Zhou Xian smiled, saying this without any leakage, but it made him feel bad, so he changed the subject and said: "I heard that Kong Yinzhi is not in good health recently?"

Song Zuyi nodded, with a little worried expression on his face. "My father-in-law suddenly suffered from a cold before. He didn't care at first, but it became more and more serious. Now he can't get up."

Zhou Xian nodded, "When it comes time, you can take a leave to Qufu and go to see him on my behalf. Although Wells is a Westerner, he has excellent medical skills. Wang Chen was once the imperial physician of the late emperor, and his medical skills are rare. You can bring the two of them with you when you go and diagnose them well."

Song Zuyi's face was moved, "The lower-ranking official thanked the commander-in-chief on behalf of his father-in-law."

Zhou Xian waved his hand and said, "Master Song, I just read the hometown and name of the scholars who took the exam, and found that there were very few people from the Confucius family in Qufu. Do you know why this is?"

Song Zuyi replied with hesitation and no confidence: "The subordinates don't know. Maybe..., maybe it's because the subordinates are the chief examiners? They don't want to..."

Zhou Xian looked at him with a smile, "Don't you want to give someone a handle if you don't want to be a wise man? You are not very competent as a prefect! Besides, you just organized this exam, and you can't decide the final assessment, so what are you worried about!"

Song Zuyi looked embarrassed and did not answer.

Zhou Xian continued: "I don't think it's because you are the chief examiner. Even if so, it's just a small part of the reason. The main reason is that Kong Yinzhi doesn't want their Kong family to be an official with me!"

Seeing that Song Zuyi looked ugly, Zhou Xian knew that he had guessed correctly, so he sighed softly and said slowly: "Master Song, when you go to Qufu, bring some words to Kong Yinzhi for me."

"Please give orders to the commander."

"Emperors of all dynasties have given more preferential treatment to the Kong family because of respect for Confucius, and have continuously increased their rewards to the Kong family. Nowadays, 80% of the land in Qufu belongs to the Kong family, and there are millions of fertile land in other places. The descendants of the Kong family have tens of thousands of people in Qufu. Even if these people do nothing, they can receive a certain amount of food and silver every month. In terms of inheritance and continuation, the Kong family is undoubtedly the largest family in the world. Even if it is an imperial family, it is difficult to match it. But how did the Kong family come from such a status?"

"It was Confucius who practiced it to the people of the world and promoted benevolence and righteousness. It was to have no distinction between religion and not to distinguish it, and it provided an approach for ordinary scholars. It was Confucius' disciples who spread their branches and leaves and spread etiquette in later generations, making Confucius a role model for all generations. But I ask, is the Confucius family today worthy of such a status?"

Zhou Xian was stern, "As soon as Li Zicheng entered the capital, Kong Yinzhi came to persuade him to enter the court, intending to change the family. In troubled times, the Kong family did not want to provide relief to the victims, but took the opportunity to increase taxes and exploit tenants. In the local area, the Kong family was domineering, bullying the good, and showing the court's laws, and the officials and officials were in nothing. These crimes, if they were in ordinary families, were probably killed countless times. But the Kong family was the Kong family, and no one dared to move them. Because the Kong family was the cultural heritage of the world. Although the Kong family was not good, the status of Confucius as a master of all generations should be maintained."

Zhou Xian turned his head and looked at Song Zuyi, "But the people in the world have supported the Kong family for two thousand years. Shouldn't they do anything to repay the people in the world?"

Zhou Xian picked up the teacup and took a sip of the tea. "I understand Kong Yinzhi's concerns are because now I am just a prince, not the lord of the world. He doesn't want the Kong family to come out as an official, just to prevent him from being implicated in the future after I fail? But did he think that since Confucius, the Kong family has produced several people who are worthy of being famous in history? His son Kong Li is one, Kong Rong and Kong Beihai is one, and then it is gone. Thousands of years of inheritance, dozens of generations, there are fewer celebrities who can be said than ordinary families. Have they never thought about why this is?"

Before Song Zuyi could speak, Zhou Xian continued, "Because they lived a comfortable life. They could enjoy the best things without doing anything every day. In this case, who is willing to strive for progress? But now the situation is different."

Zhou Xian put down his teacup, "Now I am implementing a tax on acre in Shandong, and taxes are imposed on the number of land, not the number of people. At the same time, the law of exemption from Juren, Jinshi and gentry from taxes, and imposes equal taxes on everyone, of course, including his Kong family. The annual tax payment amount of the Kong family should not be a small amount! Your father-in-law seems to be respectful to me on the surface, but in fact he wishes to cut me into pieces!"

Song Zuyi knew that he could not stop talking anymore, so he hurriedly said, "The General Manager is joking. My father-in-law..."

Zhou Xian waved his hand to stop him and said, "You don't have to explain more. I know better than you. Not only him, but now seven or eight out of ten scholars in Shandong may have such ideas. The benefits I enjoyed since the founding of the Ming Dynasty suddenly disappeared. I would be unable to think about it and complain about it if I had to pay food and taxes like ordinary people. Shandong is a hometown of Confucius and Mencius, and the proportion of scholars is higher than other places. However, the six governments in Shandong have only more than 1,600 people to take the exam this time. I am afraid that I would use this to express their dissatisfaction to me!"

Zhou Xian shook his head helplessly, "Scholars should be polite and understand the general, but why don't they know. They pay grain and taxes, and their lives are a little harder at most. But how many people in this world are struggling on the verge of death, selling children and daughters for a meal, but they are still starved to death.

"All right!"

Zhou Xian laughed at himself: "They don't want to come out, so I don't force it. They can't figure it out, so I think slowly. I'm not in a hurry, I'm not in a hurry at all, it seems like I begging them to come out as an official. When you go, I brought him what I just said, and at the same time told him that I will continue to implement the policy of "spending a dime to earn a mu". If he thinks that under this situation, he can still support the tens of thousands of people of the Kong family, I have no objection. But I still think they should practice it like Confucius and do something practical for the people of the world."

Zhou Xian looked up at Song Zuyi and continued, "I will not treat them particularly favorably, but I will give them a fair opportunity. This is what the world should be like. There are more capable people, and origins should not determine everything."

At this moment, three crisp bells suddenly rang outside.
Chapter completed!