Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

The three ministers crowded into a carriage returning to Liubu Yamen, and they were surprisingly quiet.

Looking at Xia Yuanji, who was looking down and speechless, Jian Yi couldn't help but ask: "Xia Shangshu, are you okay?"

Hearing this, Ru Rui also looked at Xia Yuanji opposite.

Xia Yuanji raised his head in a daze, and then the two of them discovered that Xia Yuanji's eyes were already filled with scarlet bloodshot eyes.

"Take it from the people. Use it for the people."

Xia Yuanji murmured something again and just smiled bitterly.

Jian Yi and Ru Ru also understood where Xia Yuanji's heart was, but they were speechless for a moment.

There was no other reason. Jiang Xinghuo's words not only made Xia Yuanji feel depressed, but also made them feel deeply shocked and touched in their hearts.

Yes, when I and others were still young men, Isn't it just to save the common people in the world and be a virtuous minister who assists the king in bringing peace to the world?

Starting from the last years of Hongwu, with the decadence of the imperial court and the collapse of the lower-level officials, the lives of the people of the Ming Dynasty became more and more miserable, but what were they doing!

Occupying a high position and possessing a huge fortune, in addition to fulfilling his duties in an orderly manner, he spends most of his time protecting himself amid various interest disputes and court battles. There is no need to ask for orders for the people, even the most basic original intention. All thrown away.

Can such a person really be called the virtuous minister they thought they were when they were young?

Xia Yuanji suddenly felt very sad. He didn't want to believe this, but every word Jiang Xinghuo said was like a needle prick. Although he didn't mean anything, Xia Yuanji reminded himself that people like him had long been It's time to get out of officialdom.

"hehe!"

A self-deprecating sneer suddenly sounded.

"Xia Shangshu."

Hearing this sound, Jian Yi and Ru Yu both looked at Xia Yuanji.

Xia Yuanji's face was pale, his mouth had a sarcastic curve, and his eyes were slightly narrowed.

"I don't know what you think."

"But Xia just thinks so."

"Over the years, my position has become higher and higher, but I seem to have forgotten my original purpose of entering the official career."

"Xia hasn't really done anything practical for the people for a long time."

After Xia Yuanji said these words lightly, he turned to look out the window of the Qingman carriage, his eyes full of sadness and confusion.

Seeing Xia Yuanji like this, Jian Yi and Ru Ru suddenly felt a little ashamed.

Why don't they?

My official career has gone too far, and I have climbed to the top with great difficulty. Looking back, I can’t see where I came from.

Not to mention the hopeful self at the foot of the mountain.

"You will definitely become a good official who can help the world, right?"

Xia Yuanji murmured to himself in a question-and-answer manner.

"But, since when did you treat every living common person as countless characters in a yellow book, and as a bunch of numbers in statistics?"

Xia Yuanji's veins popped out in his hands and he covered his head hard.

"Can not remember."

“I really can’t remember clearly.”

After a long time, Xia Yuanji just straightened up his appearance.

Although Xia Yuanji still looked gentle and gentle on the surface at this time, the occasional flash of resentment and despair in his eyes made people feel sad.

In fact, when they heard Xia Yuanji's whisper just now, the two of them couldn't help but fall silent.

It was at this time that Jian Yi and Ru Ru were surprised to find that Xia Yuanji had changed a lot.

In the past, Xia Yuanji always looked calm and calm, as if nothing could affect his tough and iron heart, and it seemed that nothing could make him give up everything.

In particular, he has been working hard for many years and is most passionate about the business of running the country and benefiting the people.

But now, Xia Yuanji's whole person was filled with a strong sense of twilight, as if he had lost his soul.

Just like him at this moment.

He just stared out the carriage window blankly, his eyes unfocused.

Xia Yuanji is no longer the same Xia Yuanji. This realization makes Jian Yi and Ru Ru, old friends, both sad and distressed.

Along the way, the three fell into an eerie silence.

Until arriving at Liubu Yamen.

After Jian Yi and Ru Yu left and returned to their respective yamen, Xia Yuanji let out a long breath.

