The so-called eight-part essay is a literary style.
Respect Confucius and Confucianism, take Zhu Xi's "Collected Commentary on the Four Books" as the standard, and do not allow yourself to express yourself at will, otherwise, you will be considered to be deviant.
The contents of the questions in the imperial examination were also extracted from the Four Books and the Five Classics, and there were strict requirements for the format.
Even the length of sentences, the complexity and simplicity of words, and the pitch of voice are all restricted and stipulated.
Li Xiao knew in his heart that the reason why Zhu Yuanzhang did this was to strengthen his ideological control and cultivate people who were loyal to him.
But this method can only consolidate the stability of imperial power.
It is really harmful to the development of the country without any benefit.
Since the time of Zhu Yuanzhang, the imperial examination system has gradually moved from its peak to rigidity.
From an advanced system of selecting talents for the country, it has become a backward system that restrains the people's thoughts.
In the Qing Dynasty, emperors such as Kangxi, Qianlong, and Yongzheng also found that this system that rigidified the minds of scholars was not very good, and tried to change it.
However, due to the lack of a mature replacement for the imperial examination model, the last opportunity for modern industrialization was missed.
Although Li Xiao liked Ming Dynasty, he also recognized Zhu Yuanzhang.
But after all, Zhu Yuanzhang was just an ancient man, a farmer, and his vision was still limited.
He thought that as long as everything was safe and sound, everyone could live and work in peace and contentment.
If the world's science and technology will always stay in the cold weapon era, Zhu Yuanzhang's approach is not good, but there is no big problem.
As everyone knows, in the future, the entire world will become a global village, just like villages fighting with each other. If you fall behind, you will be beaten. Individual power cannot defeat the power of technology.
Therefore, Li Xiao felt that he was favored now and was so red that he wanted to give it to him. What if it was useful?
At this time, as Li Xiao's words fell.
The whole hall was silent.
Only the sound of each other's breathing could be heard.
Zhu Di couldn't help but feel a sweat in his heart for Li Xiao.
You can't say this. When my father decided to use these eight kinds of writing to recruit scholars, many officials opposed it and had their heads chopped off.
Li Xiao, Li Xiao, of course my father likes you.
But you can't act recklessly based on this love.
At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang was obviously a little unhappy. He sat down slowly, looked at Li Xiao and said, "Li Xiao, tell me, how come these stereotypes of recruiting scholars are not good for the country?"
Zhu Di quickly winked at Li Xiao, and then said: "Li Xiao, if you still say that all the people you train are mediocre, don't say that those officials in the past have said it over and over again, and they are already old. .”
Zhu Gaoxu also came over and whispered: "Brother-in-law, I agree with your opinion very much, but let's not talk about it for now."
After listening to his father-in-law's hint, Li Xiao understood.
Damn it, it turns out that someone has said my idea before, so it’s better not to say it.
Li Xiao's thoughts whirled and he cupped his hands and said: "Actually, I thought about it again and felt that there are quite a lot of benefits to the eight-part essay selection. The first is to promote the inheritance of the saints so that they will not be forgotten. The second is to form a cultural identity. The third is to improve Personal quality. The fourth is conducive to the stability of the country and political stability. The fifth is to give the lower class a glimmer of hope, and poor families can produce noble children. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages, which is good, hahaha."
Li Xiao cited five benefits in one breath. The situation is not right. We should not be the ones who stand out.
But Zhu Yuanzhang didn't buy it.
He looked at Li Xiao and said: "Li Xiao, don't try to fool us. When did you learn to read people's emotions and act according to the wind? When you scolded us in front of us, it was not like this. Others said that we No, it’s someone else’s business. We just want to hear what you have to say.”
At this time, everyone looked at Li Xiao and couldn't help but say anything.
Li Xiao had no choice but to say, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid of making you unhappy. This dragon body is more important."
Zhu Yuanzhang forced out a smile and said, "You tell me, we will never be angry."
Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's smiling expression, Li Xiao felt a little helpless. Forget it, let's just say it. After all, the old man now likes to hear his opposite.
"Okay, that's what I said."
Li Xiao cupped his hands and said: "Since your Majesty has heard those officials talk about cultivating mediocre people before, I won't say this anymore. I'll put it in another perspective."
"oh."
Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly became interested and said, "Come sit down and talk."
Zhu Yuanzhang is still a person who likes to listen to other people's opinions, but whether to adopt them or not depends on his own judgment.
