The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 68: Fame Shocks the World (Please read and vote)
The new crown prince of Qin had the black bird appear in his dreams twice, and was granted the art of making paper and books by heaven, bringing benefit to the common people.

And it seemed as if overnight, every major city in the world had an extra store selling paper, which was in short supply, and the four classic annotated books that everyone was scrambling to buy.

Mohist Xiangli publicly stated that the papermaking technique was a gift from heaven to the prince, and that the prince created the art with his kindness.

Gongshu Jia also publicly stated that the method of compiling the book was bestowed by the crown prince for the second time from heaven, and was created under the crown prince's instruction.

The prince is unparalleled in benevolence and virtue. He calls on the four major schools of thought to publish classics to educate the people and sell paper at a cheap price. The four schools of thought, Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism and Legalism, respond to the prince's call, compile classics, and pass them down at low prices, just to benefit the world!

For a time, the name of Ying Zheng was known to everyone in the world.

The Confucianist Ran Hong, the Mohist Xianglishi Xianglisheng, the Taoist Tianzong Chisongzi, and the current Qin State Chief Justice Legalist Zhong Cang were once known as the Four Masters of Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism and Legalism, and their names spread throughout the world.

Many ambitious and talented people rushed to the Qin Dynasty.

When the various philosophers saw the books, they flocked to them.

The whole world, whether in the government or the public, and all the schools of thought, gathered in the Qin Dynasty because of the name Ying Zheng.

The four of Zhong Cang are now grinning so hard that their mouths are almost crooked.

Even if you maintain your fame for another 30 years, you won’t be more famous than these few months.

Even my former colleagues, even if they have big beards now, even if they are people I used to treat with respect, no matter how badly they cursed me in private, now they all rush to meet me, and they are all very humble and polite, calling me brother.

Some wanted to be introduced to the prince, or they wanted to be introduced to the prince and help publish books. Some were even willing to sign their life's work. As long as it could be published, they would do anything. It was really humble.

Even the most arrogant scholar from the Jixia Academy had to put on a smiling face and come to ask for a meeting.

Ying Zheng has been extremely low-key recently. He announced to the public that his grandfather had passed away, his father had just ascended the throne, and state affairs were heavy, so he and his sons had to take over the work. He mourned for his grandfather for a year and never went out during the year, which earned him a good reputation throughout the world.

Even though Ying Zheng stayed indoors and observed mourning for his father, many people who came to Qin insisted on not leaving, just to see the person favored by heaven.

And everyone also believed that the State of Qin would certainly take advantage of this momentum to do something. Sure enough, not long after, the King of Qin announced that after the one-year mourning period was over and he officially ascended the throne, he would hold a grand academic discussion ceremony at the Xianyang Academy on November 1 of the following year.

A conference to recruit talents from all schools of thought will be held in the Xianyang Academy, with both civil and military talents accepted. Regardless of nationality, gender, academic beliefs, or social status, anyone with any academic background can participate.

As long as someone has real talent and is willing to join the Qin Empire and obtain an official position or title, all is possible.

It is said that those with outstanding virtue and talent can become the prince's teacher!

Once this news came out, it added fuel to the fire in the bustling Xianyang.

Those who originally wanted to wait and see could no longer bear it and came to Qin one after another. There were already many famous people in the world coming to Qin, and now there were even more, and they did not hide it.

It would have been fine if Qi Mo had come, but even Chu Mo, who was the most incompatible with Qin Mo, and the boss Six-fingered Black Knight came in person. It was said that the usually serious Six-fingered Black Knight smiled like a flower when he saw Xiang Li Sheng, and called him "good brother" all the time.

Confucianism is even more amazing. It has so many disciples that it is known as "three thousand disciples and seventy-two sages". The major school is divided into eight sects, and the number of disciples in these eight sects is countless. It is said that the minor sage Zhuangzi and Xunzi are on their way here with their disciples and are going to enter Qin for the second time.

Ran Hong was the happiest one. Even though he was the only Confucian scholar in Qin State before, he was not the only one in power. Confucianism has always emphasized respecting teachers. Many seniors from different factions were too lazy to look at him well before, and he had to abide by etiquette and treat them respectfully. But now, many people who are older than him are also very gentle and polite when they see him.

The Legalist scholars serving as officials in the Qin State were the most regretful. They regretted it so much that their intestines turned green. In the past, they made fun of Zhong Cang every day for being ugly and too upright, and they refused to play with others. Now, they are all rude at first but respectful later, which makes Zhong Cang laugh.

The Taoist Renzong was so angry that his nose was crooked. Didn't you Tianzong agree to leave the world? How come you are so involved in the world? The point is, why don't you take us with you?

The current head of the Ren Sect, Ming Zhezi, is on his way here at full speed with his disciples.

Famous experts, farmers, and Yin-Yang experts are also on their way.

In ancient times, those who worked hard and made great contributions died in the battlefield, and those who were well-versed in ancient and modern knowledge eventually retired to Mount Tai, sold their knowledge to the imperial family, and their noble character became a corpse early.

In the era of aristocratic dictatorship, class structure was extremely rigid. No matter how outstanding you were, you could not be noble, let alone join the nobility. Even if you wanted to hold an official position, there was no way. At most, there was only a crack in the window, which was opened by a noble who was capable and visionary.

If it weren't for the difficulty of class advancement, how could the Qin Dynasty be able to leap from a weak Qin Dynasty that was looked down upon by other countries to a strong Qin Dynasty immediately after implementing the military merit title? Why do people say that a scholar will die for his confidant? Why are people so enthusiastic about fighting desperately on the battlefield?
Because there is no chance at all! Even if it is to be a dog for the nobles, how many people want to be one but don't have the chance!

Even if you have talent as vast as the ocean, and are more powerful than thousands of soldiers, even if your name will be passed down through the ages after your death, in this era, it is still a waste of your life.

What kind of person is Laozi? He is like a dragon, but he is just a small keeper of the Zhou Dynasty's treasury. What kind of person is Confucius? He is a saint and teacher, but in the end he wasted his time in various countries and served as an official in Lu, but he had no power and was not valued. What kind of person is Mencius? He is a benevolent and righteous saint who traveled around the countries, but was not used by anyone.

Without mentioning the ancient sages, let's talk about the wise men and women who are still alive today. Xunzi was famous all over the world, but so what? He was just the chief priest of Qi, and now he is just the magistrate of Lanling County in Chu. There is also Gongsun Longzi, who came from the Mohist school and later became a famous figure. He was also famous all over the world, but he could not get any official position and was just a retainer of Lord Pingyuan.

From this we can see that it is very difficult to achieve fame and fortune, and to become an official and obtain a title unless one is born into an aristocratic or even a great aristocratic family.

No matter how talented you are, at most you can be a retainer or staff member of a monarch or a prince, and you can only provide advice and receive some rewards. It is extremely difficult to obtain a high position and a high title, to bring honor to your family and to bring blessings to your descendants.

Ying Zheng's move can be described as using fame and fortune as bait, and people flocked to him. In today's world, gaining fame means gaining fortune, so how can people not flock to it?

This opportunity is rare. Just think about it, let alone the serious class stratification in today's era, how many people would compete for such a chance to leap to the top even in future generations for a small civil service position or a grassroots clerk?
Moreover, in this era, gentlemen are not ashamed to talk about profit, as long as they get it in a proper way.

Among the people of the world, many can resist food and drink; most can resist wine and sex; few can resist money; very few can resist power; and only one in ten thousand can resist fame.

Lu Buwei continued to feel resentment in his heart.

(End of this chapter)