Chapter 365: The Correct Use of Diplomacy
There is still half a year before the imperial examination, but the various imperial examination tutoring classes in Chang'an are not in full swing like in previous years.
In the past, a few months before the imperial examination, teachers from major academies would give private lessons to students. Some famous calligraphers, painters, and musicians in Chang'an would also give classes. Even though the fees they charged were very expensive, it was still hard to get a place.
But the situation is different this year. The major pre-exam tutoring classes are unable to recruit any students.
The five hundred best students in Chang'an all participated in the tutoring class of Li Nuo, the top scorer in the top six subjects. Who could teach better than him?
These students are already the best among all the candidates, and they have the guidance of the world's best teachers. The gap between them and other people will be further widened. Naturally, there is no need for other students to find someone to guide them, and they can save a lot of money.
And those five hundred students also felt miserable at the beginning.
It would be fine if the teacher only taught one of them.
But if the teacher teaches everyone, won’t everyone be able to improve?
If everyone makes progress, it means that no one makes progress. The fierce competition in the imperial examination will not change.
But they had no choice.
If you don't make progress with everyone else, you will only watch others leave you further and further behind.
However, after listening to a day of classes, the first batch of 100 students had some changes in their ideas.
Nothing else.
Because you can really learn something from his lectures.
He would point out each person's shortcomings in calligraphy, painting, and music, and give the most effective suggestions. In just half a day, they would be able to see their own improvement with their own eyes and be able to clearly identify the direction of their future efforts.
Under his teaching method of tailoring students' talents to their aptitude, everyone's talents can be fully utilized.
Even if they fail to pass the imperial examination, they can still achieve great things in other fields in the future.
At the very least, they can open imperial examination tutoring classes like this and use their talents to teach and impart knowledge. Although they are not as good as becoming an official, they are also extremely respected.
What is even more surprising is that he seems to have a kind of magical power.
Confucian classics have always been the most boring.
Normally, when they were in the academy, most of them would feel drowsy while listening to the teacher's lectures.
However, the classics class taught by Li Nuo, the top scorer in six subjects, was obviously not much different from what the teachers in the academy said, but everyone listened very seriously. Before they knew it, an hour of class had passed, but they seemed not to notice the passage of time.
What’s even more amazing is that after listening to the class, the meaning of the scriptures seemed to be imprinted in their minds and they could not forget them even if they wanted to.
"gentlemen!"
"Hello, sir!"
"Sir, take care!"
The second day of classes had ended. When Li Nuo walked out of the Imperial Examination Hall, the students around him bowed to him one after another.
He nodded in return and got into a carriage parked at the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall.
When Butler Wu drove back to Ningxin Garden, Li Nuo leaned against the car and breathed a sigh of relief.
Using the art of diplomacy to give lectures is an extremely mentally exhausting task.
Although most of these students were ordinary people and only a few had martial arts skills, there were so many of them that he had to implant certain ideas into everyone's minds after one class, and he was extremely exhausted.
This kind of fatigue affects the soul from the inside out.
After one more day of classes, he would have to rest for two days.
Fortunately, after only two days of classes, he noticed the weakening of the strategist's skills.
Using the art of diplomacy to influence the thoughts of future officials of Daxia and plant the seeds of reform in their hearts is a strategy in itself, which in turn can feed back into one's cultivation, thus killing two birds with one stone.
Before, Li Nuo had never thought that the cooperation between Confucianism and the School of Diplomacy could have such miraculous effects.
One of the two families is revered by tens of thousands of people, while the other is despised by tens of thousands of people, but in this way, they can complement and achieve each other.
There is nothing wrong with the art of diplomacy itself, it's just that some people use it in places where it shouldn't be used.
Judging from the improvement in his cultivation over the past two days, after these five days of classes, Li Nuo's strategy should have reached the fifth level.
In order to support the empress to ascend the throne, his cultivation level had risen from nothing to something, and he had already reached the peak of the fourth realm. However, he was unable to break through to the fifth realm at that time. Li Nuo still finds it strange. However, he can finally make up for that little gap this time.
