Jingming

Chapter 442: What level of being an accomplice of the emperor?

In the past, the prefectures and counties did not plan to build pavilions, and the clean roads were completely cut off. No one could rise from a low-ranking official in the capital to an important minister just by relying on connections and holy relatives.

But now, the emperor has made it clear: If you are not a member of the Datong Party, you should not be an official.

What is Datong Party?
People in Datong may have their heads full of questions, but who among the world’s scholars doesn’t know?

Everyone understands, but no one has the courage to stand up and say: I am against world unity!
That has been the banner of the pinnacle of morality for thousands of years, the return path of "benevolence", and the ultimate goal of self-cultivation, family harmony, and country governance that Confucianism has been talking about for many years.

In the Ming Dynasty, scholars should naturally belong to the Datong Party, so the emperor's decree seemed to have no impact at all.

However, the officials who had spread out the paper and prepared the ink could not pick up the pen.

"Book of Rites" says: In the journey of the great road, the world is for the common good, selecting the virtuous and capable, advocating trust and cultivating harmony.Therefore, people do not only care for their relatives, nor do they only have children for their children, so that the old will have their end, the strong will be useful, the young will be prosperous, the widowed, the widowed, the lonely and the disabled will all be supported; the male will have a share, the female will return, and the goods will be abandoned on the ground. There is no need to hide it from oneself, and there is no need to do it for oneself if it does not come from oneself.This is why people seek to be closed but not prosperous, to steal and commit robberies but not to commit robberies, and why people outside are not closed to the outside world. This is called Datong.

This is the road, this is the ideal.For thousands of years, everyone has only discussed how to take a "shortcut" approach to this ideal.

As for the method of getting closer, it is also mentioned in the "Book of Rites": study things to gain knowledge, be sincere and upright, cultivate one's character and bring order to the family, and govern the country and bring peace to the world.

Even so, the lack of methods ultimately led to the differences between Neo-Confucianism and Psychology.

Your Majesty, the current Emperor, values ​​practice.

What he asked officials to write was not empty concepts, but concrete ways to do it.What should be done, what can be done, what can be considered.

There is no room for rhetoric and theory, family members.

Once the Great Harmony Party and the criteria for being an official in the future are put down and the terms are finalized, the Great Harmony Party in the future will be different from the "pursuit of ideals" that was purely mentioned before.

It is impossible to just say that I also pursue "university under heaven" as my pursuit in life.

We all know what kind of things each other is, don’t talk nonsense, can you abide by these principles?If you feel you can't do it, don't be an official.

After becoming an official, how should I cultivate myself, manage my family and govern the country?

With such a large number of officials writing "reports", how could the news be concealed?
The most lively places are still teahouses, restaurants, and academies. Most of the scholars who have not officially entered the official career have no burdens and are full of enthusiasm. Naturally, they are still chatting.

"It's just to point out some problems and explain it!" On a hot day, he shook his fan and talked more happily, "Isn't being an official meant to assist His Majesty in governing the country and bringing peace to the world? Isn't it the right thing to pay attention to morality and restrain the family? I don't agree. I just saw it, and the minimum is already written in the rules!"

"Hey, it's a big show." He poured tea in a good mood, "Write a few articles, what's the problem? Now the problem is: if you just copy the laws and prohibitions, and the virtuous people make impassioned speeches, then in the eyes of His Majesty, you can't It’s divided into three, six, and nine grades!”

"...How wonderful! Is this place to stay?"

"There is something even better." After pouring the tea and about to enjoy it, the man squinted his eyes and shook his head, "Your Majesty likes to compare the words and deeds of statistical officials. Now this clear text is correct, it is like a military order. In the future, any infractions will be committed." What can you say? Moreover, if you only copy the rules and regulations, and later statistics show that most of your colleagues think you should do a little more than the rules, then you will be immediately considered unqualified and should be ashamed. Resign?"

Several young people were stunned.

"It's just that no one is perfect. If he can control himself, can he really control a whole family? If in order to show his high virtue, he raises his tone, what will happen in the future?" The tea drinker sighed again, "Now, those who raise their tone It's them, but it's you and me who are going to be in tune with this in the future."

"...This plan is very..."

After everyone tastes this, we can't say clearly that Your Majesty, you are too sinister.

But now they fully understand the officials' dilemma.

What is it about cultivating oneself and harmonizing one’s family?
The history books are vivid in their minds. At the very least, they are nothing more than the laws and regulations that the imperial court has today: about corruption, about relying on official positions to invade fields, seize shops, and kidnap people as slaves, about indulging families to bully and dominate the market, about...

