Chapter 7: The Downfall of the County Magistrate

  "Shan Ge, if we pretend to be high-ranking officials, will that stinky catcher dare not open the door?" After Lu Haoshan's request to open the city gate was unsuccessful, the two had no choice but to return along the official road, planning to find an inn to spend the night and enter Yangzhou City again tomorrow. On the way back, Liu Jinzhu still resented the catcher for not giving face to the holder of the imperial examination degree.

  Can't help but say, this kid gets into character quickly, in his mind, he has already regarded Lu Haoshan as a noble gentleman, and on weekdays, he changed his humble appearance in Huatian Village, speaking and doing things with the style of a big family's evil slave.

  Lu Haoshan couldn't help but smile, the difference in one's position can also lead to different views of the world. In Liu Jinchu's eyes, a juren was a notable figure not only in Huatian Village but also in Qiyang County, an existence that couldn't be trifled with. However, in a prosperous city like Yangzhou where nobles and aristocrats gathered, even if the prefect of Yongzhou Prefecture came, he would have to behave humbly.

  "Never mind, they're just small roles, can't even talk about it. Didn't you hear him say that unless there's an urgent military order, no one is allowed to open the city gate? What's the point of arguing with them?" Lu Haoshan said, and soon laughed: "But getting an official to do it isn't bad either, at least we don't have to stay in this small inn, we can stay in the relay station set up by the government."

  Throughout the ages, those in power have always attached great importance to the construction of postal stations. The connection between the capital and local areas, as well as imperial decrees, all had to be transmitted through postal stations to various parts of the country. The quality of postal stations truly affected the degree of control the imperial court had over local areas. In addition, foreign envoys and touring officials could also rest at postal stations. However, only official personnel had the right to reside there. Lu Haishan and Liu Jinzhu could only stay in a small inn run by merchants next to the postal station.

  Liu Jinzhu's eyes lit up, and he excitedly said: "Shan Ge, you're so amazing, why not get an official position? Anyway, your skills are so incredible that no one can tell."

  Now Liu Jinzhu can admire Lu Haoshan with all his heart, in his eyes, Lu Haoshan is simply omnipotent. First, he quietly got rid of his enemy, then he created a fake road sign and made a lot of money from Li Xiangcai when they left Huatian Village. The two of them traveled together, enjoying the scenery and eating delicious food, it can be said that they were living a very comfortable life. For Liu Jinzhu, even if he died now, this life would have been worth it.

  Lu Haoshan shook his head and said, "Some things are easy to say but hard to do. It's like a country bumpkin, no matter how much gold or silver he wears, if he doesn't seek knowledge or improve himself, he can't change his true nature as a nouveau riche. A farmer who only knows how to plant crops will never have the aura of a superior person. Actually, there are three different levels of being fake, Jinzhu, do you know what they are?"

  "I don't know," Liu Jinzhu honestly shook his head, then curiously said with a puzzled face: "Shan Ge, what are the three levels? Tell me about them."

  "Similar in shape, similar in spirit, and similar in heart. Similar in shape is just general craftsmanship, with a similar appearance that can only deceive those who are inexperienced; this requires elaborate language to assist. Similar in spirit means that the craftsmanship has reached a state of perfection, even people with experience and discerning ability cannot easily distinguish it, at this time, only a little language or expression is needed to make people believe it's true."

  He paused for a moment, and then Lu Haishan continued: "As for the third level, it transcends the category of manual labor, using psychological and environmental packaging to influence a person's perception. Never mind, this is too profound, I'll just give you a simple example. For instance, if the county magistrate of Qi Yang County introduces someone to you as his superior, Governor Zhi, would you believe him? You probably would, because the person introducing him is the county magistrate, and in your impression, he wouldn't lie. Moreover, you don't even know Governor Zhi, or when a famous calligrapher praises someone's handwriting, although you think it's average, but subconsciously, you still feel that he's right; when someone dresses up luxuriously and has many servants, your first impression is that they can't be simple. When someone pretends to this extent, it can only be described as 'beyond defense'."

