Chapter 385 True Gold Refined by Fire

One hundred and thirty-six years of the Xia Dynasty.

Shang and Gu Dan walked out of the Xia Dynasty's imperial capital together.

"Mr. Gu, where are we going?"

When the two donkeys actually stepped out of the gate of the imperial capital, Shang's face showed a trace of confusion that had never been seen before, and he couldn't help but ask.

He lived in the Xia Dynasty for many years.

Many, many years.

He devoted all his life's energy and efforts to the Xia Dynasty.

Now that he is in his twilight years and has truly bid farewell to the government and rejected its affairs, and is able to walk freely and casually on this land, Shang seems a little hesitant.

Because he has no family.

I have no relatives or friends either.

He didn't even leave any offspring.

Not to mention close friends. No, absolutely none.

Others say that the Mohists are selfless, while the Legalists are ruthless and impartial.

The difference of two words makes a world of difference.

There are many people who like Mohism, but few who like Legalism.

Once you put on the mask of power, you are destined to go down the wrong path.

The Mohists rejected the power in the government, and therefore were loved by the people, and officials did not mind praising them.

The Legalists, however, used the law as a sword, pointing it at everyone.

How could such a person be approached by people? The common people were afraid of him, and the high officials were even more afraid.

Because the best legalists are those who use human lives to increase their own authority and resume.

Even Shang used the blood of more than a thousand Confucian scholars to establish the prestige and fame of the Legalists in one fell swoop.

Let the world never dare to ignore the law again, and let the world know the determination of the Legalists.

Therefore, as the founder of the Legalists, Shang was destined to be alone.

Even his disciples kept their distance from this strict and cruel old man.

Not to mention bringing gifts to express condolences during the holidays, even if Shang called out his full name in the temple, he would be frightened and break out in a cold sweat.

Wherever the Legalists go, they bring blood and justice! Unfortunately, too much blood will inevitably alienate people.

Some people even went astray, only seeing the blood and forgetting about justice.

Naturally, it adds a bloody touch to the horror of the Legalists.

If a merchant said in the government that he was going to a certain place, the officials of that place would have to be on high alert six months in advance, regardless of whether they were right or not.

There was even one time when he suddenly decided to go to Yingzhou without informing anyone in advance. As a result, before he arrived at the place, the news finally reached Yingzhou, and more than a dozen officials immediately committed suicide out of fear of punishment.

Of course, after he arrived, he killed even more.

A man's reputation is like the shadow of a tree.

Mo Qiu's universal love and Xun Ke's benevolence and righteousness make people yearn for it, and they wish they could stand shoulder to shoulder with these sages.

Just thinking about it makes my heart surge.

If we really talk about the influence on the Xia Dynasty, Shang is actually not much worse than those two.

But Shang Ke had never heard that anyone wanted to work with him.

Or stay by his side and serve him.

There was not even the slightest sign of welcome for his arrival, and not putting on an expression as if someone in the family had died showed that her expression was well controlled.

So, even in his old age, he was always alone.

No one likes this extremely strict old man.

Shang thought carefully and hard to figure out if there was any place that welcomed him.

No.

Not anywhere.

Even the imperial palace of the Xia Dynasty and Emperor Qizhi respected and loved him?

That is something I would never dare to do.

Perhaps he should be thankful that his master is Xun Ke, and he should be even more thankful that the Xia Dynasty still has a guardian.

Even though these two have left, it doesn't mean they won't come back.

Otherwise, with his style, he would have been intolerable long ago.

Now that he had unloaded all the burdens and no longer traveled the world as the leader of the Legalists, Shang couldn't find his way.

He has gotten used to everything in the past.

When a battle-hardened warrior herds his horse in the southern mountains, where should he put his hands that are accustomed to holding the spear?

Shang didn’t know.

"Why bother thinking about your destination?"

Gu Dan smiled and said, "Anyway, no matter where we go, it is destined to be the territory of the Xia Dynasty."

Shang was stunned at first, then he came to his senses and sighed: "Mr. Gu's temperament is rare in the world. It is me who has fallen into material things."

Yeah, he's used to having a goal.

No matter the cost.

Now that I have unloaded the burden and no longer have to set a benchmark for myself, I don’t know where to go.

But isn't that how ordinary people live? Two donkeys were walking slowly on the road.

A donkey was carrying an old man with gray hair on his temples, who still looked a little serious.

A donkey was carrying a young man with long black hair, an extraordinary handsome face and a slightly untidy look.

No purpose, just out for a walk.

