Chapter 488: Do You Lot Intend to Start a Rebellion?!

In the Spring and Autumn period, community schools were once spread across the feudal lords' domains, where the few city-dwelling freemen qualified to deliberate on state affairs, providing reference for the rulers.

But entering the Warring States period, the various states began centralizing power, the distinction between capital and countryside gradually dissolved, and community schools tended to disappear.

Only Qi, whose political atmosphere was the freest and whose people were generally "fond of debate," preserved its community schools. Except for the few years under King Min of Qi's rule, Qi scholars and Confucian students could often discuss government affairs in the community schools. Back when King Wei of Qi assessed the governance of the Magistrate of E and the Magistrate of Jimo, he relied on the community schools of E and Jimo to obtain genuine feedback, rewarding the Jimo Magistrate and boiling the E Magistrate alive.

A community school was essentially a local Jixia Academy, where one could debate without holding office. Whenever scholars wished to discuss politics, they would beat the drum, and the people would gather. If their arguments held merit, the crowd would grow larger and larger, eventually alarming the ministers and grandees.

But all of this was abandoned after the Qin dynasty took control of this land. The former community schools became places for posting official government notices, and only the dust-covered drum reminded people of the liveliness that once filled these places...

Yet on this afternoon in the first month of the thirty-first year of the First Emperor's reign, the booming beat of the drum resounded once more at the Jimo community school!

The people of Jimo, having finished at the market or with their farm work, instinctively headed toward the community school, only to find over ten young men standing there, their eyes full of grief and indignation, all dressed in Confucian robes and caps. The tall, thin Confucian scholar leading them, seeing that quite a crowd had gathered, gave them a deep bow and began speaking about the government's ban on private academies.

After explaining the whole story to the villagers, Scholar Shen mournfully told a tale.

"Our master once told me that in the past, when Confucius passed through the state of Cao on his way to Song, he criticized the ruling grandee of Song, Minister of War Huan Tui, and as a result brought trouble upon himself."

"Confucius often gathered his disciples under a large locust tree to lecture and practice the rites of Zhou. Jealous of his virtue and ability, Huan Tui sent men to chop down the tree to intimidate Confucius. Once the tree was felled, Confucius had no choice; unwilling to see his disciples harmed by Huan Tui, he could only leave the state of Song! Song later fell into internal chaos and knew no peace for several generations!"

Scholar Shen took a deep breath and said to the crowd:

"My friends, what happened in Song in the past is now happening in Jiaodong! The commandery office intends to ban private academies and expel our master, Fuqiubo. From now on, public schools will only teach Qin script. How is this act any different from that of Huan Tui of Song? I hope you, my friends, can join us dozen or so students and, following the ancient practice of debating politics at the community school, let the commandery governor hear the voice of the people and reverse this wicked policy!"

The speech was indeed impassioned, but the crowd was in a hubbub, occasionally muttering comments among themselves. After all, what Scholar Shen said about Confucius and Song felt far too remote to them. Someone even chuckled and said:

"Young man, what does the matter you speak of have to do with us? We farm every day and have never even held a brush. What difference is there between Qin script and Qi script?"

Hearing this, Scholar Shen said angrily: "Are you still a man of Qi?"

Seeing that everyone still wore expressions of utter indifference, and some were even losing interest and turning to leave, Scholar Lu Mu grew anxious. He immediately stepped to the front and shouted:

"Blocking the people's mouths is more dangerous than damming a river! Today it is only the students who must learn Qin speech, Qin script, and the laws and ordinances. Perhaps in a few years, the government will demand that you and your children all learn Qin speech as well!"

These words did frighten the people. The Guanzhong dialect of the Qin officials sounded like an alien tongue to them. How much effort would it take for all of them to learn this strange speech?

But was that alone enough to make everyone follow a few hot-blooded young men to petition the fully armed Qin city? Still not enough.

Just as many were dismissing the idea of leaving and deciding to stay and hear what else these Confucian scholars had to say, from outside the community school came the sound of uniform marching footsteps, accompanied by the friction of armor plates. Everyone turned to look, and their faces paled dramatically:

A force of over a hundred Qin soldiers, wearing armor and carrying halberds, spears, swords, and lances, were jogging toward the community school. Leading them was the newly appointed Bandit Bureau Right Clerk, Cao Shen, and behind him was a war chariot. On the chariot stood a dark-faced official in a solemn robe, a silver seal and blue silk cord at his waist!

The commandery governor had arrived!

"Halt!"

The Qin soldiers, specifically tasked with capturing bandits and maintaining public order, arrived outside the community school. At Cao Shen's shouted command, they stamped their feet in unison, sending dust flying.

