The imperial physician said that Xunzi was in good health, but he just had less energy and was sleepy due to old age.
Xunzi saw Zhu Xiang's anxious look and knew what he was worried about.
He smiled and said, "I am already very old, I can go to see the sage anytime. If I can die without any illness or pain and with a smile on my face, it will be a happy thing. If you always look sad, won't I die unsteadily? Besides, I think I still have a few more years to live, you can't die so early for me."
Xunzi stood up with the help of Zhu Xiang, leaning on his cane, looking into the distance: "Many Confucian disciples have been expelled from the six countries and are heading west to Qin. You are a person who can't sit still. If I ask you to stay in Xianyang to appease them, you will definitely not be able to do it. I will have to worry about you."
Xunzi sighed and said, "Many old guys will come this time. You have enough reputation, but not enough age. I have to keep them in check."
Zhu Xiang pleaded, "Xunzi, you should let others do some of the things you are doing. You must live longer, at least until the Qin Dynasty unified the world. By then, the world will be in turmoil, and many new systems will definitely need to be established. Without Xunzi, others will definitely not be able to do it well."
Xunzi tapped Zhu Xiang's arm with his cane and said unhappily, "How old am I? How can you rely on me alone? The teacher can accompany you for a while, but not for your whole life. You have to walk the rest of your life by yourself."
Zhu Xiang said: "I want the master to accompany me for the rest of my life."
Xunzi pretended to be angry and said: "If you say something willful again, I will use the ruler."
Zhu Xiang was not afraid of Xunzi's punishment, but he could only shut up.
He knew he was willful, but people always hated separation.
Fortunately, Xunzi was just sleepy and there was nothing wrong with his health.
Because Zhu Xiang submitted a memorial to depose the empress, Confucian disciples were expelled from the six kingdoms.
Although there were such voices in Qin, Xunzi was not only the prime minister of Qin, but also the emperor's teacher publicly recognized by Qin Wang Zichu. Crown Prince Zheng grew up in Xunzi's lap, and although Prime Minister Cai Ze and Prime Minister Lin Zhi were not Confucian disciples, they were also disciples of Xunzi.
If Xunzi were still alive, they would not have been able to expel Confucianism.
So the Confucian disciples who were expelled by the six states went west. For them, this was not only a place to find a place to realize their ambitions after being expelled. The Xianyang Academy, where Xunzi and Zhu Xiang were, was also a holy place of learning in their hearts. They went west for pilgrimage.
Confucian disciples were the most versatile people of this era. Unlike disciples of other schools who specialized in one subject, from this time on, there was a habit of "all-embracing sacred learning." For example, the six arts of a gentleman that they had to learn included all the knowledge that a scholar should learn.
Therefore, when Confucian disciples traveled west, they brought with them a large number of "not very practical" documents that would only be collected by the court and government, such as rituals, music, history books, etc.
Before these Confucian disciples came, Xunzi requested King Zichu of Qin to repair the library, expand the team of book editors, and accept these Confucian disciples.
King Zichu of Qin agreed to Xunzi's proposal on the grounds that Qin had to embrace the rest of the world before it could unify it. He not only built a library, but also edited and printed most of the books and distributed them to the middle schools in the counties.
At this moment, the Qin State finally institutionalized the academy selection system.
The one in Xianyang was a palace of learning, and the one in the county was an academy, each with officials in charge of education.
Students can enter the academy through the academy’s assessment every year. After studying in the academy for three years, they can be recommended by the academy to study in the Imperial Academy.
If you become a disciple of the academy, you can participate in the talent selection held by the King of Qin every three years and become an official of the Qin State.
At the same time, local county officials who were not directly appointed by the King of Qin had to obtain a recommendation from a graduate of an institution before they could take the exam.
This is not the imperial examination system, but something between examination and recommendation.
Zhu Xiang once mentioned the imperial examination system to Xunzi, Zichu and others, but they only absorbed some of his ideas and did not copy them in their entirety.
At this time, the aristocracy was still powerful, and there were not many poor scholars who could study. If the nobles were rashly brought down to the same level as the poor scholars, it would shake the rule of the Qin State. When the Qin State unified the six kingdoms, it would also encounter stronger resistance.
"Recommendation" is required for admission and examination, which creates more favorable conditions for the nobles who already have extensive connections, without blocking the way for scholars from poor families.
The so-called poor scholars now are the former nobles who were defeated in war or political struggle. If they were in the court, they would not agree to let the poor scholars have the same status as them.
Zhu Xiang understood the concerns of his elders and friends.
