"Oh? Is it possible that he wants to recommend himself and follow me south?"
Zhang Liang shook his head and smiled but said nothing, but he obviously appreciated Shusun Tong's proposal.
In the afternoon of the next day, after Shusun Tong finished today's daily lecture to the prince and the clan's disciples, he quickly packed up his notebooks and notes and trotted all the way to meet Lu Pheasant following the imperial edict.
After entering the palace and bowing, Lu Pheasant couldn't help but smile when he saw that his face was still as tense as a stone.
"The lecture is over. Sir, you can relax for a while. You don't have to be bluffing with a straight face anymore."
Only then did Shusun Tong wake up and laugh at himself,
"Although I was once a doctor of Qin Dynasty, the second Qin Dynasty hated our Confucianism from the bottom of my heart, and he only wanted to follow Legalism. I thought about Mencius once saying that those who know their fate will not stand under a rock wall, so I led him decisively. He led his disciples to flee.
Unexpectedly, we Confucians, who have been struggling for decades, would once again go to the palace to give lectures to the emperor's family. The true way is endless.
I am very grateful for this, and I will always remember the Queen’s kindness that day, and I dare not slack off for a moment. "
Lu Pheasant smiled softly, "Where is the advice? It's just a matter of effort, no need to worry about it."
The so-called advice was nothing more than the fact that when he first met Liu Ji, Lu Pheasant reminded him that he must follow the local customs, take off the wide robes and high hats of Confucian scholars, and change into the short clothes of the lower Liba people of Peixian County, which made Liu Ji feel friendly.
Shusun Tong understood it. What he changed that day seemed to be just clothes, but in fact it was his always aloof mentality and obsession with being rigid in appearance.
***
Advancing and retreating with the changing times is his creed in life. Only by following the trend can he live a long time; only by living long can he wait for the opportunity to revive Confucianism.
After all, if he himself could not become a close minister of the emperor, how could he talk about reviving the study of saints from the top down?
Seeing that he was about to thank him again, Lu Pheasant quickly changed the subject, "It's difficult to teach a group of half-grown children, right?
What is that pile of letters under your arm? "
"Oh, this is a detailed record of the stories of kings and sages from past dynasties compiled by me myself," Shusun Tong lowered his head and took a look, counting all the treasures from his family.
"I have studied the affairs of the past dynasties, and since Yao and Shun, I have selected ninety-nine and eighty-one things whose good deeds can be used as Dharma, and sixty-nine and thirty-six things whose bad deeds can be used as warnings."
"Book of Changes" uses nine as yang and six as yin. He has included a total of 81 good deeds and 36 bad deeds to distinguish yin and yang between good and evil, which shows the meticulous compilation and good intentions.
After hearing what he said so eloquently, Lu Pheasant curiously unfolded the picture description and saw that each incident was accompanied by a small picture. The characters in the picture were lifelike and were intended to educate and entertain.
She was so happy that she pointed to a small figure dressed as a monarch standing in front of the melting pot and asked,
"You also drew this picture? It's really hard for you.
Who and what happened in the picture you drew has crossed my mind. Could it be that the First Emperor was selling off his troops? "
"Exactly," Shusun Tong kept stroking his beard, feeling proud.
"I have already talked about this section, and what I am talking about is the old story of Qin where the First Emperor collected all the weapons from the world, gathered them in Xianyang, and sold them as bells.
The little man pointed by the Queen is the First Emperor. I once caught a glimpse of him from a distance and thought he looked like him. "
***
"I haven't seen him in person, so I can't comment on whether the painting looks like it or not. If you have the opportunity in the future, you can ask Zhang Cang face to face and let him comment.
After all, he once served as Zhuxiashi, and he often met the First Emperor back then. "
Lu Zhi glanced at him and joked. Suddenly, he had a thought in his mind. He gently tapped the big melting pot in the picture with his fingertips and asked,
"Now that we've talked about this section, have the children understood it?"
Shusun Tong had a talent for reciting what he heard and never forgetting anything. He turned his head and thought about it, and replied,
"At that time, the prince asked,
Even though the weapons of the world were melted down, King Chen Sheng could still cut down trees and turn them into soldiers and raise poles into flags. So what is the use of selling his troops? '"
"Well, that's a good question," Lu Zhi nodded, "What else?"
