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There is never a shortage of rumors of all kinds between the government and the public, and the direction of public opinion is always strange.
But there is a basic rule - no matter in ancient or modern times, at home and abroad, in most cases, those rumors or public opinions that cause a great repercussions are secretly promoted by some force behind the scenes.
For example, a few days ago, strange rumors were circulating in the market, such as "Zhao Junchen is a descendant of the Song Dynasty royal family" and "Zhao Junchen is ambitious and wants to restore the Song Dynasty." The driving force behind this strange rumor is Jian Jian. State Jurchen.
At the same time, there are also strange public opinions such as "the imperial salary is too low, which has led to the rampant situation of corrupt officials", "the imperial government should increase the salary to curb the emergence of corrupt officials", etc., and the driving force behind this strange public opinion is Zhao Junchen .
In addition, there are rumors such as "Cabinet Chief Zhou Shangjing has completely given up on his eldest grandson Zhou Suhai", "Zhou Shangjing and Zhou Suhai's grandparents have completely turned against each other" and other rumors, but the driving force behind the scenes is Zhou Shangjing himself.
But in recent times, the rumors and public opinion between the government and the public have become even more strange.
Since the rumor that "Zhao Junchen is a descendant of the royal family of the Song Dynasty" appeared, several similar rumors quickly appeared in the market, such as "Guan Wuyuan, the governor of the capital camp, inherited the legacy of his ancestors and wanted to restore the Han Dynasty", "Zhou Shangjing's grandson Zhou Suwen is the reincarnation of Taibai Venus, and the house is full of red light when he is born", "Ge Lao Li He is a descendant of Li Tang and wants to restore the glory of the Tang Dynasty", "Wu Xinquan, the eunuch of the Chief of Ceremonies, is a Jurchen spy" and so on Wait, it’s dizzying.
It was precisely because there were so many similar rumors that the government and the public gradually became numb to these rumors, and because these rumors involved too many important figures in power, no one dared to report these rumors to Emperor Deqing. …
In the end, no one will pay attention to the original rumor related to Zhao Junchen.
In fact, the most talked about matter among the government and the people in recent days is related to the seventh prince Zhu Hejian.
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In this era, different classes have different channels for disseminating and receiving news.
For powerful officials and wealthy businessmen, they all have their own intelligence agencies; for ordinary people, teahouses and restaurants are the best place for them to increase their knowledge; and for those scholars and ordinary businessmen with a certain social status , they often exchange news and information with each other in the guild hall.
The guild culture began in the early Ming Dynasty and was a cross-regional organization composed of fellow villagers or peers in major cities.
Among them, the guild hall in the center of the capital was mainly a gathering place for local bureaucrats, gentry and people who took the imperial examination, so it was also called the "test hall".
On this day, an old man pushed in the door of the "Yungui Guild Hall" in the south of the capital, followed by two young people with respectful attitudes.
This old man was about fifty years old. He was wearing a blue Confucian robe and was thin and short. He had an approachable and gentle smile on his face, but he had a convincing temperament in his movements.
After seeing the appearance of this old man, the people who were gathering in the guild hall to talk just glanced at him casually at first, but soon remembered the identity of this old man. For a while, everyone stood up to greet him and rushed to greet him. They salute and greet each other with utmost respect.
In fact, there were even a few young scholars whose expressions showed admiration and enthusiasm, as if later generations of star-chasers had seen their idols.
Obviously, this old man is very famous and has high prestige.
It turned out that this old man's name was Yang Xun. He was born in Guizhou. He once served as the minister of Dali Temple in the imperial court and had great achievements in officialdom.
But Yang Xun's fame and prestige are not because of his official achievements, but because he himself is a great scholar who is famous all over the world!
You must know that in this era, places like Yunnan and Guizhou are cultural deserts in the eyes of the world. Even if you want to produce a second-ranked Jinshi, it is extremely difficult. It is even more difficult to produce a great Confucian who is famous all over the world.
