Chapter 476

Lin Lin Fucheng used the argument of freedom to crush Yang Tongshan, exposing his hypocritical facade.

"You you you!" Yang Tongshan pointed at Lin Lin Fucheng, stammering "you" three times before falling silent; the principle that "the people are the foundation of the state" was a consensus since the founding of the Ming Dynasty—Yang Tongshan had prepared a wealth of rhetoric, yet it crumbled before Lin Lin Fucheng's sharp question.

"What do you mean, 'you'?" Lin Lin Fucheng stepped forward and said sternly: "We're merely stopping you from oppressing the common people—why do you look as if you've lost a loved one? Are you upset that the state is no longer letting you exploit the masses? The court certainly has its problems, but at least right now, the court is far freer than you stubborn, outdated Confucians!"

"You oppose the currency system simply because minting coins is highly profitable, and the court forbids private minting, cutting off your profit stream, isn't that right?"

The Ming court has always had freedom; since its founding, it has compiled the deeds of the founding emperors, yet whenever the court takes any action, these lowly Confucians raise various banners to oppose everything—this cannot be done because it contradicts the ways of the Three Dynasties; that cannot be done because it clashes with ancestral law—a bunch of idle, corrupt scholars who talk endlessly without doing anything.

Regarding coinage, the Ming must either fully liberalize it to allow free competition among currencies, or completely ban it to avoid the conflict between good and bad coinage.

With no copper available, a complete ban became the only solution.

Wan Shihé once shamefully told the emperor he had never studied history, so he diligently caught up on historiography and is now an indispensable jack-of-all-trades in the Ming court.

"I have a question," said a thin man stepping forward.

Lin Lin Fucheng thoroughly explained why he called unqualified Confucians foolish, using his insults to clarify that the world is changing and culture must change as well—both necessary and inevitable.

Lin Lin Fucheng was startled and stepped back, but the constables blocked everyone with their enforcement rods, striking the ground repeatedly while chanting "Wei Wu!" Wang Han Yike, the upright magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture, had long established a rule: shouting is allowed, but violence is not.

"So you're the eldest son of Vice Premier Wang," Hou Hou Yuzhao muttered, bewildered—he had no connection to the Jin faction; why had Wang Qian sought him out?

Wang Qian walked up to Hou Hou Yuzhao and smiled: "I heard you've just returned from Liaodong, weary from travel—what a fortunate coincidence! It's better to be invited than to chance upon each other; today I'm hosting a banquet at Taibai Pavilion to welcome you."

Hou Hou Yuzhao chose to take his leave; the crowd surrounding the bookstore gradually dispersed—no one dared to fight, smash, or out-debate him; staying longer would only bring further humiliation.

"I!" a Confucian scholar stepped forward, shouting loudly.

"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!" The unqualified Confucian realized he'd been trapped in Lin Lin Fucheng's rhetoric and suddenly understood his mistake—he shouted: "We're discussing the Three-Level School System! Don't divert the topic!"

"Just a provincial inspector," Hou Hou Yuzhao could not refuse—he believed he had no allies in court and knew it was unwise to offend Wang Wang Chonggu so easily; Wang Qian spoke politely, without aggression, so Hou Hou Yuzhao did not refuse, merely correcting Wang Qian's incorrect title again.

"Tsk tsk tsk," Lin Lin Fucheng clicked his tongue, his expression dripping with disdain: "Flustered? Look at you, getting flustered again."

According to Ming Confucian orthodoxy: since the Book of Documents emerged, the governance of the Two Emperors and Three Kings shone like the sun and stars; everything else may be preserved without discussion, and omission is acceptable; since the Spring and Autumn Annals emerged, the events of 240 years are as clear as the palm of one's hand; everything else may be discussed but not debated.

Lin Lin Fucheng nodded: "Oh, then I'll call you 'Unqualified' then."

Wang Qian put on a perfect show—his visit today was entirely planned to "coincidentally" meet Hou Hou Yuzhao; how could such coincidences be real? Upon learning Hou Hou Yuzhao had come to the bookstore to buy books and old newspapers, he immediately rushed over—today, he must have this "chance encounter!"

