Chapter 36: Verifying the Credentials, Old Zhu Issues the Travel Allowance

In the back hall of the Teng County Magistrate’s office, Magistrate Li Yi looked at Gu Zhengchen as he approached, bowing with a smile: "Magistrate Gu."

Gu Zhengchen returned the gesture: "Please, Magistrate, do not tease me. For now, I am still merely a Licentiate."

Yan Bin brought over tea. After Gu Zhengchen offered his thanks, he asked the sipping Li Yi, "How much longer may I remain in Teng County?"

Li Yi set down his teacup and held up one finger: "One month. After one month, you must set off for Jinling. According to the Ministry of Personnel's official directives, you must arrive in the capital before the first day of the ninth lunar month to register and receive your official credentials."

"Who else is going?" Gu Zhengchen asked.

Li Yi glanced at Yan Bin, who produced a sheet of paper and handed it to Gu Zhengchen: "My selection process is rigorous; I do not recommend those who lack talent. Aside from you, there are two others. You know them both."

"Zhang Shiping and Liang Jiajun?" Gu Zhengchen asked, looking at Li Yi in surprise.

Li Yi said solemnly, "You must have heard of Zhang Shiping’s situation. He is a man of great filial piety. On a winter night in the second year of the Hongwu reign, his father, Zhang Xian, lay ill in bed and cried out for fish, but there happened to be none in the house. Zhang Shiping ran to the river and lay on the ice to thaw it, begging for fish; he suffered severe frostbite."

Gu Zhengchen’s mouth twitched slightly: "Could he not have brought a fork to break the ice, or knocked on a fishmonger's door to buy one? Magistrate, are you certain this isn't a marketing stunt for a melodrama?"

"What is 'melodrama marketing'?" Li Yi asked, confused.

Gu Zhengchen shook his head: "You recommended him just because of this?"

Li Yi sighed helplessly: "A man of such filial piety, and a scholar by training—if I did not recommend him, and the Censor were to find out, I would be accused of failing to report talent and neglecting my duty to the imperial court."

Gu Zhengchen gritted his teeth inwardly. Damn it, he had met Zhang Shiping, and the man was no fool. This was definitely an act to gain a reputation for filial piety. Lying on the ice to beg for fish? If you threw him onto the ice naked, he still wouldn't melt it. To think people actually believed such nonsense. Was it the simplicity of the times, or were their heads full of wood?

"And what about Liang Jiajun?" Gu Zhengchen asked, looking at the other name. Liang Jiajun was the younger brother of Liang Fengyang and the third son of Liang Heng. Gu Zhengchen had met him a few times and felt he was overly refined and not much of a talker.

Li Yi smiled: "Liang Jiajun has a solid academic foundation and has been assigned to the Imperial Academy to serve as a doctoral assistant."

"What is Zhang Shiping’s official post?" Gu Zhengchen asked.

Li Yi tapped the table and said softly: "He has better luck than you; the Ministry of Personnel has appointed him as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works."

"Oh, that is a high position indeed," Gu Zhengchen said with a calm smile.

Seeing that Gu Zhengchen was not the least bit discouraged, Li Yi asked, "Do you not feel it is unfair?"

Gu Zhengchen handed the paper back to the secretary and said to Li Yi: "What is unfair about it? Staying in the provinces for now is not necessarily a bad thing."

Li Yi raised an eyebrow, looking at Gu Zhengchen with surprise: "You seem to know quite a bit about the court. Did the Liang family tell you this?"

Gu Zhengchen gave a faint shake of his head. Some things were beyond the reach of the Liang family’s connections.

Li Yi looked at him deeply but did not press further. He stood up, picked up a tally from the table, and walked over to Gu Zhengchen: "Keep this safe. It is your credential tally. Without it, you cannot report to the Ministry of Personnel, so do not lose it."

Gu Zhengchen took it and examined it. The so-called tally was only as long as a little finger, made of iron, neither shaped like a tiger nor a yellow fish—it was simple, just a flat, belt-like token. There were incantations carved into the surface, and the left side of the script was not extended, as if sliced off by a knife. In the center were two seal-script characters: "Official Appointment."

In the Ming Dynasty, there was a system of regional avoidance; one could not serve as an official in one’s own home province. Because of this, and the lack of a centralized digital network for personnel files, this tally system was essential to prevent imposters.

Gu Zhengchen put the tally away and asked, "When I depart, should I travel with Liang Jiajun and Zhang Shiping, or...?"

Li Yi smiled: "If you are willing to travel together, it is good to have company. If you prefer not to, you may travel alone, just do not miss your deadline."

Gu Zhengchen nodded and bowed before preparing to leave. Li Yi stood to see him off: "I forgot to mention, you must come to the magistrate's office once more before you leave. To show compassion for the difficulties officials face upon appointment, and to prevent them from borrowing money—which might lead to the exploitation of the people—the Hongwu Emperor has established a travel allowance. Fifty taels for a Prefect, thirty-five for a Department Magistrate, and thirty for a County Magistrate."

Gu Zhengchen knew of this travel allowance; it had existed in the early Ming Dynasty, a fleeting bloom. And now, that flower was in full bloom. Thirty taels—by the time he reached the capital and then Jurong, there would likely be little left. Still, it was better than borrowing money.

One more month! Gu Zhengchen left the magistrate's office and headed to the Liang estate.

Liang Heng was listening to an opera. Seeing Gu Zhengchen, he arranged for him to sit by his side. "From the first time you appeared before me, I knew you were no simple man. How little time has passed, and you are already to become a county magistrate."

Gu Zhengchen said bitterly: "The Magistrate of Jurong is not a good place. If I make the slightest move, it will draw unwanted attention and trouble. If I make no move at all, I could stay there for nine years and never reach the halls of the central government. Does Elder Liang have any advice for me?"

Liang Heng glanced at Gu Zhengchen and said slowly: "It seems you still have some fire in your belly. Remember this: it is fine to make waves, but those waves must sound pleasant. They must not grate on the ears or cause disgust."

"And if some people insist on finding them unpleasant, what then?" Gu Zhengchen asked solemnly.

Liang Heng took an apricot pit from the fruit he was eating and handed it to Gu Zhengchen, saying meaningfully: "The flesh will eventually be consumed, but the seeds that remain are always hard."

Gu Zhengchen looked down at the apricot pit in his hand, half-understanding.

"Travel to the capital with Jiajun next month. Although he is older than you, he has never traveled far. I will be at ease knowing you are looking after him."

Liang Heng returned to the opera, lifting his teacup.

Gu Zhengchen smiled and nodded: "As long as the Liang family is willing to cover the travel expenses, traveling with Jiajun is no problem at all..."

"Pfft! You greedy boy!" Liang Heng spat out a mouthful of tea.

Gu Zhengchen shrugged helplessly: "Elder Liang, carpooling saves money..."

The flesh on Liang Heng’s cheeks twitched: "Why is it that the money saved is always yours, and the money spent is always the Liang family's?"

"Because I have been to the capital once before; I know the way..."

Liang Heng’s eyes widened. That was true—last time he went to the capital for the imperial examinations, the court suspended them. When he returned, he jumped into a lake. No one knew if the King of Hell had returned the wrong soul, but ever since he was pulled from that lake, his entire temperament had changed.