She said very obediently: "Mr. Xu?"
"Well," he said, still reading the book, "pour me a cup of tea."
She quickly agreed, ran into the house, poured him a cup of hot tea, and brought it to him.
He took two sips and then asked, "Did Magistrate Lin tell you?"
Tang Shiyue blinked and pretended not to understand.
Xu Wenqu smiled and said, "It's okay. I don't mind talking about it."
He put down the tea bowl and said, "Yue'er, I want to know, if it were you, what would you do?"
She stole a glance at him and he smiled, "I really don't mind, and I'm really asking for your advice. I think you have your own way of doing things, and I want to hear it."
"Then I'll tell you!" Tang Shiyue had actually wanted to say it a long time ago. She rolled up her sleeves and said, "Let me ask you first, what do you want?"
Xu Wenqu was startled: "What do you mean?"
...
...
"What do you mean? If what you want is to become famous overnight, then you have already achieved it! Everyone knows Xu Siyuan, and everyone knows this incident. The fall of a genius is more likely to be spread because the process is legendary. If you are called Xu Siyuan, you may be more well-known than Xu Liuyuan."
"But so what?" She looked at him seriously. "In fact, I can probably guess what you were thinking. I think you didn't just want to speak out at that time. You weren't impulsive. You probably thought that if scholars gathered together at this time, the matter would be widely spread. This might be more valuable than writing it down on paper and could reach the emperor more easily. So you indulged yourself in 'not wanting to speak out'."
Xu Wenqu looked at her in surprise.
It had been so long since this happened, and there were countless people who came to persuade him, to follow him... but she was the first one who said exactly what he was thinking at the time.
At that moment, he actually felt like he had met a soulmate.
Xu Wenqu asked subconsciously: "Did I do something wrong?"
She said, "Of course it's wrong! It's absolutely wrong!"
"Yes, yes!" Xu Wenqu's expression changed, and after a long while he sighed, "Maybe I should be patient for a while, wait until I pass the palace examination and get an official title, then I will have the power to deal with these people... Or, I can even pretend to be submissive, secretly collect evidence, and then wait for the right time to overthrow the Lin Party in one fell swoop!"
His breathing quickened involuntarily: "Maybe I will be cursed by everyone, but at least I have a clear conscience!"
He looked up at her.
Tang Shiyue also looked at him quietly.
The little girl, who was almost as tall as he was when he was sitting, was thin and small, with beautiful eyes like two clear springs, carrying a hint of comfort.
He was slightly startled: "Did I...say something wrong?"
"Xu Wenqu," Tang Shiyue suddenly asked very seriously, "Have you ever thought that your idea might be wrong?"
Xu Wenqu was stunned for a moment, then he became angry and slammed the book: "The Yinjian and Lijian are like insects living in the country, causing endless harm. How can I be wrong if I want to eliminate them!"
His voice was a little louder, and even Tang Shirong and others in the study were startled and looked over.
Tang Shiyue said calmly: "Don't worry, I'll ask you a few questions."
"First, is a broken leg more serious, or is death more serious?"
"Second, why are there Yinjian and Lijian in the world?"
"Third, you were born in poverty and studied hard, so you are not greedy and exploit the villagers?"
Xu Wenqu's eyes widened slightly.
The talented man, who was always eloquent, was speechless for a moment.
Tang Shiyue said: "Why are there Yinjian? It's because of the aristocratic families. The financial resources of the aristocratic families support the court, so they naturally want to ask for special treatment. Why are there regular Jian? At that time, the treasury was empty and the military was insufficient, so they had to exchange the admission qualifications of the Imperial Academy for military pay."
"In other words, these two things are both helpless actions to avoid more serious consequences, so the court chose the lesser of two evils! If this is the case, there is a big premise for you to veto these two things. You must first solve the 'cause' of these two things before you are qualified to talk about the 'effect'! Otherwise, you are just talking without any pain, and it is meaningless."
"There are corrupt officials even in poor families, and there are also corrupt officials. In fact, for the children of aristocratic families and wealthy families, they have seen too much of the world since they were young, and are not easily tempted. They have a deep family background, are influenced by what they see and hear, and are more methodical in doing things."