The governor's carriage also came to a stop sideways before the community school. Governor Heifu, hand on his long sword, swept his gaze over the thousand-odd people of Jimo, whose legs were turning to jelly, and the dozen or so Confucian scholars, too guilt-ridden to meet his eyes, and bellowed:

"Do you lot intend to start a rebellion?!"

The governor's fury was like a thunderclap!

After Governor Heifu's words were repeated by a nearby minor clerk in the Jiaodong dialect, everyone inside and outside the community school—the thousand-odd commoners, the dozen-plus Confucian scholars, including Scholar Bai and the others—were thoroughly terrified!

Rebellion? Who would dare!

Especially after word had spread of what this new governor had done in Chunyu County. It was said that rebellion and revolt were grave crimes; not only would the offender be executed, but his entire clan to the third degree would be exterminated. Faces would be tattooed with ink, noses cut off, left and right arms chopped away, and they would be flogged to death with whips before their heads were severed and their mangled corpses discarded in the streets. During the execution, if anyone cried out or cursed, their tongue would be torn out!

Such a heavy price made every individual fear for their own safety. Faced with the entire oppressive power of the state, no one dared to band together and cause trouble. Unless one was utterly desperate or a person of lofty righteousness, no one dared speak lightly of rebellion anymore.

Thus, the people of Jimo, who had been gathered with such difficulty and stirred up by the fervor of Scholar Shen and Scholar Lu Mu, now began to think of retreating. They parted to make way, leaving the unarmed Confucian scholars exposed before the Qin soldiers.

Private academies or whatever—ban them if you must! They were, after all, a pastime for the children of wealthy, leisured families. What did they matter to black-headed commoners like them, already crushed under the pressure of heavy taxes and rents?

But Governor Heifu had no intention of letting anyone leave. The hundred Qin soldiers blocked the exit as he said with a smile:

"The community school is an ancient place for debating politics. Since these Confucians wish to debate politics here so that the government may hear them, then the government will properly debate this matter of 'banning private academies' with you. People of Jimo, you stay as well and hear the full story behind this."

With that, Heifu waved his hand, signaling the Commandery Academy Libationer, Xiao He, to step forward. As a full two-thousand-bushel official, he naturally would not descend to bickering with a bunch of commoner Confucian brats. This matter was better left to the newly appointed education chief, Xiao He. It was also a chance to see if this man truly had any skill.

"This subordinate obeys."

Xiao He had no choice but to take the stage. In Pei County, he had at least been the head of a bureau, so he possessed official bearing. He walked solemnly into the community school, drew a notice from his sleeve, and had a nearby minor clerk read it aloud in the Jiaodong dialect.

"On the day dinghai of the first month of spring in the thirty-first year, the Governor of Jiaodong Commandery, Heifu, addresses all county magistrates and assistant magistrates, saying: In the twenty-seventh year, His Majesty decreed that all under heaven shall unify their writing, desiring that within three years old scripts be abandoned and replaced with Qin seal script and Qin clerical script. Several years have now passed. Yet Jiaodong, being remote, has failed to comply. This official has pondered the reason: could it be that public schools are not thriving while private academies defy the decree? Henceforth, private academy masters in each county may no longer teach using the Qi language or Qi speech..."

It sounded indeed like a ban on private academies, but the next passage left everyone dumbfounded.

"Confucian scholars and men of service who wish to teach in private academies shall report to the Libationer and study at the public schools, so that they may learn Qin speech and Qin script and gain a rough understanding of the laws and ordinances. After being tested by Qin officials, those who pass shall be granted a tally, and only then may they establish schools and teach using Qin speech and Qin script. Those who hold a tally, even if they teach others the Odes or the Documents, shall not be prohibited..."

After the minor clerk finished reading, Xiao He sneered: "The government notice was posted at every city gate, ferry crossing, and marketplace, visible to all. Yet you, without distinguishing black from white, claim the government is banning private academies? This is the crime of spreading rumors!"

Xiao He recalled how, a few days earlier, when he had proposed "banning private academies," Heifu had first nodded, then shaken his head. In the end, he had slightly amended Xiao He's proposal, transforming it from a total ban into what he called the "standardization of private academies"!

Heifu's reasoning was simple: cutting off a man's livelihood is like killing his parents. He would not directly sever the means of survival for the commandery's Confucian scholars, driving them all into opposition. Instead, he stipulated that Confucian scholars and men of service could go to public schools for further study. Those who passed the Qin Language Levels 4 and 6 exams, could write an eight-hundred-character essay in Qin seal script, and also passed the law examination would be granted a government-issued tally—in other words, a "teacher qualification certificate."

"From now on, in Jiaodong Commandery, public schools shall be primary and private academies supplementary. Private academy masters shall work with certificates; any teaching without a certificate shall be shut down and severely punished without leniency! Officials will also be dispatched to inspect and audit, sitting in on their lessons. Should anyone be found teaching using the Qi language or Qi script, their certificate shall be revoked, and they shall never be permitted to teach again!"

