Chapter 259: Buying and Selling

Lu Haowen, Duke Lu, was sweeping through the Hundred Schools like a whirlwind rolling up mats.

The seven-day New Year holiday should have produced only one issue of the Capital Gazette—the one copied out on the second day of the new year. But clearly, Duke Lu had come prepared, and he had the full support of His Majesty Zhao Jiu… Over the next several days, the Gazette came out without pause, a special supplement every single day, just like during last year's wartime.

Yet these supplements contained no political documents whatsoever—only the kind of light reading that had filled the last two leisure issues. So the common folk of the Eastern Capital gave them a nickname: "The Seven Days of New Year's Fun."

Two large sheets of paper: one devoted entirely to *Random Notes on the Journey to the West Subduing Demons*—clearly someone's way of frantically churning out chapters to back up Duke Lu's relentless publishing; the other sheet carried only scattered, miscellaneous pieces—little poems, little rhapsodies, strange tales and curious anecdotes, and even Feng Yi, Master Feng the Second, recommending which shop in the Eastern Capital had the best ginger-and-fermented-bean relish, to the point that it became an officially endorsed imperial establishment… Of course, everyone knew that on this sheet, Duke Lu's unshakable daily feature, "An Introduction to the Principles School," was the real main course.

For five or six days straight, during the holiday, Duke Lu went from the creation of heaven and earth to the investigation of things for knowledge, from following human desires and distinguishing heavenly principle to utility and pragmatism, and to something about the unity of knowledge and action, and testing everything through practice. Finally, he made sure to claim that his insights came from none other than Prince Shu, Wang Anshi… In short, with no other famous Confucians given any chance to speak, this Grand Councilor of Military and State Affairs, through this cheating-like method, and with the highly politically suggestive endorsement of a certain person, using propaganda resources that no other doctrine could possibly match, in a way that transcended the age, forcibly completed an overview of this stitched-together monster of a doctrine.

One thing worth noting here: although the Gazette officially announced the name of Duke Lu's new doctrine as the "Principles New School," and Duke Lu himself had been giving an "Introduction to the Principles School" these past few days, the common people and scholars alike, following the naming conventions of the School of Qi, the New School, the School of Principle, the Guan School, the Luo School, and so on, gave this doctrine—clearly a forced stitching together of Prince Shu's New School, Lu's own Dao School, and the new theory of heaven—a simple name: the "Original School."

After all, the article on the third day of the new year said that after heaven and earth emerged from chaos, the "original of heaven" quickly formed "atoms," and then these atoms, according to heavenly principle, formed the fine molecules of specific substances, and then these molecules piled together to become the myriad things of heaven and earth… In other words, the myriad things of heaven and earth are all composed of the "original of heaven" through the basic particle of the atom… This was probably the only thing ordinary people could understand.

So calling it the Original School—that's what it was.

Of course, what must come, comes. When the seven-day holiday ended, Mr. Qingshan, Hu Anguo, who had been unable to find a way to get the holiday Gazette supplements, directly blocked the gates of the Court of State Ceremonial. And Hu Quan, who had just come to work in earnest, no longer made any pretense—he actively accepted Hu Anguo's submission and promised to publish it in the next issue of the Gazette.

Now, as for the Han Confucian theories of the Five Virtues in cyclical succession and the interaction between heaven and man—from a political perspective, after being battered by the impact of Buddhism and Daoism in the mid-to-late Tang and the brutal realities of the Five Dynasties and the Fragmented Tang, and after Emperor Zhenzong of Song performed the Fengshan sacrifice at Mount Tai, they had essentially died a political death. From an intellectual perspective, starting with Han Yu in the mid-Tang, who also witnessed the Buddhist impact, all discerning Confucians had gradually abandoned the old Han Confucian learning and turned to seek a new Confucianism suited to the times.

To put it bluntly, China's traditional social elites were no fools. Could they possibly be unclear or fail to understand whether the Five Virtues cycle and the interaction between heaven and man actually worked? They were the ones who experienced and implemented it firsthand.

But the key point was this: the social problems were right there. If Han Confucianism didn't work, if Han classical studies didn't work, you had to come up with a new path! And after such a long time, Confucianism had long since merged with the entire society and possessed unquestionable political authority. This meant that if you wanted reform, you had to tinker from within Confucianism itself, returning to the Confucian classics to do your tinkering.

