Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 1: The Yellow Turban Rebellion, The Clear Voice of the Young Phoenix, Chapter 37: The Provincial Governor System

Book: Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 37: The Provincial Governor System

A high evaluation indeed.

It didn’t even follow the usual rule of being somewhat mysterious in most evaluations, even if it was straightforward, it had to be vague at first and then concrete!

Instead, it genuinely elevated her to an absolutely high position.

Yang Xiu, being too young, immediately exclaimed, “What on earth did you write?”

Seeing the middle-aged scholar gesture for them to enter, Qiao Yan pointed and said, “I think once you meet Master Zijiang, you’ll get your answer.”

The middle-aged scholar, seeing Qiao Yan remain calm and composed after receiving such high praise from Xu Shao, and not retaliating against the obvious provocation from Yang Xiu, couldn’t help but admire her even more.

He wasn’t one of the “many extraordinary talents of Runan and Yingchuan,” but having followed Xu Shao, he had some connections in Runan and had seen many young prodigies.

In his eyes, Qiao Yan had indeed shown a talent surpassing all others he had seen before.

Such a person…

No wonder she could write such a text.

Thinking this, he didn’t delay in leading the two children into the temple.

The Dingzhong Temple was only a temporary resting place, modestly furnished, but since Xu Shao and a few others participating in the Monthly Appraisal had gathered here, someone had tidied it up to resemble a literary venue.

Passing the screen wall behind the central gate, Qiao Yan saw eight important figures seated behind their desks, resembling a scene of a triple court hearing.

Of course, besides these eight, there were others invited, though none could compare in reputation to the front few.

Upon seeing someone enter, they all turned to look at the two children.

Xu Shao, seated at the head, was no exception.

At first glance, the children’s demeanor earned his silent praise.

They truly have the bearing of great generals…

Yang Xiu, having grown up under the Yang family’s shadow, though only nine years old, had likely seen many such occasions, so his composure was understandable.

Qiao Yan, having grown up with Qiao Yu in Yanzhou, displayed even more composure than Yang Xiu, and despite her young age, she truly deserved the praise of exceptional grace.

Seeing Qiao Yan, he couldn’t help but recall the seemingly casual remark she made at the beginning.

She said, “Returning from Ji Province, passing Hulao and crossing the Luo River, I finally reached Luoyang, only to hear someone say that the Yellow Turban Rebellion was a local disturbance, requiring the reinstatement of provincial governors to restrain the four directions, which startled me.”

Whether Qiao Yan was truly startled, he didn’t know, but Xu Shao was indeed startled when he saw the beginning and the title “Discourse on Feudalism and Provincial Governors.”

At least when Yang Xiu and Qiao Yan’s essays were presented to him, he hadn’t expected to see such a piece.

Her second paragraph directly addressed the main point.

“One must know that provincial governors and feudalism are the same. In the Zhou dynasty, the land was divided and enfeoffed, with states scattered like stars, wheels and spokes gathered, yet when united, they served the court, and when divided, they lacked loyalty to the ruler…”

This was actually an essay refuting the idea of provincial governors!

Not only did Xu Shao not expect such a unique essay from her, but neither did the others.

When Xu Shao first called them over, they thought Qiao Yan had written some childish words, but upon seeing the essay, they shared Xu Shao’s reaction.

This… this was written by a child?

Yang Xiu couldn’t mistake the astonished looks from the seated scholars when he and Qiao Yan entered, but he was certain those looks weren’t for him, as he had only received praise for his quick wit.

This made him even more eager to know what Qiao Yan had written.

After greeting the scholars, he cupped his hands and asked, “May I be so bold as to ask to see Lord Qiao’s work?”

With Qiao Yan and Xu Shao’s consent, the silk manuscript finally appeared in his hands.

Unlike Xu Shao, who started from the first paragraph, he immediately saw the title—”Discourse on Feudalism and Provincial Governors”—and turned to Qiao Yan, asking, “How did you think of writing this?”

Qiao Yan simply replied, “It was just a spontaneous thought.”

But this was just to fool Yang Xiu. In reality, saying it was spontaneous wasn’t entirely accurate.

Essays, especially those submitted, might seem like free-form compositions, but that wasn’t entirely the case.

Considering who was present and their statuses would greatly narrow down the possible topics for her essay.

Who were the people mentioned by the scholar who entered the Dingzhong Temple?

Han Rong, Chen Ji, Wang Qian, Bian Rang, Wang Kuang, Chen Lin, Xu You…

All were renowned scholars of the time!

And the biggest commonality among these scholars was that they all served under He Jin.

Of course, this service didn’t mean they were genuinely attracted by He Jin’s “humbling himself to seek talents” and sincerely plotted for him, but because—

Firstly, the Prohibition of Factionalists had just been lifted, and they all needed temporary protection to re-enter officialdom.

Being recruited by the Three Excellencies was one option, such as He Yong, who praised Xun Yu’s talent to assist a king, later recruited by the Minister of Works as an officer, gaining a leading position in the Three Excellencies’ discussions, or Huang Wan, recommended by Grand Commandant Yang Ci in court.

