Chapter 370: Refutation
"He says I am not talented, but his performance doesn't show any humility at all." Ni Heng looked towards the stage and felt that it was not difficult to see from Zhong Changtong's performance that he was confident in his debate with the crowd today.
"I heard that when Xi Biejia saw him studying here at Leping Academy in his early years, he looked like a reserved and restrained person. Perhaps this is the manifestation of his talent." Yang Xiu replied.
Logically speaking, these two should be in Chang'an at this time.
But Yang Xiu had just made a trip to Yecheng, under the pretext of taking care of his old father's health, but in fact he brought a batch of "Changyan" to Yecheng and gave them away as souvenirs, which made his uncle Yuan Shao very angry.
But he just couldn't do anything about Yang Xiu.
When two armies are fighting, they don't kill envoys. What's wrong with Yang Xiu just coming to visit relatives?
Moreover, after Yuan Shao got this book, he could not help but prepare to see the fun in Sili.
If the red aura penetrating the Purple Palace had already prompted Yuan Shao to fan the flames of rumors, then the publication of Chang Yan made Yuan Shao even more determined to take advantage of the action taking place within the court in Chang'an to bring down Qiao Yan through a court struggle!
However, before he could do anything that would benefit him, Yang Xiu had already completed his book dissemination work in Yecheng and then left Yecheng leisurely.
When he passed through Luoyang, the debate on "Chang Yan" was just beginning in the Dingzhong Temple. Thinking of how he was young and frivolous and invited Qiao Yan to have a fight with him, Yang Xiu couldn't help but come and watch the fun.
As for Ni Heng, according to him and Yang Xiu, he came here because there was nothing fun to see in Chang'an City.
Probably because he had angered Chunyu Jia so much on the street that he vomited blood, so that those who gossiped about Qiao Yan in Chang'an City avoided him. The only one who could confront him on the street without losing, Yu Fan, was such a scoundrel that he even cursed himself, which made Ni Heng speechless and unwilling to speak.
When Ni Heng heard that there was a new debate to watch in Luoyang, he rushed over without thinking.
"It's hard to say whether his talent is spontaneous or just a result of years of hard work." Ni Heng muttered.
Zhong Changtong on the stage did not give him the feeling that he was someone who was purely nominated by Qiao Yan to act as a mouthpiece, but he was obviously different from the wildness of Nie Heng.
This is interesting.
Given Qiao Yan's temperament, he would never allow someone who could be easily refuted to appear in such a public occasion.
Rather than seeing this young man who had become famous overnight fail, Ni Heng would rather see him show his skills here and anger those who intended to trample his "Changyan" theory into the ground.
Unfortunately, even if Qiao Yan scheduled the meeting at Dingzhongguan in early December, some people in remote places would still find it difficult to arrive in a short time. Those who appeared here today and would attack Zhong Changtong were either instructed by certain people in Chang'an City, or were people in Luoyang who had not been employed by Qiao Yan and were dissatisfied with Chang Yan's words.
Ni Heng suddenly said, "I saw an acquaintance, let me say hello."
Before Yang Xiu could try to stop him, he saw Ni Heng squeeze through the crowd and walk to the side of a middle-aged man, and started talking to him like a social gangster.
Yang Xiu was sure that he was not mistaken. The moment Ni Heng appeared in front of the other party, the guy's face suddenly changed.
This change also allowed Yang Xiu to recognize the other party's identity.
In May of the first year of Jian'an, when the Grand Marshal issued a prohibition order, he gathered the powerful families in Sili and Nanyang together to read the decree. On the one hand, he suppressed them with his superb brewing skills of strong liquor, and on the other hand, he used soy sauce and other items as bargaining chips to exchange interests.
Before she stated all the conditions, someone challenged her and that person was the one that Ni Heng had just found.
A descendant of the Ren family in Zhongmu.
"You have gone through a period of study, and now you want to show your skills again?" Ni Heng asked the son of the Ren family in a serious manner.
The other party subconsciously took a step back.
"Just kidding, I just came here to see the big scene."
Of course, he was dissatisfied with the statement in "Changyan". Back then, he could tell Qiao Yan that they, the powerful people, took in the people as hidden households in order to share the pressure brought by the gathering of refugees in Chang'an City and solve their employment and survival problems. He still holds this mentality now.
