Zheng Xuan looked at Liu Bei's face blankly, his eyes moved, and he smiled, then he also raised his tea cup and clinked it with Liu Bei's tea cup.
"The emperor's tea is not good to drink. Your Majesty clearly wants me, an old man like me, to continue working as the minister of the academic department."
"There were rumors before that you planned to beg for your body after the first imperial examination. Is it true?"
"real."
Zheng Xuan nodded and said: "Five years ago, I was forced to be the minister of the academic department. In the past five years, I have done some things, but I am also exhausted mentally and physically. After all, I am old. My body, bones and spirit are far less than before. I think too much. After holding on for a while, I wanted to finish some things, but in the end I found that I was unable to do what I wanted."
"You've done a lot."
Liu Bei took a sip of tea silently and put down the cup: "As the Minister of Academic Affairs, you have really done a lot. Your life has been a great achievement for the Han Dynasty. This is something everyone in the world will know." Recognition.”
Liu Bei did not exaggerate this statement at all.
After taking office as the Minister of Academic Affairs, Zheng Xuan put all his energy into the construction of the school and tried his best to promote the official education system under the Academic Department.
He was the first to propose to Liu Bei that if we want to enlighten the people's wisdom, it is not enough to have only Taixue and a dozen state schools. If we want to teach more students, we must at least push the government-run schools to the county level, and every county must There is at least one government-run school so that more students can enroll nearby.
Not only that, he admired the existence of collective farms and studied the literacy work within collective farms. He believed that this work was done well and should be further expanded.
He said in the table that as long as the time is ripe, collective farms can be used as units. Each collective farm must set up a primary school specifically to teach young children how to read and write, so that newborn children can master reading and writing skills from the beginning. Get rid of illiterate status.
Furthermore, when they grow up and need to further study and study, they can seamlessly connect. They no longer need to learn reading and writing in county schools, and can directly learn textbook knowledge.
Considering the production needs of farm children and farm households, Zheng Xuan hopes to provide them with certain learning subsidies.
There is a good tradition of taking care of food in state schools now.
The cost of raising a full-time scholar is too high, and ordinary families cannot afford it. Therefore, the court must show its sincerity. As long as you study in a government-run school, you will take care of the food. Two or three meals a day can be greatly reduced. The survival burden of farmers.
In addition, Zheng Xuan also believed that extending the school to the county level was not enough.
Now the population is small and there are few students. More than 100 schools are barely enough.
However, as the population further grows in the future, there will be more and more children. Within 20 to 30 years, every county will need a government-run school to barely keep up with the schooling needs of the new population.
Finally, in the performance, Zheng Xuan put forward his future plan.
In the future, school running should not focus on Taixue and Prefecture schools, but should take collective farms and counties as the basic units. Elementary schools should be set up in collective farms, and government-run county schools should be set up in counties. Elementary schools should focus on children's reading and writing skills, and county schools should start Teach book knowledge and cultivate children's knowledge from an early age.
Zheng Xuan's memorial was sent to eight parts for discussion by Liu Bei. There was great controversy at the time. In the end, there was a lot of fighting, and many economic factors were refuted by Zheng Xuan.
Some officials said that in order to run a large number of schools and provide meals for students, the consumption would be too great and the imperial government could not afford to subsidize it.
Zheng Xuan directly took the treasury revenue data from the Ministry of Revenue, as well as the three-meal-a-day subsidy expenditure for state school students that he had personally calculated. He threw the two data directly in front of the official and said directly that if there were any problems with the economy, it was because of corrupt officials in the court. The fact that there are too many corrupt officials definitely does not mean that the court’s income is insufficient.
From any aspect, the income of the imperial court is definitely sufficient. If it is not enough, it is definitely corrupted by some damn corrupt officials. The solution is also very simple. Kill a group of corrupt officials, confiscate their homes, etc. The funds are available.
"Instead of keeping the money to be embezzled by corrupt officials, it is better to use it to subsidize more students. What do you think?"
Then there was deathly silence in the debate room, which made Liu Bei want to laugh out loud.
Indeed, murder can be used to achieve the best and most intuitive solution to any problem. The court's money cannot be insufficient. If not, it must have been embezzled at some point.
Killing, simple and crude, can solve all problems.
The controversial point left to the end lies in the fact that so many people have been trained to master knowledge but in the end they cannot use it at all.
The person who raised this question was Yan Wen, Minister of Industry, and he put it very straightforwardly.
