Zhu Xiang took off his straw hat and wiped his sweat with the towel hanging around his neck: "The weather in Wu County is getting hot really fast."
Xianghe stood behind Zhu Xiang as a guard. Hearing this, he said, "The weather has been a little abnormal in recent years. The winter has become colder and the summer has become hotter."
Zhu Xiang said, "It will get worse in a few years." It's time now.
Generally speaking, the temperature during the Qin and Han dynasties was generally high, and it was a warm period. In the Western Han Dynasty, elephants could still be seen in Henan.
It was not until the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty that China entered the Little Ice Age.
But this is just the general trend.
In the decades between the unification of the country by Qin Shihuang and the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty, the temperature experienced several small fluctuations. The most dramatic fluctuations happened to be when Qin Shihuang unified the country and the Chu-Han War was underway.
When the world is in chaos, it is often accompanied by natural disasters, so the concept of the interaction between heaven and man did not come into being until after Confucianism.
Zhu Xiang, from the perspective of an agronomist, believed that the two were indeed related, but it had nothing to do with the interaction between heaven and man. Because the continuous climate fluctuations led to a large-scale reduction in crop yields, the people could not survive, so the world was prone to chaos.
Great chaos in the world is often accompanied by natural disasters because natural disasters are the fuse that triggers unrest in the world.
After King Zheng of Qin ascended the throne, Qin suffered from natural disasters year after year, and famine occurred in some places every year. Whenever there was a famine, King Zheng of Qin would send troops to attack the six kingdoms. As he fought, he found that the six kingdoms were so weak, and this was the right time to unify the world, so he flattened the world.
It was not just King Zheng of Qin who did this. Several foreign wars during the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin were also related to domestic famine.
In this time and space, Duke Lian's attack on the State of Yan was also related to the State of Zhao.
Zhu Xiang was distracted for a while, and when the warm wind almost blew away the straw hat on his knees, he came to his senses and continued: "In order to deal with the next crisis, I have to work harder."
Xianghe thought to himself, Duke Zhu Xiang, you have worked hard enough.
Even though farmers would cultivate the fields and hope that all the powerful people in the world would cultivate the fields and be self-sufficient, they were not like Zhu Xiang, who really walked in the fields every day and communicated with the lowest common people.
Regardless of where their roots came from, the various schools of thought all looked up. Including the Mohists, their ultimate goal was to become an official, hoping that the monarchs and lords would use them to realize their ideals.
There is nothing wrong with this. To achieve your ideals, you must have a position of power.
Zhu Xiang also received power and status from the King of Qin. However, after he got the power and status, he changed from teaching farmers in Lin Xiangru's fief to teaching farmers in the entire Qin State.
He seemed to have changed, yet not changed.
Zhu Xiang's behavior made Xianghe and Xu Ming, the two leaders of the Hundred Schools of Thought who represented the interests of the lowest common people, somewhat confused.
They knew that the once-powerful Mohist and Agricultural schools had declined, and had almost been reduced from scholars to craftsmen. Even if there were officials among the Mohist and Agricultural schools, they had nothing to do with the Mohist and Agricultural school’s ideas.
They followed Zhu Xiang, hoping to find a way out for the Mohist and Agricultural School from him. They did learn a lot from Zhu Xiang, but they were even more confused.
Because of this confusion, Xianghe and Xu Ming, who were already over 40 years old, gave up their high positions and generous salaries in Xianyang and followed Zhu Xiang south again like a student and a servant.
They left a month later than Zhu Xiang, and followed Zhu Xiang only after they had settled their own affairs.
Zhu Xiang happened to have spent a long time in Nanjun, so they arrived in Wujun at the same time as Zhu Xiang. Xianghe and Xu Ming followed Zhu Xiang all the way.
"Duke Zhu Xiang, will the climate become even more abnormal in the future?" Xiang He asked, "Is it because the world is going to be in chaos?"
Zhu Xiang, who was sitting by the river enjoying the cool, asked Xiang He and the guards behind him to sit down first, then said with a smile: "No matter whether the world is in chaos or not, the weather will be abnormal when it should be."
