Gongyang Xu fell silent.
Zhu Chong gave a faint smile.
He stood up, hands clasped behind his back, and slowly paced around the hall.
“The Great Yin established its dynasty with its military merits, but the real beneficiaries are those military noble families.”
Zhu Chong looked at Bai Changkong calmly and said, “Lord Bai, you are profoundly learned. Some matters don’t need me to say much. The military noble families of Great Yin have many clans with long histories, such as…”
He paused slightly, then softly added, “Such as the Jingyang Lu clan, whose family history can be traced back more than ten dynasties before the Great Yin. Their strength as an aristocratic family needs no further explanation.”
Military noble families.
Families like the Jingyang Lu clan.
One dynasty after another falls, yet these military noble clans, relying on unmatched martial power, vast territories, countless private armies, and generations of amassed riches, remain unscathed despite the upheavals in the land.
Often, the downfall of a dynasty is masterminded behind the scenes by these military aristocrats.
With every dynasty’s collapse and the establishment of a new one, it becomes a feast for these powerful clans.
Just like today’s Great Yin, the Jingyang Lu clan behind the Duke of Lai’s family holds tens of thousands of miles of territory, governing hundreds of millions of people.
Every year, their tax income flows into the treasury like mountains of gold and waves of silver.
The large Duke of Lai’s mansion is merely a signboard the Jingyang Lu clan put forward at the Gaojing court.
The Duke of Lai’s mansion is wealthy and powerful, but the true behemoth is the Jingyang Lu clan’s main branch, entrenched in their territory, out of the spotlight, quietly enjoying boundless wealth and glory.
“They have land––their ancestral grounds span tens of thousands of miles; they have people––countless servants and private soldiers, tens of thousands of their own descendants; they have wealth––mines, pastures, trillions of acres of farmland, and merchant guilds operating everywhere.”
Zhu Chong suddenly stopped in place, pointed to the floor, and said loudly, “But those are the military nobles.”
“We, the sons and daughters of the cultural and educational families, mostly come from the grassroots, mostly from commoner backgrounds. Our scholarly ancestors told us: if you study hard, you can advance; if you advance, you can achieve honor; if you achieve honor, you can become prosperous!”
“We also remind our disciples and students face to face that studying is the shortcut to ascension. As long as you delve into the classics of culture and education, you can become renowned throughout the world, and fame and fortune will naturally follow.”
Zhu Chong said loudly, “Our cultural education rose alongside Great Yin for three hundred years. Three hundred years! Families like ours—Zhu, Gongyang, Linghu, and others—these great clans we venerate as the ‘Families of the Sages’ and ‘Families of the Secondary Sages’ need no further mention.”
“Our disciples and followers, those devoted to culture and learning, in these three centuries, have married and had children, extended branches, expanded from families of three or five into large prominent clans numbering hundreds or thousands.”
Zhu Chong openly shouted, “So many people are our cultural disciples, our staunch supporters, our pillars to stand firm at court and control government affairs!”
“So they want the best meals, exotic delicacies, and aged fine wines.”
“So they want the finest clothes, brocades and silks, gold hairpins and jade pendants.”
“So they want the best homes, grand mansions and sprawling gardens.”
“So they want the best beasts to ride, rare steeds, and ornate four-wheeled carriages.”
“So they want the best pleasures, beautiful wives and concubines, handsome boys and charming servants.”
“So even in death, they demand grand funerals, choosing lands of auspicious feng shui, building elaborate underground tombs, and accompanying their burial with gold, silver, pearls, and jade. Even coffins… colleagues use twelve-inch thick golden silk nanmu for coffins with triple inner and outer layers. Do you dare use mere nine-inch thick ash wood?”
