Cutting 1719

Chapter 440
Shen's house in the south of the Yangtze River, with white walls and black tiles, cornices and corners, more than ten houses are built along the water, layer upon layer, well arranged, hidden among the green shadows, hidden in the thick shade, showing a good atmosphere of wealth and nobility.

With a dignified look on Shen Weijun's face, he walked through the long path and came to the extremely quiet backyard, only to see a pool several feet in size, and beside the pool was a small room. The small pavilion looks very delicate.

The pavilion is nameless, and the decoration inside is also very ordinary. There is only one small stone table, and the two old men are facing each other from a distance. A thick stack of account books.

Shen Weijun walked to the pavilion, facing the old man on the left side of the pavilion, knelt down straight, and said softly: "Father, the matter has been settled, and the Zhou family and the Wang family will probably make some moves in the next two days."

The old man on the left side of the pavilion has gray hair and his eyes are slightly open, but he seems to have not woken up, holding a teacup with one hand and shaking the feather fan in his other hand, without saying a word, It seems that he didn't see that Shen Weijun had arrived at all, and the old man opposite him was full of white hair, and he was drinking tea with his eyes closed, without making a sound.

Shen Weijun felt a little annoyed in his heart, so he had to increase his voice, and swallowed his anger: "Father, my boy thought that it was time to contact Shilin's good friends. I heard that the fourth younger brother is back, and he is also somewhat famous in Shilin. Why don't you let him go?" Come to contact Shilin, so that I can contribute to my worth."

The gray-haired old man still didn't speak, and he didn't even stop drinking tea, but the white-haired old man opened his eyes and glanced at Shen Weijun.

"Father, if my Shen family doesn't take any action, will we just watch our family decline like this?"

Shen Weijun couldn't bear it any longer, his heart was full of dissatisfaction with his father, if it wasn't for these old bastards who have been holding the power in the clan, how could the situation have come to this point?
"Hmph, yellow-mouthed child, how dare you talk about your family?"

The gray-haired old man seemed to disdain Shen Weijun very much. He sneered and said, "Let's not talk about how well you read the sage books, but what do you know based on the world situation?"

Shen Weijun took a deep breath, his face was a bit painful, "Since the ancestor of my Shen family, Cheng Mogong, built his family business in Jiangning, it can be said that he has gone through wind and rain to create such a family business! But now the court However, if the father continues to sit back and watch, the Shen family——is not that Shen family anymore!"

"Hahahaha"

Before the gray-haired old man could say anything, the white-haired old man opposite him laughed loudly, "Others say that you, Shen Guanglie, were wise all your life, but now you have made me laugh. It's okay."

Frowns frowned on Shen Guanglie's aging face, and it took a long while before he said in a low voice: "Brother, don't speak sarcastic words, it's not like you don't know what the current situation of our Shen family is like, and the future will depend on Jun'er and his generation. Our means have already seen the effect, as long as this test is passed, the Shen family in Jiangnan in the future will still be the Shen family!"

Shen Weijun was slightly annoyed by the white-haired old man's contempt, but when he heard his father say that, he was a little surprised. It seemed that there were many things he didn't know at all, which meant that he hadn't really been recognized by the family.

"Father, what is going on?"

Shen Weijun's face was a little ugly, and he hoped to get an explanation.

Shen Guanglie snorted coldly, "Do you really think those scholars can be of any use? Even if you go to petition together, you won't let that one stop. The emperor has been watching the movements of our family all the time. At this time, even scholars petition, the imperial court will only think that it is our black hand."

"But if we don't do this, what will our Shen family do in the future?" There was a hint of doubt on Shen Weijun's face, he seemed to have a little understanding of what the family was doing now.

The white-haired old man sneered, "What should I do? Eldest nephew, you know that when a tiger wants to eat people, if you want to survive, you don't want to run faster than the tiger."

"As long as someone in front is eaten by the tiger, it will be fine."

Shen Weijun said the answer, but at the same time, his heart became icy cold.

He has fully understood that in this turmoil, everyone has been tricked.

I'm afraid that the gathering on the eighth day of May will become a big purge of the emperor's gentry group, and the leader of this matter is not only the court, but also the Shen family.

