Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examination Ch. 132

Chapter 132

Cui Xie had planned to tackle Xie Ying onto the bed, but he underestimated Xie Ying’s core strength and the other sat firmly. This meant that Cui Xie ended up looking like he was throwing himself into Xie Ying’s arms. Well, so be it. At least they were close now, and no one was watching.

Xie Ying was so flustered by Cui Xie’s calling him ‘Colonel Xie’ and felt that the other was trying to rub against his arms, he did not realize Cui Xie was trying to push him down. Their physical strength was not on the same level. Cui Xie could easily overpower a scholar but not a Jinyiwei who had trained in martial arts since childhood. After much effort, Cui Xie could only sit on Xie Ying’s lap, hold his shoulders and kiss him.

Xie Ying pulled Cui Xie back to lean against the pillow, his hand pressing firmly on Cui Xie’s waist, almost folding him into his embrace.

They had only known each other for two years and had become more frequent in their interactions in just the last six months. Yet, Xie Ying felt like he had invested half a lifetime’s worth of affection into this person. Cui Xie’s repeated, straightforward confessions made it increasingly difficult for him to control himself. He wanted to lay this private affair bare to the world and truly be a couple with him.

Many rebellious and unlawful thoughts crossed his mind, but he did not dare act on them with Cui Xie.

Cui Xie was an exceptionally talented scholar with a burgeoning reputation and also had the Emperor’s favor….if he passed the Imperial examinations, at least a ministerial position would be assured. Xie Ying could not ruin his future for his own selfishness.

Calming down, Xie Ying gently rubbed the back of Cui Xie’s head and said, “I am not jealous. Getting married and having children is a serious matter. Tell me about it so I can help you think it through.”

Cui Xie grumbled, “I am talking about serious matters. I have already deflected my aunt’s efforts. She will not be matchmaking for me anytime soon, so no need to worry. You are not married either, why do you keep urging me?” Realizing this might remind Xie Ying of separation and marriage, he quickly explained, “I did not mean that. I mean, if we both stay single, we can grow old together and take care of each other, is that not enough…”

Having a partner is enough. Even without children, weren’t there still family members to take care of us? Besides, in the Ming Dynasty, adopting a child was just a matter of paperwork. If we want a boy, we get a boy; if we want a girl, we get a girl. We could even adopt a whole soccer team from an orphanage if we wanted to. It was not as complicated and troublesome as modern adoption procedures.

Xie Ying chuckled softly, stroking the back of Cui Xie’s neck. “Silly boy, do you really want to spend your life with just a man, not dreaming of having a wife and children? My family has had the hereditary Jinyiwei Colonel title for generations, and I intended to leave this military position to a cousin, so I never married. Why would you, a perfectly good person, have such thoughts?”

He had never spoken about his family matters before. Cui Xie only knew him as a single man, not realizing that his bachelorhood was not due to high standards but for other reasons–well, so be it. Having a nephew to care for him in old age saves the trouble of adoption paperwork, as long as he did not have a furen and concubines.

Cui Xie did not want to pry into others’ private matters and simply said, “I have two younger brothers, and they will have sons in the future, won’t they? If I pass the Imperial examinations and become an official, how could they abandon me? Otherwise, I could have one of their children as an adopted son. Isn’t Gao da-ren’s adopted son, Commander, in the same situation?”

But that’s not the same as having your own child…

Xie Ying wanted to persuade him, but the words got stuck on his tongue. He could not bring himself to speak them. Sitting close for a while, he finally said, “If one day you truly need a nephew to continue the family line, make sure it is not one of the Xu family’s children.”

Cui Xie said with understanding, “I know, that child is one in which oil and salt do not mix…”¹. He shook his head, realizing Xie Ying wouldn’t understand modern slang for a troublesome child, and rephrased, “His character is poor. I don’t want too many dealings with him.”

Xie Ying nodded. “With a mother like his, it is no wonder his character is bad. His mother has already been declared unfit by the Shuntian Prefecture, making him a child without a mother, which is worse than being born to a concubine. It is better to put up with him for now, send him to a private academy for a year or two and bring him back every year or so. And then, when the family splits, send him far away back to his hometown.

