After Shen Shixing's greeting card was delivered to him, Gao Pragmatic, who had led the Pan Sheng impeachment incident, finally felt relieved.
Shen Shixing, the dignified first assistant, has too many things to do at this moment. Of course, it is not because he is greedy for the scenery of the White Jade Tower that he really wants to go with him to enjoy the flowers, the moon and the autumn fragrance.
Shen Shixing took the initiative to ask for a visit, and the only possibility was for peace talks. Gao Pragmatism was absolutely sure of this.
Although it is unclear what conditions Shen Yuanfu intends to offer in exchange, one thing is clear: as long as he comes to talk in a hurry, the initiative in this matter will be in his own hands.
Of course, negotiations are negotiations. The other party is his "teacher" after all, and the superficial work that should be done must still be done. Therefore, Gao Pragmatic immediately sent someone back to inform Bai Yulou to make some preparations for entertaining guests, but there is no need to elaborate on these things.
.
Gao Pragmatic is in charge of the Beijing camp, but the Beijing camp not only includes the newly formed Imperial Guards, but also the farmers, craftsmen and other departments mentioned before. He doesn't have to worry about having nothing to do. He has been discussing with Zhu Yingzhen and others these days.
Make good use of these people and create greater profits.
Using the country's "economic and institutional army" to create profits is a highly pragmatic thing. He not only dares to do it, but also dares to say it. Not only does he do it publicly, but he also says it publicly - under the banner of "Inheriting the Taizu
Legacy".
What kind of legacy did Taizu have? He actually used the army to make money?
There really is.
Taizu said that he could raise millions of soldiers without costing the people a meter or millet. In other words, Taizu's legacy was that the army should support itself.
Since they want to support themselves, making money is of course a legitimate behavior. There is no reason why they can build military camps but not other things.
Therefore, now that the Beijing camp has begun to divide labor and the Imperial Guards have assumed almost all regular combat tasks (whether this task exists or not), then of course the remaining people should take on the task of making money to support the army.
This is the truth, and Gao Pragmatic also arranged the plan in this way. However, he only told the court that Jingying would do its best to support himself, but he did not say the specific standards, nor did he say what should be done if there was still surplus after supporting himself.
what to do.
No one in the imperial court, from the emperor to the officials, noticed the hole Gao Pingshi dug in his words.
However, there is no need to go into detail about this in advance. Let us first talk about the meeting between Gao Pragmatic and Shen Shixing.
Gao Pragmatic went straight back to Baiyulou after taking off duty. Although Shen Shixing did not express his intention to come to his place for dinner, considering that the city was closed and curfewed at night during the Ming Dynasty, he estimated that Shen Shixing would not stay long even if he had a special status.
Outside the city, the chance of coming for dinner is very high, so I better go back and wait.
Not long after, a cavalryman came to tell him that Shen Yuanfu's chariot had left Deshengmen and was heading towards Baiyu Tower.
Gao Jingshi saw that there were three thousand armed servants in Xinzhai, so of course he had no worries about not being able to find out about this. Therefore, as long as Shen Shixing left the city, he was already under Gao Jingshi's surveillance. This news was definitely certain.
Gao Pangshi immediately ordered a banquet to be prepared. However, considering that Shen Shixing probably had no intention of eating and drinking, the banquet was divided into two parts. He and Shen Shixing had a small banquet alone, while a large table was set up for the people of the Shen family.
During the banquet, the two seats were completely separated.
When Shen Shixing arrived, Gao Pragmatic had already opened the middle door and stood in front of the door to greet him. His "student" attitude was extremely good, which gave Shen Shixing enough face as the seat master.
"The student has seen his teacher."
As soon as Shen Shixing got off the sedan, Gao Pingshi went up to greet him and bowed: "The presence of Master, really makes this humble house shine."
"It's so polite to be honest." Shen Shixing seemed to have a good demeanor as a prime minister. He even smiled and made a joke: "If your white jade building is still a 'humble house', I'm afraid no one can live in my house."
