Chapter 316 Returning Home

Chen Heng was not surprised that Baoyu would come to see him. What surprised him was that when Baoyu mentioned his previous experience, he occasionally revealed sadness in his words, which was a word of change. This made Chen Heng feel subtle.

He had to look at Baoyu in front of him carefully. On the big face of Master Bao, he could see the sigh of his former playmates going their separate ways, the sadness of Xue Pan's death, and the steadiness and maturity between his eyebrows after being praised by Jia Zheng.

Chen Heng figured it out. At this point, Baoyu still didn't know what kind of political struggle the Jia family was involved in.

"Cousin-in-law." Seeing Chen Heng looking at him in a trance, Baoyu subconsciously said enthusiastically. Since returning from Ping'an Prefecture, his attitude towards Chen Heng has changed more and more obviously respectful.

Chen Heng didn't know the reason, only Baoyu himself understood. After traveling and seeing outside, he realized how different Chen Heng's manly style of always hitting the mark and always doing what he said was from his friends who liked to brag in the past.

"My father is still waiting for your reply at home. When are you more convenient?" Baoyu said very politely. His attitude was more like conviction than respect. It was an acknowledgement of Chen Heng's ability to turn the tide.

My brother-in-law is really capable.

Hearing Baoyu's invitation again on behalf of Jia Zheng, Chen Heng, who came to his senses, had to shake his head gently and replied to him: "Baoyu, I won't hide it from you. It's not convenient for me to go to your house now."

Baoyu was shocked to hear this. He twisted his body in the opposite position and said in confusion: "Is it inconvenient even for normal visits between relatives?"

Baoyu obviously didn't hear the implication of Chen Heng's words, because he was not very clear about his family affairs. I don't know what Jia She and Jia Lian did secretly, so I'm still wondering about Chen Heng's reaction.

Noticing Baoyu's confusion, Chen Heng thought about it and said, "Just go back and tell your cousin what I said, he will understand it naturally."

Baoyu scratched his head. Is it okay to go back and report it like this? It can be seen that Chen Heng has no intention of getting up, and Baoyu knows that he can't persuade him. He had to stay for a while, wait for Jia Min to come, and chat with this elder about family matters, and then Baoyu got up and said goodbye.

When they were about to leave, Baoyu looked at Chen Heng who had seen him off all the way, and suddenly said, "I did have some ignorant things in the past, brother-in-law, I hope..."

Chen Heng didn't expect Baoyu to guess in this direction, so he had to comfort him, "Don't worry. Just convey my words back, your cousin will naturally understand and will never embarrass you."

Baoyu nodded, looked at Chen Heng's calm expression again, and the uneasiness in his heart suddenly disappeared. He finally understood the benefits of interacting with people like Chen Heng. He said what he meant. He never hid anything, which made people feel relaxed and happy when they got along with him.

"When it's convenient in the future, I will invite you to listen to the opera in the garden. Do you think it's okay?" Baoyu stepped on a half-stool, leaned sideways, looked at Chen Heng under the eaves, and asked cautiously.

The latter smiled softly and said calmly: "Okay."

Hearing the word "ok", Baoyu smiled subconsciously. He nodded to the man in blue in front of the door and slipped into the carriage.

He was afraid that Chen Heng still had a grudge in his heart because of his past willful behavior. Now that the other party said this, it seems that he really didn't take it to heart.

This is the best, this is really good. Baoyu thought so, and even his mood improved a lot.

As the sound of horse hooves gradually faded away, Chen Heng looked at the empty street and fell into a brief thought. Liu Xianglian, who appeared at some point, came to the other side and asked, "I think this Second Master Bao still doesn't know anything."

"It may not be a bad thing." Chen Heng commented.

"Can their family really be fine?" Liu Xianglian's knowledge was developed by following Chen Heng every day. His perspective on the problem is much deeper than Baoyu's.

"I heard from my father-in-law last night that the governor of Chang'an did not let Shui Rong and others enter the pass. Baoyu got this credit without knowing it, so there is no need to worry too much about the safety of their family." Chen Heng did not take all the credit for himself. In the final analysis, it was the ancestors of the Jia family who played a role in this matter.

After hearing this, Liu Xianglian nodded continuously, and also showed some sadness. He was sad about the great changes in his childhood playmate's family, and also worried about the safety of his family.