Isn’t this time the inspection of industry and commerce?The targets of the inspection are officials, and the content of the inspection is mainly industrial and commercial matters. Doesn’t that mean official corruption and collusion between officials and businessmen?

The current Datong Party seems to be just asking officials to write letters of guarantee. However, in the future, it will be even more serious to say that those who are not members of the Datong Party will not be allowed to serve as officials.

Even if the rules are clearly stated, there is often a lot of room for maneuver in the final resolution.What is just an oversight, what is human nature, what is a balance between merit and demerit...

But now it is actually a posture that wants to capture him to the end.

Will His Majesty hurt the officials too much?
A more in-depth discussion has begun on this point, after all, it seems to have an extremely significant impact.

The lower-level officials looked eagerly at the attitude of the middle-level officials, while the middle-level officials were looking forward to getting the news from the important officials in the court.

Of course, it cannot be said clearly that "working thousands of miles to become an official is just for money." The salary of officials has been improved a bit, but are they really doing this heavy pressure and intrigue just for the small salary and the flattery of others?
Fame and fortune, the latter is more important.

But there was no "rumor" among the advisers.

The emperor is in a morally invincible position: all officials in the world are scholars, and everyone becomes an official because of their superficial ambition to govern the country and bring peace to the world.Don’t force anything, just say it yourself, you go first.

See what most people think it should be and go with their opinions.

How can this be done?
Before the final results are tallied, no one knows what the standards will be.

And as many people have discussed, wouldn't it be that there are many people who are worried about looking bad in comparison and have to raise their standards?Wouldn’t the final standard be too high?

I was sweating profusely.

Are you embarrassed to just copy the rules?

If you just copy the rules and regulations, if you take it seriously, you will reveal a joke: everyone says that if the world is harmonious, it is [-]% to [-]% that one family will prosper.

Hypocrite, what a villain.Sanctimonious, dressed like a beast...

You can't go to the emperor to inquire about his attitude, you can only discuss it privately first.

"...How can I tell my colleagues what to say?" Zhang Bi shook his head repeatedly, "The State Council can't do this, and the central government can't do this either! If you present it to the emperor in the same way, you are deceiving the emperor! Your Majesty has made it clear. , this is to find the emperor’s ally, not the ally of us ministers of state!”

To be honest, the word "companion" makes people feel numb.

The courtier's comrades?Forming cliques to control government affairs for personal gain is a heinous crime.

The emperor forms a party?It is my duty to be loyal to the king, and my heart is commendable!

This is the difference.

Zhang Bi also absolutely did not want to leave a historical comment in the future that he "set standards for his fellow party members and made future generations miserable."

What the hell!

"There is no need to say more, let each express his or her own thoughts." Zhang Bi sighed, "Your Majesty has always made far-sighted plans, and you will not fail to understand the importance of them. How can your Majesty not notice the worries of the officials? You need horses to run and horses to run. Your Majesty will not do such a thing as not eating grass.”

Those who visited Zhang Bi's house did not include Yang Shen, Yan Song, Huang Zuo, Gui E, and Liu Tianhe.

At Yan Song's house, Yan Shifan has not yet left Beijing. This time he will wait until the Longevity Festival before going to Japan again.

The conversation between father and son was much more candid.

"...Although my son is a military officer and works in a company, does he have to tie his own hands and feet?" Yan Shifan said bluntly, "But some filial sons have been rejected, and some will help others find new opportunities. In Japan, it is even more bullying and domination. It’s your son’s job!”

Yan Song was also a little confused.

To be honest, when he went to Zhejiang, he "accepted bribes on orders."

He thought more deeply and actually knew the emperor very well.

But after thinking about it, he didn't understand why the emperor spoke so highly.

After the standards are set, are they really not allowed to serve as officials if they fail to do so?
But the standards for being an official and the purpose of many people's officialdom are probably in conflict with each other.

After closing his eyes and thinking for a long time, Yan Song opened his eyes and said: "Your Majesty is a wise king with great ambition, big heart, and great wisdom. This great party has extremely lofty aspirations. When hundreds of officials report against each other, they still focus on admonishment." Since it is a warning, it is not a punishment. There is only one thing to say: This is Your Majesty's ally, so naturally I will listen to Your Majesty!"

"...Dad, my son doesn't understand."

"No one is perfect. How can His Majesty not give anyone a chance to change? But the requirements cannot be low and the direction must not be wrong! And don't worry, there are tens of millions of officials in the world. Can we really count out extremely clear standards? In the end, it is still about summarizing the gist. As a father, the goal is not how to cultivate one's moral character and manage the family, but how to govern the country is the goal!"

