Everyone in the world lives for fame and fortune, and everyone in the world is an ant, but no one is willing to live a peaceful life. Therefore, asking a person to give up the fame and wealth that he has had for a long time, and to give up the worship and superior feeling given by the world, is sometimes even more painful than killing a person.
If this is the case for a single individual, let alone a wealthy family that has enjoyed being worshiped by the world for hundreds of years, suddenly gives up the influence, fame and fortune of the wealthy family. For them, this is no different from the disaster of annihilation. .
Since Cao Pi, Emperor Wen of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period, adopted the advice of his minister Chen Qun and abandoned the imperial examination system of the Han Dynasty and switched to the nine-level Zhongzheng system, it completely opened up a way for wealthy families to gain fame and fortune. Broad road.
More than four hundred years of accumulation are enough for such a system to be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, or flow into the blood and subconscious of the people. What's more, this is a system that wealthy families have monopolized for hundreds of years and have risked their lives to consolidate.
Because they know more than most people in the world what kind of huge benefits and prestige the Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System can bring to a big family. Sometimes, the royal family is like a puppet in their hands. Use their ideas to govern the country and treat the people of the world.
Therefore, during the implementation of the imperial examination system in these years, they were always looking forward to the collapse of the imperial examination system and the nine-level Zhongzheng system to be brought back into orthodoxy by the imperial court. For this reason, they spent two to three generations working hard to fight against the imperial court.
However, as more and more records on the resumes of court officials stated that they came from the imperial examination system rather than the ninth-grade Zhongzheng system, when this silent battle was about to end in their defeat, they began to He had to break the boat and make the last desperate struggle.
Li Hong understands very well that a system reform cannot be easily accomplished in a few years. After all, what you want to fight and reform is a system that has existed, developed, improved, and stabilized in China for more than four hundred years. system.
Judging from the time of dynasty changes in history, this has been a long-lived dynasty for one and a half years. In such a long period of time, a system has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and has even been deified into the ancestral law in the hearts of the people. It must never be thrown away.
Just like the education department in the previous life, sometimes there is another education reform, which will not only arouse opposition from the class, but even the common people who don't know what is going on will complain because of their temporary discomfort.
Time is the only criterion for testing truth. The reason why Li Hong was able to openly confront and break up with the wealthy family and the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes for many years with such determination and toughness was not because of how powerful he was, but because of the fact that he was more powerful than the Tang Dynasty today. As a person with more than a thousand years of modern consciousness, he knows better than anyone else that the imperial examination system will become a highly respected official selection system in every dynasty of the Chinese nation.
Moreover, this is also the most correct official selection system that evolved according to the laws of nature when the nine-level Zhongzheng system came to an end and is suitable for the current Chinese nation.
He somewhat understood why Father Long and Mother Long, after leaving the platform, ignored the requests of the officials and nobles outside and went straight to Luoyang Palace.
Because Li Zhi and Wu Mei have a more thorough understanding than Li Hong, who has been fighting against the gentry headed by Wu surname Qiwang, about the firm attitude of the wealthy family and Wu surname Qiwang towards their reputation, as well as the pain and hysteria about losing fame and fortune. .
So when Li Hong was suspicious and still wondering why his father and mother avoided these rich and powerful families like poisonous snakes and beasts, he saw the crowd of heads on the long street.
Li Hong felt that using the word "endless" to describe the crowds of people on the street was not very appropriate. He had never seen such a scene even on the battlefield.
The dozens of people in their 70s and 80s who were tremblingly kneeling in front of Li Hong could not even be named, and even few of them looked familiar. They all had sad and painful expressions on their faces, and they even knelt down in tears. On the street, facing the direction in which Li Hong and others came out, they kowtowed repeatedly, and the crowd in Wuyang Wuyang instantly began to cry out in pain one after another.
Although he couldn't understand what these tearful old people were saying with heartache and sorrow on their faces, but seeing them looking at him in misery and pleading, and some of them looking full of righteousness, Li Hong finally I can understand why my father and mother slipped out of the side door just now.
Behind dozens of old men, there was the sound of scholars crying and shouting for grievances. In the endless crowd of kneeling people, one after another, some scholars were bowing to him, and they were also wailing some words in their mouths. The scene looked rather sad, like a wet market that had been swept away by a natural or man-made disaster. There were voices of sadness and lamentation everywhere.
But in Li Hong's view, the scene in front of him made him feel a little embarrassed! Because their actions were not uniform, with their hands raised above their heads, and then kneeling down to the ground, Li Hong stood on the steps and looked at it. It always felt like a wave of people playing when fans were watching football. Then another wave.
"Your Majesty, I am petitioning for a prosperous Tang Dynasty..."
"Your Majesty, I have risked my life to remonstrate with you. If you abandon the nine-grade talent selection system in this way, our Tang Dynasty is in danger..."
"Your Majesty, the great country and country in the hands of the late emperor and Taizong cannot be destroyed in one day."
