Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 605 A single spark can start a prairie fire
As the banquet was approaching, many civil and military officials and their relatives and wives had already gathered in front of the palace gate.

No family was below the third rank that could drive a carriage to the palace gate. Each carriage was made of exquisite tribute satin and decorated with all kinds of embroidered accessories. It shone brightly under the bright lights, showing its luxury.

Only the carriage that had just arrived was as ordinary as it could be, made of plain coarse cloth just to keep out the cold wind.

The coachman was wearing a coarse cloth and a short shirt, with white spots on his temples. No one would have thought that with his ordinary appearance, he was a fifth-rank captain and his sword could rank him among the top 20 in the imperial guards.

The white-haired old man, wearing only Confucian robes today, exudes even greater majesty than when he was in charge of the center in the past.

When he lifted the car curtain, Gu Shuning's eyes narrowed suddenly and she subconsciously wanted to lower her head.

Grand Tutor, Special Advancement of Guanglu Doctor, Zuo Zhuguo, former Prime Minister of the Cabinet, the recognized leader of the literary world after Duke Wenzheng Wei Qinghe, the pioneer of new Confucianism, one of the chief architects of the new laws of the dynasty, the person Gu Shuning least wanted to see after coming to Beijing, Zhou Jiong, Old Man Zhou.

The old man now has more and more titles. The students in the Imperial College now regard him as their idol and turn to study new knowledge one by one.

Without anyone calling for them or organizing them, the young men spontaneously formed a group and began to summarize the main ideas of their new studies from the collected works of Mr. Zhou Jiong.

Trace the origin, eliminate the false and retain the true, be compatible and parallel, and study things to gain knowledge.

"The conscience in my heart is the so-called heavenly principle. I dare not say what the sage means. Is what you, Gu Shuning, say right? Jia Jue is a good boy with a pure character. He uses the simplest ideas to understand the way of the sage. How come it becomes an unforgivable sin in your mouth?"

Before the old man finished speaking, Jia Zheng, who was bowing beside him, lit up his eyes.

"The Grand Master said that my son has a kind character... a kind character... a kind character..."

From now on, this is Baoyu’s amulet!

Jia Lian quietly pushed Baoyu, and the two brothers helped Zhou Jiong get off the carriage.

The old man patted Baoyu on the shoulder and said in a very gentle manner: "The new play you wrote is good, why not write a few more."

"Grand Master, you are too kind. I am just repeating what others have said. Many parts are inaccurate..."

"No, this is your gift, your talent, why be so modest!"

Zhou Jiong interrupted Baoyu, patted his shoulder again, and said earnestly: "Most plays are just for fun, but the plays you write are different. Your plays guide people to be good, criticize injustice, and promote the great principles. Keep doing it well, and don't forget your original intention."

When Jia Zheng heard this advice, his eyes turned red.

My Lord, my son's "unprofessional" behavior was actually said by the Grand Master to be the way of the great Dao...

After praising Baoyu, the old man nodded to Jia Lian and walked slowly to Gu Shuning alone.

The white-haired old man gives people a sense of pride like an unyielding pine tree.

Snapped!
What no one expected was that what everyone thought would be a verbal battle ended up with a loud slap.

Gu Shuning covered his left cheek and stepped back repeatedly until he was able to avoid Zhou Jiong's next attack.

"You...you...you...old man, how dare you!"

"Why don't I dare?"

Amid the shocked and surprised gazes of the crowd, Zhou Jiong looked sarcastic and spat at Gu Shuning with disdain.

"How dare you, a white-haired old bastard with a grey beard, claim to be destined by heaven?"

"You are a family scholar, but you have no way to serve the country, and no way to comfort the people. You are just a name for nothing. You have no idea how to govern the world, and you only take it as your responsibility to distort the holy teachings, unite with others to attack those who are different, exclude those who are different, and monopolize the holy teachings."

