Changpingzaka Institute of Learning—Aoden couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he heard this term.
To say where this Shoheizaka Institute of Learning is, it is in Edo... no, it is a top academic institution with extremely high reputation throughout Japan.
Its predecessor was the private school called Hongbunkan established by the famous Confucian Lin Razan in Kanei 9th year (1632) in Oshioka, Ueno.
In the third year of Genroku (1690), the fifth shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi moved it to Shoheizaka in Yushima.
Originally a private educational institution of the Hayashi family, under the Kansei Reform (1787-1793) led by Matsudaira Sadanobu, it became the Shoheizaka Institute of Learning directly under the Edo Shogunate.
The shogunate stipulated that the Shoheizaka Institute of Learning only recruits shogunate ministers... that is, children of the Hatamoto and imperial families; it trains staff and practical talents to assist in leftist politics; the teaching content includes the Four Books, the Five Classics, history, and poetry; the teaching materials are based on the works of Zhu Xi Describe mainly.
Today, with the vigorous construction and publicity of the Edo Shogunate, Shoheizaka Institute of Learning has become the highest institution of Confucian education and a dream place for all those who are interested in Confucianism.
Although the Shoheizaka Academy only recruited the children of shogunate ministers, starting from the twelfth year of Kansei (1800), the shogunate began to allow and encourage children of common people to attend lectures at the Shoheizaka Academy.
However, the promulgation of this law did not have any significant effect, and only a few ordinary people attended the classes at Changpingzaka Academy.
After all, there was no imperial examination system in the Edo period, and there was no such thing as Lao Shizi's "study to become a high official" or "the book has its own golden house, and the book has its own beauty like jade".
No matter how many books the common people read and how deeply they study the Four Books and Five Classics, they cannot change their destiny and achieve a class jump.
Since reading is useless, then who would spend the effort to cross the sea of literature?
"That group of people are regular customers of our store."
Teshiro-san lowered her voice and explained slowly.
"Whenever they have free time, they like to come to our store to drink tea, talk loudly, and criticize the current ills."
Tokugawa Iemo chuckled a few times with interest.
"Oh? To criticize the current situation?"
Miss Teshiro turned her head and glanced at the group of Confucian scholars. After confirming that they were not paying attention, she stuck out her tongue and put on a half-joking tone:
"I actually don't like them very much. They always chat loudly and disturb other guests."
"And... I don't think they are very decent people. They always hang out with a scum named Itakura Hirahiko. People who make friends with scum are definitely not good people."
When she said the name "Itakura Hirahiko", Teshiro-san stuck out her tongue in an exaggerated manner, as if something pungent, spicy, bitter and numb had been pierced into her mouth.
"Itakura Hirahiko?" Tenshouin tilted his head cutely, "Who is this person? Yakuza?"
Miss Teshiro shook her head:
"No, Itakura Hirahiko is a serious samurai, and he is also a very high-ranking type - he is the second son of Itakura Katsutora, one of the current ones."
Ruonian's second son - this level is indeed quite high.
If, in the bureaucracy of the Edo shogunate, the highest official position "Oro" was established only in special times, it was the regent, and the highest official position "Ochu" in ordinary times was the prime minister, then "Wakato" was the deputy prime minister. .
Ruo Nianji: It belongs to the position of assisting Zuo Laozhong. Officials who are not Laozhong, left behind, and have jurisdiction over the three services (temple and community service, designation service, and town service) are all under the jurisdiction of Ruo Nianji. The maximum number of employees is 3-5. Like most official positions in the shogunate, a "monthly rotation system" is adopted in which posts are taken alternately according to the month.
"Itakura Katsutora's second son..." Tokugawa Iemo murmured, recalling, "Well... it turns out he has a second son... This is the first time I know about it..."
After hearing this, Miss Teshiro chuckled:
"Sir, why do you sound like you know Katsutora Itakura?"
Tokugawa Iemo smiled indifferently and avoided talking about the words of his rival:
"Ms. Teshiro, you said Itakura Katsutora's second son is a scumbag - what's going on? Has he done anything that is unethical or unethical?"
"Well... well..."
Teshiro-san calmly turned her head and glanced in the direction of the kitchen - she was probably worried that chatting with Qingto and others for too long would affect her work, or even get scolded by her boss.
After a fierce ideological struggle... Miss Teshiro finally lost miserably to her own gossip.
"Hmm...!"
Teshiro-san pretended to clear her throat, assuming the posture of a storyteller.
"To say who this Itakura Hirahiko is, we have to start with his identity."
"He is the second son of today's Wakatoshi - although this status is very glamorous, guests, you should also know that according to the regulations of the shogunate, whether a samurai or a commoner, the family property must be fully inherited by the eldest son, and the rest must be inherited by the eldest son. The son must either find another way out, or hide at home and become a rice bug that relies entirely on the family’s financial support to survive.”