Otherwise? Strip off the skin of Confucianism and go for shock therapy?

So, by the Song dynasty, Fan Zhongyan, Wang Anshi, then Zhang Zai, the Cheng brothers, and now Hu Anguo and his ilk—every socially elite person with ideas was studying these related issues, trying to propose a new Confucianism to address social problems, while also inheriting the old scholarship of the Han Confucians and continuing to maintain the political and cultural achievements of China's great unification.

Coming back to the present, since Lu Haowen had gritted his teeth and set out to become this sage of the Original School, he was already prepared to be blown black and blue by a powder keg. And Hu Anguo, as the foremost great Confucian bridging the past and present, and the closest Dao School master in physical proximity, his counterattack was something almost everyone could foresee.

And it had to be admitted that Hu Anguo, as an expert who had studied these issues his whole life, truly had substance in his belly. He came straight in and, from his own academic perspective, pointed out a huge problem with the Original School—Lu Haowen's Original School had no concept of "qi," or rather, from its very foundation, Lu Haowen's Original School had no place for "qi."

You see, there was a reason Hu Anguo's own doctrine placed everything on qi—it was by no means simply accepting some miraculous viewpoints directly from Zhang Zai and the Cheng brothers and cramming them in like a duck being force-fed… Almost all Dao School scholars emphasized the importance of the concept of qi because qi was formless, yet it filled the entire world. And yet it was clearly perceptible to people, and it could be linked to the human body through the phenomenon of breathing, thereby influencing the concepts of thought and morality.

In other words, qi was the mediating concept carefully selected by the Dao School and Principle School scholars of this era to connect the complex philosophical concepts of nature and man, life and non-life, the formed and the formless, the internal and the external. Those ethereal, intangible things transformed into each other through the form of qi.

So, although there were some conceptual differences between the various schools—for instance, Hu Anguo's concept of qi was particularly large and broad, while others might have a narrower one—regardless, this concept of "qi" held an extremely important foundational position in Dao School thought.

When Hu Anguo said that Lu Haowen's Original School did not discuss "qi," he was actually saying that the Original School had not clearly explained the fundamental connection between life, morality, and the natural world, and had not organically united the myriad things of the universe with human beings and those Confucian concepts… This was, of course, hitting the nail on the head, a kick right at the snake's seven-inch vital spot.

To put it bluntly, what does it mean that the human body is a thing?

This wondrous thing called a human, which can have thoughts and morality—how can it be a thing? You say that things carry heavenly principle? Does a stone also think?

This kind of doubt was not limited to experts like Hu Anguo; anyone with a little Confucian knowledge would have it. And if this wave of Hu Anguo's questioning could not be decisively defeated, then even if the Original School, relying on the emperor's favoritism and Lu Haowen's political status, were forcibly made the official doctrine, it would at most become another Prince Shu's New School. It could never achieve the goal of unifying thought. The Principle School and Dao School below would still go their own way and eventually dominate the mainstream.

Thus, in the first month of the fifth year of the Jianyan era, while many regional military governors and generals were utterly bewildered, the Capital Gazette, in the special form of a daily supplement issued only within the capital, became the battlefield for an academic clash.

On the eighth day of the new year, before spring plowing had even begun, the Gazette formally published Hu Anguo's and many other great Confucians' attacks and questions regarding the "Original School," as well as support and discussion. Two full sheets, with no more miscellaneous articles or stories.

Among these, Hu Anguo, because he had substance in his belly and his qi surged like a rainbow, was the most forceful. The other opponents, perhaps out of fear of Lu Haowen's academic and political status, and also estimating His Majesty Zhao Jiu's stance, inevitably appeared a bit cautious.

In response, Duke Lu remained calm and composed. In this issue of the Gazette supplement, he paid no attention to the other small fry, nor did he write a long article to meticulously fill in the complex philosophical concepts of nature, destiny, morality, inner mind, and external things in response to Hu Anguo's critique, in order to defend the Original School. On the contrary, the normally mild-mannered Lu Haowen, in a decisive and flat tone, simply stated the essence of "qi" in the Original School.

