Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 26 0025 [Public and Private]

The father and son were silent for a long time and kept making eye contact.

Finally, Ju Ming decided to lower the price: "One hundred guan."

"It's still too expensive." Bai Chongyan shook his head.

Ju Ming observed the other party's expression carefully, guessing Bai Chongyan's true thoughts.

He once read a record that in the Song Dynasty, there was a scholar in the south of the Yangtze River, who usually didn't show his mountains and dews, but donated more than [-] guan to help the people in the year of the catastrophe.

The big families in the Song Dynasty should be very rich.

Why is Bai Sangong so stingy?
But from Bai Chongyan's point of view, he is really bargaining.

At the beginning, the old Bai Yuanwai spent more than 3000 yuan to manage the relationship in order to be the county master, which greatly reduced the family's assets, and did not earn back the capital until retirement.

Bai Chongyan really wanted to buy that pen, but if it was replaced by that little white member, he would just steal it by chance.

Xiaobaiyuanwai takes a powerful way, as long as it is beneficial, he can do anything.

The old white members are developing towards the gentry. Of course, the gentry also do powerful things, but they are relatively more disciplined.

It can also be said that the gentry are people who set the rules, they are eager to establish order in the countryside, and they have the right to speak about this order.

Bai Chongyan thought about it, and counter-offered again: "How about forty strings?"

"Ninety guan is already very cheap." Zhu Ming said.

The two sides bargained and went back and forth for several minutes.

Ju Ming felt that he couldn't sell it, so he could only say: "Let's go for [-] guan."

"A word is settled!"

Bai Chongyan was afraid that they would repent, so he still had a happy expression on his face, as if he had taken advantage of this time.

"But there are conditions." Zhu Ming said.

Bai Chongyan put away his smile: "Your Excellency, please tell me."

Zhu Ming stretched out his right index finger: "First, my father and son are living here and want to settle down in the village. I ask Mr. Sanlang to sell ten acres of mountain land and ten acres of forest, and he must be close to the pool in the mountain."

"Yes." Bai Chongyan said without thinking.

The location of the water pool is far away from the river bank.

In the mountains there, few grains can be grown.The mountains and forests there are only used for chopping firewood, or chopping some wood for furniture.

There are mountains and forests everywhere nearby, and they can be occupied at any time, but the value is lower if they are not next to the pool.

Zhu Ming stretched out another finger: "Second, among the five acres of land, I ask Mr. Sanlang to help transfer the title to the county government."

Bai Chongyan didn't immediately agree this time, but looked at Zhu Ming thoughtfully, and asked with a smile, "The two want a local household registration, and the household registration of the principal household?"

Zhu Ming didn't answer, and stretched out a finger again: "Third, if I go to take the imperial examination, I will ask Mr. Sanlang to help me as a guarantee!"

"Sure enough," Bai Chongyan shook his head and sighed, "If it wasn't for the imperial examination, who would want to be the head household with only a few mu of land?"

The imperial examination threshold in the Song Dynasty was stricter than that in the Ming Dynasty.

First of all, it must be the main household, that is, to pay taxes to the court.

Secondly, there are status restrictions. You are not allowed to be a monk, you are not allowed to be a performer, you are not even allowed to be a business practitioner.

The examination of qualifications for the imperial examinations in the Song Dynasty can be roughly summarized into seven items, and Zhu Ming has violated three of them: first, he is not a native of the country, and has a fake household name; "Monk".

But the rules are set to be violated.

There were so many candidates in the Song Dynasty who changed their household registrations indiscriminately, and the imperial court didn't bother to take care of them unless someone reported it and made a big fuss.

There are also industrial and commercial practitioners who follow the regulations of the Tang Dynasty and are not allowed to take imperial examinations.But in practice, there are more and more businessmen who take the imperial examination, and even Song Yingzong issued an edict: "Miscellaneous in business and industry, there are geniuses who are strange and outstanding, and they are allowed to be sent away."

