The surface of the river rippled as a fisherman pulled up his sleeves and tied up his pants. He then took out his net and cast it into the river, preparing to catch some fish.
On the boat, the captain was sitting on the boat, smoking a hookah. It was a bamboo tube about half the height of a person, with a mouth at the bottom. It was stuffed with some tobacco. The captain placed his mouth on the pipe and took a deep puff. The tobacco started burning, and the sound of water bubbling could be heard. This type of hookah was filled with water, and the longer it was used, the more flavorful it would be. The captain stood up in satisfaction and stretched.
Someone approached the boat. The captain didn't think much of it at first, but when he got closer, he regained his senses and stood up, "So it's Master Xu. What brings you here?"
There were a few people watching from the shore. When they saw Pei Zi Yun disembarking from the boat and disappearing into the distance, Master Xu came up and saw that there weren't many people in the cabin. There were only a few elderly, women and children waiting for the boat to set sail. Master Xu's face fell, "Let's talk inside!"
The boat was rather big, and the cabin was rather dark. There was only an oil lamp on the table, as it was afraid of catching fire. The dim light from the lamp was rather eerie.
Master Xu sat down. Opposite him, the captain lowered his head in fear.
Master Xu stared at the captain and waved his fan twice, "How's your business recently?"
"Thanks to you and Master Xu, I can make a living on the water and feed my family."
Master Xu laughed, "With this boat of yours, I can make two to three hundred taels of silver a year."
The captain didn't know what to say. He saw Master Xu's face was tense, "Old Three He, I'm not here for this matter. Master Xu has something to tell you."
The captain lowered his head even more, "Master Xu, please instruct me. I will listen."
Only then did Master Xu explain the situation to the captain. When he heard what the captain said, he started sweating profusely and waved his hands, "We can't do that. This man looks like a scholar. If he goes to the prefecture, he would at least be an Elementary Scholar. If something were to happen to him, he would be beheaded."
The smile on Master Xu's face disappeared as his face turned dark and sinister. He said impatiently, "I'm not asking you to kill him. Just let me get on the boat and you cooperate with me. Let him get off the boat and drink a few mouthfuls of water. What are you afraid of?"
"Furthermore, this is the order of the branch master. You are a member of the branch, and you should know the rules. If you are unwilling, the government will not arrest you, but the branch master will not forgive you."
Hearing this, the boatman's legs softened and cold sweat appeared on his forehead. Most of the boatmen who made a living on the river would join the local river branch.
When there was a problem, he had the money and strength to contribute. Normally, he would be protected. But now, the shipowner had given the order. If the shipowner refused, he would be punished by the shipowner. Not only that, he would not be able to stay on the river anymore. If he continued to stay, he would be like the shipowner who refused to join. One day, his boat would capsize, and his whole family would be fed to the fish!
The boatman's hands and feet trembled as he agreed, "Yes, yes, I will obey, I will obey!"
He was sweating profusely and had to wipe it off with his hands. Master Xu looked at the boatman and laughed coldly. He then spoke to the people on the shore before returning, "Just treat me as a boatman."
"How would I dare, Master Xu!"
"Don't worry, I used to be a good boatman. I won't be able to see through your lies." Master Xu laughed coldly.
After eating and drinking to his heart's content, Pei Zi Yun left the inn. The sun was shining brightly, and the trees on both sides of the street cast many shadows.
When he reached the side of the river, he saw that there were already many passengers on the boat. Seeing that it was about time, he stepped onto the plank.
The moment he stepped onto the plank, he saw that one of the boatmen looked at him. His face twitched, and he looked extremely fierce. Pei Zi Yun felt that it was strange. When did this boatman come here? Why did he look so unfriendly?
He took a closer look and realized that this boat was specially used to transport people. There were two levels, and there were cabins at the front and back of the boat. There were curtains hanging down from the cabin, and there were several boatmen on the boat. He even saw a cook. Although this boat was filled with crooks and honest people, it was a long-term business. It shouldn't be a black boat.
Just as he was hesitating, the boatman carried a hookah and smiled, "Esteemed guest, please board the boat. Almost everyone on the boat has arrived. We are about to depart."
Pei Zi Yun smiled and reached out to touch the hilt of his sword before following the boatman onto the boat.
The ship wasn't big, and it only had two floors. They followed the captain up the stairs, and when they passed by the stairs, they saw that there were people sitting in the cabins.
Seeing that Pei Zi Yun was bewildered, the boatman explained, "Those people are going to the mansion just like you. They will arrive in the afternoon, and are in the cabins below the deck."
Pei Zi Yun looked around the cabins, and saw that there were some people seated. There were poor students, elderly, women, and children. The seats were not full, and there were still quite a number of seats left. Pei Zi Yun looked around and followed the boatman up the stairs.
When he reached the top floor, he saw that there were many rooms, but they were very small.
The boatman walked into one of the rooms and opened it with a key. Pei Zi Yun took a look and realized that the room wasn't big, and had two windows. When he looked out, he could see the river outside. The river was glistening, and the sound of water splashing against the boat could be heard.
Pei Zi Yun looked around and saw that there was a bed and a table.
The boatman said, "Young master, this is the best room on the boat."
Pei Zi Yun could hear the sound of someone reading in the room next door. The boatman then said, "This is a single room. The people around here are all young masters, and are preparing to head to the prefecture for the examinations. That's why there are people reading. However, there are only four people to a room."
Pei Zi Yun saw that it was rather clean inside. Although it was a little small, it was good enough to have such space on the boat. Didn't you see that there were many people below? Besides, the scenery outside the window was not bad. He then said, "Alright, let's keep an eye on this room."
