However, the demonstration of shaving heads by Li Ling and his son Li Jin caused a huge impact. A few days later, many young people appeared on the streets shaving their heads, imitating Li Jin. When their elders found out, they chased after them with brooms and beat them. Clearly, they only copied the form but not the spirit.
Li Ling was stunned when he heard this. He had already made himself perfectly clear. How could anyone have misunderstood?
Why are all these young people so impulsive? He went out to see for himself and found that the students were all proud to shave their heads, with short hair and wearing Confucian robes, looking completely out of place. Li Ling almost fainted.
He's having a negative effect!
Afterwards, the great scholars changed their attitude and came to his door to accuse him of leading young people astray. Several hot-tempered ones even wanted to sever ties with him.
"You scoundrel Li, I'm severing all ties with you!"
"Disrespectful to elders! That old scoundrel must die!"
Li Ling was so angry this time that she didn't even eat.
At noon, he planned to go to the palace to ask His Highness to remove the tonsure and find another way.
Lanzhang Palace.
Xie Lanzhi heard that Li Ling had been severely scolded by a group of Confucian scholars.
She couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Little Phoenix, it seems that besides war, we also have a cultural war to fight!"
"The debate between old and new ideas is comparable to a war of the century."
Chapter 158 Xie Lanzhi Wants to Be a Matchmaker
The public shaving of heads by Li Ling and his son had a significant impact. It was criticized by many Confucian scholars. Wei Zhao, the Minister of Works, learned of Li's good intentions and used Li Ling's ordination in Weiguo as a pretext to persuade the officials of the Five Great Gates. Coincidentally, an allowance for ordination was also issued from above, one tael of silver per month.
Many were tempted. Shaving one's head was for self-protection, and His Highness was worried about their health. Therefore, Wei Gong took the lead and cut off his own hair, wrapped it up, and placed it in the Ministry of Works' attic as a memento.
Because this was the first time people had their heads shaved, embodying the idea of renewal and innovation, Si Xitong specially had a room named "Gongxin's Hair" (工新之发).
The Ministry of Works already paid a high monthly salary, and with an additional tael of silver, it would be six taels per month.
Wei Gong earns ten taels of silver each, the highest wage currently paid by the Ministry of Works. When Aza and the others arrived, they each received five taels. However, as they are still apprentices, they haven't yet reached Wei Gong's level. Wei Gong has also recently been assisting in the development of automatic machine tool molds, which can currently only mass-produce tools such as axes, hoes, and sickles.
When Xie Lanzhi learned of this, she lavishly rewarded the man named Wei Gong.
Of the five major schools, he is the most outstanding among the Mo School. Currently, he is the only student in the Mo School.
Although Aza and the other apprentice disciples were at the height of their fame, they still greatly admired Wei Gong, who possessed the influence of a mere disciple. It turned out that there were indeed talents in the world who could rival the Mohist disciples.
Moreover, this talent came from a poor family and had no one to teach him from a young age. He was always involved in ordinary carpentry work. Later, he was selected by the Ministry of Works and was able to surpass others based solely on his talent.
As expected, those with exceptional talent will never miss out on the opportunities provided by God.
Faced with legends like Wei Gong, Aza and others felt a sense of belonging to the Ministry of Works because of him.
After the Ministry of Works shaved their heads, the news reached Xie Lanzhi and Si Xitong.
Hsieh Lan-chih also joked, "I thought they wouldn't cooperate, but it seems they are more receptive to new things than I imagined."
Si Xitong learned from Wei Zhao that it was Wei Gong who set an example by shaving his head first, influencing the officials. The power of an idol can influence ordinary people.
"Lanzhi, I've thought about the old and new ideas you mentioned," Si Xitong said. "They are indeed worth paying attention to, and our current period is indeed turbulent, which is also a good time to get rid of the old and start anew."
"Don't rush things." Xie Lanzhi quickly reminded Si Xitong: "Everything is difficult at the beginning, so we should first find a young and receptive group, and then let them lead others."
"For the sake of experimentation, why don't you open a bookstore or newspaper first?"
"books and newspapers?"
Xie Lanzhi told Si Xitong about the role and publicity impact of books and newspapers.
As the leader of the young people in this world, Si Xitong was the quickest to accept things. She quickly came up with a plan: she needed to have Zhang Changle select some students with pure minds who hadn't yet become entrenched in their beliefs.