"We admire you for your desire to help the world, but you also need to know that after you have trained so many people, will they be willing to continue farming after they have mastered knowledge? What I said may not sound nice, but , only people who can’t read and write can stay on one piece of land and engage in agricultural production for the rest of their lives, right?”
Yan Wen's statement was widely resonated, and many officials supported Yan Wen's statement and believed that he was right.
Once you know how to read, read books, and gain knowledge, will you still be willing to face the loess and turn your back to the sky for the rest of your life?
What if they all want to have decent careers but are unwilling to engage in agricultural production? Not to mention whether there are so many decent careers, but if there are no farmers farming in the agriculture-oriented Han Dynasty, what should we do?
"Without people growing food, there will be no food. Without food, how can the imperial court get the tax revenue to build schools and require so many subsidies for students? Where does this money come from? Can it still build so many schools and recruit so many students? You Don’t you think about this most fundamental issue?”
When Zheng Xuan faced this problem, he didn't panic at all, but just sneered.
"Not to mention that farming is also a profound knowledge. Just mastering the knowledge of taking care of crops can make me exhaust my efforts. Why, now I still want to follow the Five Classics and Fourteen Family Methods? It's just that Now it’s no longer the Fourteen Family Laws, it’s changed to the Fourteen Prefectures, right?”
Zheng Xuan smiled coldly, and Yan Wen's expression suddenly changed. He immediately looked at Liu Bei, who was sitting at the top with an unchanging expression, and quickly went out to confess to Liu Bei.
"Your Majesty, it is clear! I have no such idea! Absolutely not! I will never support the recurrence of things like the Fourteenth Family Law!"
Yan Wen and all the officials present knew what kind of person the current emperor Liu Bei was. Part of the reason why he was able to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor was because he destroyed the academic inheritance of the Fourteenth Family of Laws.
Discussing the Fourteenth Family Law in front of him... you are more or less like lighting a lantern in a pit.
That's why Yan Wen quickly admitted his mistake and resolutely severed his connection with this matter.
Liu Bei looked at Yan Wen for a while and nodded.
"This is a discussion, not an argument about guilt. There is no need to be so serious. Zheng Butang, you don't want to be so serious either."
Zheng Xuan bowed and saluted.
"only."
This was said lightly, but Yan Wen could tell it at the time - don't say it so seriously, doesn't it mean that this thing is serious?
If you are not careful, it will not only be a matter of losing your official title!
As a result, Yan Wen never discussed related topics at this meeting, and the attendees also smelled something, knowing that the emperor himself might very much agree with some of Zheng Xuan's ideas.
At the subsequent meeting, Zheng Xuan also talked about his views on related issues.
“In the past, some people among us believed that if the people’s wisdom is enlightened and people’s hearts are not ancient, a large number of crimes will definitely occur. On this basis, they thought that if we want to preserve the simple folk customs, we cannot enlighten the people. This is purely Nonsense and not credible at all.
The reason why these people don't want to enlighten the people is very simple. It's what Yan Budang said just now. They are worried that no one will produce food. They are also worried that there will be too many people competing for official positions. In short, they don't want to lose their current status. Status, right? "
At that time, Zheng Xuan was quite relying on his elders and selling them off.
With his super qualifications and special relationship with the emperor Liu Bei, he was very aggressive towards a group of colleagues, made a group of bureaucrats unable to lift their heads, made Yan Wen blush, and even looked at Zheng Xuan with fire in his eyes. .
But they couldn't say a word at that time. They could only watch Zheng Xuan taunting him, uncovering all the dark and shady thoughts of some people.
If Liu Bei hadn't been sitting in the high hall to calm down the situation, it is estimated that the Third Reich would have staged a full-scale martial arts show on the spot.
But in the end, Zheng Xuan also gave a more objective view on this matter.
"Once people gain knowledge, they will naturally open their eyes to the world, and they will naturally have new ideas. Some people will find ways to leave the land. This is a natural situation. I think as the people's wisdom opens up and education deepens, many people will indeed leave the land. , but this is normal.
Firstly, the population of Han Dynasty will continue to increase. Some people will leave and some will be replaced, which may not affect agricultural production. This point can be followed up by the Ministry of Agriculture. Secondly, who is so arrogant to think that? , Agricultural production does not require knowledge? "
Zheng Xuan said and turned his eyes to Yan Wen again. Yan Wen was extremely angry but after feeling Liu Bei's gaze, he still did not dare to say anything. He could only secretly clenched his fists and lowered his head.
The atmosphere in the entire court seemed a bit strange.
"From land reclamation to drainage to soil plowing to seedling raising, to daily farming, watering, and pest control, there is a lot to be done in every link to make a piece of land grow food that can be eaten. What is needed here Knowledge cannot be fully learned without two or three years.
