Young Master Jia urgently needs ten thousand taels of silver for the garden project and to buy an official position. He asked Huang Mama to help him borrow money. Huang Mama remembered someone—Governor Shi, whom she met when Black Eight invited them to dinner. Governor Shi came to Beijing with over ten thousand taels of silver. He bought his way into the governorship, never having even been to Guangxi. It's not unheard of. But the official who originally recommended him, the Admiral, was dismissed for embezzling military funds, which scared Shi. He had sucked up to Black Eight when he came to Beijing, wanting to make a career for himself, but now he was too scared to show his face and was hiding in a shop for fear of being investigated. That night, he snuck over to Black Eight's to hash things out. Black Eight suggested that he should hide for a while and wait for the dust to settle before doing anything, saying that although his family uncle was not afraid of those officials, Shi was just a governor and not qualified to ask for help. Shi was gutted, and his relationship with Black Eight went cold.
Huang Mama had good connections and knew that Shi had money stored in Beijing but couldn't access it immediately. She wanted to persuade him to lend money to Young Master Jia and earn interest from it. She told Young Master Jia, "There is someone, but the interest rate is high." Young Master Jia asked how much the interest was, and Huang Mama said, "At least three percent." Young Master Jia thought it was too high, but Huang Mama said, "Let's find out first." Young Master Jia had to ask her for help. Huang Mama went to see Shi the next day, comforting him and advising him to be patient, similar to what Black Eight had said. Then she talked about his money: "It's just sitting there earning nothing, and you don't need it now. It's better to earn some interest than to leave it there. With over ten thousand taels of silver, at a monthly interest rate of five or six percent, it should be enough for your expenses in Beijing." Shi thought it was a good idea, but wanted seven percent, not five or six. Huang wouldn't budge.
The next day, Young Master Jia came to inquire about the situation. Huang Auntie said, "They are willing to lend, with an interest rate of two and a half percent, no less. The deadline is three months. They don't trust you, so they want me to provide a written guarantee. If you don't repay the money in the future, you can only come to me. Kid, I advised you on this matter; you will benefit from it, and the burden of this one hundred thousand taels is on me. But there is more than one minor stakeholder; you need to find a guarantor for the smaller investors. It's not that I don't trust you, but I need to explain to the shareholders." Young Master Jia thought that an interest rate of two and a half percent was acceptable, and he knew many relatives and friends of high status who often bribed their way into office, and everyone supported him. He quickly found several guarantors. Huang Auntie also brought Shi Xiaoren to him, and she arranged for her money house to issue a deposit slip. Shi Xiaoren felt more at ease, but Huang Auntie insisted on an interest rate of only five and a half percent, so Shi Xiaoren had to agree.
Young Master Jia borrowed the money and met Black Eight Brother a few times, and Brother Eight assured him that he would help him with everything. On the day he was presented to the Emperor, Young Master Jia participated in the ceremony the day before and entered the city early the next morning. After waiting for a few hours, he was finally brought into the palace and knelt down to see the Emperor. Following the procedures, he received the Emperor's orders to be summoned the next day and had to express gratitude, pay respects to the top advisor, and was kept busy.
Although Young Master Jia was from a noble family, this was his first time seeing the Emperor, and he was nervous. After the introduction, he first met with Huazhongtang (who had previously received ten thousand taels of silver from him for antiques). Huazhongtang warmly received him. Later, Young Master Jia asked Huazhongtang, "When I am summoned tomorrow, my father is a magistrate. Should I bow to the Emperor?" Huazhongtang only heard the words "bow" and said, "Bow more, talk less; that is the secret to being an official..." Young Master Jia explained, "I am asking, if the Emperor asks about my father, should I bow; if he doesn't ask, should I still bow?" Huazhongtang said, "If the Emperor doesn't ask you, don't say much. Don't forget to bow where you should, and it's okay to bow more where you shouldn't." Confused, Jia started to ask another question, but Huazhongtang was already showing him out.
