Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 594: Her Royal Highness the Princess is not ill...

It is a tragedy that as the status of Confucianism in politics became more and more solid, the development of Confucian culture also became complacent and even hindered the innovation of Confucianism.

Just like Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, neither the two Chengs nor Zhu Xi ever thought that the ideas they put forward would eventually become shackles that suppress human nature and even imprison the development of the entire society.

In fact, whether it was the two Chengs or Zhu Xi, they all advocated the pursuit of knowledge through investigation of things and promoted the unity of man and nature.

For example, the most widely circulated saying is "Preserve Heaven's principles and eliminate human desires". In fact, the earliest Neo-Confucianism used this saying to summarize the principle of the unity of reason and desire.

Among them, preserving Heavenly Principles refers to cultivating, returning to, and extending the nature bestowed by Heaven in order to achieve the highest realm of "benevolence". At this time, one completely enters into Principle, that is, "the unity of Heaven and man".

Then one can "do what the heart desires without going beyond the rules". At this point human desires have been integrated into the principles of nature. Without intention, necessity, rigidity or self, no matter what one does, one will not deviate from the way of nature.

But, how many people in this world can be called saints?

Human desires are destined to turn the original pursuit of the way of sages into a false doctrine that satisfies their selfish desires.

Old man Zhou Jiong adopted the method of tracing his roots and reinterpreting the teachings of the ancient sages. It was like a slap in the face of those who misinterpreted the teachings of the ancient sages to satisfy their own selfish desires, shocking the world.

Countless Confucian scholars have studied hard for ten years, or even read the books of sages for a lifetime, only to be told in the end that they have learned the wrong principles.

This caused an unprecedented panic in the Great Xia literary world. Too many people's minds were in a mess, the lighthouse of thought was extinguished, and the collapse of faith happened in an instant.

"To discuss the Dao, we must do so on a large scale and at a deep level!"

"A lamp cannot be lit without turning it on, and truth cannot be understood without argument. If you have reason, you can go anywhere in the world; if you don't have reason, you can't take a single step. Temporal strength or weakness depends on force, but eternal victory or defeat depends on reason."

This is the reason why Mr. Zhou Jiong in the capital and Jia Cong who was far away in Jinling simultaneously promoted the "Great Discussion in the Literary World".

As people's living standards have explosively increased, the implementation of compulsory education has brought about people's pursuit of spiritual desires.

The current restrictions on people's thinking by Neo-Confucianism have made too many people feel suffocated. When Master Bao lit the fuse and Master Zhou threw the bomb, the counterattack against the strict etiquette and the so-called Neo-Confucian orthodoxy began this winter.

Living in one of the most culturally prosperous regions of the dynasty, Jia Cong could truly feel the tremendous shock brought about by the collection of essays "Zhi Ru Hui Dian".

On the high platform in front of the Confucius Temple, thousands of Confucian scholars and literati spit at each other almost every day, and many times you can see people rolling up their sleeves while debating.

If the government had not sent people to maintain order in time, a war of words would definitely have broken out in Jinling City.

However, these "debates" are just extras at most, the focus is still on the capital.

From the court reports and letters from the capital every three days, even Jia Cong, who was thousands of miles away, could feel the tense atmosphere in the court.

The main reason why Neo-Confucianism became a prominent school of thought was that its philosophy advocated the maintenance of the unity of the dynasty.

To put it bluntly, the natural law of Neo-Confucianism is moral theology, and it also serves as the legitimacy basis for both theocracy and royal power.

Now that old man Zhou Jiong had thrown such a big bomb, it not only stunned the various schools of Neo-Confucianism, but also challenged the majesty of the imperial power.

Some people in the court have begun to question the purpose of Mr. Zhou Jiong compiling this collection of essays, and some have impeached Mr. Zhou Jiong for doing so, saying that he is destabilizing the country and that he has rebellious intentions.

As for evidence, it's fine as long as it's fabricated.

"This is really ridiculous. Prime Minister Zhou is already in his 80s, and his nephews and nephews are either teachers or scholars. Why would he rebel? Is he kidding?"

Jia Cong threw the report in his hand aside, and despised the unknown person who impeached Zhou Jiong for rebellion.

It really made people laugh. I guess at this moment, His Majesty the Emperor was probably hesitating whether to pry open this man's skull to see what was inside.

"Don't be angry, just treat it as a joke."

Daiyu handed over the teacup, tilted her head and smiled, "These people just couldn't find any mistakes or omissions in Mr. Zhou and this collection of essays, so they used this useless excuse to vent their dissatisfaction. No one will take it seriously, and it's impossible for them to take it seriously."

"I know... I'm just indignant at the shamelessness of these people."

Jia Cong knew this truth very well, he was just venting the frustration in his heart.

