Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 553: There is no immortal dynasty

The reform of the imperial examination system was like stirring up a hornet's nest. Even though the emperor hid in the Dragon Head Palace, he could not completely get rid of the siege of his ministers.

Especially the old people with gray hair who trembled when they walked, they risked their lives and chose to sit in silence in front of the gate of Longshou Palace.

Liu Hong wanted to keep this group of people out of the palace, but just as he had this thought, a scene that made his scalp tingle appeared outside the Daxia Gate.

"You don't know, these great scholars are capable of anything. It's hard to persuade them. I just asked the Dragon Guards to scare them with court staffs, and they blocked the palace gate with coffins."

The prince was really made to feel angry and amused at the same time. In the hundred years since the founding of Daxia, it was not uncommon for ministers to carry coffins to make suggestions.

But that was when the retired emperor had just ascended the throne and powerful ministers controlled the government. In order to fight against the powerful ministers, the righteous officials and great scholars wanted to return the government to the emperor.

Unexpectedly, in his father's generation, the same "grand scene" appeared again in the country.

This time, the target of the coffin-carrying and remonstration was changed to the current emperor, and the purpose was to maintain the dominant position of Confucianism and Taoism in the imperial examination.

Well, that's not quite right.

There was nothing wrong with the original intentions of these old officials and ministers, they were just taken advantage of.

"The academic cliques will do anything to monopolize the upward mobility. Fortunately, the old man is wise, otherwise people would really starve to death in the palace, and it would be a big trouble."

Jia Cong was also at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Sometimes the sword is not omnipotent. At least in this matter, the palace was in a passive position.

He and Liu Hong stood in a secluded place far away, looking at the circle of old and weak ministers in front of the gate of Longshou Palace. Neither of them had any better way to deal with it.

Jia Cong scratched his head and asked, "Fourth brother, has the cabinet ever advised you?"

It would have been better if he hadn't asked this question. Once he asked, Liu Hong became even more worried.

He smiled bitterly and replied, "Don't mention it. Master Zhou came on the first day, but we didn't expect that our Prime Minister would be scolded and leave with his face covered. Your father-in-law, Master Lin, also came and was almost beaten back..."

hiss!
Among the sit-in protesters, the youngest were in their sixties, and they were all well-known scholars and celebrities.

The Prime Minister of the Cabinet? Grand Secretary?

Dare to destroy the Holy Way? Pah!

Jia Cong could already imagine the helplessness of several ministers in the cabinet. He estimated that no one could help unless Confucius came down to earth.

"I can understand their anxiety, but we must not compromise on reforming the imperial examination system and gathering talents for the country. If the court compromises today, what about next time? Compromising in this matter will sow a seed. In the future, whenever a new policy touches their interests, they will come to make a coffin-carrying remonstration. Should I continue to make concessions as well?"

As he spoke, Liu Hong's anger that had been pent up for days burst out. Looking at the group of people in front of the Dragon Head Palace, he couldn't help but reveal his angry eyes and murderous intent.

Jia Cong naturally saw through it, and quickly advised: "Fourth brother, don't be angry, it hasn't come to that point yet. Let me think of a solution..."

To be honest, he hadn't thought of any good ideas at this time, but he had some immature ideas in his mind.

crunch...

The gate of the Dragon Head Palace opened, but the person who walked out was not the emperor that Minister Lao Ru had imagined.

The eunuchs carried a bucket of porridge and various dishes, and leading them was Dai Quan, who had always served the old man.

Jia Cong could faintly hear the great scholars' complaints about Dai Quan, as well as Dai Quan's smiling and persuasive words.

Fortunately, no conflict occurred in front of the palace gate. Perhaps it was because of the prestige of the emperor among the people, or the old man's generous treatment of the old minister, or maybe they were just starving to death, so they all accepted the meal given by the emperor.

Liu Hong and Jia Cong breathed a sigh of relief almost at the same time. Fortunately, there would be no trouble of starving people to death.

"What good ideas do you have? This matter cannot be solved by making a fuss. Master Zhou said that they only have one request. The imperial court can change the recruitment of civil servants as it pleases, but the imperial examination is different. The imperial examination is a grand ceremony for selecting talents. Only the Confucian and Taoist classics can select people with noble character and outstanding talents for the court."

The moral requirements of Confucian and Taoist classics are truly beyond doubt, and Jia Cong has never denied the great contribution of Confucianism and Taoism in teaching people moral character.

But if we talk about teaching people...

"That won't do. Fourth brother should have seen that the teachings of Confucius and Mencius have been around for thousands of years, and many aspects of them are no longer suitable for today. Especially in today's world, when many countries are fighting..."

"Of course I know!"

As Liu Hong's time as Regency lasted longer, his understanding of the country's major policies became clearer and clearer. His respect for the teachings of Confucius and Mencius did not disappear, but he was no longer so confident that the eight-legged essay could recruit talented people for the country, and how many talented people could be recruited.