Zhang Zhang Juzheng, Wang Wang Chonggu, Zeng Ceng Shengwu, and Wang Daoqun all recommended candidates, but the emperor personally reviewed them all and appointed Hou Hou Yuzhao; Li Li Chengliang's foul temper makes him a terrible partner—partnering with him could drain half your life; conflict between governor and commander harms expansion and stability.

Hou Hou Yuzhao could drink heavily—he outdrank Li Li Chengliang in the hellhole of Tieling—but in Liaodong, he rarely drank openly because grain was scarce; without sweet potatoes, feeding so many Liaodong people would have been impossible.

So he's become a provincial governor now? His promotion is too fast.

"Who are you?"

But the scholar-gentry class rejected the Three-Level School System, regarding its curriculum as heretical.

With so many watching, forcing an argument would only invite ridicule.

Since Hou Hou Yuzhao is not in court, the emperor often speaks of him—he is a man favored by the throne, and one must cultivate good relations.

This is also why Li Li Chengliang finds Hou Hou Yuzhao so agreeable: the practice of awarding rewards for enemy heads causes too many problems—killing civilians to claim credit, low morale, and fighting over heads on the battlefield are all grave military taboos.

Wang Qian, seeing Hou Hou Yuzhao's stunned confusion was genuine, sincerely said: "Marshal Hou, you truly live in isolation in Liaodong, deaf to the world outside, devoted only to reclaiming wastelands—I deeply admire you."

After hearing Lin Lin Fucheng's words today, Hou Hou Yuzhao finally understood: register all commoners under unified households—they are all Ming people, nothing more; whether they are Jurchens, Northern Tartars, or Urad tribes, under his governance, they are all called "Ming people," and their culture must be Ming's poetry, rites, and music.

"Just like you—foolish!"

"He's merely a loudmouthed fool—how dare he call himself a master? Marshal Hou is too kind," Lin Lin Fucheng quickly bowed, admitting he only had a mouth—he couldn't even propose solutions, let alone implement them.

Hou Hou Yuzhao smiled: "Lin Dashi, you're too modest."

Wang Wang Chonggu's Three-Level School System is outright heretical! This is the consensus among scholars: studying only the Book of Documents and the Spring and Autumn Annals is sufficient—why read the Comprehensive History?

Lin Lin Fucheng looked at the unqualified Confucian with pity and sighed: "Truly stubborn and ignorant—if you'd even slightly read about contradiction theory, you wouldn't say such foolish things."

"I'm deeply honored," Lin Lin Fucheng said joyfully, though he didn't know exactly what help he'd provided; though he only had a mouth and no practical ability, the fact that upright officials said his idle talk was useful thrilled him.

The capital of the Ming truly harbors hidden dragons and tigers!

"My long-standing confusion has vanished—I truly understand now. Thank you, Lin Dashi," Hou Hou Yuzhao thanked again, intending to tell Lin Lin Fucheng: his half-formed idea was genuinely useful to him.

Lin Lin Fucheng watched Yang Tongshan flee in disgrace and shouted loudly: "I'll write about today's events in the 'Xiaoyao Anecdotes' so everyone can see how scholar-gentry behave—and paired with the earlier heretical book, it'll be perfect!"

Lin Lin Fucheng, the leader of the Songjiang School, once again tore away the veil, revealing to all: beneath the Confucian banners of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, these scholar-gentry are nothing but demons and goblins.

These past days, the court has exhausted every argument and effort to barely recruit enough scholar-gentry to serve in the frontier regions.

Lin Lin Fucheng's tongue is truly venomous; scholars insult with filth—though Lin Lin Fucheng utters no vulgar words, he strikes straight at the face, exposes weaknesses, and targets the vital point; this lowly Confucian cowered, but the constables' enforcement rods were terrifying—these pampered scholar-students couldn't withstand ten strokes.

Call it innocence if you're kind, call it stupidity if you're harsh.

Lin Lin Fucheng's final cry was almost a roar; the craftsmen, guards, and constables watching Yang Tongshan fell into deep thought.

