Chapter 73
"Hezhi, Brother Sheng Jia passed the Metropolitan Examination! The letter says he will soon visit Yuncheng in person!"
Fang Yu quickly scanned the letter, and his earlier slight displeasure vanished completely. He immediately smiled and spoke to the person beside him.
"Sheng Juren... no, he should be called Sheng Jinshi now... is really coming to Yuncheng as a guest?"
Fang Yu smiled and said, "Indeed. The letter also says he misses the dishes you made back in the prefectural city very much."
The last time they received a letter from Sheng Jia was before his exam journey, sent from Linyai County. Being within the same prefecture, the distance was only a few days' travel at most. By the time Fang Yu received it, Sheng Jia had already departed. The letter mentioned that after passing the provincial examination, his family's circumstances had improved considerably. He was thoroughly prepared for this trip to the capital for the Metropolitan Examination and was determined not to encounter any mishaps along the way.
Additionally, he had inquired about and expressed regret over Fang Yu's inability to take the Metropolitan Examination together. When they parted after the provincial examination, they had agreed to meet up in the prefectural city when traveling for the Metropolitan Examination, then proceed to the capital together to look out for each other. Unexpectedly, Fang Yu had encountered the mourning period for his mother and missed the exam, which also meant the two hadn't seen each other since.
Fang Yu had written back, wishing him a safe journey and excellent results. Not knowing his address in the capital, he had to send the letter back to Sheng Jia's hometown. The letters traveled back and forth, so by the time this latest one finally arrived, the season was already deep into autumn.
As the saying goes, "good things come to those who wait." And this letter certainly lived up to that—it delivered not just one, but two wonderful pieces of good news at once.
"If Sheng Jinshi really comes, I will definitely prepare fine wine and dishes to entertain him. That way, he can also pass on some experience about the exam journey and the Metropolitan Examination to you."
"Good. Since he said he's coming, he will certainly come."
Fang Yu hadn't enjoyed his happiness for long when someone from the Assistant Prefect's office came to summon him again.
Recently, it was the autumn harvest season. Following established custom, merchants who violated trade laws were required to undergo inspection, and Assistant Prefect Ji had been swamped with work. Originally, he had intended for Fang Yu to assist him, but Fang Yu, having caught a slight cold during the recent season change, felt a bit lazy and didn't want to work. So he suggested to the Assistant Prefect that he take Ji Yunlu along instead. It would give Ji Yunlu more official experience, which would be immensely helpful whether he was writing future examination essays or eventually serving in an official post himself.
The Assistant Prefect thought it made perfect sense—theoretical knowledge was no match for practical experience. So, he happily took the reluctant Ji Yunlu to inspect the lands, allowing Fang Yu to successfully slack off.
Now that Assistant Prefect Ji had sent a message for him again, Fang Yu found himself wondering whether something had happened.
"It's nothing major. Last autumn, many merchants in the city opened their granaries to aid the disaster-stricken people, which I thought was a very good trend. But this year is a harvest year, and the city's merchants have been inactive. Although it's a bountiful year, there are still inevitably people who have suffered poor harvests due to unforeseen circumstances. It would be great if merchants could open their granaries for relief after the autumn harvest."
Ji Congyong said, "Last year, the ideas you provided were very useful. That's why I've called you here to see if you can think of a way to get merchants to open their granaries? I've been busy inspecting lands recently and truly can't spare the time."
Fang Yu understood Ji Congyong's meaning—whether there was a disaster or not, the goal was simply to get merchants to open their granaries and distribute grain, establishing a tradition of aiding the people after the autumn harvest. This would foster honest and upright folk customs, and it would also look good on an official's record. Assistant Prefect Ji naturally wanted to manage this area well.
"This student has observed that last year, the merchants highly valued the commendation medals awarded by the prefectural office. If the prefectural office continues to encourage this, it would be easier to boost the merchants' enthusiasm."
"That's easy. We'll just issue medals again this year."
Fang Yu shook his head. "Last year, twelve medals were issued at once. If we issue them to everyone again this year, merchants might open their granaries for the people once more out of novelty. But once medals become commonplace and everyone has one, they won't be as precious anymore. It might become even harder to get merchants to open their granaries in the future."
"How about this: we still issue medals, but only three. Earning a medal isn't just about distributing aid or lowering prices for the people's benefit. The Assistant Prefect must inspect each act of distribution, scoring the merchants who aid the people, ranking them first, second, and third, and then awarding the medals accordingly. The one with the most varied methods and who can most empathetically and effectively aid the people will naturally get first place."
"This way, a competitive relationship is created among merchants for providing aid. They will secretly compete, treating the act of aiding the people as a serious matter." Fang Yu continued, "But just making merchants compete isn't enough. They aren't foolish enough to compete for no reason. They need to feel the reward is meaningful. While a medal's honor is high enough, it can only be hung at home. To show off and gain face, they need to invite people to their homes for others to see, which is ultimately troublesome."
He smiled. "Actually, because of their low social status, merchants are even more concerned with face. If there were prizes that allowed them to flaunt their prestige, they would naturally participate actively. Medals aren't like scholar identity token that can be worn daily for others to see. If we pair them with an award issued by the authorities that can be displayed outside, the merchants would be delighted."
"According to your meaning, the reward is crucial. So what exactly should we prepare as a prize to make merchants compete fiercely for it?"
"This student thinks that if the authorities award the first-place winner a large carriage of the specification only scholars are entitled to, engraved with a special plaque from the authorities, the winning merchant could freely ride it into the market for a usage period of one year, after which it cannot be used again. Then, the following year, if we bring out this prize again, it would still be highly sought after. Wouldn't the other merchants be envious? Similarly, we could issue a government-made access token, allowing entry into designated shops in the city even without a scholar accompanying, with the usage period pre-engraved by the authorities. Wouldn't merchants still fight tooth and nail for it?"