Seeing Shen Weijun's face turning blue and then pale, full of fear and uneasiness, Shen Guanglie finally sighed, "Our Shen family is going to have a complete hemorrhage this time, Jun'er, we really have to rely on you young people in the future!"

There are turmoil in Nanjing City, and undercurrents are surging. Many scholars from other provinces have gathered in Nanjing City. Some of them are dissatisfied with the imperial examination system. Petitioning the imperial court can change the current status quo.

However, not all of them are the opposition, there are some scholars who have passed the new academic examination in various provinces. These people need to attend a half-year government affairs training class in Nanjing, and then they can be assigned to the grassroots level of the provinces to become officials. When they came to Nanjing together, many conflicts arose among the old-school scholars.

In the eyes of those scholars who are not used to the new learning, the new learning is a betrayal of Confucian orthodoxy, so everyone needs to resist it. For those scholars who passed the new academic examinations, they are resentful and jealous, thinking that these People don't have any real talents and learning, so they come to take part in the new imperial examinations, and now they all have to be officials, and these people like myself are all white men, which is simply unreasonable.

As for the new scholars, they think that those old-school scholars are rotten people who are obsessed with the past, and the court's selection of scholars should be based on practical learning. What can you know by just reading some Four Books and Five Classics?Do you know the population of a county?Do you know how agriculture develops?Do you know how to support industry and commerce?
Tens of thousands of scholars kept arguing all day long in the city of Nanjing, and it even developed to the point of drinking and fighting, so that the Nanjing police department, together with the city guards, sent people to patrol the streets every day to arrest those scholars who violated the law and discipline. among them.

It was in this environment that Shen Luochuan and Xu Zhai found the Yike Teahouse where their classmates gathered. They saw that the scale of this teahouse was not too big. Dozens of people ordered a few pots of tea here, and then ordered After eating some melon seeds and dried beans, I started talking day after day.

"Brother Xu, Nanjing City is so lively now?"

Shen Luochuan looked at a young scholar holding a folding fan on the table beside him, and couldn't help but wondered, they thought that there weren't many people coming.

"Hmph! The excitement is nothing! It's a mess!"

The young scholar shook the folding fan in his hand, and said in a low voice: "Brother Shen should have just come to Nanjing. Although the matter of the imperial examination has changed, some people have already said that this change is completely fooling people. I will read it later." People with sage books, how can they be sent to the frontier after passing the imperial examination? Isn't this an insult to gentleness!"

"That's right, the imperial court has done a great job this time!"

With a bit of excitement on his face, Xu Zhai said loudly: "It's not only unfair to put these scholars like me who focus on the way of Confucius and Mencius in the borderlands, but put the new scholars in the bustling places? It is digging the roots of Confucianism! If it goes on for a long time, who will know the words of Confucius?"

The young scholar nodded lightly and sighed, "How can such an act convince the world? Nowadays, not only the Jiangnan Shilin, but even Huguang, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, and even the just-conquered Sichuan have already had scholars. Come here and ask for justice!"

Shen Luochuan nodded slightly, his bad mood for the past two days finally eased a bit, and he said repeatedly: "Then the scholars in Nanjing, what are your plans?"

"We're talking right now. Let's wait until the eighth day of the fifth lunar month to go to the Meridian Gate and knock on Dengwengu together. We want the court to expel treacherous traitors, re-run the imperial examinations, abolish new studies and new policies, and stabilize the hearts of the people in the world!"

"Okay! Okay! That's how it should be. Let me tell you that not only must the new learning and new policies be abolished, but the imperial court also needs to take care of the people. I heard that a war was fought in Japan not long ago, and now it is said that it will fight again in the south of Burma." We dare not say anything about the Northern Expedition, but we cannot ignore the provocations here!"

"That's right! Scholars all over the world can't just sit back and watch the imperial court carry out famine policies!"

"On the eighth day of the fifth lunar month, beat Dengwen Drum!"

In Ningshou Palace, a ray of sunlight came in through the window curtains. Ning Yu and Ning Zhongyuan were sitting in the hall playing chess, while Cui Wancai, the second assistant, stared at the chessboard carefully, without saying a word.

"Yu'er, there are more and more scholars in Nanjing, have you thought about how to deal with it?"

