It seems that Lu Huiqing has told Wang Anshi the news that he wants to abolish the Market Change Law.
Zhang Yue said to Wang Anshi: "I'll report back to you, Sir, I have no such plan at the moment."
Wang Anshi thought to himself, how is this different from what Lu Huiqing said.
Zhang Yue said: "Ms. sir, you know that Su Zizhan and I are the same age and we are also good friends. He has a saying that I admire very much, and that is 'if you put in the effort, you will make a difference.'"
The friendship between Zhang Yue and Su Shi was known to the entire Song Dynasty. Su Shi and Su Zhe's brothers opposed the new law. Su Shi went to Hangzhou to serve as general magistrate, while Su Zhe took care of Zhang Yue.
"If you put in the effort, it will go away! This statement is similar to the sayings of Buddhism and Taoism, not what I, a Confucian, say!"
Zhang Yue said: "Buddhists talk about following fate, but the Tao Te Ching does not mention the word "effort" in the entire text. However, it is completely different from the word "merit" I talk about in Confucianism, but there are similarities."
Wang Anshi said: "According to what Du said, strength is merit, but exerting force is not merit?"
Zhang Yue smiled, but the failure of efforts was another time and space in history. When Su Shi was dying, one of his monk friends said to him, Duan Ming (Su Shi's highest official position is the Bachelor of Duan Ming Palace), don't forget the West.
Su Shi said that this was not enough.
Another friend said, you practice this every day, now you should work harder.
Su Shi said: "If you work hard, you will fall short."
After saying that Su Shi died of illness.
This sentence was also practiced by Su Shi throughout his life. Zhang Yue occasionally mentioned this sentence to Su Shi in his letters, and he came up with this sentence.
In fact, Zhang Yue agrees with this. Many things are biased if they are too deliberate. For example, the more you want to sleep, but if you have that intention in your heart, you will be unable to sleep.
When it comes to Wang Anshi, the more you want to reform and strengthen the country, but you are too deliberate and exert too much effort, and in the end it backfires.
In Su Shi's eyes, he was very opposed to this kind of fussing and tossing. This is why many people fail more and more the harder they work.
No matter people, things or countries, they must eventually return to their own direction, rather than relying on temporary efforts.
Zhang Yue said to Wang Anshi: "Mr. Sir, for example, if you hit a wall, the wall will in turn cause pain in your palm. Even if you exert force, the wall will also exert force on you."
"It's like the reform is a good intention, but you use that force, like hitting it with a palm, but how can you resolve the force when you push it back?"
What Zhang Yue said plainly is Newton's third law, which states that forces act on each other.
The reform seemed to solve one drawback, but a bigger drawback soon emerged. Huang Zongxi once concluded that every time the tax system was reformed in Chinese history, it was to alleviate the suffering of the people, but the result was that every time it was reformed, the people's lives were reduced. It felt better for a while, but the tax burden became heavier afterwards.
Why are there such accumulated and irreversible harms?
This is called Huang Zongxi's law.
Zhang Yue said to Wang Anshi: "Mr. Sir, when I discussed it with Su Zizhan, I didn't think so."
"There was a lazy student from the same village in Xiaguan who wanted to study. His father asked him to study at midnight every day before going to bed. Then the villagers said that sleeping in the middle of the night was harmful to the body, and he was really studying diligently. Why bother with the lights at midnight and the chickens at night? If you really know the beauty of reading, it will come naturally."
"Forcing people to read until the third watch is just like Xianggong's reform, but the countrymen's advice is just like Sima Junshi and Su Zizhan. Although the words of the countrymen are very right, they are of no benefit to others. It is good if scholars know the beauty of reading.
, but if you don’t know the beauty of reading, why don’t you stop reading for the rest of your life?”
"Confucius taught people both by words and by example. Teaching by example lies in subtle influence. This is teaching without teaching. If it is intentional, it will be bad. But words and teachings are like the roar of the Vajra. They are to make people alert. Although they are focused, the intention is there. Words and examples are lacking.
