Mo Sang – CH 332

Chapter 332. Kneading

Zou Wang, the head manager, was a seasoned and efficient man. He drafted the recruitment notice, showed it to Li Sangrou, and the very next morning, delivery shops throughout Gaoyou County received it. The notice was distributed among the Morning News and Evening Post and posted at various intersections and village entrances.

That afternoon, the gentry of Gaoyou County, one after another, entered the inn’s main hall. Everyone had seen the recruitment notice. They entered in small groups, whispering amongst themselves.

Magistrate Wu arrived first. Standing at the main entrance, he welcomed the gentry one by one, counting them in his mind. “Hmm, almost all of them have arrived,” he thought. Just as Magistrate Wu was about to enter, a troop of light cavalry, gleaming brightly, charged towards them like a gust of wind from the end of the street.

Magistrate Wu leaned back, pressing himself against the doorframe, only reacting when the cavalry was about to reach him.

He had nothing to fear; the battle was over, and these were his own soldiers.

“General! This is it!” A lieutenant at the forefront charged past the inn, turned his horse around, and shouted to the troops behind him.

“Damn it! You know this is it, yet you still shout so loudly! Shouting like that, are you not afraid of disturbing the Commander-in-Chief and the General? Damn it!”

The military men behind him dismounted, cursing.

Magistrate Wu stared blankly at the generals and lieutenants who had dismounted.

This so-called general was General Sun, stationed outside their Gaoyou City? Was General Sun not supposed to be a scholar-general?

Wow, his voice was just as loud as anyone else’s!

“You are Magistrate Wu? I’ve seen you once, but you did not see me,” General Sun Xuezhi said, bowing and smiling as he approached Magistrate Wu.

“I dare not accept such praise. Yes, yes, I am Wu Yuan, the magistrate of this county. Greetings, General Sun.”

Magistrate Wu, always slow to react, was startled by the menacing aura emanating from General Sun and his men as they charged towards him. He managed to utter a few words before snapping out of his daze, only then realizing what he had said to the smiling General Sun.

“We drink from the same Gaoyou water; we are all family. There’s no need for formalities,” General Sun’s voice was cheerful and high-pitched. Before the last syllable faded, he stepped forward, getting close to Magistrate Wu, his voice barely audible. “Have the Commander-in-Chief and the General arrived yet?”

“Not yet.” Magistrate Wu was taken aback by General Sun’s abrupt change in tone, almost bewildered.

“That’s good!” General Sun breathed a sigh of relief, took two steps back, and carefully straightened his brand-new, gleaming military uniform.

The several lieutenants following behind General Sun also quickly and solemnly straightened their appearance.

Magistrate Wu stared intently as General Sun and his lieutenants meticulously straightened themselves from head to toe.

“Alright, Magistrate Wu, please!” General Sun, having composed himself, stepped forward and solemnly bowed to Magistrate Wu.

“Not at all! General Sun, please.” Magistrate Wu hurriedly stepped aside, bowing repeatedly, and ushered General Sun and his entourage inside.

“You are too kind!” General Sun bowed again, stepped over the threshold, and, facing the fearful gazes of the room’s inhabitants, turned halfway around, his eyes catching sight of Bai-Fu, the servant standing by the side entrance of the main hall. He went straight to Bai-Fu and stood beside him with his hands at his sides.

Bai-Fu did not even raise his eyelids, standing there with his hands at his sides.

This General Sun, as Ji-Xiang would say, was like a piece of sticky candy. Once you started talking to him, unless he decided to stop, it would never end, never end!

General Sun stood ramrod straight, with four or five lieutenants standing in a straight line behind him.

Magistrate Wu, who already dared not sit, now found himself even more uncomfortable standing. Logically, should he not be standing by the side entrance to greet them? But there was no room there!

General Sun and his lieutenants stood ramrod straight, holding their breath. Magistrate Wu stood with his hands at his sides. No one in the room dared to sit. Several gentry members over sixty, who were usually treated with great respect and had initially sat down upon entering, now also stood up, leaning on their canes.

General Sun Xuezhi stood ramrod straight for a moment. A sound of footsteps came from outside the side entrance of the main hall. General Sun immediately tensed, displaying utmost vigor. As Gu Xi stepped across the threshold, he shouted sharply, “Welcome, Commander-in-Chief! Welcome, General!”

Gu Xi, unfazed, waved to Sun Xuezhi, gesturing for him to move aside.

Li Sangrou raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing Sun Xuezhi.

He had led her horse before, but each time, a swarm of people would rush up to her, making it impossible for her to distinguish who was who.

Sun Xuezhi, meeting Li Sangrou’s scrutinizing gaze, tensed up once more.

Li Sangrou’s eyebrows rose even higher. She stepped aside and bowed slightly to Sun Xuezhi.

