Chapter 167: Rhino-horn candle monster, ready to fight
A carriage set out from the post station again and returned to the official road.

As the wheels of the carriage turned, the heated arguments in the post station gradually faded, and the sounds transmitted into the carriage slowly faded into silence.

Li Sicheng pulled his head back from the carriage and couldn't help but exclaimed, "It's fine for these scholars to talk about this debate, but I didn't expect that even the Korean barbarians who came to the capital to express their gratitude with the imperial edict could talk about it."

Li Chunfang was leaning in the carriage with a blanket on his legs. He held his glasses with one hand and held the newspaper in front of him with the other hand, seemingly reading carefully. After hearing his grandson's words, he just nodded, indifferent.

Seeing that his grandfather ignored him, Li Sicheng looked at his uncle.

Li Maonian was thinking about something. After coming to his senses, he touched his nephew's head and answered casually: "What do you mean by scholars? The emperor lets the newspapers run wild just to invite people from all over the world to join in the fun."

"Look, all the way here, the scholars from Nanzhili, Shandong Province, and other places have been discussing and arguing about this matter."

"It has been many years since such a grand event has taken place. This is what we call letting a hundred flowers bloom."

"As for the barbarians..."

He shook his head: "There is a word called unbelievable."

"Xue Yingqi is a great scholar of the time, and Li Zhi is one of the most talented people in the Taizhou School. The debate between the two is not something that the barbarians can understand."

Li Sicheng is fifteen years old this year, and his personality is still a bit eccentric. Hearing this, he said in a humorous way: "It's unbelievable, so I would have wild thoughts."

"Otherwise, how could he have the confidence to go up and debate, only to be refuted by those scholars and become red in the face?"

Li Maonian followed suit with a smile, and then asked curiously, "Doesn't Sicheng support Li Zhi? Why didn't he speak up to help that hesitant Korean barbarian just now?"

The purpose of taking children out is to see the world.

Debate is helpful for both courage and eloquence.

Li Sicheng looked bitter after hearing his uncle's question. "Uncle, it's not like you didn't see some of the scenes before. Master Xue's argument this time was really powerful. Those scholars took advantage of it to start the argument, and it was like a broken bamboo."

"I would like to support Master Li, but I am not very knowledgeable and can't understand what he is saying. I can only remain silent."

Li Maonian laughed.

My nephew is still young, and he is not a child prodigy like the emperor, Zhang Juzheng, or Shen Shixing. This is normal.

He patiently explained: "The last time Xue Yingqi discussed the principles of heaven and humanity, Li Zhi caught his flaws. Then Li Zhi began to discuss the essence of human nature, whether it is a priori... or whether it is innate."

"In particular, they pulled out Mencius' theory of human nature being good and Xunzi's theory of human nature being evil and tortured them."

"The root of it is to overthrow the foundation of the theory of ontology."

Speaking of this, Li Maonian couldn't help but sigh at Li Zhi's audacity.

He continued, "But Xue Yingqi is a great scholar of the time, with a solid foundation, and he responded immediately."

"The nature of a gentleman is such that even great deeds will not increase it, and even poverty will not diminish it, because it is predetermined. The nature of a gentleman is benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, which are rooted in his heart. His voice and expression are bright, visible on his face, on his back, and in his limbs. His limbs are self-evident."

"He used Mencius's viewpoint to explain that 'human nature' is just a metaphor for 'nature'. Li Zhi's statement is biased and not comprehensive."

“‘Humanity’ is metaphorically expressed through body parts or behaviors, but it is not simply ‘included’ or ‘causally dependent’ on ‘sex’.”

"Talking about 'sex' from the perspective of acquired environment can only explain its cause and effect, but cannot explain the root meaning of the ontology."

"Instead, we can only focus on specific people. People are born with 'nature'; so-called human nature is just a manifestation of it, which is acquired."

"This is what is called seeing one's true nature."