Of course, he didn't like hearing the kind of advice that was repeated over and over again.
Zhu Gaoxu brought a chair. "Brother-in-law, sit down."
Li Xiao nodded slightly and sat down.
Then, after thinking about it for a while, Zhu Yuanzhang liked to hear his sarcastic remarks, so he said it harshly, so he said: "Your Majesty, the battle over the imperial examination is a battle over the fate of the country! If the fate of the country is cut off, the Ming Dynasty will not survive!"
Good guy, everyone was shocked when he said this.
Zhu Yuanzhang also stood up directly. Seeing this, Li Xiao also stood up.
Zhu Yuanzhang sat down again, and Li Xiao followed suit.
At this time, Li Xiao immediately used his mind power and aimed at Zhu Yuanzhang.
After all, it’s better to be careful.
Soon, Li Xiao heard Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts.
[Hiss, this kid is so bold. It was fine if he didn’t know our identity before, but now he knows it and he dares to say so. You are relying on Huang Ba to be your big brother, so you can do whatever you want, right?
However, what you say makes sense every time, and we can't accept it. Last time, we said that the vassal king could defeat the Ming Dynasty. Let's make a calculation, and it turns out that he can really defeat the Ming Dynasty. None of the subsequent vassal kings came to Qin Wang. Let us see clearly the shortcomings of the feudal king system.
Today I want to hear about the shortcomings of the imperial examination system.
I see you are so frightened that you are sweating, haha. You know how to be afraid, so don’t worry, I won’t kill you no matter what, and I will follow you to maintain your health.]
Hear this voice.
Li Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.
Oh my god, I scared the baby to death. Fortunately, everything is fine. You still want to keep healthy with me, right?
It seems that this sworn friendship was not in vain, Zhu Yuanzhang really trusts him.
Hurry up and abdicate. If you abdicate, I can drink on your shoulders!
At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Why is it said that the imperial examination is a battle for national destiny?"
Li Xiao explained: "Your Majesty, does he know that there are many countries overseas?"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "You are a small country and have nothing to fear."
Li Xiao said: "It is indeed a small country, but how about a place farther away?"
Zhu Yuanzhang pondered: "Maybe there is a country, but across the sea, thousands of rivers and mountains, there is no relationship."
Li Xiao added: "I mean, for example. One day, far away on the other side of the ocean, those empires had a relationship with the Ming Dynasty. They coveted China's rich products and land."
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened: "How dare they! If they have this idea, we will make it impossible for them to come back!!"
Zhu Di on the side also clenched his fists and said: "If you dare to covet the land of China, you will be punished!"
Li Xiao smiled and said: "Right? Your Majesty and His Highness have already believed in this possibility."
Zhu Yuanzhang didn't say anything. He thought it was possible.
After all, he didn’t know what the other side of the sea looked like. What if there was an empire like the Ming Dynasty?
Li Xiao explained: "Your Majesty should know that there is a big difference between the large ships in the Yuan Dynasty and the current large ships. Today's large ships can already cross very far oceans and reach the Japanese country. The difference is progress!! As time goes by, As time goes by, this kind of progress will continue to advance and will not stop. If the Ming Dynasty stops moving forward, other big countries will continue to make progress in the future, so the future will be a competition between big countries!"
hiss!
Zhu Yuanzhang took a breath of cold air.
He had never thought about things this way.
From the perspective of the past, everything he put was focused on the land in front of him.
He always thought that he was far away from thinking about problems.
After listening to Li Xiao's words, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that his vision was not far enough, at least he had not seen further.
The world is vast and boundless, this is how everyone describes it.
If it was really vast, then there would be countless possibilities. He was really not sure whether there really was an empire like the Ming Dynasty in the far reaches of the continent.
I can only say that there is, it is very possible. If it is possible, then you have to guard against it! !
Zhu Yuanzhang said in surprise: "Li Xiao, we have said that you can always think about problems from other angles. This time you really surprised us. We have never thought of this before. It was you who reminded us!! In the past, hundreds of officials opposed us , it means that we have cultivated a group of mediocre people with fixed thinking, but your views are completely different from those of those officials, and you actually said this truth."
Li Xiao was overjoyed. It seemed that Zhu Yuanzhang didn't listen to his opinions, but he just didn't speak to his heart. He said: "Yes, the future will be a struggle between great powers and a great world!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "But you said it is a battle over national destiny. What does it have to do with the imperial examination?"
