Chapter 106: A Revolutionary Reform: The Ban on Dispersed Scholarships

——The court and realm were plunged into great grief.

Although Zhuge Liang's influence did not match Gu Chen's.

Yet his passing still caused immense impact.

Regarding Zhuge Liang's funeral, Liu Shan ultimately chose to follow Zhuge Liang's final wishes.

He was buried in Julu.

The entire ceremony followed the same rites as those used for Gu Ze.

It was not overly grand, yet still extraordinary.

As for Zhuge Liang's posthumous title—

It was finally settled as Wen Zhong.

Following the ministers' proposal, Liu Shan again proclaimed a new era name: "Yanxi," hoping the entire realm would fully forget this era of heavenly disaster.

Yet time flows like water, irreversible.

Zhuge Liang's death became a signal, fully ushering in the end of an era.

Not long after;

Gu Wei passed away.

As the most outstanding in martial skill and troop command among the seventh generation of Gu clan descendants, Gu Wei was born in the wrong age.

Gu Chen had done too much.

So much so that Gu Wei had no chance at all to fully realize his talents.

Though through his own ability, he accomplished much.

But in contrast.

He was ultimately drowned beneath the tide of his age.

In addition, Pang Tong and others successively passed away; nearly all those left behind by Gu Chen had now faded from the stage.

Though Han had struggled out of the mire of heavenly disasters.

Yet everyone could sense that Han's once-rising vitality was gradually fading.

A most brilliant momentum;

Ultimately ended with the passage of time.

This was the period with the most frequent official appointments since Han's revival.

The few remaining seventh-generation Gu clan descendants had returned to Luoyang.

They were no longer young.

Perhaps precisely because of this, they gradually shifted their focus to educating the clan's younger generations.

——Especially toward Gu Ye.

Gu Yi, for his part, did not interfere.

Instead, using his status as a seventh-generation descendant, he suppressed the restless ambitions of other eighth-generation Gu clan members.

Gu Yi was going to gradually reestablish the rules within the Gu clan.

The court and realm changed constantly.

But this could not affect the Gu clan's existence; while keeping Gu Ye learning, Gu Yi used him to boldly push reforms.

Slowly spreading the specific imperial examination system across all corners of Han.

At the same time, Gu Yi made other preparations.

Including establishing a dedicated department to predict disasters, and gathering talents who would appear in this era according to original history.

This had been Gu Yi's idea for a long time.

Through years of observation.

Gu Yi could clearly sense that this so-called historical correction intensified whenever heavenly disasters occurred.

This would not only better aid Jiuzhou.

It would also assist the Gu clan's future.

As the Gu clan's influence grew, this corrective force would only strengthen.

With such a dedicated disaster-prediction department, even if it could not predict every event accurately, it would still provide meaningful aid.

Of course, such matters were destined to unfold gradually.

Yanxi third year; April.

The last of the seventh-generation Gu clan descendants passed away in Luoyang.

An era ended completely.

The seventh-generation Gu clan descendants, who should have shone brilliantly, fell one after another into the whirlpool of history.

Though some emitted faint glimmers, they were ultimately obscured by the tide of the age.

Gu Ye finally bore the weight of the Gu clan.

He formally embarked on his path forward before the entire Han court.

Yanxi fourth year, May.

After years of recovery, Han gradually healed from years of continuous heavenly disasters.

At the same time, Gu Yi's proposed reforms were gradually being implemented.

For Han at this time,

The "official evaluation" system had taken deep root; the people would not reject more detailed planning.

Gu Yi did not constantly oversee this matter.

Instead, he entrusted it to Zhong Hui, who cared most about it.

And he himself set in motion another of his plans.

Luoyang, the Chancellor's residence.

"Predict disasters?"

Jiang Wan looked at Gu Ye before him in surprise, shook his head, and said: "How could human effort predict the wrath of gods and ghosts?"

That's right—Jiang Wan was the current Chancellor of the Great Han.

In fact, at the very beginning, Gu Yi was quite astonished by this as well.

After all, for the Great Han of today, Zhuge Liang had plenty of choices available to him.

But afterward, he saw through what Zhuge Liang had intended with this arrangement.

The ministers of the Great Han court were simply too capable.

