Chapter 36: The Scholar Hiding in the Mountains

In their eyes, the more prosperous the Southern Frontier became, the stronger their own influence grew.

Once the silver was collected and brought into the prefectural office, it was counted and found to total exactly ten thousand taels. Fang Han handed the funds over to the officials, tasking Su Zihuan with the procurement process while ensuring every expenditure was recorded in a ledger.

Half a month passed, and the procurement teams gradually returned. The entire Southern Frontier city began constructing the sets and stages for the annual festival. Red lanterns were hung throughout the city, and designated areas were partitioned in every residential district for vendors to rent. The prefectural office invited the common people to submit lantern riddles, promising a reward of grain for every one accepted. Even hermits from the mountains emerged one by one, quietly joining this massive celebration.

Three days before the festival, Fang Yuan arrived at the Protectorate Office.

"My Lord, we have discovered some suspicious hermits."

"Oh? Can you be certain?" Fang Han asked. He had known all along that hermits were lurking at the festival.

When collecting the riddles, the common people had participated enthusiastically, offering many. However, most were traditional folk riddles passed down by word of mouth—things like "one end sharp, two ends long, three ends round, and four ends square," or riddles about two children sitting on a stool, where the eldest eats the most, the second eats less, and the third and fourth get nothing.

Yet, some were clearly academic in nature, obviously composed by scholars, and there were quite a few of these. Fang Han had previously announced that scholars could earn merit without manual labor, but there were few scholars among the common folk. Thus, these riddles must have come from the hermits. Consequently, Fang Han had ordered Fang Yuan to monitor the collection points. After some surveillance, Fang Yuan had indeed caught a few.

"We are fairly certain. As soon as they received the grain, they immediately traded it with Southern Barbarian merchants for silver," Fang Yuan reported, detailing the movements of the suspected hermits.

Upon hearing that the hermits had been found, Fang Han immediately ordered Fang Yuan to bring them to the prefectural office.

Inside the office, the captured hermits were brought before Fang Han and a group of officials. Since preparations for the festival began, these officials had been living in the city, and the people from their respective counties had also flocked to the capital to participate in the festivities.

Fang Yuan handed the captured hermits over to Fang Zheng to deal with and then departed, never revealing that this had been Fang Han’s directive.

Fang Han pretended to be ignorant and asked, "What is going on? Why are you arresting commoners?"

The officials were also confused, unsure of what the Prefectural Commander intended to do.

Fang Zheng stepped forward and said, "My Lord, these people have been using riddles to swindle grain, which they then trade with the Southern Barbarians. I suspect they are spies sent by the enemy."

The room erupted in an uproar. Spies! They had been so busy preparing for the festival that they had forgotten the Southern Barbarians might try to cause trouble. Now that spies had been caught, everyone realized the danger too late.

Fang Han slammed his hand on the table. "Audacious! Guards, give them twenty heavy strokes of the rod!"

As the soldiers moved to pin them down, one of the men cried out, "An injustice! A grave injustice, My Lord! We only wanted to trade for some money to travel to the capital for the imperial examinations next year!"

"Yes, My Lord, it is an injustice!"

Hearing about the imperial examinations, the officials quickly realized who these men were. Su Zihuan stepped forward to intercede: "My Lord, perhaps we should let them explain themselves before issuing a punishment."

With Su Zihuan pleading on their behalf, Fang Han reluctantly allowed them to defend themselves. Moments later, everyone understood: these were scholars who had been hiding in the mountains. After the wars in the Southern Frontier, they had been forced to seek refuge in the wilderness. Now that the region was showing signs of recovery and the city was hosting a festival, they had hoped to use the opportunity to earn some silver so they could leave the Southern Frontier the following year to pursue official careers. They had not expected to be arrested.

"What do you suggest we do?" Fang Han asked.

The officials consulted with one another and reached a conclusion. "My Lord, the Southern Frontier is in urgent need of scholars. Why not let them stay here and assist you in governing the territory?" one official suggested.

Fang Han had exactly the same thought. These men had truly spent ten years in diligent study. Those capable of enduring such solitude must possess a wealth of knowledge, and they would undoubtedly be capable of assisting in the administration—especially with experienced officials to guide them.

"Are you willing to stay?" Fang Han asked coldly.

The men looked at Fang Han’s stern expression and, feeling they had no choice, agreed. They feared that if the Protectorate General grew angry, he would charge them with a crime.

At this moment, Su Zihuan frowned and stepped forward. "My Lord, while these men are scholars and the Southern Frontier lacks talent, we should still set an examination to test them. If they truly possess talent, they may stay."

"If they lack talent, then letting them go to the capital for the examinations is no loss."

As soon as Su Zihuan finished, one of the scholars was overjoyed and stepped forward eagerly. "Thank you, My Lord!"

He had spent ten years in isolated study without teachers or practical experience. He knew the principles in books but did not know the current state of the world. His intent to travel to the capital was primarily to escape the Southern Frontier; he had no confidence in his ability to pass the exams. Now, being offered a preliminary assessment was a blessing. If he performed poorly, he would know he had little chance of success in the capital, and could instead seek out a good mentor for a few years before trying again.

Su Zihuan’s suggestion also reminded Fang Han that while these men were learned, they had been isolated for too long, and he was unsure if they could be put to use. Su Zihuan’s proposal was excellent.

Fang Han nodded and said, "In that case, Magistrate Su, you shall be responsible for drafting the examination questions. We will add an assessment to the festival program."

"If the questions are well-crafted, I will reward you handsomely. As for these men, keep them detained for the next few days."

"Furthermore, spread the word: anyone who wishes to participate in this assessment may do so on the fifth day of the festival at the prefectural office. Regardless of whether they pass, the office will provide ten taels of silver as travel expenses for them to head to the capital next year."

Su Zihuan accepted the order and led the officials away to discuss the test questions.

The news spread from the prefectural office and permeated the entire city within a single day. With one day remaining until the festival, many hermits began queuing at the gates of the Protectorate Office.

"My Lord, My Lord! We wish to participate in the assessment."

"My Lord, I am a Xiucai scholar."

"My Lord, I was nearly qualified as a Juren..."

"My Lord, there are many scholars outside wanting to sign up for the assessment."

Fang Han had not expected that so many people were still hiding in the mountains after the long years of war in the Southern Frontier, nor that an accidental festival would draw them all out. It was a case of finding exactly what one was looking for without even trying.

"Let them line up, register at the prefectural office, and turn them over to Fang Zheng. Also, inform Su Zihuan to increase the number and difficulty of the questions."

This time, Fang Han intended to choose carefully and begin grooming his trusted inner circle.