Chapter 802: What Does It Mean to Be Around Good People?

Among the ministers and high-ranking officials, aside from Yang Rong and Du Zhen who were relatively young, Yang Shiqi and the others were all in their sixties or older. Therefore, after Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne, to show his consideration for these senior officials, he allowed them to take leave in rotation instead of giving all officials leave at the end of each year. Since Yang Shiqi was known for recommending capable people and promoting the younger generation, his residence was always bustling with visitors during holidays. Even now that the imperial examinations had ended and candidates from various places had returned to their homes, Yang’s residence remained lively.

It was a rare holiday that day. Early in the morning, the butler Yang Zhong led several old servants to get things ready. The visitors were all scholars without official positions—some from wealthy families, others from poor backgrounds. They varied greatly in speech and appearance; some arrived by carriage, some on horseback, while others relied on thin donkeys or walked on foot. Yang Ji originally disliked dealing with these scholars, but his father Yang Shiqi sent him to the entrance that day, leaving him extremely uncomfortable.

As noon approached and the first group of visitors had been received, Yang Ji scowled in annoyance and was about to turn away when suddenly a servant called out, “Young master, there are more people coming.”

Could this ever end? His father had finally gotten a day off, yet there was still no peace—disturbing not only himself but also others!

Yang Ji cursed his father in frustration before reluctantly turning back. When he reached the entrance and saw the two people dismounting from their horses, his tense expression immediately melted away, replaced by a surprised and joyful smile. He stepped down the steps to greet them, saying, “What brings Brother Wan Shi and Brother Zhang Shi here together today?”

When the Yang family mother and son went to the capital, it was Zhang Yue who took them in. They had met a few times since then. Even when leaving the capital over two years ago, he hadn’t forgotten to greet Wan Shi, asking him to take care of Yang Ji if he had time—at least to prevent him from being corrupted in the capital. After all, though they had only met a few times, he could tell that Yang Ji wasn’t inherently bad, and his bad habits weren’t unchangeable; it was just that he lacked talent in studying.

Seeing Yang Ji’s surprised and delighted expression at this moment, he knew that the Wan Shi Festival was even better than he had imagined. After stepping forward to greet him, he noticed Yang Ji hurriedly leading them inside, and he couldn’t help but give Wan Shi Jie a thumbs up. The latter then raised his head proudly. Once inside the flower hall, someone brought tea. Seeing Yang Ji rushing to send someone inside to announce their arrival, he quickly stepped in to stop him.

“Brother Yang, there’s no need to rush. The literary gatherings at Yang’s residence are quite famous. Brother Wan Shi Jie and I also met there during one of those gatherings. I actually want to sneak in and take a look later. Besides, we came here today not only to pay respects to Elder Yang but also to ask you for a favor.”

Yang Ji was about to say that they were all pretentious poor wretches when he heard Zhang Yue mention that he and Wan Shi Jie had also met at Yang’s literary gatherings. He immediately swallowed back what he was about to say. Though he lacked literary talent, he was quick-witted, so he had no interest in those so-called geniuses who called him “young master” on the surface but despised him for lacking knowledge. From his few interactions with Zhang Yue, he had found his attitude pleasant, and Wan Shi Jie’s casual demeanor really suited his taste. So, hearing that their visit to his father was just one reason and they also wanted his help, he immediately felt honored.

“Brother Zhang, Brother Wan Shi Jie, are you joking? What kind of help can I offer you?”

Seeing that there was no one else in the flower hall, Zhang Yue cleared his throat slightly and said, “I heard from Old Wan that you opened two small restaurants in an alley near Yuhe Middle Bridge, next to the Minister of Works’ office, catering mainly to officials from the five ministries and six departments.”

Upon hearing this, Yang Ji’s face turned pale. He couldn’t help but glare at Wan Shi Jie before forcing a smile and saying, “Brother Zhang, please do me a favor. If my father finds out, the punishment at home will be unbearable. I only learned about this after Brother Wan Shi Jie told me. Those officials who rely on their salaries are very poor; they often don’t even have servants and have to cook for themselves on the way to and from work. That’s why I started this small business. Each meal doesn’t earn much money, so most officials have their food packed and delivered to the office. The other restaurant is for lower-ranking clerks—the food is of inferior quality but cheaper, and almost all the clerks from the six departments and the Censorate frequent it. Together, the two restaurants earn only a few dozen strings of coins a month—just a small income.”

