You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Qufu is the Vatican of the East.

They have always been pioneers in setting new trends.

Twelve miles east of Qufu, a joyous scene unfolds at a farmland redistribution site.

The land allocation process is extremely efficient.

Several groups of four people each were formed, consisting of one person each from the Ministry of Revenue, the New Army, the Confucius Family, and the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), and went to various counties to be responsible for clearing and redistributing land.

The Censorate is responsible for conducting random checks afterward.

The fields were divided on the spot, wooden stakes were driven in on the spot, and field deeds were made on the spot.

Anyone involved can point out the problems. If the conflict cannot be resolved, the matter can be taken to the Prime Minister in court.

In this way, the cover-up can be minimized.

There are fields, but no one is cultivating them.

Some people have no land to cultivate.

These 10 words can explain most of the world's political and economic issues.

……

"Confucius the Third".

"From the riverbank to that tree, it will be your field from now on."

"Thank you for your great kindness and virtue, Duke Yansheng."

The ragged, emaciated bachelor Kong Laosan knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly, only to be whipped from behind and rolled on the ground.

Duke Yansheng Kong Xingxie happened to be passing by on horseback, and came specifically to cause trouble.

"This land is so beautiful, why would I share it with you poor bastards? It was the Grand Secretary who gave it to me, and you're thanking me? Are you deliberately trying to humiliate me? I'll beat you to death."

"Spare me, spare me!"

Everyone present felt awkward.

Kong Xingxie lashed out three times and then left in a huff.

To actually beat someone to death is going too far.

What he wants is to tarnish his own reputation.

Zhang's words still echoed in my ears:

The Grand Secretary is not much narrower than the eye of a needle; you must never let him have any feelings for you.

Kong Xingxie led a group of servants away, but before he had gone far, he encountered troublemakers again.

quarrel.

All sorts of vulgar and offensive language were poured into my ears, a complete collapse of morality and social order.

"Go, separate them."

When the Duke Yansheng arrived in person, the two families were so frightened that they knelt on the ground and refused to get up.

"Qufu is a model city, do the things you just said conform to the teachings of Confucius and Mencius? Do they conform to the rites of Zhou?"

The common people were so frightened that they dared not raise their heads.

"what's up?"

"His family, relying on having more men, blocked the water outlet."

Why block the drain?

Kong Xingxie was bewildered.

……

A servant quickly came over and whispered, "Master, farming requires watering. If the water outlet is blocked upstream, there will be no water downstream."

Kong Xingxie looked closely and, sure enough, the fields upstream were flooded, while the fields downstream were completely dry.

Let's look at the next two families.

The family downstream has one male member, while the family upstream has four male members.

With conclusive evidence, proceed directly to trial.

Kong Xingxie was instantly enraged.

"You audacious scoundrel, you don't listen to a word of benevolence, righteousness, or moderation!"

The servants also became interested.

"Sir, this is clearly a reverse interpretation of Confucianism and Mencius."

“There must be fragrant grass within three steps. I really didn’t expect that there would be such unruly people in Qufu, a place known for its tough and honest people. Come on, hold them down.”

Kong Xingxie raised his stick, cursing inwardly, "Hey, you poor wretch, taking my land, your retribution has come!"

Click~
With one blow, the troublemaker's leg bone was broken.

"next."

Kong Xingxie broke the legs of three men in one go, maintaining the balance of power in the area and ensuring that each family had only one male member.

……

When the Duke Yansheng toured Qufu for three hundred li, he occasionally used Confucianism and Mencius to uphold justice, but most of the time he was not a decent human being. For example, he would break down the doors of widows, dig up graves of people without descendants, eat breast milk from new mothers, and bully honest people.

It made Qufu a mess.

The entire Yanzhou Prefecture turned pale at the mention of Kong.

Kong Xingxie returned to his residence, still feeling unsatisfied, and went to sleep peacefully.

Unsurprisingly, these bad things quickly reached the ears of the Grand Secretary, who summoned him and gave him a severe scolding in public.

In the Prime Minister's heart, which was as small as a needle's nose, there was finally someone else.

There are countless people who practice Confucianism and Mencius in reverse; the prerequisite is to find these people, root them out, and then eliminate them.

Punishing someone without prior instruction will have serious long-term consequences.

Therefore, we must teach first. Teaching requires teaching materials, and we must compile Confucian books that conform to the original tenets of Confucius and Mencius.

Huang Zongxi, the Minister of Rites, and his disciples were ordered to go to Qufu to compile books in the solemn Temple of Confucius.

