A carriage set off again from the inn and returned to the official road.
As the wheels of the carriage turned, the red-faced arguments in the station gradually became blurred, and the sounds that came into the carriage slowly died away and returned to silence.
Li Sicheng took his head back from the carriage and couldn't help but exclaimed: "These scholars only talk about this debate. I didn't expect that even the Korean barbarians who came to Beijing to express gratitude for the imperial edict could say this."
Come up with one, two, three."
Li Chunfang was leaning in the carriage, putting a blanket on her legs. She held her glasses with one hand and held the newspaper in front of her with the other hand. She seemed to be reading it carefully. After hearing her grandson's words, she just nodded and remained indifferent.
Li Sicheng saw that his grandfather ignored him and looked at his uncle again.
Li Maonian was thinking about something. After he came to his senses, he touched his nephew's head and replied casually: "What does it mean to be a scholar? Your Majesty allowed the newspaper to have its own way, just to invite the world to join in the fun."
"You see, when we come here, scholars from Nanzhili, Shandong Provincial School, and all over the country are all talking and arguing about this matter."
"It has been many years since there has been such a grand event. This is called a hundred flowers blooming."
"As for the Yi people..."
He shook his head: "There is a word called incredible."
"Xue Yingqi is a great Confucian of the time, and Li Zhi is one of the most talented figures in the Taizhou School today. The debate between the two is not something that Yi people can understand."
Li Sicheng is fifteen years old this year and has a bit of a wild temper. Hearing this, he joked: "It's unbelievable to have wild thoughts."
"Otherwise, how could I have the confidence to go up to debate, and then be refuted by those few scholars who turned red in the face?"
Li Maonian smiled and asked curiously: "Didn't Sicheng support Li Zhi? Why didn't you speak out to help the hesitating Korean barbarians just now?"
When you go out and take your children with you, you just want to see the world.
Debating this kind of thing, whether it is courageous or eloquent, is helpful.
Li Sicheng showed a bitter look after hearing his uncle's question: "It's not like my uncle didn't see something before. Master Xue's argument this time was really powerful. Those scholars took advantage of it to argue with overwhelming force."
"My nephew would like to support Master Li, but he has little talent and knowledge. He can't even understand what he's saying, so he can only be speechless."
Li Maonian laughed.
My nephew is still young and is not an emperor, a child prodigy like Zhang Juzheng or Shen Shixing, so this is normal.
He patiently explained: "The last time Xue Yingqi discussed heavenly principles and human nature, Li Zhi caught the flaw, and then Li Zhi began to discuss the ontology of human nature, whether it is transcendental... or whether it is innate."
"In particular, Mencius's theory of good nature and Xunzi's theory of evil nature were pulled out and tortured."
"The fundamental reason is to overturn the foundation of the innate theory of ontology."
Speaking of this, Li Maonian couldn't help feeling that Li Zhi was so bold.
He continued: "But Xue Yingqi was a great scholar in the world and had a profound foundation, so he responded immediately."
"The nature of a gentleman is that although his great deeds will not increase, and even if he lives in poverty, it will not be damaged, it is determined. The nature of a gentleman is that benevolence, justice, etiquette, and wisdom are rooted in the heart, and his voice and appearance are also serious, visible on the face, abundant on the back, and applied to everyone.
Four bodies, four bodies are self-evident.”
"He used Mencius' point of view to explain that 'human nature' is just a metaphor for 'nature'. What Li Zhi said is biased and not comprehensive."
“‘Human nature’ is metaphorically expressed through body parts or behaviors, but it does not simply ‘live in’ or ‘causally depend on’ with ‘nature’.”
"Talking about 'nature' from the acquired environment can only explain its cause and effect, but cannot explain the origin and meaning of the ontology."
"Instead, we can only focus on specific people. People are born with "nature"; and the so-called human nature is just a symbol of it, and its identity is acquired."
"This is the so-called understanding of one's mind and one's nature."
