Volume One: Menial Servants of Changshui County Chapter Six: The Nine Grades of Confucianism

“Second Brother Lu!”

As Lu Jiuzhang stepped out of his house, a timid voice called to him from across the street. In front of the neighbor’s door stood a girl of fifteen or sixteen, slender and delicate, the very picture of a neighbor’s little sister.

She was the daughter of Madam Zhao next door, someone who had grown up playing with Lu Jiuzhang since childhood. From the memories left by the body’s previous owner, Lu Jiuzhang knew this girl to be a decent sort.

“Second Brother Lu, I heard about your elder brother. Please accept my condolences. If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know.” The girl looked at Lu Jiuzhang, her face earnest and sincere.

“What help could you possibly offer? Even at his worst, Old Lu was an official runner; now that he’s gone, the authorities will take care of the funeral. Why would a silly girl like you be needed?” Madam Zhao emerged carrying a basin of water, grumbling as she spoke. “If you’ve got so much time on your hands, better hurry home and get to your embroidery. Sell a few more pieces and earn some money.”

Chided, the young girl stuck out her tongue and quickly vanished inside.

As for Madam Zhao, she didn’t even spare Lu Jiuzhang a glance. She splashed the basin of water onto the road, then turned and went back inside, shutting the door behind her with a bang.

“You foolish girl, always taking the side of outsiders.”

“Lu Huaigu is dead. What help could you possibly give?”

“That Lu Jiuzhang can’t even kill a chicken. Why bother talking to him at all?”

“He might look impressive, but what good is a handsome face? Can it fill your stomach? You’d better give up on him now. From now on, just pretend you don’t know him when you see him.”

Inside the house, Madam Zhao’s voice was loud enough for Lu Jiuzhang to hear every word clearly. He understood—on the surface, she was scolding her daughter, but in truth, she was warning him.

With Lu Huaigu gone, in the eyes of these people, he was of no further use. Naturally, they now wished to keep their distance.

Such was the way of the world, and the hearts of men.

The so-called “universal harmony” was a lofty ideal at best. In reality, the world was full of people like Madam Zhao—common folk, no more, no less.

Lu Jiuzhang gave a bitter smile, then turned to take care of his business.

...

As mentioned before, though he couldn’t afford an extravagant funeral for his eldest brother Lu Huaigu, at the very least, some dignity was required.

For the memorial tablet, Lu Jiuzhang chose camphorwood—a material of considerable expense. Even a tablet the width of an adult’s palm and about a foot long cost him three hundred copper coins.

Next came the tombstone, for which he selected the finest black stone from Changshui County. Polished to perfection, it cost seven hundred copper coins.

In the blink of an eye, another tael of silver was gone.

He would also need to purchase a burial plot, for in these times, any land of value was already spoken for. Buying the plot and hiring labor to dig the grave would cost nearly three taels of silver in total.

Then there was the matter of hiring pallbearers and purchasing spirit money and other offerings—another two taels of silver.

Everywhere he turned, money was draining away.

Yet Lu Jiuzhang was not stingy about these expenses. Having paid the deposits readily, he headed in the direction of the academy.

...

In this world, only a select few had the privilege of attending school. Most poor families couldn’t afford even the most basic tuition, or were unwilling to pay it.

As the sage said, “Education knows no class.” But teachers, too, had to make a living.

“The teacher is inside. You can go right in,” said the servant in rough clothes upon seeing Lu Jiuzhang.

“Sorry to trouble you,” Lu Jiuzhang said, bowing as he entered.

It was the students’ rest day, and Master Zhou was at home.

“Master, I’ve finished reading the book and brought it back to you,” Lu Jiuzhang said respectfully.

“Leave it on the table.”

Master Zhou, dressed in plain robes as always—clean, neat, and gentle in manner—nodded.

“Master, I wanted to ask what purpose the Nine Grades of the Confucian Path serve,” Lu Jiuzhang asked directly, skipping over any small talk.

“The nine grades, hmm…” Master Zhou pondered a moment. “What is Confucianism? The Rites of Zhou say: Confucians attain the Way for the people. To attain the Way, first is ritual and music, second is benevolence and justice.”

“People as the foundation, mutual respect and trust, benevolence with order, subtle words with profound meaning, giving weight to righteousness over profit.”

“Confucians originated from the office of the Minister of Education, assisting the ruler to harmonize yin and yang and spread enlightenment. They study the Six Classics, giving weight to their words; in the Way, this is the highest.”

Master Zhou was known throughout Changshui County for his fondness for lecturing. He spoke in a style half classical, half colloquial, and could go on at length, citing histories and classics until Lu Jiuzhang’s head spun. Only after a long discourse did he get to the point.

“The Nine Grades of the Confucian Path are not as powerful as other paths, but they are the foundation of the great edifice. The ninth grade is ‘Enlightened Speech,’ the eighth ‘Enlightened Body,’ the seventh ‘Enlightened Mind,’ the sixth ‘Established Speech,’ the fifth ‘Established Body,’ and the fourth ‘Established Mind.’”

“Though these are but changes in a single word, the difference is vast. ‘Enlightened Speech’ means understanding the words of sages and great Confucians. Reciting these words aloud brings with it the luck of the Confucian path; monsters and demons cannot approach, righteous energy endures, and all things can be summed up in ‘principle.’”

“When a pool of words appears in the sea of consciousness, sustained by Confucian fortune, and the pool reaches one zhang deep, you may enter the eighth grade.”

At this, Lu Jiuzhang understood. The Nine Grades of the Confucian Path were not especially useful; their strength lay in their words, imbued with Confucian fortune. With enough talent, one could ward off lesser demons and monsters. Compared to the martial or arcane paths, their ninth grades were far inferior.

At the eighth grade, however, there was some true ability. In addition, the appearance of the word pool in the sea of consciousness—reaching one zhang, one could advance to the eighth grade.

Yet Lu Jiuzhang’s situation was unusual; his own word pool had appeared already nine zhang deep.

By Master Zhou’s reckoning, he ought to have entered the eighth grade long ago.

“Master Zhou, what is the Kui Star Pavilion?” Lu Jiuzhang pressed on, suppressing his doubts.

“That is the holy land of scholars! Changshui County is too small, but both the prefectural and county capitals have a Kui Star Pavilion, within their official academies. The Pavilion in the Great Zhou capital is the sanctum of all scholars. When you have time to visit the official academy in Anxi Prefecture, you will understand.”

On this point, Master Zhou did not elaborate. The so-called “official academy” was a school funded by the authorities—only found in larger places. Changshui County’s meager tax revenues could not support such an institution, and even if established, few students would attend.

Having learned all this, Lu Jiuzhang took his leave. He still had many questions, but did not pursue them—such as why the Kui Star Pavilion had appeared in his mind, or why his word pool was nine zhang deep.

He suspected that even if he asked, Master Zhou would have no answers. Everyone has their secrets; some must be solved alone.

Leaving Master Zhou’s home, Lu Jiuzhang returned to his own. He had barely sat down when a knock sounded at the door.

“Brother Lu, it’s me—your Brother Wang. Open up!”

It was Wang Yunshan’s voice.

What was he doing here? Was he perhaps coming to offer condolences for his elder brother?

Could even a fair-weather friend be so loyal? Or was it that, with his brother gone, Wang wanted a companion for a night at the brothel and had come to invite Lu Jiuzhang along?