Xianghe said: "Duke Zhu Xiang did well to learn from Xunzi." Xunzi declared that how heaven and earth are has nothing to do with human nature.
Zhu Xiang said: "This is easy to prove. If you look through the historical records and see how many natural disasters occurred during the reign of each generation of kings, you will understand that natural disasters have nothing to do with human behavior. It is just that wise kings can eliminate the human disasters caused by natural disasters, and natural disasters in troubled times will cause greater human disasters."
He untied his slightly loosened white hair, and after hastily combing it with his fingers a few times, he tied it into a high ponytail again, and then tied it with a wooden hairpin: "All we can do is to eliminate the man-made disasters brought about by the impending natural disasters."
Xianghe asked: "If natural disasters have nothing to do with human nature, how did Duke Zhu Xiang know that the weather would become even more abnormal in the future?"
"You'll know if you just observe." Zhu Xiang said, "Do you want to learn? It may not be of much benefit to you if you learn it."
He did not lie. Although he learned about the abnormal climate in the future from the information from his previous life, climate knowledge can indeed be learned through scientific observation.
For example, knowing the principles of the Earth's revolution and rotation, and the principles of the movement trajectories of the moon and satellites can explain many natural phenomena.
Xianghe asked, "Why didn't I get much benefit from what I learned?"
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "Because you may not believe in gods and most auspicious signs anymore."
Xianghe couldn't help but laugh and said, "If that's all, don't worry, Duke Zhu Xiang. I didn't believe it anyway."
The Mohists believed in the theory of ghosts and gods because they believed that the theory of ghosts and gods could restrain people's behavior. This belief was the same as that of Confucianism, which was at the level of "respect" but not "obedience".
In other words, if the Mo family finds that ghosts and gods are harming the people, they will raise their swords.
So if Xianghe discovers through study that a certain kind of ghost or god does not exist, then it does not exist.
Zhu Xiang said: "Okay, if you want to learn, I will teach you."
Establishing a correct view of astronomy and geography in Xianghe now may be beneficial to the development of China's natural sciences in the future.
He was not worried that he would be burned to death if he promoted the heliocentric theory and the planetary theory. China would never do this.
The emergence of the armillary sphere during the Han Dynasty proves this point.
Xianghe smiled again, and then a sighing expression appeared on his face: "Following Duke Zhu Xiang, I can always learn a lot of unexpected things."
Zhu Xiang fanned himself with his straw hat: "But it still can't answer your confusion, right?"
Xianghe asked, "Does Duke Zhu Xiang know what is confusing me?"
Zhu Xiang glanced at Xiang He and said, "Of course. Every school of thought has a strong and clear purpose. Mohism and Agriculture are the same, right, Xu Ming?"
Xu Ming, who had been silent all along, like an old farmer, said: “Yes.”
Zhu Xiang fanned himself and looked at the sparkling lake: "You chose Qin because it is the most likely to unify the world. Farmers and craftsmen are at the bottom of the world. They are the most miserable when the world is in turmoil. If you want to save them, you must first stabilize the world."
"But Qin unified the world, and their lives may be better than before, but not much better." Xu Ming's eyes were calm, "I know that except for Duke Zhu Xiang, other nobles can't share the hardships with the farmers. I can't find a way."
Xianghe said: "I can't find the way to love all."
Zhu Xiang smiled bitterly and said, "Don't talk about you. I don't know which road to your ideal is. Don't talk about you. The same goes for Confucianism, Legalism, and Taoism. No matter how the world develops, there will always be people who are superior."
Xu Ming said: "Is there no way out?"
Zhu Xiang had not planned to say this to Xu Ming and Xiang He. But he found that when Xu Ming and Xiang He came to look for him this time, they were in a very depressed state.
They were originally people full of hope and vitality. Even when Zhao was in the most difficult times, they seemed full of vitality.
When they arrived in Qin State, their status became higher and their lives became better, but now they seem to be in a state of decadence.