  Liu Jinzhu suddenly realized: "Oh, I see. Shang Ge has been pretending to be an official all along. It turns out that we don't have the official seal or uniform, nor do we have a retinue of guards and attendants. So even if we pretend to be officials, it won't look like it, and will only arouse suspicion instead, right?"

  "It's fine if you understand." Lu Haoshan said confidently, "Those official robes and seals, as long as there are physical references, although it may take some time, it's not difficult to make them. The problem is that you're still too inexperienced, and your true nature will be exposed the moment you open your mouth."

  "Shan Ge, you're really amazing, even official seals can be made." Liu Jinzhu said with a face full of admiration.

  "Alright, let's get going." Lu Haoshan said nothing to Liu Jinzhu, who had a foolish look on his face, and didn't bother explaining any further.

  The power and status in the world are all built on the basis of strength, whoever holds the gun has the right to make rules. As long as one strips away that layer of carefully wrapped sacred outer garment, official uniforms are just a slightly more complicated piece of clothing. And those official seals, in Lu Haoshan's eyes, are nothing but handicrafts. To be precise, they are complex handicrafts with many hidden marks, such as weight, size, dimensions, and shape, all of which have extremely strict requirements. Only the most skilled craftsmen can cast them. In feudal society, this type of craftsman is monopolized by the imperial court, and then covered with a layer of sacred outer garment, so no one dares to counterfeit.

  But when Lu Haoshan arrived in this era, everything became unpredictable.

  Two men rode horses and talked, soon they arrived at an inn called Changfeng. After knocking on the door and stating their intention, the shopkeeper looked embarrassed and said: "Sorry, gentlemen, our inn is fully booked."

  This was a somewhat dilapidated small shop, the door paint had fallen off, and the color of the two characters "Changfeng" on the signboard had also faded. Two lanterns hung at the entrance, swaying back and forth in the night wind. The sky had just darkened, but the large gate was already tightly closed, looking desolate in the wilderness. It was only the shopkeeper's smile that seemed fake with a hint of vigilance, opening only half the door to poke his head out, as if afraid the two would rush in with ulterior motives.

  It seems that even the official courier station set up by the government more than a dozen zhang away cannot give him enough sense of security.

  "Isn't there even one room available? My young master is a scholar and a gentleman, you must make an exception and give us at least one room." Liu Jinzhu was again trying to pull the tiger's skin over their eyes.

  This remark was effective in Qiyang County, but when it came to Yangzhou, its effect was greatly diminished. The shopkeeper didn't even bat an eyelid and said with a straight face: "So you're a scholar who has passed the imperial examination, I apologize for my mistake. However, all of our rooms are fully booked, not even the small room where I usually sleep can be cleaned up for you to stay in. We really don't have any more rooms available, please forgive us."

  Lu Haoshan was surprised and said: "What's new in Yangzhou, why are there so many people?"

  When it comes to fresh things, the eyes of the shopkeeper have two more spirits, and he said with excitement: "The young master is an outsider, right? In three days, the Yangzhou ** Association will hold a thin horse auction. At that time, ten fine Yangzhou thin horses will be selected from various buildings and courts for public auction. Many people who want to buy thin horses or watch the excitement will come, plus it's not peaceful now, so they all choose to stay in the inn. At least there is a post station here, don't hide from the young master, this shop is actually opened by the postmaster of Luohua Post Station, so safety is not a problem."

  Starting from the Ming Dynasty, in Yangzhou and its surrounding areas, there emerged a large number of young women who had received special training to become concubines for wealthy merchants. These women considered thinness as beauty, each one slender and svelte, hence they were called "Yangzhou Thin Horses". At that time, the salt merchants of Yangzhou monopolized the national salt transportation industry, with each one having a huge fortune, extremely rich. Therefore, the fashion of raising "thin horses" in Yangzhou was at its peak.

