CH 98

In the following two days, Duan Qin didn’t get the chance to meet Liang Feng again. Laying in his carriage, wearied from travel and beset with motion sickness, Liang Feng hadn’t seen any outsiders. On the few occasions that the carriage train stopped, it was usually to take medicine. Every time Duan Qin tried to approach him, even the servant girl glowered at him, to say nothing of the Jie. He really couldn’t find any openings.

Though he was confident that his skills wouldn’t disappoint, Duan Qin was, after all, an unknown lowborn. Tasked with being an instructor after receiving an audience, he couldn’t help feeling put off balance. That beguiling face of Liang Feng’s, made him, who knew well the affectations of high nobility, especially uneasy. 

But upon reaching Tongdi County and resting at the Jiang Residence, Duan Qin received an unexpected summons.

Though he appeared to have just bathed, he was not being purposely discourteous, for his clothes were neat as ever, and his hair was bound with cloth. He smiled warmly, “In these last two days of rough travel, it seems I’ve neglected you, Duan-lang.”

Upon seeing his pallid complexion, Duan Qin felt his previous unresignedness and anxiety disappear, and saluted solemnly, “It is I who had arrived without warning and disturbed you, Marquess Liang.”

“How could a visit by a respectable talent be a disturbance?” Liang Feng smiled, “These past few days, a few thoughts have come to mind about the matter of teaching which I want to discuss with you, Duan-lang.” 

Duan Qin replied immediately, “I was hoping to speak with you on the topic as well, Marquess Liang. Based on the conventional way of teaching, it would take at least three years to attain rudimentary literacy, and, to take it a step further, more than six to become fully educated. Your vision is extraordinary, Marquess Liang, but it cannot be achieved in a day and a night.”

Surprised that he’d considered it already, instead of dismissing it because it wasn’t what he’d sought, Liang Feng nodded approvingly, “It is exactly as you say, Duan-lang, learning characters is far more difficult than maths. However, the estate does not aim to produce great academicians, but rather to train a batch of useable petty officials. They need only be able to recognize the most common characters, read official documents, and keep account books.”

Duan Qin understood what Liang Feng meant and breathed a sigh of relief, “If it’s just petty officials, then two years will suffice!”

That was more or less what Liang Feng had anticipated. It was similar to how, in the first years after the founding of the PRC, one was deemed literate after completing elementary school, and fully qualified to become an official once they graduated from middle school. Special times called for special measures. Presently, there weren’t any other courses aside from math and language, and all he needed were low-level personnel, two years, or even less, was more or less enough.

“But as they are meant to become petty officials, the books they study must be chosen anew.”  Liang Feng continued, “The Classic of Filial Piety is too advanced for them. A new instructional text should be created. One which consists of three or four-word phrases – for example, ‘People at birth, are naturally good; similar by nature, different by habit,’ or ‘Heaven is dark, earth golden; the cosmos is vast and diffuse’ –  and encompasses common phenomena, propriety, and reason. It should be around a thousand characters in length, and one who has memorized it will have all that is required for everyday use.”

In essence, it would be something like the Three Character Classic and the Thousand Character Classic, which would have been brought into existence in a later generation. They were, like The Book of Surnames, used as introductory teaching material. The Book of Surnames, though, would run into a thorny issue: the sequential ordering of surnames. In this era, where noble families towered like trees in a forest, perhaps even the Emperor wouldn’t dare to concoct such a book unilaterally. So, the former two texts were more appropriate. Liang Feng hardly remembered their contents, but it shouldn’t be difficult for scholars, what with all their erudition, to author something similar. If it proved necessary, he could simply have it revised once he collected more eggheads. 

Duan Qin’s eyes brightened, “That is a most excellent proposition!”

It was more than just excellent! The two phrases, “People at birth, are naturally good; similar by nature, different by habit,” were insightful and incisive, and they rhymed so well – they were practically perfection! With such an antecedent, he’d have to deliberate his words twice over when he wrote.  

Talking with smart people was just so effortless. Liang Feng, with great interest, raised a few more basic concerns over the matter of education, for example, adding punctuation, including a few books about agriculture and general history, and determining the teaching schedule – currently, none of the students in the estate had the economic autonomy to spend much time on their studies.  

