vstars Chapter 59 Can't Become an Official Anymore
Chapter 59 Can't Become an Official Anymore
Li Shoutian's face was full of complex emotions. He knew very well that not all the people who died back then were killed by Song Jingmin.
But this person was the culprit.
If he hadn't killed Li Ermao with a single blow, there wouldn't have been the subsequent brawl.
Moreover, several people were killed in the brawl.
Most importantly, Song Jingmin was no longer a resident of Sanshi Village at that time; he had been invited to help.
It is not uncommon for disputes to arise over water during years of severe drought.
If it is just a village-to-village fight, the dead and wounded can only accept their bad luck.
But if an outsider comes to get involved, then it's no longer a dispute between villages, but hatred.
That's why Sanshi Village gave in so easily when the county magistrate came to mediate.
Not only because they lost the fight, but also because they were in the wrong.
If Chu Xun were a highly skilled martial artist, then revenge would be one thing.
But he was just a farmer.
"You should think twice before you act on this matter. That's a martial artist. His fists can split stone tablets and shatter rocks. He's very powerful," Li Shoutian said worriedly.
"I know what I'm doing," Chu Xun said.
Li Shoutian knew his temperament; he wasn't the type to act impulsively. So he said, "Just be careful. I'm an old man who's lost several teeth, so I can't say much. But think of the people around you first. If something happens to you, Anxiu won't be able to handle it."
Chu Xun hummed in agreement, then asked, "You didn't come here just to talk to me about the martial arts school, did you?"
"There's one more thing I'd like to discuss with you," Li Shoutian said, his expression somewhat embarrassed, causing wrinkles to gather on his forehead and around his eyes.
His sister-in-law and two sons all wanted to sell their house and land.
Priced at four hundred taels.
Not only that, he also went all over the village looking for people to borrow money.
Those women even borrowed money from their own families.
The family went to Li Shoutian and insisted that he help them sell their assets and borrow another two hundred taels of silver.
The promise is that within three years, the principal and interest will be repaid, totaling 230 taels.
It wasn't really a loss, but Li Shoutian felt inexplicably uneasy.
Selling houses and land, what are they planning to do?
They said they were raising money to support Li Chang'an's studies in preparation for next year's autumn imperial examinations, but they wouldn't need this much.
Upon hearing this, Chu Xun immediately guessed what the family was planning to do.
If you only participate in the autumn imperial examination, 180 taels will be enough. Even if you add paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones, and buy books, it will not exceed 200 taels at most.
The money raised now amounts to nearly a thousand taels, which is probably intended to bribe the examiners and engage in favoritism and fraud.
Li Chang'an had participated in the autumn imperial examinations twice, but failed both times.
The last time Chu Xun saw him, his hair was disheveled, he was filthy, and his eyes were bloodshot, making him look like a madman.
Presumably, he couldn't bear the torment of the imperial examinations and wanted to take a shortcut.
Chu Xun refused outright, citing the high price.
A few hundred taels of silver was nothing to him.
But if Li Chang'an uses this money to cheat, it might cause trouble in the future.
"Village chief, you should go back and persuade him. Burning your boats might not be the best course of action. If Chang'an wants to take the imperial examinations, he should spend money to find an academy and study properly for a few years."
"He's still young, he has many opportunities."
Li Shoutian thought the same way, so he didn't say much more about it.
After returning home, following Chu Xun's advice, he tried to persuade Li Tianjian's wife, but after only a few words, the old woman became agitated.
"You just don't want to see officials in Chang'an!"
"You think you can bully us just because our old man is gone?! The old one's gone, but we still have the young one!"
Li Shoutian had no choice but to pay up two hundred taels of silver, unable to refuse.
They also went to great lengths to help sell houses and land to villagers or outsiders who wanted to settle in Songguo Village.
When Chu Xun learned of this, he could only sigh.
Good fortune and misfortune are intertwined; who knows what the future holds?
Six months later, Huan'er was summoned to Fenggu City to study under Tang Shijun.
He was already very intelligent, and Tang Shijun had given him careful guidance.
In the subsequent provincial examination, he indeed came out on top again and obtained the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations).
At the same time, Li Chang'an returned to the village, his head held high, practically reaching for the sky.
