Under the auspices of Linghu Shao and Sima Hui, the Spring Examination of the Academy quickly got under way. Unlike the exams of later generations, there were no so-called fill-in-the-blank multiple-choice questions here, only a policy discussion.
Moreover, there was not even a specific topic for the policy paper. It was just a general statement that "the national affairs are difficult, and everyone should offer his own strategy." He drew up the topic by himself, and then set three hours. Regardless of whether he could finish it or not, he put it away.
Fortunately, the weather has been kind and it has not rained in the past two days. Although sitting on the ground in the open space of the academy under the sun will cause some sunburn, it is better than being soaked in the rain. Fei Qian cannot take any exam like the imperial examinations of later generations.
The shed house came out, and this kind of exam also requires supplementary exams, and it all depends on individual performance, so there is no need to use any anti-cheating measures.
The policy topic is simple, but it is not easy to write it within three hours. After all, many people know most of the words, but it is not necessarily possible for everyone to catch these words together in their minds and put them into writing.
It seems like a simple thing.
After the strategic examination, some of the students were naturally happy and some were worried. Near the academy, some restaurants and restaurants in Pingyang City were also filled with these students, discussing and arguing with each other, creating a lively atmosphere compared to the Chinese New Year.
It's really not much different.
But what happened next was Fei Qian, Linghu Shao, and Sima Hui's turn to have a headache...
As the saying goes, cultural relics are first and martial arts second. After all, things about military force are easier to distinguish, and the outcome is relatively clear. However, when it comes to words, everyone has his own taste. Some like Xiaobai, and some like Japanese.
If it is light, it will be difficult to decide which one is higher.
In terms of vocabulary, some of these students were really good at writing. It was Linghu Shao's favorite, so when he found an article with some gorgeous sentences, he couldn't help but pick it up.
He chanted a bit and shook his head, which made him feel very comfortable.
"...The sun rises in the east and the moon sinks in the west. The stars shine two rays, and Yao is in charge of Beichen. We should support the body and the body, and use the correct etiquette to Kun. The chess is divided into government offices, and the bureaus are made up of hundreds of officials. The three princes are in charge, and the nine ministers are in charge. The censor Weigang,
The doctor Sutang can handle the country's court affairs and conduct thorough inspection..."
Fei Qian was flipping through the scroll and listening to Linghu Shao's reading. He couldn't help but shook his head.
"Okay, but what's wrong with this article?" Sima Hui saw Fei Qian's movements and couldn't help but ask.
Linghu Shao on the side also put down the scroll he had just read and looked at Fei Qian with some confusion.
Fortunately, I'm here to sit down with you, otherwise I might have really messed up the building. Fei Qian said with a smile: "It's not that this article is not good, but...Uncle Kong, you know that someone in Pingyang has
Is it true that all documents, large and small, are limited to rulers and tablets?"
In the early days of Fei Qian's rule in Pingyang, he was also surrounded by a large number of tedious and gorgeous words. Later, he couldn't stand it anymore and ordered to emphasize the need to speak concisely. However, there is no reference standard for the so-called "succinctness". Some people think that it is very concise.
A single character is concise, and some people think that a thousand characters can be considered concise, so in the end, they simply stipulated it physically. Any translation of text should be limited to the size of a ruler, and any more would be rejected. This is considered to be a containment.
The trend of trivial talk.
This kind of move also promoted the gradual miniaturization of the original Han official script from another aspect, and some of it was deformed in the direction of regular script of later generations. I don't know if this is another good thing.
Linghu Shao came to understand and said: "My intention is that this article...is too complicated?"
Fei Qian nodded and said: "If it is just a selection of articles, the beauty will naturally be the rich and elegant literary talent... But this competition is about discussing national affairs. If we talk about it in a general way, what benefit will it bring to the country?"
Linghu Shao and Sima Hui looked at each other and nodded.
Linghu Shao put down the scroll in his hand with some regret. Although Linghu Shao felt that the volume in his hand was indeed good in terms of text arrangement, but as General Fei Qian said, under a large series of colorful words,
They are all relatively commonplace things...
What is the connection between the sun, the moon, the stars, the three ministers and the nine ministers, etc., and the current state affairs? Or what plan was proposed? What problem was solved?
Sima Hui looked through the pages and said with a smile: "In terms of national affairs, in this competition, the winner will definitely be weak..."
"That's right, as the saying goes, it's better to be deficient than to be indiscriminate..." Fei Qian nodded and said.
It can be said that this time the Academy Spring Examination Competition is also to set a tone for the future. Otherwise, if you go astray the first time, and you want to get it back again, it will probably take a lot of effort.
