Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 583 0578 [One is more radical than the other]

In the guest room, there are several sets of books, which were newly purchased.

There are several versions of "Tao Yongce", and Ju Ming's version is constantly changing and adding new content.Chen Yuan returned to Nanjianzhou to teach students and was always revising it.

Half of the chapters between the Tokyo version and the Shaxian version are very different.

There is also a castrated revised version, in which many sensitive contents were deliberately hidden for dissemination in Tokyo.As Ju Ming's "Public Security Shu" became famous, the castrated version was also listed as a banned book, but it was the most widely circulated.

At this moment, the "Tao Yongce" held in Xiao Chu's hand was the standard version officially printed by the Ming Dynasty this year.

This book is not an imperial examination bibliography, but some chapters in it are used separately as imperial examination textbooks, such as mathematics and physics-related content.

After Xiao Chu became a master of knowledge, he did not ask for a detailed explanation of any book he read, but only understood the core ideas of the book.

Therefore, he read very quickly and finished the theoretical chapters of "Tao Yongce" in a quarter of an hour. He said to his disciple Hu Quan: "This set of books is an elucidation of the study of things to achieve knowledge. It originated from Mr. Yichuan's understanding of the study of things to achieve knowledge. It is exhaustive. The principle of all things is used. 'The common people's daily use is the way.' This sentence is very wonderful, and it should be reflected in the three great principles!"

Hu Quan took "Da Da Zheng" and said: "His Royal Highness the Prince's "Da University Chapters and Sentences" has been read by students in Jiangxi, but some words and sentences were copied incorrectly. Now it has been renamed "Da Da Zheng" and it seems that some contents have been revised. , is more exciting than what I have read before. In some places, it is different from what the gentleman said, and His Royal Highness is more bold and direct. The prince made it clear in one word what the gentleman was not comfortable saying."

Xiao Chu took it over and scanned it, frowning and said: "There are advantages and disadvantages."

This edition of "The Great Learning" annotated by Ju Ming has adjusted some of the order of the scriptures.And after he became the prince, he revised it and elaborated on the "people-oriented" thinking in it more deeply, even implying that people could rebel if they couldn't survive.

Although Xiao Chu also agreed that "the people are the foundation of the country", he was more concerned about "the emperor's centralization of power". There was no fundamental conflict between the two, and in an ideal state they could promote each other.

But reality is often not an ideal state. Xiao Chu feels that when assisting the king to create a prosperous age, he can sacrifice the interests of some people in the short term.Ju Ming's discussion is too radical and may be detrimental to centralized rule.

Hu Quan said: "My disciple believes that there are advantages and no disadvantages. As long as the national policy benefits the majority of the people, we are not afraid even if a small number of people rebel. Your Highness the Prince is talking about the foolish king Zhao Ji. He is stupid, cruel, and exploitative, so much so that the whole world rebels!"

Xiao Chu didn't dwell on this anymore, just nodded slightly, and continued to read the content at the end of "Tao Yongce".

He had already read the mathematics chapter in Jiangxi and copied it secretly from a friend. Not only did Xiao Chu learn Arabic numerals, he even mastered analytic geometry.

However, the version he got now also had the calculus added by Zhu Guoxiang...

There is not much relevant content, only the basic concepts and simple applications of calculus.

But this shocked Xiao Chu, who was proficient in magic. He didn't care about anything at the moment, just picked up the pen and started reading and writing.

The next day, the master and apprentice went to the Ministry of Rites to report.

Hu Quan came to the Ministry of Rites to submit his examination form, that is, to submit his basic information and wait for the Ministry of Rites to review and arrange the examination number.

Xiao Chu was recommended by local officials, and the imperial court conducted recruitment through the Ministry of Rites. He needed to tell the Ministry of Rites that he was here.

After finishing the matter, the two went to inquire about Master Zhiquan. It turned out that the old monk had died of illness for several years.

In the evening, a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in official casual clothes, came to the inn. After asking for the room number, he hurried upstairs and knocked on the door.

"Disciple Feng Pu, meet my mentor!" The middle-aged man bowed outside the door.

Hu Quan opened the door, bowed and said, "Brother, please come in."

Xiao Chu looked at it carefully and then said with a smile: "I haven't taught you a few days, so it doesn't have to be like this."

Feng Pu said: "Being a teacher for one day is a teacher for life."

