Chapter 1152: The Diamond Ring, Biographies of Famous Ministers and Scholars (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
This is a biography of famous ministers and scholars!
Is his absence from the list because he didn't want to be on it?
Wei Shou realized he had hit a nerve with Qian Yong, and his expression momentarily became unnatural. He comforted him, saying, "Hey, Old Qian, you don't need to belittle yourself. We're someone important, after all. We'll get our turn eventually."
Qian Yong's status and treatment in Kangguo were quite special.
Before surrendering, he was the number one warlord; after surrendering, he wasn't feared or sidelined. Not only was he not suppressed, but Shen Tang also returned Qian Yong's remaining troops to him, ensuring he wasn't neglected in training and fighting. After the founding of the nation, Qian Yong was even allowed to assist the cultivation expert Chu Jie in managing the Tian Shu Guard, granting him the authority to mobilize some troops. Tell me, how many military generals throughout history have enjoyed such a comfortable life?
In terms of seniority, Qian Yong was also among the top.
Qian Yong said, "That's the logic."
While his other skills weren't particularly outstanding, his self-awareness and self-perception were far superior to the average person, and his mindset was excellent. Having no expectations from the start, there was naturally no disappointment. Two ruthless warriors, who killed without blinking an eye on the battlefield, sat side-by-side on the curb, enjoying fine wine and the summer sun.
"Old Wei, want to guess who's in the first book?"
Wei Shou: "Is there any benefit to guessing correctly?"
"Tsk, what do you want in return?"
Wei Shou: "You guessed right. This month's drinks will be on your tab."
Military life was harsh, and discipline was slightly relaxed when there was no fighting. One of his rare pleasures was sneaking out for a drink during breaks. Even for figures of Qian Yong and Wei Shou's rank, the monthly supply of spirit wine was limited: "Otherwise, put it on my tab!"
Qian Yong had already done his calculations; this was a worthwhile deal.
"Once you've made a bet, you can't go back on your word if you lose."
In Qian Yong's eyes, this was a piece of cake. The list was easy to guess—Shen Youli always favored the old guard and would prioritize those former officials and important ministers when there were benefits, and Chu Yao and Qi Shan were no exception—what was not easy to guess was how many spots were available.
To maintain balance, both civil and military officials should be included on the list.
It's highly likely that there will be a few civil officials and a few military officers. Even if there's an imbalance, it won't be too disparate; a 60/40 split would be the absolute maximum.
The two were secretly pleased, hoping to get a month's worth of drinks from each other for free, forgetting that Shen Tang was the judge who finalized the list, and that her thought process was completely different from normal people. When Gu Chi came over to inquire about the number of spots, Shen Tang didn't even look up and said, "Spots? Nine people are tentatively selected."
Nine people?
This amount was more than Gu Chi had imagined.
“My lord, aren’t nine people too many? Although this is the first volume and is of great significance, we must also consider the long term—the turnover of talent is not something that can be accomplished overnight. If we include everyone in the first volume, how will we write about them in the subsequent volumes? The content will probably be far less substantial than the first volume…”
The true biographies of famous ministers and scholars each contain eighty-one individuals, published every twenty years, and the heroes cover all parts of the continent. Meanwhile, Kangguo, at a rate of one volume every six months, will soon face an awkward situation—the quality of those listed will decline with each subsequent volume.
Gu Chi felt that there could be fewer characters.
Each person's entry has been appropriately lengthened, with more detailed content.
At first, Shen Tang didn't understand why Gu Chi said that, but after a moment's thought, she realized he had misunderstood. She laughed and said, "Wang Chao thinks I'm planning to write down all the important officials at once? Do I look like I've lost my mind? Isn't this just revealing everything to the enemy, telling them who I value most and what their individual abilities and strengths are?"
Even if you're courting death, you shouldn't do it this way.
Shen Tang didn't create this Kangguo edition of biographies of famous officials and scholars just for a moment's amusement; she had long-term plans. To ensure the quality and quantity of each volume, she couldn't cram all the important officials in at once. A few in each volume would suffice.
If Gu Chi thinks this way, then everyone else must have misunderstood as well.
Shen Tang explained earnestly, “I plan to select the first list in the proportion of ‘three literary scholars, three martial artists, one physician, one Mohist, and one commoner.’ Literary scholars and martial artists are well-known, but Kangguo’s current prosperity is also inseparable from the physicians and Mohists.”
Even a precious opportunity to gain fame should be taken with you.
Gu Chi was both shocked and ashamed: "It was my oversight that led to this."
When people talk about "Biographies of Famous Ministers and Scholars", they only think of their own group of important ministers, but forget that famous scholars and famous ministers are on the same level.
What is a famous scholar?
A man who drinks heartily when he has nothing to do, and who is somewhat literate, can be considered a scholar.
Those who are highly respected but do not hold office can also be considered famous scholars.
The potential for this profession can be infinitely high or extremely low. The Emperor doesn't intend to allocate all the positions to high-ranking civil and military officials, nor does he intend to limit the scope to the court. Gu Chi had a guess in mind, but still pressed for confirmation: "What does the Emperor mean by 'a commoner'?"