Zhang Changle acted swiftly, recommending three scholars, all of whom were outstanding candidates in the imperial examinations. Logically, as scholars who followed the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, they would not easily accept anything outside their own sphere.
But these three students are all quite special.
All three of them have fathers who were renowned Confucian scholars in their time, yet they privately have ideological differences with their fathers, who are also Confucian scholars.
Si Xitong was looking for someone who was familiar with Confucianism and Mencius's teachings and could overturn the outdated and outdated ideas of Confucianism.
It's unexpected that she could still find these seeds at the end of the Jin Dynasty.
Afterwards, Zhang Changle told them the information from the investigation: "The three students were dissatisfied with the great Confucian scholars because of their ignorance. One of their fathers was a great Confucian scholar who advocated the tradition of valuing sons over mothers, another was a compiler of the 'Classic of Believers in Women,' and the last one was a compiler of the 'Classic of Filial Piety.'"
"However, these three great Confucian scholars acted in ways that contradicted their ideals, which greatly disgraced the title of Confucian scholar. It was precisely because these three great Confucian scholars' teachings were inconsistent that these three students questioned Confucianism."
"Very good." Si Xitong specially granted the three of them a newsstand, which stood right at the entrance of the yamen, where three articles could be published each month. These were short stories specifically designed to enlighten the people.
When necessary, it is best to conduct legal education and promote stories of human virtues.
Xie Lanzhi felt that this method was very much like the imperial court.
For now, I'll start by writing folk tales, removing the highbrow elegance and promoting the beauty, goodness, and truth that are full of everyday life.
After Si Xitong selected these three students, he instructed Zhang Changle to send people to keep an eye on them, and to have the Shenxing Division assist if necessary.
The Censorate has been keeping a low profile lately, having been overshadowed by the Western Guard. However, Zhang Ju hasn't been idle; he's been secretly fulfilling his duties, assisting Hai Yun in handling numerous cases.
Xie Lanzhi occasionally kept in touch with him.
Afterwards, Zhang Changle recounted the intelligence that Anshan had conveyed.
The fake Ansan reveals that Aqina's double is the real Ansan, but now the real Ansan has disappeared, and even Aqina is looking for him. As Ansan's double, he had contact with Ansan before and felt that this person never showed his true face, and every time he appeared, like him, everyone who had seen him would die.
The only time Anshan appeared was in Honghe Commercial City, a territory he occupied, and then he disappeared.
The real Ansan was last seen at Suha's house. He had amassed a fortune and, like many others, was extremely greedy, but on that occasion, he abandoned Suha's estate and suddenly disappeared.
The fake Anshan describes Anshan's characteristics as: loving money, relentlessly pursuing it like a wolf smelling blood, even in the face of great danger.
Upon hearing this, Xie Lanzhi couldn't help but ask, "Didn't Anshan disappear from Weidu?"
Are you sure the fake Anshan wouldn't lie to save his life?
Zhang Changle said, "Marshal, my subordinates also guessed the same, but there is one thing the prisoner said that makes us believe it."
Si Xitong asked, "What is it?"
“Master, the prisoner said that Anshan and Suha’s daughter were indeed married.” Zhang Changle said, “Suha’s daughter moved to Luochuan in the Northern Region half a year ago.”
“The prisoner guessed that Anshan had actually gone to Luochuan to hide long ago. He knew that he was a substitute and was destined to sacrifice himself for the king, so he was afraid of death and kept a backup plan.”
Si Xitong and Xie Lanzhi exchanged a glance and fell silent. If they could capture the real Anshan, it would mean they could control Aqina's future.
"Contact me immediately if you have any new information." Si Xitong dismissed Zhang Changle.
Zhang Changle withdrew from Lanzhang Palace.
Xie Lanzhi began to ponder. Aqina must have been looking for Anshan. Once he found him, he would likely send him to some place to be sacrificed again, just like he did with Xie Ying's death site last time.
Which historical figure will be used to overcome this tribulation?
And would Ansan, like Artur, only be able to fight for three years? She had a feeling something was different. Three years after three years, and all those sacrificed were her trusted confidants, those who risked their lives for her.
Unlike Artu, Ansan was a notorious villain who amassed wealth by promoting the "Xiaoyao Pill" and acted as Aqina's agent. Ansan's crimes were far greater than Artu's.
