"Uncle Uncle Zong, this son's growth rate is somewhat unexpected."

When he heard that Emperor Zhu Qizhen invited Shen Yichen to accompany him, Wang Zhizhi, the Minister of Personnel, said something to Hu Ming, the Minister of Rites beside him.

For ministers of the imperial court at their level, it is naturally impossible for them to be as surprised as the young students from the Imperial College.

It’s okay to put forward academic claims. There are many people who want to start a sect these days, but how many people actually spread it and convince the world?

Shen Yichen's remarks today, let alone convincing, I am afraid that the title of the young literary leader in the capital will not be guaranteed in the future. Such a deviant challenge to Neo-Confucianism puts himself on the opposite side of the Ming Confucian orthodoxy. I don't know what to think.

Young people must have a certain limit when it comes to high-spiritedness, too much is not enough!

Originally, Wang Zhi and other important civil servants did not take these debates seriously in the "academic circle". After all, this is the Ming Dynasty, rather than the chaotic chaos of the party strife in the late Ming Dynasty, when various schools of thought competed to influence the government with their louder voices. .

But the attitude shown by Zhu Qizhen made them pay attention to it. Once Shen Yichen got the support of the emperor, it would no longer be a small fight in the "academic circle", and would truly have an impact on the direction of the court. ability.

Perhaps this was a situation that no one had thought of beforehand. Shen Yichen, the instructor of the Imperial College who was temporarily invited, will be crowned as a real imperial teacher step by step!

"What can I do? I've done everything I need to do. I can stop you for a while, but I can't stop you for a lifetime."

Hu Hui replied calmly, her tone calm.

Ever since he failed to win over before the general examination, Hu Xi had already tried every means to suppress Shen Yichen's imperial examination ranking and support his own people to rise to the top.

As a result, this boy seemed to be blessed by destiny. He received help from noble people at critical moments, and he just broke through his own obstacles and completed the highest achievement of a scholar such as the third-level master and the sixth-level leader.

Now that Shen Yichen has become an official, his wings have gradually become fuller, and it is not as easy to suppress him as before.

The imperial examination rankings can be manipulated behind closed doors, and wanton suppression in the officialdom requires clear-cut impeachment and opposition. The civil service group headed by Hu Hui does not yet have the courage to openly turn against the enemy.

Regardless of Shen Yichen's status as a "eunuch", how much help Wang Zhen can give him. Simply a group of relatives represented by Cheng Guogong is not something to be trifled with.

At least before the Tumubao Incident, the three forces of the eunuchs, the ancestral relatives, and the civil servants had been ranked down, and the civil servant group was firmly at the bottom of the list, unable to defeat any of them in a single fight.

"I'm afraid that if he flatters the Holy Emperor and forms an alliance with Wang Zhen, then no one in the court will be able to compete with him."

When Hu Xi suppressed Shen Yichen before, Wang Zhi actually did not intervene too much.

On the one hand, he is a Heavenly Official of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. In addition to being inferior to Hu Hu in terms of qualifications, he can be regarded as the second-in-command in the civil service in terms of power and position. When Yang Pu retires or dies one day, Wang Zhi will become the real head of the civil service and continue to serve in the cabinet. Even the first assistant can't fight.

When Wang Zhi was the minister of the Ministry of Rites, he had been Hu Hui's younger brother. Now that he has succeeded, who would want to stay under someone for a long time? Naturally, there is no need to follow the other party's plan.

On the other hand, Wang Zhi did not take Shen Yichen seriously. No matter how young and talented he was, it would not be possible for him to climb to a position that could threaten him in the officialdom in ten or twenty years.

When that day comes, the grass on Wang Zhi's grave may be more than three feet high.

But today's scene made Wang Zhi realize that his vision was indeed not as good as that of Hu Hui, a veteran of the Five Dynasties. If Shen Yichen's momentum continues, it may not take more than ten or twenty years.

"No matter what the reason is, this boy has not formed an alliance with Wang Zhen at least yet. If he chooses to attack him at this time, he will really be pushed to Wang Zhen's side."

Those who can remain at the top of the officialdom for decades are all top old foxes.

Hu Hui had a very vicious eye, and Wang Zhenyue promoted Shen Yichen in such a big way, but his flaws were exposed.

