Chapter 23: One Piece of Writing That Astonishes Ghosts and Gods

Chunhua House was truly graced with honor today. With the arrival of Scholar Su, a multitude of young, celebrated intellectuals had followed in his wake—disciples of Ouyang Xiu, students of Zhang Dun, followers of Zhou Dunyi, and so on. A private lecture had been transformed by the involvement of the legendary Master Su into an open academic symposium.

Qian Weiming, usually one to remain calm in the face of great events, suddenly felt a surge of competitive spirit and found his nervousness vanishing. After all, look at the crowd—every one of them was a top-tier figure of the era. He felt immensely honored.

For this first internal lecture of the Finance and Economics Society, the various merchant bosses had arrived half an hour early, carefully timing their entry. Upon reaching the vicinity, they were stunned. Where had all these luxury carriages come from? Was it not said that the house was closed to the public today? When they sent their coachmen to inquire, they discovered that the preeminent scholar, Su Shi, had arrived.

"Quick, hurry! I shall disembark and walk the rest of the way; it would be too presumptuous to pull up right at the entrance!"

Wealthy merchants were starstruck, and even more devout in their admiration; if Su Shi were to write a poem for them, they would gladly pay a thousand strings of cash for it. This was Su Shi, a man whose literary stature rivaled that of Li Bai—to even catch a glimpse of him was a stroke of great fortune.

One after another, the guests entered and took their seats, and soon the hall, spanning several hundred square feet, was packed. The stage curtains were drawn, and shadows could be seen moving behind them. No one was in a rush, taking this opportunity to converse with those around them. Outside, a sudden downpour seemed imminent; the sky grew increasingly gloomy, and thunder rumbled with growing frequency. The teahouse staff brought out massive candlesticks, each topped with two-foot-long white whale-wax candles. The flames crackled and hissed, shining as brightly as torches. The hall was now illuminated, if not quite like daylight, then very close to it.

Four young men carrying silk-lined boxes stepped forward and began distributing stacks of papers that still smelled of fresh ink. The crowd was stirred with excitement; the mystery was finally being unveiled. What earth-shattering truths could this "science of finance and economics" possibly reveal? Those who received the papers began to read immediately. However, they were not yet accustomed to the horizontal layout, and some read vertically for a long time before realizing their mistake.

Near the stage, Sima Kang excused himself from the students of Zhou Dunyi and headed straight for the backstage area. He found Li Changan looking grim, anxious, and worried. "Changan, I have a bad feeling. Yesterday, my father said he would come, and from his tone, it sounded like Prime Minister Wang might attend in person as well. But it's almost time to start, and they haven't arrived. Could something have happened?"

Li Changan did not want to go out there; he simply had too many enemies. Back when he had compiled the "Ranking of Influential Figures," most of the scholars in the audience had been offended by his harsh critiques. With Su Shi present, everyone could maintain a veneer of civility, but if he were to step out, he would become a target for everyone’s ire, which would likely prove counterproductive to the lecture. It was better to stay backstage.

It was not rare in the Great Song Dynasty for a Prime Minister to listen to a junior's lecture. If Su Shi were to start lecturing, he might even draw the imperial consorts out of the palace. "They were surely delayed by business. Don't worry blindly; the Liao won't be invading. It’s likely just some trouble in the Northwest or along the Yellow River. Let's focus on our own affairs first."

After comforting Sima Kang, he returned to his tea and books, keeping Qian Weiming company. When the time came, he sent his brother onto the stage and returned to his seat. He prayed silently for success. If this succeeded, the great clans of the world would have to curry favor with him. He possessed a unique capability—he could create opportunities for people to leave their names in history. What was wealth, after all? Once dead, you are buried in a hole, and future generations will find no record of you. But by following the Great Sage Li, he could turn them into intellectual legends who would guide the academic tides, immortal and eternal.

On the stage, the curtains parted. Under the glow of the massive candles, Qian Weiming’s spirit seemed bathed in a sacred light, solemn and majestic. The audience had finished reading the papers and remained stunned by the conclusions... Looking up now, they felt their very souls shaken.

