"Spreading rumors?" Xue Ruitian sneered, "Well, as expected, the favorite thing those scholars like to do is spreading rumors."
"As a semi-scholar, I think you are right, Xiaotian." Jin Jing nodded firmly, "What scholars like to do most is to spread rumors. Not all the people at Yushitai are... Is spreading rumors your main career?”
"Xiao Jing!" Mr. Jiang looked at Jin Jing helplessly, "I say that I am half a scholar. How can a scholar say such a thing?"
"Second Master, just because I am a scholar, I have to tell the truth," Jin Jing said with a nonchalant expression, shrugging lightly, "Aren't those big clans scholars? When they were killing each other, they didn't think much of themselves. Is this the identity of this scholar? When they suppressed and bullied students from poor families, they didn’t look at how embarrassed they felt and how much they knew about etiquette, justice and shame, right? When they challenged generals and nobles, they didn’t feel that they were What kind of collegiality do they have? Even when they challenged the imperial power, they didn't know much about the difference between monarch and minister." He sneered, "When it comes to having no king or father and no sense of shame, scholars are the first to suffer."
"Well said!" Mr. Jiang clapped his hands vigorously, gave Jin Jing a thumbs up, and said, "It's rare to see such a sober scholar, Xiaojing! Such a sober person can really only be counted as half. "
"These are the majority of scholars who talk about benevolence, righteousness, and morality, but are full of thieves and prostitutes." Xue Ruitian also nodded in agreement, "We deny that there are scholars who are loyal to the emperor and love the people, but there are still very few of them, aren't they?"
"Isn't that right? Once you take the imperial examination and are recommended to serve as an official in the court, you will forget all about your original intention. They will all rush to fight for power and gain. The original intention of truly serving the country and the people has long been lost. But People are still plausibly saying that only when I control the power can I serve the country and the people." Jiang Erye shook his head helplessly, "How terrible it is, just listen to how terrible it is."
"Isn't that right? In order to fight for power and profit, they can do whatever it takes, and spreading rumors is one of them." Jin Jing rolled her eyes, "Since ancient times, they have formed parties for personal gain. In order to frame people who disagree with their political views, they have spread rumors and created false accusations. , wasn’t it all their fault? Again, they were ruthless to us generals, but even more ruthless to their own people, weren’t they?”
"That's right." Xue Ruitian nodded, "Literati look down on each other. If anyone climbs up, they will naturally suppress those who have seen their jokes. I don't know why the temperament of scholars is so big. They obviously can't shoulder the burden. , You can’t carry the basket with your hands, right?”
"That's the truth!" Second Master Jiang took a sip of tea, "You also know what the previous dynasty was like. It was nearly two hundred years since the founding of the dynasty, and the royal family had been on an equal footing with these big clans for two hundred years. This made all the scholars in the world feel that they were not as good as the emperor. Decentralization of power is a matter of course. Therefore, after they have enjoyed supreme power for two hundred years and enjoyed the same treatment as the emperor, it is impossible for them to watch their power fly away. For them, that is terrible It was really a disaster. Therefore, for their own sake, they had no choice but to make a desperate move and spread rumors to ruin Taizu's reputation. However, those big clans also kept it in mind and did not send any of their own children, not even the most capable disciples of their own clan. None of them were sent out, just some peripheral retainers who worked wholeheartedly for them, most of whom came from poor families."
"Aren't these people too insidious and vicious? They don't take students from poor families seriously at all."
"They are vicious on the one hand, but if they don't want to get a piece of the pie, they won't work wholeheartedly for the big clan, right?" Jiang Erye smiled coldly, "Since you want to get something, you must get it. You get what you pay for, right?”
"That's true!" Jin Jing nodded, "But what kind of rumors did they let these disciples spread? How do they fool the scholars all over the world?"
"It's very simple. It means that Daxia valued martial arts over literature and treated scholars as trivial. They wanted to encourage scholars to rebel and not recognize Daxia's imperial power."
