Chapter 367: Don’t Be Ungrateful

Zhang Anshi is actually not worried about Gao Xiang, this is mature old official, acting steadily, but also cautious.

The most important thing is that this right governor’s office up and down the officials, all have something to look forward to.

For the lower level officials, with the achievements of the New Deal, their future is bound to rise, and with the motivation to be promoted, everyone has made the best of their efforts.

As for Gaoxiang, what he is pursuing now is to be famous in history.

This thing called fame and history may seem vain, but it is a great temptation for the people of this era.

The success or failure of the New Deal determines a person’s merits and demerits thousands of years later; success will be admired by future generations, while failure will be stigmatized for thousands of years, and the relationship is more than just one’s own regard for the name of one’s posterity.

In fact, this is in fact also this era of family values, the ancients attach importance to the family, more importantly, their own children and grandchildren, if a bad reputation, children and grandchildren ashamed to speak, we must know that the ancient prestige family, the children and grandchildren are happy to hang their own ancestors in the mouth of the, and therefore the ancestors of the reputation, is crucial.

Zhang Anshi actually does not care about these vain things, for the two worlds for the people, Zhang Anshi’s only want, but want to leave a little something, as for the traces left behind by the people how to comment, but not tight.

After all, the human cognitive reversal is too much, even Qin Hui can be washed from black to white, the so-called glorious image of history, by and large, can use a microscope to find out the black spots, and those who are always butchering the thugs, but most people will not be too harsh, but instead, from its words and behavior to find out a few so-called true nature of the place.

You can see that the so-called name behind it is nothing but a joke.

By the next day, a guest had arrived at Sukhumvit.

This guest in fact often come, every one or two months to come, only once upon a time, he brought with him is the East Palace’s forbidden guards, but now with the young army.

Xia Xuan and Jin Dazhou led a cadre of lieutenants to accompany the imperial grandson’s grand chariot, they were happy to come to Qixia, not only could they feel the bustle of the place, the most important thing was that they were always planning to do something to buy and sell.

The not-so-smart people like the three murderers in the capital could get rich, it didn’t make sense that those of them with good bloodlines couldn’t.

As for Zhu Zhanji, at first come is indeed once and for all to see the flavor, figure a lively.

Then it was purely just a matter of getting out and seeing my own uncle.

Uncle and nephew meet.

Zhang Anshi, as always, was very happy and joyfully said, “My good Zhanji, you have finally come, I heard that you have always been distracted by your reading lately, is that right?”

Zhu Zhanji nodded and said, “Reading the Ziji Tongjian all day long, I have already read through it, but I have to be taught to recite it backwards and forwards, it is really hateful.”

Zhang Anshi lamented: “Those who can achieve great things are always good at reading without looking for details. Nine times out of ten, those who are taught like this will be pedantic scholars. Junji, in a few days, I will find a way to speak to His Majesty. What is the name of your new master?”

“Surnamed Wang, called Wang Tong, A-Uncle must sue him properly for blackmail.”

Zhang Anshi is pulled down face: “What is this word? I just truthfully report, what is called to go high and black, so that I look like a sycophant.”

Zhu Zhanji frowned with a small frown and said, “But ……”

Zhang Anshi hurriedly covered his mouth, “Alright, when you come to Qixia, you should talk less and look more.”

When Zhang Anshi let go of his hand, Zhu Zhanji responded obediently, “Oh.”

Zhang Anshi then changed back to that warm and friendly uncle, smiled and said, “Where do you want to go today to see the fun?”

“I …… would like to visit the schoolhouse.”

“Hmm?”

Zhu Zhanji said, “I’ve heard that many children in Qixia study, and I want to see how they go to school.”

Zhang Anshi then also said dryly, “This is a good idea, A-Uncle will arrange it.”

Zhang Anshi was always happy to fulfill any reasonable request made by Zhu Zhanji.

It’s never a bad thing to show him more.

In a short time, the uncle and nephew came together to a schoolhouse.

This schoolhouse is very ordinary, in the middle of the downtown area.

Zhu Zhanji curiously said, “Uncle, how come the site of the academy is so noisy?”

Zhang Anshi shrugged his shoulders and said, “I can’t blame them, when this small school was built, it was still very remote. But who knows, but two years of work, this place is bustling.”