And Yang Xun himself is the only great scholar born in Yunnan and Guizhou in the past sixty years, which can be said to be the pride of Yunnan and Guizhou people!
But what is even more admirable is that Yang Xun is also a great Confucian who specializes in legal studies!
What is jurisprudence? It is the study of court laws, and it is annotation and extension of court regulations based on Confucian principles.
For example, the relationship between etiquette and law, the boundary between interpretation of law and respect for scriptures, the connection between provisions and legal meaning, the connection between different laws and regulations, as well as the leniency of conviction and sentencing, the existence and abolition of corporal punishment, changes in punishment names and litigation and prison theory, etc., are all within the scope of legal studies.
In short, the so-called "Luxue" is the specific expression of "external Confucianism and internal law" in China's feudal period!
And the most admirable thing about Yang Xun is also related to "Luxue"!
Ten years ago, Yang Xun served as the Minister of Dali Temple at the age of forty. Not only did Emperor Deqing value him particularly, but Zhou Shangjing also deliberately made friends with him. It can be said that he has a broad career and a bright future.
However, facing such a promising future, Yang Xun resolutely resigned from his official position, returned to his hometown in Yunnan and Guizhou, spent his life savings to give lectures, and explained the law of law to scholars and ordinary people in Yunnan and Guizhou.
The land of Yunnan and Guizhou is not only a place where the sky is high and the emperor is far away, and the geographical environment is complex, but also has been populated by ethnic minorities since ancient times. The people in the territory have always lacked respect for the imperial laws and regulations. Naturally, the public security situation is extremely poor, and armed fights between different villages often occur. .
However, it is because of Yang Xun's ten-year lectures and education that he has subtly instilled the Confucian concepts and court laws contained in the law into the hearts of the people of Yunnan and Guizhou, and it has been quite effective to this day.
Not only has the public security situation in Yunnan and Guizhou improved greatly, many minority village leaders also have great trust in Yang Xun and regard him as a teacher and wise man. After encountering conflicts, they are willing to listen to Yang Xun's truth instead of just a word. If they don't agree, they will fight with each other.
Such achievements in educating the people of Yunnan and Guizhou can be regarded as immeasurable merits, so it is no wonder that everyone in the "Yunngui Guild Hall" showed such respect and admiration after seeing Yang Xun appear.
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"Mr. Yang, why are you in the capital?!"
"Disciple pays homage to his mentor!"
"Yang Daru, why didn't you inform us about your coming to the capital? Otherwise, we would have to go ten miles out of the city to welcome you!"
"Dean Yang, do you still remember this junior? I have been attending classes in your academy for more than two years, and I still feel that I have benefited a lot!"
Seeing everyone saluting and greeting one after another, Yang Xun still had an approachable smile on his face and explained: "I have lived in Yunnan and Guizhou for many years, and my own knowledge has also encountered bottlenecks. I can't help but feel restless. I also heard that in recent years, the center of the capital has The situation is very different from what it was back then, so I came here to gain some knowledge, and I will stay temporarily in the Yungui Guild Hall for a while.
I am just an idler, and my legs and feet are quite nimble. There is no need for you to go all out to greet me, so I did not inform you, and all the banquets and greetings were omitted. I did not come to the capital just for socializing...
Of course, if I encounter something in the capital in the future and need your help, I will definitely lower my face and speak directly, so you don’t have to worry about me, just do whatever you need to do."
Yang Xun's speech was straightforward and humorous. Not only did everyone in the Yungui Guild Hall not feel that Yang Xun was deliberately alienating them, but they felt kind to him.
However, although Yang Xun asked everyone not to care about him, with his prestige and status in the hearts of Yungui people, how could everyone really not care?
Therefore, while Yang Xun's two disciples arranged a room for Yang Xun and Yang Xun was sitting in the Yungui Guild Hall for a while, everyone gathered around Yang Xun, hoping to talk to Yang Xun for a few words. This is a great honor for them.