"Coinage requires copper! We Ming have no copper! Unless we civilize these regions, where will we get enough copper? Will it fall from the sky?!"

The court's minting isn't enough, and private minting is banned—what kind of court is this!

Lin Lin Fucheng, sneering, stepped up to Yang Tongshan and shouted: "You—why are you here?!"

Zhang Zhang Xueyan, as Vice Minister of War, cannot return to Liaodong; the official most harmonious with Li Li Chengliang is none other than Hou Hou Yuzhao.

"Do you have anything else to say?" Lin Lin Fucheng asked with a smile.

While reclaiming wastelands in Liaodong, Hou Hou Yuzhao faced a problem: how to treat the Liaodong people? Most of these people looked identical to Han Chinese, with eight out of ten tracing ancestry to Han migrants—but many couldn't even speak proper Mandarin—how should they be treated? Hou Hou Yuzhao and Li Li Chengliang disagreed.

But scholar-gentry defined heresy extremely broadly: contradiction theory, production diagrams, public-private theory, class theory, mathematics, feng shui, celestial navigation, astronomy, medicine, Comprehensive History—all were heresies; anything outside the Four Books and Five Classics was heresy!

The Comprehensive History was written by Liang Liang Menglong, Minister of Personnel and Commander of the Capital Garrison; this book is a concise chronicle spanning from the Three Dynasties to the early Emperor Wanli era, compiling major historical events and evaluating them based on contradiction theory and class theory.

"Change—do you even know what change means? Nothing remains static; ancient classics cannot solve today's problems. Are you all like you—closing your eyes and plugging your ears, pretending problems don't exist?"

According to Li Li Chengliang's view, kill them outright—clean, efficient, and avoids imperial suspicion that he might become An Lushan.

Lin Lin Fucheng's "Xiaoyao Anecdotes" lavishly praised the Ming Three-Level School System, nearly deifying Wang Wang Chonggu as a sage statesman—utterly fawning.

"I'm no old acquaintance; my father is Minister of Justice and Vice Premier Wang Wang Chonggu. I am Assistant Censor-in-Chief Wang Qian, overseeing trade at Yanxing Pavilion," Wang Qian quickly introduced himself—he deeply respected those who got things done; once an enemy, Yao Xu Guangqi was mocked by him, but now that Yao is the "kelp king," Wang Qian is close friends with him.

"I'm merely a lowly student of the Imperial Academy, unknown and insignificant," the Confucian, having learned from Yang Tongshan's defeat, refused to reveal his name—he'd win by silence, and if he lost, he'd lose no face.

He was broken: the term "foolish" implies ignorance and lack of understanding, seeing others' faults but blind to one's own—used to describe the lowest class of people: laborers with no access to education.

"You insult me!" The unqualified Confucian, enraged, lunged forward, shouting to rally his companions to storm Guangde Bookstore and smash it.

"Ah, so you're Hou Hou Yuzhao! Truly… long… Hou Hou Yuzhao? The Liaodong Provincial Inspector Hou Hou Yuzhao?!" Lin Lin Fucheng had initially appeared indifferent, ready to repeat his usual act—but halfway through his words, he realized who stood before him.

The unqualified Confucian was speechless—he'd clearly chosen the wrong opponent; this man was an expert debater, and his twisted logic of freedom grew more persuasive the more he spoke, seducing the crowd.

Only Hou Hou Yuzhao thought he had no allies in court; favored by the throne, a staunch imperial loyalist—Wang Wang Chonggu had labored nearly a decade until the emperor finally defended him, and after Hou Hou Yuzhao submitted the "Five-Tier Merit Rewards Memorandum," the emperor repeatedly protected him.

This confirms Wang Wang Yie's words: those with real talent have long taken official posts to pursue advancement—no time to bicker with lowly Confucians.

"I understand now. Thank you, Lin Dashi," Hou Hou Yuzhao said after long contemplation; Lin Lin Fucheng had helped him.

"Today's Confucianism is even more selfish than Yang Zhu's teachings—how strange! Isn't this precisely foolishness?"

