This Song Dynasty is different

Chapter 29 A Farce

When Li Xian left the palace, he still remembered the sullen look of the Queen Mother.

woman!
Even if he is almost an emperor, he can still be cautious.

When he walked out of the palace, he saw Wang He surrounded by several guards.He held a hatchet in his hand and looked calm, as if he was not facing a guard, but a chicken and a dog.

"Let it go!" said the accompanying chamberlain, and the guards dispersed unwillingly.

"Follow me!" Li Xian nodded, and Wang He followed him with a hatchet. This was a standard defensive posture.

"Where is your home?" Li Xian asked.

"Northwest."

"What do you do for a living?"

This question stumped Wang He. He struggled repeatedly, "Kill people."

Li Xian's eyelids twitched, "Killing for a living?"

"Yes, the villain is killing people for bounty in the northwest."

"Isn't this a swordsman?"

"Yes."

"Why come to Bianjing?"

"Being hunted down."

"Who is chasing you?" Li Xian turned around and asked.

"Party people."

"Why?"

"The villain failed to assassinate Li Deming."

Li Xian: "..."

Back home, Xinghua couldn't help but be surprised when she saw that he had brought back a wild man.

Wang He of the Northwest could not go back. Leaving the Northwest and looking around, Wang He felt that there was no place for him.Until this moment, when Li Xian did not use that condescending attitude, he asked gently: "What are your plans from now on?"

Wang He knelt down and said, "I am willing to die for my master."

For lunch, Li Xian asked Xinghua to get more meat, but Wang He ate half of the fat sheep in one meal, which shocked Xinghua, "Just like Di Qing, she is a foodie."

The next day, Di Qing came and saw Wang He subconsciously stopped and looked at him with squinted eyes.

Wang He glanced at him calmly, squatted under the eaves, and continued to choose vegetables.

"Know?" Li Xian appeared beside Di Qing at some unknown time.

"I don't know him, but sir, there is an aura about this person that makes disciples alert, like..." Di Qing thought for a moment, "a tiger in the mountains."

"Don't be surprised." Li Xian smiled. In his opinion, Wang He was a fierce tiger, but Di Qing was an enemy of ten thousand people.

The first meeting between two people from different directions was very dull. Many years later, when the famous General Di met Wang He, he was still very polite.

Zhao Zhen also came today and was quite surprised to observe Professor Li Xian's class.

What Li Xian was talking about today was the governance issue of the Northern Liao. When referring to the Northern Liao, Li Xian said that although the Northern Liao was powerful, the most stupid thing the Northern Liao did was to imitate the Song Dynasty.

"Why?" Zhao Zhen was puzzled.

"Everything can be learned from the Great Song Dynasty, including Confucianism. However, people from the Northern Liao Dynasty who studied the Great Song Dynasty and used Confucianism to govern the country are destined to reach the same destination as the Great Song Dynasty."

"Where to go?" This is the first time that Zhao Zhen heard someone analyze Confucianism and governance from another angle.

"After prosperity, comes decline, irrepressible decline." Li Xian shook his head. Historically, the decline of the Northern Liao Dynasty was almost at the same time as the Great Song Dynasty.

"Impossible!" Zhao Zhen said angrily: "The words of the sages are profound and profound..."

Li Xian waited quietly for him to calm down before continuing: "What is the essence of Confucianism?"

Zhao Zhen couldn't sum it up. Di Qing looked at his mentor intently, feeling that he was about to hear some enlightening remarks.

Li Xian patted the table and said, "The essence of Confucianism is self-cultivation, which is a method for individual practice."

"Everyone follows Confucian practice. In this way, everyone is a gentleman. This is the rule of inaction, and the world will naturally be governed." Zhao Zhen retorted.

"There are two sides to the human heart, good and evil. Confucianism teaches people to be good, teaches people to recognize the evil deep in their hearts, and teaches people how to eliminate evil and promote good in themselves. The way of a university is to understand virtue, to be close to the people, and to be kind to the people. End with the highest good.”

