Chapter 107: Heaven's Movement is Vigorous; The Gentleman Strives Endlessly Without Rest (Begging for Monthly Tickets)

The matter of "banning the powder" was destined to be incomparably difficult.

Setting aside how hard it was to wean those who had become addicted to taking the powder.

—For Gu Yi, the real difficulty was that "taking the powder" was considered an elegant pursuit in the current Great Han.

So long as this notion was not thoroughly overturned,

then "banning the powder" was destined to be a fool's dream; even if Liu Shan issued an edict, it would be useless.

But no matter how difficult this matter was,

Gu Yi had to carry it through.

Although he did not know what the future would hold, since he had already come, he had to plant this notion deep in the hearts of the people of the Nine Provinces.

Regarding this, Gu Yi had also made many preparations.

His first stroke was aimed at Cao Zhi and the others among those who "took the powder" and held extremely high influence within the Imperial Academy.

Strip them of all their titles, and banish them from the Imperial Academy.

With this matter, he thoroughly raised the curtain on the entire affair of "banning the powder"!

The court and the countryside alike trembled!

No one had expected Gu Ye's attitude to be so resolute.

The first stroke aimed directly at the Imperial Academy?

What on earth was he trying to do?

The current era had already changed; the successive deaths of Liu Bei, Gu Chen, and Zhuge Liang had already shown that the Great Han had thoroughly departed from its most glorious period.

The same applied to the influence of the Gu clan.

What Gu Chen could influence was, after all, only a single generation.

Of course, knowing well that Liu Shan, this Emperor, still Highly Values the Gu clan, no one would be foolish enough to anger the Gu clan over some trivial matter.

But this current matter was different.

The most crucial point was—

Gu Yi's target this time was not only those great clans and powerful families; the scholars within the Imperial Academy also had plenty of complaints about this.

A deluge of memorials immediately piled up before Jiang Wan and Liu Shan.

These people were all very clever.

They did not directly target the Gu clan—after all, before this, someone had already used their life to prove that such a course was unworkable.

They merely put forward their views on the matter of "taking the powder."

The influence of environment on a person was enormous.

When great Confucian scholars like Cao Zhi, who already held extremely high influence within the Imperial Academy, as well as renowned figures from all across the realm, were all extolling the matter of "taking the powder," then even if these students themselves did not take the powder, they would still yearn for it.

Fortunately, the current Emperor was Liu Shan.

Liu Shan, this man, might at many times be unable to tell who was right and who was wrong.

Especially under circumstances where so many people were protesting, he would become even more indecisive.

But he remembered the words Gu Chen had spoken.

And he regarded them as his guiding principle.

It was precisely because Cao Ren had once used "Five Stones Powder" to build up his forces that Gu Chen had also done research on "Five Stones Powder" and given his assessment of it.

This was Liu Shan's bottom line.

Even to this day, he still believed that listening to the Grand Preceptor could never go wrong.

And Jiang Wan was, moreover, the Chancellor personally appointed by Zhuge Liang.

He held great hopes for Gu Ye, and also understood the drawbacks of the matter of taking the powder.

Under such circumstances,

these memorials one after another were simply suppressed.

Of course, Gu Yi would not bother himself with these things.

After thoroughly dealing with Cao Zhi and the others, he immediately put forward several regulations concerning the current imperial examinations.

Those who "took the powder" were barred from the imperial examinations!

—A killing blow!

This was absolutely a killing blow!

Five Stones Powder was no cheap thing; the Great Han was currently in a period of recovery, having just gone through so many years of natural disasters, and ordinary common households could not possibly bear the cost of "Five Stones Powder."

This was aimed at the sons of those great clans and powerful families!

Gu Ye was already handling the matter of the imperial examinations, and the regulations he promulgated did not even require Liu Shan's approval.

The impact this matter caused far surpassed anything before.

Cutting off these people's path to the imperial examinations was already destined to signify the decline of a clan.

The power of these clans in the Great Han today was far from what it had once been.

For them, this could be called fatal.

In an instant, the situation throughout the entire court and countryside grew increasingly turbulent.

Factional struggles emerged unconsciously under such circumstances.

Although on the surface both sides still debated around the matter of "taking the powder," in reality what they were contending for was the interests of their own side.

Fortunately, the overall direction of the current Great Han still had not gone awry.