"Marshal Hou!" Wang Qian hurried forward to greet Hou Hou Yuzhao.

"Take Marshal Hou as an example: holding office requires fairness and equality as the foremost virtue—fairness prevents being swayed by self-interest; integrity prevents being misled by evil. Any action tainted by selfishness or evil is unjust, unequal, and unfair."

"Come, come, let's go—the Taibai Pavilion is packed right now; if we're late, there won't be any seats left," Wang Qian smiled, leading Hou Hou Yuzhao straight to the pavilion.

"Yes, you, this student of the Imperial Academy, are foolish—I said so!"

"If that's true, then there's also equality," Lin Lin Fucheng said enthusiastically. "The Book of Documents says: 'Be impartial, show no favoritism—the Way of the King is vast and open; show no bias, hold no faction—the Way of the King is even and level.' Thus, the Way of the King is equality."

When Wang Qian passed the imperial examination, Hou Hou Yuzhao had already spent three years in the frontier, reclaiming thirty thousand hectares of wasteland—naturally, they were not old acquaintances.

Yang Zhu's teachings were criticized by all schools for valuing the self above all; yet today's Confucians are even worse than Yang Zhu.

"The currency system is insufficient! The Emperor Wanli Zhiyuan Tongbao minted by the court barely meets public needs—why do you ignore this?" Yang Tongshan, quick-witted, immediately seized on the currency shortage to counter.

Back at the Huitong Pavilion, Hou Hou Yuzhao wrote down his thoughts and fell into a drowsy sleep—he didn't wake until the sun was high.

"Master Wang, who recommended me? I must personally thank them," Hou Hou Yuzhao believed someone must have recommended him; since he received this favor, he must know the motive—if he couldn't find out, he'd rather not be promoted—better for all.

"The emperor is wise," Hou Hou Yuzhao had nothing to say—he clearly realized: he might, perhaps, possibly be a staunch imperial loyalist, a man favored by the throne?

Lin Lin Fucheng holds no official title—he doesn't draw imperial salary nor enjoy judicial or tax privileges; these Ming Jinshi and juren all draw imperial salaries and wield judicial and tax privileges, yet they only want to bully the people and ride roughshod over them; recruiting scholar-gentry to Hequ was an immense struggle.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Marshal Hou," Wang Qian said bluntly, once seated: "I received reliable news from my father—you'll be recommended as Governor of Liaodong upon your return to court. Congratulations, Marshal Hou."

The civil official who controls Li Li Chengliang, the backbone supporting his frontier expansion, the loyal, patriotic Hou Hou Yuzhao, personally appointed by the emperor's imperial decree.

Ultimately, the court's deliberation confirmed Hou Hou Yuzhao; moreover, his land reclamation was genuinely effective—his fortresses left even Subaigai helpless; Li Li Chengliang's dominance in Liaodong was inseparable from Hou Hou Yuzhao's successful agricultural colonization.

"The Guanzi's Interpretation of Form and Situation says: Heaven is fair and impartial, so it shelters all things, good and bad; Earth is fair and impartial, so it carries all things, great and small. Thus, Heaven's fairness and Earth's evenness constitute equality."

"Who are you?" Lin Lin Fucheng maintained his haughty, disdainful demeanor.

"I'm Hou Hou Yuzhao, an unknown nobody," Hou Hou Yuzhao replied calmly, standing out from the surrounding scholars—mainly due to his natural, commanding dignity that made others instinctively retreat.

Hou Hou Yuzhao was a proper Ming Jinshi, had committed no offense, and was no lowly Confucian—he went to Danning Garrison to reclaim land—that was frontier service; frontier service should lead to faster promotion than inland postings, but Hou Hou Yuzhao seemed unaware of this policy.

"I didn't pass the provincial or imperial exams, but you, who did, speak nonsense! Why is the currency system insufficient? The court has eleven copper mines in Luzon and one massive gold-silver-copper mine at Wuma Gang—our state is in dire need of talent, yet you refuse to go! You eat imperial salaries, yet refuse imperial duties—aren't you just afraid of Luzon's heat and Hequ's cold?"