Since returning to the capital, Liu Xianglian has not been back to the Liu family. I think he has heard a lot of rumors that are unfavorable to his family in the dark.

"I heard..." Seeing Liu Xianglian was about to speak, Chen Heng turned his head slightly and saw him worriedly saying in the half-slanting sun, "When the late emperor passed away, Prime Minister Dai actually failed to commit suicide and was imprisoned by your majesty..."

"Hush."

Although there were flowers and rockery covering the left and right, Chen Heng still raised his finger to his lips. A pair of maids were walking by the corridor at a distance. Chen Heng shook his head silently, indicating that such things were not good to talk about here. He took Liu Xianglian and walked into the flowery path.

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On the way back to the mansion, Baoyu lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at the ancient street scene of the capital. Perhaps it was during the state funeral, or perhaps it was because there were no noble sons like Xue Pan and Feng Ziying who were accompanied by sensual pleasures. Today's capital lacks the excitement that Baoyu likes.

The people still live as usual, and peddlers carry their shoulder poles through them. When Baoyu passed by, the travelers from the south and north spoke in different dialects. The tones went from far to near, and from near to far, which made people sigh in subtle ways.

Baoyu stared at it for a while, then put down the curtain and began to close his eyes and rest. When the servant driving the carriage made an announcement, Baoyu was surprised to realize that he had arrived home.

Quickly passing through the gate and walking lightly down, Baoyu arrived at Jia Zheng's study. After waiting at the door for a while, he heard his father's voice.

Baoyu lifted the curtain and walked into the hall alone. Seeing Jia Zheng standing in front of the open window with his hands behind his hands, he politely said: "Dad, brother-in-law, he said it's not convenient for him to come."

Later, Chen Heng's original words were told to Jia Zheng. After listening, the latter was silent for a long time, then waved his hand and said with half interest: "I know. Baoyu, you did a good job in this matter."

Baoyu hadn't heard Jia Zheng's praise for a long time, but he heard the helplessness and bitterness in Jia Zheng's tone. Baoyu kept an eye on it and thought of the riddle between Chen Heng and Jia Zheng, so he asked aloud: "Dad, what big thing is going to happen at home?"

I didn't expect that this stupid son would also be smart one day. Jia Zheng turned his head in surprise, thought for a moment, and said with a smile: "If anything happens to our family, you just go to the old lady's place to play. In a few days, your wife will be back. Don't make her angry again. The true harmony between husband and wife is..."

Seeing that Jia Zheng was nagging again, Baoyu immediately felt frightened, and heard that Jia Zheng's tone at this moment was very soft. He couldn't help but blink, wondering why his father had changed his personality today.

"Go on, go on. The old lady is recovering from a serious illness. Don't let her worry. Say something nice and remember not to disturb the old lady's rest." Jia Zheng waved his hand.

Why do you still treat me like a child? Baoyu showed a sad face. But it was rare for Jia Zheng to be kind to him, so Baoyu had no choice but to say, "I'll save it, kid."

After leaving Jia Zheng's study, Baoyu went straight to Rongxi Hall. When Mother Jia saw her precious grandson coming back from outside, she smiled and pulled him to her. Asked Baoyu, how did the things assigned by his father go today?

How could Baoyu lie and just pick out some fun things on the street and use them to make the old lady happy? As people get older, there is no chance of them getting sick or suffering from disasters. Mother Jia knows that as long as her precious grandson is with her, it will be the best panacea.

The two chatted for a while, then Miharu came in to greet the old lady. It is strange to say that to this day, the three spring years are not bad. Except for Jia Yingchun who was delayed due to the affairs of the Sun family's son, she didn't even get married for the remaining two springs. I don't know what kind of hidden secrets there are, or whether the nobles of various families are in danger at this moment.

Baoyu didn't feel suspicious, he just thought about how wonderful it was that his sisters could still have fun like they did when they were children.

A group of juniors gathered around Jia Mu and played for a long time. When it was time for dinner, Baoyu saw that he had not seen the second brother Lian and the second sister-in-law Lian. He was half surprised and said: "The sun really rises in the west. How come our family's clairvoyance and wind ears are so different?" Haven't seen it since."