Later, scholars from poor families grew stronger because after many wars, many wealthy families were brought down to dust and became commoners. Now there are not many such scholars from poor families. Therefore, it is most appropriate to mainly recommend talents and let the King of Qin select officials by assessment only in the final selection.
Of course, it is also because the population is too small now. The total population of the Warring States Period was less than 30 million, and there were even fewer people who could read, so the King of Qin had to mark the papers personally.
When the population exceeds 100 million, the talent selection and assessment will definitely be changed. However, Zhu Xiang and others will not see that day, so they can only hope for the visionary future generations.
Worried that Xunzi was overworked, Zhu Xiang took the injured Ying Xiaozheng and took the initiative to take charge of receiving the scholars who had fled to Qin.
The six states said they would expel Confucian scholars, but once this was said, it soon became an excuse for the nobles to exclude dissidents. Therefore, the people who came to Qin were far more than Confucian scholars, but all kinds of philosophers.
With so many people suddenly pouring into Xianyang, Zhu Xiang was most worried about the living environment.
Today, the vegetation coverage rate of the Loess Plateau is still quite high. It was not until Xianyang became the capital of the Qin, Han and Tang dynasties and a city of one million people that the environment of the Loess Plateau deteriorated significantly.
Building houses and warming fires require trees, and to feed a population of millions, excessive reclamation of land is inevitable. The grass on the loess plateau was shoveled away, and soil erosion became very serious.
Although the Yellow River is likely to burst its banks, it is far from being a suspended river above ground. Neither has it diverted the Huai River into the sea, turning it into an inland river or making the Huai River basin a high-risk area for floods.
King Zichu of Qin was also paying attention to the influx of talents into Xianyang City.
Qin State had never had so many talented people come to it, and Prince Chu of Qin was both happy and sad. He dreamed that Xianyang City could become a super capital city where all the heroes of the world would gather.
Zhu Xiang threw a stack of papers in front of Zichu and calculated for Zichu how much food, wood and land would be needed, and how much damage these things would cause to the environment.
King Qin, although a metropolis with millions of people is great, the lower reaches of the Yellow River will be silted up and burst its banks.
Now it is the territory of the six kingdoms, so it doesn't matter, right? When you unify the world, you will have to spend your treasury money to dredge the river.
Zhu Xiang said: "At that time, let Xia Tong come to the house three times without entering."
Lin Zhi said, "I agree. This is the behavior of a saint. Your Majesty, you can do it!"
Cai Ze said: "Don't all sing the same tune. But your Majesty, this does need to be considered."
Zichu couldn't help but slam his head on the table: "Why does being a king require so many considerations?"
Zhu Xiang said: "If you don't want to be one, you don't have to... wuwu..."
Cai Ze quickly covered Zhu Xiang's mouth and said, "Your Majesty, don't listen to his nonsense."
Zichu sighed, "I've heard it... Let go, I don't believe that he can't find a solution by taking out this document."
Zhu Xiang broke free from Cai Ze's hand that was covering his mouth and said, "We can't let all these people gather in Xianyang City."
Cai Ze thought about it, shook his head and said, "They all came here to seek official positions from the King of Qin, and they will not leave Xianyang City easily."
Zhu Xiang said: "Qin can disperse them to various local academies."
Lin Zhi objected, "They are not familiar with Qin's laws yet. If we disperse them to the counties, I'm afraid they will cause trouble for Qin."
Zhu Xiang was speechless. Why did Lin Zhi sound like a Legalist? Lin Zhi, when did you become a Legalist disciple
Zichu thought for a moment and said, "We can first move the students from Xianyang Academy out. The county academy is in need of people."
Zhu Xiang asked, "How about building a college in the county?"
Zichu asked, "Do you have money?"
Cai Ze and Lin Zhi began to use the abacus, and after they finished, they said, "If you don't send troops, you will have money."
Now it was Zichu's turn to hesitate.
Of course he wanted to send troops. How could Qin unify without sending troops? Now Wang Jian and Li Mu have stopped at the border of Chu, waiting for the Chu people to negotiate with the "help" of the other five countries. Qin is now free of war, and Zichu really wants to expand the territory and speed up the unification process.
But if he raised an army, he would have no money to settle these talents coming to Qin.
Qin Wang Zichu hesitated for a while between the present and the future, and sighed: "Don't raise troops within three years."
Lin Zhi said: "We can't not raise troops. The Qin army needs military merit. If the Qin army needs military merit, they can go out and fight at will. Taking one or two cities a year will not cause too much burden to the Qin State."