As he said this, he tossed out a tael of silver. The boatman weighed it in his hand and smiled, "Alright, young master. Three meals a day, please come to the main hall to have your meals."
Pei Zi Yun nodded his head. At this point, the boat started moving. There were already twenty to thirty guests on board. There were merchants, Elementary Scholars rushing to take the examinations, as well as merchants and commoners. At this point, a green robed scholar bowed, "This humble subject is Yu Guang Mao. I am heading to the provincial capital for the Autumn Examinations. It is an honor to be able to be on the same boat as brother Pei."
Pei Zi Yun returned the gesture, "Brother Yu is too courteous. We've met before."
Hearing the commotion, three scholars came out. They were around twenty seven to thirty years old. They were the same people Pei Zi Yun had met at the Elementary Scholar Assembly.
When they saw Pei Zi Yun, they were overjoyed and greeted him. Pei Zi Yun then said, "So it's my brothers. Brother Li, brother Wang, brother Yi. So you're all on the same boat?"
The Elementary Scholars had many things to talk about, and started chatting amongst themselves. It revolved around the Regional Examinations. These Elementary Scholars had been to the Imperial Examinations a few times before, and were very familiar with each other.
Pei Zi Yun saw that there were only a few beds in the cabin, and there wasn't much space left. He felt that it was strange. These Elementary Scholars shouldn't be so poor.
Yu Guang Mao laughed and said, "The Regional Examinations are held once every three years. It's a long journey, and it's not easy for us to make the trip. Since the few of us are familiar with each other, we decided to stay in the same room. Hence, we told the boatman to add more beds, and we decided to stay in the same room. This way, we can take care of each other and exchange knowledge!"
Pei Zi Yun saw the four of them talking like this, and knew that the four of them were not telling the truth. Or maybe they didn't have much money, hence they had to do this. However, he could not embarrass them. He then praised them, "My brothers are really hardworking. Looks like I have to learn from you guys."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the few Elementary Scholars smiling bitterly.
The boatman had not gone far, and when he saw Pei Zi Yun, he was shocked. This man was an Elementary Scholar, and in the blink of an eye, he had gotten to know a whole bunch of Elementary Scholars. The boatman was trying to harm this Elementary Scholar. According to the boatman, if he were to fall into the water, he would be fine. However, if he were to fall into the water, who knew what would happen? If he were to die in the river, it would be fine if he was alone, but all these Elementary Scholars were there. If they were to report this to the authorities, he would be in deep trouble. As he thought about this, he wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and said, "Dear sirs, the boat has left the county successfully. If there are no accidents, we should reach the city within three days."
As soon as he finished speaking, the boatman left. The rest of the Elementary Scholars did not seem to mind. After chatting for a while, the five of them started to get familiar with each other. The boatman then said to Pei Zi Yun, "This year's Regional Examinations will be a gathering of Elementary Scholars. Between you and me, I wonder who will be able to become a High Scholar and bring glory to our ancestors."
As they spoke, the few Elementary Scholars sighed, and the atmosphere became a little lonely. Pei Zi Yun wanted to persuade them, but realized that he had no way to do so. He then left and returned to his room to study.
As the sky darkened, someone knocked on the door. Pei Zi Yun opened the door and saw that it was one of the boatmen who said that it was time to eat. He went to the boatman and noticed that the dishes on the boat were pretty good. There were fish, vegetables, eggs and fruits. Pei Zi Yun picked out the fish on the spot and noticed that the chef's cooking was pretty good. Pei Zi Yun ordered three or four dishes and found them to be pretty good. After waiting for a while, someone finally came down. By the time Pei Zi Yun had finished eating, the four Elementary Scholars had still not come down.
Pei Zi Yun felt that it was strange. Nothing happened that night. There was still the sound of people reading next door. As the night grew darker, the sound of people reading stopped as well. The boat fell silent and everyone went to sleep.
"Eh, there's the sound of crying?"
In the middle of the night, Pei Zi Yun was woken up by the sound of people crying next door. When he listened carefully, he realized that it was several people comforting him, "Brother Yi, why did you have to do this?"
"... My family is poor. Every day, we eat simple dishes. How many times do we have meat and fish? Even so, my old mother and wife still saved money for me to take the examinations. It's just that I'm already 33 years old. If I don't pass this time, how could I bear it? I can only find a school to teach and earn a few taels of silver every year. "
"Thinking about it at night, I can't help it. I hope everyone will not take it to heart." As he said this, the person stopped talking. Gradually, there was silence. He could only hear people tossing and turning in bed. It was obvious that the people in the room next door could not sleep.
Pei Zi Yun could not sleep as well, but he did not want to disturb these people. He put on his clothes and walked up to the deck. He looked up at the clear night sky, filled with stars. He thought to himself, "In real life, how many people can achieve success by studying?"
"Most people work their hearts out, only to end up with a head full of white hair and a sad ending."
"That's why I know the value of the Plum Blossom. I also know that the original owner of the Plum Blossom was such a wretched person. He handed over this weapon that could change his destiny to someone else. Forget it. Young people are always full of passion and idiocy. Only when I'm 30 or 40 years old, and am down and out for the rest of my life, will I understand the value of the Plum Blossom."
Just as he was deep in thought, he unknowingly reached a corner. All of a sudden, he heard someone speaking in a low voice. He had heard these two voices earlier in the day. One was the captain, the other was a worker. The captain's voice was trembling, "Are you really going to make a move on an Elementary Scholar?"
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