Chapter 176: Clowns, Celebrating Together
Chapter 176: Clowns, Celebrating Together (Part 3)
Xie Quan's expression became more and more strange. He heard that Xu Qing had been studying at home for the past six months. It turned out that he was studying historical materials, specifically looking into the bloodline of Bei Kong.
But gossip is human nature.
The more Xie Quan read this article, the clearer and more organized he felt it was.
Putting aside personal opinions, strictly speaking, the content of this article is very credible.
Xu Qing said seriously: "All of us scholars have been taught by the Master and admire his virtue. This is not for our own selfishness, but for the public good. The ancients said that bamboo can be burned but its joints cannot be destroyed, jade can be broken but its whiteness cannot be changed. Although the body dies, the name can be recorded in bamboo and silk."
His last words also serve as a footnote to this article, expressing his original intention in writing the article.
Seeing Xu Qing being so embarrassed, Xie Quan couldn't stand it anymore and waved his hand, "Once this article is published, I'm afraid the whole world will be in an uproar. Has Gong Ming never thought about the consequences?"
Xu Qing asked in return: "If the Northern Confucius are really the descendants of Confucius, wouldn't it be the greatest blasphemy to Confucius if they were to submit a letter of surrender? In this case, we cannot tolerate them any more."
Xie Quan was speechless for a moment.
In fact, this question has never been thought about by scholars like him, but the orthodox teachings and rituals are the greatest principles in the world. Without them, will there still be order in the world?
Wouldn't it be even worse if rituals and music were in disarray?
So it is not that Bei Kong is sacred, but that people in the world need Bei Kong to be sacred.
If the rites and laws of orthodoxy were destroyed, what would become of the world?
Xie Quan couldn't even imagine it.
But Xu Qing's words really hit the nail on the head.
Regardless of whether Xu Qing's bloodline verification is true or not, Shi Xiu's surrender is true.
Normally, the scholars in the world would have turned a blind eye to such matters and just let it go.
Now that Xu Qing has laid bare the truth of the matter, it is impossible for him to pretend to be blind.
Of course, Xu Qing didn't do such a big thing on a whim.
Is it really a big deal to overthrow the Kong family?
In fact, Bei Kong is not scary at all. If Bei Kong is really that powerful, why would the world need to revise the table of surrender?
Xu Qing's intention in doing this was to publish a newspaper, and it just so happened that the Yanshenggong Mansion came across him, so who else could he do if not him?
There is no better gimmick than this.
Publishing a newspaper means that Xu Qing's public opinion position has a solid foundation, which will be more helpful for him to carry out his holy work of education.
It is also a warning to others.
He even brought down the Yanshenggong Mansion, so if others want to challenge him in an academic battle, they have to think twice.
Hit a punch to avoid a hundred punches.
This deal is a great bargain.
On the other hand, Xu Qing openly challenged the Yanshenggong Mansion, and the old emperor's fear would probably disappear immediately.
Although Xu Qing did not like the old emperor, he had to admit that the old emperor was his biggest backer and more reliable than the prime minister.
With the old emperor's endorsement, Lord Fang will stand on his side.
Although Nanzhili is full of hidden talents, the only person who really makes Xu Qing feel threatened by death is Lord Fang.
As long as Old Monster Fang doesn't bother him, Xu Qing will be as safe as a rock.
Of course, there is no need to explain this to Xie Quan.
In fact, the most terrifying thing about Lord Fang is that his soul is as solid as his body. This means that if Lord Fang wants to kill Xu Qing, Xu Qing will have a hard time escaping.
He knew too well how dangerous it would be to have his soul locked upon by a Taoist master.
There is basically no way to go up to heaven and no door to enter the earth.
Xie Quan thought about it again and again and stopped trying to persuade him. Now that he had calmed down, he felt that Xu Qing's move was not as dangerous as he had imagined.
After all, Xu Qing is not an ordinary champion. If there is a weapons ranking in Nanzhili, Xu Qing will definitely be among the top.
I can’t beat him, and I can’t win by scolding him. What else can I do?
However, Xu Qing's action really has the style of Zen Buddhism scolding Buddha and ancestors.
Zen Buddhism worships Buddha by worshipping oneself. One only believes that oneself is Buddha, and worships oneself step by step to become a great Buddha in order to attain the Tathagata.
