Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 1089: Statecraft
Mahjong is a game for four people, and three old men are obviously not suitable. Although they can get some young people to play with them, these three old men who are basically retired are just three scoundrels. Who can beat them?

If you really dare to beat the three of them, they will find a reason to make things difficult for you afterwards... For example, Zhu Di, after winning a few games against Zhuge Liang, was really treated like a servant by Zhuge Liang, who ordered him to serve tea and water.

Who made him pretend to be a servant?
This off-board trick is as powerful as the chess skills of the Han chess master, making each of the three old men as powerful as the Ming Dynasty Sparrow God.

They couldn't play mahjong with these three old men, and playing mahjong with them became a torment for everyone in the team. Fortunately, another important person soon took the position of playing mahjong with the three old men: Song Lian came.

Although Song Lian was not as powerful as the three elders, his status among the literati was already top-notch. Although the new school was founded by Zhu Su, in the final analysis, Zhu Su only relied on the vision of a time traveler, and he himself was far from having that much knowledge.

The concept of new learning proposed by Zhu Su is actually just a mixture of many later academic thoughts. Those academic thoughts have been tested countless times in practice, so it is naturally difficult to find any mistakes.

In this era of dynasty change, when there is no truly useful thought or learning, and the only thing left is the decadent Neo-Confucianism which is about to become the mainstream, the sudden statement of more advanced and refined viewpoints can give people a sense of enlightenment.

But that was all. After all, what Zhu Su said was just a framework. Or maybe it wasn't even a framework, just some scattered fragments.

It was actually Song Lian and Liu Bowen who picked up these scattered fragments bit by bit, pieced them together, combined them, and blended them with Confucianism to create an academic program called "New Learning" that was truly useful to later generations of the Ming Dynasty.

The two old men were the first-class erudites of this era. With the skeleton of the viewpoint, they were needed to fill the new learning with real flesh and blood. The new learning could develop to this day, and Zhu Su, the so-called founder, was just a hands-off manager.

The two searched for various arguments and words of saints in the piles of old papers, taking Confucianism as the body and new learning as the application. They wrote articles and books one after another, and cultivated new learning students one after another in lectures. The promotion of the court was indispensable, but it was also because of their promotion that the new learning finally became the prominent learning of the Ming Dynasty.

The real credit should go to these two elderly people.

Today, Liu Bowen has passed away, and only Song Lian is still alive. Perhaps because this old man is more pure than Liu Bowen who is concerned about politics, Song Lian, who has been studying for decades without distraction, is becoming more and more energetic.

He is now close to the status of a new learning saint, and in terms of reputation, he is not much less than the emperor of the world like Lao Zhu. Moreover, the old man is almost ninety years old now, and he has nothing to worry about. He is devoted to learning and has no taboos.

After catching up with the convoy, they started playing mahjong with the three old men from Fengyang without showing any mercy.

"Bang! Haha, Your Majesty, the two Dukes, thank you for giving way, thank you for giving way."

"The old minister is at fault again!"

Old man Song pushed the mahjong tiles in front of him and smiled happily. He had white hair and a youthful face, and he had indeed been a Taoist priest in his early years. At this moment, he did have a Taoist and immortal aura.

But the next action of stretching out his hand for money was somewhat irritating. After Song Lian came, Old Zhu lost the most, and at this time he couldn't help but nag like an old child: "You old man, why didn't I notice that you were so greedy for money before."

"Could it be that you are greedy for money and want to buy a house or property after winning so much money from us?"

"Haha, how much is the title of the master of studies worth?" Song Lian laughed and picked up the banknotes that Old Zhu had thrown on the table. He even used his fingers dipped in saliva to count the numbers in a mercenary manner. After confirming that the number was correct, he put it in his arms with satisfaction.

"There is no need to buy a house or property. The two courtyards that His Majesty gave me in the early years are enough for my family to live in."

"Money is a good thing... With money, you can print books. The more money you have, the more books you can print."

"When I was young, my family was poor and I had no way to read books. I know the pain of not having books... When I thought about this when I was old, I developed the habit of greed for money."

"Even if I am greedy for money and have a bad reputation, even if it only brings a book to a child who wants to learn, it is worth it. It is worth it."