"In this choice that all men who are not the eldest son will face, Itakura Hirahiko chose the former."
"He relied on his family's energy and started a cloth weaving business."
"The Shogunate's "The Laws of the Samurai Family" prohibits the children of the samurai family from engaging in business, but no one has abided by this law for a long time."
"I think back then, Shirakawa-Ong prohibited extravagant enjoyment. Did anyone follow it? People who go to Yoshiwara to enjoy the pleasures of fish and water are not like crucian carp crossing the river."
"Everyone who knows how to do business understands this. As long as you have connections and a backer, no matter what kind of business you are engaged in, you can succeed."
"The career history of Itakura Hirahiko is a very typical example."
"With his good father, he quickly made the textile business bigger and stronger."
"If Itakura Hirahiko is just doing business in an ordinary way, that's fine. Anyway, from Matsumae to Satsuma, there are many businessmen, and Itakura Hirahiko is not missing."
"But the problem is, Itakura Hirahiko's style of conduct is very problematic."
"According to rumors, Hirahiko Itakura's character is extremely mean, ruthless, and domineering."
"The wages he offers to his workers are already extremely low, and he often resorts to deducting them in various ways."
"If workers are sick or unable to work for any other reason, their wages will be deducted."
"Today's workload is not up to standard, and money will be deducted."
"All of these are not enough."
"If it's just stinginess, forget it. But apart from stinginess, the most despised thing about Itakura Hirahiko's daily style is that he has an extremely cold temperament and no human touch at all."
Speaking of this, Miss Teshiro suddenly stopped imitating the storyteller, stopped making a tone, sighed softly, and a dark color passed over her face.
"Everyone grows old."
"No matter how strong a person is, he will inevitably become exhausted when he gets old."
"There once was an old woman who worked diligently for Itakura Hirahiko for nearly twenty years."
"It stands to reason that I have been working for you for such a long time, and it is hard work without any credit. No matter what, I have to show some kindness, right?"
"But Itakura Hirahiko fired the old woman without hesitation because her work efficiency had greatly diminished due to her age."
"At the right moment, the old woman knelt directly in front of Itakura Hirahiko's house and begged him not to fire her."
"Although I was not present at the scene in person, according to the introduction of those who came later, the old woman really tried her best to keep her job."
"It is understood by emotion and moved by reason."
"She repeatedly stated that she could still work and that she was willing to reduce her salary to 70% of the original amount."
"At the same time, she cried and complained that she had seniors and juniors, her husband died young due to an accident, and she was the only one in the family who was able to work."
"Her own parents, her husband's parents, and a pair of daughters who are less than 10 years old all depend on her for support."
"Even a heinous devil can't be completely indifferent after listening to the old woman's monologue, right?"
"In the end...guess what kind of reply the old woman got from Hirahiko Itakura after praying hoarsely?"
"Itakura Hirahiko said: I am just a businessman. I opened a textile shop just to make money. What should I do if there is no money to be made in this business?"
"Your hands and feet are not as nimble as before, and your work efficiency is far less than before. The money used to hire you as a worker is no longer so valuable."
"To put it simply, your current labor ability is not worthy of the salary I offer you."
"I am a businessman, not a saint who cuts off meat to feed the eagles."
"Out of self-interest, I decided to fire you and hire someone younger and more capable than you. Is there any problem with this?"
】
"If you have any objections, go ahead and do what you tell me! Let the government comment and see whether it's you or me who is right!"
"As for what you said about having a large family that needs your support...that's none of my business."
"There are so many poor people in the world. Those who live a more miserable life than you do."
"If every time someone kneels down in front of me and says some loving words with tears, I have to give him a job, then I can't survive? I can't open my textile shop. Already?"
"Let's do this! Let me give you a trick! I'll save you from complaining about your old club's lack of blood and tears in the future."
"Didn't you say that you have to raise a family and it's very stressful? You can sell your daughters to Yoshiwara!"
"I think your daughters are quite good-looking. They will definitely be very popular with men. If they are well cultivated, they are expected to become the most popular courtesans in the future."
"If you want to sell your daughter, you can contact me."
"I happen to be very acquainted with the owners of several girls' houses in Yoshiwara. I can connect you and help you sell your daughter at a good price - how about that? Am I kind enough?"
Teshiro-san finished speaking.
Silence fell around Qingdeng.
Qingdeng and others all had unspeakably heavy expressions on their faces at this moment.
"What happened to the old woman after that...I don't know."
Teshiro-san took a deep breath.
While turning the long breath that made her flat chest swell into a faint sigh, she quietly slumped her shoulders.
