The old gentleman who asked to see Zuo Menggeng was an important minister in the court.
Huang Shijun, whose courtesy name was Liangtan and whose nickname was Yuyu, entered the ranks of the cabinet ministers of the Ming Dynasty at the age of seventy.
"There were many disturbances in the court, everyone expressed their opinions, and it became a mess. I was upset, but I couldn't bear any more entanglements, so I resigned and returned home. When I passed through Shandong, I often saw new things, so I disturbed Your Highness. I hope you will forgive me."
Huang Shijun explained the reason for his visit.
Hearing that he had resigned, Zuo Mengeng couldn't help laughing when he remembered the old man's information.
"Everyone says that Duke Yu Yu has the unpredictable ability to predict dangers in the court. Isn't it the same this time?"
In the Ming Dynasty officialdom, Huang Shijun resigned three times in total including this time.
And these three times, they all helped him turn disaster into good fortune, become auspicious in times of trouble, and keep his reputation.
The first time he resigned was in the third year of Tianqi.
Because Wei Zhongxian was in power, he was angry and knew that there was nothing he could do, so he simply resigned and returned home.
At that time, his friends Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou and others praised him for knowing the opportunity.
This is also true.
Later, the battle between the DPRK and China intensified, and Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou and others all paid the price with their lives.
He resigned for the second time in the third year of Chongzhen.
At that time, just after the Jiji Incident, Chongzhen completely abandoned the Donglin Party and began to liquidate it.
Huang Shijun was keenly aware that this emperor seemed to be no different from the late emperor, so he chose to resign and return home to avoid being involved in the turmoil.
This time, it was also discovered that the situation between North Korea and China was unstable. What's more important is that Ming's decline has been unstoppable.
The peasant army was about to be completely wiped out, and everyone in the DPRK was celebrating, feeling that Anai's move was about to be completed.
However, the invasion of the Qing army woke up many people at once.
This has caused many people to feel pessimistic about how fate is, and what they can do about it.
After seeing the wanton behavior of Yang Sichang and others and the hysteria of Chongzhen, Huang Shijun was completely disappointed and once again proposed to resign.
Chongzhen did not persuade him to stay, nor did he want to listen to his opinion on recalling Donglin Xianda.
Huang Shijun was full of ambitions but could not realize them, so he went south in depression. Because we had to take the canal, we happened to pass through the territory of Xia Kingdom.
After seeing the peaceful and prosperous scenery along the coast, Huang Shijun was so surprised that he simply got off the boat and started traveling around Shandong.
Before arriving in Jinan, he had actually traveled to many places.
The more I walked and saw, the more I felt about the power of the Xia Kingdom.
Although the loyalty and righteousness in his bones since childhood made him still nostalgic for the Ming Dynasty, Huang Shijun had to admit that the one who could conquer the world in the future must be the Xia Kingdom.
He never thought about meeting Zuo Mengeng.
Zuo Menggeng may not meet him since they have no relationship.
As a result, by coincidence, he witnessed the first divorce based on law in history, and watched Zuo Mengeng's trial process with his own eyes.
There was really too much curiosity in his heart, so he asked to meet him.
"The Master said, it is difficult to raise a woman and a villain. Your Majesty, by opening your eyes for women and practicing equality, are you not afraid that the world will be turned upside down, order will collapse, and the world will be in chaos?"
Regarding this extremely traditional question, Zuo Mengeng showed his sharpness.
"What Confucius said may not be entirely correct. The times are different and the environment is different, so it is natural to make some adjustments. At least now in the Xia Kingdom, the principle of equality between men and women has given the entire people a new look, full of vitality, and it is actually good governance."
Huang Shijun was stunned and his mind went blank.
He had prepared many arguments and planned to have an in-depth discussion with Zuo Mengeng.
No matter what, I never expected that Zuo Menggeng would veto Confucius’s supreme authority with his first sentence.
