Chapter Thirteen: Knowing that I sinned against myself, only the Spring and Autumn Period
The morning court had just ended, and Zhu Yuanzhang had some unfinished matters.
First, Fu Youde presented the Yunnan aftermath plan.
After all, after Qujing calmed down, Yunnan was in turmoil. Although the siege of Dali took a lot of twists and turns. But the difficulty is not more difficult than the Battle of Baishijiang. At this moment, King Liang was already on his way back to Beijing. Fu Youde wrote a complete set of plans for pacifying Yunnan in his memorial. For example, win over those chieftains, pacify those chieftains, bring those places under the direct jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty, and assign those things to the chieftains. And in those places it is necessary to establish guardhouses, build cities, etc.
There is a lot of information here.
Zhu Yuanzhang could see that Fu Youde was a thoughtful person. Zhu Yuanzhang also had to carefully consider the contents of this memorial.
There is also the war in the north. Xu Da has already sent out troops. Zhu Yuanzhang has already approved it.
Although Zhu Yuanzhang was not worried about Xu Da's use of troops, more than 100,000 troops were invested in this battle, and there were more than a dozen generals with titles, and even King Yan and King Jin also joined the army. It is the largest military operation in the past ten years, perhaps surpassing the Battle of Yunnan in terms of numbers of people. But most of the army that defeated Yunnan were infantry and civilians. But there are hundreds of thousands in the north, with elite cavalry accounting for the vast majority. The number of war horses used far exceeded the number of people sent to the expedition.
It cannot be said that it takes the strength of the country, but it takes half of the country's strength.
Zhu Yuanzhang had to be more careful.
"Father," the prince brought Fang Xiaoru to Qianqing Palace.
The first change that He Xi brought to this world was the secretary prison. Already very mature. Song Lian's death also made the prince feel a little guilty, and he took great care of Song Lian's disciple Fang Xiaoru. Fang Xiaoru had become the second-in-command of the Secretary's Office, assisting the prince in taking charge of the Secretary's Office's adjutant.
The prince always takes Fang Xiaoru with him when he plays an important role.
Zhu Yuanzhang put aside the memorial in his hand and said, "Have you read what I asked you to read yesterday?"
The prince said: "I have already seen it. I didn't know that Brother He has such a great talent."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "You don't know that there are more things. By the way, is He Xi here?"
Xu Zheng said: "Master He is already here. Waiting outside the hall."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Let him come in. By the way, next time he comes again, let him go directly."
Xu Zheng said: "Yes." He couldn't help but secretly sigh at He Xi's favor. After all, the emperor is never easy to see. Usually you have to queue up to see the emperor. Being able to see the emperor directly without queuing up is called a Yueci audience. This is already a privilege that many courtiers envy. As for He Xi, there is no need to queue up at all. When can he come in? His treatment is probably not much different from that of the prince.
Eunuchs are the best at meeting people and preparing food.
Seeing that He Xi was so favored, he naturally became more polite to He Xi.
After a while, He Xi came in.
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Prince, please tell me, what do you think of what He Xi said in the Imperial College?"
The prince said: "My son's knowledge is shallow and his focus is on common affairs. What brother He said can make up for the shortcomings in governing the country. The rest is not clear. However, Fang Qing is the number one disciple of Master Song. When I was there, I felt that Fang Qing was better than his master. You might as well let him talk about it."
The prince did this partly to promote Fang Xiaoru. To set up a stage for Fang Xiaoru, on the other hand, it also means to be kind to others.
In fact, the prince still admired what He Xi said. However, Song Lian is a famous Neo-Confucian scholar. Under the influence of Song Lian, most of the people in the East Palace were people of Neo-Confucianism. The prince is regarded as a wise king by many Confucian officials. They couldn't persuade Zhu Yuanzhang, so they all placed their hopes on the prince.
In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang did not give He Xi's speech to the prince, because the prince already had it. There is more feedback. For example, Song Ne complained to the prince. There are many people who slander He Xi.
But the prince has always been gentle and generous. But never a fool.
The prince's political sensitivity and skills are first-class. He won't be easily used as a weapon. But he also felt that as his son, he should let Zhu Yuanzhang know about this undercurrent. So Fang Xiaoru came forward.
However, Fang Xiaoru said something. He is prophetic in his heart.
