novelaction Chapter 501 Do as Steward Lü says!
Chapter 501 Do as Steward Lü says!
Kui Zhuang clutched the thin roll of roster, the veins on his forehead throbbing slightly with his rapid breathing. "How can there be so many more?" His voice was hoarse with disbelief. "Last year there were only two thousand four hundred people in total, but this year there are clearly six thousand three hundred on the register. Did these thousands of extra people just spring up out of nowhere?"
Standing opposite him, Chunyu Yue had long lost his usual composure. The hem of his official robe was covered in dust, indicating that he had rushed all the way. He stomped his foot abruptly, leaving a shallow footprint on the hard blue brick floor. The dust that flew up landed on the scrolls on the desk, but he seemed oblivious: "It's more than just a missed report! Just now, when I went to the West Market to buy writing materials, the shopkeeper stopped me and sighed—saying that in the past few days, many scholars from the old Yan and Zhao regions have come, carrying their well-worn book chests. Even the post stations are full, so they're spending the night huddled in the corner of the examination hall!"
His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice trembled with urgency. "There was a man from Zhao who asked the shopkeeper for water, saying, 'As long as I can get into the examination hall, I'd be willing to live in the stables and eat wheat cakes!' If they all flood in, not only will there not be enough examination halls, but the daily food and water alone will empty half of Xianyang's granaries!"
Lü Zhi stood to one side, her fingers unconsciously twisting her sleeves. Just moments ago, she had felt a cool breeze through the corridor, but now she felt a surge of heat rising from her feet to the top of her head. She suddenly remembered that yesterday, when she was inspecting the inns in the south of the city, she had seen several unfamiliar figures lingering outside the examination hall in the twilight. Their blue cloth clothes were faded from washing, and their book chests were patched. At the time, she had assumed they were candidates familiarizing themselves with the venue, but now, thinking back, the anxiety and anticipation in their eyes clearly indicated that they were "casual examinees" who hadn't had time to register.
"What's even more alarming is the price of goods!" Chunyu Yue's voice suddenly rose, startling the sparrows perched under the eaves. "In just three days, the price of the Cangjie Pian has jumped from fifty coins to sixty-five, and a good inkstone costs two hundred coins! The grain shops in the West Market have gone mad, with millet soaring from one hundred coins per shi to two hundred and thirty!"
He took a breath, picked up the cool tea on the table, and gulped it down, not even bothering to wipe the tea running down his chin. "Those rich young men from Wei and Chu buy things without batting an eye. Yesterday, a scholar from Chu bought ten reams of the finest paper in one go, threw down some gold, and left. The shopkeeper immediately raised the price by 20%! But what about those poor scholars? This morning, a scholar from Qi wanted to buy half a stick of ink with only thirty coins in his hand. The shopkeeper thought he didn't have enough money, and the two of them started arguing at the street corner, attracting hundreds of onlookers to watch the spectacle!"
He suddenly pulled several crumpled sheets of paper from his sleeve, containing hurriedly copied street gossip from officials. On the top sheet, written in crooked Qin script, was the following: "The Qin people established the imperial examination system to drain the resources of talented people from other states, wasting their efforts!"
Chunyu Yue's hands trembled violently, making the papers rustle: "If these words were to spread to the various counties, wouldn't everyone say that Your Majesty is untrustworthy? Some people have even made up a rhyme that says, 'Qin officials only recognize Qin people, and scholars from other places are just practice partners'—such heresies are misleading the public. If they are not severely punished, they may shake the very foundation of the imperial examination system!"
Kui Zhuang slowly picked up the paper, his knuckles turning white from the force, as if he were about to pierce the ink on the paper. The hall was eerily quiet, save for the incessant chirping of cicadas outside the window, which only amplified the heavy silence. After a long while, he suddenly turned to Lü Zhi, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Master Lü, what do you think?"
Lü Zhi's gaze fell on the stack of candidates' names on the desk. The cover of one of them was worn out. She remembered that when she opened it, there was a note written in cinnabar on the title page by Zhao Guozi: "I seek officialdom not for wealth and honor, but only so that when I return home, I can ensure that all the people in my neighborhood are well-fed." The handwriting was childish, but it conveyed a heavy sincerity.
She took a deep breath and said slowly, "The number of people and prices that Director Chunyu mentioned are actually the same thing—mismanagement allowed rumors to take hold."
She looked up at Wei Zhuang, her eyes clear and bright. “In my opinion, the most urgent task is to solve the housing problem: isn’t the brick kiln in the east courtyard of the examination hall currently firing bricks? Let the craftsmen stop firing for a day and build up the unfinished wing rooms in the east courtyard. They don’t need to be ornate or painted; thatched roofs and mud walls will do. Even if it can accommodate three hundred more people, it will reduce the number of students sleeping on the streets.”
"As for prices," she paused, speaking slowly and deliberately, "we can ask the Prime Minister's office to issue an order, instructing the officials of the Household and Tax Bureau to take the Qin Law to the West Market for inspection. Anyone who hoards goods or inflates prices of writing materials and grain should be convicted under the 'manipulation of the market' clause and have their hoarded goods confiscated. We can also transfer some affordable millet and coarse hemp paper from the official granaries and set up three 'supplementary points for examinees' outside the south gate of the examination hall. They can receive these supplies with their household registration documents, so that scholars from poor families won't be unable to even afford writing materials."
At this point, she changed the subject: "For those unregistered 'scattered examination takers,' why not make an exception—let them register their place of origin and family background at the Ministry of Rites. As long as they are not fugitives wanted by various states, they should be allowed to take the exam. The purpose of our imperial examinations is to gather the best talents from all over the country. We cannot shut out those who are truly loyal to Qin because of a single document."
Her voice softened slightly at the last sentence, but it carried an undeniable certainty: "As for rumors, it's better to guide than to suppress them. As long as we arrange accommodations and supplies properly, the scholars will see it, and naturally no one will believe those divisive lies."
Chunyu Yue opened his mouth, the word "non-compliant system" already on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it back when he saw Lü Zhi's calm eyes. He remembered the Qi Guozi he had seen at the street corner yesterday, his hands gripping his money bag with bulging veins, his eyes filled with despair—perhaps, this seemingly "outrageous" method was the best remedy for his immediate crisis.
Wei Zhuang stared at the worn-out "Examination Instructions" on the table, then suddenly slammed his hand on the table, causing the ink in the inkstone to splash out: "Do as Steward Lü says!"
He looked at Chunyu Yue, his tone resolute, "Chief Chunyu, you shall immediately take three hundred officials and soldiers to the West Market and, together with Chief Zheng, rigorously investigate prices. If they are not brought down before sunset, you and I shall go together to receive the King's punishment!"
Then he turned to Lü Zhi: "Master Lü, take the craftsmen from the Imperial Workshop to the East Courtyard and tell them to be lenient with the materials and double their wages. They must finish two hundred dormitories within three days. If they need anything, they can apply directly to the Imperial Household Department!"
"Yes!" the two replied in unison, their steps quickening as they turned.
For the next three days, Xianyang City seemed to be pushed forward by an invisible force.
On the construction site of the east courtyard of the Imperial Examination Hall, the sounds of ramming earth and hammering never ceased, day and night. The craftsmen, shirtless, used the timber originally intended for the main building to build simple sheds, with straw curtains for the walls and thatched roofs, yet they were still neatly stacked. An old craftsman, while planing a wooden beam, laughed: "I've built palaces and city walls in my life, but this is the first time I've built huts for scholars. It's quite a novel experience."