bullyxtreme Chapter 41 Brilliant! Brilliant plan!
Chapter 41 Brilliant! Brilliant plan!
"What brilliant plan does Yuanzhi have?" Li Zhao asked.
Xu Shu leaned close to Li Zhao's ear and whispered a few words.
Upon hearing this, Li Zhao's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands and laughed.
"Brilliant! Brilliant plan! Let's follow Yuanzhi's plan!"
He stood up, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Pass down the order! Three days from now, a 'court debate' will be held in the main hall of the Prime Minister's residence. The heads of the prominent families who jointly submitted the petition, as well as representatives of the impoverished scholars who passed the imperial examination this spring, are invited to participate."
"I'd like to see whether their eloquence is more impressive, or whether the genuine talent and learning of a poor scholar like myself is more valuable!"
……
Three days later, in the main hall of the Prime Minister's residence.
The atmosphere was tense and ready to fight.
To the left sat a dozen or so well-dressed, arrogant patriarchs of powerful families, led by Kong Yu. Behind them stood their respective sons and nephews, each one haughty and conceited.
On the right sat about twenty students from impoverished families who had passed the imperial examinations this spring, including Wang Xiu. Although they were simply dressed, they all stood upright with firm gazes.
In the center of the hall, Li Zhao sat in the main seat, with Liu Bei and Xu Shu on either side. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, accompanied by a squad of guards, stood at attention, swords drawn, exuding a murderous aura.
"Gentlemen."
Li Zhao spoke first, his voice calm yet authoritative.
"I've gathered everyone here today for one thing. Some people say that this year's imperial examination was unfair, and that those from poor families were unworthy of their positions. I'd like to hear everyone's opinions on this."
Kong Yu was the first to step forward, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and said proudly:
"Your Excellency, it is not that our aristocratic families intend to make things difficult for us. It is simply that these young men from humble backgrounds are of lowly birth and lack knowledge. Governing a country and administering state affairs is a profound subject, how could it be accomplished by those who have only read a few books?"
"In our opinion, only scions of distinguished families with a long tradition of scholarship are qualified for this position. We urge Your Excellency to reconsider and not to mislead the people of Qingzhou."
His words were echoed by the aristocratic families.
"What Master Kong said is absolutely right!"
"What merit or ability does this poor man possess to dare to occupy such a high position?"
Faced with the aggressive attitude of the powerful families, the students from poor families were indignant, but due to their social status, none of them dared to speak out in rebuttal.
Just then, Wang Xiu stood up. He bowed respectfully to Li Zhao, then turned to Kong Yu and said loudly:
"Master Kong is mistaken! As the ancients said, 'Are kings, nobles, generals, and ministers born with a special destiny?' In the past, Jiang Ziya came from a humble background as a butcher and a drinker, yet he was able to assist King Wen of Zhou in achieving hegemony; Guan Zhong was imprisoned, yet he was able to help Duke Huan of Qi unite the feudal lords nine times."
"It is clear that talent and social background are not necessarily related. We, from humble backgrounds, may be poor, but we are knowledgeable, reasonable, and patriotic. For Confucius to judge us as incompetent based solely on our origins is far too arbitrary!"
Wang Xiu's words were reasonable, well-founded, and resounding, immediately winning applause from the students from impoverished families.
Kong Yu, his face flushed with embarrassment at the rebuttal, retorted angrily, "You audacious madman! What kind of allusion are you using? Jiang Ziya and Guan Zhong were sages, how could you commoners compare to them?"
"alright."
Li Zhao interrupted their argument.
"Talk is cheap. Since you all believe you are talented, let's have a contest."
He clapped his hands, and Xu Shu immediately ordered people to bring up two huge wooden boards, each with a question written on it.
"There are two questions here, one on scriptural interpretation and the other on practical application."
Li Zhao pointed to the wooden board on the left and said, "This question on the classics is for the sons of noble families to answer. The question is: On the essence of 'benevolent governance'."
The scions of prominent families were immediately delighted upon seeing the topic. This was their forte! They often discussed these profound principles in their studies.
Several self-proclaimed learned scions of prominent families stepped forward, quoting classical texts and speaking eloquently. They spoke of "self-discipline and restoration of propriety," "the people are more important than the ruler," and "the implementation of education," their words flowing like a torrent.
