Chapter 167 Doesn’t that prove he’s wrong?
Under Doctor Tang's acupuncture, Wang Liang recovered.
As high-ranking officials, they had plenty of verbal battles in the court, but they never cared about moral accusations.
If you could just curse someone to death, there wouldn't be so much injustice in this world.
But Wang Liang had just experienced a very difficult long journey, and was already dizzy and hungry, and was holding on for a breath. When Zhu Biao scolded him, his blood rushed to his head and he almost fainted.
In addition, Wang Liang's decades-long loyalty to the king was shaken by the cruel acts he witnessed.
As Zhu Biao said, even the strongest fortresses are breached from within. A scholar's "state of mind" is shattered, and even the slightest insult can break his defenses.
In simple terms, it means "extremely angry and frustrated."
Zhu Yuanzhang looked curiously at Wang Liang, who was lying on the ground gasping for breath.
Last time, Biaoer cursed someone to death, but he didn't see it with his own eyes. Today, he finally saw it! When Liu Ji comes, I will definitely show off in front of him!
Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed when he thought of Liu Ji, whose mouth was becoming more and more vicious, and who was trying to replicate Biao'er's magical skill of cursing people to death every day.
Oh, and where are the clerks? Didn’t anyone write this down?
Zhu Yuanzhang looked around anxiously and saw Li Wenzhong and Chen Ying each took out a small notebook from their sleeves and started taking notes.
Although he didn't know why Li Wenzhong and Chen Ying had small notebooks and charcoal pencils in their sleeves, and didn't know how they were able to record them so promptly, Zhu Yuanzhang was very pleased.
As expected of my adopted son, he's so...
He looked at Zhu Wenzhen, who was peeking over, grinning, and laughing for no apparent reason, and his fists stiffened.
Among his three adopted sons, only Zhu Wenzheng has the surname Zhu. Why are people with the surname Zhu so stupid?!
Seeing the unfriendly look in the eyes of his fourth uncle who was also his adoptive father, Zhu Wenzhen moved his feet and walked between Li Wenzhong and Chen Ying. He stretched his neck left and right to see if the records of the two brothers were accurate. He pointed and accused them of making mistakes in the records, and was kicked hard by Li Wenzhong.
Wang Liang finally caught his breath. He stared at the beams with wide eyes, not saying a word for a long time.
Zhang Yu was very worried: "Old Master, Old Master, are you okay? Have some water?"
Wang Liang drank a few sips of warm water from Zhang Yu's hand, then leaned against Zhang Yu and spoke again: "In your opinion, should someone like me simply die as an apology?"
Zhu Biao shook his head: "Living is harder than dying. If Scholar Wang is determined to serve the people again, he should strive to survive and use his knowledge to help the new Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Biao really wanted to say, yes, go to hell.
But he knew that the Ming Dynasty was really short of intellectuals who had once held high positions.
According to statistics, from the uprising of the Red Turban Army to the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, there were more than forty Yuan Dynasty Jinshi who died for the Yuan Dynasty, and most of them were Han people.
The imperial examinations during the Yuan Dynasty were sporadic, admitting only a few dozen people each time, and were divided into two lists: the left and the right. Only half of the Jinshi were Han Chinese, which shows the loyalty of this group of Jinshi to the Yuan Dynasty's rule.
Especially during the battles in the south, the Han scholars were more ferocious than the Mongols in suppressing the uprising. After the Yuan army retreated, they spontaneously organized militias to resist the Red Turban Army.
Others, like Zhang Chang, plotted in secret and tried their best to disintegrate the rebel regime.
After the Ming Dynasty was established, they continued to oppose it. It was not until the Ming Dynasty became a new dynasty that they entered the new dynasty in large numbers.
In fact, even Liu Ji, Zhang Yi, Ye Chen and others were once part of this group of Jinshi, who spontaneously suppressed the peasant uprising army.
In the feudal era, class struggle was far more important than anything else for the feudal landlords.
Therefore, it is rare and precious that several great gentlemen woke up in the middle of their lives and devoted themselves to Zhu Yuanzhang and to the welfare of the people.
Zhu Biao was unaware that soon after Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, the few civil officials who had followed him were all expelled from the court. After that, the civil officials in Zhu Yuanzhang's court were replaced by those who entered the court through the new imperial examination system.
Zhu Yuanzhang trusted these civil officials who passed the imperial examinations after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty.
What did these civil officials report back to Zhu Yuanzhang? The Empty Seal Case, the Guo Heng Case, the North and South List Case, and the bloody riots in which Zhu Yuanzhang killed half of the court and was later described by historians as an "unjust case."
Foreign historians, and those who recognize foreign historians, say that these were "the unspoken rules of the Yuan Dynasty officialdom. Zhu Yuanzhang himself did not know about it and did not order a ban. When he discovered it, he became furious and refused to listen to explanations. These have always been the behaviors of officials. It was not that the officials deliberately concealed it, so they resorted to slaughtering people. It is really a false case."
Later, Zhu Yuanzhang promoted back the apprentices of the civil officials who had been squeezed out of the court and had them surround the crown prince.
But the young scholars who only know how to talk about war on paper are completely different from the old seniors who have struggled in troubled times and are full of martial ethics and practical work.
In order to implement his dream of a well-field system, Zhang Yi divided all the land in his family equally among his fellow villagers; in order to revive the Zhou rituals, the civil officials around Emperor Jianwen discussed changing the names of palace gates, roads and official titles every day, causing chaos in the court and alienating the nobles.
Being deceived and unaware is a tyrant, while indiscriminately killing people without finding a solution is a tyrant. For an emperor, incompetence is a grave fault. These are the indefensible sins of Zhu Yuanzhang, the great Ming emperor.