Seeing this situation, Yang Xun didn't care. He just smiled and asked: "When I opened the door and entered the club just now, I saw that you were concentrating on discussing things, but I didn't know what you were discussing? It actually caused so much discussion. ?”
A scholar from Yunnan and Guizhou quickly explained: "Dean Yang, we were just discussing the matter of His Highness the Seventh Prince... As you know, His Highness the Seventh Prince is currently attracting attention from all parties, so people in the world are also interested in his past deeds. Interested, there has been a lot of discussion between the government and the public during this period."
"Oh? How were they discussed?"
When Yang Xun heard this, he became interested and asked.
When the scholar saw Yang Xun talking to him, he couldn't help but become more and more excited, and he kept talking: "The most talked about thing about His Highness, the Seventh Prince, is his inaction way of doing things. Many people talk about it. Everyone thinks that His Highness, the Seventh Prince, has been able to reach this stage largely because of the word 'inaction'!"
Next, the scholar began to talk endlessly about the deeds of the Seventh Prince.
In short, it is how much the Seventh Prince respects all officials and follows the good deeds. He will never take the initiative to express his opinion when encountering something. Instead, he will first listen to the opinions of the wise people around him. If there is something that needs to be dealt with and solved, the Seventh Prince will never take the initiative to express his opinion. They will not take action themselves, but will recommend capable talents to go ahead and do it without interfering themselves.
But it is precisely because of this that the seventh prince has such a flawless reputation and image today, so he will become the first candidate for the next crown prince.
"There is a saying in Taoism - 'Do nothing without doing anything'. The students believe that His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince's behavior and actions are in line with this sentence! I think back then, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty followed the good deeds and governed with dignity, and it was passed down as a good story by future generations. Now that His Highness the Seventh Prince is expected to become the Crown Prince, our Ming Dynasty may not be able to reproduce the Zhenguan rule of the past..."
However, after hearing what the scholar said, Yang Xun's gray eyebrows wrinkled slightly and asked again: "You just said that these statements are widely circulated and discussed by all walks of life, both in the government and the public?"
Another low-level official of the imperial court who was born in Yunnan and Guizhou quickly replied: "That's right. Maybe it's because the signs of His Highness the Seventh Prince becoming more and more obvious, so everyone has been discussing these things during this time."
After hearing this reply, Yang Xun nodded thoughtfully, but did not make any comments.
Then, Yang Xun looked up and found that his two disciples had been standing in the crowd waiting for a long time. Yang Xun's room had obviously been arranged.
So, Yang Xun also stood up and said goodbye to everyone in the hall, saying that he had come all the way to the capital and was feeling exhausted, so he wanted to take a rest in time.
After hearing what Yang Xun said, everyone in the guild hall did not dare to stay out of respect in their hearts. They had no choice but to watch Yang Xun and his two disciples go to the room on the second floor of the guild hall. Everyone's eyes were filled with excitement. Reverence and regret.
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However, after Yang Xun came to his room, he sat at the table and pondered for a while, then suddenly shook his head and said: "The current situation of the seventh prince is probably very bad...these rumors and public opinions about him seem to be exaggerating. He, but actually put him on the stove to roast!"
Yang Xun is a great scholar today, so the direct disciples who can accompany him are naturally extraordinary people.
The two disciples next to Yang Xun have similar looks, but they are brothers from the same father and mother. They both have good facial features, tall and straight figures, capable and steady, and full of energy.
In comparison, the older disciple is named Jiang Chun, and his eyes and expressions are gentler, while the younger disciple is named Jiang Zheng, and his temperament is more sharp-edged. meaning.
At this time, after hearing what Yang Xun said, Jiang Chun asked: "Teacher, why did you say that?"
Yang Xun said slowly: "Those rumors and public opinions about His Highness the Seventh Prince, on the surface they praise him for doing nothing but not fighting, letting nature take its course, respecting all officials, and doing good deeds. But if you think about it carefully, the so-called 'do nothing but not fight' and 'let nature take its course' ', and how is it different from lack of responsibility and inaction? What is the difference between the so-called 'respecting all officials' and 'following the good' and lack of independent opinions and weak character?