They came to him as if they were looking for their last straw. Zhu Xiang couldn't bear to disappoint them, but he didn't know if what he said would disappoint them.
Zhu Xiang hesitated for a long time and said, "I mean, if the future is like this..."
He described the world of the future.
The agricultural tax has been abolished and rural medical insurance is being implemented, but farmers still have a lot of hardships; small handicraftsmen can make a lot of money by working hard, but they may also lose everything and their social status may not be high... There is a country that is not perfect. Many people do not live happily, and there are so many social contradictions that people have to uninstall all social software to breathe a sigh of relief.
If the future of China is like this, will you be disappointed
Xu Ming and Xiang He listened and became fascinated.
The guards behind Zhu Xiang pricked up their ears and leaned forward to take in Zhu Xiang's voice, which was not loud but very clear, not wanting to miss a single word.
They have heard many people describe their vision for the future.
Xu Ming and Xiang He had described to their disciples countless times the beautiful future world in their minds;
Xunzi also talked with Zhu Xiang many times about the world of great harmony in the minds of Confucians;
Lin Zhi also once drew what he thought the world of ancient sages described by Laozi looked like...
But the future world that Zhu Xiang talked about is different.
This world doesn't seem so beautiful, it's full of flaws, but it's also full of beautiful things that they dare not imagine. If you think about it carefully, even if there are so many dissatisfactions and dark things everywhere, it's actually more desirable than the fairyland they described.
Zhu Xiang briefly recounted his past life, took out a bamboo tube and took a sip of water to moisten his throat.
He touched the water droplets on his lips and asked again: "If we try our best and China looks like this a thousand years later, will you be disappointed and lose the will to fight from now on?"
Xu Ming and Xiang He came back to their senses.
They put their hands up and covered their faces.
"Duke Zhu Xiang, will you be disappointed?" Xianghe choked.
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "No. I will do everything I can to reach that distant and unreachable future. Even if what I do now is just a small ripple in the future of more than a thousand years, and even the ripple has disappeared."
Xu Ming covered his face and said in a trembling voice: "I can't do it either. This is enough, enough. If it's really like this, I'm satisfied."
Xianghe said: "The future after more than a thousand years will be like this. After another thousand years, it will definitely be better."
Zhu Xiang stood up, put on his straw hat again, and brushed off the dirt and grass debris on his body.
"It depends on whether people a thousand years from now can uphold the idea that 'the future will be better.'" He extended his hand to Xianghe and Xu Ming, "We can't see what will happen a thousand years from now, and people a thousand years from now can't see the future either. So we are all walking in the dark."
So I am luckier than them and than you.
Xianghe and Xu Ming put down their hands that were covering their faces and held Zhu Xiang's hands full of tears.
"Duke Zhu Xiang, what do I need to do for the world you mentioned?"
"I will always follow you."
"A lot." Zhu Xiang said, "First, we need to leave behind some ideas that value farmers and workers, then break superstitions and establish a theory to study things correctly."
"With farmers, there is food; with workers, there are tools. Food production and tool production are the foundation of a country. I call all this productivity. The Mohist School and the Agricultural School are the schools that represent the most basic productivity."
"Because it's so basic, it's easy to be overlooked. People who study this in the future might even be considered self-degrading."
Zhu Xiang smiled bitterly and continued, "It's just like I'm personally guiding the farming now. So while the influence of the Mohist and Agricultural Schools is still there and you are still considered sages, set a correct image for future generations. Ignorant descendants will only follow the footsteps of the sages, and you should become sages."
Xianghe asked, "Duke Zhu Xiang will surely become a wise man."
Xu Ming also nodded.
Zhu Xiang shook his head: "It's far from enough for me alone. Besides, I..."
Zhu Xiang paused for a long time and sighed, "I am in a very high position. Perhaps people in the future will pay more attention to my private affairs with the King of Qin and the high officials of Qin, and ignore my thoughts and persistence."
"For example, they might say that I am a god, or they might make up a very noble ancestor for me, and they would never admit that I am just a commoner."
