White-robed Minister

First-class

On the morning of the fourth day after moving into the West Garden, Xu Lai, Yang Shu, and Yu Shanyuan left the Military Commission.

If they wanted to board the ship, they had to walk all the way to the western dock of the city, because the cargo ships could not linger in the city's waterways after unloading their cargo.

If you go west along the main road, you'll reach Chaotianmen not far away.

"There's even a barbican here?" Xu Lai found it quite strange.

Yang Shu explained: "Nong Zhigao led his troops to besiege Guangzhou for two months, and almost captured the city several times. After the rebel army was forced back by Wang Caosi (Wang Han), Guangzhou urgently built three more barbicans."

The group passed through the barbican, and ahead were two bridges standing side by side.

Yang Shu continued his introduction: "The most people enter and leave the city here, and one bridge is simply not enough. At first, there was only Qingfeng Bridge, and later Baoshi Bridge was built. The moat under the bridge is one of the six canals of Guangzhou. The area to the south is called Xianhu Lake."

Xianhu, also known as West Lake in Guangzhou, had not yet been renamed at this time.

"See those two pagodas? The one to the north is the Thousand Buddha Pagoda of Jinghui Temple, and the one to the south is the Light Pagoda of Huaisheng Temple. In front is Chongbao Temple, and next to Chongbao Temple is Tianqing Temple..."

This area is the western part of Guangzhou, but the city walls had not yet been built at this time.

Not only was it prosperous and bustling with merchants, but it also boasted an abundance of Buddhist and Taoist temples. This was because most of Guangzhou's wealthiest merchants resided in this area. How could there not be a large number of temples and monasteries?

As the three were talking, an abandoned temple appeared ahead, and the main road passed directly through it.

"What kind of temple is this?" Xu Lai asked curiously.

Yang Shu explained, "This is Dinglin Temple, built during the Southern Han Dynasty. As for why it fell into disrepair and was left unrepaired, that's hard to say. There are many different opinions, and no one can agree on the whole story; it seems rather unlucky."

Xu Lai found it increasingly strange.

This abandoned temple is located on the main road between the commercial district and the docks. Prime location! How come it's just sitting there abandoned and nobody cares?

"Barbarians!"

Yu Shanyuan gasped in surprise; it was the first time he had ever seen something like this.

Yang Shu laughed and said, "South of Dinglin Temple is the foreign quarter. Foreigners are only allowed to live in that area and are not allowed to enter the city to buy property."

Xu Lai asked curiously, "Can barbarians be registered as households and have their names recorded?"

Yang Shu nodded and said, "The score depends on the specific circumstances."

"Those who have settled in the city for less than a year are called 'savages,' and they cannot buy houses even outside the city."

"Those who have settled in the area for more than one year and within five generations are called 'civilians' or 'residents of Tang.' They can apply to be registered as households. However, their descendants are not allowed to take the imperial examinations unless they make great contributions and are granted special favor by the court."

"Those who have settled here for more than five generations will certainly be included in the household register. However, it will still be extremely difficult for their descendants to take the imperial examinations."

"I had a classmate at the state school whose family had settled in Guangzhou at the beginning of the Song Dynasty and had married Han women for generations. However, my classmate only obtained the qualification for the imperial examination in recent years. When Nong Zhigao led his army to attack, his family voluntarily burned down their houses and shops to help the government delay the enemy and made a great contribution. Even so, it took them several years to get the qualification for the imperial examination."

Xu Lai listened with great interest, but his eyes kept glancing towards the foreign quarters.

A robust Tibetan woman walked towards him, her attire clearly different from that of the Han people, and Xu Lai couldn't help but take a few more glances at her.

The foreign woman, however, was generous and cheerful. She grinned at Xu Lai, revealing a mouthful of blood-red teeth. She chewed and spat on the ground with a smacking sound, the spitting out betel nut-tinged phlegm, which was also a striking blood-red color.

Yang Shu smiled and introduced, "This is a Persian woman."

Xu Lai was speechless for a moment.

Shouldn't a legendary Persian woman be slender and graceful, with a captivating and alluring appearance?

What on earth is this burly, betel nut-chewing foreign woman?