Qin Wang Zichu said: "We will discuss this later. Let's settle the talents coming to Qin first."
So they decided to add a college to the county.
After calculating the bill, several people couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"I thought I had robbed a lot of money from Chu, but now it seems that the money is never enough." Lin Zhi sighed, "Your Majesty, it's hard to be the head of a family."
Qin Wang Zichu held his forehead. He began to admire his grandfather and his father. After he became the head of the family, he realized how difficult it was to be the head of the family.
Of course, he could ignore people's livelihood and insist on pushing forward the war of unification.
But he had so many talented people assisting him and was very ambitious. The Qin State not only wanted to be unified, but also to be unified safely. After the unification, the Qin Dynasty must enter a prosperous era.
Prince Chu of Qin knew that the unification of Qin was already an established fact, so his pursuit was no longer just unification.
He himself has some perfectionist tendencies, so it makes it even more difficult.
The emperor and his ministers worried for a long time and finally came up with a rough idea. Then they asked the ministers and officials in the court to join in the headache.
The Qin generals who were waiting to earn military merit were somewhat unhappy.
The Qin State did have a stronger foundation, but it had too few military achievements, most of which were taken away by Li Mu in the south.
The former king was recuperating, and they thought that with the replacement of the young King of Qin, it would be time for a good fight. Why was he still recuperating
What should they do with their military achievements while they rest and recuperate
Qin Wang Zichu thought of a way to appease them. Anyone who wanted to make military achievements should take turns to be Li Mu's deputy general.
Although Li Mu stopped fighting against Chu, he trained his troops in the south to be self-sufficient. Qin unified the world, and the south was also within the scope of the world. So going to the south to fight also had military merit.
The generals who wanted military merit were finally appeased and were quite happy.
In their eyes, the current Li Mu is the former Wu'an Jun Bai Qi. Who doesn't know that following Wu'an Jun Bai Qi to fight is to gain military merit for free? Presumably, the same is true for following Li Mu.
King Chu of Qin conferred the title of "Lord Wucheng" on Li Mu, hoping that Li Mu could help him achieve the goal of unifying the world under the Qin State.
A minister of the Qin State asked, King Zhaoxiang of Qin had promised Li Mu to be the future Marquis of Wu'an.
Qin Wang Zichu said: "Mr. Bai said that Wu'an Jun originally had no great significance. It was only because he became Wu'an Jun that the title became special. And Li Mu no longer needs to inherit his title. Li Mu is qualified to make another title as special as 'Wu'an Jun'. I deeply agree with you."
The ministers and officials in the court all agreed and were extremely envious.
Although Li Mu did not inherit the title of "Wu'an Jun", he was actually considered the "successor" of Wu'an Jun.
The heir who carries on the tradition.
After King Zichu of Qin used Li Mu to appease the generals, he finally arranged the matter of the county school.
Only then did the minister not object.
The Qin State actually wanted to open an official school in the county and send disciples from the Xianyang Academy to teach there. After the news of this move spread, the Confucian disciples who were still hesitating in the six countries began to pack their bags.
Many Confucian disciples did not claim to be Confucian disciples, so they would not be expelled unless they were included in the blacklist of any minister.
The Qin State had a bad reputation, and even with Zhu Xiang and Xunzi, they still didn't like the Qin State.
The prejudice that "Confucians are not allowed to enter Qin" cannot be changed overnight.
Moreover, Confucianism is not dominated by Xunzi alone. Although Mencius is dead, Confucian disciples who study Mencius's teachings are still strong. They do not want to respect Xunzi as their master and serve as officials under Xunzi.
But the Qin State actually opened official schools in the county, allowing the vast number of poor scholars to go to school, and they could no longer sit still.
This move by the Qin State was completely in line with the Confucian desire for "enlightenment".
So they temporarily put aside the academic disagreement between Xunzi and Mencius. If they missed the feat of Qin State opening a county school, they would definitely regret it for the rest of their lives.
So King Zichu of Qin got another group of talents, a group of talents that Xunzi could not suppress.
He felt more pain and more happiness.
Ying Xiaozheng was originally recovering from his injuries and was only doing some menial tasks such as receiving some prestigious scholars who came to the Qin State.
Zichu took a look at the healing condition of Ying Xiaozheng's wound, and regardless of Zhu Xiang's anger, he took his son to work.
He specifically instructed the guards of Xianyang Palace not to allow Changping Jun to enter the palace.
For a time, the city of Xianyang was in an uproar over this matter. Everyone said that Changping Jun forced the King of Qin to depose the Queen, which eventually made the King of Qin hate him.