"Innate and acquired, from the beginning to the end, are divided into two parts. Sex must be innate."

Li Maonian simplified the two people's long arguments and tried to use straightforward words to explain the recent debate to his nephew.

Li Sicheng listened to his uncle's explanation and seemed to be thinking about something.

He looked at Li Maonian curiously: "Who do you think is right, uncle?"

Li Maonian shook his head: "There is no right or wrong in this matter. It all depends on who has deeper knowledge. I can't say for sure."

The uncle and nephew wanted to continue chatting after this.

At this moment, a snoring sound suddenly came from the carriage.

The uncle and nephew looked at Li Chunfang at the same time.

My own grandfather fell asleep with his head tilted and his mouth open!
Li Maonian hurried forward and straightened his father's head - the doctor had advised that if an elderly person sleeps with his neck stretched out like this, he will easily fall asleep and not be able to wake up.

When someone touched her, Li Chunfang shook subconsciously.

Then he opened his sleepy eyes and sat up straight.

Li Chunfang blinked hard to wake herself up.

Seeing his children and grandchildren looking at him, he explained kindly, "I didn't sleep well last night, and I feel a little tired."

Li Chunfang and his party were going to Beijing. It was normal for them to be tired after all the hard work.

Especially with Li Chunfang's status, he could not enter Beijing at will. When an official retired and returned to his hometown, the imperial edict would add a sentence "he is not allowed to stay idle in Beijing."

This is to prevent ministers who are too powerful from planning messy things after retirement.

However, Li Chunfang's reason for going to Beijing this time was very legitimate and approved - to meet his parents.

Li Baiyang had been appointed as a concubine, so there was no reason to refuse her family's permission to come to the capital to visit her.

Being allowed to enter the capital is good, but it also means that one's whereabouts along the way are open to the government.

Not only was the post station shabby and difficult to sleep in, the carriage also lacked the usual luxury and it was really tiring to sit in it.

Li Maonian rarely complained: "If you take the water route, your lordship will be more comfortable on the journey."

As he spoke, he took out the silkworm quilt from the shelter under his body and handed it to Li Chunfang, who had just woken up, with both hands: "If you are sleepy, you should curl up and sleep."

In order to show his poverty, he did not have a very good carriage and could only curl up when sleeping.

Li Chunfang lifted the carriage curtain, took a look at the route, and then pushed the silkworm quilt back: "We are almost in the capital, I won't sleep anymore."

Then he responded to Li Maonian's complaint: "Didn't I say that I haven't left home for a few years, so I'll go to see the sufferings of the people in various states along the way."

Li Maonian took the quilt back.

He ruthlessly exposed his father: "I haven't seen you inspecting the people of the state capital in previous years."

Li Chunfang shook her head.

His son was just an average-looking person, so after thinking it over again and again, he decided to give him some explanation.

He spoke kindly and patiently: "This is different."

"In previous years, I was a minister, just managing the cabinet for the emperor, and I just had to consider the overall situation."

"now……"

"Bai Yang has already appointed a concubine. I won't feel at ease unless I see the fate of the Zhu family with my own eyes."

There is nothing taboo about having three generations of a family in a car.

To say something extremely treasonous, although he was a cabinet minister who carried great expectations of the world, he was ultimately the emperor's steward, and the fate of the Ming Dynasty had little to do with him.

Even after the Ming Dynasty fell, the gentry in Jiangnan were still wealthy.

But now that he had high hopes for the emperor and had sent his granddaughter into the palace, he had to worry about the fate of the Ming Dynasty.

Li Maonian seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.

Only then did I understand why my father had to endure the hardship of this bumpy journey.

I felt a little guilty about the complaints I had just made and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Fortunately, at this time, his nephew Li Sicheng interrupted curiously: "Then, Grandfather, after watching all this, how is the fate of our dynasty?"