Shen Tang said, "He is a commoner."
"Just lack of official rank?"
Shen Tang shook her head: "I already have someone in mind."
She wrote a name on the blank letter: "Her".
Gu Chi took it and saw that it contained a woman's name.
She murmured, "Li Lianghua?"
“The first 'illegitimate' position in the first register will be given to her.”
Having followed Shen Tang for so many years, and with the added advantage of his scholarly background, Gu Chi knew almost everything about the people Shen Tang knew and experienced. The name Li Lianghua sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Finally, relying on his exceptional scholarly memory, he painstakingly traced its origins and found it in a remote corner.
"...It seems to be a farmer who offered a solution to control the flood?"
Shen Tang confirmed his guess: "Yes."
To outsiders, she was just an ordinary peasant woman, but her experience in water management proved invaluable. With subsequent river repairs and channel improvements, water supply to the surrounding counties improved, making farmland irrigation more convenient than ever before. Coupled with the nation's favorable fortune, they enjoyed several consecutive years of bountiful harvests. A patch of green chives in spring, the fragrance of rice blossoms for miles around—such a beautiful scene owed much to her contribution. Shen Tang planned to take her with him.
Gu Chi sighed, "She is lucky."
Shen Tang raised an eyebrow and said, "Why are you suddenly feeling sentimental?"
Gu Chi's emotions were ruthlessly interrupted by her. Disregarding their relationship as ruler and subject, she curled her lip and said, "Does Your Majesty know who wrote the first volume of 'Biographies of Famous Ministers and Scholars'? This person also has the surname Li, and perhaps he was even a relative of Li Lianghua eight hundred years ago. How can this not be considered lucky?"
Shen Tang: "You're implying something."
She hadn't actually researched the original author of the biographies of famous officials and scholars.
Gu Chi said, "It is the Liao Li family."
Shen Tang asked in surprise, "It's actually a woman?"
If we follow the experience of compiling biographies of famous officials and scholars, the author would have spent ten years traveling across the continent to gather material, and then another ten years compiling and revising the book. Given that women were unable to cultivate or protect themselves before this, a ten-year travel period would have been virtually impossible.
The Book of Rites states: "Women have no official rank; they follow the rank of their husbands."
Lady Liao Li was divorced by her husband's family and wanted to go back to her maiden home, only to find that her entire family had died out. She wandered for ten years in poverty and hardship until her son grew up and became capable, at which point he brought her back to live out her days in peace. The first volume of "Biographies of Famous Ministers and Scholars" was published and was sought after by countless noble families. The king attached great importance to it, and the formerly impoverished small family also benefited from it, becoming a highly sought-after new noble family.
The title fell to Liao Li's husband.
The author also became him.
For the sake of her son, Liao Lishi chose to accept reality.
If these famous figures had known that the person who wrote their biographies was an ordinary woman, the book would not have had its later influence. It was also thanks to the foundation laid by the first volume that the Liao Li family lineage was able to continue smoothly, and later generations made commentary their main profession.
According to the local custom, if the emperor were to write the biography of an ordinary woman as "a famous minister or scholar," she would likely be granted a title "in accordance with her husband's rank."
Otherwise, it would not conform to the mainstream ideology of that place.
Shen Tang rolled her eyes: "My territory, my rules."
The sacred land of mountains and seas doesn't allow for blind faith in everything. Things like "women have no rank, but follow their husbands' rank" or "the upper class has no poor families, and the lower class has no noble families" should all be swept into the trash can.
A sudden inspiration struck Shen Tang, and she beckoned to Gu Chi: "I've decided on the preface for the first volume. I'll write 'Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?'"
Li Lianghua should not only be written about, but also described in great detail.
Go all out and get as emotional as possible!
Gu Chi smiled and said, "Yes."
Shen Tang thought for a moment and assumed there was nothing she had overlooked. Just as Gu Chi was about to take his leave, she suddenly remembered something: "Wang Chao, wait a moment. Reserve one spot for me in the civil service section."
Gu Chixin raised an eyebrow.
Is the Lord about to pre-select someone?
He was quite excited and eagerly awaited hearing his name.
Shen Tang lived up to expectations and disappointed him.
"This spot is for Yan Xingning."
"Yan Xingning?"
Gu Chi was taken aback again.
He hadn't heard that name for many years.
Shen Tang laughed and said, "I didn't say that Kang Guo's 'Biographies of Famous Ministers and Scholars' can only include living people; the deceased can also be included. As for the content about Yan Xingning, you can ask Tu Nan and Ji Shou for information."
|ω`)
Happy Children's Day to Tangmei, Happy Children's Day to Xianggu herself, and Happy Children's Day to all babies who are two, three, or four hundred months old!
P.S.: (I'm taking a short break today, I'll finish the rest tomorrow. I look forward to the beginning of each month the most, because it means two more opportunities to take leave _(:з」∠)_)
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