Heaven's Will, the People's Will

"This Caotang Notes, though filled with tales of spirits, ghosts, foxes, talented scholars, beauties, and female immortals, is actually a collection of allegories. It is truly worthy of the former dynasty's prime minister and founder of the Li School." Hong Yi opened a book and read a few lines, but his heart drifted to his mother, who had died when he was seven.

Li Yan continued, "The sages say that integrity and intelligence make a god. As long as a scholar's heart is upright and strict, their thoughts will naturally be as powerful as any god or Buddha. How could gods or Buddhas possibly bring retribution upon you?"

The title of "Lady" is no simple matter. Within the Marquis's estate, there are currently three ladies, a status granted by special imperial favor due to the repeated meritorious services of Marquis Wuwen, Hong Xuanji.

"Marquis Wuwen" is a prominent figure in the Great Gan Dynasty, surnamed Hong, given name Xuanji.

Just as the scholars were about to press further with their questions, Li Yan said with a stern expression, "Scholars should only discuss the people's livelihood, state affairs, benevolence, righteousness, and ritual laws. To dwell on ghosts and gods is to go too far."

"Those scholars in the imperial academy, even the talented ones, only know how to study by rote. They do not understand that worldly wisdom is the true essence of literature. Even if your essay is brilliant, if it does not align with the examiner's school of thought, they will certainly fail you."

Hong Yi could never forget that day when he was seven and just beginning to understand the world. During the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet held at the Marquis's estate, the hall was packed. When his father was reciting poetry with guests, his mother had merely matched a line, only to be immediately scolded in public by the primary wife: "Frivolous behavior, lacking the virtues of a woman, still clinging to the habits of a brothel."

Li Yan said, "An Yin Spirit can leave the shell to wander, invisible to the human eye, formless and substanceless. Being nothing but a mass of soul, it can only rely on external objects to manifest its supernatural power. A Yang Spirit, however, is no different from a living person; it can manifest various forms, fly through the heavens, burrow into the earth, and achieve immortality."

"Gods and Buddhas do not exist; are they merely born from the thoughts and beliefs of men? The book says, 'Heaven sees as my people see, Heaven hears as my people hear, Heaven's will is my people's will.' Does it have such an interpretation? Integrity and intelligence make a god? Yin Spirit and Yang Spirit?"

Moreover, when Hong Yi's mother married into the Marquis's family, Marquis Wuwen already had a primary wife and a secondary wife; she entered only as a concubine.

Yujing is the capital of the Great Gan Dynasty. Though she was called a talented woman, she was technically of "lowly status" from a brothel. After marrying into a wealthy family, her position was extremely low. And this year marks exactly sixty years since the founding of the nation, a full cycle of the sixty-year sexagenary cycle.

Scholars do not speak of strange phenomena, force, chaos, or spirits. Those preparing for the imperial examinations do not read such books.

The room was very simple. The brazier for the fire was an iron basin, and the charcoal was ordinary, not the exquisite bronze tripod-footed basins carved into beast shapes used by the wealthy families.

But Li Yan stood his ground against the crowd, arguing that the daughter-in-law had been deified because the sage's books state, "Heaven sees as my people see, Heaven hears as my people hear." If the common people believed she had become a god, then it was the will of Heaven, and thus she had become a god.

The scholars, hearing Li Yan speak with such eloquence, felt a sense of reverence and asked him about the Daoist principles of cultivating a Yang Spirit.

"Heaven sees as my people see, Heaven hears as my people hear..." Just as Hong Yi was deep in thought, a knocking sound suddenly came from outside the door.

When concubines ate, they were not allowed to sit; they had to stand like maids. In typical wealthy and noble families, only the first wife was addressed as "Lady."

The Great Gan Dynasty is prosperous and flourishing, with vast lands and abundant resources, a population of hundreds of millions—a celestial empire.

The story goes like this: A scholar nodded and asked, "If one were to tear down the temples of gods and Buddhas so that people no longer believe in them, what if the gods and Buddhas were to bring down retribution?"

In a village, a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law were sleeping at night when the wall suddenly collapsed. The daughter-in-law, sleeping on the inside, desperately propped up the falling wall to let her mother-in-law escape, only to be crushed to death herself. After the daughter-in-law died, the mother-in-law was heartbroken. The villagers comforted her, saying they had dreamed that the daughter-in-law had been appointed as the City God by Heaven.

Because this book was a collection of notes by a former prime minister, Li Yan, it was filled with demons, ghosts, Daoists, immortals, talented scholars, beauties, and fox spirits.

He wore a green robe, his brows were delicate, and he looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, his frame slightly thin. After late autumn, although there was no snow, the cold grew more biting with each passing day.

Hong Yi suddenly saw a story, read it carefully, and was astonished.

The "Marquis Wuwen" estate is located in the southeast of Yujing City, covering a hundred acres with open, expansive grounds. At the main gate stood a pair of red-lacquered stone qilins three people tall, a vermilion gate with shining copper nails and rings, and gatekeepers with sharp eyes and crisp uniforms—all of which displayed the status of the Marquis.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"A scholar who is upright and strict has thoughts that are powerful and pure, approaching the Yang Spirit of the Daoists. They are far more powerful than those Yin Spirits that cannot manifest and can only rely on dreams to bring retribution."