"The so-called national affairs and world affairs are mostly superficial and superficial, but no action is taken..." Fei Qian looked at it and explained, "Since the national affairs are difficult...if you can explain why they are difficult, you can be a winner.
, In addition, if you can say what should be done, it is the best. If what you say and think is reasonable and well-founded, and can be acted upon, it should be excellent..."
Sima Hui laughed loudly: "Okay, it should be like this, it should be like this! It is easy to discuss, but difficult to do... Officials and officials must have solid evidence to discuss things. People who are chasing after the wind and shadows are not the right way!"
Linghu Shao also nodded at the side, stroking his beard and said: "What the general said is true. When I was in Shangdang, there were often literary gatherings to discuss things, and there should be some words of guidance... But
Now that I am in office, I realize that my previous remarks were mostly vague and useless... Sigh..."
"The country's affairs are difficult, and there must be reforms. As for reforms, there are only three things to enrich the people, strengthen the army, and recruit soldiers..." Fei Qian spread out an answer sheet and scanned it up and down as he said, "However, it is easier to know than to do...
…Take enriching the people as an example. What is wealth, how to be rich, and how to be rich are all knowledge. If it can be explained in detail, it can be regarded as a good work if it can be explained in detail, correct its roots, outline the main points, and explain one or two things..."
Sima Hui moved his eyes from the answer sheet on the desk to Fei Qian, was slightly stunned, and then smiled: "Those who don't know it are called knowing difficulties, and those who know it are called walking difficulties... I never thought that the general would be so transparent.
State affairs should be a blessing to the great Han Dynasty..."
Linghu Shao didn't pay much attention at first, and casually said from the side: "At the beginning of my dynasty, I also wanted to cultivate myself and make the country rich and powerful... Hmm... Hmm?" Linghu Shao only realized it at this time, and just now he said
What he meant was to enrich the "country" and strengthen the army, but what Fei Qian said before was to enrich the "people" and strengthen the army!
Just one word difference, the meaning is completely different!
Although most of the time, it can be used interchangeably between countries and people, but sometimes, there are actually some contradictions. It is said that only when the big rivers are full, the small rivers and small streams will have water, and the converse is actually true. Small rivers and small streams
Dissatisfied, how much water can there be in the big rivers?
Sima Hui put down the book in his hand, stroked his beard, and after thinking for a while, he nodded and said: "Rich country, rich people... If I say it right, it is really simple... If I make the people rich and have sufficient supplies, there will be no need to
Even if the disease is painful, there is no chaos like the Yellow Turban..."
Sima Hui paused for a moment and then said: "I put down the chaos of the pre-Qin Dynasty and governed the country with Huang Lao, which made the people rich and the country was able to continue... But now..."
Sima Hui shook his head and did not continue.
After a while, Linghu Shao picked up a scroll and said: "Well... there is an article here... it is interesting... it talks about the current politics of our dynasty. It is a symptom of strong branches and weak trunks. You can remove the branches and feed the trunk to warm them.
Health machine can heal naturally..."
Fei Qian listened and nodded with a smile: "Well, there is some truth to it. It's really interesting... Let those who have become powerful branches be like the princes from all over the world, and like us... Well, maybe there are some relatives of the emperor.
, the wealthy nobles and nobles from all over the country took their money to provide for the imperial court..."
"Okay, it's really interesting..." Sima Hui also smiled and said, "The book is a bit heavy, which is a bit unrealistic... Everything has its own law, how can we arbitrarily plunder it? Just like Zhuang He,
What is the benefit of plowing in spring and harvesting in autumn, if it is not harvested at the right time? There are still weak stems and strong branches. If you want to cure the disadvantages, you must first have a method... Otherwise, it will be like the old things in the Seven Kingdoms..." Seven Kingdoms,
This is not about the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, but about the Seven Kingdoms of the Han Dynasty.
Fei Qian turned to look at Linghu Shao and said, "Uncle Kong, does this article contain any specific measures?"
Linghu Shao looked up and down, and finally shook his head and said: "The imperial edict is to eliminate the feudal lord...hehe..."
"Take it." Fei Qian also shook his head. If the edict was really so effective, do you believe that Emperor Liu Xie of the Han Dynasty could issue an edict for a hundred baggage trucks in one day?
Sima Hui held a scroll, stroked his beard, and said: "There is another article here... It talks about the disadvantages of trade. The way of a saint is to focus on virtue. People who do business are selfish and greedy, destroying customs.
, it is really a big harm..."
Sima Hui glanced at Fei Qian and continued: "...We should encourage farmers and mulberry trees, educate the three elders, and make the people simple and honest, so that the country can be peaceful and the people are safe..."