When Zhang Zhang Juzheng monopolized the imperial lectures, it was because court ministers had utterly different views on heresy; Zhu Zhu Yijun thus chose Zhang alone to teach—too many voices caused confusion; Zhang's definition of heresy was superstition and the occult.

The primary level of the Three-Level School requires literacy, basic arithmetic, and some Emperor Tianyuan algebra (equations); the secondary level requires studying the Comprehensive History.

"Why do you think these are useless teachings? Have you ever read them? Studied them? No—so you think they're useless."

"Don't rush—I'm explaining why you're foolish first," Lin Lin Fucheng chuckled: "Only after clarifying why you're foolish can I explain why I support the Three-Level School System."

Li Li Chengliang did not advocate governing Liaodong with Liaodong men; such meddling only led to the tail wagging the dog.

This was Hou Hou Yuzhao's solution: even those who couldn't speak Mandarin were mostly Han people whose ancestors had fled to Liaodong to escape war; trying to distinguish them would only create conflict; it was essential to foster the shared identity that everyone was a subject of the Great Ming.

"You're the one who's foolish!" the unlearned Confucian screamed hoarsely.

Hou Hou Yuzhao's main contribution was his nine-year dedication to farming the frontier and his memorial, "The Five Ranks of Merit and Reward," which shifted the Ming's reward system from headcounts to battlefield achievements; at that critical moment, Zhang Zhang Juzheng advocated enriching the state and strengthening the military, granting military commanders greater authority.

After the "Compendium of Historical Essentials" was completed, Liang Liang Menglong sent it to the Quan Chu Guildhall for the Master's review; Zhang Zhang Juzheng directly delivered it to the imperial palace, where it became the young emperor's history textbook; now the emperor has taken it out for use in schools.

"Don't rush—I'll explain this slowly: Confucius himself traveled the states with his disciples, engaging in dialogue with all the Hundred Schools of Thought, absorbing their strengths for his own use—learning from their merits and discarding their dross. But now? You instantly label any differing view as 'heterodoxy'! If Confucius saw today's Confucians, he'd be pounding his chest in anguish."

To accuse the scholar-officials of foolishness, Lin Lin Fucheng truly says anything—he's perfectly aligned with the Songjiang School's views on freedom.

To refute these claims, the unlearned Confucian must first challenge a basic fact: the world is changing; he must find something unchanging—but the world has never been unchanging; thus, dreaming of the golden age of the Three Dynasties is futile; therefore, these petty Confucians are foolish and belong in the trash heap.

"Hahaha!" Laughter erupted again from the crowd; that "demonic book," whose author remains unknown, was richly illustrated and opened the eyes of common folk, revealing the corruption behind these so-called pure scholars.

"Come, come, let's drink!" Wang Qian began toasting with Hou Hou Yuzhao; apart from the two of them, only courtesans provided entertainment.

"Why are you a frog at the bottom of a well? Because you close your eyes and cover your ears, refusing to see or hear the world's changes, clinging to the governance of the Three Dynasties before, the rule of the Two Emperors and Three Kings, as brilliant as sun and stars, spending your days lost in daydreams—who else is foolish if not you?"

Insulting a scholar as foolish is equivalent to saying he has lived his entire life in vain.

Even Yang Zhu's teachings contain valid insights on life and death, and the disregard for wealth and status. Yet to you, anything you reject is heresy?! Isn't that precisely the Yang Zhu doctrine of valuing oneself above all? Only you are noble; only your interests are supreme. You won't pluck a single hair to benefit the world—but what about the next line? You won't take even a single strand if it harms the world. Why don't you mention that at all?

Lin Fu reached this point and faltered, stammering for a moment before scratching his head and saying, "I just thought of it vaguely—it's incoherent, lacks structure, and has no logic at all. Consider it nonsense. Please, Lord Inspector, forgive me."

"I won't argue with a country bumpkin! It would sully our scholarly dignity!" Yang Tongshan knew he must stop—further talk would only bring him further humiliation from Lin Fu. He flung his sleeve aside, covered his face, and walked off, regretting having revealed his name.