Look at what the Xia Dynasty looks like today.

The hooves hit the ground, making a non-stop clattering sound.

The world is there, and wherever you go, that place will be good.

The donkey staggered to Yuzhou.

It's a scene of bustling activity here.

The Yuan River burst its banks again during the last great change in heaven and earth.

This mother river in the Xia Dynasty irrigates both banks, and countless people survive because of it, but it is always moody, and every time it rages, no one knows how many people are affected.

But the mother river is the mother river. No matter how many times it gets angry, its descendants will always return.

On both sides of the Yuan River, people were busy building river embankments and reorganizing waterways. More than two years was far from enough to complete all of this.

Fortunately, there is always someone who does it.

Neither Gu Dan nor Shang disturbed them, but just watched them from a distance for a while.

Not far from the banks of the source river where the construction has started, new crops have been planted, and the fields are green and full of vitality.

It's just part of traveling.

Most of the time, without supervision, donkeys will not walk peacefully along the right path.

Moreover, due to the impact of previous disasters, many official roads have not had time to be thoroughly repaired.

Because of that disaster, at least 30% of the Xia Dynasty's manpower was directly lost, and this was despite effective disaster relief efforts that had almost emptied the dynasty's resources.

Other countries will only be in a worse situation. It is no exaggeration to say that some are on the verge of extinction or even have already been divided into many factions.

It was by no means an easy task for the Xia Dynasty to recover so quickly, get back on track, and even restart construction and repair this home that had collapsed twice.

The donkey walked by casually, and the two people on its back talked from time to time, but most of the time, they just quietly watched everything in front of them.

Everything familiar yet unfamiliar.

In addition to these prosperous scenes, the donkey often took them to small paths, dead ends, or even to impassable mountain roads.

But this is not a problem for Gu Dan.

When you come to the mountains, look at the mountains; when you come to the water, look at the water; when you come to a prosperous place, focus on the prosperity.

Even if the road was blocked and the donkey refused to move, he could still carry the donkey back - after all, the donkey had carried him all the way, so what was wrong with carrying the donkey occasionally.

After passing through Yuzhou, we arrived in Yangzhou.

The market here is particularly prosperous.

There are mountains and water, convenient transportation and many merchants.

There are still many roads in Yuzhou that have not been repaired yet, but those in Yangzhou have already been repaired.

It’s not that people in Yuzhou are lazy, it’s just that people in Yangzhou are rich, really rich.

Even before arriving in Yangzhou, you can see many porridge tents set up just outside the city.

There were even people dressed in Confucian scholar robes who, upon seeing Shang, walked quickly towards him and took the donkey without saying a word.

"Old sir, please have a cup of tea before entering the city. The tea is free."

The Confucian scholar said so.

In the Xia Dynasty, the elderly were highly respected.

Elderly people over seventy years old do not need to bow when meeting an official.

The government gives money and food to the elderly over 80 years old every month.

Elderly people over 90, ah! They are people that officials from every place have to visit every year.

As for over a hundred years old?

That's called a centenarian.

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The emperor had to pay his respects respectfully.

The most famous centenarian in the Xia Dynasty was called Cang.

The two donkeys were moved to the side of the shed and someone immediately started feeding them hay, which even included some beans.

This is amazing.

Gu Dan was also a little curious and asked, "There are so many porridge stalls here, and they are all free?"

"Not really."

The scholar was straightforward and said, "This place was established by the descendants of Mr. Fan, a Confucian businessman. In the year of the disaster, some people were homeless and penniless. As a Confucian businessman, he naturally could not sit idly by.

The elderly and children under half a year old can eat at the porridge stalls without paying. If you have no money, you can also come here to have a good meal, and there are volunteers for you to choose from. Building bridges and roads can always give people a living and a good night's sleep.

As for ordinary guests, they can spend as much money as they want, and all the money they earn will be used for disaster relief.”

"oh?"

Gu Dan raised his eyebrows slightly, "Hearing what you said, that Confucian businessman Mr. Fan is quite an important figure."

"Of course!"

The scholar took them to a seat, raised his head proudly, and said: "Mr. Fan was born in a poor family when he was young. After hearing the teachings of the sage Xun, his mind was suddenly enlightened and he aspired to become a man of great stature.

At first, he only bought some farm tools, fruits and other daily necessities in Yuzhou. After accumulating some money, he traveled between countries and often brought some new things to the Xia Dynasty. By the middle of the year, he was already rich, but he was generous with his money and always helped the people and the victims of disasters. Although Mr. Fan is no longer alive after the Yuanhe River burst its banks, his descendants also inherited his philosophy and spent most of their wealth just to let more people survive! As the saying goes: "Help yourself and others, and achieve yourself and others."

