Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

In the Imperial College, Siye's room, Xun Zhan sat at the head of the table, surrounded by exam papers, so densely packed that they almost formed a hill.

While reviewing the test papers, Xian Zhan cursed: "Who wrote this? New learning, new learning, bullshit new learning!"

Although a gentleman does not bully the darkroom, there was no one in his room at this time, and Xun Zhan, who was in a very bad mood, could let go of his curses.

Xun Zhan originally wanted to use this time to entertain Annan and Zhancheng to get some credit for himself, but he didn't expect that something unexpected happened and the identities of the three parties were all fake!

Xun Zhan was involved in the whirlpool, but his benefactor, Wang Jing, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, was overwhelmed by the pressure and did not prevent the incident from happening. He allowed the situation to expand and did not come to help.

This is sacrificing his career!

Xun Zhan was furious and wanted to tear Jiang Xinghuo alive for choosing to expose the scandal instead of covering it up!

At this time, when I saw the test papers that supported Jiang Xinghuo's new learning, I naturally rejected them all.

He picked up a test paper, looked at it, threw it back, and continued grading.

"It's really nonsense. He even advocated some kind of 'experimental investigation of objects'. It's simply ridiculous. If it had been done in the past, he would have been punished."

After throwing away several test papers in a row, Xun Zhan finally raised his head and rubbed his temples.

"Forget it, that's it for today."

At this moment, there was a knock on the door: "Master Si Ye, Master Jijiu is here."

"Yes, please." Xun Zhan adjusted his appearance and regained his composure.

A moment later, an elegant middle-aged official wearing a scarlet robe walked in. This person was Hu Yan, who had just been transferred from the cabinet to the Imperial Academy and promoted to the position of Jijiu.

In the big discussion about reform before Jiang Xinghuo was released from prison, Hu Yan, who was usually taciturn among the cabinet members, performed particularly well and attracted the attention of Emperor Yongle. Considering Hu Yan's past service experience and his older age, In this unified official personnel adjustment, he was promoted and placed in the most suitable educational position.

This is because Hu Yan took part in the joint examination in Nanjing in the 21st year of Hongwu. After passing the exam, he showed excellent academic qualities when he was appointed as the eunuch of Huating County. Be self-responsible, encourage students to study pragmatically, strive for economy and change; in addition to the unrestrained academic style of Huating, Hu Yan also personally lectures to students every day, often until midnight, even in the severe winter and heat, he does not stop. students all respect him.

Hu Yan entered the room and glanced at the pile of test papers that Xun Zhan had thrown away.

Although Hu Yan was offering wine as a sacrifice, the current Imperial College of Yongle Dynasty was definitely not the same as the Hongwu Dynasty. You must know that Song Na, the Imperial College of the Hongwu Dynasty, was the devil principal whom Lao Zhu supported the most. The prison rules are very harsh, including being beaten with bamboo grates for not wearing school uniforms, being beaten with bamboo grates for going to the toilet without a certificate of honor, and being beaten for talking in the dormitory at night. The Imperial College has a collection of wrongdoings. , specifically recording the violations committed by the supervisors. The first violation by the supervisor will not be counted. If he commits a second violation, he will be beaten with a bamboo grate five times. If he commits a third violation, he will be punished with ten blows. The penalty for the fourth violation is basically a hundred sticks and being sent to Yunnan for military confinement. At that time, every month A few prison guards couldn't bear it and committed suicide.

Hu Yan had just arrived, and he was not very familiar with the person. He was a gentle and gentle master, not the harsh and cold enforcer like Song Ne who wanted the prison students to "become upright". His authority in the Imperial College was not Establishment, let alone participate in the educational affairs of the Sixth Hall and Sixth Hall.

"I've met Lord Jijiu."

Xun Zhan cupped his hands with a calm expression. He just looked at Hu Yan's somewhat dazzling Fei robe, and then looked at his own official robe that changed from red to blue. He still felt uncomfortable.