He divided the five hundred students into five groups.
The first batch of students he selected were mostly children from poor families, or from merchant families, or some small families. Compared with the children from big families, their thoughts were easier to change.
When his cultivation level reaches a higher level, his ability of mental suggestion will become stronger.
In just two days, his Confucian cultivation also improved a lot.
Just as Li Nuo returned to Ningxin Garden, Chen Mansion.
Chen Tieniu looked at the ragged father and daughter kneeling in the yard, snorted coldly, and said, "You can say that I should pay less rent this year. I am a businessman, not a charity. Can you just pay less if I say so?"
A thin man knelt on the ground and said, "Master, please be kind. The river burst its banks this year and the harvest is more than half gone. We really can't pay so much rent. We haven't had any rice at home for three days..."
Chen Tieniu waved his hand and said, "You don't have to say anything. It's impossible to pay less rent. The lease was written in black and white. However, I am not unreasonable. You can pay less this year. You can pay double the rent next year..."
The man looked bitter after hearing this. He had worked hard for a year, but in the end, he not only did not make any money, but also owed more debts...
This year's difficulties are over, but next year, if the weather is bad again, how can he pay back double?
After thinking it over carefully, he pointed at the little girl beside him and said, "Master, can I sell my daughter to you? I can use part of the money to pay the rent..."
Chen Tieniu glanced at the little girl and asked, "How much silver do you want to sell it for?"
The man immediately said, "Ten taels, that's it!"
Chen Tieniu sneered and said, "Ten taels, you wish for that. Other people's daughters are plump and white, but they only sell for a dozen taels. Your daughter has skinny arms and legs, and a body that could fall down at the slightest gust of wind. No one would buy her for five taels. Since your family has been farming for the master for so many years, I'll give you five taels..."
Hearing this, the man could only sigh and kowtow, saying, "Thank you, sir..."
Although he was reluctant to part with his daughter, if he didn't sell him, his whole family would starve to death...
At this time, a figure walked in from outside the door.
Seeing Chen Qi, Chen Tieniu said happily: "Qi'er is back, hurry up and prepare for dinner. I was lucky today and got your favorite dish from Sinong Temple. I spent ten taels of silver to get a small bundle..."
The man kneeling on the ground trembled slightly when he heard this, and a complicated look appeared in his eyes.
Chen Qi walked over to the father and daughter, lowered his head and took a look, then said to Chen Tieniu, "Dad, no one can predict natural disasters, so let's waive their rent this year..."
Chen Tieniu always followed his son's wishes, but he did not agree to this matter. He shook his head and said, "That won't do. If we exempt them, don't we have to exempt others? If we exempt them this year, will we have to exempt them again if there is another disaster next year? If so, don't worry about what our family eats and drinks. Go and prepare for dinner..."
Chen Qi said: "We still have many shops. Aren't those shops also very profitable?"
Chen Tieniu said: "A shop is a shop, and land rent is land rent. The two cannot be confused. Besides, in Chang'an, our Chen family is considered poor. If we want to gain a foothold here, we have to make more money..."
Chen Qi sighed and said, "How much money do you have to earn to be considered a lot..."
He did not argue with his father anymore. He took out the purse from his arms, poured out all the silver inside, thought for a moment, put it back, handed the whole purse to the man, and said, "Take this money."
Chen Tieniu was stunned when he saw this, and asked hurriedly: "What are you doing..."
The man stood there in a daze, not daring to take it. Chen Qi stuffed the purse into his arms and said, "Take it."
After the man came to his senses, he pulled his daughter and kowtowed repeatedly, crying in his voice, "Thank you, young master, thank you, young master!"
Chen Tieniu did not stop them this time. After the father and daughter left, he said to his son, "Dad knows you have a kind heart, but there are too many poor people in this world. You can help one, ten, or a hundred, but can you help a thousand? Even if we give away all the money in our Chen family, it won't change anything. You, don't take it for granted..."
Chen Qi looked puzzled and bewildered, muttering, "Why are there so many poor people in this world?"
