Chapter 731 - 23: Scholars Press the Court, Land Reform Establishes Authority

The entire world was in an uproar.

Even Gu Yi had never witnessed such a scene in the centuries of change.

Whether in the courts or in remote places.

Almost everyone focused their attention on "corn."

This represented the interests of all.

The common people cared, and the aristocrats cared even more.

This included the independent forces from various quarters as well.

Although they curbed the people’s praise for the Gu Clan, their interest in this "corn" was far beyond what anyone had imagined.

Especially the Liao Kingdom.

Their cultivated land area was already the largest among nations, coupled with their system being primarily agricultural.

The help this corn could provide to them was obvious.

But still, the point remained—

In the current era, besides the Gu Clan, it was simply impossible for anyone else to bring back such a thing from overseas.

The success of the Gu Clan.

Was due to generations of perseverance and determination.

And this did not guarantee success; how could others possibly catch up?

This was simply impossible.

But it was precisely because of this that the importance of this corn was intensified.

...

Evidently, Gu Jin naturally understood this as well.

Hence, regarding the promotion of this matter, he certainly needed to be much more cautious.

In truth, everyone in the world hoped for the Gu Clan to directly share this crop.

There were many involved in this matter.

The vision of the common people was simple, but when elevated to the level of certain interest groups, the implications were no longer pure.

Even Gu Yi felt a sense of moral coercion.

They were using grandiose words like "righteousness of the world" and "the benevolent love people" to force Gu Jin to share the seeds of corn with the world without compensation.

Foremost among them was the gradually influential Confucianists.

Indeed, it was the Kong family, leading the interest group.

In fact, the current history had already diverged significantly from the original. The reemergence of the Hundred Schools of Thought had already destined the gradual decline of Confucianism, greatly affecting a series of related interest groups.

Including the emergence of the Gu Clan.

Actually, it was already, invisibly, overturning the position of the Kong family from the very beginning.

It is worth noting that in original history.

Regardless of the past, in terms of the Song Dynasty.

Since Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, relinquished military power with a cup of wine and established the policy of ruling the world alongside the literati, the Confucianists had ushered in an unprecedented golden era.

By the Taizong era, scholars revered Confucius and Mencius almost exclusively.

Duke Yansheng’s Mansion was granted land by successive emperors, enjoying unparalleled prestige.

At its most splendid, scholars across the world regarded the Kong family as an exemplar; in the court, eight or nine out of ten civil officials came from the Confucian sect or were intricately linked to it.

This brought not only a monopoly on discourse but also tremendous, tangible benefits.

In such a situation, the Kong Mansion in Qufu had long ceased to be a simple abode for passing down poetry and propriety, becoming a behemoth entrenched on the Shandong land.

According to the old system—

The Kong Mansion owned vast sacrificial lands and educational lands, enjoying exemption from corvée and tax obligations.

Through this, the Kong family and their branches, protégés, engaged in land annexation, to an alarming extent.

It is recorded that at its zenith, the land under its name spanned across prefectures and counties, reaching a million mu (acres), sheltering tens of thousands of tenant farmers and servants.

Where did these lands come from?

Through cunning, coercion, and annexation without restraint.

Ordinary families, due to natural disasters or excessive corvée, were compelled to "offer" their lands to the Kong Mansion, in name becoming tenants, in practice becoming private slaves, suffering exploitation for generations.

Under the Kong Mansion, they formed a separate entity where the law could not penetrate, and local officials dared not inquire, resulting in the "Kong Mansion Estate, a nation within a nation."

Countless people were deprived of the lands they relied on for survival, laboring year-round yet unable to fill their bellies or clothe themselves, while the granaries of the Kong Mansion were piled high like mountains.

Their actions had long deviated from the sage teachings of "benevolent governance and loving the people," leaving only the name of "sage descendants" while practicing harm to the people.

Just like today’s Gu Clan.

But unlike the Gu Clan, the Gu Clan adhered to the principle of prioritizing the people, whereas the Kong family did not.

This actually already destined that the Kong family could never again reach the peak as they did in original history, though their position was still considered extraordinary.

But all this changed with the reemergence of the Hundred Schools of Thought.

The various schools absorbed the essence of Confucianism, complementing weaknesses, coupled with the scientific theories advocated by the Gu Academy.

This resulted in scholars no longer having a singular choice, and the think tank for rulers became unprecedentedly rich.

The Kong family’s discourse system of "Celestial Mandate" and "only us" faced unprecedented challenges and skepticism, its influence squeezed from the central hub of the temple, its discourse power greatly diminished, and the benefits it could reap naturally reduced accordingly.

Regarding this matter, the Kong family mostly felt helpless.

They certainly tried to resist.

But it was ultimately futile.

Even in original history, at the height of their power, the Kong family could not withstand a family of the Gu Clan’s level.

They simply did not have the courage to contend with the Gu Clan.

This led to many changes, one being that the Kong family focused more on local affairs.

And this destined them to pay attention to corn.

But these people naturally would not openly say anything to Gu Jin, only coming together to present a display of concern for the world.

Even the Kong family published a proclamation and circulated it throughout the world.

"We humbly revere the gracious Heaven and nurturing Earth, cultivating all the people. Now hearing that the Gu Clan has obtained fine grains from overseas, called ’corn,’ it is surely a divine sign of abundance."