Gao Pingshi smiled and said: "Master, you are criticizing the student. The student knows that he is wrong." Then he stretched out his hand and said, "Master, please come in."
As Shen Shixing walked, he shook his head and said, "I'm not criticizing you. In terms of your wealth, you only have two properties, Jianxinzhai and Sanshenyuan, which are already very valuable. As far as I know, the honors of the two capitals in the north and south
Among the relatives, I don’t know how many families have more than a dozen or even dozens of villas. I heard that the Duke of Wei built another garden last time, and spent more than 100,000 taels, but it was only less than half completed... You White Jade Tower spends a lot of money.
How much silver is it?”
Gao Pragmatic didn't shy away from it and replied: "About two hundred thousand taels before and after."
"Huh?" Shen Shixing looked around in surprise, especially at the tall main building complex, and said with some disbelief: "This white jade building only cost two hundred thousand taels? To be honest, don't deceive me because I don't know how to do it.
ah."
Gao Pragmatic had no choice but to explain to Shen Shixing the principles he had explained to Zhu Yijun before, and then sighed: "In fact, students have always adhered to a point of view: things should be done well and money should be spent less."
"Oh, this is not easy." Shen Shixing chuckled.
Gao pragmatically introduced Shen Shixing into the small banquet hall, pulled out a chair for him personally, and asked him to sit down. He smiled and replied: "Master, I don't know. These things seem difficult, but in fact they are easy. It's just that sometimes it has to be done."
Look at it from another angle and don’t fall into the shackles of previous experience.”
"Really?" Shen Shixing narrowed his eyes slightly and asked thoughtfully: "Since it is the experience of our ancestors, why has it become a shackles?"
Gao pragmatic pretended not to understand what he meant, but replied: "The teacher asked this question, the student does have some foolish opinions, so I will use the White Jade Tower as an example."
Of course, this was not what Shen Shixing wanted to hear, but Gao Pragmatic said this, and he could not object, so he nodded slightly and said, "I would like to hear Gao's opinion."
Gao Pingshi said: "People in the world use precious wood as the best material for building houses, but they don't know that although the wood is good, it is difficult to use for hundreds of years. Students study Western history and culture and find that although Westerners are not as good as China in matters of Taoism, their
Regarding construction, ingenuity and other matters, it is quite impressive.
For example, in this house, we in China have mostly used wood in the past dynasties. We consider it from the perspective of the five elements and the harmony of yin and yang. However, Westerners pursue eternity. As early as the Qin Dynasty (Rome) in the West, the country's architectural masters proposed "sturdiness, practicality,
"Beauty is the three major principles, so Westerners have many ancient buildings that have been passed down to this day. But we in China have no such situation - the name of Alpang Palace is famous all over the world, who has seen it?"
Shen Shixing frowned slightly: "Qiu Zhen, since you are the number one scholar in the Sixth Ranking, you naturally know the principle of the interdependence of the five elements and the harmony of yin and yang. Don't you... but you don't agree?"
This question is very interesting. The highly pragmatic White Jade Tower is famous in Kyushu, but so far few people have imitated Western architecture like the White Jade Tower. Only in Annan, or Annan's Annan Guild Hall in the capital, can there be some imitations.
In fact, the emphasis on earth and stone in ancient Chinese architecture and in the West is not a big difference in architectural level, but a matter of cultural orientation.
Westerners have a special interest in stones. In ancient Greek mythology, humans who suffered a great flood were recreated through stones. Stone is the material that created human beings, so it is reasonable to use stones to build the most important buildings.
Apprentices in the Middle Ages were regarded as uncarved stones, while those who achieved success were regarded as pillars. Therefore, it can be speculated that in the cultural symbol genealogy of Westerners, stones are at a higher level.
Layers, such as altars in Western temples and churches, are all carved out of stone.