Li Xian said leisurely: "The sages naturally make people look up to them, but people's hearts always tend to be profitable. Since the early Tang Dynasty, which important minister was not a well-educated scholar? How many of them were gentlemen?"

He looked at Zhao Zhen and said, "How many of the prime ministers and assistants in this dynasty are gentlemen?"

"Lu Zongdao." Zhao Zhen said.

"Lu Zongdao dared to speak out and threatened to launch the New Deal. But didn't he know that the Queen Mother would not agree?" Li Xian did not hesitate to reveal the deep-seated secrets, "He failed to win the prime ministership. He was depressed and had nothing to do. He It can only be overshadowed and gradually marginalized.”

Zhao Zhen looked pale.

"I took you to deal with Qin Xuanqiang's purchase of the land. The people complained at first, but after the Qin family paid twice the price, they immediately turned their backs. No matter how much you rip out your heart and soul, they remained the same. In a blink of an eye, I made people They buried their money in the ground and their faces changed again.”

Li Xian looked at Di Qing and then at Zhao Zhen, "People's hearts are unpredictable and they will never be able to practice by self-discipline. Even if they are outsiders, they must have some kind of disciplinary hall. Why? Why do outsiders who are far away from the world of mortals need supervision and suppression?" It's all because the human heart can never withstand the test of desire. Therefore, the gentleman's talk can be put to rest."

"Isn't there a gentleman?" Zhao Zhen looked a little confused.

"Yes, very rare." Li Xian thought of one person.

Fan Zhongyan.

The eternal example of justice!

He had absolutely no selfish desires in his heart, and all his passion was for the Song Dynasty.

The officials returned to the palace somewhat dejectedly.

The Queen Mother found him after hearing the news.

"... Li Xian said that outsiders also need to use precepts to suppress and intimidate. How can mortals in the world of mortals resist the temptation of various desires? If they cannot resist, how can they be a gentleman? He also said that Confucianism can be used for spiritual practice. If it is used to govern the country, it is purely for food and support."

Zhao Zhen raised his head and said, "Madam, are what he said correct? Back then, the famous Prime Minister Zhao Pu praised Confucianism, and someone took advantage of his influence to say that half of the Analects can rule the world!"

"What did Marquis Dingyuan say?" the Queen Mother asked.

"Marquis Dingyuan said that Confucianism is the foundation of Han culture and is indispensable. But if half of the Analects can govern the world, let them first cure the little things under their own robes and cure the degenerated spine. "

The Queen Mother was silent, and after the official left, she said: "I have never been able to bear to expose the almost innocent weakness of the official, and I was thinking of looking for an opportunity in the future... Unexpectedly, it was the Marquis of Dingyuan." Three days later, Zhao Zhen came out again. palace.

He prepared a rebuttal, but today Li Xian started talking about the situation on the border.

"The rise of Dangxiang is not a good thing for Bei Liao. In the northwest, Song Dynasty and Bei Liao are bordered by Dang Xiang. Bei Liao is also quite afraid of Dang Xiang Li. Do you know about the Three Kingdoms?"

Di Qing shook his head, and Li Xian briefly told the story of the Three Kingdoms, "In the northwest, this is the reappearance of Wei, Shu, and Wu."

"Then who is Wei, Shu and Wu?" Zhao Zhen asked.

"Dangxiang Li's family belongs to the state of Wu, and Northern Liao belongs to the state of Wei."

"Then we..."

"Shu."

Zhao Zhen had a dark face. If he couldn't defeat him, he would definitely have a duel with Li Xian.

Li Xian said: "Dangxiang will become a big trouble for the Song Dynasty."

"Although Dangxiang Li is unruly, Li Deming still obeys the Song Dynasty. Why is there such a big trouble?" Zhao Zhen shook his head.