The sound of reading comes from inside, because it is a small school, but it is just reciting some arithmetic mnemonics.

Zhu Zhanji said, “It’s so easy for them to teach.”

Zhang Anshi and Zhu Zhanji stood in front of the window, with their hands behind their backs, the person in charge of the academy and the other instructors, have long been asked by the lieutenants to the side to ‘drink tea’, the rest of the people backed away, only the two of them separated from the window, looked at the inside full of desks, there are seventy to eighty children, crowded in this not spacious classroom to continue reading aloud.

Zhang Anshi lowered his voice and said, “When you are at such an age, you have not yet properly learned arithmetic! When they reach your age, they will have to learn deeper studies, the principles of algebra and geometry, do you know?”

Zhu Zhanji said, “I learned differently from them.”

Zhang Anshi laughed and said, “There are specialties in the arts, so you shouldn’t underestimate people.”

Zhu Zhanji watched for a while, and then he followed Zhang Anshi to pace the small schoolyard outside this classroom.

Zhu Zhanji stepped on the gravel in this small schoolyard and said abruptly, “A uncle …… I heard people say that you don’t learn ……”

Seeing that Zhang Anshi was furious.

Zhu Zhanji added: “But Master Yang Pu also said that under the rule of A uncle, many children read books, and Bachelor Yang Pu said that only saints can do such things, but I see A uncle …… does not look like a saint.”

Zhang Anshi was pleasantly surprised, “Did Maester Yang really say so?”

Zhu Zhanji nodded his head in certainty.

Zhang Anshi lamented, “This guy, why does he keep revealing my old ways.”

Zhu Zhanji said, “Master Yang Pu also said that only a person who has benevolence and righteousness in his heart can do such a thing, a person who thinks for the sake of the living and harbors compassion ……”

Zhang Anshi waved his hand, “Okay, okay, that’s enough, it’s giving me a headache to listen.”

Zhu Zhanji looked at him with a crooked head and said, “This is Mr. Yang Pu praising A-Uncle.”

Zhang Anshi said, “He boasted a boast, but there is no obstacle, but …… you can not believe these ghost words.”

Zhu Zhanji was surprised and said, “Uncle, could he be wrong?”

“Big mistake.” Zhang Anshi said in a serious manner, “Getting people to study is not by any mercy or benevolence.”

Zhu Zhanji was curious, so he said, “Then by what?”

“Interest!” Zhang Anshi said.

If Yang Pu came in person and saw Zhang Anshi instilling this to Zhu Zhanji, I am afraid that I would have to have a black eye.

Zhu Zhanji seems to be extraordinarily interested in this kind of strange talk.

So he egged Zhang Anshi on, “Uncle, why is it a benefit? ”

Zhang Anshi said, “Because when people read books, they can engage in finer work and can be of greater value, and because of this, that’s why I’m doing everything I can to encourage them to read.”

Zhu Zhanji said, “A uncle means that …… they read …… A uncle is the only one who will benefit?”

“Exactly.” Zhang Anshi said unapologetically, “The so-called benevolence and righteousness set, or relying on sympathy and compassion, or even the so-called indoctrination of the sages, is unlikely to make it possible for one to persistently get the most unusual children of the people to enter and study in the academy.”

After a pause, he then said, “You see, for thousands of years, the world’s ordinary people’s children, how many people can read? Aren’t those who read books all the children of the big families?”

Zhu Zhanji listened, his expression seriously up, looking thoughtful.

Zhang Anshi then continued, “The so-called benevolence and righteousness is nothing but sympathy, just like a rich man who sees another person with no clothes to cover his body and thus takes pity on him and gives him some food and clothes. But can the world be pacified by encouraging the rich to be kind and charitable? If it were possible to rely on this, then the world would have been at peace long ago.”

Zhu Zhanji nodded and said, “A uncle is right, then …… how can it be?”

Zhang Anshi said: “Only when a person realizes that he is noble will he give alms to others, and alms cannot last long. Look at the dynasties, there is no lack of people with compassion, or gentlemen who know benevolence, righteousness, integrity and shame, but how many people can they benefit? There may be ten or a hundred families that they have helped, but how many people are hidden where he cannot see them, who are not clothed and who do not have enough to eat?”

