Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examination Ch. 144

Chapter 144

Under Xie Ying’s leadership, the Jinyiwei launched a special operation to combat and rectify hooligans and ruffians in the capital. They patrolled the streets day and night after their daily drills, regardless of the time of day. Sometimes, when Cui Xie left the Imperial College or returned from Academician Li’s Residence, he would encounter the patrolling Jinyiwei.

On several occasions, he even ran into Xie Ying himself.

Previously, Xie Ying would have pretended not to know him and walked away. But now, with their relationship acknowledged in front of two officials, an academician and an Imperial Diarist, this meant that this relationship could eventually reach the Emperor’s ears, there was no need to feign unfamiliarity. So, when they met on the street, not only did Cui Xie have to ride up and greet ‘Xie da-ren’, but Xie Ying would also bow slightly, smile faintly, and gently respond, ‘Cui jiansheng’.

In front of passersby on the street, that was all they could do.

Xie Ying still maintained some distance to avoid suspicion. On the contrary,  a few officers subordinate to Xie Ying who had met Cui Xie before ,after recognizing that he was a scholar recognized by the Emperor and could even be so intimate with members of the Jinyiwei, they all appreciated his gratitude, good attitude and sincerity and were willing to chat with him more.

Occasionally, when Cui Xie returned late from studying at Academician Li’s residence and was caught by the curfew officers. If there were familiar Jinyiwei officers on patrol, they would come over to help him.

Cui Xie expressed his gratitude, and those commandants would sometimes complain to him—managing these ruffians in the capital should be the job of the Shuntian Prefecture. The people they should catch were elusive, and the cases they should investigate they could not investigate, leaving the Jinyiwei to clean up the mess.

They patrolled the streets and investigated cases day and night, braving the wind and rain. Their Colonel was strict and forbade them from taking anything from the citizens, so now they had to pay for their own sip of water…

Thinking about Xie Ying patrolling daily under the scorching sun and pouring rain, Cui Xie empathized considerately with them and comforted them, “We scholars and citizens living in the capital owe our safety to the da-ren. Every morning and evening when I go out, I can feel the capital’s atmosphere improving day by day, and your efforts are not in vain. When the ruffians are eradicated in the future, both the Imperial court and the people will naturally remember your contributions.”

The Jinyiwei comrades had shed their bureaucratic ways and were working diligently and hard on this crackdown, not taking even a single penny from the masses!  How could the ordinary citizens under their protection not contribute to the country’s harmonious spirit and provide whatever assistance they could to the Jinyiwei within their capacity?

Moved by this, Cui Xie held a family meeting when he returned to the Cui Residence. He relayed Academician Li Dongyang’s conveyed imperial edict, emphasizing the need to follow the Chenghua Emperor’s policies and support the Jinyiwei in purging the capital of its scourge.

Specifically, Cui Xie decided to set up several tea stalls in the capital, supplying tea and snacks so the Jinyiwei could rest as they passed by on official business.

Upon hearing that such a large venture was being planned and that it was something he had never done before,, the Old furen, expressed concern about the funds. She asked in a low voice, “We just built a big factory and a kiln on the farmstead a few days ago. Where will we get the money to set up tea stalls?”

Yun-jie, who had been learning housekeeping from her grandmother recently and had some understanding, also whispered softly, “Our family’s cosmetics business, the rouge and powder, is doing well. If gege wants to support Jinyiwei, why not directly send them ointments for treating spring eczema and hand chapping? These are all practical items. Investing more in the cosmetics business could also be profitable, isn’t that better than setting up small stalls?”

He-ge had no opinion—since Teacher Lu returned home, he had been assigned the same endless stream of assignments as his Er-ge, to the point where just seeing Cui Xie made his legs tremble, let alone daring to voice any opinions.

Cui Xie patiently explained, “Setting up tea stalls does not necessarily mean losing money. Building a simple shelter won’t cost much, just a few taels of silver. We do not need to make it as refined as a proper teahouse, just provide some ordinary tea and hot drinks, and some fruit and cold water in the summer…I think since the Jinyiwei are patrolling the city now, if they have a place to rest and we waive the charges for them, they will certainly appreciate it. This is a good deed in line with the Imperial court’s policies, and supporting it will not do us any harm—is Father not still in Yunnan, waiting to return to the capital?”

