Chapter 23 But do good deeds, don't ask about the future
After having lunch with the soldiers in the camp, he led his team back home.
After entering the door from the backyard, before anyone could get off his horse, he saw Zhang Jin leading a small yellow door to greet him.
"Your Highness."
Guo Zongyi glanced at the unfamiliar little yellow door and asked: "But Aweng called me?"
"It was your Majesty who summoned you." Zhang Jin replied in a neither humble nor overbearing tone.
"Are you in a hurry? I'm just returning from the military parade and I haven't taken off my armor yet." He asked this time towards the small yellow door.
Xiaohuangmen took a step forward, bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty has summoned Feng Linggong and several senior ministers, and the Hanlin editors are waiting for you."
Guo Zongyi realized something in his heart. He thought it was because of the matter of finding a teacher for him as mentioned before. Aweng's movements were still fast.
"Since there are no outsiders, I'll go ahead with my armor on so that you don't have to wait too long." He said, then turned the horse's head and headed east.
Before Xiao Huangmen could react, Guo Zongyi had already jumped out of the backyard gate, shouted "Your Highness" loudly, then he also grabbed the horse next to him and rushed after him.
In the Zide Hall, Guo Weizheng was chatting with Feng Dao, He Ning and others. When he saw Guo Zongyi approaching wearing armor, his eyes lit up.
"Brother Yi, why are you wearing armor today?" Guo Wei asked.
Guo Zongyi knelt down on one knee, performed a military salute, crossed his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I went to the barracks on the right side to review the guards today."
"I see, if you wear it, you look like a little general." Guo Wei stroked his beard and smiled.
As soon as he sat down, Guo Wei said again: "I called you here today to find some teachers for you. Come, let me introduce them to you."
He raised his hand and pointed at Feng and said: "You already know Mr. Feng, so I won't say more."
He moved his right hand slightly, pointed at an old minister in purple robes with white beard and hair, and said: "This old man is Yang Ningshi, the prince's young master. He is from the Yang family of Hongnong. He is a veteran minister of many dynasties. He is talented and virtuous. He is good at calligraphy and good at poetry."
Guo Zongyi quickly stood up and saluted. He had heard of Yang Ningshi, a great calligrapher from the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty.
He paid homage and said, "Mr. Yang's "Leek Flower Tie" is a masterpiece of exquisite craftsmanship and mastery. I have also seen it before."
Yang Ning's posture is extremely wild, and two buttons on the collar of his purple robe are open. If he hadn't been nearly eighty years old and half-retired from official service, he might have been accused of committing a serious act of misconduct before the emperor by a royal censor.
He laughed loudly, sat and cupped his hands, and his voice was strong: "I have just seen His Highness' calligraphy. The brushwork is delicate, the opening and closing are natural, the dots are majestic and heroic, and the whole volume is elegant and quiet.
With a bit of personal interest, I dare to ask Your Highness, who is the calligrapher?"
Guo Zongyi was stunned. Of course he couldn't say that he learned from Zhao Mengfu, Wen Zhengming and others.
His thoughts suddenly changed, and he replied: "I learned from the two kings, Zhong Yao, and also read the inscriptions on Li Beihai's inscriptions."
Yang Ningshi squinted his eyes, stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and then said: "Okay, Your Highness is quite talented in calligraphy. In time, we will become a family."
"Mr. Yang is overly praised." Guo Zongyi said modestly.
Guo Wei couldn't help but feel happy when he heard that Yang Ningshi, a wild man like him, also praised his grandson. He also liked the old man a lot. He smiled and continued to introduce.
"This is the Crown Prince and Tutor He Ning. He is good at poetry and can solve cases."
Guo Zongyi stood up and saluted, and He Ning also stood up and returned the salute.
"This is Li Tao, the prince's guest. He is a member of the Tang clan and a Jinshi. He is good at poetry and prose and is an upright official."
"The young one is Li Fang, the editor of Jixian Hall, and the younger one on the left is Zuo Lang Lu Duan, the editor of Hongwen Hall. These two are not much older than you, but their knowledge is far better than ordinary people, and they are also favored by Prime Minister Feng
, being your teacher may not be enough, but explaining the scriptures to you is no big deal.”