When these traditional scholar-officials debate with others, they always talk about "Confucius said" and "The words of the most holy teachers".
As long as you quote the words of Confucius, you will definitely take the initiative.
Now when you encounter someone who doesn't follow common sense, even Confucius denies it, so how can you still play?
"It is said that His Highness's teacher is Liu Niantai, who is also a great scholar in the world. Doesn't His Highness even recognize his teacher?"
"There is a sequence of learning the Tao, and there is a specialization in the arts. Therefore, the disciple does not have to be inferior to the teacher, and the teacher does not have to be better than the disciple. I am like this with Nian Taigong, and I think it is the same with Confucius."
Huang Shijun was confused again.
That makes sense.
In fact, it is not that Zuo Mengeng has not thought about the issue Huang Shijun mentioned about whether improving the status of women will cause social disorder.
After all, the situation has already appeared in later generations, and the boxing skills are flying.
He also thought about how to prevent this from happening.
But unfortunately, no solution can be found yet.
After all, many of the wise moves he is able to make now are actually taking advantage of his soul's time travel and absorbing many powerful experiences.
If he really wants to achieve transcendent worldly knowledge, he can't do it yet.
As far as the present is concerned, improving the status of women and advocating equality between men and women is definitely the progress of the times.
Since it is beneficial to the country and the people, how can we not do it?
Huang Shijun was ready to make a full defense, but he was beaten back immediately, but he saw with his own eyes the fact that the Xia Kingdom was peaceful and the people were safe.
He is also a sincere gentleman, so he will not make trouble unreasonably.
"Nowadays, there are frequent disasters all over the world, and the people have no food and clothing, but I don't know where Xia State can start to create such a good situation?"
He no longer dwells on one point, but focuses on the overall situation.
After all, he is a senior figure, and ruling the country and bringing peace to the world is what he wants in his life.
It is clear that the Ming Dynasty controls the whole world and holds the most fertile land in the world; it is clear that there are constant disasters and losses in the Xia Kingdom.
Why is the Xia Kingdom prospering while the Ming Dynasty is declining?
Huang Shijun couldn't figure it out, so he could only ask Zuo Mengeng for advice.
This is a big topic, but Zuo Mengeng is not stingy.
"It's almost noon, so Duke Yu Yu must be hungry too. Why don't we chat while eating? Maybe the food we eat can help clarify Duke Yu Yu's doubts."
Following Zuo Mengeng's instructions, a unique banquet was laid out on the bank of Daming Lake.
Seeing the grill set up and the hot charcoal fire, Huang Shijun was a little confused.
"Why did His Highness say that the word 'eat' can be seen?"
Zuo Mengeng had already seen the attendant coming with something.
"For ordinary people, eating is the most important thing. Because only by eating enough can people survive. If people can't survive, what else can they say?"
It is a very simple truth that Huang Shijun cannot understand.
In fact, the main reason why the Ming Dynasty ended up where it is today is that the people were unable to have enough to eat.
"The Ming Dynasty's land far exceeds that of the Xia Kingdom, but how does the Xia Kingdom satisfy its people?"
Zuo Mengeng watched the servants unpacking the boxes with a smile.
"Although the Ming Dynasty controls a lot of land, who owns the land? Moreover, no matter how much land there is, if it is not managed properly, the fertility of the land will gradually decline, which is also a disaster. Not to mention, farming now depends entirely on God's favor. Heaven and earth are unkind. , treating all things as rotten dogs, the people will reap nothing from their sowing, and naturally they will not be able to survive."
Huang Shijun nodded silently, knowing that what he said made sense.
Not to mention whether the Ming Dynasty was corrupt or not, nor whether the landlords were greedy and cruel.
Just because of the increasing population and increasingly barren land in recent years, coupled with the continuous disasters, even if Taizu is resurrected, he can only look back and sigh.
But this made him even more curious.
Why can the Xia Kingdom resist the power of heaven and earth?
