***
The sky is white, and a faint ray of morning light shines through the window. It's almost dawn.
Qin Mu was awakened by the chirping of magpies in the garden. In the early morning of July, the temperature was extremely cool.
There was a faint trace of frost on the window sill. The breeze entered the window and blew the curtain beside the large bed, fluttering softly.
Qin Mu opened his hazy sleepy eyes and saw the jade-butted Chunwan surrounded by him. The corners of his mouth could not help but curl up slightly, and the romantic affair of killing three birds with one stone last night suddenly appeared in his mind.
In the past, he had brought Li Xiangjun and Dong Xiaowan together from time to time, but Momo and Ruoruo, sisters who looked alike, gave people another indescribable feeling.
Qin Mu really wanted to stay in bed and sleep a little longer in this refreshing morning with his two beautiful bodies, but he couldn't. He used great perseverance to gently pull away from the two sisters.
Momo and Ruoruo still woke up, "Ah... King Qin, forgive me, King Qin, forgive me." Seeing that Qin Mu had already gotten up and dressed, the two sisters quickly apologized.
"It's still early. You can sleep a little longer. There is no need to get up and wait today."
"This can't be done..." The sisters had just transformed from girls to women last night and had some inconvenience in their movements, but they still insisted on dressing up and helping Qin Mu dress and comb his hair.
Qin Mu left them alone. With their status, if you don't let them get up, you may make them panic. It was still dark, so Momo lit the candlestick familiarly, and Ruoruo took a comb to help him comb his hair.
"By the way, what are your sisters' last names?"
"My surname is Yang!" Ruoruo, who was relatively playful, showed a bright smile after saying this, as if she was laughing at how King Qin asked such a silly question.
"I'm asking what your original last name is?"
"I don't know. We have been with the princess since we were children. The maid asked the princess, and the princess asked the old lady, but even the old lady didn't know. She only said that our sisters were only four years old when they bought us, and we were not there at that time. Remember to ask the fangs what our last names are.”
"Why does King Qin ask this?"
"It's okay, just have a casual chat."
At this time, Yang Zhi also rushed over, wearing an ethereal Xiangshui skirt that made her look particularly light. "Husband, won't you sleep a little longer?" Her face was full of distress, and she was holding a cup of hot steam in her hand. of nourishing medicinal porridge.
"Leave it for now, and wait until I rinse my mouth before drinking. By the way, is my son awake?"
"Not yet, why don't I go over and bring him over. Let your husband..."
"No, a child can develop well only if he gets enough sleep. Let him sleep."
Qin Mu was too busy and rarely had the chance to hold his son. Even Yang Zhi, a mother, felt a little regretful.
She secretly looked at Qin Mu and felt relieved when she saw that he was in good spirits and not showing signs of weakness.
Last night it was her first, followed by Momo and Ruoruo. At that time, I just wanted to make my husband happy and I didn’t worry too much;
Afterwards, when she went back alone to sleep with her son, she worried that Qi Gelang's body wouldn't be able to bear it. After all, he had so many military and political affairs to be busy with during the day.
"What are you looking at? You think I can't get up, right?" Qin Mu suddenly said something, which made Yang Zhi very embarrassed, and her pretty face turned red again.
When Qin Mu came out of the back garden, it was not bright yet. Sima Kai has been waiting at Houyuanmen for a long time. Although he is only the person responsible for organizing and recording documents around Qin Mu now, he does not even have a formal official position. He has no say in military and political matters.
But he still cherished this opportunity very much and worked hard every day, waiting here before dawn. Qin Mu saw this and was naturally very satisfied.
"Le Zhi, I heard that you are preparing to take the rites examination?" Qin Mu asked harmoniously as he walked away.
"Yes, King Qin."
"In that case, you don't have to follow me before the big exam. Stay at home. This is my first imperial exam in Da Qin. Don't expect that the examiner will take care of you with your father around."
"How dare students make such delusions? The students are grateful for the King of Qin's care. However, the Minister of Rites, Du Shangshu, has posted a notice saying that the modern subject will not focus on eight-legged essays, but on current policies. This is not a memorization. Poems and books are useful.”
"How did the scholars in the city react to Shangshu Du's notice?"
Qin Mu seemed to be asking casually, but in fact he was very concerned about this issue. Since the Ming Dynasty, scholars have been accustomed to taking the test on eight-legged essays. Now the Ministry of Rites has posted a notice in advance, mainly to see how the scholars will react;
If the opposition is too fierce, the Qin State, which has just established Ji Li Zuo, will have no choice but to continue to take the Eight-Part Part essay, because although it is important to select talents now, it is more important to win over the hearts of scholars.
"Of course there are many people who oppose it, but nearly half of them support it. Yesterday, Academician Gu from the Hanlin Academy wrote an article specifically discussing the dangers of eight-part essays. Last night, students went to sit in a tavern where scholars gathered in the city. After a while, I found that there are many people supporting Bachelor Gu.”
"Oh? Gu Yanwu wrote an article? What did he say in the article?"
"Returning to the King of Qin, Grand Scholar Gu mentioned in the article that the harm of eight-legged writing is equivalent to burning books and destroying talents, which is worse than the more than 460 people trapped in the suburbs of Xianyang."
"Hahaha, Gu Yanwu is so courageous. He dares to make an issue of my ancestor's burning of books and humiliation of Confucian scholars. I will definitely slap him later. What else did he say?"
Sima Kai smiled easily and said: "King Qin, Grand Scholar Gu said in the article that the eight-legged essay is all about form and has no content. The article is fixed in the format, and even the number of words is customized. The readers just write it perfunctorily according to the meaning of the title. Thoughts Being restricted by stereotyped articles is not conducive to academic progress.
