Although these literati in the late Ming Dynasty had been advocating pragmatism in learning, in fact, what they did was not pragmatic at all.
They are all people who talk eloquently and sit back and talk about the truth, but they have no ability to know and act.
Zhang Cai is very opposed to the talk of mind and nature, but his theory is nothing more than a false theory.
The scholar-bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty still had the mentality of "cultivating one's moral character, regulating one's family, and governing the world".
To put it bluntly, it means being high up and seeing the world from a bird's eye view.
In the eyes of these people, the emperor is fatuous and needs admonishment and guidance; the people are ignorant and need to be managed and driven.
Only they have insight into the truth of the world, and they are the ones who do their part to maintain the right path of the world.
But over and over again, the theories they can give basically have nothing to do with actual life and production.
It only teaches people how to behave, but ignores people's survival issues.
With this kind of Confucianism, in the absence of threats and competition from other cultures, the people had no choice but to regard it as a norm.
But now, Zhang Cai keenly noticed from Liu Zongzhou's latest teachings that the knowledge they were famous for was being eroded and impacted.
"Liu Niantai is frustrated in his officialdom. In order to stand up, he actually made such ridiculous remarks. If he just sits back and ignores it, the people's morale will collapse and the world will be in danger. It is our duty to uphold the right path."
Zhang Cai was very insidious and accused Liu Zongzhou.
According to him, the reason why Liu Zongzhou was so bold and radical was because of his failure in officialdom and his greed for profit in order to maintain his reputation.
Only in this way can we stand on the moral high ground and refute Liu Zongzhou's teachings.
Li Wen immediately jumped out and strongly supported Zhang Cai's statement.
"The ethics of ethics are passed down by saints. Liu Niantai's act of putting the cart before the horse is far more harmful than the change of dynasty. I also ask Mr. Nan Guo to contact knowledgeable people and never let such fallacies harm people's minds."
However, there are those who are against it and those who are in favor of it.
Xia Yunyi said in a deep voice: "Everyone, we are all soldiers, we have really passed. I feel that what Mr. Jishan said is actually the right way. Today, the country is in a state of disarray and the people's livelihood is in decline. If we can't stabilize the people and establish a career, what have we learned? ?”
Unlike Li Wen's family, which has been a scholarly family for generations, Xia Yunyi's family belongs to an emerging gentry family.
Starting from his father Xia Shizheng, although both father and son have achieved fame, they have done nothing in their official careers. On the contrary, the Xia family's daily needs depend on the income from running a cloth shop.
Because of this, Xia Yunyi understands the importance of people's livelihood.
He joined Fushe because he was attracted by the slogan of seeking truth and being pragmatic, and also to expand his network of contacts.
However, he did not learn anything useful during his return to society.
The current academic climate was such that although Xia Yunyi felt confused, he was not too confused.
But this time after listening to Liu Zongzhou's teachings, he was greatly shocked.
Xia Yunyi felt that he had finally found his direction.
It doesn't require any advanced understanding. Just thinking about his own life, Xia Yunyi was convinced by Liu Zongzhou's teachings.
If the family hadn't made a living, would he or his father still be able to study and gain fame?
Because of the improvement of his family situation, he was able to study, improve his social status, and have the reputation he has today.
But after listening to Liu Zongzhou's teachings, he had an idea.
Why does the theory that everyone pursues have no help in people’s livelihood?
Seeing Zhang Cai and Li Wen here today slandering Liu Zongzhou with ulterior motives, Xia Yunyi had strange thoughts in his heart.
Zhang Cai's face was cold.
"If the people are uneasy, how can we talk about people's livelihood? Our sacred teachings are the foundation of the world. How can Yi Zhong not know this?"
This was quite rude, almost pointing at Xia Yunyi's nose and scolding him.
Xia Yunyi has been resolute and strong all his life. Whenever he is subjected to this, his color changes immediately and he must refute.
As a result, the servants of the Zhang family ran in.
"Sir, all the village elders are here to visit."
Not long after, a large group of people came in. They were all well-known local gentry in Suzhou, and they had a close relationship with Zhang Cai.
"Mr. Nan Guo, we admire the sacred learning and pursue the Tao with all our hearts. Today, our great master finally comes to comfort us. I also ask Mr. Nan Guo to speak up and rectify the name of me, a merchant gentry in the south of the Yangtze River."
The leader of the village took out a manuscript and presented it to Zhang Cai. It was actually the content of Liu Zongzhou's lectures.
