After Li Zhi asked this in the sedan chair, Wu Jiong and other scholars who supported Donglin Hall became even more angry and stood up one after another and stopped in front of Gu Xiancheng.
"Donglitang cannot offer it!"
"Please Fuyuan report to the court that the academy is not suitable for official camps. Official camps will only become a place where filth and evil gather around, and no one will concentrate on studying, but on working in the camp."
"That's right! The Fu Yuan is endowed with grace. Once Donglin Hall is consecrated today, it will no longer be able to educate the people and will only be a drag on the people!"
These scholars all began to make speeches at this time.
They did not dare to call Li Zhi a treacherous minister and traitor in front of Li Zhi. After all, Li Zhi was the governor and could act expediently and take away their honors first.
"Does it mean that now that Donglin Hall is only run by the Gu family, it doesn't harbor evil and evil?"
"If there is no filth, how come Donglin Hall didn't find out that a ruthless official who even killed scholars came to give lectures?"
"As for the argument that after Donglin Hall is dedicated to the imperial court, it will no longer be able to educate the people and will only drag the people down, it is even more ridiculous!"
"You know, once Donglin is converted into a government-run institution, it will have its own funding from the court, and there will no longer be a need to misappropriate tax money and force the gentry to donate. Wouldn't it save people's labor and make it easier to recruit more wise men to study?"
"Especially for those from poor families who come to the government-run Donglin Academy, they can also receive subsidies to make it easier for them to study."
Li Zhi said and looked at Gu Xiancheng: "So, will your mansion donate it or not?"
Wu Jiong and other scholars all looked at Gu Xiancheng at this time.
Gu Xiancheng immediately replied: "Dedicate!"
Then, Gu Xiancheng said: "It is an honor for the Gu family to help the imperial court prosper moral education. Although I am a corrupt scholar, I am also happy to see Donglin Hall grow into Donglin Academy."
"Mr. Donglin really understands justice!"
Li Zhi said with a smile.
Then, Li Zhi ordered: "When someone comes, take over the Donglin Hall immediately, seal up all the notes, articles and lecture notes, and do not move even a tile or a table or chair until the imperial envoy comes to inspect!"
"yes!"
As a result, a group of soldiers under Governor Biaoying immediately rushed into Donglin Hall.
Wu Jiong and other officials and gentlemen all looked sideways at Gu Xiancheng with shocked expressions on their faces.
Gu Xiancheng ignored it and just lost his mind. After a while, he forced a smile and expressed his willingness to show his friendship as a landlord and invite Governor Li Zhi to dinner.
Because Gu Xiancheng was so cooperative, Li Zhi chose to give him this face, so he agreed and asked all the officials and gentlemen present to accompany him.
In the evening, after Li Zhi had a good meal and left, Wu Jiong couldn't help but question Gu Xiancheng in the Gu family hall: "Why did Mr. Donglin suddenly compromise?"
Gu Xiancheng did not answer Wu Jiong's question, and only said to Gu Yuncheng and Gu Xuancheng: "You accompany me for me. I am tired today and have a severe headache. I will go back and rest first."
Gu Yuncheng also stood up angrily at this time: "Brother, don't you really want to say something?!"
"Speak for me."
Gu Xiancheng said with a smile.
"Uncle Gu!"
Suddenly, Wu Jiong couldn't help shouting again.
Gu Xiancheng couldn't help but stopped.
"I didn't expect you to be so cowardly! You really let us down! You are not a great scholar!"
Wu Jiong said with indignation at this time.
"Yes, we are really disappointed!"
"I can't burn it even if I want to. I really don't know how many secrets the court will know!"
"Don't expect us to treat you as a gentleman again!"
…
Other officials and gentlemen also started talking, and they all couldn't tolerate Gu Xiancheng's performance today.
"It's not you who want to dedicate Donglin Hall, of course you can say so!"
"But if Donglin Hall is really destroyed, my Gu family will really be finished, and there will really be no place to die! At that time, will you be able to protect my Gu family at the risk of annihilation?"
Gu Xiancheng suddenly turned around and shouted loudly.
"Can you?!"
Then, Gu Xiancheng asked loudly again.
Wu Jiong and others did not answer.
"Since ancient times, a true gentleman should follow the emperor's will and there is no reason to disobey the emperor's will!"
"What do you want me to do to the Gu family? Be a traitor against your father?!"
Gu Xiancheng continued to question.
Wu Jiong and others remained silent.
After Gu Xiancheng finished speaking, he suddenly fainted and fell to the ground.
Seeing this, Gu Yuncheng and Gu Xuancheng helped Gu Xiancheng up: "Brother!"
At the same time, Gu Yuncheng shouted: "Send off guests!"
Wu Jiong and others had to leave the Gu family.
At this time, Gu Yuncheng said to Gu Xiancheng: "Brother, you are right. Our Gu family actually has no other choice. Let alone offering Donglin, even if we are given death, we have to accept death obediently!"
"Yes, so I don't dare to make the decision to burn down Donglin Hall."
"It's just that, unfortunately, I have gained a bad reputation in Shilin from now on!"
After Gu Xiancheng said this, he burst into tears and was very sad.
Gu Yuncheng just hugged him and said nothing.
Only Gu Xuancheng gritted his teeth and said, "To say it all, it's all Zhang Taiyue's fault for teaching the emperor too smart that made you reach this point, brother."
After Gu Xiancheng heard what Gu Xuancheng said, he sat up, looked at the rain curtain outside and said:
"We, as a family, originally started our lives by operating fields and commerce. Our original intention was to allow the imperial court to reduce industrial and commercial taxes and the heavy land taxes in the south of the Yangtze River."
