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Swift Like Thunder (1)
T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
Since they’ve already decided to have the silver ingots and gold bricks melted down, they didn’t continue waddling in the mud and water.
The place for smelting was actually just to the side, but this while, it actually wasn’t needed. What they needed was to make a large sized mold, and have the gold and silver all moved out.
There’s probably not enough time today, but this also was just a matter of one word.
Li Hong Yuan took Jing Wan and strolled around along the road before finally returning slowly.
As for the various officials, they were practically waiting anxiously, finally once again seeing Jin Qinwang’s appearance. However, before this breath even finished relaxing, Jin Qinwang just threw them a heavy bomb.
Jin Qinwang expressed, he’d gone to the fu treasury just now, and seeing that many gold and silver, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration, having a pretty good idea. In Chongzhou Fu, wherever the scenery is good, he will just make a bit of something there. Afterwards, when it’s the next time for the capital to come fetch the money, just directly send it back for Le Cheng Emperor to also have a look. Right now, he’s gathering suggestions, seeing what would be good to make.
As long as it was someone that knew this batch of gold and silver’s origins, regardless whether or not they belonged to Chongzhou Fu, all went dark before the eyes, nearly just fainting.
Actually, in comparison, the people of Chongzhou Fu were still a little better. One has to know, the other fu’s treasuries were completely empty! How can this be good? How can this be good?!
However, what some people were further concerned with was, exactly was this Jin Qinwang suddenly having a whim, or he has realized something and deliberately doing this?
Although inherently it was actually all more or less the same, but if the latter, then it can only mean that Jin Qinwang wasn’t that easy to fool, and the areas where the accounts were fine will also have problems arising.
“Each and every one all mute? Didn’t hear clearly this prince’s meaning?” Li Hong Yuan propped up his chin and indifferently spoke.
It’s best to not do anything at all, and just let those gold and silver obediently stay in the storeroom! The reason why they were mute was because while clearly knowing that it was a trap prepared for them, would one even go forward and contribute a brick? But to not open one’s mouth will all things be fine? Too naive.
Afterwards, while rigidly smiling, they insincerely began giving their suggestions.
Perhaps for the sake of stalling the time, the things they said were all extremely complicated, and moreover, assembled together by many parts, with each area all fragmented. Even for the sake of adding to the persuasiveness, going into lengthy talks, quoting the classics, seemingly as if one were to not adopt, it was just unforgivable by the heavens, and even for this reason, flushed red with anger from arguing.
Li Hong Yuan nodded his head from time to time, unknown as to whether he was expressing his approval, or exclaiming in admiration at the various officials’ brilliant arguments.
Finally, “What everyone has said is all not bad, just the numerous ideas, difficult to pick. According to this prince’s idea, let’s just make it into a yuanbao, simple and efficient, saving time and energy. The implied meaning also not bad, and as one whole complete unit, don’t even need to worry about just losing a portion at some time. Just decided like this.” Li Hong Yuan made the final decision.
(T/N: Yuanbao, pictured below, is a form of ingot or ancient currency, the shape itself also holding an auspicious meaning of prosperity. Wontons are also often made into this shape for the same auspicious meaning.)
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
Everyone’s face were all a bit cracked. Looking to Li Hong Yuan, that gaze clearly saying, are you playing with me?
Li Hong Yuan nodded his head. That’s right, precisely just playing with you all!
Li Hong Yuan, one, didn’t get angry, and two, didn’t exert physical harm towards them, yet practically everyone all felt physically and mentally exhausted.
Seeing that it was more or less about time, Li Hong Yuan neither quickly nor slowly returned to accompany his wife again. Letting him spend a large amount of time today to come face this bunch of rough old men, in fact, not a single one was to his liking, Jin Qinwang’s mood was a bit annoyed. However, that colorful expression of theirs previously somewhat can be considered to have amused him, so he won’t bicker all that much anymore.
Afterwards, Eunuch Mu stood out again. In their eyes, this castrate dog was actually the most hateful. After all, when facing Jin Qinwang, that was daring to get angry, but not daring to speak, even not daring to display it. But now, just facing Eunuch Mu, that wasn’t the case anymore. However, Eunuch Mu simply didn’t care. Who let him have strong confidence. These people, no matter how resentful, still can’t do anything to him. Facing these people’s look of just wishing for him to go die, yet just had no way of dealing with him, he even had that bit of refreshed feeling inside.
If Jing Wan were to know this thought of his, just one line: ‘How can it be just summed up with the word lowly!’
Eunuch Mu’s purpose in staying behind was just one, passing on wangye’s word, allowing them to go back, putting it pleasantly as going back to pack their bags, and starting from tomorrow, shall be making their own bed on the ground here in this courtyard, “…………Also, don’t need too many things, and don’t bother bringing servants either. Who let your Chongzhou Fu be this unsightly, just preparing for master such a lousy place, and even just this big. If too many things, there’s no place to put it, and too many people, there’s no place to rest. As for food, no need to worry, in this regard, wangfei has never treated people harshly, so can be considered letting you all have a small benefit. Alright, just this way then. Oh, almost forgot, wangye also said, for the ones with unfinished official business, remember to go back and take care of it. Those are actual important matters, unable to be delayed.”
If unable to be delayed, then should’ve let them go back earlier, that way it would’ve long been taken care of!