Xiao Chu was too lazy to care about this and asked Feng Shu to sit down: "Are you already an official in the new dynasty?"

Feng Fu, who was from Anyue, Sichuan, replied: "After my father died of illness, the student carried the coffin back to his hometown Dingyou. When the prince raised an army to conquer Shuzhong, the student saw that the rebels did not plunder the people, so he took the initiative to go to Chengdu to join the prince. It was originally Yingshan County. Ling is now a doctor in the Ministry of Rites. I saw your name in the Ministry of Rites today, so I inquired all the way and came to see you."

"Well done." Xiao Chu nodded in approval.

Feng Shu was a little excited: "If sir had come to the capital three months earlier, he would have been able to meet Zhao Yiruo (Zhao Yang). He had been in the Hanlin Academy before. After Cao Hou regained Zhejiang, he was sent to Zhejiang to serve as a county magistrate."

Xiao Chu said: "Since you are serving as officials in the new dynasty, you should do your best to assist the holy king in peace and prosperity of the people."

"Students, remember the teachings!" Feng Shu said quickly.

Xiao Chu asked: "How is the new dynasty?"

Feng Pu sighed: "Everything is good about the new dynasty, but it is too harsh on officials. Although no one dares to complain, I am afraid there are many people who criticize it."

Hu Quan couldn't help but ask: "Why are you so harsh?"

Feng Pu explained in a low voice: "The salaries of small officials and small officials have increased. Officials of fifth rank and above have seen their salaries drop a lot, and many other favors have been cancelled. When you are a local official, you have less money to freely use. Also, being an official is more tiring than before, and there are many more trivial matters like being a clerk."

Hu Quan couldn't help but smile. He seemed to have heard that compared to the previous Song Dynasty, officials in the New Dynasty did more and got less.

Of course, this is not all the case. The wages of low-level officials have increased, and some officials have also received formal wages.

Feng Pu continued: "The Inspectorate... which was the former Yushitai, has become more powerful now. Chen Dong, the Yushi of Zuodu, is very young and does things completely recklessly. Even His Majesty's cronies dare to investigate and punish the rest. Officials are no problem. This year alone, more than 120 people of seventh rank or above were dismissed from office due to corruption. More than [-] of them were exiled to southern Sichuan and Xihe, and will never be used again. Even they The descendants of the emperor are not allowed to take the imperial examination, and only the great-grandchildren can take the examination to become officials."

Hu Quan was dumbfounded.

Xiao Chu was also quite surprised. Although he couldn't stand corrupt officials, this was somewhat unexpected.

Feng Pu became gossipy: "The Linjin County Magistrate, Yang Huaien, was reported for exorbitant levies. When he heard that the censor of the Inspectorate had arrived in the city, he was so frightened that he went to Hezhong Mansion to surrender. But it was a corrupt official who took the initiative to surrender. , as long as he honestly hands over the stolen money, he will be exempted from being exiled to the border area, and his grandchildren will be able to take the imperial examination. Of course, if the stolen money is too much, he will definitely be dismissed from office and imprisoned, and his son will not be allowed to take the imperial examination."

Hu Quan sighed: "In the old Song Dynasty, how could such a thing happen? Officials levied exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, which were not even counted as corruption, and could not be judged as crimes at all." Feng Fu said: "Because corruption was common in the previous dynasty, many officials in the new The court could not change. Even though the court had strict rules, corruption and dereliction of duty were everywhere, and people were dismissed from office for corruption every month. Many officials were already nostalgic for the old Song Dynasty. In Hebei, Shandong, and Shanxi, there were even officials who defected to the Puppetry. towards."

"Going to the puppet dynasty established by the Jin people?" Hu Quan couldn't believe it.

Feng Pu said: "There were more than one or two people who defected to the puppet government. They all heard that the censor wanted to investigate them, so they took their families and fled in fear of crime."

Xiao Chu said angrily: "There is no distinction between Hua and Yi. If caught, he must be punished with death!"

In fact, there were corrupt officials who went to Song Huizong this year. Not long after they ran over, Li Bao led his troops to kill them...

The three masters and apprentices chatted until midnight, and during the process they asked the store to deliver food.

After Feng Shu left, Xiao Chu said to Hu Quan with a smile on his face: "The new emperor is so strong, we can all do great things!"

Not all officials look forward to a "forgiving king". Xiao Chu and Hu Quan's faction likes a strong monarch.

