My father is Emperor Wu of Han, how can I be different from him?

Chapter 141 Listen to me, don't be hypocritical

night.

A banquet was taking place in a mansion on Xiangshi Street. The host was not a high-ranking official, so out of respect, he did not sit in the main seat.

The four of them sat facing each other.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

As the host and initiator of the banquet, Yu Chu, the minister, drank a glass of wine, sighed and said with emotion:
"Before Confucianism became the only school of thought, I could still call myself a novelist when I was away from home. But when Confucianism became the only school of thought, I could only be a palace official."

"I dare not mention my own school anymore, and I can't even show my own works openly..."

"Ugh!"

Yu Chu once wrote a novel based on the Book of Zhou, named "Zhou Shuo".

He is a serious novelist.

but.

Just as Yu Chu himself lamented, his school has not had an easy time in recent years. The school of novels has always been considered inferior in the eyes of Confucianists...

A person sitting on Yu Chu's left also shook his head when he heard this, "After Confucianism was established, the followers of the Legalists had to act in a Confucian way."

"What about us?"

This man's surname was Zhu and his given name was He. Like Zhufu Yan and Bian Tong, he learned the art of diplomacy.

In other words.

Zhu He is a disciple of the family of diplomacy.

Their emotions resonated with the people at the table, and the lively atmosphere of toasting and drinking cooled down a bit. An official with a square face sitting opposite them continued:

"That being said, there is no need to be too pessimistic. The fact that the medical community is where we are today means that we still have a chance to catch our breath."

This man's surname is Wang, his name is Heng, and he holds the position of Agricultural Promotion Official, working in the capital area.

Encourage farmers, encourage farmers.

From the literal meaning, you can guess which family he comes from, a farming family!
Having said that, the purpose of their gathering together tonight was basically to provoke.

Yu Chu's expression was slightly excited, and he looked at the others: "Brother Wang is right, the prince promoted the doctor, and the doctor is now famous!"

"We might as well follow suit!"

Wang Heng nodded slightly and added: "Don't forget, there is also a Mohist school that is like a rat crossing the street. The Mohist school has joined the prince and can still enter the palace now."

Not bad.

The example was very vivid and everyone present was very moved.

Actually...

"We are able to gather here tonight. I believe that everyone has the same idea after careful consideration."

Seeing everyone nodding, Yu Chu spoke frankly, "In this case, there is no need to hide it anymore. I will express my position first."

He paused and looked around.

"Everyone, how about we go to the Prince's Palace together?"

"Even if we can't become as famous as the medical school, at least we can gain some living space for our school. If we continue to endure like this, I'm afraid the inheritance will be difficult to continue!"

Yu Chu couldn't stand the fact that his own novel was denounced as inferior and couldn't even be published openly.

It would have been fine if I didn’t see the opportunity before, but now there is the opportunity of the prince.

He has to try it!

only.

"From past events, the prince is indeed friendly to all schools of thought, but Confucianism is not very friendly to us." Zhu He looked entangled and worried.
"If we go to the Prince's Palace to recommend ourselves, but the Prince confiscates us, the Confucianists will definitely hold a grudge against us!"

Herein lies the problem.

Didn't Yu Chu have legs or a mouth? He wanted to join the crown prince, but couldn't he go by himself? People from other schools couldn't go by themselves? Why did they gather together?
There is only one reason:
Confucianism is a huge force, they have to stick together!

To say that Confucianism is powerful literally may be too pale and difficult to intuitively feel. Let me give you an example.

Gongsun Hong, who once helped the emperor solve his problems and served as prime minister until his death, was a follower of Confucianism!
No matter how flexible the bottom line of this old fox was, he selectively abandoned and transformed many Confucian ideas in order to please the emperor.

It cannot be denied.

He is indeed a Confucian scholar.

Gongsun Hong studied Gongyang Chunqiu, served as a doctor, and finally rose to the position of prime minister from a commoner. During the years as prime minister, Gongsun Hong established several talent recruitment halls in the prime minister's mansion, either for fame or for the development of Confucianism.

I don't know how many Confucian scholars gathered here and entered the officialdom of the Han Dynasty through Gongsun Hong's arrangement.

This is just one of them.

No matter how many people Gongsun Hong promotes alone, it is not as much as another place or organization that promotes them. Where?
Imperial College!

The vast majority of doctoral students who graduated from the Imperial Academy took up official positions, either entering the Nine Ministers system or serving in local counties.

Yu Chu was an assistant minister, Wang Heng was an agricultural official, and Zhu He was a clerk of the imperial court.

The combined rank of the three of them is less than that of a 600-shi official!

Being hated by Confucianism?

There is no need for Confucian bigwigs like Dong Zhongshu to speak, any prime minister with a thousand stones can make them pay for their mistakes with just a word.

Yu Chu suggested that everyone go to the prince together, just to keep each other warm.

however.

Zhu He understood the implication, but still expressed his concerns. He was saying that even if we stick together, we will still feel a little weak!

"Ah!"

Just at this moment, the man who had been silent in the hall and just sipped his wine spoke.

His eyes were disdainful and his tone was sarcastic.

"You are so hesitant and afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind. Do you still want to turn things around? The Prince's Palace is in Chang'an City, and Bowang Garden is just outside Chang'an City. Where can you not go?"

"Knowing that the prince is friendly to the Hundred Families, how can you succeed if you are still so timid?"

But the man who started to mock was sitting in a wild and unrestrained posture, with his breasts exposed. It was a pity that his round face, small eyes, and a pair of curved eyebrows did not look domineering.

On the contrary, there is an indescribable sense of joy.

This person is no other than the Taizhong doctor, Dongfang Shuo!

Today is a school gathering, Dongfang Shuo is also present, so he naturally has a school identity. Among all the schools of thought, there is only one that can be associated with him -

Celebrity!

Seeing this, some people may ask, is Dongfang Shuo a disciple of a famous family?

how to say.

When necessary, it can be!
When Confucianism became the dominant school of thought, unless there were special circumstances, Dongfang Shuo's titles included the Emperor's Close Minister, Taizhong Daifu, and Master of Ci and Fu.

When a special situation arose, such as when the disciples of the Mohist school came to him and wanted him to recommend one or two people, Dongfang Shuo would give himself the title of a disciple of a famous school.

today.

The same is true.

Several strategists and farmers wanted to join the prince. Dongfang Shuo heard about it and decided to use the title of "son of a famous family" to explore the situation for the prince.

As soon as he spoke, Yu Chu hurriedly explained: "Hey, Brother Dongfang, you misunderstood. It's not that we are hesitant, we really have our own difficulties."

Among the four people present, Dongfang Shuo holds the highest official position. What he can ignore cannot be ignored by others.

As the host, Yu Chu did not sit in the main seat tonight, mostly because of Dongfang Shuo.

but.

In order to attract people for the prince, Dongfang Shuo still had something to say: "I understand. You are just worried that if you go to the prince's palace to recommend yourself, you will not be accepted by him but will cause trouble."

"Relax~"

He took a sip from the wine cup, then smiled and said, "You have all heard of the reputation of the Crown Prince who only promotes people based on their talents, regardless of their status or position, right?"

"I might as well tell you straight, I often go to the prince's palace and I know the prince's character. As long as you have talent, he will accept you!"

Hear this.

The other three looked at each other, and Yu Chu bowed and asked solemnly: "Could you please explain it in detail, Brother Dongfang?"

Dongfang Shuo's little eyes sparkled, and he swung his sleeves.

"What's so difficult about that!"

(End of this chapter)