Then, Xia Yuanji returned to his office room, walked slowly to the desk, reached out and picked up the teacup beside the desk, raised his head and drank the tea he had brewed in the morning.

Putting down the tea cup, Xia Yuanji looked at the rice paper on the table without blinking.

For a long time, Xia Yuanji slowly closed his eyes, frowning, and after thinking for a moment, he finally made up his mind, picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and started writing furiously.

After writing the last word, Xia Yuanji opened the door, handed the official document to his confidant in the corridor outside, and motioned for him to send it to the cabinet.

This confidant only glanced at the unobstructed title on the official document, and then presented it back to Xia Yuanji in panic.

Xia Yuanji carefully looked at the seal on the official document, and finally turned to the blank space on the last page and outlined a few lines of writing with a brush.

He sighed and handed it to his confidant resolutely.

"Shang Shu, are you going to retire and return home?"

The official's eyes widened, still looking at Xia Yuanji in disbelief.

"Well, this is the resignation I submitted to His Majesty. Send it to the cabinet quickly."

Hearing Xia Yuanji's words, the officials were stunned for a while.

This confidant had been with Xia Yuanji for decades and naturally knew that Xia Yuanji was an official.

But now, Xia Yuanji actually took the initiative to resign, which made the officials unable to digest it for a while.

However, this confidant still faithfully performed his duties.

"Subordinates obey orders."

The official took the official document, bowed and left.

When Xia Yuanji was the only one left in the room, he slumped down on the chair in despair, looking haggard.

In fact, the decision to become an official was not made suddenly by Xia Yuanji.

In fact, after Zhu Di led his troops south and ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, officials who had become accustomed to comfort from the late Hongwu period to the Jianwen Dynasty felt unusual changes.

This change makes people feel as if they have returned to the era of trembling under the butcher's knife of Emperor Hongwu in his prime.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang rarely went on a killing spree when he got old, the corruption of officialdom and the depravity of officials that had been suppressed by the iron-fisted rule gradually emerged.

But this does not mean that these officials have forgotten the funny scenes where they were often stripped of their skin or exiled for three thousand miles, so that the chief officer was killed and his deputy came to court in shackles to handle the case.

Many people suspect that Zhu Di, who closely resembles his father, will also adopt this method to rectify the government.

In fact, Zhu Di did more cruelly than his father at the beginning.

After the general inspection when he ascended the throne, Jianwen's bones were wiped out, and the officials thought they would stop.

As a result, Zhou Jin's rebellion broke out in Jiangnan because of "sharing labor into his mother's family", which led Zhu Di to wield the butcher's knife and start a new round of clan killings.

At this time, although there was no disturbance on the surface in the court, there was an undercurrent surging secretly.

Many old foxes and turtles are aware of the danger.

I have made enough money, I have been an official for so many years, I have countless disciples and former officials, and I have accumulated enough wealth and resources to continue the family.

What are you waiting for? Are you waiting to be beheaded by Zhu Di?

Thirty-six strategies are the best, run!

Therefore, there have been a lot of resignations on Zhu Gaochi's desk recently. Of course, most of them were dissuaded by Zhu Gaochi one by one. Although there are also a few examples of people who want to follow suit, but end up losing their official title. .

Although Xia Yuanji was a favorite of the emperor, he had long known the common thoughts of his colleagues. The most important thing was that the previous court dispute over the fertilizer elixir made him the target of public criticism.

Although the binding of the Ming Dynasty's national debt to the fertilizer factory did require a target, in Xia Yuanji's heart, he understood the emperor's choice. At a certain moment when he was criticized by his colleagues, Xia Yuanji also felt a little Disheartened.

Of course, the main reason is that Jiang Xinghuo's words during today's lecture really shocked Xia Yuanji's soul deeply.

Xia Yuanji is, after all, an official with ideals and conscience.

This directly made Xia Yuanji doubt what he was doing now, and he came up with the idea that "being an official can't save the people, so it is better to spend his old age in seclusion in the countryside."

Thinking of this, Xia Yuanji couldn't help but ask himself, what can he do for the people?

He remembered clearly that he had worked hard over the years and never slacked off, but what happened in the end?

Isn't he just a mediocre senior bureaucrat?