“Greetings, General!” Sun Xuezhi clasped his hands together, swung them wide, and bowed deeply.

“Do not pay him any attention. Zhihe once said that others can run a dye shop with three parts talent, but he can run three dye shops with half a part talent.” Gu Xi paused slightly, standing beside Li Sangrou, pointing at Sun Xuezhi with a look of disdain.

“You flatter me, General! You flatter me, General Wen!” Sun Xuezhi bowed deeply.

Li Sangrou chuckled.

“Please sit down, everyone. Magistrate Wu, please help these gentlemen to their seats. Magistrate Wu, please sit down. General Sun, please sit as well,” Gu Xi gestured with his hand as a greeting and said with a loud laugh.

Magistrate Wu hurriedly stepped forward and, according to age, helped the elderly gentlemen to their seats, then stepped back and sat down below them.

“Please sit down, everyone. Do not be so formal. There’s no need for formalities today. We are just having a casual chat.” Gu Xi smiled, appearing very approachable.

Rows of chairs had already been set out in the hall.

Normally, when these gentry gathered together, they would push and shove as they sat, taking their time to settle down. But now, although Gu Xi’s smile was very pleasant, the gentry were all nervous and reserved. No one dared to push and shove; they quickly sat down wherever was closest to them.

Several servants brought tea.

Sun Xuezhi strode forward, took the cup of tea the servant offered to Li Sangrou, and bowed as he presented it.

“You flatter me! General Sun, please sit down.” Li Sangrou quickly bowed in greeting.

“If the Boss would grant me this small favor, when the old brothers meet again for drinks and conversation, I will have served you tea. That’s more than enough face for you,” Sun Xuezhi said, his voice low but still loud enough.

Li Sangrou looked at him speechlessly, took the tea, and gestured to Sun Xuezhi again. “General Sun, please sit down.”

“Yes!” Sun Xuezhi responded, quickly moving forward to sit down below Li Sangrou.

“Today we are going to discuss,” Gu Xi clapped his hands with his folding fan and thought for a moment, “…oh, the matter of the free school, right?”

Gu Xi looked at Magistrate Wu, who quickly nodded.

“As everyone knows, I come from a military background and am a rough man. Whether these schools are truly free or not, please feel free to speak your mind. This matter needs to be discussed by everyone.” Gu Xi appeared straightforward and humble, gesturing with his folding fan before finally pointing to Magistrate Wu’s head. “Magistrate Wu, please speak first. What exactly happened?”

“Yes,” Magistrate Wu replied respectfully, his hands resting on his knees. “The three free schools in this county have suddenly closed. That’s what happened.”

He had heard the angry condemnations from the headmasters and several gentry about the closure of the schools, but he had also seen a glimpse of the Prince’s and the General’s attitudes. Although he was not particularly tactful, he still possessed the instinct to avoid trouble and seek advantage. The less he said, the better.

“Go on, tell us.” Gu Xi gestured to the elderly man next to Magistrate Wu.

The old man shifted his position, leaning forward. “Old…I think it is really wrong to close this free school so easily. If it closes, where will those children go to school? They are all from poor families. This is really wrong!”

“Hmm!” Gu Xi raised his eyebrows, giving a loud “Hmm,” and pointed to the next person. “Go on, go on! Say what you have to say! Do not be shy!”

“I think Old Grand Master Wu is right. How can we just close this free school like that? We cannot do that! How can we just close it off like that? That will not do! A child’s schooling is a big deal. Closing it like that prevents children from going to school and is unacceptable. I think that’s wrong! Do you not all agree? Ah? I told you, schooling is a big deal…”

Another old man next to him continued rambling on. Behind him, a middle-aged man gently patted him.

“Oh, I see, I see, that’s all I wanted to say. Going to school is a big deal!” The old man waved his hands repeatedly.

“Student, please speak.”

A middle-aged man in the back row stood up and bowed to Gu Xi.

Gu Xi raised his folding fan, gesturing for him to speak.

“Logically speaking, doing good deeds should be voluntary; there’s no reason to force it. This free school should not be forced to exist either.

But a perfectly good free school, with a single announcement of closure, immediately dismisses the teachers and students without even a moment’s respite. This is going too far.

That’s one point. Secondly, I heard that this free school is not closed, but rather that it is now admitting women, even the headmaster and teachers. I’ve wasted thirty-seven years of my life, and while I’ve read extensively, I’ve never heard of a school where the headmaster, teachers, and students are all women.

I want to ask: if women cannot take the imperial examinations or become officials, what’s the use of learning?

This money is being spent on such useless things. Where is the good in such acts of charity?”

“Hmm, well said!” Gu Xi clapped his hands with her folding fan, agreeing, and pointed with his fan. “Go on, everyone, speak.”

“This student thinks that Scholar Qian is absolutely right.” A few people away from Scholar Qian, another middle-aged man stood up. “These three free schools in this county each have about ten teachers. Even the least-run school has nearly a hundred students. And these are not even one school; using them as girls’ schools is truly a joke.”

