Chapter 202: The Difficulty of Overcoming Internal Thieves
Chapter 202: The Difficulty of Overcoming Internal Thieves
Fang Jifan did not look at Wang Shouren, but continued speaking seriously.
“Today, we are talking about capturing Imperial Criminals. To capture Imperial Criminals, you must have proper understanding of them. This is the principle. The leader of the Beggar Sect here is a rebel. That Wang San before was also a rebel. Here in the Western Hills, there are many former rebels. What are rebels? They are certainly not good. But to eliminate rebels, relying solely on the Brocade Guard who only know how to arrest people and torture them—these rebels cannot be exterminated nor fully caught!”
He paused for a moment, his clear eyes sweeping over everyone. He swallowed and then spoke again earnestly.
“Today, I am teaching you this lesson to explain this principle: to tell you that rebels are also human, they are flesh and blood, they also need to eat. They fear pain, they fear death. No one is born a rebel. And to eradicate rebels, relying only on the Eastern Depot and Imperial Guard is not enough—what should we rely on?”
“The Classics of the Sages say we should rely on Moral Education. The Sage was correct. I deeply admire him!”
“However… what he said was not wrong, but the Pedantic Scholars of later generations misunderstood.”
Everyone was very quiet, not daring to make the slightest sound, all listening intently.
Fang Jifan was being quite bold; this was like pointing at Scholars and scolding them directly.
Fang Jifan did not think too much and continued.
“They thought that Moral Education meant repeatedly reciting Ruler and Subject Relations and Father and Son Relations to the common people, and then the world would be peaceful. This… is an incredibly ridiculous idea. As an official, the first priority is to ensure people have enough to eat. If people’s bellies are not full, throughout history, how many rebels rose against the imperial court? How many instances of sons disrespecting fathers, or brothers turning against each other? Thus, the old saying: ‘When granaries are full, one learns propriety; when warm and fed, one knows honor and shame’.”
“You…” Fang Jifan glanced at Ouyang Zhi and others, seeing they were all listening attentively. A hint of joy flashed across his lips.
“Are all my disciples. As your Mentor, I am a person of high integrity…”
“…”
“You are about to enter public service, to serve as officials for the people and the imperial court. Today’s lesson is to let you know that as officials, you should understand the people. What are the people? They are not plants, not just principles from the Classics of the Sages. The people are like you and me—ordinary flesh and blood. Their knowledge might be less than yours, but if hungry, they die; if full and seeing hope, they become docile. This is a very simple truth. If you understand this, being an official becomes easier. What is a good official? A good official is one who can turn rebels into obedient citizens, just like me. What is a mediocre official? A mediocre official is one who pushes obedient citizens to become rebel factions.”
“This Imperial Criminal… Are any of you interested in coming up to study him? If so, come up.”
“…”
“Alright.” Fang Jifan shook his head; it seemed no one wanted to come up and study. He sighed inwardly, then looked at his disciples and asked seriously, “Now, do you understand what I said?”
“…”
Ouyang Zhi and the others looked at Fang Jifan with surprise.
Fang Jifan felt a bit regretful, regretting that he had pushed his disciples to become like blocks of wood.
Ah…
Just as Fang Jifan sighed, suddenly a voice said, “I understand! The Great Way is Simple, Unity of Knowledge and Action!”
The Great Way is Simple… Unity of Knowledge and Action…
Fang Jifan was drawn by the voice and felt momentarily confused, wondering what was going on in that person’s head.
But with his understanding, he must have grasped something again.
The problem was… what he thought might be completely different from what I meant.
Oh well.
When Emperor Hongzhi was still the Crown Prince, he studied at the House of the Crown Prince under strict Scholars who instilled countless sayings of the Sage and principles of learning.
But personally capturing an Imperial Criminal and using him as a lesson—that was something never seen before.
Especially Wang San’s confession made him not hate these rebels bitterly, but instead… feel a sense of sadness.
He could not help but sigh, then stood up.
Everyone focused on him. Their eyes were filled with surprise, all thinking His Majesty’s comprehension was truly admirable.
Emperor Hongzhi stepped out of the school. Fresh air greeted him outside, and he finally escaped the nearly suffocating stench of salted fish.
Of course, that was not the most important thing. Emperor Hongzhi’s eyes were slightly clouded. He glanced sideways at Xiao Jing, feeling deeply moved and with many thoughts. He raised his eyebrows deeply and asked sharply, “How many people like Wang San are there in The World?”
Xiao Jing’s lips trembled slightly. He mumbled, not knowing how to answer, then hung his head guiltily.
Emperor Hongzhi naturally knew he could not answer and did not dare to answer.
In fact, everyone understood the principle.
Did the books not contain the principles Fang Jifan spoke of today?