Patting the precious banknotes he won in his arms and feeling their thickness, Song Lian looked very satisfied.

In fact, Zhu Su had given Song Lian a lot of rewards over the years. With Zhu Su's encouragement, Song Lian also received royalties for his articles and works.

But the old man always lived a poor life, and used his spare money to print books. He even personally practiced the pragmatic ideas of the new learning, got involved in "despicable" business, and privately asked his family to open a bookstore, which he used to give books to students who were short of money.

This bookstore is naturally not profitable. The old man has no talent for business. He even turned this business into a bottomless pit. He does not seek fame. Few people in the capital know about this. But Lao Zhu and others present know about it.

Now that Song Lian had said this, Old Zhu did not say anything more. In fact, he was not the kind of person who would get angry over such a small amount of banknotes. He was just acting according to the situation.

Today it was already late, and the four men were immersed in the card game, so Erhu, who was outside, brought some food from the innkeeper, checked it, and brought it in to the four men.

Seeing that the meal had been served, the four of them stopped playing cards and sat around the octagonal table to have dinner first.

The Ming Dynasty's post station system had only been established not long ago, and most of the funds were used to pave cement official roads between key cities, so the post stations on many roads appeared to be somewhat simple.

The official in charge of the post station was originally a veteran soldier in the army. When he first learned that the emperor had arrived, he was so excited that he was shaking all over. He felt that he had not entertained the emperor well enough and almost wanted to plunder all the local food.

However, Lao Zhu did not want to disturb the people, so he only sent a few food such as Hu pancakes and noodles, so the food he sent was simple.

The four old men, who are almost the most powerful people in the world today, are sitting at the eight-immortal table eating Hu pancakes. They are no different from the four old farmers who are sitting around the table chatting.

"I didn't expect that Mr. Song would come with the team. The journey is long, and the old man is old. Isn't he afraid of the bumpy ride?" Xu Da took a bite of the Hu pancake and spoke to Song Lian with a smile.

Song Lian came with Zhu Biao's convoy to report state affairs to him. Although Zhu Biao was unwilling to take care of state affairs, Zhu Biao obviously did not intend to really leave him aside. Therefore, the two sides actually kept in touch and kept exchanging memorials.

"Why is it bumpy? The whole way is cement road, it's very comfortable." Song Lian was eating Hu Bing, with a mouthful of Bing crumbs, but he had the free and easy demeanor of a contemporary scholar.

"To study things to acquire knowledge, to apply knowledge to the world... this is truly the best learning of the time."

"If there were no such smooth cement road, how could I, an old man of nearly ninety years old, dare to go out to study?"

"You old man, you are just taking advantage of our team..." Old Zhu scolded with a smile. The royal team was well prepared, with imperial doctors and even the miracle doctor Dai Sigong by their side, plus this flat and wide cement road, it was no less comfortable than recuperating at home.

Without such equipment, how could Song Lian, at his age, leave the capital? "However, old man, you said you were going to study abroad, but I don't know what you are going to study?"

"You are already so old, what else is there to learn?"

"Alas, your Majesty, you are off topic." Song Lian said lightly, denying the emperor's treasonous words. "I have been writing books all my life, but I have never seen with my own eyes what the Ming Dynasty has become because of the new learning."

"How can we achieve anything by working in isolation? Confucius said that if one hears the truth in the morning, he can die in the evening. Let alone ninety years old, even if he is a hundred years old, it is time for this old minister to go out of the capital to see the world."

"I have devoted the rest of my life to this new learning. The biggest difference between the new learning and the old learning is the four words 'investigate things to gain knowledge' and 'apply knowledge to the world'."

"Now the Ming Dynasty has been developing for several decades. If I can't see with my own eyes whether the new learning I promote can really make the people of the Ming Dynasty well-fed and well-clothed... How can I feel at ease?"

"That's true." Old Zhu actually had some respect for this rigorous old man. Otherwise, he wouldn't have handed over so many of the princes and grandchildren to Song Lian for treatment.

"Xi'an is an important industrial city that practices the new school of thought. When the second brother was in charge of Xi'an in the early years, the fifth brother made a five-year development plan for him."

"We also know about this. We have assigned a lot of new officials to the second brother to manage Xi'an."

