Chapter 683
Only Cares About a Few Silver
Chapter 683 Only Cares About a Few Taels of Silver
These words, spoken by the reclusive scholar Mr. Songshan, are truly apt.
Qin Siyuan's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he couldn't help but recall the words Qin Yuan had spoken about officialdom earlier, making him realize even more how little he actually knew.
His younger sister was his teacher in every way.
He was exceptionally talented and adept at interpersonal relationships, but unfortunately, he was not born a man, which deprived him of many opportunities to make a name for himself, and he could only remain hidden in the inner quarters.
Fortunately, she married Lord Gu, who was able to tolerate and trust her.
Thinking about it this way, my younger sister is a lucky person; it's fortunate that she didn't marry into the Lin family.
Now my uncle is sighing over my second sister's marriage, and even my mother often talks about how my aunt can't sleep at night because of my second sister.
As a result, he grew increasingly disliked Lin Ziqi.
He was lost in thought, completely unaware that Qin Yuan's next words would leave him utterly impressed.
Qin Yuan said, "I intend to do business with Cewen, but I do not consider Shuhaige as a competitor. However, we will definitely become competitors."
Everyone was stunned.
Qin Siyuan blinked.
Mr. Matsuyama asked with a smile, "Tell me more about it."
Lord Gu also stared intently over.
Qin Yuan said calmly, "What I value most are the scholars of the world. It is said that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Sir, do you think we should be managing the boat or the water?"
Mr. Songshan was puzzled: "Others compare ordinary people to water, but you are comparing scholars to water?"
Qin Yuan nodded and looked at Mr. Songshan, saying, "That's right. To conquer and stabilize the country, one must win the hearts of the people. At that time, the people were the water, and the royal family was the boat. But now there are more and more scholars, and the royal family and the scholar-officials govern the country together. Naturally, the scholars are the water, and the royal family is the boat."
Mr. Songshan squinted and thought for a moment, then said, “That’s right, the situation has changed. We can’t use the calendar from two years ago to judge this year’s solar terms. Now the country is rich and the people are strong, and the world is at peace. As long as the people can survive, they won’t have any other thoughts. At this time, stabilizing the country no longer depends on the hearts of the people, but on the scholars.”
Qin Siyuan nodded, agreeing with what Mr. Songshan said.
"Among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, scholars are ranked first. All other professions are inferior, only studying is noble. In ordinary families, if there is any surplus, they will send their children to private schools. If there is a promising student in the clan, but the parents are reluctant to send him to the clan school, the clan elders will visit them repeatedly to persuade them and pay for his tuition."
Although the students' families are no longer as prosperous as they once were, the students at the ethnic minority school still receive support from their families.
The student's mother always taught him to prioritize his studies, so that he could face his family and elders with pride if he achieved academic success.
Mr. Matsuyama couldn't help but sigh.
"In the past, Dongfang Shuo presented three thousand bamboo slips to Emperor Wu of Han to showcase his talent, but after entering officialdom, he became a favored minister. When asked why, he said that the world was now unified, unlike the Warring States period when heroes vied for supremacy, talent alone could gain the emperor's favor. The so-called respect for the virtuous and talented was mostly due to the emperor's own needs. His excessive display of talent would only arouse the jealousy of others. Dongfang Shuo's words and what the prince said are similar in meaning."
After saying that, he couldn't help but look at Qin Yuan with a complicated expression and sigh, "I have traveled all over the world, and I still can't see as clearly as you, young master. The ancients said that noble people are born with knowledge. Although you are young, you are truly insightful." He was quite saddened.
This world is probably doomed to be what Dongfang Shuo said: even Emperor Wu could only tolerate mediocre talents, let alone an ordinary monarch.
Qin Yuan felt ashamed inwardly. She wasn't born with knowledge; she had simply lived a second life and saw things more clearly. So she quickly changed the subject, smiling gently as she comforted him, "Sir, you flatter me. I only wanted to fight for the Marquis's family at first... As for the rest... I was inspired by what you said today about the 'Four Classes of People' and 'Scholars Speaking on Politics'."
Mr. Songshan gave an "oh" and looked at Qin Yuan.
Qin Yuan asked, "May I ask, sir, how many scholars are there in the South now? What will the scene be like in ten or twenty years?"
Mr. Songshan said, "The imperial examination system flourished in Suzhou, Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang and other places. People in the south made a living by studying, and even the youngest children in the village could read. People in the north were much less literate; if asked for directions, they would answer that they could not read. Moreover, scholars in the Jiangnan region have always been fond of encouraging younger generations, and there is a strong tradition of studying hard. It is common for entire families, fathers and sons, to take the exam together. In another ten or twenty years, there will be even more scholars, perhaps as many as fifty or sixty thousand more."
Qin Yuan nodded: "That's right."
Qin Siyuan gasped: "An extra fifty or sixty thousand for a scholar?"
Mr. Songshan stretched out his five fingers and began to calculate: "The population has increased at least threefold since the founding of the dynasty. Back then, there were at least fifty or sixty thousand scholars, even though there were fewer. Now the country is peaceful and prosperous, and the Jiangnan region is a land of plenty. The land is small but the population is large. As long as the court doesn't arbitrarily increase taxes, another generation can be added in ten to twenty years. One begets two, two begets three, three begets countless, what do you say?"
Qin Siyuan muttered, "Even if the population grows rapidly, the number of scholars might not increase that much."
It is extremely difficult for an ordinary family to support a scholar.
Furthermore, becoming a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations) was not easy. Many people studied their whole lives but never passed and were called "old child scholar" by others.
Mr. Songshan said: "In the past, Emperor Taizu imposed some restrictions. County schools and prefectural schools only set up quotas for students with stipends. The number of scholars was small and difficult to pass the exam, but they received silver and grain from the court. Later, additional quotas were set up for students without stipends, and the number of students doubled. These additional students naturally did not receive silver and grain, but they had the status of scholars and could be exempted from corvée labor."
Starting twenty years ago, many officials and scholars established private schools, and many famous academies were added in the Jiangnan region, leading to a growing number of scholars.
Therefore, the county school has now added more places for affiliated students, and the number is increasing year by year. With the imperial examination system becoming increasingly competitive, there will likely be even more in the future. Considering all this, I'm afraid I've underestimated the number.
Qin Yuan nodded.
To become an official, one had to first become a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examinations) and enter an official school. With the status of a Xiucai, one's family could receive protection and exemption from corvée labor.
Therefore, in the south and other places, some surplus wealth was used to urge children to study. Even if they couldn't concentrate on their studies, knowing a few characters would make it easier for them to find jobs.
"Ever since Emperor Taizu issued an edict forbidding scholars from speaking about politics, many scholars have been dissatisfied. Every now and then, academic officials and courtiers would speak out on their behalf, but they never found a way to do so."
Qin Siyuan said, "With so many people submitting memorials, how can we possibly keep track of them all?"
Qin Yuan said, "That's right, but with more scholars, there will be even more people who want to speak out on politics. As the saying goes, it's better to guide than to block, and it's easier to prevent people from speaking than to prevent a river from overflowing, let alone scholars."
Qin Siyuan's eyes lit up, and he asked, "May I ask what wonderful method Young Master Nantang has?"
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "I am neither a court official nor a scholar. I only care about a few taels of silver in business, so my method is naturally related to this business."