Ye An was a little surprised by the mission to appease the deputy envoy. When he followed Fan Yong to Huanzhou, he was also under this mission, and it seemed that he was not less worried!
At first, he relied on his passion, but now Ye An is actually almost thirty-five years old. People at this age have learned to be mature and will not dream of changing the world in one day.
But Fan Zhongyan is an idealist full of illusions. In his opinion, the time has come for him to show his talents. Since he can get the support of the officials, he can just carry out a small attack on the Song Dynasty in the name of this disaster relief.
reform.
The reason why he needs Ye An is because Ye An once reformed the method of making tea. Although it failed in the end, it has to be said that Ye An's new method of making tea was really appropriate and beneficial to the country and the people. Fan Zhongyan later reviewed it carefully
, was so shocked that he specially recruited Ye An as his deputy.
In his opinion, pulling Ye An from the position of Imperial City Secretary to serve as his deputy is helping him. That is a military position. A scholar like Ye An should be a scholar-bureaucrat who assists the country, not an official hawk.
.
Fan Zhongyan didn't know that Ye An didn't care about this. What he cared about was the fundamental changes in the Song Dynasty's system. What he cared about was that his efforts were like a small hammer and a chisel, leaving traces one after another on the deep-rooted system, which ultimately made this impossible.
Changed systems fall apart.
Although the idea was good, Fan Zhongyan simply didn't understand that what he was pursuing was drastic reform.
Can the civil servants who have been working hard in the Song Dynasty court for many years see the systemic shortcomings that Ye An could see?
This is a joke. Whether the civil servants of the Song Dynasty were enterprising or stubbornly conservative, they could find the shortcomings of the operation of this system, but they did not dare to raise it.
Fan Zhongyan was different from them. Although he was middle-aged, he was unconcerned. He only wanted to reform the old system and was aware of the bad government.
After leaving the palace, he took Ye An out for a drink. To him, Ye An was his close friend who had known him for a long time.
Besides, Ye An still has some real skills and experience when it comes to disaster relief. Of course, he should be dragged along to provide disaster relief and talk about his life ideals at the same time.
Don't underestimate the exchanges between people in this era. Sometimes they are so bold that you can't even imagine.
But compared to Fan Zhongyan's enthusiasm, Ye An felt a little uncomfortable. Of course he knew why Lao Fan wanted to pull him back from the position of imperial city secretary to the rank of civil servant, but what about the civil servants and generals? As long as his head is
If there is a gap between China and the People's Republic of China, the reform of the Song Dynasty will not succeed.
Trying to make a country strong just by carrying out political reforms? What a joke!
Politics serves interests, and interests are also the embodiment of politics. The issues involved will be difficult for ordinary people to understand in later generations. It is inevitable that Fan Zhongyan made this mistake.
Literati and officials are all idealists to a certain extent. They imagine some complex things too simply, and they imagine simple things too complicated.
It is enough to simply go and provide disaster relief. Why involve yourself in political means? You have to express your gratitude to him, in line with the etiquette of a civil servant.
Of course, Ye An was quite touched by this proactive help. After all, the two parties did not have much contact, they only saw each other off once and exchanged letters several times.
The most discussed topic was the reform that Ye An was most concerned about. He mainly wanted to understand Fan Zhongyan’s thoughts and purposes on the reform.
But he avoided almost all the core issues, which shows that fundamentally Fan Zhongyan still affirms the system established by Taizu Taizong, using culture to control military force.
He couldn't reach out to hit the smiling person, not to mention that the person helped him. Ye An would never refuse Fan Zhongyan's kindness.
Fan Zhongyan chose "Shiweitian" on Nanmen Street to drink. He said that he had a special liking for the crispy roast duck here. Seeing his cunning look, Ye An knew that this guy was planning to take him to his own shop to eat for free.
The two of them had a great time eating at Shiweitian. Their boss came in person, and the shopkeeper and waiters of Shiweitian entertained them attentively.
