"Brother Jiefu, you are finally here."
Not long after the news was announced, a burst of festive music was heard in the garden, and then Sima Guang's unique rich voice came out.
At the same time, the door of the "Du Paradise" opened, and Sima Guang led a group of scribes and bands to personally welcome him out.
Wang Anshi looked at this posture and couldn't help shaking his head and laughing:
"Junshi, Junshi, you still like these useless pomps."
Sima Guang laughed at himself and said:
"Idle people in the mountains are of no use to the court, and can only express their feelings and music."
Seeing the resentment in his voice, Wang Anshi nodded without comment. He didn't say much and just entered the garden arm in arm with Sima Guang.
After entering the front hall, he saw that the room was brightly lit, and the corners were piled with books. It was like entering a mountain of books. There were dozens of desks filled with open books, pens, inks, papers and inkstones. Wang Anshi shook his head and said with a smile:
"It seems that you don't mean what you said. Is it the work of an idler to work so hard all night long?"
Before Sima Guang spoke, a young scribe behind him couldn't help but said angrily:
"Nowadays, in the temple, traitors are in power. Although the teacher has been demoted, he still has a strong heart and never forgets the court."
"That's why I exhausted all my family resources and searched for historical materials, intending to work with us to compile a vast history that connects ancient and modern times, so that the current dynasty can learn from it."
After hearing this, Wang Anshi became more serious, touched the letter from Zhang Dun in his pocket, looked at the young scribe and asked:
"Wang is a little confused. The younger generation said that there are traitors and sycophants in the court. Who are they referring to?"
"Is it Wang Yanling, Wang Xianggong, Grand Master Pan, or Zhongjing Marquis Cao Bin?"
"What other outrageous things did they do?"
The scribe blurted out:
"Of course Wang Xianggong is not a treacherous person. If Wang Xianggong didn't support him with great difficulty, the court would have been in chaos."
"I'm talking about Pan Renmei and Cao Bin. Pan Renmei's character and harm are well known to everyone, and there is no need to say more."
"But Cao Bin was of noble birth, young, undecided in character, and had only some military exploits. However, he used his flattery to seduce the late emperor. He now lives in a temple and is in charge of three divisions."
"Now you are even more dependent on Pan Renmei and his daughter, helping Zhou to commit evil and expel loyal people. How can they not be traitors?"
When Wang Anshi heard this, he glanced at Sima Guang expressionlessly and said with some mockery:
"I don't say whether Xianggong Wang is supporting the imperial court alone, but as far as Wang knows, Marquis Zhongjing has never attached himself to Taishi Pan."
"And by expelling Zhongliang, do you mean that Brother Junshi made a bet with Marquis Zhongjing and expelled himself?"
"I heard that Brother Junshi wanted to commit suicide to save face, but it was Marquis Zhongjing who let you go..."
As he spoke, he looked at Sima Guang and asked:
"Junshi, is this true?"
Hearing this, Sima Guang was extremely embarrassed. Although he did not intentionally guide these friends and disciples, it was quite satisfying to hear them fighting for him.
This time I wanted to gain Wang Anshi's comfort and approval, but I didn't expect him to be so disrespectful.
So he hurriedly chased the disciple away and explained:
"My disciple is so ignorant that I make Brother Jiefu laugh."
"Besides, I only have a dispute with Marquis Zhongjing about governing the country and have no personal grudges. I admire him very much just because he forced Liao Xia to give in without spending a single soldier."
Although Wang Anshi knew that he didn't mean what he said, his expression softened a lot, and he looked at the room full of books and said:
"You are not discouraged by the setbacks in your career, but you can still work hard day and night, which makes Wang admire you very much."
Sima Guang then became serious, shook his head and said:
"Although I am no longer in the imperial court, I will always do something for the world. Compiling history has always been my wish."
"It's a pity that my qualifications are dull and my day power is insufficient, so I have to work hard at night. If I can spend the rest of my life completing this history book, I will be satisfied."