Xu Qing's action is to worship himself as a saint, and this saint is not a specific image, but a principle and a Tao.
Worshiping Taoism means worshiping saints and worshiping yourself.
This is the law of the unity of the three religions.
Afterwards, Xu Qing discussed with Xie Quan about publishing a newspaper, and he had even chosen a name, Daming Daily.
This reward is intended to manifest the bright virtue to the world.
However, if private individuals want to publish a newspaper, they must obtain permission from the government.
Xu Qing wrote a letter directly to He Canzheng, and attached the first article he was going to publish.
After he finished writing the letter, he asked someone to send it to Yingtian Prefecture by express horse.
Afterwards, he returned home leisurely.
As for Xie Quan, he naturally stepped up his writing of letters to his father-in-law's family, asking them to lend their manpower and help in running the newspaper. He also wrote letters to his good friends and celebrities, specifically looking for those who, like him, liked to be unorthodox.
If you participate in such a major event, you will be able to leave your name in history.
He knew that these old guys would definitely be eager to take action after seeing this article.
Xie Quan can only help Xu Xiaozi so much.
...
...
When Xu Qing got home, Feng Wu was already playing with Zhou's cousin. Seeing her cousin's husband coming home, Zhou Pingting hurried over to greet him.
Xu Qing smiled and said, "Don't be restrained or worried. Your problem is solved."
"Ah?" Zhou Pingting was so surprised that she didn't even have time to be happy.
Brother-in-law is so fast?
Feng Wu: "Since your brother-in-law said it's been solved, then it must have been solved. Have fun in Jiangning Mansion for a while, we'll be there for you."
Zhou Pingting finally reacted and threw herself on Feng Wu, "Thank you, cousin."
She was so happy.
Feng Wu was also proud of it.
Yanshenggong Mansion is so scary.
My husband solved the problem while chatting and laughing.
In fact, she was somewhat lacking in confidence towards the Zhou family, but now this feeling has almost faded.
Firstly, her father was a censor of six departments, and secondly, her husband was very powerful.
Obey your father at home and obey your husband after marriage. As women, the glory of their father and husband is their glory.
Afterwards, after sending Zhou's cousin away, Xu Qing and Feng Wu returned to the study and told them how they would solve the problem. Feng Wu was stunned.
"Husband, is this how you solve the problem?"
"Just tell me whether the problem has been solved or not?" Xu Qing teased her.
Feng Wu covered her chest and rolled her eyes at him: "Luckily you married me, if it was someone else, you might scare them to death."
"I won't marry anyone else." Xu Qing grinned.
Feng Wu blushed and looked at him lovingly. Xu Qing understood and started practicing the sounds of nature and earth with Feng Wu, sometimes high-pitched, sometimes low and gentle, with gurgling streams and beautiful scenery...
...
...
Old He is now a councilor of Nanzhili Province. He has no governor, governor-general or governor-general above him, so he is really in high spirits.
He is now the head of civil affairs in Nanzhili. Isn't he better than Lao Zhou?
Now the He family's silk business in Southern Zhili has to depend on Old He's mood. The elders in the family don't dare to say anything about their family.
The most satisfying thing in the world is for a real man to be in power.
All this is thanks to Xu Xiaozi.
Unfortunately, his daughter was not old enough. But Old He had already thought of letting Xu Gongming marry a concubine. Xu was so young, and he was born like an orphan of the Zhao family. How could he not work hard to have more children?
He also meant well.
Mr. He just came back from a social event tonight.
This time it was a small party, with the Yingtian prefect, Wuding Hou, eunuch Zhao and others in attendance.
There is no other way. Only with the arrival of Duke Wei can Minister He look up to him.
When he got home, the housekeeper brought Xu Qing's urgent letter. He Canzheng sobered up immediately. He said, "Next time you receive a letter from Xu Gongming, come to me directly. Don't delay important matters."
He knew that Xu Qing's urgent letter must be a big deal. If it was delayed, wouldn't it harm both others and himself?
He Shangzheng scolded the housekeeper and then opened the letter.
As soon as I finished reading the letter, I sobered up from the rest of the wine.
Extremely well-behaved.
He asked the housekeeper to make a cup of ginseng tea made from three-qu ling ginseng. He usually couldn't bear to drink it, but at this moment, he couldn't care less. He drank the ginseng tea, and his mind raced.