Unlike his father's detached perspective, Li Sicheng is young and still has a sense of belonging, calling his dynasty "our dynasty" all the time.

Li Chunfang's expression was somewhat serious when he heard this: "Compared to when I was in power, I can only say that the situation in the world has improved slightly, but the improvement is limited."

The degree of deterioration of the world situation has improved, that is, it is still deteriorating, just not as fast.

Although Li Chunfang didn't know what second-order derivative was, he was still able to use it very easily.

“The situation of land annexation is becoming increasingly serious.”

"Especially in the past two years, the prefectures have been hit by frequent natural disasters and man-made calamities. The cities and villages are in ruins, and the towns are desolate!"

"The suffering of the people can be seen from this."

"Shandong and Huaishui are not so bad. Most of the refugees beg for food on the streets. At most, they become bandits and rob the government treasury and kill some county officials."

"I heard that the White Lotus Sect, Wuwei Sect, and Luo Sect in Henan and Shanxi are becoming more and more rampant. Their teachings deceive people and attract followers. Among the people, they have become orthodox religions that can be ranked alongside Buddhism and Taoism!"

“But the local state government turned a blind eye.”

"There was even a White Lotus fugitive named Ma Shulinzi, who brought men and women with him, fleeing from Yan'an to Xuanfu, covering thousands of miles!"

"There are nearly a thousand people who support weapons, sell weapons, and dispense medicine. We don't know how many places they have been intercepted and taken away. Why has no one questioned them?"

"The laxity of official administration is evident from this."

"Let's talk about the records in the prefecture and county annals that I read along the way."

"In the past two years, strange phenomena have occurred frequently, including earthquakes, frost disasters, locust plagues, and floods. The number has more than doubled compared to the Jiajing period!"

"Especially the freezing disaster. I just heard a businessman mention it the other day. It is said that even Hainan has snowed this winter!"

“That’s Hainan!”

"Plus, there was a fire in the palace, a rainbow in broad daylight... the chaos that came from heaven really made me uneasy."

Li Maonian looked at his father's worried expression and almost blurted out, "How did you manage the cabinet before?"

Then he remembered Li Chunfang's explanation and held back his emotion.

Li Sicheng was very straightforward. After hearing what his grandfather said, he was shocked: "Grandfather, are you saying that the Ming Dynasty is about to end?"

Li Chunfang shook her head: "Not so fast."

"Now, whether it's the performance evaluation system or the preparation of the Beijing camp, it's all the work of the emperor and the cabinet."

"As for how long the Ming Dynasty will last...it depends on how we prune the branches and leaves."

Tax reform and land measurement are the two elephants hanging over the cabinet.

Except for Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, the rest of the cabinet ministers turned a blind eye.

Even if Li Chunfang saw it at the time, he would have avoided it.

Now that he had put down his heavy burden, he finally stood on the emperor's side and spoke his true feelings.

Li Sicheng seemed to understand but not quite.

Li Maonian at the side couldn't help but interject: "With your Majesty's skills and abilities, he will slowly get better."

This is his opinion, not his comfort.

After all, her daughter is still in the palace.

Li Chunfang smiled and nodded in agreement.

This is also the reason why he bet on the emperor.

At least the person sitting on the throne is capable and willing to work.

If he was just like Sejong and the previous emperor, turning a blind eye to the accumulated ills of the dynasty and waiting for the dynasty to fall, then Li Chunfang would not be willing to let the emperor marry into his family, let alone send his granddaughter into the palace.

The topic is a bit heavy.

Li Chunfang was a good father-in-law, and the family atmosphere was mainly harmonious, so he took the initiative to change the subject: "Wang Shizhen's new biography of the heroes of the Yuan and Ming dynasties is far inferior to Jin Ping Mei. It actually made me fall asleep while reading it. He is really not a good son."

After that, he handed the newspaper to his son and motioned him to put it away.