Young Master Jia had no choice but to devise his own solution. He mused that since Master Hua was too busy and it was too much trouble for him, he might as well go ask Grand Councillor Huang for advice. Perhaps he could offer some suggestions. When they met, before Jia could even speak, Councillor Huang asked, "Have you seen Master Hua? What did he say?" Jia repeated Master Hua's words. Councillor Huang said, "Master Hua is experienced. He advised you to be more respectful and speak less. This is a wise and prudent approach; he’s right." But this still didn't solve the problem.
Jia had no choice but to go find Grand Councillor Xu. This Xu was getting on in years, his hearing wasn't so good, and even if he heard, he pretended not to. He was all about health preservation, with two main secrets: don’t get agitated, don’t worry. How did he not get agitated? No matter how urgent court matters were, he remained calm and went along with everyone, then went home to drink and play with his child. How did he not worry? Even if the court had difficult matters, he always stepped back and never pushed forward. He always said, "I’m old; you young people can handle things better. Let this old man take a break!" Even though he was summoned daily, he just agreed with whatever the emperor said, responding with "yes, yes, yes" and "good, good, good." If the emperor asked for his opinion, he pretended to be deaf and dumb, just bowing repeatedly. Seeing his age and white beard, the emperor couldn't be bothered to trouble him further and left matters to others. Eventually, everyone saw through his act and gave him the nickname "Delicate Egg." He was happy to be left alone, and everyone else was happy to let him be, allowing others to wield power unchallenged.
On this day, Jia, because he was going to be summoned the next day, was clueless about the protocol. Although he had asked Huazhong and Huang, he didn't get a definite answer, so he had to go ask Old Xu for advice. After exchanging pleasantries, Jia expressed his dilemma. Old Xu said, "It's certainly good to kowtow more, but you don't have to kowtow all the time. Kowtow where it's needed, not where it isn't." Jia repeated what Huazhong and Huang had said. Old Xu replied, "They’re both right; just do as they said." The conversation got him nowhere, so Jia left.
Finally, he found a junior official who was also a friend of Old Xu, and he finally understood the rules. The next day, when he was summoned, he pulled it off without a hitch. After that, he was ordered to go to Zhili to fill a vacancy, and they made a note of it at the military office.
These days, Hei Bage came several times a day. Huang Panggu also advised him, "Get that money in there, grease the wheels, and show some respect. If anything goes wrong, Black Uncle's got your back." Jia thought they were right. He calculated that with what he had left over and what he borrowed, he had a total of 135,000 taels of silver. Huang Panggu helped him arrange: 20,000 for the big boss, 70,000 for Black Uncle, 20,000 to keep the other guys happy, and 25,000 left over—20,000 for various expenses and gifts, and 5,000 for expenses in the capital. Jia thought it was very reasonable, thinking that by spending this 135,000 taels of silver, he'd be a proper official in under three months.
Zhou Zhongtang, although retired and on vacation at home, not inquiring about political affairs, read the Beijing Gazette every day. One day, he saw that Jia Mou was summoned and dispatched to take up a post in Zhili, and the news was filed at the military aircraft office. He suddenly remembered Jia Xiaozhi's son, also known as Young Master Jia. Zhou Zhongtang thought to himself, "Jia Xiaozhi is my student. He only visited my house once after coming to Beijing, and I haven't seen him since. Tomorrow, I will invite a few students to dinner and ask him to join us as well. He made it to Beijing alright. I should get in touch. Besides, I could borrow two hundred silver from him before he leaves." So, he sent out a postcard, inviting Young Master Jia to come for dinner the next day. Young Master Jia had not been in contact with his teacher for a long time. When the postcard arrived, Young Master Jia had just received the proof filed at the military aircraft office and was thinking about thanking Hei Bage, asking him to find a time to go to the palace to express his gratitude. At that moment, the steward brought Zhou Zhongtang's postcard, inviting him to lunch the next day. Young Master Jia wasn't pleased and casually said, "I will treat guests myself at noon; I don't have time to bother him!" When asked how to respond, Young Master Jia said, "Just leave the card; tell him I'm ill and can't make it tomorrow."