The two spent a cozy evening together, enjoying each other’s company until it was completely dark outside. Then Xie Ying selected a fox fur cloak, wrapped Cui Xie tightly in it, and sent him home.

The lamb did indeed work wonders and the kidneys were well taken care of. In the following days, Cui Xie felt exceptionally strong, staying up late several nights in a row to draw background designs and write instructions for props and effects. By mid-October, he had completed a thick stage setup manual and sent it to Commander Gao.

Gao Su had learned his lesson this time. He took the book straight to his adoptive father without first showing it off to others. Gao gonggong, without even looking at the contents, was pleased by the thick volume filled with both words and illustrations. He smiled in satisfaction and said, “Young Master Cui is truly a sincere person. I originally thought it would be good if he could just offer some ideas, but he went to the trouble of creating such a comprehensive book. It shows he put in a lot of effort.”

Gao Su and his nephew, upon seeing the effects described in Cui Xie’s manual, felt excited. They immediately summoned painters to replicate the backgrounds and had people construct manual blowers, cloud carriages, fake cranes, and artificial flowers and trees. They secretly had the Drum and Bell Department rehearse the scenes.

In less than two months, it would be the New Year. The Imperial palace was busy, and so were the people outside.

Meanwhile, the fleet sent out by Cui Xie’s three shops finally returned from Fujian, bringing back a dozen craftsmen willing to sign long-term contracts. These were experienced workers from various bookshops, who, with their families, found the high cost of living in the capital challenging. Cui Xie instructed Clerk Fang to send these workers to Qian’an and bring the senior staff from there to be transferred to the capital.

With this arrangement, the Peace of Mind Study in the capital became the flagship store, and all printing operations were moved there. The Qian’an branch retained only four senior workers to train newcomers, effectively becoming a talent training center.

The fabric shop boldly bought two boatloads of various types of silk produced in the Lu Prefecture, velvets, cottons, yarns, linens and various other silks in addition to silk from Hangzhou…seizing the opportunity to make a big profit during the New Year.

Reviewing the inventory records of the incoming silks, Cui Xie suddenly remembered that in the twenty-third year of the Chenghua year, there would be a new emperor, and Imperial Noble Consort Wan might die either at the end of the twenty-second or the beginning of the twenty-third year. He deliberately remarked, “Why are all these materials so expensive? Our shop is not a large establishment and our customers are mostly local neighbors. We should stock a variety of goods so that anyone who walks in can find what they need. Next year, when you go out to buy, do not just get silk. Also, bring in some ordinary fabrics, even plain white hemp cloth. Do not focus only on expensive items.”

Although Cui Jinzhi had recently experienced a sudden rise in wealth, it was due to Cui Xie’s designs, not his own skills. How dare he say more in front of him? He did not dare contradict Cui Xie and quickly bowed, saying, “Young Master is right. Our regular customers from the neighborhood are our foundation. Next year, we’ll make sure to buy more plain and everyday fabrics.”

Next year would still be the 21st year of Chenghua’s reign, so they had two years to adjust as needed. Cui Xie did not rush him, merely reminding, “Start making quarterly work plans next year,” before sending the bitter-faced shopkeeper on his way.

At the cosmetics shop, Cui Ting hesitated for quite a while before approaching Cui Xie, whispering, “The useless staff could not find the purple four o’clock mirabilis you wanted. They only brought back white jasmine, lemongrass, plantain lilies, roses…and other fragrant flowers and seed varieties from the south. This subordinate also found two gardeners who previously worked for a Minister. If Young Master wants to grow flowers, this subordinate has brought them along; otherwise, they can be sent back.”

So, no purple four o’clock mirabilis … It seemed they would have to wait for the Europeans to bring the flower over from the Americas.

Cui Xie shook his head and sighed, “Alright, if there is none, then there’s none. They tried their best. It is not the right season for planting anyway. You and Little Liang-ge set up a greenhouse to keep the flowers they brought alive. Next spring, I will allocate ten acres of flower fields for you. Make a plan for me to review.”