At the same time, Academician Gu also advocated benefiting the country and enriching the people, and believed that those who are good for the country should hide it among the people. He advocates practical application of the world, opposes empty talk, pays attention to seeking evidence, and proposes: A gentleman learns to understand the way and save the world. It's just poetry. What's the use of so-called carving and seal carving? "
"A gentleman's purpose is to learn, to understand the way, and to save the world..."
Qin Mu murmured to himself that the reason why Gu Yanwu was willing to come to Wuchang to join him in the first place was probably because he had such thoughts.
When I was building Yuelu Academy, it was based on the concept of enlightening the world and saving the world. Therefore, I abandoned the unity of nature and man in Neo-Confucianism and chose the more pragmatic unity of knowledge and action.
This time he opened the Enko after the founding of the country and will be held in mid-October, with three months left. This matter is no small matter. It must be done in a decent manner, and it must not be like what Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong did in the past, where they randomly grabbed a few students to show off their achievements and only made people laugh.
The imperial examination is not only an important means of selecting talents, but also the most direct and effective means of attracting scholars. Currently, there are still a large number of official vacancies in various departments. Many officials have to manage the affairs of several people by themselves, and it is inevitable that they will make mistakes while busy.
As the war progressed, a large number of officials with real talents and knowledge were needed to take over the management, and many scholars came to join them. However, it is difficult to guarantee whether he has the ability to govern. Qin Mu wants to cancel the eight-legged article and take some practical knowledge in the world, hoping to select real talents.
Now after listening to Sima Kai's words, I feel a lot more at ease. As long as half of the scholars support it, he will dare to cancel the eight-legged article.
"Le Zhi, you should go back and study behind closed doors first. The big exam is coming up in three months. Don't embarrass your father." Qin Mu was a little surprised. With Sima An's shrewdness, he didn't remind his son. Could it be that he was too busy? Don't care anymore.
Sima Kai woke up in shock. Knowing that Qin Mu wanted him to avoid suspicion, he quickly bowed his head and said, "Thank you, King Qin, for your teaching. I will go home and study now."
"Well, go ahead. Work harder."
"Students will definitely live up to the cultivation of King Qin."
Qin Mu came to the Chongzheng Hall in front. Although the first ray of sunlight had risen, the hall was still very dark. The lights were still on, so when I went in, I saw that Sima An, Zhuge Min, Li Yuan and others all had red and swollen eyes and were working on official business at their desks.
"You didn't go back last night?" Qin Mu asked in a voice.
"I have met the King of Qin. How can I dare to slack off before I have finished handling my duties?"
Several people in the palace stood up and saluted. Before Qin Mu could say anything, Sima An immediately handed an urgent message to Qin Mu and said, "King Qin, this is the information just sent back last night. Zuo Meng As expected, Geng led his generals Zhang Yingxiang, Xu Ensheng, Hao Xiaozhong, Xu Yong, Zhang Yingyuan, Xu Yuxian and others to surrender to Tong Tulai. Fortunately, Zuo Liangyu's deputy generals Hui Dengxiang and Jin Shenghuan were unwilling to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. There are sixty thousand people in the flag ship coming west."
"What are the plans of Prime Minister Hui Deng and Jin Shenghuan? Have they sent someone to contact them?" Qin Mu hurriedly sat down and asked.
Ever since Zuo Mengeng was defeated and moved west, he had actively sent people to contact him, hoping to recruit the 200,000 troops to surrender, but Zuo Mengeng had been unwilling to surrender.
During this period, Qin Mu was busy fighting against Azige, and then he was busy reorganizing Li Zicheng's troops and Guan Ning's army. He also had to deal with the attacks of Tong Tulai and Kong Youde on the eastern front, so he had no time to deal with his troops.
"Don't worry, King Qin. He has already sent someone. It is estimated that there will be no return until the afternoon. In addition, Di Zhongxing has been ordered to urgently deploy defenses."
"Well, since Prime Minister Hui Deng and Jin Shenghuan did not surrender to the Qing Dynasty, but led their troops to the west, they are more likely to surrender to our great Qin. We are in need of ships, and we must strive to receive this army smoothly no matter what."
"Yes, King Qin, there is another important news. Duduo has handed over the affairs in the south of the Yangtze River to Hong Chengchou, and he has kissed Ashan and Mongolia Gushan'e Zhenma Laxi and Fulaketa. Han Dai and Mele Zhang Jingyi of the Shangshu clan De, Gebaku and other 80,000 troops began to cross the Yangtze River and return to the Central Plains."
"What? Duduo returns to the Central Plains in person?"
"Yes, King Qin, the information was sent back by Huang Lianshan himself, so it should not be wrong. Moreover, I have made some predictions and feel that there is a high possibility that Zuo Mengeng, the newly-reigned one from Duduo, will go north. Zuo Mengeng still has ten more people. Although the tens of thousands of troops cannot be a strong enemy in a head-on battle with our army, it would be worrisome if used to annihilate the rebels in the Central Plains."
Qin Mu secretly resented that at first he could not clearly see the situation and could understand Zuo Mengeng's refusal to join him. Now that he had clearly defeated Azig and stabilized the Huguang war situation, Zuo Menggen was still willing to be a lackey of the Manchus. This was It's so hateful.
It is a pity that none of the dead soldiers arranged by Huang Lianshan could lurk beside Zuo Mengeng, otherwise Qin Mu would have ordered his assassination without hesitation.
.(To be continued...)
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