Li Sicheng asked in confusion, "Father, how do you know that this novel was written by Alliance Leader Wang? I heard that Master Xu was summoned to the palace by His Majesty, perhaps just to write the novel for fun."

Prime Minister Xu Jie was summoned to the capital again, but he had no assignment. It was just right for him to be given the task of pleasing people with his writing.

Li Chunfang looked at his grandson's inquiring eyes and smiled: "This is called literary style. You will understand it when you grow up."

As for the style of writing, you can’t appreciate it if you don’t have enough experience in it.

Li Sicheng sighed, somewhat dissatisfied with his grandfather's perfunctory response, and asked again: "Then, Grandfather, tell me, who wrote Journey to the West?"

Li Chunfang's face, which was wrinkled with smiles, suddenly froze when he heard this.

He said vaguely, "I am not familiar with this style of writing."

Li Sicheng hummed and hawed, obviously feeling that he had turned the tables.

Li Maonian on the side couldn't help but laugh.

He didn't know who wrote Journey to the West, but it must have been proofread by his father. The nickname "Master of Huayang Cave" was taken from the place where his father studied when he was young.

Li Chunfang casually pushed aside the car curtain and looked out the window.

Actually, I have known Wu Cheng'en since the 20th year of Jiajing, so we have been friends for many years. But since the 43rd year of Jiajing, when I helped Wu Cheng'en get the post of county magistrate of Changxing, Zhejiang, I have not seen him again.

How did the emperor know that he had proofread a novel called Journey to the West? And why did he ask for it?
I can't figure it out, I can't figure it out.

Li Chunfang shook his head, and his head swayed along with the bumps in the carriage.

……

"Ah! All right! I got it! I got it!"

After saying this, the candidate who was looking at the list... oh no, he was already a tribute student, was so happy that he fell backwards.

The servants who were trying to catch the son-in-law under the list didn't care whether the man was dizzy or not, they just rushed forward.

Some pulled at his arms, some pulled at his legs, and they wanted to carry him back to their homes.

This caused a commotion among the crowd.

"Hit, hit, hit! Only the dog got it right! I'm so pissed!"

This obviously didn't hit the mark.

In addition, there were some who left without saying a word; some who leaned against the wall, beating their chests and stamping their feet; and some even muttered to themselves.

It can be said that there are all kinds of life when the examination results are announced.

Li Kun had dark circles under his eyes and shook his head as he looked at this group of unruly people.

He was too nervous last night and tossed and turned all night, so he overslept today and only came to look at the list now.

Li Kun pushed his way into the crowd looking at the list and walked closer to the list.

He stuck his head out from under someone's armpit with difficulty, his eyes fixed on the four lists.

The first hundred...

Ok?
He saw a name he recognized but was unfamiliar with.

Li Sancai ranked 36th in the imperial examination.

Li Kun sighed, he was indeed a favored child of heaven.

He has a family of officials, wide social connections, a famous teacher, a heroic appearance, and the ability to form cliques and factions. He has all the advantages.

Now Lian has passed the imperial examination at the age of 23.

At the age of twenty-three...it was a foregone conclusion that he would become a Shujishi.

Even though Li Kun claimed to be an honest man, he couldn't help but feel unbalanced for a moment.

He shook his head, pushed away the smelly armpit of the man in front of him, and continued to look down.

Li Du ranked 107th in the imperial examination.

Li Kun became even more unbalanced.

Even people who took the test for fun passed it. It's really frustrating to compare yourself with others.

But he had a closer relationship with Li Du, so he just ignored the criticism and changed the list and continued reading.

Wan Jing ranked 194th in the imperial examination.

Isn't this the grandson of Minister Wan of the Ministry of Industry? Li Kun couldn't help but take a closer look.

Last time, someone was saying that Wan Jing accidentally said something bad about the emperor and would definitely fail the exam.

Now it seems that the emperor's mind is much broader than the rumors. Li Kun silently praised the emperor in his heart.