The situation in China is different. The ancient Chinese emphasized Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. The five materials in the Five Elements, gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, correspond to the five directions (west, east, north, south, and center).
Among them, earth represents the center, representing the earth that carries all things and nourishes all things. Therefore, earth virtue has a very high status. For example, the three halls of the Forbidden City in the Ming Dynasty, which symbolized the "center", were built on the triple "earth" shape.
On the white marble platform base, the Sheji altar representing the country is also symbolized by "five-color soil".
Wood among the five elements represents spring, the east, and the power of life and growth.
In addition, gold in the five elements symbolizes the west, as well as force and punishment. Therefore, all buildings related to martial arts, such as the Wuying Hall in the Forbidden City and the Xuanwu Gate in the inner city of the capital, are located on the west side of the central axis of the city or palace.
The water in the five elements symbolizes the north. The Qin'an Hall at the northern end of the central axis of the Forbidden City is dedicated to the water god Xuanwu the Great, and also symbolizes the aversion to fire. In addition, the caissons are decorated inside the building, and the owl kisses are used on the roof of the building.
All have the symbolic function of aversion to fire associated with water.
Therefore, it is obvious that among the five most respected materials represented by the Chinese people in the Five Elements, only the remaining earth and wood are the most suitable for building houses for "people" to live in. Therefore, the basic materials of ancient Chinese architecture are "
"Earth". People live in a space carried by "earth" (pedestal) and surrounded by wood (pillars, beams).
Faced with Shen Shixing's question, Gao Pragmatic smiled and said calmly: "I wonder if the teacher knows the student's name and its meaning?"
Shen Shixing's frown deepened. Of course he knew what it meant to be pragmatic and truth-seeking, but he didn't expect Gao Pragmatic to really take this very seriously.
He asked in a deep voice: "The five elements are interdependent and the yin and yang are in harmony. Isn't it true and true?"
Gao Pragmatic was not as serious as him, but chuckled and said: "Maybe it's true, maybe it's true, but the teacher may have misunderstood the student's meaning."
"What do you mean?" Shen Shixing still looked very serious at this time. Perhaps in his mind at this moment, this conversation already had the meaning of maintaining orthodoxy.
But Gao Pragmatic said simply: "The student's meaning is very simple: avoid waste."
Shen Shixing was stunned: "Avoid waste?"
"Yes." Gao pragmatically said: "Zhu Zi said: A porridge and a meal, when you think about the difficulty of getting there; half a thread, half a thread, constant thoughts on the difficulty of material resources. It should be noted that wooden buildings are not easy to preserve, and if they want to last long, they cannot be renovated from time to time.
Not to mention other things, the three main halls, how many times have they been renovated in the past two hundred years, and how much money has been spent?
Although students are rich, they dare not waste material resources. They are willing to ignore the imbalance of the five elements and the adjustment of yin and yang, and just set an example for the people of the world. As long as the house is economical and durable, it is good. If there is still some money left, then consider the beauty;
If you don’t have any money left, it’s just a place to stay, so why worry about so much? This is pragmatism and truth-seeking.”
At this time, Shen Shixing had nothing to say. As Gao Pragmatic said, he was wealthy enough. Even if Jianxinzhai was made of earth and wood, it would not be a big deal for him to renovate Jianxinzhai once a year. Now he would rather live in a "heap"
"Stone" is using itself as an example to call on people in the world to seek truth and be pragmatic. What else can be said?
According to what he said, it's not that he doesn't understand, he is saving material resources for the people of the world - this is simply what a saint does!
Shen Shixing was speechless for a moment, and finally felt that he shouldn't waste time on this matter. He simply nodded his head as acquiescence, then brought the topic back to the things he cared about, coughed dryly, and asked: "In recent days, the DPRK and China have
Quite disturbing..."
Unexpectedly, as soon as these words were spoken, Gao Pingshi took over, chuckled, and said, "I wonder if the teacher is talking about Mr. Pan Ge's affairs or Wei Butang's affairs?"
