Great Tang Idyll

"What kind of help?" Li Xun asked.

"I want my father to get first place in the provincial exam, and enter the Imperial Examination as the top ju'ren1 of the Bin Prefecture." Zhang Xiao'bao said with a serious tone.

"For which degree?" Li Xun swallowed when he heard the words top ju'ren, and then he asked again.

"The jin'shi degree, which was originally the xiu'cai degree." Zhang Xiao'bao replied.

This time, Li Xun did not swallow; instead, he wiped his sweat. He promised to give these children a xiang'gong title, but it would be from the lower positions and he also wasn't expecting many children to actually make it to the end. However, the mastermind behind Zhang Xiao'bao wanted first place and to take the exam for the Jin'shi degree. This was too frightening.

"Uh, Xiao'bao, when you get back, tell your family that it's hard to give your father first place. He has to have actual talent and a good reputation, and he also needs people to support him. My promise would mean nothing. Let's talk about the restaurant instead."

Li Xun was a bit troubled. He was not powerful enough to have a pull on the position of the first place ju'ren.

However, Zhang Xiao'bao wanted to discuss this matter first, so he said, "Young Master Li, you don't have to feel troubled. He will have a reputation. Starting tomorrow, all of the restaurants in the San'shui County will sing and recite Yong'cheng poems. Within half a month, all of the restaurants in the province will sing and recite Yong'cheng poems. During Chinese New Year, everyone will be singing Yong'cheng poems in the Guan'nei Division, He'nan Division, Shan'nan Division, He'dong Division--- basically anywhere with wells."

Li Xun was astonished. He understood what the Zhang family intended to do. They wanted to use money to pay people to promote in different areas. As long as what his father wrote is not too bad, then this wouldn't be hard, but how much would this cost? No wonder he didn't want an honorary official title.

Thinking of this, Li Xun nodded, "If that's the case, it would be easier to accomplish. Combined with the cultivation technique, your father would have a great reputation. You'll have to let your father write more good poems. Did your family mention how much money they are willing to put out to send other people invitation letters?"

He was asking Zhang Xiao'bao how much money his family would be willing to give to the people above to support his father.

Zhang Xiao'bao remained silent at this time. He had to calculate how much income he had and how to distribute it. His family suddenly became poor again. Just the expenses for spreading the words alone was already quite high and they also have to give gifts. How much money do they even have. Not too much money was earned at Between The Water and Clouds--- at least not right now.

However, this money was not available all at once. He needed more time. They may be poor now, but things would be better after his father finished the exam.

"Five thousand taels a month. We can borrow some, probably thirty thousand taels. We can take this out all at once. Young Master Li, what do you think?" Zhang Xiao'bao calculated it. He sighed that he had no money, and gave Li Xun a number.

Li Xun didn't understand what Zhang Xiao'bao was thinking about. Did his family not tell him about this? When Zhang Xiao'bao said these words, Li Xun smiled.

"It's good to have this amount of money. I'll help you sort things out. In fact, that's quite a bit already. How much imperial tax is given a year? With this money, people in the capital city can be sent invitation letters. Just wait for the good news. It seems like your family earns quite a bit of money. I will count on you in the future."

Of course Zhang Xiao'bao knew that the court didn't collect that much tax and that it was impossible for it to be in the tens of millions. This was mainly because the tax rate was low here, unlike where he was from. Businesses there had to pay 20-30% tax, and there were some places where it was even higher.

However, it can't be said that there was no money here. For the big households in the capital city, a random gift may cost 800 to a thousand strings of coins. At this time, the river there has not frozen yet. When the weather turns cold, income will perhaps drop. He could only wait until they sell ice next year.

"Thank you so much Young Master Li. When the restaurants over at Between The Water And Clouds are set up, Young Master Li will gain a small income too." While Zhang Xiao'bao spoke to Li Xun, a fragrance penetrated into his nose. In just a while, the food would be ready to be eaten.

Li Xun knew that this was a benefit given to him by the Zhang family. It seemed like this Zhang family was actually quite good. He would gain some benefits just from the cultivation technique alone, and now he would be able to gain even more. The Emperor's nephew was poor too. His monthly allowance from the palace was actually not enough for him to use. He originally wanted to buy the Between The Water And Clouds, but it seemed like he didn't have to anymore.

This matter Zhang Xiao'bao discussed was a spontaneous idea of his. He immediately arranged for the people that came with him to go back and tell his father to write some poems. His father was rather talented, and knew a lot. As long as the poems were not made on the spot, the quality of his poems was guaranteed. If he wasn't afraid that he would anger his father, he would have asked Wang Juan to write some poems for him.

The stew has been bubbling for a while, and after the stew thickened, Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan removed the pot from the fire and shared some with Li Xun. They began to eat it with their fragrant smelling rice.

Li Xun exclaimed as he ate, "Wonderful. What did you put in it? Don't forget to give me some of that seasoning of yours when you go back. I'll tell my chef at home to add the seasoning when cooking."

Now that they shared common interests, Zhang Xiao'bao and Li Xun's relationship became closer. They chewed the beef, which had bits of tendon on them, and nodded, "Okay, I will send them to you when we get back. Once our restaurants are built, the mountain and the restaurant can be connected together. You can bring your food friends there to play. Remember to pay though; you can't let your restaurant go out of business."

