Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 261 Formal Awakening
The Five Oceans Festival is proceeding in an orderly manner.

On the high platform of white marble, a series of intricate rituals unfolded under the guidance of the chief officiant.

At this solemn and respectful moment, whether marshal or soldier, everyone had to stand obediently during the celebration! And everyone was satisfied that they could stand and participate in the sacrificial ceremony.

The marshal was satisfied because tens of thousands of people were following him in offering sacrifices to the ocean; thus, in future naval battles, the fleet's formation against the enemy would be able to be commanded and obeyed without question.

The captains were satisfied because only a few men were standing in front of them, while most of the sailors were standing behind them.

The sailors were satisfied with their current position, because many people wanted to stand on these white jade steps but couldn't!

The ceremonial music began, and the ceremony was proceeding in a standardized manner! The marshal glanced around, suddenly sensed something, looked at a lieutenant in the audience, and after confirming that he was from "Dongtu," his lips twitched!
The marshal looked helplessly at the burly young man from the north: "Why didn't you learn anything at home, instead of coming here to freeload?"

He looked at his own side, hundreds of young men, each of whom had been devoted to the local area for generations; now they were all obediently standing in the army, having changed their appearances, but the favor of the land fell on this guy.

…At this moment, Xuan Chong was still immersed in the atmosphere…

The Five Oceans Sacrifice was a proper national sacrifice, on the same level as the Emperor's Prayer for Grain.

All the people who appeared came from respectable backgrounds and had good family relationships.

In "Xianglin's Wife," wealthy families also forbid people who have "remarried" or are considered "unclean" from entering during family ancestral rites, let alone during such a grand ceremony.

What if those scoundrels with axes in the streets and alleys were plotting to taint the sailors participating in the grand ceremony, for example, by sending them to gambling dens?

The sailors are to be dismissed by the navy, and these short-sighted gambling dens will also be shut down.

Even now, gambling dens and certain unscrupulous places, even if they know a sailor's identity, will politely ask him to leave.

Just like in the Water Margin, the tavern at the foot of Mount Wutai dared not sell wine and meat to Lu Zhishen after learning his identity.

So, are there powerful figures behind gambling dens and brothels? And why do these "powerful figures" want to flaunt their power and suppress insignificant people who have attended national memorial ceremonies?

First of all, places like gambling dens, brothels, and theaters—these low-class establishments—were never backed by any "big shots." This shows a lack of understanding of the current state of affairs in the Han Dynasty.

Modern Han Chinese: Only barbarian countries would ask such a question.

The Han people have always ridiculed Europe and other places as barbarians, simply because those so-called members of parliament who sit at the table and speak are all undignified when investigated, "they don't care where the gold coins come from" and "they make money from any kind of money".

The current Han Chinese people's moral judgment of foreign tribes under a parliamentary system is similar to how Xuan Chong viewed the parliaments of India in his previous life, referring to the Western civilized world.

In Xuan Chong's previous life, India was known as the largest "democratic" society; however, a large majority of the parliamentary candidates were not clean, carrying serious criminal charges! As for major newspapers in Europe and the United States: "Is this a parliamentary election or a loot-sharing meeting of a bandit gang?"

Clearly, even Onsa found the scene undignified.

The parliamentary system of the merchant alliance that Xuan Chong was familiar with in his previous life would infuriate even the great Confucian scholars if applied to the values ​​of the modern Han Dynasty.

The development trend of the Han Dynasty over thousands of years has been that the system of rites has become increasingly complex. From ancient times to the present, the development trend of the Eastern system of rites has been that as the times have progressed, the constraints of rites on scholars and nobles have gradually become greater. As the saying goes, rites do not extend to commoners, and the higher one goes, the more cautious and respectful people are of rites.

In Xuan Chong's view, the imperial system of centralized power had reached its zenith! By the Ming and Qing dynasties, it seemed to have come to an end.

But now that Xuan Chong has seen the modern Han, he can't help but gasp in astonishment!