No, the books were full of such principles. Every Classic of the Sages was filled with phrases like ‘The people are important, the State Altars are secondary’.
But… what use was it?
Emperor Hongzhi had read so many Classics of the Sages, yet today… such a plain truth truly made him reflect deeply.
Seeing Wang San and hearing what Fang Jifan said afterward—words that seemed ‘not very nutritious’—yet he was moved.
Looking at the timid Xiao Jing, Emperor Hongzhi’s expression turned very unpleasant. His gaze at Xiao Jing showed some displeasure.
Xiao Jing’s heart trembled. He swallowed and finally, gathering courage, said, “Your Servant… Your Servant does not know.”
Emperor Hongzhi snorted coldly and said sharply, “Of course you don’t know. Tens of thousands of Eastern Depot and Imperial Guard agents are not as good as one Fang Jifan.”
These words were too cutting. Both Xiao Jing and Mou Bin showed ashamed expressions, bowing their heads, not even daring to look up.
Emperor Hongzhi gazed at the Western Hills, took a deep breath, and sighed deeply.
“Fang Jifan captured Imperial Criminals and has merit. But his merit is not only that—it lies in making rebels into docile, good citizens.”
Xiao Jing and Mou Bin kept their heads down, not daring to breathe loudly.
Emperor Hongzhi glanced elsewhere, quite emotionally, and said, “Killing rebels is too easy. Mere troublemakers—to kill them is effortless, right? But to overcome the thieves in people’s hearts, to make these rebels lose all desire to cause trouble—that is incredibly difficult. Look at that Wang San. Was Wang San born a thief? Why did he become a thief? And in the end, why did he become a good citizen?”
Each of these probing questions hit the crucial points.
But… Xiao Jing and Mou Bin did not dare to answer. They continued to bow their heads and listen.
Emperor Hongzhi seemed to know he would get no response. He raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at the two beside him, seeing Xiao Jing and Mou Bin with their heads lowered, looking fearful.
He could not help but sigh.
“So, killing rebels is easy, but overcoming the thieves in people’s hearts is truly hard. Just as killing a person is easy—it only takes a commoner’s rage, blood splattering within five steps. But to win over their hearts, to make them sincerely submit—none of you are as good as Fang Jifan.”
Emperor Hongzhi sighed and shook his head in disappointment.
Xiao Jing felt sour inside, but did not dare say a word, because in this matter, he was indeed not as good as Fang Jifan.
Mou Bin felt a lump in his chest, but could only smile wryly.
Behind them, in the school, Fang Jifan seemed to have finished his lesson. Then they heard his roar: “Applaud!”
Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
Finally, it seemed Fang Jifan clapped first, and then enthusiastic applause broke out.
The enthusiastic applause was particularly loud, lingering in everyone’s ears.
“…”
Emperor Hongzhi stood with his hands behind his back, stopping in front of the school’s entrance, which was unpaved and muddy after rain. His boots were already splattered with mud, but he did not care.
Soon, many people came out in groups. The first to emerge was Zhu Houzhao, his palms red from clapping. He had to give Old Fang face, so he clapped very hard.
He seemed excited—not because of what he learned from the lesson, but because… he was surprised to find that his previous ‘mischief’ with Fang Jifan unexpectedly earned gratitude from the rebels.
A leader of the Beggar Sect called him Benefactor. Just thinking about it could be bragged about for a lifetime.
This was much more interesting than chopping off an enemy’s head.
But as soon as he came out, he saw Emperor Hongzhi.
Emperor Hongzhi stood with his hands behind his back, appearing sacred and majestic in the sunlight. Zhu Houzhao immediately put on a mournful face, his lips twitching slightly, not daring to approach.
Lately, his Imperial Father’s temper had been quite fierce; he did not want to provoke him.
Even though he had done nothing wrong, his Imperial Father would still target him, so he better not bring bad luck upon himself.
Next, Fang Jifan came out, followed by Realized Master of Dharma Propagation Li Chaowen.
Li Chaowen, afraid of missing a chance to be alone with Fang Jifan, followed his steps carefully, mimicking his pace, and quietly praised, “Martial Uncle, you spoke very well.”
Xu Jing and Tang Yin walked shoulder to shoulder behind and overheard Li Chaowen’s words. They gave him a look of disgust and spat, “Ugh, that shameless flatterer.”
Ouyang Zhi and the other two were, as usual, simple and honest. Their reactions were often slower than others. They were only now starting to digest their Mentor’s words.
Wang Shouren lagged last. His eyes looking at Fang Jifan’s back were full of confusion. At that moment, he felt his head was about to explode.
He seemed to have grasped something, but this fleeting spark kept coming and going. As he exited, his foot caught on the doorstep, and he stumbled. But he did not seem to care, just brushed the dust off his clothes and continued walking aimlessly, further and further, as if dazed, heading into the distance.