Before Liu An could finish his words, Hengshan King Liu Ci was already covered in cold sweat. He stared blankly at Liu An for a long time before saying, "Brother Wang, you are crazy!"
Liu An smiled and shook his head: "I have never been so clear-headed as I am now. Why don't I use such a good opportunity? What did my father say back then? He held your and my hands and couldn't close his eyes until he died! Now
I had already thought about it before going to Chang'an, I just brought this matter forward, so there is no need to make such a fuss."
"Yes! If you do this, you and I will never have a way out!"
Liu An stared at Liu Ci: "Are you afraid? Have you forgotten how my father died? If it weren't for them, would you and I be like this? That's it, Liu Che's son is not enough, and he wants to kill our brothers
To kill them all, instead of letting him take action, it is better for us to strike first."
"Yes, but your and my bodyguards combined are only two hundred, so how can we be my match?"
Liu An sneered twice: "Don't worry, I have already thought about it. We don't need to fight alone. Everything is under control."
Su Ren's motorcade left Chang'an in such a hurry. In only three days from the day he went to court, Su Zhonglang, who was the all-powerful man in Chang'an City, was beaten to the end, became a commoner again, and was driven out of Chang'an. You know
The insiders will naturally understand what is going on. Ever since the day Su Ren left Jianzhang Palace, the news about that court meeting has spread a lot.
It's not a big deal for the people of Chang'an to go alone. They should eat and drink as they should, but it just gives them something to talk about after dinner. Su Ren offended too many people during his time in Chang'an, and they were all respectable people.
It is an eye-opener for a powerful man to end up like this. Many optimists even believe that after the fall of the Huainan King, Su Ren might have the opportunity to return to Chang'an.
Not far from Chang'an to the west is Louguantai. Louguantai is located at the southern foot of Zhongnan Mountain and is considered a branch of the Qinling Mountains. When I came from Shu County, I passed by this place. There were no Taoist temples with carved beams and painted pillars, and there were no bustling people visiting.
Students of Laozi. A few magicians who learned Taoism occupied one or two hills and built a few thatched huts. They claimed to be students of Laozi Li Er and made elixirs to seek immortality.
Gengyukou is not far from Zhongnan Mountain. Su Ren and his group rested here at noon. Although the road is not long, there are many people and vehicles, so walking is a bit slow. Looking at the majestic Qinling Mountains while riding on his horse, Su Ren thought
I was reciting poems, but unfortunately I couldn't think of anything meaningful after thinking about it, so I just opened my mouth and sighed.
"What a big mountain!"
Wen Dang chuckled: "With such a beautiful scenery, Ziheng has no good words. This really surprises me. Are you still thinking about Chang'an?"
Su Ren smiled and shook his head: "I don't think about it anymore. It's useless to think about it. Nowadays, students are nothing. As the saying goes, if they are not in their positions, they will not seek political advice. What do you want them to do?"
"Humph! No ambition!" Dong Zhongshu snorted coldly and retracted his head back to the carriage, ignoring his cheap son-in-law.
The motorcade stopped, and everyone looked for a shady place to rest. Huang Shisan knew that Wen Dang and Su Ren had something to say, so he found a place, drove away all the irrelevant people, and stood ten steps away from the two of them with Man Niu.
Dong Qian held the teapot and tea bowl, poured tea for Wen Dang and Su Ren, and left. The master and apprentice were the only two people left under the big tree.
Wen Dang took a sip of tea, moistened his throat, and glanced at Su Ren: "Are you really willing to leave Chang'an like this? I know you had to come to Chang'an in the first place, not just to save a bad old man like me! Tell me, Is there anything you can’t tell me about?”
Su Ren nodded: "Teacher still understands me!"
"Hmph! Although I haven't taught you anything, at least I can be considered your teacher. I have watched you come step by step over the years. Speaking of which, I find it strange. It's not necessarily that you care much about His Majesty. , but everything you do is very beneficial to the Han Dynasty, or to the court! Take this matter as an example, risking offending officials and powerful people all over the world, and exposing the true face of King Huainan to the public. I am impressed by your courage!"
"Teacher, don't you need to praise me anymore? When you praise your students, no matter how you listen to it, you feel that you are praising yourself."
"Hahaha..." Wen Dang smiled heartily: "I once said that the most proud thing in this life is to accept you as my disciple. If Zi Heng hadn't left so many names after my death, now I have You, future generations will definitely erect monuments and write books for me, but after all, I still take advantage of you!"
Su Ren also smiled: "That's natural. Even if others don't become students, they will pass on the teacher's name to their descendants and never forget it from generation to generation!"
"Your Majesty really wants to take action against the King of Huainan?" Wen Dang is not a literary youth. He has been a prefect for many years and has a clear mind about many things: "In my opinion, there is no need to be so cautious about His Majesty the King of Huainan. An imperial edict will suffice. Solve it, why bother with it?"
Su Ren sighed: "It's not that I don't want to be simple, it's actually a bit complicated. Your Majesty has only been on the throne for a short time, and the King of Huainan has been in power for so many years, and he has a lot of power in both Chang'an and Huainan. The teacher has never been to Huainan, and the people of Huainan I don’t know that there is Your Majesty, I only know that there is King Huainan!”
