Ash Heng stared seriously at Pu the clerk and said, “Mr Pu, I am not joking about this. I have thought it over carefully. The matter is not as difficult as you think. Apart from this county, almost no one in the prefectural office knows me.”
Pu the clerk looked surprised and doubtful. “After a provincial examination, how could almost no one in the prefectural office know you?”
Ash Heng replied, “Because I did not want to attract attention or cause unnecessary trouble. During the provincial examination in the prefecture, I had no contact with the other candidates. The examination eliminated a large group, and the ones who could meet me afterwards were only the few who remained. After the examination, I was afraid that someone in the prefecture might still remember my father and probe into my background. Once I saw the results and confirmed I had passed, I came straight back. I did not even attend the celebratory banquet held by the prefecture.”
“To avoid drawing too much attention before going to the capital, I did not try my best in the provincial examination, so my ranking was not high. Even if all the candidates from the prefecture gathered again this time, I would not become the centre of attention. Those who might have seen me only glimpsed me in passing. Who would remember someone they barely knew? In the prefecture, those who know my name do not know my face, and those who know my face do not know my name.”
Pu the clerk had already furrowed his brow. “If it really is as the young master says, perhaps we can think of a way.”
Yu Qing’s eyes were already wide open. His mouth twitched. He could not believe it. He felt these two were being far too casual.
Ash Heng cautiously added instructions. “Mr Pu, there are a few things I need you to handle. The other two successful candidates from this county who are also going to take the metropolitan examination must travel with me this time. Yu Qing should not become familiar with them. Otherwise, if they fail this time and later try to take the examination with me again, trouble might arise. So, they cannot both take part in this metropolitan examination. You can use the demon incident to scare them. In short, find a way to stop both of them from participating.”
“After the last provincial examination, the county magistrate held a celebratory banquet. It was hard to refuse, so many people got to know me. This time, when going to the capital, there are formalities to complete. The magistrate and others will probably want to see me off again. You need to prevent that. Find a way to hold them back and keep them from appearing. The demon disturbance can be used to good effect. You can say it is to protect me, so there should not be a big commotion. You can also scare them. You can take full responsibility for everything yourself.”
“The yamen runners sent to escort Yu Qing for the examination, Mr Pu, you must carefully select them. Choose people who definitely do not know me. When the time comes, with you stepping forward to confirm that Yu Qing is me, the escort runners will not suspect anything. If you handle these three things well, there should not be any major problems.”
“Young master has thought of everything thoroughly.” Pu the clerk nodded in agreement. He had already calmed down from his initial shock and disbelief. He was now seriously considering it. “In that case, some of the young master’s examination papers and writings left in the county will need to be handled. Otherwise, the handwriting might not match what is in the capital, which could cause trouble. I can handle the ones in the county. But the writings you left during the provincial examination in the prefecture are beyond my reach.”
Ash Heng said, “You worry too much. If the results are good, there might be a small chance that someone in the capital would want to look at the papers from here, but it is unlikely. Do you think he can actually pass the examination?”
Pu the clerk gave a slight smile. He realised it was indeed overthinking. If someone could not even pass, who would bother to check the writings of a failed candidate?
Ash Heng continued, “If he passes, we can make adjustments later. The problem now is there is not enough time. We are about to set off. You have a lot of preparations to make. If something is not urgent, push it back.”
“Alright!” Pu the clerk agreed. He already had a clear idea of the young master’s arrangements.
But Yu Qing was not happy. He looked left and right, at one then at the other. He wanted to ask what they meant. They had discussed and arranged everything for him without even asking if he agreed? He immediately objected. “What are you two doing? Are you trying to play with someone’s life? Stopping those two candidates, holding back the magistrate, all this and that. Do you think this is your house where you can do whatever you want? Bookworm, do you really think he can handle all these things alone?” No matter how he listened, it sounded unreliable. Was this not just gambling with his life?
Ash Heng lay there calmly and said, “The problem should not be big. The six household clerks in the county yamen are basically all our people.”
Yu Qing snapped irritably, “Why do you not just say the magistrate is also one of our people?”
Ash Heng replied, “There is no point in planting someone as the magistrate. It is not a long-term plan. How long can one magistrate stay in a county? Getting transferred is normal. The six household clerks are different. A term of seven or eight years is nothing. Someone with enough skill can even stay for a lifetime. So the six household clerks are the real local snakes who control a county. Once they join forces, stopping those two candidates or keeping the magistrate and others from meeting you is a small matter. You do not need to worry.”
Yu Qing was left speechless. He finally understood. This was not a joke. The six household clerks in the county yamen might really be this bookworm’s people.
Only then did he realise that the former Ministry of Works official had already prepared a fallback before his demotion. The entire county might well be territory that family had been cultivating.
Ash Heng gave Pu the clerk another look. “Mr Pu, please go and handle it first.”
Pu the clerk understood. The matter of persuading him to take the substitute examination should be left to the young master himself. He nodded, then quickly left.
