NABC Chapter 114 Picnic
Chapter 114 Picnic
Chapter 114 Picnic
"The Lunar New Year is just a few months away, and you'll be seventeen after then."
Wang Min looked at his son and said, "Are you still planning to continue studying at the Sheng family's school?"
Wang You has been working as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy for almost seven years. Except for the occasional break during the ten-day holiday, he spends most of his time studying at the Sheng family's residence.
Now that Hai Wenqing has been transferred out of the Hanlin Academy, Wang You is still in the same situation.
If Wang You hadn't frequently sought guidance from the Hai family over the years, he would have thought he had a fake teacher.
Even so, Wang You was about to turn seventeen, and he was unwilling to let Wang You continue to waste his time in the Hanlin Academy.
The Hanlin Academy was good, but its greatest benefit was learning.
As the official secretariat, the Hanlin Academy had the most important advantage of being able to observe the operations of various government departments.
It's not that it's better to stay in the Hanlin Academy forever.
Of course, if one could be promoted to Hanlin Academician, that would be a great benefit.
However, the Hanlin Academy was a special institution, lacking a complete promotion mechanism.
It's not that being appointed as a Hanlin Compiler will automatically lead to promotion to Hanlin Compiler, and then to Hanlin Academician.
As advisors to the emperor, Hanlin scholars needed not only academic knowledge and talent, but also experience in local government positions.
Otherwise, if they don't even know the specific local situation, how can they offer advice to the officials?
"What does Father mean?" Wang You didn't answer, but instead asked his father what he meant.
"I'm thinking that after the New Year you will officially start working at the Hanlin Academy, and after you get married in a year or two, you can then seek a post outside the capital."
Wang Min said.
Wang You thought for a moment and said, "That's what I've been thinking too. I'll mention it to you next time I see you, teacher."
"It's good that you know what's going on. There are still several months to go, so there's no rush," Wang Min said.
"Then I will take my leave," Wang You said, bowing.
"etc."
Wang Min stopped Wang You and asked, "Your elder brother said in his letter that he owes it all to you for reminding him to build water conservancy projects."
In the county where he served, there was nearly two months without rain during the critical period of crop growth this year. However, because he built water conservancy projects in advance and diverted water for irrigation, the crops suffered almost no damage.
Did you perhaps foresee the drought coming?
This is a bit too bizarre; the basic tasks of local officials are to collect taxes and maintain order.
Historical records often mention officials who achieved remarkable political achievements while serving in local areas.
But there is very little detail about what he did locally.
Unless there is a major change in the local situation and officials respond promptly, a detailed report will not be written.
The reason for this is that officials don't have much to do.
As long as taxes are collected on time each year and there are no major problems with local security, it can be considered a good performance.
Then, when those people are in high positions, the historians will record their outstanding achievements.
Firstly, the other party didn't do anything particularly beneficial to the local people, so there wasn't much to write about.
Secondly, those of low rank were not worthy of being recorded.
Once they are qualified enough, but have no outstanding achievements, they can only be recorded for their remarkable political accomplishments.
But there is another thing that will be specially recorded, and that is the construction of water conservancy projects.
In hindsight, local officials' basic tasks included developing the economy and constructing water conservancy projects.
In ancient times, due to the issue of grain production, agriculture was given special attention, so it was quite normal for officials to go to local areas to build water conservancy projects.
However, this was not actually the case; the imperial court would not allow local officials to serve in one place for an extended period.
Once their three-year term is up, even if they are not promoted, they will be transferred to another location.
Occasionally, in special circumstances, the term of office may be extended to three years.
Not building water conservancy projects is the same as officials not repairing their government offices.
For officials, it's like, "I won't be here for long anyway. I'll spend money to renovate the government office, and I won't even get to enjoy it for long before I have to leave."
Moreover, if the government office is well-maintained, it might be mistaken for a corrupt official.
Building water conservancy projects costs more than building government offices, and requires a large number of people.
So they either had to ask the imperial court for money and grain, and then conscript laborers.
They either sought alms from wealthy local families and then conscripted laborers.
In short, the common people must be made to perform corvée labor.
You tell the people that building water conservancy projects is for their own good, but most of them don't agree.
However, the benefits of water conservancy projects can only be seen during droughts or floods.
If something is done that can be effective during one's term of office, like Wang Zhuo's case, it can become a political achievement.
But if it doesn't work and people scold us for conscripting laborers, wouldn't that be a loss?
This is also why most officials rarely undertake water conservancy projects after taking office.
And history books will write extensively about the reasons for this behavior.
Because this thing will be useful sooner or later once it's repaired, and when it comes into play, it will naturally be celebrated extensively.
