The main course tonight is fish.

Because Fu Xiaoguan had two women around him, Su Mo did not have a desk mate, and the expert brought by Yu Wenjun naturally did not have a desk mate either.

So there were only three people sitting at the stone table in the yard.

"I made this cold-mixed crucian carp dish. Try it."

Fu Xiaoguan said this while attentively picking up a piece of fish for the two beauties. He then added, "Be careful, this fish has a lot of bones."

Yu Wenjun and Dong Shulan had never eaten this kind of thing before, and found it quite novel, so they tried it - wow, it tasted quite good!

The chefs in the palace were extremely particular about the ingredients they used, and they would definitely not use crucian carp that could be caught in any river. Although the chefs in the Shangshu Mansion were not as good as those in the palace, Dong Shulan's mother was extremely picky about food and would never eat this fish.

So the two beauties liked this dish from the bottom of their hearts, and they actually finished a whole pot of crucian carp with this Xishan Tianchun.

Yu Wenjun suddenly found that his appetite seemed to have increased a lot, and thought it was because of the delicious food. This person can actually cook!

A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen. This is written in the books of sages. This person is not very particular about it, but it seems to be a good thing this way.

Those who are detached from worldly affairs are not human beings, they are saints. Saints can only be admired, but only living people can be communicated with.

"Hey, let me ask you, what you said in the field this evening...is it true?" Yu Wenjun asked curiously.

"The one threshing rice? Of course it's true. If they make more next year, their efficiency will at least double."

"Although your family is a landlord, I have never seen a landlord who can farm. How do you know all this?"

Fu Xiaoguan laughed and said, "That's because you don't know. Actually, what I'm really good at is farming."

"Liar!" Dong Shulan rolled her eyes at him again.

Fu Xiaoguan just likes to look at it. Who else can understand the charm of that glance except him, Fu Xiaoguan?

"In your heart...is there really no barrier between you and those farmers?" Yu Wenjun asked again.

Fu Xiaoguan was silent for a moment, and this time his answer was quite serious.

"You have to understand one thing: we can sit here and eat comfortably, we can wear fine clothes, we can drink fine wine. All of this is based on their hard work."

"Think about it: if farmers don't work, and workers don't spin, weave, or brew, what will we eat and wear?"

"Mencius said: 'The people are the most important, the country comes second, and the ruler is the least important.' These are the words of a sage. The people are the most important. They are the cornerstone of a country. They perform the most basic work, yet they create immeasurable value that you cannot see."

"The Book of Documents says: 'The people are the foundation of the state; if the foundation is solid, the ruler will be at peace.' The people are the foundation of the country. Only when this foundation is solid can the country be at peace. Therefore, they deserve our respect. There is no barrier between me and them. In fact, in my eyes, their status surpasses that of the court."

This was a bit too much, especially since the Ninth Princess was still here, so Dong Shulan said, "I understand what you mean. The so-called parents who provide food and clothing refer to this group of people."

Fu Xiaoguan, perhaps because he'd had a few too many drinks, was quite talkative. He added, "It's not just that. Think about it, there are tens of thousands of officials in this vast court. They collect salaries, drink fine wine, live in large houses, and govern the people of the world. But think carefully, what value do these people create?"

"They didn't produce a single grain of rice, a single thread of yarn, or anything else. In other words, nothing in this world, including a single brick or tile, actually had anything to do with them. Yet, they were the richest, lived in the largest houses, drank the finest wine, and even frequently frequented brothels."

Yu Wenjun frowned, thought for a long time, and said, "If the court were without these officials, wouldn't it be chaos?"

Fu Xiaoguan nodded. "Yes, these officials are well-educated and know how to govern the country, so the state collects taxes and pays them salaries. They are indispensable to a country. This includes the military. The country needs them to guard the borders and repel foreign enemies. They are all indispensable state institutions. But there is one thing: to support so many people, more taxes must be collected. Where do these taxes come from? Ultimately, they come from these farmers, these workers, landlords like me, and businessmen."

"Since this group is so important, why doesn't the country value them? Scholars discriminate against farmers, calling them 'mud sticks,' and officials discriminate against merchants, believing them to be saddled with money. They don't consider that the vast majority of their salaries come from taxes paid by merchants. Therefore, if a country values ​​commerce and gives merchants a higher status, it will surely prosper."

Yu Wenjun and Dong Shulan both understood the logic.

The improvement of the status of merchants means the prosperity of business, and the prosperity of business means paying more taxes to the country. When the country has more money, it can do more things, such as strengthening the army, running schools, and innovating, etc.

"This is just a casual chat, you guys just listen to it. I wouldn't dare tell anyone else. You have to keep it a secret."

Dong Shulan looked at Yu Wenjun, who smiled sweetly. "While what you said makes sense, you really can't say it to anyone. After all, this is the world of scholars, and the idea that everything is inferior except for studying is deeply ingrained in their minds. If you want to overturn this, you'll be making an enemy of all scholars in the world, and no one can bear it."

Fu Xiaoguan did not say that the original intention of this sentence was correct, but these scholars misunderstood it.

The so-called high level of reading refers to the ability to understand things through reading more, or to save the world, or to ensure the safety of the people, or to invent and create, to study the principles of all things, to improve various tools, to promote scientific and technological progress, etc.

Today's scholars only think about one thing: becoming an official!

Only by becoming an official can one bring honor to the family and realize one's own ambitions and values, but this in itself is a wrong path.

Of course, as Yu Wenyun said, this is not something he can change.

Dong Shulan didn't want to continue the conversation and suddenly said, "Wen Yun and Yan Xiwen made a bet on the couplet you wrote for Wangjiang Tower. Wen Yun came up with the first line, and Yan Xiwen couldn't come up with a matching line. Now, that first line is hanging on a pavilion in Lantingji, with a reward of 1,000 taels of silver."

Is there such a thing?

Fu Xiaoguan touched his nose and asked, "Do you want to earn that silver?"

"Think about it, do you have another second line?"

"Hehe!" Fu Xiaoguan smiled slyly, "Listen carefully!"

"The Yinyue Well, the Yinyue Shadow, the Yinyue Shadow in the Yinyue Well, the Yinyue Shadow lasts for ten thousand years."

"Watching the clouds from the Cloud Viewing Pavilion, watching the clouds from the Cloud Viewing Pavilion, watching the clouds from the Cloud Viewing Pavilion, clouds are moving in all directions"

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