Chapter 215 Literary Gathering Raises for Grain

Chapter 215 Literary Gathering Raises for Grain

The literary gathering was held at the prefectural school. The students of the prefectural school, as the hosts, became helpers to set up the gathering. Tables and chairs from the school and dormitories were moved out to display the books brought from the library.

The clerks and runners in the county government also came to help, and even moved the seats and decorations from the county government office over.

When everyone is united, the work is done quickly, and by the end of Chenshi (7-9 AM), the literary gathering was arranged.

Today the weather is perfect; it's a sunny day with no wind, and it's warmer than the past few days.

When the appointed time arrived, Du Min and Meng Qing's group arrived.

"Lord Meng, Prefect Du, the literary gathering has been arranged. Please bring your families and take your seats," said Dr. Yang from the Prefectural Academy.

"Thank you for your trouble, Dr. Yang," Meng Qing said politely.

"Your Excellency is too kind. We are deeply grateful for Your Excellency's hosting of this grand event for the students of Huai Prefecture. It is no trouble at all. It is my honor, my greatest honor." Dr. Yang walked beside Meng Qing, and his words and actions demonstrated his respect and gratitude for Meng Qing.

Upon hearing this, Du Min echoed, "What Dr. Yang said is absolutely right. The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel once said that the library in Huai Prefecture has a collection of books that far surpasses that of the library in Chang'an. This is all thanks to Lord Meng. The students of Huai Prefecture are truly blessed."

Dr. Yang nodded.

Meng Qing waved his hand, "The credit belongs to the female saint; I am merely fulfilling my duty in my position."

Du Min realized what was happening and cupped his hands, saying, "It is thanks to the female sage that the library was able to be established. It is the female sage who has relieved the poor scholars of the world from the predicament of having no books to read."

Dr. Yang then cupped his hands in greeting. When it was the chairman's turn, he respectfully said, "Please sit, Your Highness, and please sit, Prefect Du."

In Huaizhou, Meng Qing held the highest rank, followed by Du Min. The two sat at the head table, while the lower-ranking positions were arranged in two rows. On the right were Wang Sima, the six military advisors, and the magistrates of the five counties. On the left were Yin Caiwei, Du Li, and three renowned Confucian scholars from Huaizhou.

Scholars, students, and literati from all over Hanoi lined up in a long queue outside the provincial academy. Once the gates opened, the scholars, dressed in flowing white robes, entered in an orderly fashion. Before looking at the literary gathering venue, many people were looking at the provincial academy, a sacred place in the hearts of scholars.

After an incense stick had burned for a while, all three hundred guests had taken their seats. The older guests had graying temples, while the younger ones had their hair tied up in topknots.

"Greetings, gentlemen," Dr. Yang began. "I am a Doctor from the Prefectural Academy, and I have been invited by Lady Meng to preside over this literary gathering." He continued, "Today, Lady Meng has invited the Prefectural Governor, the Military Advisor, the Six Ministries' Military Advisors, and the Magistrates of the Five Counties, as well as Doctors, Masters, and renowned scholars from various county academies. Each of you is a learned scholar, accomplished in your official careers and in academia, and possesses profound insights into the imperial examination system. Thanks to the grace of the Sage, the court has bestowed upon us a collection of books, enabling us to establish a library that benefits scholars from humble backgrounds. Thanks to the gifts from Lady Meng and the generous guidance of all of you, we are fortunate to gather here. After today, you will have a guiding light on your path to the imperial examinations, and this ascent to officialdom will be like climbing a ladder. Therefore, I urge you all to face northwest and bow to the Sage."

Meng Qing gave Du Min a wink, and Du Min stood up first, facing northwest, and bowed with his hands clasped.

Meng Qing followed, and the remaining officials and scholars all stood up upon seeing this.

The scholars and poets below all followed suit, bowing in unison towards the northwest.

"Second bow to esteemed sirs, I, Yang, along with all the students present, pay our respects to you all and thank you for your presence." Dr. Yang bowed once.

The others followed suit.

"I bow three times to my companions, thanking them for braving the long journey and freezing weather to come here for this literary gathering. It is your shared thirst for knowledge that has brought you together on this journey. He is you, and you are him; to honor him is to honor yourself," Dr. Yang exclaimed.

Upon hearing this, the scholars, students, elders, and children present all bowed respectfully to the other person, secretly admiring their own tireless and unyielding spirit.

Seeing this, Du Min felt a surge of emotion and excitement. He had once been one of those solitary learners, a pathfinder, but now he was a pioneer. This overwhelming sense of accomplishment made every inch of his body relax, and his heart felt as if it had been basked in the sun, the dampness dissipating.

“My lady, please allow me to express my gratitude on behalf of the millions of impoverished scholars across the land,” Du Min said sincerely, turning his head to the side.

Meng Qing smiled and said, "I agree."

Du Min smiled and stood up from his seat, saying, "Gentlemen, now that we have received the students' greetings, it's time to get to work. Please do not hold back and pick out all the books you think are useful."

Wang Sima then stood up and said, "I have a box of books at home, which contains annotations written by three generations. Today I am donating this box of books to Qingniao Library, hoping that it can help students understand the scriptures."