The whole family laughs loudly at everyone they meet and shouts all over the world.
"My son, Li Chang'an, ranked thirty-seventh on the autumn imperial examination list! He'll be a successful candidate in the provincial examination soon!"
The family, carrying official documents, circled the village three times, especially when passing by Chu Xun's house.
Li Tianjian's wife held up the document and shouted, "Chu Xun, back then we asked you to buy my family's land to support your studies in Chang'an, and you still complained it was too expensive!"
"Don't refuse a favor offered to you; you'll regret it later!"
Before Chu Xun could say anything, Zhang Anxiu had already run out and scolded the woman in the fields, "What's wrong with taking the imperial examination? My nephew Huan'er is already a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination). He'll not only pass the provincial-level examination in the future, but he'll also become the top scholar!"
"Furthermore, the prefect of Fenggu City is very familiar with my Xun-ge'er. What are you shouting about? Can a mere scholar be more powerful than the prefect?"
Li Tianjian's wife was scolded until her face turned black, but she didn't dare to retaliate.
Chu Xun's family did indeed have a very good relationship with the prefect, and Huan'er was even a protégé of Tang Shijun.
I can't afford to offend them...
He had come intending to show off, but was humiliated and left disappointed.
When Zhang Anxiu returned, she said to Chu Xun, who was standing in front of the vegetable garden, "He's already so arrogant after just passing the imperial examination. If Li Chang'an really became an official, wouldn't he be unruly?"
Chu Xun chuckled: "Look how angry you are, why bother arguing with them like this?"
Zhang Anxiu said, "I just can't stand their smug, petty attitude. They even came to our house to make a scene. Didn't they see the plaque on the door given to them by the prefect?"
"In my opinion, he's not cut out for any official position!"
Chu Xun laughed as he listened; he liked Zhang Anxiu's spirit.
Even if God himself came, he couldn't change her mind.
After Li Chang'an passed the imperial examination, many farmers and merchants came to him to register under his name to evade taxes.
Over the course of a year, one can earn several hundred taels of silver.
The family was overjoyed; they received several hundred taels of silver a year.
Within two years, the borrowed money will be paid back.
You can also buy back the farmland and houses that you previously sold.
This deal was definitely a good one.
However, Li Chang'an was not very happy, because all he wanted was to become an official.
But he never expected that passing the imperial examination and becoming an official were completely different things.
In the blink of an eye, the autumn harvest is just around the corner.
Li Chang'an, who had not received any news, went to the Registrar's Office of the Prefectural Government to inquire, only to be humiliated by the mere ninth-rank official.
"So many successful candidates in the imperial examinations are still waiting in the Ministry of Personnel. You, a mere provincial graduate, think you can become an official?"
"You overestimate yourself. Go back and wait. When all the scholars who passed the imperial examinations are gone, it will be your turn to take the top spot."
Li Chang'an then realized that passing the imperial examination did not guarantee an official position.
Most successful candidates in the imperial examinations were considered lucky if they could become secretaries in the county government.
After returning, Li Chang'an sat there blankly for two days and two nights without eating.
He sold everything he owned and borrowed a thousand taels of silver, risking his life to bribe the examiners, thinking that passing the imperial examination would guarantee him an official position.
As it turns out, people say that even those who have passed the imperial examinations are queuing up for appointments by the Ministry of Personnel, and some have been waiting for seven or eight years without any news.
What is the point of passing the imperial examination?
Just to earn 1,800 taels of silver a year?
What use is this little bit of silver!
Can I make myself more glamorous than Chu Xun?
He went berserk and tore the books he had accumulated over the years to shreds.
The Li family, including Li Tianjian, were at a loss, looking at Li Chang'an who seemed to be possessed.
What's that old saying again?
A clean prefect for three years, accumulating 100,000 taels of silver.
Isn't the purpose of becoming an official simply to make money?
They didn't understand that since they could already make money, what did it matter if they couldn't become officials?
On the contrary, Zheng Xiuwen, who was originally demoted and investigated, was reinstated after the autumn examination.
In addition, the imperial court added a seventh-rank county magistrate position to the county government, who was in charge of civil affairs.
Li Zhaoming, who served as a county magistrate for two years, was not at too much of a loss when he switched to the position of county assistant.