"I have prepared almost everything for the examinations after the spring, but I still need to ponder further."

Hong Yi felt a sense of novelty; this story seemed to have opened a mysterious door for him. However, Hong Yi was reading it specifically to prepare for the imperial examinations.

The Great Gan Dynasty places great importance on the imperial examinations. Once one makes it onto the golden list, they can potentially have three generations ennobled.

One could feel the severity of winter just by looking at the long, thick, crystal-clear icicles hanging from the eaves of every house in Yujing, sharp as swords.

Early in the morning, the sound of reading came from a secluded courtyard in the northwest corner of the Marquis Wuwen estate.

Over these sixty years, four generations of emperors of the Great Gan Dynasty have worked diligently, leading to an era of prosperity as brilliant as flowers and as intense as oil cooking on a fire.

"Although Li Yan has passed away, most of the officials in the imperial court who rose through the examinations are his students. The chief examiner for this upcoming test will surely be someone from his Li School. If I carefully ponder the allegorical thoughts Li Yan expressed through foxes and ghosts to cater to the tastes of his followers, I will surely pass with high marks."

According to the laws of the Great Gan Dynasty, there is one primary wife, two secondary wives, and four concubines. The status of a concubine is extremely low; among some wealthy families and scholars, they even gift concubines to one another for amusement.

The scholars all laughed at Li Yan for being too pedantic, but Li Yan offered a profound argument: "In truth, gods are merely manifestations of human thoughts. The gods and Buddhas in temples are able to manifest miracles repeatedly because they bear the weight of people's incense offerings and faith. Originally, there were no gods in this world. When many people believe and their thoughts gather, gods and Buddhas are born. It is simple to destroy them: just tear down their temples, stop people from believing in them, and stop the incense offerings. Over time, they will naturally vanish."

"Whether I can clear my mother's name depends on the special imperial examination in the spring and the metropolitan examination in the autumn. First, I must pass as a Juren, then as a Jinshi. Once I am on the golden list and three generations are ennobled... the court will issue a decree to confer the title of Lady upon my mother. Her grave can then be moved into the Hong family ancestral plot, and her spirit tablet can be worshipped in the ancestral hall."

After establishing great military achievements at twenty-two, he abandoned the sword for the pen, passed the imperial examinations, ranked as a Tanhua, was granted an official position, and participated in state affairs. He once received the highest ten-character evaluation from four generations of Great Gan emperors: "On horseback, he can govern the army; off horseback, he can pacify the people."

"What a wonderful interpretation—that the will of Heaven is the will of the people."

When he studied, he had no page-boy or maid to grind ink or lay out paper. All of this showed that Hong Yi's status in the Marquis's estate was not high, yet he had time to study, so he was not among the ranks of mere servants.

That night after returning, his mother was so angry that her blood stagnated, she vomited blood, and two months later, she died of illness. When she died of anger, his mother was only twenty-five.

Before the examination, it is crucial to ponder the school of thought, ideology, and preferences of the examiner to write an essay. Although Hong Yi was young, his heart was clear as ice. At the time, Li Yan and a group of scholars were discussing this matter; the scholars thought the daughter-in-law's filial piety was commendable, but the language about deification was nothing but the ramblings of villagers.

The cover of this book was new, but the paper was old, clearly an old book that no one read. This was because Caotang Notes was not a classic, ritual text, or policy essay for the imperial examinations, but rather a collection of absurd and unrestrained notes on spirits and monsters.

Hong Yi was also very clear in his heart that if he could pass the Jinshi examination, he would not only be able to leave this Marquis's estate and make a name for himself, but most importantly, he could secure the title of "Lady" for his mother.

"If I pass the Jinshi examination, if I pass the Jinshi examination, the court will confer the title of Lady upon my mother. I wonder what expression that primary wife, Lady Zhao, will have then?"

Among the high-ranking officials and nobles, the court bestowing the title of Lady upon one's wife is a great honor, even more gracious than being promoted or ennobled.

Hong Yi frowned, stood up, and opened the door.

Hong Yi muttered the words "Lady Zhao, Lady Zhao..." twice, his eyes flashing with hatred.

Hong Yi thought to himself as he closed the classics and policy essays and opened a copy of Caotang Notes.

This man not only held a high title but was also at the pinnacle of officialdom, serving as a Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet and Guardian of the Crown Prince. He was skilled in both literature and martial arts; in his youth, he could draw a nine-stone strong bow and fire repeatedly, charging through hundreds of enemy troops on horseback as if taking a leisurely stroll (in the Great Gan Dynasty, one stone is one hundred catties, so nine stones is equivalent to nine hundred catties).

Before Hong Yi's mother married "Marquis Wuwen," she was a famous talented woman in Yujing City, proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, with a talent for poetry and prose that overflowed. She sold her art but not her body, and she met the Marquis during a performance where they exchanged poems, eventually marrying into the Marquis's family.

Someone was knocking on the door, but the sound was loud—it was someone kicking it.

As the son of a concubine, Hong Yi had no right to inherit the title or the family property. His only way out was to pass the imperial examinations.

Hong Yi opened half the window, lit a charcoal fire in the room, and was reading at the table, looking every bit the part of someone preparing for the imperial examinations and pondering the classics.