Chapter 667
Debate
Chapter 667 Debate
Her tearful appearance made Qin Yuan beckon her, "Come here, come to me."
Xiao Dong immediately sat down next to Qin Yuan.
Faced with his aggrieved little face, Qin Heng scratched his head helplessly, while Gu Baozhu hurriedly waved her hands, saying, "How could that be? Xiao Dong, let me explain..."
"Okay, then explain."
Looking at Xiao Dong, Gu Baozhu stammered, "...I..."
Xiao Dong pouted, glanced at Qin Yuan, and then whimpered in a tearful voice, "You still won't admit it? Just now you said you were going to take Brother Qin Heng to do something."
You two didn't call me!
When they need someone's help, they act like brothers; when they don't, they don't even mention them.
These words sound like a lonely woman in her boudoir cursing a faithless man.
Qin Yuan bit her lower lip, suppressing the laughter that welled up in her mouth.
Xiao Dong paused, then said, "Look at Brother Siyuan, he wouldn't treat me like that. He carefully carries the medicine powder I made with him. Humph!"
Pull one up, step on one.
In short, you've wronged me.
Gu Baozhu sighed helplessly, "I'll take you, okay?"
Xiao Dong then raised his little face, his bright black eyes full of laughter: "Sister Baozhu, you said it yourself."
Gu Baozhu immediately became bold and confident again: "I said it, don't worry, if I, Gu Baozhu, let out a force, no matter how many horses you have, they can't catch up with it."
"Pfft," Qin Siyuan finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Gu Baozhu looked suspicious: "What is Brother Siyuan laughing at? Xiao Dong may be a bit childish, but we should let him have his way..."
Qin Siyuan quickly interrupted her: "I was laughing at the horses."
"Hahaha."
Joyful laughter immediately filled the room.
Shen Changle walked in at this moment, his round face full of smiles. He said to Qin Yuan, "Madam, Mr. Songshan has arrived and is outside discussing strategies with the students. What do you think..."
Qin Yuan nodded, stood up, and said to the others, "Now that Mr. Songshan has arrived, you can all go about your business. I should also go out and take a look."
……
Outside Ranxiang Residence, more and more people gathered, and the box was no longer full of slips of paper.
Mr. Songshan was standing at the exit of the garden, discussing strategies with several candidates. A group of scholars dressed as xiucai (a type of scholar in Chinese literature) surrounded him, all listening attentively.
The founding emperor of this dynasty issued an edict forbidding scholars from discussing political affairs.
It is declared that all matters concerning the interests and ailments of the military and civilians are open to discussion, including officials, virtuous individuals in public, ambitious and brave men, simple farmers, merchants, and artisans. Only scholars are prohibited from speaking on these matters.
This was all because Emperor Taizu learned from the lessons of the previous dynasty's decline and believed that the scholars' knowledge was not deep enough. He thought that their unwarranted comments on state affairs would encourage opportunism in the court, show disrespect to the officials in charge of education, and corrupt the atmosphere of scholarship.
Mr. Songshan was a wise man living in seclusion, so he naturally had no scruples, but the scholars could only listen in and dared not speak up. The licentiates and Mr. Songshan were discussing the matter of clearing up the household and merchant registers of the Five Cities Military Command for the Empress Dowager's birthday. This time, many people who were staying in the capital were found out.
The questioner said, "The Empress Dowager's birthday should be a time of national celebration. Those who have lived in the capital for many years have been law-abiding citizens and have never committed any crimes. Why can't they be allowed to stay in the capital to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday together? Tonight, the city gates are wide open, and tourists from all directions can freely come and go to enjoy the lantern festival and witness the grand parade. Yet they are being sent back to their hometowns. Isn't it a bit excessive for the officials in charge?"
Many candidates came to the capital to take the imperial examinations, and they all felt that the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration was too much of a fuss.
The situation is no longer what it was in the early days of the founding of the dynasty by Emperor Taizu. Many people have left their hometowns to seek a living in the prefectures and cities, no longer living in the countryside farming and weaving. There are about 11 or 12 percent of the people in the capital who are natives, about 20 or 30 percent of the people are members of the Imperial Guards and their families, and the rest are people who have come to the capital from other places. Among these people, about 50 or 60 percent are originally from Kuaiji.
Many people present did not openly agree, but they secretly approved.
They were just waiting for Mr. Matsuyama, whose reputation was soaring, to speak.
The answer to this question is easy.
But answering this question in a way that satisfies everyone without offending the court is truly difficult.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yuan couldn't help but nod slightly and glance at the scholar who had asked the question.
The man was thin and frail, dressed in a black Taoist robe and wearing a Yangming headscarf. He was stroking the three strands of his beard and looking at Mr. Songshan with a slightly provocative gaze.
Several of his companions beside him wore smug expressions.
It must be said that the person who asked the question was quite skilled. What seemed like a trivial matter was actually a good test of Mr. Songshan's abilities. If he answered carelessly, he would offend the court officials and be seized upon by those with ulterior motives.
However, Mr. Matsuyama should be able to handle it.
As expected, Mr. Songshan did not answer but asked in return: "May I ask how many people there are now when my dynasty was founded, when there were four classes of people?"
The so-called "four classes" refer to scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Among the four classes, scholars are considered noble, while merchants are considered lowly.
Emperor Taizu believed that the reason the previous dynasty collapsed was because the four classes of people had become six, with monks, Taoists, and soldiers added to the four fundamental classes of people. Therefore, he believed that in order to establish a great and lasting dynasty, it was necessary to ensure that the people were content with the order of the four classes and each did their own job.
In the early days of the dynasty, even physicians were required to stay near the locations recorded in the Yellow Register and were not allowed to travel far. All the people in the country were registered in the Yellow Register and could not be easily changed.
Military households and artisan households were hereditary, and descendants of those of low social status remained lowly for generations, ineligible for official positions and unable to change their status.
In all the years since the founding of the dynasty, the number of people who have been transferred from military households to civilian households can be counted on one hand, not to mention artisan households, musician households, and commoners.
The appearance of idle people who neither farm nor reap will be reported to the government, and they will be relocated to remote places to cultivate the land.
However, nowadays, due to the limited land and large population in the Jiangyou region, most of the people registered in the Yellow Register are no longer in their place of household registration. The local magistrates and officials have annexed land, and those who can no longer support themselves through farming and weaving have moved to the prefectures and counties to make a living.
The capital city is the most important place, and in recent years a large number of refugees have poured in. Even monks and Taoists have stayed in the capital for a long time in order to obtain official ordination certificates. When the temples and palaces could no longer accommodate them, they moved into private residences.
This is common knowledge.
However, the candidates could not answer in public, and could only say reluctantly, "I do not know, but the officials in charge should know."
Mr. Songshan stretched his long neck, stuck a finger out of his sleeve, and slowly waved it, saying, "I am not very talented, but I happened to hear someone calculate that there are twenty-four classes of people in the capital now."
Twenty-four classes?
Everyone gasped.
"...This...this is a bit too much..." the scholar retorted, "Sir, although your poetic talent is very high, you may not understand the affairs of the people...When Emperor Taizu established the social register, it was so that everyone could live and work in peace. In those days, the four classes of people—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—were the foundation of the country, with scholars being the first and merchants the last. If the four classes were at peace, the country would be at peace; if the four classes were in chaos, the country would be in chaos. So many years have passed, how come there are now twenty-four classes? Do you think the world is about to descend into chaos?"