A Step into the Past

Book 4 Chap 3 – Debating Heroes

When Xiang Shaolong arrived at Ji Yanran’s little house by the lake, there were already 10 odd elaborate horse carriages outside the door, the attendance a lot larger than this afternoon’s.

After he gave his name to the guard, he saw one of the maids he met this morning coming out to welcome him and led him past the building which he met Ji Yanran this afternoon. She was carrying a lantern as she led the way and went through a small path in the woods. His eyes suddenly brightened, in large building with a lot of colorful lanterns hanging on it appeared in front, and he seems to hear people talking in it.

Xiang Shaolong can’t help but ask the pretty maid, “Which other guests are here tonight?”

The pretty maid replied nonchalantly, “The guests tonight are all specially invited by Miss, besides Master Han Fei, Zou Yan and Xiao Weimou whom Mister Xiang has seen today, there’s also Lord Longyang, Philosopher Xu Jie and General Bai Gui.”

Xiang Shaolong sucked in his breath, this Ji Yanran is really something. Bai Gui is the person that Lady Pingyuan is remarrying, so naturally he’s someone great while Lord Longyang is a favorite of the King of Wei and yet they all came for the event. Obviously her position in Wei is extremely elevated as well. Although he doesn’t know who that Xu Jie is, he most be someone famous as well.

He was perplexed as well, Lord Longyang should not be interested in women, so if he’s not here because of Ji Yanran’s beauty, what else can he be here for? Could it be to humiliate him to appease his anger?

When it comes to learning, he won’t be able to catch up with these scholars even if he’s chasing them on a horse, so to ask him to speak is akin to embarrassing him on the spot. Therefore, he can’t help but feel uneasy.

When he stepped into the hall, he saw the table laid out and all the others the maid talked about were already here, all sitting back on the soft rugs and sitting comfortably around the table.

Another 2 pretty maids came forward and helped him remove his outer cloak and shoes. Luckily it is winter now and he’s wearing a thick cotton outfit so unless one reaches out to touch him, they won’t realize his equipment hidden in his clothes.

Stoves were lit in the room, making it as warm as spring.

Lord Longyang is still behaving ‘languidly’ and even proactively introduced him to the others.

That Bai Gui is the oldest, at least 50 years old but very robust with gleaming eyes, giving others an impression that he is very smart. And he behaved haughtily towards Xiang Shaolong, only giving him a cold acknowledgement before turning towards Philosopher Xu Jie who looks like a typical scholar and spoke quietly to each other privately.

Xiang Shaolong was seated between Hai Fei and Zou Yan, the seat beside Han Fei is still empty, obviously it’s Ji Yanran’s main seat, followed by Lord Longyang, Bai Gui, Xu Jie and Xiao Weimou.

Xiang Shaolong saw that he need not sit opposite Xiao Weimou and face him so he felt a little more comfortable.

Zou Yan behaved quite coldly towards Xiang Shaolong and only gave a brief greeting before talking to Xiao Weimou, who is from Qi like him, totally ignoring Xiang Shaolong.

Instead it was Han Fei who took a liking to Xiang Shaolong because of his help this afternoon and although he is not a very good talker, it still gave Xiang Shaolong a little warmth in this ‘icy atmosphere’.

Ji Yanran only appeared now, wearing a white brocade robe and absolutely glowing, immediately capturing the attention of everyone. Even that Lord Longyang was no exception, he looked dumbfounded and Xiao Weimou was almost drooling while Han Fei blushed. Although their reactions were all different, they were all attracted by her.

Ji Yanran looked at everyone with a smile, her clear and languid eyes flitted around and even Xiang Shaolong felt as if his soul had been enchanted. Her body emitted a fragrance after her bath, giving rise to other thoughts.

She had just sat down when she said with a smile, “Mister Xiang will have to be punished with a drink first, how can you leave before the end of the meeting this afternoon?”

Everyone immediately followed her wishes and agreed.

Naturally at this point in time there’ll be pretty maids pouring wine and serving delicious food.