"Forty years ago, you, Gu Shuning, studied under Master Wen Zheng. You stole his teachings to satisfy your own desires, and you stole his poems to enrich your own ambitions. Master Wen Zheng took pity on you because you came from a poor family, so he only expelled you from his school, but did not reveal your true colors..."

"After thirty years of hard work, you, Gu Shuning, have become a fake, a great scholar, and you have established Gu's Neo-Confucianism to mislead students..."

"Now, I, a Confucian scholar, am advocating a new way of learning, but you are like someone whose ancestral grave has been dug up, and you are here whimpering and barking wildly. Do you really think that if Wei Wenzheng is not around, no one can control you?"

……

There was an instant of dead silence in front of the palace gate; even the cold wind of the Lantern Festival seemed to have stopped.

"Oh my God, what did the Grand Master just say?"

"Gu Ru...Gu Shuning stole the teacher's teachings and poems..."

"It seems... probably... someone vaguely said that Gu Shuning did study under Wen Zhenggong in his early years..."

"What's so strange about this? Wen Zhenggong devoted himself to teaching in the first half of his life, and his students are all over the world. Almost half of the current great men are from Wei Wenzheng's school. But Gu Shuning was expelled from Wen Zhenggong's school. I have never heard of this..."

"That's right. In the early years, someone in Fujian debated with Gu Shuning. He said that he had heard Gu Shuning's argument from Wen Zhenggong, which was the Duke of Wei's method..."

"Is there still this?"

"That happened thirty or forty years ago. That person disappeared after the provincial examination and never appeared again. In addition, Gu Shuning won consecutive victories, won the title of Jieyuan, and married the daughter of Cai Hui, the then left governor of Fujian. Who in Fujian dared to say anything about the governor's son-in-law?"

On the last day of the New Year, such a huge melon exploded in front of the palace gate, adding a unique meaning to the Shangyuan Palace Banquet.

Gu Shuning was stunned by Zhou Jiong's contemptuous scolding and was overwhelmed by the old man's aura. When he came to his senses, the civil and military officials around him and even the wives of officials and noble ladies were looking at him with contempt.

To be honest, this is unfounded and few people would believe it if it happened to someone else.

But these words were said by Zhou Jiong. That was Zhou Jiong, the literary leader of the Qing Dynasty second only to Duke Wenzheng Wei Qinghe.

Gu Shuning was well-known for his literary talent and was also the leader of the Fujian Neo-Confucian school.

But facing Zhou Jiong, he had already lost half the battle.

By the time the old man lifted the fig leaf that Wei Wenzhen had left for him, the people in front of the palace gate had basically believed it to about 70%.

"you you you……"

Gu Shuning wanted to argue, but Zhou Jiong would not give him the chance.

Sometimes, the drowning dog must be killed.

If you are bitten back, you will suffer a great loss.

"What? You want to refute me? Do you want me to set up a stage for us to debate the truth of the matter in front of everyone in the world?"

Old Master Zhou Jiong took a step forward, raised his hand and pointed forward, laughing: "I have always known your character in the past. You are a ruthless person, a servile person. You are just a treacherous and cunning person who bullies the weak. The sins you have committed in your half life are too numerous to list. People all over the world are willing to eat your flesh!"

"You have defamed my holy sect, bullied my children, and dared to kill the young man?"

"You are a thief who steals the poems and essays of others. If I were you, I would hang myself on a tree in the southeast and die to thank the world. Why would I disappoint the expectations of my eight generations of ancestors and ruin the reputation of my nine clansmen..."

puff……

Gu Shuning's face turned red, then white, and suddenly turned blue-gray. His breathing became rapid, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, rushing straight towards old man Zhou Jiong.

wow~
A piece of brocade robe blocked Zhou Laoyang's body, turned in the air, swept away the bloody arrow, and then was thrown to the ground.

With a bang, Gu Shuning fell straight back.

The look Zhou Jiong gave this man was filled with nothing but sarcasm and indifference.