He didn't intend to reject Xu Qing.
After all, He's current business depends on Xu Qing, and this matter is ultimately due to the conflict between He's raw silk business and Beikong's raw silk business.
In the face of gold, silver and other valuables, even if Confucius were still alive, it would be impossible for him to give way for no reason.
The emperor wanted to impose commercial taxes on these wealthy gentry, but he couldn’t do it. Who the hell does Beikong think he is?
That being said, the problem is not simple.
He Canzheng read Xu Qing's article carefully, thinking about it in his mind.
"This is truly the iron pen of a historian, and not a single word can be changed." Seeing the excellent article, Minister He had a better idea in his mind. On the one hand, he approved the newspaper procedures for Xu Qing, and on the other hand, he began to write a memorial.
Your Majesty, please survey the land of the Confucius Mansion!
His writing is full of vigor and vitality, like a rushing river.
Of course, this was not a petition submitted by He Canzheng himself, but was written by his patron in Beijing. This was a good opportunity, and whether it succeeded or not, there would be no loss, and it could also pave the way for his superiors to join the reform faction.
Now the reformists are at the core of the imperial court and are unstoppable.
A wise person should naturally go with the flow.
If this is feasible, and the matter of land survey in Nanzhili is also coming, Lao He's resistance will be reduced a lot. If it doesn't work, Lao He will also have something to say.
Mr. He was very efficient and the approval of the Daming Daily was quickly implemented.
With the efforts of Xu Qing and the forces around him, a few days later, overnight, the Daming Daily appeared like mushrooms after rain in Jiangning Prefecture and Yingtian Prefecture, and the content published in them was extremely shocking.
...
...
The first article of the Ming Daily landed on the Prime Minister's desk at an extremely fast speed.
Moreover, it was sent out just before the publication of the Daming Newspaper.
When the Prime Minister saw this article, he was shocked at first, and then burst into laughter.
"Why is Yuan Fu laughing?" Chen Fu, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was standing nearby and came over when he saw what was happening.
The Prime Minister threw the Daming Daily to Chen Fu.
Chen Fu took it and looked at it. He was shocked at first, then he understood its meaning.
The Prime Minister stroked his beard and sighed, and continued: "Xu Gongming alone is worth a hundred thousand strong troops."
"Fortunately, there is this person who paves the way for the prime minister." Chen Fu followed suit in praise, thinking in his heart that as soon as this matter was brought up, the Yanshenggong Mansion had already lost.
You have to choose between the world's cultivation of lowering the surface and the abnormal bloodline.
The key is that the emperor and the prime minister will force them to choose.
...
...
"Duke Yansheng, the daughter of the Zhou family has already arrived in Jiangning Prefecture. When are we going to reprimand him? Should we ask him to come and pay a visit to our Duke Yansheng's Mansion?" An elder from Beikong spoke up.
Another elder said, "Xu Gongming is a stubborn person, he may not be willing to surrender."
The elder who spoke first said, "It's okay. I have sent people to investigate. I'm afraid there is something wrong with the origins of the Jiangning Xu family. This is a record of the ancestors of the Yingtian Gu family."
The clan elder took out a yellowed page of paper, on which was written an incident in which a small branch of the Gu family was coerced by the Jiangning Xu family, revealing that the Xu family was actually the descendant of the rebel Wenxiang Sect.
He looked like he had everything under control.
After the elders of the Kong family who were discussing matters in the hall circulated it, they all nodded in praise.
With this item, plus the reputation of Duke Yansheng's Mansion, if Xu Gongming does not surrender, he will surely be ruined, and it will also frustrate the Prime Minister's reforms and enhance the reputation of Duke Yansheng's Mansion among the literati of the world.
Who can now say that the Yanshenggong Mansion is not taking action?
They were all very happy, but in fact, what really made them dissatisfied with Xu Qing was that Xu Qing actually did business with the He family of Nanyang, causing the value of the raw silk in their hands to depreciate greatly.
And he hasn't even come to admit his mistake?
Is there any reason for this?
When Duke Yansheng saw this record, he also nodded.
Xu Gongming of Jiangning has become quite famous recently, but that’s all he is.
When everyone was rejoicing, a servant rushed in, holding up an article and shouting loudly:
"Duke Yansheng, something terrible has happened."
(End of this chapter)