"I treat the common people well not because I sympathize with them, but because I know that I am the same as them. But people in the future will not think so. They will regard all my efforts as the cultivation of a noble, the pity of a superior person for the lower class."
"I am a close friend of the future King of Qin, the uncle of another future King of Qin, and one of the noblest people in the Qin State and even the Qin Dynasty." Zhu Xiang said, "You must become sages, because you are Mohists and agriculturalists. In the eyes of future generations, you are purer and more like sages. They will be more willing to learn from your ideas."
Xu Ming and Xiang He did not understand the meaning of Zhu Xiang's words now.
Zhu Xiang did not continue to explain.
He couldn't explain it either. After all, there were too many "memes" about him, and perhaps people in the future were keen on playing with memes, making up countless interesting gossips about him and ignoring the truth he wanted to convey.
Zhu Xiang himself didn't really care. If he could make future generations happy, that would be interesting. But as a sage, he probably didn't qualify.
Especially the identity of Qin Shihuang's relative.
"We've rested enough, let's continue." Zhu Xiang said, "Today's mission is still heavy, I hope we can reach the next county before dark."
Xu Ming and Xianghe wiped their faces and hands hastily, then mounted their horses with Zhu Xiang and headed for their next destination.
They inspected the fields and urged the county magistrate to build irrigation canals and waterwheels and millstones.
They also had to collect some crop seeds that were different from those of the Qin State, and Zhu Xiang would use these seeds to hybridize and cultivate more varieties.
Zhu Xiang has moved his vegetable fields to Wujun, and when he returns this time, he will cultivate new vegetables.
Cabbage, cabbage, when will you appear
Zhu Xiang hummed a weird tune and sighed in his heart.
The cabbage that was once an inconspicuous dish on the dinner table had been brought from Zhao to Qin, from the time when Ying Xiaozheng was not yet born until he was over nine years old, but it had still not been cultivated.
The power of one person is so limited.
Since Xu Ming and Xianghe gave up their high positions and generous salaries and continued to follow him, he should let Xu Ming and Xianghe join as well.
Zhu Xiang actually taught many disciples. Although these disciples, like Zhu Xiang, began to pay attention to the fields, they only limited themselves to guiding farming and could not devote all their energy to cultivating good varieties.
At this time, and even later, the goal of scholars was to become an official.
Whether it is for money and power, or for ideals, the way is to become an official.
Zhu Xiang understood very well, so he wished them a happy future and then quietly did his own thing.
So he really didn't have time to go to the court to serve as prime minister.
I don't know if Zheng'er is doing a good job as the governor of Wu County. With two future important officials, Meng Tian and Li Si, by his side, it should be much easier, right
In the Wucheng County Magistrate's Mansion, Ying Xiaozheng sat on a high chair. Although his legs had grown a lot, they still couldn't reach the ground. He puffed his face and shook his legs. He slammed the table fiercely: "I asked you to do something, and this is how you treat me perfunctorily?!"
Meng Tian and Li Si stood in front of Ying Xiaozheng, shaking with a pile of documents in their arms.
Fortunately, after Li Mu arrived in Wujun, he immediately built a papermaking workshop, so that most of the documents here were turned into paper. Otherwise, if these two people were shaking like this, the bamboo slips in their arms would probably fall out.
Ying Xiaozheng picked up a "report" that Li Si had just made and tapped on it with his fingers: "Who taught you to keep accounts like this? All the numbers are a mess, how can anyone read them clearly? Didn't I give you an example? Don't you understand lists? Can't you do simple numbers? Can't you draw a graph? I've taught you so many times, didn't you remember a single word!"
Li Si said awkwardly: "This, this I am learning, I am learning..."
He really didn't mean to not follow Gongzi Zheng's standards, he just hadn't learned it yet. But Gongzi Zheng gave him a deadline, so he had to hand in his results first!
"And Meng Tian, do you know how to keep your word?!" Ying Xiaozheng put down the "report" and threw a document at Meng Tian.
But the document was so light that it didn't float over. At this time, Ying Xiaozheng really hoped that he would still use the bamboo slips to smash Meng Tian, the man who was holding him back.