"Just because of this incident, I hate Itakura Hirahiko. I also have no good impressions of the group of Confucian scholars who are very familiar with Itakura Hirahiko."
"Although I don't know why that group of Confucian scholars hang out with a shameless person like Itakura Hirahiko... But I guess they want to curry favor with the rich and powerful Itakura Hirahiko in order to make profits. .”
"Although he is the second son in the family, Itakura Hirahiko is also Wakatoshi's son."
"With just a word of mouth, a white person can immediately become an official in the shogunate - this statement may be a bit exaggerated, but with a powerful figure in the family like Itakura Hirahiko, it is good to find an official position, Whether you get promoted or make a fortune, it will become much easier."
Before she could finish speaking, Miss Teshiro turned her head and turned her gaze back to the group of Confucian scholars from Shoheizaka Academy not far away, with a trace of sarcasm flashing in her eyes.
"I see that group of people... they are crazy about wanting to be officials."
"Every time we get together, I either lament that I was born at the wrong time and have nowhere to show my talents, or I complain about everything. One moment, I say that this person does not deserve to be transferred to the right, and the reward is not meritorious, and he is not worthy of being an official; the next moment, I say that person He is a mediocre person, his cauldron is thundering, his corpse is eating nothing."
"In recent times, hasn't Nioh Tachibana Aoden been promoted frequently due to his extraordinary achievements? Those people are so jealous that their eyes are almost glowing red."
"Whenever they get together recently, they always make fun of King Ni."
"What are you talking about: The benevolent king only knows how to wield swords and spears. How can the shogunate promote such a reckless man and ignore the true talents who are proficient in the study of saints?"
"A lost pearl, a precious jade covered in dust, and so on... Sigh, my ears are almost getting calluses from listening to it."
Teshiro-san swallowed hard to moisten her throat that was dry due to the tirade, and prepared to continue.
But at this moment, an impatient shout suddenly pierced Miss Teshiro like a sharp arrow.
"Ah Li! What are you doing? Why are you chatting with the guests all the time? Have the tables over there been wiped?"
Miss Teshiro's expression suddenly froze, and her delicate body shook vigorously a few times.
"Ah, ah! Boss!" Miss Teshiro turned her head reflexively and said urgently to the middle-aged man who was leaning half of his upper body out of the kitchen door curtain, "Sorry, I'm going to clean the table now! "
After saying this, Miss Teshiro turned back, clasped her hands together, and bowed slightly to Qingto and the others with an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry, I can't chat with you anymore. If we continue to chat, the boss will be really angry. If you want to add food or have any other needs, just call me again!"
Tokugawa Iemo nodded and smiled slightly:
"Well, you can go do your business. It's us who should say 'I'm sorry'. I'm sorry that we have pestered you for so long."
"You're welcome. I'm the kind of person who likes to chat with guests. I'm very happy to have chatted with you for so long."
After leaving a string of hearty laughter like silver bells, Miss Teshiro held the tea tray and walked quickly to the dirty tables not far away.
After watching Miss Teshiro's departure for a while, Qingto turned his attention to the group of young Confucian scholars who were only one table away from them.
——A student from Shoheizaka Institute of Studies...
After traveling to this era for so long, this was the first time Qingdeng met a Confucian disciple who made it his mission to study Confucianism in the true sense.
The spread of Confucianism to the east began when the two countries were in contact, that is, during the Han Dynasty. Later, Japan carried out major reforms and further learned from Confucian culture in Chinese politics.
Although the cultures of the two countries have had many exchanges in history, Confucianism has not been accepted by Japan. It is only a matter of cultural exchanges or policy provocations among Japan's upper-class nobles. Such provocations often do not take into account Japan's national conditions. So most of them ended up being failures.
Until the Edo period, after Tokugawa Ieyasu established his rule, out of the urgent need to maintain the ruling order of the Tokugawa family, there was an urgent need for a strong ideological culture as the official basis for rule.
Previously, the mainstream culture in Japan was Zen Buddhism. Generally speaking, it was the opposite of the government. Whether it was the massive propaganda of Buddhist culture or the large absorption of labor and national wealth by the temple economy, it was not conducive to the future rule expectations of the shogunate and society. stable.
Therefore, Confucian culture, which has developed continuously in China and brought practical benefits to the development of Chinese society, became the first choice of the "political and cultural spokesperson" of the Edo shogunate.
Under the leadership of the Edo shogunate, Confucianism began to truly flourish in Japan. Confucianism was truly integrated into Japanese social life and penetrated into all walks of life in Japan.
Being jealous - Qingden has long been used to this kind of thing.
So when he learned from Miss Teshiro that this group of pretentious Confucian scholars often complained angrily that he was "unworthy of his moral integrity", Qingden felt no emotion at all.
