frightfiction Chapter 663 Gold buys horse bones
Chapter 663 Gold buys horse bones
Zhang Xiu returned home overnight, laden with the payment delivered by Chen Yu.
On the way back, Zhang Xiu had a companion, Pi Dan. Pi Dan had come with his wife and children and clearly did not intend to return. Zhang Xiu chatted with Pi Dan for a while and found that the man was elegant in speech and well-mannered, a promising talent, so he decided to recommend him to Wang Fu.
Although he agreed to Chen Yu's request, he couldn't just recommend anyone. He knew that in this era, recommenders had joint liability. If he recommended a scoundrel, he would suffer the consequences. So, he had to be extremely careful about making recommendations.
Several days later, Zhang Xiu successfully returned to Jianye, went straight to the governor's mansion to report the situation to Wang Fu, and recommended Pi Dan to Wang Fu.
Upon learning that the Chen family had voluntarily cooperated in disseminating the novel and recommending officials, Wang Fu was overjoyed. He patted the armrest excitedly and said, "Excellent! This Pi Dan must be given an important position. Giving him an important position will not only appease the Chen family but also set an example for other poor families in Cao Wei. It's a win-win situation! Bring Pi Dan in quickly so I can take a look."
Pi Dan is the only scholar from the Central Plains who has voluntarily surrendered to Cao Pi since he became emperor, and he can serve as a good role model.
Therefore, the Han court's attitude towards Pi Dan determined the attitude of scholars in the Central Plains towards the Han. Those scholars in the Central Plains who were frustrated and unsuccessful would definitely actively seek to join the Han if they saw that the Han valued Pi Dan. Otherwise, they would continue to serve Cao Wei.
The saying goes, "A thousand pieces of gold are spent to buy a horse bone." The current Pidan (a traditional Chinese medicine) is like that horse bone; if used properly, it will have miraculous effects.
Compared to this, Pidan's personal abilities are completely unimportant.
Pi Dan was quickly led into the hall and walked up to Wang Fu, bowing respectfully and saying, "This humble subject, Pi Dan, greets Magistrate Wang."
Wang Fu stared at Pi Dan for a moment and said, "Mr. Pi, please rise. Since you were recommended by Young Master Chen, I will speak frankly. What are your thoughts on the novel?"
This is the exam. Whether you pass or not depends entirely on this moment. Pi Dan dared not be negligent and thought carefully for a moment before saying, "The novel is not the goal. The goal is to use the novel to promote the imperial examination and arouse the resistance of the poor families in the Central Plains to the Nine-Rank System."
"Moreover, I believe that the imperial examination will inevitably replace the recommendation system. As more books are published, reading will no longer be the exclusive domain of the aristocracy and the poor. It will certainly spread to the common people, leading to an increase in the number of scholars. After people have studied, they will have new demands and will no longer be satisfied with simply farming. However, there are only so many official positions in the court. If they are occupied by the aristocracy for a long time and the poor and the lower classes are not allowed to participate, the poor and the lower classes who have been educated may very well join forces to overturn the table. Therefore, I believe that the imperial examination is a historical inevitability, and when it will be implemented is only a matter of time."
Wang Fu smiled with satisfaction: "You have quite a long-term vision, you are a person of insight. So what are your special skills, and what position do you want to seek under me?"
Pi Dan replied, “My family lives by the Huai River. When I was a child, I often went to the riverbank with my clansmen to reinforce the dikes. After studying, I read many historical records on water conservancy and believe that I have some talent in water conservancy. I am willing to seek a job as a river engineer.”
Wang Fu was overjoyed and said, "So you are a skilled person. It just so happens that commerce in Jiangdong has been booming recently, and I have some spare money. I plan to build water conservancy projects in Jiangdong. Since you have this ability, you can first serve as the head of the Ministry of Works. Build a few water conservancy projects as soon as possible to show me your abilities and shut up those who doubt you."
The imperial court had six ministries, the prefectures had six departments, the counties had six offices, and the districts had six offices—different names, but the same function.
Pidan was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly bowed, saying, "Thank you for your appreciation, Your Excellency. I will certainly live up to your expectations."
Wang Fu waved his hand and said, "You must be tired from your journey. Go back and rest first. You can come back to take up your post after you have settled your family."
