Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

Jiang Xinghuo was not such a restless person, so when he was led by the jailer and accidentally bumped into the bearded man who had just returned from two clerks, the expression on his face did not change at all and he said hello in a friendly manner. .

Zhu Gaoxu had originally made up his mind that in order to increase his bargaining chips for the reserve, he had to continue to listen to the lectures without telling Jiang Xinghuo in the last two months, but as a result, he showed a hint of panic because he had a ulterior motive in his heart.

really

Jiang Xinghuo smiled, raised his head and said to him, "Do you have time? I have something to ask you."

Zhu Gaoxu scratched his beard and replied, "I'll go look for you sir later."

Nodding, the two of them said goodbye for now.

Back in the cell, the thoughts that had just been interrupted by Jiang Xuan began to spread again.

Jiang Xinghuo squatted on the cell floor and broke off the straw stalks section by section.

Breaking it off, thinking at the same time.

Jiang Xinghuo is mainly thinking about three questions based on the overthrow of two laws of speculation in the room check just now.

These three questions will have a decisive impact on his future behavior.

first question.

①Based on the second conjecture law, will the process of traveling through nine lifetimes produce a butterfly effect on the return? If I cause further changes to the Ming Dynasty, will I not be able to return to the modern era where I live?

Jiang Xinghuo's current guess is no.

Because in the process of time travel, Jiang Xinghuo obtained two instinctive messages, the kind of things that appear in his mind, not words but consciousness.

The first instinctive message is the previously mentioned [not actively seeking death], and the second instinctive message is [immortality]. In Jiang Xinghuo's memory, this immortality is based on his state before his first time travel. as standard.

That is to say, even if he, the "butterfly", stirred up a huge storm during his journey through the ninth life, and even caused the historical line to shift, it should not affect his final return.

second question.

② In the nine-life time-travel, are the previous eight lives time-travel on the historical line of a world? If so, how to prove it?

Jiang Xinghuo thought about it carefully, and found that this question seemed difficult to prove, because for several lifetimes, he was behind the historical line of the Ming Dynasty, and he could not verify things that had not happened.

In the previous generations of the Ming Dynasty, it seems that he did not leave any traces. In other words, there is still no way to prove it.

Do you want to dig Xia Xu yourself?

wrong.

Jiang Xinghuo suddenly thought of it.

In the fourth world, the Northern Song Dynasty, it was only three hundred years ago. If it was the same world's historical line, then the traces left by me would most likely still exist.

But that can only be verified by going to Hedong (Shanxi), and it requires corresponding manpower and material resources. Even if I want to verify it now, I can't do it.

Jiang Xinghuo put aside this idea for the time being.

It can only be left to be verified later.

The third question.

③Based on the first conjectural law, the conjectural law of suffering for nine lives to gain immortality is broken. The meaning of time travel is not to make yourself suffer. So what is the meaning of traveling through nine lives?

Jiang Xinghuo had vaguely realized the meaning of time travel a month ago when he yelled, "Why should we suffer the common people?"

Just like the nonsense he said to Jiang Xuan just now.

"Only by living can you realize the meaning of living."

Only by living can we realize the feeling and meaning of "living".

For Jiang Xinghuo, only by constantly traveling through time can he experience different lives and what "living" is like and what it means.

There is never any empathy in the world, only personal experience.

This couldn't help but remind him of a famous joke in an Infinite Liu Kaishan novel he saw in modern society.

Do you want to understand the meaning of life? Do you want to truly live?

After traveling eight times, Jiang Xinghuo has fully experienced the meaning of life.

For ordinary people in any historical period.

——To live is to suffer! !

It was precisely because he had experienced it and experienced it personally that Jiang Xinghuo could say that sentence.

"I don't care for anything else. I am just a traveler who has been caught in the rain and always wants to leave an umbrella for future generations."

Not only did this make Jiang Xinghuo fall into deep thought, would the meaning of traveling through nine lives be more than just for him to suffer?

It can also be boldly assumed that if the meaning of traveling through the ninth life is not to make him suffer, but to let him know what "real life" is.

So, what exactly is [real living]?

Jiang Xinghuo believes that this must be a life that is transcendent from ordinary people. In other words, it is not living for yourself.

