First Minister of Ming Dynasty

Just like the well-dressed Jin people who crossed the south, they forgot the hatred of the subjugation of the country, and only wanted to enjoy the south of the Yangtze River. Those who proposed the Northern Expedition were regarded as aliens and were excluded, such as Zu Ti and Huan Wen.

Gaozong Zhao Gou also gradually indulged in the prosperity of the south of the Yangtze River and did not think about his homeland.

But at this time, Yue Fei, who still insisted on the Northern Expedition and achieved outstanding results, became a thorn in the side of the monarch and his ministers, a thorn in the flesh...

In fact, the idea that people from the north should return to the north, and people from the south should return to the south, means that the Song court would give up the land of the Central Plains and the people in the north, just as shameless as they were unable to regain Yanyun and give up the people of the sixteen prefectures!

Yue Fei's unjust case was not because Yue Wangye said to welcome back the second sage, nor was Yue Fei involved in some dispute over the establishment of the crown... These are all distorting the real situation.The root lies in restoring the Central Plains, or sticking to the handicapped.

As the backbone of the Restoration of the Central Plains faction, Yue Fei did not change the example of his original aspirations, and the brilliant general with brilliant victories was no match for a group of depraved monarchs and ministers, and was killed by the gang of villains.

Therefore, in front of Yue Fei's grave, Qin Hui and others cannot be kneeling, there must also be Gao Zong Zhao Gou, because they are all the culprits, regardless of each other!

Bringing up the old matter at this time is not as simple as letting an emperor who has been dead for hundreds of years kneel down to a courtier, and it does not involve any imperial power issues.

The most fundamental thing is that since the superiors proposed to restore China and expel the barbarians, then it is necessary to clean up the past thoroughly, eliminate the cowardice and despicableness in the hearts of the people, and give up the cowardly behavior of holding on to incompetence.

Even if you are the emperor, in this matter, if you are wrong, you are wrong, and you have to kneel when you should kneel.

Respect Yuefei, respect the ambition to restore the Central Plains.

To despise Zhao Gou is to despise cowardly and shameless behavior.

The so-called getting to the bottom of the matter and distinguishing right from wrong is what we want!

Gao Qi circulated this article, and signed the name "Qingqiuzi" grandiosely.

That's right, I wrote it. If you want to argue, just come here.

In an instant, the boiling discussion became so calm.

"Once Qingqiuzi comes out with this argument, who will compete with him!"

Song Lian was full of emotions, "Zhang Xiang, this man's pen is a hundred times better than the old man's. It is also a blessing for the country to have such a talented man."

Zhang Ximeng smiled and nodded, "Indeed, even I agree with what he said, I can't write anything more brilliant... But I'm afraid this matter is not so simple."

"What?" Song Lian turned pale with shock, "Zhang Xiang, the superior is wise and wise, has great ambitions, and has strong writings here. The reason is clear. Is there anyone else who can overthrow it?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "Madam brought the young master over here."

"Ah?" Song Lian was surprised again, "Zhang Xiang, you, aren't you very familiar with Madam? You are also the son's master, so Madam would object to this?"

"No no no!"

Zhang Ximeng waved his hand, "This matter doesn't have much to do with Madam, it's just that someone found Madam and wanted to recognize the Lord as a relative."

"Relatives?" Song Lian was taken aback, what relatives?

Does Zhu Yuanzhang have any relatives?

Brother Zhu's second son Zhu Wenzheng, second brother-in-law Li Zhen, nephew Li Wenzhong, didn't they all come over?

It seems that there is another elder sister, but Zhu Yuanzhang has already said that this elder sister has a bad relationship with him. She cut off contact with him many years ago, and she may have died long ago. Where does the old Zhu family have any relatives?

"Yes, they are descendants of Master Zhu."

"Zhu Xi?" Song Lian was even more surprised, "Ms. Zhang, is your superior related to Zhu Xi?"

"Who knows!" Zhang Ximeng spread his hands, "I can't get involved in this matter if we're not close, and my wife can't get involved, it's up to the lord."

Song Lian was stunned for a while, and he gradually figured out why the Zhu family came out at this time... Zhu Xi, as a great scholar of Confucianism, had debated countless scriptures in his life, and his main task was to discuss orthodoxy, and to put rouge and powder on the Zhao official family in Nandu.It is even said that Neo Confucianism is a tool to serve this great event.