Has it really changed the world?

Does it really make people's lives better?

"Hey!" Xia Yuanji sighed and continued to lower his head and deal with the official duties in hand.

In the empty room, Xia Yuanji not only laughed at himself: "Be a monk for a day and ring the clock for a day."

At this time, the door was pushed open and an old voice came.

"Not all monks need to ring the bell."

Xia Yuanji looked intently, but Dao Yan, wearing a black cassock, walked in slowly.

Daoyan held his resignation letter in his hand.

In front of Xia Yuanji, Dao Yan twisted his fingers and tore the resignation letter into pieces.

"Master Daoyan, what does this mean?"

Xia Yuanji did not hide his expression, but asked tiredly.

"You can't leave yet." Dao Yan threw his resignation into the wastebasket and said slowly.

"why?"

"It's different." Dao Yan shook his head.

"What's the difference?" Xia Yuanji asked.

Dao Yan opened his slightly closed triangular eyes and said slowly.

"You are Jiang Sheng's student!"

Xia Yuanji's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm.

"Master Daoyan, you might as well speak more clearly."

Dao Yan nodded, looked at him and said seriously: "Jiang Sheng's principles are only taught to a few people. This is a great blessing that only exists in millions, and you, Xia Yuanji, are one of them."

Dao Yan asked: "As for you, Xia Yuanji, as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, you are also familiar with the way of managing the country and the people, but you are lucky enough to learn from Jiang Sheng's way. You don't care about blessings, and you don't want to benefit the people. Instead, you want to quit. Don't you feel ashamed when you have let yourself down and wasted your useful life?"

"Master Jiang taught the truth." Xia Yuanji looked gloomy, "But by listening to these few lectures, Xia still can't save the people."

"If you can't do it after a few lessons, how about learning from Jiang Sheng? No matter how powerful the knowledge is in the world, no matter how many principles there are, according to your talent, Xia Shangshu, if you study more and think more, you should learn it."

"As for saving the people, it's not you alone. What do you think Jiang Sheng will do when he is released from prison in two months?"

Xia Yuanji only said: "Master Jiang, don't you still know all this?"

"He already knows." Dao Yan said coldly, "Or at least he knows part of it."

"Xia Shangshu has exposed his secret today."

Xia Yuanji was stunned: "How can you say this?"

"How amazing is Jiang Sheng's talent? His knowledge is overwhelming in the world, and his knowledge can see through the past and the present. From the moment you put on makeup and entered the prison, you have already exposed your secret." Dao Yan said lightly.

Xia Yuanji recalled for a moment, then frowned and asked: "Master Daoyan, what you mean is that this lesson was originally in Master Jiang's plan? Master Jiang has already felt vigilant, so he used the word "The Second Prince may not understand" Doing a test?"

Dao Yan nodded slightly and then said: "Jiang Sheng has a cousin who has been secretly monitored and protected by Lao Na. Last time, she was deceived by counterfeiting national debts and went to complain to Jiang Sheng. Of course, the person who deceived her , died in the 'Ningbo Caravan' massacred by Japanese pirates."

Xia Yuanji stood up, and the look on his face became serious.

"So, this is all Master Daoyan's plan?"

"You should give him a push and let him understand slowly." Dao Yan was not afraid of Xia Yuanji's gaze and only said, "Do you want to watch Jiang Sheng see through all this after he is released from prison and become at a loss? Angry?"

Xia Yuanji shook his robes, and the official power he had developed from being in a high position for many years was also revealed in his body movements and expression.

"You shouldn't have arranged Master Jiang's fate." Xia Yuanji's words no longer contained the honorific.

"I didn't arrange Jiang Sheng's fate."

Dao Yan lowered his eyebrows and whispered: "For a person like Jiang Sheng, as long as he sees the hope of changing the injustice in this world, he will definitely embark on that path."

"For those with great ideals, that road is the most deadly and seductive poison in the world."

"I just asked Jiang Sheng to be mentally prepared in advance so that he would not feel too sudden when he is released from prison."

Before today, Xia Yuanji would have scoffed at what Dao Yan said.