It needed someone with a steady temperament to balance out all these individual talents, and Jiang Wan was the most fitting candidate.

After all, in the original history—

Under the circumstances of Shu, the fact that he had been able to swiftly stabilize the upheaval in court and country after Zhuge Liang's death already spoke to his character.

"Chancellor."

Gu Yi, controlling Gu Ye, cupped his hands toward Jiang Wan and said very seriously: "If human effort can overturn the heavens, why then could natural disasters not be predicted?"

He handed over the memorial he had long since drafted.

Naturally, Gu Yi would not write anything terribly abstruse in it—only the most basic of knowledge.

Simply making a certain degree of judgment through abnormal weather.

Including special circumstances such as unusual animal behavior.

Taken together, to prepare in advance and avert natural disasters.

In truth, for Gu Yi, there was a more direct and efficient method.

And that was to bring out the "Mysterious Mechanism Counting Rods."

Although the Mysterious Mechanism Counting Rods could only predict the weather seven days ahead, they were still far simpler and more efficient than this method.

But the "Mysterious Mechanism Counting Rods" were one of the Gu family's hidden reserves.

Unless a member of the Gu family was involved—

Otherwise, it was best to leave such a thing untouched.

Jiang Wan read it with great care, his brow tightly furrowed—clearly quite hesitant.

This too was a product of the times.

Disasters had always been wrapped in superstition and prophecy; the very notion of a department dedicated to predicting natural disasters was simply too inconceivable to them.

But recalling Zhuge Liang's prior instructions, he could not help but look toward Gu Ye and say seriously: "Zhaode, are you truly certain of this matter?"

"The Chancellor may rest assured."

Gu Yi did not hesitate in the slightest, hurriedly controlling Gu Ye to nod and say: "This official can declare that even if this department cannot predict every disaster—"

"It can at least predict half of them."

Hearing this, Jiang Wan finally nodded and gave his assent.

The matter quickly spread.

Naturally, the investment required for such a department was no small sum.

Toward this, the attitude of the ministers was uniformly one of utter astonishment.

A department dedicated to predicting natural disasters?

To them, this was undoubtedly the stuff of a fool's dream.

But given Liu Shan's trust in the Gu family, the matter was ultimately settled just like that.

Naturally, Gu Yi paid no heed to the storms of the outside world, pressing firmly forward along his own path.

After the matter was fully settled—

He swiftly drew upon the candidates he had long since chosen in his memory, dispatching people to gather them from across the realm to Luoyang—including some who were already within the court.

For example—Du Yu.

Gu Yi intended to seize this moment of sweeping renewal to carry out an entirely new revolution in the Great Han's scholarship.

When Du Yu heard that Gu Ye actually wanted him to revise the calendar, he was completely dumbfounded.

He had indeed developed some interest in the calendar.

But how on earth did Gu Ye know about this?

Naturally, he would not refuse such a thing—the importance of the calendar in the present era was beyond doubt.

In truth, it was not only he who harbored such thoughts.

Besides Du Yu—

Gu Yi even summoned people like Liu Hui—who, though clearly a pinnacle of scholarship for his era, had remained obscure in history—over as well.

Using the authority of the court and the Gu family, he had Liu Hui specifically annotate the "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art."

In truth, Gu Yi could have done this himself—after all, he too had received a modern education.

But the knowledge he had learned was bound to be unsuitable for the Great Han of the present.

—He could not go about pulling up seedlings to help them grow!

Scholarship could only advance bit by bit, not leap directly from one to a hundred.

For the Great Han, Liu Hui was the most fitting choice.

This fellow was a fierce man who, in an era like the present, could calculate pi to 3.1416—arguably the very pinnacle of his age.

With him on board, no mishap could possibly arise in this matter.

Regarding this matter, Liu Hui was in fact equally dumbfounded—even more so than Du Yu.

After all, Du Yu was still serving as an official at court.

As for him, he was originally a nobody. The moment he had conceived the idea of annotating the *Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art*, he was brought straight to Luoyang by Gu Ye.

How could he not be bewildered?

But now that he was already here, no matter how bewildered he was, Gu Yi would not let him leave.

Gu Yi had long made his plans.

He was determined to make the mathematics subject appear in the imperial examination system much earlier, and also to raise the standing of mathematics within history a little.

