Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 102 Who wrote this masterpiece? (Second update)
"Has the Imperial College fallen to this level?"

This was Xu Jie’s first reaction.

He was successful at a young age. He passed the examination for a scholar at the age of fifteen, and ranked seventh in the Yingtian County Examination at the age of twenty. At the age of twenty-one, he became the third Tanhualang in the country, without any experience of entering the Imperial College.

Moreover, the reputation of the Imperial College was not very good at that time. The teaching quality was poor and the students in the college were of mixed quality. Xu Jie looked down on it very much. He was a talented person who was directly promoted to the Hanlin Academy. How could he waste his time there?

But even so, it is the number one institution of learning in the country after all. Now, people are sneaking around like street vendors, specializing in selling books such as "Sheng Penglai", "Tiangong Juechang", "Yuanyang Mipu" and "Huaying Jinzhen". The content is wonderful and the illustrations are gorgeous. Although he has not read any of them, he still has to criticize them.

Facing the other person's contemptuous gaze, Yan Shifan realized that what he had just said was somewhat ambiguous, and hurriedly said, "I was introduced by Mr. Cui. Please read the letter!"

After taking the letter and looking at the familiar handwriting, Xu Jie realized that he had misunderstood and apologized, "Excuse me, may I know your name, sir?"

Cui Hongyuan's character was not only recommended by his teacher Nie Bao, but he also had contact with him. He was deeply immersed in the School of Mind, and Xu Jie also regarded him as a teacher. The person recommended by this person should not be someone who sells erotic pictures, right?
"My name is Yan Shifan, also known as Donglou. Nice to meet you, Mr. Tanhua!"

Yan Shifan handed the scroll over. "This is a story about cultivating the mind! It's fascinating! Absolutely fascinating!"

Xu Jie's eyes lit up, and he quickly took it and quietly put it into his arms, then bowed and said, "Thank you, brother!"

"Don't dare to take it! Don't dare to take it!"

After all, the other party was a third place winner in the imperial examination and an editor in the Hanlin Academy. Yan Shifan still had some admiration for the imperial examination. He returned the greeting with a serious expression, then leaned forward and whispered, "We await your reply!"

After the handover was completed, Yan Shifan walked around and came out to meet Haiyue, showing a bright smile: "I have lived up to your trust!"

"Then let's go..."

Not to mention that Haiyue took Yan Shifan out of the Hanlin Academy, Xu Jie returned to the hall, wrote a few words absentmindedly, and then took out the scroll in his arms.

"Huh? Journey to the West?"

Because he was being secretive, he didn't turn the page from the first page, but turned to the middle, which happened to be the plot where Tang Xuanzang was ordered by the Tang Emperor to go to the West to seek the true scriptures.

Xu Jie was immediately disappointed.

The story of Journey to the West is well-known to everyone, who doesn’t know it?

What's so sneaky about Journey to the West? Could there be a special scene with a female demon?
In any case, it seemed to have nothing to do with the psychology that he wanted to see, and in Xu Jie's mind, the novel was really not up to standard, so he had no interest in it at all.

Xu Jie wanted to throw the book away, but out of respect for Cui Hongyuan and because it was not a good place to throw it away, otherwise his colleagues would find out and laugh at him, so he stuffed it back into his arms and returned his thoughts to the important affairs of the court.

After the office was dismissed, Xu Jie walked out of the Hanlin Academy. Soon, another Hanlin editor in his early twenties, who was in high spirits, came over and the two walked together.

"Brother Zisheng! Are you giving me advice again today?"

"Where's Jingren?"

"I dare not! I dare not! I have to be careful with my words and actions for a while!"

"Haha, I look forward to the day when Jingren will regain his sharp edge!"

This person's name is Zhao Shichun.