According to his explanation, qi was also a kind of matter, and merely a kind of matter. That it contained heavenly principle was correct, but it was no different from stone, bamboo, water, ice, or soil! The reason people thought it was special was only because people were within qi, like fish in water, and it was difficult for them to perceive its material reality.

These words seemed only to be a perfunctory and hasty supplement to the concept of "qi" in the Original School in response to Hu Anguo's questioning. But in reality, it was using offense as defense, and it stabbed directly into the heart of Hu Anguo and other Dao School factions… Because if qi was merely a universal substance like water or soil, then what exactly were these people's doctrines?

And the more critical point was, from the perspective of exhausting the truth, how could qi be a substance like water? The "vast, righteous qi" was clearly a moral concept, wasn't it?

In short, this kind of absurd statement immediately enraged Hu Anguo and many other Dao School luminaries in the capital.

After all, everyone was still in the realm of exploration. If it were just an academic discussion, a small problem could be further deliberated. But the problem was that Lu Haowen's Original School was clearly seeking official support to be promoted throughout the empire. And if everyone in the empire were to treat qi as an ordinary substance, then what would become of their own doctrines?

And again, how could qi possibly be just a thing? With such an absurd foundational error, how could the Original School become the official doctrine?

Even Wang Anshi knew to leave some questions open, didn't he?

By reason and by circumstance, whether it was to eradicate heretical teachings or for self-preservation, they could not allow this Original School to continue developing so brazenly.

It could be said that in this debate, the two sides had barely clashed once before there was no room for further negotiation, and they had fallen into a state of irreconcilable opposition, like fire and water.

So, that very afternoon, without waiting to submit another essay for debate, Hu Anguo directly led two professors from the Imperial Academy, seven or eight mid- and low-ranking officials, and five or six famous scholars in the capital, all of the Dao School lineage, to the outside of the Xuande Tower, requesting an audience with the emperor.

His Majesty Zhao Jiu, as always, was amiable and approachable. He directly had Lan Gui come out to lead Hu Anguo and the others into the inner palace.

"Your subject did not know Your Majesty was performing the spring plowing ceremony…" Upon entering the inner palace, even though Hu Anguo and the others were burning with indignation, when they saw what His Majesty Zhao Jiu was doing, they reined in their anger and addressed him respectfully.

"It's not the spring plowing ceremony. This year's spring plowing probably won't start for another ten days or so." His Majesty Zhao Jiu, dressed in short work clothes, turned around, carrying an iron shovel, slightly sweating. Behind him, a hundred or so eunuchs had rolled up their sleeves and trouser legs, working away. "I am following the teachings in Duke Lu's Original School—to practice it, to verify the principle."

Upon hearing this, the others who had come, having mustered their courage, were struck with panic and dared not speak. But Hu Anguo calmly observed the emperor's expression, then, neither humble nor arrogant, asked calmly: "May I ask Your Majesty, what are you practicing, and what principle are you verifying?"

"It's like this." Zhao Jiu leaned on the iron shovel and replied frankly. "I was reading Mencius, and it said that at seventy one can eat meat. I had some doubts… Minister Hu, you are a great Confucian famous throughout the land. Tell me, why can one only eat meat at seventy?"

Hu Anguo frowned slightly, but still replied seriously with a bow: "Your Majesty, this sentence has context. The original text is: 'Let the mulberry trees be planted about the homesteads of five mu, and persons of fifty years may be clothed with silk. In keeping fowls, pigs, dogs, and swine, let not their times of breeding be neglected, and persons of seventy years may eat flesh. Let there not be taken away the time that is proper for the cultivation of the farm of a hundred mu, and the family of several mouths that is supported by it will not suffer from hunger.' In other words…"

"In other words, this is about a family settling on a homestead of five mu. Without counting the grain obtained from the hundred mu of farmland outside the homestead, they plant mulberries and raise livestock around the homestead to achieve self-sufficiency in clothing and meat?" Zhao Jiu followed the other's words and continued directly.

"That is precisely the meaning." Hu Anguo also became a bit cautious.

"I do not agree." Zhao Jiu shook his head. "I always felt that achieving this level of self-sufficiency on a homestead of five mu was somewhat laughable… So I wanted to try it myself and see if I could do better than what is written in the book."

