# 189. This Little Sir Is...
*It's him...* Xu Qi'an suddenly understood, remembering the great scholar who had shamelessly taken credit for his farewell poem.
He didn't know who Yang Gong was, but the name Ziyang Jushi was famous. This guy had seized the opportunity when Xu Xinnian recited his poem and had forcibly given it a title, without an ounce of shame or embarrassment.
Inspired by Ziyang Jushi, Xu Qi'an later used poems to twirl the great scholars from the academy on his pinkie finger, and felt no guilt about it.
In the Jianghu, if you’re not freeloading, I’m freeloading.
They hired a carriage near the dock. After getting in, Inspector Zhang continued, "Ziyang Jushi was the top scorer in the imperial exams in the 14th year of Yuanjing. The following year, he retired and has since been teaching at the academy, nurturing countless students."
Xu Qi'an was intrigued. "Retired the following year?"
As the top scorer, he could have entered the Hanlin Academy, where scholars are considered ministers-in-waiting. To put it another way, a top scoring *zhuangyuan* would have a good chance of being prime minister.
Retiring just a year in? What a loss!
"It was due to the political struggles at court. Although the factions fight fiercely, they unite against scholars from Yunlu Academy," Inspector Zhang sighed.
"After becoming the top scorer, Ziyang Jushi was sent to a remote post and ignored. This disheartened him, and he spent a year frequenting the Jiaofangsi. He resigned the following year and returned to the Cloud Deer Academy to teach."
*...I heard about this. He enjoyed freeloading for an entire year.* Xu Qi'an sincerely envied him.
Apart from a long sigh, Inspector Zhang didn’t elaborate on the political dynamics with Ziyang and the Cloud Deer Academy at court.
With a younger brother in the Academy, Xu Qi’an would already be very clear with that.
The succession crisis two hundred years ago made the royal family wary and disdainful of Cloud Deer Academy scholars. Consequently, the lesser sage Cheng established the Imperial College to replace Cloud Deer Academy in supplying talent to the court.
Both sides had conflicts of interest and ideological disputes. If not for Emperor Yuanjing's obsession with balancing powers, Ziyang Jushi might still be teaching at the academy.
"Ziyang Jushi's talent and tactics are top-notch. When he first arrived in Qingzhou, he swiftly cleaned up the local government, dismissing and imprisoning 178 corrupt officials within a month, shaking the entire Qingzhou officialdom," Inspector Zhang said with admiration.
*So reckless? Although it's common for a new official to make bold moves, even if a high-ranking official from the capital wanted to clean up Qingzhou, it should be done gradually... How long has Ziyang Jushi been in office?*
Xu Qi'an was puzzled and asked, "Did the court factions allow such drastic actions?"
Inspector Zhang smiled, "During the evaluation period, the court factions were too busy fighting each other to collaborate. Plus, Duke Wei was holding them in check..."
He gave Xu Qi'an a knowing look and continued, "Moreover, Ziyang Jushi's actions, though drastic, were thorough. He gathered sufficient evidence and made the criminals confess... Cloud Deer Academy scholars are most adept at reasoning, aren't they?"
*Sir, you’re “reasoning” is physical evidence, isn’t it?* Xu Qi'an understood and exchanged a knowing smile with Inspector Zhang.
After arriving at the official station in Qingzhou, Inspector Zhang specifically brought Xu Qi'an along to visit Ziyang Jushi at the government office.
Xu Qi'an now understood why Inspector Zhang had initiated the conversation. This experienced inspector general feared that Ziyang Jushi might not cooperate, so he brought Xu Qi'an along.
After all, this inspector was inspecting Yunzhou, not Qingzhou.
With Xu Qi'an present, Ziyang Jushi would surely give face and comply with any requests.
At the Government office, a clerk led them to the inner hall where they were served tea.
"The Commissioner is inspecting the warning stele at the various offices."
They were received by the Left Vice Commissioner, a fourth-rank official.
Inspector Zhang pondered, "Is it the stone stele in the front courtyard?"