Though in the short term, this kind of change might not show anything.

But for the long sweep of history, this was absolutely an extremely significant change.

Besides this, there were also the craftsmen.

This was an attempt Gu Yi had carried out at Julu, summoning quite a number of craftsmen to head to Julu.

This time, he did not choose to give any overly great assistance directly.

He merely offered some pointers in terms of approach—

letting these craftsmen, based on those pointers, exercise their own talent and ingenuity.

A sweeping reform was brewing throughout the Great Han.

Regarding Gu Ye's actions, the ministers naturally would not interfere.

After all, in their eyes—

everything Gu Ye did was merely some "clever tricks."

Offending the Gu clan and angering Liu Shan over this was clearly not worth it.

They still governed the entire country step by step as usual, and no great mistakes had appeared.

Yansi, fifth year;

—under the ministers' counsel, the Great Han launched an entirely new census of land and population.

Reinvestigating the powerful families' fields and the population throughout the realm.

This was also the Great Han's main tone.

So long as these ministers at court had not all died out, this main tone would not change in the slightest.

Gu Yi paid this matter considerable attention as well.

After all, in the current situation—

population and land represented a nation's foundation.

But this matter was bound to require time.

What truly drew Gu Yi's attention was that he suddenly discovered that "taking powder" had actually become one of the trends in the Great Han.

Before he knew it, many things seemed to have returned to the original course of history.

There were simply far too many scions of powerful families in the four corners of the realm who had failed the official examinations.

And the way they relieved their disappointment was to choose "taking powder."

Precisely because of this—

under their influence, this matter gradually became a trend.

Regarding this—

Gu Yi's attitude was extremely firm.

Other matters he could leave alone, but this land absolutely could not be polluted by such things.

He had Gu Ye walk all over Luoyang.

On the streets, looking at those powder-takers with disheveled hair and robes unlike ordinary folk, he immediately had Gu Ye seek out Cao Zhi, who was already quite old, intending to ask him to help write a memorial titled "Prohibition of Powder."

But he had not expected that even Cao Zhi, a man already nearly in his grave, was himself a powder-taker.

With no choice, he could only have Gu Ye write it himself.

Fortunately, Gu Ye's level was not poor.

Though it could not compare to Cao Zhi's cheat-like literary talent, it was still a fine piece of work.

And on the very next day, Gu Yi immediately had Gu Ye head straight for the court and, before all the ministers, produce this "Memorial on the Prohibition of Powder."

—A tremendous upheaval!

In the Northern Palace.

Gu Yi was having Gu Ye read aloud the "Memorial on the Prohibition of Powder" before all the officials.

The hall was deathly silent.

—Only Gu Ye's resonant voice kept ringing out.

The officials' expressions were all somewhat shocked, but beneath the shock there was also some displeasure.

Prohibit taking powder?

In today's Great Han, "taking powder" had been completely glamorized into an elegant pursuit.

Even someone of Cao Zhi's transcendent standing in the Imperial Academy took powder; one could see just how great its influence was.

This move was bound to make everyone feel resistant.

Even if some among them had never taken powder.

The benefits it could bring still made them displeased with Gu Ye.

Liu Shan was also very surprised at this, never having expected Gu Ye to bring up such a matter.

Although he himself had never taken powder.

He had, however, heard that the practice of "taking powder" was now rising in vogue, becoming an elegant pursuit chased after by the disappointed scions of the realm.

He had originally been looking for a chance to try it himself, but had not expected Gu Ye to raise this matter.

If someone else had said it, he might not have cared.

But Gu Ye is of the Gu family!

After a moment's hesitation, Liu Shan asked: "Zhao De, why must the consumption of powdered stones be banned?"

This was also why no one understood.

No one understood why Gu Ye had proposed banning the consumption of powdered stones.

Gu Yi's will was ironclad, with not a trace of hesitation; he immediately made Gu Ye speak firmly: "Your Majesty!"

"I have heard that when powdered stones enter the throat, they bring temporary ease to the body; yet the poison and evil invade the marrow, ultimately bringing peril to life."

"In ancient times, Zhongjing formulated prescriptions to cure deep-seated illnesses within the heart and lungs; He Yan perverted their use, destroying liver and gallbladder within cups and goblets."