Since they could not make face powders, they would stick to floral dew and other cosmetics. Fortunately, other products were selling well. The freshly distilled floral dew sold out immediately as soon as a batch matured, a dozen bottles of those would be snatched up, and there was never enough supply. The eye balms had become fashionable even at the Imperial College, with students using it to brighten their eyes with a white eyeliner balms made from a mix of clam shell powder. It made their eyes look large and bright, though who they were trying to impress was a mystery.

Either way, the teachers did not notice or care.

The two farmsteads had repaired the water wheels before the river froze. During the winter downtime, when it was idle, they collected alkaline soil from the barren alkaline rich and salt marshes, filtering it layer by layer repeatedly to produce pure white alkali blocks. These blocks were mixed with pig pancreas and spices to make soap, some of which were molded into auspicious shapes like peach blossoms, bats, and fans, and sold at a small stall outside the shop.

While crude alkali sold for only a penny per pound, their refined alkali, formed into four-ounce blocks, sold for six coins each. Six good copper coins were worth more than a penny of silver, hence, selling a pound of alkali blocks tripled the profit, making them even more lucrative than eyeliner paste.

However, alkali was inherently a cheap product, and the slight premium was not significant to people in the capital.

Ordinary crude alkali was reddish-gray and would leave many impurities to be precipitated when dissolved in water. In contrast, the finely filtered white alkali did not have this problem. A small piece could be used to leaven dough, cook porridge or clean clothes thoroughly, without the need to filter out impurities. Cooks in wealthy households and meticulous, cleanliness-obsessed women were willing to spend extra money on this clean, attractive white alkali.

Thanks to this alkali, the Cui family had an additional source of income before next year. Cui Xie, thinking the extra money should not just be used for Official Cui’s marriage,with a wave of his hand, decided to build a kiln for Liang-ge on the farmstead. This kiln was dedicated to making pencil leads, which Teacher Lu would then distribute to underprivileged students.

Hearing about this, Scholar Lu specifically gave He-ge and Cui Qi a day off and invited several colleagues and local officials interested in promoting the pencils to inspect the kiln.

The kiln was tall and spacious, with an adjoining factory built for making pencil shafts. Little Liang-ge, along with the kiln workers and craftsmen making the shafts, worked inside. Each person had a pencil tucked behind their ear, ready to jot down notes for their reports if needed.

The scholars and students were impressed by how the craftsmen could record their progress at any time, exclaiming, “If everyone could have such a pencil, able to write down fleeting inspirations instantly, how many more beautiful poems would the world have?”

These pencils allowed them to write immediately, without the distraction of fetching water or grinding ink, which often caused one to lose their train of thought and forget the brilliant ideas they had in mind.

The scholars, moved by the convenience and potential of the pencils, composed verses and essays on the spot, their writings varying from elegant and refined to grand and heroic, some filled with patriotic sentiment. Despite being in a remote rural area next to a roaring, blazing kiln and without a drop of wine, it felt as if they were hosting a poetry gathering amidst picturesque mountains and rivers. By the end of the day, they had compiled a collection of poems dedicated to the graphite pencil.

Teacher Lu himself was inspired and full of confidence, planning to write several notable essays and poems during the New Year to extol the virtues of the pencil—at least, his goal was to persuade the local officials of the capital and surrounding counties to support the use of pencils in community schools.

Busy with this project, Teacher Lu did not assign Cui Xie much homework, giving him a relatively easy year. Cui Xie, deeply respectful of Teacher Lu’s dedication to education, refrained from bothering him with trivial matters and stayed busy through the end of the year.

As the New Year arrived, even Teacher Lu set aside academic matters. From New Year’s Eve onwards, he was busy visiting friends and colleagues, exchanging New Year’s greetings, and running around outside with his fellow townsmen and peers. Meanwhile, the Cui family, being deeply rooted in the local area, had to prepare for the ancestral rites. Although the family’s ancestral tomb was in the countryside, the ancestral hall had been moved to the capital long ago, allowing them to conduct the rites at the family shrine in the furthermost back courtyard without having to make a trip to the countryside.

