Chapter 291: Traitor Jiang Qingzhi
There was an alley next to the Xicheng Bingmasi Yamen. In the alley there lived a family. The man of the house was called Ma Chao. Ma Chao was a thief and was beaten black and blue every now and then.
Ma Chao's wife was called Qin. Whenever she saw her husband coming back injured, she would scold him. Her scolding could be heard throughout the entire alley.
Zhou Xia has been observing this family for five days.
Since becoming Jiang Qingzhi's disciple, Zhou Xia learned the general principles of Jiang's knowledge. Jiang Qingzhi said that he was full of bookish air and out of touch with reality, so he asked him to go to the market and learn from the people. When he could humble himself and disregard his status, he would be considered a disciple.
Zhou Xia was very resistant to this at first, but he couldn't disobey his master's orders, so he had to bite the bullet and wander around the market.
"Da Lang, the time has come."
Before dawn, father Zhou Dong called softly from outside the door.
"Dad, I'm up."
Zhou Xia had already gotten up. He had been outside in the sun all day yesterday and now his neck and face were feeling particularly sore.
When Zhou Xia was washing his face, he touched the sunburned area and couldn't help but gasp.
"elder brother."
My younger sister came over secretly and said, "Mom said my marriage is about to be decided. Can you help me find that person..."
Zhou Xia had a stern face, and just as his sister pouted, he said, "I'll be there soon."
"I know you're the best, brother." Zhou Er's hair was still loose, and Zhou Dong glared at her when he saw her. "Aren't you afraid of attracting ghosts?"
Breakfast was simple. During the meal, Zhou Dong said, "They all say that the Hanlin Academy produces prime ministers. Dalang, you have finally entered that place. Don't take too long to take leave. Go back when you have time!"
Zhou Xia nodded, "Don't worry, Dad. I know what to do."
Jiang Qingzhi said that the Hanlin Academy was a waste of time for Zhou Xia at the moment. If he had the time, he might as well go out and see the world and gain more experience.
"By the way, your sister's marriage will probably be decided in the next few days, you can come then." Mother Wang said with a smile, "When the family learned that the second lady's brother was a tutor in the Hanlin Academy, they were very enthusiastic!"
Zhou Xia's wife passed away the year before last, and he never remarried. But his sister's marriage could not be delayed, and he had just found a marriage proposal, and the other party was very enthusiastic and took the initiative to ask for an engagement as soon as possible.
After breakfast, Zhou Xia went to the alley next to the Bingmasi in Xicheng.
He just squatted outside the alley, watching people coming and going.
Bah!
A copper coin fell in front of him. Zhou Xia looked up and saw a middle-aged man in shock. "I'm sorry."
Zhou Xia smiled. He was wearing old clothes, but he couldn't be considered a beggar!
He handed the copper coin to the man, then squatted there, with his back against the wall, watching people coming and going.
Some people rushed into the alley excitedly and came out cursing.
Some people hurried home, took something, and hurried out again.
The hawker entered the alley shouting, and then walked through it. I wonder if there was any business...
The old man led the child out slowly. The child squatted there to watch the insects crawling under the wall. The old man hunched over to block the scorching sun for his grandson...
Everyone is moving forward according to his own destiny and there is no way to turn back.
Zhou Xia suddenly had this idea.
Ma Chao is back, but this time he came back lying down.
A bullock cart pulled him back. The neighbors in the alley heard the news and came out, surrounding the bullock cart.
"Qin is here."
The crowd silently made way.
Qin was still wearing an apron, probably doing housework.
She looked at the man on the ox cart and sniffed.
The driver said, "Your man stole something from the noble and ran away. He was chased by the noble's guards and ran into a wall in panic... and died."
But Ma Chao has a wound on his waist!
Qin came over and said, "He deserves to die."
Sure enough, he is heartless and ungrateful, someone murmured.
"Qin is virtuous because she has stayed with us forever." A woman retorted, speaking for Qin.
Qin asked the driver whether he had been paid.
"I gave it to you, but your man's blood has stained my cart..." the driver said cunningly, "Human blood is the most smelly, I'm afraid it can't be washed clean."
Qin took out two copper coins and said, "Help me carry him in."
"You..." The driver wanted to refuse, but Qin said, "If you don't do it, there are plenty of people who will."
"Never mind." The driver agreed.
Someone said: "Those who steal chickens and dogs should be thrown out of the city to feed wild dogs."
Qin said, "My husband deserves to die, but the government will naturally decide who deserves to die. Why did that family kill my husband? I will definitely seek justice for this matter."
The man looked at the scholar's attire and said, "That woman is a thief and a robber. Shouldn't she be put to death?"
Zhou Xia also nodded, thinking that people like Ma Chao deserved no pity for their death.
Qin sniffed and said, "Sir, you are a scholar, right?"
The scholar nodded proudly.
"Sir, you must have enough food and drink every day, right?"
The scholar sneered, "You woman!"
But he was too disdainful to tell her this.
Who would lack three meals a day!
"But I have three children at home who need to be fed. My husband always says that he will never do this kind of business again until he finds a proper job. But he keeps looking for it but can't find one."
The scholar sneered, "Do you understand the saying that if you are thirsty, you should not drink water from a stolen spring? It shows that if you don't read, you will not know etiquette, morality, integrity and shame."
Qin said: "God gave birth to a human being, so he must have given that human being a chance to live. But my man...why didn't God give him a chance to live? Sir, you are a scholar, maybe you can tell me why God didn't give me a chance to live?"
Zhou Xia just felt his head buzzing.
——Why doesn’t God give me a way to survive?
Why do we study?
