Shen Shixing said, "The mantle of Prince Zhongxing is at Luo Wanhua," but he was a little angry in his heart. But there was no anger on his face, he just continued to smile awkwardly and said: "I may be a little bit arrogant when I come here today. Do you think I am a person who harms righteousness and follows the secular world?"
The so-called "following the customs at the expense of righteousness" refers to being an unprincipled person. Shen Shixing used Cheng Yi's theory at this time: "When a gentleman lives in the world, if he does things that are not harmful to righteousness, he can follow the customs; if it harms righteousness, he cannot follow them."
When Luo Wanhua heard what he said, he hurriedly raised his hands and said, "I don't dare. How dare I think so?"
Shen Shixing sighed and said: "The cabinet ministers of this term have been working together in the political affairs hall for more than two years. Today I would like to comment that Xu Guozhi's integrity is better than that of you and me. Do you think so?"
Luo Wanhua nodded slowly and said, "Yes."
Shen Shixing gave a wry smile and said slowly: "Xu Guo and I are from the same hometown, and we are both from Nanzhili. He once advised me: 'You can advocate reform, why bother to change the ancestral system?'" He stared at Luo Wan with bright eyes. Hua Yan said, "Why does Kangzhou think that a certain person always tries to copy the ancestral system and sing the opposite tune?"
Luo Wanhua's face felt a little feverish and he was speechless. Shen Shixing sneered and stood up: "As the saying goes, a thousand people are not as good as one person. When I return from Saihanba, I just need to keep silent and wait for Mr. Fengpan to recover from his illness - In the past, Your Excellency and Yaoquan Sir, is it comparable to my holy family?"
Luo Wanhua still couldn't answer, and could only nod his head at this time. Shen Shixing said: "This is the foundation of Taoism. This is all I hold. I came here today with the intention of helping you, but Kangzhou doesn't appreciate it."
"Mr. Kangzhou's political views are all based on the sea. I think he can enrich the country and strengthen the army. In addition, Liang Yaoquan is very power-hungry. I am afraid that after he becomes prime minister, the political style that has gradually become clearer in the court in recent years will become muddy -"
"Today, it turns out that you are just another person on the side!"
Luo Wanhua blushed at Shen Shixing's serious expression and slightly excited tone of accusation. And the person he was questioning "by the side" was one of the eight traitors of his courtiers whom Han Feizi said, and his words were not unreasonable - even almost insulting.
The so-called "by the side" person, Han Feizi said: "You are a dwarf who laughs well and learns from the left and right. This person is just a person before he is ordered to do it. He is a person who makes promises before being given orders. He is the one who first understands the purpose and observes the appearance and appearance to first control the heart."
Why was Luo Wanhua able to reach a deal with Liang Menglong? It's just "observation of appearance and color", knowing that the Sacred Heart belongs to Liang Menglong, just like the "smiling dwarf" who "carries the intention first"!
Shen Shixing's words revealed that even though Luo Wanhua had developed a cruel heart and a thick skin in Myanmar, he almost broke his defense.
Although there was no anger on Shen Shixing's face at this time, his sharp rhetoric was something Luo Wanhua had never experienced before. Only today did he realize how bad he had been over the years.
Yes, I was used to being the dominant one in Myanmar. After arriving at the center, I only looked at the emperor and never looked left or right. Today I was taught a solid lesson by my colleagues!
Luo Wanhua had never thought about how the political tradition that non-Hanlin officials were not allowed to join the cabinet was left behind, but now he understands a little bit.
When Shen Shixing saw that Luo Wanhua stopped talking, the excitement on his face gradually faded away. He paced in Luo Wanhua's room and said slowly: "I have read and reread the Holy Spirit's "Three Treatises" and regard them as a guide. And the key points of 'practice', 'contradiction' and 'connection' are inseparable. Use the word 'seeking truth from facts'."