This imperial edict is tantamount to acknowledging that the children of business and industry can take the imperial examination to be officials.

What is a genius who is different from others and who is outstanding?
Those who can pass the exam are those who fail the exam!
Bai Chongyan thought carefully for a moment: "How about this, all the mountains and forests sold to you are selected without title deeds. Your future identity will be refugees from Jingxiang who have been reclaiming wasteland for several years. Those mountains are all For the wasteland you reclaimed, the government will give you household registration and land deeds according to the law."

"So, great kindness!" Ju Ming was very satisfied.

The Song Dynasty not only encouraged mergers, but also encouraged people to open up wasteland. As long as the land was reclaimed, the imperial court would grant household registration and land deeds, and even tax relief for newly opened up wasteland.

It seems to be a good policy, but in fact it has long been deformed.

Take Jingxi South Road as an example. It is close to Jingxi North Road where the capital Kaifeng is located. Logically speaking, it should be densely populated and the people should be rich.The actual situation is that the land is vast and sparsely populated, and the fields are barren!
There is a large wasteland, but the people are unwilling to cultivate it.

One is that you have been cultivating for several years, and you have finally cultivated it, and you can go to the government to register and get a certificate. Suddenly, a strong man jumped out and said that this is obviously our land.Even if the powerful do not act, the government is not easy to deal with, the land deeds are difficult to obtain, but the tax collection is more active one by one, and you will go bankrupt every minute.Or, you reclaimed ten acres of land, and when it was time to pay taxes, you suddenly found that you had to pay twenty acres of land.

With all these things, people are more willing to flock to the city to work. The proportion of the urban population in the Song Dynasty even exceeded that of the Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty, the Republic of China, and the early days of New China—but due to insufficient rural population, the number of towns in the Song Dynasty was far less than that of the latter few dynasty.

Of course, there are more complicated reasons for the desolation and decay of Jingxi South Road, which will not be discussed here.

Zhu Ming and Zhu Guoxiang, father and son, wanted to obtain household registration through "land reclamation", so someone had to clear the relationship in the county government.This is the most important thing. Network resources are the key.

Bai Chongyan continued: "The imperial examination guarantee, I can agree. The premise is that you have to farm in the village for more than one year, and you have not committed any crimes. Otherwise, it will be difficult to obey."

"Of course." Ju Ming expressed his understanding.

Bai Chongyan asked: "Your Excellency, are you sure to send the capital to the capital (zhongju)?"

Zhu Ming smiled and said, "You have to try."

In fact, Zhu Ming is not sure, he just made preparations in advance, and whether he will take the imperial examination in the future depends on the specific situation.

With an official status, it is more convenient to do everything.

After all, Bai Chongyan is a scholar, and after finalizing the brush deal, he began to discuss learning: "Since you want to take the imperial examination, what kind of classics do you want to study?"

"Zhouyi." Zhu Ming replied.

Bai Chongyan did not study the "Book of Changes" deeply, so he turned to the school and the classics: "There is no benevolence in the king, and there is no injustice in the king. What is the righteousness?"

Zhu Ming didn't even need to search for information in his head, because these two sentences are too simple, and he immediately answered: "As a minister, the most important thing is to be righteous (as a minister, the primary goal is to make the king benevolent and righteous)."

Bai Chongyan asked again: "A gentleman cherishes virtue, while a villain cherishes earth. A gentleman cherishes punishment, but a villain cherishes benefits. What's the meaning?"

Zhu Ming said: "A gentleman and a villain have different interests, public and private."

"Is it public or private?"

Bai Chongyan suddenly turned serious, savored the meaning carefully, then got up and bowed: "Thank you for your enlightenment!"

The version of "The Analects of Confucius" popular in the Northern Song Dynasty is "The Analects of Confucius" annotated by He Yan in the Three Kingdoms.The content of the annotations is a lot of ramblings, and the words are used to explain the difference between a gentleman and a villain.

