Chapter 30

As the Second Ghost spoke grandly about Europe, Old Hanlin angrily smashed the Hundred Flowers Building. This thrilling story spread throughout the entire city of Si Jiu in just one night. In the city of Beijing, there were no secrets that could be kept, especially such a dramatic story that tugged at people's hearts.

"Sir, are you drinking here? The shopkeeper, bring a bowl of high-quality tea... Oh, it's Sir Gao, good morning, may you have a good day... By the way, have you heard? Last night, Old Hanlin Wang, who is still sharp, crushed the overseas guest at the Hundred Flowers Building..."

"Wow, which Hanlin is that capable? Could it be Wang Shizheng... Oh, if it's him, it's no surprise. Who in the capital doesn't praise Old Hanlin Wang? Have you heard? Whenever Old Hanlin sees the Emperor, he is always granted a seat..."

"Tell me, can this overseas guest, Xiao Letian, continue writing after being refuted by Old Hanlin? I've read 'Journey to the West' four or five times recently. Even if it's just a myth, I still look forward to the next part of the story..."

"Forget it, don't even think about it. Since Old Hanlin has reviewed it, this book is destined to be shelved. It's said that Old Hanlin has declared that any scholar who dares to read this book will be impeached until they lose their position..."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, that's quite something, what a pity for the book... Oh, I almost forgot, I heard that last night the overseas guest mentioned that foreigners have created flying balls and iron ships that can dive underwater..."

"I've heard that too! Not only that, but they even have magical devices that can transmit sound over long distances and machine guns that can fire thousands of bullets in an instant... Oh, they really are quite imaginative..."

Just as the old men in the teahouse were enjoying their high-quality tea and lively discussion, a cold snort came from a table behind them. "Hmph! A bunch of country bumpkins..."

The old men, who were chatting happily, immediately became angry. "Hey? Who's interrupting us? Come out and let us teach you a lesson... Oh, my blind eyes, it's Lord Liu! Good morning, may you have a good day, here's my best tea, it's genuine Da Hong Pao!"

The men who were about to get angry turned around and their faces changed instantly. They all knelt down and started pulling out their best tea from their pockets.

Back then, the Manchu people in the teahouse had a habit similar to some people's smoking habits in later times. If they met old friends at the teahouse, they wouldn't be formal and would just order high-quality tea and noodles. However, they always carried their own good tea in their pockets, ready to offer it to important figures.

In Xiao Letian's previous life, many smokers carried two packs of cigarettes: one for themselves, costing four or five yuan, and another for offering, costing twenty or thirty yuan. The principle was the same.

Lord Liu, who was respectfully called "Lord," was no ordinary person. He was the sixth brother-in-law of the inner steward of Prince Gong Yixin's household! This relationship might seem a bit complicated, but it was clear: the sixth wife of the inner steward of Prince Gong Yixin's household was Lord Liu's sister. Now, under his brother-in-law's care, he was responsible for the vegetable procurement of the prince's household, a position with many benefits.

"Seeing that you are still respectful, I'll tell you the truth. Don't think that Hanlin Wang and his group are powerful. They are actually corrupt scholars who know nothing about economics and speak nonsense. This overseas guest, Xiao Letian, is the one with real talent. Do you know what my prince has been doing lately? He has been staying up all night, drinking strong tea, reading 'Journey to the West'..."

"To be honest, I don't believe the earth is a sphere either, but I've heard the prince say that foreigners can sail in one direction and return to their starting point. Xiao Letian didn't lie about this. As for the other things in the book, I believe at least eighty percent of them are true..."

"Wow!" The teahouse was suddenly in an uproar. Lord Liu was very pleased with the attention and continued, "What do those corrupt scholars know? The real power holders in our Qing Dynasty have long believed in what the foreigners say, they just don't say it openly. Even our Empress and Emperor are reading this book..."

The teahouse exploded with noise. No wonder there were no secrets in Si Jiu City. With these old men's quick tongues, the Emperor's breakfast would be known by the common people by noon.

Although these old men in Si Jiu City were quick to talk, what they said was indeed the current reality of the Qing Dynasty. Ignoring the illiterate common people, the educated scholars were now divided into two major camps.

The first camp was like Hanlin Wang, corrupt scholars who clung to the classics of the sages and refused to believe even the basic fact that the earth is round. These people filled every state and county of the Qing Dynasty, and most of the lower-level literati belonged to this camp.

The second camp was the powerful and influential ruling class. For example, Prince Gong Yixin, who represented the Qing in negotiations with Britain and France, and the highly respected Zeng Guofan brothers, even the two palace empresses had seen the power of the foreigners. These power holders, though few in number, controlled the top of the dynasty and were open to Western ideas.

However, for the stability of the country and political considerations, these top power holders, despite having accepted Western knowledge in their hearts, adopted an ostrich policy, pretending the issue didn't exist, neither affirming nor denying it, and maintaining the status quo. The imperial examinations still focused on the eight-part essay.

"In an ancient empire, due to its enormous size, any change is earth-shattering. I merely wrote an incomplete short article and was attacked by the corrupt scholars. Do you think the upper echelons would fully promote Western education?"