But look at what Zhong Changtong said about them in this book!
He said they were people who "take bribes for their own benefit and do not take responsibility for breaking the law", and that the power in their hands should be reduced.
If Zhong Changtong had not been under strict protection by Qiao Yan's followers, if anything happened to him it would easily be linked to them, and he really intended to teach them a lesson.
But Ren Yi could speak these words openly to people who were on the same side as him, and even scolded them behind his back. No wonder Qiao Yan chose to split her position with the Qiao family of Yanzhou. Even if she had not become independent at the time, after she made such a move, regardless of whether she was the Grand Marshal of the current dynasty, the Qiao family of Yanzhou should have removed her from the family tree.
But he couldn't say it to this guy Ni Heng.
He indeed had no intention of going on stage to compete with Zhong Changtong.
Because Luoyang was once the residence of the emperor, there are many families with generations of nobles and wealth in the territory of Henan Yin.
These famous families are connected to each other, and there are more than one or two who want to speak out to suppress Zhong Changtong.
Why must he go on stage again?
If Zhong Changtong dug up what happened three or four years ago and talked about it in public, he would feel a little embarrassed.
As soon as he finished speaking, a young man came onto the stage.
I don't know if someone wanted to test Zhong Changtong's ability first, so they sent someone who was almost the same age as him to negotiate.
But as soon as the young man opened his mouth to announce his family background, claiming to be from the Duling Huang family, Zhong Changtong heard him ask, "Duling Huang? Are you the Duling Huang family, a descendant of Marquis Jiancheng, whose descendants hold five or six positions as officials?"
"That's right." When the young man heard Zhong Changtong mention Huang Ba, Marquis of Jiancheng, who had served under the reigns of Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Zhao of Han, and Emperor Xuan of Han and had once served as prime minister, a look of pride suddenly appeared on his face.
Most of the famous families pay great attention to inheritance. A family like the Huang family of Duling, which has been passed down for more than 200 years, can be considered to have an excellent family background.
Although he, the representative, was young, he had already been selected as a filial and honest official in the county a long time ago, and sooner or later he would go to Chang'an to study at the Hongwenguan.
But Zhong Changtong didn't want to discuss his family background with him. Seeing that the other party didn't hear any sarcasm in his words, but thought it was just a way of introducing his family during the conversation, he couldn't help but sneer and said, "In the past, when Wang Mang usurped the throne, the Duling Huang family's inherited title was revoked. When Emperor Guangwu restored the throne, the inherited title was restored. When they came to the emperor's hall again, the Duling children didn't think about making progress. They embraced the honor of a famous family, guarded the farmhouses and forts, and lived a comfortable and wealthy life. They just reminisced about the past and were complacent."
"Among them, there were a few who were intent on change. They moved to Jiuquan 180 years ago and became a prominent family in the county. The Han Dynasty was unable to govern the border areas, so they ordered local people to govern the four counties in Hexi. As a result, the Jiuquan Huang family established their own counties, expelled the chief officials, and eventually became the prefect. Your Excellency has been in charge of Liangzhou, and has been patient for several years, and finally eliminated Huang Yan, the prefect of Jiuquan."
This happened just recently!
Because Liangzhou is located in a remote area and the four Hexi counties are separated by the Wushaoling Mountains, the Jiuquan Incident and the second round of suppression of Hexi tyrants as Xu Rong, Ma Teng and others consolidated their status had not yet spread to the Central Plains, so that when Zhong Changtong heard the news, the descendants of the Duling Huang family were suddenly shocked.
What's going on? What does it mean to eliminate Huang Yan, the governor of Jiuquan?
Zhong Changtong did not give him any time to react, and continued, "May I ask you, brother, you have no knowledge of the imperial decree, but you have stolen the three-star dragon seal; you are not the head of a group of households, but you have a thousand households in a famous town. What do you think of me?"
What a great sentence: "He has no power to command, yet he steals the robe with the dragon emblem of the three stars"!
In recent years, there are indeed few descendants of the Duling Huang family who hold official positions, or even if there are some, they are by no means outstanding.