Reflecting on Heifu's words afterward, Xiao He could not help but admire them. In this way, the Confucian scholars unwilling to bow their heads would have no classes to teach and would lose their source of disciples, while the remaining scholars would effectively be co-opted by the government and brought under the jurisdiction of him, the Libationer.

At this, the Confucian scholars were all utterly dumbfounded. Few among them had actually read the public notice; they had instead spread rumors and hearsay, twisting it until it became the government "banning private academies," and casting themselves in the role of martyrs.

The truth was, Fuqiubo had left in sorrow after teaching his final lesson simply because he was unwilling to bow to the government and learn Qin script and laws—that was all. Heifu had even sent Xiao He to contact him, promising that if Fuqiubo were willing to take the lead in learning Qin speech and language, Heifu would appoint him as one of Jimo's "County Thrice Venerables."

But Fuqiubo had declined, citing old age, never imagining that the asymmetry of information would lead his disciples to stir up such a major incident.

Xiao He then spoke to the Confucian scholars with earnest gravity: "I have heard that you all studied under Fuqiubo of Lu, and that Fuqiubo in turn studied under Xun Qing. How could you not know Xun Qing's saying: 'A rolling ball stops in a ditch, a rumor stops with a wise man!'"

"You do not read the government's public notices, yet you recklessly speculate. You are fools beyond measure, and a disgrace to the name of scholars!"

The Confucian scholars looked at each other in dismay. Scholar Lu Mu and Scholar Shen wanted to retort but could find no words. After all, who was to blame but themselves for their arrogance, for habitually disdaining the government notices written in Qin clerical script?

"So that's how it is!"

"This official speaks reason."

The people of Jimo, who had been ordered to remain, stood in a daze. They had assumed that the government, following past practice, would say nothing more and simply use force, arresting all these rash Confucian scholars and taking them away for punishment.

But no one had expected that the government would refrain from wanton punishment and instead send an official out to reason with the scholars and the common people.

Could it be that this new governor's talk of "reducing punishments" was true?

They were overthinking it. Although the process differed, the outcome was the same. Once the reasoning was done, it was time to make arrests.

After Xiao He had finished speaking, he stepped back. Cao Shen, who had been a prison clerk and was well-versed in the laws and ordinances, knew it was his turn to perform. He loudly declared:

"You Confucian scholars disregard the facts, distorting government proclamations, laws, and statutes — that is the crime of spreading rumors. Striking the drum without cause, summoning the common people — that is the crime of stirring up trouble and provoking strife!"

"The common folk, not knowing the reason, have gathered here. Because of their ignorance, they need not be punished. You men, seize all of these ten-odd Confucian scholars and bring them back to the government office, to be handed over to the prison clerk for trial!"

"Aye!"

Like wolves and tigers, the Qin soldiers parted the people of Jimo and strode menacingly toward the dozen or so Confucian scholars.

Among the common people whom Shen Sheng had placed high hopes on, aside from a few scholars and gallant swordsmen mixed in the crowd who secretly clenched their fists, the rest still, just as before, watched the scene unfolding before them as if it were a play…

Heifu had his subordinates each display their abilities throughout, while he himself sat watching from his war chariot. Seeing this situation, he nodded to himself and said:

"General Wang Ben was right. The men of Qi are cowards in group combat, yet bold in solitary assassination. That is why in Chunyu County, three mere commoners dared to attempt to assassinate me, while here on the streets of Jimo, a crowd of over a thousand is all cowardly, not daring to utter a single word, sitting by and watching their own kind be captured…"

To put it plainly, one man of Qi is a dragon; a crowd of men of Qi is a worm. From the time of Wu Qi to the Five-State Attack on Qi, it has always been so. Only Tian Dan, for once in history, managed to unite the men of Qi for a time, but it did not last long…

Having grasped this trait, Heifu could now govern Jiaodong with a free hand!

Besides, these Confucian scholars were blockheads. To stir up the masses, what use was it to speak in refined, bookish tones of ancient matters? Better to speak of the heavy taxes and corvée labor under the Qin dynasty and other such facts — that would stir public anger far more quickly.

A potential popular uprising, nearly triggered by a student disturbance, was resolved just like that, with ridiculous ease. The war chariots he had later ordered Chen Ping and the Military Clerk to prepare seemed now to be unnecessary. Heifu was so bored he felt like yawning…

Inside the village school, Bai Sheng had never seen such a scene and was so frightened his face turned ashen pale. Lu Musheng wanted to slip away, but found no path of escape. Shen Sheng, fierce and unyielding by nature, moved his hand to the sword at his waist, ready to rise up and resist!

Just at that moment, from outside the village school, an aged voice rang out.

"Commandery Governor, stay your hand a moment!"

(End of Chapter)