Travel back in time and become Chongzhen, watch me turn the tide

The sound of "Zheng——" was like the first horn suddenly blowing on the battlefield, breaking the silent sky.

Then, the sound of the pipa was like a torrential downpour, and the rapid movement of the fingers was like thousands of horses and soldiers galloping out, with the sound of horses' hooves. In an instant, everyone seemed to be pulled by an invisible force and brought to the Chu-Han battlefield filled with smoke and flames of war.

The pipa's initial rhythm was urgent, like a surging army, their hooves pounding the earth and raising clouds of dust that obscured the sky. As the music progressed, the tempo shifted, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, unpredictable. The fast beats resembled a close combat encounter, swords flashing and flickering across the battlefield. Soldiers from both sides clashed fiercely, their cries of killing mingling with the clash of weapons, a breathtaking cacophony. The slow beats, like an enemy plot brewing silently in the shadows, filled the air with a suffocating tension and oppression, like the calm before a storm, leaving one's heart clenched to the very limit.

Inside and outside the room, a deathly silence reigned, the only sound being the guzheng's stirring, undulating rhythmic waves, reverberating in every corner. Chongzhen and the others were captivated by the intense atmosphere, each holding their breath, afraid to breathe, fearing to disturb the music that seemed to emanate from the battlefield.

At its climax, the pipa's sound surges like a surging, unstoppable wave, bearing down with overwhelming force. It represents the Han army's all-out offensive, a crushing force that overwhelms the Chu army, forcing them into retreat. Then, the music fades, like the smoke of battle slowly dissipating, leaving only the faint gasps and lamentations of the defeated soldiers, a lingering echo. Even after the song ends, the heart trembles, as if the tragic scenes of war still resonate before our eyes, lingering for a long time.

"Good!" Even though Chongzhen was not good at music, he was deeply moved by the majestic momentum and exquisite performance of "Ten Sides of Ambush". After the song was finished, Chongzhen could not contain his excitement and could not help but shout out "good".

Hou Fangyu hurried forward, opened the door, and respectfully invited Chongzhen into the room.

Chongzhen's cheer instantly attracted the attention of everyone in the room. They were all curious about this unexpected guest and cast inquiring glances at him.

"Everyone, this Mr. Zhu is my good friend. I heard that you all are here, so I came to visit you specially." Hou Fangyu hurriedly explained, trying to ease the slightly awkward atmosphere.

"I couldn't control my emotions for a moment when I heard such a heavenly sound. Please don't blame me." Chongzhen smiled and bowed to apologize to everyone. His behavior showed humility and elegance.

"Mr. Zhu, you are too polite." All the scholars in the room hurriedly stood up and returned the greeting in unison, with a respectful and polite attitude.

"Thank you for your compliment, sir. Zhenli is honored," a woman in the room holding a pipa stood up lightly, bowed slightly, and said softly with a smile on her face.

"The girl is Li Zhenli?" Chongzhen's eyes suddenly lit up when he heard this.

He had heard of Li Zhenli, the adoptive mother of Li Xiangjun in Peach Blossom Fan, and knew her name. He did not expect to see her in person here today, and he couldn't help feeling a little surprised.

Although Li Zhenli was Li Xiangjun's adoptive mother, she was actually only nine years older than her, at the peak of her charm. Her conversation and laughter revealed a variety of charms. Although a woman of the world, she possessed a unique grandeur and elegance that attracted attention.

"Sir, do you know who I am?" Li Zhenli was slightly stunned, with a look of surprise on her face, and asked softly.

"Who doesn't know Li Zhenli, the chivalrous woman from Jinling?" Chongzhen said with a smile, his words full of praise.

"Sir, you're joking." Li Zhenli covered her mouth with her hands and smiled softly, saying, "Please take a seat, sir."

Behind Chongzhen, Wang Wan'er watched him chatting and laughing with Li Zhenli. She felt an inexplicable surge of jealousy in her heart, as if her favorite toy had been snatched away by someone else. She curled her lips and muttered softly, "Hmph, a lecher!"

At this time, more than a dozen people had gathered in the room, and Hou Fangyu hurriedly introduced them to Chongzhen one by one.

Chongzhen already knew that Chen Zhenhui, Fang Yizhi, and Mao Xiang, along with Hou Fangyu, were collectively known as the Four Young Masters. Following Hou Fangyu's introductions, Chongzhen approached each of them, exchanging pleasantries with them. His conversations were tactful and affable. But the next person, however, made Chongzhen secretly delighted.

"This is Huang Zongxi. He was maliciously retaliated by Ruan Dacheng because of signing the "Public Declaration to Prevent Riots in the Capital" and was unfortunately arrested and imprisoned. Fortunately, after Your Majesty ascended the throne, Ruan Dacheng was brought to justice and Brother Huang was released..." Hou Fangyu said slowly.

"Such a talented person was framed by a villain. Taichong has suffered a lot!" Chongzhen sighed slightly and said with regret.

Huang Zongxi, a figure who was later regarded as one of the three great thinkers in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties along with Gu Yanwu and Wang Fuzhi, Chongzhen was well aware of his important position and outstanding contributions.

A highly respected scholar, Huang Zongxi was a man of many talents and erudition, delving deeply into classics, history, astronomy, mathematics, music theory, Buddhism, and Taoism. He achieved remarkable success in historiography, and his philosophy and political thought were unique. He fiercely criticized the monarchy from a "people-centered" perspective, and can be considered a pioneer of Chinese enlightenment thought.