If you don’t live for yourself, why live?

How to change your lifestyle?

Jiang Xinghuo thought intently.

Not for himself, not for his family, not for money and status, but only for the thousands of ordinary people who are determined to change the "living is suffering" like Jiang Xinghuo's previous eight lives.

Is it [real living]?

Are there such people in this world?

An answer fell in Jiang Xinghuo's heart.

have.

But what followed was great fear and uneasiness.

Jiang Xinghuo was questioning himself in his heart, can he really do it? My own intelligence, ability, character, and will are probably still far, far away from this standard.

Jiang Xinghuo, who was deep in thought, looked at the straw stalks in his hands and suddenly realized.

Then he laughed.

Just like this straw, you can never break all of it, there is always one-half left. The same is true for human society, which can never reach the most perfect state.

Just because it's not attainable doesn't mean it can't be done.

And as long as you do it, even if it is a very small thing, aren't you doing things in the right direction?

As for the outcome, what does it matter?

I am just a traveler traveling in the long river of history.

What's the point of success or failure in life's determination?

Just go on your way!

Jiang Xinghuo thought together, and the world suddenly became wider.

After thinking through the three questions, Jiang Xinghuo suddenly felt that the purpose of his journey to the Ming Dynasty in his eighth life was much clearer.

Since no matter how hard you try, it won't cause a butterfly effect on your return, you can naturally let go.

And if the ninth life time travel is not carried out on the historical line of a world, it means that the changes he has made to the Ming Dynasty will continue. In other words, his actions are effective.

And since I am determined to do everything I can to change the world, at the very least, I want to get out of prison.

Only when you are released from prison can you gain personal freedom.

Otherwise, how can we talk about changing the world?

Of course, getting out of prison is a prerequisite, but just getting out of prison is useless. A person's power is always limited. If you want to change the world, you need a fulcrum.

As for how to use the fulcrum to change the world, how to leave an umbrella for the people in the world who have been soaked in the rain for too long.

Jiang Xinghuo believes that considering the background of the times and personal abilities, he may not have the ability to change the country in a physical sense.

Then, what I can do, what I am good at doing, is to launch an "Enlightenment Movement" in the Ming Dynasty.

Although it is difficult to change people's thinking, once it is changed, it can have a huge impact.

Moreover, the spread and change of thinking has an exponential effect.

As for the verbal and written criticism of the Taoist defenders, Jiang Xinghuo was not deterred at all.

In this life, both my parents are dead, and I am alone, with no desires or desires. What can you do to me in a physical sense?

As for thinking, in terms of laning and key politics, Jiang Xinghuo has really never lost to anyone. Are you kidding me, a big V on Zhihu?

At the same time, Jiang Xinghuo also believed that the era of the early Ming Dynasty had the conditions for creativity corresponding to enlightenment thinking.

It should be said here that enlightenment thinking cannot be carried out in any dynasty. At the very least, the foundation of creativity must be in place.

Otherwise, it would be as ridiculous as engaging in the contention of a hundred schools of thought in primitive society.

Compared with the West at the same time, it was during the less than three hundred years of China's Ming Dynasty that great geographical discoveries, global voyages, the Renaissance, religious reform, and the Enlightenment were carried out.

Since the West’s manufacturing capabilities were still lagging behind China’s at that time, if the West could do it, why couldn’t China do it?

Jiang Xinghuo believes that no matter whether it can be done or not, the minimum prerequisites are met.

Now that the prerequisites are met, the next question is how to do it.

This is why Jiang Xinghuo wants to confirm his guess about Cao Jiujiang's identity by making insinuations about Big Beard.

If Jiang Xinghuo really wanted to go out of jail to work, even if he started Ming Dynasty's "Enlightenment Movement" alone, there would still be no change in Ming Dynasty's manufacturing power, so it would only be a castle in the air.

How to release?

Originally, Jiang Xinghuo thought this was almost impossible.

Because the probability that a scholar wants to achieve this at the national level is extremely slim in any era.

But this time, the "Great Sun and Moon National Debt Incident" gave Jiang Xinghuo a slightly different smell.

The world is prosperous, and everyone is here for profit.

