"Since ancient times, what ruler who restored his dynasty has ever governed the realm without worthy men and gentlemen at his side?"
"Yi Yin was a slave who tilled the fields of Shen, yet he became a minister. If only men of unblemished standing could be employed, how could Cheng Tang have governed the realm? Are there no slaves today who labor in kitchens yet possess such worth? Are there no bondsmen who worry for the state?"
"Talent alone shall determine appointment. Great Shang shall recruit and employ the able!"
Dozens of broad-shouldered, thick-waisted Royal Guards roamed Chaoge City, shouting out the Meritocratic Edict and the Great Wall Slave Conscription Edict issued by King Zhou.
The Meritocratic Edict was easy to understand. King Zhou cited the ancient worthy Yi Yin as an example, explaining that even lowly servants and slaves could hold office and govern the realm. As long as they had talent, whether they were cooks, farmers, or vegetable hawkers, they could enter court as officials.
The signs had already been there when King Zhou debated Yun Zhongzi at court. Even then, King Zhou had said that origins and background did not matter; ability and intentions did.
Conscripting slaves to build the Great Wall, however, gave people something to chew over.
First came compulsory conscription. Every noble household that owned slaves had to send one in ten to the frontier to build the Great Wall.
Then there were runaway slaves. Oppressed slaves would flee, and new runaways appeared every day. Once captured, they could scarcely escape death-and only after suffering every manner of abuse.
Yet the conscription edict stated that even runaway slaves could be spared death, provided they were willing to go north and build the Great Wall.
Ji Chang heard it too, and his heart initially tightened.