If Shen Yichen was really a member of the eunuch party, Wang Zhen would not only not publicize it, but would keep his distance silently and promote this kid to a high position first.

After all, the three-yuan ranking is already conspicuous enough, and the identity of the eunuch is also widely publicized. Therefore, there are many hidden methods for promotion in the officialdom, so one has to worry about the impact and should not use it blatantly.

Wang Zhen is bad and he is bad, he is definitely not stupid!

"Then if we watch him grow bigger like this, there will be endless troubles."

Regarding Wang Zhi's words, Hu Xi smiled and replied: "No one can do it without making mistakes, especially a young and famous person like Shen Yichen."

"Besides, Otsuka Zai, you are a Heavenly Official of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Is it difficult to suppress Shen Yichen's promotion speed?"

According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, the Ministry of Personnel has the direct power to appoint and remove officials below the fourth rank. Even Shen Yichen, Sun Houhou, cannot escape the Wuzhishan assessment of the Ministry of Personnel.

There is no need to suppress it deliberately, just slow down the promotion step by step, and Shen Yichen will have to sit in jail in the Hanlin Academy. By then, the person selected by the civil service group will already be in a high position, do you still need to be afraid of this junior official? ?

"Dazong Bozhen is an old man who seeks the country."

Wang Zhi expressed his sincere admiration. He was indeed his old boss and he was very confident.

After hearing this, Hu Xi smiled and said nothing more. When he saw Zhu Qizhen's chariot started, he stepped forward and followed him.

On the other side, Shen Yichen followed Zhu Qizhen's imperial chariot. In the past, this kind of treatment was only available to eunuchs and close ministers, but now it appeared on a low-ranking official wearing a green robe, which attracted the attention of the palace guards and honor guards. look.

"Shen Xiangbei, I heard your lectures emphasize the practical application of the world and criticize empty talk about morality, and I think there is some truth in it."

"However, these remarks seem to conflict with your previous emphasis in the palace examination article on how to cultivate one's moral character and govern the country with talents, right?"

Zhu Qizhen had been forced to listen to the Sutra lectures for so many years, and he had long been tired of those Confucian principles. Today, Shen Yichen proposed that learning should be pragmatic, manage things, practice, etc., and he agreed very much.

But later Zhu Qizhen remembered that in the palace examination article, didn't Shen Yichen wildly boast that as long as the emperor "cultivates himself", all problems would be solved?

Now it seems that this is also unrealistic "empty talk"?

Good guy, you alone have finished all the good and bad decisions. You are right anyway. Today I want to see how you smooth things over!

Hearing Zhu Qizhen's words, Shen Yichen blushed and felt a little embarrassed in his heart.

He originally thought that when Zhu Qizhen asked him to accompany him, he was really prepared to ask for advice like many students, but he didn't expect that it also had a hint of inciting an army to hold him accountable.

But now Shen Yichen is still a member of the officialdom. Being thick-skinned and telling lies are one of the basic qualities of an official.

In the blink of an eye, his expression returned to normal, and he said righteously: "Your Majesty, there is no conflict between self-cultivation and practical application of the world. On the contrary, the two complement each other."

"It's just that since the Song Dynasty and later, many great masters and great Confucianists have elevated self-cultivation to an isolated position, thus being separated from the concepts of regulating the family, governing the country, and pacifying the world, and embarked on the path of 'poor principles'!"

Self-cultivation, family harmony, country governance, and world peace were the highest realms pursued by ancient literati. Zhu Qizhen had never heard of the idea of ​​separation, so he couldn't help but have a strong interest in it.

So he asked: "How to separate?"

"Once the concept of justice falls into the rigidity of thinking and is implemented in action, the 'inner sage' who cultivates one's moral character and the 'outer king' who governs the country and the world will form a de facto opposition."

"It's just like the Confucian scholars who came from the Song and Yuan Dynasties but were accustomed to behave like women, which is very shameful. They sit back and talk about their nature when they have nothing to do, and when they are in danger, they die to repay the king. This is the best."

The core concept of Confucianism is the inner sage and the outer king. It is also the ultimate ideal of Confucianism in governing the world. It emphasizes that the ruler should cultivate benevolence internally, reach the standard of a saint, and then apply it to the outside world, which is kingly governance.