He was six years younger than Xu Jie, and his imperial examination record was even more exaggerated. He passed the imperial examination at the age of fourteen, won the first place in poetry, and ranked third in the Shaanxi provincial examination. At the age of eighteen, he took part in the metropolitan examination and won first place, surpassing students across the country. At the age of nineteen, he passed the imperial examination and ranked third in the second class, and sixth in the country.

This man was extremely talented and was later named one of the "Eight Talents of the Jiajing Period". People at the time even called him "the Ou and Su of the Song Dynasty, and the Wang and Zhao of the Ming Dynasty". However, his official career was bumpy, with three ups and downs. In his 40th year of official career, he had served in office for less than 10 years and was unemployed at home for 30 years.

At this time in the original history, he had been demoted to a commoner, but now there have been some changes. Although Zhao Shichun angered the emperor because of his frank advice, he was only transferred back to the Hanlin Academy to serve, and became friends with Xu Jie, who also liked to criticize current affairs.

Both of them had poor family conditions, so they worked together to rent a small house in the capital. Their wives and children were with them, and the two families lived together.

Talking all the way, when they returned to the door of their home, Xu Jie paused and couldn't help showing a look of loneliness. His wife Shen Zhongheng passed away from illness a few months ago at the age of 26, leaving behind only their son Xu Fan who was less than two years old. She actually passed away like this.

Xu Jie was in great pain. He had been complaining about everything these days, not only because he really couldn't stand what Zhang Cong and Xia Yan did, but also because he wanted to express his feelings through this. However, every time he returned to this home, he couldn't help but think of his deceased wife.

Zhao Shichun saw his friend's expression and knew what he was sad about. He could only say, "Brother Zisheng, the deceased is gone. Please accept my condolences!"

Xu Jie nodded slightly, his expression returning to normal: "I lost my composure..."

"Our ambition should be to repel the barbarians, recover our ancestral territory, and leave a legacy of lasting peace and stability to future generations. How can we be so tied down to the long-lasting affections of our children?"

Zhao Shichun was in his early twenties, full of vigor and vitality. Even though he had nearly been demoted to a commoner, he still had unspeakable lofty ambitions. "Do you know that His Majesty intends to reclaim Jiaozhi?" Xu Jie said, "I have heard of this, but I think the best strategy for now is to maintain peace and conserve the army, control the situation to slow down any further changes, put the people first, strive for appeasement, and refrain from aggression!"

Zhao Shichun frowned: "You don't agree to send troops?"

"disagree!"

Xu Jie said in a deep voice, "Once war breaks out, the people's wealth will have to be plundered to support the army. The primary goal of resolving border issues is to keep the people safe. If we can't keep the people safe, external threats will turn into internal troubles! Furthermore, in border wars today, the practice of valuing the first person to be credited is still prevalent. This practice has long outweighed the benefits. There are those who rob people of their military merits, those who buy and sell heads, those who engage in endless litigation, and even those who indiscriminately kill civilians to pass off their military merits as evidence of countless other evils..."

Zhao Shichun sighed upon hearing this: "That's absolutely true. The purpose of the army is to stop killing, not to kill people!"

Xu Jie said, "Unfortunately, current military law stipulates that for every number of beheadings, a certain reward or promotion will be awarded. The key to resolving border issues lies not in the number of people killed, but in the abundance of social wealth. This goal can only be achieved by stopping the war, pacifying the people, and cultivating farmland to store grain."

Zhao Shichun agreed with Xu Jie's point, but offered his own perspective: "But right now, there's rebellion and ruthless killings in Jiaozhi, and turmoil and fighting everywhere. This is a great opportunity for the Ming Dynasty, as the suzerain, to quell the rebellion and recover the country. If we miss this opportunity, by the time Jiaozhi regains stability, it will be too late!"

"Even if Jiaozhi were to face civil unrest, could our Ministry of War prevail? Who can we rely on for military affairs? The arrogant Marquis Wuding? Or the boastful Minister Zhang?"

Xu Jie sneered, his eyes showing disdain.