In the imperial court, regardless of whether it was the "benevolent way" or the "hegemonic way," the courtiers, who held different views, all adhered to the sacred doctrine of "harmony between heaven and man."

In important events like sacrificial rites, which are performed under the watchful eyes of many, any mistake will be weighed. And if, after being weighed, certain "contradictions against heaven and man" are discovered, then it is the same as being killed in a previous life, never to be reincarnated.

The principle of "harmony between heaven and man" means prioritizing the well-being of the nation.

"Ji" refers to the pattern of natural production, such as fields producing grains and oceans producing fish; those who maintain this "Ji" are all of "legitimate" status, similar to the "official" positions in mythology.

Those who maintain a proper profession are called "societies." "Theatrical performances, prostitution, and prostitution" are considered unethical.

If a monarch's ministers favor those who have no proper occupation and distance themselves from those who have proper occupation, they will be labeled and subsequently ostracized from the core of power.

…In modern China, money is categorized into “noble” and “base” types…

The millennia-long cycle of order and chaos has instilled a "post-traumatic stress disorder" in the current rulers of the Han Dynasty, prompting them to desperately seek to escape this cycle. They have established the strictest set of rules and regulations in history, which no one can transgress! Anyone who dares to transgress will be crushed by the entire system.

Even monarchs fear the theory of "the contradiction between heaven and man".

According to Western law, the current emperor of the Han Dynasty is a "reign with real power," but if he is accused of violating the law of heaven and man, he is a "figurehead emperor."

Returning to the Five Oceans Festival ceremony, those who were officially recognized as "legitimate" citizens were all included in the main rituals.

If one is disturbed by "neglecting one's duties," and there is a "big shot" who dares to endorse and guarantee this neglect of duties, then this "big shot" will be immediately identified as a "disease" and eliminated by the immune system within the current Han regime.

Outside the festival grounds, in the various port areas, a large number of people of all kinds were watching the rows of battleships lined up on the waves, while the sailors participating in the festival stood tall and proud.

…Capitalists prey on people without regard to rules, while modern Han dynasty etiquette precisely preys on people. …

As a time traveler in this modern Han Dynasty, Xuan Chong is very fortunate to have a seat at the table!

As a prince, he was bound by etiquette and law from birth, and assigned a "proper occupation." His proper occupation was to reproduce and guard the land in the harsh, cold region.

Here I must mention the understanding of "peasant uprisings and widespread chaos" among modern Chinese historians during the rise and fall of dynasties.

To begin with the answer, the official historians of the modern Han dynasty do not believe that "rebellion" is absolutely correct; they simply view "rebellion" as a phenomenon of "contradictions between Heaven and Man," and their main research focus is on how to resolve this phenomenon.

Modern Chinese literature has developed a comprehensive theory to curb peasant uprisings.

Xuan Chong read contemporary history, and this is what Confucian scholars said: Land annexation? This is not wrong. It is normal and natural for farmers to lose their land! Households with slow farming efficiency will be naturally excluded, and those with high farming efficiency will take over! (A cold explanation of the phenomenon of population elimination within China)

Confucian scholars acknowledged that natural disasters are indeed more severe. When natural disasters are combined with war, the natural process of weeding out lazy and indolent behavior spirals out of control, leading to serious problems.

Modern historians of the Han Dynasty believe that the key to the peasant uprisings (bandit revolts) was not land annexation, but rather the fact that the upper echelons of powerful clans, after annexing land, abandoned their "proper occupations" and became engrossed in the pursuit of domestic servants and debt collection. When land control was in the hands of this "unproductive" group, then uprisings—officially called peasant riots—occurred.

For thousands of years, it has not been that imperial power did not extend to the countryside, but rather that it gradually extended to rural areas.

Land consolidation continues in Hanzhong, but the landlords who have acquired large tracts of land are restrained by the "legal and ethical practices in rural areas."

According to the rules of etiquette, after landlords acquired land, during the busy farming season determined by astronomy and calendar, they and their blood relatives had to work on every 100 acres of land for one hour each day (capped at four hours) in order to be considered to be engaged in legitimate business!