In the back garden of the Fan residence, Xiao Letian hosted a banquet for Luo Hao and Wen Xiu. Last night, Xiao Letian could see that these two were truly receptive to his ideas, while the others were mostly fence-sitters.

"Mr. Xiao, you are right. If the empire undergoes a transformation and fully promotes Western learning, the scholars who lose their livelihoods will immediately cause chaos. Just like Hong Xiuquan's uprising in Jintian, wasn't it fundamentally due to his failure in the imperial examinations? If more special examinations had been held in Guangxi, perhaps the Taiping Rebellion would not have happened..."

Luo Hao was somewhat idealistic, accepting new ideas but still preferring to think in simple and beautiful terms.

Wen Xiu, a junior official in the Grand Council, was different. He read the memorials from local governors and experienced the political intrigues and debates at the grassroots level. In his eyes, the Qing Dynasty was far from ideal.

"Luo, you are too idealistic. More special examinations? How is that possible? The empire is vast, and there are many scholars aspiring for official positions. If special examinations were added in Guangxi, what about Guangdong, Henan, and Jiangsu-Zhejiang? If all states and counties had special examinations, the scholars would be happy, but where would the court find so many positions?"

The two young men looked at each other and sighed. They could identify the problem but lacked the ability to solve it. They then bowed deeply to Xiao Letian.

"Mr. Xiao, please enlighten us. From now on, we are willing to be your disciples and work for the spread of Western learning..."

Xiao Letian maintained a serious expression but was inwardly delighted. He was starting to take on disciples. Confucius had three thousand disciples and promoted Confucianism. Now, with human technology advanced, why couldn't he have thirty thousand disciples? Ha, thirty thousand disciples spreading across the empire, his plans would have a solid foundation.

"Ha ha!" Xiao Letian laughed coldly. "Want to be my disciples? It's not that easy. You saw what happened last night. If Western learning becomes widespread, the backlash from the scholars will be unimaginable. They might even join the rebels to protect their wealth and start a civil war. At that time, you won't just be studying Western learning; you might struggle to save your lives..."

"Why don't I keep my braid? Why did I write such a naive and almost vernacular 'Journey to the West'? This is just a way to protect myself. With the identity of a Second Ghost, I might live a few more years..."

Xiao Letian finished speaking and even managed to squeeze out a few tears, looking as if someone really wanted to harm him. But in his heart, he was cursing. Xiao Hexin was a failure, how much chili juice did he put on the handkerchief? His eyes were almost burning.

The two tears fell, and Luo Hao and Wen Xiu were stunned. Then their eyes reddened, and they fell to their knees. "We never imagined that Master would endure so much. To spread Western learning and strengthen the Qing Dynasty, you have humbled yourself to such an extent... Master, we are in awe of your heart. Please accept us as your disciples..."

Ancient Chinese scholars placed great importance on the act of kneeling. Once such a grand gesture was made, the decision was irreversible. Xiao Letian was overjoyed but still pretended to be serious.

"Get up first. If you want to be my students, I need to test you. Here is the latest chapter of 'Journey to the West.' Read it and each of you copy ten copies. The handwriting must be neat and clear, and then post them on the boards of major bookstores!"

Luo Hao and Wen Xiu, hearing that the latest chapter was already written, were eager and quickly read it. After finishing the six-thousand-word chapter, they were moved to tears.

"How can this be? Is this true? A five-hundred-year-old empire, the Inca, known as the Golden Kingdom, has fallen?" Luo Hao was completely engrossed in the story, his hands trembling.

Wen Xiu, agitated, paced back and forth in the garden, raising a cup of wine to his lips. "It's too tragic, too tragic. If the Qing Dynasty doesn't rise, it will end up the same way..."

Xiao Letian was not surprised by their reactions. He wrote the latest chapter specifically for the empire's rulers. If they didn't understand the cruelty of the world, they wouldn't take his Western learning seriously.

"Finished reading?" Xiao Letian said coldly. "If so, go and copy it. Turn your anger into words. Work overtime tonight, the more you write, the better. I want to cover all of Beijing tomorrow."

"Mr. Xiao, are you not planning to print the book?"

"Yes, you guessed right. From now on, the book will be published in installments. Write a chapter and post it throughout the city, so all scholars can copy it. I want all the poor scholars to have access to knowledge..."

Luo Hao and Wen Xiu were completely convinced by Xiao Letian's vision. They never imagined that a returning overseas guest, with no roots, could have such a broad vision. To make books accessible to poor scholars, he was willing to spread knowledge for free. They bowed deeply and carried the manuscript into the study as if it were their life.

Xiao Hexin, Wang Huaiyuan, and Sima Yun, watching from the corner of the garden, were stunned. They whispered, "Goodness, those two are at least fifth-rank officials, and they've been tricked into doing manual labor? Was that a disciple ceremony?"

"Of course, our strategist is like a celestial being. Subduing these two is easy... Why are you two always spying? Didn't the strategist send you to Wang Shizheng's house to gather information? Why are you back so quickly?"

"Hey, don't you trust me? That old coffin, he has a fifteen-year-old concubine, how shameless. Why didn't the strategist let me take care of him? I really wanted to kill that old turtle last night..."

"Shut up, follow the strategist's plan..."

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