Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Political Situation (Part Two)

If let loose, with a bang, the Wu Dynasty—this entire nation—would simply cease to exist.

In the room, Ning Yi made a sharp “bang” gesture. Li Pin furrowed his brows. “How could it be so?”

Ning Yi was silent for a moment. “Brother Li, have you ever considered why Confucianism, after thousands of years of development, continually repeats the notion that merchants pursue profit?”

“The sages advocate virtue and oppose selfish profit-seeking behavior; isn’t that only natural?”

“That is partly true,” Ning Yi nodded. “But another part lies in the fact that merchant knowledge is difficult to govern—three words: hard to control. A person’s lifetime—if you live in a mountain village farming, that’s nothing; you follow the ways of your ancestors: marry, have children, die, and be buried in the mountains. But one day, you enter the county town and see all those colorful, flashy things… Another day you visit the provincial city and see even more things that overwhelm you. It’s like seeing a piece of clothing you want—you start figuring out ways to get it… greed takes hold…”

Ning Yi smiled slightly. “Of course, most of the time, you’ll work honestly to earn money to buy that clothing. But once you have the opportunity, the chance, you’ll always try to exploit it. Brother Li, who do you think is easier to govern—a farmer who spends his life facing the soil, honest and simple, or a person whose heart is already filled with greed? Our dynasty has tens of millions of subjects. Brother Li, how many of them can truly be restrained by our rule of law? How many live their lives quietly like that? If commerce develops further, how many more opportunities for greed will arise?”

“This is actually a very interesting system. Since the Hundred Schools of Thought began, there has been a debate between rule of law and rule of virtue. The rule of law should prevail, but through Qin, Han, the Three Kingdoms, Jin, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui, Tang…and onward, you realize this: how much could the old laws really control? Most relied on self-discipline. The customs were simple, and in small villages, their own set of rules sufficed. If today’s Jiangning were placed in Qin Dynasty times, Brother Li, how long do you think it would remain peaceful under those laws and methods? Qin was harsh, yes, but Jiangning has many clever people and countless loopholes…”

“Confucianism is a magnificent thing,” after thousands of years of development, “Brother Li, the merits of merchants were not only discovered in the Wu Dynasty. If merchants were allowed freedom, the immense wealth flowing would not be unknown to geniuses—just look at the example of Tao Zhu Gong. But why has the world suppressed commerce for thousands of years? The deeper reason is that they foresaw the consequences. The ability of the law to govern… could not keep pace.”

“Our dynasty is no different—ideology,” Ning Yi tapped his temple. “The more greed people have, the more unpredictable their behavior becomes, the more they’re tempted, the more they pursue profit and exploit loopholes. Our dynasty does not suppress commerce without reason, but officials lustful for money and soldiers afraid of death, impoverished people and careless troops—might this not be a certain consequence of these sweet temptations? At least, it must be part of the reason.”

Li Pin blinked, stunned, lost in thought. Even the meaning of “ideology” barely stirred his curiosity; just the parts he understood were enough to shake him. After a long moment, he said, “Is Li Heng saying that the merchant pursuit of profit is the root cause of our Wu Dynasty’s weakness?”

“No,” Ning Yi sipped his tea. “Absolutely not. This is a form of development. Our dynasty has depth; the rule of law and regulations have developed alongside the growth of commerce. This is a mutually reinforcing process. It’s just that many things have not kept pace with this, and that’s troublesome—too complicated. To solve the Wu Dynasty’s problems today, fixating on merchants and currency—hoping the state intervenes in the economy to double or triple revenue, strengthen the nation, and solve all issues—that’s impossible.”

“You can’t just latch onto commerce because it’s sweet. If you keep developing it, the entire balance will tip further, and that’s too abnormal—disaster is inevitable.”

Ning Yi shook his head. Li Pin pondered for a long while. “So, Li Heng thinks that if we want to find the key, where should we focus?”

“If you truly want to take practical action, I don’t know. But if you treat it as a joke, irresponsibly, then...,” Ning Yi smiled. “Why not start with Confucianism?”

---

“Li Heng, do you mean the current issue of redundant officials and students?” Li Pin thought, then laughed. “I often talk about this. The root problem in our dynasty might indeed be that we have far too many scholar-officials. That’s a big issue. But if we try to solve it, it might be even harder than dealing with commerce…”

“What if I said... it’s not too many, but too few?”

“Ah?”

Li Pin blinked, confused. Ning Yi glanced toward the classroom.

“Brother Li, what do you think these students can do after reading books?”

“According to Li Heng’s teaching, they not only learn knowledge but also how to perceive and judge matters. Some will become good local officials, no doubt.”

Li Pin spoke earnestly. Ning Yi couldn’t help but smile as he sat there, then sipped his tea and clapped his hands. Li Pin asked, “I wonder what Li Heng thinks they can actually do?”

“Well, Su Wenyi might become a minor official today,” Ning Yi said. “His grades aren’t good, but his personality is lively and he’s sociable. The rest, I actually teach as if they were shopkeepers or clerks. Of course, since they studied, if the opportunity to be an official comes up, they can try—after all, the benefits of officialdom are good...” Ning Yi counted on his fingers. “Salaries, grain, winter and spring clothing, food rations, tea and wine, kitchen supplies, firewood, livestock feed. Nowadays, once you become an official, all your living expenses and those of your family and retainers are covered by the state, and you’re granted good farmland. The work is light; officials above the gentry class are not subject to harsh punishments; you won’t be persecuted for speech; if you don’t make major mistakes for three years, who wouldn’t want to be an official...”