Every morning.

The compilation team collectively entered the Dacheng Hall and burned incense to pay homage to Confucius.

night.

Place the revised book in front of the statue of Confucius and ask Confucius to take a look first.

After a month of this work, Huang Zongxi's team finally revised all the mainstream Confucian books on the market and then published them in various provinces under the name of the Ministry of Rites.

Confucius certified!

Certified by the Duke Yansheng!
Certified by the Prime Minister!

The triple certification bestows upon these Confucian teaching materials the most sacred aura.

……

When everyone thought that Qi's lawsuit against the emperor was closed with the public beheading of dozens of members of the Kong family, the case had only just begun.

A grand provincial examination slowly began.

Qufu, being the hometown of the sage, set up examination venues.

Jiang Qingyun decided to use the imperial examination to screen those who were practicing Confucianism and Mencius in reverse, ensuring that they were all caught in one fell swoop and left no future trouble.

Hangzhou Prefecture.

Zhao, a scholar from Ningbo Prefecture, stared at the test questions written on the sign, almost unable to believe his eyes.

The sign reads:

The world is in chaos, rites and music have collapsed, and morality has declined. Why is this? Please discuss the correctness or error of the unity of rights and responsibilities from the perspectives of parental love and filial piety, brotherly affection and respect, and loyalty between ruler and subject.

The proper order of ruler and subject, father and son, is the way of Heaven.

Does that mean that if a father is not kind, his son can be unfilial?

If this continues, the country will perish!

Zhao Xiucai cursed inwardly: Which scoundrel examiner set this question? It's crude, utterly treasonous, and deserves to be beheaded.

A lengthy 500-word rebuttal.

The next question.

The sign reads: "Though the world changes and the world is ever-changing, the teachings of Confucius and Mencius remain the unchanging principles for all ages."

Zhao Xiucai was furious again.

He thought to himself that this examiner was definitely a member of the demonic path and should have his entire family executed.

Thus, he wrote a lengthy 1,000-word essay, vehemently advocating that the teachings of Confucius and Mencius are the eternal and unchanging doctrines.

The next question is:
Please state your views and arguments regarding the two drastically different judgments rendered by the central government and the county government in the case of the brother killing his brother in Qufu, Shandong.

Scholar Zhao pondered deeply.

Ultimately, he chose the safest point to exploit.

Avoiding the sensitive issue of brotherly ethics, they launched a scathing attack on Qi, accusing him of several major crimes and deserving of a sentence of being paraded through the streets on a wooden donkey.

Zhao Xiucai's hand warmed up as he wrote, and he was very pleased with his own cleverness.

Criminal law is a major matter for the imperial court; how can it be subject to the comments of scholars?

The fourth question is:
Why are there so many hypocrites in the world, swindling and deceiving, saying one thing and doing another?

Zhao Xiucai exclaimed that it was a great topic, and then launched into a long and eloquent rant about the ugly behavior of many hypocrites, emphasizing the importance of self-cultivation.

……

A very small number of people sensed the approaching storm; some buried themselves in the ground, some actively sought to adapt, and some simply observed from the sidelines.

There is never a shortage of intelligent people in the world.

The imperial examination system, like a sieve, can ensure that 9% of intelligent people are selected.

Government offices at all levels are filled with clever people.

The Governor-General's Office of Sichuan.

Li Guoying, who was acting as the Governor-General of Sichuan as the Prefect of Chengdu, remained silent.

The trusted advisor beside him lowered his head and flipped through the newly compiled classics and historical texts sent by the post station, beads of sweat slightly seeping from his forehead.

"What do you see?"

"Dongweng, I see heads rolling in."

Li Guoying gave his master, who had followed him for decades, an approving look.

"The imperial court requires all officials of the fourth rank and above in each province to submit a memorial on the promotion of fundamentalist Confucianism within half a month. There is no way to avoid this matter. You will write it, and we will discuss it further."

"Row."

"what happened?"

"Sir, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should say it."

"But there's no harm in talking."

"The Grand Secretary's thoughts are unpredictable, and the hearts of the people are even more unpredictable. It is difficult to foresee what will happen in the future. Has the Grand Secretary ever considered retiring while still in power?"

Li Guoying pondered for a moment.

"Is it that serious?"

"Yes. It may last for decades, with repeated back-and-forth between the parties until a consensus is reached."

"can you?"

"Master Dong, in matters like this, one person can make the decision at the outset, but the outcome requires the approval of everyone." (End of Chapter)