Chapter 220 Kicking the Ball Around

Chapter 220 Kicking the Ball Around

"Great virtue! There is great virtue!"

In the teahouse, with a bang of the gavel, Scholar Zhou slammed his hand on the square table, "Impressive! Truly impressive! Such a young girl, clicking her abacus without even looking up, so casually, yet she almost made my old knees buckle!"

"I reminded her that illiterate people couldn't buy your 'Xuantian' products!"

"What do you think she said?"

Scholar Zhou was so engrossed in his story that he didn't notice the gavel bang and the subsequent silence—his voice drowned out the two performers from Suzhou who were singing Pingtan.

The performers looked at Scholar Zhou speechlessly: You should have gone into the imperial exams; it would be a shame for Great Wei's art history if you didn't sing Peking Opera with that voice.

A man in a long robe beside Scholar Zhou exclaimed, "What did she say!?"

The performers thought to themselves: He's wrong; these two should go into crosstalk. It’s been very popular in Northern Zhili recently—one as the straight man and one as the funny man; they'd become famous eventually.

Scholar Zhou slapped the table again, "She said that if an illiterate person came to buy paper, she wouldn't mind giving them a bundle for free!"

Scholar Zhou interlocked his hands, slapping his palms together, "We're talking about class, isn't it? Isn't it grand? Isn't it honest?"

"Class—"

"Grand—"

"Honest—"

Their exclamations were perfectly synchronized and echoed through the room.

The two performers exchanged glances, seeing helplessness in each other's eyes: They shouldn't have taken this touring gig!

An old man with a goatee beard sitting next to Scholar Zhou was sipping tea when he heard the commotion. He leaned over, frowned, and asked, "Are you talking about Madam He from Chen's? A little girl full of tricks..."

Scholar Zhou exclaimed, "Hey!" and slapped the corner of the table three times, "Pah, pah, pah! That's not trickery; that's intelligence!"

The old man with the goatee chuckled, holding his tea bowl, and sat beside Scholar Zhou, mimicking their mannerisms, "Didn't I hear that Madam He raised the price of paper throughout Xuancheng and neighboring prefectures, making it unaffordable for many scholars?"

Scholar Zhou nodded, "That's true."

The old man smiled and placed his teacup on the edge of the table, "I heard from the Xuancheng Academy, oh no, from the old men I drink with, that she made all of you scholars complain bitterly. Don't you resent her?"

Scholar Zhou nodded honestly, "Initially, we did."

The old man nodded understandingly.

Scholar Zhou's honest gaze revealed a hint of weariness, "But resentment comes from admiration. Now that Madam He has turned over a new leaf, we've reconciled and are as harmonious as ever."

The old man's face contorted, looking at Scholar Zhou as if he were crazy: He had suggested burning those trashy books like 'Overbearing Tutor Falls in Love with Me' and 'That Scholar Is Handsome'! Burn them to ashes!

The old man was silent for a moment, then quietly moved his stool away, closer to the man with the loudest voice, "So, does it mean that the scholars of Xuancheng support Chen's?"

The man with the high-pitched voice nodded vigorously, "They supported before, stopped supporting, and now support again—"

He laughed, "A bundle of plain white paper costs only six hundred cash. We can share the cost and copy our articles for submission to our teachers—it's incredibly cheap! As long as 'Xuantian' doesn't raise prices, I'm willing to wave the flag for Madam He forever!"

"Which do you prefer, Baiji or Chen's?" The old man interrupted the high-pitched voice's praise.

The high-pitched voice responded loudly, "Chen's! Baiji always follows others, eating their stinky feet! When Chen's raises prices, Baiji does too. When Chen's offers cheaper paper, Baiji does the same. It lacks integrity! We scholars value our backbone most!"

The old man looked at the high-pitched man for a while, speechless: When you said you'd wave the flag for Madam He forever, I saw nothing but softness except for your mouth.

What's happening in Xuancheng?