Zhou Xia thought of the words of his teacher during his enlightenment, and the words of the elders, superiors, and examiners along the way. Establish a mind for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, inherit the lost knowledge of the past sages, and create peace for all generations.
He has always taken this as his responsibility.
But he was always a little confused and didn't know how to do it.
This is also one of the reasons why he became Jiang Qingzhi's disciple.
But until now he still hadn't found the answer.
"Scholar...why doesn't God give me a way to survive?"
Zhou Xia murmured, "We claim to be serving the people, but what have we established? Why study? We establish our mind for the world, but what mind? We inherit the lost knowledge of the saints, but what lost knowledge? We create peace for the world, but where is the peace?"
He covered his head and staggered backwards until he hit the wall.
……
"The Ministry of Rites began to criticize Lord Bo all of a sudden. Many people said Lord Bo was trying to attract attention by belittling Confucianism..."
The Ministry of Rites was in an uproar. Xiao Zhuo saw that the situation was not good, so he quickly asked for leave and came back to warn Jiang Qingzhi.
"The Ministry of Rites is nothing. The Hanlin Academy is now clamoring that the Duke is a traitor to the country!" Xu Wei limped back.
This guy went out early in the morning and now he smells of powder, which shows that he didn't go to a good place.
"Traitor?" Hu Zongxian asked, "Are you going to use conquest to punish him?"
"Anyone can punish a traitor!" Jiang Qingzhi said, "But a scholar's rebellion will not succeed in ten years."
"Mr. Zhou is here." said the servant outside the door.
Zhou Xia walked in, looking very tired and confused.
"teacher."
"Did we encounter robbers?" Xu Wei said with a smile.
Zhou Xia knelt down, "Teacher, since I was a child, I have always taken the responsibility of governing the country. But I don't know how to do it. Today, I saw what happened to that family, and suddenly I felt that I was a useless idiot..."
Jiang Qingzhi said calmly: "Just tell me."
Zhou Xia talked about the situation of Ma Chao's family and what Qin said.
"...I take the world as my responsibility, but I am powerless. I feel a little panicked..."
"But do you feel like all the time you've spent studying for more than ten years has been in vain?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
"Yes." Zhou Xia looked up.
"You have studied hard for many years and feel that everything is in books. Beauty, treasures, fame, wealth and desires can all be obtained in books. But you forgot one thing..."
Jiang Qingzhi pointed outside. "This world cannot be governed by books. Have books ever taught you how to farm? Have books ever taught you how to forge tools? Have books ever taught you how to fight? Have books ever taught you about the big and small things in this world..."
Zhou Xia shook his head. "The teachers all said that this is something only low-class people would learn. We read the books of sages and should establish our mission for the people... We should take the world as our responsibility."
"But where is the world?" Jiang Qingzhi asked back.
A strange light flashed in Xu Wei's eyes.
Zhou Xia's eyebrows twitched, and suddenly his whole body was shocked. "Teacher once said that the world belongs to everyone, not just a plaything for scholars. Taking the world as one's own responsibility, but not knowing the livelihood of the people, not knowing the suffering of the people... Only knowing how to study hard is like looking for fish in a tree!"
Jiang Qingzhi took out the medicinal cigarette and said with a smile: "Continue!"
Zhou Xia's eyes lit up. "No matter whether it's about living for the people or taking the world as your responsibility, no matter how passionately you shout, it's not as good as doing something for the people of the world...
I understand. My teacher asked me to go to the market and learn from the common people so that I would know that everything should be done by practice, not just by empty talk. Ten thousand words in a book are not as good as one personal practice! Reading ten thousand books is like traveling ten thousand miles... So that's it."
Zhou Xia just felt that his whole body was clear from the inside out, and he no longer had any confusion.
"You have accomplished your goal in the market place course. Go ahead!" Jiang Qingzhi said with satisfaction.
After Zhou Xia left, Jiang Qingzhi asked, "How is this boy?"
Hu Zongxian said: "He has a high level of understanding and a strong character. Given time, his future is limitless."
Xu Wei said, "It's interesting."
Xia Yan is here.
"Your reputation in the Imperial Academy is already infamous. Those prime ministers denounced you as a traitor to the country, and you are not panicking? Xu boy, get out of the way!"
Xu Wei stood up and dodged...even feeling a little gloating.
"Aren't you going to explain something?" Xia Yan said angrily, "Do you have to wait until everyone is calling for your death before you regret it?"
"I'm waiting."
"What are you waiting for? Waiting to die!" Xia Yan said unhappily.
"Wait until the wind and waves are stronger."
Jiang Qingzhi shook off the ashes from his cigarette. "Many people want to watch the fun, so I will fulfill their wishes."
But he didn't expect that his own disciples would be the first to be affected.
After finishing his course on the market, Zhou Xia returned to the Hanlin Academy to report for leave.
As soon as we entered, we were surrounded.
"Zhou Xia, Jiang Qingzhi slandered our Confucianism, why didn't you speak out? Are you going to go along with him?"
Hanlin Academy editor Zhan Qin said angrily.
More than ten people gathered behind him.
Further away, a young scholar-official and an editor from the Hanlin Academy stood together.
"What does Editor Gao think of what Chang Wei Bo said?" asked the young scholar.
"Your uncle Zhang just said yesterday that he should reflect on himself, and he was criticized so much. What, do you want to tempt me, Gao Gong, to get into trouble?"
Zhang Juzheng, a scholar of the imperial court, smiled and said, "I am just a little curious about what kind of disciples Chang Wei Bo can teach."
Gao Gong, an editor of the Imperial Academy, folded his arms and said, "Look, Zhou Xia is like a candle in the wind..."
(End of this chapter)