Meng Tian didn't dare to speak.
Of course Meng Tian knew numbers and was good at arithmetic.
But Ying Xiaozheng's requirements were too high. He asked Meng Tian to calculate the accounts, and Meng Tian couldn't finish them even if he stayed up all night fiddling with the abacus. Because of staying up all night, his calculations in the second half of the book were a mess.
Ying Xiaozheng took a deep breath and said, "I've already cut it in half for you, and you still can't finish it!"
Meng Tian continued to be afraid to speak and could only keep apologizing.
“Ahhh.” Ying Xiaozheng rubbed his little hair vigorously, “Why hasn’t my uncle come back yet? Not only did he not come back, he also took everyone away!”
This was not the first time that Ying Xiaozheng served as acting county magistrate.
When in Shu County, Li Bing asked Zhu Xiang to perform some of the duties of the county governor in order to focus on water conservancy. Zhu Xiang handed over part of the work to Ying Xiaozheng.
But at that time, although Li Bing was away, he was also responsible for part of it; Zhu Xiang was in charge of most of the money and grain matters, so Zhu Xiang was also doing the accounting; Zhu Xiang brought many disciples, all of whom were able to assist Ying Xiaozheng.
When they arrived in Wujun, most of the disciples who had followed Zhu Xiang south had become officials of Southern Qin, and a small number of them returned to the Xianyang Academy to continue their studies.
Although Zhu Xiang brought a group of people from Xianyang Academy, most of the students in Xianyang Academy worked with the professors of the academy, such as Xunzi, who had already entered officialdom. Obviously, being with the King of Qin was more attractive to these students than being "sent out" with Zhu Xiang.
Some of this small group of people stayed in Nanjun, and some followed Zhu Xiang. They were able to resist the temptation to stay in the power center of Qin State. They were all thoughtful and capable people. They would naturally follow Zhu Xiang to measure the new land of Qin State with their feet instead of sitting in Wucheng to handle paperwork.
Therefore, apart from the original officials of Wu County, the only people around Ying Xiaozheng were Li Si and Meng Tian, whom Zhu Xiang jokingly called the "two generals".
Of course, the efficiency of Wujun officials could not keep up with Ying Xiaozheng, so Ying Xiaozheng could only hope that these two important ministers of Ying Zheng could stand up.
He estimated the amount of work he could complete and halved the amount for the two men, but they still didn't finish it.
Ying Xiaozheng was very angry.
If the old servant left by his uncle before he left had not been staring at him closely, forcing him to get the four hours of good sleep that his uncle had instructed him to get when he left, he could have done all the work for these two people by sleeping two hours less!
"Zheng'er, if a child goes to bed late, not only will he not grow tall, but he will also become overworked and fat. You don't want to be short and fat in the future, do you?"
Uncle's devilish tone sounded in Ying Xiaozheng's mind.
Ying Xiaozheng held his head and shook it hard.
Uncle, get out!
After scolding them, Ying Xiaozheng crossed his arms and looked at the two ministers angrily: "It seems that I have to teach you from the beginning."
He had to admit that his uncle was right again.
When his uncle left, he told him that although Meng Tian and Li Si were capable, they were not adapted to Ying Xiaozheng's working style. Ying Xiaozheng had already mastered the working tools, but these two knew nothing about them and would definitely not be able to keep up with Ying Xiaozheng's efficiency.
Ying Xiaozheng should temporarily put down the work at hand, teach them numerical symbols, abacus charts and other work tools, and then slowly improve their efficiency.
But Ying Xiaozheng saw that the paperwork had piled up because Li Mu came to "pick up" his uncle and himself, so he immediately rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
He can't tolerate work piling up without being done, so how can he have time to teach others
These tools are so simple, and he believes that Li Si and Meng Tian will be able to learn them gradually in their work after teaching them once.
Now, his trust has been betrayed.
"Is it difficult?" Ying Xiaozheng gritted his teeth. He only had a few teeth left, and some of them were loosened from grinding.
