Time Travel: The Survival of Li Zhi

Chapter 437 The Classes of the Wei Dynasty

Yu Yong sat at the table, his cheeks bulging, like a hamster struggling to eat, desperately stuffing the delicacies on the table into his mouth.

His eating manners were extremely uncouth, with food residues dropping from the corners of his mouth from time to time, but he was completely oblivious and immersed in this rare feast.

Duan Heng, Chen Hua and others standing by all widened their eyes.

They are all well-known figures in Yongguo. They usually go to high-end places and enjoy exquisite food. They have never seen anyone eat like a starving ghost and disregard their image so much.

Li Zhi looked at Yu Yong and a smile appeared on his face. He slowly poured a cup of tea, gently pushed it in front of Yu Yong, and said in a gentle voice: "Drink some tea, eat slowly, don't choke."

Yu Yong didn't even raise his head, waved his hand casually, and continued to eat, as if nothing in the world was more important than the delicious food in front of him.

Only after he had finished all the food on the table and the plates and bowls were empty did Yu Yong touch his round belly contentedly, burped loudly, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

Seeing this, Li Zhi said at the right time: "Brother Yu Yong, now that we have eaten and drunk enough, can we have a good chat?"

Yu Yong raised his head and glanced at Li Zhi and the others, his face full of smiles, which looked a little funny on his shiny face. He said, "Okay, whatever you want to ask, just ask."

Li Zhi didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Excuse me, but I wonder which clan of the three classes, scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans, does Brother Yu Yong belong to?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Yong puffed out his chest slightly, a hint of pride flashing across his face as he loudly declared, "I'm from the Workers' Tribe!"

Duan Heng watched from the side and couldn't help rolling his eyes. He leaned over to Chen Hua and muttered quietly, "They're just a working clan, second only to the Shang clan. Look how proud he is, talking like he's from a noble clan..."

Li Zhi could understand Yu Yong's behavior in his heart.

In the minds of the people of Wei, even the lowest Shang clan was superior to the people of vassal states in their eyes.

It is also because of this that the envoys who came to the Wei Dynasty to pay tribute in the past were often ridiculed and insulted by the people of the Wei Dynasty.

Therefore, Yu Yong was so proud to declare himself a worker in front of Li Zhi and the others.

Knowing that he still had questions for Yu Yong, Li Zhi naturally didn't want to contradict him. He showed just the right amount of envy on his face and asked, "Brother Yu Yong, can you tell me what the differences are between the scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans?"

Yu Yong reached out and grabbed the tea Li Zhi had poured, tilted his head back, and gulped it down in one gulp. Then, wiping his mouth, he said leisurely, "This is different, this is a huge difference... Let's talk about the Shang people first. These people, the fact that they can be called human beings is a gift from our emperor. Some Shang people are born with the lowly Shang bloodline, while others were originally from other tribes, but after committing crimes, they were stripped of their tribe and demoted to the Shang clan."

Hearing this, Li Zhi couldn't help but interject, "So, some of the Shang clan were originally from other clans, but were later demoted. Since there's a way to demote them, there should also be a way to upgrade their clan membership, right?"

Yu Yong nodded and said, "Of course. However, only those of the Gong clan and above are eligible to be promoted to clan status. The Shang clan doesn't have this opportunity."

Li Zhi nodded thoughtfully and said, "In other words, once you are demoted to the Shang clan, there will be no chance of recovery?"

Yu Yong hummed, then continued, "Workers like us are given the power to work. Look at that waiter..."

As he spoke, Yu Yong pointed at the busy waiter nearby, "He's from the Gong clan. And the shopkeeper over there, too. As long as we, the Gong clan, work diligently and accumulate a certain amount of assets, we can apply to upgrade our clan status. Once we're promoted to the Nong clan, we can purchase land from the government and even buy people from the Shang clan to work the land and serve as slaves."

As Yu Yong spoke, his face full of longing for the future.

Li Zhi asked curiously, "Can you only buy land if you're promoted to farmer status?"

Yu Yong glanced at Li Zhi with a hint of disdain in his eyes, as if he felt helpless about Li Zhi's ignorance. He said, "That's nonsense! We workers only have the right to work, how can we be qualified to own property? Only farmers and above have this right!"

Li Zhi nodded again and asked, "So, Mr. Zhang, is he from a farming family or a noble family?"

Yu Yong replied, "Master Zhang is from a farming family. However, his younger brother passed the imperial examination two years ago and is now a member of the gentry. Because of his younger brother's support, Master Zhang's family has become several times richer in the past two years!"

When Li Zhi heard what Yu Yong said, he couldn't help but feel curious.

Since the Wei Dynasty has an imperial examination system, doesn't that mean that all people from clans below the gentry can change their fate by taking the imperial examination?

But in a country with such a strict class hierarchy, this seems unrealistic.

So, Li Zhi asked, "Oh? The Great Wei also has an imperial examination system? Are the Gong people eligible to take the examination?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Yong said angrily, "My Great Wei is a country of flourishing literary traditions. The imperial examination system of your remote and small countries was originally passed down from our Great Wei. How could there be no imperial examination system?"

At this point, Yu Yong's eyes dimmed instantly, and his tone became much lower. "However, how can the workers be qualified to study and take the imperial examinations? This is a right only enjoyed by those of the agricultural clan and above."

When Li Zhi heard this, he already understood a little bit.

The status hierarchy of the Wei Dynasty is like a ladder with successive steps. Only when you move up a level can you get the opportunity to climb up. There is no possibility of reaching the top in one step.

Yu Yong continued, "The peasants are eligible to own property and take the imperial examinations, while the gentry are eligible to become officials!"

As he spoke, Yu Yong's eyes sparkled again, and he said with longing: "When I have saved enough money to upgrade my clan membership in the future, I will definitely send my son to school. If my son is not good enough, I will train my grandson. Maybe in my lifetime, a member of the noble family will emerge from my family!"

Li Zhi smiled upon hearing this and continued to ask slowly, "Then, in the system of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, to which clan should military figures like General Xiahou be classified?"

Yu Yong smacked his lips. After his long speech, he felt his mouth was dry.

He didn't hesitate, picking up the teapot and swiftly pouring himself a cup of tea. He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. Only then did he put the cup down with satisfaction, clearing his throat and answering, "General Xiahou belongs to a noble family. In terms of status and official rank, they are almost the same as the gentry. They are very noble. As for those ordinary soldiers, their status and position are similar to us workers."

He paused, then added with a hint of envy, "However, our Great Wei was founded on military power. Since the time of Emperor Gaozu, warriors have been highly respected and their status has always been high. Therefore, even if they are low-level soldiers, their status is higher than that of us workers."

Li Zhi listened to his explanation and quickly sorted out the complex social class relations in the Wei Dynasty. With a smile on his face, he asked, "Since joining the army can improve your status, why don't you consider joining the army?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Yong's expression instantly darkened. He sighed helplessly and said, "Joining the army is not that easy. It's a hereditary position! Do you think ordinary people can just join the army whenever they want? The army only recruits so few spots every year. Those noble families can't even divide them up among themselves, so how can ordinary people like us get a chance?"

Li Zhi suddenly realized.