Poor but talented scholar

Chapter 74 Passing By

Lu Chuan sat in the car, holding the amulet his younger sister had given him.

We arrived in the county town close to noon.

The three of them rushed to the front of the document processing office of the county government, where it was already crowded with traveling merchants.

According to the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, anyone traveling more than a hundred miles must have a travel permit. Without this official permit, it would be considered unauthorized crossing of the border, which would result in imprisonment.

They waited for a full hour before it was their turn.

The clerk inside was slumped over the table, too lazy to even lift his eyelids: "How many people? Where are they going? What are they going to do?"

Lu Shouye quickly bowed and replied, "Sir, there are two of us. We're taking our child to the prefectural capital to attend the literary gathering arranged by the county magistrate."

The clerk snorted and casually pulled out a piece of paper from the side: "Going to the prefectural city? That's far. The travel permit fee, the joint guarantee deposit, and the express fee will total seven hundred coins. Here's the money."

"Seven hundred coins?"

Upon hearing this number, Lu Shouye jumped in surprise.

He nervously rubbed the hem of his clothes and stammered, "Sir... we're just going to the prefectural city for a literary gathering, why does it cost so much? I saw that merchant just now only pay three hundred coins."

Upon hearing this, the clerk finally slowly raised his head.

He glanced at Lu Shouye and his son with disdain, sneered, and tapped the brush in his hand on the inkstone twice.

"They're going to sell goods; that's official business. What about you? You say you're going to a literary gathering, but who knows if you're deserters? Or trying to sneak across the border to seek refuge with some shady relatives?"

The clerk slammed the blank travel permit on the table and said sarcastically, "Travel permits from this prefecture have always been this price. If you think it's too expensive, fine, then turn around and go back. Don't block the way for the people behind you."

The merchants queuing behind him uttered a few impatient urgings, and Lu Shouye's face turned bright red.

He glanced at Lu Chuan, then at the clerk, and prepared to admit defeat and pay up.

Just then, Lu Chuan grabbed Lu Shouye's arm.

Lu Chuan stepped forward.

He reached into his sleeve, took out the invitation, and placed it on top of the travel permit.

"My lord, I am well aware of the rules regarding travel permits. But I wonder which article in the Great Qian Dynasty's laws states that students traveling with a personal invitation from the county magistrate must also be charged a deposit as if they were refugees fleeing the capital?"

Lu Chuan's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

The clerk was about to lash out when his gaze fell upon the county government seal on the invitation.

As he read the large, elegant characters "Lu Chuan personally inscribed at the head of the Qingyang Study" in the very center, the brush in his hand fell to the table with a "clatter."

"This...this is..."

The clerk sat up abruptly, carefully examining the patterns on the seal. His face turned from white to green, then from green to red.

In Qingyang County, who doesn't know that County Magistrate Shen values ​​education the most?

The top scholar in this county was someone whom Lord Shen had publicly praised.

"Oh my, it's Chief Case Officer Lu in person."

The clerk's face changed faster than turning the pages of a book. His previous eerie and deathly expression vanished instantly, replaced by an almost fawning smile.

He scrambled to his feet from behind the counter, cupped his hands in a respectful bow to Lu Chuan, and said, "I was blind and didn't recognize you, Young Master Lu. I deserve to die, I truly deserve to die!"

As he spoke, he deftly grabbed a pen and began filling out the road sign with lightning speed, many times faster than before.

"Young Master Lu is going to attend the literary gathering in the prefectural city, which is a great event that will bring honor to our county."

"According to the county's custom, the chief official who travels to the meeting will have his travel permit and travel expenses waived." As he wrote, he took a red stamp from his drawer, stamped it on the travel permit with a "snap," and handed it over with both hands. "How could I accept the young master's money? This must be the young master's elderly father, right? We'll handle it together. He only needs to pay twenty coins for writing materials; no deposit or anything!"

Lu Shouye watched in stunned silence.

The official who just moments ago looked like he was about to devour someone was now bowing and scraping like a grandson.

Lu Shouye touched the money pouch in his arms, his mind churning with turmoil.

Lu Chuan took the travel permit and nodded slightly: "Thank you for your trouble."

After saying that, he turned around and led his father out of the housing department.

Outside, the sun was blazing.

As Lu Shouye walked out of the county government office, he couldn't help but sigh, "Chuan'er, studying is good; it can bring honor to the family."

The old ox flicked its tail under the shade of a tree and set off again.

The oxcart left the county town through the west gate and embarked once again on the official road leading to the prefecture.

As the sun gradually sets in the west.

Lu Shouye cracked his whip and turned to Lu Chuan inside the carriage, saying, "Chuan'er, we're in the middle of nowhere, we need to hurry and find a place to stay."

Lu Chuan lifted the carriage curtain and replied softly, "Father, I see a light not far ahead. It must be an official post station."

That was Qingshiyi, located at the border between Qingyang County and the prefecture.

According to the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, post stations were originally places for messengers to deliver official documents and for traveling officials to rest.

However, scholars who possessed official documents or held special status could find a clean place to stay in a side room of the post station by spending more money.

As the oxcart approached, two large red lanterns hung under the blue brick gate, illuminating the three mottled characters "Qingshi Post Station".

Several couriers were lazily guarding the gate when they saw an old, dilapidated oxcart slowly inching towards them. One of them immediately brandished his fire-and-water stick and shouted sternly:

"Halt! This is public property. Unauthorized personnel should take a detour."

Lu Shouye had never seen such a scene before. The whip in his hand trembled subconsciously, and he shrank back on the cart shaft, unsure of how to respond.

Lu Chuan climbed out of the carriage, straightened his clothes, held the rolled-up invitation in his right hand, and jumped down from the carriage with neither arrogance nor servility, giving a slight bow to the leading courier.

"Sir, I am a student of the Qingyang County Academy. I am here on the orders of Lord Shen to attend a literary gathering in Yingnan Prefecture." As Lu Chuan spoke, he turned to the side, revealing the simple yet impeccably maintained carriage behind him. "The journey is long, and we have missed our lodging. I wonder if the post station has any spare rooms for my father and me to rest for the night?"

The courier had initially rolled his eyes, about to say that some country bumpkin dared to enter the post station, but when his gaze swept over the travel permit and invitation in Lu Chuan's hand, he froze.

"Scholars from the literary gathering?" The courier took the travel permit with suspicion and glanced at it. When he saw the words "at the top of the table," his face twitched involuntarily.

Although he was a rough man with little education, he knew what being at the top of the list meant.

Who knows, maybe one day he'll pass the imperial examinations and turn around and crush this lowly courier.

"Oh, so it's you, sir." The courier's attitude softened instantly. Although he wasn't as obsequious as a county clerk, he put away his stick and stepped aside to make way for him. "There are a few side rooms reserved for passing scholars, but the cost of fodder and food..."

"Just follow the rules." Lu Chuan took out a few large coins from his pocket and handed them over with practiced ease.