Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 275 - 210: Not Afraid of Floating Clouds Obscuring the Eyes_2

Chapter 275: Chapter 210: Not Afraid of Floating Clouds Obscuring the Eyes_2

After all, modern people could hardly be a match for ancient ones in the field of debating scriptures.

Thankfully, the game "Dark Sand" was kind enough this time to not have Chu Ge actually play Wang Wenchuan in a battle of wits against a host of scholars; otherwise, Chu Ge figured he would suffer again.

"This way, Ayun’s Case should be considered properly resolved.

"But from Ayun’s Case, it’s clear to see two very significant conflicts that are likely to run through the entire instance, no, they might even run through all subsequent Qi Dynasty instances.

"This is troublesome..."

Chu Ge had already sensed that, in future instances, he would probably face many more challenges.

In Ayun’s Case, he saw two huge contradictions. One was the issue of "which takes precedence, the emperor’s edict or the existing laws," and the other was whether the emperor is "governing the world with the scholars."

In the eyes of Wang Wenchuan and other reformists, since the emperor has already issued a decree explicitly stating the method of dealing with such special cases, then even if this decree conflicts with existing laws, the emperor’s edict should prevail.

Wen Junshi and others, however, believed that not even the emperor could override the laws with his decrees.

That is to say, what both sides were debating was actually the question of "whether the ancestral laws can be changed" or not.

Without a doubt, such debates would continue throughout the process of implementing new laws after Wang Wenchuan, and in each specific event that followed, both sides would use this method to repeatedly clash until one side completely fell.

The other huge contradiction was the question of "whether the emperor governs the world together with the scholars."

Clearly, in the eyes of Wen Junshi and others, the emperor of the Qi Dynasty could not have absolute, supreme royal power but had to share this power with these ministerial officials.

If an edict of the emperor was unanimously opposed by all scholars, then such an edict should not and would not likely be implemented smoothly.

From a modern perspective, limiting royal power seems like a good thing, but when the emperor wants to get some real work done and offends the interests of high officials, leading to ultimate failure, it may not be such a good thing...

In any case, Zhang Renxia’s identity had also made it through the second stage.

The fog in Chu Ge’s vision gradually dispersed, but instead of immediately seeing the next stage, a special memory fragment appeared.

On it, Wang Wenchuan’s figure could still be faintly discerned.

"Hmm?

"Memory fragment!"

Chu Ge couldn’t help but perk up, immediately attempting to touch the fragment, and then, scene after scene played before him like a carousel of images.

In the previous version update, the memory fragment talent had already become a permanent talent for players. It would trigger at key moments in many instances, providing surprises for the players.

And this time was no exception.

Although the memory fragments were fragmented, not particularly complete and coherent, Chu Ge still watched very carefully because he knew there might be important information related to completing the instance.

...

The perspective in the memory was still first-person, and after watching for a while, Chu Ge realized that this perspective belonged to Wang Wenchuan.

The imperial list was packed with names.

In Chu Ge’s field of view, instead of reading the list from back to front like others, Wang Wenchuan confidently looked directly at the top spot.

As expected, he saw his name in the fourth position.

Being listed on the golden placard is one of life’s great joys. This also meant that Wang Wenchuan’s years of strenuous study had finally yielded fruit; at the age of 22, he had successfully entered the officialdom of the Qi Dynasty, ready to make a name for himself.

From the current perspective, calling him a top scholar is not an overstatement at all.

After reporting to the Ministry of Personnel, Wang Wenchuan turned and left the bustling capital to go to the local provinces and counties of the Qi Dynasty.

In the blink of an eye, twenty years passed.

Over these two decades, his footsteps covered many provinces and counties, serving in a series of positions such as Judge, County Magistrate, Deputy Magistrate, and Prefect, starting from the grassroots and being promoted based on merit.

And in these fleeting memory fragments, Chu Ge also saw some special scenes.

Actually, Wang Wenchuan had the opportunity to become a capital official long ago. He could have taken the court examination and entered the court when he was a Deputy Magistrate for the military governorship, then slowly accumulated seniority and naturally been promoted, quickly entering into the power core of the Qi Dynasty.

And for a super scholar like Wang Wenchuan, taking exams was an easy task.

After all, his articles were undisputedly the best at the time, and although not the foremost, he was definitely among the top tier in poetry and essays.

But he didn’t attend the exam at all.

He stubbornly went to another county to serve as County Magistrate, and that was another five years.

From the eyes of his colleagues, friends, and political enemies, he saw confusion. These people clearly thought Wang Wenchuan was somewhat insane.

But at this moment, Chu Ge could understand Wang Wenchuan’s mindset.

Because he was known in history for his stubbornness.

Whatever he believed in, he would carry out at any cost, regardless of the consequences, and nothing could pull him back.

The officials of the Qi Dynasty, each seeking shortcuts for promotion and riches.

The scholars of the Qi Dynasty, held the highest status in history. And the Qi Dynasty also had the problem of "redundant officials," boasting the highest number of officials among all dynasties. A multitude of scholars, once they had passed the examinations and waited a while, could always scheme for a half-official position.