On the second day of March in the twelfth year of Zhengtong, after several days of traveling under the stars and night, Shen Yichen led his cronies to Changtai County, Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province.

Standing on the official road outside the county town, Shen Yichen looked at the people passing by who looked like they were peaceful in the past, and did not feel the chaos caused by the war at all, which was in sharp contrast to the displacement outside Fuzhou Prefecture.

For a moment, I couldn't help but sigh: "Even if the teacher returns to his hometown after becoming an official, he still benefits the whole country."

Listening to Shen Yichen's sigh, Bian He took over and said: "After all, Mr. Lin's teaching and educating people are highly respected by the people. Jiang Luotou and Leader Deng did not dare to risk the disapproval of the world and come to Changtai County to cause trouble. .”

"I hope so."

Shen Yichen replied silently.

Zhangzhou Prefecture is adjacent to Quanzhou Prefecture. At this time, the main force of the Fujian Rebel Army was basically gathered in Quanzhou Prefecture, preparing to capture the city.

Changtai County has been peaceful for many years and has not been affected by the war, which means that the leaders of the rebel army still maintain a minimum respect for Master Lin Zhen's identity and reputation. It also means that Shen Yichen has more opportunities to recruit people.

Shen Yichen will do his best to stop it if he can avoid the final battle. In the end, there is no winner in the civil war.

As the flow of people entered Changtai County, there were various shops on both sides of the main street. Not far away, they saw a tall Number One Scholar Archway, announcing to the world that a Number One Scholar and No. 1 Scholar were born here.

When we came to the top of this four-column, three-door, and fifth-floor Zhuangyuan memorial archway, there was the word "Enrong" on the top, and "Zhuangyuan" was written in the center below. Then there were two rows of vertical small characters on the left and right, which wrote Lin Zhen's birthplace information. , and the time when the number one scholar was selected in the fifth year of Xuande's reign.

On the back of the archway are the four characters "Beichen Chuixiang".

Taken from a sentence in the "Orthodox Taoist Canon", the North Star hangs down as an image, and the stars arch over it, which is the cardinal of creation.

Lin Zhen was the first number one scholar in the history of Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province. The inscription on this archway also shows his high admiration in a sense, so as to encourage those who come after him to continue his cultural heritage!

A Niu looked at this magnificent Number One Scholar Archway and said with some longing, "Brother Chen, if we return to our hometown in Yingtian Mansion, we should be able to see your Royal Number One Scholar Archway, right?"

"It's not just the imperial memorial archway, but the Sanyuanfang, the only one in the history of the Ming Dynasty!"

Bian He added that Shen Yichen's Imperial Three-Yuan Archway may be the best in the Ming Dynasty.

"Let's go."

Shen Yichen smiled lightly and continued walking.

Nowadays, he no longer cares about these fame and achievements. Things like the Sanyuan Arch can only be established on the ground, not in the heart.

The teacher's ability to maintain peace does not depend on the number one scholar archway, but on his status as a teacher who teaches and imparts knowledge.

The group of people walked to the north of the city and stood in front of a newly built building. This is the Changtai Academy where Lin Zhen rebuilt his lectures after returning to his hometown.

Xuegong can be simply understood as an ancient school. However, unlike private schools and social studies, the minimum standard for entering a Xuegong is to pass the government examination and obtain the status of a child. For some famous Xuexiang where there are great Confucian lecturers, the standard has to be raised to that of a scholar. Level official title.

At this time, in front of the gate of Changtai Academy, a young scholar in gray robe was cleaning the steps. Seeing Shen Yichen and a group of people coming, he raised his hands and said, "Everyone, this is Changtai Academy. Please don't enter unless you have permission." , I hope you can forgive me."

After all, except for Bian He, this group of people has a standard image of a scholar. Even Shen Yichen doesn't look like a pure scholar now, let alone muscular men like Cang Huotou and Wu Rui.

"This brother, I'm here to visit Duke Lin Zhuangyuan. Please let me know."

A place like the Academy, just like a school, represents the future and hope of a nation in a sense, and Shen Yichen is naturally very polite.

"Mr. Lin has been feeling unwell recently and has not seen guests. Brother, please come back."

"What's wrong with teacher's health?"

Shen Yichen was so anxious that he didn't care about hiding his identity and just used the title of teacher.

Previously, Xu Donghai said that Lin Zhen had been ill since last autumn, and Shen Yichen still took a chance. After all, his husband was less than sixty years old, so he should not be so weak that he could not recover from the cold.

Even if he didn't reply to his letter, the main reason may still be that the communication at the post station was blocked due to the unrest in Fujian.

Now it seems that Lin Zhen's condition may be more serious than he expected.

"teacher?"

When the young scholar heard Shen Yichen say this title, he was somewhat surprised and froze on the spot.

Although Lin Zhen lectured as a teacher in Changtai Academy, just like at Yingtianfu Zhaowen Academy, he did not formally accept disciples. Under normal circumstances, students were called Mr. Lin.

Shen Yichen directly addressed Lin Zhen as his teacher. Could it be that he was an official disciple who had gone through the apprenticeship ceremony?

But the problem is that Mr. Lin has not officially accepted a disciple for many years, and he looks very young, so theoretically it should be impossible.

