History of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 31 Teaching for the People
After teaching for several days, there were many more children coming to learn every day than on the previous day.

Feng Yun didn't prohibit it, but the house was already full of bundles of bacon.

"You don't need to send me here to practice. This month I will just listen. If you still want to learn it after one month, we can talk about the matter of practice."

Feng Yun said this, and Shu Xiu's momentum weakened.

But the number of people is getting higher and higher, and even some idle adult men gather outside the low wall to learn seal script like those children.

"Move to the well and give lectures."

This well is the daily source of running water for the residents of the city. The site is quite spacious, and there are ancient willows hanging beside it, still swaying in the summer wind.

"Master, please sit down." A young man looked at the bamboo mat, spread it under the willow tree, and then found a good place to sit down.

The name of Master Yun has already spread throughout the surrounding neighborhoods and has a tendency to spread to the outside world.

Feng Yun did not restrain himself from cultivation, and his open-air lectures also brought him a lot of fame.

"Let's go downstream to do the laundry. Don't disturb Mrs. Yun." Some women washing clothes walked around the river not far from the well and went further downstream.

The faint sound of wooden mallets hitting clothes was not disturbing at all. On the contrary, this familiar and homely sound made the new children here and the adults who came to listen to the class feel a lot calmer.

"Today, let's talk about these words..."

When the voice of lectures rises, the sound of banging sticks will stop.

Look at those women again. They all heard the sound and wrote on the ground with water stains, regardless of whether it was correct or not.

Of course, there are people who look forward to Feng Yun's lectures, and there are naturally those who make trouble.

But Feng Yun is a courtesy sergeant, so these people are still afraid of him.

"No matter how polite the sergeant is, I won't buy a property. I'm afraid I will be kicked out by Uncle Zong and come here to be the boss. Brother, we can't be afraid of him!"

But before these people could attack, they saw two young men dressed in Xuan Duan, with swords and jade hanging on their waists, coming in a hurry.

Behind them, there were several tall guards following closely behind them.

Those who wanted to cause trouble quickly stopped.

"I came a little late, Sergeant Yun has already started giving lectures."

"Shh, take a seat first."

Feng Yun, who was lecturing, glanced at those people. Although he was surprised, he ignored it and continued to finish the unfinished seal script, and then let these students and children continue to learn calligraphy.

Of course, learning calligraphy is just a daily routine. Feng Yun guessed that he couldn't teach all the time, so he wanted to say something useful.

During the process of learning calligraphy, there was no silence, but commotion from time to time, arguing endlessly over the way to write a word.

Feng Yun does not prevent such arguments, as long as no punches occur.

"Hang on, let's not talk about the words next, let's talk about the ritual system of the Zhou Dynasty - "Rituals"."

"Etiquette" is the norm that governs the daily behavior of everyone in the Zhou Dynasty. For the common people, knowing "Etiquette" is the stepping stone to the upper class, so as not to be regarded as vulgar people by the nobles.

Even if these children cannot cross class in the future, they can still use "Rituals" to gain some experience in dealing with others.

"Listen, "Etiquette" covers various etiquettes such as crowning, wedding, funeral, sacrifice, hometown, archery, court, betrothal, etc. It mainly records the etiquette of scholar-officials, but ordinary people can also use it as a goal. In case of overstepping, use it as a courtesy..."

Only by knowing etiquette can you avoid being rude.

These people were naturally curious about the affairs of scholar-bureaucrats. When Feng Yun talked about "Rituals", they all concentrated on getting a glimpse of the lives of scholar-bureaucrats.

But what Feng Yun received was the courtesy from the scholars, and it would not be harmful for the common people to use some of the courtesy. On the contrary, it would allow the common people to live a better life, and there would even be a glimmer of opportunity for someone like Feng Yun to transcend class...

If the common people want to become a scholar, they can get approval from the scholar-bureaucrats, and Feng Yun will become a scholar.

In addition, if one has a skill and is favored by the palace, he can be hired as a worker, and if he uses his skills to gain a position as a scholar, he can also become a noble family.

……

What Feng Yun said was not new. The two young masters were bored, but they did not leave.

It wasn't until Feng Yun finished speaking about the etiquette mentioned today that the two people stood up.After bowing, he asked: "Yunshang..."

The man next to him pulled him and said, "Master Yun, if it is true that etiquette is the rule as you said, then I dare to ask why Yue is so rude to the court?"

Another person also asked: "How should we treat the Yue Kingdom?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone around him pricked up their ears.

They didn't dare to ask Master questions, but they wanted to hear Feng Yun's answer to this question.

The Lord of Da Ting collected the wealth of Da Ting and sent Da Zai as an envoy.

The country of Yue insulted Da Ting, which made the people of Da Ting angry and uncomfortable. But they were just common people. Even if they were righteous, what could they do if the king chose to compromise.

More people just feel numb and just want to protect their own one-third of an acre of land.

Feng Yun was surprised by this young master.

"Have you ever read "The 36 Hexagrams of Da Ting"?"

Facing Feng Yun's inquiry, the two of them turned red.

"Look...have seen it."

Seeing this appearance, Feng Yun understood.

I had read it, but I had not thought about it deeply, so the etiquette in that book did not bind these two people.

In this case, Feng Yun would be willing to say a few words.

"Two gentlemen, do you think there is any difference between the courtesy of a great official and the courtesy of a scholar?"

After hearing Feng Yun's inquiry, both of them had memorized the "Etiquette", so they naturally knew that doctors and scholars were different.

"There is a difference. The etiquette of a doctor is higher than the etiquette of a scholar."

As if to show his knowledge, the man added: "The courtesy of scholars is also higher than that of common people."

After answering like this, the surrounding students bowed their heads in silence, not daring to look at the gorgeous young master.

Feng Yun nodded and said: "It is indeed true as you said, but the courtesy of common people is also higher than that of slaves."

Feng Yun's words made the people around him raise their heads slightly, but Feng Yun hadn't finished speaking yet.

"Slaves, shackles and shackles, and all food and clothing are given by their benefactors. Under the ritual system of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it is almost impossible for them to become common people. Therefore, common people should understand the ritual system and not touch the ritual system, so as not to become slaves."

Feng Yun's words made the common people feel sad, but Feng Yun told the truth and hoped that everyone would not fall into slavery in such a world.

"But the common people are different. They have freedom and work in the fields for food. If they are on the battlefield and kill the enemy with military exploits, the common people may also become soldiers. And if they are in the fields and master a skill, they may one day be appreciated."

"If you are literate and knowledgeable, you can also join the scholar-bureaucrat's court and become a conspirator."

The more Feng Yun said, the brighter the eyes of the people around him became.

But Feng Yun doesn't want them to die with their illusions.

"However, you have heard that there are many common people who become scholars?"

Not many, not even a few.

This devastated the people around him and felt it was unfair.

Feng Yun asked again: "What about the scholars who became doctors?"

This is very little, which makes the people around them feel a lot more balanced.

Feng Yun didn't want to cause riots or confuse people into rebelling. He just wanted to put an end to the matter.

But the two young masters on the side were frightened when they heard this. If Feng Yun hadn't suppressed the fire in the hearts of the common people, they still wouldn't know why they ended up.

The two were about to sit down and did not dare to ask any more questions, but Feng Yun said: "The etiquette of scholars and officials are different, and the etiquette of common people and scholars are different. The Yue country is a big country, so it is naturally different from the big court."

(End of this chapter)