Hu Anguo was by no means one to "keep the emperor away from Confucians." He did not immediately refute Zhao Jiu. Instead, he carefully surveyed the extent to which the wasteland in the emperor's inner palace had been developed, then said solemnly: "May I ask Your Majesty, to what extent do you wish to surpass what is in the book?"

"I was thinking, could we make it so that every person in the Great Song, from top to bottom, could eat two ounces of meat every day?" Under the helpless gaze of Feng Yi and other officials of the Eunuch Bureau behind him, and under the bewildered looks of the Dao School luminaries behind Hu Anguo, Zhao Jiu uttered an utterly absurd statement. "Minister Hu, think about it. If everyone could eat two ounces of meat every day, and everyone became strong, wouldn't we no longer be bullied by the Jin?"

Hu Anguo was silent for a moment, then said solemnly with a bow: "Then may I ask Your Majesty, how do you plan to practice this, to provide such proof?"

"Minister Hu, look." Zhao Jiu turned and pointed at the wasteland and the crowd behind him. "Apart from those who have proper duties following Chief Eunuch Lan and Deputy Chief Eunuch Feng, there are still over a hundred idle eunuchs and over a hundred idle palace maids in the palace, all old retainers who have gradually returned over the past year or two, living idly in various parts of the inner palace. This wasteland, once a lotus pond and flower garden, is about fourteen or fifteen mu. It was the imperial garden before the Genyue was built. I plan to take these people and use this twelve or thirteen mu of land to repair a fish pond, transplant mulberry trees, raise chickens and ducks, and find a few old farmers to carefully guide and teach them… Tell me, if we can use this place to enable the several hundred people in the palace to eat two ounces of meat—whether chicken, duck, or fish—every day, wouldn't that be enough to prove that if people across the empire earnestly did the same, they too could have two ounces of meat per person per day? And then strengthen every single person?"

Hu Anguo was silent again for a moment before responding: "If Your Majesty can achieve this, it would certainly be enough proof. Moreover, this is the admonition of a sage, the principle that a king does not blame the years for famine. If Your Majesty wishes to verify it, no one dares to stop you… But Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and the imperial household must maintain dignity and authority. There are some things that need not be done within the palace, nor need Your Majesty do them personally."

Zhao Jiu shook his head repeatedly: "If I cannot do it here, and do not do it personally, how can it be considered 'practicing it' in the Original School? And how can I make people sincerely convinced? You must know that Duke Lu said on the fourth day of the new year that practice is the sole criterion for testing heavenly principle. As for imperial dignity and the duties of the Son of Heaven, Minister Hu need not worry. I am only following Duke Lu's Original School in practicing heavenly principle. Once it is accomplished, I will not continue to involve myself personally… Consider this bit of labor, Minister Hu, as my way of sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall, since the barbarian Jin have not yet been destroyed."

Hu Anguo sighed softly, thought for a moment, and could only bow his head: "Your Majesty is frugal and earnest, and the barbarian foe is not yet destroyed. Your subject has nothing more to say. I only hope that state affairs are not neglected."

"How could they be?" Perhaps feeling a bit cold, Zhao Jiu put down the iron shovel and walked into a pavilion, but his tone became even more dismissive. "Below Duke Lu, Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, Liu Ji, and Chen Gui—the four councilors—are all outstanding choices for their time. They can handle most of the various state affairs properly. I can rule by doing nothing, ruling from behind the curtain. If there are some minor disputes, I only need to act as an arbiter…"

Hu Anguo had nothing more to say. He also realized that he could not continue to be led by the nose by this emperor. So, after a moment's thought, this great Confucian of the age dropped these topics entirely, stood outside the pavilion, and got to the point: "Your Majesty, your subject holds a sinecure at home and should not have sought an audience without a summons. But today there is one matter…"

"I know. 'Qi is also a thing; people are unaware of it, like fish are unaware of water.'" Zhao Jiu blurted out. "Is this the matter?"

"It is precisely this matter." Hu Anguo said solemnly. "Your Majesty, this statement is utterly absurd!"

"How do you know this statement is absurd?" Zhao Jiu was blunt.

