Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"Qionghua Banquet, this name is good, very close to Qionglin Banquet."

"These men of letters really know how to make a name for themselves."

Looking at the feedback from the scholars presented by the Jin Yiwei, Zhu Youjian found that what they talked about most was neither the establishment of the Congress nor the opportunity for everyone to serve as an official, but the banquet he held to let them go.

This made Zhu Youjian feel dumbfounded for a moment. At the same time, I also realized the attraction of the name Qionghuayan to scholars.

The banquet for the new Jinshi of the Ming Dynasty was formerly held by the Ministry of Rites. The name is also very simple, it is called Enrong Banquet. The Martial Arts Banquet for Wu Jinshi, the Ying Yang Banquet for Military Examiners, and the Deer Ming Banquet for Civil Examiners are also known as the Four Banquets of the Imperial Examination.

Among them, the Deer Ming Feast and the Eagle Yang Feast are widely spread because of their nice names. Few people know the names of Enrong Banquet and Huiwu Banquet.

Now that Zhu Youjian learned that the scholars outside had named the banquet he held Qionghua Banquet, he immediately realized that this was an opportunity:
"The name of the Qionghua Banquet is similar to the Qionglin Banquet of the Song Dynasty, and it was held in the palace. 』

"It has great appeal to literati who like fame. 』

"I can formally establish it and win over new scholars. 』

He has been trying to win over the scholars. After Zhu Youjian learned that holding a banquet would make the literati talk about it, he naturally wanted to do what he wanted and let the literati publicize this matter.

So in his heart, he had already planned to officially hold the Qionghua Banquet starting from this subject.

Whether it was Wen Jinshi's Enrong Banquet or Wu Jinshi's Martial Arts Banquet, they would all be changed to the Qionghua Banquet from now on——

After all, the first people he entertained at Qionghua Island were martial arts officers.

You can't just decide a name after the literati attend the Qionghua Island banquet, and then prevent military commanders from participating in it.

With this idea, Zhu Youjian decided to run the Qionghua Banquet well in the future and asked Liu Zongzhou, who recreated the rituals and music, to formulate the relevant etiquette.

Then looking at the scholars' evaluation of the Congress, Zhu Youjian found that most people did not understand the Congress very well.

This made him lament that the establishment of a parliament in the Ming Dynasty should not be done too hastily:
"This matter cannot be rushed or pushed forward at will. It will become a joke like the parliaments of some countries in later generations." 』

"The responsibilities of the National Assembly, its relationship with the court, as well as the electoral institutions, the scope of voters, the scope of candidates, etc. must be specified in detail. 』

"We need to find a place to pilot it and gradually improve it. 』

After Zhu Youjin thought about the scope of this pilot project, he planned to place it in Shuntian Mansion. Let Liu Zongzhou choose a place to promote this matter.

The specific goal is to improve the election method within ten years and implement it on a trial basis in one province. Then take another ten years to fully establish the Congress.

Therefore, in the initial pilot project, Zhu You was designated as a county. It is planned to send capable officials to serve as county magistrates:
"Among the Jinshi of the Ming Dynasty awarded today, Shi Kefa seems to be more suitable. 』

"I just don't know his ability, can he hold on?" 』

Zhu Youjian was mostly unfamiliar with the list of Jinshi in Mingfa and Mingshu in this subject.

But there were a few well-known names that caught his attention.

Shi Kefa’s name is one of them:

"Shi Kefa is a loyal minister who died in righteousness. Although his ability is criticized, he can be used. 』

"And he is not only a Jinshi in Mingfa, but also a Jinshi in Jinshi." 』

"It can be said that it has been determined that he will be a double-listed Jinshi, and he will definitely be ranked second. 』

"Such a talent comes from Jinyiwei, so of course he must be reused!" 』

Special attention was paid to loyal ministers who died in the festival, and Shi Kefa was born in a royal guard and was trusted by Zhu Youjian, so he planned to focus on training and let Shi Kefa follow Liu Zongzhou to recreate rituals and music.

As Shi Kefa's disciple of Zuo Guangdou, Liu Zongzhou should be able to accept it. He will not reject this person just because he is from Jinyiwei.

In Zhu Youjian's mind, Shi Kefa was naturally suitable for the Three Laws Division. He can even serve as one of Jin Yiwei's spokespersons, changing people's impression of Jin Yiwei.

Even in order to commend this person and improve the status of Ming Fa Ke, Zhu Youjian planned to make Shi Kefa the top three, and serve as the county magistrate as an official of the Hanlin Academy, assisting Liu Zongzhou in remaking rituals and music.

If Shi Kefa can be tempered in the future, Zhu Youjian would not mind letting him join the cabinet and serve as a bachelor in the future.

It can be said that, like Liu Lizhun and others, he is one of Zhu Youjian's favored prime ministers.

In addition to this person, one of the Jinshi who was also noticed by Zhu Youjian was Niu Jinxing.

This person Zhu Youjian had long been discovered through Liu Lishun, and even decided to find a way to hire him.

