Not to mention anything else, when the imperial court first announced in the official arrival newspaper that it was preparing to issue laws on trade, the officials in Xiongzhou and the Lu family were the happiest.
They don't know that the reason for this law stems from their current difficult case.
I'm glad that I didn't do anything impulsively after putting it off for a while.
However, after the arrival reports were distributed to the counties, prefectures, and counties of the country, people also began to solicit opinions on the arrival reports. For example, "Shi Lun" and "Cuju Express" were, at least in name, private.
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“During the Qin Dynasty, the Legalist Shang Yang was the prime minister, severe punishments were imposed, and the people defeated the law, causing chaos in the country. The law defeated the people, and a strong military was the foundation of governing the country, in order to make Qin strong and prosperous.
However, the end of the Qin Dynasty II has proved the shortcomings of Legalist governance. The dynasty has lasted for hundreds of years, which is the result of respecting Confucianism.
Nowadays, the Song Dynasty has abandoned benevolence and order, abandoned sex and loyalty, practiced benevolence and righteousness, decorated rituals and music, and chosen human ethics. Above, they are loyal to the world, and below, they are loyal to the people. This is the collapse of rituals and music...
"
Zhao Xi had to admit that these statements were reasonable. But he did not say that he would abandon Confucian teachings and respect legalism in governing the country! It was really dumbfounding.
"What does the cabinet mean?"
This article was brought in by Zeng Bu and had not yet been published. It was an article by Sima Guang of Ge Laoyuan. Zeng Bu didn't know what to do, so he came to ask for instructions.
Internal reference is the weather vane of public opinion in the country. Zeng Bu did not just mention Sima Guang's article, but was worried that it would be difficult to stop this trend from now on.
Zhao Xi actually couldn't understand why Sima Guang still had so much resentment. I heard that he was bedridden several times and still had such a fighting spirit. After reading this article, I only felt one thing: the country's
The Prime Minister brings disaster to the country and the people!
But at this time, Zhao Xi seemed to understand that fundamentally, the dispute between Sima Guang and Wang Anshi was ultimately about the identity of Legalism and Confucianism.
"I haven't asked the cabinet yet..."
"Go ahead and let the cabinet discuss it. What I mean is that the reason is unclear. During this period, during the review of local reports, as long as they are not scolding, not targeting people, or criticizing current affairs, internal reference will be allowed."
"Legalism or Confucianism, it doesn't matter. What's important is that the imperial court and the scholars understand that the imperial court has no legalist or Confucian stance. The imperial court is the imperial court, and its mission is to enrich the country and strengthen the people..."
Zhao Xi's original intention was not to initiate any major discussion on truth. He just wanted to promulgate a decree, a decree applicable to the current industry and commerce of the Song Dynasty, to regulate the current business behavior of the country.
I just didn't expect that it would extend to the issue of whether Confucianism or Legalism should govern the country.
Anyway, since people have such awareness, let's open up and take a look first to see how the scholars understand the imperial court after so many years of changes and the dynasty has undergone such obvious changes.
Different from the past, the debates in the early years, whether it was the public opinion trend against the government, all started anonymously, and gradually came the participation of scholars who wanted to gain fame, then the courtiers, and finally the Xianggong.
But this time, Mr. Ge, who started his career from the very beginning, took the lead in firing...
For a time, the entire country's debate over whether Legalism or Confucianism should govern the country became intense.
In the first few days, Zhao Xi also browsed the debate articles. After a few days, Zhao Xi was too lazy to read them anymore... There was nothing new, just learning from history.
By the way, Sima Guang's "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" had also been published at this time. Zhao Xi did not start a new book and still named it "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" after his status as a king.
Because of this imperial masterpiece, Sima Guang's reputation in Shilin was very high, and naturally there were people who supported his views.
On the whole, the courtiers' views are neutral and practical, basically based on practicality. This is why Zhao Xi is relieved.
Public opinion needs to be guided, which is what the court must do in any era.
The reason why public opinion appears to be dominated by practical views, Zhao Xi also knows that this is the guidance of Zeng Bu. It is very correct, Zhao Xi agrees.
From the earliest time he promoted the business of reporting, Zhao Xi never thought of allowing the reporting to develop willfully. Public opinion needs to be guided, correct speech needs to be guided, and speech that is beneficial to the court and the country needs to be publicized.
Facts speak louder than words. The country has undergone earth-shaking changes in recent years. Zhao Xi thought that he could still use these changes to sway public opinion.
But this needs to be confirmed.
"Zixuan, how is the situation? How many articles with different tendencies have you withheld?"
Zhao Xi once again asked Zeng Buliu to ask questions without any politeness or straightforwardness.
"When I returned to the officialdom, I did have some scruples in the early days, and I also had biases when drafting. However, after comparison, I found that those with a neutral and pragmatic attitude prevailed, so I relaxed to a certain extent."
"Really?"
"I dare not deceive the emperor, it is true."
If this is the case, Zhao Xi is completely relieved. He originally prepared some backup plans, but it seems that it is no longer necessary.
"Officials, but ministers have compared various manuscripts. Those who hold a neutral position, or who confuse Legalism with Confucianism and only discuss the government, are mostly courtiers, and those who try to force the government to rely on Legalism are mostly scholars.
Lin Juduo."
Shilin, this name is really troublesome. Ever since Tao Qian did not bow down and hang up his seal for three buckets of rice, there have always been some scholars in the entire literati circle who did not prepare goods for the emperor's family.
Among these people were descendants of former wealthy families, as well as scholars who were bewitched.
Even if the dynasty admires literati so much, there are still those literati who consider themselves hermits. However, they are still somewhat knowledgeable and have inextricable connections with the courtiers...
In fact, who doesn’t know? No one can write articles on an empty stomach all day long. It’s hard to say how much of the country’s industry is in the name of these so-called hermits.
The so-called concealment only means that one is concealing his identity as a court official, and the benefits he should enjoy are not less at all.
"Are the Xiongzhou Lu family considered scholars or courtiers?"
Zeng Bu was confused by the official's question.
The Imperial City Department's investigation found no information that the Lu family had court officials above the fourth rank, but the Lu family happened to get the glass industry in Xiongzhou.
"Back to the official family, the Lu family in Xiongzhou is related to the previous dynasty and the earlier Shandong wealthy families."
As the controller of public opinion in the imperial court, Zeng Bu would naturally investigate the cause of this incident in detail, and he also found out about the Lu family.
"That's Shilin... Well, let's see. I'll give you all the information about the Xiongzhou craftsman incident. You can announce it at the right time, so that we, the so-called Shilin celebrities, can see it.
Let’s see how they will deal with such a thing!”
The officials still wanted to intervene, but fortunately Zeng Bu was intentional and did not lose his position at the beginning... Officials always do this.