Chapter 40: I Will See You Among the Thorns!
Chapter 40: I Will See You Among the Thorns!
Poor Young Master Wang was rescued just like that, then carried away under the watchful eyes of the crowd lining the street.
Fortunately, he was already unconscious.
This way, he did not have to face those crushing stares that could have broken him. As for whether his important organs would function normally in the future…
“Absolutely barbaric!”
Yang Xin said indignantly.
It was swollen like a purple eggplant!
Of course, this wasn’t really his fault. It was mainly due to his lack of scientific knowledge. How was he supposed to know there was a rope-tying method for making eunuchs back then? This was largely because the memoirs of the Great Qing’s eunuchs were misleading. In short, it was just a small accident. He definitely never intended for Young Master Wang to join the ranks of people like Nine Thousand Years Old. Actually, at that time, eunuchs weren’t necessarily completely castrated. The mortality rate from that was too high. Usually, it was the Ming Army that did such brutal things to war captives. But for those who handled it privately, like Nine Thousand Years Old, they would just remove the testicles. Some, from a young age, didn’t even remove the testicles. They would do something like what he did to Young Master Wang, tying a rope around them, or have an old hand crush them from childhood…
This created significant risks.
For example, there were records of eunuchs harming common women, and of large testicles getting stuck inside smaller ones and not coming out. Such records were very complete in the Great Ming Dynasty. It was said there were even Army Supervisor eunuchs who harmed officers’ wives. The West Yard even had places specifically to receive their customers, and business was booming. There were even cases of them eating without paying at brothels and being chased into the palace for debt collection.
As for those like Nine Thousand Years Old, they weren’t rare at all.
It was only by the time of our Great Qing that a clean, one-cut method became standard.
From this perspective, our Great Qing did make some progress in technology.
In the Ming Dynasty, especially in areas like Shuntian Prefecture, and particularly in Yang Xin’s claimed hometown of Hejian Prefecture, there were many ambitious people like Nine Thousand Years Old. They would first solve the problem themselves, then find connections to enter the palace and serve the emperor. In fact, many had already solved it themselves but couldn’t get into the palace due to lack of connections.
For instance, Nine Thousand Years Old spent many years wasting time outside the palace.
Under such circumstances, expecting them to accept a thirty percent mortality rate was simply impossible, let alone doing it actively. They would rather engage in Illicit Salt trafficking or become bandits; the mortality rate was lower than that of the cut. Besides, eunuchs were plentiful, but how many actually rose to prominence? With such a high mortality rate and such a low return rate, it couldn’t possibly attract people. If they had the courage to cut themselves, why not pursue paths with lower mortality rates? Ultimately, how many Nine Thousand Years Olds could there be? Only a method with negligible mortality could truly attract those dreamers to join the eunuch army…
Uh, what about eunuchs?
Being a eunuch was also a promising career.
The eunuchs of the Great Ming Dynasty were inner officials, a type of official, not fundamentally different from court ministers. Eunuchs also wore rank badges on their chests, and theirs were the “fighting bulls” badge.
“Truly barbaric!”
A voice beside him suddenly said.
Yang Xin turned in surprise and looked at a young man in a blue robe. The latter was watching Young Master Wang leave with a sighing expression, then he waved the Folding Fan in front of his chest…
“Sun Chuanting, courtesy name Boya!”
He turned and said with a smile.
“Yang Xin, courtesy name…”
Yang Xin suddenly realized he didn’t have a courtesy name.
Although he dressed every day, as Wang Wang would say, like a proper gentleman, he had forgotten that it was essential for scholars of the time.
“Courtesy name Shoucheng!”
Chen Yujie suddenly appeared from the other side, also waving a Folding Fan.
“Songjiang Government Student Chen Yujie, courtesy name Zhanyi!”
He said to Sun Chuanting with a smile.
Yang Xin sadly realized he didn’t have a Folding Fan.
“Young Master Wang has suffered such a misfortune, yet the crowd shows no pity. Instead, they watch like it’s a monkey show. Is this the teaching of the sages? Only Brother Shoucheng could treat him with compassion. That is truly admirable. We cannot build our own joy upon others’ pain. Direct and thought-provoking, this one sentence is worth ten thousand words!”
Sun Chuanting said.
“I’m always like this!”
Yang Xin said shamelessly.
Chen Yujie on the other side looked speechless.
“Brother Boya, if I remember correctly, Brother Boya is a newly passed Jinshi, right?”
He said.
“I’m ashamed, I only barely made it into the third rank!”
Sun Chuanting said modestly.
Chen Yujie gave Yang Xin a meaningful look.
He was reminding Yang Xin that they weren’t the same kind of people, and he shouldn’t speak carelessly about everything.
Although Chen Yujie was also a scholar, his status as a Government Student was purely for convenience when traveling. As for himself, he had long stopped studying the Four Books and Five Classics. In essence, he was a new youth who had accepted Western ideas, and he was still reading that book about Yahweh, even though Yang Xin had ruthlessly exposed its flaws. Precisely because he was different from the Eight-Legged Essay scholars, he could get along with Yang Xin, and even people like Cao Wenzhao. But in essence, he was an anomaly among scholars, and the pedantic Confucians would certainly disdain associating with such lowly merchants, porters, and rough military men.
But Sun Chuanting was different. He was a true Confucian scholar in the Great Ming sense.
So they weren’t the same kind of people.
Especially since he had now passed the Jinshi examination; he was an official. If he spoke recklessly, he should be careful that others might accuse him of spreading heresy and have him sent to the magistrate’s office for a beating first.
“That calls for a drink then!”
