My Sister Insisted on Swapping Marriages, and I Became a Marchioness Instead

Qin Siyuan already enjoyed a good reputation at the Imperial College, and his poems, selected into the Poetry Collection of Traveling in Yuyuantan and Firefly Collection, were praised by many. Now that he had publicly stood by Mr. Songshan and observed the courtesies of a disciple, others naturally dared not look down on him.

The examinee said no more. Those beside him nodded repeatedly. ”Sir’s insight is most apt.”

Mr. Songshan glanced at the examinee whose face flushed between red and green and said, ”I have heard that there are now twenty‑four estates in the Capital. Let me tell you of them; if anything is amiss, I ask you all to correct me.”

The crowd said, ”Please speak, sir.”

Mr. Songshan said, ”It is said that there are now twenty‑four kinds of people in the Capital City. Aside from scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants, soldiers, monks, and Daoists, there are also physicians, diviners, astrologers of fate, physiognomists of faces, geomancers of land, masters of Go, horse brokers, carriage drivers, strongmen, barbers, pedicurists, cosmeticians, courtesans, singing girls, jesters, performers of variety plays, and mounted bandits.”

When the crowd finished listening, they all began talking at once.

”Even mounted bandits have become one of the estates now, alas...”

”These are all people who neither sow nor reap. They certainly ought to be sent back to their original registrations and not be allowed to remain in the Capital City.”

”But without them, life would be very inconvenient. These tasks still have to be done by someone.”