The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 395 The Accomplishments of the "Great Disciple" of Mind Science
on the canal.

Zhang Zhou sailed ahead, and after passing Shandong, he met Kong Chengyuan, the Kong family's lobbyist, and Kong Hongbi, his uncle and nephew, at the posthouse along the way.

Kong Chengyuan is the uncle of the two brothers Kong Hongxu and Kong Hongtai, and Kong Hongbi is the eldest son of another uncle Kong Chengze, which is the cousin of the two brothers Kong Hongxu.

However, Kong Hongxu’s grandfather, Kong Yanjin’s main house, the Xia family, gave birth to Kong Chengqing, the father of Kong Hongxu and Kong Hongtai. Xia and Kong Chengqing both died earlier than Kong Yanjin, and later Kong Yanjin accepted Jiang, Guo and Ya, Jiang's son, Kong Chengji, also died early.

The Guo family gave birth to Kong Chengze, and the Ya family gave birth to Kong Chengyuan.

After the death of Kong Yanjin, should the older Kong Chengze inherit the title, or the eldest son of the late Kong Chengqing, Kong Hongxu? He was only eight years old and was also inherited by Kong Hongxu. For this reason, the Jiang family filed a complaint against the court, saying that Kong Hongxu was too young and weak to hold a funeral for his grandfather Kong Yanjin, so the court sent the Ministry of Rites to attend the funeral.

Originally, the lineage of Kong Hongxu had been passed down. Even though the title was passed on to Kong Hongtai for some reason, the title would still be passed back because Kong Hongtai had no sons.

But now that Kong Hongxu committed two crimes, the emperor wanted to change the inheritance rules of the Kong family. Kong Chengyuan and Kong Hongbi came to see Zhang Zhou, saying that they were lobbyists for the Kong family, rather than seeking their own interests.

Zhang Zhou didn't want to see each other at first, but the two of them were very sincere when they came. They sent Zhang Zhou a lot of books, saying that they were collected by the Kong family. The name of Zhang Zhou was engraved on the Confucian Temple to show Zhang Zhou's contribution to the construction of palaces and temples by the Confucian family.

To put it bluntly... it's a matter of flattery.

In this way, Zhang Zhou was embarrassed to disappear.

The more important reason for the meeting was to create some trouble for the Kong family, which was in the emperor's interest.

"Students pay homage to Zhang Xueshi." Kong Chengyuan and Kong Hongbi's uncle and nephew were very respectful when they saw Zhang Zhou, and they all directly called themselves students. As for others who like to call Zhang Zhou Guogong, they prefer to call Zhang Zhou a bachelor.

Although Zhang Zhou's "Hanlin Academy Attendant Bachelor" is also in the state of being dismissed.

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "You two come from a noble family, so there is really no need to be so polite. Next, Mr. Zhang, this room is polite."

Then Zhang Zhou asked the two of them to sit down, and left one person alone to accompany him, that is, Tang Yin who went south with Zhang Zhou.

Tang Yin's look at Zhang Zhou was also unusual. He could probably feel that the Kong family must have no good things to do with Zhang Zhou. Either they were lobbyists for Kong Hongxu's lineage to win the title, or they came to win the title. In short, they were all uneasy and kind. .

After being seated.

Kong Chengyuan emphasized the benefits promised in the letter to Zhang Zhou, and finally added: "The Kong family has some people in Qufu and the court, if you want to send Xueshi Zhang in the future, just let me know. "

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "You two made a mistake. I am not a bachelor now, and I have nothing to do. I can't interfere with the affairs of the Kong family. You see, I am going back to Nanjing. Will I return to the capital soon? It is also difficult for me to intervene in the affairs of your Yanshenggong clan."

Before Kong Chengyuan could say anything, Kong Hongbi beside him said, "You can."

Zhang Zhoudao: "Patriarchal clan is the basis for the inheritance of titles. Your Majesty has always emphasized filial piety and etiquette. The patriarchal clan is immutable."

These words are to test the attitude of the uncle and nephew.

Do you want to give the title to Kong Hongxu's son Kong Wenshao, or do you want to seek it yourself? Show your cards.

Kong Chengyuan said: "Patriarchal law is inviolable, but national law is also inviolable. Your Majesty has issued a decree. Those who violate the national law will not be allowed to pass on to Juelu. The previous decree has been sent to Xuansheng Temple and manifested in front of the temple. The meaning of it is ...The Kong family also understands, and I hope that you, Xueshi Zhang, can act on your behalf..."

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "It seems that the two of you are not here to intercede for Kong Hongxu?"

