King Zhou Jing, now thoroughly convinced by Ding Yun’s words, excitedly returned to draft the imperial decree. In the end, his decree departed from Luoyang alongside the eldest legitimate son of the King of Chu, whom Ding Yun had released, and the eldest legitimate sons of various other nobles.
By the time the imperial decree reached the hands of the various vassal kings.
The plight of the State of Chu had already spread throughout the land.
The King of Chu and the great nobles of the Chu capital, with ironclad facts, proved to the entire world that the previous rumors were true and that the Zhou royal family’s army was powerful.
They also demonstrated a new warfare tactic: instead of attacking cities and seizing territory, they directly raided the enemy’s stronghold.
Who could withstand that?
Not only were the vassal kings of various states utterly bewildered, but those who traveled the land under the guise of the collapse of rites and music, seeking opportunities for advancement and propagating their doctrines, were also stunned.
The foundation of most of their academic theories lay in the weakness of the Zhou royal family and the collapse of rites and music. Now, with the Zhou royal family experiencing a sudden, zombie-like resurgence, they were unsure whether to continue propagating the idea of collapsing rites and music, helping other vassal states deal with the now-rising Zhou royal family, or to assist the Zhou royal family in restoring rites and music.
It was truly a dilemma.
But regardless of what else, the fact that the Zhou royal family had suddenly become powerful quickly took root. A large number of merchants converged on Luoyang once more. Many schools of thought, whether they supported or opposed the Zhou royal family’s revival, sent people to learn.
The major vassal states also sent people to negotiate.
For example, if their lord was old or ill, they inquired if they could send a prince to pay homage. If the lord was very young, they sent people to ask if they could send a brother. They were hesitant to come in person.
They feared the powerful Zhou royal family would turn on them later.
And try to capture them all in one fell swoop.
However, since the purpose was to establish authority, Ding Yun obviously could not compromise. Therefore, all their requests were uniformly rejected. He issued another imperial decree, strictly ordering the vassals to come in person. If they were physically unable to do so, they were to abdicate to their eldest son.
Sending only a prince to pay homage was absolutely forbidden.
…
In Linzi, the capital of the State of Qi, at the Jixia Academy.
From the day King Zhou Jing’s imperial decree was issued, unprecedented discussions erupted within the Jixia Academy. Scholars from various schools of thought, and even disciples within those schools, were debating the implications of this event and why the Zhou royal family had become so powerful.
Recently, at the Jixia Academy, due to the King of Qi’s own indecision and hesitation on how to respond to the imperial decree, a grand debate involving all schools of thought had begun.
The topic was whether the King of Qi should heed the decree.
And the reason for the Zhou royal family’s resurgence.
The scholars from various schools argued fiercely.
Some schools believed that the origin of the major vassals being enfeoffed as such was the conferment by the Son of Heaven of Zhou. This was the legal basis for the major vassals.
Therefore, accepting the decree and traveling to Luoyang to pay homage was only natural and reasonable, and there was no need for debate.
Some schools argued that there were no principles in the world that were immutable. Although the Son of Heaven of Zhou had enfeoffed many vassals in the past, the lands enfeoffed by the Son of Heaven were not within the actual sphere of influence of the Son of Heaven.
The territories that the major vassal states possessed today were entirely due to the efforts of several, or even more than ten, generations of pioneers. This had no direct relation to the Son of Heaven of Zhou. Now, King Zhou Jing’s actions were clearly an attempt to leverage past favors and use military force to coerce the vassals.
Furthermore, the Son of Heaven of Zhou had violated his original promise when he acknowledged the legitimacy of the three states that divided the State of Jin and had personally destroyed the ritual and legal system he had established. It was a self-inflicted downfall.
Therefore, they absolutely should not be threatened into paying homage.
Still other schools argued that if the Son of Heaven of Zhou continued to deter the world with his strength and prevent the major vassals from engaging in mutual warfare, it might not be a bad thing. At least this way, there could be peace in the world, and the common people could live in peace.
Of course, although more schools had various ideas, they ultimately had to admit that it was best to choose to pay homage. After all, if they were captured like the State of Chu, not to mention the risk to their lives and the huge ransom, their prestige within their own countries would be greatly diminished just by being captured once.
How could they command respect then?
This was the first topic of discussion at the Jixia Academy. Despite much debate, a conclusion was finally reached.
The second topic, the reason for the Son of Heaven of Zhou’s resurgence, was not so simple.
Because the various schools of thought could not even convince themselves, let alone each other. Some attributed it to benevolence and righteousness, some to destiny, some to the emphasis on craftsmanship, and some to witchcraft.
Some even attributed it to prosperity.
However, no matter which explanation was given, everyone felt it was too one-sided and difficult to convince the masses. Moreover, no matter which explanation was given, it was probably difficult to fully explain why the soldiers of the Zhou state were so powerful, why they possessed immense strength,
And even why they were impervious to blades and spears.
In the end, only the theory of destiny, ancestral blessings, and witchcraft, which were inherently difficult to explain and prove definitively, gained the upper hand in the discussion.
Among these, two bold speculations stood out the most and were considered the most credible: Madam Xiyun, and the story of King Mu of Zhou and the Queen Mother of the West.
The speculation regarding Madam Xiyun was that they suspected King Zhou Jing’s mother, Madam Xiyun, had inherited ancient witchcraft from the State of Song, which originated from the Yin-Shang dynasty. Perhaps she could summon ghosts and spirits to enter those soldiers, thus giving them abilities comparable to gods and spirits.
After all, the Yin-Shang dynasty had always placed great importance on ghosts and spirits.
The State of Song was also similar, emphasizing sorcery and sacrifices.
If Madam Xiyun, after the fall of the State of Song, resorted to forbidden arts, or even sold her soul to ghosts and spirits for power, it was not impossible.
The speculation regarding King Mu of Zhou and the Queen Mother of the West was primarily based on the suspicion that King Mu of Zhou had indeed gone to the Queen Mother of the West’s kingdom after his death and had been with her. King Zhou Jing might have contacted King Mu of Zhou through the ancestral temple, or even through unknown means like the Nine Tripods, and borrowed soldiers from the Queen Mother of the West’s kingdom to help.
Perhaps the various new crafts and techniques that had recently appeared in Luoyang also originated from the Queen Mother of the West’s kingdom.
This speculation even explained the source of glass.
It had to be said that the intellectuals at Jixia Academy had truly vast imaginations. They dared to think and dared to speak, and most importantly, these speculations were indeed believed by some people.
As the discussions at Jixia Academy concluded, their speculations quickly spread throughout the State of Qi and, through Qi’s channels, throughout the land, adding another layer of legendary color to the lineage of the Zhou royal family.
Some nobles even genuinely believed these stories.
And then they directly abandoned further inquiry into the root cause.
Additionally, more vassals began to gradually consider abandoning their struggle and completing this act of paying homage first.