The Left Vice Commissioner smiled and nodded, "The Commissioner intends to erect a warning stele to admonish Qingzhou officials to be honest and serve the people."
Inspector Zhang nodded, this was an expected outcome of the anti-corruption campaign: "A lot of hard work must have went into this, but why is the stele blank?"
The Left Vice Commissioner sighed, "The Commissioner hasn't decided what to inscribe yet and has been troubled by it. He's asked us to brainstorm and provide inspiration, causing us all quite a headache."
*Ziyang Jushi is quite talented, knowing how to organise a writing competition...* Xu Qi'an mused.
The Commissioner, responsible for administrative affairs, was akin to a high-ranking official in Xu Qi'an's previous life.
The Great Feng Kingdom was divided into sixteen provinces, which Xu Qi'an understood as comparable to provinces in his previous world, though not all regions were equivalent. Some provinces were composed of smaller regions, each with their own administrative divisions like prefectures and counties.
For example, Qingzhou province controlled over a dozen prefecture-level provinces, as well as many cities and county level divisions.
…
At this moment, the Commissioner Yang Gong, leading a group of Qingzhou officials into the Prefecture Office. The Prefect of the Prefecture accompanied him respectfully.
Dressed in a scarlet robe, Yang Gong stood in front of the stone stele and nodded in satisfaction, “Gentlemen, do you have any suggestions for the inscription on the stele?”
In just a few months, the scholarly aura of a teacher had gradually faded from Yang Gong, replaced by the authority of a governing official.
“The official believes that we should inscribe the Commissioner’s deeds of purging corrupt officials and upholding justice to serve as a warning to future generations,” the Qingzhou Prefect suggested, bowing.
Yang Gong was somewhat tempted. Such an inscription would certainly be recorded in Qingzhou's local chronicles and praised by future generations.
But he quickly dismissed this idea, “The inscription should not be overly long; otherwise, it becomes too complex and loses its impact.”
“Then let's inscribe a poem,” an official suggested instinctively.
He immediately noticed that everyone present was looking at him calmly...
The official forced a few laughs and fell silent.
For scholars well-versed in literature, writing poems was not difficult. Most had a few compositions from their youth, but whether they were worthy of being inscribed on a stele was another matter.
For a poem to be inscribed on a stele, it not only had to be well-written but also serve as a moral warning. Such poems were not easy to write on the spot.
As they were discussing, a clerk from the Office arrived on horseback, quickly entering and standing a short distance away. He cupped his hands and said, “Commissioner, an Inspector General from the capital has arrived at the Administration Office.”
An Inspector General? Why is this year's Inspector General here so soon? The Geng-zi year is the year for the official audit, and by convention, the Inspector General should arrive after the results from the audit are out, indicating the outcomes of factional struggles at court.
Yang Gong, who had received a letter about this a few days earlier, explained, “He’s not here for Qingzhou; he’s passing through on his way to Yunzhou.”
*Yunzhou...* The officials all had expressions of understanding.
Yang Gong looked at the clerk and said, “Inform the Inspector General that I am busy with important matters and will not be able to see him. If he needs anything, he can speak to the Vice Commissioners.”
Being a great scholar from the Cloud Deer Academy, Yang Gong had little in common with the officials in the capital and no particular ties with them. He was too preoccupied with the stele inscription to bother with an Inspector he didn’t know well.
“Yes!” The clerk responded and then added, “The Inspector General also asked me to relay a message: Bronze Gong Xu Qi'an is accompanying him.”
*Bronze Gong Xu Qi'an? Who is that?* The officials were momentarily puzzled, but Yang Gong understood immediately. He had been keeping track of events in the capital and maintained correspondence with the great scholars of the Cloud Deer Academy.
“Prepare the palanquin and return to the Office immediately.” Yang Gong’s attitude changed drastically, his tone urgent and excited: “Quick, get it ready.”
With that, he left the officials behind and hurried out of the Prefecture Office.
