The Fierce Teacher of Zhenguan: Starting with Teaching the Crown Prince to Make a Comeback

Chapter 126 Class? (Seeking monthly tickets!!! Seeking rewards!!! Seeking subscriptions!!!)

The next day.

East Palace, side hall.

Morning light streamed through the window lattices, casting neat patches of light across the hall, while fine dust particles silently floated and sank within the beams of light.

The hall remained silent, with a wisp of smoke rising straight up from the incense burner before slowly dissipating at a certain height.

Li Chengqian sat upright behind the desk, dressed in plain clothes, his hair neatly combed.

His face was still pale from recovering from a serious illness, but his back was ramrod straight.

The desk was not piled with documents as usual, but only had a cup of tea, steaming gently.

The palace door was gently pushed open, and Li Yichen walked in slowly.

He was still wearing that blue official robe, walking steadily with a respectful expression.

He walked into the hall, bowed respectfully, and his actions were no different from usual.

"Your subject, Li Yichen, pays his respects to Your Highness."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, his gaze falling on Li Yichen.

Li Yichen walked to his usual seat and knelt down properly.

A peculiar stillness descended upon the hall.

Li Yichen met the gaze that the Crown Prince was casting.

That gaze was no longer like it used to be, filled with restless anger, shrouded in gloomy calculation, or the superficiality after a brief excitement.

It became calm, with a sense of scrutiny, and something deeper—

A clarity that comes after the removal of superficiality, and beneath that clarity, a desire to explore the unknown quietly arises.

Li Yichen understood.

His previous risky gamble, and his almost "heart-piercing" guidance and belief-rebuilding, seem to have worked.

The extremely dangerous thoughts in the crown prince's mind, based on fear and rebellion and potentially leading to swift defeat, were at least temporarily suppressed. In their place, a deeper and more stable state of seeking knowledge and change took hold.

This is exactly the situation he needs.

Time passes little by little.

After a long silence, Li Chengqian finally spoke.

His voice was not loud, and it was still a little hoarse from illness, but it was unusually steady, without any preamble or emotional expression.

It consists of only four simple words.

“The teacher taught me.”

The way we address each other has changed.

The previous practice of addressing him by his given name "Yichen" or using the more authoritative "Qing" has been replaced by "Sir".

Li Yichen's face did not show any surprise or flattery.

"Your Highness, please ask."

Li Yichen spoke, his voice equally steady.

He didn't ask "what to teach", because Li Chengqian's statement "Teach me, sir" was open-ended, meaning that he had handed over the initiative of learning to him.

Li Chengqian looked at Li Yichen with a calm gaze.

He paused for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

"I have been lying in bed recently, pondering your words from the past. Why be a ruler? What is the meaning of governing a country? My thoughts are in turmoil and I cannot make sense of them."

"However, I believe the root cause lies with the people. The gentleman once spoke of the hardships of the common people, the tenant farmers selling their children, and the poverty of the border residents..."

"These are all related to the people. However, the imperial court often talks about pacifying and comforting the people when it governs. This word 'people' seems simple, but what is the true meaning behind it?"

"I hope you can enlighten me and analyze this from the root of the problem."

Li Yichen nodded slightly.

The fact that the Crown Prince was able to raise this question proactively and point to the "root cause" indicates that his previous guidance had begun to take effect.

This is a good starting point, enough to lead to a deeper analysis of social structures.

"Your Highness's ability to think of this shows your progress."

Li Yichen first gave a statement of affirmation, and then got to the point.

"To understand the nature of the 'people,' one must first understand their composition and divisions. There has been an ancient saying that 'the people are divided into four professions.' Does Your Highness know the details?"

"Four professions and four classes of people?" Li Chengqian pondered for a moment, then replied, "As mentioned in the *Guanzi*, there are four classes: scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. These are the fundamental people of the state, and they should not be allowed to live together. If they are, their words will be discordant and their affairs will be chaotic."

“That’s exactly right,” Li Yichen nodded.

"When Guan Zhong served Duke Huan of Qi, he became the hegemon among the feudal lords and brought order to the world. His policy of governing the country included the important aspect of 'dividing the people into four professions.' However, Your Highness, do you know why Guan Zhong implemented this policy in the first place, and what happened to it in the end?"

Li Chengqian leaned forward slightly, revealing an expression of eagerness to hear more.

"Please explain in detail, sir."

"Let's start with its earliest meaning."

Li Yichen began to explain systematically.

"Guan Zhong lived during the chaotic Spring and Autumn Period, a time of warring states vying for supremacy. His core objective was to enrich the country, strengthen its military, and achieve hegemony. Therefore, all his policies revolved around this goal."

"The primary purpose of the four professions was not, as later generations simply understood, to divide or fix identities, but rather to manage the country more efficiently and collect taxes more effectively."