Artur is a general, someone who engages in direct combat on the battlefield, a pawn in the open. Ansan, however, is different; he is Aqina's hidden pawn, acting as Aqina's other, unseen hand.
Thinking back to the Japanese invasion two years ago, which targeted coastal residents, the coast is still not Little Phoenix's territory.
These two territories are currently considered to belong to two well-known countries: Yue and Shi.
Yue Kingdom, Shi Kingdom Prefecture.
Xie Lanzhi's eyes suddenly darkened like a black lake. Seeing her constantly changing expression, Si Xitong asked with concern, "Did you suddenly think of something?"
"Hmm, I suddenly thought of the Yue Kingdom and the Shi Kingdom." Xie Lanzhi guessed that the historical trajectory she saw in Aqina showed that two years later, the sea monsters would land and wreak havoc on the coastal people, becoming a historical stain on Little Phoenix. Did this mean that Little Phoenix would launch a campaign against the Yue Kingdom and the Shi Kingdom in those two years?
She couldn't tell Little Phoenix, lest it affect history. She just needed to keep a close eye on her.
"Your treasure ship is currently docked in Weidu. Don't you think that the inland harbor is a bit of a waste for the ship?"
Si Xitong's eyes flickered; she seemed to have other plans, but didn't intend to say them outright.
Xie Lanzhi did not ask her.
Si Xitong asked, "Could you lend me a batch of Lan Zhi's sailors in Weidu?"
Xie Lanzhi said, "If you want it, go and take it. Now that the Xie family and the newly formed army are one, the sailors of Xiexia are naturally not just soldiers of the Xie family."
"I want to train a group of soldiers who can swim through your people," Si Xitong said. "Also, should we send Xie Xia to the Yue Kingdom?"
Xie Lanzhi was somewhat puzzled, but she didn't ask, only nodded, letting her use it as she pleased.
Then she herself... Xie Lanzhi suddenly remembered that Li Li and Si Caifeng were pregnant with a child.
She still needed to keep an eye on Si Caifeng; she could vaguely sense that this woman would play a significant role in the future.
"I want to give Li Li a gift as a way to celebrate him becoming a father."
Si Xitong had actually prepared in advance. She turned to the desk, wrote a congratulatory letter herself, and then asked Xiao Xiu to go to the storeroom to pick out items suitable for Si Caifeng.
Xie Lanzhi gave it to Li Li, thinking that Li Li definitely didn't want anything fancy, that supplies were plentiful, that his people were living a prosperous life, and that she certainly wouldn't need any special assistance for the time being.
She gave him a flintlock pistol.
The gift was sent by the Xie family merchants, and at the same time, Li Li's letter also went south.
The letter was received by Xie Lanzhi. Upon opening it, her hand suddenly trembled. She then handed it to Si Xitong.
After reading it, Si Xitong looked surprised: "Qiqi secretly took a boat to Tianjing last month?"
The letter contained Yelü Lili's entrustment to her to look after Yelü Qiqi. The reason was that Yelü Qiqi disapproved of her sister-in-law, Si Caifeng, who was constantly crying and, taking advantage of her pregnancy, had forced Lili to cancel another sister-in-law's marriage proposal. The woman, after being rejected, simply left home. Qiqi was furious, believing Si Caifeng was behind it. So she went to confront the pregnant woman, causing Si Caifeng to faint from anger and even affecting her unborn child.
Fortunately, the doctor saved the baby. Li Li, a first-time father, saw his child nearly lost and slapped Yelü Qiqi across the face.
Yelü Qiqi cried bitterly, then secretly boarded a boat and left with her bundle on her back.
Li Li couldn't find her in Luochuan, so he guessed that Qi Qi would go south to find Si Xitong.
Xie Lanzhi suddenly had a headache and said, "He can't even keep an eye on this little rascal?"
"Although the South Central Plains are stable now, other regions are still in the midst of war and are even more dangerous. I just hope she doesn't wander into any dangerous places."
"Let's send someone to look for it," Si Xitong said helplessly.
The news of Yelü Qiqi running away from home was leaked by someone, reaching Xie Shangguang and Si Xinian. Both young men were very worried about her safety and each asked someone to look for Yelü Qiqi.
Xie Shangguang even asked Xie Lanzhi for help.