"Your Majesty, I want to see the court be clear and clear and the people prosperous and healthy all my life, but your Majesty cannot ignore the sufferings of the people all over the world just because of personal preferences..."
The words that occasionally reached Li Hong's ears made Li Hong couldn't help but look at the sparse white beards of those in front of them with old tears, even stained with the dirty dust on the ground, and their noses and tears were flowing towards them one by one. He talked about his life's wishes, as if the Tang Dynasty's strong national power and wealthy people were still far from their ideals.
Especially their compassionate image is as if Li Hong is an executioner, as if the people of the Tang Dynasty are still living in dire straits, suffering from hunger and cold.
Li Zhaode, the current governor of Luoyang, looked at the scene in front of him in embarrassment. Behind Li Hong, he apologized to a group of other officials from Luoyang. He said in a low voice and fear: "Your Majesty, such a scene is really my fault. I have no supervision." It is a serious crime that I have leaked His Majesty’s return date. I am also guilty of failing to supervise you and let them gather here. Your Majesty, I will order them to be driven away now..."
"No need. If I drive you away now, won't it make the world laugh at me and not dare to face the joint invitation of the scholar-bureaucrats in the world? Doesn't it mean that the world will think that I don't value scholars and scholars? By the way, I remember that you seem to be from Longxi Li "Hey, what other options do you have for the current matter besides driving away?" Li Hong waved his hand with a smile, then turned around slightly and looked at Li Zhaode who was three steps behind him and asked.
"Your Majesty, I dare not agree with their views." Li Zhaode saluted and said.
"Why?" Li Hong raised his eyebrows, then looked around again at the crowd, which was still moaning and not noticing, and asked calmly.
"Back to Your Majesty, Chen Qun, the Minister of Civil Affairs of the State of Wei, set up the Nine-Rank Selection Law in order to prevent clan members from interfering in politics, and at the same time to show goodwill to the world's scholars and famous families. The original intention was to hope that they could govern the country together with the royal family and serve the royal family. To make suggestions and recommend more famous and talented scholars to serve the country and benefit the people is not for the fame, fortune and prestige of the clan. Moreover, although I come from the Li family in Longxi, I am not. It is recommended to be an official, but it is to be admitted to the official position through Ming Jing." Li Zhaode looked at the dark place under the steps and felt a little worried in his heart. He didn't know if his father was also mixed in with the crowd of invitations.
If his father is also inside, if His Majesty asks him to handle this matter impartially, how should he deal with his old father? Could it be that he really has to fall into the dilemma between loyalty and filial piety and make a tangled choice.
"Fame, wealth and prestige? Yes..." Li Hong folded his hands and sighed, and continued: "This is like something that people have become accustomed to and feels natural, but suddenly becomes unfamiliar, because it is difficult to accept, so I want to argue about life and death."
Li Hong looked at Li Zhaode and other courtiers behind him who had tried their best to listen to him, and continued: "How to compare it, it's like a smart man and a fool are together. Originally, it was always the smart man who bullied the fool. , in this way, it is regarded as something that should be taken for granted. As time goes by, people not only regard this as a natural norm, but even regard it as a natural rule. For example, taking something from a fool's house today. Tomorrow, tell two lies, and then take away another thing from the fool's house, or pretend to do something that seems to be beneficial to the fool, and then let the fool think that he is a good person, and even do it in front of others Praise him and reward him in front of others. But one day, the fool suddenly wakes up and feels that he should share what he can control and distribute with more people. But at this time... This guy who had been bullying the fool all the time. If you don't want to help others, they will think that fools can do this. We should be the ones who share these benefits. Why should you violate the rules and share your benefits with other irrelevant people? This is absolutely not allowed. You must? Change it!"
"Your Majesty, I... I am ashamed..."
"Such a metaphor is indeed inappropriate, but the words are not crude. The royal family is like that fool. Although they also enjoy fame, wealth and prestige, what is more important is that while enjoying these, the royal family also bears the responsibility of history. The verbal and written criticism during the process bears the heavy responsibility of being written like that fool in the history books. He does not know how to reform and adapt, and he does not have the courage and courage to confront that smart man. But after the confrontation, victory or defeat is achieved. , none of us know, but... we must unswervingly believe in ourselves and believe that reform can make the Tang Dynasty stronger. We must move forward without looking back and abandon the dross in the culture. Not only the royal family must learn to become better. To be smart and not to be bullied, even thousands of poor people in the world must learn to be smart and learn to believe that they have the talent to govern the country and stabilize the country. We can embrace some famous sages. They have a mentality of awe and reverence, but it does not mean that everything they do is right. After all... there are no perfect people in this world. "
Li Hong's voice was not very loud, but the long power he had cultivated over the years still made him look domineering and domineering when he spoke.
So following Li Hong's words, the streets that were originally filled with wailing, especially the dozens of elderly people from prominent families who were closest to Li Hong and others, had already stopped crying, and instead listened to Li Hong in silence. Hiro spoke.
(End of chapter)