Chapter 1531 - 822: How Many Years Have Passed? (Double-Length)

"Good... what is good?"

With his back to him, Chen Yi's indifferent expression could be sensed through Wu Shiju's voice. When something shocking suddenly confronts a person, it seems the senses become interconnected and indistinguishable. Eyes can hear sounds, and ears can see things. In this moment, even the oldest person regains a childlike heart. After all, when infants curiously examine the world, they cannot differentiate between their hands and feet.

Seeing no response from the man, as if the answer was self-evident, Wu Shiju finally focused his eyes and asked again, "What is good?"

Chen Yi glanced sideways, saying, "I am a Yu Ren."

He didn't want to get entangled with this Confucian scholar who suddenly showed up, so he ended the topic simply. For many years, although there have been constant border skirmishes between Jin and Yu, large-scale wars have to be traced back fifty years. The flames of war burned from Tongguan along the Great Wall, a fiery dragon winding across the map of the two countries. Under the earthen mounds resembling dragon scales, smoke arose everywhere, and weapons clashed, yet neither side gained an inch of land or achieved a single merit. It was like the times of Song and Jin when you wished to launch a northern expedition, and I also prepared for a southern conquest, only to waste national resources, leaving shattered walls behind. Thus, for the next fifty years, Jin and Yu made peace and reopened trade, stabilizing the country. The Grandfather of Emperor Jianji changed the reign title to 'Xiuwen Yianwu' in the last year of his reign. It was one of the rare four-character reign titles signifying literary refinement and the cessation of war, and for the next fifty years, it became a testament to that era. There were no more wars between the two countries, only the great Confucian scholars of the two nations spitting insults at each other, with Jin Confucians calling Yu scholars 'Southern Wu Barbarians', and Yu scholars retaliating with 'Barbarians with shorn hair'... This was the Huayi Debate of the past fifty years.

Since those great scholars couldn't debate a result themselves, Chen Yi didn't want to get involved either. He just wanted to send Wu Shiju away and head to the Golden Immortal Temple.

He turned and continued to board the carriage, but resistance came from behind. The old scholar's face turned livid, directly grabbing his clothes, with the veins on his hands bulging.

"You, you, you!"

Wu Shiju spat three "you" words in anger:

"Do you know that the many regions of Huaxia have been divided for hundreds of years, and how our country's Jin began to adopt Han law since Emperor Zhao Wen? It has been merely a century!

Have you ever read history books?!"

The old scholar's voice suddenly rose, exceptionally sharp in the quiet morning corner, drawing sidelong glances from some passersby outside the walls, but he paid no heed,

"Do you know before Jin and Yu were established, the world was in chaos, like the time of the Five Hu Disorders in Huaxia? Officials and their garb fled to the south, the northern land became ruins, people ate each other, white bones were everywhere, just like the end-time of the Han Family when Huaxia's apparel and manners were lost!"

Chen Yi shook his head, said lightly, "I don't know."

Yet Wu Shiju seemed not to hear. This old scholar, who only offered sycophantic smiles before Yu Wen Yuan, seemed to have had his long-suppressed spirit stirred up. He held on tightly, refuting on his own:

"You Yu people were born in Jiangnan, unaware of the difficulty of establishing Han law. You were nurtured in comfort, only seeing the scenes along Qinhuai, the soft dialect of Wu, have you ever witnessed the Hu dust of the north? Have you ever understood the difficulty and preciousness of maintaining Han law?!"

"Unseen, unexperienced." Chen Yi leisurely pulled away his hand.

Wu Shiju, with his hand tugged, was panting like an ox but his voice was incessant, continuing:

"Until Former Qin's Fu Jian, though defeated at the Feishui, his employment of Wang Meng and enactment of Han law laid the precedent. Afterwards, the Northern Wei's Emperor Xiaowen struggled against all objections, moved the capital to Luoyang, changed to Han surnames, wore Han clothes, and established Han rites! The various Hus began to adhere to Han law, thus laying the foundation for the later Northern Dynasty!

Our Da Jin's Grand Ancestor Emperor, following the mandate from Mobei, pacified the northern frontier, established the country in Chang'an. The Hu marauded, knowing only the Hu and not the Han, until Emperor Zhao Wen established Han law, a full hundred years of hardship, how many benevolent and righteous men expended their efforts, even stooping to serve the Hu, enduring humiliation to rebuild Han law upon this northern land!

You Yu people, rising from Jiangnan, finding comfort in one corner, claimed to inherit the authentic apparel and manners. But what do you really know?!"

By the end of his words, Wu Shiju was choked up, tears flowing, and that old face, always offering sycophantic smiles, thus appeared contorted. Seeing the person before him silent, he felt this was proof of winning the argument, so he raised his head slightly, like when awaiting the name during the day of the imperial examination. Yet, he never thought that the person before him only half understood, with the understood half going in one ear and out the other, ultimately just refuting himself.

Chen Yi, seeing he finished speaking, said flatly, "What's the use of telling me all this? Teach that Han King, let him understand propriety and law, emulate that Former Qin's Fu Jian and Northern Wei's Emperor Xiaowen."

Wu Shiju, just earlier so vigorous, now choked up.

His momentum suddenly collapsed, and his spine hunched a bit, as Wu Shiju seemed to revert to that only-smiling Wu Baha'er, his head buzzing. After a moment, he managed to respond: "... I am teaching."

"He has no interest in what you're teaching, just wants to use it to please his Father Khan."

"His Highness is a man of great promise, he will understand the value of Han law. I assumed you were a man of insight, sir, which is why I met with you in private. Why are you so unreasonable?"

While questioning, perhaps to regain some momentum, Wu Shiju again attempted to grab Chen Yi's clothes, but Chen Yi grabbed his wrist first. He struggled for a moment, but his hand remained still in mid-air.

"I'm not interested in teaching the Han King anything, teach him yourself." Chen Yi said, releasing his hand and boarding the carriage.

Wu Shiju froze, unexpectedly obtaining the desired result so easily. Those earlier chides against Chen Yi were organized on his journey here, with thousands more words waiting for Chen Yi to refute.