"Later, Lu Lu also said, 'The weapons in the hands of the people can be melted, but the swords in their hearts cannot be melted away. The First Emperor was worried day and night about the unrest in the world, but in the end he died at the hands of the garrison. It is very ridiculous.'"
"The children have such knowledge, it shows that you teach well." Lu Pheasant praised, and continued to browse the bamboo slips. Suddenly, he saw an enchanting woman leaning weakly beside the king.
"Who is this? Xia Zhimeixi? Daji from Shang Dynasty? Or Baosi from Zhou Dynasty?"
According to legend, Xia Jie's beloved concubine Meixi loved wine pools, meat forests, and the sound of cracking bamboo poles. Therefore, Xia Jie wasted money on the people and asked the local people to pay tribute of one hundred pieces of silk every day for her to tear and play with. Such extravagance and lust eventually aroused public outrage. , leading to the death of Xia.
However, after King You of Zhou, Bao Si was born beautiful but did not like to smile. Legend has it that King You of Zhou did not hesitate to play tricks on the princes in order to win the beauty's smile. Therefore, the Book of Songs said, "The illustrious Zong Zhou was destroyed by Bao Si."
And Shang Zhou was tyrannical, not to mention Daji's deeds, she thought to herself, anyway, the pictures in the picture could not be compared to these "bewitching queens who brought disaster to the country".
"It's Daji and King Zhou of Shang [1]."
"Oh, how did you say this section?"
"The king of Shang was in chaos, indulged in wine and sex, stayed away from gentlemen, kissed villains, and fell in love with women. Since ancient times, holy kings must have good concubines. If the concubines are good, they will be prosperous, and if they are not, they will be chaotic."
Shusun Tong put away his playful expression, straightened his waist slightly, raised his head and said seriously,
"However, the prosperity of Xia depends on the daughter of Tushan, and the prosperity of Zhou also depends on Wenmu Taisi. Are the concubines and their mother's family who relied on when rejuvenating the country not women?
Therefore, the same rice can feed all kinds of people. Women are also human beings. Like men, they have good and bad qualities.
Furthermore, it is human nature to enjoy sweet food and beauty. Only when a king has good conduct and knows how to cultivate his moral character can he distinguish between good and evil and distinguish between loyal and traitorous people. "
***
"What an insight!"
Lu Pheasant secretly applauded, no wonder Sima Qian once praised Shusun Tong as "the Confucian of the Han family". He was as straight as a bend, as clever as a clumsy, neither humble nor overbearing, and stubborn in his way. He was indeed a rare talent.
She looked directly at Shusun Tong,
"Sir, feel free to teach the children according to your own ideas. They will benefit from your preaching and vocation throughout their lives."
Shusun Tong felt moved by such kindness, but he couldn't express it, so he had to say,
"I'm asking to see you today because of the Queen's trip south."
"Oh, by the way, I was so busy looking at your pictures that I forgot about it."
After his reminder, Lu Pheasant also remembered it and asked with interest,
"I heard from Taifu, do you want me to take one more person with you?"
"Yes, I will use my wealth and life to recommend someone, and I will definitely live up to my mission."
"who?"
"Dong Wangzhi."
These three words were spoken very slowly, with the sound of stones hitting the ground.
"Dong Wangzhi? The young historian who insisted on recording the emperor's divorce last time?"
Lu Pheasant suddenly saw in front of his eyes that Dong Hu descendant who was so stubborn that he almost risked his life.
"Exactly," Shusuntong's eyes lit up and he gritted his teeth and said,
"In the past, Confucius was the leader of the Spring and Autumn Period, but the rebellious ministers and traitors were afraid."
He heard from people that Zhao Tuo denied his Central Plains bloodline and became more and more aggressive recently. He could not even speak Chinese well and rolled up his tongue all day long to show off.
In this case, then send a straight historian who is as firm as iron and full of righteousness. If he really sees the King of Nanyue, he will scold him so much that he regrets being born.