At first, Zhang Yue listened with a smile, but later his expression turned stiff. Seeing Wan Shijie open his folding fan with a grin, his smugness was almost enough to make him declare it his own idea, which made Zhang Yue suspicious. Wasn’t this just a boxed-lunch fast-food shop from the Ming Dynasty, with free delivery as well? Thus, he asked Wan Shijie in a displeased tone, “Lao Wan, do you still have capital invested in this?”
“That’s right,” Wan Shijie replied calmly after closing his fan. “Although you helped me set up this business, it was out of your kindness. I can’t just take it for granted. So when Brother Yang said last time he had nothing to do, I thought of this idea. Lunch brings only small profits, but people often buy several servings for their families, so there’s no need to cook. In fact, two-thirds of the monthly profit comes from dinner sales. But don’t worry—I and Brother Yang won’t get involved directly. The owners of those two shops owe Xiao Wu a life-saving debt; they’re very reliable.”
Hearing about these indirect connections, Zhang Yue wished he could grab Wan Shijie and demand why he hadn’t explained everything on the way. Earlier, Wan Shijie had only mentioned how close his relationship with Yang Ji was and how he was helping others improve through association, without mentioning at all that he had invested capital or that the shop owners had connections with Xiao Wu. However, he was only annoyed that Wan Shijie hadn’t informed him earlier and didn’t see anything wrong with the business. So, seeing Yang Ji’s nervous expression, he simply smiled.
“Brother Yang is joking. How could such a trivial matter disturb Grand Secretary Yang? It’s great that Brother Yang wants to take matters into his own hands. That’s why I’m asking for your help today—it’s related to these two small shops.”
Yang Ji was afraid that Zhang Yue would expose his modest business in front of his father. Hearing that Zhang Yue wouldn’t disturb his father and even praised it as a good thing, let alone offer help, he was overjoyed and agreed without hesitation.
The three of them chatted in the garden for a long time before a servant came to inform them that Yang Shiqi had invited Zhang and Wan to stay for a simple meal, as he couldn’t leave the others waiting. Hearing this, Zhang Yue took the opportunity to get up, saying he wanted to go check out the garden. Yang Ji quickly joined them, complaining nonstop along the way.

“To make it convenient for attending court, among the several residences bestowed by the emperor, Father insisted on choosing the one that was most convenient for court visits, though it was the smallest. The garden there was also pitifully small—it was really hard to accommodate so many people. Moreover, if Father had accepted three salaries, the family would have had more resources, but he refused to take the salary as Minister of War! The combined salary of the Second-Rank Prince Tutor and the Fifth-Rank Grand Scholar of the Huagai Hall amounted to 24 dan plus 10 dan of rice per month, totaling 34 dan—far too little for an entire family…” After ranting on, Yang Ji added with a cold smile, “At least my father received two salaries, which were relatively high. Even so, after conversion to cash, that money could only be used to subsidize the servants; it wasn’t enough for anything else. Take Brother Wan Shi for example—10 dan of rice per month, what can that even cover? A county magistrate’s regular salary is only 6 dan per month, and yet some still try to embezzle it!” Hearing these complaints, Wan Shijie couldn’t help but wave his hands at Zhang Yue and say, “That’s why you took all my meager salary to invest it. I also spent a long time raising the capital for that deal with Brother Yang Shi, and almost had to use Xiao Wu’s personal funds. Yuanjie, I’m about to leave. Now that you’re someone who keeps his word as a minister, you must definitely support my father-in-law. Each dan of rice converted to cash loses 10 guan; 10 dan equals 100 guan, and 100 dan equals 1,000 guan in cash. Though these cash notes are only worth two or three thousand coins, they’re devastating for many officials.” Yang Ji was simply advocating for Yang Shiqi, while Wan Shijie was thinking of the widespread discussions in the court about salary reforms. Zhang Yue also felt a heavy weight in his heart. Although the salaries of officials in the Qing Dynasty weren’t high, compared to the Ming Dynasty, where there were even more complicated rules regarding the conversion of salaries into cash, and emperors of each dynasty kept inventing new ways to manipulate these conversions, it’s no wonder that the corrupt grew richer while the honest grew poorer. Nowadays, many officials still have good integrity and are content with poverty, but when governance deteriorates, such meager salaries become the perfect excuse for corruption! “Father and the others have come out!” Hearing this, Zhang Yue, who had been lost in thought, looked up and saw a group of people coming out of the moon gate in the garden. The elder at the head was in his early sixties, wearing a robe of Buddha’s head green silk, with a pair of slightly worn black flat shoes. He appeared thin, but his back was straight. Though he didn’t speak loudly, his calm voice carried on the wind.

