Shopping is a common hobby for girls, both in ancient and modern times. Pei Shuying saw that the weather was nice today, so she went to Dongshi Brush Shop to buy some books. She heard that Wen Hanxuan sold "The Great Learning" and "Mencius" annotated by "Er Liu", so she wanted to buy a set for her father. Unexpectedly, Wen Hanxuan The crowd was surging, and she couldn't bear to follow a group of men, so she had to ask her entourage to buy it. She and her two maids were waiting outside at a distance. The book hadn't been bought yet, but Wei Zheng, the most handsome boy, went in the direction where they were waiting. He came and talked a lot like no one else was watching.
Originally she didn't care about anything, let alone bother about it. But when Wei Zheng said that he was going to visit Yang Ji in Prince Wei's Mansion, but Ling Jing said that the palace was "difficult to handle", Pei Shuying felt an extremely uncomfortable feeling in her heart. She felt that Ling Jing had tarnished the hero in her mind and couldn't help it. Said he would be their introducer.
But when Wei Zheng pointed at a big man and asked if he was one of her followers, Pei Shuying discovered that the man was Yu Chigong, who had called Yang Ji his young master in a wine shop outside the city. The man next to Yuchi Gong seemed familiar to her, and she waited for her to take a closer look. At this time, he recognized this person as Yang Ji in disguise.
She only had a three-way relationship with Yang Ji, but in front of him, she said shamelessly, "I and King Wei are close friends." When she saw Yang Ji looking at her with a half-smile, she suddenly turned red with embarrassment.
"Shuying, we meet again." Yang Ji's voice broke Pei Shuying's luck. Her heart was pounding, but she couldn't avoid it, so she could only step forward and salute uncontrollably: "See you. Sir, I made you laugh."
In his previous life, Yang Ji had the embarrassing experience of speaking ill of people behind their backs, but being caught by the person involved. Seeing this girl's face turn red with embarrassment, he solemnly said: "We are friends in adversity, life and death, you are so It’s wrong to see outsiders.”
"Yes!" Seeing Yang Ji say this, Pei Shuying breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at Yang Ji with a sparkling look, quietly pointed at Wei Zheng and Ling Jing behind her, and whispered: "They are looking for your."
"I'm just here for them. We'll talk about it later." Yang Ji couldn't help but laugh. Wei Zheng was so popular, how could he not pay attention?
The key is that Wei Zheng and his friends knew that they were a big pit, but they still jumped into the pit. This is commendable.
Pei Shuying bowed and retreated far away.
"Are you King Wei?" Since Yang Ji didn't deliberately avoid anything when he spoke, and Wei Zheng and Ling Jing were smart people, they instantly heard some content from their conversation, and they all stared at this extraordinary man in astonishment. "middle-aged man".
"Exactly!" Yang Ji nodded and said with a smile: "You two don't have to worry about it, this is not my true appearance."
Wei Zheng and Ling Jing hurriedly stepped forward and saluted: "Wei Zheng, the giant deer from Xingzhou/Ling Jing from Zhangnan, Beizhou, comes to see King Wei."
"No courtesy!" Yang Ji looked at Wei Zheng and then at the young man who claimed to be Ling Jing. He never expected that Wei Zheng not only came to the door himself, but also kidnapped Dou Jiande's mastermind. This was really an unexpected surprise. What a surprise.
He stared at Wei Zheng for a long time and said: "I saw what you did in Wen Hanxuan, and I heard your conversation before; I am very pleased and welcome your choice."
"..." Wei Zheng and Ling Jing were greatly embarrassed when they heard this. Their conversation was first heard by a little girl, and now Yang Ji also said that she heard it. This is really a bit embarrassing.
Yang Ji looked at the two of them amusedly and continued: "From your introduction, he should be from a famous family in Hebei. Why do you want to associate with me, an enemy of the noble clan?"
Wei Zheng smiled bitterly and said: "We are just a declining family in the county, how can we be a famous family? It is precisely because it is not easy to study, so I also want to follow the king and contribute to the poor people of the world. Now our country, the Sui Dynasty, is strong and the people are rich, and the general situation and people's hearts are They are all on the side of the imperial court. Even if the noble families in the world violently resist, it will be nothing more than moths throwing themselves into the flames and destroying themselves, without damaging the foundation of the Sui Dynasty."