But the positions of the Three Excellencies were too easily changed or abolished, especially with the ongoing chaos and frequent natural disasters in recent years. If the current emperor wanted to blame someone for a disaster, he would directly have one of the Three Excellencies resign in self-reproach, or, given Liu Hong’s unpredictable temper, remove someone due to factional disputes.

Thus, He Jin, the Grand General and imperial relative unlikely to be removed from his high position, became the scholars’ first choice.

Secondly, He Jin, with high authority but short-sighted strategies, could likely become their effective “tool” to eliminate the eunuchs.

This was the commonality among those present.

Since they were already here and sought a good reputation from these people, having utilitarian thoughts was very normal in Qiao Yan’s view, so she didn’t find “catering to their preferences” shameful.

But this catering had to be just right, for example—

She couldn’t say she would also join in eliminating the eunuchs.

Such direct alignment with a faction would do her no good.

With Xu Shao’s reputation from the Monthly Appraisal, Qiao Yan needed to convince the public, so this essay had to be displayed.

Writing such a radical piece might seem to please the scholar faction but would also displease Liu Hong, possibly even leading to the revocation of her already secured County Marquis title for something as trivial as entering Luoyang with the wrong foot first.

Her previous rapport with Bi Lan would also be completely wasted.

Therefore—

She could appropriately show something favorable to He Jin’s stance in the essay but must not align herself directly with the faction.

In other words, she needed to refute something unfavorable to He Jin but not harm Liu Hong’s power balance, preferably conveying a loyal stance to the Han Dynasty.

Was there such a topic?

Yes!

Exactly what she wrote—refuting the provincial governor system!

This was the only system unfavorable to He Jin, not necessarily beneficial to the scholar clans, posing a potential threat to the current emperor, and recently proposed by the imperial clan to address the chaos.

On the boat journey to Luoyang via the Luo River, Qiao Yan had heard this news from Bi Lan.

Though from Yang Xiu’s perspective, Qiao Yan’s writing seemed effortless, her thoughts had already turned countless corners in assessing the “judges'” identities and stances.

Moreover, she wasn’t just different in age from Yang Xiu, a true child, but also had the natural advantage of viewing the issue from a future perspective.

Because in…








Another era once had a similar situation.

After the Jianzhong Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty went through Emperor Shunzong and into the hands of Emperor Xianzong. The authority of the Son of Heaven weakened, and various feudal lords divided the land. After the failure of the Yongzhen Reform, Liu Zongyuan wrote an article criticizing the voices advocating for the restoration of the feudal system, titled “Discourse on Feudalism.”

Is the feudal lord system of the late Tang similar to the Provincial Governor System of the late Han?

Somewhat similar, but not entirely the same.

However, one thing is the same: after the An-Shi Rebellion and the Jianzhong Rebellion, the military governors became independent of the central authority, and the Tang Dynasty was even destroyed by the military governor Zhu Wen. Similarly, the Provincial Governor System granted the governors the power to recruit soldiers and govern independently, which became the final spark that led to the warlord division in the late Han.

Liu Zongyuan used his “Discourse on Feudalism” to attack the arguments supporting the feudal system, targeting the feudal lords. Qiao Yan could also draw inspiration from this, ostensibly criticizing the feudal system but actually targeting the recently proposed Provincial Governor System in the court.

The only person she would offend by writing this is Liu Yan, who is currently the most enthusiastic about restoring the Provincial Governor System.

But criticizing Liu Yan wouldn’t cause her any real harm.

The Yuan Clan of Runan has disciples all over the world and holds high positions. At this point in time, the Yuan Clan has no intention of carving out their own territory. The first batch of provincial governors appointed by Emperor Liu Hong would only go to Liu Biao, Liu Yan, and Huangfu Song—loyal officials of the Han Dynasty—and not to the Yuan Clan, which has just recovered from the Prohibition of Factionalists.

The Provincial Governor System or the feudal system offers no benefits to the Yuan Clan at this stage. They wouldn’t care about Qiao Yan’s remarks and might even find her arguments reasonable.

He Jin, as the Grand General, has opened his own office to recruit talents and is at the peak of his power. Naturally, he isn’t too fond of the Provincial Governor System either. Although he might not actively oppose it, if someone else were to do so, he wouldn’t mind and might even see them as a potential ally.

As for the broader scholar-official class, while they gather around He Jin to sharpen the blade against the eunuchs, it is indeed necessary to oppose any other forces that might divide He Jin’s power at this time.

The top-tier among them don’t need additional positions created by the feudal system to find platforms to realize their ambitions.

So Qiao Yan can write!

Not only can she write, but she is also highly likely to gain the approval of Xu Shao and other famous scholars, who might consider her work worthy of being presented to the Emperor as a memorial.

In fact, she guessed correctly.

A ten-year-old child who can manipulate the Yellow Turban forces, refute Zhang Jiao’s “Scripture of Great Peace,” and now insightfully analyze the political landscape and propose her own views must be evaluated on the same level as them.

If her arguments don’t conflict with their interests, they would regard her as a kindred spirit and a prodigy.