Even if the knowledge is learned, there is still a gap of three to five years from a novice to a farming veteran. A skilled farmer is the most precious asset to the Han Dynasty. At that time, the governor of Bingzhou and the governor of Youzhou competed for experienced farmers. , almost a fight, this is proof.
Therefore, the veteran believes that imparting knowledge to farm children is not only to select outstanding people to become officials, but also to enable those with weak qualifications to master sufficient knowledge of agriculture, astronomy, etc., so that they can better master the knowledge of production. This is also very important.
Those who don’t want to continue farming the land should study hard, get good grades, take the imperial examination, and become officials. And those who are not so determined can find enough agricultural knowledge and find a job that suits them when they return to the land. make a living.
As for what thoughts they have in their hearts, whether they are restless, and whether there are things that your colleagues don’t like very much, please forgive me, an old man, for speaking bluntly. I care about heaven and earth, but also what people think in their hearts. Do you care? There are too many, should we put all these thoughts on official business? "
Zheng Xuan's words at that time almost made the entire court mocked. Only Liu Bei stood up and applauded him, expressing absolute support for his remarks and thinking that these were truly good words.
From then on, it seemed that few people in the court continued to maintain private contacts with Zheng Xuan.
There is news from the Ministry of Industry that Yan Butang is extremely dissatisfied with Zheng Butang. The relationship between the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Education is now very stiff, and many things require the coordination of the cabinet.
But Zheng Xuan didn't feel that he was wrong.
To this day, Liu Bei does not feel that Zheng Xuan did anything wrong. He has a higher and higher evaluation of Zheng Xuan and feels that Zheng Xuan is a person who truly understands life.
It's a pity that there are too few such people, and he is indeed too old and has a serious lack of energy.
Zheng Xuan himself seemed to think so.
"The old minister knows that he is an unpopular person in the court. He has been surviving on a little bit of his old face. The longer he stays, the more annoying he becomes. So after doing what he needs to do, it is time to leave. .
Like Ziqian, he left after working in the fields, and now he is living happily in his hometown, enjoying the mountains and rivers, and entertaining his grandchildren. How happy is that? Not long ago, I wrote a letter to the old minister, asking him to resign immediately and go to Zhuojun to reunite with him.
So Your Majesty, this is really the last time. The time has really come for me to leave. There is nothing more I can do. If I continue to do this, I am afraid it will cause even greater disputes in the court. This will This is probably not what His Majesty wants to see. "
Zheng Xuan, dressed solemnly and sitting upright, made a request to Liu Bei that he rarely made.
Regarding this request, Liu Bei was speechless.
After a long time, Liu Bei reached out and filled Zheng Xuan's teacup with tea.
"This roasted black tea is very small, and the process is complicated. It is not easy to make, so the price will be relatively high for a long time. When you leave Luoyang, I will give you some more for drinking when the weather is cold. , it can warm and nourish the intestines and stomach, which is of great benefit to the body."
Zheng Xuan was stunned.
Shaoqing, he reacted, and his eyes softened when he looked at Liu Bei.
"The fourth year of Guanghe, the sixth year of Zhongping, the fifth year of Jian'an, the sixth year of Zhenguan, twenty-one years before and after. Your Majesty, I have been with you for twenty-one years. From beginning to end, it is truly a great blessing in life."
Zheng Xuan straightened his clothes, walked to Liu Bei, knelt down and bowed down.
Liu received this and helped Zheng Xuan up.
"For twenty-one years, Duke Zheng has always been Bei's good teacher, and he has done his best to protect him. Although he does not have the name of teacher and student, he is actually a teacher and student. Duke Zheng's kindness will never be forgotten by Bi."
Liu Bei straightened his clothes, knelt down in front of Zheng Xuan, and bowed down.
It is not the worship of the emperor.
But the worship of students.
Zheng Xuan accepted the worship of his students calmly, just as Liu Bei accepted his great gift calmly before.
After a while, Zheng Xuan helped Liu Bei up and patted his shoulder with a smile.
"Xuande, in the days to come, you will be the only one in this court. No one will be able to tell you how to do things, and no one will need to do it this way, so do it well."
"Keep it in mind."
Liu Bei smiled and said: "In order for Zheng Gong and Master to indulge in the mountains and rivers and tease their grandchildren, Bei should do his best to make the Han Dynasty more powerful."
Zheng Xuan smiled and nodded.
There was no more dialogue between the two, but their minds were already connected.
(End of chapter)
