Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 30 Tuition Fee: Sixteen ingots of gold, used to sell official positions and titles.
Wang Cheng stared at Pu Shouying's departing figure, silently sounding an alarm bell in his heart.

Although he discovered Pu's weakness in advance, he was temporarily unable to influence the overall situation or turn the tide.

"The main problem is that he lacks strength and his words carry little weight. If we speak out, we won't kill him; instead, we might push him to the brink of desperation."

Now that we've locked onto our target, they can run away, but they can't hide.

After my outburst, they probably won't take any further forceful action until they're certain of their victory.

"Improve your strength first, then find an opportunity to secretly remind Lao Huang."

Using the identity of "Wang Fugui," he personally experienced the turbulent and unpredictable events in Yuegang. A sense of urgency, like a vicious dog barking incessantly behind Wang Cheng, made him dare not stop.

"Brothers of Fortune, Brothers of Fortune"

Wang Cheng snapped out of his daze and realized it was the chubby Huang Yuanzhou calling him. He quickly clasped his hands in a fist salute to maintain his persona.

"Mirage General".

The latter patted him on the shoulder affectionately:

"Haha, Brother Fugui, no need to be so polite."

I don't know why, but I feel a sense of familiarity when I see you, as if we've known each other for a long time.

We're all family here, so there's no need to use titles in private. Just call me Lao Huang.

"Right now, our border trade faction doesn't need you novice disciples to charge into battle. Just focus on learning skills from Elder Shen, and if you encounter any difficulties, don't hesitate to come to me."

After saying that, he took out a gold ingot from the rice bag at his waist and stuffed it into Wang Cheng's hand, winking at him:
"Don't refuse. You'll know what use this gold is when you get to Old Master Shen."

Before Wang Cheng could refuse, he and Han Zechang, the "River Rat," bid farewell to Elder Shen and left.

Before leaving, he casually tore down the arrest warrant for the Prince of Jinghai's heir from the wall, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the sea.

Wang Cheng told the Zhang brothers to return to the Zhang Fushun ship first to avoid being shot in the back, and then followed Old Shen into the city with Zheng Qian.

Zheng Qian was very enthusiastic towards his prospective junior brother, introducing him to the Yuegang Mountain and Sea Association as they walked:
"My master is usually not very willing to get involved in worldly affairs, and this is the first time in recent years that he has taken the initiative to accept people."

However, since the "Director of the Imperial Household" is in charge of water collection regulations, everything must still be done according to the rules.

Let's first arrange your apprenticeship.

Yuegang is the most important smuggling port in Dazhao and the home port for most overseas smuggling ships. Of course, the Shanhaihui here is not just Shen Yuting and Zheng Qian.

The port is dotted with many businesses belonging to the guild, and officials, managers, shop assistants, and guards all have their own things to do.

Wang Cheng had just joined the Mountain and Sea Society, so he naturally kept to his duty, listening without asking questions, and obediently followed them to the front of a pawnshop.

The gold-lacquered plaque bears the three large, elegant characters "Fenglinzhai".

On either side is a very vivid couplet:

"With what I have, I can exchange it for what I lack, and all things within the four seas will be available to me."

"Some say take it, some say don't take it; for three years I have not changed my mind, and I will not give away even a single item."

Pawnshops, also known as pawn shops, are places where items are exchanged, just like Wang Cheng's "Four Seas Coin".

The phrase "using what you have to exchange for what you lack" encapsulates the essence of a pawnshop—exchanging what you have for what you lack. And they are extremely confident, claiming to possess all sorts of treasures from around the world.

The second half of the sentence demonstrates the company's reputation and integrity.

The storefront isn't very big. Apart from a few tables and chairs in the corner, there's a tall counter that's only about as tall as a person, so customers have to hold it up with both hands to hand things over.

There is also a wooden fence around the outside for security purposes.

When they came in, there were customers pawning their items, one of whom was holding a blue silk robe and presenting it to the counter.

“Brother Fugui, this Fenglinzhai is one of our master’s properties.”

Normally, it was placed under the name of the Mountain and Sea Society to be used for the [Chaofenglang] trainees cultivated by the society to practice.

The mirage will say that there are no poor people among the "treasure hunters," but we "officials" are certainly not without wealth!

No sooner had Zheng Qian finished speaking than a young man's voice came from behind the counter:
"Ant-eaten and insect-eaten, frayed and fraying, a short-sleeved garment with a missing collar! Priced at one tael and two mace."

On the high counter, an arrogant young man took the long gown and handed the customer a pawn ticket with information about the pawned item and a tael and two mace of silver.

Incidentally, they made a profit of three times the price difference.

It is a common practice in the industry to denigrate pawned items.

In addition to lowering the price, it is also to prevent disputes when customers redeem their items in the future. Even if the items are not properly stored, there is a written agreement to cover it up.

The customer didn't even notice who came in. He walked out of the pawnshop dejectedly with his belongings in his arms. Judging from his desperate state, he probably couldn't redeem the clothes.

The young man behind the counter spotted Shen Yuting and Zheng Qian immediately and rushed out from behind the counter, his face beaming with smiles.
"Mr. Shen, what brings you here?"

Behind him, a group of pawnshop employees came out to greet everyone.

When Shen Yuting looked at him, he was no longer as amiable as before. He simply nodded casually and introduced him to Wang Cheng: "This is Dou Yan, a disciple of Fenglinzhai. He comes from the Minzhou Navy and, like you, he needs to borrow our Shanhaihui's protective object to be ordained and to be listed in the ranks."