"Since then, Xi'an has become one of the most tax-collecting cities in the north."

"The five-year development plan was based on the principles of studying things and applying knowledge to society, and was adapted from the new learning."

"It is enough to see how useful the new learning is to the country."

"Really?" Song Lian straightened his body and even straightened his back. "If that's the case, I'll definitely take a closer look."

"I wonder when we can enter Xi'an?"

"According to this route... maybe the day after tomorrow." Tang He said. After that, he couldn't help but sigh: "This cement road is really useful. It seems that we have traveled thousands of miles in just a few days."

"It makes me look a little younger."

"Hahaha, there is a poem that says: I left Baidi in the morning among the colorful clouds, and returned to Jiangling a thousand miles away in one day. The effect of this cement road is similar to that of this half-verse poem." Song Lian said with a smile.

"If this road can connect the whole world, then even if the Ming Dynasty occupies all the land in the world, we will not have to worry about lack of governance... I think this is also a wonderful use of the study of things." Xu Da said. "It's ridiculous that our ancestors denounced this kind of knowledge as a strange and cunning trick."

His grassland fiefdom relied on the extensive cement roads and the Han trading posts, so he had a deeper understanding of the strategic power of cement roads.

"Well, this study of the nature of things is indeed very useful." Old Zhu also nodded in agreement.

They followed the cement road all the way and arrived at Xi'an the day after tomorrow. Xi'an is one of the important cities in Guanzhong and is also the place where Zhu Yuanzhang secretly planned to move the capital.

Therefore, the inspection of Xi'an was carried out with a certain degree of caution.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the population in the north was declining and the economy was depressed, and so was Xi'an. However, due to its convenient geographical location, it was managed as an industrial and commercial center in the north.

But even so, the deep scars left by the previous Yuan Dynasty could not be healed in a short time. Moreover, Chang'an City was so famous during the Tang Dynasty that Zhu Yuanzhang had high hopes for Xi'an.

When they stepped into this ancient city, the first impression given to Lao Zhu and his party was actually disappointment. Xi'an was not as big as Chang'an as they had imagined. Although the Ming Dynasty had been established for 30 years, it still looked dilapidated because of the wars in the north. Although the city was not deserted, everyone seemed to be dressed simply and in a hurry. It was very different from the impression of Lao Zhu and Song Lian that it was a "major city influenced by the new learning".

Zhu Yuanzhang had boasted before Song Lian. Feeling embarrassed and feeling that the people of Xi'an were not living a happy life, Zhu Yuanzhang called Zhu Su and Zhu Chong, who had been enfeoffed here.

"Second brother, is this the well-organized Xi'an city that you talked about governing?" Facing Zhu Chong who had a confused look on his face, Old Zhu looked unfriendly.

"And you, Lao Wu, this Xi'an was rebuilt according to your plan, and we approved you to do so."

"It has been built like this now? What a wonderful Chang'an City!"

“And it’s built like this now?”

Old Zhu looked a little unhappy. This unhappiness was mainly directed at Zhu Chong, and most of his anger was directed at Zhu Su. He remembered the taxes that Xi'an had sent to Beijing in previous years, and also remembered the brutal character of his second son in his early years.

Perhaps, the taxes in Xi'an City that impressed the court were actually levied by the second son on the people in order to win credit for his father... Old Zhu had already had this idea in his mind.

Zhu Chong had an innocent look on his face. He looked at Old Zhu's expression, then looked at the people outside the carriage, muttering something like "This is pretty good..."

Zhu Su, on the other hand, was stunned for a moment, then looked outside the carriage. There were few pedestrians and the city was mostly in black, white and gray, making it look dilapidated. He seemed to have guessed something.

"Father, do you think that Xi'an is a poor city?" Zhu Su laughed so hard that he fell backwards.

"After seeing the costumes of the common people... could it be that he felt that the people of Xi'an were living in poverty and that he felt sympathy for them, and therefore he reprimanded me and my second brother?"

"Why, isn't it?" Old Zhu narrowed his eyes, a dangerous light flashing through the slits.

"We saw it with our own eyes, how could it be false? Are you still trying to make up a story?"

"Let's see what you, a rebellious son, can say!"

(End of this chapter)