The two men bowed their heads in silence.
What would they say? The tools that Ying Xiaozheng taught them were new to them, and they were resistant to them
If they said that, they would probably be kicked out immediately.
When Ying Xiaozheng's work efficiency was many times higher than theirs, they realized that those strange symbols and pictures might really be useful.
But even if they realize it, those symbolic pictures are completely different from the numbers and arithmetic they know, and they find it difficult to learn by following the examples.
To put it bluntly, when they looked at the examples given by Ying Xiaozheng, it was like looking at ghost paintings, and circles would appear around their eyes if they looked at them for too long.
While Ying Xiaozheng continued to curse, Zhu Xiang's voice rang out from outside.
In the ears of Meng Tian and Li Si, Zhu Xiang's voice sounded like the sound of immortals, making them burst into tears.
"Zheng'er! I told you to take a nap every day, why are you still working?"
Ying Xiaozheng's anger immediately disappeared and a look of panic appeared on his face.
He jumped off his chair and ran behind the screen, where there was a cot, and pretended to be taking a nap.
He ran so fast that he forgot to take off his shoes.
Zhu Xiang pulled back the thin blanket and looked at Ying Xiaozheng, who was pretending to be asleep with his hands on his chest. He said with a smile, "I heard you cursing outside the door. Why are you pretending now? You haven't even taken off your shoes!"
Ying Xiaozheng opened his eyes: "Uncle, why are you back?"
Zhu Xiang said, "Didn't I say I would come back once every two weeks? What's wrong? Is your work not going well?"
"Hmph." Ying Xiaozheng buried his face under the pillow.
He didn't want to tell his uncle that he didn't follow his uncle's suggestion, so there was trouble at work, although his uncle would know it soon.
"Aren't you sleepy? If not, get up first. I brought some fresh lotus seeds. I'll make you some lotus seed and white fungus soup to nourish your body." Zhu Xiang said, "It's only been half a month, how come you've lost so much fat on your face."
Zhu Xiang dug his nephew out from the pillow and pinched his cheek lovingly.
The flesh is still very soft, but the baby fat has disappeared a lot.
Ying Xiaozheng was pinched so hard that he couldn't speak clearly: "It's better if there is less meat."
Zhu Xiang asked, "Do you want to take a nap or drink lotus seed soup?"
Ying Xiaozheng said: "I couldn't sleep, so I felt refreshed."
Zhu Xiang asked curiously, "What makes you so angry? Meng Tian and Li Si are both quite capable, right?"
Ying Xiaozheng snorted coldly: "Not even close."
Zhu Xiang guessed something in his heart and rubbed the small tuft on his nephew's head: "Rest first. Your uncle will help you deal with the things they haven't dealt with yet."
After saying that, Zhu Xiang picked up Ying Xiaozheng.
Ying Xiaozheng put his arms around Zhu Xiang's neck and whispered, "I can walk by myself."
Zhu Xiang said: "Let uncle hold her a few more times now. When she grows a little bigger, uncle won't be able to hold her anymore."
Ying Xiaozheng lay on Zhu Xiang's shoulder, and for some reason, he suddenly felt a little sleepy.
He yawned, rested his face on Zhu Xiang's shoulder and closed his eyes.
Zhu Xiang glanced at Ying Xiaozheng's tired face, smiled helplessly and sighed.
It seems that he should not trust his nephew too much this time. He thought Zheng'er had done a good job in Xianyang and Shujun, and this time should be similar, so he left with peace of mind.
Zhu Xiang held Ying Xiaozheng and pretended to walk out. After Ying Xiaozheng's breathing became even, he held Ying Xiaozheng back to the small bed behind the screen, helped Ying Xiaozheng take off his shoes and clothes, and covered him with a thin quilt.
Ying Xiaozheng was still sleeping like a well-fed piglet as before. When Zhu Xiang tormented him, he groaned a few times, but kept his eyes closed and slept soundly.
Zhu Xiang rubbed Ying Xiaozheng's face, returned to the outside of the screen, and gestured to Meng Tian and Li Si, who were holding their breath, to ask them to take the documents on the table and go to another room to deal with them.