"Nature and nurture are divided into two parts from beginning to end. Nature must be innate."
Li Maonian simplified a large section of the discussion between the two of them and tried to use straightforward words to explain the recent debate on the Bible to his nephew.
Li Sicheng was thoughtful after listening to his uncle's explanation.
He looked at Li Maonian curiously: "Who does uncle think is right?"
Li Maonian shook his head: "There is no right or wrong in this kind of thing. It just depends on who is more knowledgeable. I can't say specifically."
When the two uncles and nephews talked about this, they wanted to continue talking.
At this time, a snoring sound suddenly sounded in the carriage carriage.
The uncle and nephew coincidentally looked at Li Chunfang.
My father-in-law suddenly tilted his head and fell asleep with his mouth open!
Li Maonian hurriedly stepped forward and straightened his father's head - the doctor had told him that sleeping with his neck hunched like this would make it easy for him to fall asleep.
When someone touched her, Li Chunfang's body trembled subconsciously.
Then he opened his sleepy eyes and sat up straight.
Li Chunfang blinked hard to wake herself up.
When he saw his children and grandchildren in front of him, they all looked at him and explained kindly: "I didn't sleep well last night and I feel a little tired."
Li Chunfang and his party went to Beijing. It is normal for them to be tired after running around and working hard.
Especially because of Li Chunfang's status, she could not enter the capital casually. When a court official returns to his hometown after taking up his official position, the edict must include the sentence "not allowed to live in the capital."
This is to prevent ministers who are overly powerful from planning some messy things after taking office.
However, Li Chunfang's reason for coming to Beijing this time was very legitimate and approved - to meet her parents.
Li Baiyang has been appointed as an attendant, so if his family wants to visit Beijing, there is no reason why he should not be allowed to do so.
Being allowed to enter Beijing is good, but it also means that his whereabouts on the road are open to the government.
Not to mention that the inn was shabby and I couldn't sleep well, the carriage couldn't use daily luxury, and it was really tiring to sit there.
Li Maonian rarely complained: "If you take the water route, you should be more comfortable along the way."
As he said that, he took out the silk quilt from the block under his body and handed it to Li Chunfang who woke up with both hands: "If you are sleepy, please curl up and sleep."
In order to show his poverty, he did not drive a very good carriage and could only curl up when sleeping.
Li Chunfang opened the curtain, glanced at the location of the road, and then pushed the silkworm back: "We are almost reaching the capital, I won't sleep anymore."
Then he responded to Li Maonian's complaint just now: "Didn't I say that I haven't left home for several years, and I have seen the suffering of the people in various states and capitals along the way."
Li Maonian took the quilt back.
He ruthlessly exposed his father: "I have never seen you inspecting the people of the state capital in the past years."
Li Chunfang shook his head.
His son was just a middle-aged man, so he thought over and over again and decided to explain.
He said kindly and patiently: "This is different."
"In the past, I was a minister. I only managed the cabinet's one-third acre for the emperor and took care of the overall situation."
"now……"
"Bai Yang has already sealed the appointment as a servant. If I don't see the strength of the Zhu family with my own eyes, how can I rest assured?"
There is nothing taboo about having three generations of grandparents in the car.
To put it bluntly, although he was a cabinet minister with great hopes in the world, he was still the steward of the emperor. The strength of the Ming Dynasty really had little to do with him.
After the Ming Dynasty fell, the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River became rich.
But now that he was optimistic about the emperor and sent his granddaughter to the palace, he had to worry about the fate of the Ming Dynasty.
Li Maonian was about to speak but stopped.
Only then did I understand why my father endured this bumpy journey.
Some blame themselves for the complaints just now, and don't know how to deal with them for a while.
Fortunately, at this time, his nephew Li Sicheng interjected out of curiosity: "Now, uncle, look at me all the way, how is my mood?"
Different from the detached perspective of his father's generation, Li Sicheng is young and still has a sense of belonging, taking care of himself one by one.