The dynasty's foreign colonization has already begun. We can't just send a group of Confucian scholars to face the guns, cannons and swords of the barbarians.

He pulled Jia Cong out of the Dragon Head Palace, sighing and saying, "Father said that in fact, they maintain the status of Confucianism in the imperial examinations, and they are also worried about the weakening status of scholars."

This time the imperial court plans to increase the proportion of mathematics in the imperial examinations, and next time perhaps it will be industry, commerce, agriculture, etc.

After Dong Zhongshu, Confucianism and Taoism became the most important schools of thought in the Central Plains dynasties, and today's scholars, led by Confucianism and Taoism, have never had such a great sense of crisis.

After hearing this, Jia Cong finally revealed his thoughts to Liu Hong for the first time.

He suddenly stopped and looked around to see that there was no one around. Jia Cong then whispered to Liu Hong, "Fourth brother, their worries are my plans. The country cannot only have Confucianism and Taoism. The various schools of thought must shine together, and only then can the Great Xia prosper forever!"

How could the Western barbarians suddenly transform from wild monkeys into powerful ones? The fundamental reason was the explosion of ideas brought about by the Renaissance.

After thousands of years of separation and unification of the Central Plains dynasties, Confucianism and Taoism, which initially helped the development of the country, gradually turned into a shackle, locking the path of the Celestial Empire's development.

At this time, Daxia needed a great explosion of ideas, such as the Hundred Schools of Thought in the pre-Qin period.

"Brother Four should have learned about the Renaissance in the West. It was through this massive ideological explosion that the barbarians pushed their culture and technology to a climax. To be disrespectful, the emperors and kings of the Western barbarians accepted these ideas, which made them more aggressive. If we continue to indulge in the glory of the past and uphold the concept of the Celestial Empire, one day, we will lag far behind the Western barbarians. And if we lag behind, we will be beaten!"

The Celestial Empire is both a glory and a shackle.

The idea that those who fall behind will be beaten is the pain that Jia Cong finds most difficult to let go.

It was impossible for Liu Hong to understand Jia Cong's obsession and worries about emancipating the mind, because even if the Celestial Empire faced challenges from the Western barbarians at that time, it was still the most powerful country in the world.

The phrase "one extreme and many strong" is the most appropriate description.

But who says that any country, no matter how powerful it is, will always be weaker than the Celestial Empire?
Jia Cong used so many means to finally make the emperor, his ministers and the people of the Celestial Empire willing to open their eyes and see the world. However, the emperor and his ministers still had the mentality of "God is the boss and he is the second best", and always held an attitude that "it's nothing" towards the extremely aggressive governing philosophy of the Western barbarians.

Jia Cong is very worried about this!

"Fourth brother, do you still remember that our artillery could not defeat the red cannons of the barbarians?"

Liu Hong was shocked, but then he laughed and said, "That's all in the past. Aren't the Western Barbarians begging to buy our artillery now?"

Jia Cong saw through Liu Hong's thoughts at a glance and said bitterly, "I don't doubt the ability of the Ministry of Industry, but have you ever thought about the low status of workers among the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, which has not been completely resolved so far. When the craftsmen are always unable to overcome the oppression of the class, who will have the energy to think about more advanced firearms every day? After all, those Jinshi masters who called out the names outside Donghua Gate have always looked down on them."

Furthermore, the firearms made by the Ministry of Works were able to catch up with and surpass Western ones in a very short period of time, and the drawings provided by Jia Cong himself were the most important part of this.

"What if I'm not here? How long do you think it will take for the Ministry of Industry to produce artillery and muskets that can suppress the West? Ten years? Twenty years? A hundred years?"

Not to mention a hundred years, even in twenty years, the day lily will be completely cold!

Liu Hong was frightened by Jia Cong's persuasion and advice.

As the crown prince of Daxia cultivated by the two saints, his vision is far superior to others.

After returning to the Eastern Palace, he summoned the officials and craftsmen representatives of the Ministry of Works into the palace to conduct a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the development of the Ministry of Works since the founding of the country, as well as the specific situation of the Ministry of Works.

This question made him completely depressed.

"It turns out that what Cong said was true. The Western Barbarians actually have such great potential. This poses a huge threat to our country!"

……

"That's what I told Fourth Brother. I guess he already understands what I mean by now."

Jia Cong opened his mouth and Daiyu stuffed a peeled grape into his mouth.

The two discussed the reform of the imperial examination system and the discussion between Jia Cong and Liu Hong. Daiyu said with a smile, "You scare him like this, be careful that he will blame you after he figures it out."

Jia Cong didn't care at all, but shrugged his shoulders: "There's nothing we can do. Your Majesty and Fourth Brother are both wise rulers, but what about the future? After Fourth Brother, who can guarantee that the emperor of Daxia will still be far-sighted?"

This is true. In this era where national policy can be determined by a single word, Jia Cong does not think that the future monarch will have the strength and prestige to break the current Confucianism and Taoism's control over the Chinese people's thoughts.

