I studied in modern times

Chapter 944 Public Opinion (2)

Fan Zuyu's home was located in Xianrenfang in the east wing of the new city of Bianjing.

It was purchased by Fan Zhen when he was an official in the court.

The house is not big, with only six rooms in front and back, and more than a dozen side rooms in total.

But there were dozens of people living there, including Fan Zuyu's family.

This is because the imperial examination will be held in the first month of next year.

The children of the Fan clan, relatives, and old friends in Shu all came to Beijing to prepare for the imperial examinations.

As a result, Fan's house immediately became crowded.

The arrival of these people not only made the Fan Mansion crowded.

It also made Fan Zuyu's wallet feel shy.

Just the daily heating and lighting costs for these people living in Fan's mansion had drained all of Fan Zuyu's savings.

This forced Mr. Tang Jian to take up writing epitaphs to make a living.

When Liu Anshi arrived, Fan Zuyu had just finished writing an epitaph for the recently deceased mother of a wealthy businessman in the north of the city.

As a student of Sima Guang, Fan Zuyu has always been honest and simple.

So when he wrote the epitaph, he would not do it as others did, just to get it over with.

Instead, they will seriously research the employer's needs and learn about the life of the deceased.

Then I would conceive and write, using the style of the Spring and Autumn Annals, praising his virtues, concealing his faults, and glorifying his achievements.

So when the epitaph was finished, the wealthy businessman who asked to write it was immediately reminded of his mother's hard work in raising him. He finally made some money through business and was about to repay his mother's kindness. But his mother fell ill and passed away, leaving him with no place to show his filial piety. He burst into tears and cried out, "Mother! Mother! What an unfilial son!"

Not only did he pay the agreed-upon fee of 200 strings of cash on the spot, he also gave an additional 100 strings of cash as a reward.

Fan Zuyu didn't want it at first, but someone insisted on giving it to him.

As soon as the wealthy businessman left, Liu Anshi rode his horse over.

"Qizhi?" Fan Zuyu was very curious when he saw Liu Anshi.

When Liu Anshi saw Fan Zuyu, he dismounted and, without waiting to tie up his horse, came to Fan Zuyu with a sad face and bowed, "Chunfu, save me!"

Fan Zuyu hurried forward and helped Liu Anshi up: "Qizhi, please get up quickly!"

"What happened?"

……

Two quarters of an hour later, in the inner house of Fan Mansion.

After listening to Liu Anshi's confession, Fan Zuyu looked at Liu Anshi with his eyes full of question marks!

Liu Anshi looked at Fan Zuyu eagerly, almost begging, "For now, only Chunfu can save me!"

"I hope Chunfu will introduce me to the person in the Bianjing Righteous Report as soon as possible, considering our friendship with Sima Wengong in the past and our friendship in compiling the Zizhi Tongjian together..."

"If I could get Chunfu's help!"

"I will be grateful!"

"Qizhi..." Fan Zuyu sighed and said, "Let's not talk about it. After Sima Wengong passed away, Gongxiu (Sima Kang's courtesy name) entrusted the Bianjing Yibao to a friend, and I don't even know who that person is!"

This is a fact!

From the time Sima Guang died to the time Sima Kang carried the coffin back to his hometown.

Almost everyone in the entire city of Bianjing who had connections with Sima Guang and Sima Kang was asking Sima Kang about the future arrangements for the Bianjing Yibao.

At that time, countless people were eager to take over this influential media outlet.

But everyone hit a snag with Sima Kang.

Faced with other people's questions and requests, Sima Kang always had only one fixed answer - I have entrusted it to a friend according to my father's last wishes.

As for who the friend is?

He would never reveal it even if he died.

Even Fan Zuyu didn't know to whom Sima Kang entrusted the task.
When Liu Anshi heard this, he suddenly panicked and didn't know what to do.

Then Fan Zuyu said, "Even if I knew the person in charge of the Bian Jing Yi Bao, I would not recommend Qi Zhi!"

Liu Anshi's eyes widened immediately, and he looked at Fan Zuyu in disbelief: "Chunfu!"

"Have you forgotten Qizhi?" Fan Zuyu stood up and bowed to Lu's house in Yulin Lane leisurely: "The current left prime minister Lu Gong is my Taishan!"

"It is precisely because Taishan is in the court that I have repeatedly and firmly refused the court's appointment after returning to the capital!"