Di Qing said: "Guan Jia, I think what you said is very true."

"Why?"

"Sir, yesterday I said that the temptation of desire is something that mortals cannot resist. The Li family is gradually becoming more and more powerful and has no one to restrain them. This is the temptation of desire. I thought that the Li family would definitely rebel!"

Zhao Zhen sneered.

Li Xian looked at his disciple with a smile and said softly: "It makes me happy to show off my talents for the first time!"

Before Zhao Zhen left, Li Xian used to study the situation in Dangxiang and asked Zhao Zhen to inquire on the grounds that he must first study Li's character in Dangxiang.

"Check the recent major events of Party Xiang Li Mingde, it must be within the last six months."

The next day, a guard brought the results.

Li Mingde has remained the same recently, but a few months ago Li Deming was suddenly assassinated and the assassin escaped.Afterwards, Li Deming was furious, purged more than ten nobles within, and killed hundreds of people.

At night, Li Xian walked out of the study.

Wang He and the night blended in under the eaves, making it impossible to spot them without paying attention.

Li Xian glanced at him.

For breakfast the next day, Li Xian cut his leg of lamb in half and ordered Xinghua to give it to Wang He.

This is an act of treating Wang He as a family member and a relative.

Wang He ate silently. After breakfast, Li Xian entered the palace, followed silently by Wang He.

Like, a shadow.

……

The palace was very lively, and there was an endless stream of chambermaids carrying various equipment.

"What is this for?" Li Xian asked.

The chamberlain leading the way laughed and said, "Marquis Dingyuan, this is a fasting ceremony!"

"Oh!"

Li Xian remembered that ever since the late emperor felt that he had a special relationship with God, he had frequently performed rituals to communicate with God.

For example, when it came to Feng Chan, Li Xian didn't know where Zhen Zong had the dignity to go to Feng Chan, so he wasn't afraid of God slapping this traitor to death!

Then there is the Zhaijiao. Zhaijiao is not terrible, but the scale and frequency of the late emperor's events are terrible.

Once anything increases in scale and frequency, the cost will increase exponentially.

Li Xian had seen the absurdity of Zhenzong in history books, but he didn't expect that he would pass away and cause harm to the heaven. There are still people in the human world who are continuing his unfinished business.

Prime Minister Feng Zheng, who was standing at the last post, stood up bravely and first said a long peace at home, and then changed the topic and said that the expenses should be measured.

——For the sake of the world, save some money!

But the Queen Mother and the officials said in unison: "This is the intention of the late Emperor."

It is the tradition of the Central Plains that the dead are the most important.

Feng Zheng stepped back. The old man fulfilled his duty and glanced at the others.

Next, this mess is yours.

Whether you should be thankful or have a headache, it has nothing to do with me.

Li Xian was reading at Zhao Zhen's place.

"The official is back."

When Zhao Zhen came in, Li Xian asked, "How is the fasting ceremony going?"

"When the late emperor sent a book from heaven, heaven and man responded to it. Afterwards, auspicious signs appeared frequently in various places, and the officials and people were shocked. They repeatedly begged the late emperor to grant Zen... This is just a reward to heaven."

Under Li Xian's calm gaze, Zhao Zhen spread his hands helplessly, "I have never seen the Book of Heaven, but they said it was shocking."

"Do you need the Heavenly Book to consolidate your position?" Li Xian asked.

Zhao Zhen hesitated for a moment.

"Do you know how much money is spent on fasting and feasting?"

Zhao Zhen nodded, "Huge."

"In that case, you still agree. I want to ask, do you want to be a Taoist priest blessed by God, or do you want to be an emperor of the common people?"

Zhao Zhen was silent.

"Did you know that the world is boiling!" Li Xian's face turned red, he threw the book in his hand, got up and walked out.

"What a farce!"

The last four words reached the ears of the Queen Mother.

"Let Marquis Dingyuan reflect at home."

(End of this chapter)