Chen Tieniu said: "Of course they didn't work hard. Our Chen family used to farm. It was your father and I who worked hard in the wind and rain to lay the foundation for our Chen family today..."
What his father said seemed to make some sense, but Chen Qi felt that there was something strange about it that he couldn't explain.
He couldn't sleep that night.
During the break the next day, he asked the teacher.
The teacher is the top scorer in six subjects and the smartest person in the mainland. He will definitely be able to solve his problem.
But the gentleman did not tell him, but let him find the answer himself.
It just so happened that the teacher announced a two-day suspension of classes to allow them to review what they had learned in the past few days. Chen Qi decided to personally experience the life of a tenant and servant in the family.
During dinner at the Chen residence, Chen Tieniu looked at his son in surprise and asked, "Are you going to the farm outside the city?"
Chen Qi nodded and said, "The teacher said that this way we can understand the connotation of the sages' scriptures."
Since it was for the imperial examination, Chen Tieniu didn't think much about it. He was a rough man and didn't understand the affairs of scholars. He just did whatever his son said.
The Chen family owned hundreds of acres of land outside Chang'an, which he bought after he became rich. Every year, the land was cultivated by tenants. If the harvest was good, he would take 70% of the grain and leave 30% for them. If the harvest was not good, he would ask the tenants to convert it into a fixed amount of silver for him.
Anyway, no matter whether it is a famine or a good year, he will definitely not suffer any loss.
The next night, Chen Qi collapsed on the carriage back to the city, staring at the roof.
Last night, he asked his family's driver to take him to the farm outside the city.
He got up at the hour of Mao in the morning, before daybreak, and started his day with the other tenants.
There was no well in the village, so he had to carry two buckets to the distant river to fetch water. This was the first thing he did after getting up.
He used muddy river water to cook a small pot of porridge made of wild vegetables and bran. He himself found it difficult to swallow, but the man ate it with relish.
I forced myself to swallow a few mouthfuls with great difficulty, and when the first ray of light appeared in the sky, I would go out to work.
Now is the busy farming season. They go out before dawn and come back after the sun sets.
At noon, Chen Qi almost fainted from hunger, but he could only eat a few bites of dry and hard bran cakes.
This day was more difficult for him than a month.
When he returned home in the evening, he wolfed down his dinner. He didn't even want to take a shower, let alone have time to think. As soon as his head touched the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep.
At 11:00 a.m. the next day, he was awakened by his servants.
Today, he will experience the life of a servant for a day.
Half asleep and half awake, he held his nose to empty the toilet, feed the horse, and chop firewood. It was almost noon when he finished all these. While cleaning the yard, he finally ran out of energy and fainted...
When he woke up, a woman was standing by his bed, silently shedding tears and complaining to Chen Tieniu: "It's all your fault. My son was going to pass the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official. Why did you let him suffer this..."
Chen Tieniu also looked aggrieved. This was his son's own request, and he did not dare to object.
If it affects the imperial examination, there will be no way for him to regret it.
Chen Qi opened his eyes, and the confusion was no longer in his eyes.
Through his experiences over the past two days, he found the answer to that question.
The tenants and servants in the family were poor not because they didn't work hard.
The tenants worked hard for a year, but the harvest was not enough to pay the rent, so they had to sell their children to avoid starvation.
The servants got up early and went to bed late, working like oxen and horses, from the end of the year to the end of the year, but their wages were only ten taels of silver, which would be deducted for various reasons. If they got sick, all their savings would be wiped out.
He used to be so focused on the imperial examination that he never thought about what kind of life the people around him, whom he saw every day, lived.
In the past two days, he has talked with many tenants and servants.
After thinking about it, he came to a conclusion.
The reason why they are so poor and their lives are so hard is not because they don’t work hard. On the contrary, they have tried their best to survive.
It is because of the gentry and wealthy families like the Chen family who own a lot of land and property but are unwilling to treat the people well that the people have no good life. Their greed and harshness are the reasons for the suffering of the people.