Li Chunfang looked a little solemn when he heard this: "Compared with when I was in power, I can only say that the deterioration of the world situation has improved slightly, but the improvement is limited."
The deterioration of the situation in the world has improved, but it is still getting worse, just not as fast.
Although Li Chunfang doesn't understand what the second derivative is, she is still very comfortable in using it.
"The situation of land annexation is becoming increasingly severe."
"Especially in the state capital, which has suffered from frequent natural and man-made disasters in the past two years, you can see that the cities and villages are in depression, and the towns of Zhenmang are deserted!"
“The poverty of its people is evident.”
"Shandong and Huaisi are fine. Most of the refugees are begging for food on the streets. The worst they can do is turn into bandits and rob the treasury and kill some county officials."
"I heard that the White Lotus Sect, Wuwei Sect, and Luo Sect in Henan and Shanxi are becoming more and more rampant. Their teachings are deceiving and clinging to them. Among the people, they are already an orthodox religion that can be compared with Buddhism and Taoism!"
"But local and state capitals turned a blind eye."
"Even a white lotus fugitive named Ma Shulinzi, accompanied by men and women, arrived at Xuan Mansion from Yan'an and fled for thousands of miles!"
"There were nearly a thousand people supporting the weapons, selling weapons, and making fortunes and medicines. It was unknown where they were cut off as they passed by. Why was there no one to cross-examine them?"
"The laxity of official administration is evident."
"Also, let's talk about the records in the various states and counties that we read along the way."
"It can be said that there have been frequent occurrences of strange phenomena in the past two years. Earthquakes, frost disasters, locust plagues, and floods have more than doubled compared to the Jiajing period!"
"Especially the freeze disaster. I just heard the merchant mention it the day before yesterday. This winter, it is said that it even snowed in Hainan!"
"That's Hainan!"
"In addition, there was a fire in the palace, and the sun was shining through the rainbow... Chaos from the sky really made me uneasy."
Li Maonian looked at his father's worried look and almost blurted out, how did you manage to be in the cabinet before?
Then I remembered Li Chunfang's explanation just now and held it back.
Li Sicheng was straightforward. Hearing what his grandfather said, he looked horrified: "Grandpa, are you saying that the Ming Dynasty is about to die?"
Li Chunfang shook her head: "Not so fast."
"Now, whether it is passing the law or preparing the capital camp, it is the emperor and the cabinet who are doing the hard work."
"As for how powerful the Ming Dynasty is... it still depends on how to prune the branches and leaves."
Tax reform and land expansion are the two elephants that stand between the cabinet.
Except for Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, all the other cabinet ministers turned a blind eye.
Even if he, Li Chunfang, saw it at first, he would avoid it.
Now that I have relieved myself of the heavy burden, I finally stand on the emperor's side and speak my mind.
Li Sicheng seemed to understand but not quite.
Li Maonian on the side couldn't help but interject: "With your Majesty's ability, he will gradually get better."
This is his opinion, not his comfort.
After all, his daughter is still in the palace.
Li Chunfang smiled and nodded with deep understanding.
This is why he bet on the emperor.
After all, there is a person on the dragon throne who is capable and willing to do things.
If this person, like Shizong and the late emperor, turned a blind eye to the dynasty's long-standing shortcomings and waited patiently for the dynasty's downfall, then he, Li Chunfang, would not be happy even if the emperor wanted to bring his granddaughter into the palace, let alone sending his granddaughter into the palace.
The topic is a bit heavy.
Li Chunfang is a good family man, and the family atmosphere is mainly harmonious, so he took the initiative to change the subject: "Wang Shizhen's new biography of heroes of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties is not as good as The Plum in the Golden Ping. It actually made me fall asleep while reading it. It is really not the son of a man."
.”
After that, he handed the newspaper to his son and motioned for him to put it away.
