Chapter 502: Bullying... Too Much
Jiang Qingzhi walked out of Baiyun Building and a man staggered towards him, seemingly drunk.
Jiang Qingzhi took the reins from the guard and said to Zhang Juzheng, "Be careful when traveling from now on, and try to avoid places with few people."
Zhang Juzheng understood the meaning of the strings, but he felt that it was not necessary, "No matter how shameless those people are, they won't do that!"
"They are more shameless than you think," said Jiang Qingzhi.
The drunk suddenly rushed over, and Jiang Qing got on his horse. At the same time, Mo Zhan drew his sword, turned the blade sideways, and struck fiercely with the back of the sword like lightning.
The drunk man dodged to the right suddenly, but Mo Zhan seemed to have known his thoughts. He turned his sword halfway and hit the drunk man's waist heavily.
Zhang Juzheng swore that he heard the sound of broken bones and the drunk man fell down with a scream.
Jiang Qingzhi turned his horse and said to the stunned Zhang Juzheng: "The Hanlin Academy is like a garden, and you are like the delicate flowers. This world is not as bad as you think, but it is not as good as you think."
……
"Are you sure you want to go to the Mo family?"
"Ok!"
"Have you thought about the consequences?"
"I've thought about it."
"If that tycoon falls, the best outcome for you is to go to some wild place. The worst outcome is to be ruined and thrown into prison."
"So what is the best outcome for being in the Confucian camp? Covering yourself up with words of morality and justice, but actually doing shameless things. For the sake of one's own selfishness, one does not hesitate to lie, and throws the country and the books of sages behind one's mind.
What is the worst possible outcome? The country will collapse and the society will perish...
Long Weber once said that the people who care least about the life and death of the Ming Dynasty are the literati, because they know that no matter who comes on stage, they will have to use them. "
Zhang Juzheng looked at Gao Gong, who was sitting opposite him, and said, "What do they think of the books of sages? They think of them as tools for personal wealth and fame. Then, what is the truth, what is the country, what is the society?
Don't look at me like a fool, I've never been so clear-headed."
Gao Gong sighed, "It seems that you have been influenced by that great man. I am very curious about how Uncle Zhang, who is so proud and arrogant, would be willing to be inferior to others one day."
"I never turned to Mohism for my future," said Zhang Juzheng.
"You are so proud... I believe it!" Gao Gong nodded, "I am even more curious, why is that?"
"What impressed me about Chang Wei Bo was his views and prospects for the Ming Dynasty." Zhang Juzheng thought of Jiang Qingzhi, who suddenly became excited and talkative yesterday.
"For thousands of years, the Central Plains has been stuck in a cycle of order and chaos. Ambitious people have been looking for ways to break out of this cycle. But neither civil nor military means can help."
"So he has a solution?"
"Outward!" Zhang Juzheng said: "For thousands of years, the Central Plains has been revolving around this place. Countless internal problems can actually be solved with two words."
"Those two words?"
……
"develop!"
In the study, Jiang Qingzhi said to his five disciples: "The biggest contradiction in all dynasties can actually be summed up as the contradiction of shortage of money and grain. When the people at the bottom can have enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear, all contradictions can be covered up."
King Jing raised his hand, Jiang Qingzhi nodded, and King Jing said, "Uncle, what about the administration? Corruption will lead to rampant corruption, which will also lead to the people's miserable lives."
"No." Prince Yu shook his head. "When there is enough money and grain, corrupt officials will have something to be greedy for, so they will not exploit the people. As long as the people can fill their stomachs, they will shout that the world is prosperous..."
"What you mean is that the corrupt officials and the people have become a win-win situation as my uncle said?" King Jing said sarcastically.
"Which dynasty is without corrupt officials?" Prince Yu said, "What the rulers should do is to limit corruption to the greatest extent possible, rather than trying to eradicate it. That is wishful thinking."
Zhu Shitai could not help but join the battle, "There is also the corruption of the army. No matter how much money and food there is, if the army is corrupt, it is like a child carrying gold through a busy city... it is his own destruction."
Zhou Xia smiled and asked Ma Fang, "What do you think?"
After Ma Fang finished recording, he looked up and said, "Teacher once said that many things need to be promoted by all levels of the Ming Dynasty. For example, when corruption reaches its extreme, everyone from the emperor and his ministers to the common people will speak out in unison... and everyone will call for its destruction. At that time, once the imperial court issues an order, everyone will be united. In this way, corruption will have no place to hide..."
Prince Jing and Prince Yu glanced at him and exchanged glances with each other.
It's a talent!
Ma Fang doesn't talk much, but every word she says hits the mark.
Jiang Qingzhi was watching them arguing and accidentally saw Xia Yan outside, so he walked out with a smile.
"Today, news came from the Hanlin Academy that Zhang Juzheng said publicly that from now on he is a member of the Mohist school."
Xia Yan looked at Jiang Qingzhi, "Qingzhi, congratulations!"
Xia Yan had long seen Jiang Qingzhi's desire for Zhang Juzheng, but Zhang Juzheng was too smart. If he used some means to force him to join the Mohist camp, it would only lead to backlash.
The nobles wanted to show their loyalty to the Confucians, but unexpectedly this good opportunity came to them.
Now that he has a great talent, Jiang Qingzhi can hardly hide his joy. "I thought he would need some time to adapt, but I didn't expect him to be so decisive."
