Chapter 24 Is it true or false? Forced to accept...
Forced to accept such a generous gift, Fu Li felt like someone who had to swallow rice even though he knew there was a fly in it.
Fortunately, she was also quite shrewd. She took a deep breath and suppressed the sudden surge of evil fire.
But just because she can suppress it doesn't mean others can too.
Yes, I’m talking about Lingzhuzi.
If Fu Li had not understood him and pulled him back the moment his face suddenly changed, and Ling Zhuzi happened to be in the wrong with her, Gongzi Bianyi would have already ignited this piece of explosive charcoal.
Even so, Lingzhuzi was unwilling to stay and pretend to be nice. He sneered and got up and left.
The young master's face turned pale from the debate. Fu Li smiled and said lightly, "He was mad at me, and I made you laugh at me."
"It's okay, it's okay." Gongzi Bian thought of the purpose of today and instantly put Lingzhuzi behind his mind.
He also knew that Fu Li disliked him, so he didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Bian came here today, not only to send someone off for Brother Wang, but also to ask you something. I hope you can give me some advice."
Fu Li asked Fu Yue to lead the twenty craftsmen out, and without further ado, he said bluntly, "I think what you want to ask about, young master, is the art of differentiation, right?"
"Yes, young lady, you are straightforward," Gongzi Bian praised, saying sincerely, "What you said in the Xuanshi Hall yesterday, I personally think is highly feasible. It's a pity that my brother is always used to making decisions on his own, and with these two flattering ministers, Hong and Yu, by his side, they flatter my brother, making him even more unwilling to listen to others' advice."
At this point, he sighed with worry, his tone revealing his anger and resentment towards Wo Ding: "Our ancestor Cheng Tang went through countless hardships to make all the princes in the world pay homage to the Shang Dynasty.
Although the former king Taijia had issued disorderly orders, he was able to correct his mistakes and became braver after knowing shame. With the assistance of Prime Minister Yi Yin, he pacified the Western Qiang and fought against the Eastern Yi, thus further strengthening the foundation of the Shang Dynasty.
I thought that after my brother ascended the throne, he would uphold the will of the previous king, fulfill his duties, be close to wise ministers, and work together for great achievements. I didn’t expect…”
He sighed heavily and didn't say anything else, but everyone present knew what he meant.
Fu Li could feel that his concern for the country was genuine, and his resentment towards Woding was also genuine.
Because the other party was so sincere, Fu Li couldn't respond with empty words, so she had to patiently discuss the strategy she had presented to Wo Ding yesterday with Gongzi Bian.
"The young lady once said that she would show kindness to the slaves of the world in order to divide the hearts of the former Prime Minister Yi Yin. While it is a good plan, the kindness must be put into practice.
The princes of the world were willing to serve the Shang Dynasty as their leader because King Jie of Xia was a tyrant who exploited the people and was not satisfied with any criticism he could muster.
Our ancestor Cheng Tang, with a benevolent heart, used drastic measures to overthrow the tyranny of the Xia clan, bringing peace and tranquility to the world and granting land to meritorious people.
"Now the world is stable, and the princes who followed King Tang have enjoyed honor and glory for generations. All the rules have become established. If we rashly break them, we will lose the favor of the people."
He said all this, but his point was this: King Tang had already divided the pie of the world among everyone, and the princes were used to having so much of it themselves. Now if they were suddenly asked to spit out some of the pie in their mouths and give it to the slaves, they would probably be very unhappy.
At this point, Fu Li had a better understanding of Gongzi Bian's character.
This person is eloquent, open-minded and willing to accept advice, and can distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and good and evil.
With the above conditions, you can be a qualified king who maintains the status quo.
However, he lacked the courage to be a reformer, which doomed his achievements to be limited. If he wanted to go further, he would need another person like Yi Yin who could shoulder the responsibilities of the world and exercise the power that belonged to the king on his behalf.
But Yi Yin was able to have a good end because both Cheng Tang and Taijia had enough courage.
It was replaced by the young master Bian in front of him...
Fu Li just wants to say: Haha!
So, considering his sincerity, Fuli would point out a way for him. But for now, let's not do anything more.
She traveled through time and space and finally escaped the fate of being an unlucky person, but she was not interested in becoming a Shang Dynasty version of Shang Jun.
Hey, speaking of it, the Qin State is a descendant of the Shang Dynasty. Doesn’t it make the visual sense stronger?
Fu Li pretended to ponder, and only after Gongzi Bian's questioning did he reluctantly say, "Actually, this matter is not difficult to resolve. The difficulty lies in the lack of a monarch who is shrewd, patient, and decisive."
Obviously, the reigning Wodin was not such a monarch.
Gongzi Bian was silent for a moment, then stood up and bowed again, saying, "Please give me some advice, young lady."
Fu Li hurriedly stood up to return the greeting. When the two men sat down again, she spoke frankly, "I understand your concerns, sir. If the wealth and interests of the world were compared to a pie, the existing pie has already been divided. Trying to force the princes and nobles to spit it out is like snatching food from a tiger's mouth."
Gongzi Bian nodded repeatedly: "That's right, the young lady really put it very clearly."
As he said this, there was a hint of shame on his face that he couldn't hide.
Is it that he can't explain it clearly?
Of course not.