  This Ming dynasty is indeed sick, the front and rear are inseparable, Shaanxi has not rained all year round, countless refugees, many places where people eat grass roots and tree bark, after eating tree bark they eat mud, stones and even cannibalize each other. The army delays payment as a matter of course, but in economically developed areas like Suzhou and Hangzhou, wine is still drunk, dances are still danced, music and dogs are still enjoyed, life is luxurious, it's strange that the Ming dynasty hasn't collapsed yet.

  "This brother, I hope you can think of a way, just having a place to live is enough, the room fee will be paid, you also know that outside is chaotic." Lu Haoshan said while putting a silver bean into the hand of the shop assistant.

  Money can make a ghost grind, and as soon as the shopkeeper got the silver beans, a smile appeared on his face. He opened the door while saying: "Two guests, please come in. Being convenient to others is also being convenient to oneself. Although that room is gone, there is a woodshed. I'll clean it up and move a few benches over, and you can still make do for a night."

  Having a roof over one's head is always better than being outside, at least in terms of safety. Lu Haoshan had no choice either, so he instructed the shopkeeper to take good care of the horses, and then ate something with Liu Jinzhu before following the shopkeeper to the woodshed.

  "Huh? How is there a screen here?" It's not strange to sleep in the woodshed, what's strange is that there's an old broken screen in the woodshed, which makes Lu Haoshan feel somewhat puzzled.

  The shopkeeper hastily explained: "Young master, it's like this. There was a poor scholar who lived in our inn and fell ill. He owed us nearly a month's rent and food expenses. Our boss is kind-hearted and let him move to the woodshed, giving him some food every day. It's strange that after he sent out his letter, no relatives have come to pay for him all this time. Never mind, I won't mention it again. I'm afraid of disturbing you, so I set up a screen."

  Liu Jinzhu's face elongated, and he said with a displeased expression: "You're quite the shopkeeper! My young master is a scholar-official, and we've paid for his meals and lodging in full. You've already made him sleep in a thatched hut; now you want him to share a room with a sickly person - and it's still a thatched hut? What do you mean by this?"

  "No, no, sir, you misunderstand. This is a heart disease and it's not contagious. If it were, we would have thrown him out long ago. If the young master doesn't like it, I'll have someone carry him out."

  "Never mind," Lu Haoshan said with a wave of his hand. "We're all readers of sacred books, why should we kick someone when they're down? Let's just leave it at that."

  The shopkeeper hastily said: "Yes, yes, yes, it's still the young master who has a Bodhisattva heart, there's nothing to do, so I'll take my leave first."

  After the shopkeeper left, Liu Jinzhu changed his clothes and sat on the simple bed, smelling the unique smell of rotten wood in the woodshed, and said with some resentment: "This broken woodshed is also collecting 200 coins from us for one night, this store is really black."

  "Never mind, there are many injustices in the world. It's not unusual for us to run into each other once or twice. Go to sleep, and let's see what excitement tomorrow brings."

  "Yes, Shang Ge, no, Gong Zi."

  Not long after the two lay down, a faint voice suddenly echoed from within the woodshed: "Brother...brother..."

  A gust of cool wind blew, and it was another pitch-black night. It sounded like a ghost wailing, Liu Jinzhu was so scared that he shrank under the quilt, his face turned pale and said: "Shan Ge, is this place not clean?"

  Lu Haoshan was also startled at first, but soon calmed down, patted Liu Jinzhu's head and said gruffly: "A stranger is not afraid of courage, what are you afraid of? Get up quickly. It should be the scholar sleeping next to us who gets the fire starter."

  When the two of them took a candle to the other side of the screen, they were startled. In the dim light, they only saw a man with his head wrapped in a scarf and wearing Confucian clothes lying on a bed made of straw, his eyes wide and expressionless, his face as pale as paper, his breathing weak and faint, and there was also a stench on his body, possibly due to not having bathed for some days. Lu Haishan couldn't help but cover his nose, just thinking of turning around and leaving when the pale-faced poor scholar suddenly struggled to say:

  "Don't...don't go, Lu...somebody isn't a beggar, I am the newly appointed seventh-rank county magistrate."