White-robed Minister

0022 [Opportunities are created by oneself]

"Why hasn't anyone come to deliver a message yet? We've been staying at the guesthouse for two and a half days."

Yang Shu was already getting a little irritated.

He is exactly twenty years old this year, and it is inevitable that he will be impatient at such a young age, especially since the matter of the convoy is related to his life and fortune.

Yu Shanyuan comforted him, saying, "The less news there is, the bigger the move is likely to be. If it were just a matter of dealing with a few patrol officers, Lord Yu would have already taken action."

No wonder they're in a hurry.

I've been staying at Xiyuan for two and a half days and haven't received any news.

They wouldn't let them leave either.

Yu Shanyuan and Yang Shu initially strolled around the garden with great interest, but they quickly lost interest and were preoccupied with their affairs in Qingyuan.

Xu Lai did not participate in the discussion, but continued reading "The Analects with Commentary" and occasionally wrote down his different opinions.

Yang Shu, who was in a very bad mood, glanced at what Xu Lai had written and couldn't help but nitpick, saying, "Your statement has no basis whatsoever and is purely a random interpretation. Unless you can find a source, it will be difficult to convince others."

Xu Lai smiled and replied, "Sometimes, I don't need to convince others; they can convince themselves."

Yu Shanyuan said, "Since we have nothing to do, let's play Three Kingdoms chess. I found the chess pieces and board in the inn."

Xiangxi is the predecessor of Xiangqi (Chinese chess), but the rules vary widely, with variations for two, three, five, and seven players.

Three Kingdoms Chess, also known as Dingqi, involves players taking on the roles of Wei, Shu, and Wu respectively.

Players can form alliances or engage in large-scale battles. The exchange of pieces between the two sides cannot be too brutal, otherwise a third party can easily seize the opportunity. In one particular strategy, after destroying a nation, all its remaining pieces can be absorbed.

"You guys play, I'll finish this first." Xu Lai continued reading and writing.

Yang Shu sat down and set up the chessboard, complaining, "You've been writing for two days already."

Yu Shanyuan asked, "Does my virtuous brother intend to present this to Minister Yu?"

"Let's give it a try," Xu said. "I have no other identity, so I can only use this to attract Master Yu's attention."

Yu Shanyuan and Yang Shu, unable to play the Three Kingdoms chess game, sat there and began to fight each other in the Chu-Han Contention.

Time passed little by little.

In the late afternoon, Xu Lai took a piece of paper and went out to wait at the place where the staff members had to pass on their way back to the guest house.

Soon an aide appeared, but Xu Lai did not recognize him and it was inconvenient to strike up a conversation.

A quarter of an hour, a quarter of an hour, an hour passed... Xu Lai was still standing there waiting, and he seemed relaxed and at ease, slowly flipping through the Analects with commentary.

Yang Shu walked to the door and looked at Xu Lai in the distance: "Brother Ti Ren, do you think Xu Sanlang's move will work?"

Yu Shanyuan approached Yang Shu and said, "I don't know."

Just as the two were talking, Mr. Chu finally appeared.

Xu Lai stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I am Xu Lai, and I greet Mr. Chu."

Mr. Chu smiled and nodded.

Xu Lai then said, "I have many questions about studying the Analects with Commentary. I don't want to bother Mr. Chu for too long, so I wrote them down on this piece of paper. I hope Mr. Chu will take a look at them when he has some free time."

Mr. Chu took it without hesitation, understanding Xu Lai's intentions.

Because he's seen far too many people like that!

On his way back to his residence, Mr. Chu had nothing better to do, so he picked up the piece of paper and glanced at it casually.

Does the character "朋" mean "of the same kind"?

This solution has already appeared in Luoyang, so it's nothing new. But for a country boy to have such insight is quite remarkable.

Mr. Chu nodded slightly.

[Is the saying "a virtuous woman is more attractive than a beautiful one" interpreted as the way of husband and wife?]

Hmm, that makes some sense, it's refreshing... no, it makes a lot of sense, the great Confucian scholars of all time may be wrong!