"Brother, if you dare to ask Gao's name, I can go in and pass the news."

Regardless of whether it was true or false, the young scholar still asked about Shen Yichen's identity, intending to make a final judgment.

"Shen Yichen, Bachelor of Zuo Chunfang."

"Shen Sanyuan?"

The impact on the young scholar this time was far greater than calling Lin Zhen a teacher. Standing in front of him was the famous San Yuan Ji Di?

"It's me!"

Shen Yichen nodded and admitted that he was already a little impatient.

"I wonder if you have any tokens to prove it?"

Maybe it was too magical, and the young scholar couldn't believe that Shen Yichen would appear here.

After all, first, they did not submit a greeting notice in advance, second, they did not put up a guard of honor for the admiral, and third, there were no Changtai County officials to accompany them to greet him.

Just by saying that he is Shen Yichen, how can he be convinced?

"Teacher, you can prove it when you see me!"

After Shen Yichen said this, he was too lazy to talk nonsense and walked directly into the academy.

Seeing this, the young scholar wanted to stop him, but Cang Huotou and others were immediately captured like chickens, unable to move at all.

The layout of Changtai Academy is very similar to the Zhaowen Academy that Shen Yichen visited. After entering the long corridor, you can hear the sound of reading loudly coming from the lecture hall.

Shen Yichen walked following the sound of reading, but when he stood in front of the lecture hall, he heard a dull cough coming from inside, followed by that once very familiar voice.

"The content that I want to talk about today is a passage from "Mencius Teng Wengong Chapter 1"."

"Those who work hard govern others; those who work hard govern others; those who govern others eat others, and those who govern others eat others. This is the universal meaning of the world."

The translated meaning of this sentence is that mental workers rule others, while manual workers are ruled; the ruled feed others, but the rulers rely on others to feed themselves. This is a universal truth.

Shen Yichen stood outside the door. When he heard that Lin Zhen was going to talk about this topic, his inner emotions were instantly touched.

It is obvious that Lin Zhen used this lecture content to refer to the current situation in Fujian and even the deeper nature of the turmoil. That is, the rulers forced the ruled to have no way to survive, and a society where people cannibalism was born!

What is the character of a scholar?

Lin Zhen is it!

Even after returning to his hometown after becoming an official, he still did not forget to care about the country and the people, and implemented the literati's idea of ​​"cultivating Qi and bringing peace" to his heart.

"Ahem..."

Another coughing sound came from the lecture hall. Just when Shen Yichen was about to push the door open and enter, Lin Zhen asked: "Everyone, do you know why Mencius said this?"

Hearing that Lin Zhen was still insisting on teaching, Shen Yichen pushed open a crack in the door and stopped his movements.

At the same time, he saw the thin face on the podium. Compared with Ying Tianfu's energetic look when he left, Lin Zhen now looked like a dying old man, burning the last remaining light of his life.

The spring silkworm's silk will not be exhausted until it dies, and the wax torch will not dry until it turns to ashes.

Perhaps this highest praise for a teacher has become a true portrayal of Lin Zhen at this time.

"Mr. Lin, this sentence comes from the conversation between Mencius and Xu Zi of the peasant school. The original meaning is that the division of labor in society is different. Officials have official affairs, and common people have common people's affairs. Everyone only needs to perform their duties."

Hearing the answers from the students in the audience, Lin Zhen nodded in approval with a faint smile on his face: "Yes, the original meaning of this sentence is that the division of labor in society is different, and the rulers control the world so that everyone can perform their duties and avoid Tired of running for my life.”

"But many times the rulers cross the line and fail to achieve a fair and reasonable division of labor. When manual laborers pay far less than they can get, the entire social system will face turmoil and seek redistribution!"

If Shen Yichen hadn't heard it with his own ears, he might not have imagined that these words about the division of labor in society would have come from the mouths of ancient people.

What’s even more outrageous is that the source lies with Mencius more than 2,000 years ago!

The ideological confinement brought by Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism not only hindered the development of other doctrines, but also distorted the Tao of Confucius and Mencius.

"Mr. Lin, how can we change all this?"

Another student in the audience stood up to ask a question. He was vaguely aware of the problem, but could not think of any solution.

After the turmoil, redistribution, who can guarantee that the new ruler will not continue to cross the line?

"If we take history as a guide, there is no solution."

Lin Zhen showed a helpless smile. Over the past thousands of years, dynasties have risen and fallen, but no one has broken this curse. They only rely on reforms to delay their survival.

"Teacher, students have different opinions."

A steady voice came from outside the door, instantly attracting the attention of the students in the lecture hall.

Through the crack in the door that was pushed open, many people saw Shen Yichen's figure outside the door, with doubts in their eyes.

Who is this person, and why do you call Mr. Lin teacher?

Lin Zhen, who was standing on the podium, was shocked when he heard this familiar voice. He slowly turned around and looked out the door with excitement and expectation.

Coming north!

Lin Zhen never thought that one day he would meet teacher and student Shen Yichen so suddenly. He seemed to be still the young man from Yingtian Mansion, waiting for an answer.

"Okay, then Xiangbei, tell me what your different opinions are."

Lin Zhen suppressed the excitement in his heart, but could not hide the trembling in his words. What kind of different answers would his most proud disciple give?
To be continued...