The Brains of the Outfit

Si Ming, "If it were truly such an unbridled privilege, the common people of France would probably have dug up the One-Eyed Stone Man and started an uprising long ago. It is precisely because the privilege has been limited and not gone too far that the France people have tolerated it until now."

Wei Tianyang said, "Of course, being a nobleman also brings various preferential treatments in other aspects, not just in criminal matters. For example, France trains always have one or two carriages reserved for nobles, which commoners are not allowed to enter. There are also seats reserved for nobles on buses."

Si Ming suddenly smiled maliciously and said, "Since nobles have privileges, what about the royal family? What privileges do they have?"

Hey, the France royal family's surname is Han, and yours is Wei. You're both rich and noble, yet you dare to criticize the privileges of the nobility and openly express your dissatisfaction. I could guess with my toes that you're a member of the royal family.

Of course, it's much more clever than those who just reverse the name, like changing "Chen Yang" to "Yang Chen"—although many novels use such a silly pseudonym method, which makes a lot of people not recognize the protagonist, but that's obviously the author giving the protagonist a cheat code.

He thought asking this question would at least put the other party in a bad mood, or at the very least make them feel disgusted. However, Wei Tianyang remained unfazed and said, "The privileges of the royal family also depend on blood relations. Those close to the current emperor are equivalent to dukes, while those less close are equivalent to marquises."

Murong Qing frowned and said, "The prince is subject to the same law as the common people. This is a principle of Legalist School itself, yet they can't even uphold it?"

Wei Tianyang laughed and said, "Nobles are also commoners. The privileges of royalty are the same as those of nobles. This does not violate the principle that 'princes are subject to the same laws as commoners.'"

Si Ming couldn't help but chuckle. The ruling class was indeed all the same. In ancient Celestial Empire, the "people's hearts" referred to by the emperors and ministers meant Aristocratic Clan families, literati, and landlords, not ordinary people. The farmers who tilled the land didn't even qualify as "people." This view was quite similar to the privileges of the France royal family.

Murong Qing said somewhat angrily, "What if a prince committed murder? How would he be sentenced? Even if we take privileges into account, would he really be sentenced to life imprisonment according to the law?"

"The prince wouldn't kill anyone. If such a thing were to happen, there are only three possibilities: first, someone misjudged him and was hallucinating; second, the prince killed someone who deserved to die, or acted in self-defense; third, the prince who committed the murder was someone else in disguise, and someone wanted to frame him."

Si Ming concluded, "In short, the prince will not kill anyone."

Although the other party had come with some ulterior motive, Si Ming still held them in high regard for him. They spoke frankly about sensitive topics, saying what needed to be said, which Si Ming didn't find offensive. So Si Ming asked, "Senior Wei, what brings you here?"

Wei Tianyang smiled warmly, knowing that the conversation had successfully won him favor, and said frankly, "It's like this, students from another class in the law department are discussing the differences between our country and Su State. I think that compared to those empty theories from people who have never even been abroad, the personal experiences of the two parties involved are at least more convincing."

This wasn't a particularly difficult matter, and Si Ming was about to agree when Murong Qing pulled him back, reminding him via Secret Voice Transmission: "Don't forget Uncle Yan's warning, don't get involved in the conflict between the nobles and commoners."

"It's nothing, just comparing the differences between the two countries. It has nothing to do with the conflict between nobles and commoners. Besides, as long as we don't express our opinions, does anyone want to force us to take a stand?"

Si Ming didn't take the matter to heart at all and excitedly followed Wei Tianyang away, leaving Murong Qing with no choice but to follow.

The three arrived at another large classroom, and as soon as they entered, they heard a heated debate.

"You always talk about learning from the Mohist School, about universal love and equality, but you don't know that the Su State itself doesn't practice equality. It also has a privileged class. Ordinary people can only marry one wife, but masters above level eight can legally have multiple wives. Moreover, the higher their Internal Cultivation, the more wives they can have. What kind of universal love and equality is this? They are even more privileged than our nobles! At least in our country's laws, there is no provision that only nobles are allowed to marry more spouses. As long as the conditions permit, even commoners can. In this respect, the Su State is more serious than us."

Chapter 484 Wisdom and Responsibility

Si Ming looked into the classroom and saw a boy in a luxurious school uniform who was talking loudly; he was clearly a nobleman.

France schools typically provide two sets of uniforms: one for the aristocracy and one for the commoners. After all, noblemen don't want to wear the same clothes as commoners. Or rather, only by treating them differently can the advantages of their aristocratic status be highlighted. Otherwise, if you don't have aristocratic markings on your face, who will know your identity? There are also wealthy merchants among the commoners who are just as arrogant and do not lose out to the aristocracy.

Even if the school wants to promote equality and not discriminate against students, it often has no choice but to compromise when pressured by the elites.

However, as the highest institution of learning in France, the Codex University for the Study of the Law does not need to give face to the nobility. It stipulates that there is only one style of uniform, and students must wear it during the school year. If they do not wear it, they will lose credits. There is no room for negotiation. It's up to you whether you come or not.

But where there's a will, there's a way. The nobles quickly devised a plan. The school rules only required the style to be the same, without restricting the materials. I could make my own school uniform using the best materials—that wouldn't violate the rules, would it? I have naturally delicate skin, and wearing inferior fabrics would make me feel uncomfortable. The school couldn't force me to wear them, could they? What if I had an allergic reaction?

Initially, only one or two nobles did this, but over the years, it quickly became an unwritten rule that noble students had to wear school uniforms made of better materials to distinguish them from commoners. Some nobles who were involved in the tailoring industry even provided a separate set of school uniforms.

