The Zuo family has not been rich for a long time, and is not yet considered a wealthy family. It is very simple inside.
Zuo Mengeng's courtyard is very simple, with no decorations, not even personal maids.
Zuo Liangyu did not dote on his son, and always paid attention to training Zuo Mengeng, which allowed Zuo Menggen to develop good martial arts.
Walking into the house and looking around at the familiar environment, Zuo Mengeng finally had time to think quietly.
When people live in this world, they are never short of troubles.
Even if his souls merge and he can see the future, it will not make him feel comfortable.
Since ancient times, there has been no shortage of far-sighted people, but those who can truly ride the waves with the help of trends are rare.
Returning to Zuo Mengeng himself, how to choose the path of life is an even more complex and arduous subject.
This Ming Dynasty is definitely doomed.
The reasons for Ming's death are very complex and are the result of the superposition of multiple factors.
It won't change because of one person, especially the emperor.
Those who wrote online articles described Chongzhen as a wise king who had intentional actions but was unable to save himself, as if the blame for Ming's death did not lie with Chongzhen.
But judging from Zuo Mengeng's inherited knowledge, this view is undoubtedly absurd.
In addition to irresistible factors such as natural disasters, Chongzhen or several emperors in the late Ming Dynasty were definitely the culprits in the man-made disasters that caused the fall of the Ming Dynasty.
In those novels, the land annexation was blamed on the landowners, and Chongzhen was heartbroken but helpless.
I really don’t know how those people studied politics.
What is a feudal emperor?
Representative of the landlord class.
The following landlords, large and small, will annex land, but the leaders of the landlord class will not do so?
What determines what a feudal emperor does is not who the emperor is, what his character is, or what his abilities are, but what determines what the emperor does. It depends on the dragon chair under his buttocks.
Zuo Mengeng knew very well that even Zhu Yuanzhang could not do anything about the chaos in the late Ming Dynasty, let alone Chongzhen.
As long as he is a feudal emperor, he will inevitably follow Ming Dynasty's broken car all the way, and eventually the car will be destroyed and everyone will be killed.
The general trend is such that if we don't break the inherent framework, we can't expect to achieve real change.
To be Zhu Ming's loyal minister and filial son and to turn the tide is definitely a stupid choice.
So just like in the previous life, follow Zuo Liangyu and take advantage of the opportunity of suppressing the peasant uprising to become a great warlord?
Without much thought, Zuo Mengeng rejected the idea.
From his understanding, there is almost no possibility of reforming what Zuo Liangyu did.
This is a thoroughly feudal officer, full of thoughts of promotion and fortune, and preservation of life. If he continues to follow Zuo Liangyu as he did in his previous life, Zuo Mengeng can be sure that his end will not be too good.
Either, as in the original history, surrendering to the Qing Dynasty without a fight with 200,000 old, weak, sick and disabled, and bearing eternal infamy; or, for the sake of the reputation of loyalty, facing the Manchu offensive, they would be defeated and eventually die.
If you want to change all this, you must find a new path.
Even if you rely on others, you will be more confident if you rely on others.
Qin lost its deer, and the whole world chased it away.
Why couldn't this deer fall into his hands?
Fortunately, it was only the first year of Chongzhen's reign, so everything came in time, and there was enough time for him to give it a try.
Zuo Mengeng thought for a long time, gained some insights, and woke up to the sound of footsteps.
After Xu Ruolin had dinner, accompanied by Zuo Xianmei, she ran to find him.
"Aren't you tired? Why don't you rest?"
Xu Ruolin looked at Zuo Mengeng's residence curiously.
This was her first time entering a man's room. Although it was against etiquette, for some reason, she liked the excitement of breaking taboos.
Zuo Xianmei pouted, her displeasure evident on her face.
"I originally said that I invited my brother to meet me in the hall. But Sister Xu said that my brother has worked hard all the way and should come to see me at home."
Really, whose daughter is so unruly and runs to a man’s room?
The granddaughter of the minister of etiquette does not observe etiquette, which is really the most ridiculous thing in the world.
Xu Ruolin couldn't tell, so she turned around and pinched Zuo Xianmei's delicate face, tutting her tongue.
"Hey, I thought I was following a Cao family. You are so self-denial and observant of etiquette. Do you want to build a chastity memorial arch for you?"
Zuo Xianmei was so anxious that she twisted left and right, but couldn't get away.
"How could sister...how could..."
Seeing that his sister was about to cry, Zuo Menggeng had no choice but to act as peacemaker.
"Okay, okay, bullying my sister in front of me is unjustifiable."
Only then did Xu Ruolin let go, turned around, and sat at the table in front of the window.
"You, my sister, are so young that you dare not forget the three obediences and the four virtues. If you get married in the future, you will be bullied to death."
Zuo Xianmei hid behind her brother, not daring to go over and speaking harshly.
"Sister, what you said is wrong. The three obediences and the four virtues are the good rules for women of our generation to live in the world. If you don't abide by the rules of women, you will be criticized by thousands of people and reviled by the world. Only by observing the rules of women can the husband sing and the wife follow, the piano and the harp are harmonious, and the family can be maintained."
Even Zuo Mengeng couldn't stand it anymore.
"Read less messy books and bullshit about the three obediences and the four virtues. You are a human being, a living person. You have to live for yourself, not as someone else's subordinate. If you are not happy yourself, why do you care about the lives of others?"
"Hahaha. Such sincerity is a golden and good word."
Xu Ruolin clapped her hands and laughed, realizing that Zuo Mengeng's words and deeds were really to her liking.
Zuo Xianmei's thoughts were greatly impacted.
"This is what my mother taught me, and these are the rules in those books. Could it be that the words of our elders and sages are also wrong?"
