Chapter 336: Scholarship System

To base one’s golden age upon the hundred schools of thought?

Was this idea novel?

No.

This idea could be summarized in one phrase: seeking one’s own destruction.

Back then, Emperor Wu of Han had painstakingly worked to honor Confucianism alone, and from a positive perspective, this consolidated the Qin’s grand unification strategy, which had been bought with the blood of countless people.

By the Song dynasty, Confucianism had become even more deeply rooted. It was no exaggeration to say that every infant, from the moment they were born crying into the world, had Confucian blood flowing through their veins.

As long as an emperor’s head hadn’t been damaged from a fall, none would act in such a manner.

This bold idea made Emperor Zhao Xu uncertain whether Zhang Fei truly meant what he seemed to suggest. He asked, “Gathering the strengths of the hundred schools? Do you mean that I should abandon Confucianism and welcome back the hundred schools?”

Zhang Fei hastily replied, “I absolutely do not mean this, nor could such a thing be done. Confucianism’s benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and filial piety are entirely reasonable, concise and to the point. Why would we change them?”

Emperor Zhao Xu asked curiously, “Then what do you mean?”

Zhang Fei said, “In my view, when the hundred schools once contended with each other, they were competing over the Dao. Speaking narrowly, that was the dao of governance, but speaking broadly, it was the dao of ruling all under Heaven. If we were to welcome back the hundred schools again, the empire would inevitably become fragmented once more. Regardless of whether it ultimately succeeded or failed, the price would be unimaginable. Your Majesty must never entertain such thoughts.”

Emperor Zhao Xu nodded slightly, his expression becoming considerably more relaxed.

Just as Zhang Fei himself had said, the price of abandoning Confucianism might be the destruction of the empire—it might be complete fragmentation. One must remember that the Song dynasty was built upon a fragmented world—that had been an extremely cruel era. Not just the common people, but even the Zhao imperial family greatly treasured this hard-won peace.

“Then what do you mean by the strengths of the hundred schools?” Emperor Zhao Xu asked again.

“Techniques.”

Zhang Fei said, “To put it more plainly, methods for solving problems. For example, when Academician Wang implemented reforms, he did not follow Confucianism but used techniques. When financial difficulties arose, benevolence and righteousness could not solve them—only financial management methods could.

When murder, robbery, and corruption occur, benevolence and righteousness cannot solve these—thus we need laws.

When people fall ill, benevolence and righteousness cannot solve this—we can only rely on medicine.

Our Great Song is surrounded by powerful enemies and lacks warhorses. Benevolence and righteousness cannot solve this—therefore we must develop weapons to counter enemy cavalry.

Although none of these can be solved by benevolence and righteousness, without benevolence and righteousness, none of this would happen in the first place.

When financial difficulties arise, one could simply rob the people. When people fall ill and die, one could think ‘they’re dead, what concern is it of mine?’ When surrounded by powerful enemies, one could let them rape and pillage the border people, as long as they don’t reach Bianjing.

Simply put, techniques have their specializations. Benevolence and righteousness are not wrong in themselves, but the error lies in not distinguishing between the Dao and techniques—treating benevolence and righteousness as a universal cure that can treat all ailments.”

Emperor Zhao Xu listened while nodding repeatedly, saying, “Your thinking coincides perfectly with Academician Wang’s!”

Zhang Fei smiled and nodded.

He did not deny this—Wang Anshi indeed had concepts that transcended his era in many respects.

Emperor Zhao Xu smiled slightly again, “However, you are more eloquent than Academician Wang!”

Clearly, Zhang Fei’s words were more moving to Emperor Zhao Xu and strengthened his resolve for educational reform.

Combining techniques with the Dao, while simultaneously developing techniques to build a powerful empire—this was indeed a path no previous emperor had walked.

Zhang Fei had clearly provided Emperor Zhao Xu with a macro-level strategic adjustment.

This strategy was obviously a level higher than Wang Anshi’s reforms.

