Chapter 20: Two Strings of Cash
The guiding spirit stood by Su Ze’s side and spoke:
[Congratulations to the Master of Peach Blossom Spring for recruiting high-quality Spirit Essence sprites!]
Su Ze looked at the five spirits that had arrived at the Peach Blossom Dock. Three of them, much like A’nong, were radish-like figures dressed in farmers’ short tunics with wheat ears atop their heads. The remaining two were the Traveling Spirit and the Crafting Spirit.
One was dressed like an artisan, holding a Luban ruler in his hand and bearing an exquisite wooden mechanical bird on his head; this was surely the Crafting Spirit. The other appeared as a traveling scholar, with a "ji" strapped to his back. A *ji* was a bamboo basket used by ancient scholars on long journeys; it featured a rain-shielding cover on top and internal compartments for scrolls. As the saying went, "bearing a *ji* to the examinations," this was exactly the item referred to. Furthermore, this sprite wore a traveling cap that bound the radish leaves on his head—a common style for scholars setting out on long journeys. Naturally, this was the Traveling Spirit.
Su Ze opened the Peach Blossom Spring scroll, where the information for his newly recruited spirits appeared. Among the five, there was one orange-tier and one purple-tier spirit! The remaining three were all green-tier! A massive harvest!
Su Ze quickly examined them.
[The Resilient Traveling Spirit], Orange-tier. As expected of an orange-tier spirit, he possessed two full skills—one more than A’nong.
[Thrifty Travel]: Requires fewer supplies to undertake longer journeys.
[Travelogue]: After visiting a region, he can compile the local geography, scenery, and customs into a travelogue to be sent to the Master of Peach Blossom Spring.
Truly formidable! With one skill reducing resource consumption and the other gathering intelligence during travels, Su Ze addressed the sprite with the traveling cap: "From now on, you shall be called A’yuan."
"Thank you, Master of Peach Blossom Spring, for the name."
Su Ze then looked at the purple-tier spirit, the Crafting Spirit he had recruited.
[The Diligent Crafting Spirit], Purple-tier. Like A’nong, this purple-tier sprite also possessed an extra skill.
[Ingenuity]: Capable of summarizing and improving upon existing craftsmanship, potentially producing higher-quality goods.
Su Ze spoke to the Crafting Spirit: "You shall be in charge of the paper workshop; I will call you A’zhi."
"Thank you, Master of Peach Blossom Spring, for the name."
The remaining three farming spirits were all green-tier. Su Ze realized that green-tier spirits all carried the [Ordinary] descriptor, likely representing standard, middle-of-the-road spirits. Blue-tier spirits presumably gained one positive trait, purple-tier added a skill on top of that, and orange-tier added two special skills. Regardless, this was a bumper harvest!
After arranging their duties and naming them, Su Ze set the spirits to work under A’nong’s guidance. With his spiritual essence exhausted, Su Ze began to observe the Peach Blossom Spring. A gentle breeze blew across the river, and he watched as a dandelion was scattered, its seeds drifting over the water on the wind. Not far away, the dense fog dissipated slightly, revealing a patch of open land. The guiding spirit led the others, wielding tools that appeared from nowhere, and began to construct various buildings.
Looking at the water beneath the dock, Su Ze wondered: were there fish in this river? Could he bring a fishing rod inside to fish in the future? If he built a house here, living in this place would surely be quite comfortable. Or perhaps he could fashion a lounge chair and fish while lounging on the dock—that would be delightful.
But thinking of the world outside the Peach Blossom Spring, Su Ze silently murmured, "Return."
A wave of dizziness washed over him, and Su Ze found himself back on his bed in the dilapidated room.
A dream of a peach orchard is, in the end, just a dream; where my heart is at peace, there is my home.
In the past, while reading, he had never understood why the writers of the Song dynasty were so obsessed with the prosperity of Bianjing. Now, standing amidst it, Su Ze rose and donned his clothes, gazing at the lights of the city’s night market in the distance. He finally gained some understanding. Since he had transmigrated and possessed a system, could he perhaps alter the fate of this frail, scholarly dynasty?
Su Ze sat in the courtyard for a long time until the rooster’s crow heralded the dawn and the small vendors outside began to light their fires. Only then did he return to his room to dress. He was hungry. No matter how great one’s ambitions, one still had to contend with the basic necessities of life. He reached under a brick beneath his desk and retrieved two strings of cash—his final savings.
Two strings of cash were not a small sum. Taking a typical fourth-class household of the Great Song as an example, their annual household income after taxes amounted to about ten strings of cash. However, that was for farmers in a small-scale agrarian economy who could rely on their own surplus grain and gather firewood from the mountains. In the prosperous city of Bianjing, two strings of cash were far too little. Fortunately, spring was approaching, so there was no need for extra heating costs. By Su Ze’s calculations, if he were careful, the money would last for two months of food.
Beyond that, if he wanted to participate in the Ministry of Rites examination next month, he needed to save an additional fee for the application. This fee was the cost required to register for the exam. During the Tang dynasty, the imperial examination was cheapest, requiring only one’s own paper and stationery. However, because of this, corruption was rampant; some historians believed the Tang exams remained a toy for the aristocratic clans and had little to do with ordinary scholars.
Starting from the Song dynasty, the influence of the aristocratic clans waned as the era of the commoners began, and the examination became a crucial channel for entering officialdom, leading to increased rigor. To prevent cheating, from Emperor Taizu down to Emperor Zhenzong, anti-cheating measures were continuously upgraded. First, Emperor Taizu expanded the number of candidates and personally presided over the palace examination, initiating the tradition of successful candidates being "Disciples of the Son of Heaven"—a lesson learned from the Niu-Li factional strife of the Tang, where powerful officials used their status as examiners to recruit protégés.
Emperor Taizong implemented the "Locked Institute" system, locking examiners within the tribute院 until the exams concluded, preventing powerful officials from bribing them. Emperor Zhenzong later upgraded the grading process with "Name-Masking," sealing the candidate's personal information at the top of the scroll to prevent graders from being bought. To further prevent tampering, "Transcription" was introduced, where clerks used vermilion ink to copy the candidates' answers before presenting them to the examiners.
By the time of the Renzong era, the imperial examination was an extremely important state ceremony for selecting talent, and the cost of holding it had risen sharply. The locked institute required dedicated security, and large-scale exams required specialized venues. Both name-masking and transcription required a vast number of clerks proficient in documentation, as well as additional personnel for oversight. Therefore, starting from the Jiyou reign, candidates were required to pay a two-string registration fee.
Su Ze did not expect to pass this time, but he wanted to experience the atmosphere of the examination hall. Besides, what if he actually passed? Looking at the two strings of cash, with over a month left until the Ministry of Rites examination, he certainly couldn’t rely on Zhang Chulan to support him forever. Having set his goal to make money, Su Ze’s stomach growled once more. He pushed open his door to buy some bean cakes for breakfast, only to see a few familiar figures.