Yu Shanyuan seemed to have heard of the Persian woman's name as well, and his illusions were instantly shattered by the shock.

"What was that she spat out?" Xu Lai asked knowingly, wanting to know the name of betel nut in the Song Dynasty.

Yang Shu said, "Betel nut. In the last ten years or so, more and more people have been chewing betel nut. It is even prepared as a gift for guests at weddings and funerals. It is said to be good for digestion. There are also romantic scholars who call betel nut the fruit of fidelity because it does not grow side branches."

Well, this piece of junk is actually associated with health and fidelity.

Xu Lai really didn't expect this.

Amidst their laughter and conversation, they arrived at the West Wharf of the city.

There were countless inland river boats moored there, and it took the group quite a while to find the junket boat from Qingyuan County.

Back on the ship, they visited the military officer surnamed Liu, who had bloodshot eyes and was yawning constantly.

"Did Liu Jieqi not sleep well?" Xu Lai asked curiously.

The military officer rubbed his eyes: "I haven't slept for two nights in a row, busy buying and checking goods."

Xu Lai didn't ask any more questions.

The three returned to their cabin together, and all their belongings were still there.

Xu Lai then asked, "What kind of goods did the military officer escorting the shipment order?"

Yu Shanyuan said in a low voice, "The cargo ships that escort goods from Qingyuan to Guangzhou carry silver, copper coins and other goods on their way here, but there's not much to carry on their return journey. It's such a waste to leave the cargo ships empty; we can buy some goods to take back with us."

Xu Lai understood instantly.

Using government-owned ships to transport private goods!

As for profits...

Yu Shanyuan laughed and said, "Escorting the cargo from Qingyuan to Guangzhou is not only safe, but also profitable. This job as a yamen runner is far too easy. Where in the world is there such a good thing?"

Xu Lai then asked, "So, these goods belong to the county magistrate?"

Yu Shanyuan explained in detail: "The goods were purchased by the commoners in Yaqian! The commoners in Yaqian who were subjected to forced plunder were usually first- or second-class households. They had money, so naturally they should pay for the goods. Once the goods were transported to Qingyuan, the government would even help them contact buyers. Do you understand?"

Xu Lai nodded.

The money for purchasing goods is paid by the merchants who pledged the goods, so if they are investigated or punished, it has nothing to do with the officials.

After the transaction was completed, the county magistrate and registrar would definitely take the lion's share of the profits, followed by high-ranking civil officials such as clerks, and then military officers in charge of escorting the goods. Only a small portion would remain for the households that were escorted.

If the goods are stuck in the hands of the merchants and cannot be sold, then the merchants who pledged the goods will keep them and sell them slowly—they put in the most money, get the least money, and face the greatest risk.

Officials can make a fortune without embezzling or taking any risks.

Xu Lai thought to himself: If I were an official, should I accept this kind of money?

It's clearly a misuse of public resources, but if it's not used for private purposes, leaving the cabin empty would be a waste.

I'm so conflicted.

This kind of dilemma is like thinking about how to spend money if you win a big lottery prize before even buying a ticket.

Xu Lai, after all, was a graduate student with clear eyes. He thought about it for a long time and still felt that he should not use public resources for private purposes.

His idea was that goods could be transported using barges, but the majority of the profits should be used to develop the local economy, while a smaller portion should be distributed to subordinate officials to increase their motivation.

"Brother Jie, do you also transport smuggled goods on your two merchant ships on the return trip?" Xu Lai asked again.

Yang Shu shook his head: "No. When we return, we won't even be able to take the cargo ships again. Because those two ships will be used by local residents to transport other cargo back to Guangzhou."

It's a complete loss; there's absolutely no benefit.

The three chatted idly in the cabin for a while, and then realized that the ship hadn't moved at all.

Curious, they went to the deck and found the escorting officers there. Upon asking, they learned that they had to wait for the Guangzhou official ship—the ship carrying the investigating officials.

When will the official ship leave?

do not know!

Xu Lai simply went back to his cabin to read, wanting to master the Analects with Commentary as soon as possible.

Around noon, the ship finally set sail.

Xu Lai continued reading. Apart from eating and sleeping, he stayed in the cabin reading, only going out for some fresh air when he needed to use the restroom.