Emperor Zhao Xu added, “Moreover, you understand how to employ techniques better than Academician Wang.”

Zhang Fei had already informed Emperor Zhao Xu of his plan. If Wang Anshi were to promote educational reform, he would certainly do it directly, and the resistance this would provoke was predictable.

But Zhang Fei was infiltrating through the charitable foundation, and he was managing all sides skillfully, drawing both Sima Guang and Wang Anshi into his scheme. This would not provoke much resistance—this too was a technique!

Zhang Fei felt somewhat embarrassed by the praise and smiled humbly, “Your Majesty is too kind. Actually, without Academician Wang shielding me from wind and rain ahead, I would hardly be able to accomplish anything.”

What shielding from wind and rain—he was clearly drawing fire in front of you.

If not for Wang Anshi, Zhang Fei would probably have been crushed by them long ago.

Thinking of all this, Emperor Zhao Xu felt somewhat reluctant in his heart.

This affair was conducted rather unscrupulously.

But as an emperor, he naturally had to prioritize imperial power above all else.

Keeping Zhang Fei as a hidden card would not only allow him to support Wang Anshi without any worries, but also enable him to use the conflict between the two factions to achieve his own goals relatively easily.

After conversing with Zhao Xu, Zhang Fei was intercepted by Ma Tianhao on his way home.

At this moment, Zhang Fei was more like the strategists Su Qin and Zhang Yi from the Warring States period.

Standing alone, he had to persuade multiple parties to achieve his objectives.

Zhang Fei told Ma Tianhao that he had taken responsibility for everything, and Xiang-guo Temple need not worry.

Ma Tianhao breathed a long sigh of relief—whatever you want to do from here on is fine.

And indeed it was so.

After conversing with Zhang Fei, Sima Guang immediately informed everyone of Zhang Fei’s ideas.

“One must not harbor ill intentions toward others, but one must guard against others’ ill intentions!”

Zhao Bian stroked his beard and said, “Although Zhang San only wishes to donate to legal studies, once this precedent is set, might not people in the future use money to manipulate education at will? The consequences would be endless.”

Wen Yanbo and Lu Gongzhu also nodded in agreement.

Education was sacred.

How could it be linked to money?

This made their hearts uneasy!

Wang Anshi suddenly said, “I actually agree with Chancellor Zhao’s words.”

Zhao Bian looked at Wang Anshi in surprise—you agree with my words? Has the sun risen in the west?

Then he heard Wang Anshi continue, “Any field of study related to governing the country should not accept private donations, to avoid the situation Chancellor Zhao worries about. But other fields of study are acceptable—for instance, medicine. Donating to medicine would not have such concerns. The court could stipulate that certain fields of study may accept donations from others.”

“Medicine?”

Zhao Bian said in surprise, “The College of National Scions doesn’t have medicine.”

Wang Anshi replied, “But we could establish a medical academy. If medicine flourishes, it would benefit everyone under heaven. Since someone is willing to donate and the court wouldn’t need to spend any money, wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Though he had ideas for educational reform, this had to be done step by step. Therefore, he didn’t want to reveal his intentions first, so he brought up medicine as an example. Promoting medicine—no one would have reason to oppose that. However, once a medical academy was established, wouldn’t academies for mathematics and military studies soon follow?

Moreover, seeing that everyone didn’t want this money, he thought to secure all the charity’s donations for himself.

Only a fool would refuse money when offered.

Wang Anshi was exactly this type of person, though when it came to benefiting the country, he spared no effort.

Sima Guang understood Wang Anshi too well and saw right through what this fellow was plotting, so he said, “Everyone, don’t forget that the College of National Scions often rents out houses and sells grain to obtain teaching funds, having business dealings with many merchants. Now that someone is actively offering donations, yet we reject them, isn’t that just self-deception?”

Wen Yanbo glanced at Sima Guang, pondered for a moment, then asked, “Sima Guang, how exactly does Zhang San plan to donate to the College of National Scions?”

