The teary-eyed expression made Qin Yuan can’t help but beckon, "Come here, come to me."
Xiao Dong obediently sat next to Qin Yuan.
Faced with his aggrieved little face, Qin Heng helplessly scratched his head, while Gu Baoshu hurriedly waved her hands, "How could it be. Xiao Dong, listen to my explanation..."
"Alright, go ahead with your explanation."
Looking at Xiao Dong, Gu Baoshu stammered, "...I..."
Xiao Dong pouted, glanced at Qin Yuan, then whimpered with a crying voice, "You still won’t admit it, just now you said you wanted to do something with Brother Qin Heng?"
Both of you didn’t call me!
When you need me, you call me brother; when you don’t, you don’t even mention me."
These words sounded like a deep-boudoir grievance berating a heartless man.
Qin Yuan bit her lower lip, holding back the laughter rising to her lips.
Xiao Dong paused for a moment, then said, "Look at how Brother Si Yuan never treats me this way, he seriously keeps the medicine powder I made on him. Hmph!"
Praising one while stepping on another.
In other words, you did not treat me right.
Gu Baoshu sighed helplessly, "Alright, alright, I’ll take you."
Only then did Xiao Dong lift his face, his dark eyes full of laughter, "Sister Baozhu, you said it."
Gu Baoshu immediately became bold, "I said it, don’t worry, the words I, Gu Baoshu, say, not even ten thousand horses can chase them down."
"Puh," Qin Siyuan finally couldn’t hold back his laughter.
Gu Baoshu looked puzzled, "What is Brother Si Yuan laughing at? Although Xiao Dong is a bit childish, we give way to him..."
Qin Siyuan hurriedly interrupted her words, "I’m laughing at those horses."
"Hahaha."
The room immediately echoed with cheerful laughter.
At this moment, Shen Changle came in, his round face full of smiles, and said to Qin Yuan, "Madam, Mr. Songshan has arrived, and is outside discussing strategies with the scholars. What do you think..."
Qin Yuan nodded, stood up, and said to the others, "Since Mr. Songshan has arrived, you should each go about your business, I should also go out and take a look."
...
Outside Ranxiang Inn, more and more people gathered, and the notes in the box could no longer fit.
Mr. Songshan stood at the exit of the garden, discussing strategies with several scholars, surrounded by a circle of scholars in the attire of a scholar, all appearing to listen intently.
The Grand Ancestor Emperor of this dynasty had issued an imperial decree prohibiting scholars from recklessly discussing political affairs.
He declared that all military and civilian welfare and grievances could be discussed by officials, virtuous individuals in retirement, aspiring heroes, honest farmers, and skilled merchants, but not by scholars.
All because the Grand Ancestor Emperor, having learned from the decline of the previous dynasty, believed scholars lacked enough knowledge, and that their reckless discussion of state affairs would foster court speculation and show disrespect toward the academic administration officers, corrupting the scholarly atmosphere.
Mr. Songshan, being a virtuous individual in retirement, naturally had no scruples, while the scholars could only listen quietly, daring not to join in vocally.
The scholars and Mr. Songshan were discussing the matter of the Five Cities Military Department cleaning the household and merchant registers for the Empress Dowager’s birthday, during which many people residing in the Capital City were discovered.
One of the questioners said, "The Empress Dowager’s birthday should be a time for national celebration. The people who have been peacefully residing in the Capital City for many years, without committing any crimes, why cannot they stay in the Capital City to celebrate the Empress Dowager’s birthday together? Tonight the city gates will be wide open, and visitors from all directions can enter and exit freely, watch the lantern festival, and observe the grand parade. Yet they are being sent back to their original places of residence, isn’t that going too far by the officials?"
Many examinees had come to the Capital City for the spring examination, and they all felt that the Empress Dowager’s birthday was too extravagant in stirring up so many people.
Nowadays, it’s no longer like the early days of the Grand Ancestor’s founding, and many people have left their hometowns to seek livelihoods in the state mansions, no longer cooped up in the countryside farming and weaving. In the Capital City, only about ten to twenty percent are native inhabitants, while the imperial guards and military families make up about twenty to thirty percent, and the rest are people who came to the Capital City from elsewhere, including approximately fifteen to sixteen percent originally from Huaiji.
Many present, although not openly agreeing, also secretly concurred.
They were just waiting for the highly esteemed Mr. Songshan to speak.
Answering this question was easy.
But answering it well to satisfy the crowd, without provoking the court, was indeed very challenging.
Qin Yuan, hearing up to this point, couldn’t help but nod slightly and glance at the examinee who asked the question.
This person had a slender build, wearing a dark Daoist robe, with a Yangming Scarf on his head, twirling three strands of his beard under his chin, looking at Mr. Songshan with a slightly challenging gaze.
A few companions beside him had expressions of complacency on their faces.
One had to admit that the person posing the question had some skill, appearing as a trivial matter, yet it was a very capable test of Mr. Songshan’s ability, and answering carelessly could cause annoyance among court officials and be seized upon by opportunists.
However, Mr. Songshan should be able to handle it.
As expected, Mr. Songshan asked in return without answering directly, "May I ask how many classes of people there were when our dynasty was founded?"
The so-called four classes referred to scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, among which scholars were noble and merchants were lowly.