And what Zhu Ming answered just now is the content of Zhu Xi's commentary.

Zhu Xi didn't pick out the words, and only used the word "public and private" to accurately explain the difference between a gentleman and a villain.

A gentleman pays attention to justice, while a villain is obsessed with self-interest.

"I dare not take it." Ju Ming smiled and bowed his hands in return.

"Public and private, public and private..." Bai Chongyan muttered to himself, combined these two words, and began to recall the content of "The Analects of Confucius Liren", and found that several scriptures could be deconstructed based on this.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he got, and he got up and walked around, almost dancing.

Being taught the word "public and private" is Bai Chongyan's biggest gain, and it is much more important than buying a top-quality brush.

As for Mrs. Yan and Shen Yourong, seeing Bai Chongyan's abnormality, they both showed surprise on their faces.

In their minds, Bai Sanlang is full of knowledge and is a well-known talent in the local area.But Zhu Dalang made Bai Sanlang lose his composure with a few casual words, compared to that, how knowledgeable Zhu Dalang must be!

After being happy for a long time, Bai Chongyan finally sat back and suppressed the excitement in his heart: "Brother Zhu..."

"Just call me Da Lang." Ju Ming has already accepted this title.

Bai Chongyan asked: "Which great Confucianist did Da Lang learn from?"

Zhu Ming said: "I have been traveling all over the world since I was a child, and my father taught me my basic knowledge. As for Confucian classics, I listen to some here and there, and I also think about it myself."

Bai Chongyan admired him even more: "It turns out that Da Lang is self-taught, brother Yu is really ashamed!"

Bai Chongyan asked Shen Yourong to bring "The Analects of Confucius" and "Mencius", intending to ask for advice word by word, hoping to obtain more new explanations.

Zhu Ming got up and cupped his fists: "Mr. Sanlang, it's getting late."

"That's right, that's right, it's me, Meng Lang," Bai Chongyan hurriedly got up and said goodbye, "Please rest, Dalang, and come to ask for advice tomorrow!"

Zhu Ming said, "Walk slowly."

Bai Chongyan looked at the table: "This writing brush, I will bring the money tomorrow, and the Bai Qi for selling the land will also be delivered."

"No hurry." Zhu Ming was really not in a hurry, he had already fooled this guy anyway.

Bai Chongyan said again: "Brother Yu has a good friend, he is the gentleman of Yangzhou Tongpan Xianggong's family. Tomorrow we have an appointment to go up the mountain together. I wonder if Dalang would like to go with him?"

The son of the state judge?

Of course go!

Ju Ming's face was calm, his whole body was upright, and he didn't envy the rich and powerful at all: "I'm so happy."

This Bai Sanlang left with his family boy, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law sent them out. After they returned to the house, they treated Zhu's father and son with more respect.

Great talent, if you can always be Brother Qi's teacher...

Bai Chongyan held an umbrella and returned to his home, feeling inexplicably excited all the way, not only the joy of buying a good pen, but also the joy of seeking new knowledge.

As for the scandal about his classmate's widow, Bai Chongyan no longer believed it.

The road was slippery in rainy days, and I accidentally fell half into the mud.

He didn't change into clean clothes, so he went straight to his father's study.

The old white member was reading a book with a light on, and glanced at the muddy water on his son: "Are you back?"

"It's done." Bai Chongyan said.

The old white member said: "It can be done tonight. It seems that the father and son are very clever, and they have convinced you."

Bai Chongyan roughly recounted the story, and said, "Father, the Zhu family and his son are definitely not bad people. Even if they are bad people, with their talents and knowledge, there is no need to deceive some villagers and sluts. Especially the little Zhu Xiucai, although he only asked for advice. These two sentences have already made the child admire."

The old white member was once a county magistrate, but the knowledge in his stomach was enough to take the exam, so he asked, "Really so talented?"