Young Master Jia quickly wrote a letter to make an appointment with Hei Bage for lunch at the restaurant and asked the steward to send it immediately. When the steward arrived at Hei Bage's house, Huang Panggu had just handed over seventy thousand silver bills and twenty thousand silver in reward money to Hei Bage, asking him to go and ask Uncle Hei. After calculating, Hei Bage found he only had ninety thousand silver and asked, "Didn't you say he borrowed a hundred thousand from someone for this matter? Why is there only ninety thousand? Uncle Hei needs a whole number; it's not good to be short. We're all in this together, so I'm being straight with you: what's his is ours!" Huang Panggu realized something was wrong and hurriedly explained, "We really don't have money. We finally borrowed a hundred thousand, took one thousand to repay his grandfather's eight thousand silver debt, and left two thousand for expenses in Beijing. But Uncle knows he should show more respect to his grandpa." Hei Bage was gutted; his face fell.
Just then, someone delivered a letter from Young Master Jia, inviting us to lunch. Hei Baguo was pissed at the time, and after reading the letter, he threw it away and said, "I don't have time to deal with him!" Huang Panggu saw that Hei Baguo was really angry, so she quickly kowtowed and begged, saying, "My bad this time, please help me, I'll make it right later..." Although Hei Baguo was unwilling, because most of the business was handled by him, it would be difficult without him, so he couldn't refuse directly. After a while, he said, "Panggu, it's because you were involved in this matter, I can't bear to argue with you. If it were someone else, I'd have tossed that ninety thousand taels out the door!" Huang Panggu hurriedly bowed again and said, "Thanks for being so kind, Baguo! You're just messing with me, right? I couldn't take it, I was scared and sweating all over, even my undershirt is soaked. It's nice of Jia Rensun to invite you to dinner, so cut him some slack and go have a meal, so he can be at ease." Hei Baguo then left the letter and asked his men to reply, "Tell him, I will definitely go tomorrow." Leaving Baguo's, Huang Panggu first went to visit Young Master Jia. After they met, she didn't dare to mention the incident where Hei Baguo initially argued with her, fearing that Young Master Jia would make fun of her. She said, "Things are expensive these days; Baguo has spent all your money on others. Seventy thousand taels of silver isn't enough; Baguo wouldn't go for it. Later, I had to work hard and give him some benefits privately before he agreed to help. See? Wasn't that a pain? Dude, you were lucky to have me handle this; if it were someone else, it would have been a nightmare!" Young Master Jia naturally expressed his gratitude repeatedly.
The night passed and dawn broke. Young Master Jia got up early in the morning and wrote a letter to Mr. Zhou, saying he had come down with a cold and couldn't visit, but would come by once he was better. He had someone deliver the letter. Mr. Zhou was originally eager to cultivate a relationship with him. Seeing that he didn't come, he was a bit disappointed but still wanted to get on his good side. So he had someone bring back a letter, saying: "Since you're unwell, there's no need to force yourself. Drop by in casual clothes when you're feeling better and we can chat." Young Master Jia opened the letter, snorted, and said, "I'm too busy to see him!" After that, he tossed the letter aside and went to the restaurant to have Hei Ba-ge over for a meal. After Hei Ba-ge arrived, Young Master Jia first said, "This only happened because of you; thanks a bunch! I’d like to ask you to take me in to thank them in person." Hei Ba-ge said, "My uncle is very busy, let me explain things inside first, and then we can arrange a time to visit." Young Master Jia kept thanking him.
