TBFCWTE - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Although Shen Zhuo had already heard the general contents of the notice from his grandfather, that afternoon, after the crowd gathered at the city gate had mostly dispersed, he still went to the city gate with Liu Ping.

Seeing those stirring contents with his own eyes, Shen Zhuo took out the paper and brush he had prepared in advance and copied down the notice on the spot.

Liu Ping looked puzzled. "Cousin, you can remember anything after one glance. Why go to the trouble of copying it down?"

If they had not rented a small table from a nearby restaurant, it would have been impossible to write in an open area like the city gate.

Even with the small table, seeing Shen Zhuo stand there bent over writing, and needing to copy so much, Liu Ping still found it hard to understand.

Shen Zhuo, however, did not find it hard at all. As he carefully copied every word without missing one, he replied.

"Memory will inevitably have gaps. It is better to copy it all down so I can look at it whenever I want."

Copying the Ministry of Revenue list that demonstrated the Eastern Palace crown prince's achievements was done only in passing. The Tax Reform Plan was the important material he had to copy.

Because Shen Zhuo was certain that when the five-day farming break ended and they returned to the academy, the teachers would surely test them on this matter.

Keeping close to current affairs was a required course for teachers and students at every academy. It was said that this was also the wish of the emperor and crown prince, who explicitly required the major academies to cultivate students' comprehensive qualities and be practical.

This differed from the traditional scholarly idea of stopping one's ears to the world and reading only the books of sages. Shen Zhuo approved of it greatly.

On the way back, hearing the discussions around them, Liu Ping said quietly.

"Cousin, I heard the crown prince is about our age. I used to think you were already very impressive, but I never expected the crown prince to be even more impressive."

Shen Zhuo raised his hand and tapped Liu Ping's head. "Do not put the crown prince on the same level as common folk like us!"

After saying it, Shen Zhuo himself could not help freezing for a moment.

He had been precocious from birth and possessed an almost photographic memory. So although he was never arrogant about his talent, deep down he was rather proud and aloof.

So he had never realized when such a thought had arisen in him, and that he could now so naturally admonish Liu Ping with such words.

After all, although the Shen Family's circumstances were ordinary, because Shen Jichuan and his son were well liked in the county and had good relations with successive county magistrates, those connections had brought the Shen Family its greatest benefit: they had successfully copied many classics, and the family had a rich collection of books.

So Shen Zhuo could be said to have been steeped in books since childhood. At only nine, with the distinction of a minor triple first, he successfully earned his licentiate and became famous throughout Qingshan Prefecture, where Sanhe County was located.

This year, after going to study at the talent-rich Qingshan Academy, Shen Zhuo was still the top student, pressing down all his classmates, many of them much older.

Ever since the present Emperor ascended the throne, talk related to the young crown prince had never ceased, making it hard to tell true from false.

Living in a remote county far from the capital, with no way to know what happened at court, and relying only on hearsay, Shen Zhuo had originally had no deep impression of the crown prince.

But from the benefit policies the court had implemented in recent years, and from how it handled natural and human-made disasters in various places, one could basically conclude that the present Emperor was a wise ruler who cared for the people's livelihood.

The crown prince was the emperor's only son, with a reputation for outstanding ability spread far. If the emperor was paving the way early, that was hardly surprising.

And it was also true that Eastern Palace officials, while developing industries in various places, spared no expense to build roads and bridges for local people and benefit the areas.

But as for those benefit policies said to have been proposed and led by the crown prince, no one knew whether the stories behind them were true.

Shen Zhuo also believed that hearing is false and seeing is true, so he had always harbored doubts about the crown prince-related news he had heard before.

Only this time, when he saw the Tax Reform Plan proposed by the crown prince being publicly posted before formal implementation, and beside it a notice in which the Ministry of Revenue cleared the Eastern Palace's name and apologized for its own concealment, did Shen Zhuo realize that matters might not be as he and many others who thought themselves clear-headed and rational had assumed.

Because what ordinary people could see was only the contents written in those two stirring notices.

But those with insight could see, from the simultaneous appearance of the two notices and their contents, the flashing blades and court conflicts hidden behind them.

In the name of collecting the opinions of the people of Great An, a Tax Reform Plan not yet formally implemented was publicly posted.

Attached was a Ministry of Revenue list that could prove the Eastern Palace crown prince's achievements and raise the crown prince's reputation and influence among the people to another level, building momentum.

All of this revealed the reality that the Tax Reform Plan had met obstruction at court.

Because the tax system directly concerned the national economy and people's livelihood, involving every aspect of Great An from court to localities, forceful implementation would inevitably meet much resistance.

So the emperor and crown prince had adopted this roundabout strategy: first build momentum for the Tax Reform Plan in the localities, thereby using public feedback to push the court to implement it.