After all, the commotion of the turmoil became louder and louder, but even the Supreme Emperor Ning Zhongyuan, who had been ignoring things for a long time, was alarmed. Of course, he had no intention of interfering in political affairs, but after all, he had a part of his heart in the world. So after the end of the round, he asked casually.

With a somewhat relaxed expression on Ning Yu's face, he said softly: "A few days ago, after all, I didn't touch their painful feet, so I was naturally peaceful, but now this knife almost wiped out all the fat on their bodies. It’s normal to yelp a few times after it’s cut off, and it’s okay if the hoof shines brightly, it’s not a big deal.”

Ning Zhongyuan nodded lightly, since his son said so, he naturally believed it, and sighed softly: "Our old brothers who started the family back then were not easy, if they die, if they die, if they are scattered, whether it is My Ning family, as well as their Cheng family and Zheng family, all put in their hard work. After taking Wuchang, the other gentry clans didn't contribute at all."

While chattering, Ning Zhongyuan picked up the black chess pieces on the table and put them into the chess basket one by one, but when he talked about Zheng Jiazi, he paused slightly, "If the emperor can play in Lei Ting In addition, it is also a good deed to show some rain and dew."

Ning Yu fell silent when he heard this. It's not that he didn't understand the meaning of the Supreme Emperor, but there were too many aspects involved in it, which made him feel somewhat scrupulous. Among them, it was like the Zheng family, who was in the current Ning Chu Everything inside is confidential.

Before the founding of Ning Chu, the Zheng family, as a faction of heroes, secretly colluded with the gentry group to oppose the New Deal, so it was completely wiped out later. He went to Yunyang to take care of them, and the gentry groups behind the Zheng family were cleaned up at that time.

Ning Zhongyuan's meaning is very simple. Now that Ning Chu's foundation has been established, there is no need to be harsh on the gentry. If the method can be softer, the matter will definitely not make such a big fuss, so he tactfully advised Ning Yu. , it is necessary to apply the grace of rain and dew.

It's just that this was not what Ning Yu wanted at all, so he fell into silence, and the second assistant Cui Wancai seemed to have noticed something, and quickly said softly: "It's inevitable that the Supreme Emperor is worried, but it's not easy to talk about it. It's not that complicated, it's nothing more than some ignorant scholars who were instigated by some caring people, and then their blood came to their heads."

"Hmph, hot blood? They're not that innocent."

Ning Yu curled his lips, and said with a sneer, "Forget righteousness for small profits, and cherish life for great things. If there are such simple people among them, I'm afraid they are just ghosts who were fooled out."

In Ning Yu's view, the current action is just the last desperate counterattack of the gentry group. As long as they don't rebel, they will naturally have no room to talk about what to do next. They don't want to pay anything, just want to enjoy the result. Certainly not possible.

Ning Zhongyuan also knew that he couldn't continue talking, otherwise the emperor might show resistance in his heart, which would be bad, so he stopped talking and continued to play games with Ning Yu.

After a few games of chess, Ning Yu did not stay in Renshou Palace, but went directly back to Fengtian Palace, but just when he returned to the palace to review the memorial, Ning Luoyuan, the person in charge of the shadow, wanted to see him and report important news .

"Returning to Your Majesty, the Shen family has revealed all the secrets, including a list of the black hands behind the organization of the drum beating on the eighth day of the fifth lunar month, which has already involved the big families in Zhili and even Huguang. The minister is ready to deal with it."

Ning Luoyuan lowered his head to report the news, and on the other hand, he handed over a thick stack of papers to the female officer at the side, and then the female officer handed it over to Ning Yu's desk, presumably it was the so-called list.

"Hehe, the Shen family is very knowledgeable, how do they plan to buy the lives of the Shen family?" Ning Yu didn't have any expression on his face, but just asked lightly.

Ning Luoyuan whispered: "Return to Your Majesty, the Shen family intends to sell all the land in their hands at a low price, and then switch to business and real estate. They also contacted the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, claiming that they hope to become a part of the Chamber of Commerce. Yes Yes, they also donated 10 silver dollars to the Spring Sprout Fund under the royal family."

(End of this chapter)