Chapter 111: Current Situation (Part 2)

The Son-in-Law

Episode 1: Morning Breeze in Jiangning

"If we were to let go, *bang*, the Wu Dynasty—this entire nation—would vanish, just like that." Inside the room, Ning Yi made a "bang" gesture. Li Pin furrowed his brows, "How could that be?"

Ning Yi was silent for a moment. "Brother Li, have you ever considered why, over these thousands of years of Confucianism, the idea of merchants pursuing profit has been constantly reiterated?"

"Isn't it natural for the sages to advocate virtue and oppose selfish, profit-seeking behavior?"

"Partly, yes, that's correct," Ning Yi nodded. "But another part is that the merchant class's way of life isn't conducive to governance. In three words: hard to manage. A person spends their entire life farming in a mountain village; it's simple. They live according to their ancestors' ways: marry, have children, and are buried in the mountains when they die. But then one day, they enter a county town and see all sorts of dazzling things. And another day, they enter the provincial capital and see even more things that overwhelm them. It's like seeing a particular piece of clothing—you want it, so you figure out a way to get it... That's greed..."

Ning Yi smiled. "Of course, most of the time, you'd honestly work to earn the money for that clothing. But once you have a desire, you'll always look for loopholes. Brother Li, do you think it's easier to govern a simple farmer who spends their entire life tilling the soil, or someone who has already developed aspirations? With tens of millions of citizens in our dynasty, Brother Li, how many can our rule of law truly control? How many of them actually live their entire lives contentedly as they are? If commerce develops just one step further, how many more people will become 'aspiring'?"

"This is actually a very interesting system. Since the Hundred Schools of Thought, there has been a debate between rule by law and rule by virtue. The argument for rule by law should prevail, yet throughout history—Qin, Han, Three Kingdoms, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui, Tang... and slowly moving forward—you'll discover something: how many people did the rule of law truly govern in the past? Most of it relied on self-discipline. The common folk were simple; a small village could establish its own rules and that would suffice. If you were to transport modern-day Jiangning back to the Qin Dynasty, Brother Li, how long do you think its laws and methods could peacefully govern this place? Perhaps the Qin Dynasty was very strict, but Jiangning has too many clever people, and too many loopholes to exploit..."

"Confucianism is a magnificent thing. Over thousands of years of development, Brother Li, the benefits of merchants weren't discovered only in the Wu Dynasty. If commerce were fully unleashed, the vast profits generated wouldn't be a secret to only a genius. The example of Tao Zhugong is there for all to see. So why, for a millennium, has the world suppressed commerce? The deeper reason is that they foresaw the consequences: the capacity for rule of law... couldn't keep up." Ning Yi tapped his forehead. "Our dynasty is the same; it's about ideology. The more people possess, the more unpredictable their behavior becomes, the more susceptible they are to temptation, and the more they pursue profit, exploiting any loophole. Our dynasty doesn't suppress commerce, which has its advantages. But if civil officials are greedy for money, military officials fear death, the populace is impoverished, and soldiers muddle through, who's to say these aren't some consequences of that 'sweetness'? In fact... they must account for at least part of the reason."

Li Pin's eyes widened, and he stood there in a daze. At that moment, he had no mind to even ask about the meaning of words like "ideology." What he did understand was enough to deeply shock him. After a long while, he finally said, "Li Heng, are you suggesting that the pursuit of profit by merchants is the root cause of our Wu Dynasty's weakness?"

"No," Ning Yi said, taking a sip of tea. "Absolutely not. This is a form of development. Our dynasty has a strong foundation, and legal regulations are evolving alongside commercial development. This is inherently a mutually reinforcing process. It's simply that many things haven't kept pace, and that makes it very troublesome, too complex... To solve the current problems of the Wu Dynasty by fixating on merchants and currency, hoping the state will intervene in the economy to double or triple revenue, making the country rich and its people strong, and then solving all problems—that's impossible."