Cai Ze was speechless: "How did these people know that the King of Qin had offended Zhu Xiang?"
Lin Zhi said, "He probably looked through his nostrils. Where's Zhu Xiang? Did he go over the wall to look for Zheng'er?"
Cai Ze laughed: "What are you thinking? Zheng'er is not around anymore, so he went back to farming and moved back to the manor."
Lin Zhi held his forehead with his hand: "Didn't he say he would help us? He went back to Zhuangzi to help? Humph!"
Cai Ze said: "He is helping Xunzi organize his manuscripts."
Lin Zhi put down his hand and said, "Help Xunzi? Then go ahead. There are so many Confucian disciples coming to Qin now, Xunzi must be very tired. The King of Qin is still young, he can handle it on his own."
Cai Ze smiled. He thought so too.
So a few days after Qin Prince Chu refused Zhu Xiang's entry into the palace, he learned that Zhu Xiang did not make a fuss at the palace gate. When he was surprised and asked Zhu Xiang about his situation, he learned that Zhu Xiang had skipped work and resigned again.
Zichu said to Ying Xiaozheng, "You must not be as lazy as your uncle!"
Ying Xiaozheng paused with his brush and gave his father an indifferent look.
What nonsense are you talking about? I was beaten by my uncle and aunt because I didn't take a nap due to my busy work. Lazy
"Father, when can my uncle and I go to Wujun? My aunt must miss us." Ying Xiaozheng said as he helped Zichu.
He still can't sit still.
Although there were many things to do in Xianyang City, they were all things he could not decide. He wanted to do things that he could decide.
Zichu asked, "Tell your aunt that you are injured and ask her to go back to Xianyang?"
Ying Xiaozheng immediately said, "Forget it then."
Zichu smiled and shook his head.
The father and son were busy for a while, and Zichu suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "Do you want to know where your biological mother's grave is?"
Ying Xiaozheng said indifferently: "I don't want to know."
Zichu said, "Zhu Xiang chose a green mountain for her burial. He also wanted to erect a monument for her and write an inscription to warn future generations, scolding her in the inscription."
Ying Xiaozheng then raised his head and asked: "Did you let your uncle mess around?"
Zichu threw a paper ball at Ying Xiaozheng: "What do you mean, you? Zheng'er, you should learn from Xunzi and change your tone of disrespect for elders. Of course it's impossible, Xunzi scolded your uncle."
Ying Xiaozheng caught the paper ball and breathed a sigh of relief: "My uncle is really... If others knew about this, they would definitely think he is petty."
Zichu said, "Indeed. And for your sake, this matter should be kept low-key. If someone reports you to the emperor in the future to overturn the case of repairing her tomb, you will be in trouble again. Zhu Xiang has already reflected on his inconsiderateness."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "My uncle often thinks things through inconsiderately, I'm used to it."
Zichu nodded: "Indeed."
The father and son were silent for a long time. Zichu asked again: "Zheng'er, do you really have no feelings for your biological mother?"
Ying Xiaozheng put down his pen, looked directly at Zichu and asked, "Why do you ask this, father?"
Zichu said, "The bond between mother and son is innate. I am worried that you will regret it in the future and blame Zhu Xiang instead."
Ying Xiaozheng was a little surprised that his father would say this so directly.
He shook his head first, then fiddled with his hair irritably.
"I will never blame my uncle." Ying Xiaozheng said, "I am not that kind of person."
Zichu said, "That's good."
Ying Xiaozheng did not answer whether he had no feelings for his biological mother at all, and Zichu did not want to ask further.
He knew that Ying Xiaozheng's feelings towards his biological mother were probably more of reluctance.
Why did you abandon me? Why do you regard me as an enemy? If you don't understand, you are unwilling to give up.
And unwillingness lasts longer than resentment and longing, just like him in the beginning.
But as long as Ying Xiaozheng remembers Zhu Xiang's kindness in raising him, he will not harm Zhu Xiang in the future.
"After Zhu Xiang buried your biological mother, I secretly sent someone to move her to another place." Zichu said, "She was indeed buried, but no one knows where she is buried except me."
Ying Xiaozheng said, "I see. Father, are you done? There are still documents as tall as a person that have not been processed."
Zichu threw another paper ball and scolded Ying Xiaozheng for being unfilial.
The father and son ended their brief conversation and continued to work on their paperwork.
At this time, Zhu Xiang was feeding chickens.
With nothing to do, Zichu and Ying Xiaozheng were about to finish their mourning period, so Zhu Xiang finally decided to figure out some chicken-raising techniques to nourish the bodies of the two.
