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

Chapter 668: Chapter 668: The 24 Classes

This accusation they’ve slapped on him is truly vicious.

Qin Yuan swept his gaze over everyone’s faces: some seemed thoughtful, some were beaming with satisfaction, some had disdain written all over their faces...

Qin Siyuan couldn’t help stepping forward. Seeing that he was about to interject, Qin Yuan quickly reached out and tugged his sleeve, lightly shaking his head to signal him to stay calm.

Mr. Songshan remained utterly unruffled and said, ”Back then, the Grand Ancestor said that the four estates are the foundation of the state; this still holds true today and has not changed in the least. In the time of the Grand Ancestor Emperor, aside from the four estates there were also military households, kitchen households, physicians and diviners, monks and Daoists and other civil categories. Yet our Da Xing Dynasty has passed more than a hundred years in solid stability—how do you explain that?”

The examinee naturally had nothing to say.

Mr. Songshan went on, ”When the Han Dynasty first rose, all trades were yet to be revived. In governing, they used Huang Lao’s School of Thought to let the people recuperate and avoided war as far as possible. Even when the Xiongnu sent a state letter insulting Lady Lu, Lady Lu still chose a conciliatory course. In Emperor Wu’s time, the National Treasury was full and the people were prosperous; he then abolished the Way of Huang Lao, venerated Confucianism, applied Legalist methods internally, defeated the Xiongnu, and made good his claim that ’whoever offends the Great Han, no matter how far, will be punished.’

Gaozu and Emperor Wu governed in different ways—who would say that Gaozu and Emperor Wu were wrong?

If circumstances have changed yet one does not know to change the methods of governance accordingly, is that not the same as climbing a tree to catch fish or carving a mark on a moving boat to seek a lost sword?”

The examinee forced out a line in rebuttal: ”All this you’re saying is nothing but hackneyed old talk, utterly devoid of anything new.”

Mr. Songshan tilted back his neck and let out a few hearty laughs. ”When wheel ruts become many, a road is formed. Since there is already a road ahead, why insist on contriving to go where no wheel ruts exist? Scholarship must indeed seek what is new, but one cannot, in the name of novelty, ignore the root of the problem. Otherwise, study becomes nothing more than seeking the new and the different for their own sake.”

The examinee’s face looked quite unpleasant.

Qin Siyuan said, ”I respectfully accept the lesson. What sir says is very true. We study in order to read the Classics through and understand principle. If one chases novelty and difference, disregarding the original meaning of the writings of sages past and present, that is merely playing to the gallery.”

The examinee still could not accept it, so he raised his voice: ”But I only asked a question. Mr. Songshan has said so much—what exactly is his intent? To this moment, Mr. Songshan has yet to answer me clearly.”

The onlookers were abuzz, some supporting the examinee, some mocking him, and others standing by making coolly detached remarks about both men.

Mr. Songshan waved his hand and only spoke again once the crowd had quieted: ”Though men outside officialdom ought not to speak of the deeds of high courtiers, the Grand Ancestor Emperor allowed us to discuss the advantages and ills of government, so I shall reluctantly say one thing.

The Grand Ancestor Emperor spoke of the four estates not to say that the realm has only scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, but to say that the root of the state lies in these four. In the previous dynasty, monks, Daoists, and soldiers contended with farmers for people, disrupting the order of the four estates and shaking the foundations of the state, hence the great chaos.

When Daxing was founded, the Grand Ancestor Emperor personally set the categories of civil status, ordered all officials in charge to strictly manage the Yellow Register, to re-survey and reregister every ten years, and required the common people to each secure their own trade and not leave their registered place of household at will.

The Monk Record Office and Taoist Record Bureau registered all the monks and Daoists under Heaven, issued them ordination certificates, and promulgated the Record of All Knowledge to have monasteries verify the identities of monks and Daoists in turn. As for military households, I shall not belabor it—since we are all children of Daxing, we ought all to understand.”

The crowd nodded.

Mr. Songshan continued, ”The phrase ’scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants’ speaks to the order of rank among the four estates: scholars most honored, merchants at the bottom. ’Scholar’ originally meant soldier, armored warrior; in later ages it came to mean officials. As the saying goes, ’When the main cord is lifted, the nets are all set in order.’ If those who stand at the head of the four estates, the scholars, fall into disorder, the government will be shaken.

Why do I say this?

Because the realm is now at peace; in future the court will naturally place greater reliance on civil servants.

Civil servants are all scholars selected through the civil service examinations, they are the Emperor’s own disciples.

Is this not so?”

Mr. Songshan swept his eyes around the circle.

The crowd nodded repeatedly; some common folk gathered to watch the commotion even raised their voices in agreement.

Mr. Songshan used the skills of a storyteller to expound principles of governance; though he chewed over words and heavily cited the Classics, even those who were not literate could understand.

Once the surroundings had fallen quiet again, Mr. Songshan resumed:

”It is clear that the prevailing ethos among the scholars determines the ethos of the court. If the character of the scholars decays, how could the court be in good order?

Men of letters represent the moral conscience and foundation of a dynasty. If even the learned pursue novelty and oddity to show off their learning, if their conduct is ostentatious and luxurious, the court will naturally fall into decline.

The sages all say that to govern a state one must draw close to worthy ministers and keep petty men at a distance. If the court is full of petty men, they will surely have no heart to think on behalf of the Emperor and the people; they will care only for factional strife and mutual destruction, plunging the court into a murky stench.

To put it bluntly, if all are the same pitch‑black old crows, who can claim to be any whiter than the rest? Then whom is the Emperor, high upon the dragon throne, to draw close to?”

Mr. Songshan spread his hands and looked around in a show of helplessness, as though finding no one to lean on.

At once, sighs rose all around.

The scholars all lowered the heads that had been proudly held high.

Mr. Songshan’s voice sank a little as he went on: ”Merchants by nature take profit as their pursuit. If the status of merchants stands above that of scholars, or if scholars themselves turn to emulate merchants in chasing profit, then the very foundation of the state is truly shaken.”

Qin Siyuan suddenly sighed in realization. ”No wonder, sir, you previously compared the scholarly ethos of twenty years ago with that of today. I understand now.”

At the time, he had only thought that the morals of the age were in decline and people’s hearts were not what they once were; he had not expected the cause to lie here.

The goal of scholars in their studies and examinations had changed—from originally seeking to accomplish something to seeking fame and profit. In reality, the order of the four estates had quietly been reversed into merchants, scholars, artisans, farmers.

So that was it!

After his sudden enlightenment, Qin Siyuan also felt somewhat desolate.

Three feet of ice are not formed in a single day’s cold.

The loosening of law and ritual brought about by prosperity exists from top to bottom.

In the south, land is narrow and people many; relying on farming alone makes for a hard life, so going into trade to pursue profit becomes the first choice.

The prevailing customs have blown northward from the south, and more and more Southern people travel north to do business.

In another ten or twenty years, the scholars of the north too will likely sink gradually into such a state.

How could this be something a single examinee, or a single Advanced Scholar, a single official, could influence and change?

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.”