"Have I ever tried to change the ancestral system in everything over the years? As long as the benefits outweigh the disadvantages of government reforms, how have I ever disagreed? Are all reforms correct? Where the whip is harmful to the people, tax reform is even more harmful to business. This is a shortcoming of the imperial government. Shouldn't it be corrected? And at the local level, how many officials in the local area carry out laws that harm the people in the name of piloting reforms? "
"The imperial edict ordered the establishment of a customs in Laizhou Prefecture, Shandong Province, and the local government continued to build the seaport endlessly - allocating money to merchants and people to build the port. The city was in ruins and the people were in dire straits. Is it wrong for me to draw up an edict to rebuke it? But it's just a matter of hanging up Under the banner of 'reform', thousands of people in the court were in silence. I don't know whose slander the emperor had listened to, and he thought that I, Shen Shixing, was doing too much." At this point, Shen Shixing's voice suddenly became choked with sobs.
"Qingdao Customs, by the 14th year of Wanli, the annual tariff was less than 5,000 taels - such a customs, why is it necessary to continue to expand the port? I insist on 'seeking truth from facts', am I wrong?"
Luo Wanhua looked at Shen Shixing, whose face was flushed again, and lowered his eyes. He listened quietly to Shen Shixing saying one thing after another that he objected to, and was surprised to find that each of his objections was right, or at least justified.
Shen Shixing talked for a while, and gradually lost interest in the conversation. And the skylight gradually dimmed. You Zhongshu came in and lit a whale oil lamp, illuminating the room like daylight.
Shen Shixing got tired from pacing, so he sat on the official hat chair opposite Luo Wanhua and took a sip of cold tea. Then he smiled bitterly and said: "My mentor, in order to reform the law, put his family and his life at risk. I dare not not learn from my ancestors. Since the foundation has been established, what I say and do is only natural, but it will offend the king's heart. Today you and Liang Menglong are both People are vying for the position of Prime Minister, and my eyes are burning - it hurts so much here." After saying that, he pointed to the position of his heart and suddenly burst into tears.
Luo Wanhua's eyes were a little red. He raised his head and glanced at Shen Shixing. He opened his mouth, but stopped talking. He just stood up and bowed to the ground with a look of shame on his face.
Seeing him like this, Shen Shixing wiped his face, stood up with a long sigh, and said, "I'm sorry, I lost my composure. I've been bothering you for a long time, so I'm leaving."
After watching Shen Shixing leave, Luo Wanhua lost interest in continuing to work. He simply packed up the documents on the table, gave instructions to his servants, and left the signing room.
The ginkgo tree planted by Wynn in the yard lost its last few leaves in the cold wind. When the golden leaves were illuminated by the lights in the Zhengshitang courtyard, the reflected light seemed to be mixed with meat oil, which made Luo Wanhua look a little disgusted.
He pointed to the leaves on the ground and said, "Why isn't this place cleaned up?" The Zhongshu next to him hurriedly replied: "As I said to the prime minister, this work was all done in the morning, and these leaves fell today."
Luo Wanhua listened without any expression on his face. He stood under the bare tree and glanced around the political hall - after Zhang Siwei left, the prime minister's room facing north and south became empty. There was no light at this time and it was dark.
On the left and right sides, the rooms of the deputy prime ministers were brightly lit, just like when I first entered the political hall two years ago.
Looking back, he seemed to have never seen Zhang Juzheng in this courtyard. When he entered the cabinet, the Prime Minister was already Zhang Siwei.
When Shen Shixing was a minister, he might have come here often to seek instruction from his teacher. Luo Wanhua couldn't help but think so. When I was in Myanmar, I had a lot of correspondence with Zhang Juzheng, but I didn't learn much about his demeanor after he became Prime Minister - I didn't know how majestic this strange man was, so that his disciples were so compassionate that they actually shed tears. in front of yourself.
Seeing him glancing around again, Zhongshu, who was following him, took a step forward and asked, "What are your orders, Prime Minister?"
Luo Wanhua glanced at Zhongshu, who had a flattering smile on his face, suppressed his tumbling emotions, and said hoarsely: "It's okay, go back home."