*Uh…* The officials of Qingzhou looked at each other in confusion, staring at Yang Gong’s departing figure.
“Who is this Bronze Gong Xu Qi'an? The name sounds somewhat familiar,” the Qingzhou Prefect said, frowning.
“Why not go and welcome the Inspector from the capital?”
“Good idea, let’s go.”
The officials left the Prefecture Office in a procession of sedan chairs, heading towards the Administration Office.
…
Xu Qi'an didn’t have to wait long at the Office before a high-ranking official in a scarlet robe arrived. This man had an old-fashioned face, a goatee popular among middle-aged men, bright eyes, and a commanding presence.
He was an imposing figure.
On his chest was an embroidered golden pheasant, indicating a second-rank official. The position of Administration Commissioner was likely second-rank.
Xu Qi'an recognised the rank but not the person. He guessed that this imposing man in the scarlet robe must be the Qingzhou Administration Commissioner, the great scholar from Cloud Deer Academy, Ziyang Jushi, who had once taken credit for his farewell poem.
After exchanging bows with Inspector Zhang, Ziyang Jushi turned his gaze towards Xu Qi'an, who was wearing a dark uniform and had a Bronze Gong tied to his chest, silently appraising him.
At this moment, he appeared less excited, maintaining a demeanor that was both gentle and authoritative.
*...Only one Bronze Gong, he must be Xu Xinnian's cousin... Judging by appearances alone, there was no resemblance between the brothers... Compared to Xinnian, there is quite a difference...* Yang Gong smiled and said:
"So, you are Xu Ningyan?"
Xu Qi'an quickly cupped his hands, "Yes, sir."
"There’s no need to be so formal with me. You can regard yourself as a student," Yang Gong's smile broadened. "Indeed, you are quite talented, no less than Xinnian."
*Ziyang Jushi has quite an eye for talent...* Xu Qi'an thought happily, "Your praise is too generous, sir."
After some polite exchanges, Yang Gong inquired about the current situation in the capital, though he had already learned quite a bit through letters from the academy.
*Bringing Xu Ningyan along was indeed the right decision. Otherwise, the Commissioner wouldn’t have shown such an attitude...* Inspector Zhang sighed and said, "The capital is in turmoil, with factional strife still intense..."
He then narrated events from the Sangpo case to the Yunzhou case involving the Minister of Industry.
Ziyang Jushi listened with a cold smile, but he refrained from commenting too much on the court's situation since Inspector Zhang was not an ally. If only Xu Qi'an were here, he would have spoken more freely.
In the evening, Ziyang Jushi hosted a banquet in a charming courtyard for Inspector Zhang, with Jiang Lyuzhong also invited, along with the Qingzhou Prefect and other high-ranking officials.
The courtyard was brightly lit, with drapes hanging low, and the officials sat at tables, enjoying their drinks and company.
A band and dancers from Jiaofangsi performed in the chilly courtyard to entertain the officials.
Initially, Jiaofangsi was purely an entertainment department, performing songs and dances at official banquets. Over time, it evolved into a state-run brothel.
The young women went from performing arts to selling their bodies, forced into this business.
The central figures at the banquet were Commissioner Yang Gong and Inspector Zhang Xingying. As for Jiang Lyuzhong, although he was highly skilled as a Gold Gong, Nightwatchers and civil officials were natural adversaries, so few paid him much attention.
Xu Qi'an thought he would be treated similarly and enjoyed the idea of being free from social obligations.
Unexpectedly, an official in a scarlet robe embroidered with cloud geese raised his glass towards Xu Qi'an and tentatively asked, "Is this little sir the poet of '*Delicate, tilting branches reflected on clear and shallow water; its subtle fragrance drifts with the rising moon at dusk.*'?"
-----
Translator note: Here the author notes that he got some official titles mixed up for Ziyang Jushi. As imperial Chinese official titles are hard enough as-is, don’t read too much into it. Just know that Ziyang Jushi is a second-rank official, and the top level provincial administrator of Qingzhou.