Although the relevant forces capable of influencing court decisions were powerful, that was all on the premise that the people were kept in the dark. Once a great tide of popular support formed, no one could stop the formal implementation of the Tax Reform Plan.

And the Tax Reform Plan would absolutely benefit the vast majority of the realm's people, easing the pressure of survival for the poorest and landless and letting them see hope.

It would let those with a little land have a chance at enough food and warmth. Even small landlords could reduce their tax pressure and add some savings.

Those gentry and powerful clans who held large amounts of land and would truly suffer losses under the new tax system were actually only a very small minority.

Both the contents of the Tax Reform Plan and the planning done to promote the new system filled Shen Zhuo with admiration for the crown prince he had never met.

The reason he no longer questioned whether this was merely the emperor's affection for his son was simple: the dignified Ministry of Revenue could not possibly be willing to trample its own face to build momentum for the crown prince.

Only if the expenses recorded in the list the Ministry published had truly been paid by the Eastern Palace would the Ministry have had to publicly acknowledge and apologize.

Moreover, on the other hand, if the forces opposing the Tax Reform Plan had not known the Ministry's public list was true, they would not have allowed the Ministry to do this.

After all, the Ministry's ledgers could be checked, and the sums involved were enormous.

So after seeing the contents of the two notices with his own eyes, Shen Zhuo abandoned his former doubts and believed that those benefit policies said to have been proposed and implemented by the crown prince had indeed come from the crown prince.

Because combined with this Tax Reform Plan, one could see that the relevant benefit policies all shared certain common points: they benefited the truly poor people at the bottom who lived in hardship.

Between the lines of the relevant decrees, the court's sympathy and care for the poor were evident, and highly distinctive.

Seeing Shen Zhuo suddenly freeze in place, Liu Ping was puzzled. After waiting a while, he spoke.

"Cousin, what are you thinking about now? You are so absorbed."

His train of thought interrupted, Shen Zhuo smiled and continued walking as he replied.

"Nothing. I just feel that the crown prince is so admirable that we need to work even harder."

Liu Ping instinctively touched his own head. "Cousin, I am stupid. This is all I will ever be. You work hard on your own and try to fulfill Great-uncle's wish as soon as possible."

Shen Zhuo patted his shoulder. "Since you do not like literary studies, go learn martial arts at Qingshan Martial Academy. Those with outstanding results can directly enter the army as military officers. It is a decent path too, though the training there is very hard."

Liu Ping was somewhat tempted, but also hesitant.

"I am not afraid of hardship. It is just... I have heard of Qingshan Martial Academy too. The fees there are not cheap."

Because of his outstanding results, Shen Zhuo not only entered Qingshan Academy free of charge, but after doing well in the monthly examinations, he could also receive scholarships according to his ranking.

"Fees are not a problem. As long as you are willing to go, that is enough. And once you go, you must study well. No matter how hard or tiring, you must persevere."

What young man has never dreamed of achieving merit and fame? Liu Ping was no exception. Having tasted enough hardship in life as a child and suffered much bullying, he wanted even more to rise above his station.

But he knew his family's situation clearly. Going to the martial academy would add to Great-uncle's family's burden, so though tempted, he still shook his head.

"Better not go. I am not sure I could persevere either. Better not waste the money."

Shen Zhuo sighed. He knew that Liu Ping seemed carefree on the surface, living without a care, as if he had forgotten what he had been through.

But in truth, whatever one has experienced leaves an indelible mark, one that does not easily disappear.

Like himself. When his grandfather fell gravely ill, when their family felt the fickleness of the world, even encountered ingratitude returned for kindness, and reached a dead end, he too had been full of resentment.

Had the court's suddenly issued benefit policy not given their family a way out and saved his grandfather's life, he did not know what kind of person he might have become afterward.

Even so, he could no longer read the books of sages with single-minded devotion, aloof and proud and indifferent to fame and gain, as before.

Thinking of this, Shen Zhuo could not help thinking of the crown prince again.

That crown prince, though below one man and above ten thousand, could do nothing at all and still enjoy all the glory and wealth of this world.

Yet at such a young age, the other could use the Eastern Palace's resources to create Eastern Palace industries and earn great wealth, then use that wealth for practical work benefiting the state and people, thereby strengthening his voice and influence at court.

Though their ages were not far apart, the gap in how they conducted themselves and handled matters was so great that Shen Zhuo felt deeply ashamed.

"Brother Ping, do not worry about the tuition. The family can afford it. And I heard that as long as you achieve good results at the martial academy and choose to enter the army after graduation, all tuition will be refunded."

Hearing this, Liu Ping's eyes immediately lit up.

"Really?"

Realizing that this reaction exposed his true thoughts, Liu Ping scratched his head again in embarrassment.

"If there really is a chance to get the tuition refunded, I really would like to try. I will definitely study hard."

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