My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 12 A Gentleman of Sincerity

Who is Song Lian?

Many people may be more familiar with his apprentice, Fang Xiaoru.

Yes, he was the one about whom Zhu Zhishan spread rumors that Zhu Di had executed his entire clan.

Many people's understanding of Song Lian probably comes from two places.

One of them is a certain film or TV series, which portrayed him as a conservative and out-of-touch Confucian scholar.

They also moved the North-South List case that occurred in the 30th year of Hongwu to the beginning of Hongwu, and after some changes, pinned it on him.

If you know him through this drama, you probably won't have a very good impression of him.

The second one is the article in the textbook, "Preface to Farewell to Ma Sheng of Dongyang".

This is an article full of deep affection, care and earnest expectations for the younger generation.

But many people who read this article think he is hypocritical.

The reason is very simple. In the article, he used his own experience as an example to warn others.

It gives people a feeling of Wang Po selling melons and boasting about herself.

In his previous life, Ma Yu had met many people who held this view on the Internet, and had even argued with them.

In modern terms, this article actually talks about one thing: how can people from humble backgrounds achieve class transition?

The article has a major premise, which is that reading can change your destiny.

Many people say that studying not only did not change my destiny but also cost me a lot of money. This is a lie.

Is it possible that I haven’t read enough books or learned deeply enough?
Here's a bit of trivia that's not so cold: what we usually call advanced mathematics is knowledge from four or five hundred years ago.

For those who want to do scientific research, advanced mathematics is the most basic threshold.

If someone is terrible at advanced mathematics, it would be ridiculous to say that there is no future in studying science.

This is just an example. If reading can change your destiny, the prerequisite is to learn in depth.

At least you have to cross a threshold before you can talk about changing your destiny.

If you can't do this, then nothing will change.

Song Lian was poor since childhood and could not afford to read books, so he could only borrow books from other families.

Who were those who could afford to collect books? At least they were small landowners.

Why would someone lend you a book if you are not related to me?
At this time, you have to show your uniqueness in order to impress others.

What is different about Song Lian?
'I have loved studying since I was young.'

"Love of learning" is his label. Not only is he love of learning, he is also very smart and humble.

In the Chinese cultural tradition, people who love to learn and have knowledge are always looked upon differently.

Even in the 21st century, usually, the idlers will not take the initiative to provoke the students who are good at studying.

In modern terms, Song Lian created a perfect personality for himself and became the "other people's child".

Everyone in the surrounding villages knew that he loved learning, and the "house of books" also wanted to establish a good relationship with him, so they lent him books.

But he did not become proud of it and squander the trust of others.

On the contrary, he behaved more humbly, kept the borrowed books properly, and returned them on time every time.

As time went by, his reputation grew.

All Chinese people should understand the significance of a good reputation.

What should I do if my family doesn’t have enough money to hire a famous teacher?
First, ask knowledgeable people around you for advice.

I asked everyone I knew, and they said, there must be some learned people in my hometown and county, right?
I shamelessly went to his house to ask for advice.

The reputation he had accumulated before would come in handy, at least he would be qualified to visit.

When you get there, keep a proper attitude. If someone gets angry, just bear with it. Wait until they are in a good mood before going up to ask questions.

At this time, others would often say a few words to him.

In this way, your knowledge will become deeper and your reputation will grow.

Ultimately achieve class transition.

Moreover, Song Lian was by no means a corrupt scholar. He was well aware of the suspicion he would face if he wrote an article based on his own experience.

At the end of the article, people directly stated it.

"To say that I encourage my fellow countrymen to study is my true aspiration; to criticize me for boasting about my good fortune and being arrogant towards my fellow countrymen, do they really understand me?"

How does that sentence go? I predicted your prediction.

There is no absolute fairness in this world. If you come from a humble background and want to change your destiny, you have to work harder.

This is what Song Lian wanted to tell future generations.

He is very sincere and you can't say he is hypocritical.

Ma Yu learned about Song Lian because of this article, and then searched for his life and works.

What kind of person was Song Lian in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty?

Let’s put it this way, all the scholars of his time had to bow down to him.

A well-deserved top scholar.

He was also deeply involved in the formulation of rituals and laws in the early Ming Dynasty, competing with the "strict law" faction headed by Li Shanchang, advocating governing the people with virtue and using punishment with caution.

Of course, modern people look at ancient people from a God's perspective, and Song Lian also has many flaws and shortcomings.

For example, over-praising the rule of sage kings, being too idealistic and neglecting reality.

He held a negative attitude towards the ideas of Guanzi and Xunzi, but he did not completely deny them. He still recognized their strategies on education and practicality.