Pi Dan bowed and took his leave. Only after he left did Zhang Xiu say with concern, "My lord, Pi Dan has just arrived. Isn't it a bit presumptuous to put him in charge of water conservancy?"
It's understandable to give Pidan a high-ranking position, but appointing him directly as the head of a department is somewhat hasty.
Wang Fu stroked his beard and laughed, "How else can we let the scholars of the Central Plains see that our Han Dynasty values talent above all else? Let Pi Dan serve for a year or two first, so that the scholars of the Central Plains can see the determination of the Han Dynasty to recruit talent. After a year, if Pi Dan is good, we will continue to give him important positions; if he is not good, we will dismiss him. I can afford to gamble on a mere year."
After joining Guan Xing in the surprise attack on Jianye and reaping huge profits, Wang Fu also developed a gambler's spirit and planned to invest in Pi Dan for a year. After a year, he would have extracted most of the advertising effect from Pi Dan, and then he could reassign him to a new position based on his abilities.
It has to be said that Wang Fu is increasingly showing signs of becoming a cunning old fox.
For Wang Fu, this was just a gamble he could afford to lose, but for Pi Dan, it was his only chance to change his fate. Whether he could gain recognition and realize his ideals depended on this opportunity.
Therefore, Pi Dan dared not neglect his duties. He made arrangements for his family and colleagues in the government office that day, and left Jianye the next day to investigate the river conditions in various places.
Pidan spent three months in the wilderness, enduring wind and rain, surveying all the waterways within Danyang and Wujun. He then wrote a three-hundred-page report on river management for Wang Fu, who was astonished by his work and immediately approved his plan.
That's a story for another time, so let's leave it at that.
……
Currently, the head of the Chen family in Xuzhou is Chen Su, the son of Chen Deng. Chen Su is serving as a physician in Luoyang, and he was just passing the time without much to do. However, one day he suddenly received a letter from Chen Yu and half a box of sealed books.
Chen Su dared not delay and immediately followed Chen Yu's instructions, taking the books to see Grand Tutor Zhong Yao.
Upon arriving at the Zhong residence, he bowed to Zhong Yao and said, "Grand Tutor, this is a letter from my elder brother in Xuzhou. It says that it is a letter of rebellion sent from Xuzhou by the false Han dynasty. My brother was afraid that it would spread in Xuzhou, so he sealed it and sent it to the capital for me to deliver to you, Grand Tutor. I ask you to decide how to handle it."
"Anti-book? What is that?" Zhong Yao walked to the box in confusion. After confirming that the lid was sealed with sealing wax and there were no signs of it being opened, he removed the sealing wax, opened the lid, and took out the "Legend of the White Snake" to examine it.
Chen Su also wanted to pick up a book and flip through it, but after thinking about it, he refrained. There are some things that are better left unknown.
Zhong Yao, who was he? He saw through the hidden agenda in the book after only flipping through a few pages. He was so angry that he threw the book down and cursed, "The imperial examination system! That big-eared scoundrel actually wants to promote the imperial examination system. His intentions are absolutely despicable."
The Yingchuan gentry had gone to great lengths to force Cao Pi to agree to the Nine-Rank System, but before they could even enjoy the benefits, Liu Bei created the Imperial Examination System, which disregarded birth and background, allowing anyone who passed the examination to enter officialdom.
This is absolutely unacceptable. If we do this, how will they maintain the glory of their aristocratic families?
If a family produces one or two generations of useless people who fail the imperial examinations, wouldn't they quickly be suppressed by other families and become poor or even commoners?
Falling down a social class is easy, but climbing back up is incredibly difficult.
That damned big-eared scoundrel, he's trying to uproot the aristocratic class!
Thinking of the consequences that their once glorious Changshe Zhong family would be brought down to the dust simply because their descendants failed the imperial examinations, Zhong Yao couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. He gritted his teeth and said, "How many of these books are there in Xuzhou? Have they already spread far and wide?"
Chen Su shook his head and said, "This humble official does not know; my elder brother did not mention it in his letter."
Zhong Yao, however, said with certainty, "It must have spread by now. I estimate that Governor Lü Qian's report will arrive in the next day or two. No, we can't just sit here and wait to die. I'm going to see His Majesty now. You and I will go with you."