"But who would have known that the imperial court was not keen on reducing or exempting industrial and commercial taxes and land taxes in the south of the Yangtze River. Instead, it was only keen on exempting the north from corvee service and silver for horse prices and fodder. It was keen on seizing the benefits of maritime trade in the name of the court, and even directly sent troops overseas. It is obvious that the benefits of maritime trade not only brought a lot of wealth to this dynasty, but also made the emperor realize that the country’s benefits are not limited to agriculture.”
"So, the root cause is the emphasis on business."
"We were wrong before!"
“It’s time to suppress trade and ban the sea!”
"Because only in this way can we always be based on agriculture. As long as we are based on agriculture, the emperor will not change the etiquette and law, and will value virtue rather than profit."
After Gu Xiancheng said this, Gu Yuncheng sighed and said, "It's too late to say anything. Maybe the new dynasty will notice this problem in the future and advocate for a sea ban."
When Gu Xiancheng learned from his painful experience due to his ruined reputation that the world should return to the era of agricultural economy and should not open up sea and border trade, the entire Ming Dynasty was making great strides into a new era.
As soon as Donglin Hall was transformed into the government-run Donglin Academy, it officially began to recruit a large number of students from poor families in the south of the Yangtze River to study in the academy.
As soon as these scholars come in, they must start further general education and subject-specific education, in order to achieve the goal of having a large number of technical bureaucrats appear in the future.
Like Donglin Academy, Xingming Academy and Jinyi Academy, which are at the forefront, have already begun to do this.
The entire education sector in Ming Dynasty has been quietly undergoing greater changes.
This was accompanied by the rapid development of Ming Dynasty in the fields of natural sciences, humanities and social sciences.
Especially the Zongxue, Gongxue and the official schools that specialize in cultivating martial arts and the children of relatives.
Because these places do not focus on cultivating professional bureaucrats, but provide a cradle for the interest cultivation and development of these royal family members and descendants, they have developed more rapidly in this area.
"Tamar again, keep pulling!"
"Let them all see how strong this atmospheric pressure is!"
Wan Wei, the Prince-in-law, was prompted by Zhu Yijun because of his interest, and commanded a group of distinguished disciples in the official school to conduct atmospheric pressure experiments on the Mara hemisphere.
At that time, Zhu Yijun and some of the emperor's relatives and ministers came here specially to observe the experiment.
Therefore, both Zhu Yijun and Shen Shixing watched helplessly as eight horses pulled a copper ball on the official school grounds without moving at all. Zhu Yijun was better, because he had known about the experiment for a long time and was not surprised. Shen Shixing waited until he looked at it carefully. watching this scene.
Snapped!
When the number of horses increased to sixteen and the copper ball was pulled away with a loud noise, Shen Shixing and others opened their eyes even wider.
Princess Ruichang's consort, Captain Wan Wei, was so happy that he danced with several noble disciples.
Only the other prince-in-law, Captain Qi Xingguo, frowned and thought deeply.
Princess Yongning saw her husband frowning and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Qi Xingguo said: "I also have to complete the experiment of borrowing lightning to obtain electricity as soon as possible!"
"Because Wan Consort and his copper ball experiment have shown that the Holy Will, that is, God's will, may really be right!"
"Whether it's cinchona, stone sight, silver mountain, or the current pressure of the copper ball, it all proves that this statement is correct, which means that thunder may really be electricity!"
"What's more, since His Majesty ordered lightning rods to be installed in all the palaces, there has indeed been no lightning strikes in the main hall. It can be seen that Your Majesty is right in saying that there are objective truths in this world. God's will is such, and we have to collect electricity according to God's will. "
"But the emperor said it was very dangerous."
Princess Yongning said.
Qi Xingguo said: "Don't worry, I will ask the Japanese eunuchs in our princess's house to collect thunder and lightning. I won't go there myself."
"Houhu, look at this drawing. Can the steam engine work as your Majesty said?"
Qi Changguo, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, also believed that the holy will was the will of God because of the copper ball experiment. He came to Jiangzuo Temple again and found Zhao Shizhen, who served as the temple minister here and worked with him to develop steam engines. A drawing was given to him.
Zhao Shizhen took the drawing and said, "I have failed several times. Are you not ready to give up yet?"
"I don't plan to give up. Since the Holy Will says that this kind of machine will definitely appear, it is very likely that it really exists. After all, the Holy Will is God's will. Please help me refer to it to see if this setup will work."
Qi Changguo spent the whole night drawing, so he was a little sleepy and started to yawn as he spoke.
While watching, Zhao Shizhen personally handed him a cup of tea and said, "Since Your Majesty said so, why are you still unwilling to draw the machine, but want us to develop it ourselves?"
"His Majesty just said that there will be one. I guess the specific structure is not clear."
Qi Changguo said after drinking all the tea.
Zhao Shizhen nodded: "I feel there is nothing wrong with the painting, but it is inevitable that there will still be air leakage."
With that said, Zhao Shizhen said: "This time I asked them to use the tool steel smelted in the crucible to boring it, so that it might not leak."
"Then go try it quickly!"
Qi Changguo gave instructions hurriedly.
"good!"
Zhao Shizhen agreed.
Qi Changguo left Jiangzuo Temple excitedly.
At that time, it was getting late.
Qi Changguo did not go to the Ministry of Industry again, but returned to the Privy Councilor's residence.
His father, Jiguang, was the prime minister of the court, so he naturally lived in the official residence.
However, Qi Changguo met Qi Jiguang face to face as soon as he came back.
Qi Jiguang also asked him: "Where have you gone?"
(End of chapter)