Sima Guang was taken aback, “I didn’t ask about the details. It should just be donating money.”

Wen Yanbo stroked his beard and said, “I think we still need to ask carefully to truly understand his intentions.”

Sima Guang nodded, “Lord Wen is right. I was negligent.”

Wang Anshi muttered to himself, “Who would have thought that even doing charity in our Great Song would be so troublesome.”

This insider’s complaint was most devastating!

Indeed, in the Song Dynasty, bureaucratic redundancy was already the norm, and combined with the ancestral laws, everything had to be considered thoroughly, making it quite difficult to accomplish anything.

Of course, Wang Anshi’s complaint didn’t affect Wen Yanbo and Sima Guang.

The next day, Sima Guang summoned Zhang Fei to the Chamber of State Affairs again.

When Zhang Fei arrived at the Chamber of State Affairs, he found the lineup facing him comparable to a joint trial by the three courts. The chancellors included Wen Yanbo, Zhao Bian, Sima Guang, and Wang Anshi, along with Censor Hu Zongyu, Judge Qi Hui, and Associate Minister of the Ministry of Punishments Liu Shu.

Zhang Fei truly didn’t know whether they took education very seriously or were guarding against him.

Wen Yanbo began by asking, “Zhang San, I heard that your Great Song Charity Foundation plans to donate to the College of National Scions?”

Zhang Fei replied awkwardly, “Originally we had this idea, but it seems this idea was… was wrong.”

Wen Yanbo said “Oh?” and asked, “How so?”

Zhang Fei’s gaze swept around, and he smiled without speaking.

Donating money had landed him in the Chamber of State Affairs—how could this be anything good?

Wen Yanbo immediately understood and laughed, “You have only yourself to blame. Charity is a good thing, but you insisted on participating in textbook compilation, which inevitably aroused suspicion.”

“Lord Wen, this is just a misunderstanding.”

As he spoke, Zhang Fei looked toward Sima Guang again.

Wen Yanbo said, “Academician Sima has already informed us of your ideas, but what I want to know is how does your Great Song Charity Foundation plan to donate to the College of National Scions?”

Zhang Fei replied, “We plan to establish a scholarship system specifically for the College of National Scions.”

“A scholarship system?” Wen Yanbo asked in confusion.

Zhang Fei nodded and explained, “Our Great Song Charity Foundation has always adhered to one principle: to use every penny for charity and help those who truly need assistance.

We will not donate money directly to the College of National Scions, but rather establish a fund specifically to reward students who excel in both character and academics but come from poor families. Of course, this won’t be decided solely by the College of National Scions—we will conduct our own evaluations as well.”

Everyone exchanged glances.

This was far more complex than they had imagined!

Liu Shu said in great astonishment, “You merchants are going to evaluate students at the College of National Scions?”

He smiled contemptuously and continued, “Do you even have that capability? If someone showed you an essay, you probably wouldn’t understand it!”

Zhang Fei smiled and said, “We have our own methods for this.”

Liu Shu pressed on relentlessly, “I’d like to hear the details.”

Zhang Fei replied, “My current thinking is to inquire about their interpersonal relationships and behavior in daily life.”

Liu Shu asked, “What about academic learning? Won’t you evaluate that?”

Zhang Fei answered, “Regarding Confucian learning, I believe that interpersonal relationships and behavior in daily life reflect it better than essays and poetry. Many people write excellent essays but are morally bankrupt. May I ask Associate Minister Liu, do you consider such people to have good learning or poor learning?”

Liu Shu fell silent.

Wasn’t Confucianism about teaching the principles of being human? If one didn’t know how to be a proper person, having good writing skills was just being gilded on the outside but rotten within.

Zhang Fei continued, “Currently we plan to donate to litigation studies, and in this area of learning, we do have the capability to evaluate.”

This statement was full of confidence, and no one questioned it. When it came to litigation studies, Zhang Fei had already proven his abilities with real results.

Not convinced? Want to have a contest?

