Chapter 746: War of Words

"Vice Protector-General Li, please!"

A long, resonant call rang out, and a man with an animated, spirited bearing emerged — about forty years of age, with a round, fair-complexioned face, a short beard beneath his chin, and a bold, heroic air in his glances. It was Ye Xizhi, Director of the Secretariat Office of the Shogunate.

He raised his voice and said, "Lord Li claims that Xuanzhen has inverted the proper order, that reverence and humility no longer exist, and that the ancestral institutions have been set aside. May I ask to what exactly he refers?"

Li Banghua cast a cold glance at him. He saw that this man, like all the civil officials of the Jingbian Army, wore a soft cap, a tight-fitting robe and shirt, a short-sleeved outer cloak, and a long sword at his waist — presenting a rather impassioned, high-spirited air.

He had also paid close attention to the talents under Wang Dou's command and knew that this round-faced scholar was surnamed Ye, given name Xizhi. He was a local gentry of Luzhou, had once studied at the Luzhou Academy, and had even obtained the rank of Licentiate.

Yet this man, instead of traveling a thousand li to serve the imperial court, had come all the way to Xuanfu Garrison to take up a post — and had even become the tutor of Wang Dou's own son. Li Banghua could not help but feel disgust in his heart, along with a kind of pained regret.

What comforted him, fortunately, was that at present all the civil officials under Wang Dou's command were petty clerks without official rank, or failed Licentiates. At least those officials who held substantive rank still adhered to loyalty and righteousness.

He lifted his eyelids slightly and said coldly, "Does Licentiate Ye truly not know to what this official refers?"

He stressed the words "Licentiate Ye" with heavy emphasis, carrying a strong note of sarcasm.

Ye Xizhi laughed heartily and said, "Could it be that Lord Li refers to the matter of being checked for a pass when entering the garrison?"

A wave of laughter filled the hall. A faint greenish tinge appeared on Li Banghua's face, but he forcibly suppressed his anger.

"And the abolition of preferential treatment for the gentry — that we, petty clerks such as ourselves, sit and stand on equal footing with first-rank grand officials of the court?"

Ye Xizhi spoke with a genial smile, yet every word was as sharp as a blade, stabbing straight into Li Banghua's heart until his body trembled faintly.

Indeed. What virtue or ability did these insignificant petty clerks possess, that they could sit as equals with him?

He said icily, "This Li's personal treatment is a small matter; the dignity and order of the court is a great one. If reverence and humility no longer exist, where then is the state?"

He shot a glance at Wang Dou. "If we do not speak of reverence, humility, and proper order — then should some common peddler from the streets step forward and sit shoulder to shoulder with the Marquis of Yongning, and the Marquis of Yongning accept it with pleasure? Should a commoner enjoy the same treatment as the Marquis of Yongning, and the Marquis of Yongning accept it gladly? Leveling the rich and poor, equalizing the noble and the base — that is what the Chuang bandits do. Does Xuanzhen also wish to adopt such conduct?"

Many in the hall drew a sharp breath. This old man Li had a truly sharp tongue.

Gao Shiyin watched Li Banghua, watched his lips open and close. Every sentence he spat out made Gao Shiyin's heart twitch convulsively. He thought to himself that if he were the one facing him, aside from drawing his sword and cutting him down, the only outcome of a war of words would be to be angered to death by him.

But this old man Li was not afraid of death either — truly a headache.

Ye Xizhi let out a long laugh. "Lord Li's words are mistaken! This is a case of a single leaf before the eyes blotting out Mount Tai!"

He declared in a ringing voice, "It is not that Xuanzhen rejects reverence and humility — rather, we strictly uphold reverence and humility! It is not that we reject proper order — rather, we strictly uphold proper order!"

He raised his voice. "As the saying goes, what the superior favors, the inferior will practice to excess; and again, if the upper beam is not set straight, the lower beams will be crooked!"

He continued, "Take the early days of our dynasty, when all the postal stations functioned smoothly. Why? Because the Ministry of War enforced the travel authorizations with strict rigor! Yet by the middle period of our dynasty, every postal station was overburdened beyond endurance. And now, at this moment, a hundred stations lie abandoned and defunct. Why is that? Because every official extorted, grabbed, and withheld as he pleased — and even their household slaves and sons stirred up trouble in the same fashion. In the Jiajing era, there was Hu Zongxian's son who extorted the station clerks and demanded extravagant provisions. Though he was stopped by Hai Zhongjie, how many Hai Zhongjies are there in the world?"

He sneered. "What official rank did these whelps hold? What status did they possess, to be entitled to use the Ministry of War's postal stations? This is precisely the result of those above setting an example that those below follow — of every official disregarding reverence and humility!"

He looked at Li Banghua. "In view of this, the Grand General has set the example himself. Every person in Xuanfu Garrison, no matter who, must strictly observe the rules. Thus, the postal stations of our Xuanzhen have all been revived from ruin, and wherever the pass system is in place, it serves to root out spies. This is not like the other frontier garrisons, where breaches are everywhere, the Eastern Slaves and the roving bandits run rampant with spies, and the disasters of Liaodong lie before us as a warning! Does Lord Li truly believe this is not a good thing?"

