Around noon, after having a vegetarian meal in the palace, Zhu Ping'an and Gao Gong returned to Prince Yu's Mansion from the West Garden together.
"Oh, Zihou, what's the point of setting up an altar and offering sacrifices to these natural and man-made disasters?!"
On the way back, Gao Gong put his hands behind his back, sneered, and spoke to Zhu Ping'an with a look of arrogance and indignation on his face.
this... ...
Zhu Ping'an didn't know how to answer Gao Gong's question. The topic raised by Gao Gong was politically wrong from the root. You know, Emperor Jiajing wanted to cultivate to become an immortal, and he respected Taoism in his heart, and fasting and offering sacrifices were an indispensable and important ritual of Taoism. Therefore, in this context, any doubts and criticisms about fasting and offering sacrifices were politically wrong.
Yang Ting, a veteran of three dynasties and the Prime Minister at that time, criticized the fasting and prayer services, saying that they were not credible. Emperor Jiajing was furious and dismissed him. The same thing happened to Xia Yan and others... These were all bloody lessons.
Don’t discuss fasting and offering sacrifices.
My master Xu Jie has reminded me of this more than once.
However, given Gao Gong's character, if he praised the fasting and offering ceremony against his will in order to avoid political mistakes, Gao Gong would surely spit in his face, and the friendship that he had worked so hard to build would definitely be ruined.
How to answer
This is a problem.
Just when Zhu Ping'an was in a dilemma, his eyes noticed the surrounding environment and the corners of his mouth instantly curled up.
hehe
Sure enough, none of those who have left a great name in history are simple, and Gao Gong, the old fox, is even more so.
Zhu Pingan secretly criticized Gao Gong.
Next, Zhu Ping'an also made an indignant expression, chuckled, and shook his head. His voice was not loud, but his momentum was impassioned. "Haha, in front of Brother Su Qing, Ping'an will not play tricks. In Ping'an's opinion, all fasting and setting up dips should be stopped in advance and should not be believed. Although setting up dips is a matter of praying, when there are natural disasters or man-made disasters, the first thing that should not be considered is 'setting up dips as a matter of praying', which is a waste of manpower, material resources and financial resources. In the case of natural disasters, we should provide disaster relief and rescue, learn lessons from them later and take precautions; in the case of man-made disasters, we should strictly govern people, rule them by law, and clean up politics..."
The reason why Zhu Ping'an dared to make such a statement was because he had just noticed the environment he was in out of the corner of his eyes.
Now I am in the square and there is no one around. As long as I control my voice, I don't have to worry about my words getting to others' ears.
The reason why Gao Gong dared to be so angry just now must be because he noticed this point. Otherwise, with Gao Gong's intelligence and more than ten years of experience in the officialdom, he could think of it that fasting and offering sacrifices should not be criticized, so how could Gao Gong not think of it
That's why Zhu Ping'an secretly criticized Gao Gong, the old fox.
"Zihou is right. Tao Zhongwen, the old Taoist priest, has performed hundreds of rituals. If they were effective, then the Ming Dynasty would have been blessed with good weather, peace and prosperity. How could there be such natural and man-made disasters..."
Gao Gong nodded, and then began to complain indignantly. He had great dissatisfaction with the fasting and offering sacrifices, and with Tao Zhongwen.
After crossing the square, more and more people came. Gao Gong changed the topic without leaving a trace and discussed the meaning of the classics with Zhu Pingan. Zhu Pingan seemed not to notice the change of environment. He seemed to be attracted by the topic of the classics raised by Gao Gong and discussed the classics and the Spring and Autumn Annals with Gao Gong all the way.
As they discussed the classics and the Spring and Autumn Annals, they unknowingly arrived at Prince Yu's mansion.
After entering Prince Yu's Mansion, the two men walked along the middle road towards Chang'an Palace with ease. Chang'an Palace was the office location of Prince Yu's Mansion.
As they were walking along the middle road toward Chang'an Palace, when they were approaching the intersection of the middle and west courtyards, Zhu Ping'an and Gao Gong saw a group of people gathered in front of them. There were both men and women, mostly women, and they were in a mess. From time to time, there were sounds of scolding, arguing, and quarreling, mixed with the voices of girls crying in grievance.
What's going on
Zhu Ping'an looked up and saw a familiar face in the crowd. It was Manager Liu, who was standing in the middle of the crowd as the referee. However, seeing that Manager Liu was holding his forehead with his hand and frowning, it seemed that he was not optimistic about being a referee.
As I got closer, I could see more clearly and hear more clearly.
There was a piece of silk cloth lying on the ground, and the two maids who were arguing over it were both young. One was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a standard oval face, delicate features, and a rather pure look. The other was younger, and looked to be about fifteen years old. Although she was young, she had developed quite precociously, with a bulging chest. Although her face was still childish, she was naturally charming. Even when she was angry, she was still charming and attractive.
Both girls looked like angry victims at this moment.
There were more than ten girls around, and they were divided into two groups. One group supported the pure girl, and the other supported the charming girl. The two sides were in a subtle confrontation.
Steward Liu stood between the two quarreling girls as the referee, with two servants following behind him.
"You are talking nonsense. This is clearly the silk cloth I received. You stole it from me."
The innocent maid pointed at the charming girl and accused her angrily. Her shoulders trembled slightly and her eyes turned red. Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes, but she held them back stubbornly, not wanting to cry in front of everyone.
"You are talking nonsense. This is clearly the silk cloth I received. You stole it and are blaming me for it."
The charming girl's cheeks were puffed up, like a hamster with its mouth full of food. She pointed her little finger at the innocent maid and trembled with anger. Tears as big as beans fell from her charming little face, and her angry pouting little mouth seemed able to hold a small silver bottle.
"I believe Mo'er, it must be you, Feng'er, who stole it. Just admit it honestly. You just did something wrong because you were too careless. We will plead for you to the steward. We know your background. Your father is a poor bricklayer. His family suffered a disaster and couldn't survive. He fled to the capital with his family. When he arrived in the capital, your father couldn't find a living and your mother was sick. That's why your father sold you and brought you to our house. You stole the silk cloth for your family. Just admit it honestly. We all came to the house together and will plead for you. Considering your filial piety, the steward will give you a lighter sentence."
"That's right, Feng'er. We all came into the mansion together. There's no need to hurt our sisterhood for a piece of silk. Have you forgotten how Sister Mo'er took care of you? You were cleaning the yard and missed dinner. Who brought you food? You broke the glass lampshade. Who asked Momo for mercy on your behalf..."
"Your family is short of money, so you can't steal things..."
Several maids behind the innocent maid couldn't help but stand up for the innocent maid and point fingers at the charming girl.
“You are talking nonsense. I was not the one who broke the glass lampshade last time…” The charming girl’s cheeks puffed up even more, and she wished she could scratch the maid who said she broke the glass lampshade.
"Sister Feng'er brought more food to Sister Mo'er."
"Sweeping the yard should have been Sister Mo'er's job..."
"Last time my hairpin fell off, and Sister Feng'er didn't pick it up, so she returned it to me. Sister Feng'er is not a thief."
The maid next to the charming maid was not willing to be outdone. She stood up for her and fought back against the pure maid group.
As for Manager Liu in the middle, he felt like countless ducks were quacking around him and his brain was exploding.