The Old furen, thinking of her son, felt a pang in her heart and no longer hesitated about the expense. She coughed and sighed, “I do not dare to hope that he can return to the capital, we might as well build some good karma, and at least the Jinyiwei will not come to raid our house and arrest people again.”

After all, this was a temporary measure. Once Colonel Xie and his men were finished with their recently busy schedule and no longer busy patrolling the streets every day, it was uncertain whether the tea stalls would be discontinued or not.

Cui Xie comforted the Old furen with a few words and then sent for Steward Liu from their ancestral home to come to the capital. Steward Liu was tasked with finding intermediaries to find suitable locations, signing deed contracts at the county office, and hiring people to build the tea stalls.

Cui Xie did not tell his family the real reason for setting up these stalls, but he explained to Steward Liu, “Whenever Jiyiwei patrolling the city come for tea, serve them whatever they want without charging them. Keep an eye on their usual visiting times and prepare fresh boiled soy milk and fresh snacks for them. Do not worry about the cost, just keep a record of the expenses and hand it over to me.”

Steward Liu, slightly puzzled, asked, “Then who will settle these accounts?”

Cui Xie smiled mysteriously, “Do not worry about that. I will take care of it.”

Since the Young Master did not want to explain, Steward Liu did not press any further and simply followed instructions.

A few months earlier, he had returned from the Liu Residence, having said countless bad things about what happened in the Cui family to many old acquaintances and his old masters. Now, feeling a strong sense of duty and responsibility, he was determined to protect the eldest grandson of the Liu family in the Cui Residence at all costs. Hence, when Cui Xie instructed something he could not ask the Cui family servants to do, Steward Liu took it very seriously. Steward Liu wholeheartedly oversaw the renting of stalls, the construction of sturdy wooden shelters, the making of long tables and benches, and the purchase of stoves, charcoal, and coarse porcelain bowls and pots.

These arrangements only cost a few taels of silver. They did not need to hire external workers either; nearby elderly people and women could manage boiling tea and steaming cakes in exchange for half a liter of rice daily as wages.

The tea stalls provided coarse tea for passersby, with some better tea, sugar, dried fruit, walnuts, and sesame seeds among other things, and pre-roasted and ground millet flour for tea soup. Food was supplied by vendors carrying baskets of snacks. They steamed some rice cakes and flatbreads themselves, offering free tea and snacks to Jinyiwei, while making up the costs from other customers.

Once everything was in place, Cui Xie wrote a letter to Xie Ying, informing him about the tea stalls set up by the Cui family. He invited Xie Ying and his men to rest and have a cup of hot tea at their stalls whenever they were tired from patrolling during the day.

Tea stalls with red signs edged in white and embroidered with the characters ‘Clear Tea’ were all run by the Cui family, and the Jinyiwei could enjoy free tea and refreshments at any of them.

The next day, Xie Ying replied, his handwriting showing a hint of urgency, urging Cui Xie not to waste money like this—He felt it was inappropriate for the Jinyiwei, who were on official duty and receiving government salaries, to take advantage of free food and drink from the Cui family.

Cui Xie asked the servant who delivered the letter to sit in the hall for a while, then he wrote a reply on the back of the letter: “It is not for free; I’ve already taken their Colonel as collateral.”

He resealed the letter with wax, added a few boxes of newly made anti-wrinkle hand cream, face cream, and lip balm, and asked the servant to take them back.

Reading the line on the back of the letter, Xie Ying did not know whether to be angry or amused. But after pondering over those characters several times, the irritation at Cui Xie spending money frivolously faded, leaving only a warm, joyful feeling in his heart.

Let the Jinyiwei enjoy the tea stalls then. The money spent could be compensated by him, their Colonel. What could he not provide for Cui Xie?

The only regret was that this good deed could not be publicized.

Cui Xie, after all, was the son of a court official and was preparing for his Imperial examinations. His reputation was important. It was one thing to be associated with a Colonel as a benefactor; it would be less well-received if people knew he was providing free food and drink to the patrolling Jinyiwei, possibly being seen as currying favor with the Emperor’s personal guards, which would be bad.