However, after listening for a while, Li Zhao only shook his head slightly. What these people said sounded nice, but it was all empty rhetoric, lacking any real substance. Like an embroidered pillow, it was all show and no substance.
After they finished speaking, Li Zhao pointed to the wooden board on the right and said:
"This practical question is for students from underprivileged backgrounds to answer. The question is: Qingzhou has recently received 200,000 new refugees, who are about to begin spring planting. How can we ensure the refugees have enough food while organizing them for spring planting? How many seeds and farming tools need to be allocated? How should the land be distributed? How can we prevent the outbreak of disease?"
The moment the question was posed, the hall fell silent.
The scions of noble families exchanged bewildered glances, completely dumbfounded. They were used to discussing classical texts and historical records; they had never encountered such practical matters concerning people's livelihoods. These questions were more difficult for them than reading a book written in heaven.
But for students from poor families, the situation is quite different.
Most of them came from farming families and had firsthand experience with farming and people's livelihoods. Upon seeing this question, they showed no sign of panic; instead, they were all eager and ready to try.
Wang Xiu stepped forward again. After a moment's thought, he confidently said:
"Your Excellency, I believe this matter should be handled in three steps."
"The first step is to reassure the people. Continue to maintain the soup kitchens to ensure the basic food supply for the displaced people. At the same time, register the displaced people by household and resettle them by village, selecting respected elders to manage them and prevent unrest."
"The second step is to prepare for planting. Based on the number of people in each household, calculate the required amount of seeds and farming tools. The students roughly estimate that 200,000 refugees will need about 50,000 shi of seeds and 20,000 sets of farming tools. These can be allocated from the government treasury or borrowed from wealthy households and repaid in the autumn. Land allocation should be based on the number of people in each family, with each adult male allocated 10 mu of land to ensure basic survival."
"The third step is epidemic prevention. Spring is a season prone to epidemics. We should organize displaced people to clean their living environments and prepare preventative herbal decoctions for distribution. At the same time, we should set up isolation areas so that any patients can be isolated and treated immediately."
Wang Xiu spoke eloquently and logically, with detailed data, and every measure he proposed was practical and feasible.
Following him, other students from impoverished backgrounds added their suggestions. Some suggested using artisans among the refugees to forge agricultural tools, others suggested building irrigation systems to prepare for spring droughts, and still others suggested establishing mutual aid groups among the refugees…
Their answers not only demonstrated a profound understanding of people's livelihood, but also reflected their remarkable ability to get things done.
The difference between the two is obvious.
The heads of the powerful families looked increasingly grim, as if they had swallowed a fly.
Their prized knowledge and skills seemed utterly pale and powerless in the face of these concrete practical matters.
Li Zhao nodded in satisfaction after hearing the answer from the student from a poor family.
He stood up, his gaze sweeping across the room before finally settling on Kong Yu and the others.
"Gentlemen of the family, do you have anything else to say?"
Kong Yu opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. Facts speak louder than words; they had completely lost this time.
"You keep saying that governing a country is a profound subject, but isn't that profound subject simply ensuring that the people have enough to eat, warm clothes, and land to cultivate? If you can't even do these most basic things well, how can you talk about governing the country and bringing peace to the world?"
Li Zhao's voice suddenly rose, filled with sternness.
"You scions of noble families, pampered and spoiled, never lift a finger, and know nothing of basic life. You spout platitudes about benevolence and righteousness, but your hearts are full of wickedness and debauchery! When faced with real problems, you're utterly helpless, only good for empty talk!"
"You think you're qualified to talk about governing a country? You think you're qualified to look down on students from poor families?"
Li Zhao became increasingly angry as he spoke, and suddenly slammed his hand on the table.
"Pass on my orders!"
"Given that the heads of prominent families like Kong Yu, instead of serving the country, have formed cliques for personal gain, ostracized talented individuals, and even attempted to blackmail the government with strikes and boycotts, their crimes are unforgivable!"
"Effective immediately, all official positions and titles are stripped of Kong Yu and others! Their family members are barred from participating in the imperial examinations for three years!"
"All the underprivileged students who passed the imperial examination this spring have been selected based on their abilities and will assume their posts immediately!"