"Today, I shall lecture on the first chapter of the science of finance and economics: The Dynasty and Agriculture."

"Looking across history, dynasties are usually limited to two centuries, and eras of prosperity to thirty years. The root cause lies in agriculture."

"First, the ratio of those who produce nothing to the agricultural population should be one to nine. The more non-producers, the more chaotic the state."

"Second, a state is stabilized by agriculture, prospered by commerce, and governed by officials. The total number of officials, clerks, and soldiers must not exceed one-twentieth of the population, or the state will inevitably fall into chaos."

"Third, every hundred and seventy to two hundred and sixty years, there will be a great frost lasting thirty years; this is the cycle of world-wide famine."

"Let us first discuss why people often say that 'one man plows, three men eat' is incorrect. A healthy adult male requires no less than four hundred catties of husked grain per year to survive..."

Qian Weiming spoke eloquently, moving from experience to data, and even to nutritional science, explaining in detail why a person's minimum survival ration could not be less than four hundred catties.

"If one does not treat the farmer like an ox or a horse, but allows him to marry, bear children, and support his elders, the surplus produced by a couple can only support one and a half non-farmers. This surplus must be transported to state warehouses through the wear and tear of boats and carts, and then moved again to the capital or the borders; nine out of ten parts are lost!"

"Once there is stability, the royal family, the nobility, the powerful clans, and the officials are the first to enjoy the good life. When life is good, the population inevitably increases, and the ratio swells. At this time, there is still much uncultivated land, and both ends of the scale grow together. But once all tillable land is exhausted, the farmers will sink into poverty, while the wealthy know no restraint..."

The audience, including Su Shi and Sima Kang, listened with rapt attention. This was the first time they had heard someone explain the importance of the farmer to the dynasty; perhaps only court historians and emperors truly understood these inner workings. It was the "Dragon-Slaying Art"—though public discourse in the Great Song was relatively loose, hearing the Qian clan of Jiangnan lecture on the art of governance was truly exhilarating.

"Thus, when a nation has been stable for fifty years, it is bound to be prosperous, and immediately thereafter, it will begin to decline..."

Everyone did the math. Had Scholar Qian gone mad? Counting from the Taizong Emperor's Northern Expedition, the Great Song had been stable for exactly fifty years. Did that mean the dynasty had already begun to decline?

"Silence!" A sharp, angry shout rang out.

"Nonsense! Alarmist talk! Is this how you repay the century of grace the state has shown to scholars?" A gaunt young man stood up from the back row, pointing his finger accusingly.

Qian Weiming was stunned. Although he had expected that someone might be provoked into interrupting him, he had not expected it to be a member of the imperial clan. He recognized the man—a great-grandson of the founding emperor, of the same generation as the current Emperor, though he belonged to a fallen branch of the royal family and was a student at the Imperial Academy.

"Brother Zhao, please feel free to speak. Where exactly is my argument incorrect?"

"Hmph! This is the art of governance for an Emperor; how can you proclaim it to the public? You clearly have malicious intentions, plotting to form factions and incite rebellion."

The heavy label he tried to pin on Qian Weiming disgusted the audience. Criticize Qian Weiming if you must, but why drag everyone else into it and label them all as rebels and traitors?

"My good sir, why don't you tell everyone here what knowledge a man of principle, who seeks to cultivate himself and bring order to the world, is forbidden from studying? I, too, would like to know what this 'suppression of thought' looks like—the kind that makes the people's mouths more fearful than a river, and forces them to communicate with their eyes alone."

Su Shi stepped forward. While he might not have held the highest official post present, nor possessed the most wealth, in terms of influence, everyone combined could not match him. When the man surnamed Zhao saw it was Su Shi, he froze. This was the future Prime Minister the Yingzong Emperor had left for the current one. Was he to lash out at Su Shi? As a peripheral member of the imperial clan, a royal whose annual stipend was a mere fifty piculs of grain, could he really stand against the most talented man in the world?

"In that case, I shall take my leave. I will not stay in the same room as you rebels and traitors!"