Chapter Ninety-Six: The Political Landscape (Part Two)

Chapter Ninety-Six: The Current Situation (Part Two)

Though the season was gradually shifting away from the peak of summer, the weather still retained the lingering heat of the dog days. In a study room within Yushan Academy, Li Pin poured two cups of tea and handed one to Ning Yi.

“Matters of the nation and the world,” Li Pin began, “sometimes those who boast endlessly and exude boundless confidence strike me as laughable. Yet, many ideas are born from such grandiloquence. If one were to bury oneself in hard work and never discuss matters with others, bias would be inevitable. In the third year of Jinghan, I traveled to the capital to take the imperial examination. I ranked eleventh among the successful candidates—a respectable position. Unfortunately, my candidacy offended the Minister of Personnel, Fu Ying, due to my radical policy proposals. Though I passed, there was no actual official post available for me. After a few months of bitter disillusionment, I left the capital and made my way back to Jiangning.”

Li Pin shook his head with a wry smile as he spoke.

“Many seek government positions, and some who pass the imperial exams linger in the capital for years, exploring every avenue for advancement. Others leave after just a few months. I have often hesitated to mention my brief tenure, fearing ridicule. Yet during those months, I witnessed the intricate web of interests among officials, which left me conflicted. The capital’s atmosphere differs somewhat from Jiangning’s. Once you go there, you feel it. The imperial city seems to cast a shadow over everything. Near the Imperial Street, one can see the towering palace walls daily, and even when the palace itself is out of sight, looking in that direction feels as though the palace stands right before you...”

“Those seeking office, those seeking influence, discussing national affairs, all claim to follow the sages and preserve their teachings, to bring peace for all eternity... In tea houses, taverns, and places of entertainment, these topics dominate conversation. Everywhere, you see the shadow of officials. On one hand, there is youthful vigor; on the other, a pervasive lethargy. In sum, everyone is anxious yet directionless. But life must go on. I tried all sorts of paths, sought various methods—perhaps finding allies among Fu Ying’s political rivals could help me. Yet ultimately, to little avail. Perhaps I simply chose the wrong paths. I had thought ranking eleventh should carry some weight, but they neither rejected me outright nor offered real posts—only empty appointments. Their arrangements were flawless in blocking me. After a few months, I understood this path was closed for now.”

“Why waste time trying to slip through someone else’s cracks when the door is shut? My family’s fortunes were decent enough that I could afford to remain in the capital and wait for a chance, but I saw no need. I decided to use the time to settle down and think. So, I left the capital, traveled through Xu, Tang, Shen, and An prefectures, and returned to Jiangning. Along the way, I encountered floods and witnessed many things. Upon returning, I spent a few years reflecting on how affairs had come to this state...”

He took a sip of tea. “In the past century, our Wu Dynasty undertook several reform attempts, most ending in failure. Yet they always centered on three principles: enriching the people, strengthening the military, and selecting talented officials. These are reasonable starting points for any endeavor. However, at root, why are both our military and people weak, and our methods of selecting officials flawed? This question has occupied my mind in recent discussions.”

Ning Yi took a sip of tea and shrugged. “Isn’t the answer rather simple?”

Li Pin had been waiting for his opinion. Hearing this, he paused briefly, then laughed softly. “Indeed, it is simple. As Li Heng once said, everything has fundamental rules and roots. If one can perceive them clearly, the path ahead becomes more defined. I find this quite true. Observing our Wu Dynasty today, the causes are clear to anyone who cares to look closely.”

He paused and picked up a piece of chalk, sketching a triangle on a small blackboard. “Our dynasty was founded by the sword. At its inception, military might was strong. But after several rebellions, the founding emperor saw its flaws and shifted policy to suppress the military and elevate civil governance, strengthening the core and weakening the branches. This approach quelled internal strife, brought prosperity, and prolonged the dynasty. Yet now, it has produced many problems. We struggle against foreign invasions. To maintain a strong core, the branches weaken further, and wealth continues to flow upwards. Military power, already suppressed by the strong core-weak branch policy, has become even more fragile. As military strength wanes, external pressures grow. Greater pressure weakens the military further, creating a vicious cycle with no escape.”

