Chapter 6

Fei Qian was about to leave Heluo, and there was one place he had to face and inform first, and that was the head of the Heluo Fei family.

After all, just a greeting wouldn’t make people cling to his legs and prevent him from leaving. If he left without saying goodbye, in the Han Dynasty, where the scholar-gentry class placed great emphasis on etiquette, it would essentially be like labeling himself as a reckless person for life, which would be a loss.

The scholar-gentry class, which began to form during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, gradually declined during the Tang and Song dynasties, and was officially declared to have exited the historical stage with the implementation of the imperial examination system in the Ming Dynasty.

Before the Ming Dynasty, every emperor had to face the scholar-gentry class, relying on them while using various methods to restrict and suppress them. However, in history, only a few could truly control the scholar-gentry class to the point where they were completely suppressed and unable to breathe.

The reason why the Han Dynasty was always trapped in the power struggle between the imperial relatives and the eunuchs was fundamentally due to the scholar-gentry class. In this era, the scholar-gentry class was mostly benevolent, guiding the direction of the country, but when it came to family interests, they often did things that harmed the state. Therefore, almost all Han emperors first suppressed the scholar-gentry class by relying on imperial relatives, and then, when the power of the imperial relatives became uncontrollable, they used eunuchs to suppress the imperial relatives. When the eunuchs became too powerful, they used the clean stream of the scholar-gentry class to eliminate the eunuchs.

This cycle led to the Han Dynasty being the only dynasty where the imperial relatives were the most famous, such as the great figures Huo Guang and Wei Qing, and also the weak figures Dou Wu and He Jin...

In the Han Dynasty, it was impossible to hold up the banner of opposing the scholar-gentry class and fight against them. Even with knowledge and insights surpassing a thousand years, it was almost impossible to achieve. After all, at that time, the scholar-gentry class mostly consisted of people with the most advanced knowledge, and the state still relied on these scholar-gentry children to govern. Most ordinary people couldn’t even read, let alone count. How could you make these illiterate people suddenly understand how to govern the country?

Fei Qian belonged to the Heluo Fei family, which originated from the Qin.

The ancestor of the Qin, Fei Zi, was enfeoffed by King Xiao of Zhou in Qin, known historically as Qin Fei Zi. Among the descendants of Qin Fei Zi, some were enfeoffed as marquises and given the title of Pei Xiang, hence called Pei Jun. His descendants took the name of their fief as their surname, known as the Pei surname. Later, the Pei surname branched out into Fei and other sub-families, gradually evolving into what it is today.

This branch of the Fei family had been rooted in Luoyang for nearly a hundred years. Although no high-ranking officials like the Three Excellencies had emerged, many officials, provincial governors, and prefectural governors had served. Therefore, when Fei Qian was recommended as a filial and honest person, many local officials knew of this relationship and used it to curry favor with the Luoyang scholar-gentry class, which was not a new thing.

Fei Qian felt like he was paying respects to a local strongman in a later era, and in fact, the scholar-gentry class was basically similar to local strongmen.

The current head of the Fei family was named Min, Fei Min, with the courtesy name Zihao. According to the family hierarchy, he should be considered Fei Qian’s uncle.

Fei Min was currently serving as a censor, responsible for deliberation. As a subordinate of the Grand Commandant, he held a rank of 600 stones. Although his position was not as prominent as the Three Excellencies, he had the right to submit memorials independently, so it was still considered an important position.

Fei Min wore a brocade robe, had a neatly trimmed beard, a square face, and a slightly plump figure. He had a serious and stern demeanor. When he entered the hall, he did not even glance at Fei Qian, who was standing respectfully with his hands clasped. After adjusting his clothing and kneeling on the mat in the center of the hall, he finally seemed to notice Fei Qian: "Nephew, how have you been?"

Fortunately, he called him "nephew," indicating that the main tone of the meeting would be based on family ties. If he had called him "young official," it would have been a clear indication of a formal and distant relationship.

The Han Dynasty etiquette was truly exhausting, and encountering a high-ranking official as the head of the family was even more tiring. Fei Qian muttered to himself, but still performed the proper etiquette, lowering his eyes and responding with some polite words.

In the Han Dynasty, younger generations or subordinates could not look up at their elders or superiors while answering, unless explicitly allowed. When answering, their gaze could only reach the chest level of the other person, and after answering, they had to lower their gaze to the ground. Directly looking into the other person's eyes was considered a challenge or a provocation.

After the formalities, the main issue came up.

Upon hearing Fei Qian's intention to leave Heluo and travel south to Jingxiang for further studies, Fei Min stroked his beard, seemingly lost in thought, "Your father, Ziyun, was also very studious, well-versed and knowledgeable. His travels to Qi were a famous story... Nephew, you have inherited your father's spirit, and if you wish to further your studies, Ziyun would surely be pleased. However..."

Fei Min changed his tone, "However, if you are to travel, what will you do with the over a hundred scrolls of books left by Ziyun? The journey is long and dangerous, and if they are lost or damaged, it would be a lifelong regret."