Unexpectedly, Niu Jinxing was admitted to the Jinshi of Mingshu Science without his intervention. Zhu Youjian met this person at the banquet yesterday, and even asked a few questions during the banquet.

Knowing that Niu Jinxing was familiar with the books of Tianguan Fengjiao, Zhu Youjian planned to place him in Qintian Prison and serve in the inner court yamen.

Then he used his status as a close minister of the emperor to recruit talented people from Henan.

Another Mingshu Kejinshi who surprised Zhu Youjian was Song Yingxing.

This person's fame will be greater than that of Niu Venus in later generations. His "Tiangong Kaiwu" is famous.

Song Yingxing is 42 years old and took the exam together with his brother Song Yingsheng. With the help of his familiarity with miscellaneous studies, his mathematical skills were better than those of many people, and he was admitted to the Mingshi Department of Mathematical Sciences. His elder brother Song Yingsheng was also included in the deputy list.

Such a great talent who can write the history of science and technology, Zhu Youjian must of course be reused. He planned to choose a good official position for Song Yingxing and assist Xu Guangqi in the future.

Zhu Youjian is very pleased with the continuous emergence of talents. I am also full of expectations for the scholars in this subject.

The next day is March 12th, and according to the custom of holding two sutra feasts, another sutra feast will be held.

Zhu Youjian did not choose Liu Zongzhou as the lecturer at this banquet. Instead, he asked Yuan Keli, who was busy with the imperial examination, to choose books to explain.

As a fellow examiner of the joint examination, Yuan Keli has been busy with the imperial examination in the past few days. It can be said that this is his first time to participate in the Chongzhen Dynasty's Sutra Banquet.

After receiving the emperor's order a few days ago, I have been making preparations.

After studying the records and procedures of the previous sutra banquets, he was pleased that the emperor paid attention to sutra banquets. He also found that the current emperor's sutra banquets were different from before:
"The previous lecturer was a teacher, and Your Majesty was just a student. 』

"Now the Sutra Banquet seems more like Zhao Dui!" 』

Judging from the previous sutra feasts, Yuan Keli felt more and more that the current sutra feast was the right one.

Even in newspapers, it was directly called "Jingyanzhao Duilu".

This made him sigh a little in his heart. He knew that there was one less method for ministers to restrain the emperor:
In the past, teachers gave lectures to students at the Sutra Banquet. No matter how high the emperor's status was, he was still weak in the Sutra Banquet.

Now that the Sutra Banquet is regarded as a meeting, it seems that the emperor pays more attention to it, but in fact it weakens the identity of teacher and student——

Between the emperor and his officials, the more important thing is the monarch and his ministers.

In this way, how could the officials at Jingyan dare to reprimand the emperor? Officials like Zhang Juzheng who strictly demanded Emperor Wanli during the banquet were unlikely to appear in the future.

When Yuan Keli thought about this, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. He was worried that the emperor's power would become more and more powerful and that he would not be able to restrain him in the future.

With this worry, Yuan Keli planned to communicate with Liu Zongzhou, who had previously served as a lecturer, to see if he would change the Sutra banquet when remaking the rituals and music.

As a beneficiary of the current Jingyan system, Liu Zongzhou thought about it and said:

"How does Mr. Yuan feel about the current Jingyan?"

"Is it better than before?" Yuan Keli thought for a while and had to admit:

“It’s definitely better than before!”

"Your Majesty pays more attention to the meaning of scriptures and can use them to govern the country and practice the principles of the sages."

The Sutra feast became a meeting, and the views expressed at the Sutra feast would become the imperial policy. This made many scholars cheer for joy. It is believed that the emperor governs the country by banquets and is practicing the principles of the sages.

Liu Zongzhou also had the same idea, so he asked Yuan Keli:

"So is it bad that the Sutra feast has turned out like this?"

"Mr. Yangming said: Knowledge and action are one."

"Your Majesty sees things first and then acts, and combines knowledge with action. This is a true sage!"

"Besides, there is more than one way to restrain the emperor."

"The Congress established by His Majesty has greater constraints on the Emperor!"

Thinking of this, Liu Zongzhou couldn't help but admire him. This is also the reason why he doesn't care much about the sutra feast turning into a summons.

After all, Jingyan said it could restrain the emperor, but not many ministers could actually do it. However, the emperor needs to listen carefully to the decisions of the people in the Congress. Its restriction on the emperor is far greater than that of the Sutra Banquet.

Therefore, after the current emperor agreed to the establishment of the Congress and made a public commitment. The more Liu Zongzhou thought about it, the more he admired the emperor, knowing that only a true holy king could do this.

In comparison, shortcomings such as the emperor's use of power to seize power are almost worth mentioning——

After all, the emperor is handing over the power he had previously taken over to all people in the world.

Even thinking about the opposition of some ministers to the assembly of the people, Liu Zongzhou felt that it would be better for the emperor to take power. Otherwise, Congress will never be able to function as an institution.

It can be said that the establishment of the National Assembly has changed the attitudes of many ministers.