Jia's mother liked Baoyu's eloquent mouth and said with a smile: "The couple have been busy all day long recently, and they don't know what they are talking about. They have not been seen all day long. Such a big thing happened at your aunt's house, your sister-in-law Feng I don’t even have time to go there.”

"Madam, you are really joking. When you are showing off your power like this, my good sister-in-law really didn't go?" Baoyu was shocked when he heard this.

"That's right." Mother Jia looked at Tanchun aside and said with pity, "This girl is still sensible and helped your mother a lot."

"..." Baoyu didn't know what to say for a moment, so he could only look at Tanchun and then stood up to thank his sister for taking care of his family.

Seeing Baoyu's appearance, Tanchun panicked. He hurriedly stepped aside half of his body and muttered: "They are all sisters and brothers, why is the second brother?" Seeing Baoyu just giggling, Tanchun said helplessly to the old lady, "Second brother has grown up after all. Sure enough, The old lady is far-sighted and knows how to let the second brother go out and experience something."

Old people like to hear compliments given to younger people. It was my granddaughter who said it again, so much so that she didn’t even have to work hard to be self-effacing. Jia Mu said cheerfully: "I don't expect your brother to have much future. If you can know some things and learn some skills, when you get married, I will support your natal family and you will have a way out."

After saying this, Sanchun had different expressions. Only Baoyu was counting the days until Baochai came back, counting the days with his fingers.

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Chen Heng stayed at home for a few days and checked Lin Jue's homework for his father-in-law. He picked a day and handed the Mian Sheng's certificate to the palace. After the morning court one day, Chen Heng was summoned to the palace by Li Zhi for a conversation.

Wei Yinghong is not here today, and only Prince Li Xian is with him. When Chen Heng entered the palace, he saw Li Xian sitting at the top of the throne, and behind him stood Li Jun who was winking at him.

Chen Heng came forward to see the ceremony first, and then informed Li Zhi of his intention. Knowing that this minister still wanted to return to Songjiang, Li Zhi did not say anything to stop him. He just smiled and asked if it was Lin Ruhai's intention or Chen Heng's own intention?

How could he let his father-in-law take such a scapegoat for him? Chen Heng naturally made repeated statements to reveal his feelings. Li Zhi nodded. Maybe he was in a good mood today, so he actually started to test Chen Heng's knowledge.

"Today's morning dynasty was lively. You are not a court official now, so you didn't catch up with it." Li Zhi said to Li Jun, "Jun'er, come and talk to Mr. Chen, and let Mr. Chen answer the doubts in your heart."

Chen Heng did not dare to hesitate and quickly offered his hands to listen to Li Jun's story. It turns out that in the court this morning, there was a debate between the chief assistant Wei Yinghong and Cao Tingshou. It’s about ‘the law does not punish everyone’.

This question cannot be explained in a few words. Famous scholars and sages of all ages have their own interpretations. But when facing the test questions thrown by superiors in reality, we need to analyze the specific situation in detail, and we must clearly understand where we stand.

This kind of debate is obviously to pave the way for the subsequent disposal of Xungui. Wei Yinghong holds the power of the prime minister, so he should consider the stability of the court. This is the duty of the chief minister, and it is also the tacit approval of the imperial power. There is no need to state his position clearly, it must be a tone of extra-judicial mercy.

Cao Tingshou may not have known the secret, but he was also aware of the turbulent impact on the court after the major case occurred. But he intends to join the cabinet to divide the power of the prime minister. At this critical moment, if he behaves like Wei Yinghong, he will vent his anger on the same nostril. It will inevitably lead to the political implication that the first and second assistants speak with the same voice.

This was definitely unacceptable to Li Zhi, and it was also a situation that Cao Tingshou tried his best to avoid. You see, this is the beauty of politics. Regardless of whether something is right or wrong, everyone must first express their own position.

What is Chen Heng’s position? Naturally, he had to follow Wei Yinghong. This is a civil servant leader. As long as Chen Heng does not want to be a lonely minister, he cannot let himself be in front of Wei Yinghong. In addition, Wei Yinghong's views on this matter are indeed the same as his own. Chen Heng naturally wanted to speak up for him.

After a brief debate on legal principles and ethics, Li Juncai nodded in understanding. But looking at the looks on Li Zhi and Li Xian's faces, it was obvious that they understood Chen Heng's true intentions.