Zhu Chong stood before Bai Changkong, smiling, and said, “All of this, it all costs money! So…”
Beside him, Cui Wubu, the Minister of Revenue, pale and plump like a soft rice cake, looked harmless and said softly, “So, back when disaster relief happened, all the money, grain, medicine, and even materials to rebuild the city walls, bricks, and timber—everything—was about eighty billion strings of coins, twenty billion dan of grain, not one single cent or grain was given to the disaster victims. We took it all.”
Cui Wubu smiled broadly and said, “At that time, the young emperor had just ascended, only seven years old—he knew nothing; the Empress Dowager ruled behind the curtain, a palace woman—she knew nothing; the Grand General was busy buying hearts and minds—a butcher who killed dogs—what would he understand?”
Shaking his head, Cui Wubu leisurely said, “As for those military nobles, they certainly didn’t care about the life and death of some ragtag commoners.”
He clapped his hands, beaming widely: “All taken. Except some scapegoats doomed to die, the whole affair was handled perfectly, without letting a single drop leak.”
Zhu Chong smiled and looked at Bai Changkong. “Lord Bai, you asked about the land of Anping Prefecture.”
Shaking his head, Zhu Chong said indifferently, “All the land in Anping Prefecture now belongs to us: the Zhu clan, the Gongyang clan, the Linghu clan, the Zhuge clan, the Wang clan, the Cui clan… yes, in general, the so-called Six Sages, Nineteen Worthies, and Sixty-Three Eminents of cultural education dominate all the land of Anping Prefecture.”
He gazed into Bai Changkong’s eyes and said, “The people of Anping Prefecture now belong to us as well. Those native Anping people who survived that disaster are now landless. They toil for us, they labor for us.”
“Their children work as cattle and horses for us; their women are at our mercy for pleasures and favors.”
The Grand Minister of Justice, Gongyang Xu, said calmly, “Anping Prefecture is surrounded by mountains with only three or five passes out to the outside world. In these years, we have fortified it into a fortress so strong that not a whisper leaks out.”
Zhu Chong smiled, “So, we say, is it the royal clan? The military nobles? The dukes? Or even those two—would they dare take action against us? Aside from them, can those mud-legged peasants of Anping cause such a commotion?”
Waving his hand, Zhu Chong laughed, “Impossible, absolutely impossible!”
Zhu Chong extended his hand to Bai Changkong. “I will personally guarantee that the Bai family gets a fertile piece of land in Anping Prefecture. Today in court, with just a sign from Lord Bai, so many disciples energetically stepped forward. Lord Bai truly embodies the essence of our cultural education.”
Bai Changkong looked at Zhu Chong’s hand, knowing this was a gesture of goodwill.
His disciples’ performance at today’s grand court meeting had convinced Zhu Chong that Bai Changkong had the qualifications to step from the symbolic representation of culture into its core circle.
‘Six Sages, Nineteen Worthies, Sixty-Three Eminents’!
Could Bai Changkong finally enter the core inner circle of cultural education?
Joyful!
Bai Changkong stretched out his hand and grasped Zhu Chong’s. “So it is, as it should be. I want the official position of Director of Guozijian.”
He had always held the title of Deputy Director of Guozijian.
That ‘Deputy’—Bai Changkong had long wanted to remove it.
Zhu Chong tightened his grip on Bai Changkong’s hand, hesitated a moment, then nodded, “It’s not easy, but we should try.”
They shook hands firmly, then released.
Bai Changkong looked at Zhu Chong, fully aware of the meaning behind his ‘not easy.’
Great Yin is vast.
The court sprawling.
Various ministries, markets, from the military to civil affairs, from administration to finance—which places are there that the cultural education officials cannot reach?
One is the Taishitai, the hereditary domain of Taishi Ling Lu Buyan.
The historians are not to be trifled with.
They form their own faction.
Though the cultural education faction includes history in its system, everyone knows the historian families are their own independent school, without any involvement with other schools.
To intervene means being condemned for all time.
At least for now, cultural education lacks the clout to touch the Taishitai.
The other is Guozijian.
The Guozijian office collects the brightest talents from all under heaven to teach them—it is the institution for selecting and nurturing gifted men.