“Effective management? Tax collection?” Li Chengqian repeated, these two terms were not entirely unfamiliar to him.

But this direct connection with the "four professions" gave him a new perspective.

“That’s right,” Li Yichen explained.

"Let the sons of scholars continue to be scholars, and let them live together in a concentrated manner to facilitate the teaching of loyalty, righteousness, etiquette, and strategy, cultivate talents for governing the country and commanding the army, and ensure a stable source and professional quality for the bureaucracy and military officers."

"Let farmers' sons continue to farm, let them live in the countryside and focus on farming, so that it is easier to manage the land and collect taxes, thus ensuring the country's most basic food and fiscal revenue."

"Let the sons of craftsmen continue to be craftsmen, concentrate in government-run workshops, specialize in machinery and construction, and ensure the quality and supply of military equipment and palace utensils."

"Allowing the sons of merchants to continue doing business makes it easier to manage the market, stabilize prices, and increase national treasury revenue through customs duties and taxes."

Li Yichen paused briefly to allow Li Chengqian time to process the information.

"The brilliance of this strategy lies in its functional division and solidification of citizens based on their direct contribution to the core goal of 'national prosperity and military strength'."

"This allows different industries to be passed down through generations, reducing mobility, simplifying management, and improving efficiency. At the same time, it ensures that the country can obtain the necessary resources from all industries in a stable and efficient manner, especially from the 'farmers' who make up the vast majority of the population, to obtain food and manpower."

"Therefore, the Guanzi says: 'Establish the dwellings of the four classes, so that 'they will be familiar with them from a young age, and their hearts will be at peace, and they will not be moved by the sight of strange things,' thereby achieving the effect that 'the teachings of their fathers and elder brothers will be accomplished without strictness, and the learning of their children and younger brothers will be accomplished without labor.'"

"Essentially, this is a social resource mobilization and management system that serves the goal of national hegemony."

Li Chengqian listened intently, his fingers unconsciously tracing patterns on the table. He had read Guanzi and knew about the "four professions dividing the people," but no one had ever analyzed the underlying logic of governance so directly.

This is quite different from the benevolent teachings he had previously learned about "educating the people" and "each doing their own thing," but it is closer to the true historical context.

“So,” Li Chengqian said thoughtfully.

"Guan Zhong's actions were not simply for the sake of the people's peaceful life and prosperity, but also... to facilitate the ruler's rule and to facilitate the country's accumulation of resources in order to achieve hegemony?"

"Your Highness has grasped the key point."

Li Yichen affirmed.

"In its historical context, this was an extremely pragmatic and efficient national strategy. It acknowledged the objective existence of the social division of labor and institutionalized and hereditary it to serve the highest goals of the state."

“However,” Li Chengqian changed the subject and raised a question.

"As you said, this policy has its advantages in the current era. But if this continues, the gentry will remain gentry, and the poor will never be able to rise above their circumstances; farmers will be trapped in the fields for generations, and even if they have talents, they will have no way to use them; craftsmen and merchants will also be stuck in their professions."

"This seems to contradict what you once said: 'Talented people from humble backgrounds can rise to prominence in the court based on their talent and learning.'"

A hint of approval flashed in Li Yichen's eyes.

The fact that the prince could not only understand the original meaning of what he was saying, but also immediately connect it to the drawbacks of its long-term implementation, and compare it with the ideas he had previously instilled, shows that he was truly thinking.

"What Your Highness said is precisely the core problem that this strategy has revealed in its evolution over the years, and it is also where its 'original meaning' has slowly disappeared and 'transformation' has begun to appear."

Li Yichen continued, "Let's talk about the process and origin of this 'transformation'."

"With the unification of the country and the peace of the dynasty, the urgency of enriching the country and strengthening the military decreased, and maintaining the stability of the rule became the primary task. The original intention of the four-industry system—efficient mobilization and resource extraction—was gradually replaced by its side effect, namely the solidification of social classes, and was continuously reinforced by subsequent rulers and vested interest groups."

"Among them, the most crucial transformations occurred in the two professions of 'scholar' and 'farmer,' as well as the changes in the status of 'artisans' and 'merchants.'"

Li Chengqian's spirits lifted, knowing that he was about to touch upon a more crucial part.

"Please explain in detail, sir."

"First, the profession of scholar."

Li Yichen analyzed: "In its original meaning, it was a group that cultivated talents for governance and military affairs for the country. However, in subsequent evolution, especially since the Han Dynasty's recommendation system and the Wei and Jin Dynasties' Nine-Rank System, scholars gradually became closely associated with land, clan, and cultural privileges, forming the so-called aristocratic families and clans."

"They monopolized knowledge, career advancement, and local influence."