Zhu Xiang is very good at delegating tasks to other people.
What kind of university professor is it if he doesn't have a few students running errands for him? Zhu Xiang was not a real saint. Although he didn't let his students do his own private work, he arranged for his junior students to take care of him, and he was lazy himself, only responsible for spot checking thesis homework.
After Zhu Xiang made some arrangements, he and Xunzi were free. Xunzi also watched him tumbling in the mud.
Xunzi said angrily: "The King of Qin is filial, but he still needs you to raise chickens for them? If this is recorded in the history books, people will think that the King of Qin is so frugal that he can't even afford chicken and wants Changping Jun to raise chickens for them."
Zhu Xiang argued: "How can the chickens raised in the palace be the same as the chickens I raise?"
Xunzi said, "The chickens raised in the palace eat precious medicinal herbs, while the chickens you raise eat these twisted insects. It is indeed different."
Zhu Xiang held up an earthworm and said, "Don't underestimate the earthworm method of raising chickens. Earthworms are beneficial insects that fertilize the soil. Raising chickens with earthworms not only makes the meat smoother and more tender, but also produces efficient fertilizer, which is killing two birds with one stone."
Xunzi said, "Yes, yes, you are the most knowledgeable about farming. Why don't you go find a farmer raising chickens? Why are you dragging me here to look at some insects?"
Zhu Xiang said, “I will use the first chicken fattened with earthworms to make soup for Xunzi!”
Xunzi: “…” He really didn’t want to eat.
Even though Xunzi was well-informed, he still got goosebumps when he saw the soft-bodied bugs tangled in a pile of mud.
The great Changping Jun was always tinkering with these things in the fields. No wonder many oriental scholars were greatly disappointed after meeting Zhu Xiang.
However, although Xunzi scolded Zhu Xiang, when someone was disappointed with Zhu Xiang because of this matter, Xunzi should have scolded others.
Food grows from the soil, and dealing with soil is so dirty. Zhu Xiang, as Lord Changping and the uncle of the Crown Prince, is willing to bury his head in the dust for the people of the world. How dare you scold him for being unbecoming? !
"It's really delicious!" Zhu Xiang said, "Chickens that eat earthworms grow meat very quickly! I'll stew one for Xunzi right now!"
"I don't eat stewed ones, I eat roasted ones." Although Xunzi was disgusted, he still agreed to eat this chicken that eats insects.
Zhu Xiang roasted a half-grown chicken for Xunzi. After washing his hands, he tore the meat into small strips and gave them to Xunzi, who had bad teeth and didn't like stews.
When Zhu Xiang was tearing the meat for Xunzi, an envoy from South Korea came to pay a visit to Xunzi.
He was puzzled: "Why do you come to see me during meal time?"
The servant said, "The man who came here brought Han Fei's letter of recommendation, so we dared not stop him and came to report."
Xunzi sneered: "If Han Fei were here, he would definitely scold this man out. Well, call him. Zhu Xiang, you continue."
Zhu Xiang continued to tear the chicken for Xunzi to eat.
Given Xunzi's age and status, what was wrong with him eating and entertaining young people when they came to visit? It was in accordance with the rules.
Judging from the appearance of the visitor, he should be about the same age as Zhu Xiang. He was also accompanied by a young boy with untied hair. It was unknown whether he was his son, so Zhu Xiang took a closer look.
The man saw Xunzi eating and a white-haired elder tearing meat for him, and he felt very embarrassed.
He deliberately chose to come to pay his visit in the afternoon, but he didn't expect that Xunzi was still having a meal after noon.
Xunzi said indifferently: "I am old and weak, so I eat small meals frequently. I am sorry that the Korean envoy laughed at me."
The man quickly said he didn't dare.
Xunzi asked, "What's the matter?"
The man introduced himself first: "I am the son of Zhang Ping, the Prime Minister of Han. My father passed away last year, and left a will when he died, hoping that I could persuade Gongzi Fei to come back. I heard that Gongzi Fei was a disciple of Prime Minister Xun, so I came to see the Prime Minister specially."
Zhu Xiang turned his head suddenly: "Son of Han Prime Minister Zhang Ping? Your name is Zhang Liang?!"
The man was surprised: "Sir, do you know my younger brother?"
The young boy was puzzled: "Sir, do you know me?"
Zhu Xiang looked at the bald-headed boy and turned his head back: "I don't know him... Hey, Xunzi, why did you throw chicken bones at me?"
Xunzi frowned. He deserved to be beaten for being so careless in front of the envoys of other countries!
(End of this chapter)