Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2653 Still Vigorous in Old Age 37.0
"No." Chu Han shook his head gently. "You would never guess why."

"Did your great-uncle personally handle the case?" Seeing Chu Han nod, Shen Haolin and Shen Cha exchanged glances. "Did they have a dispute over money or feelings?"

"It's somewhat related." Chu Han couldn't help but smile when he saw the children racking their brains. He said, "Stop thinking about that. Let me ask you a question. What do you think is the fundamental reason why many dynasties throughout history have disliked scholars from humble backgrounds, or even those from lower backgrounds, for becoming officials?"

“We’ve discussed this issue with several elders before,” Shen Haolin said, tapping the table lightly. “Although the wording is slightly different, the meaning is essentially the same: there are many potential problems.”

"Potential problems?" Xue Ruitian hadn't considered this question before. He looked at Shen Haolin with curiosity and asked, "What kind of potential problems?"

“Actually, we’ve always been discussing the rivalry between aristocratic families and those from humble backgrounds, but it’s essentially a power struggle.” Song Yaojia chuckled. “Those from humble backgrounds always feel that aristocratic families have all the advantages. They have a strong foundation, resources, and connections. From the moment they are born, they are supposed to surpass ordinary people. Ordinary people work hard their whole lives, but the end point may be the starting point for aristocratic families.”

“That’s really nauseating,” Xue Ruitian sighed. “After all, not every aristocratic family is born that way. They are built up by their ancestors over generations. Some families have fallen into ruin during this process, while others have been lucky enough to survive. Nobody has it easy, everyone has their own difficulties, right? Besides, what about so-called heritage, resources, and connections? Don’t they all come at a price? They’re not free. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

“But these things cannot be seen by outsiders. They can only see the glamour of aristocratic families, but not the suffering behind it.” Chu Han sighed. “Our dynasty’s ban on aristocratic families taking the imperial examinations is not only to give students from poor families some opportunities and to make the examinations fairer, but more importantly, it is to make them see clearly that what is preventing them from becoming new aristocratic families and new powerful families is not only the aristocratic families, but also themselves.”

“Uncle is right.” Shen Haolin chuckled. “Elder Tantai and my master said the same thing: outstanding young people should not be divided into noble families or poor families. They should indeed be used according to their talents. But…” He hesitated for a moment, then continued, “They dare not take risks, because behind these students from poor families, there is a group of clansmen who are eagerly waiting to be fed.”

"The clansmen who are starving for food?" Xue Ruitian thought for a moment and suddenly realized, "I understand. Many of those who can truly pass the exam are the hope of an entire clan, a village, or even a town or a county. Once they pass the exam and are appointed as officials, these people can benefit from it and become arrogant. Who knows what they might do in the process?"

“Brother Xiaotian is right, that’s exactly what I mean.” Shen Cha nodded. “We often say that aristocratic families are prone to producing纨绔 (spoiled brats) and 虫虫 (parasites), but they know to some extent that there are limits. They know what kind of things they can do that won’t endanger the family, and what kind of things they can do that won’t affect the status of the family’s officials in the court. They are all measured, and there are even strict rules in the family. If they really behave badly, they may be expelled from the family. Of course, such situations are rare, unless the situation is urgent.”

“Xiao Cha is right about that. Although many aristocratic families eventually fall because of crimes such as seizing fertile land, bullying the market, and accepting bribes, we all know that these are just public statements that can be made public. The real reason,” Shen Haolin spread his hands, “is that they chose the wrong person to serve and stood on the wrong side.”

“You two are absolutely right. Unfortunately, those who aren’t involved in this situation won’t understand.” Chu Han looked at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha with approval and continued, “But when people from humble backgrounds commit crimes, it usually has nothing to do with seizing power or positions. It’s simply that they suddenly have a little power and don’t know how to use it. Both they and their partners are eager to show that they are different from before and want to separate themselves from their peers who originally came from the same background.”

“Uncle is right,” Song Yaojia yawned and said slowly. “We didn’t just say that out of the blue. In the early years of the Great Xia Dynasty, in the first twenty or thirty years, there were countless examples like this. Out of ten poor scholars, two or three would have problems in their clans. They would either seize land or bully tenants. It wasn’t uncommon for them to bully men and women. However, there were also many scholars who had the foresight to strictly discipline their clansmen after they achieved fame and establish strict clan rules. There were quite a few like them, so the atmosphere gradually improved. By our generation, there are far fewer of these nouveau riche poor scholars.”

"Why did you suddenly bring this up, Grand Uncle?" Shen Cha stroked his chin, looked at Shen Haolin and Song Yaojia, then glanced at Chu Han. "Is Grand Tutor Du in a similar situation?"

"That's right!" Chu Han didn't keep them in suspense any longer and explained the whole story clearly. "At its root, this tragedy was caused by insatiable greed. Grand Tutor Du's ancestral home was Dujia Village under the jurisdiction of Yanzhou Prefecture. His ancestors were farmers for generations. The Grand Tutor was the only scholar from Dujia Village in the past hundred years to achieve the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations, and he was also the only top scholar in the entire Yanzhou Prefecture in nearly a hundred years. As you know, there are far fewer scholars in the north than in the south, and learned and knowledgeable teachers are also rare because the geographical environment and climate here, as well as the occasional wars, are not suitable for studying."

“That’s true, especially in areas near the border.” Shen Haolin, Shen Cha, and Xue Ruitian all agreed with Chu Han’s statement. “Not to mention the past hundred years, even now, more students from the south take the imperial examinations than students from the north, and more of them pass. But there are fewer students from the north, so it’s not as bad as it was at the beginning, but it’s not a fair comparison.”

"So, Grand Tutor Du's victory gave the students in the north a lot of confidence, right?"

“That’s right.” Chu Han nodded. “As a result, Du Family Village rose in status. At first, the Du family members were quite obedient. After all, Grand Tutor Du was just a Hanlin scholar at the beginning, compiling books and having no real power. But when he was transferred to a post outside the capital, the Du family members became a little bolder. They started by accepting money from Grand Tutor Du to write a few words for a shop, and later they openly sold official positions. Grand Tutor Du was reprimanded for this. He could have been transferred back to the capital, but he was instead demoted and sent to a poor county as a magistrate. Before taking up his post, Grand Tutor Du returned to Du Family Village and did something very important.”