Li Pin exhaled, gazing at the blackboard. “If we can resolve commercial issues and better support the weaker branches, the dynasty would naturally have the resources to focus on the military. This is the problem every policy to enrich the people must solve. If we can strengthen the military so that no foreign enemy dares invade, peace returns. This is the challenge any military strengthening policy must address. Selecting officials also serves these three goals: enrich the people, strengthen the military, and ensure the dynasty’s longevity... yet these remain mere rhetoric.”

He tossed aside the chalk. “If we speak of a single policy, many believe they have the solution. Multiple policies can coexist just fine. But our dynasty’s strong core-weak branch structure is fixed. Imagine a great tree with a strong trunk that greedily absorbs nutrients, leaving the weaker branches starved. The question is how to guide that trunk to naturally redistribute nutrients to the branches. That is the crux. Li Heng, what do you think?”

Ning Yi pondered and smiled. “It makes sense. You’re saying that those powerful landlords and merchants—the Su family and the likes—along with royal relatives and idle nobles, should willingly part with their wealth to enrich the common people.”

Li Pin smiled, not denying it. “It sounds idealistic, but there is no other way. History moves forward; retreating is impossible. Many say that under Emperors Heng and Huizong, our dynasty flourished with wealth and strength, but going backward is unthinkable. The problem is how to guide progress so these elites willingly release wealth. Without their cooperation, it’s unrealistic and ineffective. Everything must be implemented step by step. So, there must be a way for these elites to invest their money in impoverished areas while ensuring both sides profit, continuing this cycle without diminishing the wealth at the core but easing the plight of the branches. Perhaps the court should intervene first.”

“Wang Anshi’s reforms...” Ning Yi frowned slightly and murmured. Li Pin turned his head. “Hmm?”

Though Wu Dynasty had no Wang Anshi, decades ago there was Prime Minister Tan Xi, Tan Ziyong, who attempted similar reforms, trying to involve the court in many businesses to stimulate the economy. Ning Yi chuckled. “Deshin, your idea sounds a lot like Prime Minister Tan’s.”

Li Pin nodded. “I have pondered Tan’s reforms many times. They were enlightening. Perhaps he thought along these lines as well, but underestimated the resistance. His policies failed to be enforced, and local officials paid lip service while undermining them. Thus, the foremost task remained purifying the bureaucracy...”

“That’s true,” Ning Yi nodded. “But the method was wrong. The economy can’t be managed that way.”

“Hmm? The economy?”

“Well, the commercial system—the flow of goods and money, the whole structure,” Ning Yi explained with a smile. “Any commercial system infiltrated by privilege isn’t a normal one. Privilege here is poison, especially when it’s the court or officials.”

“Li Heng also believes the court shouldn’t compete with the people for profit?”

“Not for that reason,” Ning Yi shook his head. “Remember the basic rule? The economy’s fundamental rule is greed. Merchants pursue profit; profit is their sole aim. Everything else is secondary. Greed can be positive. When I work in a shop and want to buy clothes, I work hard to earn money or gain my employer’s favor to earn more. That’s good greed. There are many ways—stealing or robbing—but that leads to jail and is not worth it. So we follow the rules: I do this much work, it’s worth this much money, which buys those clothes. Greed that keeps people in the game is good greed.”

“But the court isn’t inside the game’s rules. They are the referees. If you let them join the game, eventually no one else can play. As I said, merchants pursue profit alone. If someone sees profit and learns greed, and then notices they hold a get-out-of-jail card or a knife in hand, why wouldn’t they take what’s theirs? If it were that simple to reclaim profits, why wouldn’t I? If it worked ideally, wouldn’t that be the same as simply making landlords and merchants hand over their wealth?”

He paused briefly. “Prime Minister Tan’s reforms failed not because there was too little rule of law—people always find loopholes—but because greed is so powerful that it blinds them to everything but profit. Such greed can motivate people greatly, but the key is: don’t let those with privilege develop that greed. If privilege isn’t curbed, eventually no one can continue playing.”