Wei Zheng glanced at Yang Ji and continued: "But most of the court ministers and local officials come from aristocratic families. They will put the family first without hesitation between the interests of the world and the family. Now only the king can fight for the people. Only the king has the strength to compete with the world's aristocratic families. However, all the aristocratic families are waiting for the king to make a mistake. Once the king makes any drastic move or makes a small mistake, I am afraid that verbal and written criticism will come immediately. Although my ability is mediocre, I am afraid , but he also has the courage and ambition to compete with the famous families in the world, so he imitates the sages and recommends himself."
Yang Ji secretly praised him after hearing this. He was actually setting a question to test Wei Zheng. Although Wei Zheng was still a very enthusiastic scholar, he got to the key points and said it very calmly, so he said, "I am just right now." There is a lack of like-minded talents, but after all, you have no merit, and I can’t hire you out of the norm or recommend it to the court. How about this, you will first serve as the royal secretary and join the military. What do you think?"
Wei Zheng looked excited. He didn't expect that Yang Ji would be directly promoted and appointed as soon as he arrived. There are two people in the royal family's office who join the military. Although they are only from the sixth rank, their positions are extremely important. With Yang Ji's current status, I don't know how many people are trying to get into this position, because this position is not only Being closest to Yang Ji can better demonstrate his talents to Yang Ji, and it also means that he is a close friend.
Ling Jing also had some envy in his eyes, but more than anything he was happy for his friend.
"Thank you so much for your trust, Your Majesty! I will never live up to Your Majesty's love by humble position!" Wei Zheng was surprised, happy and excited when he thought that he was so valued. While he was happy, he did not forget to recommend his friends, and bowed and said: "Your Majesty, humble position His strength lies in internal affairs, but Ling Jing’s talents are far beyond his humble position, and he is especially good at military affairs and strategy..."
Faced with the talents who came to his door, Yang Ji said happily: "If Brother Ling doesn't dislike it, I will temporarily serve as a soldier in the palace and join the military. We will work together to open up a new situation for the Sui Dynasty in the west."
Xue Ju originally held the post of Bing Cao and the Military Affairs Bureau, but after Li Jing became the governor of Tingzhou, Xue Ju replaced Li Jing. He became the Sima of the palace, so the Bing Cao was free to join the military.
This position is the same as Wei Zheng's record office and the military. The official rank is not high, but it is an important position next to Yang Ji.
Ling Jing was deeply moved and solemnly saluted: "Ling Jing is willing to serve the king!"
Yang Ji looked at the few poor men watching from a distance and said with a smile: "If your friends are also willing to come over, I will hire them all."
"I'm afraid it's difficult." Wei Zheng said with a bitter smile.
"Everyone has his or her own ambitions, so we can't force it." Yang Ji thought that he would have to take Xiao Ying back the day after tomorrow to complete the last part of the wedding, so he ordered: "Go back and prepare! Come back to the palace to report in two days."
"Well, I have resigned from my humble position." Wei Zheng and Ling Jing bowed and left.
Yang Ji looked at the backs of the two people and couldn't help but laugh. Wei Zheng and Ling Jing's defection was an unexpected wedding "gift"; given his situation like a fire pit, it was indeed a big surprise that two wise men took the initiative to join him. , this kind of people are more reliable than subordinates who come by force.
Although the "Leader of the Poor" is simply unreliable, the family members and Yang Guang probably think so. It will be difficult to look back in the future, just because the family members know what he is. As for Yang Guang, not only does he need to be used as a sharp blade to stab the heart of the family, I am afraid that he already has an invisible and powerful force.
This is human nature, let alone an emperor with a changeable mind.
If Yang Ji, who "owns" the poor men in the world, reconciles with the aristocratic family, Yang Guang will probably not be able to sleep. Therefore, Yang Ji can only go forward on the road of fighting against the aristocratic family members. The harder he fights with the aristocratic family members, the safer he will be.
However, looking at his subordinates, many of them are descendants of aristocratic families. For example, Xiao Yu and Yu Shinan are direct descendants of the Xiao and Yu families; Wei Yunqi, Yang Shanhui, and Wang Cong are collateral descendants of the Duling Wei family, the Hongnong Yang family, and the Taiyuan Wang family respectively.
If Yang Ji slashes the family members with a knife in the future, what choice will these people make between the court and the family?
It's really hard to predict.
Even if they don't turn against each other, how much strength can they contribute when fighting against the noble family?