"This..." Xue Ruitian touched his chin, looked at Shen Haolin, Jiang Erye, and the other people in the room, "It shouldn't be considered a rumor, right? Isn't it true? He is indeed very martial, but Didn’t Qingwen find it himself? He challenged the imperial power again and again, wanted to rebel again and again, and wanted to be a thorn in the side. He deserves to be in this situation. "
"What happened next? Those scholars were fanned?"
"No." Mr. Jiang saw the shocked expressions on the faces of the children and smiled, "Are you feeling particularly surprised?"
"If we look at the situation at the time, it was unexpected and reasonable." Shen Cha poured a cup of tea for Shen Haolin, and he also took a cup, sipping it in small sips, "Before the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty, wasn't it already in chaos? How many years has it been? The way for scholars to become officials has been blocked. Whether it is imperial examination or recommendation, it has been a long time since young scholars entered the court. Whether they are those from big clans or children from poor families, they have all been greatly affected. . Fortunately for the clan, some of their own clan members entered the court as officials. Even if the situation was not very good, they still belonged to someone in the court. However, students from poor families did not have such a good life. If they were not admitted to the imperial examination or recommended, their Ten years of hard work is equivalent to wasting. After the establishment of the Great Xia Dynasty, a new imperial examination will be ushered in, which will give hope to poor students. How could they give up this rare opportunity? They will definitely not stand in the same camp as those big clans. Right?"
"You're right, it's true. The big clan didn't expect it to be like this, but they have already done it. There is no turning back, so they can only go on. The students from poor families were promised huge profits while continuing to spread rumors to smear Taizu. At first, everyone took it as amusement and watched them jump up and down. But gradually, some students from poor families were tempted and started making trouble with them, causing a lot of bad things. In addition, Taizu was really tired of watching the excitement for a few days. He also knew who was behind the trouble, so he kept doing it. He issued an edict in the court and clarified a few things. Large clans are not allowed to take part in the imperial examination. They can do whatever they like, but they are not allowed to take part in the imperial examination."
"What can these big clans do?"
"There is no way to arrest their clan leader at that time and put all their core disciples in prison. If they are unwilling to sign the declaration of giving up the imperial examination, none of these people will be able to get out. Not only will they not be able to get out, but they will also Their lives would be in danger. Moreover, the mansions of the major clans in the capital were surrounded. They had no choice but to lower their heads in front of absolute imperial power and absolute force, sign the statement, and then take it with them Their clansmen in the capital went back to their hometowns in disgrace."
"This is really satisfying!" Jin Jing drank the last tea in the cup, took another piece of braised beef tendon and ate it slowly, "But they won't be willing to live without power for the rest of their lives, right? They will definitely think of other things. There’s a way, right?”
"Of course I won't. Otherwise, why do you think this old man from Ningchang is so bold and dares to take part in the imperial examination under his own name?" Mr. Jiang sneered, "This old man from Ningchang is definitely not the first, nor the last. That’s right, some of the civil servants in the court were from clans, but because they couldn’t take part in the imperial examinations, they had to find ways to change their origins.”
"So, Second Grandpa, you found out that Ning Changguo's true identity is the Ning family of Chaozhou. After he found out, he spared no effort to treat you?" Seeing Second Master Jiang nodding, Shen Cha thought for a while, "But just like Second Grandpa, what you just said is that he is neither the first nor the last. There is no need to make such a fuss, right? For him to target you like this can only show that in addition to his falsified identity, there are other things that cannot be done. Made public.”
"That's right!" Mr. Jiang snapped his fingers, "Smart boy! As you know, this old guy from Ning Changguo was the top pick in the last enke during the Pure Emperor period. He was fourteen or fifteen years old at that time, and he was considered a genius. After all, The top picks in Daxia before were all in their late teens, and this is the first time that such a young top pick appears."
"Wait a minute!" Jin Jing was stunned, "He was the number one scholar during the Pure Emperor period? Isn't that a veteran of the Four Dynasties?"
"If you want to include the months when Xiao Jue ascended the throne and had nothing to do, then it was indeed the Four Dynasties."