Guo Zongyi also stood up and bowed to see him, but he looked down upon Li and Lu because they were young. They jumped away in a hurry and returned the favor.
Guo Zongyi's gift also won the favor of everyone present.
After the ceremony, Li and Lu returned to their seats. Li Fang was in his twenties and had a short beard, while Lu Duan was only seventeen or eighteen years old and his mouth was still full of downy hair.
Both of them were virtuous prime ministers in history. Li Fang was kind, gentle, and prudent in his poetry. He was not as good as Lu Duan in politics, but his literary attainments were very high. He was the leader of "Taiping Yulan" and "Taiping Guangji".
compiled.
Lu Duan was born in Enyin. He was still young at this time, but his demeanor was quite mature. "Lü Duan was not confused in important matters", which was the praise of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty in history.
If we look at it from the history books, these six people are actually just mediocre, but in the Five Dynasties when there were many wars and the decline of civil servants, they could already be regarded as outstanding talents in the world.
"I have made an agreement with the ministers, and they will teach you in their free time. The class will be set up in the Hongwen Hall. Prime Minister Feng has a lot of work, so he can give one class every five days. Yang Ningshi is old, so he will give one class every five days.
Ning, Li Tao is the speaker, Li Fang, Lu Duan is still young, so he will stay with you, giving lectures and readings, and always by your side."
The ministers stood up to accept the order, but Guo Zongyi could not refute and bowed his hands as if accepting his fate.
Seeing his depressed expression, Guo Wei was a little unhappy: "Why, are you not satisfied with my arrangement?"
Guo Zongyi forced a smile and said: "I don't dare. It's just that I have to pay back the civil servants in the near future. If I listen to the lecture every day, I may be unable to do it and miss the important events of the court."
Guo Wei's face brightened slightly when he heard this, and he pondered: "What you said makes sense, so let's do it like this, just study for half a day every day. If you can't get away, you can ask for leave, but you can make up for it when you have time. How about that?"
"
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Guo Zongyi said happily.
Guo Wei twirled his beard again and muttered earnestly: "I grew up in the military and have not read a few serious books. In the past, when our family was poor, you, Aye, went out to do business to support the family when you were ten years old. You did not go to school specifically. When you arrived,
Your generation can no longer let it go."
"Since I came to the throne, I have increasingly felt that conquering the world depends on military men, but ruling the world still depends on literati. Since Zhu and Wen, the court has been replaced frequently and the people have been in dire straits. This is all because the rulers are mostly military generals and rarely have scribes.
That’s why.”
"I have good intentions, I hope you can understand."
It was rare for Guo Wei to express his true feelings. Guo Zongyi was deeply moved by his wish for his grandson to become a dragon. He bowed deeply and said, "My grandson will definitely not disappoint Aweng."
"It's good that you are sensible." Guo Wei said with satisfaction, stood up and left the imperial steps, said "It's gone" lightly, and disappeared through the side door.
The Hongwen Hall is the first of the three halls. It is located next to the Houji Gate in the north of the palace. The hall system began in the fourth year of Wude in the Tang Dynasty. It belongs to the Menxia Province. It is in charge of school management and classics, teaching students and apprentices. Together with the Six Schools of the Imperial College and the Chongwen Hall of the East Palace, it is also known as the "Hongwen Hall".
"Six Studies and Two Halls" was the highest institution of official learning in the Tang Dynasty.
Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, Hongwen Guan has gradually stopped teaching and only handled royal books, compiled national history, compiled documents, and served as an advisor to the emperor.
There are more than 200,000 volumes of books in the library, and the courtyard is filled with the fragrance of ink. There are many well-educated people coming and going, making it a scholarly institution.
After Guo Zongyi had eaten the imperial food, he was led over by Li Fang and Lu Duan, one on the left and one on the right, half sandwiched and half belted. At this point, Hongwen Hall once again had students in its century-old history.
Feng Dao was already sitting in the hall. He was wearing a green robe, a gauze hat on his head, and a plain belt around his waist. He was dressed like a scholar.
Guo Zongyi tidied up his clothes and bowed to his disciples: "Students pay homage to their teachers."