In the past, Kong Hongxu's name is not something ordinary scholars can call directly.

But Zhang Zhou is the Duke of Lai after all, not to mention that Kong Hongxu is only a former Shenggong, even if he is a current Shenggong, he can be called directly as he should. Who makes the difference in level?

Kong Chengyuan looked embarrassed and said: "It is for the inheritance of the authentic method."

"Oh." Zhang Zhou nodded knowingly.

Tang Yin next to him frowned and said: "Since it is about the inheritance of the patriarchal clan, we should know that this should be decided by the imperial court, and His Majesty should personally intervene. Why did you ask the Duke of Lai? You want the Duke of Lai to speak out and disrupt the inheritance of the patriarchal clan." ?”

"This Tang Zhongcheng, you... Calm down." Kong Chengyuan was quite polite to Tang Yin.

After all, Tang Yin is now a well-known figure in the Ming Dynasty. The name of the founding father of North Korea is not for nothing. In fact, Kong Chengyuan also thought that you, Tang Yin, staged a coup in the territory of North Korea, which was also the vassal of the Ming Dynasty. inherited"?
Do you still want to face?

Zhang Zhoudao: "Oh, speaking of it, this Yanshenggong, that is, Mr. Dongzhuang, has no heirs until now, which is really worrying. In fact, the key to whoever inherits Xuansheng's lineage is whether he will have children in the future. , if not, the adopted son is in his name."

Kong Chengyuan nodded and said, "Exactly."

Even the Confucians understand this.

After all, Kong Hongtai is not dead yet, and it does not mean that he is terminally ill. Kong Hongtai did not adopt his son before because he wanted to ensure the inheritance of the Kong family.

But now he is forced to adopt a son, whether it is his elder brother Kong Hongxu, or the same clan... For example, the heir of Kong Yanjin, who has the closest relationship with Kong Hongtai, has to be paid attention to.

Kong Hongbi couldn't help but said: "Didn't it mean that the son of a criminal has no right to inherit?"

The implication is that his cousin Kong Hongxu's sons, no matter how many there are, cannot be adopted by Kong Hongtai.

Zhang Zhoudao: "That's all for this matter. If it is adopted, it will not belong to the original branch in terms of patriarchal law, and it does not mean that it is not eligible to inherit."

"Isn't there room for negotiation?" Kong Chengyuan said.

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "Your Excellency, I understand that your nephew came to tell me, but you come to me, do you mean that you also want to seek a title? You two..."

"Ahem..." Kong Chengyuan couldn't help coughing in embarrassment.

Can you say this directly?
Tang Yin said as if provoking trouble: "You two should be united to seek this title, right?"

"Uh……"

The two uncles and nephews looked at each other, and they could see that Zhang Zhou was born as an alchemist of the Ming Dynasty. Even if he was the number one scholar, his style of speaking and doing things was very different from those traditional civil servants.

Kong Chengyuan said: "To tell you the truth, we did come here for Ming Zhengshuo. When my nephew Nanxi was awarded the title, many people in the family objected. His younger brother and my nephew Dong Zhuang are very good-natured, but he has no children. Now that we are in this situation, my third nephew, the son of Hong Bi, should be regarded as the leader. Heir, to show the matter of patriarchal clan."

"Hehe." Before Zhang Zhou could react, Tang Yin beside him was already laughing.

The smile probably said that the court has not yet decided on the patriarchal clan, but your two uncles and nephews of the Kong family seem to have decided for the court and the Kong family.

Your faces are really big.

"It makes sense." Zhang Zhou pointed to the pair of uncles and nephews, and said to Tang Yin, "Bohu, what do you think?"

Tang Yin frowned.

You said it made sense, and you asked me what I think?Do you want me to follow your words and say that this matter makes sense, so I can analyze it by the way?

Tang Yindao: "My subordinates are very light-hearted and don't dare to talk about the inheritance of Yan Sheng without authorization."

I am just a scholar, let me talk about the succession of the Confucian family, the ancestor of the scholar?Even if I'm right, some people will think that I'm causing trouble for nothing, and I, Tang, will not take the initiative to provoke this kind of trouble.

Zhang Zhou sighed: "Actually, Tang Zhongcheng's words are exactly what I want to say. You say that I am a scholar and talk about such things presumptuously. It is easy to be despised by others. Even if Your Majesty is not sure, I will let the court decide. Now the relevant court The meeting has not yet been held, and I am not in the capital, so what guarantee do you think I can give you?"

You come to me, I understand, you may think I have something to say.