There is no need to mention the Marquis of Wuding, and the Minister Zhang refers to the Minister of War Zhang Zan.

This person happened to have risen to power by relying on Guo Xun, the Marquis of Wuding. Guo Xun repeatedly recommended Zhang Zan as a "talent that could be put to great use", and Zhang Zan gradually gained the emperor's trust. In addition, he had military merits in suppressing the rebellion, so he became complacent and declared that the position of Minister of War was already in his pocket. As soon as the news of sending troops to Jiaozhi came out, he began to submit a memorial to agree, but when asked to come up with a suitable strategy, he kept silent.

Many people in the court saw that Zhang Zan had no real talent, but they were intimidated by Guo Xun's tyranny and did not dare to impeach him.

Fortunately, things are turning around now.

Zhao Shichun's eyebrows danced with joy: "Brother Zisheng, have you heard that the brother-in-law of Marquis Wuding is actually the biological son of his second wife! A biological son! Ha!"

Even though Ren was extremely talented, he also liked to listen to gossip. Xu Jie immediately became interested: "Oh? Tell me more! Tell me more!"

Zhao Shichun recounted the story in detail, leaving Xu Jie stunned. "How could this actually happen? It's truly unexpected! Even more despicable is that Marquis Wu Ding actually forced this boy to death. So, is this matter simply going to be left unresolved?"

Zhao Shichun was startled. You've already scolded Xia Yan and criticized Zhang Cong in the Hanlin Academy. Now you're going to criticize Guo Xun too broadly. He quickly changed the subject: "Let's talk about Jiaozhi. I think..."

"Wow--!!"

The crying of his son Xu Fan interrupted their conversation. Xu Jie quickly walked into the room, took his son from the maid's arms, and coaxed him skillfully.

Snapped!
As the movement became more intense, the scroll hidden in his arms fell to the ground.

Xu Jie was stunned for a moment, but Zhao Shichun had already walked over and picked up the scroll. Seeing that it had no cover, he thought it was a good thing, but after scanning a few words, he was stunned: "The Great Sage Equaling Heaven?"

Xu Jie's expression changed slightly.

As expected, Zhao Shichun straightened up and said with a smile, "I didn't expect Brother Zisheng to like reading historical novels?"

Xu Jie sighed secretly and said with a wry smile: "It's not that I just like watching it...it's just that!"

The two were good friends, so there was no point in denying it. However, Zhao Shichun had no interest in the School of Mind. He was an official of the traditional Neo-Confucian school, and his memorials mostly followed the Cheng-Zhu idea of ​​"correcting the emperor's heart", which had nothing to do with the core concept of the School of Mind "attaining conscience". Xu Jie certainly would not tell him that his predecessor in the School of Mind had inexplicably recommended such a work to him.

But then I thought, when I was in the Hanlin Academy before, I was so excited that I didn’t read it carefully. Maybe there is another mystery in the book?

Xu Jie held the child in one hand and reached out with the other, just as he was about to take the book back, but Zhao Shichun retracted his hand: "It must be a good thing that Brother Zisheng treasures so much. Let me have a look!"

Seeing his friend waving his hands and leaving, Xu Jie was helpless and could only continue to hold his son: "Oh! Oh! Don't cry! Don't cry!"

On the second day of rest, Xu Jie, who had been kept awake late by his son's crying the previous night, was sleeping soundly. He had even dreamed of becoming the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, speaking frankly to the emperor and clearing the sky, when he was awakened by a series of knocks on the door.

"Dong Dong Dong! Dong Dong Dong!!"

"I'm coming……"

Xu Jie scrambled to his feet, donned a robe, and opened the door. Zhao Shichun's excited face rushed in. "This new adaptation of Journey to the West transcends all human desires and restores the principles of Heaven. It uses gods and demons to illustrate truth. It's truly a masterpiece of Neo-Confucianism! Who wrote it? I must visit!"

Xu Jie was stunned: "Ah? Science?"

(End of this chapter)