“Well said! Who else?” Gu Xi twirled his fan, pointing around.

“This student thinks that these free schools should not be closed so easily. If you really want women to be literate, it would be better to set up a separate girls’ school next to the free schools. A room or two would be enough. There are not many female students anyway.” A man in his fifties, standing nearby, bowed slightly.

“Yes, these three schools in the county are large, capable of holding hundreds of students. Using them as girls’ schools is a joke.”

Several others chimed in.

“From what I’ve heard, what you are saying is: first, how can these free schools be closed so easily? What will happen to the students? Second, it is a waste to use these three free schools as girls’ schools. Is that what you mean?

Anything else?” Gu Xi asked, twirling his folding fan and gesturing to the group.

“I…I’d like to say a few words,” said the elderly man at the head of the table, leaning on his cane and tapping it, his voice trembling.

“Please speak, sir.” Gu Xi quickly gestured.

“What is it?” the old man asked loudly, turning back.

Gu Xi raised an eyebrow, and Li Sangrou also raised hers.

It seemed this old man did not know what to say yet.

“The free school, the expulsion of students, the matter of converting it into a girls’ school!” Behind the old man, a middle-aged man looked embarrassed but had no choice but to shout.

“Oh, right, a girls’ school.” The old man waved his hand, indicating that the middle-aged man did not need to say more; he understood.

“I am seventy-nine this year! Next year, I will be eighty! Eighty!”

The old man spread his thumb and forefinger, gesturing to everyone.

“I am telling you, girls’ schools are good! I’ve said it before, girls’ schools are good!

Only when a woman can read and write, and has received an education, can she be polite and virtuous. Virtue means being talented; kindness means both extending blessings and being wise. This is what it means to be virtuous!

A woman who is illiterate and does not know how to read cannot be considered virtuous.

I am telling you, after the New Year, I will be eighty. I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice! I am telling you, a woman must be virtuous; marry a virtuous woman…”

“Father!” The middle-aged man sitting behind the old man turned pale and quickly patted his father.

“I have not finished yet! I will be eighty after the New Year!” the old man turned and glared at his son.

“Your Highness!” the middle-aged man cried, his eyes blazing with anger.

“You are talking about Your Highness again? Let me think, let me think before I speak!” the old man nodded.

“The old gentleman speaks very well!” Gu Xi tapped his folding fan again, looked around at everyone, and smiled, “Anyone else? Is there anything I have not mentioned?”

Seeing that no one spoke, Gu Xi looked at Li Sangrou, who shook her head, indicating that she had nothing to say.

“Your surname is Qian? You are Scholar Qian, right? Are the children of your Qian family also studying at your clan school?” Gu Xi pointed to the middle-aged scholar who had just spoken so eloquently.

“Yes, although my family is not wealthy, our clan school is decent. All the children of the Qian family study at the clan school.” Qian, the scholar, hurriedly stood up to answer.

“Hmm, and what about your families? Are your children attending the clan school or the charity school?” Gu Xi then asked another scholar.

“Your Highness, my family’s children are all studying at the clan school; we would not dare take advantage of the charity school,” the other scholar added casually.

“And you?” Gu Xi tapped his folding fan, looked around, and chuckled. “You all come from wealthy families and have clan schools. It seems these clan schools are quite good.

The first thing we discussed earlier, I think, is this how it should be: those students from the charity school, each of you can take some back to your clan schools and have them study there as supplementary material.

I am telling you, I am doing this all for your own good.

Firstly, this is a good deed that accumulates good karma. Secondly, if these students rise to prominence in the future, even if they are not your clansmen, they will still be graduates of your clan school, making them different from others.

This is an excellent thing; do you all not agree?” Gu Xi pointed at the group with his folding fan, then laughed heartily.

Those who had been pointed at by Gu Xi and questioned by the clan school members stared at each other, some not quite understanding, others unsure what to say.

“As for the second matter, it is a pity to use those three free schools as girls’ schools.” Gu Xi chuckled a few times. “To be honest, I do not understand why Boss Sang would establish girls’ schools.

As everyone knows, I am a rough man from a military background.

His Majesty once instructed me that Boss Sang was farsighted; if a rough man like me cannot understand it, then I should not try.

Today, I am passing on His Majesty’s words to you all. If you do not understand, then it is not your concern, much less your business.

Have you all understood what I meant?”

Gu Xi’s voice turned sharp, his folding fan twirling as he gestured towards the crowd.

Everyone in the hall stood up, hands clasped, heads bowed in agreement.

Li Sangrou raised an eyebrow, looking at everyone, then at Gu Xi, and inwardly admired him.

This manipulative and intimidating tactic was truly something he’d learned from those cunning and shrewd ministers since childhood.