The two chatted for a long time. When Zheng Supervisor found a good boat and found a boat owner with superb sailing skills, Zhao Ran boarded the boat and said goodbye.
Zhao Ran's first journey was to go eastward from the Dadu River, arrive at Jiading, and then enter the Minjiang River to Yufu. This waterway is extremely fast, with many hidden reefs, and often encounters dangerous shoals. Ordinary boatmen dare not go there. But Zheng Supervisory Academy found
The boatman who came was a veteran. He had been operating boats on the Dadu River for thirty years.
When boarding the ship, Zheng Supervisory Yuan explained: "The Dadu River is not suitable for large ships. Only small boats of this kind are used on the water. Please forgive me."
This little boat was only two feet long and only five feet wide, with a bamboo canopy in the middle. It was indeed a small boat. Zhao Ran was not a person who cared about ostentation, so he immediately smiled and thanked him and said goodbye to the head of the Zheng Supervisory Academy.
The boatman rowed at the stern, and the boat went straight down the river to Jiading, avoiding reefs and dangerous shoals along the way, moving forward as fast as an arrow from a string. The green hills on both sides of the bank are undulating, the high cliffs are connected, and the sound of apes is constant, which is refreshing and refreshing.
Zhao Ran wanted to go on his way, so he did not delay on the way. He fished from the water, cooked it on the boat and ate it, and switched with the boatman to maneuver the boat where the water flow was gentle. He arrived at Yufu in three days.
Zhao Ran originally wanted to visit Liu Jianyuan of Chongqing Mansion, but when he came to ask, he found out that Liu Jianyuan had been recuperating in Bishan to the west of Chongqing Mansion for the past year since he went to Yuhuang Pavilion for treatment, and was not in Fucheng at this time.
The next section of the waterway was still dangerous, and the boatman in Lizhou was not familiar with it, so Zhao Ran sent him back, spent five taels of silver at the dock, changed boats and continued on. He passed Fengdu, entered Wanxian, entered Kuizhou, and passed through
In Wushan, Zhao Ran really enjoyed the magnificent scenery of the river.
After passing Bashan, we entered the territory of Huguang. Huguang is the core area of the Ming Dynasty and is much more densely populated than Sichuan. After the boat arrived at Yiling, the river suddenly opened up, and hundreds of boats were seen vying for water and thousands of sails reflecting the sun. It was a prosperous scene.
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That night, Zhao Ran got off the boat in Jiangling and went to Jiangling Prefecture to stay at the Degong Palace. Zhao Ran handed over the Taoist certificate. When he saw the abbot of a Taoist temple in a county in Sichuan at the door of the living room, he came forward in person and asked Zhao Ran politely.
Ran welcomed him in and arranged an upper room with a flower hall for Zhao Ran.
The doorman also wanted to arrange dinner for Zhao Ran, but Zhao Ran declined: "I wonder what you call me, senior brother?"
The doorman smiled and said: "How dare you be a senior brother? I am Jiang Zhizhong." The doorman of the living room of the palace is one level lower than Zhao Ran, so this doorman is not good in front of Zhao Ran, the county supervisor.
Canada.
Zhao Ran said: "Jiang Mentou, I'm new to Jiangling. To be honest, it's my first time out of Sichuan and I'm not familiar with this place. I want to walk around the city and taste the delicious food here. I wonder if Jiang Mentou is free. I'll come
host."
Jiang Mentou said: "I'm really sorry. I have to be on duty for these two days. If Abbot Zhao stays for a few more days, I will book a table at Wangjiang Tower the day after tomorrow and invite Abbot Zhao to taste my Jiangling specialties."
Zhao Ran said: "That's okay. I'll hang out in Jiangling and have a drink with Jiang Mentou before leaving."
Jiang Mentou pointed out the locations of several night restaurants in the city, and Zhao Ran walked out of the gate of the Taoist Palace and walked away.
Gangneung Night Restaurant is located in the east gate. There are more than ten shops of various sizes, each with their own lanterns, lighting up a short street brightly.
Zhao Ran randomly found a shop with a lot of people, sat down on the street, ordered local snacks such as pot helmets, rice balls, tofu skin, Yuandoupao, etc., and tasted them slowly.
As he was eating, he heard several scholars at the table next to him arguing, and the noise became louder and louder. When Zhao Ran heard it, he realized that the argument was about the Huguang Provincial Examination to be held this fall.