“As long as there is any loophole to exploit, the rule of law can never be sufficient. Privileged classes doing business is like letting wolves into the sheepfold. Rather than allowing more privilege to enter, it’s better to remove the privilege already there. That might actually help. In short: if you let the referee play, how can the game proceed? Supervision only complicates what should be simple and inevitably causes breakdown.”

Outside the window, a brother and sister crouched quietly in the corridor below, eavesdropping. The boy tapped his sister’s shoulder and whispered, “Sister, is he saying we should destroy our family’s business?”

“That barbarian...” Zhou Pei blinked irritably, then glanced at her brother. “But he has a point. You should remember and think carefully. Don’t believe everything blindly, but don’t dismiss a statement just because of the speaker. That’s how you’ll achieve great things someday.”

Jun Wu nodded, then unfastened a pouch at his waist and took out a glutinous rice cake, nibbling on it while Zhou Pei glared at him, frustrated by his lack of seriousness.

“Let the referee play the game...” Li Pin sat silently for a long moment, then laughed with a complicated expression. “Li Heng’s remark hits the fundamental principle exactly. If I were the referee and stepped into the game, well...”

A thinker by nature, though not entirely abandoning the idea of economic guidance, Li Pin considered the consequences implied by Ning Yi’s words. “I have pondered this for years, yet Li Heng sees the hardest problem instantly. Perhaps this reflects his unique perspective.”

“This is indeed an interesting matter. Every year, our dynasty pays tens of thousands of silver coins to the Liao, but the trade profits are in the millions. In the end, we still come out ahead. The importance of merchants and benefits of commerce are understood not only by you, Deshin, but by many others now. Our Wu Dynasty differs from previous dynasties in that we do not suppress commerce. Although Prime Minister Tan’s reforms had issues, they showed the court’s concern for commerce. But...” Ning Yi reflected for a moment, then abruptly asked, “Oh, by the way, what has become of Fu Ying?”

As Ning Yi shifted to commerce, suddenly returning to that question, Li Pin was momentarily taken aback, then burst into laughter. “Li Heng is truly sharp—there’s nothing you can hide from him. Minister of Personnel Fu Ying was investigated for embezzlement in March this year and was sentenced to exile by the Court of Justice last month. When the floods subside, I suppose...” He grew somewhat melancholic but ultimately happy. “I’m thinking of returning to the capital to arrange things and see if I can secure a real post. It’s been five years already. Li Heng, don’t say I’m just addicted to officialdom.”

Ning Yi laughed in response. “If that’s the case, congratulations, Deshin.”

“It’s too soon, too soon... But how did you come to know this?”

“Trade secrets.” Ning Yi casually guessed from Li Pin’s expression, joking lightly. Li Pin shook his head with a smile and took a sip of tea. “Returning to the topic, now that Li Heng understands the stakes, have you considered any compromises if the court were to guide affairs?”

“That... is merely jest.”

“Indeed, just jest.”

“Well, since you’re going into government, a discussion can’t hurt.” Ning Yi smiled and nodded. “Personally, I think neither yes nor no.”

“Why say that?”

“It’s simple. If the court consciously elevates merchants through Confucian principles, the spirit of commerce naturally flourishes. If they guide without interference or destruction, that’s the only way...”

Hearing this, Li Pin frowned. “Elevating merchants’ status... well, merchants are, after all, profit-driven...”

“It’s not about merchants being profit-driven,” Ning Yi sipped his tea. “The state values profit too. Over the years, commerce has developed, and merchants’ status has improved compared to former dynasties. If we loosen control a bit, commerce will surely expand. But that’s the impossible part... no one dares to loosen the reins.”

“Who?”

“The authorities, the court, the emperor, the Confucians... you, me, everyone—we dare not relax control.”

In the corridor outside, Jun Wu blinked in surprise. “Sister, he’s talking nonsense again. I’m not afraid. Our family does business, and Grandfather, the Prince Consort, runs an even bigger one...”

“Shut up.” Zhou Pei whispered sharply, then thought a moment. “I’m not afraid either... He’s just trying to provoke.”

Then they heard Ning Yi’s teasing voice from inside.

“If the reins were loosened, bam—the Wu Dynasty, this whole country... would be gone.”

The next chapter will be released before 11 PM tonight.