My mind was in a mess, which relieved the pressure of not finding my name halfway through the list.

Li Kun looked at the third list again, examining it carefully from top to bottom...

A hint of surprise suddenly flashed across his face.

"Hey! Wow, I got it too!"

Li Kun suddenly straightened up, pointed at his own name, and laughed: "I got it! I got it!"

He didn't care whether anyone knew him or not, he put his hands on his hips and shouted four or five times.

Then he clenched his fist and punched the air above his head, muttering to himself, "The fortune teller said I would be a wise man by the age of 40, humph! Now I'm 39!"

While he was venting his anger, a group of wealthy men came up to him.

"This young man! Are you married? "

"Master Gongsheng! My daughter is gentle and virtuous, and her appearance is acceptable..."

"I am from the Guanglu Temple..."

Li Kun suppressed his impatience towards this group of people and begged for mercy: "Everyone, I appreciate your kindness, I appreciate your kindness, but it's not necessary, it's not necessary."

Are you kidding? Look at how old he is with that unshaven beard and his son is already as tall as him.

After saying that, he pushed through the crowd and slipped away.

After the joint examination, one has to prepare for the palace examination.

Although they will not be deposed, they will have to be re-ranked.

What if I could be chosen as the top scholar by the emperor...well, that's a bit impossible.

It would be good if I could get a good ranking. At the age of thirty-nine, I am just a little short of the forty-year-old threshold for becoming a Shujishi.

A second-class Jinshi definitely has a much better chance than a third-class Jinshi.

Thinking of this, Li Kun couldn't help but hum.

Finally... he is one step closer to changing his last name.

An event as big as the announcement of the results naturally involves more than just the excitement below the list.

There were gatherings of students from the Imperial College, sales promotions by merchants, wealthy people throwing money around in the streets of high school, and those who refused to accept defeat trying to commit suicide.

As Li Kun walked back, there was a lot of excitement and fun.

"Is that Mr. Li, the tribute student in front of us?"

A call sounded in his ears. Li Kun didn't react to this unfamiliar name for a while - after all, everyone he knew knew that his last name was Lu.

After a while, he finally realized what was happening and turned around.

A man dressed as a servant stood behind him, panting. He stated his purpose straight away: "Mr. Li, my master, the Duke of Yanzhou, is planning to hold a literary gathering on the tenth day of March, and he specially asked me to invite you."

After that, he handed out an invitation.

Li Kun took it subconsciously and frowned, "Didn't they say anyone who wants can go? Why are they sending out invitations?"

He knew that Wang Shizhen was organizing a literary conference and had started building momentum before the New Year.

But there is no set time, and no threshold is mentioned.

If it was a group invitation, he would hesitate whether to go or not.

Seeing this, the servant reached out and pulled Li Kun aside, lowering his voice to the lowest level: "Please forgive me, Master Li, we didn't decide on the schedule at first, but now we have decided on the schedule."

"There is no limit on the number of seats for those who sit in on the outside."

"The invitations are being distributed in the inner hall. There are only a few dozen people with seats, and they are all important people."

"For example, Mr. Xu Jie, Mr. Li Zhi, Mr. Qian Dehong, Mr. Wang Ji, Mr. Xue Yingqi, and several people from the Kong family..."

"It shows how much we value you, Master Li!"

Li Kun looked suspicious.

No, he knows exactly what kind of person he is.

Not to mention being on par with these figures, even if he were to become their disciple, these people might not even accept him as their disciple!

He frowned and asked, "I'm afraid you invited the wrong person. I am just an unknown person and cannot bear such courtesy from the prince."

The servant quickly explained, "You deserve it, you deserve it. We have invited many young talents, including Mr. Gu from Wuxi Prefecture, Mr. Li from Tongzhou Prefecture, and Mr. Yu from the Imperial College. They have all gone."

After saying this, he lowered his voice again: "Also, the master said that you must be invited. It was the master above who personally invited you."

