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Fei Qian looked at the confident Guo Jia, curious to see if this young man truly possessed the talent that earned him the title of "Ghost Talent" in the *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*...
"May I ask, what is a ruler? What is a subject? What is a noble family? And what are the common people?" Fei Qian began by posing these questions. On the surface, they seemed like simple definitions, but in reality, Fei Qian wanted to explore the relationships between these four social strata and see how Guo Jia understood their dynamics.
Guo Jia smiled casually, glanced around as if searching for something, then took a few steps to the side and picked up a stalk of yarrow grass that someone had accidentally left behind. He pointed to his head and said, "This is the ruler—"
Then he pointed to the hand holding the yarrow grass and said, "This is the subject—"
He waved the yarrow grass and said, "This is the noble family—"
Finally, he pointed to a line of ants crawling on the ground and said, "These are the common people."
Fei Qian chuckled. This kid's reaction was top-notch, and he even managed to use a nearby object to make a fitting analogy, which aligned with the prevailing views of the time. The key was that his answer was clever—
Fei Qian had asked four separate questions, but he was really probing the connections between the four. Guo Jia, in turn, answered four questions but used them to illustrate the relationships between the four.
The ruler is the head, commanding the subjects, who are the hands. The subjects, in turn, select the noble families, represented by the yarrow grass, and finally, the noble families direct the common people.
This was the feudal social structure that had gradually formed since the Spring and Autumn period, layer upon layer, creating a vast pyramid. At the top was the supreme ruler, followed by the ministers who controlled the court, the noble families who governed the countryside, and the ignorant common people at the bottom.
It was a reasonable and appropriate analogy.
But Fei Qian wasn't satisfied. This was still the young Guo Jia, at best a work in progress. Perhaps only a few years later, when he truly joined Cao Cao, would he become the fully realized Guo Jia.
Fei Qian pressed further: "If that's the case, and disaster strikes, forcing you to abandon one of the four, which one would you discard?"—If one day, under dire circumstances, you had to remove one of the ruler, subject, noble family, or common people, which one could be sacrificed?
"This..." Clearly, no one had ever asked such a tricky question before, and Guo Jia was momentarily stumped, falling into deep thought.
Kid, never been stumped by a sacrifice question before, huh? Heh, back in my day, anyone trying to get into some pretentious company would almost always face similar questions during interviews—
For example, they might first ask, "What are the most important things in life?"
And you'd think the question was simple, so you'd rattle off a bunch of answers like achieving greatness, family wealth, personal fulfillment, and so on...
Only to realize that the interviewer didn't actually care about your answer. They were just setting a trap, waiting for you to fall in, and then they'd pile on more dirt—
"If you had to give up one of the things you just mentioned, which one would it be?"
And if they wanted to be even more devious, they'd follow up with, "Besides the one you just gave up, if you had to give up another, which one would it be?"
At this point, no matter what you had answered earlier, you'd inevitably be stuck in a long deliberation, just like Guo Jia was now.
Abandon the ruler? Can you function without a head? What would happen to the fundamental principles of Confucianism without a ruler?
Abandon the subjects? Cut off the arms, and can the body still function? How would the state operate?
Abandon the noble families? As a member of a noble family, would you dig your own grave? And without the noble families, how could a handful of ministers control the vast territories? How would decrees reach the fields?
Abandon the common people? This might seem like the easiest choice, but it's definitely not an option. Although they are the lowest class, without the common people, what purpose would the upper classes serve?
Guo Jia secretly smirked. This Fei Qian, Fei Ziyuan, seemed gentle and refined on the surface, but it turns out he had a devious streak, casually setting a trap for me to fall into...
Guo Jia's eyes darted around, and finally, he said, "Ziyuan, you're quite the talent. Why don't you teach me?"—Alright, you've asked a great question. If you can answer it yourself, then I'll acknowledge your brilliance...
Fei Qian smiled. Although he knew that in the future, the noble families would be abandoned, and their knowledge would be used to educate the ignorant common people, turning them into sheep who understood a bit of right and wrong, allowing them to be directly controlled, he couldn't say that now.
Because the foundation of this path lies in enlightening the people, and true enlightenment isn't just about teaching them a few words. It requires giving them sufficient autonomy, the right to know, and the power to make decisions...
Otherwise, take that country in the future, North Korea—can you say the people there are illiterate? Yet they still live under the illusion of a deified ruling class.
This is a path that might take thousands of years to walk, and even then, it might not be fully realized. Explaining this to Guo Jia, who hasn't experienced much hardship, would likely make him think I'm just spinning tales.
So Fei Qian said, "I don't know either, but how about we make a bet..."
Guo Jia didn't respond immediately, just listened quietly, showing some interest.
—Looks like after being tricked once, the kid has learned to be cautious. He's not agreeing right away but is waiting to hear the details before deciding. But still...
Fei Qian said, "I'm currently traveling on my teacher's orders, for at least a year, maybe three. If during this time, I solve the problem, I win. If you solve it, you win. How about that?"—The "solve" here doesn't mean a simple answer but a step-by-step solution. Otherwise, it would just be a verbal "answer," not a written "solution."
Guo Jia weighed the offer carefully. It seemed fair, and betting on knowledge was a refined pursuit. So he said, "What's the wager? And if I solve it, how will I find you?"—Implying that he was sure to win!
"How about a hundred jars of fine wine? I'll be studying in Jingxiang. If I solve it, how will I find you?"—Fei Qian's reply suggested that the outcome was still uncertain!
Guo Jia laughed heartily. "Deal! Don't worry, I'll definitely solve it!" With that, he cupped his hands in a gesture of farewell and prepared to leave.
"Fengxiao, wait!" Fei Qian turned to the writing supplies provided by the Xun family, took some paper and a brush, and wrote at the top: "First Lecture at the Xun Family Villa, Ninth Month of the First Year of Zhaoning—Lecturer: Xun Shuang." Below that, on the left side, he wrote "Heluo Fei Qian" and handed the paper and brush to Guo Jia.
Guo Jia understood immediately without needing an explanation. He clapped his hands and said, "Ziyuan, you're quite meticulous. This method is brilliant!"
In ancient times, communication wasn't as convenient as in the future. If both of them found the solution, how would they determine who came first? Fei Qian's method provided a rough way to handle this issue.
By writing down the answer along with the time, place, and significant events and people, it would be difficult to cheat. For example, if someone wrote down last year's date and current events, the time it took to deliver the answer could be estimated. If the answer arrived this year but was dated last year—how could it take a year to travel from Yingchuan to Jingxiang?
At most, someone might try to cheat by a month or two, but not much more. There was also a small detail: Fei Qian deliberately signed on the left, showing humility, while Guo Jia signed on the right, satisfying his vanity...
Guo Jia happily took the brush and signed his name with a flourish, formally sealing the bet.
But then Fei Qian handed him another sheet of paper and said with a smile, "I have a habit of collecting signatures. Would you mind signing one more for me?"