"Confucius said, 'When the blood and qi are strong'; Mencius also said, 'I am good at nourishing my vast, righteous qi'; even the Daoists have the theory of essence, qi, and spirit… This shows that the Way of qi is related to nature, destiny, and morality. How could it be merely a physical substance like water?" Hu Anguo, of course, blurted this out as well.

"But why is it not that you have misinterpreted the meaning of the former sages?" Zhao Jiu did not pause for a moment. "I remember that when Minister Hu first met me, you told me that if I did such and such, I could produce a certain qi, and make the empire such and such; and if a Confucian did such and such, he could also produce a certain qi, and make himself such and such… But to this day, I have not seen any qi! If you say it exists, why can you not practice it, like I am opening this pond and planting this land, and show it to the people of the empire?"

"Your Majesty, this kind of qi is inherently a mysterious and profound thing, formless yet present." Hu Anguo answered earnestly. "It is not that I am unwilling to demonstrate it for Your Majesty, but rather that my learning is shallow; I can only sense and awaken to its existence, yet I do not know how to make it manifest! In truth, the Son of Heaven's qi that Your Majesty cultivates has already taken effect—the Battle of Yaoshan is clear proof!"

Zhao Jiu nodded, suddenly enlightened: "I understand. Your qi, by definition, is invisible, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Then why can't we accept Lord Lu's analogy of a fish in water being unaware?" Zhao Jiu spread his hands in response.

"Your Majesty." Hu Anguo's expression turned serious. "Lord Lu's sharp opposition to us in the official gazette appears to be a defense, but in truth it is an attack. I do not believe Your Majesty fails to see this..."

Zhao Jiu immediately smiled and nodded: "Indeed. Whoever takes the initiative bears responsibility; whoever proposes must prove it... The Original Learning strikes first despite coming later, so naturally they must provide proof... Lu Benzhong."

At the Imperial Lord's soft call, Hu Anguo and the others turned back in surprise, only to discover that someone had long since appeared behind them—it was none other than Lu Haowen's old son, who had been barred from officialdom for decades, Lu Benzhong, a figure who held a place in the Jiangxi Poetry School. They all felt a chill of awe.

Now, Lu Benzhong's reputation was not particularly good, mainly because in his youth he had been implicated by his old faction status, and despite being the legitimate eldest son of the Lu clan, he could not enter officialdom. Thus, his lifestyle was dissolute, and as the natural heir to the Lu family's scholarly tradition, his achievements in Dao learning fell far short of his father's, while he spent his days composing poetry and lyrics.

In this era, where the chain of contempt was so clear, composing poetry and lyrics was ultimately considered inferior compared to Dao learning. Therefore, even though Lu Benzhong had once jokingly coined the term "Jiangxi Poetry School," inadvertently establishing the first formal poetic school in Chinese literary history and securing an important place in Chinese cultural history, he was still looked down upon.

But at this moment, with him standing before them, anyone who still despised him would be a fool.

"Your servant is here."

Lu Benzhong stepped forward with clasped hands. It must be said that although he had never held office, as the legitimate eldest son of the Lu clan, he naturally possessed an honorary idle post, much like Hu Anguo, who held a nominal academy position without actual duties.

"Did you hear what Mr. Hu said?" Zhao Jiu asked with a continuous smile.

"Your servant heard it." For some reason, when Hu Anguo and the others turned to look, this man, who had clearly come prepared, seemed to have a trembling voice—what was he afraid of?

"Mr. Hu and the others have made their meaning quite clear. The Original Learning emphasizes investigating things to attain knowledge, unity of knowledge and action, and testing everything through practice..." Zhao Jiu raised an eyebrow and smiled, casually tossing out several lofty concepts. "Now, let's not talk about anything else. Your father raised the idea that qi is like water, which drew much dissatisfaction from Mr. Hu and the others. Lord Lu has made great contributions and has been immersed in scholarship lately, so I don't wish to disturb him. Let me just ask you two things: can you and your father provide practical proof of this?"

"We can." Lu Benzhong gritted his teeth in reply, as if he had made some kind of resolve.

"How will you prove it?" Zhao Jiu smiled even more. "We need to agree—you must design an experiment that convinces everyone, just like how I used a dozen or so mu of land and two ounces of meat daily for several hundred people in the palace to roughly prove that the entire Great Song could have two ounces of meat per person per day."