Yan Song felt that he had figured out the gist: "In the name of world harmony, the purpose has been stated. Officials can make mistakes, but they cannot do bad things or delay things. Anything that hinders the realization of the purpose of world harmony must not be exceeded! Mostly for the people, If you do less harm to the people, you can generally allow all officials in the world to have their own private interests."

Like Yan Song, who has seen through some of the essence, there is also Tang Shunzhi who is far away in Hetao.

After the edict was sent here, he realized that there was such a new trend in the court.

"The Great Harmony of the World..."

Tang Shunzhi remembered the feeling of a young man studying.

How many scholars would have been enthusiastic about it when they were young?That is the light that guides many.

But after half a lifetime of ups and downs, I realized that there is dust in the light, and even the dust haze is deep.

Some people choose to live in harmony with the light, some choose to illuminate themselves with candles, and some choose to retreat into the mountains and forests.For thousands of years, who can clean it up?

Tang Shunzhi didn't know whether the emperor could do it, but the real dragon emperor who could control the wind and rain was now sitting on the throne, waiting for the ministers to express their feelings.

"Do you at least think so?" Tang Shunzhi stood at the door of the second floor of the Governor's Hetao Ministry Hall in Guihua City, which was still under construction, looking at the newly cultivated fields near the city and the grassland in the distance.

Tang Shunzhi achieved his ambition at a young age and gained a high status.At his point, there were too many choices.

If you want to fulfill your selfish desires, Fuyin's descendants will be there for generations.

If you want to be leisurely, your achievements in this life will already be considerable, no matter how virtuous and virtuous you are.

He is still like this, where is Your Majesty?

But His Majesty still did not stop.When the Ming Dynasty was able to drive away the northern barbarians, regain the lost territory, the Zhou vassals were obedient, and the national power was growing, the emperor actually mentioned the word Datong to the world.

There are storms and clouds on the grassland in midsummer, and it often rains at this time.

Tang Shunzhi walked slowly back to the hall.

"Think of it this way..."

It is not for the sake of achievements that have never been done before.

When a real man comes to this mortal world, why should he be greedy for something small?

Isn't it not pleasant to live a life of being greedy for pleasure, to be greedy for admiration without guilt, to be greedy for what one can do and what others cannot do?
Tang Shunzhi once again confirmed the emperor's courage. After he sat down, he looked outside through the palace door.

The palace gate is very small and the outside is very vast.

What kind of power shocks the master?
It is said that the capital will not be returned until the Northern captives are eliminated. This is only because in the past dynasties, most of them were mediocre kings and ministers. They only had the power and interests of a small world in their hearts.

Tang Shunzhi recalled the emperor's young smiling face and expectant eyes when his high school champion went to the palace to meet him.

He picked up the pen and started writing easily.

The leader of Jingguo's military strategy department was originally the top scholar in literature.

Why limit yourself to the border?
He wanted to return to Beijing, return to the center, and return to the emperor.

In the face of such a great cause as the great unity of the world, if we cannot stir up the storm and rebuild the mountains and rivers together with such a magnificent monarch, I am afraid that I will regret it before I die.

How to cultivate oneself, manage one's family and govern the country?

Didn’t our ancestors tell you this a long time ago?

The answer is in the riddle: the public heart.

The emperor's move was nothing more than the rule of law.

When one is old, the people are filial; when one is long, the people are fraternal; when one is lonely, the people are not as generous.

Ji Kang asked Confucius about politics, and Confucius said: A political person is upright.The commander-in-chief is righteous, who dares not to be righteous?

Are you worried that the emperor will dismiss his officials and kill them?If the son is in charge of government, why should he kill?The son wants to be good and the people will be good.The virtue of a gentleman is like the grass of a villain, and the wind on the grass will die.

If you take the lead in taking the right path, there will be fewer and fewer people who don’t take the right path, and they will become less and less afraid.

Just rely on killing?The virtues of those in power are like the wind, and the virtues of those below are like grass.Whatever the wind blows, the grass will fall.

Now, Your Majesty is just talking about the public spirit and the right path.

Those in Ying Dynasty should be truly upright.

You can be selfish, but you can't forget your public spirit and uprightness.

When the edict arrived in Huai'an, Tang Shu felt a little sour in his heart when he saw it.

He knew that he didn't have to worry about Liu Tianhe, and he didn't need to count on the British public for any help.