In the room, the two men, one lying and one standing, looked at each other.
After a long while, Ash Heng sighed. “The person going to the capital to take the examination in my place needs to be about the same age as me, have some foundation in writing, possess considerable courage, and have good adaptability. Otherwise, facing sudden situations, it would be easy to arouse suspicion. Most importantly, the person must be reliable. Where can I find someone like that right now?”
“If I find someone else, I would not know them well enough in time. But do I not know you? You are bold, thick-skinned, and quick-witted. As long as the groundwork is laid properly here, any troubles on the road are things someone like you would at least have the courage to face and solve. With your abilities, as long as you are willing to play it safe, I will not worry at all.”
“Bold and thick-skinned. Is that supposed to be a compliment?” Yu Qing snorted. His expression carried some helplessness. Some words had to be said. “Bookworm, I really do not understand. Pu the clerk said it too. Knowing that using your own name to go to the capital for the examination is dangerous, why still do it? Would it not work to use a fake name to achieve the goal?”
Ash Heng knew he was worried about the risks that would come with it. After all, the capital was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. It was not a place where the master of Linglong Temple could run wild. So he explained seriously. “No, it would not work. Even the names of the parents filled in cannot be wrong. What we need is that once the name appears on the list, people will know that Ash Jiezhang’s son has returned.”
Yu Qing was shocked. “Why? Is this not looking for death?”
Ash Heng said calmly, “The emperor seeks immortality, making life hard for the people. Although my father was punished for his words, do you think only my father held those views in the court? There are plenty of others. Even if someone gets on the golden list and enters officialdom, it does not guarantee a future or a chance to make a difference. Countless people remain silent! But appearing with the identity of Ash Jiezhang’s son is different. Shared ideals are very important. There will be people helping openly or secretly. As long as I enter the capital and pass the examination, no one will dare act against me openly.”
Yu Qing was stunned. After vaguely grasping the deep planning of this father and son, he gave a bitter laugh and sighed. “If they dare not act openly, what about secretly?”
Ash Heng smiled faintly. “If they dare not act openly, that is enough. Do political enemies not stab each other in the dark all the time? Since I have chosen the path of officialdom, do I need to fear this?”
Yu Qing had no reply. He realised he had been overthinking. How could they not understand the pros and cons? Was there any risk in using the real name? For such a big matter, did they need him to worry? They had already weighed every advantage and disadvantage thoroughly.
Even so, some things had to be faced as reality. He sighed and said, “Bookworm, have you thought about this? I have never studied for the examinations. I know nothing about how to break a question, solve it, or answer it. I do not even know the basic format and rules for answering. Can these things be learned immediately? On the road, can I ask others to teach me these things? Asking anyone about this would arouse suspicion. After arriving in the capital, there will be many more problems to face.”
Ash Heng’s face, still pale from his injury, had not improved. He did not answer those questions. Instead, he asked, “Where is the back basket?”
The back basket was in the corner of the room. Yu Qing walked over in a few steps, picked it up, placed it beside the bed, and sat down again. Just as he was about to continue complaining, Ash Heng spoke first. “On the right outer handle, untie the hemp rope wrapped around it. There is something inside.”
Something? Yu Qing was stunned. He remembered Ash Heng mentioning important items in the back basket when he was injured. He immediately forgot his complaints and quickly followed the instructions.
Once the hemp rope was removed, there was clearly a section on the bamboo handle that had been sawn through.
Ash Heng reminded him, “You can pull it out directly.”
Yu Qing did so. Sure enough, it came off. Inside the hollow bamboo tube was a metal shaft inserted.
What was hidden so mysteriously? Yu Qing pulled out the metal shaft. It looked quite refined. Without waiting for Ash Heng to speak, he eagerly unscrewed the cap at one end, impatient to see what treasure it was.
Ash Heng felt quite helpless. He could not move and could not stop him. At this point, even if he wanted to stop this fellow’s curiosity, he probably could not.
Yu Qing had already poured out the contents of the metal shaft. It was a scroll of paper. He spread it open immediately and looked. He could not understand it.
He looked left and right, forward and backward, upside down, turning it over and over. In the end, he saw it was just half a piece of calligraphy and painting. He really could not see anything special. Finally, he asked doubtfully, “Half a torn painting? What does it mean? Is it by a famous artist and very valuable? Missing half, it should be worthless, right?”
Ash Heng said, “You are overthinking. It is just half a painting, not by any famous artist. Originally it was a complete painting. My father cut it into two halves. One half is with my father. The other half is in the hands of a wealthy merchant surnamed Zhong in the capital. The two separated paintings are actually betrothal tokens. When I was very young, I was already engaged to the daughter of that wealthy merchant.”
“My father and that merchant arranged it. The painting serves as both the betrothal token and the bride price for the wedding. After you arrive in the capital, you can go straight to his door and present this half of the painting to him. When he sees it, he will naturally treat you as me. You will not need to worry about the examination matters. Whatever study or preparation you need, just ask him to arrange it quietly. He should have that much ability.”