Li Sicheng wondered at the side: "Uncle, how did you know that this novel was written by Alliance Leader Wang? I heard that Master Xu was summoned to the palace by His Majesty, maybe he wrote the novel out of fun."
Prime Minister Xu Jieqingci was summoned to the capital again, but there was no one to send him. This was a good thing to put on his head.
Li Chunfang looked at her grandson's searching eyes and smiled: "This is called writing style. You will understand it when you grow up."
As for the writing style, if you don’t have enough time to read it, you won’t be able to read it.
Li Sicheng clicked his tongue, somewhat dissatisfied with his grandfather's perfunctory approach, and asked: "Tell me, sir, who wrote Journey to the West?"
When Li Chunfang heard this, her face that was full of laughter suddenly froze.
He said vaguely: "I'm not very familiar with this style of writing."
Li Sicheng groaned, obviously feeling that he had regained a victory.
Li Maonian on the side couldn't help but snicker.
He didn't know who wrote Journey to the West, but it must have been edited by his father. Didn't the nickname "Master of Huayang Cave" come from the place where his father studied when he was young?
Li Chunfang casually opened the car curtain and looked out the window.
Speaking of which, I have known Wu Chengen for 20 years in Jiajing, and they have been friends for many years.
But since the 43rd year of Jiajing reign, when I had arranged for Wu Chengen'an to be appointed as the magistrate of Changxing County, Zhejiang through the back door, I had not seen him again.
How did the emperor know that he had edited a novel called Journey to the West? Why did he still ask for it?
I can't figure it out, I can't figure it out.
Li Chunfang shook her head, shaking her head along with the bumps of the carriage.
…
"Hey! Okay! I got it! I got it!"
Having said that, this person who was looking at the results...oh no, he was already a Gong student. He was so happy that he became so sad that he fell backwards.
The servants who caught the son-in-law didn't care whether he was fainted or not, they just rushed towards him.
Some pulled their arms, some pulled their legs, so they had to lift them up to their homes.
It caused a commotion among the crowd.
"In the middle, in the middle, the dog is in the middle! I am so angry!"
This was obviously a miss.
In addition, there were some who left without saying a word; there were also some who leaned against the wall, beating their chests and feet; and some even babbled.
It can be said that he can try out all kinds of life styles.
With dark circles under his eyes, Li Kun couldn't help but shake his head as he looked at these indulgent and rude people.
He was too nervous last night, tossed and turned, and couldn't sleep all night long, so he overslept today, and only now did he look at the list.
Li Kun sullenly squeezed his way into the crowd watching the list and walked closer to the list.
With difficulty, he stuck his head out from someone's armpit, his eyes fixed on the four lists.
The first one hundred...
Um?
He saw a name he recognized but was unfamiliar with.
Li Sancai, ranked 36th in the examination.
Li Kun sighed, he was worthy of being a proud man of heaven.
A family of officials, with wide contacts, famous teachers, good looks, cliques, and all the benefits.
Now Lian Geng was awarded Jinshi at the age of twenty-three.
Twenty-three years old... Shujishi is also a sure thing.
Even though Li Kun prides himself on being an honest person, he couldn't help but feel unbalanced for a moment.
He shook his head, pushed away the smelly armpits of the man in front of him, and continued to look down.
Li Du, ranked 107th in the examination.
Li Kun is even more unbalanced.
This kind of person who is just trying to play has also fallen into the trap. It is really infuriating.
But he had a closer relationship with Li Du, so he skipped the slander, changed the list, and continued to look back.
Wan Jing, ranked 194th in the examination.
Isn't this the grandson of Minister Wan of the Ministry of Industry? Li Kun couldn't help but take a second look.
Who was still saying last time that Wan Jing accidentally spoke ill of the emperor and would definitely fail the exam.
Now it seems that the emperor's mind is much broader than the rumors. Li Kun silently praised the emperor in his heart.
My mind is full of random thoughts, which relieves the pressure of not finding my name even though I’m halfway through the list.