Therefore, in modern times, after land consolidation, landlords would spend the entire busy farming season engaged in their "legitimate occupation"—any time they weren't deemed to be engaged in their "legitimate occupation," it would be considered a stain on their record. If this got out, at best they wouldn't be able to participate in the imperial examinations for several years, and at worst, it would affect the official careers of their entire clan.

Xuan Chong: The key to this system is that "landlords were genuinely farming," to the point that tenant farmers could see them. This reduced the likelihood of farmers secretly colluding behind the landlords' backs. If farmers were truly dissatisfied, they wouldn't organize, but rather find an opportunity to confront the landlord face-to-face, venting their grievances without gathering to storm the government. Thus, large-scale peasant uprisings were effectively contained at the landlord level.

Xuan Chong was greatly shocked by this. Without class narrative, the logic of modern Chinese historians is to explain peasant violence from the perspective of "human affairs" theory.

The Modern Chinese dictionary defines dynastic change as follows: When a ruler's actions contradict the will of Heaven and the will of Man, he loses the ability to "unite everyone in the right course of action"; due to the ruler's governance that contradicts the will of Heaven and the will of Man, and at the same time, people who have lost their stable property and become displaced are forced to gather and rise up in rebellion, then dynastic change begins.

Xuan Chong's previous life's educational logic explained the uprising from the perspective of "economic" theory: during the process of land annexation, a large number of peasants who lost their land would lose their source of income, which would then lead to an uprising.

After the two theories clashed, Xuan Chong couldn't help but ask again: If the current Han dynasty does this, won't there be no farmers who lose their land?
In fact, there are.

Having lost their means of production—land—and their legitimate social environment, they were rendered speechless! Just like Ah Q in the story of Ah Q, who, having lost his land and his social capital in legitimate occupations, was easily suppressed. Seeking unorthodox methods, he was ultimately beheaded, and all he could do was draw a Q.

Xuan Chong: So the logic of etiquette in modern Chinese is to give enough respect to "those who do proper work"; to separate "those who do proper work" from the group, and then to ruthlessly crack down on the rest.

In the current Han dynasty, among the social classes of "scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants," the rites and laws defined categories of "rituals and sacrifices" for those engaged in their respective professions from top to bottom.

The court officials determined the number of people to be seated at the altar during the sacrifices based on the output and social role of each industry. Every year, industry leaders in various sectors paid particular attention to this matter. —Liu Haoxing was able to be seated because his family had guarded the north for generations.

Xuan Chong felt that this seemingly exhausting and formalistic sacrificial ceremony was a great honor for the people who participated.

Those outside the system, those who are outside the system, have no name or status! They have no right to bask in the glory of the "Five Oceans Festival".

…Xuan Chong: This is way too right-wing…

This means that a large number of freelancers in the city, from restaurant owners to food delivery workers, are not employed in legitimate businesses. They are all people who could be easily taken advantage of at any time.

As for those people who are called the urban class in Europe, they are not qualified to rebel in modern Han.

Tsk tsk, the territory of the present Han Dynasty is vast, and all the vassal states are short of people. Sending away those who have "no proper occupation" will not cause any problem for the operation of the core area of ​​the present Han Dynasty.

For example, Dongtu takes over hundreds of young people who are in debt from Xianhan every year; they are all minor offenders who stole small things and can't pay them back.

Under this system, Xuan Chong clearly felt that there was a pervasive sense of "killing intent" towards the outside world in modern Han society. This was simply because far too many young people longed to be included in the category of "proper professions" and did not want to live like "ants."

By joining the military and engaging in social mobilization, one can gain access to formal systems and exchanges, thus acquiring capital.

The current Han Dynasty has reached its limit in terms of productivity. Its expansion from north to south has yielded no returns.

…The festival has ended…

After standing for a whole morning, Xuan Chong rubbed his hungry stomach and started running the 100-meter dash, while habitually picking up a ruler to mark the distance ahead.