Zhao Ran turned around to look, but a young student member was speaking impassionedly: "If Taoism is not tested in the imperial examination, how will the country be founded? Where is the foundation of the country? Nowadays, schools all over the country worship Confucianism and abandon Taoism. This is an evil way.
, This is not the right path! I plan to write a letter to promote learning and denounce the shortcomings of the imperial examination. Please ask Li Bian to investigate the true source and clear up the source!"
Some Confucian scholars retorted: "In ancient times, those who wanted to manifest virtue in the world first governed their country; those who wanted to govern their country, first organized their families; those who wanted to regulate their families, first cultivated their bodies. If they wanted to cultivate their bodies, they studied things, and
Harmony, uprightness and sincerity can lead to a harmonious family! Only when there are proper etiquette for the noble and the lowly, the senior and the young, the relatives and the strangers, can you be a king, a minister, a father, a son, a brother, a younger brother, a husband, and a wife.
The governance of a country depends on order, order, benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom and trust, and the Three Cardinal Guidelines and Five Constant Rules. How is this an evil path? It is clearly the best way to govern the world!"
The young student said: "I am not saying that the Confucian classics are not good, but I am saying that they should not be neglected! We have been under the Ming Dynasty for six hundred years, and it has not ceased to this day. Why? Follow the Tao at the top, follow the Dharma at the bottom, and follow Confucianism at the bottom. We should be respectful and frugal at the top.
Avoid harsh things, reduce taxes and restrain them, do not seize the people, be impartial and selfless, value the soft and keep the female, and achieve something by doing nothing. Government should be based on the law, right and wrong, judge by the law, listen quietly and carefully, and use the law as the basis.
Fu. Self-cultivation can be based on Confucianism, ordering the family, and then governing the country and bringing peace to the world. Therefore, it is said: Tao is due to the great harmony of Yin and Yang, adopting the goodness of Confucianism and Mohism, gathering names, and the essence of law, moving with the times, responding to changes in things, and establishing
There is nothing wrong with secular affairs. Purposes are easy to implement, and tasks are few but many achievements are made. But specializing in Confucianism is to abandon the fundamentals and pursue the inferior!"
A Confucian scholar next to him said: "It's good to have a top, a middle and a bottom, but in today's world, if the top can't practice Confucianism, how can the bottom do it? The emperor is noble but not respectful, how can the bottom be effective if the top can't do it? Have you ever seen someone who governs the world with both mystery and mystery? Of course it is.
Benevolence, justice, propriety, wisdom and trust, and the three cardinal principles and five constant principles!”
The young student member said: "You are just taking a quote out of context and making crooked remarks. I don't bother to argue with you."
The man immediately sneered and said: "Uncle Zhang, are you afraid that you are not looking for the foundation of the country, but the future of your own family?"
The young student member scolded: "Who am I? Don't you know? I'm not boasting. I may not be as good at writing the Four Books and Five Classics as others. I'm only stronger than you, Brother Maobin, but I'm not afraid! It's just that you have been studying so hard.
Are you willing to have years of Taoist scriptures that will no longer be of any use in the future?"
It was another debate about the imperial examination. Zhao Ran couldn't help but frown after hearing this. How could the Huguang Taoist sect just let this nonsense go unchecked? How could the Taoists be so bold as to only practice Confucianism and abandon the Taoist scriptures? What if this was put in the right place?
Under the rule of Guyang County, the charges have long been investigated!
While he was thinking, the group of students suddenly started fighting. The student Zhang Shuda fought against the four of them alone. He was beaten to a terrible state, but he gritted his teeth and fought hard. The four students grabbed his sleeves and smashed his head and face with their fists.
Beating him, one of them said while beating him: "I'm going to make you a Taoist Confucian scholar! I'm going to make you slander Confucius and Mencius' sacred teachings!"
Zhang Shuda, a student member, resisted and refuted: "I have never slandered the sacred teachings of Confucius and Mencius, but Tao is the foundation, and this is the right principle of heaven and earth! A gentleman uses his words but does not use his hands. He can't even do this. What kind of Confucianism can you talk about?"
Zhao Ran couldn't stand it anymore, so he stepped forward and knocked down all four students with his hands. The four people fell to the ground unable to move. Uncle Zhang rushed forward and kicked him.
The old fist who ate it came back with a fierce revenge.