"In the alleys of Luoyang, many are seen draped in crane-feather cloaks with disheveled hair, imitating Ji and Ruan's outward forms while losing their inner rectitude and spirit; in the desolate graves of Ye, who mourns the emaciated souls that, in admiration of He Yan's elegance, have fallen into the rolls of the dead?"

"Your Majesty, observe the autumn wind withering trees, the cold crows circling bare branches—this is not heaven and earth showing doom, but humanity destroying itself!"

"I humbly beg Your Majesty to issue a clear edict across the land, strictly prohibiting it, so that powdered stones return to the furnace and smelting, and herbs and trees return to mountain and forest,"

"lest the Five-Stone Formula further erode the yang of our Great Han."

Gu Ye's tone was resounding and forceful.

This was the first time Gu Yi had ever acted with such unwavering determination.

Perhaps precisely because he understood the harm of such things, and the future impact such "similar products" would have upon this land.

He absolutely could not allow this to continue!

The entire court fell into deathly silence!

Everyone stared dumbfounded at Gu Ye, never expecting his stance to be so resolute!

"Nonsense!"

Someone immediately spoke up in rebuttal, bowing to Liu Shan: "Your Majesty, there are many disappointed scholars in the realm today."

"These men, unable to secure office, have grown despondent, and thus turn to powdered stones to dispel their inner gloom."

"If powdered stones are banned,"

"regardless of how many will grow discontent with the court,"

"how else will these disappointed scholars dispel their inner gloom?"

A murmur of debate erupted instantly.

As others spoke again, the entire court erupted into a fierce debate over whether to "ban powdered stones."

At that moment, a resounding roar suddenly rang out.

"How dare a pack of pedantic scholars dare speak of state affairs!"

This furious shout drew all eyes; everyone turned to look.

There strode in Liu Chen, the Prince of Beidi.

His face flushed with anger, he glared at all present: "Our Great Han's Gao Zu was once merely a district officer, yet before Qin Shi Huang, he declared: 'A true man must be thus!'"

"Emperor Xiaowen; Emperor Xiaowu;"

"Then our Great Han's Emperor Guangwu, who revived the Han; then Emperor Zhaowu and Lord Gu, who revived the Han once more."

"Our Great Han's people,"

"when did we become so weak that we must use powdered stones to dispel our inner gloom?"

Liu Chen's gaze was razor-sharp, sweeping across the court: "If you fail one examination, you give up? Is such a man worthy to be called a scholar?"

"Marquis Wenxiang once said,"

"a man may defy the heavens!"

"Our Great Han has thus far stood firm even against natural disasters!"

"If we continue like this, will our people ever again harbor a spirit of ambition?"

As he spoke, he pushed through the ministers and stepped to the front, kneeling before Liu Shan: "Father, I humbly petition: ban powdered stones throughout the realm!"

His words ended, and the hall fell utterly silent.

Liu Chen had invoked every ancestor of the Han, including the Gu clan's forebears.

No one dared contradict such words.

Liu Shan's expression shifted slightly; he glanced around the court, then nodded faintly: "My son speaks truly."

"I recall,"

"Shang Fu once said powdered stones are an inhuman act."

"No matter what, I cannot betray Shang Fu."

——The matter was settled!

Although Liu Shan possessed no particular talent worthy of praise,

this was precisely the one thing most worthy of praise about him.

He might hesitate before others' words,

but the words spoken by Gu Chen, he always remembered.

This loyalty surpassed even his feelings toward Liu Bei.

Because Gu Chen saw people with uncanny accuracy; after meeting Liu Shan, he abandoned all unrealistic hopes for him personally.

He treated Liu Shan far better than Liu Bei had—Liu Bei once tried to educate Liu Shan, but Gu Chen did not.

"Zhao De."

Liu Shan looked again at Gu Ye: "I entrust this matter to you."

"Your servant accepts the order!"

Gu Yi did not hesitate a moment; he immediately agreed.

The ministers departed in turn.

Many of their expressions were grim.

Clearly, someone in their families had taken Jin Shi or been involved in it.

The price of fifty portions of Jin Shi is not cheap.

The profits to be gained from it would make many envious.