Wang Cheng nodded, understanding what the apprentice was doing.

The divine officials were originally ordinary people, but they gained extraordinary skills by relying on the spiritual responses of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms and the Seventy-Two Seasonal Phenomena.

It is said that every profession can produce an expert. If you want to be ordained and ranked in any profession, you don't necessarily need to become the "top scholar" among ordinary people, but you should at least be a qualified "scholar".

After receiving their ordination and being listed in the ranks, they still need to continuously perform their duties in the industry in order to accumulate experience and skills, and gradually advance in rank.

Therefore, spiritual cultivation can only rely on human cultivation. Like the legendary immortals who "cultivate in the mountains" by living in the mountains and eating dew and wind, it would be futile to cultivate for a lifetime.

Dou Yan is experiencing this firsthand, truly becoming a "pawnshop clerk (manager)".

Listen to those derogatory lyrics just now; they've clearly grasped the essence of it.

Zheng Qian then continued his master's words, explaining:
“Brother Fugui, our Shanhai Society is different from other societies. Apprentices and disciples come and go freely, so there are naturally different levels and different fees required for each.

It depends on which type you want to be.

"Appreciate further details."

Zheng Qian held up one finger:
“The Dharma should not be passed on lightly, for there are karmic consequences associated with its transmission. That’s why we have a system here called ‘One Scale of Gold’.”

"A pound of gold?!"

Wang Cheng's lips twitched. In the Great Zhao Dynasty, 30 jin was a cheng, and one jin was sixteen liang. One cheng of gold was 480 liang of gold, which was exactly sixteen gold ingots. Converted into silver, it was 3840 liang!
He had heard similar claims before. The prominent Taoist alchemy lineage of the time had a practice called "One Scale of Gold," also known as "Sixteen Ingots of Gold."

The secret is a 16-character formula, and this formula is very valuable; each character is worth a gold ingot.

Wang Cheng had never heard of that closely guarded secret, but that didn't stop him from figuring out what "a scale of gold" really meant.

Sure enough, Zheng Qian said:
“Any student who has passed the imperial examinations can enter the academy by paying one ingot of gold to the association, which is about the same as the cost of donating money to go to the Imperial Academy in the capital.”

After that, one could work as an apprentice in various industries, three years after three years, until someone chose to take on an apprenticeship, at which point one could say they had finally made it through the tough times.

Wang Cheng touched the gold ingot Old Huang had given him in his pocket, then quickly shook his head:

"No, no. It's a waste of time."

Zheng Qian was not surprised and continued:

"Even if you pay two ingots of gold, you will still have to work as an apprentice doing odd jobs, but you will definitely be selected within three years and given a talisman to help you receive your ordination."

He paused for a moment after speaking. He had seen that Mirage was going to give money, and he thought that with Wang Cheng's own wealth, it would be good if he could get another ingot of gold.

Wang Cheng shook his head again:

"Three years is too long, we must seize the day. No choice, no choice."

Zheng Qian had no choice but to continue:
"Paying four ingots of gold makes you an outer disciple, allowing you to directly become an apprentice of the various stewards. You'll be exempt from all sorts of chores and can focus on your cultivation. Once you've reached the right level, you'll be ordained."

Wang Cheng glanced at Shen Yuting, who sat calmly in his chair, and still rejected the idea:
"Outer sect? Managing disciple? The managers in the guild are probably just ordinary officials, right? No choice, no choice."

Neither Shen Yuting nor Zheng Qian said anything upon seeing this.

However, Dou Yan, the apprentice waiting nearby, couldn't help but sneer inwardly when he saw that even four ingots of gold hadn't scared the boy off.
'A poor scholar, yet he speaks with such arrogance.'

An ordinary family couldn't save up a single ingot of gold even if they didn't eat or drink for ten years.

I was born into a naval family, but as an illegitimate son, I couldn't inherit the family's military rank and title. In order to find a way out after the family division, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and pay four ingots of gold.

"Look at your tattered clothes, how dare you look down on us outer disciples?!"

Of course, there aren't that many fools in the world, especially those from official families who are very good at reading people's expressions.

Although this young man's background was unknown and he didn't seem to be wealthy, since he had been personally received and introduced to the Mountain and Sea Association by Elder Shen, how could he casually start a provocation? Wouldn't that be offending someone for no reason?
It's perfectly normal for him to think whatever he wants, but there's absolutely no way he'd say it out loud.

At this point, Zheng Qian simply recited the entire price list in one go:
"The Eight Ingots of Gold is the true teaching. You can choose to become one of the members of the Mountain and Sea Society. After you have completed your studies, you will be assigned to work in ports all over China, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea. It would be easy for them to recommend you to join the Great Zhao Navy."
Sixteen ingots of gold, or one pound of gold, allows one to choose which official in the society to serve under.

Moreover, our [Chaofenglang] lineage can sell anything.

They could even sell official positions!
It doesn't matter if someone is born stupid and can't learn skills, or born lazy and can't endure hardship. We can simply sell him an official position!

High-ranking officials and wealthy people like to enroll their children in this service. Although it has a few minor flaws, it sells very well and is in high demand.

If you're even bolder, it's not a pipe dream if you want to hold multiple positions and learn the skills of other water-class officials.

if only"

Wang Cheng immediately followed up with the second half of his sentence:

"rich!"

Shen Yuting and Zheng Qian burst into laughter together:
"Ruzi can be taught."

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(End of this chapter)