"This man is decisive in killing, and he is also extremely smart and sharp-sighted. Given time..." Xia Yan suddenly laughed, "I forgot that you are less than 20 years old, so it's too early to say that you are the successor."
Jiang Qingzhi was delighted by Zhang Juzheng's decisiveness. After entering the study, he patted the table to stop the debate and said, "Remember one thing: when internal conflicts cannot be resolved, look outward!"
Jiang Qingzhi pointed outside the study and said, "For example, the population of the Ming Dynasty is expanding, land annexation is getting more and more serious, and the number of refugees who have lost their land is increasing... How to solve all these contradictions?" "Crack down on land annexation." Zhu Shitai said, "and open up wasteland."
"This is not a long-term solution, and cracking down on land annexation cannot completely solve this problem. You must know that there is only so much land in the world. Even if we take back the land that has been annexed by those people and redistribute it, it is impossible for every refugee to have land to farm. As the population grows, there will still be a steady stream of refugees." Zhou Xia said.
Jiang Qingzhi nodded, "Is there an insurmountable cliff on the border of the Ming Dynasty?"
The crowd shook their heads.
"This world is huge. There are endless lands and minerals in the east, south, west and north. There are countless huge islands outside the sea, which are even larger than the territory of Ming Dynasty. The land there is fertile and full of treasures..."
Jiang Qingzhi's voice was full of temptation. "What is the army for? To defend the country. The people of the Ming Dynasty are displaced and hungry. Is this considered a crisis for the country?"
Everyone nodded.
"This brat!" Xia Yan said with a bitter smile, "If those gentlemen hear what you said, they will probably regard you as a monster."
"In the face of a national crisis, what should the army do?" Jiang Qingzhi put his hands on the table and said to several disciples with a sharp gaze, "We should use the swords and guns in our hands to find land for the plows of the Ming Dynasty! We should find food for the people of the Ming Dynasty, and find trade routes for the merchants of the Ming Dynasty..."
"Don't be bound by the so-called gentleman's words over the past thousand years, and then confine yourself to a prison and regard yourself as the Celestial Empire. It is better to shut the door and let yourself perish than to look out."
“We must plan ahead and look outside for solutions before a crisis breaks out.”
Several disciples were recording quickly.
"I've said before that all crises ultimately come down to a shortage of money and food. And the outside world is full of gold and silver. Why not grab it?"
"Uncle, gentlemen all say that war will lead to danger," said Zhu Shitai.
"Corrupt scholar!" Jiang Qingzhi thought of fermented tofu and couldn't help but touch his stomach.
……
In the duty room of Zhilu, Xu Jie received several memorials today as an exception. He looked at them carefully, not thinking about the memorials, but the intention of Yan Song and his son in sending the memorials to him.
The memorial was a serious impeachment and contained a wide variety of contents.
Thinking of the secret war between Confucianists and Mohists triggered by Fan Zhongda's impeachment of Zhang Juzheng, Xu Jie couldn't help but frown slightly, wondering if Yan Song and his son wanted to push him between the two sides?
Yan Song and his son were both reading memorials, and with Xu Jie, the duty room was silent.
"Prime Minister!" A clerk came in and stood with his hands hanging down.
"What's the matter?" Yan Song looked up.
The clerk said, "Zhang Juzheng, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, just said in front of many people that he would join the Mohist school from now on."
Xu Jie's right hand moved slightly.
He controlled the trembling in the corners of his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried hard to suppress the rage that was rising up.
Yan Shifan was stunned. "Is Zhang Juzheng a disciple of Lord Xu?"
Xu Jie was silent.
"I remember that Lord Xu had a disciple who switched to Jiang Qingzhi's school. What was his name?" Yan Shifan covered his forehead with his hands, and his follower smiled and said, "Zhou Xia."
Xu Jie looked at the memorial and recited its contents softly.
"...Fan is a corrupt person, but I believe that there must be powerful people behind him. To show your majesty's determination to rectify the administration of officials, I ask your majesty to investigate thoroughly..."
The sound was very slight, but the duty room gradually became quiet.
"... Zhang Juzheng was famous when he was young, but when he grew up, he took the exams and passed them all. This boy is a great talent, and he attracted people's covetousness..."
After Xu Jie finished reading, he looked up at everyone and stood up. "The Ministry of Rites has something to do. I will go back and take a look."
He walked out of the duty room and heard a sneer behind him.
After returning to the Ministry of Rites, Xu Jie was still very amiable and would nod and smile when he saw people greeting him.
After entering the duty room, he first glanced at the documents on the table. Seeing that there was nothing important, he closed the door of the duty room, turned around, and leaned heavily against the door.
He clenched his fists.
Upper eye… …
"It's too much to bully others!"
……
"My cousin said that we should not only look at the problems within the Ming Dynasty, but also seek solutions from the outside world."
A father and his two sons were talking behind a door.
"To rob?" asked the Taoist priest.
"No, we are going to attack the disloyal ones!" Prince Yu said, "Father, there are still many forces in this world that have not submitted to the Ming Dynasty. It's time for the Ming Dynasty to sharpen its weapons."
"What is Qingzhi busy with?" The Taoist looked outside through the half-open door.
A fallen leaf was blown by the wind and floated into the hall.
"My cousin said that he is busy making some treasure recently. He said it is something... a treasure that can make those aliens sing and dance well."
(End of this chapter)