Mr. Chu's interest was greatly piqued.

[Is it true that "appearing pleasing to the eye" is difficult when it comes to serving one's parents?]

It's utterly unorthodox, yet it directly addresses human nature, so this interpretation seems plausible.

Mr. Chu's pace slowed down, gradually shifting from a quick scan to careful reading and contemplation.

He was also a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.

Unfortunately, he failed the imperial examinations repeatedly and had already given up on them.

Now they're taking a different path; once Yu Jing is transferred from Guangdong, they'll recommend him for an official position.

Just a few steps from the guesthouse entrance, Mr. Chu stopped and stood there, repeatedly savoring the various new interpretations.

Upon seeing a certain sentence, Mr. Chu suddenly turned around and took the paper to find Yu Jing.

……

These past two days, Yu Jing has been talking to various officials.

Zheng Boliang, an official in charge of the Guangdong Provincial Judicial Commission, was sitting cautiously in front of Yu Jing at this moment.

Yu Jing offered him tea, and Zheng Boliang took a small sip before putting down the teacup, not daring to touch it again.

"There's been a robbery of a maritime convoy in Qingyuan County," Yu Jing went straight to the point. "Because it involves imperial convoys, Wang Chengshou (the eunuch) has volunteered to oversee the entire investigation. What are Zheng Goudang's opinions?"

Zheng Boliang quickly replied, "I have no objection. Since it involves imperial authority, and Wang Cheng is from the border region, it should be him who steps forward."

Yu Jing then asked, "This matter arose because of salt bandits, and Cai, the tax official, has decided to intervene and investigate the case jointly with the provincial tax official. Does Zheng, the head of the tax bureau, have any objections?"

Zheng Boliang grew increasingly uneasy: "There is no objection; this is exactly right."

Yu Jing drank his tea in silence.

Zheng Boliang felt a chill run down his spine: "I am currently unwell and may find it difficult to handle such a major case. Perhaps it would be better to ask Cai Caosi to take full charge."

Yu Jing said, "This is the duty of the Censorate; how can we completely ignore it?"

"Then... I'll send a few people with me?" Zheng Boliang asked tentatively.

Yu Jing nodded and said, "That's perfect."

Zheng Boliang finally breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt extremely frustrated.

The relief came from the fact that Yu Jing was considering Li Shizhong's feelings and was willing to let Zheng Boliang off the hook this time, without taking the opportunity to bring up old grievances against him. As long as he cooperated actively and completed the severance, it would be fine.

The frustration stemmed from the fact that this case had stripped Zheng Boliang of his prestige in Guangdong's officialdom. From then on, whatever happened in Guangdong, he would have to listen to Yu Jing and Cai Kang, having no autonomy whatsoever.

Zheng Boliang had no room to resist.

The two people who stripped him of his power of judicial authority were Cai Kang, who was both a mentor and friend to the crown prince, and a eunuch sent by the emperor to supervise Guangdong.

Seeing Zheng Boliang agree so readily, Yu Jing was a little confused about what was going on.

It wasn't until Zheng Boliang took his leave that Yu Jing suddenly realized: Li Shizhong, this man's patron, might be demoted!

In fact, Li Shizhong had already been demoted to the position of prefect of Jizhou, but the news had not yet reached Guangdong—the official gazette would not arrive until next month.

This fellow, as the Provincial Judicial Commissioner of Guangdong and Guangxi, single-handedly brought down the Guangxi Military Commissioner and Transport Commissioner, and even took on these positions himself.

He controlled administration, military affairs, finance, and the judiciary, making him like a local tyrant in Guangxi.

We will inevitably face a fierce counterattack from our political enemies!

Now the counterattack has begun.

With his backer having lost power, Zheng Boliang dared not jump; he only hoped for a safe landing.

Forget about future promotions; just let Yu Jing save face for him.

"My lord."

Yu Jing's thoughts were interrupted, and he turned to ask, "Why is Xinfu back?"

Mr. Chu's name is Chu Cheng, and his courtesy name is Xinfu.