If we can take advantage of the situation, maybe this proposition is not unachievable?

In Jiang Xinghuo's speculation, the key point of realization naturally lies in Cao Jiujiang, who is highly suspected of "Li Jinglong".

Therefore, he had to make some insinuations about the bearded Gao Yu to see if he could determine his identity.

Of course, Jiang Xinghuo thought more deeply.

One possibility is that maybe he has attracted the attention of the top brass of the Ming Empire?

Another possibility is that he has not attracted the attention of the high-ranking officials of the Ming Empire, but "Li Jinglong" is borrowing the content of his lectures to provide suggestions to the high-ranking officials of the Ming Empire.

No matter what it is, if you are "Li Jinglong" and want to know the content of the subsequent courses after your mission, you will definitely have to entrust the bearded man to help record it.

Jiang Xinghuo suddenly thought of it.

Then what if what you are talking about is very profound and slightly beyond the bearded man's ability to understand.

Could it be that "Li Jinglong" wouldn't have thought of it?

There must be a back-up plan, right?

In this way, I told Big Beard in advance that the next class would be very difficult and he might have difficulty understanding it, but I still planned to teach it. What would happen next?

Will there be another substitute sent by "Li Jinglong"?

Jiang Xinghuo felt that it was very possible!

Then you might as well give it a try to verify your conjecture.

After thinking about these questions, Jiang Xinghuo, who had set his ambition, stood up and bowed to the north from a distance.

"Mom and Dad, I miss you so much, but can you wait a little longer for me?"

"Son, this time I want to experience what [real living] feels like."

"I also want to leave an umbrella for everyone in the world who has been rained for too long."

——————

Not long after, Zhu Gaoxu came to Jiang Xinghuo's cell under the leadership of the jailer Lao Wang.

"Mr. Jiang, just now you said you had something to ask me?"

"It's not important. I'm a little bored. I want to hear your story about Cao Jiujiang." Jiang Xinghuo said while lying down as usual.

"Well"

Zhu Gaoxu's expression became tense.

Mr. Jiang, don’t you know that you have been bugged?

Otherwise, why ask so abruptly?

Zhu Gaoxu resisted the habit of scratching his beard and conducted the simplest and most direct analysis in his mind.

First of all, did Mr. Jiang realize that he was being eavesdropped?

Zhu Gaoxu did not make any complicated inferences about this, but simply thought of something.

He could even detect that he was being eavesdropped.

With Mr. Jiang’s immense wisdom, wouldn’t he be able to detect it?

It's possible that he wouldn't be aware of it, but the probability is unlikely. Therefore, Mr. Jiang may have noticed it, or he may have noticed it a long time ago, but didn't say it.

Secondly, assuming that Mr. Jiang was aware of being eavesdropped, but did not show extreme anger like himself, then Mr. Jiang asked himself what was the purpose of his words?

In other words, why does Mr. Jiang want to know Li Jinglong’s story?

Are you chatting with yourself?

Of course, whether you realize it or not, it is indeed possible that you just want to chat with yourself. This kind of chat between two people does happen from time to time.

But if it wasn't chatting, could it be said that Mr. Jiang was giving himself a chance to atone for his sins?

Make yourself confess to him, otherwise you won't give yourself any lectures in the future?

"What should I do?" Zhu Gaoxu asked in his heart.

In an instant, Zhu Gaoxu suddenly felt a deep sense of guilt.

Although from the bottom of his heart, Zhu Gaoxu didn't want to hide Jiang Xinghuo's news that he had just learned that the two of them were eavesdropped.

But these are related to Zhu Gaoxu's own fight for the throne and even the throne.

Frankly speaking, it's possible that Mr. Jiang didn't know at all and just wanted to chat with him.

Zhu Gaoxu was deeply entangled.

To confess, or not to confess?

Jiang Xinghuo, who was lying on the straw pile, did not hear Zhu Gaoxu speak for a long time. When he turned over, he discovered that the other party was engaged in a battle between heaven and man.

Jiang Xinghuo was convinced.

Sure enough, Cao Jiujiang is Li Jinglong!

Otherwise, why would the bearded Gao Yu, who has always had a bold personality, be in such a tangled posture now?