But this matter is still not something I, Zhang Zhou, can decide. The emperor will definitely discuss the succession through court discussions in the future, either before Kong Hongtai's death or after his death.

"But..." Kong Chengyuan hesitated to speak.

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "You want to ask me for help. I can understand this feeling, but you still have to refer to the patriarchal clan, preferably a legal case. Do you have any?"

"Adopting someone else's son, such things... don't need to be done." Kong Hongbi who was beside him said.

Zhang Zhoudao: "You mean to say that adoptive sons can be adopted by anyone, right?"

Kong Hongbi hurriedly said, "Students don't mean that."

Zhang Zhou shook his head and said: "Theoretically speaking, it is most appropriate for Yan Shenggong to adopt the heir under his elder brother's family. If the eldest son cannot succeed, the second son will be the successor. This is also one of the patriarchal laws. However, if you want to use the reason that the crime cannot be continued, then you have to choose from the side branches, and you will have a chance."

"Yes." Both uncle and nephew looked eagerly.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Let's be blunt. Why do you think that His Majesty will adopt the children of offspring instead of the sons of the eldest son and grandson? Give me a reason."

"This..." Kong Hongbi said, "Didn't you tell me all about it? The criminal has no heir."

"This is just a rhetoric. You still have to convince the elders and ministers of the court. I can't do it alone." Zhang Zhoudao, "Or let's put it this way, you have to set the rules. Why are you two effective? ? Are the members of the Kong family willing to join you? Will the scholars of the world agree? Will your Majesty and the courtiers agree?"

"what?"

The uncle and nephew of the Kong family didn't seem to understand it thoroughly.

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "The matter of patriarchal clan is also determined by convention and custom. The imperial court's decree cannot dispel the public's discussion. Who will inherit it in the end depends on who is supported by your Kong family, and it also depends on the public opinion of literati. What's the matter. Now you have to exert your influence in the clan, attract more people to support, and win the respect of scholars..."

"You should know me as a person. I am only responsible for calculating the will of God, not human affairs. The matters of the patriarchal clan must be resolved within the clan in accordance with the laws of the country. Do you understand?"

Kong Hongbi asked: "What is this..."

"Understood, understood." Kong Chengyuan hurriedly gave Kong Hongbi a hand, and offered to agree.

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Very well, I'm not wasting my words in vain, then you all go back and prepare. I hope to see more memorials supporting your statement later. It will take a lot of people to sign."

"Yes, yes." Kong Chengyuan stood up and said respectfully, "I will also need your support from Xueshi Zhang when discussing this important matter in the future. The Kong family must be grateful and will give generous gifts."

……

……

Send away the Kong family uncle and nephew.

Tang Yin was also a little confused and said: "Is there really someone in the Kong clan who will support them? Or are you just playing it off? Actually, there is no need to meet each other?"

"Who said that?" Zhang Zhou said, "Why did you think I was talking so much just now? Didn't I come out to join in the fun just to create some internal conflicts among them?"

"Contradictions?" Tang Yin frowned.

Zhang Zhou's way of thinking is still different from others.

Zhang Zhoudao: "If the inheritance of the Kong family follows the patriarchal law, what else would the court do? Do scholars respect His Majesty, or them? Now that I am a Duke Yansheng, I want to marry the daughter of a scholar...as a model of literati As for yourself, do you think His Majesty is pleasing to them?"

"This..." Tang Yin also wanted to say that you are being cautious.

Zhang Zhou sighed: "Bohu, it is precisely because we are from the same family that we have nothing to hide, so I tell you this. You have to understand that all people and things that affect the authority of the emperor are not tolerated by your majesty. We also You should share your worries with His Majesty."

Tang Yin frowned, thinking to himself, you are really thinking about the emperor, when you are a courtier, you are so unprincipled, you don't even care about the patriarchal clan and rules, and only care about fulfilling the imperial power.

Are you not afraid that the iron fist of imperial power will fall on your head one day?

Don't you hear less about rabbit dead dog cooking?
Tang Yin has been with Zhang Zhouzhou for a long time, and he seems to be a straightforward person, he asked: "Brother, have you never considered yourself?"

"What? Do you want to cook? If you want to think about it, then make plans early?" Zhang Zhou patted Tang Yin's shoulder with a smile.

Tang Yin was still wondering, why did Zhang Zhou pat me on the shoulder when he said "make plans early"?

In fact, Zhang Zhou's meaning is very obvious. If I don't plan, I don't want to let the rabbit die and the dog cook the bird to hide the bow and hide, why let you build a ship?Do you really think that those who are powerful ministers and close sycophants will be favored for the rest of their lives?