Now Wanyan Gou's nickname is widely spread and everyone knows it.

It is tantamount to denying the orthodoxy after the Song Dynasty's south crossing. If the Song Dynasty before Jingkang could barely serve as the orthodoxy of the Central Plains, then after Jingkang, the Song Dynasty was a real small court, and it was still a humble court.

By discussing Yue Fei's case, it is tantamount to denying the orthodoxy of the Song Dynasty, and it is tantamount to digging Zhu Xi's grave.

Things have reached this point, and it is reasonable for someone to come out and rebound.

It doesn't make sense, so it's time to play the favor card.

Song Lian was stunned, he didn't know what to say, after all, if someone told him that you are a descendant of a saint with a prominent background, he would be happy too.

Others have been criticizing Zhu Yuanzhang, isn't it because they dislike his humble background?

If you can climb the high branches of Zhu Xi, you will reach the sky in one step.

"Zhang Xiang, do you need to visit the superior and clarify some things?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled lightly, "What are you talking about? Even if the lord really wants to recognize this relative, can we still object?"

"Then, what about our great cause?"

Zhang Ximeng pondered for a while, and said with a smile: "So, we must have confidence in the lord! The lord can make the best decision in this matter, so we must trust the lord!"

Zhang Ximeng paused, looked out of the window, looked at the white clouds and the green trees, and sighed softly, "Scholar Song, you are a literati, and I am also a half literati. The biggest problem of literati is that they are good teachers. They always want to teach What about others? In the past, some people held the doctrine of Confucius and Mencius and threatened the emperor. If we use our own principles to force the lord, we will commit the mistakes of the literati in the past... After all, the lord is not from the Zhao family!"

Song Lian took a deep breath. He felt that Zhang Ximeng's words had a lot of connotations. At this time, he came to the door and forced Lao Zhu to confess his relatives. Does it count as coercion?

Chapter 299 Old Zhu is Cultured

Song Lian is from Jinhua and has a considerable status in the circle of literati in eastern Zhejiang. Liu Bowen and Ye Chen belong to this circle, so-called literati in eastern Zhejiang.

Some people were willing to mention the Zhedong and Huaixi groups when analyzing the court situation in the early Ming Dynasty, and even made a serious analysis of how the two groups fought.

But in fact, how can the literati in eastern Zhejiang compete with the nobles in Huaixi?The two sides are not on the same order of magnitude at all. It is clear just by looking at how the heroes in the early Ming Dynasty were rewarded.

But from another point of view, the literati in eastern Zhejiang did have many differences with the emperor and the nobles in Huaixi... If you do your own research, you will find that these literati actually want to restore Neo Confucianism, where the emperor and the scholar-bureaucrats ruled together. The pattern of the world.

People such as Liu Bowen naturally dislike Xungui, and Song Lian also tried his best to teach the prince, hoping to cultivate a sage who meets their expectations.

And Zhu Yuanzhang, who conquered the world all the way, was unwilling to be seized by civil officials. The two sides fought each other, and the conflict reached the highest point.

However, due to Zhang Ximeng's participation and the new theories he created, Liu Ji, Song Lian, and even Gao Qi, and many other literati, stood by Zhang Ximeng's side, adhering to the belief of restoring China and recreating the universe. , into the torrent of the times.

The monolithic scholar group was torn apart here.

Song Lian received requests from countless old friends in private, hoping that he would persuade Zhu Yuanzhang not to destroy himself, so as to avoid chaos and chaos.

Song Lian was deeply worried about these remarks. He was really afraid that Zhu Yuanzhang would change his mind, and all the things they tinkered with would be in vain.

But when he heard Zhang Ximeng's words, Song Lian had another idea...Zhu Yuanzhang was the hero of the world, and he was in this once-in-a-lifetime time.

One side is Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, and the other side is the theory proposed by Zhang Ximeng. Which one is better and which one is better? The choice should be left to Zhu Yuanzhang.

This is the duty of a courtier, and as a courtier, it seems that he should have enough confidence in his lord.

Song Lian became more and more calm, you can do whatever you want, let's see what you can come up with!