He just glanced at the man who followed Gu Shuning and snorted coldly, "Carry him back. Don't let him die in front of the palace gate and pollute the holy land of our Heavenly Dynasty."

Although the old man is the former prime minister who has left office, he still holds the official title of the first rank and is a big shot in the palace who can ride in a sedan chair.

What's more, the fierce light in the eyes of this retired old man seemed more frightening than the blade of the imperial guards.

When those people carried away Gu Shuning, whose life or death was unknown, old man Zhou Jiong finally returned to his usual gentle and elegant appearance.

He even joked with Jia Lian, who had lost his outer robe. He bowed to Jia Lian and said, "Lian boy, you have great skills. It's just that my family is poor, so I may not be worthy of your outer robe embroidered with gold and silver threads."

Jia Lian returned the greeting with a bow and said with a smile: "What the old man said just now is worth ten thousand pieces of gold. Let alone a robe, even if it is thousands of robes, as long as it can protect the old man from filth, I think it is worth it."

……

"Ah? You mean, Mr. Zhou scolded Gu Shuning to death? The Gu Shuning from Quanzhou Academy?"

The old lady didn't know much about the literary world, but Jia Cong did.

Gu Shuning's reputation in the north is average, but he is also one of the greatest scholars in the southern literary world.

This time he went north, he was recommended by someone to serve as an official in the court.

Although the prince was extremely reluctant, he had to hold his nose and prepare to be given an insignificant official position in order to stabilize the southern literary world.

But no one expected that this old guy was actually planning to target the News Department and even planned a series of conspiracies against Baoyu.

Old Master Zhou Jiong seldom went to the palace to attend banquets. His sudden appearance today was because he had figured out the conspiracy of these people.

He originally planned to expose the conspiracy of Gu Shuning and others step by step at the palace banquet, but he didn't expect that Confucius appeared and gave him the opportunity...

"At the banquet, the Grand Tutor specifically asked me to sit with him and told me about the conspiracy of Gu Shuning and others. The Grand Tutor meant that he would send me evidence of the crimes of those who deceived the world and stole fame, so that I would not have to worry about anything. He would compile the deeds of these people into a play script and spread it throughout the world."

This... is so fucking enjoyable!
Jia Cong was already rubbing his hands. It seemed that Mr. Zhou was ready. With the guarantee of the literary leader, he dared to bring about an earth-shaking reform of Confucianism and Taoism in the literary world of Daxia.

At this time, Master Zheng, who had been in a trance, finally came back to his senses. He looked at his son with envy and satisfaction, stroked his beard and sighed: "I have some things I brought back from Zhejiang that year. Baoyu... and Cong'er, you two, come with me to the study..."

……

The Shangyuan Palace Banquet in the 16th year of Yuanyou was so spectacular. Even though there was a huge fight as usual, it was not as spectacular as the heroic act of old man Zhou Jiong scolding Gu Shuning to death in front of the palace gate.

The leader of the literary world at that time exposed the true face of those who deceived the world and stole fame, and this incident directly led to the transformation of the Confucian and Taoist literary circles.

In the past, it was mainly a debate, but now it has become an all-round decisive battle.

The negative information about the Northern and Southern Neo-Confucian schools in Zhou Jiong's hands was secretly obtained by the Dragon Guards' secret agents. Behind each piece of negative information, there was sufficient and detailed evidence to support it.

Of course, there are also great Confucian scholars in Neo-Confucianism who preserve the truth and eliminate the false. These people may be a little pedantic, but their knowledge and character are truly impeccable.

When writing the play, Jia Cong and Baoyu gave a dialectical explanation of this and preheated it in the newspapers...

February 12th is the Flower Festival, Daiyu’s birthday.

The mourning period for the late emperor has passed, and the capital has returned to its prosperity.

The old lady borrowed the opera troupe from Prince Zhongshun's palace and performed opera at home for three days. It was a lively scene.