After Xiang Shaolong gladly exchanged a toast with her, Ji Yanran’s enchanting eyes flitted around the dining table and chatted cleverly, making everyone at the feast feel at home. However, she seems to be more interested in Han Fei, Zou Yan and Philosopher Xu Jie, talking and smiling to them more, and not paying much attention to the rivals Xiang Shaolong and Xiao Weimou.

The truth is Xiang Shaolong has absolutely no clue about their conversation regarding poetries and song, and there’s no way he can interrupt to show off even if he wanted to.

After they’ve eaten and drank, and with the urging of everyone, Ji Yanran ordered her flute to be brought out and played a tune for all.

Xiang Shaolong doesn’t know the tune she played but he does know that her skills with the flute is flawless and at the peak and can’t help but be drawn into the music like the rest of them, totally intoxicated by the melody.

After Ji Yanran finished her tune and everyone sincerely complimented her, she smiled and asked Xiao Weimou, “Mister Xiao please forgive Yanran for being rude, but I would like to boldly ask you a question.”

Maybe Xiao Weimou has been affected by the atmosphere, or maybe he’s trying to get into Ji Yanran’s good books and fain her affection so his speech is a lot more refined and said gently, “As long as it’s Miss who asks it, I will be most glad to answer any question of yours.”

Ji Yanran smiled enchantingly and said, “The difference between humans and beasts is whether they have a sense of shame, what does Mister think?”

Everyone knows that the show is about to begin and stopped eating and drinking, quietly listening to their conversation.

Before Xiang Shaolong came he thought that Ji Yanran had changed her mind about him but now that he saw she is treating him so coldly, he was about to find an excuse to slip back and steal the ‘Secret Manual’ so that Lady Ya and the 8 maids can make a copy. Therefore he was not really concentrating on their conversation.

Obviously Xiao Weimou came well prepared and said with a smile, “I’m afraid Miss has misunderstood my meaning. I do not mean there’s no difference between man and beasts at all, it’s just that some innate nature, like the desire to live and procreate, is the same! That’s why there are many things worth learning from animals, for example animals will not lie, they’re more honest than us. Man should be true to their own nature before they can really enjoy life.” He continued with a cold snort towards Xiang Shaolong, “What insight does Brother Xiang has about my theory?”

Xiang Shaolong was thinking about Chu Mohism’s Fu Du at that time so when he heard the words he was startled and said, “What? Oh! I don’t have any views on that.”

Everyone, including Ji Yanran, were immediately stunned and revealed looks of contempt.

Xiang Shaolong was laughing bitterly to himself that he’s not a debater so even if he has heard what he said, he won’t be able to argue well. Luckily he has decided not to woo Ji Yanran, so it’s no big deal if he loses favor with her or not.

Philosopher Xu Jie looked at Xiang Shaolong scornfully before saying, “There’s a big problem with Mister Xiao’s words. The difference between man and beasts lies exactly in their innate nature. Man are kind by nature that’s why they show kindness to others; beasts, in order to fill their stomachs, have no such compassion and will willfully kill and eat other animals, sometimes even their own kinds are not let off. If man were to be so bad as to learn from beasts, won’t the world be thrown into chaos?”

Xiao Weimou is an unrefined man and now that this scholar in Confucianism is butting into his theory, he felt a loss of face and asked coldly, “Will man not kill other animals? What is Philosopher Xu eating now then?”

Xu Jie laughed, “This is exactly the difference between those bloodthirsty beasts and us. We only eat domesticated animals, will beasts know how to do this?”

Xiao Weimou is obviously not his match and for a moment was dumbfounded.

Xu Jie won in his first attack and was filled with pride in front of Ji Yanran, so he turned his attack towards Han Fei, “I have read Master Han’s great works as well and the theories are interesting. A pity that you committed the same mistake as your Teacher Xun Kuang*, which is to think that men are evil by nature, that’s why they do not know the great meaning of changing the people with benevolent policies. They use punishments to rule the country and bully the people. With Master’s abilities, to think that you were actually misled into following the wrong path, it’s really a pity.”

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xun_Zi

Hai Fei was stunned for a moment as he did not expect Xu Jie to be so rude as to criticize him so disrespectfully. He is furious and could think of the retorts to make but the more angry he is, the worse is his stutter and he was unable to speak at all.

