Chapter 426 The Master of the Dynasty
"Recently, I have been reading history and studying ancient and modern military books, and I have gained some insights. Here are my humble opinions."
"Let me ask you a question, junior sister: who do you think is the true master of the unified dynasty?"
"The Emperor."
Xie Lingjiang gripped the red leaf tightly in her hand, almost without hesitation.
Ouyang Rong shook his head.
"The royal family that holds imperial power," she replied, frowning.
Ouyang Rong also shook his head: "That's one thing. What else?"
Xie Lingjiang remained silent for a while, then released her hand, glanced at the red leaf in her palm, and her gaze fell on the words "Wang Xie".
She looked away, seemingly unable to meet his gaze directly.
"My clansmen are quite numerous, scattered throughout the Jiangnan region. Last year, when I returned to my ancestral home for the New Year to pay respects to our ancestors, among the clansmen gathered there, not many held official positions in the court, and even fewer had reached the rank of high-ranking officials. Just like my father, they were retired and living in seclusion, teaching and passing on their knowledge, without wielding power, only having a great reputation. My eldest brother knows this..."
Biting his lip, he said:
"Among them, Uncle Su and Senior Brother are both considered to be of relatively high official rank."
"They are far inferior to the powerful families in the two capitals of Guanzhong; they can only be considered wealthy and privileged."
"Although the Langya Wang family next to Wuyi Lane has more officials in the court, and their ranks are higher, they still can't compare to the former. Besides, many high-ranking officials in the court are not from prominent families. Senior Brother, this question..."
Ouyang Rong shook his head and interrupted:
"No, these are just appearances. The reason why the Wang and Xie families are among the five noble families and seven prominent families is not that simple."
"Power is not important; what is truly important... is land."
"The Wang and Xie families, along with the other prominent families of the five surnames and seven clans in the region, constitute the largest group of landlords in Jiangnan and even the whole country. They are the representatives of landlord groups in various regions of the world."
"What the powerful clans truly control is the land, yet they pride themselves on being Han Chinese in their attire, poetry, and etiquette. Isn't the veneration of the women of the Five Clans throughout the Great Zhou a product of this propaganda? The high reputation accumulated among the people by the celebrities and elites from the Five Clans and Seven Families, in turn, conceals their continuous land annexation and rationalizes their exploitation."
"No matter how they are decorated, they are essentially landlords. It's that simple. If the royal family is the biggest landlord in the world, then the five surnames and seven clans are just as big landlords in the world as the royal family."
"What use are the powerful and wealthy families, the families of dukes, and even the families of favored relatives of the emperor in the two capitals of Guanzhong and Longxi, like the Wei family? No matter how high their official positions or how illustrious their reputations are in the court, it is only temporary glory. Land is what is passed down for generations."
"For the imperial power, the land in Guanzhong is limited. No matter how much the powerful clans rooted in the two capitals of Guanzhong annex and divide the land, it is still just a small-scale operation under the emperor's nose. The size after the dispersal is far less than that of the five clans and seven noble families who have large bases in Jiangnan, Hebei, Shandong, etc. That is where the emperor is far away and the central government is far away. How can they be checked and balanced?"
"As long as they have large tracts of land in their hands or indirectly control them, the powerful clans can continuously cultivate and produce elite clans and even Qi cultivators, ensuring the continuation of their lineage. This is what makes the current imperial family deeply wary of the various landowning groups, led by the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families."
“Aside from Qi cultivators, the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families certainly cannot command large armies. Individually, they cannot compare to the imperial court. However, land annexation is an unstoppable process in every dynasty. The powerful clans and aristocratic families are constantly growing stronger, which the imperial power cannot stop. Even the greatest emperor of all time could not stop it and could only try to postpone it.”
"This is why every dynasty is prosperous when it is first established, but becomes more and more bloated and corrupt as it goes on, making it difficult to implement government orders and for emperors to achieve anything... Because as time goes by, land annexation becomes serious. Not only are there many problems in the central government, but landlords in various places also grow bigger and more entrenched. With this ebb and flow, it is naturally difficult for the imperial power to check the landlords. Aristocratic landlords like the Five Surnames and Seven Clans, who are like local emperors, can even secretly cede land and become kings and resist the imperial power if they are dissatisfied."
"However, the imperial rulers and the large landowners were not merely enemies; most of the time, they were partners, allies who jointly governed the world."
"Now let's return to the original question: who is the master of the feudal unified dynasty?" Ouyang Rong asked and answered himself: "At this stage, it is the imperial power and the powerful clans."
Xie Lingjiang took several deep breaths, feeling a heavy, unsettling feeling in her chest. She looked down at the red leaf in her hand, which felt both light and incredibly heavy... Her senior brother was right; this was indeed knowledge not found in books, knowledge she had never heard of before.
Ouyang Rong suddenly chuckled: "The beauty of a unified dynasty lies precisely in the word 'unified.' With such a vast land and such slow transportation and information transmission technology, how can it break through the limits of management? And how can it maintain unification at a relatively low cost?"