Zuo Mengeng hummed: "Any comments that slander and dwarf women are all rubbish. People are divided into male and female, just like the world is divided into yin and yang. If yin and yang are divided into half, then the way of heaven is balanced. Yang is greater than yin, and yin is greater than yang. It is a paradox.
"
Of course, Zuo Xianmei had seen the Tai Chi Bagua diagram, and naturally knew that the Yin and Yang in that picture were equally divided, and no one side had more.
But this reality made her confused.
"Could it be...could it be that all the books I read were wrong?"
A hint of unbearability flashed in Xu Ruolin's eyes, and she pulled her over with a very gentle tone.
"We women have hands and feet, but can't we support ourselves without relying on men? My sister may not know that she comes from Jiangnan. There are many people and little land there, so farming alone cannot support such a large population.
So many people entered workshops and worked to make money. In many families, even women had to support their families. In those workshops, women reeled silk, weaved cloth, and carried goods, and they were no worse than men."
Zuo Xianmei was dazzled when she heard this for the first time, but Zuo Mengeng sighed: "Jiangnan's economy is truly the best in the world. It's a pity that the wealth created cannot be used to its maximum effect."
After all, Xu Ruolin cannot transcend the times.
"Working in the workshop is just for making money, so how can it be of any use? Yaya said that the most important thing in the world is farming. If farming is not prosperous and the people have no food, the world will be in chaos. In the past few years, Yaya has been obsessed with farming.
, I just hope that everyone in this world can have enough to eat."
It goes without saying that Xu Guangqi's historical achievements need not be elaborated, but Zuo Mengeng is not optimistic about it.
"The natural disasters in these years cannot be resisted by human power. This is because the earth has entered the Little Ice Age, the temperature has dropped, and the rainwater has been unevenly distributed, which has led to continuous famines and people's livelihood."
Xu Ruolin doesn't understand.
"Little Ice Age?"
Zuo Mengeng didn't understand it very well, but he could still explain it clearly.
"Our earth rotates around the sun, and sunlight brings energy to the earth. However, the energy generated by the sun is not constant. At a certain period, the sun's activity will enter a dormant period. At this time, the energy received by the earth is insufficient, and the temperature of the earth
It will be lower and colder, and the growth of crops will be greatly affected."
"is that so?"
Xu Ruolin understood.
"What? The earth revolves around the sun? No... doesn't the sun rise in the east and set in the west?"
Zuo Xianmei didn't understand, but was frightened.
Xu Ruolin explained to her.
"My sister doesn't know that the ground under our feet is not flat, but a huge sphere. This sphere revolves around the sun, and one revolution takes one year."
Zuo Xianmei's face turned pale, because what Xu Ruolin said was too beyond her understanding.
"The earth is obviously flat. Besides, if...if the earth is a sphere, why can't we see it? Also, wouldn't the people on the other side of the sphere be about to fall?"
Xu Ruolin nodded and shook her head.
"The earth is indeed a round ball. Grandpa Guo Jujing said that in his hometown, in the far west, more than a hundred years ago, someone sailed a boat around the earth under our feet and returned to the place of departure. As for the round ball
Why the people on the other side didn’t fall, I don’t know.”
Uncle Newton hasn't been born yet, and gravity hasn't been discovered yet. Of course Xu Ruolin can't explain it clearly.
"Because there is a gravitational force on the ground under our feet that can attract everything to the ground, so people on the other side of the ground will not fall down."
Well, as soon as Zuo Menggeng opened his mouth, the copyright of Gravity was changed.
"gravitational?"
It was rare for Zuo Xianmei to escape, so she raised her foot and stepped on the ground beneath her feet.
"Why can't I feel it?"
Zuo Mengeng smiled slightly, it was not difficult to cite.
"Think about it, why do we eventually fall back to the ground when we jump up? Why do the fruits on the trees fall to the ground when they are ripe? The arrows shot out, no matter how far they fly, will eventually fall back to the ground. What if?
If there is no gravity on the ground beneath our feet, why don’t the fruits float to the sky? Why don’t the arrows that are shot keep flying?”
Of course Zuo Xianmei couldn't understand.
"Because the sky is above and the earth is below, what my brother said will fall to the ground."
Zuo Mengeng shook his head and laughed.
"Up and down are relative. Many times, what we see as up or down is actually the opposite when viewed from another angle."
Xu Ruolin’s evidence.
"For example, I sit to the left of my sister, but to me, my sister is on my right. This is relative, not absolute."
Well, this kind of profound dialectics is really beyond Zuo Xianmei's cognitive scope. Her eyes have begun to have stars, and she probably won't be able to get out of it for a long time in the future.
Xu Ruolin looked at Zuo Mengeng.
"I thought I knew a lot, but I didn't expect you knew even more."
Zuo Mengeng found a reason.
"Linqing is well connected in all directions, and many Western missionaries passed through here. I discussed it with them."
In fact, China in the late Ming Dynasty was not closed, and many Westerners came and went. Especially in Linqing, an important thoroughfare. Xu Ruolin immediately believed what Zuo Mengeng said.
She seemed to have thought of something.
"When I talk about these things to people at home, they are always frightened. Even the father and brother at home, except for the second brother, always denounce these as fallacies and treason. Obviously Yaya is well versed in it, but they
I’m not allowed to learn or speak.”
What a surprise.
The family of Xu Guangqi, who opened his eyes to the world's number one person, was as afraid of Western theories as snakes and scorpions.
That old man must be very lonely!
Thinking of this, Zuo Mengeng couldn't help but feel a little more pity for this pretty girl.
"It's okay. What you know is actually the most reasonable thing. Those who are stuck in their ways are stupid."
Xu Ruolin looked at Zuo Mengeng carefully, as if she wanted to imprint his appearance firmly in her eyes.