Chapter 2: After the Stranger

  In fact, the capital Kaifeng has a special place to take in these beggars. The current emperor once built a temple because the original Futianni had too few people, and specially allocated funds from the inner treasury to build a temple. The original Dongxi Futianni was expanded into Nanbei Futianni, supporting more than 300 beggars, and every year, 5,000 guan was allocated from the inner treasury for expenses.

  Normally, the Futiannyuan can play a very big role, but when encountering a disastrous year, the beggars from the disaster-stricken areas flood into Kaifeng, and these more than 300 Futiannyuans are simply not enough. The usual practice of the Kaifeng Prefecture is to block the refugees outside the capital area, except for those orphans who have lost their parents - they will not give up because of a brief blockade - the capital city of Kaifeng is the most prosperous place in the world, even if the Futiannyuan is full and begging here is better than other places. Over time, the Kaifeng Prefecture, except for blocking refugees during the outbreak of disasters, has turned a blind eye to them on ordinary days.

  The young scholar in the green robe finished speaking, and many beggars fell silent. After a while, the tall and thin boy who had spoken earlier asked: "Sir, if we stay, do we need to sign a contract?"

  Having a place to eat one's fill is indeed what beggars yearn for, although winter is almost over and the threat of death will be greatly reduced in the coming year. However, long-term hunger cannot be avoided. If you want to sign a contract to sell yourself, you have to see how the master behaves. If you encounter an unlucky person, it's not a good thing for these beggars - there are often cases where masters mistreat their slaves to death, and the more aristocratic and wealthy they are, the more likely this is to happen. At that time, they would rather starve to death than be mistreated to death.

  Eight years ago, when the city of Wen was hit by a severe drought, Mr. Meng's family provided shelter and relief to over 60 refugees, including Yu Yue and me. We were taken in by Mr. Meng and his son, and from then on, we studied together with him, benefiting greatly from his teachings. We never signed any contract with him; the only condition was that if we failed to make progress in our studies or couldn't take care of the inner quarters, we would be given land to rent and become tenants. After a certain number of years, Mr. Meng would naturally return the land to us...

  "May I ask your name, sir?"

  The young scholar in the green shirt replied, "As for Wang Jingfan of Qingzhou, I have already met him. What Wenchuan just said is also the agreement between us, but if some of you are allocated land after turning twenty and cultivating it for twenty years, it will belong to you. Those who enter the inner house will also have land allocated, but they must wait for a period of time before receiving this treatment. This is to be contracted with the government office, so you can rest assured. Of course, if there are talented individuals among you, you can take the imperial examination like Wenchuan and Yu Ye to achieve success and bring glory to your ancestors. I won't stop you from doing so, and that's why I didn't sign a contract with you. Whether you will achieve success and bring honor to your ancestors or leave a foundation for your descendants is up to yourselves!"

  The name Wang Jingfan is extremely unfamiliar to these beggars, after all, he has been a neighbor of the emperor for several years and is not a famous person in this great Song Dynasty capital. Who would dare to hope that anyone in the world does not recognize him? However, whether Wang Jingfan's personal reputation is good or bad has no significance to these beggars. The key is that the price offered by the green-shirted scholar makes them excited, as long as they are not extremely lazy, who doesn't want to make a name for themselves in this world through their own efforts?

  "Sir, these kids are not bad, and being younger makes them easier to cultivate..." Wen Chuan said in a low voice.

  Wang Jingfan nodded and said: "What can't be done slowly? To achieve great things, no one is indispensable. People are still their own masters, and it's better to take it easy!"

  Wen Chuan and Yu Ye nodded after hearing this. The Wang family of Mianzhou was only locally known for their good reputation, and there were no ancestors in the imperial court who held high-ranking positions. In any case, they could not be compared to the famous families like the Han family or the Lü family of Hebei. This year, Wang Jingfan is only eighteen years old, and he came to Kaifeng, the capital, for the Ministry of Rites examination and the imperial examination next February - although the prospects for the imperial examination are unpredictable, but with Wang Jingfan's knowledge and age, it is not difficult for him to pass these examinations and enter the imperial court.

  He had been cultivating his own talent for many years, and at first it was just a simple idea of Wang Jingfan's father eight years ago when he was accommodating refugees during the drought in Hangzhou. However, this method could only be used in times of disaster, and after Wang Jingfan's father passed away four years ago, the matter came to an end. This time, Wang Jingfan came to Kaifeng to participate in the imperial examination, and it wasn't until he overheard some tea guests discussing in a teahouse that he noticed most beggars on the streets were refugees from He Dong Junzhou, which moved him to cultivate his own talent again.

  Wang Jingfan's family had never produced any famous figures, nor were they a scholarly family. They simply relied on their thin fields of several acres to make a living. It wasn't until his father learned some martial arts and went out to travel that he gradually made a name for himself over the years. Unfortunately, after being injured in the leg, he settled down and focused on raising his son. Wang Jingfan was the only child in the family, and the closest relative he had was an uncle. However, after Wang's father passed away, this uncle tried to take advantage of the family's property but was instead exposed and distanced by Wang Jingfan.