Hey! As this kind of public opinion spreads more and more widely, the image of His Highness the Seventh Prince will inevitably be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. If he is just an ordinary prince, there is nothing wrong with such an image, but if he wants to inherit the throne, such an image It’s hard to tell the pros and cons of image!
The forces in both the government and the opposition will not only doubt whether he can take on important responsibilities, but will also subconsciously despise him, thinking that a figure like the Seventh Prince should fully listen to their opinions... But in this way, how will he be able to sit firmly in the future? The position of crown prince?
For a ninety-five-year-old man, he must win the respect of the officials and the people in order to rule the country, and the two words "respect" and "fear" are indispensable. If you can only choose one of them, which one is "respect"? Are words important? Or is the word 'fear' important?
From ancient times to the present, there have been many emperors who have secured their power by relying on just the word "fear", but which emperor can make the officials and the people follow him just by relying on the word "respect"? Some people just used Tang Taizong as an example, but they didn't know that before Tang Taizong took over the throne, he personally conquered most of the country! "
Hearing Yang Xun's comments, brothers Jiang Chun and Jiang Zheng fell into thinking.
Finally, Jiang Zheng slowly commented: "On the way to the capital, we listened to a commentary on "Journey to the West" in a teahouse. It was said that Tang Monk had to go through ninety-nine and eighty-one hardships to achieve enlightenment, but Buddhism has It is always said that 'put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha immediately'... The disciple was thinking at that time, why is it so difficult for good people to become Buddhas, and why is it so easy for evil people to become Buddhas?
After the disciple thought deeply, he thought it was due to the impression gap. Even if a good person does countless good deeds, as long as he does one bad thing, he will appear particularly bad and will be regarded as a hypocrite by the world! On the contrary, even if an evil person has done countless bad things, as long as he does one good thing, he will appear to be particularly good and be considered to have retained his true nature and can be saved!
If His Highness the Seventh Prince allows such public opinion to spread more and more widely, he will be in the same situation in the future. Everyone thinks that he should rule by doing nothing and respect all officials, and they also think that he must value his own opinions!
Under such circumstances, if the Seventh Prince has slightly different opinions from the officials from now on, it will trigger an even more violent backlash from the officials.
In the end, even if he can successfully suppress the backlash of the officials, in the history books, he will probably be left with comments such as "the former is respectful but the latter is arrogant" and "the city is gloomy", which is definitely not a good thing! "
After Jiang Chun pondered for a moment, he nodded and said: "If I were His Highness the Seventh Prince, my top priority right now is to do something to show my responsibility and opinion, and to change my image as soon as possible, otherwise he will become more and more miserable when doing things in the future. The result is half the effort and half the result."
Then, Jiang Chun took a peek at the change in Yang Xun's expression and asked carefully: "Teacher, in your opinion, are these public opinions about His Highness the Seventh Prince being deliberately promoted by someone hiding behind the scenes? If so. If there is a mastermind behind the scenes, who could it be?"
Yang Xun shook his head directly and said: "Such public opinion has spread so widely. Someone must be secretly promoting it! But I have been away from the center of the temple for too long, and I don't know much about the situation in the court, but I vaguely feel... like... This method of inadvertently destroying people is very similar to the method used by Zhou Shangjing, the chief minister of the cabinet...
However, I heard that Zhao Junchen is also quite capable, so I’m afraid it’s possible for him to..."
Having said this, Yang Xun quickly stopped the topic.
He has been away from the temple center for ten years and is completely uninterested in the temple center's overt and covert struggles and underhanded tactics.
But after mentioning Zhao Junchen, Yang Xun suddenly thought of something and told the two disciples: "Speaking of Zhao Junchen... While it is still early, you can send my name card to Zhao Junchen's house. I want to I need to see him as soon as possible!"