After finishing the meal that day, Black Eight had something to do in the palace, and he took the opportunity to mention to Young Master Jia about thanking him in person. His uncle said, "Jia Xiaozhi's son is awfully slow. When the time is right, we'll sort it out. We're swamped all day; we ain't got time for that!" Black Eight saw his uncle giving him the brush-off, fearing that Young Master Jia would look down on him later, saying he couldn't even handle this little matter, which would be a real drag. But he knew his uncle's temper well. Since he said he was busy, it wasn't good to force him to see, so he just stood there respectfully, saying nothing, standing there for over half an hour. His uncle saw that he was still not leaving and not speaking, so he asked, "So, how much did you get from the Jia family for this?" Black Eight took a step forward, bowed to his uncle, and said, "I never ask for more money when I do things for others. Go ahead, Uncle, check the books. If I took an extra penny, do what you want with me; I won't complain. Now, Jia Xiaozhi's son did indeed borrow this money. I brought him here to see you, not only to reassure himself but also to put his lender's mind at ease, knowing that the money's safe." Black Uncle said, "Don't they trust me with the money?" Black Eight replied, "They definitely trust you. I've never messed up a job before! But we do business all year round. How many guys coming to the capital for business carry that kind of cash on them? They all borrow money and pay it back when they can. Now, we’re not asking Uncle to give him benefits immediately. Just give the guy a chance to see you. Once he hands over the money, he’ll feel at ease." When Black Uncle heard this, he found it reasonable, but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it, so he had to say, "You young people really haven't experienced much! Seventy or eighty thousand taels? You're really bugging me! If I say no, you'll look like a fool. And even if you leave, you won't see Young Master Jia. Tell him to come back the day after tomorrow." And with that, Black Uncle went inside.
Bage acted like he'd received a royal command, and immediately after coming out, he had someone inform Huang to relay a message to Young Master Jia, asking him to come early the day after tomorrow so they could go in together and not delay matters. Huang didn't dare to neglect this task. Since she was busy and afraid the message might not be clear, she specifically had someone find Young Master Jia and carefully relayed Black Bage's message to him. Young Master Jia was, of course, grateful.
Just as he entered the house, the steward brought in a calling card with the words "Candidate for County Magistrate Bao Xin" written on it. Young Master Jia looked at it and said, "I don't know this person... why is he looking for me?" The steward explained that Bao Xin's brother taught at Huazhong Hall. He knows that the master will soon have good news and has already asked the Hall to recommend him here. The Hall allowed him to come today. Young Master Jia said, "Does he have a letter of recommendation?" The steward replied, "I asked him that too: 'Since it's a recommendation from the Hall, shouldn't there be a letter from the Hall?' He said there wasn't. He also said, 'Once you meet, you will naturally understand.'" Young Master Jia said, "Is this some kind of scam? Since it's a recommendation from Huazhong Hall, there should at least be some credentials. Why come to see me empty-handed?" Then he thought again, "He said I will soon have good news; maybe he really is the brother of their teacher, using the Hall's name to see me. I'll invite him in and wing it." With his decision made, he ordered, "Bring him in."
The steward brought in a well-dressed man who clearly looked like an official. Young Master Jia agonized over whether to receive Bao Xin in his official robes or more casual attire, weighing the risks of offending a potential connection to Huazhong Hall against appearing undignified before a fellow official. After much thought, he decided to stick with casual clothes and his large-brimmed hat to meet the guest.
Mr. Bao came in and knelt down. Jia quickly helped him up and asked his name and where he was from. The man introduced himself as Bao Songming, from Jining, Shandong. His brother, Bao Songzhong, is a scholar, and last year he worked as a tutor for the Huazhongtang family. Bao used to teach in Beijing and was recommended as a candidate to become a magistrate after solving a theft case last year. He'd heard Jia was about to get promoted, so he asked his brother to put in a good word with Huazhongtang, hoping to get a job working for Jia. Jia asked if he had met Huazhongtang, and Bao said he had met him a few times. Jia then asked if Huazhongtang had asked him to pass on a message. Bao replied that he originally wanted Huazhongtang to write a letter of recommendation, but Huazhongtang asked him to first meet Jia, and the letter would be sent later, so he came today. Before leaving, Huazhongtang also had a message for Jia.