"At this point, the scholar was no longer just a functional profession, but evolved into a stable, hereditary, privileged ruling class."

"They consolidated their position and excluded children from poor families from rising through marriage, recommendation, and control of public opinion."

"Thus, a difficult-to-cross chasm appeared between scholars and the other three professions, especially farmers."

"This was the first major class division and solidification."

Li Chengqian frowned slightly, as he thought about the current state of the dynasty.

Although the imperial examination system had been initially established, it aimed to break the monopoly of powerful clans.

However, the influence of the Guanlong Group and the Shandong gentry remained deeply entrenched, and many important officials in the court had intricate connections with them.

He nodded slowly.

"That is indeed the case. Even though the Emperor has established the imperial examination system, it is still a hundred times easier for scions of aristocratic families to enter officialdom than for those from humble backgrounds. Their accumulated connections and family learning are incomparable to those of ordinary people."

"Your Highness is wise."

Li Yichen continued, "Next, let's look at agriculture. Among the four industries, agriculture has the largest population and is the foundation of the country's taxes and corvée labor."

"During Guan Zhong's time, the sons of farmers were required to be farmers in order to ensure grain production. However, in later generations, this policy, combined with land annexation and the rent-labor system, led to a dramatic division within the 'farmer' group."

"Differentiation?" Li Chengqian pressed.

"Yes." Li Yichen's voice was calm and clear.

“A small number of farmers accumulated land through various means, hired or enslaved others to cultivate it, and freed themselves from labor, becoming landlords and powerful families.”

"The vast majority of farmers gradually lost their land, or became tenants, dependent on landlords, or became self-sufficient farmers with only a small amount of land, struggling to make ends meet."

"Or they may go completely bankrupt, become homeless, and become vagrants, servants, or slaves."

"At this point, farmers were no longer a unified group; they had become divided."

“Some rose to become landowners and exploiters, while the majority became land cultivators and the exploited, tenant farmers and poor peasants.”

Li Chengqian felt a chill.

He recalled Li Yichen's previous description of the tragic situation of "selling children and pawning off their parents," and wondered if this was the root cause.

"Are you saying that, despite being registered as 'farmers,' their circumstances are worlds apart? Most people toil year-round, yet the majority of their earnings are handed over to landowners who do not cultivate the land?"

“That makes perfect sense,” Li Yichen affirmed.

"The taxes and corvée levied by the imperial court based on household registration often ended up being mostly passed on to ordinary farmers who had no land or little land."

"Landlords and powerful families often used their influence to evade taxes or shift the tax burden onto others."

"This is an inevitable internal class division caused by the ancient system of 'separation of people by four professions' in the later environment of private land ownership and free trade."

He paused, looked at Li Chengqian, whose expression was solemn, and threw out an even more pointed concept.

"Therefore, if we go beyond the superficial division of the four professions of 'scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants,' and look at their position in actual production and power relations, the people of the Tang Dynasty today can actually be divided into the following fundamental classes..."

"class?"

Li Chengqian was confused by this unfamiliar term.

"It can be understood for the time being as different interest groups formed based on the amount of resources they control, such as power, land, and wealth, as well as their fundamental positions in the national economy and people's livelihood."

Li Yichen explained in language that people of this era could understand.

"Firstly, there is the royal family and the group of nobles and meritorious officials. They are at the top of power and wealth, enjoy the highest privileges, and their interests are tied to the imperial power. They are the core of the rule."

"Secondly, there is the bureaucratic gentry group. This group includes officials in the court, local officials, as well as scholars and landlords who, although not holding office, possess fame, land and influence."

"They hold power, the right to speak, and vast amounts of land wealth; they are the foundation and executors of the rule."

"Among them, there are different interests due to their background, region, and faction."

"Thirdly, there is the group of industrialists and merchants. This includes large merchants, large-scale crafts owners, as well as numerous small vendors and artisans."

"They accumulated wealth through trade and handicrafts, but their social status and political rights were often limited. They had both cooperation and conflict with the bureaucratic gentry group. There were also huge differences among them due to their wealth."

"Fourth, and also the largest in number, is the common peasant class."

"This class includes self-cultivating farmers who own a small amount of land, and tenant farmers who have no land at all and rent land from others."

"They are the main bearers of national taxes and corvée labor, and one of the main creators of social wealth, but their lives are the most difficult, their political status is the lowest, and their ability to resist risks is extremely weak."

"Fifthly, there are the lowly and slave classes. This includes government and private slaves, servants, and musicians, whose status is almost that of property and who have no rights whatsoever."

After Li Yichen finished explaining the five levels of division, the hall fell into an even deeper silence.

Li Chengqian's breathing became slightly rapid. This brand-new analytical framework completely overturned his previous understanding of "the people".

(End of this chapter)