On this day, Zheng Haizhu and Zhu Yipai went to the Yanzhou government office to show off the matter of land donation.
The prefect of Yanzhou was in pain because of the three thousand taels of silver spent by the Ministry of Rites and his entourage. Suddenly, he ate a big pie that fell from the sky. His brows suddenly relaxed, and his face was covered with unlucky bitter gourds, as if he had returned to spring.
The magistrate was about to start talking about King Lu's virtuous deeds of investing in building bridges and paving roads and donating Zonglu over the years, but Zheng Haizhu changed the subject at the right time and asked the magistrate of Yanzhou about the taxes of Qufu County.
A fourth-grade magistrate from Dagang has been in officialdom for many years, and his mind is as fast as a wheel.
After the Yanzhou magistrate was stunned for a short time, bold speculation came to his mind.
Yanzhou has jurisdiction over counties such as Zouxian, Ningyang, and Qufu. Originally, the agricultural harvest was not as good as that of Jinan and Denglai, and unfortunately it overlapped with the Confucius Mansion. All the fertile land in the country is tax-free. Whenever the summer and autumn fields are taxed, many of them slander the descendants of Confucius as the beetles of the country.
At this time, Zheng Haizhu was dragged into the border of Qufu. The general Zhu Yipai beside her was drinking tea leisurely as if he didn't hear her. The prefect of Yanzhou reported this woman's strange identity to the Lu Mansion. As soon as the movements of the earth are connected, the heart can't help but beat faster than when the gold medal is inscribed and the wedding room is decorated with candles. His face is full of spring breeze, and he is about to advance into the joy of autumn harvest.
It seems that the imperial court is finally going to touch the source of Yanzhou Prefecture's suffering!
As a local official who has no chance of getting the Confucius Mansion's oil and water, if he doesn't unite with the imperial envoy and the clan to attack the Confucius Mansion, how long will it take?
But after all, as an official of the imperial court, you still have to put on airs and protect yourself. You can't catch the ball too fast, you can take a roundabout way to see what's going on.
The prefect of Yanzhou suppressed his excitement and said to Zheng Haizhu in a pleasant manner: "Hey, I outline and lead the government affairs of a government, and the meticulous work of each Cao Cao is really not as good as that of a group of officials. Mrs. Zheng, it is said that hearing a hundred times is worse than seeing once. Your next trip is to Duke Yansheng's Mansion, why don't I just send the governor and officials to accompany you? If you see anything vague and confusing, just ask them directly. How about that?"
Zheng Haizhu thought to himself, why not? This is going to be an on-site office.
We cannot expect that most officials in the Ming Dynasty will be as upright and willing to stand up as Hai Rui, but the Yanzhou prefect, an old fox who not only needs to pick up wallets but also needs to be wise in protecting himself, is willing to release a few little foxes to help in the battle, which is enough.
Zheng Haizhu then took a look at Zhu Yipai, who came to pay and show his face, and said to the Yanzhou magistrate without concealing his praise: "Your Majesty is working hard for the imperial court, and his strong generals must also be models of diligence, so it is worthy of your respect." That’s it.”
…
Lu Di at the end of April is the most comfortable season. The evening breeze is wrapped in the faint fragrance of flowers, like gentle palms, caressing people's cheeks and temples.
And the evening breeze in the depths of Prince Lu's Mansion has a unique elegance.
Because it carries the sound of waves of pines and waves.
After Zheng Haizhu had socialized with the Yanzhou magistrate, she and Zhu Yipai were on the carriage ride back to calculate the details of going to Dengzhou to sell sea food in the future, as well as the prospect of the royal guest named Cao Xu leading the craftsmen to make gems in Champa. , and finally felt a little tired.
There are more than a hundred luxurious houses in Prince Lu's palace. When Zheng Haizhu went to the guest courtyard next to the palace where Zhu Youxiao was staying, he happened to pass by the two most famous ancient pines in the palace.
"Xiang Sheng," Zheng Haizhu saw Lu Xiangsheng with fluttering sleeves in the pine wind. He stepped forward and said in a brisk tone, "these two powerful pines are the real treasures of Lu. His Highness said that they were the first vassal of King Lu. At that time, Grandpa Taizu personally ordered it to be transplanted from Mount Tai. It is older than the five great pine trees in Mount Tai today. It is indeed as vigorous as a dragon and as lush as..."
"Mrs. Zheng!" Lu Xiangsheng suddenly interrupted Zheng Haizhu's casual chat.
Zheng Haizhu stopped smiling, and his eyes fell from the leafy crown of the ancient pine tree, stopping on Lu Xiangsheng's face.
Lu Xiangsheng would never use a blunt title like "Mrs. Zheng" when there were no outsiders.
"What's wrong?" Zheng Haizhu frowned slightly and stared at the other party.