Not even one."
"Besides, those who first want to practice Taoism also focus on eating fast and chanting sutras. Are all the ascetics in the world taught wrongly?"
Wang Anshi smiled happily after hearing this.
Zhang Yue said: "Mr. Zhang, I believe that if you want to achieve something in the world, you must be in harmony with your heart. Therefore, once you achieve something, it will be effortless and light weight. We often say that if you study hard, you will be wrong. This is true."
"But I still believe that what I do will be rewarded! For example, the books I read when I was young and the hardships I endured are not in vain. Just now, my husband asked me if I want to abolish the market and change the law? I thought that if the conditions are right, I will abolish it.
The time is not the will of one person, but the will of the whole world."
"This is just a lack of effort from the lower official. I wonder if your husband is satisfied with it?"
Wang Anshi said: "It is really not easy for me to hear Du Zhi's true knowledge and insights before I retire. I risked the disapproval of the world and forced the new law. How do you think I will end up in the future?"
Zhang Yue said: "When my husband was in power, he never asked about his posthumous affairs. Why do you ask about it now?"
Wang Anshi said: "I don't ask anyone else, but I only ask if it is okay to save one person?"
Zhang Yue thought for a while and said: "When Sun Shu'ao was young, he went out and saw a two-headed snake and killed it and buried it. He came back crying. His mother asked what happened. Sun Shu'ao said that anyone who saw a two-headed snake would die. I was afraid that others would kill and bury it.
His mother said, "I have heard that heaven will reward those who are virtuous, and you will not die. Later, Sun Shu'ao became the Prime Minister of Chu, so we know that what his mother said is true."
Wang Anshi smiled.
Wang Anshi immediately sent Zhang Yue out.
Everyone in Wang Anshi's house was shocked when they saw it. They must know that Wang Anshi didn't send gifts to other guests, but only Zhang Yue.
When it was time to leave, Wang Anshi said to Zhang Yue: "When you wrote to me in Xihe, I knew that the letter was against your will, so I didn't take it seriously. I burned it at that time."
"To deal with it, don't worry about these things. When you hold the aspect in the future, let go and do it. Don't take your original faith seriously."
The letter Zhang Yue wrote to Wang Anshi was a bit like a letter of guarantee, saying, "I will never abolish your new law". Now Wang Anshi told himself that he burned his letter of guarantee?
Zhang Yue said: "Why should I tell my subordinates about this matter?"
Wang Anshi said with a smile: "I treat people with sincerity, and I have only now known about the matter of recommending me to the officials to go to Beijing for political reform. It's really..."
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "Actually, it was not just Zhang who recommended the Prime Minister."
"Yes, there is one more thing. Can Duzhi tell me what exactly you wrote in the letter you gave me?"
Zhang Yue was surprised and asked, "Didn't your husband read your official letter?"
Wang Anshi nodded and said, "But I want to listen attentively today."
Zhang Yue was a little disappointed and regretful when he heard this and said: "The lower official has a superficial view and has not caught the eye of Xianggong. At the beginning, Xianggong said, 'The wealth of all the people in the world is brought together, and the law is responsible for managing the wealth of the world.' The lower official also agreed quite a bit, but he secretly thought that
The words 'take it from the people and use it for the people' should be added."
"How to take it from the people and use it for the people?" Wang Anshi looked a little serious.
Zhang Yue said: "Guan Ziyun said, 'The rich can be taken away, and the poor can be given to them, so they can benefit the world.'" Furthermore, if we combine the wealth of all the people in the world with the husband, there is a way to manage the wealth of the world. This can be said. The lower official thinks it is important.
Or is it based on 'poor and capable', so that the entire country can become rich without being humble."
"In short, only taking the rich and not giving to the poor is to amass wealth rather than reform!"
When Wang Anshi heard Zhang Yue's words, his expression suddenly became very ugly.
