I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 58: Night Talk! Who can save the world? Patriot or traitor?
It was the first day of the Lunar New Year, almost dusk.

Wang Jiaping, Shen Yikuan and Shen Nian submitted a joint memorial to the Ministry of Public Administration, which stated their active request to take turns giving lectures on daily basis.

In less than an hour, the cabinet gave its approval.

"Yes, the Lord is very pleased."

When Shen Nian saw these four words, he could fully imagine the anger like a mountain torrent in the little Wanli's heart and his helplessness in having to praise the three people.

No normal teenager would enjoy attending classes during the Chinese New Year!

Wang Jiaping and Shen Yikuan were very happy.

He immediately discussed the outline of the five-day lecture with Shen Nian.

Because Zhang Juzheng proposed to increase the schoolwork for little Wanli, the content of this year's daily lectures will naturally be more than last year's.

The three of them discussed the general situation and decided to sleep in tomorrow before coming back, then went home.

After Shen Nian returned to the Shen residence.

I was exhausted both physically and mentally, and fell asleep shortly after dinner.

……

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the winter sun begins to rise.

Shen Nian walked slowly to the Hanlin Academy.

When I saw the progress of the lecture outline written by Wang Jiaping and Shen Yikuan, I knew that they must have come before dawn.

In their minds, "sleeping in" probably means getting up at five in the morning.

Immediately.

Shen Nian also began to prepare the outline of the lecture notes.

As the saying goes: The bricks that come later in a wall come on top.

Although Shen Nian arrived late, he was quick and had prepared the outline of the five-day lecture notes before noon.

Wang Jiaping and Shen Yikuan are still in the final stages.

In the afternoon, the three of them submitted the lecture outline to Shen Shixing, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy.

Only after his review could the three of them write a complete lecture note, which would then be submitted to Shen Shixing for review. After Shen Shixing approved it, it would be submitted to Zhang Juzheng for review before it was considered final.

The education of the little emperor cannot be neglected in the slightest.

in this way.

I was busy until noon on the fourth day of the New Year before I finally finalized the lecture notes.

After Shen Nian returned home, Aji handed Shen Nian a list of visiting cards.

Today alone, more than ten people invited Shen Nian to a banquet or an outing, to recite poems or to chat about hometown ties.

Shen Nian naturally rejected them all.

He doesn't like to participate in such dinner parties, drinking parties and gatherings with fellow villagers.

He hopes that everyone knows this characteristic of his, otherwise some messy trivial matters will make him exhausted.

Near dusk.

Shen Nian wrote two visiting cards and asked Aji to deliver them.

……

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, night fell.

In the east of the capital, in Chengqingfang, a private room on the second floor of an unknown tavern.

Shen Nian, Wang Zudi and Zhao Yongxian sat together.

Wang Zudi and Zhao Yongxian were both quite surprised after receiving Shen Nian's visiting card.

They know.

Since Shen Nian took the position of daily lecturer, although he still worked in the same room and had the same rank as them, his career prospects were completely different.

They also know.

Shen Nian doesn't like socializing, and he politely declined many invitations to dinner during the New Year holidays. The two of them got along well with Shen Nian in the review room.

But privately, apart from a few dinners in the Review Hall, their personal relationship was only average.

Today Shen Nian invited them to drink and eat, making them think that there must be something important to discuss.

The three of them chatted while eating.

Since they were colleagues, they had many common topics and soon they were talking and laughing, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

At this time.

Shen Nian looked at the two of them and asked with a smile, "Brother Ru, Brother Yinchang, in your eyes, what is a national hero?"

National Scholar, that is the highest honor for scholar-officials!
Anyone who reads.

Almost everyone has fantasized about becoming a great hero who can save the country and save the world.

Zhao Yongxian was the first to laugh.

Scholars love to talk about literary topics like this after drinking.

He lifted his glass, puffed out his chest, and said, "You are the model for the people, the pillar of the country. Only when your virtue is right can you bring peace to the country. The rise and fall of the country, the safety of the people, all depend on you. Your achievements are so great that they will glorify the history. You are a national hero!"

