I inherited my grandfather's Tang Dynasty assets.

Chapter 17 Making Mahjong

But to Wang Xian's utter surprise, Shennong's envoy would say such a thing.

Chen Yue didn't pay attention to his expression.

"That's natural. The Nine-Rank System was established during a turbulent era. In its early days, it did attract some talented people to the court, but you should know how corrupt it became afterward."

While this system allows sons of aristocratic families to easily enter officialdom, have you ever considered what about those from poor families and ordinary people?

In Chen Yue's view, if the Tang Dynasty had truly reverted to the Nine-Rank System from the imperial examination system, that would have been a step backward in history.

People are all egoists, and he could fully understand the thoughts of Wang Xian and other aristocratic sons. Unfortunately, Chen Yue was not an aristocratic son; he was a young man born under the red flag, raised in the spring breeze, and well-educated.

The Nine-Rank System should be completely abolished.

Wang Xian wanted to argue, but faced with Chen Yue's expression, he couldn't muster the courage to speak.

Chen Yue knew very little about these things, so he didn't continue the conversation.

"Is there anything else?"

"I will certainly keep your words in mind, but I believe that one day this world will still be governed by us, the gentry."

Chen Yue was taken aback; this guy was pretty stubborn.

Knowing history, he was well aware that the Nine-Rank System would never return, and that from then until the Qing Dynasty, every dynasty would adopt the imperial examination system for selecting officials.

Moreover, these aristocratic families will face annihilation in two hundred years.

People with different paths cannot work together. Wang Xian was initially full of expectations, but his feeling of being on pins and needles only lasted for a short while.

His mind was in turmoil; all he wanted to do was rush back and tell the others about Chen Yue's idea. This path was no longer viable; were there any other options?

So after saying goodbye, they left the temple.

After eating and drinking his fill, Chen Yue stretched out a big yawn. Because he was too timid, this ancient life was far different from what he had imagined before coming here.

The thought of having to spend the next eight days like this was unbearable for Chen Yue, so he decided to find something to amuse himself.

fishing.

"Seventh Sister, do you know where there are places to fish near the temple?"

Zhao Qimei was clearing away the dishes when she heard this and quickly wiped her mouth.

"Young master, do you want to go fishing? There are ponds nearby, but you can hardly catch any fish. You can go to the Wei River on the north slope. There are fishermen who specialize in fishing there, and there is also a large fishing enclosure."

Since ancient times, fishing and chopping wood have been activities enjoyed by many refined people, which the ancients called "the aesthetics of fishing and woodcutting."

Bai Juyi wrote a poem called "Enjoying the Scenery by the Pond," which reads: "The sand is mottled like jade, the clear waves ripple and the reeds sway," describing the scenery around him while he was fishing.

As for the Wei River, according to the information Chen Yue found online, it is one of the eight rivers of Chang'an, originating from Zhongnan Mountain and flowing into the Guanzhong Plain.

Living off the land and water is a way of life for many people. Many people living around the Wei River make a living by fishing, just like hunters and woodcutters in the mountains.

Comparatively speaking, fishing earns more than chopping wood or farming, but it is also more dangerous.

According to Zhao Qimei, the fish market on the Wei River was very large, and many fish from the entire Chang'an city, and even Yongzhou Prefecture, were sold from there.

The imperial court even enacted special laws to strictly regulate the fishing season, but fishing itself was not affected.

"Oh? How far is it from here?"

Chen Yue was somewhat tempted. As long as he didn't go to Chang'an, he wouldn't get involved with those important figures. If he was careful, he should be fine. The Tang Dynasty was relatively safe.

"Young master, the Wei River is quite far from here, about two hundred li away."

"More than two hundred li?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yue knew that the trip was impossible. Even if they traveled by carriage along the official road, given the speed of the Tang Dynasty, it would probably take three days to arrive.

It will take three days to get back, and that's assuming everything goes smoothly. It's not worth going that far just to go fishing.

If something unexpected happens on the way and they don't return by the tenth day of the month, they will never be able to return.

"Young master, if you really want to fish, there may be some fish ponds nearby where you can fish for a fee."

Chen Yue's head was spinning. What's the point of a real angler going to a paid fishing spot?

"Oh? I've got it, Seventh Sister! Does your Zhao Family Village have a carpenter?"

Since this is my first time here and I haven't received any rewards yet, I should prioritize playing it safe. If I stray too far, who knows who might kill me?

Or being imprisoned for ten days or half a month is no different from being dead.

Before he came, Chen Shan repeatedly told him that he was lucky to have the backing of Shennong, and that everyone would give him face.

To avoid attracting envy for the goods he brought, he hid like a wild man in Zhongnan Mountain for more than half a year. He only left after receiving a reward from the Time Gate and gaining enough power to protect himself.

Since fishing doesn't work, why not have someone make a set of mahjong tiles?

This game only appeared during the Ming and Qing dynasties, but it became a very popular card and board game in later generations, and many places have developed their own local variations of Mahjong.

Chen Yue didn't want much, just Wan, Tiao, Tong, and numbers from one to nine. He didn't want any white tiles or red dragon tiles; he wanted to play the most primitive, old-fashioned mahjong.

He learned to play mahjong after graduating and joining the company, where his colleagues taught him. For a while, he was quite obsessed with it, inviting people to the mahjong parlor every day to play.

Later, after I started my own company, I gradually reduced the number of times I played mahjong. When my business failed, I went back to my hometown, and all my childhood friends went to big cities to work hard.

There are some old men and women in Lantian Town who like to play rubbing, but if Chen Yue were to play with them, he would be driven crazy and his hair would turn white.

"A carpenter? Yes, Uncle Tie in the village is a very skilled carpenter. He often goes to Chang'an to make furniture for the adults there."

The "Uncle Tie" that Zhao Qimei mentioned was named Zhao Tie. In feudal society, craftsmen had a very low status. Only those with exceptional skills could gain a certain status.

Regardless, it's a skill, and earning some extra money in Chang'an during the off-season is quite a good thing.

"That's good."

After Chen Yue finished speaking, he went back into the house, brought out a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and drew characters for "tube," "strip," and "ten thousand" on them, leaving Zhao Qimei looking completely bewildered.

Because it was calligraphy, Chen Yue wasn't used to it and wrote very poorly, but it wasn't difficult to read.

"You should be going home now. Give this drawing to Zhao Tie and have him make one for me. Remember, these numbers and patterns need to be engraved in, then painted with black, red, and cyan paint. The size should be like this, about half the length in thickness, so it can stand up easily. The size should be as consistent as possible..."

Chen Yue explained it to Zhao Qimei in detail. The little girl listened very carefully, but Chen Yue said too much and too complicated things, and she still couldn't remember some of it because she had never been exposed to these things before.

Upon seeing this, Chen Yue simply wrote down the general situation and then took out a lighter from the yellow cloth bag and handed it to her.

"This thing is called a lighter. You've seen it before. Consider it payment for his work. It doesn't need to be made of any fancy wood. It would be best if it could be finished tomorrow."

Actually, it would be best to make it out of stone, but that requires a high level of craftsmanship and takes too much time. Just make do with what you have for now. When you have more start-up capital later, you can bring your own deck and some playing cards.