The conversation in the tavern made Ye An and Fan Zhongyan feel more sympathetic to each other. Although they had different ideas, this did not prevent them from recognizing each other, and it deepened their personal friendship.
Fan Zhongyan's idea was very simple. According to the inherent Confucian ideas, he should first support Zhao Zhen to rule the country in order to achieve the goal of monarch and ministers co-ruling the world, and then carry out reforms to achieve the purpose of assisting the monarch in striving to govern.
Although Lao Fan's ideas are still a bit out of Ye An's eyes, they are already ahead of many people in this era.
At least he had seen the decline of the Song Dynasty, and the next step was to carry out reforms as a matter of course to achieve the mission of King Yao and Shun.
"To Jun Yao and Shun", this was the thought in the minds of almost all the scholar-bureaucrats in the Song Dynasty. Of course, if one day they saw the real historical data, they would not think that "To Jun Yao and Shun" was such an awesome thing.
Dynasties continue to change, which is the inevitable result of the advancement of Chinese history. If you want to break this closed loop, you need a new way. The scholar-officials of the Han family have been exploring this road for more than a thousand years?
In the long history that followed, they were still groping, but their thoughts and cognitions were trapped in a rule called "Confucianism."
Ye An is different. He has seen many thoughts and seen the truth after practice. He knows the way to break the closed loop, but he also knows how many thorns there are on this road, and he may not even be able to get through it himself.
Fortunately, this era is still a splendid period for Chinese civilization. No matter how far we can go, as long as we can keep going, it will ultimately be a great renaissance, and if we want to go forward, we must carry out a revolution.
Fan Zhongyan was a reformist, and another strongman decades later was also a reformist, but without exception they all failed.
Ye An still admires the old Fan, at least he has not gone to extremes, he is a step-by-step reformer, so Ye An feels that his chance of success will be greater.
What people fear most is stubbornness. It is better to be stubborn on the right path, because you can eventually reach the other side of success. But if you choose the wrong direction from the beginning, then such stubbornness is the beginning of eternal disaster.
After leaving the tavern, Fan Zhongyan kept thinking about what Ye An said. The current dynasty would not accept a change at all, so what was the point of letting the officials take charge in advance?
As for what Ye An said, that he would be expelled from the capital... Fan Zhongyan didn't care at all. Since he was remonstrated with the government, he had plans to be expelled from the capital, so what would happen to his own glory and wealth?
The sky had completely darkened. Fan Zhongyan was sitting alone in the small courtyard of his home and looked up in the direction of the brightly lit palace. At this moment, he felt that Ye An's words were not unreasonable.
He sighed slightly and prepared to stand up, but found that his wife was already standing beside him, her eyes full of sorrow, and she shook her head helplessly. Fan Zhongyan knew that the news of his blunt remonstrance in the court had spread.
"There is no need to worry, madam. You will have a lot of hardships along the way to Beijing with me. How could you be worse off?"
Mrs. Li immediately nodded and said: "What the official said is that we have experienced hardships, and now we are much better than when you were the salt warehouse supervisor in Xixi, Taizhou. The slave family has no other wish than that the official can be in Tokyo."
It’s better to be more stable, I just got a house and a small courtyard..."
Fan Zhongyan laughed dumbly and said: "Don't worry, this house and courtyard is the custom of the imperial court. Since it has been given, it will not be taken away easily. We will come back in the future! Tomorrow we will go to find Mrs. Wang in Osmanthus Alley and ask her to take people with her from time to time. Just come and sweep the dust."
Li looked at her man in surprise and whispered: "I offended the saint this time, can I still come back?"
Fan Zhongyan suddenly looked in the direction of Nanmen Street, and then smiled slightly and said: "It is really extraordinary to meet Ye Hou today. Before leaving, he said that my husband will rise and fall in the court, and I believe it!" "
"Three ups and downs? It's not a good thing. Officials are relieved!"
Fan Zhongyan shook his head and did not answer. He just asked his wife to pack her things quickly. It would be a matter of time before she left Tokyo. There was no need to dwell on it. He remembered what Ye An said today in his heart.
Looking back at the bright moon in the sky again, I can't help but sigh: "No one is a hundred years old in this world. Young people are demented, and old people are haggard. Only in the middle, there are some young people who can't bear to be associated with false reputations. If you ask about white hair, how can you avoid it?"
Fan Zhongyan is already forty years old this year. When he sees Ye An, a young and aristocratic official who is willing to reform, he not only feels recognition but also envy in his heart.
What's more, Ye An's vision and knowledge greatly surprised him, especially his study of objects, which exuded a unique charm. After talking to him for many times, Fan Zhongyan gradually became interested in the study of objects.
In the past few days, Fan Zhongyan would drive to the store of Puhui Trading Co., Ltd. after leaving work. Occasionally, there would be one or two Gwu books in the newspaper shop there, all of which came from the Gwu Yuan in Yejiazhuang.
That academy is very magical. Although it is not well-known in Tokyo, the books it publishes are often bought immediately, and many literati, scholars and scholars are vying to pass them on to read.
Fan Zhongyan had previously read a book called "On the Study of Things", which used various interesting little principles to introduce the connection between the study of things and people's lives. A small part even mentioned the role played by the study of things in government affairs.
Now Fan Zhongyan is a little addicted, and he is afraid that he will not be able to buy these books about objects after leaving Tokyo.
Although many people are opposed to the books on Gewu, these books are always sold out every time they appear. It can be seen that those who oppose are only talking about it. After all, there is no way to quibble in the face of the facts!
There weren't many people in the newspaper shop. It was strange that it was a bookstore but it didn't look like a bookstore. Most of the items sold inside were newspapers, which often recorded summaries of current affairs, some folk anecdotes, or anecdotes, and even some There are some slang words and things like storytelling.
In this way, people who buy newspapers come from all walks of life, including literati and poets, helpers, even shop assistants, idle men on the street, and anyone who is literate likes to buy a copy of the day's newspaper. , at least it can be used as a conversation piece after dinner.
Fan Zhongyan suddenly remembered a joke his wife once told, saying that there was a fool in his Wenchun Lane who walked around the street with a newspaper all day just to make people admire him for being knowledgeable, but he didn't know that he often kept the newspaper upside down. Take it, it actually made a big joke.
But after reading the contents of the newspaper, Fan Zhongyan really admired the brilliance of Puhui Company. Whether you are from Yangchun Baixue or a lower-income person, you can find what you like to read in the newspaper. There is even the almanac of the day printed in the upper left corner of the newspaper. As well as the farming season, it is said that there will be reminders during festivals.
Such a considerate design is really hard to put down. The most important thing is that it is cheap. A newspaper with such rich content only costs five cents. It is not even worth the money of Grandma Cao’s meat pie, but you can see all over the world.
The various anecdotes and government affairs in the court are really a bargain.
After buying more than a dozen newspapers from different times, plus a few books on investigating things, Fan Zhongyan returned home with satisfaction. However, as soon as he arrived home, he saw that his colleagues were already here, and even recommended him as a scholar, Yan Shuyan.
Waiting.
Needless to say, it seems that the imperial court issued an official document and he was relegated and sent out...