This is different from repairing the Yellow River. The Yellow River and the Yangtze River were repaired because floods frequently occurred, and the imperial court presided over the repairs. The people in charge of the repairs were just given a task.
Unless Yu was exceptionally good, he would not be recorded in historical books at all.
In ancient times, the Yellow River was repaired very frequently because it was prone to flooding almost every year.
On average, a major flood occurs every few years.
But how many people are recorded in history for repairing the Yellow River?
Unfortunately, the former acted spontaneously and did something beyond his/her duties.
The latter was done under orders, and even if it was accomplished, it was still done under orders. Naturally, only those who did exceptionally well would be recorded in history books.
Therefore, it seemed quite strange that Wang You suggested that Wang Zhuo undertake water conservancy projects after taking office.
Then a minor drought occurred, which helped to alleviate the drought.
It's as if Wang You had foreseen the future.
"I'm not a god, how could I have predicted these things?"
Wang You shook his head and said, "Drought in the north and floods in the south are already very common."
The north was in a state of economic depression, making it extremely difficult for the eldest brother to achieve any political accomplishments.
We have no choice but to take a gamble; if it succeeds, all the better.
Wang Min frowned slightly upon hearing this and asked, "What if it doesn't work?"
"If it doesn't work out, as long as it doesn't cause a huge uproar, the impact won't be significant," Wang You said.
"You'er".
Wang Min said seriously, "Officials should be cautious and take things one step at a time. Such opportunistic and gambling-like mentality is unacceptable."
He hadn't expected Wang You to be gambling, which filled him with worry.
If Wang Youlai goes to another place and gambles like this, he will inevitably run into big problems sooner or later.
Since it's gambling, there must be winners and losers.
No matter how high the odds of winning are, there is always the possibility of losing.
In officialdom, you can succeed countless times, but once you fail, you may have no chance to recover.
Every radish has its own hole; even if you're just a county magistrate, countless people are eyeing your position.
"Don't worry, I'm prepared."
Wang You laughed and said, "Although the common people may lack knowledge and foresight, they are not stupid."
The reason they resist serving is because the supervising officers exploit them.
Even if the forced labor was performed at their own doorstep and the work was beneficial to their future, the people were still filled with resentment.
Because in their view, the benefits of the future cannot outweigh the suffering they endure now.
Performing corvée labor was extremely arduous; not only was there no pay, but one also had to bring their own tools.
Moreover, all the work they did was manual labor.
The overseers and officials found it difficult to profit from the situation.
Cutting the food allowance for soldiers was the best way to make money.
Officials might find other ways to profit, or they might look down on these things, but the bailiffs wouldn't let them get away with it.
The manual labor was tough, the food was already bad, and then the rations were cut.
It was common for many people to die during their corvée labor service.
After all, the work had time limits, and it was inevitable that the constables would be whipped in order to complete their tasks.
In reality, the common people were poor. When it came to performing corvée labor, the people were able to eat their fill, and it only required a little physical effort.
As long as it doesn't interfere with their busy farming season, many people would be willing to do it even if it's not considered corvée labor, given this kind of treatment.
After all, even if you're idle at home with nothing to do, you still need to eat.
If you give someone a day's worth of food, your family can save a day's worth of food.
Therefore, as long as the people are not exploited and the benefits are for them, why would they complain?
"Is this a matter of whether or not we were prepared?"
Wang Min frowned and said, "The more you do, the more mistakes you make; the less you do, the less mistakes you make. How can you be sure that everything will develop as you expect?"
Any problem that arises could lead to serious trouble.
"I have learned a lot."
Wang You readily accepted good advice and humbly admitted his mistakes.
He didn't want to argue with his father about these things; it wasn't a matter of right or wrong anymore, but rather a matter of ingrained beliefs.
This was the way officials in ancient times conducted themselves: instead of diligently governing a region, they would spend some money to bribe officials. Who would be willing to do anything practical?
This further convinced Wang You that a change in mindset was necessary.
"It's good that you understand. Being an official isn't as simple as you think. Don't always try to take shortcuts."
Wang Min thought about it carefully and realized that his promotion back then was also due to opportunism.
It could be said that Wang You had long been accustomed to this practice, but he had never realized it.
Although Wang You readily admitted his mistake, he did not believe that his views could be changed so easily.
There's no rush now, and Wang You won't be leaving the capital for the time being, so we can only change things gradually and subtly.
Otherwise, what's the point of talking if Wang You is unwilling to stop, even if he readily agrees?
"Alright, it's getting late, go back and rest early," Wang Min said, waving his hand.
"Your son takes his leave."
Wang You bowed and left the study, returning to his own room.