  The so-called "Wang Family of Hangzhou" was actually just Wang Jingfan, who was extremely talented and, under his father's guidance, became known as the "Hangzhou Child Prodigy" at a young age. He excelled in poetry, painting, and other skills, and at just 14 years old, he passed the imperial examination to become a scholar-official. If his father hadn't died suddenly that year, Wang Jingfan might have gone to Kaifeng for the Ministry of Rites exam at the age of 15 or 16. However, the three years of mourning didn't pose too much of an obstacle for his career as a scholar-official; in fact, during this time, his learning became even more refined, and his reputation spread throughout Hangzhou's literary circles.

  Wang Jingfan had never been to school, and his talent seemed to have emerged suddenly. Only he and his father knew the secret behind this - Wang Jingfan's father was a man from a thousand years later, who had personally nurtured Wang Jingfan. However, due to leg disease and old age, Wang's father could not reveal his own talents, so he placed all his hopes on his son.

  Just as Wang Jingfan, Yu Yehe and Yu Wentong were discussing how to cultivate these beggars, Old Wu lightly knocked on the door of the study twice and said: "Master, Song Duan is back!"

  "Come in!" When Wang Jingfan was in his study, no one was allowed to enter or leave at will. Old Wu was an old man of the Wang family, who had been guarding the door of the study since Wang Jingfan's father was still alive. Even when Wang Jingfan was a child, he had to be announced by Old Wu before entering the study.

  As soon as the words fell, a sturdy young man pushed in and said: "That Gongbu Shilang Jia Yan is having a banquet at Shi Lou, inviting the Sitian Monitor's Sitian Officer Zhou Zheng and Ding Yu. They went up to the third floor to discuss something, but that seat was booked by Shi Zhi Cong's adopted son Shi Min..."

  Wang Jingfan picked up a paperweight from the table and played with it in his hand, laughing and saying: "I knew this old eunuch was not dead yet, he actually came out to match Jia Yan and Si Tianjian's people together, really killing without using a knife!"

  "Should we get rid of him?" Song Duan said in a low voice.

  Wang Jingfan put down the paperweight and waved his hand, saying: "Last time was for seeking wealth, they are not yet at the point of heavenly wrath and human resentment, no need to be so despicable..."

  "These eunuchs are best at stirring up trouble, and although Wen Xiang's actions were somewhat excessive a while ago, he was also thinking of the imperial court and the people. It's a pity that he was secretly plotted against by these eunuchs!" Yu Wentong said.

  "Wen Yanbo's gentle and firm approach, can they be calculated by these despicable means? What we can think of, Wen Xiang can also guess, I estimate that he already knows that Jia Changchao wants to return to Kaifeng. These two astrologers are just being fooled, if this astrologer is content with just getting by and waiting for death, it's still better, but any astrologer with some ambition usually dies faster..." Wang Jingfan said with some disdain.

  Since ancient times, any changes in the heavens have been linked to people's lives, and the concept of "heaven and man united" has never been doubted. One of the important functions of the Astronomical Observatory is to observe changes in celestial phenomena. The study of stars is profound and mysterious, and since ancient times, how many astronomical officials have truly grasped its essence? Changes in celestial phenomena are often exploited by some ambitious individuals to achieve their own purposes, while the astronomical officials are merely objects for these people to manipulate, like a chamber pot that is discarded once used.

  Wang Jingfan was clearer than anyone else in his heart that Jia Changchao would not succeed, and the eunuchs like Shi Zhicong were not even worthy opponents of Wen Yanbo. Whether it was the Astronomer Royal or Shi Zhicong and others, they were all just tools in Jia Changchao's hands - if Wen Yanbo were to be squeezed out, there would not be a single high-ranking official in the court who could take on the heavy responsibility at this special moment, while Jia Changchao could rely on his seniority and prestige to regain control of the premiership.

  Using astrological changes to impeach a minister is an extremely serious matter, but Wang Jingfan's book left by his father clearly records that Jia Changchao will never have the opportunity to hold the prime minister's seal again, and Wen Yanbo will continue to be active in the power center of the Song Dynasty for at least 15 years.

  Wang Jingfan thought of these things and suddenly remembered his somewhat blurry father, who came from a world thousands of years later. It was an unimaginable world where people could sit on "airplanes" and cross roads that normally took several months to walk in just one hour... According to his father's words, he was just an ordinary person among the masses, but his knowledge was so vast. When he was young, he didn't understand, and as he grew older, especially this year living in Kaifeng, he felt even more regretful for not listening to his father's teachings when he was still alive.

  Following his father's will, Wang Jingfan destroyed most of the things left by his father before his death, leaving only a thick copy of "The Complete Song Dynasty Ci". Even so, this book was of unparalleled help to Wang Jingfan, not just the wonderful poems, but more importantly, the brief biographies of the poets, whether it was Jia Changchao or Wen Yanbo, all were listed.