"Your Majesty, Mr. Qingshan." Lu Benzhong clasped his hands. "Your servant has a method that can not only prove that qi is like water but also prove that Mr. Qingshan's theory of qi is wrong!"

"Speak." As Hu Anguo's brows furrowed, Zhao Jiu also spoke solemnly.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Qingshan." Lu Benzhong took a long breath, clasped his hands again, and finally fixed his gaze on Hu Anguo. "My father expounded in the Original Learning that qi is a substance, like water. As everyone knows, fish in water are unaware of it, but we outside the water know that water ultimately has weight—the deeper it is, the heavier and more pressurized it becomes. Therefore, according to the Original Learning, although qi is invisible and intangible, it should also have weight and pressure; it's just that we are within it and cannot easily measure it."

"I understand." Zhao Jiu suddenly interjected. "I recall Mr. Qingshan saying that qi fills the universe, infinite and endless. If qi, like water, has weight and pressure, wouldn't it crush people? So, if we can practically prove that qi has pressure and weight like water, then naturally the Original Learning would be correct, and Mr. Hu's theory would be wrong... Is that the idea?"

"Yes!" Lu Benzhong quickly bowed his head.

"Then can you prove it?"

"I... I can!" For some reason, Lu Benzhong seemed somewhat intimidated.

"Mr. Hu, what do you think?" Zhao Jiu gave the other a cold glance, then turned back to Hu Anguo with a smile.

Hu Anguo thought carefully for a moment, then spoke plainly: "Your Majesty, the core of my dispute with Lord Lu lies in the relationship between nature, destiny, morality, and external things, not about the pressure of qi. Even if we could prove that qi has pressure like water, it wouldn't necessarily mean Lord Lu's Original Learning is correct on this point—the idea of crushing people is rather absurd. But as Your Majesty said, I and most Dao learning colleagues believe that qi fills the universe. If qi truly has pressure, implying it has weight, then at the very least it would show that some of our thoughts on qi are wrong. On this matter, we would ultimately be at a slight disadvantage."

Zhao Jiu nodded eagerly, then turned to Lu Benzhong, his tone impatient: "Did you hear that, Lord Lu?"

Lu Benzhong also nodded repeatedly, but for some reason his face had turned somewhat pale.

"Digging fish ponds, planting mulberries, raising livestock... it will take me at least a year, maybe three to five years to see results—that's the limitation of the seasons, and I have no choice." Zhao Jiu continued to apply pressure. "But how many days will you need to prepare your experiment on qi pressure so that the whole world can see clearly? I can wait a month or two, and Mr. Hu and the others have patience too. But if it takes three or five years, not only will Mr. Hu and the others think you're being deliberately mysterious, but even I won't allow it."

Hu Anguo and the others felt a rare surge of morale. They had thought the Imperial Lord's favor toward Lord Lu and the Original Learning was extreme and politically motivated, but regardless, if he could impose such restrictions on this matter, it sufficiently showed that this Imperial Lord still valued fairness and justice.

And indeed, Lu Benzhong clearly fell into a troubled posture. It was a long while before he nodded heavily: "My father is immersed in scholarship and finds this difficult. Please grant me a period of one month to borrow craftsmen and manpower, and I will undertake this task on his behalf."

"Good." Zhao Jiu nodded, but pressed on relentlessly. "How large a venue do you need? Would the front of Xuande Tower suffice?"

Lu Benzhong was trembling with fear. Hu Anguo and the others could see clearly that, despite the lingering spring chill, the man was sweating—clearly backed into a corner by the Imperial Lord, his "qi" had weakened.

But regardless, after taking several deep breaths, Lu Benzhong nodded heavily again: "I defer entirely to Your Majesty!"

Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly, extremely satisfied, then turned back to Hu Anguo and the others: "You have heard this. I will decide. From tomorrow, the official gazette will suspend publication of the dispute between Dao learning and Original Learning. Both sides may discuss privately, but must not attack each other. Each will cease hostilities and wait quietly for the one-month deadline, then let the world see the outcome before Xuande Tower... As Lord Hu said, this matter may not determine who holds the truth, but it will at least settle a partial victory. Let us all disperse for today. I must continue digging my fish pond."