He felt he couldn't explain it fully. To put it bluntly, he simply didn't dare.
Fu Li saw through it but didn't say anything. He just smiled and said, "My method is very simple. I will make this pie bigger and use the extra portion as a favor. That way, even if the princes and ministers still have some complaints, they won't be able to say anything more."
There was one point she didn't mention, which was that if the reigning king was not strong enough, no matter how big the pie was, it would not be enough for the princes to share.
I believe Gongzi Bian also understands this principle. Now it depends on whether he dares to continue asking how to make the pie bigger.
If he dares, it means he is willing to do it; if he doesn't dare, it means Fu Li is right, he is a kind and wise person but lacks courage.
Although the Shang Dynasty had created writing, there are not many historical records left. Fu Li only vaguely learned from "Records of the Grand Historian" that the monarch who succeeded Wo Ding was Tai Geng.
However, the name "Taigeng" in the style of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches was obviously given to him after he ascended the throne.
As for what Tai Geng was called before he ascended the throne, Fu Li really didn't know.
However, Taigeng was Wo Ding's younger brother. According to the Shang Dynasty's "prime heir" attribute, if Wo Ding died without a son or his son was young, the first heir would be Prince Bian.
At that time, the mothers of Wo Ding, Gongzi Bian and Gongzi Yuan were married to Taijia at the same time. Wo Ding's mother was the principal wife, and Gongzi Yuan's mother was the concubine.
If Gongzi Bian, his half-brother, also died early, Gongzi Yuan's inheritance line would have been directly promoted.
Therefore, Fu Li was also unable to judge whether the Tai Geng who inherited the throne of Woding was Prince Bian or Prince Yuan.
Gongzi Bian pondered for a long time, took a deep breath, stood up and bowed, saying: "Please enlighten me, young lady."
This time, Fu Li didn't avoid him. Instead, she accepted his greeting calmly and said with a smile, "Sir, please stand up. Since I came to Boyi, I have been helping the Grand Tutor manage the fiefdom. I believe you have heard of this."
Seeing Gongzi Bian nod, Fu Li continued, "Then, sir, do you know that I have led the slaves of my fiefdom to find a way to increase grain production?"
Next, Fu Li elaborated on how to improve land utilization so that land that could only be used for one crop a year can now be used for two crops; and how to increase grain production in each season through tilling, weeding, fertilizing, irrigation, and drainage.
The number of planting seasons has doubled, and the output of each season has increased significantly, so the piece of cake called "land" has naturally become bigger.
Fu Li took the opportunity to recommend several slaves he had discovered to Prince Bian, asking him to pardon their slave status and make them civilians. Then, as civilians, they would accept Prince Bian's appointment to help Prince Bian manage their fiefdoms and estates.
Ren Fuli talked a lot of nonsense, so it would be better to send the technical personnel directly over and let Gongzi Bian experience the happiness of increased grain production for himself.
Fu Li had no doubts about whether he would promote the practice after experiencing it. Her only doubt was whether he had the courage to use it to reform and improve the treatment of slaves.
She explained it in great detail and sent out a slave who understood it. In fact, Gongzi Bian already believed it 70%.
When she thought about how such a great talent was not valued by her brother the king, which made her leave in anger, she felt both sighing and angry in her heart.
Fu Li continued, "Actually, when I entered the palace yesterday, in addition to presenting porcelain and planting, I also had something to report to the king.
But I was young and hot-headed, and after being rebuked by two of the king's close ministers, I left in anger and neglected the two most important things.
Now that the planting method has been handed over to you, it's no different than handing it over to the king, so I naturally have nothing to worry about. I'll also tell you about the remaining matter."
With the porcelain and the new farming method as his foundation, Gongzi Bian had already determined that she was a rare genius. When he heard that she had more suggestions, he quickly straightened his face and pretended to listen attentively.
Fu Li asked, "Sir, do you know why I want to make this porcelain?"
Gongzi Bian pondered and said, "Porcelain is more exquisite than any existing utensils. I think the young lady once had high hopes for the prince and wanted to use porcelain as a stepping stone to gain a foothold."
He added in his heart: It’s a pity that Brother Wang has disappointed you.
Fu Li said, "Yes and no. The biggest reason is that I know that using human bones or bronze vessels as eating utensils will, over time, cause chronic toxins to erode the body and greatly shorten one's lifespan.
That is why I led the craftsmen to create this exquisite porcelain. I hope that the king can lead all the people to replace bone and bronze utensils with porcelain."
This statement was truly shocking. Gongzi Bian was skeptical and asked, "Do you have any evidence, young lady?"
Fu Li said, "There's no actual evidence, but young master, please think carefully. Since our dynasty succeeded the Xia Dynasty, with the exception of our ancestor Cheng Tang, have all the emperors and empresses in history lived to a young age?"
Gongzi Bian took a deep breath, thinking about how his grandfather and two great uncles all died young, and how his father Taijia was such a hero, but he could not escape the fate of early death.
Originally, the royal family and the public office were secretly speculating that it was because of their ancestor Cheng Tang's disrespect for the gods, but it turned out to be because of the eating utensils?
In a flash, Gongzi Bian immediately thought: No matter whether what Fu Linu said is true or false, it must be true for the sake of the Shang royal family!
Seeing his expression suddenly become determined, Fu Li smiled secretly: It's done!
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