The civil servants were not idle either.

Strictly speaking, this is their best chance.

Because a large number of Jinyi guards went to Xiaoling, the capital's supervision of officials was naturally much laxer.

Civil servants, their original identity was literati.

Every civil servant has never left the circle of scholars.

Although it is only the third day of the Lunar New Year, many lantern riddles have actually started already.

Then, in the name of literati gathering, many clans began to gather together.

"How dare His Highness Taisun go against the scholars of the world? Doesn't he know that only we can govern the world?"

"Without the help of literati, how would the world be? Who would collect the taxes? Who would govern the people?"

An unknown old man drank a glass of wine and opened the topic.

This old man may not have a good reputation in the Ming Dynasty, but locally, he is a patriarch-level figure.

The patriarch of the clan, especially the senior surname, and even the fifth-rank officials are very afraid of them. Who knows what intricate relationships there may be behind them.

There were about twenty people in a certain backyard.

There was even the sound of singing and dancing from the front yard, making it very lively.

Every simple person can come to this backyard.

A gathering like this is usually very difficult, and only during the Chinese New Year can such a grand occasion occur.

Officials with a rank of five or higher would not attend such a gathering of literati.

This is not because of identity, but a protective arrangement.

Being able to reach an official position in the capital of the fifth rank or above is not only achieved through personal efforts, but also through the accumulation of a large number of network resources.

For example, Zhan Hui, the current Minister of Civil Affairs, has a smooth career.

It seems to be Zhu Yuanzhang's support and love, but secretly, many members of the Zhan family have put in a lot of effort.

For the slightest flaw, someone will willingly take the blame.

Good things that increase his reputation will definitely fall on Zhan Hui, but bad things will have nothing to do with him.

There are also clans that spend a lot of money to help promote their reputation.

Coupled with Zhan Hui's own ability, he can rise so quickly.

As the official minister, the feedback given to the clan is naturally very great.

This is the relationship between people.

Looking at ancient and modern times, no one can avoid it.

Zhan Hui is just a representative. The others may not have as high an official position as Zhan Hui, but each of them uses a lot of clan resources.

Being able to climb to a high position and not allowing them to make any mistakes.

Therefore, such gatherings cannot be attended by officials above the fifth rank.

Even if something happens, it won't involve them.

The Ming Dynasty's current situation of continuous sitting and annihilation of clans is also based on this.

The issue everyone is discussing now is because of Liu Sanwu's widely circulated letter.

That letter clearly pointed out the current situation, which made most literati with status begin to discuss countermeasures.

The time to seize is also the day when the royal family pays tribute to Xiaoling Mausoleum.

"Your Highness Taisun, this is to dig up everyone's roots. This matter must not go forward."

Another scholar spoke frankly.

An old man who looked a little thin stood up at this moment.

Seeing this old man, the scene suddenly became much quieter.

Because he is the representative of the Zheng family in Jiangnan.

Although he is not a clan leader, he is still a clan elder.

What is the concept of Jiangnan Zheng Family?

It was the "first family in Jiangnan" given by Zhu Yuanzhang in the 18th year of Hongwu.

"One righteousness, nine generations live together."

The Zheng family began living together in the Southern Song Dynasty, and by the early Ming Dynasty they had not been separated for hundreds of years. Thousands of people shared wealth, shared food, and lived in harmony.

At that time, the filial piety and righteousness of the Yimen of the Zheng family were well-known throughout the world. In order to commend the filial piety and righteousness passed down from generation to generation, Zhu Yuanzhang personally awarded "the first family in the south of the Yangtze River" in the 18th year of Hongwu.

From the Southern Song Dynasty onwards, no matter how the situation changed, no matter whether it was a time of war or a time of peace and prosperity, the Zheng family always remained the same, and the family's life was still orderly.

No matter who is in power, they must manage family affairs and handle relations with neighbors according to their own rules.

No matter what the conditions, he set an example of loyalty, justice and filial piety. Therefore, he was respected by the court in the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties.

This is a family that has existed since the Southern Song Dynasty.

It can be said that it is the only remaining thousand-year-old family, and it has a decisive influence in Jiangnan, and even in the entire literati circle.

The big families that were able to survive under the purges of the Meng Yuan Dynasty had extremely sophisticated ways of surviving.

But when they encountered this school problem, they still got involved.

In the eyes of many people, the school issue that seems to be ignored is actually a major change that has not happened in a thousand years. For example, the emergence of the imperial examination will completely change the social class.

People with vision are always good.

So they still stopped it.

Fortunately, this is the Hongwu period. In any other era, even during the Yongle period of Zhu Di, it would not have been possible to complete it.

Only Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang could make people in these families so fearful.

Because once Zhu Yuanzhang is determined to implement it, no one can stop it, no one dares to stop it.

Your Majesty, that person really dares to kill!

There are only about a million scholars in the world, including those without any fame.

According to His Majesty's temperament.

There really needs to be a civil and military revolution.

I'm afraid I could kill 300,000 scholars without blinking an eye.

This is Zhu Yuanzhang's deterrence.

No one is not afraid, no one is not afraid.

"Mr. Zheng, I would like you to come up with a charter for this matter. We are all in disarray and have been thinking about it for a long time, but we still don't have a good plan."

A rich old man bowed and said respectfully.

The man who was called Mr. Zheng seemed to be thin and frail, but his eyes did not have the turbidity of an old man, but shone brightly.

"Since I'm here today, let me just say a few words."

Mr. Zheng began to speak, and everyone listened attentively.

"His Royal Highness Taisun's idea is of course good, and His Majesty's idea is also good. Although such things offend everyone, at the end of the day, they are still for our Ming Dynasty."

If anyone else had said these words, they would have been besieged by everyone, but when Mr. Zheng said it, no one refuted, and they waited patiently.

Mr. Zheng continued: "But now in the great world, there are constant foreign invasions, the Japanese army is raising troops in the court, and there is fertile black soil in Nurgan, Liaodong. The situation is changing rapidly, and there are rebels in Shaanxi with overwhelming momentum."

"I can only say that these methods are not a good idea at this time."

"Everyone also clearly understands that after this incident, the entire Ming Dynasty will be in turmoil. Now that it has been less than thirty years since the fall of the B.C. Yuan Dynasty, why is this tiger and wolf thing happening?"

To put it bluntly, everyone's mental state is completely different.

Nowadays, everyone is opposed to the school founded by Taisun, but there has never been a specific name.

We can't raise the banner and say, Taisun, you have touched our foundation and we can't let the people at the bottom read and write.

This statement is unreasonable.

Therefore, what literati lacked was a reputation for righteousness.

Because they are used to standing on the highest point of morality and standing in the light.

This is also why after Taisun established the capital academy, although there was resistance, it was not of great significance.

Apart from using connections to get those literati to withdraw, there was no other way to do it.

Even the officials did not dare to speak in the court.

Even if the person who speaks up is directly questioned and executed by His Majesty, he will not lose a good reputation.

Schools don’t have to worry about having no teachers at all, because there are many scholars who can’t even afford food.
To be continued...