Otherwise,

this impact would probably be no less than the Partisan Prohibitions of old.

But what could be done about it?

Judging by the current overall system of Han, as long as Liu Shan is not misled, no fundamental chaos will arise.

The foundations left by Gu Chen and Zhuge Liang have firmly anchored Han on the correct path.

At the very least—

Han will not experience any unrest now.

The news spread continuously.

Gu Yi's move had an extremely clear effect; the voices of the students in the Imperial Academy immediately fell silent.

No one is a fool, especially those students who had never taken Five Stone Powder—they were unwilling to lose their opportunities over this matter.

Although those who took Five Stone Powder were more frenzied.

But what of it?

Gu Yi had never intended to resolve this matter solely through covert strategies.

Just as the situation became completely deadlocked—

Gu Yi then launched open actions, ordering the clearance of "Five Stone Powder" throughout Luoyang and submitting a memorial to Liu Shan.

He declared the sale of "Five Stone Powder" a capital offense!

All offenders, regardless of status, shall be executed!

All officials who took Five Stone Powder, regardless of rank, shall be dismissed.

From Luoyang onward, Han launched a thorough campaign against "Five Stone Powder."

At the same time, Gu Yi also acted in succession.

Through Gu Ye representing the Gu clan, he cited a line from the "Xiang Zhuan" of the Yi Zhuan and proclaimed it to the world.

Heaven moves vigorously—gentlemen strive unceasingly.

He also circulated the stories of Han's historical figures who rose from the lower classes.

Gu Yi aimed to fundamentally reverse Han's prevailing trends!

Throughout the realm, all was in an uproar.

Such harsh measures naturally stirred up unrest across the regions.

But what of it?

The greatest reason Gu Yi dared act so directly was because Han's base was stable!

Whether the frontier armies or the central imperial troops—

These were among Han's sources of strength.

And most crucially—

This campaign would not target the common people; even if someone tried to incite them to rebel, it would not be easy.

At the very least, the current court had not yet disappointed the people.

Especially after having just endured natural disasters.

The common folk across the regions had no desire to shatter the hard-won peace at such a time!

And benefits have always been fiercely contested.

When one falls, another rises to seize the opportunity.

Even minor rebellions in various regions required no imperial intervention—local officials resolved them completely.

The tide had turned!

The court's firm stance finally made everyone realize just how resolute the court truly was.

And as the date of the next imperial examination drew nearer—

The opposition voices in court grew increasingly faint.

Liu Shan's trust in Gu Chen had made these officials feel despair.

To avoid their families and generations becoming utterly disconnected from the times, even if they hated to relinquish their interests, they had no choice but to accept it.

For them—

This was a choice they must confront.

Of course, there were scholars utterly disillusioned by the court's actions, including some whose names Gu Yi had heard in his original history.

One by one, they chose to withdraw from the world.

But what of it?

Regardless of their talents, merely for their addiction to Five Stone Powder, Gu Yi had already sentenced them to death.

If they entered the court—

The harm they would bring to the Nine Provinces would far outweigh any benefit.

This trend must be eradicated at its root.

Although this matter required time—

Gu Yi still made his stance clear: he piled all seized Five Stone Powder on wasteland near the capital.

He then ordered a stele erected there.

Before the eyes of the myriad people, he burned it all.

Demonstrating to the world his unyielding resolve.

This matter was destined to be an extremely lengthy process.

The seventh year of Yanxi;

After three full years of investigation, the conditions across Han's territories finally yielded results.

Han's current population stood at over twenty million.

Years of consecutive natural disasters had claimed far too many lives.

But compared to the original history, the population had increased by more than double.

And the cultivated land area was even greater.

Upon learning this news, Gu Yi's heart gradually settled a little.

The importance of population in this era needed no elaboration.

With so many people, it would greatly aid him in everything he would face in the future.

Gu Ye had become increasingly pivotal in the imperial court.

His momentum could not be stopped.

Everyone had fully understood Liu Chan's feelings toward the Gu clan and had abandoned all resistance.

What truly concerned them was the upcoming imperial examination that Great Han would reopen.

Luoyang.

Hou Fu.

"Add arithmetic to this examination's special subject?" Zhong Hui stared at Gu Ye in astonishment, frowning: "Zhao De, in today's world, even the regional princes barely understand arithmetic, let alone the common people?"