Isn't it true that the great unity of the world means winning the hearts of the people with a public spirit?
Is there anything more popular than curing the Huanghuai floods?

Anyone who can cure water is a saint.

He who can always support his ministers to cure the water is a sage.

That was something that His Majesty had been thinking about since his southern tour in the third year of Jiajing. For this reason, he even went to pay homage to the ancestral mausoleum. I am afraid that at that time, he even planned to simply move the ancestral mausoleum and flood it, so that there would be one less person to control the Huanghuai floods. Constraints.

From Liu Tianhe to Tang Shu, the Huanghuai flood problem has been on the emperor's mind for nearly 20 years. Will it be abandoned at the last moment?
Tang Shu, who had been away from the capital for many years, felt ashamed of his worries about the emperor's attitude.He was not in the capital, and he was unsure of many things.

But now, he finally had the courage to add his own personal belongings to the memorial: he wanted money!VIP!

This year is so critical, there will be a lot of rain this summer.

Although autumn is not far away, there will still be flood peaks and even yellow dragons.

There must be no trouble in Huang Huai.

Therefore, his own memorials were published very quickly.

It didn't take long for Prime Minister Hedao Yamen to deliver the memorial to the capital, not to mention that Tang Shu also specially used express delivery?

Within ten days, the emperor's reply came back.

Don't worry about money, the imperial edict has been sent to Huaiyang Province. This summer, Huaiyang officers and soldiers will guard the embankment.If you encounter danger, use it as a young and strong man.

Tang Shu's eyes filled with tears and he knelt down facing north to worship the imperial edict.

If you think about it carefully, he is from Huai'an. He can be the chief river in Huai'an. Doesn't the emperor trust him enough?
The time has just arrived in August, and the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching.

But some families cannot be reunited.

On the one hand, there is the horror brought about by Gui E's attitude of "severely punishing those who do something" and setting an example, and on the other hand, there is the clear message that must be sent to the capital before the Longevity Festival.

Officials at the Pujin Bridge Management Office were dismissed from their posts because they did not perform their duties strictly and violated regulations by allowing too many vehicles and horses to pass through the Pujin Bridge.How much "passing fee" has he collected privately?All checked.

As for the ironware sold by the Zhang family from Xining, it can be made into a good weapon after being smelted and reforged.An iron boat wrapped in iron?It’s “qualified” anyway.

Because of this, the Construction Bureau has been investigated and dealt with a lot.

As for Xu Jie, he did not benefit much personally, but several of his fellow villagers were arrested and imprisoned.

This is Xu Jie's darkest moment. How to deal with it depends on the Holy Will. After all, his guilt is not serious.For such a large project, no one can guarantee that the supervision will be in place.

Therefore, his clear statement turned into an apology letter and a letter of guarantee.

Yan Song even interceded for him.

Zhu Houcong felt strange when he saw Yan Song interceding for Xu Jie.

He knew that Xu Jie was still counting on his future and cherishing his reputation, but now he was not considered greedy, and he didn't have any benefits like Xu Yansong.

Yan Song was hung up by him with the Prime Minister and Minister of State's cake, and he didn't want to leave too many loopholes for his colleagues before completing that step.

"Zisheng's crime is a small one, but his crime is a big one. His Majesty wants to use the Datong Party to uphold his official style. Isn't that also the reason?" Yan Song said sincerely, "Zisheng is still talented and has always valued official reputation. If not, His Majesty would have done the same back then." I will not appoint him as the Chief of the Royal Study. Now it can only be said that he lacks experience and is eager to perform, and the construction period is too short, leaving hidden dangers today. I hope that Your Majesty will forgive him and give him a chance to change."

"Then do something that requires patience."

In Zhu Houcong's mind, Xu Jie actually barely passed this test.

Maybe it's because my expectations for him are not high?
He thought for a while and said: "Hai Rui is going to Shaanxi to patrol the sand, and the provincial government needs someone to cooperate with him. Let's discuss what it would be like to let him go to Shaanxi. Let the Yellow River water have less sediment than Any contribution is great."

With Hai Rui watching over him, Xu Jie would be very motivated.

Planting trees is not shabby. The last person to plant trees was the emperor's brother-in-law. This is also a sign of the holy family.

A mere third-grade person participating in politics is not qualified to come to the capital to participate in major national policy meetings.

Xu Jiede breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him emotionally.

Now, officials all over the world are nervously waiting for the statistics of their answers from the Imperial Study Room, the General Affairs Department, and the Internal Affairs Department of the Ritual Prison to be released.

At what level can one be qualified to be the Emperor's accomplice?
(End of this chapter)