  Wang Jingfan shook his head and withdrew his thoughts of his father, saying: "I have not yet passed the imperial examination to obtain a high rank, this matter between Wen Yanbo and Jia Changchao is none of our business... however, these eunuchs still need to be taught a lesson... Song Duan, keep an eye on Deng Baogui and Zhang Maocan, check out their residences in the city, as for Shi Zhicong, let him off..."

  Song Duan said after hearing: "Please rest assured, Mr., as soon as there is any news, I will report back immediately!"

  "Others dare not say it, but these eunuchs are able to have their own large mansions in Kaifeng. The treasures and strange objects that Shi Zhi-cong has collected are so many, compared to Zhang Mao-ze and Deng Bao-ji, they shouldn't be much worse off. With all this wealth, they can accomplish a lot of things!" Yu Ye said with a smile.

  Wang Jingfan smiled and said, "Robbing the rich to help the poor is just a small way. A great man should use his own talents to serve the people. Saving ten Shi Zhi Congs is only saving tens of thousands of people, but standing on the court and taking every step is blocking the wind and rain for millions of people... This can also be considered as being good to oneself when poor, and benefiting the world when successful!"

  Wang Jingfan was the black-clad man who knocked out Shi Zhicong that night and robbed him of his ill-gotten wealth. Shi Zhicong's family was extremely wealthy, with many properties and land deeds, but these were useless to Wang Jingfan. However, the gold, jewels, and pearls were incredibly valuable. The small pearls that cost 50 coins each on the market were not even worth looking at in Shi Zhicong's eyes. He collected large North Pearls, which were as big as an inch long, and one of these pearls was worth 2,000 to 3,000 guan. There were 21 such pearls; the most valuable item was a jade wine warmer that could warm up wine in just a moment. Last year, someone had offered 100 taels of silver for it but was rejected. The news of this jade wine warmer had spread throughout Kaifeng and Wang Jingfan had also heard about it, but he never thought that it would end up in Shi Zhicong's hands. To put it into perspective, one tael was equivalent to 50 ounces of white silver!

  The red goods looted from Shi Zhicong were really hot, especially the jade pillar was too famous and couldn't be sold at all. Wang Jingfan had to sell ten gold ingots and pawn two big beads, which finally bought a decent house. Tang poet Gu Kuang once said after seeing Bai Juyi's name: "Chang'an rice is expensive, it's not easy to live in a big place." This capital Kaifeng is no less than Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty, the price of rice in Kaifeng is not exaggerated, but the price of houses is very high, this house is worth 5,000 guan.

  The value of a single bead is not comparable to that of jade, but it can still be seen on the market. Wang Jingfan only sold two beads and was not afraid that others would catch up with him. Gold ingots are even more common in Kaifeng, where wealth and goods gather, especially among merchants who often use gold ingots for settlement. Moreover, the price of gold is much higher than that of silver, and one gold ingot is worth 400 yuan. Ten gold ingots would be enough to support Wang Jingfan's expenses in Kaifeng for a considerable period of time.

  Originally, Wang Jingfan's father had also acquired a lot of property in Zhenzhou, mostly land, and his father did not want to collect heavy rent before he passed away. In years with disasters, he would not even collect rent. After Wang Jingfan inherited the family business, he followed the same rules, so although the Wang family had a lot of property, their income was not very high. When they were in Zhenzhou, it didn't feel like there was any shortage, but after coming to the prosperous capital city of Kaifeng, it became clear that they were struggling financially, especially since Wang Jingfan wanted to take in so many beggars and would have to take in even more in the future. It was absolutely impossible not to think about making some extra money.

  Wang Jingfan's father, after all, was from a later generation and naturally knew many ways to make money. However, the Wang family wasn't one of those high-ranking families with relatives in official positions to offer protection. Their wealth of tens of millions was actually the root of their troubles. There is a Sun Ben who is still alive today, listed in "Complete Song Dynasty Ci Poetry". A few years ago, during the funeral of Empress Wen Cheng, Sun Ben, then Vice Envoy of the Bureau of Military Affairs, refused to read the eulogy and caused quite a stir. This guy had a history of ruining several wealthy families while serving as an official in Hangzhou, not only taking their money but also seizing their wives and daughters.

  Wang Jingfan's father was well aware of the inside story, but he only made small profits from his business and didn't take out any of the truly lucrative things - for him, becoming a billionaire was just a matter of lifting his hand, but building castles in the sand was the most unreliable thing. He absolutely wouldn't do something that would benefit others at his own expense, and he instructed Wang Jingfan to never reveal his trump card until he had reached a high enough position.

  Fortunately, Wang's father had very strict requirements for Wang Jingfan, and he had been practicing martial arts since childhood, his skills were quite impressive. He never had any resistance to this kind of robbery, and was even very enthusiastic about it. He usually targeted those who were guilty and made them suffer in silence - people like Shi Zhicong, whose wealth came from illegitimate sources, and as eunuchs, they would have to go to great lengths to cover up their losses if they were robbed.