Li Xiaodao: "Of course it is relevant, Your Majesty. I dare to ask you who will govern the country."
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Of course it is the emperor who patrols the four directions on behalf of the herdsmen."
It turned out to be a stubborn old man. Li Xiao thought for a while and decided to change his perspective and said: "Then let's think about it from another perspective and compare the common people to sheep. The emperor herds thousands of sheep. How can we make the sheep obey?"
Before Zhu Yuanzhang could speak, Zhu Gaoxu, who was familiar with the north, rushed to answer: "The herders over there in Beiyuan use shepherd dogs to herd sheep."
Zhu Yuanzhang gave Zhu Gaoxu a look, and Zhu Gaoxu immediately shrank his head.
Li Xiao nodded and said, "Yes, as Gao Xu said, the emperor cannot control all the sheep and can only use sheepdogs to help him."
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "This statement is quite strange. This is the first time we have seen it."
These words touched Zhu Yuanzhang's heart, and he laughed and said:
"All civil and military officials are our shepherd dogs. Since everyone here today is our own family, let's talk openly.
We just regard those officials as our loyal dogs. The reason why we use stereotypes to recruit scholars is to use the words of saints to restrain their behavior and make their thoughts noble and unified. They will listen to us and work for us with peace of mind. Isn't it good to let all the sheep in the world have grass to eat and water to drink? "
These words had always been hidden in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart before. In his heart, he actually compared officials to loyal dogs, who were loyal to himself and achieved their goals.
Today, I finally got the word out.
Li Xiao agreed and said: "Your Majesty is right, that's the truth. Sheepdogs help the emperor to shepherd sheep, but have you ever thought about it? There are different types of dogs.
For example, the Tibetan Mastiff is used to drive away wolves and protect sheep. It is a military commander.
Some dogs are used to maintain order within the flock, and that is the civil servant.
But some dogs are stupid and do not know what to do when standing among the sheep. They are stupid dogs, and stupid dogs cannot herd sheep well.
Those herders will also choose smart dogs to herd their sheep.
Dogs have their own strengths, just like people, they also have their own strengths.
You can only do what you are good at. Your Majesty, you use the method of recruiting scholars with eight legs to turn all the dogs in the world into stupid dogs that are loyal to you. You even change Tibetan Mastiffs into dogs that maintain order. How can you herd sheep well? "
After listening, Zhu Yuanzhang touched his beard and felt that this was what happened.
He frowned, thought for a long time, and then said: "You mean, using stereotypes to recruit scholars can only produce stupid dogs?"
Li Xiao nodded: "The format of the eight-part essay is too fixed. The first is to eliminate students with unique views, changeable ideas, and exquisite ideas. The second is to eliminate students who are good at talking about hundreds of schools of thought and quoting famous aphorisms. The third is to eliminate the rich A talented and practical student.
What was left in the end?
Only students with strong memories and the ability to follow the views of the Four Books and Five Classics word for word, memorizing by rote, and rigid minds were left.
The harm caused by stereotyped writing is equivalent to burning books! !
Millions of books in the world are useless today. Students only study the Four Books and Five Classics, which imprisons thoughts, stifles talents, and inhibits the progress of skills.
Talent is the foundation of a country. Only with talents can we strive for the destiny of the country! "
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said: "Your point of view ultimately returns to the reasons why the civil servants hindered us and cultivated mediocrity. However, if you use this dog as a metaphor, we can understand it a little bit."
Li Xiao smiled and said: "That's right. Your Majesty often hunts, right?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "You want to say, why should we choose a ferocious hound? It is to make the best use of people, right?"
Li Xiaodao: "Yes, your majesty is wise! In fact, hunting and controlling officials are the same. If your subordinates are all stupid dogs, even if they are loyal, they will not be able to hunt prey. In the same way, if they are all mediocre, they will not be able to hunt. To make the country progress. Then in the battle for national destiny, half the battle is lost!"
"We seem to understand what you mean about the battle over national destiny."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Yes, yes, with so many people, you can only let us listen to a few more words. You just said so many advantages, we want to hear the disadvantages."
The words fell.
Zhu Di and others on the side were completely moved.
For so many years, Zhu Yuanzhang could listen so carefully, which is what Liu Bowen could do before the founding of the Ming Dynasty.