And he, Chen Qi, is one of these people.
The teacher once said, if you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world.
The Chen family is already considered quite wealthy, and their current assets are enough to last for several lifetimes.
Although they do not have the ability to help the world, they can still help some people first.
Chen Tieniu looked at Chen Qi as if he had just met his son for the first time, and said in disbelief, "What did you say? Reduce the tenants' taxes by half and pay the servants double the wages. Have you become stupid because of all the reading?"
It’s hard to believe that someone who has studied for twenty years could say such words.
Do you really think that his Chen family is doing charity?
Without him, those tenants would have no choice but to flee with their families. He provided food and clothing for these servants, and paid them wages. He was already good enough to them, wasn't he? What else did they want?
Chen Qi said slowly: "Doing these things will not have any impact on our Chen family, but it can make the tenants and servants live better. No matter how much money we earn, we can't spend much, why not take some out and let more people live a life without worries about food and clothing?"
"Why? I owe them something."
Chen Tieniu frowned and looked at his son, angrily saying: "Why do you have such an idea? I spent one thousand taels of silver just for you to learn this? Starting tomorrow, you don't have to go to class!"
Chen Qi himself didn't care. He shrugged and said, "I can choose not to attend the class, but if I am surpassed by my classmates who attend the class and fail to pass the imperial examination, I hope my father won't blame me..."
“…”
Chen Tieniu didn't dare to say anything more.
The imperial examination was a very important event. Not to mention the rent reduction and processing fee, as long as his son could pass it, he would be willing to go back to the penniless days of the past.
His lips trembled, and he lowered his head and said, "Ahem, I still have to go to class, but can I also go to your teacher's class? Dad wants to see if the top scorers in the six subjects are the Wenquxing who has come down to earth with three heads and six arms..."
He really wanted to see the top scorer in the six subjects, and see the culprit who had turned his good son into this state.
The next day at noon, Chen Qi returned home and said to Chen Tieniu: "The teacher said that outsiders can go to the lecture, but they need to pay a fee of 100 taels of silver, and can only sit in the last row and cannot ask any questions..."
Chen Tieniu hesitated for a moment, then made up his mind and said, "It's just one hundred taels of silver, I'll pay it!"
Inside the Imperial Examination Hall.
Li Nuo was lecturing on Confucian classics, and one hundred students were listening attentively.
He would usually teach his students calligraphy, painting and music in the morning, teach them imperial examinations and archery in the afternoon, and teach them the classics in the last class of the day. After finishing his lecture, he would go home and rest.
At this moment, all the students' attention was on Li Nuo, and they did not notice that there was a figure sitting in the corner of the back row, who was out of place with them.
Chen Tieniu crossed his legs, leaned against the wall, and looked at the young figure in front of him.
Although this top scholar in six subjects has a handsome appearance, he does not have three heads and six arms, and he does not look that powerful.
Listening to what he said, Chen Tieniu showed a hint of disdain at the corner of his mouth.
These Confucians are really something. They think whether the people can live a good life has nothing to do with them. He has everything he has today thanks to his own hard work. If those people were as hardworking as him, they would have lived a life of superiority long ago.
However, as he listened, the disdain in the corners of his mouth gradually disappeared.
Some long-lost memories began to emerge in my mind.
Everything he has today is the result of his leaving his hometown and working hard.
The reason why he left his hometown was to sell his family's land to pay for his mother's medical treatment. After working hard all year round, he not only did not earn a penny, but also owed rent to the landlord.
In desperation, he had to leave his hometown and find another way to make a living.
If, he meant if...
If he had a few acres of land to cultivate, he would never have been displaced and faced life-and-death crises several times in order to make a living...
Wasn’t the tenant of the Chen family the same as him back then?
As time passed, the disdain on his face completely disappeared. Looking intently at the young man in front of him, Chen Tieniu, who had never read any books in his life, began to think about a problem.
How should one spend one's life?
Make the most money?
Be the highest official?
The most beautiful woman who slept the most?
Or something else...
(End of this chapter)
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