Xun Zhan was of the same generation as Yang Rong and Jin Youzi in the cabinet, but he had almost no contact with Hu Yan for more than ten years. In addition, he was in a bad mood after being demoted, so Xun Zhan could not be said to be very enthusiastic about Hu Yan at this time.

"Xun Siye, why is your place so messy?" Hu Yan asked.

"This is the new examination paper sent by the Doctoral Office today."

The Imperial College currently has six departments. In addition to the newly established Science Department, there is the Shengxing Department (similar to the Discipline Department), which is responsible for punishments, as well as the Dianbook Department (General Department), which is responsible for clerical and financial management, and the canteen. The restaurant hall is responsible for the classics hall of the library.

As for the six classes, they are similar to different grades and are divided into three levels. The junior class has three classes, named Zhengyi, Chongzhi, and Guangye; the intermediate class has two classes, Xiudao and Chengxin; and the advanced class has only A frank meeting.

The Imperial College classifies students into three levels and six classes according to their academic level. If students from lower classes want to advance to higher classes, they must upgrade based on a points system. That is, the accumulation of credits through examinations determines whether students can be promoted or graduate.

"show me."

Xun Zhan picked up the test paper on the table and handed it over. He glanced at Hu Yan from the corner of his eyes, secretly guessing what the other party wanted from him.

"Um?"

Hu Yan took the test paper, opened it and looked at it. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his face suddenly darkened.

Snap!

The test paper is on the case.

"What does offering wine as a sacrifice mean?" Xun Zhan asked rather unhappily.

"Did you draw up all of this yourself?"

Hu Yan questioned.

"These answers are all made by the students themselves. I just judge them based on the Annotations on Chapters and Sentences of the Four Books."

Xun Zhan frowned and vaguely sensed something: "Is there something against the rules?"

"rule?"

Hu Yan asked back: "Today's rules or yesterday's rules?"

Xun Zhan's heart trembled: "What does Lord Jijiu mean?"

"These papers you judged are illegal!"

Hu Yan flicked his sleeves and said, "You know, today His Majesty has convened a group of ministers to discuss the rectification of the academic style of the Imperial College. He has made great efforts in terms of school regulations management, scope of teaching materials, school inspections, instructors' responsibilities, school examination standards, etc. Re-investigate the shortcomings of the Imperial College and completely put an end to the trend of debauchery! If you sentence us like this now, aren’t you going to make me and the rest of us miserable?”

"What?!"

This news left Xi Zhan stunned.

"Furthermore, there are so many PhDs, teaching assistants, academics, and academic admissions in the Doctoral Hall. When will it be your turn to do things like judging papers yourself? I won't say more if it's too unpleasant."

"You can take care of yourself."

Hu Yan turned around and left, leaving Xun Zhan standing there.

His head was buzzing and his whole body was cold.

After a long time, Xian Zhan gritted his teeth and said, "This matter must have been caused by that bastard Jiang Xinghuo. He deliberately framed me. Not only did he demote me to the Imperial College, he also wanted to completely ruin my future! He is such a despicable villain. , damn it!”

His fists were clenched, veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes were bloodshot, like a beast that might lose control at any time.

"Somebody come!"

The clerk brought from the Huitong Hall followed the instructions and walked in. Xun Zhan whispered a few names in his ear, and the clerk nodded and left.

————————

The atmosphere in the Imperial College became increasingly oppressive, with many people whispering in private, and their comments were nothing more than criticism of the new regulations in the Imperial College.

In fact, no one wants to let the atmosphere of the Imperial College return to the terrifying Hongwu period. This is not the first time that the Imperial College students have resisted the system.

In the eighteenth year of Hongwu, Song Ne's strict discipline and the implementation of horrific prison regulations caused deep complaints among the supervisors and academic officials. After several supervisors and academic officials starved to death in succession, Jin Wenzheng, a young scholar with a well-known literary reputation at the time, conspired to They recruited two other academics, Tian Zizhen and He Cao, and planned to oust Song Ne. To this end, they found Chen Qianfu, an old academic who was also a colleague of the Imperial Academy, but was the teacher of the Ministry of Personnel, Yu Xu, and discussed letting Yu Xu be in charge. The Ministry of Officials asked Song Ne to leave the wine-offering position for the legitimate reason of becoming an official at the age of seventy-five. If everything works, the prison students will no longer be subject to the strict control of the wine-offering, and the burden of management and teaching on the academic officers in charge of the Imperial College will be reduced. Some.

