It is early autumn, and the scholars and people of Xijing will usher in a period of joy and joy. Yankang Street is still bustling with traffic and people, and the Taihe Tower still stands in the most conspicuous street, looking at the imperial city in the distance.

The style inside the building is still very high. The guests are either dignitaries, nobles, or well-known students. The threshold is still so high that not ordinary people can cross it.

Compared with the hustle and bustle of the market, the building is much more elegant and quiet. The melodious sound of the piano is so sweet that the guests can't help but be intoxicated. On the piano table, they are immersed in it. The person playing the strings and playing the piano is a handsome but handsome man.

A middle-aged man with gray hair and stubble.

Of course, he also has an identity that is more concerning to people, that is, the owner of Taihe Tower, Liu Hui, Duke of Wu.

Liu Hui was literally imprisoned by Zongzheng Temple for a whole year. Even though his living conditions were not negligent, the blow to his spirit and mentality was huge. Just looking at the changes in his image and behavior, we can tell that he was sinking.

His temperament can always give people a sense of Qi Qi. When he was in Zongzheng Temple, Liu Hui gave himself another nickname: Qi Ran Jushi.

After being released at the end of his term, he returned to the palace. Liu Hui handed over the power to handle all affairs of the palace to his eldest son Liu Wenyu. If it were not restricted by etiquette, he even wanted to pass on the Duke of Wu in advance.

Liu Hui himself no longer cared about those "mundane affairs", but indulged in sensuality, focusing on drinking, playing the piano, and writing poetry. The once noisy Liuguang Garden had long been lonely, so Liu Hui moved his position to the public house.

Come to Taihe Building.

After years of development, Taihe Tower has become a gathering place for celebrities and dignitaries in Beijing. Of course, there are many similar places in Beijing, and the most special thing about it is that it is also a place for Beijing officials and scholars to discuss as much as they want (key)

The freedom of scale in the place of Taoism (government) is even higher than that in the court. After all, the atmosphere in Taihe Tower is not so serious, and there is no need to worry too much.

And this characteristic is very attractive to many marginalized people who are not in their positions. Because as the reputation spreads, there are also many real dignitaries who come to Taihe Tower to observe and observe. This is a sign of unrecognized talents.

, a platform for self-presentation.

At this time, there were three people arguing in the lobby. Liu Jun, the editor of the History Museum, Yang Yi, the scholar of the Hanlin Academy, and Zhu Qi, the administrator of the Hongwen Academy. All three of them were Ming Jing scholars.

In the Han Dynasty, the older the practical officers, the better. In contrast, those who study scriptures stand out as "you have to be famous early." These three people are still less than thirty, but they have surpassed thousands.

Tens of thousands of "mediocre" people can be said to be the leaders among young scholars.

Yang Yi, in particular, is another child prodigy. He was born in the literary class at the age of seven. At the age of eleven, he wrote the poem "Xi Chao Jing Que" in Beijing, which has become a legend. Moreover, Yang Yi is the only one who has not been scientifically tested in the past ten years.

, people who are awarded Jinshi status directly through interviews at the Hanlin Academy can be described as exceptional promotions. Such people can see their talents and achievements in literature.

Liu Yun was not as astonishing as Yang Yi. After passing the Ming Jing Ke, he also behaved indifferently. During his editing period, he was discovered by Li Fang and brought into the editing team of "Wenyuan Yinghua".

From then on, his talents gradually developed, and he was especially famous for his poetry.

As for Zhu Qi, to put it simply, he is a rising star in the Xiangjiang School. When Emperor Shizu visited the south, he had a conversation with Liao Mingyong, the leader of the Xiang School. He admired their scholarly philosophy of dealing with the world and applied it to the world, so he asked him to recommend some outstanding scholars.

The scholars headed north, thus opening the way for Hunan learning to spread its breakthroughs to the upper class of the Han Dynasty.

The dissemination and development of any school of thought cannot be separated from the support of political buildings. Hunan Studies is also average. After stepping out of the comfort zone of Hunan, its development in Gyeonggi and Kyonggi was not smooth.

Although Shizu's will can be used as an endorsement, Shizu has been away for many years after all. Although Emperor Yongxi Liu Yang admired their monarchical and pragmatic attitude, he did not accept them in full. More importantly, the people in Gyeonggi Province

Among political and academic factions, Hunan studies are extremely rejected.

But even so, Xiangxue has spread to a certain extent in the past few years and has established a firm foothold in the capital. Hunan officials and businessmen raised funds to build a Xiangjiang Guild Hall to spread and teach the concepts of Hunanxue.

The root cause is that many literati have discovered that the Xiangjiang School's approach, even if it flatters the emperor and the powerful, is easy to be recognized by the superiors, and it is theoretically helpful for being an official. And when you are an official, this

But it is the belief of almost all Han scholars.