At this time, Zhu Gaoxu also made up his mind, raised his head and said.

"Mr. Jiang, actually I have been hiding something from you."

"I've already guessed it."

When Zhu Gaoxu heard this, he was not surprised at all, but calm.

With Mr. Jiang's immense wisdom, it was only natural for him to realize that he was being eavesdropped.

"Then you're not angry?" Zhu Gaoxu asked cautiously.

You would be very angry if you were bugged, right?

At least that's what he is.

"Why are you angry?"

Jiang Xinghuo looked at him strangely. Jiang Xinghuo was not a child. If Li Jinglong concealed his identity, he would do the same thing, right?

Otherwise, if I tell the other party that I am the Duke of the country, how can we get along with each other as equals and have fun?

Isn't equality a prerequisite for interactions between people?

If you ask someone like Jiang Xinghuo, who is full of arrogance, to kneel down and lick someone, he really can't do it.

Zhu Gaoxu breathed a long sigh of relief after hearing this.

Since Mr. Jiang doesn't mind being bugged before, that's fine.

But Zhu Gaoxu is a little worried. What will he do in the future?

So Zhu Gaoxu asked: "Mr. Jiang, since you already know, will we still give lectures in the future?"

After saying that, Zhu Gaoxu looked at Jiang Xinghuo nervously.

If he doesn't give lectures, his value to his father will be temporarily low, and he will have to be released from prison early.

Originally, Zhu Gaoxu really wanted to be released from prison and achieve new military exploits to increase his bargaining chips for the reserve. But now that he has figured it out, he hopes to stay in prison for the last two months.

Therefore, Zhu Gaoxu was very concerned about Jiang Xinghuo's answer.

As for Jiang Xinghuo's arrangements after he was released from prison, he had thought about it before escaping from prison for the first time. Now that he knew that it was not his turn to worry about such things, he stopped thinking about it.

In short, my father will arrange it, and my relationship with Mr. Jiang is at stake here.

——Chief Disciple!

Mr. Jiang is so famous in the world, what else can he do without increasing his influence in competing for reserves?

Jiang Xinghuo said simply: "Of course we have to continue teaching. Anyway, we are only a few classes away from being released from prison. Four classes or five classes?"

Jiang Xinghuo was also in a daze for a moment, and unknowingly, so much time had passed.

Counting from the time he traveled to the eighth life, he has spent almost two and a half years in the Ming Dynasty.

He stayed in Jingting Mountain in Xuancheng for more than half a year, then stayed in Qinhuai River in Nanjing for more than a year, and was imprisoned in imperial prison for several months.

"Five classes at most." Zhu Gaoxu replied.

"Well, keep talking."

Jiang Xinghuo glanced at the bearded man. Since Li Jinglong's identity had been exposed by him, it was time to try the next test he designed, that is, whether Li Jinglong had arranged a back-up plan.

And this point is also related to verifying the importance Li Jinglong/the upper echelons of the Ming Empire attach to themselves.

If you value your knowledge enough, even if Li Jinglong is released from prison and goes on a mission to a foreign country, Li Jinglong/the upper echelons of the Ming Empire should still have enough backup.

Otherwise, what should I do if the bearded man who is responsible for relaying certain knowledge cannot understand it?

And just need to verify this, then this proposition will have the answer.

As long as there are new people coming to attend the class, it means that Li Jinglong/the upper echelons of the Ming Empire value themselves highly enough, and there is a possibility of change.

After thinking about it for a while, Jiang Xinghuo continued: "But, the next class may be more complicated."

Zhu Gaoxu frowned.

After hearing this, my scalp started to feel a little itchy.

"Can you tell me more specifically? What kind of courses are there?"

Jiang Xinghuo simply said: "The science of managing the world and benefiting the people."

--"economics".

Zhu Gaoxu continued to bite the bullet and asked: "I seemed, probably, seemed, should, understand the last lesson about currency, right? Will the next lesson be more difficult?"

"It's harder." Jiang Xinghuo said calmly.

"What are you going to talk about?"

"Take a hypothetical feudal dynasty in the future as an example to analyze the national fiscal policy and central and local secondary taxation in the transition from agriculture to the industrial era."