Wangjiazhuang is quiet and contemplative. In addition to people and animals, other trees and grass are growing wildly. Branches of willows, elders, and mountain pear trees stretch out from various yards, messy and full of power.
A mile away from the village, a small river meanders through. On the other side of the river is a hillside covered with dense forests. That is the territory of Yanshenggong Kong Youren, which is part of Konglin.
There is a nine-story tower on the top of the slope, which is the famous local writing tower. A little further away is a separate courtyard of Yan Shenggong.
"Let's go quickly!" Aunt Wang said to her son, reciting Buddhist scriptures to the portrait of the Supreme Official on the wall, "Buddha bless you, don't let Yan Shenggong discover you!"
According to the law enacted by Mr. Kong Youren, all the people on the ground in Qufu are obliged to perform labor services for the Kong family, such as building canals, cutting firewood, cooking salt, etc. Since the imperial court abandoned the forts and workshops, as local sages, as local sages, As a descendant of Saint Kong, he has the responsibility to educate the ignorant people.
The common people cannot be left idle, otherwise troubles will easily arise. The days of eating from a big pot in Tunpu are gone forever. Now everyone needs to work for Yan Shenggong in exchange for the salt and grain they need - at least in this period. Qufu is like this.
At this time, the children's bell on the Wenbi Tower rang. This was when Yan Shenggong summoned the villagers to go to the Wenbi Tower to listen to the teachings, that is, the explanation of "Dazhongjue Milu", which was usually explained by local children.
Wang Guojie saw two village girls in the distance carrying a bucket of water. He turned back to look at the Wenbi Tower and listened to the melodious bells.
"I've heard enough of this shit in Jinzhou Guards," Wang Guojie said angrily.
"Son, go and listen. Maybe Duke Yan Sheng is kind and doesn't charge us rent."
The sun gradually set, and herds of livestock passed by the village entrance, bleating and mooing, and finally entered Yan Shenggong's farm. Geese flew across the river from the other side, and then everything became quiet again. Soft light melted into the air, and the dim dusk fell quickly.
~~~
A group of hunched villagers gathered in front of the Wenbi Tower, like a gray cloud.
Master Tong Sheng, sent by Yan Shenggong, was surrounded by two servants and came to the center of the open space. Without looking at the obedient villagers around him, he opened a brand new book and read aloud to the book:
Our great Qi State was founded in Kaiyuan, Liaodong. It has protected the stability of the world, received deep care from God, spread its moral education widely, and extended its blessings to far away places. It has given the people their due status, and has been respected and loved by both China and foreign countries. It has already Thirty years.
Our dynasty upholds the destiny and is the monarch of Chinese and foreign subjects. How can the people who are nurtured and cared for by our dynasty be distinguished and discriminated against by the Central Plains and remote areas? Since Chinese and foreign ministers and people jointly respect our Qi dynasty as the monarch, they should sincerely support and serve our dynasty to fulfill their responsibilities as ministers and people. In particular, they should not have any dissent based on the distinction between the inland and remote ethnic groups of the Central Plains. . Use this to speculate on the ways of heaven and verify human relationships. Even in the land of the rising sun, no one in the world does not know that our dynasty is a unified country. None of the people and ministers of our dynasty dare to think beyond the rules.
Tang Tiezheng, Yan Hongkui and other thieves agreed with each other and became extremely arrogant. The aftermath also affected Zeng Jing. Incited by bizarre remarks, she slandered and slandered her at will, saying nonsense that "for more than thirty years, the sky has been dark and the earth has been dark, and the sun and the moon have lost light."
The original intention of these traitors was to say that our dynasty was only the monarch of Liaodong, but became the emperor of the entire China. They mistakenly harbored regional and national prejudices and deliberately fabricated some remarks to slander and ridicule. And they don't understand that the original residence of this dynasty is Liaodong, just like the Chinese people have their native place in a certain place.
In ancient times, Shun's native place was Dongyi, and King Wen of Zhou's native place was Western Yi. This did not damage the glory of their saints at all. "The Book of Songs" said: "Beidi and Xirong were severely attacked, and Jingchu was severely conquered to make them realize the pain." It was because they claimed the title of king and did not know how to respect the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, thus losing the righteousness of the emperor and his ministers. Therefore, they listed their crimes and conquered them. , either calling them Rong Di or classifying them as foreign countries.
Before and after the Jiajing Dynasty of the Ming Dynasty, the monarchs and ministers lost their morals, thieves were everywhere, the people suffered, and the country's territory could not be consolidated. In the world at that time, could luck not be said to be blocked?
Not smooth! Since the unification of China by this dynasty, domestic bandit chaos has been eliminated, the whole of China has achieved peace, political enlightenment has flourished, and the wind of civilization has become stronger day by day. The people live and work in peace and contentment. From the inland to the far frontier, there is a peaceful atmosphere everywhere, and the country is peaceful and peaceful. The people of the country have received more blessings than during the Ming Dynasty. This is a fact that even three-foot-old children know. How can this be said to be a dark sky and a dark earth?