“Even if you fail the exams or miss this round of examinations, you’re still young—there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Moreover, even those who become famous through the imperial examinations often end up unknown as officials later on. Talent is merely external; solid knowledge and competence in handling affairs will give you an advantage in future official evaluations. As for recommendations, I can tell you clearly that to eliminate abuses, the Ministry of Personnel will follow procedures more strictly in appointing officials, so this route for recommendations likely won’t be open anymore.”

As soon as he said this, Zhang Yue heard some people agreeing and praising him, while others looked disappointed and sighed. After all, the myth of an ordinary person rising to become a high-ranking official had always been the greatest hope of countless scholars. Seeing Yang Shiji looking his way as he spoke, Zhang Yue merely nodded at him without any intention of introducing these people, so he stopped and didn’t go over. The scholars there, seeing that Yang Ji was accompanying him and Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie were dressed in plain robes, assumed they were latecomers and paid them little attention. After bidding farewell to Yang Shiji in the corridor, they left one after another.

Only after those people left through the front door did Yang Shiji approach. Seeing Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie standing side by side, he vaguely recalled the scene in the Red Plum Garden back then. Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye, and the young men from then had grown up. He stroked his beard in satisfaction before glancing at Yang Ji.

“What are you standing here for? Why don’t you go to your room and study?”

Although Yang Shiji’s tone wasn’t overly harsh, it carried a stern undertone. Yang Ji didn’t dare say much more. He gave Zhang Yue a reassuring look and quickly slipped away quietly. Once he left, Yang Shiji signaled the two of them to follow him to the study, speaking as they walked: “Ten years have passed. You two have now become pillars of the nation. If only Yang Ji had half your competence, I wouldn’t have to worry so much. If I had known earlier, I would have brought him to the capital sooner, but it’s too late now. Shijie, don’t always hide things from me. I already know about you covering for him when he harassed a common woman.”

Wanshi Jie was startled by what he heard at the beginning and almost thought that this big shot had discovered their small business between him and Yang Ji. Only after hearing what came next did he realize it was another matter that couldn’t be hidden. It wasn’t really Yang Ji’s fault—his shop was located in that area, and a beauty from a tofu shop saw Yang Ji entering and leaving twice, thinking he was a wealthy young man and trying to take advantage of him to climb higher in life. If it weren’t for Yang Ji not being completely foolish and stepping in in time, things would have definitely gotten serious. Thinking of this, he quickly laughed to try to cover it up.

Zhang Yue, unaware of this, changed the subject and said, “Elder Yang, there’s no need to worry too much. As the saying goes, a young phoenix sings clearer than an old one. Your brother may progress slowly in studies, but that doesn’t mean he can’t succeed in other areas—it depends on whether he’s committed or not. By the way, I came today not only to pay my first visit after returning to the capital but also to see Wanshi Jie off, as I happened to hear some news. It is said that Gu, the head of the Censorate, accepted bribes from servants and released them during the busy farming season?”

Yang Shiqi, who had been walking leisurely with his hands behind his back, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He stood there for a while before turning to look at Zhang Yue with an unusually serious expression. “Who else do you know about this?”

“Only Wanshi Jie,” replied Zhang Yue, adding, “My father-in-law was on duty in the Inner Cabinet last night, so I haven’t had the chance to tell him yet. I only mentioned it to Wanshi Jie. Elder Yang, previously, several censors from the Censorate submitted petitions that angered the emperor. If this matter is used against them now, the Censorate will likely face another major crisis. After all, Gu was recommended by you, so I hope you’ll pay close attention to this.”

Yang Shiqi didn’t answer right away but sighed deeply. “Since Gu took office, he has dismissed over twenty censors, many of whom were sent to Liaodong. Though he acts decisively, he’s been criticized for being stubborn. The censors he appointed don’t show him any respect, leading to the big incident a few days ago. If this matter spreads further, how can he stay in charge of the Censorate? The emperor’s temper has grown more and more volatile lately—Dai Lun and Lin Changmao even acted arbitrarily… If this chaos continues, something serious will happen!”

Seeing Yang Shiqi staring at him intently, Zhang Yue said calmly, “I’ve also considered this, which is why I must say a few words.”