Today, everyone in the palace is recognized by Li Zhi. After listening to Chen Heng's words, Li Zhi, who felt that he still had unfinished meaning, did not hide his words. He asked directly: "I heard that you mentioned the Four Principles before. Today, I would like to take this opportunity to explain this principle to me."

His Majesty indeed has his own channels for information. Chen Heng exclaimed in his heart and hurriedly stood up and said: "I obey the order."

Pause for a moment and slowly collect your thoughts. As his experience continues to increase, Chen Heng has indeed gained some new insights recently. Based on Mao Daqing's actions of saving others, he discussed the explanation of "Ethics is the harmony of relatives".

This sentence is the outline of the beginning. The three people here are all well-informed people, so Chen Heng does not need to elaborate too much. Just jumping from ethics to academic theory, Chen Heng spent a lot of time explaining its importance.

During this period of history, Chen Heng quoted the history from the pre-Qin Dynasty to the Han Dynasty. Take the First Emperor and Han Gaozu as the two nodes. It explains in turn the magical effects from academic principles to legal principles and governance.

"In the past, the Qin Emperor abolished the feudal system and established counties and counties to gather the power of the world. Only then could he build the Great Wall, conquer Baiyue, open Bashu, and dominate the world. The great ancestor Guangxuan made the clan king. Although he initially designated the Han Dynasty, it also led to vassals in various places. When Wang Naxian recruited troops and Emperor Wu ascended the throne, rebellions continued, which was a disaster at that time."

"After Emperor Wu, he respected Confucianism and dismissed hundreds of schools of thought. This is for the purpose of learning. Your Highness..." Chen Heng continued to Li Jun who asked, "Our empire has a vast territory and thousands of people. How did Your Highness know that he came to the door? Which scholar is better or worse, right or wrong?"

"Looking at character, talent and learning?" Li Jun asked.

As soon as this answer was spoken, Li Zhi and Li Xian frowned. Obviously, he was very dissatisfied with his grandson's enthusiasm for studying.

Chen Heng couldn't reveal too much of his thoughts, so he could only continue to talk: "Master, Xunzi, and Zhuzi are all well-read poetry and books, and their moral character is high and respectable. Why can't we all follow the same path, but each can argue about the Spring and Autumn Period for hundreds of years?"

Li Jun understood. The so-called difficulty of stance and difference of opinion could only be explained clearly in Chen Heng's few words. He immediately drew inferences and said, "Master Chen, you mean to only respect Confucianism for the sake of learning and to pave the way for the governance of the court?"

"Of course." Chen Heng nodded, "People in the world all have different origins and characters, and their talents and learning are better and worse. How to promulgate a set of effective knowledge and laws to form a world consensus so that the court can govern the world? Get twice the result with half the effort.”

"In ancient times, people were simple and simple, and transportation was inconvenient. Therefore, the king of Zhou divided the world to make it easier for the small country and the people. However, during the five hundred years of chaos in the Spring and Autumn Period, it can be seen that after the kings were divided, people's minds changed and each had its own twists and turns. It was not the first of its kind. If a person is not a wise man, he will actually be the descendants of future generations who hold power and rebel against themselves.”

Don't test human nature, just like don't test the loyalty of your subordinates at will. Once you open your mouth, it may be a military disaster that shouldn't happen.

Therefore, if you look through the thousands of history books, what is hidden in them all revolves around the word "power". In order to avoid local separatism, centralization of power must be increased. The top priority is to increase centralization of power, which involves unified values ​​and unified standards for selecting and appointing talents.

Otherwise, superiors and subordinates will choose to stick to their own opinions on the same matter. If a war of words comes to the central government, and the quarreling documents come and go for months, won't it increase the cost of governance and waste national power?

We all know the meaning of not being speculative, so how can we make officials sent by the imperial court have a clear understanding of common values? This is the reason why Emperor Wu followed Dong Zhongshu's method. It is difficult to teach mediocre people, but it is even harder to control talented people. To govern such a huge empire and tens of millions of people, it is difficult to have a standard and commonality.

Qin Shihuang unified writing and weights and measures to prepare for this. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also prepared for this by deposing hundreds of schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone.

This is an academic line that can be traced, and it also starts from this academic line. Every unified dynasty has added to this standard. Because centralization and unification are complementary to each other.

