Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 265: The Dispute Over the Money Bag
“Registrar Shen, watch your words. Walls have ears.”
Hearing Registrar Shen abuse the current Grand Secretary so recklessly, the blue-black-clad Jinyiwei officer grew extremely nervous, his face turning pale. If anyone overheard and the words reached Yan Song, the consequences would be disastrous.
“Watch my words? Heh. I wasn’t afraid even at court back then; why would I fear a little tavern today?” Registrar Shen, dressed in a flying-fish robe, took a sip of wine and sneered. “Our Grand Secretary Yan Song’s greed is beyond cure, and his dull, shallow heart is hard as iron. How could a few words move him?”
Hearing this, the blue-black-clad Jinyiwei officer remembered his colleague’s famous act two years earlier. Before the assembled civil and military officials, Registrar Shen had declared, “Since the great officials won’t speak, this petty official will,” and sharply rebuked Minister Xia—the Minister of Personnel, who controlled official appointments and promotions. The other man would never have dared offend someone he ought to curry favor with.
Registrar Shen was upright and hated evil. Whenever he saw injustice, he had to speak out, and after drinking his tongue became even harder to restrain. Discussing affairs of state and writing with passionate indignation were common habits among scholars. If he could have changed after all these years, he would have; otherwise he wouldn’t have lost the lucrative post of county magistrate.
Forget it. He himself was only a low-ranking Jinyiwei Small Banner officer. Better not press the matter.
Still, Registrar Shen had been fortunate: misfortune had brought him into the Jinyiwei and won him the notice of his superiors, giving him a bright future. By contrast, the Small Banner officer had inherited his own post and had remained at the same rank for more than ten years.
He might even have to rely on Registrar Shen for advancement in the future.
After thinking it over, the blue-black-clad Jinyiwei Small Banner officer gave up trying to make Registrar Shen hold his tongue and merely poured wine or tea for him from time to time.
Then, Zhu Ping’an overheard the black and blue-clad Jinyiwei in the neighboring table creatively criticizing Yan Song, revealing quite a few sordid affairs of the court. For instance, Yan Song had been selling official positions, and the scholar Pan Hongye had used 2,200 taels of silver to become the governor of Linqing. A certain general had spent thousands of taels of silver to take over the supervision of grain transportation. And there were many other things about Yan Song.
After a few more cups of watered-down wine, the black and blue-clad Jinyiwei suddenly grew interested, lightly tapping the table and reciting a poem:
“When young, don’t toil at your studies, money can establish one’s name.
Look at Chancellor Yan, he surely values those with wealth.”
This was a modification of four lines from “The Divine Child,” emphasizing wealth and linking it to Yan Song, exposing his involvement in selling official titles.
Registrar Shen still wasn’t satisfied. He lifted the wine jar with one hand, filled a bowl for the blue-black-clad Jinyiwei officer and one for himself, drank deeply, refilled the bowls, drained his again, then slapped the table and recited another verse:
“The emperor values power and wealth,
Scholars teach you this too.
All things are inferior,
Only serving Yan Gao is worth something.”
This mocked the idea that no matter how good your scholarship, it was nothing compared to flattering Yan Song. Only by currying favor with the Grand Secretary could one be promoted and become wealthy.
Zhu Ping’an sat at the table, poking at the thin porridge and side dishes, listening to the Jinyiwei in the flying fish suit scolding Yan Song.
An upright person!
Hostile toward evil!
Zhu Ping’an admired this Jinyiwei officer in a flying-fish robe.
Yet beneath Registrar Shen’s proud drinking and denunciations, Zhu Ping’an could hear another note: the man was upright but insufficiently flexible, fierce in his hatred of evil yet also somewhat arrogant.
After all, what use was it to curse Yan Song in a small tavern? It could alert the enemy and invite disaster. If Yan Song’s faction really noticed him, it would be a pity to lose such a determined opponent of Yan.
So while Zhu Ping’an admired Registrar Shen, he also worried for him.
Just as the Jinyiwei officer in a flying-fish robe seemed ready to stand up and loudly curse Yan Song, a commotion was heard from outside the tavern. It seemed that two people were arguing about something.
True to his nature, Registrar Shen immediately stopped denouncing Yan Song when he heard the disturbance outside. Business came first. He picked up the folding fan on the table and headed for the door. The blue-black-clad Jinyiwei officer followed, taking up his Xiuchun Saber.
Seeing the Jinyiwei leave, those who had been afraid to venture outside, intimidated by these two Jinyiwei, also followed them toward the door.
Zhu Ping’an left ten wen on the table and followed the crowd outside. Prices in the capital were more than three times those in Xiahe Village.
Once outside, they saw two people pulling and arguing. One was dressed splendidly, though his clothes were a little wrinkled, with long, almond-shaped eyes, but his eye sockets were deep and dark, as if he hadn’t slept well last night.
This person was holding a very shabby young man by the arm. The young man’s clothes were truly poor, ill-fitting, and short, exposing his wrists and ankles. He was holding two bundles of herbs.
“I clearly had six taels of silver in my pouch, but now there are only three!”
The well-dressed man raised a green-colored purse and fiercely questioned the shabby young man, gripping his arm tightly.
“I only found three taels of silver,” the shabby young man explained, aggrieved and angry.
“No, you’ve taken the three taels!” The well-dressed man insisted. “If you don’t give it to me, I’ll take you to see the officials. You stole my silver. Taking something without asking is theft. We have plenty of honest judges here in the capital who’ll have you whipped and make you return my silver.”
As the well-dressed man was speaking, he looked up and saw the Jinyiwei officer in a flying-fish robe and the blue-black Jinyiwei walking out of the tavern.
The well-dressed man, gripping the shabby young man, dragged him toward the Jinyiwei officer in a flying-fish robe and knelt down with a thud. Pointing at the young man, he started to accuse him.
“I have grievances, please, great lord, give judgment.”
Registrar Shen narrowed his eyes, looked over the two men, and asked, “What grievance do you have?”
“Last night, I took six taels of silver from my home to take care of business, but halfway I lost my purse. This boy found it, and after I chased him, he returned the purse, but there were only three taels of silver inside. This boy has kept the other three taels! That silver is my hard-earned money. Please, great lord, do justice for me.”
The well-dressed man kneeled on the ground, tearfully making his case.
The shabby young man, listening to the accusations, trembled all over, his voice filled with indignation.
“You’re slandering me! I found the purse here and have been waiting for more than half a day. When I saw you looking for something, I called out and asked what you were looking for. You said you lost your purse, so I returned it to you. The purse only had three taels of silver in it. Who took your three taels?”