Chapter 91 Tell me about Zhang Zai’s life

Chu Yian's mood was very complicated, more complicated than ever before.

Zhang Zai...a figure in Chinese history, why would he appear here?

Could it be that he encountered something and traveled through time like her?

But since he had worn it before, when did he wear it? Who was the Zhang Zai recorded in the history books she had seen before?

If it was really Zhang Zai himself who traveled through time, given his character, it would be impossible for him to do nothing. This would not be in line with his ideal of serving the country.

Or is there a shameless person impersonating me?

Or maybe they have the same name?

But if you have the same name and surname, have you ever said these four sentences in your heart: "Establish a mind for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, carry on the lost knowledge of the ancient sages, and create peace for all generations"?

After all, Chu Yian hadn't seen the real person yet, so she couldn't make any comments. When she turned her head to look at Qin Sheng, she saw that Qin Sheng was looking at her with complicated eyes.

Chu Yian was stunned: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Qin Sheng dismissed the servants and closed the door, feeling somewhat puzzled: "How many of you are here?"

Chu Yian: ...

Chu Yian rolled his eyes: "Don't give me that. I've been here for more than three years. So far, I only know about myself. As for that Zhang Zai in the palace..."

Qin Sheng understood: "It seems that he is probably an imposter. Tell me about Zhang Zai's deeds. I will go with you to the palace and help you distinguish them."

"Even if I don't like that person, I don't want to see such a scoundrel taking advantage of others in their name."

Chu Yian nodded. She would not allow anyone to tarnish the good reputation of her ancestors.

After thinking for a while, he spoke slowly.

"Zhang Zai was born in Chang'an and lost his father at the age of 15. After his father's death, his mother took him to live in Hengqu Town, Mei County."

"Hengqu was a very peaceful town, but Zhang Zai did not indulge in that tranquility. He saw the invasion of the Song Dynasty by the Western Xia on the border."

"The Song Dynasty sent large amounts of supplies to Xixia every year in exchange for a brief period of peace, which made Zhang Zai very sad."

Qin Sheng suddenly interrupted her: "Song Dynasty? Western Xia? What dynasty is this?"

Chu Yian was choked and glared at him dissatisfiedly: "Many years from now, I will tell you when I have the chance. Don't interrupt me first."

Qin Sheng nodded to indicate that he was wrong and motioned Chu Yian to continue.

Chu Yian continued, "Zhang Zai wanted to do something to change all that, so he studied military classics and read through ancient and modern cases."

"Finally, at the age of 21, he wrote his first major work, 'Nine Articles on Border Affairs.'"

"In these nine suggestions, Zhang Zai stated his views on border defense and put forward his own insights."

"Zhang Zai felt that he couldn't just talk about military affairs on paper, but that his writings had to be effective, so he gave his 'Nine Articles on Border Affairs' to Fan Zhongyan, who was stationed in the northwest at the time."

"Fan Zhongyan was a Confucian general with a heart for the world, and a great hero admired by Zhang Zai."

"He was very happy after reading the article. When he met Zhang Zai, he listened carefully to his plan for defending the northwest border and recovering lost territory and praised him highly."

"But he said to Zhang Zai, 'Confucians have their own teachings, so why would they bother with military affairs?' Fan Zhongyan believed that Zhang Zai was very intelligent and should be based on Confucian scholarship."

"War can bring temporary peace to a nation, but it is difficult to maintain long-term stability. If Zhang Zai could enlighten the world and help the people, he would surely become a pillar of the nation."

"Perhaps Fan Zhongyan believed that Confucianism could help Zhang Zai achieve greater ambitions, so he asked him to go back and read the Doctrine of the Mean."

"After returning home, Zhang Zai pondered for a year before finally understanding Fan Zhongyan's good intentions. He also understood that swords can defend a city, but it is difficult to defend the world."

"Only when the teachings of rites and music are deeply rooted in people's hearts can we achieve true long-term peace and stability."

"After coming to terms with this, Zhang Zai felt deeply that he had not learned much, nor had he seen much. He needed to spend a lot more time learning, so he devoted himself to studying for fifteen years."

"At the age of 37, Zhang Zai went to Bianjing for the imperial examination and eventually passed the imperial examination, along with Su Shi and others. After passing the imperial examination, he served as a military officer, county magistrate, and assistant to the imperial secretary."

"He constantly refined himself, from high-spiritedness to calm introspection, and his knowledge became increasingly profound."

"Serving as an official brought him closer to the lives of ordinary people and deepened his understanding of morality."

"During his time as a county magistrate, Zhang Zai promoted education and paid attention to people's livelihoods. He often asked the people if there were any suffering in the village, if the fields were barren, and if their children and grandchildren had listened to his teachings."

Qin Sheng listened silently to Chu Yian talking about Zhang Zai's deeds, and his mind seemed to be drawn to Zhang Zai.

Chu Yian didn't say much, but the image of the kind old man seemed to appear in front of him.

He was always worried about whether the people were living well and that he was not doing a good job as an official.

Qin Sheng didn't know how long it had been since he had seen an official who was truly selfless and only cared about the people. When he suddenly heard Chu Yian talk about Zhang Zai's deeds, he was deeply touched.

I wonder how many officials like Zhang Zai who truly care about the country and the people are there in the history that Chu Yian knows?

Chu Yian: "After receiving the people's answers, Zhang Zai would always say a few words and ask them to bring them to their children at home. Later, he found that even the most naughty children could learn a few words."

Zhang Zai liked this kind of silent influence, and when he was 49 years old, he was recommended to Song Shenzong.

Emperor Shenzong summoned Zhang Zai and asked him how to govern the country. Zhang Zai replied that the key to governing a country lies in gradually restoring the Three Dynasties. If one can educate the people so that they are willing to practice virtue and act accordingly, and if one can make progress step by step, the country will be well governed.

Emperor Shenzong promoted him and let him stay in Bian Jing. At that time, there was a man who was carrying out reforms and the reforms were in full swing. His name was Wang Anshi.

Zhang Zai had just arrived in the capital and was not very familiar with the reforms, so he wanted to familiarize himself with them first.

But after getting familiar with him, he felt that Wang Anshi's reforms were too radical, which made him very uneasy.

So when Wang Anshi came to him for help later, he politely declined, and his relationship with Wang Anshi became increasingly distant, until it became completely cold.

Later, Zhang Zai felt that there were major changes in the court, and he wanted to resign from his official position, but his resignation was not approved.

Later, his brother had a fierce argument with Wang Anshi in the court because he opposed the new law, and was sent to be a county magistrate.

Zhang Zai felt that this fire would sooner or later burn him, so he once again chose to resign and retire, and successfully returned to Hengqu.

Although he resigned from his official position, Zhang Zai's ambition was not extinguished. During the day, he observed the customs and folkways and watched farmers working in the fields. At night, he read and thought, and wrote down his thoughts.

Then, Zhang Zai decided to put his knowledge into practice, and he led his students to restore ancient rituals.

Carry out the Zhou rituals to educate the people.

When he was an official, Zhang Zai actually wanted to restore the well-field system, but it was not implemented.

Now that he had some free time, he wanted to try out the well-field system, so he bought some land for someone to cultivate. The old man, who was over sixty years old, said to him with gratitude, "Mr. Zhang, you gave us land to cultivate..."