"Uncle, your words are wise. What do you suggest?"

"In my opinion, it would be best if you temporarily entrust the books left by Ziyun to my house. When you return from your travels, they will be returned to you. This way, you can avoid the burden of carrying them, and the books will be safe. What do you think?"

Fei Qian remained silent for a long time.

He knew that the so-called "temporary entrustment" was just an excuse. Once handed over, there would be no hope of getting them back.

In the Han Dynasty, knowledge was priceless, and the bamboo slips that carried knowledge held an extremely high status.

These books represented not just books but the foundation and heritage of a family, a form of tradition. A single bamboo slip could be worth a thousand pieces of gold, and many poor students were willing to pay any price to obtain one.

Fei Min, as the head of the Heluo Fei family, saw Fei Qian as young and easy to deceive, and also because Fei Qian had no descendants to carry on the family name. As the head of the family, he could not allow the family's knowledge to fall into the wrong hands. Most importantly, these books were extremely valuable. As the head of the family, he only had about 800 to 900 bamboo slips, and Fei Qian had over a hundred. If he could obtain them, he could claim to have a thousand scrolls, a very tempting title!

Fei Min had already been coveting them, and now Fei Qian had provided such a good excuse. How could he let it go easily?

Fei Qian couldn't help but sigh. This was the so-called scholar-gentry class! In their eyes, family came before the state, and family interests were always paramount.

Unfortunately, when under someone's roof, one had to bow. Fei Qian, as a collateral branch, had no right to speak much. The head of the family personally receiving him and using the excuse of "temporary entrustment" to request the books was already a sign of respect, considering their familial relationship and the value of the books. If it were a common poor family, they might have just sent a servant.

"Agreed. Uncle, your words are wise, but..." Fei Qian knew he couldn't refuse, but he also couldn't give in too easily, "but my father loved the Qi Lun the most and often held it dear. As an unfilial son, I cannot bear to part with it and must take it with me."

Do you really think I, Fei Qian, can be easily bullied? The most valuable Qi Lun cannot be given!

As is well known, during the Qin Dynasty, Emperor Qin Shi Huang burned books and buried Confucian scholars, almost wiping out Confucianism. In the Han Dynasty, the tide turned, and Confucianism flourished, reaching its peak during Emperor Wu of Han. The state and the court exclusively honored Confucianism, abolishing all other schools of thought. Many students from other schools were forced to study Confucianism, while those who refused were either killed, captured, or exiled to the border regions.

By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Confucianism was the only school of thought that could enter the court, and the most important academic work of Confucianism was the Analects of Confucius.

The Analects of Confucius, after being compiled and passed down orally and by hand, had variations in its text. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Cheng's teacher, Zhang Yu, compiled the Zhang Hou Lun, which had 21 chapters, based on the Lu Lun and the Qi Lun.

The Qi Lun was collected by Fei Qian's father during his travels in Qi. Although it was only a fragment, it was highly valued by Confucian scholars, worth a fortune.

"Th-this..." Fei Min's trembling beard showed his reluctance, but Fei Qian had raised the banner of filial piety, and he couldn't force Fei Qian to be unfilial, which would contradict one of the fundamental principles of Confucianism.

"Can you leave three or five scrolls with you, then?" Fei Min still didn't give up.

Fei Qian firmly shook his head.

"Ah, well, as you wish." Fei Min, though regretful, was satisfied that he could get most of the books without a conflict. After all, Fei Qian was still part of the Fei family, and a conflict would bring shame. "When will you set out?"

Meaning, when will I go to your house to get the books?

"I have been invited by the Cui family and have some unfinished business. Once it is resolved, I will set out in about ten days and will inform you then." The Cui family might cause trouble, and if the trouble isn't resolved, I can't leave. If you can resolve it, I will leave in about ten days and will notify you.

"Cui family, the Cui family from the north of the city, I know them. Nephew, the journey is long and dangerous. I have nothing to give you, but I will prepare some travel expenses. I hope you will not refuse, as it is my way of wishing you a safe journey and success in your studies." I will help you resolve the issue, give you some advance payment, and you must not back out. It's settled.

When Fei Qian left the Heluo Fei family with 500 gold, it meant he had completed the transaction with Fei Min. This was the helplessness of a collateral branch. Even if Fei Qian had refused this time, Fei Min would have found another way, but it might not have been as peaceful.

Fei Qian, as a collateral branch, exchanged the books for a certain degree of freedom and protection from the head of the family, Fei Min.

If Fei Qian did not achieve much in the future, the books would be lost forever. However, if Fei Qian became successful, the books might be returned, even doubled.

This was the scholar-gentry class. The head of the family had high authority and the responsibility to lead the family to healthy development. Many times, the collateral branches were informally exploited by the head of the family. If the head of the family was incompetent, the elders of the scholar-gentry class would hold a meeting, depose the head, and select a capable person from another collateral branch to replace him. The wealth of the deposed head's lineage would be divided among others, leading to their decline.

The elegance and politeness of the scholar-gentry class masked the brutal and ruthless law of the survival of the fittest.