"Moreover, this person from Huainan is the eldest son of Liu, and he can be regarded as a lineage of the late emperor. He is quite prestigious among other princes and kings. The four Liu An brothers have occupied Jianghuai for many years. Although there is a quarrel between them, they must be siblings. If they are really removed by force, they may not be able to do it again. It was a rebellion of seven kings. Now that our country has been at peace for a long time, we can no longer suffer the loss of life. Your Majesty is very concerned. The King of Huainan is just a scabies."
"Oh?" Wen Dang thought for a while, took a deep breath, and nodded slightly: "Our Majesty is indeed a wise king!"
"That's natural, otherwise students wouldn't take such extraordinary risks and be willing to be driven by them."
Wen Dang said: "It seems that Your Majesty has been thinking about getting rid of the kings for a long time, Zi Heng is just letting him advance."
Su Ren nodded: "Once the King of Huainan is eliminated, all princes in the world who dare to offend the imperial court will be extinct. Only then will your Majesty be able to deal with the Huns wholeheartedly."
"Then why does Ziheng go to Louguantai?"
Su Ren smiled: "I dare to ask the teacher, what is the most important thing in governing the world?"
Wen Dang pondered for a long time: "The world must be governed by capable ministers and honest officials."
"Where do capable ministers and honest officials come from?"
Wen Dang was stunned and shook his head to express that he didn't know.
Su Ren smiled and said: "What did the teacher mean when he founded Wen Weng's Stone Chamber in Shu County?"
"Ziheng wants to start a school?"
Su Ren nodded: "This is also the result of my discussion with Your Majesty. If you want to govern the world, the first step is to govern people. If you want to govern people, you must recruit the best talents from all over the world. Nowadays, talented people do not commit themselves to being disciples of the powerful. There are idle clouds and wild cranes wandering among the mountains and forests. The imperial court mainly selects candidates with filial piety and integrity. As for whether they are really useful ministers, no one knows. We can only judge by slowly observing his actions and listening to his words. It is better to do this than The school will come faster."
"What difference does this make?"
Su Rendao: "It's very different. What I'm talking about is running a school that doesn't distinguish between schools and only strives for advancement, and there are professors from hundreds of schools of thought. Legalists govern prisons, Confucians govern court, military strategists govern the army, and political strategists govern great industries.
, wouldn’t it be better for each person to perform their own duties and choose their own talents?”
"False!" Dong Zhongshu stood behind Su Ren at some point and shouted, which startled Su Ren: "Confucianism is the way of the world. If each school follows its own course and you quarrel with me, then the court will not be as good as the East and the West.
It’s like a city, how can it look like this?”
Su Ren quickly stood up and gave up his seat to Dong Zhongshu. Dong Zhongshu glared at Su Ren with a dark face: "The way of the world lies in the word virtue. How can it be a long-term solution if you only look at its performance without seeking its virtue? As you said
After all, isn’t it like the chaotic situation of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period?”
Wen Dang waved his hand and pulled Dong Zhongshu to sit down: "Don't be anxious, don't be anxious, let Zi Heng finish what he has to say first."
"Huh!" Dong Zhongshu snorted, rolled his eyes, and ignored Su Ren.
Su Ren poured a cup of tea for Dong Zhongshu and served it to him personally: "Father-in-law, please calm down. The affairs of the world cannot be accomplished by just one family. Farmers farm, merchants do business, soldiers fight, and officials manage government. They all perform their duties. Since
In this case, let more professional people handle it. Legalists are good at law, and they are naturally familiar with jailing and punishment. Military strategists are good at running the army. They should lead troops to fight and defend the Han Dynasty. The boy did not say that he only values talent but not virtue.
A person with both ability and political integrity.”
After hearing this, Dong Zhongshu's expression softened a little.
Su Ren continued: "The academy that I want to build is not to separate everyone, but to integrate them. In this academy, a hundred schools of thought contend, learn talents first and then build morals. It will serve as a talent reserve base for the Han Dynasty. Take the Lingnan incident as an example
, How unpredictable was it when His Majesty mobilized officials? In the future, after defeating the Huns, a large area will need to be managed by officials. With Xiaozi's academy, Your Majesty does not need to ask the people of the world to recommend filial piety and integrity, but only needs to select those with both political integrity and talent."
"Can you guarantee that your academy can attract talents from all over the world?"
Su Ren shook his head: "No! But it can be cultivated. Father-in-law, please think about it. When the imperial court begins to select officials from academies, the wise people in the world don't have to lower their status and seek refuge with the powerful. They only need to come to my academy for a visit."
Maybe they will be selected by the imperial court, how many more people will commit themselves to the powerful and become their private slaves?"
Wen Dang nodded and said, "If you say so, it's really a good thing."
Dong Zhongshu asked: "Where are you going to place me?"
Su Ren smiled and said: "My father-in-law naturally teaches Confucianism and can still train disciples. Your Majesty has promised that when the academy is built, Taixue will be gradually abolished. By then, my father-in-law will still be the teacher of Confucian students in the world."
"Very good! Very good!" Wen Dang clapped his hands and praised.
Dong Zhongshu thought for a moment: "Having said that, do you know where those famous teachers from hundreds of schools are? Are they willing to come to your academy?"
"Well, father-in-law, please forgive me. I can't tell you this. However, I have already sent people to look for this matter and have some clues. Otherwise, my son-in-law would not have started building the academy."
"Humph! It seems that you have had this idea for a long time, and you just hid it from others!" Dong Zhongshu threw the cup and left again with a dark face.
Wen Dang shook his head and smiled bitterly, got up and followed Dong Zhongshu back to the carriage. (To be continued)