Your Majesty has specially ordered that the absurd and rebellious remarks of Tang Tiezheng, Yan Hongkui, Zeng Jing and others, as well as my edicts, be written into a book one by one, and be fully published and published to all prefectures, states, counties and all remote areas across the country, so that scholars and rural people everywhere can all know. He also ordered each place to keep a copy in the local Confucian school, so that everyone who comes to school in the future can read this book and know this matter. If there is anyone who has not seen this book or heard of my will, after my investigation at any time, I will definitely punish the academic administration of this province and the county instructor...
The boy finished reading the first chapter of "Dazhongjue Milu" in one breath, took the tea from the servant, drank it all in one gulp, and facing the crowd of ignorant villagers, shook his head and said:
"Have you all understood the edict given today?!"
A group of villagers around Wang Guojie were silent, each staring at their own shoes.
When Master Tong Sheng saw this, he was furious. He took the riding whip from the servant's hand, slapped it on the ground, and said angrily:
"A bunch of stupid men and women! It's in vain that Master Yanshenggong gave me his money and efforts to teach you "Dazhongjue Milu". The whole Qi Dynasty is reading it, and we will go to Nanjing to compete in the future! We, Qufu, are the kings of the world. The best place for education, study "Dazhongjue Milu" and you must not be held back!"
"Master Yan Shenggong said that if anyone can't speak, he is not worthy of eating Kong Lin's food, he is not worthy of being a human being, and he is not worthy of staying in Qufu!"
A group of villagers saw Master Tongsheng angry and quickly knelt on the ground.
"Listen up, let's talk about the second chapter. If you still don't understand, don't say you are a tenant of Yanshenggong, get out of Qufu and go to Henan to beg for food!"
Mr. Tong Sheng cleared his throat and returned his attention to the book again:
Am I an emperor who plots against my father, forces my mother, kills brothers, slaughters younger brothers, is greedy for money, loves killing, drinks alcohol, is a promiscuous, loyal, flattering, and has sycophants?
I am loved and blessed by God, entrusted with important tasks by the Holy Ancestor Emperor, and ascended the throne. Since he ascended the throne, he has worked tirelessly from morning to night every day and prudently pursued the good governance of the country. Although I dare not compare myself to the sage kings of ancient times, my thoughts on caring for and nurturing the people are always kept in mind. I strive to handle everything carefully and care for the people with sincerity, just like protecting babies. He did not hesitate to work hard on his own body to bring peace to the people of the country; he was still working hard until late at night every day, often without taking care of eating or sleeping. I think that the people of the world can probably know my thoughts, think of my hard work, understand my hard work, and work together to make their own lives and work sincerely, so that people will slowly become kind and the social atmosphere will be honest. In this way, although I personally work very hard, I can get great comfort in my heart.
Unexpectedly, the traitor Tang Tiezui actually rebelled with Pu Gang. They also made false accusations and slanders against me, and even made ridiculous attacks on our country. The ministers in the imperial court were all heartbroken and felt that they had an irreconcilable hatred for the traitors.
Such baseless things have never occurred to me even in my dreams. Therefore, the traitor's attack is just like the barking of a dog and the howling of a wolf, and is not worth refuting! But then I thought carefully about what the traitor said. If I feel a little guilty about what the traitor said, I should protect him and endure it and calm down the matter secretly. Now what the rebels say are all unsubstantiated words, forced on me, and I think that I can be worthy of God and the emperor, and I can tell the truth to hundreds of millions of subjects in the world openly and honestly. And the reason why the traitors dare to slander wantonly, there must be bigger female sycophants who are secretly fabricating rumors to shake the minds of the people and confuse people. If their shameless rumors were not exposed in broad daylight, wouldn't they become even more aggressive in spreading rumors publicly? For example, the treasonous letter imposed on me the crime of murdering the emperor's father. I was lovingly educated by my royal father when I was young. For more than 20 years, I have always obeyed his wishes and served him well. I have tried my best to be sincere and respectful. I have been praised by my royal father many times. I am the most honest and filial brother. This is my brother.
My brother and all the ministers and attendants know this.
In the first year of Wu Ding's reign, according to the emperor's order, I went to the southern suburbs to perform the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven on his behalf. At that time, the emperor's father was in poor health and was recovering from his illness in the Forbidden City. The emperor's father told Jin Yinghe, Deng Changxiong, Kang Yingqian, Qiao Yiqi, Sun Chuanting and other officials:
"Prince Liu Kan has a noble character and is very similar to me. He will definitely be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of ruling the country. Now let him inherit the throne of emperor."
In the fifth year of Guangde's reign, my father died during the Eastern Expedition. I cried out in mourning. It was so painful that I didn't want to live. Kang Jingxiu announced the imperial edict of his father. When I heard about it, I was so frightened and wept that I fell to the ground in a coma.