Lord Longyang, Bai Gui and Zou Yan all have an icy smile on their faces, ‘happily’ watching him being humiliated.

Ji Yanran raised her delicate brows and although she felt bad for Han Fei, she was impatient about his inability to speak as well.

Xiang Shaolong, as an outsider, suddenly understood the meaning behind Ji Yanran’s hosting of this dinner tonight; which is to find a good way to govern a country. That’s why she looked at Han Fei in a different light and also invited the important people in Wei so that they can accept new theories and ideals.

Xu Jie saw that Han Fei was unable to defend himself at all and became even more proud and insolent, saying “As for you who denied the methods of the previous Kings, it shows that you are forgetting your roots. It’s just like building a house, we must fist have a good foundation. Without a foundation, the house will not be able to withstand the weather, and this foundation is the models left behind by our learned ancestors.”

These words are targeting at Han Fei’s theory that there is no such thing as unchanging policies in governing a country. Han Fei feels that protecting the old ways is not proactive at all, so one should not follow old ways blindly but act appropriately according to different situations at different times. Such thinking is of course more advanced than those Confucians who advocates protecting the old ways, but a pity Han Fai is not eloquent enough to say it out.

Xiang Shaolong saw that Han Fei was so furious his vein was almost bursting. He couldn’t bear the sight and blurted out, “Nonsense!”

He’d just spoken out when he realized he’s in trouble. Indeed everyone’s attention turned towards him, and Xu Jie looked at him impertinently and said with a cold laugh, “It turns out that besides leading soldiers to war, Commander Xiang has some insight about governing a country as well. I am willing to listen to your lofty ideals.”

Xiang Shaolong can feel Ji Yanran’s pretty eyes staring at him, and thought to himself how can he possibly lose face in front of this beauty, so he forged ahead, “Time moves forward, for example in the past wars were fought mainly with war carriages but now it’s fought with a mixture of steeds, foot soldiers and carriages. So obviously blindly relying on old ways will not work out.”

Ji Yanran sighed disappointedly, “Mister Xiang seems to be a little unclear about Philosopher Xu’s point. What he is referring to is principles, not methods. It’s just like a war is a still war, just different ways of fighting it.”

Lord Longyang smiled coquettishly, “Brother Xiang, your swordplay may be excellent but it seems that you have not studied a lot. Now we’re debating with Master Han the difference between governing by ‘virtue’ and by ‘legalism’!”

Xu Jie said loudly, “Governing by virtue, you will be like the North Star, staying in its place while other stars move around you.” He paused and recited again, “People who are governed legalistically and controlled by punishment will avoid crime but have no sense of shame. People who are governed through virtue and controlled through propriety will have a sense of shame and correct themselves.”

These are famous Confucianism sayings, meaning that the way to govern a country is to use virtue as a foundation so that the people can be educated and the country peaceful. It has a totally different basis from legalism.

Xiang Shaolong was not interested and felt that it’s better he find an opportunity to slip away soon. All this talk about governing with virtues, he’s not even clear about the theories behind it. It’s better that he leave early to avoid embarrassment to himself so he stood up and offered his farewells.

Everyone was shocked. They did not expect that the debate has not even properly started and this person is already running away.

Ji Yanran looked at him unhappily, “If Mister Xiang is going to slip away after just saying a few words like you did this afternoon, Yanran will be very unhappy.”

Lord Longyang has not made enough ‘fun’ of him yet, so how can he bear to let him leave. He also spoke up to make him stay.

Xiang Shaolong thought to himself that he can’t be bothered if Ji Yanran is happy or not because to her, he’s just an unimportant guest whose presence will not be missed. He was about to leave when he realized that Han Fei was tugging at his sleeve seriously so his heart softened and he sat down.

Ji Yanran exclaimed happily, “Now that is how a man should be. Mister Xiang seems to be deliberately holding back your opinions, Yanran really wants to hear your theories!”

Xiang Shaolong laughed bitterly to himself, thinking that Miss Ji really thought too highly of him. Compared to the rest, he’s just a bumpkin, where can he find theories to expound.

