National Division

Chapter 10 Even a poor family can have a door.

Shen Residence
Shen Xian sat down in the back hall and chatted with Lin Jing, who had just settled in.

Lin Jing looked at the young man opposite him, praised him, and said, "Young Master Shen is a man of his word, bold and decisive, and has surpassed his father in character."

Shen Xian humbly replied, "Uncle Lin, you flatter me."

When Dad heard this, he didn't know whether to be happy or angry.

“From now on, we’re related by marriage, so there’s no need to be so formal. You should call me uncle now,” Lin Jing said with a smile.

Shen Xian was not one to be pretentious, and said, "Then let's address each other as uncle."

Lin Jing's smile grew even wider as he said, "Nephew, that's right."

Shen Xian composed himself and said, "I want to ask my uncle about the current situation in Kyoto."

I thought I would never have to worry about money again and could finally relax, but it turns out that's not the case at all. The Shen family seems to have declined, and there is a crisis looming over the capital.

Otherwise, my father wouldn't have been stuck in Guhe County as a low-ranking county constable.

Lin Jing asked in surprise, "What does my nephew want to ask?"

Shen Xian pondered for a moment, then asked, "Why did the Empress Dowager trust cruel officials? And what was the story behind Prince Qing's treason case?"

To avoid being targeted by cruel officials who could bring disaster to one's family, it is necessary to understand the current political situation.

Lin Jing frowned and said, "This matter is a long story. Why trust cruel officials? There are all sorts of rumors in the capital. They say that the sons of noble families are all disobedient, eating the emperor's food but not being loyal to the emperor. Only those from poor families can be given important positions."

Shen Xian frowned and said, "Young masters from noble families are born with a silver spoon in their mouths, so they are naturally arrogant and look down on everyone else."

He wasn't from a prominent family. The Shen family of Lanxi was now a fallen clan, and by his father's generation, they had become a local strongman.

Perhaps, as his father said, without his father's support, if he didn't take up an official post, he would only be able to make a living by performing acrobatics and begging.

"The cruel official claimed to come from a humble background, but his ancestors were from a prominent family. He later became an official through the imperial examination and served as the Empress Dowager's henchman, adhering to Legalist principles. He was quite hostile towards aristocratic families, imperial princes, and vassal kings," Lin Jing explained.

Shen Xian nodded and said, "Even a humble family has its own way of life."

This is not surprising. A poor family is still a family, or rather, a true grassroots family will die out after three generations. Many of them are collateral branches of once prestigious families, who have multiplied and multiplied generation after generation, and gradually become commoners.

Lin Jing sighed and continued, "Prince Qing is a member of the Li imperial family of the Jing Dynasty. In the past five years, this is the eighth such rebellious prince."

Shen Xian: "..."

Is this a move to weaken the power of regional princes? Or is it a plot of usurpation?

Lin Jing picked up his teacup and said, "Whether Prince Qing plotted rebellion or not depends on how you look at it. According to the Censorate, it's possible that he did."

Perhaps. Upon hearing these three words, Shen Xian felt a slight tremor in his heart, thinking to himself, "Isn't this just baseless accusation?"

Suppress your inner turmoil and listen quietly to Lin Jing's story.

Before anyone knew it, the sky outside had darkened, and the servants had lit candles. The flickering candlelight cast orange glows on the window frames and the desk, adding a touch of tranquility to the room.

Lin Jing picked up the teacup, shook his head, and said, "The Empress Dowager may be eliminating the imperial clan, or she may be trying to flatten the powerful families. Every time the imperial clan rebels, many powerful families and noble clans are involved. Some people say that the Empress Dowager wants to replace Jing as emperor, but this is too shocking. Others say that the Empress Dowager wants to sweep away the deep-rooted problems of powerful families and inherit the legacy of Emperor Wen and Emperor Xiao."

Shen Xian frowned and asked, "Then which one does Uncle Lin think it is?"

It seems he really should find a copy of the history of the Great Jing Kingdom to read; he doesn't even know who it's talking about.

Lin Jing put down his teacup, seemingly somewhat indignant, and said, "Perhaps it's a combination of both. No one can guess what the Empress Dowager is thinking. The Great Jing Dynasty has been established for over a hundred years, but now rebellions are occurring one after another, and the country is declining. I don't know what's wrong with it."

Just then, a clear, melodious voice, like a flowing spring, rang in their ears: "It's nothing more than the country having been established for a long time, with a hundred problems arising and deep-seated issues that are difficult to reverse."

Shen Xian stared at the woman, who had changed into a plain dress with wide sleeves. Compared to the gentle and dignified woman he had seen before, she now possessed a more refined and scholarly air.