On this day, all the male members in the family had to enter the ancestral hall, including even Cui Heng, who had been cooped up studying for months and was finally released. He had come to understand his own position within the family. Although he could not entirely hide his brooding nature, he managed to put on a facade of obedience. Smiling, he greeted Cui Xie and hurriedly expressed regret for troubling his da-ge for his past misconduct.

Seeing Cui Heng, Cui Xie was reminded that Xie Ying had mentioned Cui Heng’s mother being declared unfit, thus no longer counted as his legitimate mother. This made him wonder whether Cui Que had erased Xu-shi’s name from the family register before his departure. If not, as the eldest son of this generation, Cui Xie would have to amend the genealogy during the ancestral rites.

Lost in thought, he did not immediately respond to Cui Heng, who then asked, “Brother, has not forgiven me yet? I have been diligently studying the 《Great Announcement Compiled by His Majesty》and《Ming Code》 and have memorized the 《Rites of Zhou》. I genuinely understand rules of etiquette and law, and I know the errors made by my mother and me. I sincerely ask for your forgiveness, can I be released now?”

Having been confined to a small room for so long, doing nothing but studying exercises, writing and memorizing texts, Cui Heng was on the brink of madness. As long as he could be allowed out, he would not only apologize to Cui Xie, he would also kneel if needed!.

He was steeling himself to endure any humiliation, but to his surprise, his brother readily agreed. “Since you have realized your mistakes, I will give you a chance to reform. You can join us for meals during the festival, but after the holidays, you will resume studying under Teacher Lu in the mornings.”

“When can I go out…” he asked urgently, only to see Cui Xie’s indifferent expression as he shook his head. “Did I not tell you? When you have thoroughly memorized the Three Rites, you can go out.”

With that, Cui Xie ordered someone to guide Cui Heng to follow him into the ancestral hall.

Their ancestors had migrated from the south, and their genealogy was lost during the migration. Cui Xie’s great forefather had rewritten it from memory after settling in Northern Zhili. Consequently, there were only seven generations listed by Cui Xie’s time. Since it was so short, the genealogy was not bound into a book but written on a large sheet of paper hung in front of the altar. As soon as Cui Xie entered, he saw the names of Cui Que’s two wives. Under his first wife, Liu-shi, were the characters ‘Cui Xie’, while the name of his second wife, Xu-shi, had been heavily crossed out with thick ink. The dripping ink even splattered over the characters for ‘Cui Heng’. If one did not look closely, it truly looked as if the name had been erased.

It seemed Cui Xie had underestimated his father’s resolve. Perhaps even before the Shuntian Prefecture had officially annulled the marriage, Cui Que had opened the ancestral hall and already erased Xu-shi’’s name from the family register.

Cui Heng, standing behind Cui Xie, saw the ink blot over his name on the family register, with his mother’s name missing, making him seem even less legitimate than his shu, concubine-born brother He-ge and his two sisters. He felt like a child born out of wedlock.
Previously, he had always prided himself on being a legitimate, di son. Even when his mother was divorced, she had been a legitimate wife at his birth. It was not until now that he truly realized the impact of Xu-shi’s repudiation on his status. His face twisted in anguish, and he suddenly squatted down, crying bitterly.

---

Footnotes:

1. “oil and salt do not enter.” In slang, it means someone who is stubborn, unyielding, or impervious to advice or persuasion. It describes a person who is difficult to influence or convince, no matter what methods or arguments are used. ↩︎

---

TN: TN: Have a good rest of your week everyone and enjoy the chapter! My finals are coming up for grad school 😦 BUT we power through them and then its holiday season!

Announcement: We have set up a kofi and patreon account! If you would like to support us or get early access to advance chapters for Blood-Sucking Empress OR TMD, those options are available for you (in support us page)! I have just added a patreon tier for Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examinations in which patreons can have access to a google document with ALL of my advanced translated chapters for the novel. Since I am a grad student, there should usually be at least 10 advance chapters in the document at a time, but depending on my schedules, there may be fewer or more. I’m currently extremely busy, but I have translated out some new chapters for you all! But, I will still post each week with the same schedule. Thanks!

< Previous | TOC | Next >