Feng Da smiled and nodded, pointing to the shorter person in the hall and saying, "Your Highness, please take a seat."
After he sat down, Li Fang and Lu Duan sat behind him.
Feng Dao then asked: "What books has your Highness read before?"
"The main classics include "Book of Rites" and "Zuo Zhuan", the middle classics include "Shi", the minor classics include "Shangshu", I have studied "The Analects of Confucius" in the peripheral classics, and I have also dabbled in other legal studies, arithmetic, etc."
"Have you ever written poetry?"
"Students are stupid and have never done anything."
Feng Dao made a sound, closed his eyes and stroked his beard. He already had a rough idea in his mind. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and asked: "The road to heaven is far away, and the road to humanity is short and out of reach. How can we know it?"
This sentence comes from "Zuo Zhuan Zhaogong's Eighteenth Year", Zichan refutes the words of Zao Xingxiang.
But Feng Dao's question was too vague. He thought about it and answered in the same vague Spring and Autumn style: "Heaven loves man very much. Whatever man wants, God will follow it."
Feng Dao laughed heartily, stroking his palms and saying, "Great kindness."
Li Fang and Lu Duan looked at each other and smiled, feeling relaxed in their hearts.
They were very happy that they did not see the belligerent nature in Guo Zongyi, even though he was wearing armor when they first met him yesterday.
In these troubled times, all civil servants want is to reduce war and rest with the people, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment.
It's a pity that they don't understand that the only thing that can bring peace is war, and the only thing that can stop war is something more terrifying than war.
Feng Dao was salivating and full of energy. He lectured all morning and was still full of energy. At the end of the day, he told Guo Zongyi, "Your Highness is very talented and can be revealed in just one point. I should report to His Majesty that the lecture should be changed to once every three days. How about this?"
?”
Guo Zongyi naturally agreed obediently. He admired this old man from the bottom of his heart for this old man who was praised by Su Shi as the "Bodhisattva in troubled times" and who had been the Prime Minister for more than twenty years.
Especially after taking the class, I realized that he was knowledgeable and talented, and had a unique perspective on the history of Jingzi.
Many historians in later generations think that he was a complex figure, but aside from the concept of loyalty to the emperor, an ideological weapon specially created for the monarchy, you will find that Feng Dao was actually very simple.
His feelings, aspirations and way of life have long been written in his poems.
Whether it's "Know and do good deeds and don't ask about the future" in "The Way of Heaven", or "Just teach that there is no evil in the way, and you can stand upright among wolves and tigers."
Everyone can see that the belief that supported his official career for four dynasties was the people of the world.
He may not be loyal to any monarch, but he is loyal to billions of people.
When the Later Jin Dynasty was just established, he also retired, but Shi Jingtang gave an oral edict and he had to serve as an official again.
Isn't it more noble to be able to serve as an official in troubled times, do what you can, and save the people from the fire and water, than those famous officials and scholars who avoid the world in order to clear their reputation?
It is ridiculous that Xue Juzheng, Ouyang Xiu, Sima Guang and others write history, but they only cling to the emperor, regardless of the current situation.
What's even more ridiculous is that some historians who grew up in the new era actually criticized his concept of "loyalty to the emperor". It is true that he was a patriarch of ten dynasties, but he never betrayed his masters for glory. Living in troubled times, what should you do?
After leaving Hongwen Hall, Li Fang and Lu Duan were still following him. Guo Zongyi asked curiously: "The class is over, why are you following me?"
Lu Duan responded with a simple and honest smile. Li Fang was older. He cupped his hands and replied: "Your Highness, the missions of the two ministers in the palace have been stopped. There are no new missions in the province. The two of us can only
Following you."
Guo Zongyi suddenly realized that it must have been specially arranged by Aweng, so he said: "That's fine, I have recently been in charge of civil affairs, and I happen to be short of people. You two are young and talented people. If you don't mind, please help me organize this trip." Bad."
The two of them were overjoyed and bowed in obeisance: "I dare you not to serve me."
Helping the two people up, one on the left and the other on the right, Guo Zongyi said: "I will go with Li Gu and Yuan Xiu to inspect the location of the refugee city in the afternoon. You two can follow me."