After the unification, if you try to mess around with the enfeoffment system, it would be nonsense. It is purely based on ancient national conditions and boasting about the small country and few people at that time. Today's national conditions are that the people are hundreds of times that of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. During the Jiajing and Wanli periods of the Ming Dynasty, the estimated population was as many as 500 million. The pros and cons vary from place to place, and so do people's livelihoods.

How can we overestimate the past and neglect the present and only emphasize the selection of talents and appointment of talents? How to choose, what is a good person, and do not specify the standards.

"So the purpose of learning lies in educating and cultivating the harmony of relatives. The people of the south of the Yangtze River have never been to the northwest in this life. How can they be persuaded to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their country and country because of the dangers in the northwest? Because of the harmony of relatives, even if When you look at the world, it’s all about your hometown and old friends.”

Such a conclusion is undoubtedly ahead of its time in an era of excessive pursuit of sage kings and wise masters. Especially when the great scholars of the Han Dynasty were extolling the merits of Han Wu's demotion of the First Emperor, few people understood the profound governance meaning behind the two men.

This requires not only superhuman vision and knowledge, but also a broad mind that looks at ancient and modern times. Afterwards, Chen Heng continued to use Liu Bang’s example as an example. This is the good thing about the scholars who governed the Spring and Autumn Period. Historical allusions are readily available.

"Your Highness thinks why Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty continued to add children with the surname Liu after killing queens with different surnames. Is it because he does not understand the difficulties of being a vassal king? Or is it because he loves and trusts future generations?"

This question was like a heavy hammer hitting Li Jun's mind directly. In the past, he had been unable to understand the true meaning of reading based on what he read. From this point of view, Liu Bang is afraid that it is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice, and he lacks enough management talents on hand.

Seeing Li Jun's expression of sudden realization, Chen Heng, under the admiring gazes of Li Zhi and Li Xian, continued: "It is because of the lack of a talent selection system that he has no choice but to choose talented people as his relatives. That’s why there are so many chaos in later generations. Is this really the case?”

"Five hundred years of chaos in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, how could it be that there were not enough talented people? The disciples of hundreds of schools of thought are still running around the world. The students Huang Laozhi said also stayed with Empress Dowager Dou. But when it comes to governing the world, everyone It is difficult for the public to say that the public is right, and for women to say that the mother-in-law is right. This leads to constant disputes between the government and the public, which is even worse than the partisan disputes in the Tang Dynasty.

The latter is trapped in the word "profit", while the former is stuck in the distinction between mud and school. The latter is chaotic for a while, the former is chaotic for a lifetime. When people's hearts are in chaos, the world will naturally find it difficult to stabilize. "

Chen Heng's narration is coming to an end. The first is that the content that follows cannot be explained clearly in the palace. The second is that he himself also needs more life experiences. He must go through thousands of mountains and rivers before he can gain the true knowledge and insights of returning to nature.

When Chen Heng paused for a long time, the atmosphere in Linjing Hall was still in silence for a long time. Li Zhi already had a high opinion of Chen Heng's talent. In fact, as a king, the most talented people he saw were those who compared him with Duke Fan and the Prime Minister.

But compared with these people, Chen Heng's advantages are really too good. This excellence does not lie in reciting poems and writing poems, but in his vision and mind, as well as his analysis and judgment of the current affairs of the court.

"Jun'er, you go to Songjiang with Mr. Chen to study. When you finish your studies, you will come back." Li Zhi suddenly said.

How did your Majesty know that I came today to resign and return to Songjiang early? Chen Heng was a little surprised.

Li Jun was also very surprised. He didn't expect that he would still have the day to go out to study in the palace. Immediately he said excitedly: "My grandson obeys the order."

As soon as Li Xian saw his expression, he said distressedly: "I asked you to follow Mr. Chen, so you can study hard in the past. And you can't do anything wrong and be lazy all day long..." Xu Shi was worried, and Li Xian warned Chen Heng again, "This child has been naughty since he was a child. When Master Chen disciplines him, there is no need to be jealous of my face. A jade is useless if it is not polished. I only hope that Jun'er can learn some real skills from Master Chen!"

The two men gave the order together, and Chen Heng did not dare to hesitate and had no choice but to agree.

When Lin left the palace, a little tail was already following behind Chen Heng.

After pondering for two days, I finally explained this chapter clearly. Hahahaha, I swear I will never write a historical article again.