Zhu Yuanzhang of this time and space vaguely sensed the danger. Relying on the vigor and vitality of several great scholars around him, he suppressed the imperial examination and personally interviewed the recommended talents one by one, hoping to complete examination. This way, he would have time to further train the thinking and abilities of those who passed the imperial examination.
One's position determines their own considerations. Zhu Yuanzhang's considerations were not immediately apparent to Zhu Biao. His actions were driven by simple righteous indignation, unwilling to allow surrendered officials and generals to stand on equal footing with the Ming army and officials who had shed their blood.
Go to the labor reform camp for reform, and then become officials according to the procedures!
Zhu Biao also knew that his move was actually a bit ridiculous and did not bring about any substantial change.
But people are not saints. Only those who insist on some ridiculous actions and make themselves feel comfortable are real people with feelings.
Zhu Biao never considered himself a saint, so he was happy to do things according to his own preferences within the permitted scope.
Even if Zhu Yuanzhang blamed him, he would feel justified.
Zhu Biao continued, emphasizing each word, "Living is harder than dying. The Ming Dynasty is now like a newly born sapling . Countless people want to turn it into the Yuan Dynasty, allowing officials to continue to exploit the people. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty needs the care of those who have experienced it. But, do such people really exist?"
Wang Liang said hoarsely, "Isn't Zhang Chang with you?"
Zhu Biao's eyes flickered with a smile, a smile that was clearly a tinge of sadness. "The Emperor has given Zhang Chang many chances. But the memorials he submitted were either eulogies or requests for the Emperor to indulge in pleasure. Last time, he even asked the Emperor to build a grand palace and mausoleum. Oh, and he even told the Emperor to punish the people with harsh punishments."
"Zhang Chang was a great scholar. Even though I don't particularly like Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, I believe that both Cheng and Cheng and Zhu Xi deeply loved the people and wanted to work for their well-being."
"There is absolutely no text in Confucianism that teaches him to offer advice to the emperor in this way."
Zhu Biao asked seriously, "I really don't understand. Could loyalty to the Yuan emperor and fear of a poor commoner becoming emperor allow a world-renowned scholar to easily betray his teachings, just to make the Ming Dynasty lose the support of the people? In the eyes of a great scholar, what is the people's heart? Isn't it a bright red heart, a living person?"
Zhu Yuanzhang clenched his fists.
Wang Liang was silent for a while, then he asked, "Where is Zhang Chang now?"
Zhu Biao said: "The emperor asked him to write a book behind closed doors to vindicate Prime Minister Tuotuo. But he has been writing for many years and has not finished it."
Wang Liang was silent for a long time again, then said, " Because he wrote it, it proves that he was wrong."
Zhu Biao was also silent.
After a while, Zhu Biao put away the sadness in his eyes and said, "I just want him to admit that he was wrong."
Wang Liang asked, "If he confesses, will you let him go?"
Zhu Biao shook his head. "What does this have to do with me? But from what I know about the Emperor, if Zhang Chang admits his mistake, the Emperor will allow him to commit suicide as a loyal minister, and will not bring disaster to his descendants."
Wang Liang asked again: "What if he thinks he is a Yuan minister?"
Zhu Biao said, "Then let him die as a Yuan minister. Let his family pay the price for his persistence. Let the people know how many memorials a Yuan minister submitted to the court to harm the people in order to undermine the Ming Dynasty."
Wang Liang pressed his hand on his chest and almost fainted.
Wang Liang disliked the emperor's absurdity and spent his days compiling books in the Hanlin Academy. Therefore, he didn't know much about Zhu Biao. However, after following the emperor's escape, he heard many Mongol generals fleeing from the south to the north curse "Chen Biao" as a monster.
Although Zhu Biao almost angered him to death, he actually admired Zhu Biao's unyielding spirit for the country and the people.
He and Zhu Biao only had different positions, but they could distinguish between good and bad.
But what Zhu Biao said now...it's okay to die, but do you want to be infamous for eternity?
"A man of letters values his reputation above all else." Wang Liang couldn't bear it. "Why are you being so aggressive?"
Zhu Biao said indifferently: "If he doesn't want to be criticized, he shouldn't have done it."
Wang Liang said, "No one is without fault, except saints and sages."
Zhu Biao said: "Sages and wise men never fear others' criticism of their mistakes."
Wang Liang's voice gradually became sharper: "What about you? Can you have a clear conscience about everything?!"
Zhu Biao argued, "No! But I've done something I'm ashamed of, and I'm not afraid of it being recorded and passed down to future generations! I'll be remembered in history, and the pen of history is like a knife. Can I still ask the historian to change history for me?!"
Wang Liang: "You...you..."
Zhu Biao looked up: "What's wrong with me? Are you jealous that I can leave my name in history? Expel the Tatars, restore China, the sun and the moon are shining, I, Zhu Biao... Alas? Doctor Tang! Grandpa Tang!"
Doctor Tang pinched Wang Liang's philtrum and said, "Biao'er, can you please stop talking? If you keep talking, he'll faint again. Even if you call me grandpa, it'll be useless. I can cure the disease, but I can't save his life."
Zhu Biao quickly covered his mouth.
Zhang Yu looked at Master Wang who had fainted again, then looked up at the "demon boy Biao'er" whose eyes were rolling around and whose face was full of innocence, and he felt very complicated.
It turns out that verbal battles between literati can really kill people?
At this moment, Zhang Yu, who was fearless, was a little scared.
And Zhu Yuanzhang...
Zhu Yuanzhang: Remember it quickly, remember it quickly. Alas, there is no point in saving it. Don’t save it!
Li Wenzhong: I’m remembering it.
Chen Ying: He still has to be saved. Biaoer never wants to curse someone to death.
Zhu Wenzhen: Ah hey, good death!