"Oh no!" Hou Hou Yuzhao woke up dazedly, immediately sitting upright. Today was the day for audience with the Emperor—he had slept until nearly noon.

"Speak!" Lin Fu, seeing Yang Tongshan stammering, barked sharply.

"Lin Dashi, I have a question," Hou Hou Yuzhao said to Lin Fu. "Just now, I heard you speaking with others—you didn't merely speak of freedom."

Li Li Chengliang did not advocate governing Liaodong with Liaodong men; such meddling only led to a situation where the tail wagged the dog.

"Your name, Lord Inspector, truly rings like thunder! The Fifth-Class Merit Medal—that's something extraordinary, standing far above the ordinary!" The wild man Lin Fu bowed deeply in respect—a proper gesture, for this was a true official who got things done.

Wang Qian glanced left and right, then whispered, "Approved by the Emperor himself."

Liaodong was isolated and cut off; Li Li Chengliang acted like a mad warrior, personally leading troops to expand territory, seizing land and handing it over to Hou Hou Yuzhao, who was utterly overwhelmed, too busy to give much thought to court affairs.

He hadn't expected anyone still knew his name.

But the head bounty system limited the strength of elite troops. Hou Hou Yuzhao, like a naive fool, out of a sense that he shouldn't just draw imperial salary without contributing, submitted the Five-Class Merit Medal proposal—which Zhang Zhang Juzheng used to resolve the great problem of how to assess both national wealth and military strength.

Lin Fu spoke only of freedom—he was well-versed in that. But equality was something he had only recently begun to grasp, from the Ming's abolition of the low-status classes; he had no clear system, and his words sounded disordered.

"Huh? This..." Hou Hou Yuzhao was stunned. He knew the Ming bureaucracy well—without patrons in court, who would recommend him for Provincial Governor?

"Huh?!"

Seeing the scene, Lin Fu immediately placed his hands on his hips, triumphant, and shouted loudly: "Who else?!"

"The world is vast, and people are many. The tiny patch of sky you see from the bottom of your well is not the entirety of heaven. To sit at the bottom of a well and gaze upward—isn't that the foolishness of a frog who knows nothing of the world?"

"The Fa Jing says: Make no distinction between kin and stranger, noble and commoner—justice is administered solely by law. Even a prince who breaks the law shall be punished as a commoner. To favor a person is to lose oneself; to yield to emotion is to abandon the law. Before the law, all are equal."

"Huh?" Lin Fu, the wild man who had ranted for hours, now felt genuine confusion. Did his nonsense actually help Hou Hou Yuzhao—or was Hou Hou Yuzhao just being polite?

In truth, Lin Fu misunderstood. If Hou Hou Yuzhao had such refined patience, he wouldn't have defied convention in the first place. He genuinely, wholeheartedly, was expanding Liaodong. Some problems troubled him; today, passing by, he heard there was a spectacle, so he came to watch—and he was right to come.

Wang Qian was drunk—he had never met anyone who could drink like this! He staggered, while Hou Hou Yuzhao remained composed, politely taking his leave.

"Who else wishes to debate with me?" Lin Fu looked around.

"Huh? You know me?" Hou Hou Yuzhao was truly astonished. He had left the capital nine years ago, returned once for a report, stayed only a few days before returning to Daining Garrison, then was transferred to Liaodong. This visit to the capital was solely to receive his reward.

"I am merely a Censor, not a Provincial Governor. I have long served in Liaodong. Might I ask—are we old acquaintances?" Hou Hou Yuzhao studied Wang Qian: silk and brocade, adorned with gold and silver, a jade belt pendant clearly priceless, a prosperous face, followed by over a dozen servants—undoubtedly from a wealthy family.

"Lin Fu, why do you support the three-tier academy? The teachings are all heresy!" The unlearned Confucian avoided tangential details and went straight to the point.

"The Master himself said: Among three walking together, one must be my teacher."

The time for audience with the Emperor had passed!

"It seems I was never destined for the post of Provincial Governor." Hou Hou Yuzhao lay flat on his bed, eyes vacant.

(End of Chapter)