Lu Xiangsheng did not shy away, and there was a serious questioning in his eyes: "Why did you tell the emperor's eldest son about the unspeakable rumors about Yan Shenggong?"
That's what it was for.
Yesterday, Zhu Youxiao asked Zheng Haizhu about the historical origins of the Confucius Mansion in Qufu. Zheng Haizhu first told the official version like a press release for later generations, and then quickly turned to ways to eliminate the halo of idols.
Zheng Haizhu told Zhu Youxiao that Confucius was a saint, but his descendants may not really inherit the saint's virtues and wisdom because of the hereditary title of Duke Yansheng. In addition to mediocre people, there are even worse than animals.
"Xiang Sheng, Kong Hongxu, the Duke of Yansheng during the Chenghua period, set up a private execution hall in the Confucius Mansion to torture the common people of the Kong family. He also killed people with rods and raped more than 40 women from Lehu. These crimes were committed by the governor of Shandong at that time. Follow the impeachment of the censors to verify and report to the court one by one. Otherwise, how could Kong Hongxu have been stripped of his title of Yanshenggong when he was still young and panting? He dared to do evil deeds, and the court The magistrate dares to detect evil deeds, why can’t our descendants speak out about it?”
Lu Xiangsheng said tit for tat: "How many generations are there descendants of Confucius? It is inevitable that there will be someone who fails to live up to expectations. But when the eldest son of the emperor was studying the Four Books and Five Classics, you chose to pick out the storyteller like the storyteller in the teahouse. Kong Hongxu came to add fuel to the fire. Do you know what the eldest son of the emperor was saying to me when he was working on a steam engine today? He said, since Yanshenggong's mansion is also a place where chickens crow and dogs robber, why bother to spend time to pay a visit? It is not as interesting as thinking about wooden wheels with Mr. Song. He also said that he had long felt that the so-called sages’ books were far less easy to read than the magical and secret manuals. Now it seems that the Four Books and Five Classics are not only useless, but also extremely hypocritical. You, if you teach like this, you will harm the emperor’s eldest son! "
As Lu Xiangsheng spoke, he changed his usual calm style. Although he tried to suppress his voice due to the fact that he was in the palace, the tone still seemed to be a few degrees higher.
Zheng Haizhu did not follow his emotions.
Zheng Haizhu did not intend to let Lu Xiangsheng get involved in using the Kongfu's land as a breakthrough. After all, he was not a member of the clan like Zhu Yipai, and he still had a future as a Jinshi.
But at this moment, Zheng Haizhu was not disappointed by Lu Xiangsheng's pedantry.
After she traveled back in time, the potential civil servant she was most optimistic about was not only passionate about firearms research and development, but also able to detect the unwiseness of Donglin's conservatives, but after all, he was still a talented disciple of Confucius.
These Confucian scribes, who have been studying the art of eight-legged making since childhood, have deified Confucius and Mencius. Together with Confucius and Mencius' filial sons and sages, they seem to be regarded by them as symbols of Chinese orthodoxy. They cannot be pulled down from the altar, and they cannot distinguish right from wrong. be refuted.
This is not Lu Xiangsheng's personal fault.
Zheng Haizhu sighed softly and said to Lu Xiangsheng: "The eldest son of the emperor should read Confucius and Mencius in the moonlight, and he should also know that everything in this world has both pure and turbid things. If he wants to despise the articles of sages because of the dirty things done by Confucius's descendants. The subtle point is that when we teach the meaning of the scriptures, we still do not guide it well. We should tell the eldest son of the emperor that Kong Zhongni had hurtful and indifferent words of benevolence and justice, instead of covering up the dirty crimes of his descendants. "
Lu Xiangsheng wanted to refute, but for a moment he couldn't find a more suitable reason. He raised his eyes and stared at the sunset in the west for a moment, and said angrily, "Madam, you have come back from your travels. Let's go and rest first." Then he walked quickly to his guest house. .
Zheng Haizhu stood for a moment under the pine tree in confusion, and was about to leave when he heard a loud praise from behind the pine tree: "Madam, what you said makes sense! Everyone can be like Yao and Shun, but the descendants of Yao and Shun may not be gods. The former dynasty If today’s people today can only respect and admire the memorial arch, the etiquette, and the Taoist sect, what is the difference between him and a puppet? The young master who belongs to my wife is stupid because he can’t read.”
Zheng Haizhu was startled and looked around in shock.
But I saw a man in Taoist robes, holding a piano, walking out of the shadows and standing under the afterglow of the setting sun.
The man was in his thirties, somewhat thin in stature, with regular facial features on his long face, and the look he cast was very special.
Sharpness and compassion appear in the same gaze, which can be clearly felt.
"What are you doing?" Zheng Haizhu saluted the other party.
"I am Zhu Yuewen, a music and dance student in the Lu family."