It's a place of talent, producing Qiao Fangzhi from the Qiao family and Chen Kuang from the previous generation. The younger generation is even more remarkable—Chen Jianfang, who is highly regarded in Southern Zhili, Qiao Hui, who ran away but is still watched closely, and Cui Heng, the county magistrate of Jing County appointed directly by the government...

Apart from these individuals, what kind of strange creatures are the next generation!

The old man sighed and moved his stool further away, sitting between the high-pitched and low-pitched voices, listening to the scholars praise Madam He.

The high-pitched voice said, "I said 'Fubai' was just a temporary measure. Madam He wouldn't leave us poor scholars without paper—when she was in Jing County, she provided paper for the poor students at Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard."

The low-pitched voice agreed, "Yes! One of them, Du Junning, passed the scholar exam last year at thirteen! And he's only a few years younger than the one who ran away!"

The high-pitched voice continued, "Madam He is loyal. Who dared to associate with the Qiao family back then? She took care of the eldest daughter under pressure, begging everyone to help the Qiao family..."

The low-pitched voice added, "Saying she's loyal is an understatement—it's loyalty reaching the heavens!"

The low-pitched voice stretched his arms wide, turning around with bright eyes, mimicking a classic gesture from the end of the play "Zhi Qu Weihu Shan."

The old man was stunned, clapping spontaneously.

This Pingtan performance was ruined, but he witnessed another show... He felt a mix of emotions...

If Xianjin were here, she would be pleased.

These scholars praised her without mentioning her appearance or figure—degendering her was the highest compliment in today's society.

The old man finished his tea and walked out, hands behind his back.

Stepping out of the teahouse, he headed straight for "Xuantian."

No one greeted him.

But he saw two large lines on the stage.

He noticed several young men in long robes huddled around the counter, pooling their money to buy paper, showing no embarrassment due to lack of funds—perhaps because there were no shop assistants watching? They could freely and truthfully make their purchases?

Scholars valued their dignity; if a respectful shop assistant stood nearby, they would find ways to buy what they liked, even if they had no money—hence why some scholars ended up in debt...

The man with the goatee beard looked around and saw that customers could try out pens on paper in the store—those who drew, wrote, or copied Buddhist scriptures... everyone got what they needed, very straightforward.

The man with the goatee beard took a look around, touched the paper a couple of times, nodded slightly, and then stepped out.

Just as he turned the corner, he moved slightly and whispered to his attendant, "For this year's spring examination papers and all the official school supplies in Southern Zhili, include the Chen family in the selection process."

The attendant was surprised, thoughts racing through his mind, "B-but... previously, it was almost decided to go with the Bai family..."

The man with the goatee beard walked out with his hands behind his back, raising an eyebrow, "Decided? Who decided?"

The attendant's eyes darted, "Before the New Year, when you went to the Capital City for your annual report, the Assistant Prefect of Shun Tian Prefecture came by the office and mentioned it."

The man with the goatee beard frowned, "Was he itching for something? Did he make a special trip just for this?"

The attendant spoke discreetly, "It's said that the Assistant Prefect's concubine, Miss Bai, just gave birth to a son for him. He's overjoyed with his late-life son, so even though this isn't his jurisdiction, we should still give him some face..."

Shun Tian Prefecture is the capital of Southern Zhili, and the Assistant Prefect is the right-hand man of the Prefect, a position of considerable influence. While a fourth-rank official might not be much in the Capital City, in Shun Tian Prefecture, he's a significant figure.

He's also a fourth-rank official, overseeing education. Logically, choosing which paper to use falls under his purview... but there's no need to offend the Assistant Prefect over a small family like the Chens, is there?

Even the gatekeeper of a prime minister has a seventh-rank position.

Although both are fourth-rank officials, the deputy of the head official and a departmental head have vastly different levels of power.

The man with the goatee beard stood still, stroked his beard, and after a moment, said, "Send a notice to County Magistrate Xiong, asking him to recommend two paper merchants from his jurisdiction and rank them according to his preference. We'll make the final selection from those recommendations."

"Phew—" With this kick, it's no longer his problem!

The man with the goatee beard chuckled, a sly and cunning smile on his face.