Yang Xin said with a smile.
Chen Yujie immediately looked uneasy.
Given his understanding of Yang Xin, he clearly guessed this guy had a scheme.
The three of them thus came together and walked forward with the joyful crowd. Soon, they found a tavern, sat at a table by the window on the second floor, and began chatting while drinking. Sun Chuanting had just become a Jinshi this year, but he only received his appointment yesterday. He was next going to serve as the County Magistrate of Yongcheng in Henan. His ancestral home was actually Guangshan, Henan, but because of his military household registration, his family had moved to Daizhou, Shanxi. Of course, by his generation, the Sun family had been in the Zhenwu Guard in Daizhou for over two hundred years, so they could almost be considered Shanxi natives. Just like the Fang family’s ancestral home was in Zhejiang, but now they could be called natives of Daxing.
The Hongwu and Yongle eras used countless southern immigrants to cleanse the northern lands of barbarian influence.
“Yongcheng, the Ding family!”
Chen Yujie said.
“Brother Shengru ranked second class in the palace examination.”
Sun Chuanting said.
Yang Xin looked at them with an innocent face.
“The Ding family of Yongcheng. Ding Kui-chu was a Jinshi in the previous examination. His nephew, Ding Qirui, is a second-class Jinshi in this examination. Two Jinshi from one family.”
Chen Yujie explained to him.
“Successful people!”
Yang Xin said with a smile.
“You’re implying something with that remark!”
Chen Yujie said.
“Don’t misunderstand, you are also a successful person!
Even though you’re just a Xiucai and haven’t even passed the Provincial Scholar exam, your family is wealthy! With silver, you can solve many problems. In our Great Ming, power comes first, silver second. Both are useful in the end. What’s more, your uncle is an official. Even though he’s only a sixth-rank Junior Advisor of the Left, his rise to prominence is still expected. And Brother Sun is also a successful person. Even though you’re only a County Magistrate now, you will later become a prefect, a minister, and even rise to Chief Grand Secretary. Therefore, you are both successful people.
Now, please answer a small question each, you two successful people.
The one with power, you first!”
Yang Xin said.
“Brother Yang, please proceed!”
Sun Chuanting said with interest.
“Tell me, whose interests do you represent?”
Yang Xin asked.
“Brother Sun is a bit unclear on your meaning.”
Sun Chuanting said, slightly embarrassed.
Clearly, he wasn’t truly unclear.
“Then I’ll be more direct. If you go to Yongcheng as County Magistrate, and the family of your fellow Jinshi hides farmland. We all know how many mu of land officials can own without paying taxes. If the Ding family has ten thousand mu of good farmland, but officially only has the amount exempt from taxes registered, what would you do?
Please don’t avoid this question. It’s inevitable!
In fact, we all know everyone does this. Anyone with the means hides farmland. Otherwise, why become an official? Just for the court’s meager salary? Which official supports their family solely on salary? In over two hundred years of the Great Ming, hasn’t there only been one Hai Gangfeng? So, as County Magistrate, would you re-measure his family’s land and collect taxes according to the law? That is your duty. Theoretically, you must do this. If we further assume that Ding Qirui also receives an appointment to be the Department Magistrate of Daizhou, then would you investigate the Ding family’s land holdings? We all know the Great Ming’s finances are never sufficient. Would you use this method to help Your Majesty make the finances sufficient?
Please answer. Answer according to your conscience!”
Yang Xin said.
“Brother Yang, this…”
Sun Chuanting smiled without speaking.
Chen Yujie looked at Yang Xin in horror.
“Shall I answer for you?”
Yang Xin said.
“Brother Yang, I would not, but I would…!”
Sun Chuanting said very frankly.
“No ‘buts.’ You know very well. What is the root cause? You also know very well. Without addressing the root, everything is futile! But you don’t dare address the root because you are part of it. You are an official. You represent the interests of the gentry. You belong to the gentry class. If you dare betray your own class, you will become a Treacherous Official. Countless impeachments will rain down upon you. All officials and gentry will see you as an enemy. Soon you will not be able to stand your ground. Then you will be driven out of the officialdom. Even the officials and gentry in your hometown will unite against you. So you are a smart person. You know how to be an official. You don’t even dare to be a Hai Gangfeng. You will only continue to sit back and watch officials and gentry hide farmland and not pay taxes.
But the court needs money to deal with the Jiannu!
So, since officials and gentry don’t pay taxes, the only way to increase revenue is to keep taxing the Commoners.
But as a Commoner, I ask on behalf of all Commoners:
Why?
Why can you avoid paying taxes?
Also, as a Commoner, I ask: why should I suffer this kind of injustice?”
Yang Xin said.
“Uh, Brother Shoucheng, you’ve had too much to drink!”
Chen Yujie quickly said.
“Brother Chen, no need. Brother Sun is not a petty man. The County Magistrate of Yongcheng has no jurisdiction in the capital. This is just a private chat among friends. It won’t reach a fourth person’s ears. However, Brother Yang’s frankness does make Brother Sun rather admire him.”
Sun Chuanting said with a smile.
“Brother Sun, you haven’t answered.”
Yang Xin said.
“This question, Brother Sun cannot answer!”
Sun Chuanting said very frankly.
“You truly are a gentleman. But gentlemen aren’t useful. The Great Ming doesn’t need gentlemen. The Great Ming only needs fairness. And you, as a defender of the gentry class, you can only maintain this unfairness. Thus, the Great Ming will continue to rot, until one day…”
Yang Xin stood up and looked at the magnificent city tower outside.
“I will see you among the thorns!”
He pointed at the city tower and shouted.