"Hahahahaha!" Ji Congyong listened intently, pointing at Fang Yu with a smile wrinkling his old eyes. "You sly one! I knew calling you here would be right. If only Xiao Si (Little four) could be as clever and not so wooden, I would be even happier!"
Fang Yu hurriedly said, "Sir, please don't praise this student like that. Brother Ji is a modest gentleman. It's because this student is unlearned and talentless that I came up with such a sly method."
He knew these things because the Qiao family were merchants. Since Madam Chen passed away, the two families had been in close contact. Mother Qiao would come to visit Qiao Hezhi every few days, and his father-in-law had repeatedly invited him—if he couldn't drink wine, they would drink tea. With so much interaction, he naturally learned much about merchant habits.
Fang Yu had even met many of the Qiao family's business friends. Last year, the merchants who received medals boasted endlessly. If there were better rewards, they would certainly compete fiercely. These merchants had substantial family fortunes; the money spent on opening granaries to aid the people was merely equivalent to hosting a couple of banquets, not even comparable to a single gift sent to an official's household.
"You may as well accept my praise." Ji Congyong was truly satisfied, stroking his beard. "Considering you've offered a good idea, I will inform you of some good news here."
Fang Yu's interest was piqued. "This student is all ears!"
"An edict has already come from above. After dragging on for a year, that old fellow Qian Wuzhang has been dismissed from his post. Considering his age, the higher authorities ordered him to pay five thousand taels of silver to compensate the people, after which he will be sent back to his place of origin." Ji Congyong narrowed his eyes. "He should be leaving next month."
Fang Yu felt a surge of joy. Although Qian Wuzhang had still held the title of County Magistrate in Yuncheng this past year, it was in name only. Even so, the old scoundrel had still engaged in underhanded dealings in secret, likely knowing he would be sent back to his hometown in retirement. While Fang Yu disapproved of his shady practices, he couldn't stop people from willingly sending him money. Now, hearing that he also had to pay compensation, Fang Yu was immediately delighted.
"He deserves punishment for his misdeeds. But once he leaves next month, when will the new County Magistrate take office?"
Ji Congyong said, "Recently, all regions have been busy inspecting lands. I haven't received news from that side yet. But for a county like Yuncheng, neither the higher authorities nor the prefectural side would allow a promoted provincial graduate to fill the County Magistrate position."
Speaking of this, Ji Congyong patted Fang Yu's shoulder again. "If you hadn't been delayed from the Metropolitan Examination, and had passed the spring examination, I could have exhausted all my connections to have you fill this position. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned."
Fang Yu was greatly shocked. Although a County Magistrate was only a minor seventh-rank official, one rank below an Assistant Prefect—and he knew the saying "an official one rank higher can crush you," which was why Qian Wuzhang had been firmly suppressed by the Assistant Prefect—he was shocked that Ji Congyong, a sixth-rank official, could confidently say he could mobilize connections to make Fang Yu the County Magistrate of a place like Yuncheng.
The premise was passing the Metropolitan Examination. Put that way, it didn't seem like an impossible fantasy. However, Yuncheng was not only prosperous, but more importantly, officials generally avoided serving in their hometowns right at the start of their careers. He hadn't expected Ji Congyong to have a way.
He took a slight breath. Truly, an official family with generations of service—even if the official posts weren't high, the foundation was still there.
After discussing the matter of merchants opening granaries, Fang Yu returned and stayed up late writing a detailed plan. He designed the act of opening granaries to aid the people into a competition, naming the event theme "Autumn Harvest Celebration." He elaborated and specified the time, location, competition rules, etc., based on today's discussion with Ji Congyong, then submitted it to him. The authorities would post notices in advance, so the city's merchants would soon know the news.
Fang Yu set a registration period and deadline, plus a preparation period for the competition. Once the news was out, the city immediately buzzed with excitement again. Both the wealthy and the poor were beneficiaries, and everyone was happy about the event.
However, he didn't have time to watch the commotion. His one-year probationary appointment had ended. He needed to attend the inauguration ceremony at the academy and make up for the lectures he had missed. His tasks were still quite heavy.
Early in the morning, Qiao Hezhi helped him dress, fastening his belt while saying, "This set of clothes was made last year. As you requested, it needed to look dignified, so we specifically chose this dark cyan color. It fits perfectly now."
Fang Yu spun in front of the bronze mirror. It looked excellent. Eating vegetarian food this past year and frequently riding horses had been very successful for his physique. The waistband cinched snugly, accentuating his broad shoulders and narrow waist—a striking figure complemented by his youthful, handsome features. Even the elderly neighbor lady, who had been married for fifty years, would have nodded in approval.
He took Qiao Hezhi's hand and placed it on his chest, full of confidence. "My health is especially good now."
Qiao Hezhi lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, well aware the man was acting strange again. He adjusted Fang Yu's collar firmly. "Father saw the notice outside and immediately went to the authorities to register. He said he was the first to sign up and even received praise from the officials."
Fang Yu insisted, "Don't believe me? Feel carefully~ I also seem to have grown a bit taller since last year. Being a young couple is indeed good; we can even grow together."
Qiao Hezhi remained calm. "After the inauguration ceremony today, the Dean will probably invite you for a simple meal. I won't bring you lunch. Some friends from my social circle have invited me to the Qin Tower, so I won't come to pick you up in the afternoon either."
Fang Yu: "......"
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