy of 'The Record of Buddhist Temples in Luoyang' for now. Later, Third Sister will go to the paper money shop in Hejiang County to get some paper money and then we'll split the profits."

The so-called "Jiaozi Shop" was actually a private bank at that time. Initially, because iron coins were too heavy and currency circulation was extremely inconvenient, in order to solve the problem of merchants having difficulty carrying large sums of money, 16 large merchants in Chengdu jointly established the first Jiaozi Shop, which specializes in providing cash safekeeping services.

Later, the Song Dynasty established the Yizhou Jiaozi Bureau, which centralized the right to issue Jiaozi (paper money) and prohibited private minting. Jiaozi officially became legal tender. However, these Jiaozi shops were preserved and were distributed in almost all major trading hubs in Sichuan. They provided cash storage and withdrawal services. However, there was no interest on depositing money in Jiaozi shops. In addition, a 3% annual storage fee had to be paid.

As a T-shaped waterway hub connecting western Sichuan with eastern Sichuan and even the mountainous areas of the south, Hejiang County naturally had paper shops.

As a prominent family in Luzhou, the Han family naturally had frequent dealings with these paper money shops. Family members had a withdrawal limit in their accounts, and as long as they could prove their identity, they could withdraw money at any time, which was much more convenient than carrying it on their bodies.

Just then, Han San Niang suddenly took out her certificate of receiving her Dharma name and the letter of recommendation from the Prajna Sutra Retreat Center, and handed them to Lu Bei Gu.

“Young Master Lu, these two items are useless to me, so I will give them to you.”

Lu Beigu was taken aback. This was a good thing, as it would be useful for his nephew and niece. After thanking him, he accepted the gift.

"If my sister-in-law knew that Yu Chi and Yan Xi had been blessed with Dharma names by the abbot of Fawang Temple and would have the opportunity to attend the Prajna Sutra Hall to listen to lay sermons, she would be very happy, wouldn't she?"

Lu Beigu thought to himself.

I got a lot of good stuff this time, plus the Shu brocade that Li Pan gave me when I went to Chengdu. I can give my sister-in-law a surprise when she moves here with her two children.

As for which specific residential land to buy for the relocation, he still needs to consider it before making a decision.

By this time, the group was quite exhausted from climbing the mountain, so they asked Fawang Temple to send them two donkey carts from the temple to take them back to the county town.

Sitting on the speeding donkey cart, Lu Beigu also experienced the joy that Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty had felt at the Gaoliang River.

In fact, most of the donkey carts in the Song Dynasty were large flatbed wagons, which were very suitable for short and medium-distance transportation. They used a large wheel double shaft design, and the rear of the cart was usually reinforced with hardwood. They were not slow and were stable, so the riding experience was not bad.

“I see that most of the vehicles traveling around Hejiang County are donkey carts, just like the ones we are riding in. Why don’t I see many mule carts?”

Lu Beigu asked casually.

In his memory, it seems that there were many mule carts in ancient times, after all, mules are much stronger and faster than donkeys.

It is well known that the Song Dynasty lacked horse farms, so it is normal that there were few horse-drawn carriages among the common people. Lu Beigu rarely saw horse-drawn carriages, but why were donkey carts the most commonly used instead of mule carts?
"I guess breeding mules is too much work, so it's better to keep breeding donkeys," Lu Guangyu guessed.

"That makes sense. Donkeys are adaptable in many ways, can tolerate roughage, and have a much lower cost of raising them than horses and mules. However, in my hometown, there are actually more oxcarts."

Han Ziyu invited, "If you have time to come to Luchuan County, I'll take you for a ride in an oxcart. It's a bit slow, but the oxcart's carriage is much bigger than a horse-drawn carriage, and it's very comfortable."

Lu Beigu nodded and said, "If I can pass the county examination, the next step is to go to Shangzhou Academy in Luchuan County. At that time, I will inevitably have to trouble you two again."

At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, Luzhou actually had six counties under its jurisdiction: Luchuan, Hejiang, Jiang'an, Mianshui, Jingnan, and Fuyi. Later, in the fifth year of the Qiande era, due to military and financial reasons, Mianshui County was abolished and merged into Jiang'an, and Luchuan County was merged into Jingnan and Fuyi Counties. So today, Luzhou only has three large counties left: Luchuan, Hejiang, and Jiang'an.

In addition, Luzhou also has two salt administrations, Yujing and Nanjing, which are comparable in size to ordinary counties. Although these two salt administrations are not formal administrative districts, they have a large number of residents.

"Young Master Lu is right."

Han Sanniang smiled and said, "What's the big deal about bothering you? You're more than welcome."

The donkey cart sped into Hejiang County, and Han Sanniang went to the bank to collect her money.

Following Han San Niang's suggestion, everyone received their share, and at Han Zi Yu's invitation, they had dinner together again.

Three meals a day are a luxury for ordinary people.

This era is in the transition period from a two-meal system to a three-meal system. Due to economic conditions, two meals a day are still the mainstream for ordinary people. In the case of a two-meal system, breakfast is at eight or nine in the morning and is called "yong", while dinner is at four or five in the afternoon and is called "sun".