"Even if we add it as a special subject."

"It would still be hard to find even one person who could pass its examination."

Zhong Hui regarded Gu Ye with serious expression.

He had been assisting Gu Ye in handling the imperial examination matters.

Although Zhong Hui was arrogant, he was excellent in ability and unlike ordinary aristocratic officials.

His personality made his relations within the aristocratic clans extremely poor.

He would not ally with other aristocratic clans.

Nor would he meddle in the imperial examination, a core institution of Great Han.

"Even so, it must be added," Gu Yi did not hesitate, directly controlling Gu Ye to answer: "I will ask Your Majesty to issue an edict and proclaim it throughout the realm."

"For the next imperial examination."

"Arithmetic will become a fixed subject."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Hui's frown deepened further.

He truly could not understand why Gu Ye cared about arithmetic.

In fact, this was the general attitude among Great Han's officials.

In this feudal dynasty ruled by Confucianism, arithmetic subjects were indeed neglected.

Gu Yi did not waste words.

He simply pulled out Liu Hui's annotated version of the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art and handed it to Zhong Hui, then said calmly: "Shi Ji, if all our officials understood this principle during the land redistribution, how much time would be saved?"

He needed no further explanation.

Zhong Hui's talent was exceptional—he would naturally grasp the implication.

Moreover, this was merely an application for Great Han today.

Advances in mathematics would certainly bring enormous changes to the Nine Provinces in the future.

Advances in mathematics will absolutely bring tremendous changes to all of Jiuzhou in the future.

Zhong Hui's frown deepened further as he studied the detailed annotations, his mind automatically pondering Gu Yi's words.

Zhong Hui's brow furrowed deeper and deeper; gazing at those detailed annotations, he could not help but turn over in his mind the words Gu Yi had spoken.

His face immediately showed shock.

"Zhao De, who annotated this?" he fixed his gaze on Gu Ye, breathing faster.

"Zhaode, who annotated this?" he asked, fixing his stare on Gu Ye, his breathing growing ever more rapid.

He then ordered someone to summon Liu Hui.

Zhong Hui's face had been full of anticipation, but when he saw Liu Hui's dark skin and lack of scholar's bearing, his brow instantly knitted:

Zhong Hui's face had originally been full of expectation, but the moment he beheld Liu Hui—his skin swarthy and utterly lacking the bearing of a famous scholar—his brow instantly drew together:

He stared intently at Gu Ye.

Gu Ye nodded.

Seeing this, Zhong Hui glanced again at Liu Hui, then at the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art in his hands, and shook his head muttering: "What a pity."

To him, someone like Liu Hui—devoid of any scholar's elegance—could have talent at most, but nothing more.

For him, a man like Liu Hui, who possessed not the slightest air of a famous scholar, could amount to little more than this no matter how modest his talent.

Only then did he realize Zhong Hui had fallen into his scholar's prejudice again.

But he still had Liu Hui explain his annotations and outline their potential benefits.

Although Zhong Hui held Liu Hui in low regard,

he clearly understood the importance of the matter and patiently listened through.

As Liu Hui spoke, Zhong Hui's face once again showed shock.

After Liu Hui finished his explanation and left,

Zhong Hui immediately spoke without hesitation: "A special subject must be established—using the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art as the exam topic!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhong Hui spoke directly: "A special examination must be established, and let the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art serve as its topic!"

Gu Yi immediately controlled Gu Ye to shake his head: "The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art can only serve as the topic for this examination; future exams must draw questions from current affairs."

Gu Yi immediately manipulated Gu Ye to shake his head: "The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art can only serve as the topic for this examination, but every subsequent test must follow current affairs and set other questions."

If future examinations were fixed solely on the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, it would stifle its development.

Gu Yi would never commit such a foolish act.

Gu Yi, of course, would never do something so foolish.

Zhong Hui was silent for a moment, then finally nodded as well.

He was an impatient man.

Once the regulations for this imperial examination were confirmed, he immediately rose and took his leave.

And Gu Yi was not idle either.

He directly took control of Gu Ye and headed straight for the imperial palace.

Liu Shan is no longer young either; white hair had long since appeared at both his temples.

What truly struck Gu Yi as rare was—

Despite having reached such an age, Liu Shan had actually kept his original heart unchanged.

He was still addicted to pleasure.

Yet he was not addicted to women.