Along with the plays at Rongguo Mansion, there were also plays performed by various troupes and theaters in the capital.

The entire capital was filled with singing of Baoyu's latest play script.

This time, even the Minister of Justice said that the film was adapted from a real case and it was a great drama of punishing evil and promoting good.

If Jia Cong and Baoyu had not discussed it long ago and made a dialectical distinction between people in Neo-Confucianism, and had not explained in newspapers the past and present of Neo-Confucianism, and explained how to dialectically distinguish between good and bad Neo-Confucianists.

Based on the series of dramas that have occurred in recent days, Neo-Confucianism has become a bunch of black and stinky dog ​​shit in the hearts of the people in the capital.

“…Therefore, Neo-Confucianism should also discard the false and retain the true, and return to the original intention when the school was established!”

The weather was fresh on March 3rd, and there were many Confucian scholars in the Imperial College.

Mr. Zhou Jiong had been speaking on the stage for more than an hour, and all the students and ladies in the audience were fascinated by his speech.

"Seeing the truth on paper, talking about the truth with words, and examining the truth with pens are the sources of the current malpractices in Neo-Confucianism. We, the disciples of Neo-Confucianism, should follow the methods of the ancient sages, investigate things to acquire knowledge, and integrate knowledge and practice."

“Knowledge is the idea of ​​action, action is the effort of knowledge; knowledge is the beginning of action, action is the completion of knowledge.”

"Whether it is Neo-Confucianism or New Learning, they are all the inheritance and derivation of the teachings of the ancient sages. Although the paths may be different, they all lead to the same goal, which is to serve the people of the world, to cultivate oneself, to regulate the family, to govern the country and to bring peace to the world!"

"Duke Wenzheng of Wei once had a glance, and he knew my way, understood my original intention, established my ambition, and carried out my method. This is a real man."

"You are the future of our Heavenly Kingdom. You should understand your true intentions, set high goals, and think about the world, the holy way, and the future. As Heaven moves forward, you should strive for self-improvement!"

"When the sky is strong, a gentleman will strive for self-improvement; when the terrain is weak, a gentleman will be virtuous!"

"Nurture my noble spirit and promote the gentleman's demeanor..."

The old man stood up and bowed to the Confucian scholars and students sitting around him: "Thank you for troubling me to listen to my chatter for so long."

"Thank you for your lecture!"

"Thank you, Grand Master, for your teachings!"

"The holy way lasts forever, and the noble man never ceases to be aloof!"

The loud cheers from the Imperial College shook the sky, bringing today's lecture to a climax.

Jia Cong, who was standing in the crowd, was also excited.

Reforming bad policies, implementing various laws and taking various measures will ultimately only result in temporary improvements in form and appearance.

Only by eradicating the malpractices in the entire society from the ideological point of view can we fundamentally enable the entire society to carry out all-round reform from the bottom up.

Today, after the efforts of two generations of literary leaders, Wei Qinghe and Zhou Jiong, as well as the hard work of young reformists such as Xu Jin, Jia Cong himself, and Baoyu, a fire that is big enough to start a prairie fire has been ignited in the capital.

Jia Cong believed that in the near future, this small ball of fire ignited in the Imperial College would spread rapidly in all directions like a sacred fire, turning the entire sky of Daxia red.

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

　That’s all for tonight, and we’ll continue tomorrow.

　　Up to this point in the book, Jia Cong's life and political philosophy have basically been told.

　　He had to rely on the big men of the time, base his limited knowledge from his previous life on reality, and gradually improve and promote it throughout the country.

　　Jia Cong is not Long Aotian, nor does he have a golden finger, so it is impossible for him to accomplish the great cause of changing the world independently.

　　After two generations of emperors and two generations of literary masters’ guidance and help, today the most important fire has finally been ignited...

　　PS: I have been thinking about several different Red Mansions fan fictions before. There is one story that I think is quite interesting. I have posted it today. If you are interested, you can click the link to take a look...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)