Oljcu Mfcu rqbxf fjgcfrais, jcv Gejc Hlc ilrafcfv vlilufcais; la vlvc’a ajxf atfw ibcu ab rfaaif bc jggjcufwfcar obg atf rmtbbitberf. Vfflcu atja tf kjr yfulcclcu ab algf, Gejc Hlc fzmerfv tlwrfio jcv gfaegcfv ab tlr gbbw. Lf tjv yffc gjatfg wbnfv ys atflg mbcnfgrjalbc. Ktfgf kjr j rjslcu atja, “bcf mbeiv rff, ogbw rwjii yfulcclcur, atf kjs atlcur kbeiv vfnfibq.” Po fnfc j rwjii rmtbbitberf yelia obg mbwwbcfgr mbeiv yf rb wfalmeiberis qijccfv, lc rfgnlmf bo remt ojg-gfjmtlcu ubjir, atfc ktja bo atf Oljcu Srajaf?

Tossing aside those trivial worries, Duan Qin put his thoughts to the task of developing a new set of introductory learning material. 

Time flew by on the road. Three days later, the carriage train finally reached the estate. Liang Feng didn’t put Duan Qin to work immediately, saying instead, “The journey has been arduous; rest for a few days, Duan-lang, and take a look around. The start of classes can wait until after the new teaching materials are ready.” 

His words sounded somewhat like banal pleasantries, but Duan Qin knew that he wanted him to deepen his understanding of the Liang Estate. But unlike normal retainers, he was addressed as “Duan-lang” by Liang Feng, whom he addressed as “Marquess Liang” in return. It was only because Duan Qing was not so renowned as to make one wear their shoes on backwards to greet him, and Liang Feng was only a noble who had no political influence. They were both still testing the waters. Now it was time for him to make a decision and display his competence. What was the Liang Estate like, and what could he do for the estate? Those were the key questions.

Once the newcomer left, Yiyan said lowly, “My lord, should I have him surveilled?”

Liang Feng lifted a brow, “Why surveil him?”

“He still calls you ‘Marquess Liang’ – how could someone proffering his service be so insolent?!” Yiyan knew the story of Mao Sui, of course; knew that “my lord” was the proper form of address, and that his gesture signified his willingness to die for the one he had sworn loyalty to. But this Duan Qin seemed to have no such intent. 

Liang Feng chuckled mirthfully, “That is because I am not Lord Pingyuan.”

And there, the difference in status was made apparent. If he held a position of great authority, or a fiefdom of several thousand households, then naturally, people would swarm beneath his banner. But unfortunately, he didn’t. That was why the only ones who’d give him their allegiance now were either geniuses with immense foresight, or feckless good-for-nothings with a dearth of options. And it just so happened that Duan Qin was a nobody as well. They had to have a “blind date” first to understand each other and see if they had any chemistry.

It was akin to the relationship between lords and advisors in the Three Kingdoms era. If there was a difference in ideologies – no amount of coercion could force Xu Shu to devise one plan or plot for Cao Cao. And if one entrusted themselves to the wrong person, as Tian Feng had, they would meet with wrongful death. Thus, Liang Feng wasn’t going to rush the process. He was already quite pleased with Duan Qin’s behavior under the current circumstances: measured and steady, neither obsequious nor supercilious.  

Yiyan said at once, “You are far superior to Lord Pingyuan, my lord!” 

How could Lord Pingyuan, who sent four hundred thousand Zhao soldiers to their death at the Battle of Changping, be mentioned in the same breath as his lord?!

Liang Feng smiled wryly, “Then we’ll see if my estate can keep scholars.”

※

As it turned out, Duan Qin didn’t while away his days indoors. In the time that he was composing his drafts, he carefully observed the Liang Estate inside and out as well. The number of households within the Liang Estate was far greater than what it had originally been conferred, it was perhaps in the thousands already. The four workshops were many times larger than he’d been expecting as well. They had already begun to fire porcelain and craft paper in preparation for resuming trade after the spring planting season. Unlike other nobles, the Liang Estate traded mostly in grain and rice, or silk and leather, very rarely involving metal currency. 

Presently, the estate had only one retainer: the bookkeeper. The two mathematics experts and the bookkeeper, Zhou Kan, jointly oversaw a schoolhouse, teaching arithmetic. Furthermore, there was a workshop under the supervision of the young master’s nursemaid, and two servant women in the study, coordinating the estate’s multifarious affairs from within. It was obvious that they lacked manpower, or rather, that the Liang Estate needed far more useable personnel than they had at the moment. 

But the four workshops hardly counted for anything – after probing extensively into the militia, Duan Qin returned to his room and shut himself in. Five days later, sporting two black eye bags, he appeared before Liang Feng.

“You’ve already finished writing the new teaching material?” Liang Feng was somewhat amazed. It was a task with some complexity; after all, it had to have substance, and avoid repetition as much as possible so as to expose students to a greater quantity of unfamiliar words – a true test of one’s learning. It had hardly been, what, ten days? And it was finished already? 