"So, the two palaces praised him and ordered him to supervise the affairs of Wanshou Temple!"

Fan Zuyu only returned to Beijing from Shushui, Shanzhou in April this year.

After returning to Beijing, the Ministry of Personnel assigned him a new assignment - Zuo Zhengyan.

But he firmly declined it on the grounds that Taishan was in the court.

Therefore, the Ministry of Personnel arranged a relatively leisurely assignment for him - Yuwenlang of the Ministry of Shrines, asking him to be in charge of Taoist temples and Buddhist temples in Beijing.

He still refused.

The officials heard about this and recommended him directly to the two palaces because of his ability. The two palaces praised him and appointed him to be in charge of Wanshou Temple affairs (a low-ranking official in the palace and temples, who could be appointed by civil officials with a temporary post, military officials above the rank of ambassador, or eunuchs).

This gave him a place to register his salary and calculate his qualifications.

Fan Zuyu closed his eyes and said to Liu Anshi: "Qizhi..."

"We have known each other for nearly ten years!"

"The principle of the instrument should know my family affairs!"

Although he never announced to the outside world that he was Lu Gongzhu's son-in-law.

However, as they were all editing books in the Zizhi Tongjian Bookstore, they should have been familiar with the daily comings and goings and the relationships between the various families.

What's more, Fan Zuyu is the successor of Sima Wengong!

and so……

Fan Zuyu knew that Liu Anshi either didn't care about him, Fan Zuyu, or didn't care about his family situation and personal marriage at all.

Either...or this person didn't treat Fan Zuyu as a human being!
Regardless of that explanation.

Even Fan Zuyu knew that this person should not be associated with!

Because he is a complete villain!
Liu Anshi listened, and after a brief panic, he looked at Fan Zuyu and said with a folded hand, "Chunfu!"

"I impeached the left prime minister for the sake of public opinion!"

"Under public discussion, there is no distinction between relatives and strangers!"

"Even if the Left Prime Minister is here, I can face him calmly!"

"The Left Prime Minister should also be able to understand me!"

Fan Zuyu sighed: "According to Qizhi's opinion, the Bianjing New Newspaper's publication of articles and comments is also a public opinion!"

"Why is Qizhi so impatient?"

"That's not a public discussion!" Liu Anshi blushed and said in a low voice, "That so-called Hu Feipan has a crude writing style. I'm afraid he's not even a tribute student!"

"He is just a commoner who has read a few days and knows a few words!"

"How can the common people understand the righteousness of the world? How can they comment on us?" This is indeed the consensus of the literati and officials of the Song Dynasty.

The common people are ignorant and stupid. They have never learned the teachings of the sages, and they do not understand loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and forgiveness.

Therefore, the literati never asked them to abide by etiquette, let alone have any integrity.

In the city of Bianjing, for example, there were a large number of women who participated in labor.

The cooks, maids, and cleaning ladies in every household were all hired wives and daughters of other people.

The scholars and officials were used to it and did not think that it was immoral for these women to show their faces in public.

However, the wives and daughters of the scholar-officials have another requirement.

Daughters in the family are not allowed to sit at the same table with men after they are eight years old.

On weekdays, they are taught to read various books on women's virtues, so that they can become good wives and mothers after they get married.

It was under such an atmosphere that Wen Yanbo could frankly say in the court, in front of the late emperor: Your Majesty governs the world together with the scholars and officials, not with the people!

Neither the ministers who were present at the time (including Wang Anshi), nor the other scholars who learned of this matter later, nor the late emperor himself, had any objection to this.

Because this is the consensus!

Only the literati enjoy various rights and obligations.

The common people have only the obligation to be ruled, taught and enlightened by the literati.

Naturally, they have no right to participate in politics.

Fan Zuyu listened and sneered: "Liu Anshi!"

He called him by his name, which was a very harsh and unusual attitude among the literati in the Song Dynasty.

Under normal circumstances, calling someone by their first name is almost like cutting off ties with them.

"Get out of here!" He pointed at the front door of his house and said, "My temple is too small to accommodate a Buddha as big as yours!"

He looked at Liu Anshi coldly, like an angry beast.

It wasn't just because Liu Anshi impeached his father-in-law.

It’s not just because Liu Anshi didn’t treat him as a human being.

It’s also because Liu Anshi has touched his bottom line!