"Looking at all dynasties, who can be called a national hero?" Shen Nian asked.

Wang Zudi thought for a moment and replied, "Guan Zhong assisted Duke Huan of Qi in uniting the nine states, and was a pioneer of the Legalist school of thought. He was a true hero of the country. Zhuge Kongming, the prime minister of Shu Han, devoted himself to the country until his death, and led five northern expeditions. His deeds were inspiring and moving. He was a true hero of the country. Fan Wenzheng put his worries before his own, and always cared about the country, the people, and his clan. He was both civil and military. He was a true hero of the country!"

Zhao Yongxian on the side nodded in approval.

Shen Nian shook his head slightly.

"Guan Zhong's personal morality was flawed, and he was greedy for money and extravagant, as recorded in history. He was not a man of virtue who could rectify the world. Prime Minister Zhuge Liang spent his entire life trying to reverse the tide of the world's decline, and he was not a man of talent who could stabilize the country. Fan Wenzheng's Qingli New Deal died in less than two years, and he was only on the defensive in the northwest. His virtue outweighed his talent, but he lacked both civil and military achievements, and he was not a man of state!"

Zhao Yongxian smiled and said, "Ziheng, you're being too serious. How can there be a perfect person or a saint in the world? They have been the best scholars in the past thousand years!"

This is what Shen Nian was waiting for.

He then asked, "Gentlemen, are there any great men of state in this world?"

After thinking about it seriously, they both shook their heads.

Shen Nian stood up and took two steps towards the window.

"There was a man who implemented a new policy. In less than three years, the national tax collection rate jumped from less than 50% to 90%."

"There was a man who, through his strict administration and fair rewards and punishments, reduced the time it took to review and approve memorials from the six ministries from an average of over a month to three days."

"There was a man who forced the reform of the post station system, saving the court a million taels of silver a year."

"There was a man who valued border commanders and adhered to the strategy of 'showing restraint on the outside while cultivating war and defense on the inside.' He trained troops in the north and built a navy in the southeast, making it impossible for foreign enemies to invade the border."

……

"Even if such a person has flawed personal ethics and can cover up everything, he can't be considered a national hero, but he can't be considered a traitor to the country!"

When Zhao Yongxian and Wang Zudi heard this, they stood up almost at the same time.

They naturally recognized that this person was the current Prime Minister of the Cabinet, Zhang Juzheng.

"Ziheng, what do you want to say?" Zhao Yongxian asked.

"My two wise brothers, I am not here to sing the praises of Lord Zhang tonight. Instead, I want to point out that everyone is criticizing Lord Zhang for his arbitrary decisions, his all-powerful control, and his manipulation of government!"

"If we really scold him, who will support the Ming Dynasty? Who will take charge of the Ming Dynasty's affairs? Can we find a national hero who meets our expectations?"

"Recently, I can see that due to the Fu Yingzhen incident, the two of you have some opinions about the cabinet minister. You are against the cabinet minister's arbitrary and dictatorial conduct in government affairs, and you are considering submitting a memorial to impeach him!"

"But you two should be clear about what the Ming Dynasty is like right now. If you have a passion for the country, you shouldn't just focus on the present. The system is about to collapse. Whoever can save the world, whoever truly works for the Ming Dynasty, we should support. Even if we don't, it's like an egg hitting a stone, what's the point?"

"As an official, you must know that the Ming Dynasty is the most important, and the people of the world are the most important. As for other things, they are not worth mentioning!" After saying that, Shen Nian bowed heavily to the two of them.

Shen Nian knew that the two people in front of him had the ambition to "make the king as great as Yao and Shun", so he didn't want them to become Zhang Juzheng's enemies.

At this moment, he has made plans to fully support Zhang Juzheng's new policies.

He wanted to do his best to protect Zhang Juzheng from some storms and difficulties, so that the new policies would have fewer obstacles and more helpers.

(End of this chapter)