Whether placed in ancient times or in the modern era, this could be considered an utterly unique existence.

Regarding Gu Ye's suggestion, Liu Shan naturally would not refuse.

Although he did not understand.

But since it was proposed by a Gu Shizi, to him it was surely correct.

The matter was quickly settled.

The entire court, high and low, was in an uproar!

Arithmetic would be a special subject, and at the next imperial examination arithmetic would even become a separate subject on its own!

For the current Great Han, this was like a bolt from the blue!

No one could dare believe that all of this was actually true.

Arithmetic was actually worthy of being listed as a separate subject?

A mere arithmetic was actually to be placed on the same level as the various classics left behind by the ancients?

All manner of rumors and gossip surged forth at once.

Many people wept and complained that this move was a betrayal of the ancestors, which was also a flaw within Confucian education.

But in the end, all of this was in vain.

At the beginning it was still fine; Liu Shan would still grant these people an audience.

But later, seemingly finding it somewhat tiresome, he would not even see these people in person.

And as the day of the imperial examination drew nearer and nearer.

No matter how difficult a thing was to accept, there would always be someone who would bow their head for the sake of profit.

There were indeed some stubborn old Confucian scholars willing to die in order to reverse this move.

Even Gu Yi could not say they were wrong.

In every era there will appear a group of stubborn, conservative people, unwilling to accept new things, clinging to their own perceived values.

But the times will ultimately progress.

Let alone them.

Even Gu Yi could not halt the evolution within it.

Yanxi eighth year, the imperial examination commenced.

As the first imperial examination since the Great Han implemented the reform of the imperial examination, everyone paid extraordinary attention to this one.

Gu Yi kept his word.

He specially selected a group of people to conduct screenings in various regions before the local examinations.

Anyone who "took powder," regardless of their identity, would have their qualification to sit for the imperial examination revoked.

In every region, winds rose and clouds surged.

Everyone was watching this imperial examination.

But just at such a moment, news from the frontier was sent back to Luoyang.

—Guanqiu Jian had passed away.

As one of the great generals left behind by Gu Chen back then, Guanqiu Jian had always been responsible for garrisoning Youzhou, the most threatening of the lands.

For several decades, not a single mishap had ever occurred.

The passing of such a great general was, for the Great Han, like losing a pillar supporting the heavens.

If not for the stability on all four sides.

Gu Yi could not possibly have accomplished so many things in such a short time.

Although he had never met Guanqiu Jian, Liu Shan was still deeply grieved by his passing.

These were all people Gu Chen had left to him.

As time went on, these people had grown fewer and fewer.

Gu Yi was also somewhat mixed in his feelings about this—some sadness, perhaps, but more of all, Serious.

Guanqiu Jian was dead.

How much longer could Jiang Wei, Deng Ai, and the others have?

The Great Han's period of peace was about to pass.

Everything Gu Chen had left for the Great Han was, in the end, gradually fading away with time.

If the Nine Provinces truly wished to remain stable and secure, the only way was to let these later generations fight for it themselves.

From this day forth,

Gu Yi paid ever closer attention to the movements of the barbarians on all sides, and at the same time began to accelerate the rectification of internal affairs.

But no matter how fast Gu Yi's actions were.

In an era where every piece of news still had to be carried by a person, one could never outrun the passage of time.

Guanqiu Jian's passing was like a signal.

Within the Great Han court, the most glorious age of civil officials and martial generals was gradually drawing to a close.

At the end of that very same year.

Jiang Wan fell ill and had no choice but to resign from the position of Chancellor.

He understood his own positioning perfectly well.

His role was to stabilize the court and wait until Gu Ye grew a few years older.

In his resignation memorial, he directly recommended that Gu Ye be appointed Chancellor.

The matter instantly stirred up a storm within the court. Although Gu Ye's status within the court had grown increasingly transcendent, as a nation's Chancellor he was indeed still a touch young.

But Liu Shan agreed to it outright.

Whether it was Gu Ye's surname, or the candidates Zhuge Liang had left behind, either was enough to make him make this choice.

But what no one expected was—

Gu Ye refused!

Gu Yi naturally would not go be some Chancellor.

At his level, having him handle some institutional reforms was indeed feasible, but as a Chancellor governing a nation, he could never compare to those who would earn their names in the annals of history.

