White-robed Minister

0048 [Leveraging External Forces]

After returning from his spring outing by boat, Xu Lai once again entered his ascetic training mode.

He completely stopped attending lectures, and even skipped calligraphy classes.

Since calligraphy practice can be temporarily suspended, since the provincial and prefectural examinations will be anonymously copied anyway, and only the palace examination will allow people to see their own writing—the next imperial examination will not include the palace examination.

When Wen Zhonghe returned from class with his fellow students, he couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't Sanlang attend the class?"

"I don't want to go." Xu Lai was too lazy to explain.

He can't just say outright that he thinks the teacher's level is too poor, can he?

Good teachers are selfless in their teaching.

Seeing that he was reading "The Phonetic Interpretation of Mencius," Wen Zhonghe asked, "Have you finished studying the Classic of Filial Piety?"

"I've finished reading it," Xu said.

That's all.

He was too lazy to memorize the 1800-character scripture, so he only read it through a few times. He was even too lazy to read the 14-character commentary thoroughly, so he only skimmed it twice to deepen his understanding.

The content of this book is seriously off-topic. It starts by talking about "our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents", but then it suddenly shifts to talking about the behavioral norms of the emperor, feudal lords, high officials, scholars and common people.

The emperor's filial piety was not about being obedient to his parents, but about educating the people.

The filial piety of feudal lords was not about being dutiful to their parents, but about protecting their territory and ensuring the safety of their people.

The entire Classic of Filial Piety can be summarized in twelve characters: govern the country with virtue, regulate the family with virtue, and be a person with virtue.

Understanding these twelve characters is equivalent to grasping the essence of the Classic of Filial Piety; there's no need to delve into the rest. After all, it wasn't tested in the imperial examinations, and school exams didn't carry much weight.

Another classmate flipped through the manuscript next to him: "A Preliminary Discussion of Mencius?"

"Just rambling nonsense, nothing special," Xu Lai laughed.

Wen Zhonghe also curiously flipped through it, but his brows furrowed as he read, clearly disagreeing.

For example, the Han Dynasty scholar Zhao Qi explained "righteous spirit" as a kind of spirit that is formed through various moral cultivations and forms.

Xu Lai directly explained it as the righteous energy of heaven and earth!

Wen Zhonghe asked, "If the righteous spirit is the pure energy of heaven and earth, how can one cultivate it within oneself?"

Xu Lai replied, "The Three Cardinal Guides and the Eight Principles."

"Well……"

Wen Zhonghe was speechless.

Another classmate said, "King Xiang of Liang asked, 'How can the world be brought into peace?' Mencius replied, 'By unifying the realm.' Here, 'unifying' specifically refers to benevolent governance. How can you interpret it as a unified empire? This is a far-fetched interpretation and a literal misinterpretation!"

Xu Lai countered, "If the world cannot be unified, the feudal lords will inevitably fight amongst themselves; how can there be stability then?"

The classmate countered, "King Xiang of Liang asked, 'Who can unify the world?' Mencius replied, 'One who does not commit murder.' If this is interpreted as unification, can unifying the world be achieved without murder?"

Xu Lai countered, "During the Five Dynasties period, there were many assassinations. If Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty hadn't committed assassinations, wouldn't the dynasty have been unified?"

"this……"

The hat was slapped on the classmate, leaving him speechless.

Wen Zhonghe couldn't help but exclaim, "The following text uses the metaphor of parched grain meeting sweet rain to describe benevolent governance. Therefore, this single word must refer to benevolent governance, not to unification!"

Xu Lai said, "If you want the world to be at peace, you must implement benevolent governance. But implementing benevolent governance does not necessarily guarantee peace. True stability requires unification and the integration of benevolent governance throughout."

At this point, Xu Lai slammed his fist on the table: "The world is not yet completely stable, and the root cause is the lack of a unified empire. If we destroy the Liao and Western Xia, military expenditures can be reduced by at least half, allowing the people to breathe a sigh of relief. Isn't that better than any benevolent governance?"

Wen Zhonghe and his classmate were finally completely unable to refute his argument.

This was Xu Lai's true intention in "tampering" with Mencius; he wanted to provide ideological weapons for conquering the Liao and Western Xia dynasties.

Perhaps this is also Zhu Xi's misinterpretation of the original meaning of Mencius.

From the Qin and Han dynasties to the Northern Song dynasty, "定于一" (ding yu yi) was consistently interpreted as "stabilizing the world through benevolent governance." However, Zhu Xi, a proponent of war, interpreted it as "only a unified empire can stabilize the world."

Xu Lai continued to study "Mencius: Phonetic and Semantic Interpretation" on his own, and more and more people came to read his reading notes.