Chu Cheng handed over the paper: "Please take a look, sir. Especially the part about 'gentleman and villain'."

Yu Jing's gaze swept quickly across the list and soon landed on the phrase "A gentleman is inclusive but not partisan, while a petty person is partisan but not inclusive."

The character “周” in this sentence is interpreted as “loyalty and trustworthiness” in the Analects Commentary, but Xu Lai interprets it as “universal”.

Yu Jing stared at the paper for a long time before finally asking, "Whose new interpretation is this? It's innovative yet profound, but the handwriting is rather ordinary."

Chu Cheng said, "Xu Lai is the young man from Qingyuan County."

"Um……"

Yu Jing swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue, unsure of how to respond.

Xu Lai's new interpretation of this statement, if applied during the Qingli era, would have directly placed him in the core circle of the New Party. Even if Xu Lai hadn't passed the imperial examination, the Qingli New Party would have helped him secure an official position!

Xu Lai's interpretation directly summarizes Ouyang Xiu's "On Factions." Moreover, the wording is more tactful and open, and it avoids the constraint of "a gentleman is dignified but does not contend," making it a theoretical basis and ideological weapon for the Qingli New Party.

Of course, it could also be used as a tool for factional struggles during Wang Anshi's reforms.

How did Xu Lai explain this sentence?

virtuous people unite for the sake of justice, while petty people form cliques for personal gain.

Chu Cheng said, "In classics such as the Book of Changes and Zuo Zhuan, the character 'Zhou' does indeed have the meaning of 'universal'."

Yu Jing took the paper and looked at it a couple more times, then couldn't help but laugh and said, "If this person were in Bianliang, Ouyang Xiu would probably take him as a disciple. But he's too young and a bit impetuous; he needs to temper his temper."

"He was indeed eager to show off, and there was a hint of opportunism in it," Chu Cheng commented.

Yu Jing, however, paid no attention to this and buried himself in reading Xu Lai's other new interpretations: "When one is a commoner, who can resist taking advantage of others? It's human nature. However, we still need to see what kind of person he is. Bring him over tomorrow morning, and I'll personally test him."

……

Yu Jing strolled around for a walk before returning to the rear residence of the Military Commander for a meal.

"Dad, why are you only coming back now? Mom has been waiting for you for so long." A beautiful young girl ran over to greet him, taking Yu Jing's arm as they walked inside.

Yu Jing, who was usually stern and unsmiling, revealed a kind smile at this moment: "Something came up and I was held up."

The girl said, "Today I recited texts, practiced calligraphy, did needlework, and wrote a short poem."

Yu Jing laughed even more happily: "Then you're busier than me, with endless things to do every day. When you're a year older, let your mother teach you how to manage a household, so you'll have a foundation when you get married."

The girl said shyly, "I'm not getting married."

"I'm old and plagued by illness," Yu Jing stroked his daughter's head. "If I could see you and Wu Niang get married before I die, I would be content."

Yu Jingsheng had three sons and six daughters. His grandsons were already serving as officials, but he still had two daughters who were unmarried.

More than ten years ago, a friend gave him a beautiful singing girl, which Yu Jing was reluctant to accept. However, his friend had been demoted and was going to dismiss all the singing girls. If he didn't accept her, the singing girl would inevitably end up in prostitution.

His wife, Lin, also warmly accepted him, as Yu Jing had never had a concubine, which was a good opportunity to wash away her reputation for being jealous.

As a result, Yu Jing, who was in her forties, gave birth to one son and two daughters in succession.

Unfortunately, the singer died in childbirth when her youngest daughter was born.

His wife, Lin, took pity on their background and raised them as her own children. She even took them with her husband when he went to take up his post.

Currently, Yu Jing's third son is studying at the Guangzhou Prefectural School.

The fifth woman is already engaged and is currently living in her hometown of Shaozhou. She will marry her fiancé after he finishes the imperial examinations next year.

The sixth daughter was still unmarried and her nickname was Pianpian.

-

(Da Luo Luo has released a new book: "The Dream of Beiyang". I'm following it, and it's very well written.)