Meng Tian and Li Si hurriedly followed Zhu Xiang's footsteps.
After Zhu Xiang flipped through the document that Ying Xiaozheng had crumpled up, he smiled and shook his head.
He suggested that Ying Xiaozheng teach the two people digital symbols and chart tools first, but Ying Xiaozheng was too impatient and hoped that the two people would learn while working. As a result, half a month later, the two people had not mastered it at all, so he became anxious.
Professors often encounter people like Ying Xiaozheng when they teach students.
When a professor like him guides students, he certainly doesn't teach them step by step. He basically gives the students a basic understanding and then hands them over to the seniors to work with.
The old students who are already familiar with the experimental process always think that these tools are very simple and the freshmen can learn while working; the freshmen are completely in the dark, the brave ones will ask questions, while the timid ones will figure it out on their own, and the more they think, the more they fall behind.
Meng Tian and Li Si obviously didn't dare to grab Ying Xiaozheng and ask him about the things he didn't understand, so he remained confused.
Zhu Xiang felt a little regretful. He wondered if he should not have let Meng Tian and Li Si establish a different concept of the relationship between monarch and minister from Ying Xiaozheng so early in their minds.
If he deliberately brought Meng Tian, Li Si and Zheng'er closer, Zheng'er might be more tolerant of them for his own sake.
However, as soon as this thought came to his mind, he suppressed it.
Zhu Xiang did not interfere with the way Ying Xiaozheng interacted with his new ministers because he knew that he was full of inappropriate ideas. Even if he did not teach them intentionally, even if others just watched his behavior and accidentally learned a little bit, it would be a disaster.
He can maintain his current appearance because of his title of great sage, the help of his friends, his friendship with Xia Tong since their humble beginnings, and the grace of raising Zheng'er.
If Meng Tian and Li Si want to serve as important ministers under Ying Xiaozheng, the sooner they understand the difference between the monarch and his subjects, the better.
"How could Zheng'er be wrong" is not just his indulgent remark when joking, but also "the fact".
King Zheng of Qin and Qin Shi Huang could not have done anything wrong. Even if they did, it would be his ministers, not the king, who would bear the responsibility.
He had hoped that the children of his friends such as Meng Tian could become friends with Ying Xiaozheng, just like Xia Tong and himself.
But after all these years of getting along, Zhu Xiang got to know Ying Xiaozheng better and better and knew that this was impossible.
It was like if Xia Tong had met him after meeting Lu Buwei, he and Xia Tong would not have become friends.
When they became friends, Xia Tong never thought that he would have the opportunity to become the King of Qin, so the two could interact with each other on an equal footing.
Zhu Xiang put away his disappointment and said with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work. You have done a good job. Zheng'er's requirements are too high. But if you want to keep up with Zheng'er, you still have to learn more. I will teach you before leaving."
Li Si and Meng Tian quickly bowed to express their gratitude.
Zhu Xiang sighed, "I should have taught arithmetic classes at Xianyang Academy. Why do you two know nothing about this even though you both studied at Xianyang Academy?"
Li Si and Meng Tian looked at each other.
Were these symbols taught at the Xianyang Academy
Zhu Xiang did not interfere too much in the affairs of the Xianyang Academy, which brought together the best talents in the world and was a very sensitive place.
He was already too powerful and a relative of the emperor. The Xianyang Academy was closely related to him, and if he paid more attention to it, it would easily make the King of Qin wary.
Even though King Qin Zhu is a generous person now, the King of Qin is still the King of Qin, and Zhu Xiang must remember his duties.
Although Zhu Xiang was "wild" in his relationship with the King of Qin, he was actually very careful about his degree. He stayed away from the center of power, did not interfere with the real power that would shake the rule of Qin, and tried his best to put himself in a weak position - Zhu Xiang did not even have retainers or servants to serve as guards, and his honor, disgrace and safety all depended on the King of Qin.
Any minister in Xianyang City has more power to protect himself than Zhu Xiang, not to mention the feudal lords who have fiefs.