In my previous life, wasn’t Kang Mazi of the Qing Dynasty smart?

Doesn’t the Ten Perfect Man Qian Xiaosi know about the situation in the West?
Qian Xiaosi is even a pen pal with Louis XVI of France!
But they still chose to close the country to the outside world and maintain the monopoly of Confucianism and Taoism in the imperial examinations, and they were still not worried.

They were worried that the great liberation of thought would threaten the rule of "our Qing Dynasty" and that it would pose a threat to the imperial power.

"It's one thing for the meat to rot in the pot and for someone to snatch it away. I hope Fourth Brother can have this determination."

dong dong dong...

Just as he was talking, there was a knock on the door.

Jia Cong sat up and Zijuan walked in holding a letter.

"Third Master, the Eastern Palace has sent a letter from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

She respectfully handed the letter to Jia Cong, and when she opened it, she saw only one line of words on the paper.

"Even though there are tens of thousands of people, I will go!"

Seeing these words on the paper, Jia Cong and Daiyu smiled at each other.

As expected, I was not wrong about him. The crown prince of Daxia is a natural king with great wisdom, great perseverance, and far-sightedness!

……

The liberation of thought is an inevitable threat to imperial power.

But Liu Hong still firmly chose to lift the suppression of his thoughts. When night fell, he went to the Dragon Head Palace and had a detailed talk with the two saints all night.

The two saints were shocked by Jia Cong's boldness and Liu Hong's decision.

After a brief moment of shock, the old man smiled and said, "My dear grandson is so brave that he dares to show his knife to Confucius. He is worthy of being taught by me..."

"Father, that's my son..."

"Isn't your son my grandson?"

The attitude of the Second Saint was beyond Liu Hong's expectations, but he was also relieved.

This is good. Grandpa Emperor and Father Emperor should not blame Yu Cong.

He poured tea for the two saints and asked, "Part of what Cong said must be exaggerated. But after thinking about it for a long time, I still think he should have kept some things to himself. For example, he didn't say some things clearly..."

Liu Hong paused and said tentatively: "Grandpa Emperor, Father Emperor, the so-called ideological liberation may pose a threat to our Liu family's kingdom. I'm afraid Brother Cong didn't dare to say this, right?"

The old man asked back: "That's for sure. Heaven and man are one, and the emperor governs the people on behalf of heaven. Hong'er, do you think this is true or false?"

Liu Hong had never seen any gods in heaven.

Even if there is, it will not allow the people who have opened their eyes to worship a foolish and unjust king as a god.

Westerners are already clamoring for constitutional monarchy and even want to execute the king who oppresses them. How can China always avoid this problem?
Liu Hong shook his head and said, "My grandson doesn't believe me. Our empire was conquered by our great ancestors and those wise ministers and brave generals. It was under the careful governance of Emperor Taizong, my grandfather, and my father that our country became strong and our people became rich. What does it have to do with God?"

Pop, pop, pop!

The old man patted his grandson's shoulder three times with satisfaction and laughed, "That's the truth. The country depends on people! There is no dynasty that lasts forever. Today it is our Liu family, but tomorrow it may be the Li family or the Zhang family sitting on the throne. What you need to do is to make the people recognize you as the emperor, not some God!"

The emperor nodded and added, "Your grandfather is right. There is no dynasty that lasts forever. It is best to focus on the present and realize your ambitions and leave your name in history."

These two supreme rulers of Daxia are probably the most open-minded emperors.

They never thought about an imperial dynasty that would last forever, but instead wanted to leave a legacy of wisdom that would be recorded in history.

Now they want to instill their will into the next generation of Emperor of Great Xia. This can be regarded as the inheritance of the old Liu family and also their obsession.

Liu Hong nodded and said, "I understand, son. I will try my best. I will let future generations judge my achievements and failures!"

……

When, when, when...

The Jingyang Bell rang as usual, the palace gates opened, and the courtiers who came to attend the grand court meeting lined up in two rows and walked into the imperial city one by one.

There was still no sign of the emperor in the Fengtian Hall, and the young Crown Prince was still presiding over the court.

Today is the last court session before the Mid-Autumn Festival. Tomorrow we can take a day off and happily celebrate the festival at home. No one has the energy to think too much about court affairs.

However, when Xia Shouzhong shouted that if there was something to report, then stand up and if not, leave the court, Jia Cong walked out of the queue holding a jade tablet.

"I have this note!"

Oh?
Everyone looked at Jia Cong in surprise, only to see him present a memorial and say solemnly, "I impeach the Minister of Rites Meng Luoyi, the Deputy Minister of Rites Li Xudong, the Imperial Academy Scholars... and forty-four others for forcing the emperor and opposing the court... They sold their integrity to gain fame, and even carried their coffins and sat in front of the palace gate to make remonstrations..."

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

　I was too tired to fall asleep last night, so I’ll update one chapter first and continue tonight.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)