A minority agreed with Xu Lai's new interpretation, while the majority opposed his misinterpretation of Mencius, and a heated debate broke out in the dormitory.

Amidst this argument, the second ten days of the new school term passed.

……

We have a holiday, two days in a row.

Because the ten-day holiday and the spring festival are combined.

"Would it take to visit you? How long would that be?" Xu Lai asked.

"A round trip by boat takes more than half a day each way," Yang Shu said. "Our seven villages of the Yang clan will carry the Earth God and the Silkworm God in a procession. Each village will also prepare community wine and meat, and the whole village will gather together to beat the community drum, watch the community opera, drink the community wine, and eat the community meal. It's very lively!"

This kind of activity is called society.

It is also the earliest known source of the word "society".

It takes more than half a day to go there and back, and you also need to spend two days playing in the village, which means four days will be gone in a short time.

Xu Lai politely declined, saying, "I won't go. I'll wait for the Autumn Festival."

"Alright, come to my house on the Autumn Festival." Yang Shu didn't insist, picked up his luggage, and said goodbye. He had skipped class today and returned to the village most of the day early.

The city is actually more lively than the countryside.

Yu Jinghui, along with officials of all ranks, would hold official sacrificial ceremonies. The entire city would turn out in droves, and the entertainment districts would also host special programs.

On the day of the Spring Festival.

Boarding students who didn't go home called their friends early in the morning to go out and celebrate the holiday.

Xu Lai also put on his newly bought ramie shirt, made of hemp cloth, which cost 280 coins.

As soon as the group stepped out of the school gate, they heard an old man calling out, "Flowers for sale! Flowers for sale! Peach blossoms are five coins a branch, kapok flowers are two coins a blossom..."

Students from the state flocked around, buying kapok flowers to wear in their hair and peach blossoms to play with.

"Xu Sanlang, take it!"

A boarding student, whom Xu Lai didn't know very well, bought flowers and stuffed them into Xu Lai's hand.

Xu Lai was both amused and exasperated. Although he had no interest in it, he still clipped the kapok flower to his ear.

After everyone finished adorning themselves with flowers, they headed straight for Dizang Temple.

Because Guangzhou did not have an examination hall at that time, all major examinations were held at Dizang Temple, so students liked to go there to pray to Buddha. It was said that this could help them improve their studies.

Along the way, every shop was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and many passersby wore flowers in their hair.

Before they even reached the main gate of Dizang Temple, the streets were already packed with wealthy people arriving by carriage (mostly donkey carts) and boat to worship Buddha.

"How about we come another day?"

Looking at the crowded temple gate, one student didn't want to squeeze in.

Everyone readily agreed and then went out of the city to enjoy the scenery.

Outside the city, the scene was even more lively. The City God Temple, which enshrined the messenger of Guangzhou, was filled with the deafening sounds of gongs, drums, and shouts. Then, numerous statues of deities were carried in a procession around Guangzhou to celebrate, with the common people following along, hoping to absorb some of the divine energy.

The students then had differing opinions.

Some wanted to participate in the procession, while others wanted to go to the theater to watch the performances.

Xu Lai belongs to the latter category.

He had seen many processions of deities, but he had never been to a brothel or entertainment venue.

In Guangzhou, most of the "Wazi" (entertainment districts) are located in the western part of the city, near Dashi Street.

Xu Lai went in out of curiosity, but felt somewhat disappointed.

The so-called "Washe" literally means a large area of ​​entertainment venues, which is equivalent to a comprehensive entertainment district and a commercial pedestrian street.

What exactly is a brothel?

Have you ever queued at a tourist attraction? The winding railings divide the space, facilitating queuing and preventing ticket evasion. Those railings used for queuing, as well as the fences around performance venues, are called "goulan" (entrance halls/barracks)!

Xu Lai entered the entertainment area, randomly chose a brothel, and queued up to buy a ticket to enter and experience it.

A magic trick is taking place on stage.

Outside the audience area, there were stalls selling snacks and drinks.

The audience here are mostly ordinary people, and the tickets are quite cheap.

Xu Lai also saw many adults carrying children to watch the performance. Some even let their children ride on their shoulders, which blocked their view, and the audience behind them cursed at them.

"Whose child is this? Whose child is lost? Don't let them be kidnapped!"

"Waaaaaah..."

Shouts and cries mingled together.

Xu Lai quickly squeezed through and, together with several adults, protected the child, waiting for the child's parents to come and claim him.

After calling out more than ten times, a couple finally came looking for the child, who was crying and calling for his father and mother.

After dealing with this matter, Xu finally had the leisure to enjoy the magic show. He watched with great interest and applauded and cheered along with the other audience members.