The late Wei Wen Zheng and today's Zhou Jiong, both realized the importance of breaking free from the shackles of Neo-Confucianism when they were at the peak of their power. Generation after generation have tried their best to swing their swords to cut at those chains.

Just like Yugong moving the mountain, he gradually shook the foundation of the giant science of science.

What a pity, for thousands of years the so-called rationalist way of heaven has penetrated into every aspect of society, and it is too difficult to eradicate it completely.

"This is a tough battle. If we win, the Celestial Empire will usher in a great liberation of thought, and the Hundred Schools of Thought will once again emerge. If we lose, the current strong country and rich people will be nothing but a mirage, or in a hundred years, the Celestial Empire will once again become complacent and eventually become a meal for foreign races."

Why did the West suddenly rise after the Dark Ages and become the strongest rival of the Central Plains dynasty in the struggle for world dominance in a short period of time?

The main reason for the Renaissance was the explosion of ideas.

Jia Cong can promote a reform and use the memories of his past life to cause a short-term explosive growth in Daxia.

But if thoughts are never liberated, even the most powerful dynasty will gradually decline and eventually perish after a hundred years or even decades.

Fortunately, the Central Plains dynasties have never lacked wise men, and even more so, they have never lacked patriots with great perseverance and wisdom.

Jia Cong was filled with emotion when he recalled that Zhou Jiong had asked him in the carriage what posthumous title he would get since Mr. Wei Qinghe was posthumously named Wen Zheng.

These two old men are quite interesting, especially Mr. Zhou Jiong.

"Fortunately, our country has a great sage, and Wei Wen Zheng has set a good example. Prime Minister Zhou has been competing with Wei Wen Zheng for his entire life, and this unyielding spirit made him take over the old man's job and ignite this spark even more vigorously!"

……

It is the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month again, and the Dream Garden looks even more dreamy after the snow.

Daiyu did not go out today, not because she had no official business, but because she felt dizzy and very tired since she woke up in the morning.

When Jia Cong called a doctor and took the couple's pulse, they were stunned.

"Your Highness is not sick, she is pregnant..."

what?
Yeah!

what?
Everyone else in the room was surprised and happy, except the young couple who were in a daze.

"According to my experience, Your Highness should be two months pregnant. It's time to stop having sex..."

The old doctor's words made the two of them blush, because Daiyu was not feeling well today, firstly because of her busy schedule these days, and secondly because of the storm last night, which almost hurt the fetus in her belly.

Fortunately, even when Jia Cong was having sex, he was afraid of hurting his wife and treated her gently, so no disaster occurred.

After listening to the doctor's tactful explanation, Nanny Wang's eyes turned "sharp" when she looked at Jia Cong.

At the same time, she blamed herself, saying that she should have been on guard against this earlier.

The lady passed away early, and the girl had no one to teach her about these things. There was no elder to look after her in the mansion, and in these matters, the son-in-law was not as good as those playboys who often went in and out of brothels.

After the doctor left, Nanny Wang guarded Daiyu like a chick...

"Mammy, you don't have to be so defensive against me. I didn't know this before."

Jia Cong returned to the room with the medicine, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He begged for mercy and apologized before sitting down beside the bed and feeding his wife one spoonful at a time.

"They say that giving birth is like walking through the gates of hell for women, and Sister Lin has been weak since she was young. I originally thought of waiting three to five years before having a child..."

"Pooh, pooh, pooh... Young Master, don't dare to talk nonsense anymore. The young lady will definitely give birth to a little boy safely!"

Nanny Wang glared at Jia Cong again, and then she spat and slapped the tables, chairs and benches, trying to drive away all the bad luck with the custom she had inherited from somewhere.

Daiyu had regained her composure. She gently stroked her still flat belly and winked at Jia Cong.

"I should write to my father and grandmother, as well as my father-in-law..."

It is said that pregnant women should not get too excited and must protect the baby in their belly!

Jia Cong also gently placed his hand on Daiyu's abdomen, wanting to feel the sudden arrival of this little life.

It's a pity that the little life now can't even move, and apart from the smooth touch, it can't feel anything.

Hearing Daiyu's instructions, Jia Cong nodded obediently: "In addition to writing a letter to my father-in-law and others to announce the good news, I plan to go to Suzhou to announce the good news to my aunt... my mother-in-law."

Jia Cong's words caused Daiyu's mood, which had finally calmed down, to be stirred up again. Her eyes turned red in an instant, and the watery light in her eyes was like the stars in the sky twinkling, emitting a dreamy light.

She hummed and leaned on Jia Cong's solid chest.

"Mother will definitely be happy. She loves children the most!"