He was the successor designated by Sima Guang before his death.

When Fan Zuyu inherited his mentor's mantle, he naturally also assumed the obligation to protect his teacher's reputation and achievements at all times and in all places.

When his teacher Sima Guang was alive, he was most concerned about the peasants, those peasants who were poorly clothed, hungry, and oppressed and exploited.

Since entering the court in the eighth year of Yuanfeng, his teacher, in his memorials to the court, apart from attacking and criticizing the new laws, almost all other memorials talked about the hard work of the farmers and the suffering of the people.

But Liu Anshi spoke nonsense in front of him, belittling and humiliating the common people.

In the language, the common people are not considered as human beings at all.

This violated the taboo of his mentor Sima Guang, and also violated his taboo!
If you don't react in time, cut off ties with them decisively.

Fan Zuyu knew that once those villains in the New Party got to know about this.

Who knows how he and his teacher Sima Guang will be portrayed.

What Sima Guang did in Chenzhou back then is still being used by villains to attack and criticize him.

Once, they learned what Liu Anshi had just said, Fan Zuyu did not cut it off in time.

Fan Zuyu had no doubt that those villains would use this as an excuse to put him, his late teacher and the entire Zizhi Tongjian Bookstore into a separate category, labeling them as "not caring about the people" and "hypocritical".

This was unacceptable to Fan Zuyu.

Liu Anshi laughed loudly and looked at Fan Zuyu: "I know!"

"You refused to rescue me because I impeached my father-in-law!"

"Sima Wengong!" Liu Anshi looked towards the direction of the Sushui River, attempting to morally blackmail Fan Zuyu. In his opinion, this was a very useful method.

He had to cry and howl to attract other people's attention so that he could lift Fan Zuyu up.

But when Fan Zuyu heard Liu Anshi shout out the four words "Sima Wengong", he immediately flew into a rage!
"roll!"

"My master never had a disciple as heartless, unkind and unjust as you!"

"I am now announcing to the world and sending letters to all directions in the name of Sima Wengong's disciple: You are not Sima Wengong's disciple!"

For an honest gentleman like Fan Zuyu.

A villain like Liu Anshi would be a disgrace to his teacher as long as he remained under his teacher's tutelage.

So he roared and shouted almost madly.

This immediately attracted Fan's family and friends.

Everyone stared in amazement at Fan Zuyu, who was furious and almost ready to kill someone in the guest room.

They couldn't believe that a kind and gentle man like Fan Zuyu could have such a crazy side.

……

"Everyone……"

Shi Deyi tiptoed up to Zhao Xu who was about to go to bed.

"When?" Zhao Xu waved his hand and dismissed the female official who was serving him to wash his feet.

Shi Deyi lowered his voice and said, "The Investigation Department just reported urgently..."

"You Zhengyan entered the residence of Fan Zuyu, the supervisor of Wanshou Temple, but was scolded by Fan Zuyu and left. It is said that he was in a very embarrassed state..."

Zhao Xu listened and was immediately amused: "Is Fan Zuyu angry?"

In Zhao Xu's memory, apart from having the same bad temper as Sima Guang, Tang Jiangong was actually a gentle person who did things slowly and methodically and who would not easily get angry.

Even if Liu Anshi impeached his father-in-law, it shouldn't have made him so angry.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xu asked: "If you know everything, tell me in detail!"

Shi Deyi lowered his head and said, "I don't know much... I just heard that You Zhengyan said some unpleasant things in front of Wanshou Temple..."

"What about?"

"It seems that there is a saying like 'How can the common people understand the righteousness of the world? How can they comment on us?'..."

Zhao Xu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he clapped his hands and said, "Good!"

He looked at Shi Deyi and said, "Go and tell Feng Jing to pick a few editors who wrote Romance of the Three Kingdoms and arrange this incident in a dramatic way, focusing on You Zhengyan's arrogance!"

In Zhao Xu's opinion, Liu Anshi's words already had the potential to become a hot topic in public opinion!

After all, although the literati all felt that the common people had the obligation only to be ruled and educated by the literati.

At the same time, most ordinary people probably also agreed with the scholars' view.

but……

If someone pointed out this fact...

Both sides might feel extremely disgusted with Liu Anshi.

It was enough to create a hot topic similar to "My father is Li Gang" in the public opinion in Bianjing.

(End of this chapter)