As the workers and peasants gathered outside the Southern Palace gradually dispersed, it was getting late, and the entire city of Luoyang was once again plunged into darkness.
In the south of the city, a figure emerged from a dark alley and headed straight for the back gate of Li Jing's residence.
"Knock knock knock~!"
With a deep knock, the back door opened, and the Li family steward walked out of the mansion, bowing respectfully to the visitor.
"It's Patriarch Wang! Please come in quickly!"
Wang Ji nodded, then stepped inside and, led by the butler, walked towards the front hall.
In the front hall of the Li residence, dozens of lamps were placed on both sides of the hall, illuminating it very brightly.
Hundreds of aristocratic people knelt on both sides, all of them with worried expressions. Li Jing, Han Ping, Zheng Yun and the others at the head of the table remained silent.
The living room was eerily quiet, with only the oil lamp burning on the lampstand occasionally crackling.
Before long, Wang Ji followed the steward of the Li family into the hall. Seeing this scene, Wang Ji had no choice but to slow down and quietly walk towards his seat.
After sitting down, Wang Ji simply nodded to a scholar beside him and then closed his eyes.
Soon, one scholar after another came from the back hall, quietly looking for their place.
This scene, however, stands in stark contrast to the joyous banquet of the previous day.
Fifteen minutes later, the steward of the Li family led the last scholar into the living room, then walked to Li Jing's side and whispered a few words to him.
Li Jing nodded silently, then waved his hand, and Butler Li bowed and left the living room.
Then Li Jing raised his eyes and glanced around at everyone in the hall, and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, everyone is here. Let's discuss what we should do next."
Upon hearing this, some shook their heads and sighed, while others lowered their heads and remained silent; no one uttered a word.
Seeing this, Han Ping's face darkened, and he looked at the crowd with a cold glint in his eyes.
"What? Are you all planning to surrender now?"
"Alas, what can we do now that things have come to this?"
A scholar at the lower seat sighed softly and shook his head helplessly.
"Now we are regarded as enemies by the people of Luoyang. If we cause any more trouble, we will only bring trouble upon ourselves!"
"That's right. Now, the local workers, civilians, soldiers, powerful figures, and wealthy merchants are all resisting us. I'm afraid we're powerless to fight back!"
The court suffered a setback, and many of the matters they had discussed were left unresolved before they could even be brought up, leading to their premature departure from the court and their eventual demise.
Recalling the massive rally and petition outside the palace today, they felt as if Mount Tai was pressing down on them, making it hard for them to breathe.
Seeing the dejected looks on everyone's faces, Han Ping felt a surge of frustration. He never imagined that these people could be so spineless.
After calming himself down, Han Ping asked in a deep voice, "So, what are your plans next, everyone?"
Should he relinquish his privileges and enter officialdom, or remain silent and let those treacherous officials run rampant?
"this....."
Everyone froze, their expressions blank. They didn't want to give up on either of the two things Han Ping mentioned, but now that things had come to this, they were powerless to do anything about it.
Just as everyone fell silent, Zheng Yun spoke up:
"Now that His Majesty has issued the decree to establish schools, the matter is a fait accompli. If we obstruct it and insist that schools will only admit the sons of scholars, we fear that it will provoke another resistance from the workers and common people, and our situation will become even more difficult!"
"Yes, we are now ostracized by the Empress Dowager. If we offend His Majesty again, we will have no chance at all!"
"good.....!"
Inside the hall, nearly half of the people chimed in in agreement.
Wang Ji also stood up and said loudly, "Gentlemen, now His Majesty has been coerced and misled by them and agreed to establish schools. If we want to stand out again, the only way is to find another way to survive!"
"Oh? I wonder what insightful opinion you have, Brother Wang?"
Zheng Yun's expression shifted, and he asked a question. Everyone in the hall looked at Wang Ji.
Only Han Ping frowned, a bad premonition rising in his heart.
Wang Ji smiled and said, "Establishing schools might not be a bad thing for us! If handled properly, it might even improve our future prospects!"
What does this mean?
Everyone looked at Wang Ji with puzzled expressions.
Originally, what they feared most was the establishment of schools, so how come it has become a good thing for Wang Ji now?
Wang Ji slowly said, "There are five cardinal relationships among people: ruler and subject, father and son, teacher and student, brother and friend, and husband and wife!"
"Then let me ask you all, which of these five relationships is the closest?"
Upon hearing Wang Ji's question, everyone was taken aback.
One person replied, "In my opinion, the closest relationship is that between father and son. The bond between father and son is like blood. The father teaches him to learn, and the son repays with filial piety. A loving father and a filial son is the right way!"
"No... In my opinion, it should be the relationship between ruler and subject. Your Majesty is wise and has entrusted me with this important task. Your kindness is higher than the heavens. I, your subject, will repay you with my life to uphold my loyalty!"
Zheng Yun also spoke up, saying, "I believe the closest bond is that between a teacher and student..."
"No... The closest relatives are husband and wife; they share both honor and disgrace, and are essentially one!"
Everyone chimed in, citing classical texts to illustrate their points.
For a moment, everyone was so unwilling to give way to each other that they completely forgot the purpose of their visit.
This displeased Han Ping, who was standing nearby, but he couldn't very well stop it rashly.
After all, the scholars' practice of arranging hairpins was the right thing to do.
In the end, Han Ping could only look at Wang Ji and ask in a deep voice:
"Brother Wang only asked you all, but I don't know what your opinion is, and what does this question have to do with what we are doing today?"
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