But after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, even Liu Bowen's father didn't listen very much.
Li Xiao is really awesome, his words are sharp, he looks at problems from other angles, explains problems, and the truth he says is refreshing.
They couldn't help but listen very carefully, especially Zhu Gaoxu.
In the past, Zhu Gaoxu felt that he couldn't understand what those gentlemen said, but when he heard it from his brother-in-law's mouth, he could understand it completely!
It makes so much sense, so awesome, brother-in-law! You are awesome!
Li Xiao pondered his thoughts and said: "There are pros and cons. The five advantages just mentioned are, in turn, the five disadvantages."
"One benefit promotes the inheritance of saints, and conversely speaking, it means that the thoughts of the predecessors will always stay in the past. We often say that the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead, and each generation becomes stronger than the generation. If you stay at the same place forever, you will be complacent and not enterprising. . Since Confucius, Zhu Xi and others could be produced in the past, shouldn’t saints be produced in the future?”
After finishing speaking, Li Xiao looked at everyone and said seriously: "The most valuable thing about learning is to seek it from the heart rather than from the heart. Although what he said came from Confucius, I dare not think it is true. Moreover, it is not as good as Confucius." ?”
This sentence was written by Wang Mingyang, which means: Negation is the driving force of innovation. Not all words of saints are correct, and there are golden words in ordinary words.
The words fell.
If there is a great truth contained in it, the lingering sound lingers in the ears and echoes in the hall for a long time.
This sentence once again spoke of the innermost feelings of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di.
They were originally warriors. Although they later studied, they looked down on scholars. Scholars were nothing more than loyal dogs used to control the world.
The hall suddenly became very quiet.
After a long time, Zhu Gaoxu sighed and said, "Brother-in-law, what does this mean? I don't understand it. Can you explain it more plainly and understandably?"
Li Xiao smiled and said: "It means that negation is the driving force of innovation. The words of saints may not be completely correct, and there are golden words in ordinary words."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu was very excited: "Yes! Brother-in-law is right! I read the saint's ragged books every day, and I have already had this idea. Heroes see the same thing!"
Li Xiao: "."
Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Di: "."
Zhu Yuanzhang scolded, "Shut up, adults are talking, children, don't guess and interrupt."
After speaking, he looked at Li Xiao and said, "I'm not talking about you, just go on."
Li Xiao nodded and continued: "The two benefits form cultural identity. On the other hand, it allows people all over the world to form the same understanding, that is, listen to the words of the saint. Even the eight-legged essay in the imperial examination must be spoken in the tone of the saint. . But where did so many saints come from? After all, they are just imitations and cannot become saints. It can only make them worship the saints more and more, talk about the saints in their mouths, and listen to the saints' words. Since your majesty is the emperor, you don't think that the people of the world should listen to them. What you said? Are you putting the cart before the horse?"
After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was shocked again.
He hoped that everyone in the world would listen to him, but he couldn't do it.
We can only implant saints into the hearts of scholars and use the words of saints to control their thoughts. Is this putting the cart before the horse?
Instead, he became the puppet of a saint?
Every word Li Xiao said was actually aimed at Zhu Yuanzhang's weaknesses.
At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang was already faintly moved in his heart.
Li Xiao struck while the iron was hot and said: "The three benefits are to improve one's own quality. Reading the books of Confucius and sages can indeed improve their self-cultivation. The five constant principles of Confucianism are: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith. Your Majesty hopes to use these to restrict readers to three times a day. Save myself and be loyal to the monarch. The king of heaven and earth is my master. Apart from heaven and earth, I am the king. Although I say this, how many people have done it?
Let’s not talk about the distant ones, let’s talk about the nearby ones. This Zhu Yunwen ignored your majesty’s false identity, quickly ascended the throne, and cut down the vassal clan against your majesty’s wishes. How many people came out to stop him? ?
Most of them are fueling the flames and thinking about their own interests.
When the blue jade Zhu Yunxi seizes the throne, will all the officials immediately become the new emperor in order to save their lives? "
Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was already gritting his teeth.
It is indeed true. We wanted to use the words of Saint Kong to restrain the loyal words and deeds of these people, but none of them did it.
It's really hateful, hateful, it hurts our hearts! ! !
Li Xiao laughed and said: "For every man who slaughters dogs for justice, he will be a scholar for those who are unfaithful."