When Master Jia heard that Huazhong Tang had asked him to pass on a message, he was thrilled and immediately asked what it was. Bao Songming said that Huazhong Tang had mentioned he really liked the pair of tobacco pipes that Master Jia had given him last time, and compared them to his others, and none were as nice. Huazhong Tang's intention was to get another pair just like them. Price was no object. Knowing Bao Songming was close to Huazhong Tang, he was ecstatic. So he chatted with Bao Songming for a long time, even inviting him for a meal, saying he had always admired him and wanted to learn more from him. He explained he hadn't settled in yet, but once he was posted elsewhere, he'd make sure Bao Songming was well looked after. He asked if Bao Songming's family was in the capital, and if he'd like to move in with him. Bao Songming was overjoyed and agreed repeatedly, saying that his family was not in the capital. Master Jia immediately told the steward to get Wang Shiyi's bed out of the west wing pronto, and threatened to fire anyone who held things up for Bao. After all that commotion, Bao Songming said he would first report back to Huazhong Tang and then move in. Master Jia gave Bao a few final instructions before seeing him off.
Master Jia only thought about how Huazhongtang liked his tobacco pipe, feeling that the money was well spent and that there would soon be benefits. He didn't get that "get another pair" meant anything more than a literal request, and he was thrilled and rushed off to tell Aunt Huang. He called a carriage and arrived at the money shop run by Aunt Huang, where he told her what Bao Songming had said. Aunt Huang rubbed her chin, remaining silent. Master Jia was confused and asked again, "Bao Songming said he was recommended by Huazhongtang, so why didn't he have a letter of recommendation?" Aunt Huang smiled slightly and said, "Big shots don't just hand out letters of recommendation! You gave him the tobacco pipe, and he was willing to tell Bao Songming about it. Bao Songming's got some pull. How will you arrange for him?" Master Jia explained about letting Bao Songming stay. Aunt Huang said, "Very good. What about the last thing Bao Songming said, do you understand?" Master Jia looked puzzled. Aunt Huang said, "Huazhongtang wants you to give him another identical pair!" Master Jia said, "I've already given one." Aunt Huang said, "I know you've given one, but he wants another pair just like it. Doesn't that mean he wants another pair? If he didn't want you to give him one, why would he have Bao Songming tell you?" Master Jia rubbed his neck and thought for a moment, realizing that was indeed the case. After hesitating for a while, he said, "I already spent the money, but I guess I can get him another pair. Where am I gonna find another just like it?" Aunt Huang thought for a moment and said, "Go to Liu Houshou's shop and take a look."
Master Jia thought it made sense, and Liu Houshou's shop was not far away, so he immediately took a carriage there. After a bit of small talk, Master Jia said he wanted to buy another pair of the same tobacco pipes. Liu Houshou pretended to be very hesitant and said, "Master, the previous pair was given to you as a favor. Where am I gonna find another pair just like it? Besides Lord Huazhongtang, who else do you want to give it to among the wealthy people?" Master Jia was about to say it was for Lord Huazhongtang, but he bit his tongue, afraid that Liu Houshou would take advantage of the situation and raise the price. He slowly said, "I like it myself and want to buy another pair of the same." Who is Liu Houshou? His shop is the capital of Huazhongtang, and their relationship is close. He knew better. He didn't ask too much, took a moment, and said, "I’ve been hunting for another pair for over twenty years. I originally wanted to keep it for myself and not sell it. If you're willing to part with them, then..." Master Jia was overjoyed when he heard that there was another pair. He said, "If you're willing to sell, I will pay any amount..." Liu Houshou was waiting for him to say this, and immediately took out a pair of tobacco pipes and gave them to Master Jia.
Master Jia took a look at the tobacco pipes and saw that they were exactly the same as the previous pair! He examined them closely and said in confusion, "Strange... these aren't the same as the last ones, are they?" Liu Houshou immediately retorted, "How can they be the same as the previous pair? You paid two thousand taels for the previous pair. If I double the price, I wouldn't even sell it to you!" Master Jia asked, "Then how much do you want?" Liu Houshou said, "Eight thousand taels, not a penny less!" Master Jia said, "If it was another pair, even better than the previous one, I would pay ten thousand, not to mention eight thousand. But this is clearly the same as the previous pair, why do you want eight thousand?" Liu Houshou said, "If you think they're the same as the previous pair, I can't be bothered to argue with you. If you think they're different, buy 'em. Otherwise, forget about it, I'll keep it for myself." And with that, he pocketed the pipes.