Facing the eager expressions of the village elders, Zhang Cai stood blankly on the spot, his whole body cold.
A devastating feeling, as if he was about to be buried immediately.
…………………………
Zuo Menggen and Liu Zongzhou didn't know what was happening in Suzhou next door. When Li Banghua came back with his family, Zuo Menggen began to concentrate on preparing for his wedding.
Li Banghua has no children, only his old wife. However, his two nephews followed him, and they were both very capable people.
When Li Banghua was an official in the court, both Li Rixuan and Li Yuanding were idle at home in order to avoid suspicion.
When Li Banghua returned to his hometown and prepared to move, Li Rixuan and Li Yuanding came to ask for advice. Li Banghua felt that his two nephews' talents were rare and there was no need to waste time in the court. After some guidance, he turned the two nephews into Zuo Mengeng's chariot.
Zuo Menggeng had no impression of Li Banghua's two nephews. But since he is highly respected by Li Banghua, I think he is very talented.
Zuo Mengeng accepted it happily, had a chat with Li Rixuan and Li Yuanding, and found that these two people were very good at doing practical things. After returning home, I have an idea of how to arrange things.
The immediate priority is his marriage to Xu Ruolin.
During this period, the Xu family spread invitations widely and invited guests.
Although the Xu family does not advocate luxury, they still want to take this opportunity to expand Zuo Mengeng's network.
The relatives and friends of the Xu family are old, and it is no surprise that they must all be energy-savvy people. Who knows when he will become Zuo Mengeng’s help.
What the Xu family didn't expect was that there would be quite a few uninvited guests, especially those from Songjiang Prefecture.
An important reason is that the stockings incident has spread.
Local cloth merchants heard the news and inquired one after another, wanting to participate.
Everyone knows what kind of impact the emergence of a new type of clothing will have on the market. If you can't keep up at this time, you will fall behind step by step.
There are even more people who are jealous of the hydraulic channel equipment used by the Xu family.
However, the Xu family was so powerful that others did not dare to make mistakes.
This time I learned that the Xu family, in cooperation with the Pan family and the Qu family, actually came up with a water-driven device. How could other cloth merchants not try it?
Zuo Menggeng and the Xu family discussed for a long time how to hold the wedding.
According to Xu Ji, Xu Guangqi is currently in the limelight, so in order to avoid being talked about, it is best to keep a low profile. The wedding was held according to traditional customs, and no one could make a mistake.
Zuo Mengeng felt that this wedding was actually an opportunity.
An opportunity to test the openness of Jiangnan.
This is very important and will determine how much support he will give to business in the Jiangnan region in the future.
Another thing is that a wedding is a matter of two people.
It's a bit sorry for Xu Ruolin to only have a traditional wedding.
Although Zuo Mengeng is not a lover, he still knows that giving a beloved woman an unforgettable wedding is very helpful in cementing the relationship between the couple.
Based on this idea, Zuo Mengeng went behind Xu Ruolin's back and began to conceive it himself.
March 26th is an auspicious day.
It is suitable for getting married, entering a house, and meeting guests.
It was also the day when Zuo Menggeng and Xu Ruolin held their wedding.
Their wedding was divided into two events. There will be one in Songjiangfu and another in Linqing.
According to Zuo Mengeng's design, Xu Ruolin will be the main character in the Songjiang Mansion scene, while the traditional method will be used in the Linqing scene.
Because the Songjiang Prefecture side is strictly for the wedding ceremony, while the Linqing side is for the bride's entrance.
On this day, the main door of Xu's mansion was opened wide, and guests gathered, filled with joy.
And all the guests who came to congratulate him were attracted by the decoration of the house.
I saw a long red carpet set up in the middle of the spacious and bright courtyard. At the end of the red carpet is a gorgeously decorated ceremony stage.
On both sides of the red carpet, every four to five steps are a pair of gorgeous flower baskets, which prevents the red carpet from being stepped on by irrelevant people.
There were also servants from Xu Mansion walking around to guide the guests to their seats according to the name plates.
The banquets were arranged on both sides of the red carpet, with detailed arrangements based on proximity and status.
The guests were buzzing about these new tricks. But if future generations see it, they will naturally smile.
Yes, Zuo Menggeng moved the wedding process of later generations to the Ming Dynasty.
Modern wedding methods are actually derived from Western Catholic weddings. After removing the religious factors, it is more suitable for secularization.
In order to cater to Xu Ruolin's Catholic identity, Zuo Menggeng just added some religious elements.
