Chapter 212 Many Small Problems (Continued)
It is said that Emperor Zhao came here this time with the original intention of holding a New Year's symposium with the students of the Imperial College to exchange ideas and soothe people's hearts. However, he was unexpectedly stumped by the question asked by Chen Gongfu, the chief academician of the Imperial College, which made the emperor panic for a while.
However, thanks to the training of fighting with the ministers, Emperor Zhao was indeed a veteran of many battles. He did not change his expression, but his mind was full of thoughts. He just opened his mouth and said some evasive words:
"This is a complicated matter. The first argument is that the court should fight against the Jin in the first place, and we should not easily change our mindset, otherwise people's hearts will be shaken. The second argument is that the way to fight should be pragmatic, and the new learning of utilitarianism should be in line with the pragmatic trend and should not be abandoned lightly. As for Feng Dao in the Five Dynasties, he served four surnames and eight emperors..."
You know what, at this point, Emperor Zhao suddenly thought of a sophistry: "As for Feng Dao of the Five Dynasties, although he served four surnames and eight emperors, I am not knowledgeable enough, and I don't know if there was a Khitan Yelu among the four surnames and eight emperors?"
Chen Gongfu was slightly startled, but then he bowed and said seriously: "Good instructor, you know that Feng Dao actually served no less than ten emperors, but none of them were from the Yelu clan of the Khitan. And although he also intervened to maintain the situation with the Khitan when the Khitan destroyed the Later Jin Dynasty, historians generally believe that Feng Dao's advising the Liao ruler to gather his subordinates and protect the people of the Central Plains was a rare act of virtue on his part..."
"I don't think so."
Zhao Jiu had an idea when he heard this, but he interrupted him. "I think the affairs of the world are first about the upper and lower, and second about the inside and outside... And the affairs of the Five Dynasties were about the upper and lower. At that time, the soldiers in power repeatedly wreaked havoc, and no one cared about the people under their feet. Feng Dao survived in the chaotic times and served ten rulers. Although he was wrong, he was able to save his own life and try his best to save the lives of the people under him, which is particularly valuable. And today's affairs are about the inside and outside. The Jin people are like tigers outside, and the Song Dynasty is in danger of being destroyed. At this time, we should abandon all disputes and focus on resisting the Jin. As for Wang Shuwang (Wang Anshi)'s comments on Feng Dao, in my opinion, it is more or less just to take Feng Dao's pragmatic point, and there is no intention to promote him."
Upon hearing this, Chen Gongfu smiled bitterly and said, "Although I do not agree with your 'pragmatic' response, I have to admit that your words are connected and reasonable. I have nothing to say."
Zhao Jiu was sweating all over at this time. He was proud of his quick wit. On the other hand, he saw that the other party did not worry about the orthodoxy, which made him feel more favorable. He smiled at him:
"In fact, this is what I always say. No matter who it is, as long as they are willing to resist the Jin, I am willing to accept them. This is also the original intention of my saying that the upper and lower classes should tolerate each other for the sake of the country... Even now, Mr. Chen does not agree, but I do not care, because as long as Mr. Chen is also willing to 'tolerate each other for the sake of the country', I am willing to 'link up' with Mr. Chen."
The emperor was in a high position, and there was no tradition of bursting into laughter. On the contrary, when this cold joke came out, even the normally relaxed Chen Gongfu became serious, bowed solemnly, and then answered with dignity:
"I deeply agree with your words, Your Excellency."
Zhao Jiu liked this person more and more.
Not only that, after this conversation, Zhao Jiu grasped the key, which is the word "resist the Jin"... In fact, he also figured out why he came out?
Reassure people by listening to their opinions.
Why do we need to appease the people? Isn't it because after seeing that Zhang Rong took control of the river, the people in Tokyo became a little restless and worried about a major war. They are afraid that there will be panic and people will be uneasy, so they come here to emphasize again that the anti-Jin cause must not be abandoned?
Therefore, those words were also from his heart.
Moreover, this was not the first time he emphasized the resistance against the Jin army, but he had always done so.
Turning back, since Zhao Jiu had grasped the core of this theoretical issue, and the remaining students were trembling even when they stood up, they just asked a question in a daze and then sat down in a daze, and everything went smoothly afterwards.
However, later on, the students gradually realized that these theoretical discussions did not seem to have much significance after Emperor Zhao repeatedly emphasized the need to resist the Jin army. So as many people became more relaxed, more and more people began to ask some detailed and practical questions.
That's not all. As time went by, more and more people heard that Emperor Zhao was conducting "local school politics" at the Imperial Academy. Many officials, both in office and not, began to flock to the Imperial Academy after obtaining Emperor Zhao's consent and having their identities verified, and they were not afraid to stand by and watch.
And due to the participation of these middle and low-level officials, the quality of questions is getting higher and higher.
But at this time, Emperor Zhao's helpers also began to gradually gather. The three prime ministers who had not accompanied him before, as well as other important ministers, also came after hearing the news. However, Emperor Zhao directly arranged them to be by his side. When they encountered some difficult or incomprehensible problems, they would directly throw them to these prime ministers, ministers, scholars, and even censors.
That’s right, Chief Censor Li Guang, Supervisory Censor Li Jing, and Palace Attending Censor Wanqi Xie were all summoned to the emperor’s side... This is called using the other person’s spear as your own shield.
In this way, the atmosphere became more and more heated, especially because "Zichan did not destroy the local school" was the great righteousness in "Spring and Autumn Annals". Although the status of "Spring and Autumn Annals" has declined, it has been recognized as the original Confucian classic for many years, and it is still an unquestionable one of the Thirteen Classics. This provides a kind of political legitimacy similar to but far exceeding that of the Imperial Lecture for the behavior of Emperor Zhao today.
Therefore, many people have a strong sense of ritual, and this sense of ritual brings everyone a strong sense of security and accomplishment.
Not to mention anything else, nearly thirty important ministers who arrived one after another were all dressed in court robes, all in red and purple, and sat down in order according to their status and rank on the steps in front of the lobby of the Imperial College. Even though the stools under their buttocks were very simple, they could not withstand the presence of Mr. Kong and Boss Zhao behind them. The satisfaction that came from sitting with the monarch in the presence of the sages and answering questions from low-level officials and students of the Imperial College was truly mysterious.
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