"There is more than just talent and learning," Bai Chongyan highly praised. "My child studied in Yangzhou from Xixiang County, and met more than one or two teachers of scriptures. Even the famous Confucian in Yangzhou interpreted the Analects of Confucius according to Uncle He Ping's words." ". One or two, you can explain it like a lotus flower, and you can speak clearly and logically, but who can say the word 'public and private'?"

The old white member said: "These two words are not difficult, I can understand their meaning when I hear them."

Bai Chongyan said: "It's one thing to be able to understand it, but another thing to say it. If you don't study the Analects to the core, how can you say this? The simpler the word, the better it is. , as the so-called greatness comes to simplicity."

The old white member understood: "You mean, the scripture teachers in Yangzhou are not as knowledgeable as this young man?"

"Not necessarily. The word 'public and private' may have been accidentally obtained by him." Bai Chongyan said.

"He wants to take the imperial examination to become an official?" the old white member asked again.

Bai Chongyan said: "I do have that intention, and I asked the child to help as a guarantor."

The old white member pondered: "Since this is the case, why not send him some mountain land? He will not pass the imperial examination, and it will only be a few acres of thin land. There is no loss for us. When Erlang (Bai Ergongzi) comes back, let him go. He helped to create the household registration. For your grandmother's birthday banquet, please invite Zhu's father and son to sit inside, and don't mix it with ordinary people."

"Father is wise." Bai Chongyan also admired his father's arrangement.

The old white member warned: "Don't look at my family in the village. What is it if you go out of Xixiang County? You have to be kind to others and don't argue with them. The gangster in the lower reaches is not stingy, and he calls himself a little white member, Yurou Township Neighbors, making enemies everywhere, colluding with bandits, selling salt and tea privately, sooner or later they will have to destroy their families and die!"

When he was young, he was also a ruthless character. More than ten years ago, he finally kicked the iron plate, resigned from his position as chief secretary, and returned to the countryside in despair.

From then on, he practiced self-cultivation and treated his neighbors leniently, and gradually gained a good reputation.

"Father is right." Bai Chongyan said.

The old white member said again: "I forgot to ask you yesterday, would Zhong Xiucai come to my house to teach?"

Bai Chongyan said: "I have invited you before, but Zhong Xiucai is willing to come, but the requirements are more stringent. The monthly salary is four guan, and Shu Xiu has to be paid every year."

"He is poor and crazy!" the old white member was furious.

Bai Chongyan said: "Our place is too remote, my boy asked several gentlemen, but anyone with some skills either refused to come, or the price was high. The reward given by the father can also hire a teacher, but his knowledge, my boy But I can't see it."

The old white member said: "It's okay to be poor in knowledge. After all, he is only teaching Mengtong. Liang Xuexue at home is too old, and he is blinded and deaf. He can't hear him playing in class. This year, he must change to a teacher."

Bai Chongyan hesitated again and again, and couldn't help saying: "My boy thinks that the private school should be changed into a village school, so that all children in the village who are interested in learning can come to study."

"If you want to build a village school, do you really think I'm a good person?" The old white member sneered.

Bai Chongyan said: "Father, there is no village school, and my family can only be regarded as a local tyrant. Only by establishing a village school and educating the village can we be called a gentry family."

"A Gentleman's House, a Gentleman's House..."

The old white member was moved by this title, and after pondering over and over again, he nodded and agreed: "Indeed, there is no village school in the village, and you will lose face when you are on a diplomatic trip. Fifty pennies should be able to start a village school, right?"

Bai Chongyan said: "More than enough."

The old white member immediately made a decision: "After your grandmother's birthday, build a few thatched huts, let the children in the village come to study, and let Liang Xuexue continue to teach for the time being."

Bai Chongyan suggested: "Then Zhu Jia Dalang, since he can compile the "San Zi Jing", he must have a lot of experience in teaching Meng Tong. He also said that his father Zhu Xianggong taught him his education. Wait for the child to test his knowledge. Perhaps Zhu Xianggong can be hired as Mr. Village School."

"Alright." The old white member agreed.

(End of this chapter)