Appetizers and signature dishes were served continuously, regardless of whether the two of them could eat them. Fan Zhongyan stared at them and said they were extravagant, while he devoured the slices of roast duck.
Ye An rolled his eyes helplessly. Even if this order is extravagant, what does Kou Zhun's behavior back then count?
The two parties had some simple exchanges. Fan Zhongyan did not think that the disaster relief was serious. On the contrary, he focused more on using this disaster relief to reform the tax system of the Song Dynasty that had long been ill-favored.
His main purpose was to drag Ye An to Shu. Fan Zhongyan was well aware of the sufferings of the people in the Jianghuai area. He belonged to Jianghuai when he was demoted to Chenzhou.
After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Fan Zhongyan's mouth was full of oil and he was gargling with tea. Ye An discovered that most of the civil servants in the Song Dynasty were foodies. This is not a derogatory term. These scholars knew how to live and enjoyed eating while eating.
There is nothing to belittle about life. Everyone has the right to pursue a high-quality life. What’s wrong with eating something good without stealing or robbing?
With such a high salary, it is natural to eat well. The pursuit of appetite is the simplest pursuit of people of any era.
Fan Zhongyan is quite frugal, and there is nothing he can do about it if he is not frugal. Old Fan has a large family! In addition to his own family, he also has to supplement his adoptive father's Zhu family from time to time.
It's not that you can't eat the food you want, you just don't want to spend extravagantly. You don't have to be polite if you catch Ye An, a rich man, today.
Ye An smiled bitterly in his heart. If Fan Zhongyan paid for it at Shiweitian, he would lose all his face. This guy dragged him to Shiweitian because he paid for it himself!
Fan Zhongyan said with a smile: "Ye Houmo doesn't think Fan is a petty person. It's just that Yingtian Academy recently purchased books, and I... hehe... I'm short of money!"
Upon hearing this, Ye An stood in awe and said: "Fan Gong is worried about my disciple Ye An's admiration. It's just a meal, why should Fan be so polite!"
"I'm not being polite, I'm just asking for something..."
"Huh? What does Mr. Fan mean by this?"
Old Fan rubbed his hands and said, "I heard that your bookshop prints books cheaply, and a book worth ten guan costs only one guan, so why don't I come to you for a convenience?"
Print a book?
"Wait, that's not right!" Ye An looked at Fan Zhongyan in surprise and said, "Isn't this why you invited me to dinner? Or am I paying for it and printing books cheaply for you?!"
Fan Zhongyan, who had always been shameless, couldn't help but blush and said: "Didn't Marquis Ye often say that the study of studying things is a study that benefits the people?"
Fan Zhongyan's words did not bother Ye An. Looking at Fan Zhongyan who looked upright, he couldn't help but come up with a good idea: "If Mr. Fan has something to say, Ye will naturally obey him, but Mr. Fan should speak out and impartially. The study of studying things is a good thing."
study?"
Fan Zhongyan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "Of course he is good at learning, but you also know that in this world only Confucianism is the most important learning. Although the study of studying things is good, it cannot pass the imperial examination, and it cannot educate people's hearts, so it falls into the lower realm.
!”
Ye An looked at Fan Zhongyan strangely and said: "Why don't you want to learn the study of Buddhism after learning Confucianism? Are the two incompatible? If Mr. Fan wants to learn it, I can teach you!"
Fan Zhongyan asked curiously: "How can a certain person learn the study of objects even though he is a monk halfway through? He has never been a craftsman before!"
Ye An was so angry that he wanted to curse. When did the study of objects become regarded as the knowledge of craftsmen?
Although he was dissatisfied, Ye An still smiled and explained: "The study of objects is the study of the essence of things. How did it become the study of craftsmen? Astronomy and earth are also considered studies of objects, and so are the stars in the universe.
Why do you think this kind of knowledge is also the knowledge of craftsmen? Furthermore, what is wrong with craftsmen? Without skilled craftsmen, the country would not be so prosperous. You and I both know that, but you just don’t want to admit it!