Li Banghua was at a loss for words. Deep in his heart, he thought Wang Dou had done very well in this regard — that the strict enforcement of rules in Xuanfu Garrison was a good thing. It was merely that he felt uncomfortable inside. For himself, a grand official of the court, to be treated the same as ordinary people — that psychological hurdle was very difficult to overcome.

Moreover, his thoughts were somewhat complicated. This man was eloquent and incisive, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. Wang Dou's subordinates were no ordinary men — it was a pity this man was not employed by the imperial court.

"And what of disregarding the ancestral institutions and pursuing perverse, retrograde policies?"

Li Banghua suddenly stared directly at Ye Xizhi. This Licentiate from Luzhou had now drawn his full attention.

He demanded loudly, "The preferential treatment of the gentry and the esteem for scholars by our dynasty are rules laid down by the Exalted Emperor! Xuanzhen treats the gentry and the commoners as one and the same, openly making them pay grain taxes on equal terms. Where is the dignity of the scholarly class in this? Where is the face of the educated man? Do you people even have the Exalted Emperor in your eyes?"

He shouted sternly, his thunderous voice reverberating through the hall.

And accompanying it was the sound of Ye Xizhi's loud laughter.

Both men had ample breath and vigor — perhaps because they were both sons of the Confucian school, each well-versed in the art of nurturing life.

"The ancestral institutions..."

Ye Xizhi laughed sonorously and declared, "If we speak of the ancestral institutions: in the Hongwu era, the Exalted Emperor issued a strict decree — all matters concerning the welfare and ills of the military and the people could be spoken of by farmers, artisans, and merchants alike; only Licentiates were forbidden to offer opinions! May I ask Vice Protector-General Li: which scholar in our dynasty today does not offer opinions? The ancestral institutions forbade the use of Chancellors — yet how does the present Senior Grand Secretary differ from a Chancellor? The ancestral institutions forbade the use of eunuchs — yet the Chengzu Emperor openly employed them..."

"...And where, in the ancestral institutions, is there any provision for Provincial Governors?"

Ye Xizhi shot a glance at Zhu Zhifeng, the Provincial Governor of Xuanfu, who had just been about to leap up — causing him to sit back down — then looked again at Li Banghua and sneered. "The ancestral institutions forbade forming associations — yet now literary societies are everywhere. Such violations of the ancestral institutions are now too numerous to count. By Lord Li's logic, should we then slaughter all the civil and military officials and eunuchs under heaven — and even the imperial clan itself?"

Amid Ye Xizhi's loud laughter, Li Banghua's face turned ashen. This fellow was using his own methods against him, leaving him unable to voice the great many words pent up inside him.

That round, animated, spirited face of his — the more Li Banghua looked at it, the more detestable it became.

Just as he was about to rebuke him, a gentle voice rang out: "Indeed, if we were to follow the Exalted Emperor's ancestral institutions strictly, Lord Banghua would long since have had his head chopped off. After all, in the Hongwu era, the Imperial Academy student Zhao Lin violated the ancestral institutions and had his head cut off — and it hung displayed at the Directorate of Education for over one hundred and sixty years. Does Lord Banghua wish for the same?"

A man slowly stepped forward — it was Qin Yi, a close friend of Ye Xizhi, now serving as a Senior Staff Officer in the Staff Department. The two had arrived at Baoanzhou carrying their dreams. Several years had passed. Now, one in the military and one in civil affairs, both were walking the path toward realizing their ideals.

His expression was gentle, forming a sharp contrast with Ye Xizhi's aggressive intensity. Yet his words, like needles hidden in cotton, were extremely unpleasant to hear.

They heard him say with a smile, "This Qin has heard that in your youth, my lord, you were most fond of lofty discourse and spirited debate, pointing out the lay of the land and setting the world to rights with boundless ardor. If the ancestral institutions had been strictly enforced then, I fear that even at that time, your head would have been hanging high somewhere, would it not?"

Li Banghua's face alternated between green and white. Just as he was about to speak, Ye Xizhi let out another long laugh and said, "Brother Gongfu has omitted one point. In truth, there is yet another ancestral institution that has persisted to this day — namely, the eight-legged essay examination system, which takes excerpting the classics and guessing the topics as its guiding purpose. Aside from the Four Books and the single Classic, all else is shelved and forgotten; even if charts and histories lie spread before them, they have no time to spare them a glance."

He continued, "It is only lamentable that most of those produced by this system are dull-witted and wooden-headed, ignorant of practical affairs. When you speak with them, their eyes stare blankly, their tongues stiffen and fail them. Even the Exalted Emperor lamented, 'Since my ascension to the throne, though edicts seeking the worthy have been repeatedly issued, the desired results in obtaining the worthy have yet to be realized.' Lord Banghua, of course, considers this policy to be greatly excellent — a means of storing up talent for the state — and sees no need for reform."