Originally, this concept was somewhat idealistic, but later generations of Neo-Confucianists did not know how to adapt it. They overemphasized the role of self-cultivation, thereby neglecting the royal way of the family, country, and world, and transformed Neo-Confucianism into the metaphysics of "cultivating immortals and becoming saints."

Therefore, Shen Yichen's last sentence is a bitter satire on this kind of Neo-Confucianism. The translated meaning is that Confucian scholars since the Song and Yuan Dynasties are like women, which is really shameful.

On weekdays, he did not do practical things but talked about the moral principles of his mind. He could only die to serve his country when disaster struck. Instead, he left behind a so-called good reputation after his death and became a top-class person.

In fact, this was not only the case in the late Song Dynasty, but also among many literati in the late Ming Dynasty.

"Sit back and talk about your heart when nothing happens, and die to repay the king when in danger."

Zhu Qizhen recalled Shen Yichen's words, which seemed to vividly summarize the history of the country's subjugation in Yashan in the late Song Dynasty.

Instead of waiting to repay the king with death when the country is in danger, it is better to pay attention to national affairs on weekdays, criticize current ills, and take the people of the world as their own responsibility. Why do we need to be reduced to such a situation?

"Shen Yichen, you really dare to say that."

When Zhu Qizhen said this, he didn't even use the word "Xiangbei", but called him by his first name, and his tone seemed to have a warning meaning.

To be honest, if the emperor in front of him was not Zhu Qizhen, but the Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun, Shen Yichen would never dare to say these words.

Li Zhi, a mad man in later generations, gave a vivid example of challenging etiquette and law. In the end, he was arrested and imprisoned by Emperor Wanli for "daring to advocate chaos, deceiving the world and falsely accusing the people", and committed suicide as a martyr.

However, Zhu Qizhen, the Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, was different. The experience he had when he was a young man studying at a banquet left a deep shadow on him, which led to him not having much favorable impressions of Confucian Neo-Confucianism.

In addition, the character "ying" in the temple name represents virtue, intelligence, and talent.

Although the temple title is something that is blown, it does not have a derogatory connotation like the posthumous title. But in a certain sense, it also contains the personality characteristics of the monarch himself. Heroism means that he likes martial arts.

He was not fond of Confucianism and liked martial arts. It was almost destined that Zhu Qizhen, the Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, would not have much resentment towards Shen Yichen's academic remarks, let alone any accusations based on his words.

This is why Shen Yichen dared to criticize Neo-Confucianism wantonly in front of the emperor.

Shen Yichen understood that Zhu Qizhen's warning was more like a temptation in a sense, so he replied righteously: "I am deeply favored by the emperor. I should give up my personal honor, disgrace and selfish interests, and speak up for my family, country and the world!"

Hearing Shen Yichen's words, Zhu Qizhen was a little touched. He was indeed not determined to put his own safety at risk. Who dared to speak so bluntly in front of the emperor?

"I feel Shen Aiqing's pure heart of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. However, your ideas are too radical, so it is better to be more calm and cautious."

Although Zhu Qizhen thought that what Shen Yichen said was reasonable, his words were really shocking. Even as an emperor, he would not dare to agree with it, otherwise it would definitely shake the foundation of the country.

Therefore, we can only encourage and praise his thoughts, but cannot praise his concepts and doctrines.

"I understand."

Regarding Zhu Qizhen's performance, Shen Yichen did not feel discouraged at all. On the contrary, the results obtained were beyond expectations.

To the current Ming Dynasty, these words of his are complete heresy, and almost no one can accept them.

Not to mention the emperor's words of encouragement, as long as Zhu Qizhen didn't show disgust at the reprimand, it was a victory for Shen Yichen!

If you want to change the world's thinking, you can't do it overnight. What he did today at least allowed Zhu Qizhen to see another completely different idea.

At the same time, a small seed was planted, with hope of taking root and sprouting in the future!

"Shen Aiqing, your lecture today was very exciting. I wonder what kind of reward you would like?"

As a king, praise cannot just be verbal. You must provide some practical benefits to your ministers, so that they can be more loyal. This is the way to serve.

When he heard the word "reward", Wang Zhen got closer, wanting to hear what kind of answer Shen Yichen would give.

Only by understanding the other person's desires can we better control them.

"This is my duty. I dare not take credit for it."

Shen Yichen answered without hesitation, and Wang Zhen couldn't help but nodded secretly.
To be continued...