"We can't just fixate on commerce simply because we've tasted its benefits. If it continues to develop unchecked, the entire balance will only tip further, becoming distorted, and trouble will arise sooner or later..."

Ning Yi shook his head. Li Pin thought for a long time. "Then, Li Heng, if we are to find the crucial point, where should we focus?" "If we truly want to take practical action, I don't know. But if we're just speaking casually and irresponsibly, then... hehe..." Ning Yi smiled. "Why not start with Confucianism?"

"Li Heng, by Confucianism, do you mean the current surplus of officials and scholars?" Li Pin thought about it and chuckled. "I've often discussed with others that the root of our dynasty's problems might indeed lie in the excessive number of scholars and officials. It's a huge issue, but solving it would probably be even harder than dealing with commercial matters..."

"What if I said... not too many, but too few?"

"Ah?"

Li Pin blinked, looking bewildered. Ning Yi turned his head and gestured towards the direction of the classroom.

"Brother Li, what do you think those students can do after they've studied?"

"With Li Heng's teaching methods, they're not only taught knowledge but also how to observe situations and make decisions. Several of them will undoubtedly become excellent local officials in the future."

Li Pin spoke earnestly. Ning Yi, sitting there, couldn't help but laugh, then took a sip of tea. He patted Li Pin, who asked in confusion, "I wonder what Li Heng thinks they can do?"

"Among them, Su Wenyi could probably become a minor official. His grades aren't great, but he's the most lively and good at socializing. As for the rest, I've actually been teaching them to be shopkeepers or assistants. Of course, since they've studied and have the chance to become officials, they might as well try; after all, official positions come with good benefits..." Ning Yi counted on his fingers: "Regular stipends, grain allowances, office salaries, spring and winter uniforms, clothing and food for attendants, tea and wine, kitchen supplies, firewood and charcoal, livestock feed... In this era, once you become an official, the state covers all your living expenses—food, clothing, housing, and even the expenses for your family and attendants. The state also grants several *qing* of fertile land. The work is easy, punishment doesn't apply to scholars and officials, and you aren't penalized for your words. After three years, if you haven't made any major mistakes, you can remain. Who wouldn't want to be an official?"

Li Pin was silent for a long moment. "Li Heng, are you suggesting that these students can *only* become shopkeepers?"

"It's not that they *only* can be, but that they are *suited* to be. Most of them are rather dull and honest, making it very difficult for them to be officials. The way of an official primarily involves understanding circumstances and interacting with people. Only with capability and ambition can one truly become an effective and excellent official. They need to know how to advance and retreat, have the ability and ambition, and possess the capacity to weigh and discern. Most of these students aren't cut out for it; these matters are not simple."

Ning Yi shook his head. "Enrich the people, strengthen the military, and then select talent. The way of selecting talent can be solved by specialization. Why can't we open vocational schools? Anyone with a skill doesn't need to guard it jealously. We could arrange for people to learn carpentry, to learn iron smelting, to learn cooking, to learn management—that is, to be shopkeepers. Most importantly, we could arrange for people to learn military strategy, learn water conservancy, learn mining..." Li Pin was clearly perplexed and didn't quite agree with this. "If someone has the means to study, who would be willing to learn these things?" "That's precisely the problem. Being an official is so desirable that everyone who has the chance to study aims for officialdom. 'In books, there are thousands of measures of grain; in books, there are houses of gold.' But... why are there so many redundant scholars and officials now? In ancient times, only a small group had the opportunity to study; not many were literate. Knowledge needed to be passed down, and the state needed them for governance. 'A thousand pieces of gold are easy to acquire, but a single scholar is hard to find.' Therefore, the 'scholar' only existed at the highest level because there weren't many of them. 'To establish the mind for Heaven and Earth, to establish life for the common people, to carry on the lost teachings of past sages, to create peace for all generations'—they were too busy..."

