Han Shizu

Chapter 2040 The Last Journey 11
The business was located in the Taosi Yamen. Originally, Guo Xin planned to welcome Luan Jia into the Lotus Garden in Changsha City. It was an extremely gorgeous garden. It was said that it was originally funded and built by a group of "righteous businessmen". After it was completed, It has been used to hold various official and semi-official celebrations in Changsha. The most recent one was the Mid-Autumn Festival moon viewing.

The most famous thing about the Lotus Garden is the lotus pond covering an area of ​​nearly [-] acres. Every summer, lotus leaves catch the sky and the lotus flowers reflect the sun, covering the lotus pond, creating a grand scene.The famous "Red Lotus Literary Society" in Changsha is held every year in the water pavilion that stands on the lotus pond.

It can be said that there is no better place for the emperor to stay in Changsha than the Lotus Garden. Guo Xin also had good intentions. Unfortunately, the old emperor did not appreciate it and choked him at that time: "The autumn is high, the flowers have faded, and the leaves have faded." You are already disabled, why should you go and see the decay and desolation?"

These words frightened Guo Xin so much that he was questioning his intentions. At the same time, he felt aggrieved. Instead of lotus flowers, there were chrysanthemums, dancing pavilions and singing platforms, beautiful buildings and jade buildings.

Of course, the grievances could only be buried in the bottom of my heart. In the end, according to the old emperor's wishes, a courtyard was opened in the Chief Secretary's Yamen for the old emperor to stay and monitor the political work of Jinghu South Road nearby.

An old man walked out on his own with his head held high. He had a gray beard and a short stature, but he had an elegant demeanor, and his every move was filled with the so-called awe-inspiring aura.

This old man was Liao Mingyong, the dean of Yuelu Academy at the time. He had been gloomy for several days. On a rare good day, he walked out of the heavily guarded place and gradually moved away from the cold sight of the guards. Only then did Liao Mingyong relax. Take a breath.

The warm and even scorching autumn sun shone directly on his face. Instead of being frightened, Liao Mingyong raised his head and faced it. Thinking of the scene just now, a smile brighter than the sunshine gradually filled the corner of his mouth.

The Chief Envoy Si Yamen was not a strange place for Liao Mingyong, but this visit was particularly special. After the emperor visited Yuelu Academy, he summoned Liao Mingyong again just one day later. His attitude could be described as special.

For Liao Mingyong, it was also something that deserved special attention. Not to mention anything else, as a leader in the southern literary world and the leader of Fangshanmen, this was the first time he was received by the emperor of the Han Dynasty.

For Liao Mingyong personally, it is already a great honor. More importantly, he also represents the entire southern Shilin to meet the emperor alone. If the entire South is too big, then he at least represents the entire Huguang Shilin. Forest.

In Liao Mingyong's view, this can even be called a "historic breakthrough"!Literati, to be precise, traditional literati are not popular in the current Han Dynasty. Although scholars are respected, their political status is basically in the fourth or fifth level. Only relatives, nobles, and bureaucrats have always occupied the core rule of the Han Dynasty. Class high ground.

This situation is mainly due to three factors. One is the historical background of the long-term warlord rule since the late Tang Dynasty. Although the old emperor sorted out and reshaped it during the unification process, judging from the results, It is just to bring order out of chaos, rather than overcorrecting. It is difficult to say that the "legacy" of Wu Fu's thought has been completely eliminated.

Coupled with the continuous expansion of the Han Dynasty in the past few decades, it actually increased the power of the army and consolidated the status of the warriors.Emphasis on both civil and military affairs and checks and balances between civil and military forces are the way to control the imperial court, but in fact, it is not easy for those who use the pen to overpower those who use the knife without the help of the upper-level dignitaries.

The second is the resurgence of the aristocratic class and the aristocratic bureaucratic group. This was instigated and even indulged by the old emperor himself. Now it has been achieved. It plays a key role in the middle and upper classes of the Han Dynasty. It has a particularly deep connection with the imperial rule. A situation that even the emperor would find difficult to completely suppress.The powerful occupy a large number of major resources, leaving even less for scholars.

The third is the reform of the imperial examination and education system initiated by the old emperor. This has a huge impact on the traditional Confucianism and Mencius. If you do not seek changes and only follow the words of the saints, you may not have no future, but the future will be limited. Although practice is only Two words, but its influence in the fields of thought and system is unlimited.

Take Hunan Province as an example. The status of scholars is very high, and the Hunan academic system and the Hunan scholar party group were born. However, this is still only a local situation, which is a state that occurs under the protection of local policies.The situation in Hunan Province is rare in the country, if not unique.

The so-called Xiang studies and Xiang scholars have their roots in Hunan Dao, but their most practical influence is actually limited to Dao. Outside Jing Hunan Dao, not many people buy it.

Academicians like Liao Mingyong have made great contributions to the development of "Hunan Studies". Carrying the banner of "Hunan Studies" and striding forward to break through the local restrictions in Hunan Province can be said to be their lifelong pursuit.