Zhao Bian asked, “Why do you make donations so complicated?”

Zhang Fei replied, “Because we fear corruption and embezzlement. Whether we’re donating to the Communications Office or the police bureau, we send people to supervise. You gentlemen can send people to investigate this. For education, we will maintain the same principle.”

“…!”

This counterattack left all the officials present feeling very embarrassed.

So you’re actually guarding against us!

This…

Zhao Bian asked again, “So you’re saying that who receives the scholarships will be entirely decided by you.”

Zhang Fei nodded, “We will fully consider all parties’ opinions, but the decision-making power rests with us.”

Zhao Bian said, “You would be bestowing favor upon students. A drop of kindness would be repaid with a spring of gratitude. When they enter government service in the future, they will surely repay your charitable foundation. This might also be a form of bribery, don’t you think?”

Worthy of being Chancellor Zhao—his insight was truly sharp. Zhang Fei feigned bewilderment, and after a moment, he said, “Is… is that so? Chancellor Zhao sees clearly. We only had this idea and didn’t think it through thoroughly. We don’t insist on donating. If the court deems it inappropriate, we can refrain from donating.”

Zhao Bian said bluntly, “I do not support this scholarship system.”

Sima Guang glanced at Zhao Bian, then said to Zhang Fei, “You may leave first.”

“Yes, this commoner takes his leave.”

After Zhang Fei left, Sima Guang said to Zhao Bian, “Chancellor Zhao, in life, one inevitably encounters difficulties and receives kindness from others. Repaying kindness is natural, but people of upright character know how to repay properly. Take the students at the College of National Scions—they often become disciples of court officials, but that’s not necessarily bribery.”

Zhao Bian smiled, “Of course I know this.”

Sima Guang asked in confusion, “Then why did Chancellor Zhao…?”

Zhao Bian replied, “I was just trying to intimidate that young man. They will evaluate, and we will supervise them.”

In his heart, he strongly approved of the scholarship system, because he truly came from a poor family. His parents died when he was young, and he was raised entirely by his elder brother. He knew how difficult it was for students from poor families, so he naturally supported this kind of donation. At the same time, this scholarship system could also provide oversight of the College of National Scions.

There were quite a few shady dealings within the College of National Scions as well!

Sima Guang chuckled and said, “I see how it is.”

This was the ancestral laws of the Song Dynasty at work. For any new system, everyone would consider what its drawbacks might be, then add supervision accordingly.

It was clear they weren’t specifically targeting Wang Anshi – if Sima Guang implemented reforms, he would also be supervised by others.

It was just that Sima Guang was naturally this type of person, so it wasn’t as obvious when he did it.

The police, procuratorate, and courts also supervised each other.

This had advantages, but also disadvantages.

Many good suggestions would be debated back and forth until they ultimately came to nothing.

But regardless, in the end this scholarship system still received approval from the Chamber of State Affairs.

“Sima Guang, would you really care about that little bit of money?”

After everyone had left, Wang Anshi suddenly asked Sima Guang.

Sima Guang glanced at him and said, “What are you trying to say?”

Wang Anshi snorted, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re calculating. You hope to use the charitable foundation’s donation to litigation studies as a way to pull Zhang San into your judicial reforms.”

Sima Guang asked, “So what if I am?”

Wang Anshi smiled, “Don’t get too pleased with yourself yet. I believe Zhang San will remain impartial.”

Sima Guang asked again, “What are you planning to do?”

Wang Anshi said, “Currently the Reform Planning Commission lacks mathematical talent. I plan to suggest to His Majesty that we establish a mathematics academy within the College of National Scions.”

Sima Guang looked at him with disdain. “Wang Anshi, don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. You’re using this as a pretext.”

As soon as he heard about mathematics, he knew exactly what Wang Anshi was scheming.

Wang Anshi chuckled twice, “The feeling is mutual.”

The two men truly knew each other inside and out – they could even predict what would happen if the other wielded authority.