Saying this, Zhang Anshi touched Zhu Zhanji’s head and continued in a serious tone, “But interests are different. Benefit is constant, if you hold the attitude of charity to education, then it will always be a fish out of water. But if you hold the mentality of utilitarianism, this thing has the hope of success instead.”

Zhang Anshi looked at him deeply and said: “It is like you, this kid, in the future, if you think, the people are really poor, the children can not study, you must let the children of the world all study, then this will certainly end up as a joke. But you might as well think, so many people do not study, low output, so on, Ming rely on these people, can collect a few taxes? The goods produced by the merchants in Qixia can be sold to how many people? After you think like this, then this matter has the hope of success.”

Zhu Zhanji looked at him steadily and asked, “Uncle, why is this?”

Zhang Anshi said, “It is very simple, because …… these people, in fact, do not need alms, alms in addition to make some rich people so-called self spiritual satisfaction, for the whole world does not have much benefit. You to the utilitarian heart to look at this matter, to create them read a book, can change their fate, can improve the life of the opportunity, then, do not need you to urge these people, the people are scrimping and saving, but also to provide the children to study can not.”

“The so-called benevolence and righteousness is nothing but to regard oneself as a sage and a gentleman, and to regard the people as nothing more than grass and weeds, for they are as common as oxen and horses, and it is only because of one’s own compassion, or because of a certain kind of morality in one’s own saintly studies, that one can improve the people’s condition. This is nothing but that of the princes and generals, but you must know that in fact these common people, apart from their bad birth and poor family circumstances, are in reality no different from the so-called public ministers in this dynasty.”

Speaking here, Zhang Anshi raised his hand, pointed at Xia Xuan and Jin Dazhou standing in the distance, and said, “Do you see those two fools? If they weren’t the sons of Duke Xia and Duke Jin, I’m afraid they’d be far inferior compared to the ones of the ordinary people’s children here.”

“So, you want to do anything, the first thing to do, not holding the so-called alms mentality, to do a thing, the first thing to do nothing else, you will be treated as a person to see can, you put yourself in the shoes of these and you like people, you issued a decree, these tend to avoid harm, what will think, will have any concerns, then against these, go to try to solve these scruples, and then use merit to spur them on, and they will, naturally, tend to it, and then there will be no harm in what you have to do.”

Zhu Zhanji listened carefully and said, “I seem to understand, the reason why Qixia is like this is because it’s beneficial to A-Uncle, and it’s beneficial to these people as well, and because of this, that’s why everything is falling into place.”

“Clever!” Zhang Anshi didn’t mince words of praise, looking at him with relief, “Worthy of being my nephew, a seed of my Zhang family.”

Zhu Zhanji, however, continued to ask: “But uncle, this benevolence, righteousness, integrity and shame, is it really useless?”

Zhang Anshi immediately shook his head and said, “Benevolence, righteousness, honesty and shame are of course good, but benevolence, righteousness, honesty and shame are only for regulating oneself, they are internal things. But if the person who hangs benevolence, righteousness, honesty and shame on his lips to restrain others, then this person …… must have no benevolence and righteousness, and also in all likelihood has no shame.”

Zhu Zhanji said, “But A uncle usually teaches me all day long that I have to be filial …… to my parents.”

Zhang Anshi suddenly became angry and raised his voice: “We are talking about benevolence, righteousness, integrity and shame, not loyalty and filial piety, can loyalty and filial piety be the same as benevolence, righteousness, integrity and shame? Junji, you are confused ……”

Zhu Zhanji was busy drooping his head and said, “Alright, alright, don’t be angry, Uncle.”

Zhang Anshi was relieved to see that he was soft.

Other things can be negotiated, but filial piety is the first of all good deeds, and this is not negotiable in any way.

This is the traditional virtue of the Han family, if this is gone, then the thousand years of cultural lineage will be severed.

By mid-autumn, the collection of summer taxes finally came to a head.

At this time, Zhu Chun, the king of Shu, however, returned to the capital from Suzhou, passing through Qixia, and made a special visit.

Zhang Anshi and Zhu Chun actually did not have much personal friendship, but they had only met twice.

But because they are in and out of the same place, they are closer than normal.

Zhang Anshi invited Zhu Chun to the back office, where Zhu Chun appeared dusty, with an obvious weariness on his face.

Zhang Anshi said, “How about this trip to Suzhou?”

