Do you know: I should be fat and you should be thin!

Zhou Ning frowned; the questions were getting even harder!

This question was the old emperor testing his understanding of the boundaries of etiquette regarding "bestowing favors" and "receiving favors."

Ding redeemed Gui from his captivity and went straight home without asking Gui for thanks, which is equivalent to doing a good deed anonymously.

Gui believed that Ding had saved his life and that he should be grateful, but Ding didn't even give him a chance to thank him, which he felt was disrespectful. Therefore, Gui proposed to break off their friendship...

Should one seek fame when bestowing favors?

Should one express gratitude when receiving a favor?

From my modern perspective, Ding is absolutely right. What's wrong with me doing good deeds and not accepting gifts?

But in the Great Zhou Kingdom, all other pursuits were considered inferior, only studying was valued, and Confucian etiquette was deeply ingrained in people's bones...

Seeing Zhou Ning deep in thought, the old emperor didn't urge him on; it was a rare moment of peace for him.

Zhou Ning replied, "Your Majesty, from the perspective of Confucian social etiquette, expressing gratitude after receiving help is basic courtesy. Ding's direct refusal to give him a chance is tantamount to rejecting his normal social interaction, which carries a hint of disregard for the other party's feelings and cannot be considered perfect gentlemanly behavior. However, Gui's decision to sever ties over this matter is excessive and unreasonable. Ding's actions were only slightly impolite; one could say he was flawed in minor matters but not in major ones. If I were handling this kind of dispute, I would mediate Gui's emotions, affirm Ding's righteousness in saving lives, and at the same time point out Ding's impoliteness, so that both parties could compromise."

The old emperor nodded, agreeing with his own thoughts. He sat down again and asked, "A and B are about to go to war across the river. An official suggested attacking while the enemy is halfway across, but A disagreed. After the enemy lines were formed, A suffered a great defeat. Some people criticized A, but A refused to admit his mistake. Tell me, was A wrong?"

Zhou Ning said, "Your Majesty, I also believe that launching an attack while the enemy's ranks are in disarray during their river crossing, unable to deploy their formation, would yield the greatest results with the least cost. A's choice not to attack while the enemy is halfway across demonstrates his adherence to the moral principle of not bullying an enemy in peril and not attacking an unprepared enemy. A's tactical choice was flawed, leading to defeat—that is a fact, and he should be punished. However, A's adherence to moral principles is not inherently wrong, and therefore he does not need to admit fault for upholding morality. As a general, one must be able to adapt to changing circumstances and seize opportunities, but also uphold moral principles and refrain from actions that violate morality; one cannot resort to any means to achieve victory..."

After saying this, Zhou Ning felt a little aggrieved; those were enemies!

Winning is the only goal; we must stop at nothing to achieve it!

If morality were useful, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun would have been taken back long ago!

My life has long been torn apart.

Despite this, Zhou Ning had to find a way to please the old emperor, so he could only be "truthful" and say both the good and the bad.

"Indeed. The official property is sealed with an official seal. If an official opens it without consulting the supervisor, what should be the punishment?" the old emperor asked.

Zhou Ning pondered for a few moments before replying, "Your Majesty, if it is due to urgent official business and there is no time to consult, one may be punished for unauthorized opening of official property seals with forty strokes of the cane! Important official property shall be punished with sixty strokes of the cane! If one opens the seals with the intent to embezzle, one shall be punished as if stealing official property, with the punishment depending on the amount of the stolen goods!"

"If Geng requests the restoration of the village drinking ceremony, and Xin says the ancient ritual doesn't need to be followed, while Geng says clarifying the source is the only way to make the river clear, which side do you support?"

Zhou Ning said, “Your Majesty, the customs of the people in our Great Zhou are lax, and the order in the villages is chaotic. I have heard that in many places there is no order between elders and juniors, and the elderly and widows are bullied. This is precisely because there is a lack of basic etiquette and music education. Restoring the village drinking ceremony does not require much funding and can play a role in educating the people, which is a good thing. However, there is a problem: what if some officials use the name of restoring the past to disturb the people, or use the restoration of the past to engage in formalism? Therefore, I believe that the purpose of restoring the village drinking ceremony is to educate the people, and it is worth promoting. However, we do not need to be bound by all the details of the ancient rites. We can simplify the rites and adjust the rules according to the actual situation in our Great Zhou, only retaining the respect for the virtuous and the care of the elderly. In this way, we can give full play to the educational role of the ancient rites without causing disturbance to the people or creating a situation where the restoration of the past is a problem.”

