Looking at the girl in front of him, Jia Huan couldn't help but be a little surprised. Judging from the clothes she was wearing, she didn't look like a maid or anything like that. She was probably a young lady from the Cheng family.
However, Bachelor Cheng was a Neo-Confucian scholar who believed in destroying people in order to uphold the principles of nature. How could the young lady in his family be so deviant?
Jia Huan saluted and said, "This young lady has invited my disciple Jia Huan to come to see my master. I wonder where Master Cheng is? Please make some recommendations to me."
The girl showed a slight shyness, pursed her lips and smiled and said: "Jia Huiyuan, my father went out for a visit and was never at home. I have heard about Jia Huiyuan for a long time, and I met him today, and he is well-deserved. The little girl is not talented, and I have a few questions that I would like to ask for advice. Please give me some advice, sir."
What? Isn't Master Cheng at home? This girl is the daughter of Bachelor Cheng, and she invited him in?
Judging from her words and deeds, Miss Cheng is probably her fan, but she is too bold.
This was an era of etiquette where the protection between men and women was prevalent. Men and women did not have close contact with each other, and they avoided dining at the age of seven.
Now she was so bold as to entertain him calmly, which, I have to say, was an anomaly.
However, Jia Huan didn't have any extra thoughts.
He stood up and said, "Since Master Cheng is not at home, the disciple will visit us another day. Miss Cheng, please take your leave."
Seeing that Jia Huan was about to leave, Miss Cheng said quickly: "Master, wait a minute. I have heard the name of your poems for a long time. I wonder if you can write a poem for the little girl?"
I have to say that this Miss Cheng is a true warrior. However, Jia Huan had no intention of provoking her.
Jia Huan said: "I have never been in a hurry to write a poem. I hope Miss Cheng will take my leave."
After saying that, Jia Huan turned around and left.
Miss Cheng was furious behind her.
After leaving the Cheng Mansion and just getting on the carriage, Jia Huan saw Mei Shiming coming to the Cheng Mansion and was invited in.
Jia Huan didn't stay long and ordered Zhao Da to drive away directly and transfer to Zhao Mansion.
Of course, this Zhao Mansion is not the Zhao Mansion of Zhao Guoji and Zhao Da. Zhao Guoji's family can at best be called the Zhao family, not worthy of being called a government.
Jia Huan is going to the home of his master Zhao Heng.
Not long after, the carriage arrived at the Zhao Mansion. Jia Huan got off the carriage and walked straight in without any notification.
Seeing Zhao Heng, Jia Huan quickly saluted and said, "Disciple pays homage to my mentor."
Zhao Heng took Jia Huan's hand and laughed and said: "Huan'er, very good, very good! When I planted the sweet-scented osmanthus tree last year, I thought that you would be the best in high school in three years. The two of them admiring the flowers under the osmanthus tree should be a good story."
"I never expected that you would be the master of high school at that time. Now you are even more successful! Why should I regret getting such a good disciple? You don't know how much my friends and colleagues envy me. I have a good apprentice!"
Jia Huan smiled and said: "Master, this is not the apprentice's ability. This is all taught by the master."
Zhao Heng laughed and said: "Haha, you and I, master and disciple, don't praise each other here! Let's go to my study to talk."
Jia Huan followed Zhao Heng to the study.
Zhao Heng said: "In a few days, the palace examination will begin. I am thinking that the questions asked by the Holy Master must be related to changes. If you perform well this time, it will not be difficult to win the top prize."
"If this is true, then you will be the first prodigy in my country to win six yuan in a row! Your name will go down in history. Even as a teacher, you will also become famous along with you."
Jia Huan smiled bitterly and said: "Master, even if the topic asked by the Holy One today is indeed related to change, my disciple is not sure of being the top student in high school! After all, the Holy Heart is unpredictable, and my disciple's articles may not be able to cater to the holy will."
Zhao Heng smiled faintly and then asked: "As a teacher, I can tell you a piece of news. Today, the Holy Master has appointed me as a teacher again because he wants to implement changes. Do you know what kind of changes the Holy Master wants to implement?"
Jia Huan shook his head and said, "I don't know, disciple."
Zhao Heng said: "One tax law, the gentry all pay the grain, the shares are divided into acres, and the fire consumption is returned to the public. In addition, except for Jiangnan and other grain-producing areas, in other areas, silver taels can be used instead of tax grains."
Hearing this, Jia Huan couldn't help but take a breath, and his scalp felt numb.
He couldn't help but ask: "Master, is this really so?"
Zhao Heng nodded and said, "Can I still lie to you, my teacher? After your last college exam, I discussed these ways of change with my teacher."
"Then the teacher petitioned His Majesty to implement the new law. His Majesty is also decisive. He reported it to the Supreme Emperor. After obtaining the Supreme Emperor's support, he began to prepare for the promotion of the new law."
"At that time, I was captured as a teacher and was sent to prison, which was the beginning of His Majesty's plan. Then I became a teacher and became the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, secretly mobilizing manpower."
"This palace examination question is the first step His Majesty has taken to formally promote changes."
Hearing this, Jia Huan couldn't help but persuade: "Master, all changes in history have resulted in heads of people rolling in and blood flowing into rivers. And regardless of success or failure, no one who leads the change has a happy ending!"
"Master, these changes have touched the interests of too many people. They are almost the enemy of everyone in the world. They will surely face difficulties every step of the way. Teacher, please do not be a promoter."
Zhao Heng couldn't help but said: "Huan'er, do you know what price the current emperor has paid to promote this change?"
Jia Huan couldn't help but laugh and said: "Master, why does your Majesty need to pay the price? If the reform is successful, he will be an eternal sage. He only needs to push out and behead those who promoted the change, and he will be able to achieve full success."
"When the reform failed, he beheaded all the reformists and deposed them, but he is still the emperor. Where does he need to pay the price?"
Zhao Heng took a deep look at Jia Huan and said: "You know, the Supreme Emperor is still alive and holds military power. If the current emperor does not promote changes, the Supreme Emperor will safely hand over the military power to the current emperor."
"And once the current emperor promotes changes, if he fails, the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty will definitely join forces to force the emperor to depose the emperor and establish a new king! What the emperor is betting on is his throne!"
"The current Holy Emperor is willing to gamble with his throne, so why should he risk his life as a teacher?"
After hearing these words, Jia Huan's expression couldn't help but change.
He never thought that in order to promote change, the current Holy Emperor would be able to do this.
Nowadays, Daxia has internal and external troubles and many shortcomings that are difficult to recover from.
If there is no change, sooner or later it will perish.
Change is equivalent to removing the carrion from the body. If you are not careful, you will bleed excessively or be infected and die.
The reforms that the emperor wants to promote will simply touch the interests of the gentry all over the world, and the backlash will be fierce.
If it really fails, Master Zhao may not be able to extinguish everyone's anger, and they will have no choice but to use the current saint to apologize.
It has to be said that the current Holy Emperor is really courageous, and Jia Huan can't help but be heartbroken by it.
Then I heard Zhao Heng say: "Of course, even if the current emperor asks a question about reform in the palace examination, you should not expand it and write about it."
"Don't write down details such as the gentry receiving food from one body. You only need to focus on the importance and urgency of change."
(End of chapter)