Unfortunately, after the Dongchuang Incident, Yu Ji, the official of the Ministry of Personnel, who was a "Tianguan", was directly killed by Lao Zhu.

Since then, the Imperial College has not stopped, and secret activities between academic officers and supervisors have occurred one after another. The most famous one is Zhao Lin, whose head was hung on the flagpole by Lao Zhu. This is the so-called "Prison Student Zhao Lin posted anonymous posters to slander The teacher ordered him to be executed, holding a long pole in front of the prison and giving orders to the public. Emperor Taizu Gao promulgated the "Zhao Lin Defamation List" and the "Jingyu Auxiliary Education" in the Imperial College."

But compared to these old events, recent events seem a bit strange.

--A new anonymous poster appears.

Not only that, this news seemed to have been spread by someone who was interested. The news spread very quickly. Because it was publicly released within the Imperial College, it quickly attracted a large number of academic officials and supervisory students to watch.

No matter how you look at this matter, it seems strange. If there is no one behind it, I am afraid no one will believe it.

"Shh... keep your voice down, let's not talk nonsense about this..."

Hearing various discussions coming to his ears, Wang Yunsheng, who had participated in Taiping Street seminars, had been transferred from the eighth-grade doctor to another place, and then transferred back to be promoted to the Imperial Academy, was a little ugly.

"Whatever fun you're having, it's all gone!"

The Superintendent was in charge of the Department of Prisons and had a strong deterrent effect on the students. The students and academic officers who gathered next to the anonymous poster dispersed one after another.

Wang Yunsheng frowned, turned to look at Fan Weixing beside him, and asked in a low voice: "Xiao Fan, have you heard anything?"

As a supporter of the scientific theory of matter, Fan Weixing, who led his classmates to successfully trial-produce the first hot air balloon in the Imperial College, is now quite influential in the Imperial College, but he has not received any news.

Seeing Fan Weixing shaking his head, Wang Yunsheng stretched out his hand to tear it apart, but put down his hand.

"It's better to wait until the wine offering and Si Ye arrive before making a decision."

"Although I don't know...but since you dare to openly publish anonymous posters, you must be confident!"

Someone posted such an anonymous poster opposing the new regulations of the Imperial College. On the one hand, it was to put pressure on the new regulations of the Imperial College. On the other hand, it was to attract public attention and let people in Nanjing and even Jiangnan Shilin know about it.

The purpose of this move is very clear. He just wants to use the power of public opinion to force some people to change their original decisions.

This is a great move.

If we do not give in now and insist on the implementation of the new regulations, then the Imperial College students and even academic officials who have suffered deeply from the old Hongwu system will definitely follow Kong Xilu out of the army and form a trend when their collective interests are harmed. Contribute to the anti-reform movement and public opinion.

If we give in now, then this reform cannot even change the rules of the Imperial College, wouldn't it make the world laugh?

As for Hu Yan, who had just been transferred to the wine ceremony, it was even more difficult.

So what if you, Hu Yan, are offering wine? Do you dare to really go against all the supervisors and academic officers? But if he does not implement the new regulations of the court, as the chief official, he will directly face the pressure of losing his official position. If Hu Yan resigns actively or passively, who can be promoted?

No matter what, these are enough for Hu Yan to drink a pot.

Hu Yan is a cautious person, and he doesn't want to cause any trouble because of a trivial matter.

Therefore, even though the new official took office and had a lot of things on his hands, he still hurried to the north door holding the hem of his official robe, and saw the piece of paper full of writing stuck to the wall from a distance.

Hu Yan walked over, stared at it for a moment, and suddenly sighed: "That's all, since someone wants to make trouble, let the superiors handle it."

He found a room, dipped his pen in ink and wrote down a document. Then he called a clerk and said, "Send this document to the President's Reform Affairs Office immediately."