However, how difficult it is!Compared with the Central Plains and Hebei, compared with Guanxi and Sichuan, compared with Hubei and Jiangnan, Hunan's cultural heritage is too weak, and there is not even much tradition to speak of. If you want to expand and export knowledge and ideas, there is resistance. It is conceivable that it is normal to be despised by others.

However, perhaps it is precisely because of this lack of tradition that Hunan people are more flexible in their scholarship and more receptive to new ideas. This is also the fundamental reason for the rapid development of Hunan studies in the past few decades.

Of course, the so-called Xiangxue does not abandon tradition and be unconventional. On the contrary, it still adheres to the principles of loyalty, forgiveness, benevolence, filial piety, and friendship and regards them as norms. However, on this basis, some scholars in Changsha try to combine the current political situation with the imperial court. employment preferences and put forward some new things.These new things, after decades of development, collision, and integration, have gradually formed a new academic method and a new thought.The core lies in the four words proposed by the old emperor: managing the world for practical purposes.

The old emperor only proposed an idea at the beginning, and even expressed his preference in employing people and selecting talents.But the later development of Hunan Studies profoundly explained a truth: if something is good at the top, it will be worse at the bottom.

With the efforts of a group of famous Hunan Taoists headed by Liao Mingyong, the old emperor's ideas were improved to a theoretical level, and they were used to carry forward academic studies.
Obviously, the essence of the so-called Hunan Studies is still a theory that serves the ruling class. Although its political ideas and propositions retain a lot of traditional morals, in terms of ideology, they are constantly getting closer to the rulers and are conducive to their rule.People who practice Hunan studies essentially do it to make it easier to enter the official career, hold official positions, and complete the consolidation or transformation of class identity.

And who is the greatest ruler of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Kaibao!For a theory, decades of development are not a long time. If you want to achieve a breakthrough, it will take even longer.

As for why the spread of Hunan Studies was slow, in addition to the obstacles of traditional thought and other schools of thought, it was also because it mainly served the supreme ruler.The old emperor's advocacy was not in line with everyone's ideas and interests.

From this we can see why Xiangxue has been able to develop rapidly in the past thirty years without any hindrance from the government and even vigorously supported it.To put it bluntly, it is very simple. Its intention is too "red" and too "righteous". Such a theory is not afraid of taking political risks, at least in the old emperor's reign.

Without these foundations, it would be impossible to rely on local talents like Liao Mingyong and even Ma Chu's old and young children to create such a big movement and turn Hunan Studies into a sect and sect.

This time, the old emperor was able to suppress his swelling suspicion, but he also became interested after understanding the core concepts of the Xiangjiang School.

Unlike when he was lucky enough to visit Yuelu Academy, today the old emperor set aside half a day for Liao Mingyong to listen to the theories of Hunan Studies.

Of course, using a set of thoughts and theories that have been perfected and matured over decades cannot be explained in just half a day. Liao Mingyong also cleverly selected the key points to focus on, focusing on the core focus of "managing the world for practical application".

It must be said that for a long time in the past, the old emperor had a contemptuous attitude towards those literati, especially the so-called talented people among the people. He believed more in the power in his hands and his own vision.

But today, surprisingly, he had the patience to listen carefully to the leader of a "rural place" and a "third-rate school" as he explained his academic philosophy and even political opinions.

As a result, Liao Ming was very moved when he talked about the old emperor in his lifetime.As a result, the old emperor felt a little dazed. He really didn't expect that in this remote Hunan Road, a school of thought so close to his own philosophy of governing the country could be born. It was really novel, and he really admired it.

Even if this Xiangxue is suspected of being ingratiating, isn't it true that the supreme emperor needs such ministers? The older he gets, the more he realizes the importance of ideology, which cannot serve the ruler and contribute to the stability of the country and society. No matter how progressive or numerous the supporters of unhelpful ideological propositions are, they can only be shelved on the shelf.

For a moment, the old emperor even felt that Hunan Studies had been deliberately suppressed by certain people and certain schools of thought. Why was no one recommending it to him?In the end, it was discovered that it was the old emperor's own fault. In some aspects, he had indeed closed his eyes and listened.

Liao Mingyong was very excited about the results of the face-to-face meeting, so the old emperor agreed on the spot to let him select a few key Hunan scholars from Changsha to serve in the Third Hall, the Hanlin Academy, and the East Palace.At the same time, he was asked to go to the two capitals to open academies and teach Hunan studies.

The meaning behind this made Liao Mingyong, who had already been trained to become as calm as water, couldn't help but feel ups and downs in his heart. Obviously, His Majesty the Emperor recognized Hunan Studies and even supported and promoted its spread.This means that from now on, the local school of Xiangxue will officially enter the country of the Han Dynasty, and the door to the highest ruling class will be opened to them. The improvement of the status of the Xiangshi Party Group may start from this.

It can be seen from this that the old master Liao Mingyong was in a surging mood at this time and could not restrain his emotions.

However, what Liao Mingyong didn't know was that if he didn't speak well in front of the emperor, his head and even the entire Xiangjiang School might not be safe.Previously, the old emperor had even asked Luo Zhi, the Imperial City and Wude bureau chiefs, to deal with these academic leaders in Changsha.
(End of this chapter)