Huang Zongxi fiercely criticized the feudal monarchy, arguing that "the order and disorder of the world depend not on the rise and fall of a single family, but on the happiness and sorrow of all the people." He boldly advocated replacing the emperor's "law of one family" with "law of the world," thereby limiting the monarch's power and effectively guaranteeing the people's fundamental rights. He also pioneered the advanced idea of ​​equality between monarch and minister, arguing that the monarch and minister were essentially equal. He strongly advocated for limiting the monarch's power, even proposing the establishment of schools as the highest institution for deciding right and wrong, with authority surpassing that of the monarch. Huang Zongxi mercilessly exposed the monarch's ugly nature of "taking all the world's benefits for himself and all the world's harm for others," ultimately reaching the shocking conclusion that absolute monarchy was "the greatest harm to the world." Furthermore, Huang Zongxi firmly opposed the traditional ideology of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce, believing that industry and commerce were also crucial to the national economy and people's livelihoods, and pioneered the view that "industry and commerce are both the foundation."

His ideas were too advanced in the context of the times. However, for Chongzhen, who traveled from later times, these ideas were not new.

Of course, Huang Zongxi had not yet formed a complete and mature ideological system at this time, but Chongzhen was already prepared to guide him carefully, because some of Huang Zongxi's ideas were exactly what he wanted to implement at the moment, such as the view that "industry and commerce are the foundation", which was one of the important policies Chongzhen currently planned to implement.

We, the people of later generations, all understand that: “Without agriculture there is no stability, without industry there is no wealth, without commerce there is no life.”

Without agriculture, the foundation of society will be shaken and difficult to stabilize; without industry, the country will find it difficult to become rich and strong; without commerce, the people's economic life will be like a stagnant pool, without any vitality.

However, throughout Chinese history, rulers have tended to prioritize social stability, and thus, industry and commerce have been neglected by the imperial court. Consequently, industry and commerce, which should have been a significant source of tax revenue, have largely been controlled by the nobility and gentry, creating enormous wealth for them while leaving the nation without any significant benefits.

If we want to change this deeply rooted concept, newspaper propaganda is undoubtedly one of the most effective means at present. Through subtle influence, it can gradually change people's thinking...

Of course, these are all stories for later. The first surprise that Jinling Evening News brought to Chongzhen was the gathering of a large number of talents.

After exchanging greetings with Huang Zongxi, it was the turn of Zhang Huangyan, whom Chongzhen had longed for.

Zhang Huangyan was a tall, upright young man with a sturdy figure. Standing there, he resembled a sword freshly unsheathed, naturally radiating an unstoppable aura. His face was as handsome as a jade, his complexion fair and gentle, his eyes luminous like stars, his eyebrows meticulously outlined like ink, slanting down to his temples, a commanding presence. His dark hair was neatly tied beneath a black scarf, leaving only a few strands free to scatter across his forehead, gently swaying in the breeze, lending him a unique, carefree and uninhibited charm. His every gesture exuded a youthful yet composed, elegant yet heroic aura, a unique quality that was unforgettable and inspiring admiration.

"I've heard that Xuan Zhu is a man of both civil and military talents, and today I see that it's true." Chongzhen walked forward with joy, held Zhang Huangyan's hand, and said with emotion.

"Mr. Zhu, you are too kind." Zhang Huangyan was really shocked by Chongzhen's enthusiastic behavior. He said quickly, with a bit of humility and uneasiness in his tone.

"Xuanzhu is being modest." Chongzhen laughed heartily and boldly, saying, "But I wonder what you are doing in Nanjing this time?"

"Actually, I was attracted by the Jinling Evening News." Although Zhang Huangyan felt that Chongzhen's enthusiasm was a little unusual, he still responded politely.

"We've been short on staff lately, so we've published a notice in the Jinling Evening News, looking to recruit people to edit and review articles." Hou Fangyu explained at the right moment, "Xuan Zhu came to Nanjing after accidentally seeing the notice in the evening news."

"So that's how it is!" Chongzhen nodded slightly, feeling even more satisfied with the situation.

The next few scholars were students from the Imperial Academy. Among them, one student, Zheng Sen, surprised Chongzhen. He hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Is your courtesy name Mingyan?"

"It's Ming Yan." Zheng Sen was surprised when he heard this. He was confused and asked, "Sir, how do you know my courtesy name?"

"I am familiar with Mr. Mu Zhai, but I have heard him talk about you." Chongzhen naturally could not tell the real reason why he knew this future Koxinga, so he could only cleverly push the matter onto Qian Qianyi.

This Zheng Sen was the later-famous Zheng Chenggong! His original name was Zheng Sen, but he was later granted the Ming Dynasty surname "Zhu" by Emperor Longwu and given the name Chenggong. At this time, his father, Zheng Zhilong, sent him to study at the Imperial College under the tutelage of Qian Qianyi.

"So you are my teacher's friend. I am honored to meet you." Upon hearing this, Zheng Sen hurried forward and saluted respectfully.

"Haha, good, good, good!" Chongzhen felt extremely happy. Today's shopping trip was very fruitful. He didn't expect to meet so many talented people. It was really worth it.

"Why are you laughing?" Just when Chongzhen was feeling happy and couldn't help laughing, a slightly childish voice suddenly asked.

Chongzhen turned his head and saw that the person speaking was a boy of about thirteen or fourteen.

"I am delighted to see so many talented people today, so I am smiling." Chongzhen smiled and replied patiently, "But I don't know who you are."

"My name is Xia Wanchun, I came here to play..."

"Fuck..." Chongzhen was really a little numb this time...