Moreover, for Gu Yi, he would eventually have to leave Luoyang.

The position of Chancellor was nothing but a burden to him!

Gu Yi directly controlled Gu Ye to submit a memorial requesting Liu Shan appoint Zhang Hua as Chancellor.

In truth, if Zhong Hui's temperament could be adjusted a bit, his ability would be more than sufficient for the role of Chancellor.

Besides, this fellow's mind worked fast.

He could also rapidly accept all of Gu Yi's various reforms.

But the pity was that this fellow was far too obstinate and self-opinionated.

Zhang Hua, however, was different.

Although Zhang Hua's position within the court was not particularly high at present, the matters he handled had never once gone awry.

Moreover, Zhang Hua was a man Gu Chen had once promoted.

The most crucial point was—

This fellow's abilities perfectly met the Gu clan's requirements!

In the original history, he was someone who could balance the four powers within the chaotic court of Western Jin.

With such a man within the court, Gu Yi could finally set his mind completely at ease.

Regarding Gu Ye's decision, the entire court was shocked.

Could there really be someone who would refuse the Chancellor's seat placed right at their lips?

Even Liu Shan himself was somewhat baffled.

He summoned Gu Ye in succession several times to ask about it, and Liu Chen also came to see Gu Ye; none of them understood why Gu Ye would act this way.

This time, Gu Yi did not conceal anything.

He directly stated his hidden concerns regarding the four barbarian directions.

Liu Shan naturally paid this no heed, and even advised Gu Ye that there was no need to make a fuss and to quietly stay in Luoyang and help him govern the realm.

As for Liu Chen's attitude toward this, it was incomparably solemn. He bowed seriously toward Gu Ye and said: "Illustrious virtue and lofty righteousness!"

No one could have imagined

that the Chancellor's seat would actually play out a drama of three refusals and three deferrals.

After Gu Ye refused several times.

Liu Shan, utterly helpless, could only follow his suggestion and prepare to hand the Chancellor's seat to Zhang Hua.

But how could Zhang Hua possibly agree?

He was still merely a Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat (Minister lang); leaping straight to the position at the head of all officials was a leap even he found hard to accept.

Zhang Hua even came to see Gu Ye.

To ask Gu Ye to accept the Chancellor's seat; even if he kept deferring, he must not defer it to him.

Gu Yi did not say much more.

He simply controlled Gu Ye to take Zhang Hua directly to the imperial palace to see Liu Shan.

He asked Liu Shan to recite the evaluation Gu Chen had once given of Zhang Hua.

Liu Shan might not have been able to memorize other things.

But what Gu Chen had left behind, he had long since engraved upon his heart.

"Vast in learning and tenacious of memory as the sea accepting all rivers, capable of managing the world's affairs with the bearing of a pillar-stone; yet his uprightness runs too deep, and I fear he may be broken by petty intrigues—but in an age of prosperity, he is a worthy minister, fully fit for great service."

Upon hearing Liu Shan utter these words, Zhang Hua was instantly struck dumb.

He could never have imagined;

that back then, Gu Chen, facing one so young, could have made such a judgment!

Gu Yi first controlled Gu Ye to bow to Liu Shan, then patted Zhang Hua on the shoulder and said solemnly: "Maoxian, do not let down Grandfather's expectations."

Such a simple sentence made Zhang Hua's eyes instantly redden.

He looked at Gu Ye, then looked again at Liu Shan.

In the end, he nodded seriously.

He knelt down solemnly before Liu Shan.

"This minister, accepts the command!"

——————

"In the eighth year of Yanxi of the Yan Han, the Yan Han Chancellor Jiang Wan fell ill and submitted a memorial requesting to resign, recommending Gu Ye as chancellor; the Emperor approved it.

Gu Ye, well-versed in frontier affairs and having observed the stars at night, remonstrated in the Xuan Shi Hall: 'I am skilled at planning but lacking in decisiveness. Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat Zhang Hua is well-versed in military strategy and keenly perceptive of military affairs. If he were appointed chancellor, the state could be at peace.'

He thus thrice yielded the position of chancellor.

Later generations praised: 'Ye, brilliant and radiant, does not shine in the court. Yielding the chancellorship to steady the tripod, the four barbars are pacified in glory.'

——"Han Yu Ci Dian. Yielding the Chancellorship to Pacify the State"

(End of chapter)