Zhu Chun tired, but the spirit is still full, heard Zhang Anshi’s words, did not immediately answer, his mind is deeper than ordinary people, after a pause, only said: “There are some obstacles, but all things as long as you are willing to work hard, there is no reason that can not be solved.”

Zhang Anshi said: “Su Song area, the gentry is very much, people say that this place is the cultural pulse. The so-called cultural vein, but is more readers only, precisely because of this, so resistance is also big, but my right governor’s office, on the contrary, a little more leisure, led by the state and county, said that the squire, but compared with the readers of Su Song, but is a small witch.”

Zhu Chun laughed, “When someone asked this king to come and be this left governor to rule Yingtianfu and Suzhou and Songjiang, I think that was the purpose.”

Hearing this, Zhang Anshi, however, couldn’t help but laugh and said, “It’s a pity that they miscalculated.”

Zhu Chun only smiled and didn’t say anything more.

At that moment, Zhang Anshi had a banquet prepared, and after he and Zhang Anshi had a small drink, he said, “This king still needs to go and preside over the summer tax, so he will take his leave.”

Zhang Anshi said, “This time, the left capital, the summer tax should be collected quite a lot.”

Zhu Chun laughed out loud, “Where …… a rough estimate, it is indeed quite a lot.”

However, Zhu Chun did not go deeper and bid farewell to Zhang Anshi.

When he came out of the Right Governor’s Office, he needed to go to the ferry, but Zhu Chun did not board a vehicle, but walked directly.

He walked through the streets and alleys of Qixia, which, at this time, was different from before.

He traveled to the halfway point, can not help but lament: “When Yingtian, Suzhou are like this, this king can also be accomplished and retired.

One of the people accompanying him was Chen Qiang, a co-instructor of the Chengdu Left Guard Command.

Chen Qiang said: “Your Highness, this time these Suzhou gentry this plea, the gentleman swept away. It can be seen that they are at the end of their tether, with Your Highness pressurized, where they dare to act out? I think it won’t take long for Your Highness to succeed.”

Zhu Chun, the King of Shu, however, smiled and said, “How many years have you followed this king?”

Chen Qiang respectfully said, “Ever since His Highness the King of Shu assumed the throne, I have been escorting His Highness.”

Zhu Chun said, “After following this king for so many years, you are still this confused. You ah …… still can’t see through it.”

Chen Qiang was surprised and said, “Please also show your highness.”

Zhu Chun stops and stops in front of a stall of a cargo man, this cargo man sells sugar man, many young children surrounded, but they do not have money, so they just watch from afar ‘quench their thirst for plums’.

Zhu Chun said, “Buy some down for the children, don’t buy too much, it’s not good to eat too much of everything, give one to each person.”

The back of the entourage then responded.

Zhu Chun, however, had already walked away on foot first, and Chen Qiang continued to follow suit.

Only then did Zhu Chun say, “You only saw them kneeling at the feet of this king and crying, seeing them disregard the disgrace of decency, one wailing and mourning. But have you ever thought about it, a decent person if even face are not want, willing to be so bent and slavish. Such a person is the most terrifying of all.”

Chen Qiang said in amazement, “Really?”

Zhu Chun said, “If they can be like this today, then they will dare to kill tomorrow, and because of this, that’s why this king urgently returned to the capital, he just felt that something was not right.”

Chen Qiang, however, was unimpressed and said, “What else can they do, they are just fish and meat on the board.”

Zhu Chun pursed his lips, did not speak for a moment, and only after a long time did he say: ”What this king is thinking about now is how to respond. As for you this jerk, what fish and flesh at every turn, what they dare how words, there is no need to mention. Such empty words are useless to talk more, deal with those people, need to be treated with twelve thousand percent spirit.”

“Today with the Duke of Wei met, at that time there is a sentence is right, they that the right Governor’s Office of the squire, and the left Governor’s Office under the rule of these people than, really is a small witch to see a big witch, simply not enough to mention.”

Chen Qiang busily said, “Yes, yes, Your Highness …… how do you plan to respond?”

Zhu Chun smiled, his eyes flickered, and between the turns of his eyes, he steeply revealed his killing intent.

When this gaze landed on Chen Qiang’s body, these eyes became gentle again and said softly, “I hope they won’t be ungrateful!”