In the Yongxi year, a group of scholars from Hunan were organized to go north. This Zhu Qi was among the second group. In the spring of the fourth year of the Yongxi period, he ranked first in the Ming Jing Ke in the high school, and he was also a very talented person, especially

He is eloquent and can speak eloquently.

At this time, the three young literary talents were debating the issue of "agricultural officials" that was a commonplace issue in the court. Since the time of King Sejo, both in the government and in the public, public opinion has been on the establishment of agricultural subjects in the imperial examinations and the appointment of agricultural officials in agriculture.

attack.

Obviously, in the minds of a large number of scholars, the imperial court was acting in a perverse way. This move was insulting to politeness. It was juxtaposing Yangchun Baixue with the lower Liba people, and allowing people with lofty ideals and lofty ideals to study farming and mulberry management. This was actually a waste of money.

Boiled Crane with Qin Music

In the simple cognition of some scholars, of course they also recognized the importance of farming and mulberry trees. However, this emphasis is only in words and cannot be put into practice, let alone getting down to the ground and studying seriously. Perhaps, not

It is enough to bully the peasants, ensure that the farming season is not missed, and collect taxes on time and according to regulations.

However, in the current political trend of the Han Dynasty, officials are increasingly required to have knowledge of agricultural production and agricultural technology. From the emperor down, many dignitaries who hold real power are less and less dependent on "poems and classics" to govern the country. This

For traditional Confucian scholars, this is an extremely serious problem and once caused panic.

Of course, there are those who are clinging to the old and conservative, and there are also those who adapt to the times and seek changes, such as the Xiangjiang School, and the Fujian and Zhejiang schools where Yang Yi was born.

Just this summer, at the suggestion of Emperor Liu Yang, Shangshu Ling Lu Duan and Finance Envoy Zhang Qixian presided over the decision to establish the Ministry of Agriculture to take charge of all matters related to agriculture, animal husbandry, fishery and forestry in the world, to further strengthen the authority of the agricultural port from an institutional perspective, and to strengthen the "

The governance concept of "agriculture-based".

Of course, the establishment of a new ministry is also accompanied by changes in the government and the division of powers. Regarding the organizational structure of the Ministry of Agriculture, specific details are still being discussed and implemented, but what is clear is that the powers are basically from the Ministry of Industry and Household Affairs.

It was separated from the Ministry and temporarily placed under the Financial Department like the Accounts Department.

It is conceivable that the power of the Financial Secretary will be further expanded and will become the most powerful department in the Central Committee of the Han Dynasty. No matter how long this situation lasts, at least at this stage, the Prime Minister Zhang Qixian, who also serves as the Financial Envoy, will also have a say in the political affairs hall.

Further improvement also means that the emperor's power continues to increase.

Those who are interested are more concerned about the positions and power opportunities that a new department or a powerful ministry will bring.

What Yang Yi, Liu Jun, and Zhu Qi were debating was precisely the issue behind the establishment of the Ministry of Agriculture, related to increasing the number of agricultural scholars and increasing the assessment of officials' agricultural affairs and knowledge.

As a Hunan scholar, Zhu Qi did not strictly follow the imperial policies, but he always interpreted them from all aspects, and his political stance was particularly firm.

Of course, Yang Yi and Liu Jun did not dare to deny the imperial government's major policies. At least they were very firm in their politically correct attitude towards farming. Their objections focused on agricultural science and agricultural official affairs.

Yang and Liu's views were very clear. The imperial court emphasized agriculture and encouraged production. However, if the power and status of agricultural officials were too high, it would cause dissatisfaction among the scholars and would be detrimental to the stability and harmony of the imperial court, let alone promote

The words of the sage and the way of the sage are followed. How can a "mud-legged man" manage the country well?

In the final analysis, although they are willing to give political status to agriculturists and farmers, they are not willing to share political power.

As for the arguments held by Yang and Liu, Zhu Qi could see through them, because he himself had similar concerns. However, no matter what he thought in his heart, he was a firm "pragmatist" and responded to their arguments one by one.

be refuted.

For example, "In the Spring and Autumn Period, hundreds of schools of thought contended, so the words of peasants are not worthy of the words of saints?";

Another example is “Which is more important, the words of today’s saints or the words of ancient sages?”;

Also, the original intention of the imperial court was to encourage scholars to study agriculture, encourage agriculture, and protect people's livelihood, not the other way around. How can we put the cart before the horse?

Farming is not prosperous and the country is not solid. Small farmers can at least observe the weather and manage their fields, but do not distinguish between grains. They only know how to play with scriptures and cling to the weak. How can they handle government affairs well and implement the government's policy of "rejuvenating the country through agriculture"?

