Chapter 394: Chapter 210: The Virtue of the Five Elements
Translator: 549690339
Lu Yuan has been very busy these days.
With the establishment of the new state, various matters, such as the bureaucratic system, military system, etiquette, laws, etc., all need to be reorganized and determined.
Even if he were to copy and borrow everything from the current system of the Yue State court, it would still be a troublesome process.
It would be impossible for Lu Yuan to figure it all out on his own.
He doesn’t even have the energy to do so.
So, he needs assistance.
Sun Siwen has arrived early.
Since receiving his summons, Sun Siwen, a friend responsible for overseeing the administration of the southern three prefectures, rushed over in three days.
Not only him, but Sun Siwen’s father-in-law, Shaoyang Prefect Cui Changqing, was also summoned by Lu Yuan five days ago.
With the help of this father-in-law and son-in-law duo, Lu Yuan finally managed to get a grasp of the matters concerning the founding of the new country.
One day, after Sun Siwen and Cui Changqing had sorted out some ideas, they met with Lu Yuan to report on their work.
“According to Your Majesty’s requirements, after the establishment of our Changsha state, we shall not change the laws, but follow the original laws of Yue, with slight modifications. Hence, this matter is not urgent and can be slowly amended by the Punishment Department after the founding.”
Sun Siwen first chose the simplest and easiest issue to solve as a starter.
Then he switched topics and said, “However, with the establishment of the new state, in addition to the laws, we need to determine the etiquette system. Even if Your Majesty wants to copy from the Yue’s, the orientation of the Five Elements of our country must be confirmed. Only then, as this foundation, can we revise and confirm the etiquette system of Changsha state.
Nowadays, the Yue respects fire, hence red. Zhou respects wood, hence green. Liang respects gold, hence white.
All three nations have their respective Five Elements orientations, and based on this, they determine their etiquette system.
Etiquette is the foundation of everything and is of utmost importance.
Without etiquette, there is no foundation for a new dynasty. So when the new dynasty is established, the rituals and laws must be determined first.”
In today’s society, the foundation of a dynasty’s local rule lies in the rituals, etiquette, and rules.
By using etiquette to regulate people’s behavior, and clan relationships to enforce the adherence to these rules, local stability can be maintained.
Hence, if the etiquette is not confirmed, the foundation of the dynasty would be unstable, and it would be difficult for the Altars of Soil and Grain to last long.
Lu Yuan is naturally aware of this reasoning.
Etiquette, in fact, is the source of power; it’s about authority and justification.
The power of authority makes people follow, and the justification makes them approve.
With both added, his new dynasty would be considered stable.
Moreover, the role of etiquette is not just limited to the above.
Lu Yuan practices Immortal Techniques, and after studying the Taiping Dao Book, his understanding of Heaven and Earth has deepened.
In the midst of this, he can also sense some of the directions of Qi Luck.
If he truly cultivates this book, establishes a new country and chooses the right Five Elements, it will greatly benefit the cultivation of this book.
After all, this book concentrates on cultivation of people’s hearts and the dynasty’s Qi Luck.
The cultivation of this technique is itself influenced by Qi Luck.
Therefore, choosing the right Five Elements orientation is crucial, both for the stability of the country and the cultivation of the Dao Law.
So, Lu Yuan thought for a moment and asked, “According to the etiquette, what kind of Five Elements should my Changsha state belong to?”
At this point, Cui Changqing next to him said, “If we follow the traditional practices, after the previous dynasty is overthrown, the new one will take the Five Elements that subdue the previous one.
If the Yue’s element is fire, water subdues fire, so the new dynasty should have the water element.
However, as the Yue still exists, if we take the water element, we might be resented by the court of Yue.
Moreover, we didn’t overthrow the previous dynasty, but were granted by the court of Yue, so it doesn’t meet the requirements of taking the water element.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan remained silent.
If he takes the water element, wouldn’t it mean he doesn’t get along with the Yue? At present, it isn’t the time for conflicts with the Yue when they have just reconciled and are about to fight against the Zhou together.
With that in mind, he couldn’t help but ask again, “If we’re not considering the subduing Five Elements, what other options do we have for selecting the Five Elements orientation?”
“If not the subduing Five Elements, there’s also the option of choosing the same Five Elements.”
Cui Changqing continued, “Since our Changsha state is established by the court of Yue, we can adopt the same fire element as the court of Yue to show our common origin.
If so, the element of our Changsha state should be fire.
Establishing a country with the fire element is the simplest.
Our Changsha state’s etiquette system does not need to change much, we can directly adopt the one from the court of Yue.
However, if we take the same fire element as the Yue, our country would inevitably be influenced by them after the founding. As the two countries have similar etiquette systems and customs, if the Yue intends to manipulate us in the future, they will be able to do so.
Moreover, the position of the Yue court is now declining, and taking the same element might affect the Qi Luck of the new dynasty.
So, whether to choose the element in this way, Your Majesty, please consider carefully.”
Etiquettes are essentially political systems and cultural concepts.
If Lu Yuan chooses to adopt the same political system and cultural concept as the Yue, and fully accept their logic and way of thinking,
then, when the Yue attacks in the future, they could exploit this aspect to subvert, entice, and divide them.
To put it simply, they could use the justification of the Heavenly Son to initiate attacks.
As both Changsha and the Yue belong to the same system, accepting the same set of etiquette, Changsha would naturally be at a disadvantageous position regarding justification.
So, the key to the system of etiquette is to distinguish between different people and cultures using different rules.