Because Zhu Xiang was very "weak", he was able to take away the King of Qin's sheep after quarreling with him without being punished.
But thinking that he had set so many useful tasks for the Xianyang Academy, which might not have been implemented, Zhu Xiang couldn't help but overstep his boundaries a little.
"I can write letters to the King of Qin. These things are very useful for officials. We must learn them." Zhu Xiang sighed, "We can't just learn laws and moral articles. If we don't know arithmetic, how can we manage the affairs? We can't hire clerks to help us manage official business. Officials can only stamp seals."
This was the case with many feudal officials in later generations.
Because they were promoted through the imperial examination system, they had only studied the classics all their lives and knew nothing about mundane affairs. They didn't even know how to do arithmetic or understand account books.
Therefore, when they were local officials, they would hire many clerks. The real power of the local government was in the hands of these clerks. Most of the clerks were from local tyrants, so it was equivalent to these local tyrants holding the real power of the local government and becoming the actual rulers of the local area. It is difficult for a strong dragon to suppress a local snake, that's how it is.
The Qin State is not like this now.
Because the laws of the Qin State were very detailed, officials had many responsibilities and had to do every little thing themselves. Almost every official who did not make mistakes during the evaluation was a capable official who was proficient in common affairs.
Also, because the Qin officials were too capable in general affairs, after the Qin unified the world, it was unable to recruit so many capable officials, causing the grassroots level to be almost out of control.
Zhu Xiang proposed to build the Xianyang Academy in order to make up for this future shortcoming as soon as possible. However, if the Xianyang Academy only trained "high-level talents", then this proposal would not achieve the effect Zhu Xiang wanted.
Zhu Xiang sighed.
I wonder if Xunzi will be angry again if he interferes in the affairs of Xianyang Academy. Xunzi probably won't be angry, but now there are so many "professors" in Xianyang Academy who might question it.
If he had not questioned the course he set, Li Si and Meng Tian would not have been so clueless.
Zhu Xiang scratched his head in annoyance.
I was in Xianyang, but I didn't know about these things about the Xianyang Academy. If I didn't deliberately ask about it, I would be deaf and blind in this era without media.
I didn't know anything about the Xianyang Academy in Xianyang, let alone the news from other places.
But even though Zhu Xiang knew such drawbacks, he did not dare to propose that the King of Qin publish a newspaper.
Now the mainstream is to fool the people. He has already touched the nerves of the king by requesting to open a government school on the grounds of training officials. If he opens the way for people to speak out, I guess King Qin Zhu will slap himself with a ruler.
In fact, Zhu Xiang had tried to test him once, but Lin Zhi quickly told him to shut up.
Although the people living in the city, that is, the lower-class scholars in the Zhou Dynasty, could talk freely in taverns, the Zhou Dynasty also had censors who collected public opinions and reported them to the emperor, who were the predecessors of novelists.
But with the gradual establishment of a centralized feudal system, such things will become less and less common.
Moreover, this is the Qin State. Since Shang Yang's reform, anyone who dares to discuss state affairs will be punished with death.
The thoughts of all schools of thought also converged on "fooling the people", that is, making the people simple and honest, and not thinking too much. Unrestricted freedom of speech among the common people was something that could only be done when the feudal system was already on the decline and the imperial system was gradually collapsing.
What the world needs nowadays is unity, and unity requires unity of thought, which in turn requires curbing speech.
This is why Qin Shihuang burned books.
Qin Shihuang was not the only one who burned books. Later emperors mostly controlled the circulation of books in the name of editing books. Qin Shihuang was just too rough in his actions, and the copy he left in the Xianyang Palace was burned by Xiang Yu.
When dynasties change, the first thing the new rulers do is to protect the books of the previous dynasty. They all know that the new dynasty needs the crystallization of knowledge from the previous dynasty to gain a foothold.
Zhu Xiang shook his head to shake off his wild thoughts, and asked the exhausted Li Si and Meng Tian to go home and rest while he dealt with the documents himself.
(End of this chapter)