Strictly speaking, Huan's faction was also keen on assisting powerful monarchs.

If the monarch is not strong, how can he be a holy king?
Two days later, the internal officials came to convey the order and took Xiao Chu to the palace to have an audience.

According to the procedure, these recruited officials must be personally inspected by the emperor.

Xiao Chu, who was already very old, looked particularly energetic, as if he had suddenly experienced the second spring of his life.

When Xiao Chu came to a side hall, he found that the emperor was sitting in the main seat. The one next to him should be the prince, but there was an official sitting in the guest seat.

Xiao Chu strode forward and saluted the emperor and the prince.

Ju Ming introduced: "This is Huan Guo, named Kanghou, who is good at "Spring and Autumn"."

"I dare not claim to be a master," Huan Guo stood up and bowed, "Foolish brother Huan Guo, I would like to pay my respects to my senior brother. I once studied under Mr. Yichuan."

Xiao Chu calmly returned the greeting, acknowledging this junior brother.

Xiao Chu was Cheng Yi's personal disciple, while Huan Guo was only Cheng Yi's registered disciple.

In addition to studying under Cheng Yi, both of them have another thing in common: they both traveled around to study when they were young. They did not stick to one family, but learned from the best of others and integrated them into a comprehensive understanding.

Zhu Guoxiang smiled and said: "Old sir, please sit down."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Xiao Chu bowed and sat down calmly.

Ju Ming went straight to the point and directly tested the subject: "Six officials in Jiangxi have jointly recommended you. Even my father-in-law called you a great Confucian and said that your "Spring and Autumn" is unique in the world."

Xiao Chu was also unambiguous, and his words were astonishing when he came up: "The Holy Lord wants to rule the world, and he has two handles. One is power, and the other is blessing. With the two handles, the world will be ruled. The emperor should use it as power and blessing!"

interesting.

Ju Ming smiled and said, "Sir, continue."

Xiao Chu said: "Those who are powerful and blessed will be punished and rewarded. Once there is a mistake, they will fall into chaos."

Zhu Ming asked: "The faint king Zhao Ji also wielded power and blessings, and both of them were there. How could he be defeated?"

"Otherwise, Zhao Ji may seem to be showing off his power, but in fact, both his power and luck are lost." Xiao Chu said.

"Please elaborate." Zhu Ming said.

Xiao Chu said: "Where does the emperor's power and blessing come from? It is nothing more than the timing and human affairs..."

In Xiao Chu's words, the weather refers to the internal and external situations faced by those in power, including various natural disasters and so on.Personnel refers to the coordinated handling of these situations, including government framework, personnel transfer, public morale, etc.

As an emperor, you should see the situation clearly, adapt to the current situation, and mobilize various resources to solve problems.

"Zhao Ji belittles the virtuous and exploits the people, which is an abuse of his power. The virtuous gentleman cannot display his talents, and the common people cannot live with food and clothing. How can Zhao Ji have any majesty?"

"He who favors treacherous ministers and flatters others will be able to live in temples; those who kill good people and take meritorious deeds will be appointed as generals. This is such an abuse of fortune!"

"Why can the prince's soldiers fight? It's just that rewards and punishments are clear."

"The Lord who wields power and brings blessings is the sage. The king who abuses his power and brings blessings will destroy his country!"

Ju Ming smiled and said: "Sir, what you have said so much is actually just four words: rewards and punishments."

Xiao Chu said: "How difficult is it to make rewards and punishments clear? First, we must have a strict system; second, we must practice without chaos. King Shu's reform at that time only achieved the former point, but failed to achieve the latter point, so his reform failed. "

Zhu Guoxiang praised and said: "It is very good to customize the system and implement it strictly."

Xiao Chu continued: "How to practice without chaos? It's just to rectify the administration of officials. As a minister, you can't rectify the administration of officials, because the power and blessings do not come from you. At this time, you need a saint king. The saint king exerts authority and blessing, As long as rewards and punishments are clear, why worry about officials not being able to govern clearly?"

Xiao Chu stood up excitedly: "Your Majesty has done a good job in investigating and punishing corrupt officials. In my opinion, exile is too lenient. If the stolen goods exceed one thousand guan, the death penalty should be imposed!"

Huan Guo sat next to him, staring blankly at his senior brother, and suddenly felt that there would be great pressure from competition in the future.

(End of this chapter)