"Mr. Gu, "Jinling Gongbao" is willing to give fifty silver dollars to please Mr. to clear the names of women in the world! If Mr. is willing to sign his real name, the polishing fee can be increased to one hundred silver dollars."
Before a newspaper even got a license, the editor-in-chief came to request articles in person.
Gu Yanwu was not interested in this: "I'm not in the mood to write, you can ask someone else to do it."
The editor-in-chief thought that there was not enough money, so he said: "Mr. Gu can set the price himself. No matter how much money, I can go back to Bingming's boss."
"Don't write, don't write, let's see the guests off!" Gu Yanwu called Changsui to drive the people away.
After driving the editor away, Gu Yanwu returned to his study alone, staring at his original manuscript of "On Counties and Counties" in a daze.
Although he had surrendered to Emperor Zhao very early, he had been compiling books in the Hanlin Academy.
Just a few days ago, he submitted his masterpiece "On Counties and Counties" to the emperor for review.
Zhao Han's Zhu Zhu said: I have read it, but it doesn't make sense. I ordered the Ministry of Civil Affairs to find a vacancy for this guy and send him to be a county magistrate. After serving as a county magistrate for three years, I will revise the "Treatise on Counties and Counties".
These few instructions shocked Gu Yanwu so much that his confident masterpiece was actually dismissed by the emperor as "nonsense."
During the Tang Dynasty, Liu Zongyuan wrote an article "On Feudalism" to refute some people at that time who wanted to abolish prefectures and counties and restore feudalism.
The general content of "On Feudalism" is:
In the primitive stage, human beings lived together with wild beasts and had to use tools to survive. At this time, it was necessary to find someone who could distinguish right from wrong and lead people to resist natural disasters and wild beasts. Around this leader, groups were formed, and the group size was large.
After that, armies were produced, leaders, laws and decrees were produced.
In the long-term war, the people of various ethnic groups needed stronger leaders, so princes were created. The emergence of a large number of princes triggered larger-scale wars, which required stronger leaders to settle matters, so Fang Bo appeared.
, leaders of princes such as Lian Shuai. By analogy, the emperor finally appeared.
Liu Zongyuan also proved that feudalism was the primary stage of political form through his discussion from ancient times to the Han and Tang Dynasties. Feudalism was not the original intention of the saints, but followed the social status of the time. The emergence of the county system was the result of the collapse of the feudal system and was in line with the society.
Develop regularly.
Gu Yanwu's "On Counties" is obviously based on Liu Zongyuan's "On Feudalism" and further discusses that the county system is on the verge of collapse and needs to be reformed again!
Gu Yanwu said that the ills of the feudal system broke out, which led to the emergence of the county system. Now, the ills of the county system also broke out in the late Ming Dynasty. It can be speculated that the county system will also collapse. But it needs to change back to the feudal system.
Is it? No, feudalism is a backward thing. If it wants to change, it should be changed forward, not backward.
He also discussed that the shortcoming of the feudal system was that power was too decentralized. The shortcoming of the county system was that power was too concentrated, and the emperor was highly centralized and separated from the masses. Therefore, the county system must be the foundation and some elements of the feudal system should be added.
The two phases are reconciled to achieve a balanced state of centralization and decentralization.
There is nothing wrong with the above content, but when the details unfolded next, Zhao Han successfully commented that "it makes no sense".
Gu Yanwu said that the county magistrate should be changed to a county magistrate, and promoted from the seventh rank to the fifth rank. The county magistrate must be familiar with the local customs and customs, and there is no need to stick to the rules of being an official in a different place. Let the county magistrate try to serve for three years, and then be evaluated for his competence and then be promoted. And
If you work for three years and pass the examination, you can be called a parent official. If you work for another three years, if you pass the test, the emperor should praise you. If you work for another three years, if you are still qualified, the county magistrate will be given a salary increase and appointed as a lifelong county magistrate. If you retire due to old age and illness,
You can recommend the next county magistrate. The retired county magistrate works as a consultant in the county and is paid until death. The recommended person also has a three-year probation period. When several counties are merged into one county, the prefect also serves a three-year term.