Once these people look on coldly, Yang Ji, who is alone, can never hope to defeat the powerful family members, so he needs wise men from lower backgrounds to enrich his personal staff.
It was originally planned to use the royal private school to train descendants of soldiers and domestic slaves. If it took ten years to raise them, there should be a few good people. However, Yang Ji entered the official position too quickly and the situation did not develop as expected, so among the saplings Before you become a talent, you can only seek talent from outside.
. . . . . .
Yang Ji walked towards Pei Shuying's master and servant not far away, and asked with a smile: "You are shopping, why are your hands empty?"
"I came to Wenhanxuan to buy books, but there were too many people and we couldn't squeeze in. We had to ask our entourage to queue up." Pei Shuying showed helplessness in her eyes and sighed: "We have been waiting for more than an hour, but we haven't bought it yet. "
Yang Ji asked in confusion: "Wen Hanxuan sells the most basic Four Books and Five Classics. You must have them at home. Do you need to buy them?"
Pei Shuying said: "Yes, there are, but there are no free verses annotated by the two Mr. Liu. My father admires their two free verses very much. I want to buy a set for Aye."
Yang Ji nodded and said to Xue Ju: "Send two people to Wenhanxuan to get two sets of books and ten pieces of paper."
"Here." Xue Ju heard the sound and left.
"Let's go over there and sit and wait." Yang Ji saw that there were many pavilions by the river, so he walked towards an empty pavilion. Pei Shuying quickly followed her with her maid, and Yang Ji and Pei Shuying sat down on the bench.
Yuchi Gong stood at the door with ten soldiers, looking like menacing figures. They stared at the surroundings with cold eyes to prevent others from entering.
Pei Shuying hesitated for a while and then let the maid go out. She looked at Yang Ji and said crisply: "Thank you, King Wei, for your help. I will give you the money."
"That's unnecessary!" Yang Ji laughed: "It's a small gift from me. What money are you talking about?"
Pei Shuying shook her head and said stubbornly: "I can't give gifts to others, so I'll pay for a set of books! I'll use the other set of books and paper for myself."
"I really lost to you." Yang Ji said with a smile: "If I don't accept your money, it will destroy your principles."
Pei Shuying smiled and said, "Isn't it good for people to have principles?"
"It's good, but in the real world, it's difficult for people to be consistent." Yang Ji said: "Some people would rather die than eat the food they come to, but for the sake of their parents, wives and children, they have to give up their principles; some people hate corruption. People who are officials, after becoming officials, put aside their original principles and ethics for the sake of official career."
Pei Shuying raised her pretty little face and asked, "What about you? Will you always be the same?"
"When you are in an officialdom, you have no choice but to do what you want." Yang Ji said with a smile, "Maybe one day, your father and I will both become traitors."
"..." Pei Shuying glared at Yang Ji unhappily for a long time, then changed the subject: "You got married yesterday, and I also have a gift for you."
Yang Jixiao asked: "What gift?"
Pei Shuying said: "A little insight may be useful to King Wei."
"Xiao Wang is all ears." Yang Ji cupped his hands, but he became even more curious.
Pei Shuying smiled sweetly: "The argument between you and 'Cui Mie Zhenzong' in the court has spread throughout Daxing. Your insistence is right, but it has offended all the families in the world. The people who hate you the most now are the seven sects and five surnames." The Shandong gentry and the southern gentry, just because you gave up their intention to ban books, their advantage in passing down poetry and calligraphy to their families has disappeared. However, the southern gentry cannot compete with the Shandong gentry in the court or locally, so the greatest damage is done to them. Belonging to the Shandong noble clan, I think this is also your biggest enemy at the moment."
"It makes sense." What Pei Shuying said was not a secret, nor was there anything new. It was just a repeat of the same old tune, but Yang Ji still nodded.
"It is true that the Guanlong family prospered because of the military, but their excessive military power has become the most unstable existence in the world, so their military power will be taken back by the emperor sooner or later. If the Guanlong nobles do not make changes and do not pay attention to the literary and moral aspects, If you work hard, sooner or later you will be weak. This is because the world is stable, military power must be concentrated in the emperor, and only civil servants can rule the world."