"But what about now? Thousands of years have passed, and things are developing. For instance, there are many things in the world waiting for people to do. One particular thing was considered the most important, and so we focused on it and consistently advocated it. But now, Dexin, there are already too many people doing this one thing—I'm not referring to Confucianism, but to being an official. Why can't some of them be diverted to do other things? Once they've studied, they'll be able to think. If there were specialists dedicated to studying water conservancy and developing a comprehensive theory that future generations could continue to learn and research, and if these individuals focused solely on water conservancy, treating Confucianism merely as a means for self-cultivation—would annual floods still be this severe?"

"With dedicated specialists, the efficiency of anything can be improved, and many detours can be avoided. For example, in the past, weaving was taught by mothers to daughters. Farm women would slowly weave at home with a machine, some faster, some slower, resulting in inconsistent quality. Now, all cloth merchants have workshops, employing female workers whom they teach how to use the machines, including tricks to weave faster. Others are also contemplating how to improve the looms. One person can now achieve what several people used to, with consistent quality and several times the efficiency. If the efficiency of everything could increase severalfold, what would the Wu Dynasty be like today? Wouldn't strengthening the military also be as easy as turning one's hand over?"

"Of course, this is just a joke. The difficulties involved are beyond your imagination. You say there are too many Confucian scholars, while I say there are too few who can study. If we truly specialized, there would indeed be too few. As you said, those from families with the means to study wouldn't learn the trades of merchants or artisans, and Confucianism wouldn't undertake something that seems to diminish its status. However, since the system is already saturated and overpopulated, if the Wu Dynasty truly wants to advance, perhaps it must consider this path. For example, gradually shaping public opinion and prioritizing urgent projects like military strategy and water conservancy. This would help defend against external pressures and ensure people's livelihoods. Once people are less burdened and more have the opportunity to study, then we can consider specialization. Unlike rigid military strengthening policies, once these fields gain status, knowledgeable people will naturally step forward to think and act. As it is, other professions lack status, so everyone naturally just studies for officialdom..." Inside and outside the room, silence prevailed. Li Pin was deep in thought, head bowed. The siblings crouching outside rested their chins in their hands, looking somewhat troubled. Ning Yi picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea.

"Confucianism is a magnificent system. Beyond self-cultivation, it's also the study of governing people and balancing human relationships. Hundreds of thousands of scholars, so many officials, and, on an invisible level, tens of millions of citizens nationwide, are all within its balance and control. Especially in our dynasty, where the surplus of scholars and officials is already evident, and despite the impact of various schools of thought like Buddhism and Taoism, the 'game rule' it created after a slight adaptation not only balances the intricate web of interests among these numerous officials but also continuously strengthens it, causing countless scholars to flock towards it, one after another. 'Ten years of arduous study in cold windows, a single morning of fame known throughout the world'—it's a nearly perfect balance..."

He deeply inhaled the aroma of the tea. "I greatly admire this body of knowledge. Regardless of its merits or flaws, anything that records how people have lived in a certain way in a certain place can be called art. Confucianism is absolutely one of the most magnificent and intricate forms of art throughout history. To unite such a vast land and so many people under a single set of rules, in such an extreme yet harmonious way, is the culmination of thousands of years of wisdom—truly awe-inspiring..."

He raised his cup and lightly clinked it against Li Pin's teacup. "As fate would have it, you and I shall savor this."

The tea's aroma had actually faded, but Li Pin was still deep in thought. He stood up, took two steps back, and bowed deeply. Ning Yi, with a sigh of helplessness, also stood up.

"Li Heng, there's much in what you've said that I haven't fully grasped. However, regarding the parts I *do* understand, your insights far surpass mine. For this, you deserve my bow."

"It's just a joke," Ning Yi replied with a bow, then chuckled. "If this dynasty didn't refrain from punishing people for their words, and if we weren't so insignificant at the moment, I wouldn't dare say such things to you. It's just a jest, merely idle chat..."