It should logically be cultural education’s turf.
But the current Director of Guozijian is some strange, unapproachable oddity.
That old man hasn’t been in Gaojing for nearly a decade, wandering everywhere.
Bai Changkong has been stuck as deputy director for nearly ten years.
Thinking of that somewhat terrifying old fellow made Zhu Chong feel a toothache.
It was truly difficult, but since Bai Changkong had made the request, Zhu Chong genuinely wanted to bring him fully into the cultural education inner circle—as he said, Bai Changkong showed enough strength at today’s grand court.
At the grassroots official level in court, Bai Changkong wielded terrifying influence.
The scholarly gentlemen of cultural education respect reason, and Bai Changkong, with so many disciples and factions, deserves to be among those slicing the cake.
Bai Changkong’s first demand upon joining must be seriously pursued by cultural education.
Zhu Chong felt a bit annoyed.
Bai Changkong’s wish would be a tough nut to crack.
The only reason Bai Changkong could ask this of him was because at the grand court, Zhu Chong had asked Bai Changkong not to attack Lu Qian, letting Lu Qian smoothly obtain the title Duke of Tianyang.
And Zhu Chong owed Bai Changkong this favor because the emperor used the Anping Prefecture affair to threaten Zhu Chong and other cultural officials to allow Lu Qian’s elevation.
So the key lay here.
Zhu Chong said afterward that the reason he would help Bai Changkong fight for the official Director of Guozijian position was all because of Lu Qian!
Compared to that, calming the Anping Prefecture matter was nothing.
“This Lu Qian,” Zhu Chong said, hands behind his back, looking at a dozen purple-robed ministers who were now fully on his side, “gentlemen, this Lu Qian… hehe, hehe.”
The ministers pondered the meaning.
Yes, right, this Lu Qian is now the one the emperor pushes forward—a small rascal stirring up trouble among these cultured gentlemen.
Otherwise, with the emperor and empress dowager’s temperaments, would such local affairs as Anping Prefecture be left to you high officials to handle? The emperor normally, lounging around Jiǔqū Garden walking dogs, wouldn’t even know the name ‘Anping Prefecture.’
If not for giving Lu Qian the title, if not for fearing the opposition from numerous court officials, would the emperor challenge so many ministers over a matter like Anping?
Clearly, the ring leader was Lu Qian.
What could have been settled quietly behind the scenes was dragged into the open court, making the entire civil and military court aware, making all the royal clan, military nobles, and dukes carefully notice it.
Such a guilty matter under the spotlight tastes very bitter.
If not for Lu Qian, who else could have caused this?
“This boy must be eradicated.”
Grand Minister of Justice Gongyang Xu calmly lifted his teacup and said slowly, “The emperor needs to wake up and realize you can’t just pick any lackey and let him do as he pleases.”
“A sixteen-year-old ‘duke’? Ridiculous! Laughable! In all past dynasties, such a thing never happened.”
A thought flashed through Bai Changkong’s mind.
Not even counting ancient times, just after the Great Yin’s founding, during the wars that unified the lands, a strange man saved the founding emperor’s life, breaking through a heavy siege—the man was only thirteen years old and already reached unmatched martial heights.
The founding emperor gave him a jade token and golden plaque, naming him ‘Martial King,’ but that stranger refused office and took only three jars of aged wine, drinking and singing joyously before leaving.
Bai Changkong smiled faintly, casting that memory aside, then said softly, “This little dog has been acting a bit too arrogantly lately. It’s time to teach him a lesson.”
Before he finished speaking, a commotion broke out outside the hall.
The guards shouted sharply.
An old voice called from afar, “Minister, minister, bad news! Two young masters, two young masters, were beaten by that little thief Lu Qian until they’re vomiting blood and unconscious!”
‘Crack.’
The teacup in Zhu Chong’s hand shattered into pieces.
(End of chapter)