Qin Yi smiled faintly. "Hence the saying: in ordinary times, they fold their hands and discourse on mind and nature; when crisis comes, they repay their sovereign with a single death. As for you, my lords, who are men of practical ability, you can only stand by with folded hands and watch. Now even His Majesty cannot produce the grain and pay to organize and train new armies. Is it that our Great Ming has no money? Not at all!"

He smiled. "Of course, in the eyes of you, my lords, a pure critic who can only engage in empty talk is still superior to a capable official who can accomplish real work. All that is required is an understanding of the great duty between sovereign and subject."

Ye Xizhi said, "Precisely. And there are even 'worthies' who say that one travels a thousand li to become an official only for wealth. As it happens, the Great Ming Code only exempts Licentiates from corvée labor; Provincial Graduates are exempted from corvée and have their taxes halved; only upon reaching Metropolitan Graduate is one exempted from all corvée and taxes. Yet observe the local gentry across the land — how many among them are Provincial Graduates or Metropolitan Graduates? What connection do the ancestral institutions they speak of have to them?"

Qin Yi laughed heartily. "This is called selectively violating the ancestral institutions! It is not that the ancestral institutions cannot be violated — it is a matter of whether the violation benefits oneself!"

He shook his head and sighed. "They have clearly read the books of the sages thoroughly — so how is it that once they become officials, they turn into parasites of the state? They choose only what benefits themselves and turn a blind eye to the rest, casting the teachings of the sages beyond the highest heavens. It is lamentable, it is deplorable."

The two men sang in duet, one echoing the other, their mockery and sarcasm relentless. Li Banghua's facial skin twitched and quivered as if in spasm. Several times he tried to open his mouth to speak, but each time the two blocked him. For the first time, he experienced firsthand the formidable prowess of local petty clerks.

Everyone in the hall watched with their eyes opened wide in amazement. Gao Shiyin, in particular, was filled with admiration, thinking to himself that Mister Qin and Mister Ye were truly formidable — worthy of their origins as educated men; their tongues were simply too sharp.

Wang Pu and Du Xun let out bursts of mocking laughter. Seeing Li Banghua's flustered, embarrassed state was truly a great pleasure to their hearts.

Yet many in the hall also fell into deep thought. Yes — why was it so?

Wang Dou nodded to himself. This was precisely what was meant by fighting poison with poison. To deal with scholars, one had to use scholars to counter them. Someone like Gao Shiyin, who drew his sword and brandished his blade, inevitably resorted to an inferior method.

After all, when it came to clinging to one's own convictions, many people were not afraid of death — nor was it always possible to eliminate them physically.

At the same time, a thought occurred to him: a new current of thought was faintly emerging in Xuanfu Garrison. His own faction was beginning to develop its own reflections, which were starting to come into conflict with the court's ideology.

It was just that at present, each person had only a vague inkling of an idea, not yet formed into a system. It seemed it was necessary to begin a great debate.

With the sharp weapon of the newspaper in hand, Wang Dou was confident he would not fall to the disadvantage.

As he pondered this, Qin Yi and Ye Xizhi felt an incomparable exhilaration. Looking at that face of Li Banghua, flickering between shadow and light, was pure satisfaction.

Both were victims, or at least discontented, under the current system. At the time they were also deeply worried about the state of affairs and resentful toward the grandees at court. They sought change, and only after coming under Wang Dou’s governance did they find an opportunity to put their talents to use.

Now, to be able to sit alongside a first-rank official of the imperial court — for this, they were both grateful for Wang Dou’s recognition and patronage.

At the same time, they still held no goodwill toward the court grandees of the day. And if Li Banghua looked down on them as petty functionaries and lowly literati, did they, in turn, think any better of those grandees and high officials?

So without the slightest courtesy, they seized the opening and thrust openly and covertly straight at Li Banghua’s heart.

Li Banghua’s face flushed scarlet. For the first time he felt unable to fend them off, and he cut a rather wretched figure.

At the side, Wei Jingyuan, though watching anxiously, also seemed lost in thought.

Zhu Zhifeng, however, was burning with impatience. He abruptly stood and shouted, “To overwhelm one man with numbers is no conduct for a gentleman. Lord Li, this humble official comes to your aid at once!”

But by now, Li Banghua had already realized his tactical error — tangling with minor players was especially unwise; he had to pinpoint the most critical target.

He steadied his emotions, slowly turned his head toward Wang Dou, and finally spoke coldly: “Does the Marquis of Yongning mean that he will no longer heed the rules laid down by the Exalted Emperor, and that not only are the gentry and commoners of Xuanzhen now treated as one and the same, but the policy of making gentry pay grain taxes alongside commoners will also be extended across the realm in the future?”

As Li Banghua’s chilling words fell, for a moment the hall fell utterly silent. Everyone turned to look at Wang Dou in the seat of honor.

Even Wang Pu, Ji Shiwei, Du Xun, and the others paid the closest attention. (To be continued...)