When Zhu Qi became more aggressive, especially after he started to engage in "personal attacks", Yang and Liu were of course not to be outdone. They refuted one by one, quoted classics and were eloquent, which was also their strength. After the anger was aroused, the atmosphere

It's also very lively.

Not only were the onlookers interested and attentive, but Liu Hui, who was playing the piano on the piano platform, moved his hands quickly, and the melodious tunes became more rapid, as if to encourage both sides of the debate.

In the elegant pavilion on the second floor, there is also a special spectator, the pilgrim saint Liu Yang. He has also heard of the name of Taihe Tower for a long time. Before that, Wang Yue, the envoy of the imperial city, reported to him whether he should give a warning. After all,

We are located in the middle of the city, so we are afraid of having a bad influence if we indulge in political discussions like this.

However, Liu Yang refused without any hesitation. The reason was very simple. He followed the royal way and governed the country in an upright way. He always spoke to his subjects. He only worried that the policies and guidelines of the imperial court were not spread far enough and comprehensively enough.

, why be afraid of discussion.

What's more, it's good to have such a place, just to listen to different opinions, draw parallels, and understand through listening. If there are talents and insights, it is also convenient to use.

Liu Yang's insights showed the generosity of an enlightened master. Of course, this was also based on the premise that he was confident enough and could control the situation. Otherwise, how could he be so laissez-faire.

After listening to the emperor's blunt words, Wang Yue not only complimented him, but also asked whether it was inappropriate for Wu Guogong, as a clan relative, to be the owner of Taihe Tower?

Of course Liu Yang understood Wang Yue's implicit meaning, but Liu Yang firstly did not believe that Liu Hui had any ambition or strength to rebel. Secondly, he believed that it was precisely because of Liu Hui's identity that he had just provided such a free theory.

The space of Tao. Of course, if it were Zhao Wang Liu Fang, Lu Wang Liu Ai or even Yan Wang Liu Zhao and Liu Yang, they would not be so open-minded. After all, it is different.

Because of this, it was left unchecked until now. Even today, even Liu Yang couldn't bear the curiosity and went out to inspect the palace in person. After seeing it, he felt very satisfied. It was indeed well-deserved.

Of course, Liu Yang didn't care about the arguments among the three people in the room. These didn't mean much to him. What they said made the quarrel in the court even more fierce.

In contrast, Liu Yang pays more attention to the three debaters themselves. Whether it is Yang Yi, Liu Jun or Zhu Qi, they are all young and handsome people in the Yongxi era. It is precisely because such young talents and scholars continue to emerge.

, the culture of the Han Dynasty has just flourished.

His eyes fell on Zhu Qi, who was fighting against two enemies. A slight smile appeared on Liu Yang's lips, and he sighed: "Zhu Qi is sharp, Yang Yi is upright, and Liu Jun is wise. They are all talents. I heard them arguing,

I feel a little younger and more excited!"

When the attendants heard the emperor's emotion, Wang Dan said: "The great Han Dynasty has gathered many heroes and talented people. This sign of prosperity is also the result of your majesty's hard work!"

"I don't dare to overestimate my merits!" Hearing this, Liu Yang shook his head and said calmly: "So far, I have barely dared to say that the governance of the country is gradually getting on the right track. However, there are always those who start well and those who conquer the end.

As a widow, it’s far from time to relax.”

Seeing what Liu Yang said, Wang Dan felt moved in his heart. He raised his eyes and noticed a few strands of white hair on Liu Yang's temples, and his eyes felt a little warm. As a close minister of the cabinet, he was very aware of the emperor's hard work since he succeeded to the throne.

"Both sides of the debate, each of you will be given 10 gu of money!" Liu Yang gave the order to the chamberlain Zheng Yuan, then waved his hand and said: "Okay, it's time to leave, otherwise I'm afraid someone will recognize you!"

At this time, there were quite a few court officials in the Taihe Tower, and those who were willing to show up were mostly political activists with keen eyesight and smell.

"Yes!" the followers responded.

With a good mood, Liu Yang came and went in a low-key manner. But before leaving, he couldn't help but take a look at Liu Hui, who was performing one-handed piano playing and enjoying wine. He was obviously very intoxicated.

Regarding this, Liu Yang couldn't help but sigh a little. He thought about how much Liu Hui was favored by his ancestors and regarded as a literary star of the Tian family, and how high-spirited, amazingly talented, and outstanding in literary talent Liu Hui was.

It has to be said that Liu Hui, mother and son all have a certain sense of tragedy. Liu Hui's mother, Zhou Shufei, fell out of favor in her early years and died in depression; her younger sister, Liu Xuan, was also stubborn and committed suicide for an unscrupulous consort.

Now that he has fallen into the state of a "walking zombie", Liu Yang feels quite sad when he thinks about it.
To be continued...