Just as he was talking, a servant had already brought dried fruit tea. Sima Guang hurriedly asked Wang Anshi to sit down and asked:
"Jiefu has been at home in Jiangning for the past few years, and Ding You suddenly came to Beijing this time. Could it be that he still wants to see Mr. Wang?"
Wang Anshi shook his head and said:
"Junshi knows what I am thinking. I want to urge the court to reform. However, Mr. Wang lacks courage and behaves in a chaotic manner. I am not in Beijing for him this time."
As he spoke, he took out a thick notebook from his luggage and handed it to Sima Guang:
"Junshi first read the notes I wrote before talking about anything else."
Sima Guang didn't know what he was trying to do, so he directly took Zazi and looked at it, but the more he looked at it, the uglier his face became.
Finally, he patted the note on the desk and glared at Wang Anshi:
"Why don't the people raise taxes but the country uses enough money? Ridiculous! This is Sang Hongyang's method of plundering the people!"
"You must know that the world's wealth has its own destiny. If the court gains more, the people will naturally suffer. Don't you think the world is not turbulent enough?"
Sima Guang had never admired the "military" Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and Sang Hongyang, who made money for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, was naturally even more despised by him.
Wang Anshi showed a smile and said:
"Do you really think my new law is inappropriate?"
Sima Guang said loudly:
"This is a disservice to the country."
He knew that Wang Anshi had a stubborn temper and that no matter how difficult it was, he had to achieve what he set his mind to, and few people could change his mind.
Therefore, I immediately added:
"Jiefu, if you persist in looking for opportunities to commit this evil act, don't blame me for being unkind."
"I will write to Mr. Wang to block your way forward."
When he said this, he thought Wang Anshi would get angry and argue with him, but he didn't expect that he would have much reaction.
I saw him take a sip of tea and reveal a genuine smile:
"Junshi, you are still so temperamental, but this is what I thought before."
"But after I finished Ding You and traveled south of the Yangtze River, I no longer tried to recommend this method to the court."
Hearing this, Sima Guang didn't react for a moment. With Wang Anshi's stubborn character, he actually said that he wanted to change his ways. This was incredible.
What on earth did he go through?
You must know that these new laws are the results of more than ten years of working as a local official, and they have been summarized and verified bit by bit.
I saw a little excitement in Wang Anshi's eyes:
"Junshi, do you know what I saw in Jiangnan? I saw workshops everywhere, sea trade, and countless grains."
"Did you know that at the beginning of last year, Jiangnan was still unable to afford taxes, and civil unrest was already threatening to start a prairie fire."
"It's only just over a year ago, and the local people are almost as rich as the whole country, and the tax revenue they can provide to the court can be doubled several times."
"You said that the world's wealth has its own destiny. Why did Marquis Zhongjing make the land south of the Yangtze River rich? Isn't this Sang Hongyang's method of plundering people?"
Sima Guang suddenly understood that this guy was influenced by Cao Bin. He looked at Wang Anshi and didn't know how to answer.
Seeing this, Wang Anshi stood up suddenly after cupping his hands, raised his feet and walked out:
"When I came to Beijing this time, I wanted to hear Jun Shi's views on Marquis Zhongjing, but now it seems that I am greatly disappointed."
"As the saying goes, people with different paths don't work together, so I won't stay here with you... so that history can be made. When my future affairs are completed, I can discuss the pros and cons with you!"
After saying that, he had walked to the courtyard, untied the reins, and got on the donkey.
Only then did Sima Guang react and hurriedly chased after him and shouted:
"Jiefu, go slowly. It's dangerous to travel at night, and it will be the same on the road tomorrow. I'll send someone to see you off..."
Wang Anshi laughed and said:
"Walking alone in the world, what should I fear? Besides, I can't wait to see Marquis Zhongjing."
As the rapid sound of hoofbeats went away, Sima Guang froze on the spot, a little dazed...