Young Master Jia felt bored and left, heading to Huang Mama's shop. As soon as they met, Huang Mama asked, "Did you buy the tobacco pipe?" Young Master Jia replied, "I bought a pair; it's just like the old one." Without letting him finish, Huang Mama interjected, "Since you have it, snap it up!" Young Master Jia said, "The price isn't right." Huang Mama asked, "How much?" Young Master Jia said, "He wants eight thousand." Huang Mama said, "Eight thousand is a fair price; even if it's eighty thousand, you should still buy it!" Young Master Jia was surprised and quickly asked why. Huang Mama sighed and said, "Ah, you only know how to spend money on gifts; you don't even understand the ins and outs!" Young Master Jia was confused and insisted on Huang Mama explaining. Huang Mama told him, "Since you recognize this as the previous pair, they intentionally brought it to sell to you. Just play dumb and buy it as a gift; it will definitely work!"
Upon hearing this, Young Master Jia suddenly understood. After some thought, he said, "How about two thousand taels? Eight thousand is indeed too expensive." Huang Mama shook her head and said, "That's reasonable. If he'll haggle, we're golden." Young Master Jia wanted to ask more questions, but Huang Mama said, "Don't ask; let's hurry up and buy it, add a few choice antiques, and have Liu Houshou deliver it. Brother, I'm not bragging; you wouldn't know where to begin without my help." After that, the two of them took a carriage together, went to find Liu Houshou again, and explained their intentions. Liu Houshou smiled and said, "I knew Mr. Run (referring to Huang Mama) would come back; I have already prepared the items for you." Taking them out, there was a set of antiques totaling two thousand taels of silver, plus the tobacco pipe, making a total of ten thousand taels. Young Master Jia thanked him repeatedly. Huang Mama said, "The silver will come from me." Then they agreed on a "door fee" (a payment to ensure smooth passage/acceptance of the gift) of three thousand taels, still to be handled by Liu Houshou.
Everything was sorted, and Jia returned to his residence. As soon as he got off the carriage and entered, he asked, "Has Bao's luggage been moved in?" The steward confirmed, "It has." Jia then asked, "Is the bed made?" The steward replied, "Wang's out, so we didn't dare touch his bed. We'll wait for him to come back." Jia cursed, "What the hell are you doing?! Are you eating my food or Wang's?" The stewards fell silent. Jia asked again, "Has Bao been here?" The steward said, "He came once and then left." Jia scolded the steward again, "Incompetent! Offending people! Wang's the boss, you think you can just ignore him?" As he spoke, he walked to Wang's room and personally lifted Wang's bedding. The stewards had no choice but to help strip the bed and roll up the bedding. Jia watched until Bao's bedding was arranged properly before leaving.
Do you know who this Wang is? He was originally a scholar from Hangzhou, Zhejiang. When Jia Nie Tai (Jia's father) served as the Grain Commissioner of Zhejiang, he aced his exams at the academy and became Jia Nie Tai's student. He brown-nosed Jia to get ahead. Jia Nie Tai appreciated him and brought him to Henan, where he stayed in the yamen. When his son got a posting to Beijing, Jia Nie Tai instructed his son, "Bring him along, and if there are any letters or invitations, let him help write them." That's why he followed Jia to Beijing, and he is the scribe mentioned earlier. He was too quiet, and his boss didn't like it. His thick Hangzhou accent grated on his boss, who'd been wanting to fire him for ages.
On this day, since Wang wasn't home, Jia was eager to flatter Bao, so he took the opportunity to lift his bedding himself. Unexpectedly, just as he had lifted it halfway, Wang returned and saw the scene through the door curtain, making him furious! Find out what happens next time!