But upon flipping the book open, Liang Feng found that it was neatly made. It didn’t flaunt any literary excellence, but rather, like the Three Character Classic, it explained conventional morals and values in plain language. Duan Qin had obviously given thought to which words a petty official would need to know, before compiling it. 

“You have been very industrious, Duan-lang. It shall be named the Thousand Character Text,” Liang Feng shut the book and nodded. This text alone was proof enough of his ability. 

However, Duan Qin showed no sign of joyousness at the praise. He fell silent, before suddenly asking, “Do you expect, Marquess Liang, that times of chaos will soon be upon us?”

That was a question that should have been jarring. Liang Feng impassively asked in return, “What makes you think so?”

“Awarding military merit with land!” Duan Qin said, with certainty. 

Those five words were the sum and whole of it, that which had shocked Duan Qin the most. The Liang Estate’s militia was not a militia; it was a reproduction of the military-merit social system. That he put this system in place in his own estate could only mean that he felt the dynasty was already destabilizing, and that he needed the power to claim territory and establish dominance. 

No wonder the Liang Estate only wanted grain, and not money. No wonder the Liang Estate would employ women, and build schoolhouses. No wonder the Liang Estate was fervently taking in refugees and cultivating barren land. This was all for the sake of one objective: gathering strength, grasping for the only means of survival in a world without order.

Awarding merit with land was the most direct response of all. With thoughts like those, how could Liang Feng ever fall in with Sima Teng? How lamentable that he had only seen the “people-loving” exterior, but not the true reason hiding behind it.

This terrifying discovery, though, wasn’t entirely impossible. Unrest had roiled throughout the land for over a decade already. The starving people had rebelled time and again, but the Sima princes still warred ceaselessly. The situation was more unsightly now than it had been in the final years of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Once it disintegrated to a certain extent, was it not inevitable that everything would fall apart?

So, it wasn’t merely a good lord he would be serving, but a mighty warlord as well!

Should he follow someone with such unbridled ambition? Finding the answer didn’t take much effort for Duan Qin. It was why he was here, with dark shadows beneath his eyes, kneeling before this person.

Liang Feng hmm’d noncommittally, “If the world were to be subsumed by chaos, then tell me, Duan-lang, from whence does chaos come?”  

“The Xiongnu!” Duan Qin replied without hesitation. “The five divisions are the enemy at our elbow, but Sima Teng, having more ambition than ability, has not taken any precaution against them. If they were to revolt, it would surely become a calamity!”

As a native of Bing Province, Duan Qin was deeply aware of the five divisions’ power in Bing Province. If hundreds of thousands of Xiongnu rose in arms all at once and conquered Shangdang, then barbarian horses could, at will, trample Si Province to the south, and Ji and You Provinces to the north. The world was in danger!

“The Liang Estate is situated in Shangdang, a place which is contested by all; there is no avoiding battle here. Would you remain, Duan-lang, if disaster arises from Bing Province?” Liang Feng asked solemnly, masking all emotion from his face. 

Looking at that flawlessly beautiful, yet thin and too-pale face, Duan Qin’s heart pounded; he bent over and prostrated on the ground, “Your broad-mindedness is truly rare, my lord. I am but a mere commoner whose talents are limited; I am willing to serve you most faithfully, my lord!” 

Liang Feng was a noble, he had the ability and the wealth to leave Shangdang behind. But he hadn’t. Instead, he chose to build an army, stockpile grain, encourage agriculture, and protect the people. If a person plagued by illness, whose life was so fragile, could harbor such lofty sentiments, then how could he allow himself to fall behind?! He wasn’t the lord Duan Qin had wanted, he was several times better than the enlightened ruler he’d been hoping desperately for! Of course he would devote his life’s learning to one who was deserving! 

Releasing the breath he’d been bottling in his chest, Liang Feng stood and walked over to Duan Qin, “If you would be my west seat, Siruo, it would be my honor.”

That was the first time Liang Feng had called him by his courtesy name. And west seat, aside from meaning teacher, implied advisor as well. He’d accepted him. Despite how unflappable he normally was, Duan Qin couldn’t help being moved. Seeking him out was indeed the most correct decision he’d made in his life.

Guiding Duan Qin to his feet, and seeing his helplessly excited expression, Liang Feng smiled faintly, “Perhaps you could teach me, Siruo?” 

The author has something to say:

The Three Character Classic is of the Song Dynasty, and the Thousand Character Classic of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. They only came into existence because the ruling class was preparing to spread knowledge to the masses.