He seemed to have returned to the state he was in when he took the college entrance examination and postgraduate entrance examination, putting aside all distractions and devoting himself to studying.

Going to Qingyuan is like going against the current and against the wind; the journey will be much slower than the way there.

The following evening, after dinner, the three of them went to the deck for some fresh air.

"Why are you still sailing even though it's getting dark? Are you going to sail through the night?" Xu Lai asked.

Yang Shu guessed, "When I was escorting the cargo north, there was a town called Xukou along the way. Judging by the time, we should have arrived soon. It's possible that the official ship set off too late and missed the docking time, so we had to rush there in the dark."

Quhe River was formerly known as Xujiang River, and the place where it flows into the Beijiang River is called Xukou.

Xukou Town is Lubao Town in Sanshui District, Foshan.

Looking out, the villages and paddy fields on both sides of the river are shrouded in the dim night, with only occasional glimpses of light.

There were also fishing lights dotting the river.

A north wind blew, bringing a chill, but Yang Shu felt cheerful.

He said confidently, "Once we finish dealing with those matters on this trip north, we can all escape our shackles. With so much to see and so many opportunities in our youth, where can't we go?"

Yu Shanyuan laughed and said, "Given this scene, these objects, and these people, why doesn't Jie Zhi compose a poem?"

Yang Shu paced back and forth on the deck, then suddenly slapped the gunwale of the ship while looking at the river: "I've got it! The night boat will brave the waves to reach Xuguan, the lights of the river will illuminate the cold. The wind will blow through the heavy awnings without my noticing, my heart will only be set on the myriad mountains."

"What a beautiful poem!"

Xu Lai and Yu Shanyuan both exclaimed in praise.

Yang Shu smiled smugly, then added, "It's still not as good as the poem that Xu Sanlang wrote for Master Yu."

Yu Shanyuan comforted him, saying, "That poem 'New Thunder' required perfect timing, location, and people; none of these could be lacking. Yours is already excellent."

Yang Shu turned to Xu Lai and said, "Although Sanlang hasn't formally studied poetic rules, his poetic talent is exceptionally gifted. Why don't you compose a poem in response tonight?"

Xu Lai thought to himself: I have no problem copying poems, but it would be too difficult for me to write them.

"I came up with 'New Thunder' in a moment of inspiration; I really don't know how to write poetry," Xu Lai said, waving his hands repeatedly.

Yu Shanyuan, however, thought he was being modest: "The three of us enjoy composing poems together, regardless of whether they're good or bad. If we really can't write anything, even a doggerel will do. Watch me, I'll give you a doggerel!"

Xu Lai waited with a smile.

Yu Shanyuan recalled his experiences over the years and quickly composed a poem: "Thirty-something is not old, I used to be a sharpener when I won the laurel. I honed my heart by turning over worn-out documents, and now I am ready to ride the waves again."

Upon hearing this, Xu Lai and Yang Shu bowed in unison.

Yang Shu wrote poems to express his aspirations, and so did Yu Shanyuan. His last line was about wanting to take the imperial examinations again.

However, Yang Shu's poem was passionate and fiery, while Yu Shanyuan's was more self-deprecating.

The two looked at Xu Lai, quietly waiting for him and the poem.

They had reached the Xukou Town dock ahead. Xu Lai walked to the bow of the boat, stood with his hands behind his back, and slowly said, "Don't ask how many boats you'll cross on your journey; sing all the way to Qingzhou. A young man should shoulder lofty ambitions and aspire to be the best among men."

Yang Shu watched his retreating figure and murmured to himself, "A young man should aspire to reach for the clouds and consider himself the best among men..."

The boy standing at the bow of the boat wore a linen robe with fluffy reeds, a gift from the county magistrate. But as he stood there with his hands behind his back, reflected in the lights of Xukou Wharf, it seemed as if the entire river and the entire night existed solely to highlight him.

Yang Shu was momentarily stunned.

Yu Shanyuan smiled bitterly and said, "It's a pity that I'm no longer a young man, and my lofty ambitions have been worn away."

Under the moonlight, several ships docked one after another.

From the official boat next door, someone called out loudly, "The three of you, please come over for a chat!"