"Yeah, pay, we will pay. I own the place too. My horse carriage needs to be replaced, and I need to get some more outfits made. Look at this clothing. I wore it last year, and now they're a bit small."

Li Xun spoke happily as he complained about being poor.

The three people sat together, eating and chatting. Han Yong'yao and Yuan Xing'yi were behind them, eating smoked meat. They felt miserable in their hearts, especially since the scent of radish and beef stew, and cucumber made them feel like the meat in their mouth was difficult to swallow.

"Brother Xing Yi, didn't you just say that Young Master Li won't eat other people's food? He ate two of their dishes this time." Han Yong'yao complained while looking at the smoked leg of lamb in his hand.

"If you give it to him, he certainly won't eat it. That dish is freshly made. If you offer it to me, I wouldn't be able to resist too. I can't believe two little kids can make such a delicious meal, and garlic flavoured cucumbers. Just having a bite would be nice too."

Yuan Xing'yi also felt that the food in his mouth was tasteless. He watched the others eating hot food, and finally he took another bite of his own food after smacking his lips a couple of times. Who was to blame that he didn't bring any raw food? If he didn't want to be punished with a beating, he had to persist.

Those adults who followed them also smelled the dishes made by Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan. One of them, who was probably a mother, spoke to a mother next to her, "If I knew beforehand, I would've brought something for Xin'er. "

"It would be useless even if you brought it. They don't know how to cook it. The little children of the Zhang and Wang families are amazing. Last time on the grassland, I saw them cooking food to eat. I wonder how they are taught at home." The woman expressed her thoughts after hearing the voice.

The one who spoke first replied, "It should be because their families are not rich, and the children in the family have to help with things from an early age."

"Not wealthy? Sister, do you know which family they are from? They are the precious babies from the Zhang and Wang manors of the Tu'qiao Village. The wharf at Little Luo'shui is owned by them. That place alone has hundreds of shops, and they have several restaurants and warehouses. They only rent the warehouses out and they don't sell it. The rent collected in a year will be hundreds of thousands of strings of coins."

The woman who knew about the situation of their families explained to the one who didn't know. As she spoke, she felt even more envious. A barren land that was bought using a thousand taels of silver turned out to be a chicken that laid golden eggs.

After the woman heard that the two children belonged to the two Zhang and Wang manors, she opened her mouth in surprise, and it took a while to close her mouth. Then she said, "Their manors are so rich, yet their families still make their children cook? Could it be that they want their children to go to their restaurants and work as chefs later on?"

She spoke with a jealous tone. Then, she looked at her eleven-year-old kid eating a piece of meat bread, and his face was covered with crumbs. Then she looked at Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan's reliable appearance, and shook her head helplessly. Today was the last time her child could eat meat bread, and starting tomorrow her child had to eat something else since meat bread cannot be kept for too long.

In a short while, Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan finished eating. They looked at the oily bowl, and then looked at the water pouch they brought with them. They poured in some water distressingly, sloshed it around a few times, and they lifted their heads to drink the oily water. Then they took out two pieces of paper to wipe with.

"It seems like we will reach the river up front the day after tomorrow. Let's bear with it for two more days." Zhang Xiao'bao packed up the things and then laid on top of the withered grass.

"Do you really plan to go to that place?" Wang Juan asked, lying beside Zhang Xiao'bao.

Zhang Xiao'bao turned his head slightly to look at where Han Yong'yao and Yuan Xing'yi was, and he put his arms under his head. "It depends on when those two withdraw. If they stay for a short time, we will go back early. If they can persist to the end, then I would admire them."

"That's absolutely impossible. We won't scare them to death, but we can cause them to have mental breakdowns and feel physically weak." Wang Juan took out blankets and pushed Zhang Xiao'bao to roll over. One blanket was placed below them, and the other was used to cover the two of them.

"What, what do you want to do? Let me tell you, if you dare use the knife, you are doomed." Han Yong'yao asked cautiously as Zhang Xiao'bao came over with the knife.

Yuan Xing'yi was also stared at Zhang Xiao'bao from the side. He didn't believe that Zhang Xiao'bao would make a move at this time.

Zhang Xiao'bao approached the two of them, and squatted down. He smiled at them, and said, "Don't be afraid, don't have nightmares at night. I'm here to cut some grass so that I can use it as a pillow. Don't mind me."

As Zhang Xiao'bao spoke, he did actually cut the grass beside the two of them. This made Han Yong'yao and Yuan Xing'yi confused as to what they should do.

By the time Zhang Xiao'bao was pretty much done with cutting, Yuan Xing'yi remembered and asked, "Is there no grass on your side? Why did you come here to cut?"

"There is, but I don't want to watch you die, so I decided to help you. Something will happen where you're lying on." Zhang Xiao'bao spoke in a trembling whisper.

Translator's Notes

1. Xiang'gong 乡贡, Ju'ren 举人, Jin'shi degree 进士科

There are two types of candidates that can participate in the imperial examination. The first type is Sheng'tu (生徒), which is a student who has attended a proper school, and have basic agree, allowing them to participate in Imperial examinations. The other type is Xiang'gong (乡贡), which is someone who didn't attend school and received private teaching.

By giving the children a xiang'gong title, they can participate in Imperial examinations directly.

Ju'ren is the title awarded to people who passed the triennial provincial exam.

Jin'shi degree is the highest and final degree that can be achieved in the imperial examinations.