"But this is not the case for the Shandong gentry. The reason why they have survived for thousands of years is because they have mastered cultural inheritance. Being a saint will prevent the Shandong gentry from becoming a dominant family in the future. It is true that they have promoted a group of poor scholars through the Ming Jing Ke and the Xiucai Ke, but this is not enough at all. Shaken the Shandong gentry. At first they just disdained and were unwilling to take the scientific examination to become officials. Later, when they realized that it was irreversible, they took advantage of their profound family traditions and cultural traditions. In recent years, the scholars who passed the examination were , no one is a Hanshi. This is a natural gap, and there is no way to change it in a short time. When the Hanshi become talented with the help of these books and have the talent to compete with the Shandong gentry, the officialdom will be full of people from the Shandong gentry. By then, Is there still a matter of Ming Jing Ke, Xiu Cai Ke, or both?”
"Besides, the ministers who came from poor families did hate the aristocratic families at first because of their own experiences, but this hatred was just envy and jealousy. When they become rich, they will become allies with the aristocratic families who were against them at first. This is because People who suddenly break out often want to become a noble family and be recognized by the noble family. The most typical figure is He Jin, the great general in the late Han Dynasty. He was originally just a butcher. When he was fighting for power, he really fought with Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty. He fought against the nobles headed by the Yuan family, but when he became a general, his subordinates and staff were all children of the nobles, and they were willing to serve as the swords of the nobles."
"Shandong's high-ranking families are full of talented people. Don't they see this? As long as they are willing to lower their profile, those officials from poor families will definitely rush to become the son-in-law, disciple, and fake son-in-law of the high-ranking families in Shandong. In order to improve their own status, they eventually became an external force for the gentry. So I think Hanshi can become talented through books, but after they become high officials, in order to maintain their own interests, they will definitely maintain the existing recruitment system with the gentry. Of course. There are some people who want to break the old rules, but there are very few such fighters and they cannot shake the general trend at all."
Yang Ji frowned and said, "You mean, you want me to support the book ban?"
"No!" Pei Shuying shook her head gently, "Although you have offended the world's famous families, you have been appreciated and reused by the saint and the prince. You can't retreat now even if you want to."
"Didn't you say that in vain?" Yang Ji became more and more confused and didn't quite understand what this little girl meant.
"It's not for nothing." Pei Shuying blinked her smart eyes and reminded: "There are two key points in what I said."
Yang Ji recalled for a moment and suddenly said: "The Shandong gentry have firmly seized the opportunity in the officialdom, so books, scientific examinations, and poor scholars have little actual impact on them. The reason why they advocated the book ban is of course to prepare for a rainy day and strangulate them." There will be future troubles, but their opposition will not be too firm. Isn’t that right?”
"Exactly." Pei Shuying smiled faintly: "Today's nobles have begun to fight back after years of adaptation and preparation. On the one hand, they strive to adapt and respond to the Second Examination of Scholarships. On the other hand, they actively attract outstanding talents from humble common people as their own. Every time the imperial court selected an outstanding scholar from a poor family, they would recruit him with beauty, money, power, future, etc. However, for the sake of their own interests and the future of their family, poor scholars would often turn to the gentry, such as Qi Qi After he won the imperial examination, Fang Qiao, a Hanshi in the state, was recruited as his son-in-law by the Lu family of Fan Yang, and he made a three-life covenant with the Lu family's daughter. There were many, many people like Fang Qiao, who would be in the imperial court in the future. They are all members of the gentry, how could they possibly "change the system of recruiting talents" as Wei Zheng said? If the court did not "change the system of recruiting talents", then books and scientific examinations would actually open the door to convenience for the gentry. If Their children will naturally do well if they pass the exam, and if they pass the exam as a poor scholar, they will become one of theirs."
Pei Shuying's eyes shone brightly, and she concluded: "To sum up, books and scientific research are not magical tools for making soldiers. Unless there is a rare great turmoil or catastrophe, unless the world's noble families die in the turmoil, there is no way to change the world." , Don’t expect everyone to be able to keep pace with each other.”
"..." Yang Ji was completely speechless. Wasn't the end of the Sui Dynasty in history a rare great turmoil and catastrophe? But not only did Li fail to take advantage of him, Li Erbi pushed Changsun Wuji to the position of leader of the Guanlong nobles, thus uniting the fragmented Guanlong nobles.
Changsun Wuji was also not ambitious enough. If he were replaced by a ruthless person like Yang Jian, how could he be like the later Tang and Zhou Dynasties?
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