"The Confucianism on the outside and Legalism on the inside that some emperors were keen to promote was just one of the tools. The real solution is that the central imperial power must also find some people who can manage the country with him and let them help manage the local areas. Only in this way can a unified regime be established. And for a unified dynasty to be stable in the long term, it must also share power with the elites in various parts of the dynasty."
“At this stage, what is more suitable for this role than powerful clans with land, popular support, and prestige? And throughout history, all the methods of selecting officials from local areas to go to the central government have actually served this purpose.”
"However, the central government and local authorities can never avoid a power struggle. The primary problem that every emperor must face is how to balance the contradictions between these people and the imperial power, so that they can assist the emperor in governing the country without overthrowing the entire imperial rule..."
"His Majesty in Luoyang's court used the imperial examination system to introduce the third force of scholars from humble backgrounds, which was intended to counterbalance the powerful clans of the Great Zhou Dynasty. As for what my junior sister said, that few members of her family hold high positions, that is also a result of this power struggle reaching a certain balance."
"The same is true for the other five surnames and seven noble families. They possess prestige, and the women of these five surnames are highly sought after. They even disdain the olive branch of marriage between the Li and Wei royal families, yet they are noble but powerless. This is the root cause..."
"This state of not threatening the imperial rule is what His Majesty, and even the previous emperors of the Great Gan Dynasty, would like to see. Although they are outwardly dissatisfied with the arrogance of the five clans, what is face more important than substance?"
"Therefore, the powerful clans and aristocratic families, along with the imperial rulers, were the true behind-the-scenes masters of the unified dynasty."
"It cannot be denied that this model does provide a certain upward channel, and it is indeed relatively progressive at a certain stage. However, the upward channel can also be turned around by those who benefit from it and try to monopolize it by all means. This is also the reason why there were many powerful clans and no poor scholars among the upper class during the Northern and Southern Dynasties in the previous hundreds of years."
"The powerful clans and aristocratic families that emerged during the Northern and Southern Dynasties were so strong that they even survived dynastic changes and continued into the Daqian and Dazhou Dynasties. The Five Surnames and Seven Clans were among the most resilient and tenacious representatives of them."
Xie Lingjiang's eyes were filled with shock as she stared blankly at her senior brother who had calmly uttered such treasonous words. She opened her mouth wide, wanting to speak, but didn't know how to refute him. She could only slowly lower her head and look at Hongye.
She didn't know how long the silence lasted, but after finally digesting and processing this advanced knowledge, she couldn't help but look up:
"Senior Brother, if you are the mastermind behind the scenes, what do you mean by saying that powerful clans and aristocratic families are doomed to perish? Isn't it just a cycle of rebirth, where even if a dynasty falls, powerful clans and aristocratic families can make a comeback?"
Ouyang Rong said softly, "If aristocratic families want to last for generations, they can only monopolize the channels of advancement. But monopoly will inevitably lead to resistance and the suppression of most newcomers. Among them, there will inevitably be more progressive people who will overthrow them."
“Junior sister, looking at history, the group of people who cooperate with the imperial power is not eternal. In the pre-Qin period, those who occupied this position and helped the Zhou emperor govern the world were a small group of feudal lords. But now, those who stand in this position are powerful clans and aristocratic families.”
"The latter replaced the former at a certain stage in history, but the latter will eventually be replaced by the later one. The lessons of the past are still fresh in our minds."
Xie Lingjiang immediately pressed on, "Then who are the newcomers after that?"
Ouyang Rong smiled, his words remaining vague:
"How would I know... However, judging from the trend, it might be the poor scholars and lackeys that the powerful clans and aristocratic families see now. Perhaps the imperial examination system is just a starting point that can nurture a larger elite group. And this group, just like the powerful clans and aristocratic families replaced the feudal lords and nobles in the past, is relatively progressive, keeping up with the tide of history, and irresistibly replacing the powerful clans."
Ouyang Rong suddenly smiled, his tone feigning indifference:
"Well, it's just a humble opinion based on my limited knowledge of history. It's just one person's view, and we should listen to different perspectives to gain a clearer understanding."
Xie Lingjiang looked lost and dejected, clearly believing her senior brother's words completely, not just listening to them: "Senior brother, do you mean these things will definitely happen...?"
“I think…” Ouyang Rong nodded, “It’s just a matter of time. At the moment, it doesn’t seem like it will be long, maybe even…”
"Even if the eldest brother had the chance, would he give him a push?" Xie Lingjiang pressed, "Because... the eldest brother is one of them."
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Xie Lingjiang lowered her head and thought for a moment:
"Actually, I don't quite understand Senior Brother's reasoning. I just want to know one thing: for the majority of people in the world, is this kind of change good... or rather, will tomorrow be a little better?"
Ouyang Rong slowly raised his head, and this time, Xie Lingjiang heard his tone was unusually firm:
"History progresses in a spiral, from feudal lords to powerful clans and aristocratic families, and then to the next generation, the trend is becoming increasingly egalitarian, and this group is growing larger and larger... If Junior Sister looks at it from this perspective, tomorrow will indeed be better. It's actually like..."
"Like what?"