"So, what I mean is that one cannot choose one's birth. Resources are originally biased. A hero may not care about his or her 'low' birth, but he or she should not care about his or her 'high' birth either. 'Birth' should not be the standard for judging whether a person is good or bad. It is too arbitrary to judge everyone with one stroke."
She looked at him deeply and said, "Xu Wenqu, forgive me for being blunt, but why can't you and many scholars tolerate the Yinjian and the regularjian? In the final analysis, you feel it is unfair. Why do you have to study hard and pass the single-plank bridge, while they can succeed overnight just by virtue of their family background and money?"
"So, you are unwilling and you are jealous!"
"But if the children of aristocratic families studied as hard as you did for the imperial examinations, their elders would also feel that it was unfair. Why should I work hard for half my life and become an official, but cannot benefit my descendants?"
"It's actually a very simple truth. You can understand it if you put yourself in their shoes. If those who agree with you suddenly become a noble family and can enter the Imperial College without taking an exam, then, out of a hundred people, I'm afraid there won't be one person who will continue to oppose the Imperial College."
Tang Shiyue stood up straight and finally said, "So, Mr. Xu, you are narrow-minded."
Xu Wenqu's face turned slightly pale.
Tang Shiyue's words were a complete subversion not only to him, but also to the concepts of all previous dynasties.
Even the saints on the throne concede that the Yinjian and Lijian are expedient measures when there is no other choice, but she said,
"They have seen the world and are less susceptible to temptation."
"You can't choose your birth, resources are originally tilted."
"A hero doesn't need to be asked about his or her 'low' birth, but neither should he or she be asked about his or her 'high' birth. 'Birth' should never be the criterion for judging whether a person is good or bad."
These words are truly thought-provoking and shocking. If they were made public, they would be criticized to death by poor scholars all over the world!
But, does it mean it is wrong just because many people criticize it?
Some people say that it is difficult for poor families to produce noble sons nowadays. Isn’t this a similar logic?
The resources that a family can provide are already very different. How can a poor person who can't even afford to buy a book compete with a person who has owned a bookstore since childhood? How can he compare?
Similarly, how can a person who has grown up in the palaces of princes and high officials compete with a person whose legs go weak when he sees a county magistrate?
Xu Wenqu took a deep breath and said, "I need to think about it."
He held his forehead and said, "Yuer, Yueer, stop talking. Let me think about it carefully."
Tang Shiyue said "oh" and left with the plate.
After passing through the small door, she saw Qi Jing and Ren Dong sitting at the stone table eating mooncakes. When he saw her coming, Qi Jing said expressionlessly, "You said you sent it to me."
Ren Dong hurriedly stood up and gave his seat to her.
Tang Shiyue waved her hand and said with a smile: "If I didn't send it to you, you would have eaten it anyway."
Qi Jing doesn't like sweet food, but he will try anything she makes.
He also ate half of it and gave her the remaining two halves on the plate. Tang Shiyue took it and ate it slowly.
Ren Dong was sitting aside, also eating a mooncake carefully. Tang Shiyue glanced at him, and he subconsciously turned his face away.
Within a few days of Ren Dong's arrival, he had perfectly realized what Qi Xiaolang wanted: "Qi Jing teaches him, and he teaches the children." And because he himself had good kung fu and was a patient person, there was no need for Qi Xiaolang to help him with his enlightenment.
The thing I can't change is that I always turn my face away when I see people.
But when you see him teaching children, he is quite stylish!
Tang Shiyue suddenly had an idea and waved: "Ren Dong, come here."
Ren Dong was at a loss, but hurried over. She sat on the stage, like a dwarf, and just pressed her hands.
Ren Dong quickly knelt down on one knee.
She had gradually gotten used to the ancient practice of kneeling at every turn, so she leaned over to take a closer look. When Ren Dong tried to avoid her, she said, "Don't move!"
He stood frozen in place, their faces very close to each other.
Qi Jing frowned and asked after a while: "What's the matter?"
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