Jing Wan also knew that these people got messed with quite miserably by Li Hong Yuan, but recalling the matters in regards to the finances, towards them, she was unable to have the slightest sympathy. In comparison, this bit of ‘mischievousness’ of Li Hong Yuan’s was simply just playing around, completely harmless.
What the living Enma wanted to do, naturally no one dared to slight. Even if wanting to procrastinate and slack off, there will still be people that will use special ways to remind them.
And this time, the place Li Hong Yuan chose was also quite special, in front of a Confucius House. This Confucius House, its significance for Chongzhou Fu, although far can’t compare with Kaiming Academy’s significance as to Kaiming Fu, but just hearing that name, one should know, its significance to scholars.
Although everyone all can come to this place, the ones coming and going were mostly still scholars. Suddenly causing such a big disturbance, naturally it was just immediately attracting attention. Afterwards, falling over one another to eagerly inform others, the people that gathered grew more and more, and not limited to just those scholars. There were the daring ones that went forward to inquire, and learning the situation, quite a few people were unable to restrain their anger, especially those scholars. This kind of deed was practically just an insult and stain towards the Confucius House. Even if Jin Qinwang, still can’t do this. The voices of discontent grew louder and louder. In fact, someone even disregarded the consequences and went for to block, the matter getting worse and worse, seemingly about to have a large battle play out.
One has to know, precisely because the previous courtyard exam incident had gotten stirred up greatly, even now, all still haven’t carried out the county-level exams. On the surface, the matter seemingly had temporarily quieted down, but it was still just on the surface. Everyone all knew, the longer the matter dragged out, the worser the situation would only become. And they’d long heard that the imperial court had sent a qinwang as an imperial envoy, but the other party, to this day, still has not taken the slightest action, so this resentment certainly just deepened the more it accumulated.
For the sake of shifting the hostility, and also for the sake of creating trouble for Li Hong Yuan, letting Li Hong Yuan not have the energy to focus on the salt administration matter, the people of Jiangnan’s official circle didn’t nicely circulate Li Hong Yuan’s ‘glorious deeds’ any less.
A person that had no good points sent to come handle the students’ matter, what was the imperial court treating them as? Their hot-blooded passion was precisely for the sake of repaying the imperial court, yet in the end, they just treated them like this?
T/N: So I figured, I probably should explain this last part about the problem with putting the gold and silver giant yuanbao in front of the Confucius House. Although yuanbao has an auspicious meaning, it’s not compatible with scholars and a place of learning, because scholars have this ideology of the clean noble living, where money is vulgar and their pursuit of learning for self-cultivation and a noble cause. It’s the same thing LHY mocked the Pei clan about in chapter 291:
“Regardless of whether it’s cultivating a renowned great scholar, or a prestigious family’s noble daughter, all can’t escape from the word ‘money’. Moreover, it was even quite the money-burner. Despite the great majority of the people getting cultivated by these things all viewing money as dirty soil, feeling it smelled of copper, but if really without money, would they still be able to be comfortably noble and virtuous? Perhaps they would even be less than a beggar.”
It’s also sort of why out of the four classes of ancient times (scholar, farmer, artisan, merchant), merchants were the lowest class. Also, for families where their family household register is classed as merchants(商户), they are not allowed to participate in the imperial exam and become officials.
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YES! The yuanbao is exactly what I was picturing when I read the last chapter. I probably watched too many HK dramas growing up
Hehe, LHY’s ability to mess with people is indeed unparalleled
ʕ； •`ᴥ•´ʔ
I have also seen examples of how merchants in many ancient settings novels being look down upon e.g. a daughter of a merchant married into nobility would be the subject of the circle’s gossip, said she smells of copper and stuff.
What’s surprising to me is that they can’t even take court exam ರ_ರ
And in modern setting novels, the male protagonist usually a successful businessman. Lol.
This is a bit of a simplified explanation but it has to do with the ancient ideology for ruling called 重农抑商 which translates to ‘stress the importance of agriculture and restrain merchants’. It’s the idea that in order to stabilize one’s rule, the ruler should stress the importance of agriculture, as feudal society is built off of agriculture as its foundation, but also suppress merchants because unlike farmers who are tied to their land, merchants have to travel around to build connections and are driven by profit which to the ruling class that just leads to greed and ambition. Wealthy merchants in their view have the potential to raise an army if they get rich enough and possibly overthrow the government.
As for why their family members cannot become officials, it’s to avoid the scenario of merchants and officials colluding, especially in ancient times when the focus on family clan is so heavy. This is sort of shown in how powerful and corrupt salt merchant family end up becoming historically due to salt merchants being government ‘approved’ merchants and have close ties with officials.
勉強になりました。ありがとう。
m(_ _)m
I’m back. Caught up, and was going back to being a lurker, but just couldn’t resist.
I think I get what you meant, Jen. This is only a part of it, but it’s already comedy gold.
I must say, even knowing they are getting what they had coming, they’re being so thoroughly messed up by LHY that I partly felt bad for them.
Only a bit though, mostly I’m still laughing.
And this is still considered “harmless”. Just growing a stomach ulcer or getting a heart attack 😂
Gotta love LHY. Idk why, but this makes me think of that Chinese saying of “not crying till seeing one’s coffin”.
I feel like LHY is purposely making all of them see their own coffin, giving them time to cry and despair, and all the while partying and eating popcorn/melon seeds above it. XD
Thanks for the chapter!