He suddenly took the red leaf from Xie Lingjiang's hand, which bore the inscription "The swallows that once graced the halls of the Wang and Xie families now fly into the homes of ordinary people," and placed it next to the maple leaf in Xie Lingjiang's hair. He examined it closely, as if speaking to himself:
"Just like frost-covered leaves are redder than February flowers."
Xie Lingjiang suddenly grabbed Ouyang Rong's hand, took the red leaf, and threw it into the swirling vortex of leaves flying everywhere:
"That's enough. Senior Brother, go and walk the path you firmly believe is right. So will I. I will always be behind you."
Ouyang Rong was somewhat moved. He looked at her for a while, intending to say a few words of comfort, but suddenly the clear sound of a wooden fish, "dong dong dong," rang in his ears.
Merit increases by one, merit increases by one, merit increases by one...
“…” Ouyang Rong.
He couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "So this is a big gift pack of merit and experience points, is it, little junior sister?"
It seems I was being presumptuous and underestimated my junior sister's ability to understand and digest new, shocking knowledge. She's not that fragile or pessimistic... No need to say more.
Ouyang Rong suddenly flicked Xie Lingjiang's pert nose with his finger, squinting his eyes:
"You should get past the threshold of becoming a book reader first. Ugh, I'm so thirsty. After all this rambling, has Junior Sister gained any insights?"
"Hmm."
Xie Lingjiang subconsciously covered her nose and mouth, looked up at him for a moment, nodded emphatically, her eyes bright as stars:
“I saw it again… I’m angry. It feels just like when I found you at the disaster relief camp on the outskirts of Dragon City. Suddenly I have a direction, the bottleneck has finally loosened, and it feels like… it feels like all I need to do is give it a gentle push.”
"That's good."
Ouyang Rong smiled, mounted his horse, and reached out to her: "Let's go, Xie the Great Bookflipper."
Xie Lingjiang lifted her skirt, mounted the horse, and Ouyang Rong held her in his arms. Together they gripped the reins and galloped away...
Two hours later, it was almost evening.
Ouyang Rong, Xie Lingjiang, Li Dalang, and Qin Ying met at the agreed location.
Li Dalang and Qin Xiaoniangzi chatted and laughed, sharing the fun of today's hunting trip with Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang, and were in high spirits.
The four men and three horses hurried toward the city gate. Under the golden sunset, they slowly passed through the bridge arch of the west gate, where they were greeted by a bustling market with stalls.
Today, many pedestrians who had also returned from their autumn outings slowly made their way home in the evening. As a result, the peddlers and merchants from Xingzifang in the city all came to the main road near the city gate to set up stalls and sell their goods, and business was naturally booming.
Qin Ying, who had separated from Li Dalang and was riding a horse, kept glancing at Xie Lingjiang, who was riding beside her, with a red leaf tucked diagonally into her hair, and couldn't help but praise it:
"Sister Xie's Autumn Makeup Looks So Beautiful."
Xie Lingjiang smiled, her eyes narrowing, and muttered a small complaint: "He insisted on picking them, and wouldn't listen to me."
Qin Ying looked on with envy, then shook her head and remained silent.
Ouyang Rong, who was riding a horse with his arm around his junior sister in front of him, suddenly nudged Li Dalang beside him with his elbow, and the latter was stunned.
"What's wrong, Tanlang..."
Li Dalang paused, because he saw that Ouyang Rong ignored him and instead turned to look at a certain spot in the crowd on the street.
Amid the endless stream of returning people, a girl in a tattered red coat was carrying a bamboo basket. She persistently followed the carriages or horses of wealthy ladies, offering the basket to them. Inside the basket were bright red, intact sycamore leaves and several beautiful folding fans.
Ouyang Rong glanced sideways at Qin Xiaoniangzi and gestured to his friend.
Li Dalang immediately realized what was happening, dismounted, and waved to ask:
"How much is it? How much silver?"
Upon hearing this, the girl in the red coat took off running across the middle of the road with her short legs, not afraid of being hit by the crowds or carriages.
She was short in stature. She came to Ouyang Rong, Li Dalang, and Xie Qin, and with both hands she tried to lift the basket and present it to the two young ladies on horseback who looked to be rich and noble.
The two women's eyes lit up when they saw this.
Qin Ying turned her head and glanced at Li Dalang, then smiled at him.
Li Dalang smiled and took out a handful of silver beans from his pocket, intending to buy them all. However, Xie Lingjiang and Qin Ying, who were standing next to him, had already dismounted and surrounded him, carefully selecting from the basket.
On the red leaves in the basket were many poems and verses, some from the Book of Songs, others from literary giants and poets of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Xie and Qin, the two girls, looked at the basket with curiosity and chattered away. They could have easily bought them all, but instead, they insisted on picking and choosing the best one.
Indeed, women go shopping not just to buy useless things, but to enjoy the process of picking things out with their best friends.
Li Dalang scratched his head, puzzled, and stood behind with his friend to wait. The latter kept his eyes straight ahead, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.
While waiting idly, Ouyang Rong's gaze fell upon the little girl in the red coat who was quietly holding a basket.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