The scribe agreed, put the document into a bag and sent it quickly.

Hu Yan stood at the north gate, looking at the clerk who was gradually disappearing into the corner of the street in the distance, with a look of helplessness on his face: "You are the ones to blame."

He slowly walked away, but he didn't realize that a pair of calm eyes were staring at him from the crack of the window a few feet away from him.

The anonymous poster in the Imperial College was like a stone that stirred up a thousand waves.

——————

A mansion somewhere in Nanjing.

This mansion was built in a remote place, with rockeries, flowing water, pavilions, and pavilions. It was quite ingenious. However, it is now dilapidated and withered. Apart from a huge plaque, the front door is just a closed wooden door without a threshold. , it looks quite depressed and desolate.

But in this dilapidated mansion, there are still several rooms that are well preserved. In one of them, two men in gray Confucian robes were sitting behind the desk, looking solemnly at a confidential letter in their hands.

"Tell me, who did this?"

The man on the left folded the letter and handed it to the man on the right.

"They should not be ordinary Imperial College Health Supervisors." The man on the right mused, "After all, they are just scholars and should not know how to take advantage of the opportunity. They are more like officials who want to achieve their own goals through the power of public opinion."

The man on the left nodded in praise, and then asked doubtfully: "Then who is he or they?"

The man on the right hesitated for a while and then said: "This is worth pondering. What do these guys want to do when they interfere?"

"Will it ruin our plan?"

"No, it's just a good time to test Jiang Xinghuo's reaction."

The man on the left heard this and felt it made sense.

So he put away the secret letter, smiled at the man on the right and said: "Since there are still a few people who haven't responded to the message, let's not wait and do our own thing first!"

The man on the right nodded and said: "Well, I have sent someone to contact someone."

"How do you think Jiang Xinghuo will react?"

"I guess he can keep his composure. After all, Kong Xilu is about to enter Beijing."

——————

To the surprise of Hu Yan and others, the President's Reform Affairs Office did not respond immediately.

The next day, the sky was slightly bright.

A carriage was driving on the official road.

The driver driving the carriage and the boy sitting on the edge of the carriage were all extremely alert at this moment, because they had just come from the countryside in the south of the Yangtze River, and in front of them was the most prosperous and lively street in Nanjing.

Although it is early in the morning, there are already people from various religions gathering on the street.

The driver knew the rules in the area, so he took a long detour to avoid contact with the locals, and he couldn't be provoked by the green-skinned gangsters in the market. Otherwise, if there was any conflict, he wouldn't be able to handle it alone.

But even so, he still felt the change in the atmosphere around him.

The originally bustling streets seemed a little deserted at the moment.

Occasionally, there are one or two caravans walking in a hurry, as if they have something urgent to do.

"this"

The coachman had some doubts in his heart and couldn't help but cast a questioning look at the boy.

Upon seeing this, the boy immediately whispered: "The master has given us instructions to be more careful, so you can slow down and we don't cause trouble."

After hearing this, the driver who was driving the carriage breathed a sigh of relief. Just take your time.

The people in the carriage looked through the windows at the increasingly noisy street scene outside, and couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation in their hearts.

Finally, the carriage arrived in front of a large building.

"Master, we're here."

The driver reported the situation respectfully.

At the entrance of the Imperial College, a huge crowd was quietly waiting for Kong Xilu's arrival.

Kong Xilu did not have an official position, but was a white man. Therefore, theoretically, like Duke Yansheng of Beikong, he did not need to meet the emperor before entering the capital. Instead, as long as there was a guide from the government, he could go where he wanted to go. Just go wherever you go.

People who were shorter or in the back row tried their best to poke their heads out, looking excited and full of piety.

A pair of boots stepped off the low stool put down by the coachman, and then stopped on the ground at the entrance of the Imperial College.

An old man wearing a Confucian robe appeared in front of everyone. He was older, with slightly white hair, but a plump and rosy face, a straight back, and a loud and powerful voice.

"You guys have been waiting for a long time."