Offspring seemed to be a demon in the hearts of several generations of the Lin family. If Jia Cong had not constantly comforted Daiyu, Daiyu would have thought that she would have to go through the nightmare of having offspring in her lifetime as there had been no news at all in the two years since their marriage.

……

Because I was diagnosed with pregnancy and it was the end of the year.

During this cold winter, Daiyu stopped her inspection tour of the Jiangnan education commission and focused on staying in Mengyuan to take care of her pregnancy.

Jia Cong was too lazy to bother with it anymore. Apart from the necessary intelligence gathering and overall control of the military and political affairs in Jiangnan, he would avoid getting involved in specific affairs if possible.

The couple seemed to have disappeared from the political arena of Jiangnan. Except for Mengyuan, they still had a large number of personal soldiers and followers stationed there. The officials in Jinling City almost thought that Jia Cong, the evil star, had returned to Beijing.

During the trip to Suzhou, Jia Cong went there alone and returned quickly. Apart from "burning" the good news of Daiyu's pregnancy to the ancestors of the Lin family and his mother-in-law at the Lin family's ancestral tomb, he did not even return to the Lin family's old house.

"When spring comes and the flowers bloom, the pregnancy will be stable, and then we will set off back to Beijing!"

After being out there for so long, it's time to go home.

The situation in Jiangnan seems to be in a mess now, but that is just a clash of ideas and it is impossible to calm down in a short time.

A solid political foundation has been laid. With the addition of officials of all ranks sent by the Ministry of Personnel, even if we let a dog loose in the provincial governments of various provinces in the south of the Yangtze River, they can implement the policies of the central government in an orderly manner.

Jia Cong is a troublemaker... If this imperial envoy continues to stay in Nanjing, it will make the officials in Jiangnan tremble in fear and they will not dare to take drastic measures.

At this moment, nothing is more important than Sister Lin!

"I originally wanted to go to Fujian, but I didn't even have the chance to visit the public school there."

Compared with Jia Cong, who is a useless person, Daiyu can be said to be a model of officials in the imperial court.

He does everything himself, just like the Fourth Master back then. On the contrary, the current Emperor may have been infected by Jia Cong and has become so lazy that it is outrageous.

"The fourth prince wrote to say that the Ministry of Rites has submitted a memorial to change the duration of compulsory education from four years to six years, and to increase support for engineering studies."

Even when she was pregnant, Daiyu would still read the official documents sent from various places every day.

The Prince would never leave Daiyu out when it came to matters concerning education. Instead, he would ask her about almost every matter, mostly relying on the opinion of the greatest female educator of the dynasty.

Jia Cong took the letter from Daiyu's hand and glanced through it.

This is a new policy measure jointly implemented by the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works, and it is also an adjustment of national policy based on actual conditions.

Four years of compulsory education is still not enough to enlighten people.

The Ministry of Rites has now made up its mind to complete this century-long plan to perfection so as to leave a significant mark in history books.

As for increasing investment in engineering education, Jia Cong dared to bet that it was the Ministry of Rites that was coveting the Ministry of Works...

There is no shortage of liberal arts students in the country, and large numbers of people flock to the imperial examinations every year.

As for the training of engineering and science students, with Daxia's current education system, the talent gap is so large that even if the Ministry of Industry plunders the entire world, it will not be enough to support the demand for talent after the technological explosion.

Your Ministry of Rites wants to increase investment in education, so you need money.

The Ministry of Revenue only allocates that much money to the Ministry of Rites every year. Can you expand on your own if you don’t have the money?
If you want money, my Ministry of Works is now the largest and most powerful treasury besides the Ministry of Revenue.

As long as your Ministry of Rites agrees to help us train the talents we need, money is not a problem!
This was the reason why Jia Cong placed almost all of the state-owned assets in the Ministry of Works. As long as there was money, all matters related to civil servants, household registration, rites, military affairs, and punishments were required of my Ministry of Works.

Using money to promote industrial development, promote the training of science and engineering talents, and promote the advancement of science and technology can avoid many unnecessary troubles.

Sure enough, just a few years later, the "arrogant" Ministry of Rites had to ask the Ministry of Works for help.

Jia Cong nodded with satisfaction, feeling very proud.

"How can we succeed if one of the two legs of liberal arts and science is weak and the other is strong? It is necessary to increase investment in engineering education. Sister Lin might as well tell our prince to set up a Royal Science and Technology Award under the leadership of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Industry to reward talents who have made great contributions to the development of science and technology..."

"Like a steam engine?"

"Yeah, that's it!"

Jia Cong nodded, then quickly shook his head and said, "Not only engineering, but also medicine, literature, business, etc., all need to have their own highest honors. It would be best if it could be promoted to the entire world, so that people from all countries would be proud to receive the highest award of the Celestial Empire!"

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

　I’ll stop here tonight and continue tomorrow. Good night!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)