Li Kun was stunned: "Master? How old is he?"

The servant gestured slightly and said, "Master said it's as big as three palaces."

……

"March tenth?"

Qian Dehong was lying in bed, weakly holding an invitation and asked.

Wang Ji stroked his beard and nodded, "It's getting close to Qingming Festival, and it's been raining. The Imperial Astronomical Observatory said it will stop around the tenth day."

He said sarcastically, "Wang Shizhen is also considering an old man like my junior brother."

Qian Dehong sneered: "Junior brother, you are joking. Although my bones are old, they are strong enough. Maybe I will have to see you off to the end of your life."

He said something tough but couldn't help coughing.

Wang Ji stepped forward to pat Qian Dehong's back and softened his words: "Then Junior Brother will have to live for many more years."

After that, he threw the invitation onto Qian Dehong's bed and said, "I don't know where Wang Shizhen got the confidence to get involved in the debate. Does he really think that he won the title of leader in the literary world by relying on his attainments in classics?"

"If Xu Jie hadn't asked me to do that, I really wouldn't want to give him face."

Qian Dehong picked up the invitation, opened it and read it, and generally speculated: "I'm afraid he is jealous of Li Zhi's current popularity."

"But it's a bit strange that Xu Jie came to invite me personally."

Li and Xue debated, and each won and lost alternately, but their reputations were equally high.

To sum it up in Xu Jie's words:

Li Zhi was proficient in psychology, philosophy, Buddhism and Taoism, and then he blazed a trail on his own and found a smooth path. He can be said to have taken a sage as his teacher and founded his own school.

The only problem is that it lacks polish and has many mistakes and omissions, so the old man stays away from it.

Xue Yingqi was a true follower of Yangming's teachings and an orthodox Neo-Confucianist. He was well versed in both the origins and streams of the two schools, and his knowledge was both profound and dignified.

It is a pity that the centipede is about to die, so the young students are discarded like a worn-out shoe.

The old man has great power and a strong foundation.

Young students have a strong desire to express themselves and can create momentum.

The last time, Gu Xiancheng said some bad things about Li Zhi that were not based on anything. That night, eggs were thrown at him in the yard and someone even threatened to beat him.

Gu Xiancheng was so scared that he dared not write any more essays.

With such momentum, Wang Shizhen, who rose to prominence through fame, would probably be the most envious.

Wanting to get involved is actually in line with his style.

Wang Ji seemed to agree with this statement and stopped worrying: "It's not surprising that Xu Jie came to invite us. After all, the two of us wrote poems for the emperor. It's reasonable for us to work together for warmth."

"It's better to think about how to deal with Li Zhi then."

Speaking of Li Zhi.

Qian Dehong couldn't help coughing again.

After a while, he sighed, "This guy is really hard to deal with."

"Yu Qian relied on universal morality to deceive people, especially when the words fairness and progress came out, too many scholars were deceived by it."

"Yu Shen, you can debate back and forth with Xue Yingqi. His understanding of the essence becomes deeper and deeper as the debate goes on. Even I am frightened."

Wang Ji's expression remained unchanged: "I will come forward when the time comes. I will take this opportunity to spread Wang Xue and carry the master into the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

After hearing this, Qian Dehong remained silent and did not refute even though his ideas disagreed with Wang Ji's.

As Wang Yangming's direct disciples, the two of them were professors, known as the Three Masters and Seven Verities.

If my teacher really entered the Confucius Temple and enjoyed the status of a saint, then these two people would be the second Yan Hui.

Wise man.

Qian Dehong suddenly reminded: "I'm afraid the emperor will interfere. I heard that the emperor might also go..."

Wang Ji did not comment: "Your attainments in classics are not enough. In that kind of occasion, outsiders have no right to speak."

"It is not the turn of secular powers to intervene in the Confucian debate."

(End of this chapter)