"Your insight is truly profound. This is precisely what has already happened. You've put it very well! There is a death row inmate who has no close relatives. After submitting a petition, the emperor allowed the inmate to live and serve his elderly parents. If there is a general amnesty, should this inmate be spared from death?" the old emperor asked with a smile.

If it's a capital offense, then it means the crime is extremely heinous!

If even this can be waived, is there any fairness left?

Zhou Ning felt he had never been so unscrupulous in his life, but that's how it is in officialdom...

"Your Majesty, according to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, a general amnesty will exempt all eligible criminals from their punishments. Since Your Majesty has already pardoned the death penalty and allowed the prisoner to return home to care for his elderly parents, the remaining punishments should naturally also be waived along with the general amnesty. Otherwise, it would completely violate Your Majesty's original intention of governing the world with filial piety, and it would also be unworthy of Your Majesty's original benevolent intention in granting the amnesty. As long as the prisoner does not commit any new crimes while he is spared to serve his parents, he should be directly exempted from all punishments and restored to his commoner status during a general amnesty."

Zhou Ning smiled on the outside, but cursed inwardly.

God!

That was not my intention!

......

"Eight answers are excellent, two answers are acceptable. I will grant you this favor. Which young lady is it that you wish to marry?" the old emperor asked.

Zhou Ning bowed and said, "Your Majesty! Wei Zhi of Guangyun Terrace is the head of the Wei clan."

"Absurd! You want me to issue an edict to marry a courtesan?" The old emperor laughed in anger.

Zhou Ning didn't want to either, but he only learned the details after he had slept with Miss Wei.

If the woman was a local official prostitute, there were cases where she could legally leave her official status with the approval of officials at a sufficient level.

But the courtesans of Beijing were different!

Firstly, the Great Zhou Dynasty had a prohibition against officials redeeming prostitutes: officials were forbidden from having private relationships with government-run prostitutes, and were even more prohibited from redeeming specific government-run prostitutes on their own. Any official who violated this rule would be immediately dismissed from office and punished with 80 strokes of the cane.

Secondly, all officials at the county level and above, as well as criminal officials, were explicitly prohibited from participating in banquets that included prostitutes and musicians.

Simply put, in the Great Zhou Dynasty, one could drink wine and women, but not patronize prostitutes!

Even if the relationship between officials and prostitutes is consensual, they still have to remain undiscovered. Otherwise, if their political enemies report them and the allegations are verified, they will lose their positions!

The promise was that when they passed the imperial examination, it would be their wedding night.

Now that I'm an official, I have to be very careful even when I go to Guangyuntai.

Zhou Ning knelt down: "Your Majesty, I am deeply in love with Lady Wei. I beg Your Majesty to grant us your blessing!"

The old emperor shook his head and said, "Absolutely not! Find another favor!"

Zhou Ning pleaded, "Then I would like to request a different favor: instead of granting a marriage, I would only redeem Lady Wei from her servitude. I beg Your Majesty's mercy!"

The old emperor was trembling with anger, but he was still a stubborn mule.

She's not going to the Hanlin Academy anymore; she wants to become a courtesan as her mistress.

Seeing that things weren't going to work out, he simply exchanged his freedom for that of a government-affiliated prostitute.

He had never seen such an offensive request in his life, but a ruler's word is law!

"You'd better think this through! You want to request an imperial decree for a marriage, and I originally intended to appoint you as the Vice Prefect of Hangzhou. But if you insist on this grace of redemption, then go to Tianchang County as the Magistrate, and don't even think about returning to the capital for three years!" the old emperor said slowly.

"This is the grace I desire! Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!" Zhou Ning kowtowed.

Zhou Ning understood very well that things would change drastically in a few years, so whether he was a government official in the capital now or not didn't really matter.

This is a chance of grace, and it might only come once!

If we miss this opportunity, the only way to redeem Wei Zhi is to wait for chaos and for the beauty to take advantage of the confusion to redeem herself!

But how long will that take?

He didn't want her to keep drinking and laughing with him!

"Very well, very well! Listen, not a penny less than the ransom, you'll have to figure it out yourself! Secondly, even if she is ransomed, you're not allowed to say it's a royal pardon, you'll have to come up with your own reasons! I'm giving you ten days, once you've done it, get out of here and take up your post in Tianchang County!"

......