Now the emperor needs me to check and balance civil servants and martial arts, and needs me to help him level the grassland, so he will naturally obey me, but who knows what will happen in the future?
rebel?

You also need capital.

As a traverser, shouldn't accumulating capital start from the technology tree?The technological products brought to Daming must be advanced step by step, and the technological products brought to oneself can be developed by leaps and bounds.

Talking about this to Tang Yin, a native of the Ming Dynasty, Tang Yin couldn't understand, so what Zhang Zhou could tell Tang Yin was only "do the errands assigned to you well", or "build the boat well".

The aborigines have different ideas from his Zhang Zhou, and the only ones who can help him are those who have worked hard.

……

……

on the canal.

Zhu Houzhao and his party are also heading south.

Along the way, many guards in Jinyi were also seen looking for the whereabouts of the prince, but Zhu Houzhao was very shrewd, and first got acquainted with the scholars who went south.

Get to know three first, and then develop from three to a group.

After all, not everyone in Jin Yiwei who went south knew that he was looking for the prince. He probably only knew that what he was looking for was "a child and four adults who looked like servants" and took this as his goal. When he saw a group of people on board, It's hard to imagine how this has anything to do with the person you're looking for.

What's more, Zhu Houzhao was relatively high-profile on the way south, often walking with Sun Che, Hu Feng and Gong Yeping, and even attending cultural meetings along the way, so that Jin Yiwei didn't think about him at all.

Entered the ground in Shandong this day.

In the Ming Dynasty, Shandong, as the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, was highly praised by scholars from all over the world. When they went to Shandong, they would visit some literati. Coupled with the support of Nanjing Dawenhui, scholars from all over the world gradually gathered.

"...This study of the mind, the most important thing is that there is nothing outside the mind, the mind is reason, the unity of knowledge and action, and the attainment of conscience."

"What do they mean? That is to say, all the principles in this world are inspired by the heart. You must be consistent with what you know and do, and you must have a pure heart and not go on an evil path."

In the literary meeting, Zhu Houzhao called himself a "great disciple of learning from the heart", so he naturally wanted to brag.

What he was bragging about was all made up by him on the spur of the moment. In fact, he couldn't understand any mental learning.

But he has the classics on the study of mind personally presented by Zhang Zhou, written by Zhang Zhou himself, with some annotations... When Zhang Zhou relied on the royal family to promote the study of the mind, he thought about using Zhu Houzhao to lead and work on the study of the mind. develop.

I didn't deliberately recruit this kid as a disciple, but I can only say that it will pave the way for Zhu Houzhao's admiration of mind learning after he succeeds to the throne in the future.

Zhu Houzhao was going south to Nanjing this time, and he also brought Zhang Zhou's "cheat sheet" with him to show off.

The people at the literary meeting were a little confused when they heard it, the reason seemed to be so reasonable... But it seemed that this ten-year-old young man had a very different opinion from others.

A scholar surnamed Lin said: "Young master, you have a very unique opinion. It turns out that to be confidant is to prevent people from going astray. This is actually similar to the distinction between good and evil advocated in Neo Confucianism. I admire it. admire."

"Haha, it's just a superficial opinion." Zhu Houzhao's heart was already fluttering when he heard other people's praise.

Keeping the cheat sheet with you is much more useful than cramming.

Someone next to him said: "Everyone, I have read the original version of the "Xin Xue" classics published by Mr. Zhang. It seems that there is really a saying that 'mind is reason'. This young man seems to be dressed in plain clothes, but he has extraordinary knowledge."

"Where is it?" Zhu Houzhao continued to be silent.

This reflects the disadvantages of people in this era chasing academic ideas.

Not everyone is qualified to buy a whole set of psychological classics to study at home, some are copied by hand, and some are relayed by others.

Many people actually don’t know what the study of mind is. They just follow the trend. It’s nice to say that following the trend is actually "following the trend". Knowing that Zhang Zhou is in favor now, Zhang Zhou’s theory of mind is also endorsed by the emperor, so naturally Get closer here.

It's like when Zhaijiao and Qingci are popular in the future, no matter what it is, a bunch of scholars will gather together, the reason is the same.

"Young master, is Gao's name?"

"My humble Zhu Shou."

"Mr. Zhu, at such a young age, the future is boundless. He will definitely be able to enter the imperial examination and become an official. There will be no disadvantages."

"Haha."

Zhu Houzhao suddenly felt that it would be a very pleasant thing to brag in front of such a group of scholars without seeing Zhang Zhou when going south.

(End of this chapter)