"Uh..." Shen Shixing faltered, coughed awkwardly, and whispered: "This is all a bit disturbing."
Gao Pragmatic laughed and said: "The students have already expressed their attitude towards these two matters just now."
When Shen Shixing heard the words, he was startled and asked in surprise: "When?"
Gao pragmatically raised his eyebrows slightly: "That's the student's name."
Shen Shixing said in astonishment: "What does your name have to do with these two things?"
Gao Pragmatic looked helpless and said: "Master, although the student just talked about architecture, it also explained the student's attitude towards things."
Seeing that he was not joking, Shen Shixing couldn't help but ponder. After a moment, he frowned and said, "Of course you have 'surplus money', so now you not only require 'economical and durable', but also 'beautiful'?"
It seems that Shen Shixing now understands the purpose of Gao Wuzhi's "gossip" about construction just now. In other words, Gao Wuzhi now not only wants appearance, but also face.
Based on Shen Shixing's understanding, Gao Pragmatic's implication was that not only did he want Pan Sheng's position, but he also had to legitimately "win" in this competition.
Shen Yuanfu looked at Gao Pragmatic who smiled and said nothing, and felt unhappy for a while, but he did not dare to show it at this time. He just asked in a deep voice: "Can we talk about Pan Xinchang?
I think there is no need to talk about people's affairs."
Hey, you, Shen Yuanfu, also know how to "pay the price on the spot"?
Gao pragmatic smiled: "Let's do it one by one... How does the Prime Minister think Pan Xinchang's matter should be discussed?"
Shen Shixing did not dare to look at him. He turned his eyes and sighed: "I'm afraid not everyone can accept Gao Wenzhenggong's disciples."
Gao Pragmatic understood that the bottom line of the Xin School was that Pan Sheng's position could not be filled by a direct official of the Practical School.
He was not in a hurry, just smiled and asked: "Who does Yuan Fu think is suitable?"
Shen Shixing didn't talk nonsense this time and said straightforwardly: "Wang Shanyin."
Gao pragmatically said: "Just follow the teacher's instructions."
The "shanyin" mentioned by Shen Shixing here is not Shanyin in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, but Shanyin in Shuozhou, Shanxi. Wangshanyin is Wangjiaping.
However, Wang Jiaping has a very strong character. Although he is from Shanxi, he is not a member of the Jin Party in the actual sense. Instead, he is more like a neutral faction. This is why Shen Shixing proposed Wang Jiaping to replace Pan Sheng.
The reason why Gao Pragmatic agreed was that although Wang Jiaping had a strong personality and was not a serious member of the party, he was from Shanxi after all and had no good impression of officials in the southeast. If he were replaced, he would still have a chance to win in major events.
to win over him.
Moreover, since he is from Shanxi, once he goes up, the outside world will still think that this is the victory of the Pragmatic School, and he will gain the "face" that Gao Pragmatic just mentioned.
Although Shen Shixing was a little worried that there might be some fraud in Gao Jingshi's straightforward promise, but it was not his style to go back on his word after he had already said it this far, so he could only say: "Then what Wei Jingyang mentioned...
…”
Gao pragmatically said calmly: "As long as the teacher can promise the student something, then the student can be a mediator for An Gong and persuade him to be cautious."
Shen Shixing quietly took a deep breath and asked, "I wonder what Qiuzhen is talking about?"
Gao pragmatically said: "The imperial court's affairs will be handled by the imperial court, and the shopping mall's affairs will be handled by the shopping mall."
Shen Shixing opened his mouth, but seemed to be hesitant. He hesitated for a moment and then said: "Such a big matter, I'm afraid it's not easy to solve it in the mall, right?"
Gao pragmatic shook his head and said, "How will you know if you don't try?"
Shen Shixing hesitated for a long time, but seeing that Gao's pragmatic attitude had not softened at all, he sighed: "The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead... It's up to you."
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