A strand of hair outside the straw hat dripped with water droplets, as if she had just taken a bath. As she approached, a delicate fragrance like that of water chestnuts wafted over, causing Shen Xian to lose her composure slightly.

Shen Xian asked, "Miss Yu, haven't you rested?"

He thought to himself, "This Yu Qingchan seems to have quite a bit of insight."

However, the Yu family was also a scholarly family, and living in a vital place like the capital, their knowledge and experience far surpassed that of the young ladies from the counties. It wasn't surprising. Yu Qingchan hummed in agreement, her voice soft and melodious, and said, "I just finished dinner and came over to talk to my uncle."

Lin Jing smiled and said, "My niece loved reading when she was little, and she knows more than I do. If you have any questions, you can ask my niece."

Shen Xian composed himself and praised, "I have been disrespectful."

In ancient times, there were actually quite a few extraordinary women who were well-versed in poetry and literature and knowledgeable in classics and history, or perhaps this was due to the influence and cultivation of their family education.

"Nephew, you should choose a virtuous wife," Lin Jing said with a smile.

This sentence made the atmosphere between the two young people somewhat ambiguous. Yu Qingchan seemed a little shy, and she gently stirred the handkerchief in her hand, remaining silent for a moment.

Shen Xian picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and said, "Since Miss Yu is quite knowledgeable about national history and the political situation at court, why don't you explain it to me?"

Yu Qingchan asked softly, "I wonder what aspect Brother Shen would like to know?"

Shen Xian said calmly, "Let's talk about the Empress Dowager of the Great Jing and the many ills of the Great Jing."

He wanted to help his father get promoted and gain more power, so he needed to understand the current contradictions in the country in order to act accordingly and use their strengths against them.

As the saying goes, a person's destiny depends not only on their own efforts but also on the course of history.

This old man seems to only know how to pull the cart with his head down, without knowing how to look up and see where he's going.

Yu Qingchan hummed in agreement and continued, "Let's start with the case of the Empress Dowager and Prince Qing's plot to rebel."

Shen Xian sat up straight and said, "I would like to hear the details."

“Prince Qing is the young emperor’s uncle and the late emperor’s thirteenth brother. He is brave and skilled in battle and once served as the military governor of Tianping. After the late emperor’s death, he was appointed as the governor of Tanzhou by the empress dowager. Because he was dissatisfied with the empress dowager’s regency, he privately amassed armor and weapons, made alliances with court officials, and prepared to enter the capital to defend the emperor. Initially, he won a series of victories, swept through six prefectures, and his army reached the Han River,” Yu Qingchan said.

Shen Xian paused for a moment, his eyes flashing, thinking to himself, "Even the military governor has come out?"
This grand scene... what dynasty's script is it based on?

It's no wonder he was so ignorant; he never read national history, let alone knew anything about such a significant event.

Moreover, the Great Jing territory is vast, with numerous prefectures and counties. In my memory, I didn't usually read the official gazette, so I was practically a country bumpkin in the county.

Yu Qingchan explained, "The imperial court dispatched the Left Guard General with 100,000 troops, along with troops from various prefectures, to attack Tanzhou. Prince Qing was defeated and taken to the capital. Through correspondence and marriage ties, many court officials were implicated, and the Yu family was also affected."

As she finished speaking, Yu Qingchan's tone became noticeably lower and more somber.

Shen Xian shook his head and said, "How can a single prefecture possibly succeed in fighting against the central government? But if the imperial family were to fight amongst themselves, it would only make us a laughingstock to outsiders."

Throughout ancient history, almost none of these attempts succeeded, but the sheer number of such incidents undoubtedly undermined the authority of the central government.

Lin Jing sighed and said, "Nephew is right."

Yu Qingchan was slightly surprised, seemingly not expecting that the other party, who came from a powerful family in the county, would also have such insight.

Shen Xian picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and then asked, "Miss Yu, could you tell me more about the long-standing problems of this Great View?"

Yu Qingchan composed herself, as if considering something, and slowly said, "The land was unequal, and both emperors worked to equalize the land and suppress powerful families."

Shen Xian thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

Every feudal dynasty was inevitably bound by the concept of land ownership; this was a necessity due to the limitations of productive forces.

Shen Xian asked, "Unequal distribution of land? Then who owns all the land?"

He could actually guess that it was in the hands of powerful families or princes, but he still needed to confirm it.

“Powerful families, influential clans, princes and nobles…the common people of the world.” Yu Qingchan slowly uttered a few words, concise and to the point.

"I would like to hear the details," Shen Xian said solemnly.

Lin Jing watched from the side, feeling extremely satisfied.

Although his niece was born with an eye disease, she was exceptionally intelligent and well-read. It was a pity she wasn't born a boy; if she had, the Yu family might not have ended up in this predicament.

(End of this chapter)