But even such an existence still enslaves hundreds of people, and many of them wear clothes that are beyond the rules of luxury. It is no exaggeration to say that they are stealing the clothes of the dragon.
After suddenly hearing such accusations and the news that the Jiuquan branch had been eradicated, the young man had no chance to hold Zhong Changtong accountable. He didn't even open his mouth to ask any questions, and he stepped down in disgrace in front of everyone.
Seeing this scene, Ren Yi, who was in the audience, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He said that it would be better for someone like him with a criminal record not to jump out in a hurry.
But there was still not much awe in his eyes as he looked towards the stage.
Zhong Changtong could use this kind of wealth and background to suppress the likes of the Duling Huang family's descendants, and even prevent them from criticizing his policy essays themselves, but he could not apply this logic to all his opponents.
after all--
"He can't tell you, I wonder if I can do it?"
Before the figure of the young man surnamed Huang disappeared from everyone's sight, another voice was heard.
Zhong Changtong bowed to the other party slowly and said, "Zhong Yingbo, of course you can."
"I have heard that when Mr. Ying Bo was the county magistrate of Wan County, he got off his car to pay a visit to the officials of Nanyang County who were playing in the streets and villages on their days off, which was a problem for the people. He made them feel ashamed and no one dared to disobey him since then. His moral integrity and sharp words can be regarded as outstanding people of the time. May I ask, what do you want to teach me?"
Zhong Changtong's explanation made Zhong Fu touch his beard, and the originally tense expression on his face relaxed a little.
The Zhong family of Luoyang, descendants of Zhong Shanfu, can truly be considered a famous family.
And Zhong Fu himself is not like the guy who volunteered to take the stage before, who had no skills and only lived on the reputation of his ancestors.
He himself had a reputation as an able official, and had been promoted to the position of Guanglu Dafu. As Zhong Changtong had said, there was nothing to be criticized about him, so there was certainly no problem for him to make any remarks in the court debate.
But Yang Xiu, who was standing in the audience, had a hunch that Zhong Changtong's politeness towards Zhong Fu at this moment was not in line with his aggressive attitude today.
He mouthed the words "Guanglu Dafu" to Ni Heng who was walking back after talking to Ren Yi.
Guanglu Dafu is not an auspicious position. Wasn’t Chunyu Jia, who was so angry that he vomited blood by Ni Heng, in the position of Guanglu Dafu?
It was hard for Zhong Fu to take a leave from Chang'an and come to Luoyang to cause trouble for Zhong Changtong.
Zhong Fu did not hear the meaningful exchange between the two people in the audience. He just said to Zhong Changtong: "I would like to discuss the way of governing with you."
The provocation in these words is extremely strong.
You have to know that Zhong Changtong is only eighteen years old and has not yet officially entered the officialdom. Zhong Fu wants to talk to him about the ways of governing and being an official, undoubtedly wanting to start with his opponent's weak points.
Zhong Changtong remained calm and stretched out his hand towards Zhong Fu, "I'd like to hear the details."
Zhong Fu said, "I saw you said in Changyan that people who love frugality, who decline titles and rewards, and practice a simple and frugal way of life, may have the reputation of being pure and thrifty, but in fact they are overcorrecting. Only when people enjoy what they deserve and things are in their proper places can officials practice their principles and fulfill their duties. Therefore, if there can be a clear and bright politics, there is no need for such a standard, and it should also be able to make the government harmonious and the people harmonious, and the good and the evil will be separated. However, you have no experience in politics, how dare you make such a statement, making the good deeds of the former governor of Xuanyu be regarded as what you say is not appropriate?"
As soon as Zhong Fu said this, someone in the audience cheered.
Yes, if officials must be well fed before they can do their work, then why bother promoting clean governance?
Zhong Changtong certainly had no experience in government, so it's hard to guarantee that he didn't make such a statement on the spur of the moment.
But Zhong Changtong's answer shocked everyone present. "To be honest with you, Mr. Yingbo, I got this conclusion from you."
Zhong Fu said angrily, "Don't make fun of me. Since I became an official, I have never taken any extra money. I have only taken less than the annual salary, never more. How can this be used as an example of what you are saying?"