Sure enough, as soon as Fang Xiaoru opened his mouth, He Xi felt very uncomfortable.
Fang Xiaoru said: "Your Majesty, Prince, Mr. He. What Mr. He said in the Imperial College was inspiring and opened up the world of history. In a thousand years, Mr. He should also be listed among the historians in the world. Then, history is not a study of world affairs. . What Master He said, although it is helpful to the state affairs, it is skillful but not moral. It is okay to listen to it temporarily, but not to take it as a guide. It may even be misunderstood."
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at the prince and found that the prince was as silent as a stone. He glanced at He Xi again. He Xi is no longer so calm. Frown slightly. Fortunately, I have learned it through experience, and there is no emotion on my face, just a frown.
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately said: "Fang Qing continues."
Fang Xiaoru said: "What is Tao? It is the Taoism of the sage king. The two sages' hearts are called benevolence and righteousness, the principles of monarch and ministers, and the etiquette of the country. The sage king rules the world with this, and your majesty has the world with it. Needless to say, these are all techniques. How can Master He bring out the old and bring out the new in historiography? There are great achievements, but the world has always used techniques according to the Tao, and there has never been any opposite."
"My lord, I think you should read more books by sages and don't use your intelligence to the end."
After Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he said provocatively: "He Xi, what do you think of what Fang Qing said?"
When He Xi heard what Fang Xiaoru said, he was furious at first. Then he endured it and began to analyze it carefully. At this moment, I already understand the secret.
Fang Xiaoru's words were definitely not his alone.
This represents the thoughts of many Confucian officials.
He Xi even regretted it a little. I feel like I'm a little bit tongue-tied. "How can a beggar have two wives? How can there be many chickens in the neighbor's house? At that time, there was Emperor Zhou, so why did everyone talk about Wei Qi?" This limerick is easy to say. But now there is a backlash.
Because this poem completely exposed He Xi's position.
If He Xi was from the Confucian sect, he would never say these words.
Of course, this is just an introduction. Among the historiography taught by He Xi, the Six Classics were even included in the historiography, and the special status of Confucianism was also glimpsed. Adding the two together, He Xi's stance is fully revealed.
In this case, no Confucian scholar would say anything good about He Xi.
And Fang Xiaoru's words were also very wise. The attitude of respecting Confucianism and enslaving to the Bai family is fully revealed.
It’s not that Fang Xiaoru doesn’t pay attention to practical theories. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Many great Confucians are all-rounders and have a lot to offer in specific practical subjects. They all believe that Confucianism should be above other disciplines and should be the most important knowledge to guide other disciplines.
Furthermore, the biggest problem with He Xi's historiography is not that there are many developments in history, and whether these developments are right or wrong, but that the Confucian values are not implemented in historiography, and the highest importance of Confucian historiography is not shown. fear. It is necessary to sharpen the pen to cure the Spring and Autumn Period. It shows the attitude that Confucian values govern historiography.
Therefore, while Fang Xiaoru recognized He Xi's talent, he said that He Xi's talent had been used to the end, which meant that he had gone astray.
He Xi thought clearly about Fang Xiaoru's attitude, and felt a lot of injustice in her heart. She was about to have a verbal battle with Fang Xiaoru in front of the emperor, but she saw Zhu Yuanzhang's incomprehensible look in his eyes. There was a sudden movement in his heart, and he saluted and said: "Your Majesty, I don't know whether what Mr. Fang said is correct or not, but there is one thing to tell Mr. Fang. It is only the Spring and Autumn Period that he knows I have sinned."
When Fang Xiaoru saw this, he was slightly startled. He had prepared a lot today, preparing to let He Xi reveal his true colors in front of the emperor. But He Xi's words made him hit the empty space with a punch full of energy. He could only say, "Master He, it's good to have this intention."
When He Xi saw this, he knew he had done the right thing.
What is the effect of arguing with others? Want to convince someone? But some people can be persuaded, and some people cannot be persuaded. For example, the students of the Imperial College, although they have read the books of sages for many years, are still young, even a little rebellious, and full of curiosity. It is possible to persuade. But who is Fang Xiaoru?
That's really hard-hearted. Even if all ten clans were killed, his Confucian morality could not be shaken. He Xi wanted a debate, so he persuaded Fang Xiaoru. How can it be?