"Speaking of which, during the Chun Emperor period, no one seemed to mention the last three imperial examinations, including Enke's, the number one scholar, the second best scholar, the third best scholar, the Jinshi, and the Jinshi. They were completely ignored. Really?" Jin Jing touched her chin, "Why?"
"Because it was later discovered that there was fraud in the imperial examination, and some people were also investigated and punished for identity fraud, such as Ning Changguo. But you also know that my father is not in good health and has no energy to take care of this. Those people have not pissed him off. Not bad. And my imperial brother, I originally wanted to settle the accounts with these people after she ascended the throne, but her reign was short and many major events happened, so she forgot about it. At that time, I checked Those who arrived were not directly announced, but their titles were revoked and they were kicked out of Xijing City. They and their descendants for three generations were not allowed to participate in the scientific examination. People of the same clan were also not allowed to participate in the scientific examination for three generations. Any recommendations accepted."
"That's it!" Jin Jing looked at the other people, "That's wrong. Why can other people find out but not Ning Changguo?"
"I'm really lucky. The patriarch of the Chaozhou Ning clan chose this home for his genius son. It's perfect. You know that his birthplace written on his resume is Zhongzhou, right?" Seeing several children nodding, Second Master Jiang took a sip of tea and continued, "The Zhongzhou branch has a deep connection with Chaozhou. They moved from Chaozhou and have already moved out of the fifth server. No, they are further away than the fifth server. The relationship between them can basically be ignored. And the child of this family, also called Ning Changguo, has the same name as Ning Laopihu. The most terrifying thing is that Ning Laopifu of the Ning family in Chaozhou and Ningchang Guo of the Ning family in Zhongzhou , look exactly the same, as if they were carved from the same mold."
"Does it look particularly similar?"
"Well, it's completely possible to confuse the fake with the real thing. Otherwise, how could we not find out?" Second Master Jiang sighed, "The Ningchang Kingdom in Zhongzhou is itself a sick man. There is no tomorrow for those who have it today. The Ning family of Chaozhou is also interested in it. After knowing this, we found them and asked our children to take the scientific examination instead of the child from the Ning family in Zhongzhou."
"Do the parents and elders of this family agree?"
"Of course I agree. The household registration will be changed to that of their family. Then if I go to high school and become famous, the Ning clan in Zhongzhou will be famous, not the big clan in Chaozhou, right? Such bargain hunters It’s a good thing, why do they want to push it out?”
"But what about their own children?"
"In the second month after we agreed on this matter, I contracted the cold and passed away." Jiang Erye sighed helplessly, "Just like that, Old Man Ning came into the house openly and became a legend. The only child of the Ning family in Zhongzhou, and used this identity to participate in the childbirth examination in the second year, and at that time, old man Ning was only six years old."
"So young?" Jin Jing was shocked. "It's really outrageous to start deceiving people at such a young age." He looked at Mr. Jiang and blinked, "What's the reason other than identity fraud?"
"Qinglian Sect!" Mr. Jiang blinked at the children, "You should have no idea who the Chaozhou Ning Sect's supporters are."
"We have already mentioned the Qinglian Sect, and they were both from Jiangnan. What else is unexpected?" Xue Ruitian snorted, "Did the Empress Dowager stretch her hand too far? How come she recruits all kinds of people? !”
"The more ambitious you are, the more people you need. There are all kinds of people."
“That’s true.” They probably look down upon it, right?"
"This has nothing to do with whether they value the Empress Dowager's family background or not. What they value is the Green Lotus Sect. They feel that the Qinglian Sect's ideas are basically the same as theirs. They all want to challenge the imperial power and force the emperor to take control of his family. Separate powers.”
"So, because they have a common purpose, these two people got together and worked together?" Seeing Mr. Jiang nodding, Xue Ruitian touched his chin, "Then what is old man Ning's responsibility? To win over scholars for the Empress Dowager. ?”
"This is one of the aspects, there are more important things." Jiang Erye raised the corners of his lips slightly, a disdainful smile flashed across his face, "Instigating the relationship between the courtiers, nobles, and clan, and framing his colleagues. As well as recruiting troops for the Empress Dowager, recruiting scum in the world, and when necessary, killing those who are the thorn in their side."