The Confucian scholar must have admired Mr. Fan very much. When he talked about these things, he felt honored and proud.

To put it simply, we are all disciples of Confucianism.

Generally speaking, we are all people of the Xia Dynasty.

Are Confucian businessmen who value righteousness over profit any worse than the Mohists? Why do they have to endure hardship?

To earn money and then use it for the benefit of the people, isn't that a righteous act? This is the merit of Confucianism!

As a result, he can also stand up straight and face everyone proudly.

Proud from the heart.

Because he firmly believed that Confucianism had a better method, which was stronger than Mohism and more beautiful than Legalism.

Listening to the words of this Confucian scholar, Gu Dan's face showed a trace of thought.

Many years ago.

It was so long ago that it was nearly a hundred years ago.

When he and Gong Shangguo were riding donkeys through Yuzhou, there was indeed a Confucian scholar who was explaining his own morality to a group of farmers under the scorching sun.

They watched from the sidelines and were given a bowl of mung bean porridge. It was a hot day, but a bowl of icy mung bean porridge made people feel relaxed and comfortable.

They just happened to meet him at that time and did not go up to him to ask his name.

There were many people in the Xia Dynasty, and there were also many people outside the Xia Dynasty.

No matter whether you know each other or not, whether you know each other or not, or whether you can call out their names or not, everyone has his or her own life and is trying his or her best to create a world of his or her own.

"The porridge is here."

The scholar placed the porridge on the wooden table in front of him and walked away.

"The Mr. Fan he mentioned is indeed extraordinary. He is very talented in business. When I wanted to establish my authority and punish those lawless people, I sent people to investigate him carefully.

As a businessman, there must be countless big things waiting for him."

Shang picked up the mung bean porridge in front of him, took a sip and moistened his lips.

Then he shrugged, not knowing whether it was with regret or relief, and said, "No, at least I didn't find it."

Gu Dan laughed.

He is a talented person who could be remembered by the leader of the Legalists and yet escape unscathed!

Xun Ke also taught many talented children who flourished in the Xia Dynasty.

"Didn't you hear what he said? He also studied with Xun Ke for a period of time, earlier than you. Xun Ke didn't do anything to Mohism, so you still want to wipe out Confucianism?"

Gu Dan asked casually.

"True gold is not afraid of fire."

Shang said indifferently, picked up the porridge in front of him and sipped it in small sips.

His teeth are no longer very useful.

Fortunately, daily eating is not a burden.

The mung bean porridge tastes slightly bitter at first, then cool, and finally very subtle sweetness.

"You're eating other people's porridge."

Gu Dan rolled his eyes at him.

"Two different things, don't mix them up."

Shang answered seriously.

"You're so boring."

“I’m used to it.”

Shang is a boring person.

Whether it is in the Gu family courtyard or outside the Xia Dynasty capital.

Whatever comes out of his mouth always turns to the main topic.

Gu Dan had never seen even a trace of humor or carefreeness in him.

Others travel around the world to relax, enjoy the beautiful scenery, talk about interesting things and have fun.

This guy is just like a governor sent by the imperial court. He is just short of digging up other people's family tree and looking through it.

With this kind of personality, it’s no wonder that he doesn’t have many friends.

After enjoying the mung bean porridge, the two men continued to move further away with the donkey that was also full and satisfied.

When the donkey brought the two men to Yangzhou, they saw the prosperity of the whole city.

People here are always in a hurry, and it seems that they always have a lot of things to do.

Even the way they spoke was faster than people in other places in the Xia Dynasty.

Every place is a different life.

When another spring season came and flowers bloomed, the donkey, which had lingered in Yangzhou for a long time, finally decided to leave that peaceful place.

They came to Yuzhou.

Before I went deeper, I saw a group of people on the street, watching something.

Gu Dan looked over there trying to get involved.

Then he was surprised to see that it was a farmer with a book on his head, leading an official in official uniform with his hands tied and walking on the road with a rope.

Pedestrians on the road pointed and talked about it, but no one stopped them.

Not far from the farmer, there were two soldiers in armor following him. They just watched without stopping him.

Gu Dan stroked his chin.

The Xia Dynasty was indeed somewhat different.

When the people capture officials, they walk on the streets in an upright manner.

Even the passers-by around were curious but not surprised.

Seems to agree with this.

"What is this?"

(End of this chapter)