Liu Zongzhou is a typical representative. He believes that it is not a bad thing for the current emperor to take power. Only by centralizing power can it be redistributed.

Thinking about his previous exchanges with the emperor, Liu Zongzhou said to Yuan Keli:
"What does Mr. Yuan think of recreating ritual music?"

"Why does Duke Zhou put making rituals and music first?"

Yuan Keli thought carefully and said:
"Rituals and music are principles and disciplines. Only when the system is clear can order be standardized."

"The Duke of Zhou made rituals and music and established the Zhou Dynasty for eight hundred years."

"Taizu established the principles and established the rules, and it has been nearly three hundred years since the founding of the world."

"Confucius said: If the name is not correct, then the words will not go smoothly; if the words are not right, the things will not be accomplished; if the things are not accomplished, the rituals and music will not flourish; if the rituals and music are not flourishing, the punishments will not be accurate; if the punishments are not accurate, the people will be at a loss. "

"Nowadays, Ming Dynasty's rituals and music have been used for nearly three hundred years, and many of them are out of date, making it difficult to implement them."

"So Your Majesty wants to recreate rituals and music so that the Ming Dynasty can thrive for hundreds of more years!"

This is his thinking and the view of many people.

Although no one talks nonsense in public, judging from the experience of the Tang and Song Dynasties, for a dynasty, three hundred years is a threshold.

Many people believe that the emperor was preparing for the Ming Dynasty to cross this threshold——

If it succeeds, it will avoid the collapse of the world. It will not be like before, after a troubled time, the newly established dynasty will make rituals and music.

Liu Zongzhou hadn't thought about this yet, but after hearing Yuan Keli's opinion, he felt that the responsibility on his shoulders was a little heavier.

Because he realized more deeply that if he failed to recreate rituals and music, not only might he die like Fang Xiaoru, but he might even lose his reputation. Everyone would regard him as the sinner of the Ming Dynasty's downfall.

How could he not feel heavy with such a heavy responsibility?

But on the other hand, if the reconstruction of ritual music is successful and the Ming Dynasty can be revived for hundreds of years, his reputation will not only be comparable to that of Zhou Gong, but he will also become a saint recognized by the world.

Therefore, he supported the emperor more firmly and supported the reconstruction of rituals and music.

Thinking about what the emperor said in private, Liu Zongzhou said:
"His Majesty once told me that remaking rituals and music means redistributing power and wealth."

"Li means order. Music means harmony."

“Only by redistributing power and wealth can we be called to re-establish order and reconcile social contradictions.”

"This is the recreated ritual music in His Majesty's mind!"

"I wonder what Mr. Yuan thinks should be done first to redistribute power and wealth?"

After listening to this statement, Yuan Keli felt enlightened. He completely connected the things that the emperor had come to do, and murmured:
"That's it! That's it!"

"No wonder His Majesty has been delegating power when he took over it."

"What your Majesty did before was also to recreate rituals and music!"

Thinking about the martial law that the emperor discussed with him, the standardized court law, and the Weiwei Temple that was thrown out when the Jinyiwei was taken away.

Yuan Keli completely understood that although the current emperor has power, he is not a person addicted to power. Everything he did was to set standards and recreate Ming dynasty rituals and music.

This made him feel like Liu Zongzhou and became more supportive of the emperor. I think that when I meet such a holy king, I should do my best.

So, thinking about tomorrow's sutra feast, he said:

"Originally, I planned to tell His Majesty the "Zhenguan Politicians", but now it seems that it is more appropriate to talk about "Zi Zhi Tong Jian".

"I wonder what Mr. Liu thinks of explaining the opening chapter of "Zi Zhi Tong Jian"?"

Liu Zongzhou listened to Yuan Keli's thoughts and immediately clapped his hands and praised:
"We should really talk about "Zi Zhi Tong Jian"."

"The beginning of it is about the collapse of etiquette and the collapse of music."

"Let the world know what it will be like after the collapse of rituals and music."

"Only in this way can we understand why rituals and music need to be recreated."

The opening chapter of "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" talks about the division of three families into the Jin Dynasty, and the Emperor of Zhou conferred the title of Jin officials Wei Si, Zhao Ji, and Han Qian as princes.

In Sima Guang's view, this was an important node in history and the key to the decline of the Zhou Dynasty.

From then on, the world completely collapsed and entered the Warring States Period.

Anyone who sees such consequences will be warned. Therefore, Liu Zongzhou agreed with Yuan Keli in this article, explaining the collapse of rituals and the collapse of music.

Moreover, what the two of them knew tacitly was that Sima Guang said that "the emperor's duty is greater than etiquette" and that "the three Jins are listed among the princes. It is not the bad etiquette of the three Jins, but the emperor's own fault."

This means that the responsibility for the collapse of rituals and music lies with the Emperor Zhou himself who broke the rituals. It warns the current emperor to abide by the rites and music even after remaking them.

In this way, it will naturally bring restraint to the emperor. The emperor could not violate the etiquette system at will, causing the collapse of etiquette and music. (End of chapter)