In the past, Qingdeng might still feel unhappy, but after going through many storms, his mood became much calmer.
Now, when faced with the slander from the "red-eyed monster", Qingdeng's thoughts are roughly as follows: If someone has a big mouth, let them have their say! I can't care about the other person, anyway, I just need to be myself.
However, although he did not care about the arrogant behavior of the group of Confucian scholars Gu Panzixiong, Qingden was inexplicably interested in another activity that Teshiro-san mentioned that this group of people often did at gatherings - criticizing the current ills.
Aoshito wanted to hear for no reason what kind of opinions and opinions the Confucian disciples who studied in the highest Confucian institution under the Edo shogunate had on the current situation of Japan.
It's a coincidence that Qingdeng is not the only one who is concentrating and preparing to listen carefully to the discussion of the group of Confucian scholars.
Tokugawa Iemo, Tenshoin, and the two sisters all acted in the same way as Aonto.
Although the behavior is the same, the purpose is different.
Qingdeng was just out of curiosity.
Tokugawa Iemo and Tenshoin, on the other hand, had a serious attitude of asking questions with an open mind, and wanted to listen carefully to whether this group of Confucian scholars could really say something convincing that would make them nod.
As for the two sisters...they are just people who have fun. It was purely because they were bored and had nothing to do and wanted to kill time, so they both showed eager expressions on their faces as if they were ready to listen to the storytelling.
A group of people sat in rows, drank tea and listened to the lectures.
But who would have thought - just when Qing Deng raised his ears, he was shocked by a series of shocking and violent remarks that made his eyes black.
"Everyone! I believe that if we want to correct the evils and clear up the world, we must restore the well field system of the pre-Qin Dynasty!"
The person who said this was a tall, thin man.
——Ida? !
Qingdeng almost wondered if he had heard wrongly.
In the nine years of compulsory education in the previous life, anyone who has taken junior high school history classes seriously should not be unfamiliar with this term.
The well-field system: the land state-owned system in ancient Chinese society, which appeared in the Shang Dynasty and matured by the Western Zhou Dynasty.
During the Western Zhou Dynasty, roads and channels crisscrossed the land, dividing the land into squares shaped like the word "well", so it was called "well field".
The mine field belonged to the king of Zhou and was allocated to the common people. The lords forced the common people to cultivate the well fields collectively. The lords were not allowed to buy, sell or transfer the well fields, and they had to pay a certain tribute.
By the Spring and Autumn Period, due to many reasons such as the emergence of iron farm tools and the popularization of ox farming, the well field system gradually collapsed.
In a nutshell: the well-field system is a land system that has been eliminated for more than two thousand years.
Before Qingdeng could recover from his intense shock, he heard the idiot continue to speak excitedly:
"I believe that the current shortage of money and food for the shogunate and the three hundred princes is due to the shortcomings of the land system!"
"Local tyrants use their power to suppress others, use clever means to plunder and seize land."
"The rich have endless fields, but the poor have no place to stand!"
"Now the Western Barbarians are knocking on the pass, the country is trapped in war, the expenses are huge, and taxes are increasing day by day."
"At this time of national crisis, the wealthy family still does not change its nature of being greedy for husband and wealth!"
"Those who are wealthy will have nothing to lose; those who rise to the top will be penniless."
"The taxes that should be levied cannot be collected, and the food that should be collected is not available."
"To this day, this matter is almost irreversible! If things continue like this, the country's situation may become out of control!"
"If we don't change the Dharma and strive to become stronger, I'm afraid the society will change in the future and things will become more difficult!"
"Ya Sheng said: 'Those who do not have permanent property but have perseverance can only be qualified by scholars. If you are a common people, you will have no permanent property because you have no perseverance. If you have no perseverance, you will spend time to ward off evil and do everything for yourself.'"
"There are not only millions of fields in the world? There are not only tens of millions of people in the world. If the tillers can have their own fields, the diligent can have their own industry, and the hardworking can have their own gains, then why worry about no taxes to levy and no grain to harvest?" "
"If we are determined to innovate and reshape the pre-Qin minefield system, the country is expected to rejuvenate!"
As soon as Ma Gan'er finished his cheerful speech, a series of cheers and cheers suddenly sounded around him.
"Not bad! Well said!"
"Restore the well-field system of the pre-Qin period... Well, that makes sense."
"Hirose-kun! Your ideas coincide with mine!"
"That's right! If you want to revitalize the country, you must start with the reform of the land system!"
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In order to write about the sour smell of the rotten Confucianism, the author really racked his brains when writing today's chapter, and exhausted all his years of Chinese language and literature knowledge... The last paragraph of this chapter The author has been thinking about "Jingtian Theory" word by word for a long time.
Because the author is so dedicated, be sure to vote for this book!
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