After watching several magic tricks, Xu Lai left through the exit, looking for a brothel where he could listen to music.

When you come to a brothel, how can you not listen to music?

Tickets for the concert are more expensive, one seat per person, and sales stop once the seats are full.

Xu Lai was debating whether or not to pay when he suddenly heard someone calling his name.

"Xu Sanlang, is it really you? I thought I had mistaken you for someone else." Ding Zhengchen ran over excitedly.

Xu Lai clasped his hands in greeting.

Ding Zhengchen turned around and introduced his family: his grandmother, parents, elder brother and sister-in-law, younger brother, younger sister, nephew, and niece were all there. Even his father's and his brother's concubines were there.

The family was on their way to a more upscale brothel to watch a play.

Xu Lai stepped forward to greet him, and the other party responded warmly.

Ding Zhengchen invited, "Sanlang, why don't you come along?"

"Brother Ding, please speak to me in private," Xu Lai said in a low voice.

Curious, Ding Zhengchen followed him to a corner of the street.

Xu Lai disliked beating around the bush, so since he wasn't interested in Ding Xiaomei, he decided to be direct to avoid delays: "I appreciate Brother Ding's kindness. However, I come from a humble background and dare not presume to associate myself with your esteemed family."

Ding Zhengchen was stunned. He had never heard anyone speak like that before. How could this matter be brought up so directly?

How embarrassing!

But what Xu Lai really wanted to say was yet to come: "Brother Ding, do you want to make a contribution? A contribution that can get you an audience with the Grand Marshal and benefit the entire city."

"Yes, I do," Ding Zhengchen nodded quickly.

If the Ding family does a few more of these things, they will be completely accepted by the government and the people, which is much more valuable than marrying into the state academy.

Xu Lai continued his deception: "If this matter is accomplished, not only will the entire city benefit, but your Ding family will also benefit."

Intrigued, Ding Zhengchen quickly asked, "What is it?"

Xu Lai asked, "Does the well water in Guangzhou taste bitter and salty during the dry season?"

"Indeed," Ding Zhengchen said, "the well water in my house is very salty and bitter even in winter."

Xu Lai added, "There are still many people who can't even afford well water and have to rely on river water to get by. And that river water is often bitter and salty."

Ding Zhengchen asked, "Can Sanlang make water sweet and refreshing?"

"This is what I'm thinking..." Xu Lai began to explain the water diversion plan.

Upon hearing this, Ding Zhengchen asked, "Will this work?"

Xu Lai smiled and said, "Offering a plan rashly might cause some doubts for Minister Yu. However, we can conduct preliminary surveys and hire experts in water conservancy to develop a preliminary strategy together. Then, when we meet with Minister Yu, the chances of being approved by the government will be much greater."

Ding Zhengchen said, "That's true."

Xu Lai revealed his true intentions: "Brother Ding will pay to hire someone skilled in water conservancy. We will also invite some classmates from the state school; anyone interested in this can participate. Once the plan is finalized, I will be responsible for meeting with Minister Yu."

"This plan is brilliant!" Ding Zhengchen was overjoyed.

Even if the water diversion plan is not approved, he can take the opportunity to make friends with other scholars. They explore the terrain together and formulate water diversion plans together, and their friendship will naturally be different from before, deeper than the friendship formed during casual outings.

Xu Lai continued to deceive, saying, "If things can be accomplished, we'll carve a monument to commemorate it, and Brother Ding's name will also be engraved on it."

Ding Zhengchen thought about it more deeply.

His family could also donate money to have his father's name engraved on it.

Xu Lai smiled and said, "Farewell, see you another day."

Ding Zhengchen didn't try to stop him and hurriedly ran to tell his father what had happened.

Upon hearing this, Ding Rulin sighed with emotion: "This man's methods are extremely clever. He himself is incapable of devising a detailed strategy, yet he uses our family's wealth to get things done. We should actually thank him."

Ding Rulin will never see Yu Jing. Even if he understands the whole thing, he can't shake off Xu Lai.

"I didn't even say anything, and he immediately refused the marriage proposal. Let's find another husband for my younger sister," Ding Zhengchen said in a low voice.

Ding Rulin shook his head: "This kind of person has a bright future; if you encounter him, don't let him go. But don't bring it up rashly again. Try to get to know him better in the future, and become his friend—a true friend!"

"I understand," Ding Zhengchen replied immediately.

Seeing her father and brother muttering to themselves, Ding Xiaomei couldn't help but ask, "Second brother, why hasn't Xu Sanlang come back?"

Ding Zhengchen smiled and said, "He has other important matters to attend to."