And if she also carries the favor of the current Emperor and has already amassed some political capital—

Xu Shao and the others would have to give her an exceptionally high evaluation to show their goodwill.

However, Qiao Yan didn’t earn this praise solely based on her views.

She wasn’t shameless enough to copy Liu Zongyuan’s entire essay, but it’s fine to learn from his arguments and structure, right?

His work combines parallel prose and free prose, with concise language. She just needs to balance detail and brevity while critiquing current issues.

Adding some of her own experiences from the Yellow Turban Rebellion would make it more grounded.

Moreover—

When Liu Zongyuan gave examples, he mentioned figures like Meng Shu and Wei Shang. Couldn’t she also use more recent examples?

Isn’t this the perfect opportunity to subtly ease tensions with certain factions?

“His Majesty knows of Qiao Yan through Yang Ci…” Yang Xiu’s expression turned微妙 as he read this.

He glanced at Qiao Yan, who remained calm, as if mentioning Yang Ci’s recommendation of Huang Wan was merely highlighting the advantages of the Prefecture-County System, not currying favor with the Yang Clan.

Even the mention of Liu Hong learning of the reputations of those present through He Jin seemed like a natural inclusion given the context of the essay.

“The implementation of the Prefecture-County System allows for the dismissal of the incompetent and the rewarding of the capable. If someone is unfit, they can be removed in the evening after being appointed in the morning. But if one person governs an entire province, even if they cause chaos, the people can only resent them.”

This is the flaw of the Provincial Governor System, which resembles the feudal system. If a governor is incompetent or causes trouble, the people can only suffer in silence due to the governor’s excessive power.

“What if a governor rebels and the region is easily defensible? What can the court do?”

Yang Xiu knew little about court affairs, but the others present were aware that the Governor of Yizhou, Xi Jian, was corrupt and killed by the Yellow Turbans. Liu Yan, who proposed the Provincial Governor System, sought the position of Governor of Yizhou.

What is Yizhou? A land of natural barriers, fertile fields, and abundance—this is how Zhuge Liang described it.

Qiao Yan might as well have pointed at Liu Yan and accused him: you propose the Provincial Governor System and want to be Governor of Yizhou; if you rebel and hold such a strategic location, what can the court do?

Xu You and Chen Lin, who are skilled in scathing critiques, felt Qiao Yan’s wording was a bit weak, likely due to her young age.

But considering that a more subtle approach would please the Emperor, they raised their evaluation of her.

“The way of the world is for the virtuous to rise and the unworthy to fall. If there are rebels but no traitorous officials, the world will unite, and the virtuous will be promoted…”

“…”

“The fall of Qin was due to its governance, not its system. Now, the state has established prefectures and counties, appointing governors and magistrates. This system is unchangeable.”

“…”

“Qiao Yan does not wish to see sages born in such times, where feudalism blocks the path to the central authority, leaving no way to stand in the world. Thus, she humbly presents these crude words.”

Yang Xiu fell silent.

They were all nine or ten-year-old children, just trying to gain fame as prodigies. How did you manage to write such a high-level essay?

He now realized that Xu Shao’s praise of Qiao Yan as a “young phoenix with a clear voice” might have been understated.

Yang Xiu’s political sensitivity wasn’t high, but he could see that this essay was indeed worthy of being circulated among the officials in Luoyang and presented to the Emperor.

The conclusion was a bit idealistic, but the idea of the virtuous rising and sages standing firm was clearly a defense of Han orthodoxy after the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

He lowered his head, gripping the silk scroll tightly.

Even if he didn’t want to admit it, his cleverly written Q&A paled in comparison to this essay on the Provincial Governor System.

But losing to someone like this…

He didn’t feel wronged at all!

When he looked up at Qiao Yan again, she thought he looked a bit like Xu Fu idolizing someone, though there was also a competitive desire to challenge her again in a few years.

His recovery was quite fast.

However, before Yang Xiu could propose a three or five-year challenge, the main gate of Dingzhong Temple was suddenly pushed open.

Qiao Yan turned to see a familiar face.

The intruder was none other than the Palace Attendant Zhang Rang!

No matter how much the others present despised Zhang Rang, they couldn’t deny the reality that when he appeared as the Emperor’s envoy, no one could stop him.

Zhang Rang was well aware of their schemes, but since he wasn’t here for them, he didn’t care about their hostile gazes.

He looked at Qiao Yan and said, “His Majesty has heard that Marquis Qiao came to seek Xu Zijiang’s Monthly Appraisal and has sent me to deliver an edict—”

Liu Hong’s oral decree was that if Qiao Yan truly received a good evaluation from Xu Shao, she should be summoned to the palace. Upon arriving, Zhang Rang heard the “young phoenix with a clear voice” praise.

Thus, the prophecy of her standing before the throne was about to come true.

As Qiao Yan knelt to receive the edict, Zhang Rang continued, “Summon the Marquis of Leping to the palace for an audience.”

Qiao Yan’s eyes gleamed—her essay wasn’t in vain!

She was finally going to meet the reigning Emperor!