Are Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Xi related?

If you look carefully, it seems that there is a little connection. Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestors were tenant farmers in Jurong at first, but later moved to Xuyi and Haozhou when they couldn't make it through.

The Zhu family in Jurong, counting up, is indeed a family with Zhu Xi. The approximate situation is that Zhu Xi's seventh ancestor is the same person as Zhu Yuanzhang's fifteenth ancestor.

And because the Zhu family originated from the descendants of the Yellow Emperor, Zhu Xi is the 120th generation grandson, and Zhu Yuanzhang is the 130th generation grandson.

To put it more bluntly, the two of them are roughly equivalent to the relationship between the descendants of Yan and Huang, and maybe they can get a little closer, but that's all.

However, since he is a descendant of Old Master Zhu and came to recognize relatives, Zhu Yuanzhang did not neglect, but personally invited him into the residence, and sat down and talked with each other.

The man who came was called Zhu Ming, who was said to be from the Zhu family in Jurong, and was quite well-known in the local area.

"The superior has a resolute face and a majestic expression. It is really like the portrait of the Yellow Emperor at home. It is the face of the master, the appearance of the sun and the moon, and the appearance of a dragon and a phoenix!"

Faced with such fresh and refined flattery, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help laughing, "The Yellow Emperor was wise at a young age, he was able to speak soon after he was born, and he knew everything at the age of 15... When we were 15 years old, we were still herding cattle, Plowing the fields, going up trees and down rivers, I don’t even know how to read a few words!”

Old Zhu's confession made Zhu Ming stunned for a while, and couldn't help but said: "The superior is an extraordinary person, and can do extraordinary things. Now the superior is dominating the river and swallowing the southeast, so as to form a situation where he can sit down and sweep the Central Plains in the future. Shenzhou is just flipping hands."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not refute. After all, this was indeed what he thought, but Lao Zhu said with a smile: "Look at us, don't we all have two shoulders and one head? We are not what we are today because we are different. On the contrary, because Like ordinary people, we have experienced the pain of family ruin and death, and know that people's livelihood is difficult, what the people think... This is also the Yuan court's innocence, which forced the common people to nowhere to live. There are too many people like us. If you don’t raise your troops angrily, the situation you have today is the result of countless soldiers fighting one after another, don’t you think that’s the reason?”

Zhu Yuanzhang took his time and said this truth. If Zhang Ximeng's greatest influence on Lao Zhu is said, it is probably the way he looks at the world. .

In the past, Zhu Yuanzhang might have cared because of his humble background.

It may also be because someone mentions baldness, and you may feel angry at others, thinking that you are slandering yourself.

But today's Lao Zhu is extremely proud of his background and the suffering he has suffered.

Look, these things can't defeat us, then we'll be made of steel, fearless!

It is difficult for outsiders to know Zhu Yuanzhang's mentality.

Zhu Ming was full of flattery, and he didn't know how to continue at this moment... He could only lower his head and pretend to drink tea, and quickly changed his mind, but after thinking about it again and again, he still had no clue, so he could only grit his teeth and say: "The superior is preparing to be promoted to King Wu?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with a smile, "After we crossed the river, we used the year name of Wu Kingdom in Huaxia. Now we are called King Wu, which is quite logical, and there is nothing wrong with it. Does Xueshi Zhu think so?"

Zhu Ming hurriedly said: "What the superior said is very true. In the land of the Central Plains, within a hundred years, there will be saints who will come to the world. The Central Plains will be in chaos, and the society will collapse. The superior will come to save the people. It is really a blessing for all people!"

Zhu Yuanzhang accepted the words with a smile, and he also took a sip of tea, and then said: "A hundred years ago, Genghis Khan was also a saint?"

Hearing the light words and the casual question, Zhu Ming was frightened when he heard it.

How should I answer this question?

You must know that the Yuan Dynasty is still in existence, Liu Futong is still on the three-way northern expedition, and Zhu Yuanzhang also advocates expelling the Hulu. If Genghis Khan is a saint, what is the Red Turban Army?

But Genghis Khan is not a saint, so where is the legal system of the Yuan Dynasty? For 100 years, what are countless Confucian scholars doing?Serve the faint king?