Kong Xilu smiled brightly and bowed his hands to everyone, then chatted with Hu Yan and Xun Zhan for a while, looked past the flagpole where Zhao Lin's head had been hung for many years, and walked into the Imperial College first.

The waiter beside him quickly followed, while the students behind him lined up in a long queue and followed slowly behind him.

"You are really graceful!"

"As expected of Nan Kong's successor!"

"I heard that this great scholar in China is going to explain the Analects of Confucius to us today."

Everyone looked at the back of Kong Xilu in front of them, their eyes flashing with deep admiration, as if they were looking at a rare treasure rather than a knowledgeable academic leader.

Moreover, everyone's discussion voices were suppressed very low, and they did not dare to make any noise.

After all, the Imperial College is an important place, and there are regulations prohibiting loud noises. Normally, it's okay, but in these special times, if people like them are caught making noises, they will definitely be left in trouble.

But for some reason, the long queue suddenly stopped.

It turned out that Kong Xilu stopped in front of a stone tablet.

This is because after the Zhao Lin incident, Zhu Yuanzhang issued two booklets, "Zhao Lin's Defamation Book" and "Police and Idiot Auxiliary Education". He also personally convened all the prison students to give a lecture, and then engraved the speech on this stone tablet.

Lao Zhu speaks plainly, but it actually serves as a warning just by listening to it.

"Every time the student listens: Song Ne made sacrificial wine before, the academic rules are very serious, and the scholar is willing to learn every time he follows the rules, so everyone who teaches them is put to good use, and the court is so good that in recent years, the old scholar has done everything Sacrificing wine, he always had different intentions and refused to teach, so he changed Song Ne's academic rules, so all the students and disciples did not study, and using him made good things happen and bad things happened.

Nowadays, every time the young scholar official comes to sign his academic affairs, he always follows the academic rules he set. Anyone who dared to resist, act mischievously or violate the school rules would not be spared if he offered wine and played music. The whole family would be sent to the smoky land to be sent to the army, officials or leaders.

From now on, the rules of the school will be strict. If a homeless person dares to slander the teacher by posting a shameless post, everyone will be punished, or they will be tied up in the future, and they will be rewarded with two large pieces of silver. If someone posted a note before, and someone knows about it, and either comes forward or binds the future, he will generally be rewarded with two large pieces of silver. The prisoner was executed too late, and the owl ordered him to be in front of the prison. The whole family was confiscated, and the population was moved to the smoky ground. Admire this! "

Kong Xilu looked at the stone tablet and smiled, without expressing any opinion, and then continued to move forward.

In the Imperial Academy, everyone headed straight towards the lecture hall.

On the way, I met several students from the Imperial College. When they saw Kong Xilu, they all bowed to him.

This made Kong Xilu enjoy it quite a bit, and he always had a gentle smile on his face.

The students of the Imperial College also respected Kong Xilu, and even had some reverence for him.

Although most of the students in the Imperial College are ordinary scholars, some of their parents are knowledgeable. As Kong Xilu is a leading Confucian scholar, they usually learn from their elders that Kong Xilu was the representative of the Imperial Academy during the Hongwu period. There are various rumors that Confucianism suppressed Buddhism and Taoism.

Therefore, Kong Xilu's reputation is not much higher than that of other famous figures.

Not long after, everyone arrived at the lecture venue of Justice Hall.

There were already people who had not gone to greet us at the door and had already taken their places in advance. They were either sitting on chairs or standing at the back.

These people are of various ages, and their Confucian standards are also very uneven.

Of course, no matter how advanced their knowledge is, for Kong Xilu, a famous Confucian scholar, they are just kids playing house.

Kong Xilu just swiped around, then found a table in front of the podium, sat on the chair behind the table, closed his eyes and rested.

After a while, all the students in the lecture hall arrived one after another, and the entire hall suddenly became silent.

Then Kong Xilu slowly opened his eyes.

"Zi Lu said: When the king of Wei is waiting for his son to take charge of the government, the son will make fun of him first? Zi Lu said: He must also rectify his name! Zi Lu said: That's right, the son is roundabout! Is he ridiculing his righteousness?"