"After I pass away, all the remaining books in my home will be donated to Qingniao Library," said Layman Shangzhi.

Everyone present was surprised upon hearing this.

"Thank you for your trust, layman. I will definitely take good care of the books in the library and live up to your and the many book donors' kindness," Meng Qing promised.

“I believe in Lord Shangzhi.” Layman Shangzhi nodded and got up to select books from the bookstall.

The rest of them gradually took action.

Half an hour later, the first round of selection ended, with a total of 238 books selected. This was a considerable number. After some debate, 50 books were eliminated.

Dr. Yang led the students of the state school to register and compile a list, designating 188 books as required reading and selecting 50 books as optional reading.

Du Min walked over to Dr. Yang and said a few words. After the other party agreed, he announced to the public: "Starting from March this year, the state school will hold a lecture every ten days. Everyone present is welcome to attend the lecture."

The students below became excited; they were actually getting to listen to a lecture from the prefectural school!

Meng Qing stepped down, and after everyone's excitement subsided, she said, "Everyone, I have a favor to ask, and I would like to ask you all to help me."

“Your Highness, please speak.” Someone in the crowd shouted, “We have received such a great favor from you. If we ever rise to prominence, it would not be too much to ask you to have a golden statue made for us. How could this be an unreasonable request?”

“Yes, Your Highness, tell us what troubles you? We will definitely take care of it for you.” Another person echoed loudly.

"Du Biejia plans to mobilize the entire prefecture to build the Yellow River dike in Wen County by the end of February or the beginning of March, using the profits from the paper mills and hemp mills in Huai Prefecture to pay the workers' wages. The magistrates of the five counties are aware of this and have agreed to support this grand plan." Meng Qing looked at the magistrates of the five counties.

The magistrates of the five counties did not know her purpose, but what she said was correct, and they all nodded.

"The government can still pay the workers' wages, but it can't afford to feed them. Prefect Du is racking his brains over the money problem, often losing sleep at night, and even intends to postpone the plan for two or three years until the finances are sufficient before making further plans. But I worry that if the heavens don't grant us a good harvest in the next two or three years, and if there is a major flood, Wen County will suffer severely, and he, as the person in charge, might be demoted. If he goes to another place, my whole family will have to go with him, and I will no longer be able to personally supervise the library in Hanoi County..." Meng Qing stopped there.

The joy they felt a moment ago vanished completely, and now everyone present frowned.

"I'm still managing the accounts of the free school, and I was thinking of donating three thousand strings of cash to buy grain to support him. My family is also willing to donate one thousand strings to buy grain, but it's just a drop in the ocean. At this time, I thought of raising grain from the gentry, landlords, and wealthy merchants in various counties. If each household contributes more than a thousand shi of grain, it should be enough to support us for one or two years. However, I have only been in Huaizhou for less than a year, and I have only accumulated some good reputation in Hanoi County. I'm afraid that the gentry and landlords in other counties will not be willing to give me face. I thought of you. You are well-read scholars and well-known in the surrounding villages. If you are willing to go out and lobby for grain for me in the local area, it would be of great use," Meng Qing said, revealing his purpose.

Most of the people present were young, and these young people had not been tempered by officialdom. They were full of ambition and enthusiasm, and there were quite a few who were not firm in their will but came from wealthy families. Upon hearing this, they all spoke up and said that they could persuade their families to donate grain and money.

Dr. Yang saw through Meng Qing and Du Min's intentions and was happy to see it happen. He stepped in to help, saying, "Go back and give it a try. Treat this as a learning experience, like going on a study tour. Scholars can't just be good at studying; they also need to have the courage to deal with people and be quick-witted and adaptable."

Meng Qing looked at the many teachers present and said, "I would also like to ask you all to set an example for the students and give them a lesson on how to conduct oneself in society."

“Yes,” the teacher of Wenxian County School agreed first.

The others nodded in agreement. It was a good deed, and it wasn't about begging for money. There was nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, acting under the banner of the government was quite prestigious.

"After this is over, Qingniao Library will donate fifty books to each county school, and you can choose whichever you like," Meng Qing promised.

Upon hearing this, the teachers immediately smiled.

Meng Qing raised her hand to Yin Caiwei, who clenched her fist tightly. She took a deep breath and walked over, officially announcing the charity's name. She asked the students to inquire about which families were willing to donate their old items when they were collecting food. She would arrange for someone to come and collect them, no matter how far away.

The matter was settled, and the meeting adjourned.

However, the book list copied at the literary meeting has not been posted yet.

The students who had gathered in Hanoi waited for three days. Then, at a certain moment, they suddenly realized what was going on, and each of them packed their bags and returned home.

Over the next month, county magistrates organized groups of men to perform corvée labor and poor peasant women and men to travel to Wen County. At the urging of scholars from various places, landlords, gentry, wealthy merchants, and prominent families all arranged for their servants to deliver grain to Hanoi County.

In an instant, Huaizhou seemed to shake. There were more people on the roads than in the houses, and the sounds of people, livestock, and heavy cart wheels never stopped, day and night.