After speaking, he pointed at Zhu Gaoxu and said: "Your Majesty, you see, this Zhu Gaoxu doesn't like reading, and he doesn't learn the words of Sage Confucius. He regards them as chaff. But when the world is in trouble, the first one to stand up is this one. Zhu Gaoxu doesn’t learn from Confucius and Mencius! Doesn’t this explain the problem?”
After talking,
Zhu Gaoxu was stunned for a moment, then stood up, patted his chest and said:
"Brother-in-law is right. In this vast world, there is no one more righteous than me, Zhu Gaoxu. A few days ago, I even killed a dog to eat its meat. I am much more righteous than those scholars."
Zhu Di: "."
Zhu Gaoxu cooperated very well with Li Xiao, singing in harmony with each other.
Li Xiao also felt that it was good to have such a brother-in-law.
Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment, then looked at Zhu Gaoxu for a long time, and then said, "Yes, Zhu Gaoxu is the only one who stood up. This shows that the words of Sage Kong cannot restrain their thoughts."
Li Xiaodao: "That's right, otherwise why are there so many corrupt officials in the world? If everyone can do what the sage said, they can live without much money, why should they be greedy? Because human greed is The words of the sages cannot stop the greed that is constantly expanding.”
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded again in approval.
Indeed, those who serve as officials in the dynasty are all scholars. If they really follow what the sage said, why are they still greedy for ink?
Li Xiao then said: "The four benefits are for the stability of the country and political stability. On the other hand, even if these people become loyal dogs, some of them will become useless loyal dogs. The court is stable, but the world is not stable. .”
Zhu Yuanzhang became interested and said, "How do you say this?"
Li Xiaodao: "The six departments of the imperial court are: officials, households, rituals, soldiers, punishments, and workers. Each has different responsibilities and requires different talents.
However, the students who passed the imperial examination and entered the imperial court were all ignorant of what was going on outside the world. They only read the books of sages and sages, and they only read the Four Books and Five Classics.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs selects talents and is responsible for the appointment, dismissal and promotion of civil servants. Can a student who only studies and does not care about people do such a good job?
The Ministry of Household Affairs is responsible for the world's fish scale registration, housing, collection, and distribution. Can students who are not diligent in all aspects of finance, do not distinguish between grains, and don't even understand arithmetic, can they do calculations clearly?
The Ministry of Industry is also responsible for building official roads, water conservancy, official factories, and official kilns. People who only read the books of sages and sages don't know how to do it. If you invite outside craftsmen to participate, isn't it just a layman managing an expert?"
After saying this, Li Xiao continued: "If you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools. The officials of the imperial court are your highness's sharp weapons for controlling the world.
Your Majesty, you want loyal dogs, but you also need to choose some smart loyal dogs, loyal dogs that can shepherd sheep, instead of stupid dogs that are as stupid as pigs.
Letting these stupid dogs help His Majesty’s herdsmen will make the world unstable, isn’t it? "
The words fell,
Several people in the hall were stunned on the spot.
Everyone seems to understand some of these principles.
But it is far from being as thorough and easy to understand as what Li Xiao said.
Tie the fate of the country with talents, and contrast the herdsmen with the world of shepherds.
Insightful! So insightful!
Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath and said, "It seems to make sense. What about the fifth one?"
Li Xiao said: "The fifth advantage is to give the lower class a glimmer of hope. A noble son can come from a poor family. But in my opinion, it is difficult for a poor family to produce a noble son now."
Anyone who can produce a noble son is not from a poor family.
Most of them are members of aristocratic families, gentry scholars, and scholarly families. The resources they possess are unmatched by ordinary people. Not only do they form a group, they also form a group with the local gentry and landlords, and they have already excluded the truly poor families. outside the door.
They are the representatives of the interests of landlords and businessmen and cannot understand the sufferings of the common people. For a long time, the court has been occupied by these people. You can imagine how terrible the consequences will be. This is not an exaggeration. It is not impossible for a weak monarch to appear and threaten the imperial power! "
The words fell,
The hall is silent!
[ps: Brothers, I won the bid. I didn't feel very well yesterday, and I woke up with a fever in the morning. At this time, it was probably a sheep. I took ibuprofen and felt better after sleeping all morning. I started typing in the afternoon despite my dizziness, and I have just finished typing now. Take a rest, take a shower, and then continue coding for tomorrow. Even if you are sick, you still have to code. I am with you! 】
(End of chapter)