Gu Yi controlled Gu Ye to leave, but did not expect Liu Chen to follow and block Gu Ye, saying earnestly: "Zhao De, if you face difficulties, be sure to tell me."

Liu Chen clearly understood the difficulty of this matter.

Jin Shi is addictive.

The difficulty of completely eradicating this is unimaginable!

"Your Highness, rest assured," Gu Yi nodded seriously. "I have already devised a plan."

As he spoke, his tone paused.

Looking at the Liu Chen before him, he hesitated, then asked a question: "Your Highness, I have one question I wish to ask you."

"Oh?"

Liu Chen was startled, not expecting Gu Ye to say such a thing, and quickly replied: "Zhao De, ask freely—why be so formal?"

"Suppose one day—"

Gu Yi ventured: "If our Great Han faces enemies from all four directions, what will Your Highness do?"

Liu Chen's expression changed completely.

He did not understand why Gu Ye would ask such a question, and became wary.

"Has Zhao De noticed something?" he replied with a question.

Gu Yi, controlling Gu Ye, shook his head and said softly: "Your Highness, rest assured—I was merely asking out of curiosity."

"Out of curiosity?"

Liu Chen frowned, thought for a moment, then straightened his expression and answered seriously: "If that day truly comes, I have only one saying."

"Those who dare invade our mighty Han—"

"However distant, we shall surely exterminate them!"

Liu Chen's expression was utterly serious.

Hearing this, Gu Yi's eyes subtly brightened, then he smiled and bowed to Liu Chen.

He turned and left.

Watching Gu Ye's back, Liu Chen wore a look of deep confusion, utterly unable to fathom why Gu Ye had asked such a question.

How could he possibly have imagined it?

After all, for the current people of Great Han, the threat from the four barbarians was even less than in the Later Han.

But Gu Yi was certain—

War could not be avoided.

Because the Xianbei, Wuhuan, and other tribes had long since reunited over time.

The Great Han's borders remain undisturbed.

Only because the generals left behind by Gu Chen still live.

The four barbarians hold deep fear of them.

But how long can this last?

——————

"Your servant has read in the Book of Changes: 'The medicine of non-delusion must not be tested.'"

Heaven nourishes man with the five qi; earth stabilizes the body with the five flavors; when yin and yang harmonize, illness does not arise.

Now, alchemists spread heretical words, promoting the ingestion of cold stone, claiming that Jin Shi, after prolonged refining, can commune with the divine, and that sulfur and mica can be ingested to seek immortality.

Yet the Divine Farmer's Classic of Materia Medica clearly states: mineral medicines are violent and cannot be borne by the organs. In ancient times, Bian Que treated illness by examining the heart and lungs; Zhang Zhongjing prescribed only decoctions and poultices.

How could one abandon the proper nourishment of the five grains and follow the perverse path of Jin Shi, hastening one's own death?

I have observed the noble families of Luoyang, all imitating each other—some with cracked skin and oozing pus, others raving about ghosts, yet proudly calling it "taking the powder to ascend to immortality."

This is not health preservation—it is the destruction of one's nature! The ancient tales of King Zhou fasting and King Mu visiting the Jade Pool are all mythical falsehoods.

Your Majesty's holy virtue is now flourishing—how could you allow alchemists to deceive the masses and corrupt human order?

I humbly beg Your Majesty:

First, order the Grand Sacrificial Officer to issue a decree throughout the realm, ordering all alchemical texts involving Jin Shi or heretical arts to be burned in the Lan Terrace;

Second, hold provincial governors accountable to rigorously investigate those who concoct Jin Shi under the charge of "heretical practices disrupting order";

Third, command the Director of the Imperial Kitchen to gather orthodox physicians and revise the Materia Medica, removing the false claims about mineral medicines and affirming the virtue of herbs and trees.

In ancient times, Cheng Tang prayed for rain without invoking Jin Shi; Emperor Xuan restored prosperity by emphasizing agriculture and sericulture.

May Your Majesty follow the ways of the former emperors, sever the source of delusion, and let the four seas know: those who take Jin Shi are not wise in life; those who ban it are truly benevolent!"

——"Memorial to Prohibit Jin Shi (Han. Gu Ye)"

(End of Chapter)