"If there hadn't been this competition, I wouldn't have known that the students in the academy were so partial to the way of saints..." Fei Qian put down the book in his hand and sighed, "Sages value virtue, so saints don't eat?" He is a Chinese.
, it is inevitable that there is some desire to be a teacher, otherwise there would not be so many forum trolls in the next generation, and Fei Qian is no exception, especially in such an environment, it is easier to spark some collisions of ideas.
"Sages advocate virtue and oppose selfish pursuit of profit. This is the right way and there is nothing wrong with it." Fei Qian said, "However, when the saints in ancient times lived, their clothes were only kudzu and hemp, and their food was only millet. If there was minced meat, they could sing.
However, nowadays, brocade robes are very popular among the people. Confucius also said, "You will never get tired of food. It is certainly a courtesy, but it is also a desire of people."
Sima Hui nodded, threw the scroll aside, and said, "So, the general wants to implement a mercantile strategy?"
"No..." Fei Qian also put down the book, shook his head and said, "From the Spring and Autumn Period to the present, people below Tao Gong have always brought harm to the country and the people, and there have also been people who have squandered wealth and property. From the beginning of the various schools of thought, there was rule of virtue.
There are also arguments for the difference between the rule of law, but the two are not mutually exclusive, but complementary. The same is true for agriculture and business. If there is no agriculture, business has no foundation; if there is no business, agriculture has no source. Why suppress business?
This is mostly due to the fact that merchants are unstable and difficult to manage. They are also well-informed and keep private slaves. If they are not careful, they will cause trouble... Therefore, farmers cannot be without workers, and merchants cannot be without workers..."
Why does Confucianism only suppress businessmen? Is it because businessmen eat the rice of Confucianism? Or are Confucian people short-sighted and only know how to care about the present?
Normally, people who are able to join the imperial court and are good at politics generally have high IQs, and it is unlikely that for hundreds or thousands of years, no one will understand the importance of business, but the problem is like what Fei Qian said.
As said, the main reason is that businessmen are not easy to manage.
Is it true that because money and food are the most important, agriculture and mulberry are the most important?
Not really.
Farmers are so good and simple. From birth to death, a household registration can be as simple as a single line. It saves worry and effort, and can collect taxes on time and in quantity. It is easy to scare and coax, but businessmen are completely different.
Just like Tang Monk doesn't eat meat, in addition to his personal willpower and Buddhist precepts, there is another very important reason, which is that he has never eaten meat...
Businessmen travel all over the world and see a lot. Those who are flexible and inflexible will naturally not be able to be businessmen. In addition, they have a lot of money on hand. If the government comes to cut leeks at every turn, they will inevitably have some ideas, and the next thing will naturally happen.
It gradually broke away from the control of the imperial government. If it was investigated and dealt with, it would be a pain in the neck. If it was not investigated, it would become increasingly rotten.
Therefore, in the later stage, Confucian people simply cut off all of them with one knife. Even if they cannot be cut off or cleanly, they still have to make the merchants become third-class cripples.
"Well..." Sima Hui nodded and agreed. After all, in the Han Dynasty, the status of Confucianism had not yet been elevated to the sacred altar, and the methods of governing the country were still being explored. Fei Qian's words
His remarks, even if his identity as a general conquering the West were excluded, it would not be unacceptable to an ordinary person.
"Wonderful! Wonderful!" After a while, Linghu Shao suddenly slapped the table and shouted, "This volume is definitely the first! It is definitely the first!"
Before Fei Qian and Sima Hui could ask, Linghu Shao was already holding the paper and reading aloud:
"...The virtues of a saint are more beautiful than those of a virtuous person. The most precious thing about a virtuous person is not to know the person. If you know the person, your talents will be in order, and the king's career will prosper. Therefore, the sage's Yao Xiang is used to establish the gentleman and the villain. The sage
Narrative poetry is the career of elegant singing, the way of a saint, and the meaning of the Five Classics and Six Arts..."
It's a decent beginning.
But what happened next surprised even Fei Qian...
"...Zhongni regards morality, literature and politics as four branches of study, and general discussion of talents can be divided into three branches. This is the case. Emphasis on the golden mean to reveal the saintly virtue, advocating benevolent government to respect human ethics, and training the contemptible to guard against deviations.
Thinking always uses common materials to achieve its purpose. Where a person is at peace, there must be a reason. Where a person stops, there must be a reason. What a person observes should be as detailed as it is. If the person is overwhelmed, it must not be repaired.
, how can you disobey the way of a saint? Only a gentleman can complement each other..."
As Linghu Shao read, Fei Qian couldn't help but widen his eyes. Hey, this is interesting...