Zhong Changtong smiled and said, "I am talking about your grandfather and father. In the past, your grandfather was the magistrate of Dingtao and accumulated a surplus of 30 million yuan. This is especially known to the people of Dingtao. This wealth includes income from business, commissions from trade, and income from the local rich and unkind people. Your family did not take it for yourself. When your father Jingbo was an official, he used this surplus money to help the poor in the clan and the town, saving thousands of people. As a result, he was able to move to the position of Minister of Works in the fourth year of Yanxi. The famous ministers Qiao Gongzu and Huangfu Weiming were both recommended by your father, and they are worthy of the title of Three Dukes."
"When the Grand Marshal recalled his grandfather's past, he praised Zhong Jingbo a lot. Isn't this a perfect example of responding to my words?"
Zhong Fu never thought that Zhong Changtong would directly drag out his grandfather and father in his rebuttal.
The Han Dynasty attached great importance to filial piety. If Zhong Fu refuted Zhong Changtong's words, did he mean that he was questioning the actions of his grandfather and father?
He couldn't go on!
Even though he knew that Zhong Changtong was making a sophistry argument with him, he could not say anything more at this time.
What's more, he has not yet reached the position of one of the Three Dukes like his father!
Zhong Fu immediately said goodbye and left, and someone else stood there in his place.
This guy was quite smart. Since Zhong Fu had not been able to refute him on political issues, he thought that he was not as capable as Zhong Fu and he should not get stuck on something that he could not necessarily argue over. It would be better for him to talk about another conclusion that ran through Chang Yan's words.
Zhong Changtong does not rely on fate.
He asked: "I saw you wrote in your book that human affairs are the basis and the way of heaven is the end. I dare to ask if you mean that the study of prophecies, secret latitude, astronomy, Luoshu, wind angle, star calculation, six days and seven parts, as well as the art of observing the weather, divination, and deduction are all nonsense? In the past, King Wen was imprisoned and expounded the Zhouyi. Today, Zheng Kangcheng of Leping Academy is the leader in studying the Yi. Could it be that you do not even think that what the other party sees is true?"
Zhong Changtong replied: "Overcorrection is the way of the officialdom, and it is also the way of heaven and human affairs. Shangluo Tai is an expert in this, but there is no need to put such a high hat on me."
"The idea of seeking mercy from heaven has spread too widely, so that the people have cried out to the heaven, and countless people have died in poverty. The foolish monarch transferred power to his relatives, favored his close associates, and allowed evil eunuchs to serve in the capital and in the counties, confusing the wise and the foolish, and greedily and cruelly shepherding the people. However, when the yin and yang were out of balance, the three lights were deficient, and the locusts came, it was not the eunuchs who were held accountable, but the three ministers, who believed that they could solve the problem by responding to the will of heaven. Only if you follow the words of man's determination to overcome nature can the locusts be eliminated and people's livelihood be restored."
"The words of Yi Li and Luo Shu have their own truths, but they need to be understood with a certain degree of understanding. You might as well first understand what I am talking about, and then refute it! Don't you see the suffering of the people?"
The Tai family disciple looked around and immediately saw many people glaring at him, and he immediately took a step back.
Zheng Hun of the Kaifeng Zheng family, who followed closely behind, also did not gain any benefit from Zhong Changtong.
He asked Zhong Changtong that there was no precedent to support the re-implementation of the well-field system in wasteland, and this was not like the situation he had encountered before. What explanation did he have for this?
Zhong Changtong replied: "If the work is beneficial to the times and the system is convenient for things, then it can be done. If the matter is contrary to the number and the method is out of date, then it can be changed. Therefore, if there is a trace of success in ancient times but no effect in modern times, then it must be changed. If the change is not as good as before, then it is easy to fail and it must be reversed."3
If innovation is in line with the times, do it.
If something doesn't make sense, change it.
Ancient laws are no longer timely today, so they need to be changed.
If the change still causes disadvantages, then restore or adjust it!
If you don't even try, you will regret it for the rest of your life!
Zhong Changtong looked at the people in front of him with bleak faces, then looked at the people below the stage and asked, "I wonder if anyone else wants to talk to me?":,n,
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