Xuan Chong subtly moved his finger in front of him, drawing a new line.

"Wait, a ruler? I didn't bring my pencil case!" Xuan Chong was slightly taken aback when he saw the precise distance of 84.5445m ahead.
The Five Oceans Festival is a formal ceremony, and participants must wear well-fitting formal attire; no extra items are permitted.

And if such an important item as a pencil case were confiscated by a superior on a formal occasion, I would be devastated.

So I put it in the dormitory.

However, now something mystical has happened: the ruler in the pencil case appears directly in my hand, just as I think about it.

Xuan Chong silently recited the command, and with a "whoosh," the ruler disappeared. Then, when he was about to measure the distant building, it reappeared.

Then, Xuan Chong paused for a moment, then immediately tried. A compass, eraser, pencil, and even a pencil case appeared. But as soon as he stopped measuring, they all became blurry images.

After lunch, Xuan Chong hurriedly ran back to his dormitory, took out his schoolbag, and found that all his stationery was gone.

However, as Xuan Chong had a sudden thought and wanted to measure the size of the room, the stationery reappeared. Xuan Chong then realized that the "magical stationery" had merged with him and become one of his abilities.

Xuan Chong: I just participated in a "festival," so why did the things I brought from my time travel become mystical? Who knows, maybe one day I'll just disappear from this world in a flash.

Then, Xuan Chong punched his schoolbag, but quickly paused because he had touched something tangible: the novel "The Fierce Soldier" was still there.

Upon touching the novel, Xuan Chong realized something and quickly asked the system, "Where are my stationery?"

Suddenly, the system responded: "The time-travel item has been updated according to the dimensional rules system. Your feedback is welcome."

Xuan Chong: "System update? Did you save the old version?"

The system message read: "The old version has vulnerabilities. Restoring it would make it inconvenient for you to use. (Although not explicitly stated, this system response made it clear to Xuan Chong that in the old version, losing stationery would render him unusable! The new version update is designed to provide Xuan Chong with a better experience.)"

To be honest, Xuan Chong always felt this was just child's play. He was sure he had experienced something to cause all this to happen. (Five Oceans Sacrifice)
Xuan Chong brandished the "Fierce Soldier" book in his hand and asked, "And what about this one?"

System: "This item has not been included in this update system because no user feedback has been received."

Xuan Chong grasped the key information: "How to use it?"

The system, on the other hand, seemed to be frozen. Perhaps it was disappointed with the students who lacked even the motivation to explore "cheat codes."

…half an hour later…

Xuan Chong used all the tools he had, and suddenly noticed the pen in his hand!

When you draw lines in the air with a ruler, you don't need a pen. So what is the purpose of a pen?

Xuan Chong took out a ruler and drew a line with a pen. It was a normal line, no different from the line he had made out of thin air before.

After a pause and some thought, he realized that he hadn't quite figured out the function of the fountain pen yet. So he took out the fountain pen and wrote on the paper, but the writing was normal and the paper didn't turn into gold or silver.

While Xuan Chong was bored, he scribbled a pen on the book "The Fierce Soldier" he had borrowed from the library and found that the pen was not "flowing" (not writing). He reflexively shook it, then scribbled it on his palm and found that the pen flowed smoothly.

Xuan Chong was flipping through the novel when he suddenly noticed a blank page with a name on it. He quickly flipped through many more pages. He discovered that this name had disappeared from all 250 chapters of the novel. Suddenly, he understood.

So Xuan Chong himself began studying his own novel, occasionally putting pen to paper, as if a bored person were writing with a blank pen.

Suddenly, however, the pen tip could move under a word, and that word was "Cao Huan Dan" (草还丹). Xuan Chong took a deep breath and circled the word. Then, staring at the word, he suddenly felt his eyes sting, but after rubbing them, the word disappeared.

Immediately afterward, Xuan Chong stood up and accidentally bumped his schoolbag. As the schoolbag fell, he felt as if something had been added inside, like a porcelain vase.

(End of this chapter)