"Zi Ri: Ye Zai, You Ye! A gentleman does not know what he knows, and it is like a gap. If the name is not correct, the words will not go smoothly, and if the words do not go well, the things will not be accomplished. If the things are not accomplished, the rituals and music will not flourish. If the rituals and music are not flourishing, the punishment will not be correct. , if the punishment is not met, the people will be at a loss what to do. Therefore, a gentleman's name must be eloquent, and his words must be feasible. A gentleman is nothing more than strict about his words."

The words came from the thirteenth chapter of the Analects of Confucius, and the whole hall was dumbfounded.

It’s not that there’s anything special about this passage, but anyone who has a little knowledge of Confucianism can understand what Kong Xilu is referring to!

This is no longer a hint, but a blatant statement.

This story goes like this: Zilu asked Confucius, "The king of Wei wants you to govern the country. What do you plan to do first?"

Confucius said that first of all, the status must be corrected. A gentleman always adopts a skeptical attitude towards things he does not know. If the status is not correct, his words will not be fluent and reasonable. If his words are not fluent and reasonable, things will not be done. Things will not be done, etiquette. Joy cannot flourish

Therefore, a gentleman must decide on a title, and he must be able to explain it clearly, and he must be able to make it work when he says it.

When looking at things like "governing the country" and "status" combined with the current situation of the Ming Dynasty, the meaning of Kong Xilu's lectures is self-evident.

A hint of surprise flashed in Xun Zhan's eyes.

Unexpectedly, Kong Xilu, who looked like an old man with a mellow appearance, would be so aggressive when he opened his mouth.

"He is worthy of being the person who defeated the three religions of Hongwu Dynasty. This time, Jiang Xinghuo has met someone who can cure him."

After Kong Xilu said briefly, he began to outline the key points of Confucianism and some learning techniques.

At first, the students below listened attentively, but as time went by, they gradually became drowsy.

The knowledge of these people is not top-notch, at most they are at the level of a scholar. Those who can take the imperial examination generally do not come to the Imperial College.

This means that in the Ming Dynasty, all students who entered the Imperial College were called supervisors, and supervisors were roughly divided into six categories, namely, Jujian, Gongjian, Yinjian, Lujian, Yisheng, and Junxiu.

The last five are easy to understand. Gongjian is selected by the local government every year; Yinjian means that after the official reaches the third rank, the court will give his descendants a certain number of places to study in the Imperial College. If the rank is not enough, the descendants of those who died loyal to the admonition or those who observed the death festival will You can also be a prisoner; a regular prisoner, that is, you donate money to enter the Imperial College. In the early Ming Dynasty, admissions were more strict; Yisheng, a foreign student from the vassal state, including princes and grandsons; Writers could also study in the Imperial College, which actually gave them a chance to be recommended by the big guys.

Why do we say that generally those who can take the imperial examination do not come to the Imperial College? It is because the imperial examination fails when they go to Beijing to take the exam. Therefore, students who enter the Imperial College are the Imperial College. However, in a place like the Imperial College, it is easy to get in and difficult to get out, and there are too many things to do. Generally, there is no such thing. People want to come.

And these people came here today purely with the attitude of taking the class to see how Kong Xilu teaches. After all, it is a rare opportunity to listen to such a highly respected Confucian master teaching. Give yourself a pat on the back when you brag.

Unfortunately, even this learning atmosphere did not last long before it was broken by a burst of commotion.

A group of twenty or thirty people rushed in in a mighty manner.

Flying fish suit, embroidered spring knife.

No one dared to speak.

Kong Xilu frowned slightly and asked, knowingly: "Who are you? Why did you break into the lecture hall without permission!"

The leading man with half his face disfigured did not answer. Instead, he said coldly: "Are you Kong Xilu?"

Kong Xilu raised his eyebrows and said with a slight smile: "Exactly, may I ask your surname, Gao, for breaking into this place so rashly and interrupting the lecture?"

"The Deputy Qianhu of Jin Yiwei, Cao Song."