Xuanmen Xiaoguo Shi is divination again

Chapter 231 Do You Know Where These Words Come From?
The old lady asked very few questions, and the tribute students did not disappoint the "trust" of the old lady, and answered all kinds of questions about a policy of governance.

Some of them are quite satisfactory, advocating the combination of prevention and control, strengthening dams and building greenhouses in disaster-free years; some of them are more flexible, suggesting that taxation should be reduced appropriately, and the annual surplus should be turned into stored materials for emergencies.

There are also some whimsical ones, saying that the people can follow the example of the wild goose in autumn and return to spring, so that the people in the south will migrate to the north in spring and summer, and the people in the north will do the opposite.

Of course, such a far-fetched answer naturally caused a lot of laughter, and even the always kind and kind old master was amused by his words.

However, this topic was freely developed by the Gongsheng. After the courtiers laughed, no one blamed the Gongsheng.

——Looking at his clothes and appearance, this man may have a very good family background. He only knew how to study and write poems since he was a child.

This kind of problem is not a big problem. Looking back for an opportunity to send him to a rural mountain village and let him live there for three to five years, he should understand everything he should understand.

The eight Gong students finished answering one by one, but the remaining two remained silent.

Seeing this, Mo Shucheng couldn't help becoming more and more anxious, and the old Mrs. Xiao who had laughed enough also noticed the strangeness between the two of them, and couldn't help but frowned and said in a low voice, "Bao Hui, Lu Renjia, why didn't you two Open your mouth to answer?"

"Could it be that you want to give up the exam and fail?"

The two looked at each other when they heard the words, Lu Renjia's eyelids drooped slightly, Bao Hui lowered his jaw lightly when he saw this, took a step forward, tried his best to look neither humble nor overbearing, and bowed to the emperor on the high platform.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Your Highness, Old Master Fu, the two of us are not Confucian students, what we practice is Huang Lao's technique, and the answers in the test are also the method of Taoism, not Confucianism, so it is difficult to answer without understanding the Confucianism of governing the world. .”

"Daosheng?" Xiao Jue frowned, and subconsciously looked back at Emperor Yun Jing who was sitting in the chair, and then turned to look at the officials of the Ministry of Rites beside him.

Seeing this scene, He Kangsheng raised his hand and clenched his fist, lowered his eyebrows and coughed lightly: "Hey, Mr. Xiao, there were indeed two Taoist works in the answer sheet of the test that day."

"The lower official saw that the article was written in a novel and unique way, and had some literary talent. He couldn't make a decision at the moment, so he presented it to Lord Shangshu." He said, turning his head to look at Chao Ling, "My lord, do you think so? "

Chao Ling, who was suddenly named by He Kangsheng, was stunned for a moment. He couldn't help but spit in his heart, but he could only pretend to be calm, and replied quietly: "That's right."

"Old Madam Fu, the essays of the two Gongsheng students in the general examination are indeed good. The subordinate officials looked at them, and they couldn't help but feel a little bit fond of their talents, so they passed them. They should be the two in front of them."

"That's it." Old Madam Xiao nodded after listening to his beard, his face softened slightly, and the smile came back to his face again, "Since this is the case, it doesn't matter, there is no fixed way to govern the country, and if the people can live and work in peace and contentment, then you can do it in peace." It's the best strategy."

"Furthermore, when I was a young man, I used to read books from hundreds of schools of thought. Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism were all dabbled in. It is not difficult for you to search for two classics and write a theory of Taoism and Zen." The old man laughed. Laughing, "What do you two think?"

Fortunately, Mrs. Xiao has no opinion on Huang Lao's art, and he has integrated hundreds of schools, so he can definitely see the incomparable talents of the two of them.

Mo Shucheng on the high platform was slightly relieved. In this way, as long as Bao Hui and the others can answer the old master Fu's Zen discussion brilliantly and beautifully, this matter will be over.

Unlike Mo Shucheng's relaxation, the two Gong students felt more and more frustrated after hearing this - they were not Tao students at all, and what they had learned before entering Beijing was Confucian economics.

It's just that before the test, the people from Anping Hou's Mansion came to the door and promised to reward them with a lot of money, asking them to pretend to be Taoists and bribe the fourth prince.

They heard about Mo Shucheng's various deeds from the people in the Hou's mansion. After they knew that he was addicted to Taoism, they thought to themselves that even though it was difficult for the two of them to enter the imperial examination, if the prince appreciates it, they still have a chance to stay. Show your talents in Beijing.

In addition, the remuneration given by the Marquis was extremely generous, and the two of them knew that they were far inferior to others in terms of knowledge and literary talent. If they took the usual path, it would be hopeless to obtain fame, so they easily nodded and agreed, and temporarily recited two Taoist classics.

Unexpectedly, because they are monks halfway, they should forget the Confucian classics before they memorize how many Taoist classics.

——Even the two articles they wrote in the examination were given by the people of the Hou Mansion from Chao Ling in advance, and the two of them read countless classics, wrote them early, and memorized them by heart.

Bao Hui's scalp was numb, but the matter had come to this point, they really had no way out.

The power of the Marquis of Anping is overwhelming, and it is easy to find out their details. Even if the two of them are not afraid of death and want to turn against each other, they must first consider the safety of their parents, relatives and friends who are far away in their hometown.

"If there is a theory on Zen, it would be very good. I would also like to ask the old lady to come up with a question." Bao Hui cupped his hands.

"Okay." The old man responded, drooping his eyes and meditating for a moment, and then he came up with a sentence, "The reason why the heaven and the earth can last forever is because they don't grow on their own, so they can live forever. It is the saint who comes after his body and goes first. And survive."

"If this sentence is applied to the governance of the country and the people, what kind of explanation should it be?"

"This..." Bao Hui choked and was unable to speak for a long time. He only memorized two paragraphs of "Zhuangzi" at random that day, such as "Chongxu Zhenjing", "Tao De Jing", "Chang Qing Jing Jing" and so on. Yes, he didn't turn over at all!

"This is... advocating that the common people should not fight or grab anything?" Lu Renjia cautiously tried to speak out.

Old Madam Xiao pursed his lips and remained silent. He stared quietly at the two of them for a while, and suddenly clenched his hands on his knees into fists: "Do you know where this sentence came from?"

"..."Tao Te Ching"?" Bao Hui scratched his head and casually brought up the most famous "Tao Te Ching".

The old man asked sullenly, "What chapter?"

"Chapter...Chapter...Eighth," Lu Renjia carefully observed the old man's face, seeing his frown tightened, and changed his words again and again, "No, no, ninth, right, right, Chapter 9, it must be Chapter 9!"

"Ha!" Old Madam Xiao laughed back angrily, "It's nonsense! These words come from Chapter 7 of the "Tao Te Ching".

"If it is transformed into the people's livelihood, it means that officials should not interfere too much with the people's livelihood, let nature take its course, follow the temptations carefully, and use sparse generation to block."

"Why is it about letting the people not fight or grab anything?"

"Saints don't have to fight, but can the common people still be saints?!" The old man became angrier as he spoke, "How did you two get into the palace exam!"

He stood up abruptly, turned around and bowed deeply to Emperor Yunjing: "Your Majesty, the old minister thinks that it is too strange to be able to enter the palace examination with the level of two people, and there is fear of favoritism behind the scenes."

"I hope His Majesty will see clearly, and give justice to the scholars in the world!"

　Suddenly the blood of the old man turned up
　　I'm stuck tonight. If I'm still stuck and can't sleep tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, I might ask for leave and adjust my schedule. I can't stand sleeping at six or seven o'clock.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)