…
After reading this article, Zhao Han didn't want to read any more and ordered Gu Yanwu to be thrown out as the county magistrate to let him feel the specific situation.
He was a dignified doctor from the Hanlin Academy, but he was sent out to be a county magistrate. Gu Yanwu was extremely depressed about this, not because his official position was too small, but because he was treated as a straw bag by the emperor.
Because in "On Counties and Counties", Gu Yanwu himself said that most of the former Ming scholars were idiots and that preferential policies must be cancelled. Even if you pass the imperial examination, you cannot directly become a county magistrate. You need to start as a miscellaneous official or a minor official. He can't see it
The emperor obviously did not like the scholar who came to Ming Dynasty...
Taking the original manuscript of his article, Gu Yanwu went out to visit his friends and soon found Huang Zongxi who was on vacation.
After Huang Zongxi read "On Counties and Counties", he immediately couldn't laugh or cry, and commented: "Brother Ning Ren, you are working behind closed doors. If you let someone who is familiar with the local customs and customs be the county magistrate, your relatives, tribesmen and friends will be under his rule. In the long run, it will inevitably become entangled. More
What's more, the county magistrate is allowed to hold this position for life, and even if he retires, he will still serve as the county's minister (consultant). He can only be the county magistrate for the rest of his life and cannot be promoted. No matter how noble a person is, he will take power and greed for money because he cannot be promoted.
"
Gu Yanwu explained: "First, county magistrates in various places must have both moral character and moral integrity; second, the imperial court must constantly assess their political performance."
Huang Zongxi asked: "Even if the county magistrate is both virtuous and virtuous, his tribesmen friends are also virtuous? What should he do if his tribesmen friends, under the guise of the county magistrate, embezzle and bend the law in the county? Furthermore, how will the imperial court assess the imperial court?
How can Shi supervise this? It’s unrealistic!”
The political structure envisioned by Gu Yanwu was to use counties as the basic units to decentralize the power of the central government, thus improving the shortcomings of centralization.
It's a good idea, that's all.
Gu Yanwu said: "Since a person with both moral character and moral integrity serves as a county magistrate, if a friend of the tribe commits an offense, he must enforce the law impartially!"
Huang Zongxi sighed and said: "Brother Ning Ren, you'd better be a county magistrate yourself first. After you have been a county magistrate for a few years, you will know the depth of it."
Gu Yanwu hesitated to speak. He understood what Huang Zongxi meant and felt like the emperor that he was ignorant of practical matters.
It would be awkward to continue talking, so Gu Yanwu changed the subject: "What article is Brother Taichong writing?"
Huang Zongxi said: "Jiangning Business Daily made an appointment for me to speak for the woman. I don't have to use my real name, and I can get 60 silver dollars as a polishing fee."
Gu Yanwu muttered: "You are worth 10 yuan more than me."
"Dong dong dong!"
"Come in."
A boy of sixteen or seventeen years old pushed open the door and said, "Teacher, the student is going out to visit friends and may not come back for dinner at night."
"Go." Huang Zongxi said.
"Student, please leave." The young man bowed and left, closing the door behind him.
Gu Yanwu asked: "This student lives in your home?"
Huang Zongxi sighed: "It's also pitiful. This son is extremely intelligent, but he is implicated by his father and will not be able to be an official in the future."
"What case?" Gu Yanwu asked curiously.
Huang Zongxi said in detail: "His name is Yan Ruochu, his courtesy name is Bai Shi, and his ancestral home is Taiyuan. His father was a salt merchant in Yangzhou. He was squeezed out by Hui merchants and could not gain a foothold in Jianghuai, so he went to Changlu to run a salt farm. Last year, the imperial court rectified the salt affairs in Jianghuai.
Changlu Salt Affairs also followed suit, and several criminal salt merchants were investigated and punished. His father was sentenced to exile in Heilongjiang, his salt industry license was revoked, and his descendants were not allowed to be officials for three generations. This child has always been among the best in Jinling University, and his future was given to him by his father.