Previously, Yang Xun had told everyone in the guild hall that he came to the capital this time just to relax and want to travel around. But in fact, Yang Xun lied. Only two close disciples, Jiang Chun and Jiang Zheng, knew that - —Yang Xun came to the capital this time mainly because he wanted to meet Zhao Junchen.
Although they knew Yang Xun's thoughts very well, the two disciples still held different opinions.
After the two brothers looked at each other, Jiang Chun couldn't help but persuade again: "Teacher, you are a great scholar who is famous all over the world, and Zhao Junchen is a powerful official who has slandered the world. Although his reputation has improved a bit now, But it’s still controversial, so if you take the initiative to contact him like this, I’m afraid it will affect your reputation!”
Yang Xun, however, didn't care and waved his hand and said: "About this matter, the three of us, the master and the apprentice, have discussed this matter many times. Even if Zhao Junchen does not talk about his glorious military achievements in annihilating the Mongolian coalition forces on the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu, , and his role in assisting the imperial court in regaining the Hetao. Just looking at his several political reforms that benefited the country and the people, you will know that he is a rare and capable minister!
But it is a pity that he is not only a capable minister, but also a corrupt official who takes bribes and makes money. He is also a powerful official who forms cliques for personal gain... In short, this person has vision, ability, and means, but he is too selfish! Just like Cao Cao back then, he was a capable official in governing the world and a traitor in troubled times!
For such a character, as a master of legal studies, I believe that the best way is to use imperial laws to restrain him, and then promote his strengths and suppress his weaknesses. It is precisely because of this that I came all the way to study. I came to the capital and wanted to meet him just to confirm whether this person would be bound by the court's laws! "
At this point, Yang Xun looked helpless and continued: "As for whether my reputation will be affected after I come into contact with him, it is just a trivial matter! Although Zhao Junchen is controversial now, he has always been , any person who has made great achievements, who is not surrounded by controversy?
Hey, even I myself have been criticized by many great Confucians in recent years. They believe that my ideas have gradually deviated from the orthodox path of Confucianism, and the legal studies I promote are no longer a branch of Confucianism, but closer to purity. Legalism!
Don't look at me. After I showed up in the guild hall just now, everyone respected me, but that's just because this is the Yungui Guild Hall. Everyone in the guild hall was born in Yunnan and Guizhou. If I went to other guild halls, I'm afraid I would be gone soon. There will be scholars who will stand up and debate the scriptures with me!
So, the controversy surrounding this old man is not much smaller than that of Zhao Junchen, so why should I worry that contact with him will cause greater controversy? "
Hearing what Yang Xun said, Jiang Chun and Jiang Zheng looked at each other again, with helpless expressions on their faces.
They knew they couldn't persuade Yang Xun, so they had no choice but to agree.
After about half a stick of incense, Jiang Chun had found Yang Xun's name card and left the Yungui Guild Hall.
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Although Yang Xun is no longer a commoner, his reputation, status, and influence are still very important.
Therefore, the news of Yang Xun's arrival in the capital soon spread to all walks of life in the government and the public. Even Emperor Deqing and Zhou Shangjing also received the news.
After Emperor Deqing received the news, his first thought was to reinstate Yang Xun as an official. He still thinks that it is a pity that Yang Xun left the temple.
As for Zhou Shangjing, he took the initiative to send Yang Xun a famous invitation and wanted to invite him to meet. Over the years, among the temple officials, there were not many people who could make Zhou Shangjing admire him, but Yang Xun was definitely one of them. one.
As for Zhao Junchen, because he received the famous post from Yang Xun in advance, he received the news earlier than Emperor Deqing and Zhou Shangjing.
But when Zhao Junchen received Yang Xun's famous post, he once again fell into the habit of "becoming a teacher" and was talking about "the correct method of creating rumors and guiding public opinion."
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First update, 6,000 words!
There will be a second update around the early morning, which is about 4,000 words long.
It feels so good to have nothing to do!
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