Although there are also impoverished families among the nobility, they can only grit their teeth and pay for school uniforms in such cases. This is no longer a matter of personal preference, but has become a marker of social division. If you are a nobleman but wear the same school uniform as commoners, you are considered a "traitor to the nobility," and the noble clique will ostracize you.

Conversely, if a commoner wears a school uniform in the style of an aristocrat, then you are a "traitor to the common people," a lackey of the aristocracy, trying to curry favor with them. Therefore, even the son of a wealthy merchant dares not buy himself a better school uniform, because doing so would please neither side. The aristocracy would look down on you, thinking you are a monkey in a crown, and the common people would also ostracize you, thinking you are servile and have no dignity.

The divide and antagonism between the France aristocracy and the common people are evident.

After the aristocratic student spoke, some commoner students in the audience disagreed and were about to object, but Si Ming beat them to it. "I disagree!" After saying that, he walked onto the stage.

Murong Qing startled. Getting involved in such a sensitive topic was tantamount to taking a stand. She reached out to pull him up, but she was too late and could only watch as Si Ming stepped onto the podium.

Standing at the podium Fu Gu frowned slightly. "This student looks unfamiliar. You don't seem to be a student in our law department."

Si Ming smiled and said, "I am indeed not a law student, but I am Su State. Since you have brought up Su State, I naturally have an obligation to stand up and defend my country. Is there anything wrong with that?"

A student from the commoner class saw Wei Tianyang standing at the door, immediately understood, and stood up, saying, "This debate of ours was just a last-minute decision, and there's no rule that only law students are allowed to participate. It's more like a discussion than a formal debate. As the saying goes, truth is not revealed through debate, so of course we welcome more people to participate in the discussion. Do we, as France people, know more about the situation in Su State than the Su State?"

Fu Gu's face was tense. He instinctively wanted to refute, but couldn't find a suitable reason, because this was indeed an impromptu debate. A commoner student suddenly went up to the stage during self-study and said, "France should learn from the Su State and eliminate the aristocratic status, just like the Mohist School Grandmaster suppressed the Aristocratic Clan families. Only in this way can the country develop."

These words were tantamount to declaring war on the nobility, and a war of attrition at that. It was no wonder that the noble students could not tolerate it, and a fierce debate broke out on the spot. It was even conducted in the manner of a debate according to established rules. Even if they were to fall out, the Legalist School would do so according to the rules, rather than arguing like shrewish women shouting in the street.

Formal debates not only restrict the participants, but once the list is finalized, others can only watch and cannot interrupt. However, impromptu debates only have unwritten rules. By unwritten, it means there are no formal rules; they only exist if both sides acknowledge them, and do not exist if they do not acknowledge them. At this moment, Fu Gu could not find any grounds to stop Si Ming from going on stage, so he could only reluctantly step down.

When he returned to his seat, a glance out of the corner of his eye caught sight of Wei Tianyang by the door. He suddenly realized that this debate was clearly a deliberately set trap. He quickly summoned a follower and whispered in his ear, "Quickly, go and inform the Second Young Master... tell him..."

He hesitated for a moment. He only had suspicions, no concrete evidence, and couldn't speak too definitively, so he said, "Just say the Third Young Master is up to no good."

The henchman nodded and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was looking, secretly slipped out.

At the podium, Si Ming began, "The student who spoke just now mentioned the privilege system of Su State. First of all, we must admit that he didn't lie. Putting aside the debate about whether it constitutes a privilege, at least what he said is true. In Su State, martial arts experts not only enjoy special privileges in marriage, but also receive corresponding preferential policies in other aspects. For example, when taking the civil service exam, if your Internal Cultivation reaches level eight, you will receive an extra five points, and for each subsequent level higher, you will receive an additional five points."

Law students are clearly adept at debating. They didn't change their tune just because Si Ming acknowledged the previous speaker's words. They're used to tactics like first criticizing and then praising, or praising and then criticizing. They always follow up with a "but." The content before the "but" is unimportant and can be ignored; the content after the "but" is the key point.

Sure enough, Si Ming spoke up, "However, equating this policy with the privileges of the France nobility is unfair. It's simple: these policies in Su State are for all citizens; everyone has the opportunity to enjoy them, regardless of birth or background, only ability. This can be achieved through hard work. But in your country, the privileges of the nobility are predetermined from birth; no effort is needed. As long as you are born into nobility, you can enjoy preferential treatment. If this isn't a privilege, what is?"

A noble student stood up and said, "This friend from Su State clearly doesn't understand the situation in France. In France, one can also obtain preferential policies through hard work. Level Ten Internal Cultivation martial artist can obtain a noble title, Level Twelve Internal Cultivation martial artist can obtain a viscount title, and Spirit Transformation expert can obtain a count title. This policy is the same as that of Su State, just in a different form."

Si Ming scoffed, "You call it fair that others have to work hard to get things without effort?"

The other party retorted, "Our preferential treatment didn't come out of thin air; it was earned through the efforts of our ancestors. How can it be fair that those who don't work hard and those who do have the same treatment?"

Si Ming shook his head and said, "You're confusing the issue. I have no objection to the fact that your 'hardworking ancestors' receive preferential treatment, but you are at best descendants of hardworking people. What gives you the right to receive preferential treatment? What kind of effort have you put in? The effort to hone your reincarnation skills?"

The concept of reincarnation was very new to the France students, and a group of ordinary students burst into laughter after understanding it.

"When it comes to being born into the right family, we really can't compete with them; we concede defeat."

"Being born into the right family is definitely a skill, but how do you learn it? Can someone teach me?"