Hu Anguo and the others, reassured, were about to take their leave with clasped hands, but after a moment's thought, they stayed alongside Lu Benzhong to help the Imperial Lord carry a few baskets of earth before leaving contentedly and calmly.

However, setting aside the decisive confrontation before Xuande Tower a month later that would determine the fate of the Original Learning, in the following days, as spring gradually warmed, various affairs piled up. The Imperial Lord, as always, either dug earth within the palace or perfunctorily attended court ceremonies. In his spare moments, he only lingered with Chen Gui at the Daxiangguo Temple or the Yue Garrison Camp west of the city—truly neglecting his duties.

Of course, having an Imperial Lord with absolute authority who did not meddle recklessly might not be a bad thing—governing by non-action, after all. The great affairs of state were only war and sacrifice... But as the Lantern Festival ended and spring plowing began, the debate in court over a major military matter grew increasingly heated, finally reaching a point where the Imperial Lord had to make a decision.

The matter was simple: Yue Fei had remained idle by Dongting Lake for many days, sparking fierce protests from the local authorities! Ma Shen, Liu Hongdao, and other senior local officials, along with dozens of prefectural and military-level officers, submitted memorials impeaching Yue Fei for nurturing bandits to enhance his own importance, wasting the season, and harming the state and the people.

In truth, the central government had always had reservations about Yue Fei's halt, but Zhao Jiu had suppressed them.

But now, as the New Year passed, news arrived that Jin Wushu had ridden alone into Great Ming Prefecture and then returned north with Zhan Han; as spring plowing around Dongting Lake was delayed and spring floods could arrive at any time; as Yue Fei's tens of thousands of troops camped north of Dongting Lake placed enormous logistical pressure on the local area, causing the common people to suffer bitterly—many even abandoned their fields and fled into Dongting Lake to become bandits... All these incidents, from north to south, inside and outside, finally gave everyone a legitimate reason to oppose him.

In the end, the Censorate, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of War also submitted successive impeachments, joining with the Jingxiang local authorities to demand that the central government formally pressure Yue Fei to end the battle as soon as possible and not delay the overall situation. Soon, Liu Ji, the Vice Grand Councilor of the Capital Secretariat and leader of the Jingxiang local faction, stepped forward again, expressing his wish for Yue Fei to conclude the campaign quickly.

Under these circumstances, Zhao Ding, the Grand Councilor of the Capital Secretariat, who had originally been dissatisfied with Yue Fei's military stagnation, maintained an ambiguous silence—whether good or bad was unclear—while Zhang Jun, the Privy Councilor who had wholeheartedly supported Yue Fei, had to bear the pressure alone. This young and impetuous councilor was forced to submit a public memorial, offering the lives of his entire family of over a hundred as a guarantee for Yue Fei.

It was at this moment that Zhao Ding also submitted a memorial, suggesting that Zhang Jun go south to oversee the campaign, using his authority as Privy Councilor to supervise and urge Yue Fei to suppress the rebellion.

Zhao Jiu hesitated for a moment, then chose to agree. The reason was simple: his own pressure was also immense. He trusted Yue Fei unconditionally, but the problem was that the local logistical pressure and the central government's concerns were stark and entirely reasonable.

Having experienced so much, the Imperial Lord, no longer a novice in military affairs, knew without thinking that the common people north of Dongting Lake, especially in the Jiangling area, were indeed paying a price akin to family ruin for the logistics of Yue Fei's tens of thousands of Imperial Guard vanguard troops. This was an inevitable cost of waging war in this era. The only difference was that because Yue Fei commanded the army, discipline was better and the cost somewhat reduced, but the essence remained unchanged. Just as the Battle of Yaoshan had mortgaged the financial resources of Bashu—seemingly a gamble won, but in reality, the common people of Bashu still had to pay the necessary sacrifice.

Under these circumstances, as the Imperial Lord, if he had any sense of reason, he had to make a political gesture for his previous decisions and pay the corresponding political price.

In plain terms, the earlier admonitions of Lu Haowen, Mo Qixie, and others were all reasonable. Whether in politics or scholarship, how could a Son of Heaven conduct business without capital?

PS: The 110th patron has arrived—the exceptionally fierce and arrogant classmate Anna.