However, when Xia Yuanji broke away from the cold digital world composed of the terrifying "Absolute Reason" and experienced the ruthless feeling of making everything in the world a stupid dog, he felt deep fear and regret.

Therefore, Xia Yuanji believed everything Daoyan said.

Xia Yuanji believed that if Jiang Xinghuo saw that he could make the world look like his ideal, then Jiang Xinghuo would do whatever it takes just to realize that ideal.

After all, Jiang Xinghuo is really not afraid of death!

Xia Yuanji believed that the reason why he put on such a posture in prison was because Jiang Xinghuo could not see the hope of changing the world.

Just like the reason why Xia Yuanji submitted his resignation was because he could not see the hope that tax revenue could really be "taken from the people and used for the people."

And now, Dao Yan's words gave Xia Yuanji hope.

If in the future the Ming Dynasty's economy, people, and taxation can be laid in the hands of Xia Yuanji, even a little bit of "taken from the people and used for the people" can lay the foundation for this future, Xia Yuanji feels that he The meaning of what you do is worthwhile, and you are willing to pay for it.

But then, as if he thought of something, Xia Yuanji's heart trembled.

Xia Yuanji asked extremely seriously: "Dao Yan, what do you want to do? Do you want to"

Xia Yuanji never dared to say the next words.

"No."

Understanding Xia Yuanji's fears, Dao Yan gave him an answer that reassured him.

Dao Yan's answer really made Xia Yuanji breathe a sigh of relief.

Dao Yan clasped his hands together and said in a hoarse voice: "What I want to do is to do my best in the last time of my life to help Jiang Sheng open up that eternal road. This road will be opened in the next few hundred years." , are not in conflict with the imperial power, on the contrary, they are mutually beneficial.”

This sentence relieved Xia Yuanji of most of his worries.

As long as it does not conflict with the imperial power and does not violate Xia Yuanji's principles, then Xia Yuanji feels that he can continue to listen to Dao Yan's ideas.

Xia Yuanji raised his head and looked at Dao Yan, and asked simply: "What do you want me to do?"

Dao Yan smiled, and ravines of varying depths were revealed on his skin that was as dry as tree bark.

"Xia Shangshu, let's follow Jiang Sheng's footsteps and change the world together."

Xia Yuanji was silent for a moment and asked, "How to change the world?"

Dao Yan already had a plan in his mind and said directly.

"Overturn Neo-Confucianism and release the bound thinking."

"Promote Jiang Sheng's 'science' and establish a true foundation for eternity."

"Colonizing overseas will give Chinese civilization an opportunity to take the lead in the world island war and build the Ming Empire where the sun and the moon never set."

"Improve the manufacturing capacity of the Ming Dynasty, so that the people will no longer suffer from hunger and cold, so that ordinary people can read, read, and understand the truth."

"Finally, we will truly build a harmonious society that takes from the people and uses it for the people."

In Xia Yuanji's mind, a picture seemed to appear. Taxes were no longer cold numbers and currencies, but were gathered into rivers and oceans with the power of countless people, and then benefited all people.

Perhaps this is the true meaning of taxation.

Perhaps, this is the real future that this world should have.

But Xia Yuanji still couldn't help but said: "It's impossible for us to see that day."

Dao Yan nodded and laughed.

"But this is the meaning of immortality!"

"Our bodies will eventually perish, but everything we create for our ideals will last forever!"

Dao Yan looked at Xia Yuanji seriously and asked.

"Xia Yuanji, are you willing to embark on this path with me and Jiang Sheng? If you think clearly, if you take one step forward, you will have to face the fierce criticism of the world and the verbal criticism of the defenders. There is no way back. ”

Dao Yanfu said again: "But Xia Yuanji, you have a family and business, and you are also in a high position as a minister. You are the ultimate civil servant. You are not the same as Lao Ji and Jiang Sheng who are alone. If you don't have this intention in your heart, I just pretend I haven't been here today."

Xia Yuanji opened his mouth to speak, but swallowed it back.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and he didn't know what he thought of during a few breaths of silence. Instead, Xia Yuanji nodded heavily.

Xia Yuanji said softly to Daoyan.

"Then from now on, you and I are fellow travelers."