It’s ruined. He no longer attends classes seriously, but privately worships me as his teacher and learns things that are not available in class.”
Gu Yanwu sighed: "It's such a pity."
The topic changed and Gu Yanwu asked: "Why did brother Taichong get involved in the women's imperial examination?"
Huang Zongxi smiled and said: "There is money to be made for polishing pens, why not get involved? The women's imperial examination will not make a difference. You and I are both part-time teachers at Jinling University and know the situation in the school. Every year when freshmen enter, there are ten or twenty
Female students. But by the second year of college, the number of female students has been reduced to half, and they have all dropped out of school and gone back to their hometowns to get married. By the third grade, there are very few female students who are still studying. There are at most one female student in a class who can graduate normally.
Two, sometimes even none. What can happen if so few women take part in the imperial examination?"
"Indeed." Gu Yanwu nodded.
Huang Zongxi said: "In the future, I am afraid that the number of female college students who can graduate will not increase, but will decrease."
"Why is there such a conclusion?" Gu Yanwu asked.
Huang Zongxi said: "Officials from the Ministry of Rites suggested that middle schools should be changed to four years, and His Majesty seems to agree. In this way, many middle school courses can be added, making middle school graduates more knowledgeable. It can also make middle school graduation more difficult.
, to offset the pressure of the increasing number of students every year. Even though middle school only adds one year, the marriageable age of a woman is only a few years. If a woman studies for one more year, it will become increasingly difficult to find a husband. Even if she has already made a decision,
If the marriage is arranged, the husband’s family will not allow the girl to hang out in school for too long.”
"Well, let me write an article, too. It's really hard for a woman to finish college." Gu Yanwu felt pity.
The situation of women’s basic education has also undergone tremendous changes.
The primary school dropout rate for girls from lower-income families is getting higher and higher because the government is not strict about it. Since the government does not care, for parents, there is no need for girls to read so many books. Girls can only read and write letters and count accounts.
.
However, the middle school enrollment rate of girls from wealthy families continues to rise. The number of private girls' schools is increasing. The rich are keen to send their daughters to middle school, so that they can get married after middle school. In some developed areas, girls' middle schools
Graduation (or dropping out of school) has become a standard requirement when discussing marriage. A lady who has not completed middle school will be looked down upon by families of the same class, and it is even difficult to find a well-matched husband.
Women's education is completely deformed.
Huang Zongxi and Gu Yanwu were busy writing articles in Huang's house.
Huang Zongxi's student Yan Ruocha took a leisurely stroll towards the Gongyuan. He had lost the qualifications to be an official, and his family had a lot of money. Now he just did as he pleased and devoted himself to studying the knowledge he liked.
Yan Ruochu in history, Mao Qiling, the hard-steel troll on the front, made Mao Qiling speechless. Gu Yanwu took the work and went to Yan Ruochu to discuss it. Yan Ruochu suggested modifying some contents, and Gu Yanwu was convinced and made the modifications.
The economist (let's call him that) Wang Yuan in the early Qing Dynasty was Yan Ruochu's student.
Another teacher of Wang Yuan was Yan Yuan, a great Confucian in the early Qing Dynasty who openly supported women's rights that day at Fanlou.
By coincidence, in this time and space, Yan Ruochu and Yan Yuan met in advance and became friends with Tang Zhen from Sichuan.
Arriving at the inn where the two friends were staying, Yan Ruochu said: "Two wise brothers, don't write any more articles about women's imperial examinations. Foolish brothers, there are more important national affairs here. If the three of us can discuss things properly, we can be officials without the imperial examination.
Maybe I can make an exception and become an official."
"What major national event?" Yan Yuan asked.
Yan Ruochu said: "Today's industry and commerce, especially the textile industry, the court's planning is wrong. Although private businessmen are correcting and offsetting this mistake on their own, the corresponding tax system and official system have not been adjusted accordingly."
Tang Zhen smiled and said: "It is indeed a big deal!"
(There is an Easter egg chapter at the end of the chapter. I don’t know if it will pass the review this time.)