Li Kun looked at the third list again, looking at it carefully from top to bottom...
A hint of surprise suddenly flashed across his face.
"Hey! Be good, I got hit too!"
Li Kun suddenly straightened up, pointed at his name, and laughed loudly: "I hit it! I hit it!"
Regardless of whether anyone knew him or not, he put his hands on his hips and shouted four or five times.
Then he clenched his fist, raised it into the void above his head, and muttered: "The fortune-telling ball also said that I must be the forty-year-old Ming Sutra, huh! Now I got it at thirty-nine!"
As soon as he vented his anger, a group of senior members of the Communist Party of China came up to him.
"This young master! Is he married?"
"Master Gongsheng! My little girl is gentle and virtuous, and her appearance is acceptable..."
"My official name is Guanglu Temple..."
Li Kun suppressed his impatience with this group of people and begged for mercy: "Everyone, I have good intentions, I have good intentions, no need, no need."
Just kidding, even if you don't look at how old he is with his unshaven beard, his son is as tall as him.
After saying that, he squeezed through the crowd and fled directly.
After the general examination, you still have to prepare for the palace examination.
Although he won't be deposed, he will be reranked.
What if I can be selected as the number one scholar by the emperor... Well, it's a bit impossible.
It's okay if you can get a good ranking. At thirty-nine years old, you are just shy of reaching the threshold of being a forty-year-old Shujishi.
The second-class Jinshi will definitely have more opportunities than the third-class Jinshi.
Thinking like this, Li Kun couldn't help but hum.
Finally... he is one step closer to changing his surname.
An event as big as the release of the rankings is naturally more than just fun under the rankings.
What about the Imperial College student gatherings, merchant promotions, wealthy high school students throwing money in the streets, and those unwilling to lose looking for life and death?
Along the way Li Kun walked back, there was a lot of excitement and interesting things happening.
"Is this Gongsheng Mr. Li in front of you?"
A call rang in his ears. Li Kun didn't react to this unfamiliar name for a moment - after all, acquaintances knew that his surname was Lu.
After a while, he turned around belatedly.
I saw a man dressed as a servant standing behind him out of breath, and explained his purpose straight to the point: "Master Li, my master, the Duke of Danzhou, is planning to hold a cultural gathering on the tenth day of March, and I have been specially asked to invite you."
After that, hand out an invitation.
Li Kun subconsciously took it and frowned: "Didn't I say that those who wish can come? Why did you start sending out invitations?"
He knew that Wang Shizhen was organizing a cultural event and started building momentum years ago.
However, there is no set time, nor is there any threshold.
If the invitation was in the form of a gang, he would hesitate to go.
Seeing this, the young man stretched out his hand to pull Li Kun aside and lowered his voice: "Master Li, I'm sorry, I didn't decide at first, but now I've decided on the show."
"There is no limit to the number of spectators. That's the outfield."
"Nowadays, those who hand out invitations are all in the infield and have seats. There are only dozens of people, and all of them are important people."
"For example, Duke Xu of Xu Jie, Duke Li of Li Zhi, Duke Qian of Qian Dehong, Duke Wang Ji, Duke Xue of Xue Yingqi, and several members of the Kong family..."
"It shows how much I value you, Mr. Li!"
Li Kun looked suspicious.
No, he still knows what kind of cat and dog he is.
Not to mention juxtaposed with these figures, even if he becomes a disciple of these people, they may not accept him!
He frowned and asked: "I'm afraid you have invited the wrong person. I am a mere unknown person and cannot bear such courtesy from the prince."
The boy quickly explained: "You deserve it, you deserve it. We have also invited many young handsome men. Mr. Gu from Wuxi Prefecture, Mr. Li from Tongzhou Prefecture, and Mr. Yu from the Imperial College have all gone."
After saying this, he lowered his voice again: "Besides, the master said that you must be invited. It was the master above who invited you personally."
Li Kun was stunned: "Master? How big is it?"