Li Pin was silent for a while. “Li Heng actually says these students can only be shopkeepers?”

“Not only that they can only be, but that they are suited to it. Most of their personalities are dull and honest. Being an official is difficult. The way of officialdom depends most on timing and social skills. If one also has ability and ambition, only then can one be a capable and virtuous official. Virtue, knowledge, social interaction, ability, ambition, and judgment—most of these students lack these qualities. These things are not simple.”

Ning Yi shook his head. “Enriching the people, strengthening the army, next is selecting officials. The method of selection can be solved by specialization and exclusive use. Why not open specialized academies? For those with skills, there’s no need to cling to old ways. Assign some to learn carpentry, others to smelting iron, others to cooking. Assign some to learn management—that’s being a shopkeeper. Most importantly, assign some to study military strategy, water conservancy, mining…”

Li Pin was clearly skeptical, not very convinced. “If you have enough money to study, who would want to learn those?”

“That’s exactly the problem,” Ning Yi said. “Being an official is so good that some only study to become one. ‘In books there are a thousand measures of grain, in books there are golden houses.’ But why are there so many redundant students and officials today? In ancient times, it was just a small group; literacy was rare, knowledge had to be passed on, the state needed them to govern. A thousand gold coins are easy to get, but a good scholar is hard to find. Thus, scholars existed only at the highest level because there were so few of them. ‘To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth, to give life to the people, to continue the teachings of past sages, to bring peace for all future generations’—too busy...”

“But nowadays? Thousands of years have passed and the world has changed. There are many tasks waiting to be done. If there is one thing most important, we focus on it first and keep promoting that. But now, the number of officials doing this has increased. I’m not just talking about Confucianism, but about governance. Why can’t some be assigned to other tasks? They’ve studied and learned to think.”

“Today, floods have reached such a level. If there were specialists studying water conservancy, compiling a set of theories for future generations to continue learning and researching—if these people focused solely on water conservancy while Confucianism was just for self-cultivation—would floods still be this devastating every year?”

“Specialization improves efficiency in any task and avoids many detours. Take weaving in the past: mothers taught daughters at home, women in rural areas operated machines slowly, with inconsistent quality. Now, fabric shops have workshops where women are hired to work, taught how to use machines and tricks to speed up production. Others think about how to improve the machines. One person can do the work of several before, with uniform quality and greatly increased efficiency. If all tasks could see such efficiency increases, what would our Wu Dynasty look like? Wouldn’t strengthening the army be a piece of cake?”

“Of course, this is just a jest. The difficulties are beyond imagination. You say there are many scholars; I say there are few who can truly read. If there were real specialization, the number would be far too few. As you said, those with the means to study wouldn’t learn the knowledge of merchants and artisans, and Confucianism won’t promote this sort of loosening of its status. But since it’s already saturated, and there are many of them, if the Wu Dynasty really wants to advance, perhaps this is the only path: gradually shaping public opinion, first undertaking urgent projects like military strategy and water conservancy, resisting external pressure, securing livelihoods. When people suffer less and more can study, then consider specialization. This is unlike those rigid military strengthening policies—once their status rises, capable people naturally think and act. Currently, since other fields have no status, everyone can only study Confucianism...”

The room was quiet inside and out. Li Pin bowed his head, deep in thought. Outside the room, a brother and sister squatted, resting their chins in their hands, looking troubled. Ning Yi picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea.

“Confucianism is a great system. Beyond self-cultivation, it is also the study of managing people and balancing relationships among them. Hundreds of thousands of students, so many officials—invisible yet real, tens of millions of people nationwide are governed and balanced by it, especially in our dynasty where redundant officials have clearly exceeded limits. The impact of Buddhism, Taoism, and various other doctrines, after slight adaptations, created this set of rules. Not only does it balance the interests among these numerous officials, it continuously grows, attracting countless students to throw themselves at it. Ten years of cold study lead to fame known throughout the land—a nearly perfect balance...”

He inhaled the tea aroma deeply. “I greatly admire this knowledge, regardless of its merits or faults. It records how people survive in a certain place and form—that is art. Confucianism is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most exquisite arts throughout history. Such a vast land, so many people, unified under such an extreme yet harmonious set of rules—thousands of years of wisdom, truly awe-inspiring...”

He raised his cup and gently touched it to Li Pin’s. “Fortunate to meet, let us savor it together.”

The tea fragrance had actually grown faint. Li Pin was still lost in thought when he suddenly stood, stepped back two paces, and bowed deeply. Ning Yi could only stand up, helpless.

“Li Heng’s words, many I have yet to comprehend, but from what I do understand, Li Heng is far beyond me. This matter deserves my salute.”

“Just joking,” Ning Yi returned the bow and then smiled. “If our dynasty did not punish speech, and if we were not so insignificant, I wouldn’t dare speak to you like this. Just a joke, merely idle chat...”