Xie Ying spent the entire evening reading the letter. The next day, after training, when he was about to lead his men to patrol the city, he informed a few team leaders about the tea stalls’ locations. He mentioned that he had already settled the accounts, and they could rest there and have some hot tea when tired, but they must not deliberately waste anything.

The commandants and platoon commanders, who had gotten used to patrolling the streets, were moved to hear that their commander had arranged tea stalls for them to rest their feet and have hot tea. They all crowded around to thank their da-ren.

Upon hearing that these new stalls had just been set up, some asked why he had not arranged for tea stalls or shops earlier and had only thought of renting them for his subordinates just as these stalls had been built. Xie Ying glanced at them and said calmly, “You receive your salaries from the Emperor and do your duty for the Emperor, yet you feel wronged paying for a few meals out of your pocket? As a Colonel, I only get a few hundred liters of rice each month, so naturally, I can only afford the newly established, cheaper stalls.”

“Before complaining, think about whether you have caught the gang of kidnappers in East Gate, found the two escaped hooligans hiding in the west of the city, or found the culprits who robbed the residence in Little Sweetwater Alley…”

The Imperial guards were scolded by him to the point that they hung their heads, unable to look up.

But Xie Ying did not just scold them. When he led his men on patrol and they came across a new stall with the ‘Clear Tea’ sign, he generously led them to rest there and have some refreshments. The existing customers at the tea stall, seeing the Jinyiwei approaching with such a formidable aura, were so terrified they could barely sit still. Their legs shook violently, wishing they could flee immediately.

But no human legs could outrun a horse. Before they could stand up, the red-clad Jinyiwei had already dismounted and, surrounding a young official in green robe, entered the stall.

The Jinyiwei did not shout at them to leave nor arrest anyone randomly as rumored. Instead, they chose a few empty tables and asked for someone to serve tea.

The elderly man, who had been repeatedly trained by Steward Liu to remember not to fear the Jinyiwei. He walked over steadily revealing a look that was half-crying, half-smiling, and asked Colonel Xie, “What would the da-ren like? Please look at the menu.”

The menu was written on a white wooden board with a graphite pencil. Many small stalls and shops used this method now; the board could be painted cheaply, and the pencil could be obtained for free at the Peace of Mind Study, where a gentleman could design a board for just a few coins, making it cheaper than engraved signs.

The menu offered a variety of teas and was quite comprehensive: brewed tea, powdered tea, fragrant tea, and tea soup…there was also a large pot of boiling soy milk by the stall.

Xie Ying looked at the tea stall, noting that although it was simple, it was not shabby at all, and was thoughtfully set up, no worse than the larger teahouses.

He was not particularly hungry, so he ordered a bowl of brewed tea and let his men order freely. Seeing Xie Ying’s good mood, they also ordered their favorite brewed tea, fragrant tea, or filling tea soup.

The elderly man who was watching the tea stall carefully took their orders and asked the woman by the stove to prepare them while offering rice cakes and soft steamed buns for them to try.

Xie Ying ordered two plates and made sure each table received two plates. Tearing off a piece and tasting it, he found it fresh and warm, likely made that morning and reheated on the stove, soft and fragrant.

Just sitting in Cui Xie’s stall, eating his homemade snacks and drinking his tea without paying, made Xie Ying feel like he was being taken care of by Cui Xie…

It would not be bad to be pampered by him for a while.

One day, when Cui Xie becomes an official, he might set up a place like this outside his office, providing for Xie Ying in the long-term.

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TN: Have a good rest of your week everyone and enjoy the chapter! Honestly, since XY and CX are both always so busy, anytime they do something like this for each other makes me feel that all romance and chivalry is not lost in the world!! They are truly men of action 🙂 I definitely think CX’s love language is acts of service~

Update 12/23/24: I just updated it so that all my advance chapters for TMD are up on patreon (and will be continually updated)! Sorry for being so lazy with it and apologies for taking so long to do so. I had to organize a lot of my random documents after a long hiatus last year.

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!

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