Deng Changxiong and others kowtowed to me and advised me to refrain from mourning. I just mustered up my energy to handle important matters. This was what happened that day. All my ministers, maids and eunuchs, as well as the ministers and attendants who were walking in the palace at that time, all saw it with their own eyes.
The traitor suddenly accused me of murdering the emperor and usurping the throne. This was really in my sleep, and I never thought that someone would slander and spread rumors like this. Another example is that the inverse letter accuses me of forcing my mother to death (referring to Bumbutai Liu Rushi). The Queen Mother's holy nature is very kind and kind, and this is well known to the entire palace, young and old alike. I was brought up by my mother with great kindness, and I have worked hard to fulfill my filial piety for twenty years. My mother is very fond of me, and she said that I can be sincere and filial. All the mothers and concubines in the palace also envied the queen for having such a filial son and congratulated the queen. This is now known to everyone in the palace. When the emperor's father passed away and ascended to heaven, the queen mother was so sad that she decided to be buried with the emperor without eating or drinking. I kowtowed my head and cried, and told my mother, "The emperor has entrusted the important affairs of the country to me, and now the Holy Mother is determined to die, leaving me without any support. How can I be worthy of the people of the world? I have no choice but to follow my father and mother with my body." It’s underground.”
Although I begged again and again, my mother still could not give up the idea of seeking death. This is not something I can stop.
After I came to the throne, I was quite tolerant to the eldest princess because I missed the brotherhood of my compatriots. However, Liu Yufei had ulterior motives and formed cliques for personal gain. She often used excuses to cause trouble and incited and disturbed people's hearts. So I want to enlighten her slowly, eliminate his wrong ambitions, and live a quiet and law-abiding life.
Later, the eldest princess conspired to rebel, and I ordered her to be escorted with ceremonial guards and moved to Wulong Pavilion. When she saw the emperor's special yellow sedan, she was ashamed and grateful for my kindness. She put her hand on her forehead and chanted the Buddha's name. More than 100 maids and eunuchs in Xian'an Palace have seen the above situation with their own eyes.
As for the counter-book, he also attacked me for being a murderer by nature. My nature is the most merciful. Not only do I refuse to punish anyone casually, but I also refuse to trample or harm even grasshoppers and ants while walking. Since he came to the throne, he has always been cautious in using punishment. I always read the prisoner's confession documents and the judicial opinions on convictions reported by each province, often two or three times. Whenever I encounter a case involving a felon on death row, I am always very happy if I can find a way out for him to survive. If there is any doubt, we must discuss it carefully with the ministers and seek a fair and appropriate sentence.
In the past six years, every autumn when the death penalty was sentenced, four orders were issued to stop the execution. When discussing in the court the prisoners whose execution was suspended, I also issued an order to inspect those who had committed relatively minor crimes and ordered that they not be killed. The law of heaven and earth is spring and autumn, and the politics of Yao and Shun used criminal law as an auxiliary tool for education. When I govern the world, I am not willing to abolish the three-foot criminal law with a small favor like a woman. However, I have to consider the sentencing to be lenient. I am extremely cautious, lest I cause even the slightest injustice due to a moment of negligence. This is not only true for severe punishments for capital crimes, but even if they are sentenced to beatings with rods, they are not arbitrarily imposed on innocent people. Judicial officials, provincial and local officials and others are warned every day to treat the people with compassion and justice as their top priority.
Now the rebels say that I am prone to killing. How come it is so far from my intentions and the politics I implement?
As for Pu Gang, Zhang Dong and others, I ordered them to be exiled.
Pu Gang Zhangdong was deeply favored by his father and me, but he could not bear to bear the burden. He had evil thoughts in his mind and almost launched a rebellion. Their corruption and cruel crimes were recorded in ninety-two cases by the ministers. According to the national law, he should be sentenced to death. However, I remembered his military exploits in Japan and Korea and treated him leniently. I could not bear to kill him, so I ordered him to be exiled to Ningguta to disperse their gang members and prevent them from committing crimes again. . And their party members in Beijing are still united and unbreakable.
. I thought over and over again that such evil people are absolutely unpardonable in terms of heavenly principles and national laws, so I punished them both.
·····
Among hundreds of millions of people, there are still one or two ignorant people who hear these rumors and have some slight influence and doubt. Therefore, I specially announced the adverse letter to the public, and also announced a rough outline of some things in the palace so that everyone can know. If there is something I don't dare to explain publicly, but I make this announcement, then how can I have the face to face my internal and external ministers and the people everywhere? Are you using it to deceive God? Deceive others? Or are you deceiving yourself?
When I saw the rumors about Tang Tiezui, I was very calm and not angry. Furthermore, I was able to clearly inform the whole country about the truth of the matter based on his rebellious words, so that I could not worry about eating or sleeping in the past few years and could serve the country. The sad and hard-working thoughts of the people can be informed to the world and future generations. This is also the greatest blessing among my misfortunes.
This is a warning.