Xu Jie has been on the upper hand the whole night and secretly thought that he may be able to gain the liking of the beauty, so he will not let go of the chance to show off. He forced an attack and said, “In Mister Xiang’s opinion, which is better, governing by virtues or legalism?”

Xiang Shaolong saw the look of contempt in his eyes and was furious. He decided to forge ahead and said, “It’s not a question of better or worse, but a question of whether it works or not. Governing by virtue is purely idealism, if everyone in the world is a saint and there are no evil men, then everyone will obey the law without the use of any methods. But the truth is, the situation is obviously not like that, and it will never become a fact, that’s why we need a set of laws and guidelines that everyone is aware of to restrict everyone and make them obey. Only after this is achieved can we talk about virtues and respect. That’s all I have to say.”

Everyone was shocked. To someone from the 21st century, this is a logic that everyone understands, but for people in that era, this is even more in-depth and refreshing than Han Fei’s theory of legalism.

Ji Yanran’s pretty eyes lighted up and she scrutinized Xiang Shaolong afresh, chewing on his words.

Han Fei looked deep in thought, unconsciously nodding his head.

Zou Yan was silent, as if he’s thinking of some questions.

Naturally Xu Jie would not admit defeat so easily but he no longer belittles his opponent and he said with a straight face, “If a country is governed only by law, won’t the person in power be able to suppress and bully the weaker ones with punishment?”

Bai Gui commented, “If the government loves propriety, the people will not dare to be disrespectful; if the government loves righteousness, the people will not dare not to follow them; if the government loves trust, the people will respond with their emotions. This is the way a ruler should govern. If one were to prefer punishment, what would the people become? Mister Xiang please enlighten us.”

Xiang Shaolong chortled and after taking a long look at Ji Yanran, turned towards Bai Gui and Xu Jie and said, “That’s just because legalism is not thorough enough, to put the power solely in the hands of the ruler! If everyone is equal in front of the law, the son of heaven… heh…. The ruler who commits a mistake will face the same punishment as commoners. For example if anyone who kills someone without a reason will be punished, who would dare to kill randomly? I did not say we should discard propriety and righteousness, these should be the basic principle behind any law. The true way to govern a country is to combine governing by virtue and legalism. Absolute power will only result in absolute disintegration.”

When he talked about ‘the ruler will face the same punishment as commoners’, Ji Yanran went ‘Ah’ while Han Fei’s eyes immediately brightened. The others, including Xiao Weimou, all revealed looks of shock and alarm. Especially the last few words, is like a morning bell sounding, resonating deeply in everyone’s heart.

For the people living in this era where the rulers are supreme, this is indeed a mind shattering theory.

Xiang Shaolong thought to himself that that’s all the argument he can muster out, if he says some more there’s bound to be mistakes so he stood up and said, “I have already revealed all my worthless thoughts. Hei! I still have something important to do, farewell!”

Ji Yanran furrowed her brows and said angrily, “Mister has just told us the most interesting part and you are leaving? Do you dislike Ji Yanran?”

Zou Yan forcefully dragged him back to his seat and laughed, “Commander Xiang has piqued my interest in talking! I would like to ask how such legalism which includes the ruler as well should work?”

Lord Longyang said, “Brother Xiang’s theory on governing a country is even more ideal than the governing by virtues which we talked about!”

Xiao Weimou laughed icily, “And more impractical as well!”

Xiang Shaolong smiled bitterly, “Yes! It will not work now but if we work towards this direction, one day there will be a situation where power is divided into 3, the legal system, law enforcers and government. The ruler will be chosen by the people and only then will there be… hei… French… ai! No, real live, equality and freedom.”

He almost wanted to blurt out about the French Revolution but luckily he caught himself in time and swallowed his words.

These words were even more earth shattering and everyone could not digest the information at once. For people who have been living such a long time under the absolute rule of the kings, this is such an unacceptable thought yet at the same time extremely exciting and refreshing.

Xiang Shaolong saw that everyone was furrowing their brows and thought what a better time to leave than this. He stood up and immediately walked far away from the table before bowing and saying, “I was speaking nonsense, please don’t take it to heart.” He turned around and left, ignoring Ji Yanran’s calls.