What do you do if you're hungry at noon? Well, you just have to tough it out.

Therefore, it is evident that the free lunch system implemented by the county school using the income from the school land was truly a benevolent policy. It can only be said that although Fan Zhongyan himself was caught in the rain while studying hard with porridge, he did not forget to hold an umbrella for future generations.

However, class differences always exist. For officials and wealthy merchants, they usually eat three meals a day. With the prosperity of the local economy, ordinary citizens sometimes go to the night market for extra meals.

Han Ziyu instructed the waiter to bring a pot of Fengqu liquor and ordered some dishes.

"Let's first toast Young Master Lu with a celebratory drink!"

Everyone raised their glasses, exchanged smiles, and the glasses clinked gently in the air, making a crisp sound.

Outside the window, bursts of noise drifted in—the cries of vendors and the laughter of passersby at the night market. As a water transport hub, Hejiang County has always had a bustling night market; even with the windows closed, the lively sounds of people filling the streets were clearly audible.

"Brother Lu just said he was going to the state school."

Han Ziyu picked up a piece of steamed sea bass with her chopsticks and casually asked, "Have you already chosen a teacher to follow?"

Is there any other way to say this?
Lu Beigu shook his head and said only, "I know nothing about this matter."

"The state school has three dormitories, upper, middle and lower, each with several teachers in charge of teaching. They have different temperaments and areas of expertise. You can choose a teacher to guide you without affecting your normal studies, but you must choose the teacher carefully."

It sounds like small class teaching, but it implies a mentorship system.

Han Ziyu thought for a moment and said, "I am on good terms with several of you gentlemen. If Brother Lu comes to the state school, I can introduce you to a few of them."

"Then thank you very much, Brother Han."

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone was slightly tipsy.

The conversation naturally shifted from the state school to the imperial court.

Ji Yun said, "I heard that the matter of choosing an heir in the court is very heated right now, and several scholars have been demoted and exiled from the capital because of it."

“The situation in the country is difficult, and the emperor is not as ambitious as he was during the Qingli era,” Lu Guangyu added.

Han Ziyu took a swig of wine and sighed heavily.

"Sigh, if you ask me, there's no need to think about these things. Passing the imperial examination is incredibly difficult, and the competition at the prefectural schools is already so fierce. With the current situation in the imperial court being so complicated, it's better to live a peaceful life in the local area than to get involved."

This idea was, of course, related to the fact that he had been hovering between the top and bottom dormitories in the state school and had never been able to reach the top.

Over time, and given that his family was quite large and wealthy, it was inevitable that he would have such thoughts.

Lu Beigu seemed to understand what was going on, and said softly, "Brother Han, you are mistaken. It is precisely because of the turmoil in the court that upright people are needed to step forward."

"Oh?" Han Ziyu became interested. "Brother Lu, do you perhaps have the ambition to restore order to the world?"

"I can't say I'm saving the world." Lu Beigu shook his head. "It's just that I come from a humble background and know the suffering of the people. If I can enter officialdom, at least I can do something practical for the people of this place."

He spoke calmly yet sincerely, which inevitably earned him the respect of everyone present.

There's a difference between putting on an act and speaking from the heart.

A strange light flashed in Han San Niang's eyes, and she couldn't help but take another look at Lu Bei Gu.

"Come, let's raise a glass to Brother Lu! May you one day be able to call your name outside Donghua Gate!"

Han Ziyu, flushed from drinking, raised his glass to Lu Beigu and said...

Lu Beigu also smiled and said, "If one day we can meet outside Donghua Gate, it would be a wonderful story."

Several people laughed.

Everyone knows how difficult the provincial examination is. Year after year, students from the prefectures have to fight tooth and nail for the few quotas available for the Ministry of Rites' provincial examinations in the capital.

But every year, students from Luzhou State School would go to Kaifeng to take the provincial examinations, and how many of them actually passed and became Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations)?
Very few.

Every candidate who could participate in the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites was a genius in their respective state school, but the world has no shortage of geniuses.

Therefore, no one took these words seriously; they were simply considered nonsense uttered at a dinner party.

After drinking a few more cups of Fengqu wine, Lu Beigu felt a bit hot. Fortunately, the private room on the second floor of the restaurant was located by the river. He pushed open the carved wooden window, and the night view of Hejiang County unfolded before his eyes like a painting.

As dusk settled, lights began to twinkle throughout the city, with fishing lights on the river reflecting off the shore, creating a scene reminiscent of a celestial river cascading down to earth.

Lu Beigu stood by the railing, his slender fingers gently stroking the window frame, but his gaze went beyond the lights of thousands of homes, looking into the darkness in the distance.

He didn't know if others took it as a joke, but he himself was confident that he would arrive outside Donghua Gate.

Because of the practical experience gained from this Zen gathering, Lu Beigu clearly felt a significant improvement in his poetry skills.

Zhao Bian's special training was extremely effective, and after mastering the methods, even without a teacher, Lu Beigu could still make further progress by studying his notes on his own.

Therefore, his current poetic abilities are more than sufficient to handle the county-level examination.

Lu Beigu had a premonition that his time in Hejiang County wouldn't last much longer.

(End of this chapter)