Sweat dripped from Zhu Ming's temples, and after much deliberation, he said slowly, "Your Majesty, after the end of the Song Dynasty, the Daoist Man of Destiny descended into the desert, entered the Central Plains, and thought he was the master of the world... From this point of view, Genghis Khan, the ancestor of the emperor, He is a saint. It’s just that his descendants are unworthy and incompetent, so that the country falls, the society collapses, and heroes rise together. The superior, the superior is the saint of the world!”

Zhu Yuanzhang finally couldn't help laughing when he heard this.

Although this is reluctant, it still makes sense in the end.

"If it is true, we only need to correct the bad government of the Yuan court and start a new situation, is it easy?"

Zhu Ming nodded immediately, and even heaved a sigh of relief, finally reaching his field of expertise.

"Back to the superior, before coming, the villain thought over and over again, and made some suggestions to the superior... The superior should be close to the virtuous ministers, far away from the villain. Open up the way of speaking, review the elegant words. Especially cherish the power of the people, lightly pay and pay less, and rest with the people .Respect the Heavenly Father, and work hard to govern. It doesn’t take a few years of work, and you will be able to unify the universe!”

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed loudly, "Well said! Let me ask you, sir, who is a villain and who is a virtuous minister? Why don't you tell me?"

Zhu Ming is stupid now, I just said that, how can you ask directly?

No matter how courageous you are, I don't dare to slander your civil servants and military generals. You must know that I am still a white man. If I annoy the other party, I will die!

"Superior, I, I..."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and interrupted him, "Don't talk about it, let me ask you, how is Zhang Ximeng?"

"This, this..." Zhu Ming hesitated.

Zhu Yuanzhang continued: "He followed us early and helped us strategize and plan big plans. He has made great contributions to today's success. Do you think he is a good minister?"

"Calculate!"

Zhu Ming gritted his molars and said, can it be counted?

Old Zhu said with a smile: "Then he doesn't respect Confucius and Mencius, he hates Confucianism in particular, and he advocates reinterpreting Gangchang. He also believes that it is the fault of the scholars to let the Mongols rule the Central Plains when the world is today... This can be regarded as a virtuous minister. ?”

Beads of sweat had formed on Zhu Ming's forehead, and the sweat dripped from his nose.

His heart was beating wildly and it was difficult to calm down.

Zhang Ximeng made Shihlin scratch his head.

As far as his ability and character are concerned, there is absolutely no problem, and even his incorruptibility is impeccable. In addition to Zhang Ximeng's background, he should have become the spokesperson of Shilin around Zhu Yuanzhang.

Compared with Li Shanchang, Zhang Ximeng has too many advantages.

But it happens that such a perfect character is against the way of Confucius and Mencius in every way, especially digging out the roots of Cheng Zhu Neo Confucianism.

Outsiders were just cursing, but when Zhang Ximeng made a move, didn't he beat his life?

Just the idea of ​​equal land, coupled with the affirmation of women's land distribution and school enrollment, has dismantled Gangchang ethics in half, and the remaining half is also crumbling.

Monarchs, fathers and sons, husbands and wives... Zhang Ximeng has already solved most of the problems, and now there is only one monarch and minister left. If Zhao Gou is made to kneel down again, it will really be over.

This is the last stand!

Thinking of this, Zhu Ming had no choice but to kneel on the ground and kowtow.

Then he raised his head and looked up at Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Superior, the Son of Heaven is the Nine-Five Supreme Being, with the constitution of heaven in his mouth, the Lord of all people, the most honorable and noble. Even if Emperor Gaozong of Song Dynasty made mistakes, he should not kneel in front of the graves of his subjects. If this is the case, the principles will always be reversed, and there will be endless troubles!"

Zhu Ming paused, and then said: "The villain knows that the high-ranking man is talented and general, and of course he won't worry about this, but please ask the high-ranking man to think about it for future generations?"

"How?" Old Zhu asked lightly.

"Superior, isn't this obvious? After the precedent, there will be people with bad intentions, who will deceive the emperor and commit crimes. If one day, they use this to coerce the emperor, what should we do?"

Zhu Yuanzhang actually nodded, "You also said that... By the way, if it were Master Zhu's Confucianism, wouldn't he coerce the emperor? Then why should there be a theory of interaction between heaven and man?"