I read for half an hour before going to bed late at night.
The next day, Wang You got up early, washed up, and practiced boxing in the yard.
After performing a set of boxing techniques, I felt refreshed and invigorated.
He took the handkerchief from Shi Tou, wiped his face, and smiled, "How was my boxing?"
"Young master has practiced boxing for many years, and this set of boxing techniques has been mastered to perfection. However, you have never fought anyone, so you are somewhat lacking in practical combat skills," Stone said honestly.
"I don't fight with people; I just want to stay healthy."
Wang You smiled and looked at Shi Tou, asking, "What have you thought about what I told you before?"
"that--"
Stone's dark face flushed slightly, and he scratched his head with a sheepish grin.
Wang You rolled his eyes at him and said, "A man should get married when he comes of age. What's there to be embarrassed about? If I don't like the women in my courtyard, I'll go with anyone in my family who isn't close to the old lady."
Shi Tou is now twenty years old. A few days ago, when Shi Tou and Shi Keng wrote to report on things, they mentioned this matter at the end.
Of course, Shi Keng did not directly ask Wang You to arrange a marriage for Shi Tou.
Instead, they asked Wang You if he had any plans, and if not, they would find him a job in his hometown.
How could Wang You not see the hidden meaning in Shi Keng's words?
There's a saying: "It's better to marry a maid from a wealthy family than a girl from a poor one."
The maids of wealthy families, especially their personal maids, were no less capable than the young ladies of poorer families in terms of managing household affairs.
Like Mu Jie'er's personal maid, Madam Feng would not shy away from teaching her daughter.
When Mu Jie'er gets married, all the maids will accompany her as part of her dowry, serving as her assistants in managing the household.
Contrary to what some people think, maids are not just servants who only know how to serve others and can't do anything else.
Some common people intentionally sold their daughters to wealthy families to work as maids.
When they reach a certain age, they can be redeemed and married into a better family.
Not to mention that Shi Tou has been with him for so many years, now that Shi Keng and his wife are doing things for him, he has to take Shi Tou's marriage seriously.
So he asked Shi Tou if he had any favorite maids, but Shi Tou was too embarrassed to say.
"Young master is not yet married, how dare I take a wife first?" Stone said.
"So you're saying there's no one you like?" Wang You asked.
Upon hearing this, Shi Tou fell silent, and Wang You immediately knew that he had guessed correctly.
"Have you taken a fancy to Xiao Tao, the maid of Sixth Sister?" Wang You asked.
No—no.
Shi Tou shook his head repeatedly, while Wang You rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on.
In the original drama, Shi Tou married Xiao Tao, but that was because Ming Lan married Gu Tingye.
As Minglan's personal maid, Xiaotao was to accompany her with her as part of her dowry.
Even if she wasn't made a concubine, she couldn't be married off to someone else.
"Second brother!"
Just then, Mu Jie'er's voice interrupted her thoughts.
A moment later, Sister Mu came in all the way.
"You're so loud and boisterous, yet the hair ornament can stay still. That's really impressive," Wang You said.
Women's headdresses, especially those with pendants like hairpins and earrings, were actually used to regulate women's demeanor.
As the saying goes, there is a proper way to sit and a proper way to stand.
Women from wealthy families were subject to very strict requirements regarding their demeanor, including the distance and posture of their steps when walking, and the tone and manner of their speech.
Of course, a hair ornament with a swaying motion doesn't mean it doesn't sway. Physical laws dictate that a hair ornament cannot remain still, and swaying is a normal phenomenon.
However, this swaying can only be small; a slight sway is very charming.
The little girl was so energetic, yet she managed to keep her hair ornaments and earrings swaying only slightly, which shows how solid her basic skills were.
"That's natural."
Mu Jie'er smiled smugly and said, "Don't forget, you promised to go on a picnic with me at Xiliu Manor today, and I even had someone prepare barbecue ingredients. Second Brother will personally grill them for me later."
"Got it, you can't escape."
Wang You looked helpless and turned to walk into the house.
"Second brother, where are you going?"
"Change your clothes."
After greeting his grandmother and having breakfast with his mother, Wang Youcai went out with his sister at her urging.
Upon arriving at the outer city, the carriage stopped, and Mu Jie'er lifted the curtain to look around.
"You invited your fifth and sixth sisters again?" Wang You said helplessly.
-
He wasn't surprised at all; Minglan was always the last to arrive and the first to leave the school every day.
In the past six years, the number of times he has spoken with Minglan in the school can be counted on one hand.
His familiarity with Minglan was entirely thanks to Mu Jie'er.
Almost every time she went out for a trip, she would take him along, and she would also invite Rulan and Minglan to join her.