The boy made some gestures: "Master said, three palaces are as big as each other."
…
"The tenth day of March?"
Qian Dehong was lying in bed, holding an invitation weakly and asked.
Wang Ji stroked his beard, nodded and said: "It is approaching the Qingming Festival, and it is raining continuously. The Qintian Supervisor said that it will stop on the tenth day of the lunar month."
He said sarcastically: "Wang Shizhen also considers old bones like junior brother."
Qian Dehong sneered: "Junior brother is joking. Although my bones are old, my bones are strong enough. There is no way I will have to die for my junior brother."
He said something harsh and couldn't help but cough.
Wang Ji stepped forward to caress Qian Dehong's back and softened his words: "Junior brother, I have to live for a few more years."
After that, he threw the invitation on Qian Dehong's bed: "I don't know where Wang Shizhen's son got the confidence to dare to participate in the debate of scriptures. Do you really think that he won the title of literary leader by relying on his attainments in classics? "
"If Xu Jie hadn't come to invite me, I really wouldn't want to betray him."
Qian Dehong picked up the invitation, opened it and browsed it, and speculated: "I'm afraid he is jealous of Li Zhi's current momentum."
"But it would be a bit strange for Xu Jie to invite you personally."
Li and Xue debated the classics, winning and losing each other, but their momentum was equally as high as the sky.
To sum it up in Xu Jie’s words:
Li Zhi was a man of mind, philosophy, Buddhism, and education. He then found his own way and found a broad road. It can be said that he called the virtuous his teacher and established his sect.
It just lacked polishing and was full of mistakes, so I stayed away from it.
Xue Yingqi's true biography of Yangming is an authentic Neo-Confucianism, with two schools of thought coming from Zhengshuo. It can be said to be rich and upright.
Unfortunately, the centipede insect is about to die, so the young students are discarded like worn-out shoes.
Old Master has great power and strong foundation.
Young students have a strong desire to express themselves and can build momentum.
Last time, Gu Xiancheng said some unfounded bad things about Li Zhi. That night, eggs were thrown in the yard, and someone threatened to beat Gu Xiancheng.
Gu Xiancheng was so frightened that he did not dare to write any more essays.
With such momentum, Wang Shizhen, who has made a name for himself in the business, is probably the most coveted.
If you want to interfere, it is in line with his style.
Wang Ji seemed to agree with this statement and didn't dwell on it anymore: "It's not surprising that Xu Jie came to invite us. After all, the two of them specialize in writing poems for the emperor, so it's only reasonable to join the group to keep warm."
"It's better to think about how to deal with Li Zhi then."
Speaking of Li Zhi.
Qian Dehong couldn't help coughing again.
After a while, he sighed with emotion: "This guy is really difficult to deal with."
"Yu Qian relies on universal morality to deceive people's hearts. Especially when the word "fairness and progress" comes out, too many scholars are deceived by it."
"Yu Shen can argue with that kid Xue Yingqi back and forth. His views on the noumenon are getting deeper and deeper, and even I am frightened."
Wang Ji's expression did not change: "I will come forward when the time comes. I am going to take this opportunity to broadcast Wang Xue and carry Mr. Wang into the Ancestral Temple."
After hearing this, Qian Dehong couldn't help but remain silent and did not refute, even if he disagreed with Wang Ji's ideas.
As the direct disciples of Wang Yangming, the two of them are teachers and are known as the Three Masters and Seven Certificates.
If my husband really enters the Confucius Temple and enjoys the holy status, then the two of them will be Yan Hui second.
Wise man.
Qian Dehong suddenly reminded: "I am afraid that the emperor will interfere with it. I heard that the emperor might also go..."
Wang Ji was noncommittal: "I don't have enough knowledge in Confucian classics. In that kind of situation, there is no place for outsiders to speak."
"Confucianism is debating scriptures, and it is not the secular powers' turn to intervene."
Chapter completed!