This is also the reason why he did not object to reading the books of Guan and Xun, but could not accept the view that "Confucius and Mencius are the basis, Guan and Xun are the application".

It was precisely because he knew who Song Lian was that Ma Yu found this matter so magical.

This is even more ridiculous than asking Benboerba to get rid of Tang Monk and his disciples.

"Asking me to discuss academic matters with Mr. Song... Qianxi, this joke is not funny at all."

Zhu Biao quickly said, "I'm not kidding. It's really Master Song who wants to see you."

Ma Yu said speechlessly: "No... Even if my elder comes, I still have to behave in the manner of a disciple in front of him."

"What do you think of letting me discuss academic matters with him?"

Zhu Biao thought to himself, you kid still know your own worth, not bad, not bad.

"Brother Ma, it's not that I want to embarrass you, but it's Master Song's request that I can't refuse. Please..."

Ma Yu interrupted him and said bluntly: "Don't mention this matter again, just pretend I haven't heard of it..."

"Take this wine back with you too. I can't afford it."

Seeing that he was really going to give up, Zhu Biao couldn't help feeling anxious and prepared to persuade him again.

"Ahem." Zhu Chong coughed dryly and interrupted:
"Brother Ma, I know Old Man Song's temper. If you avoid him, there will only be two results."

"Either Big Brother will be expelled from the sect, or he will never be able to look after Xun Zhishu again in his lifetime."

Ma Yu paused, turned his head away from Zhu Biao, and said:

"I am a dying man, please forgive me for being unable to do anything."

Zhu Chong rolled his eyes and said, "Brother Ma, you and my elder brother have known each other for a while, and you don't want to see him..."

"Second brother." Zhu Biao interrupted him, then bowed solemnly to Ma Yu:

"Brother Ma and I hit it off right away. Even though this is only our second meeting, I already consider you a good friend."

"I know this is too much to ask, but I really have no other choice but to ask for your help."

"I don't ask Brother Ma to convince Master Song, I just need to tell him your views on 'original use'."

"After this, regardless of whether Master Song accepts it or not, Wendu will accept it calmly and without regrets."

Ma Yu hesitated.

Looking at Zhu Biao's sincere attitude and thinking about the care he received from the other family, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.

Moreover, if you say you have no curiosity about ancient celebrities after traveling through time, you would be lying.

Why did he insist on waiting for Zhu Yuanzhang to come back instead of committing suicide to suffer less?
He said that he wanted to criticize Zhu Yuanzhang in person, but in fact he was just curious and wanted to meet this important figure who influenced the course of Chinese history.

Now that he has the opportunity to meet the top figure in contemporary academia in person, he is still a little excited.

What's more, what Zhu Biao said made sense. Everyone knew that they could not compare with Song Lian.

It's normal to be taught a lesson by him, there's nothing to be ashamed of.

You just need to say one, two, three.

If you can point out some highlights, it will actually help to highlight your own extraordinary qualities.

As for whether he could come up with something new, he was still very confident about it.

At worst, I can bring out some of the teacher's opinions, which will definitely scare them.

Anyway, I am a dying man, so why should I be afraid of being killed for saying something too unorthodox?
Thinking of this, he finally made a decision.

He slowly turned his head, looked at Zhu Biao, and said:

"I can meet him and tell him my point of view."

Zhu Biao was overjoyed: "Thank you, Brother Ma..." Ma Yu waved his hand and said, "Don't be happy yet, I have a condition."

Zhu Biao was not surprised and said, "Brother Ma, please tell me what conditions you have. As long as I can do it, I will not delay."

Ma Yu said seriously: "If you can escape Zhu Yuanzhang's butcher knife and have the opportunity to rise to a high position, please treat the people well."

Zhu Chong was stunned. He thought Ma Yu would want fine wine and delicious food, or be buried with his family after his death.

I didn't expect that he would treat the people well.

This reminded him of the scene a few days ago when Ma Yu said "the suffering of the people" with a painful look on his face.

It turns out that he cares so much about the people.

Zhu Biao couldn't help but stand in awe. He knew what had happened before, and he also knew that Ma Yu was reading Zhang Yanghao's "Shanpoyang: Nostalgia for the Past in Tongguan".

But after all, he was not there, so he didn't feel very deeply and didn't take it too seriously.

Today is different, everything is experienced firsthand.

Ma Yu was willing to face Song Lian's pressure, mostly because of his previous care for him.

This is righteousness.

Then the condition proposed was to treat the people well.

This is benevolence.

You know, he is a death row prisoner.

Ma Yu was still able to think of the people in this situation. This is true benevolence and righteousness.

Thinking about how he had disguised himself and deceived him time and time again, Zhu Biao felt even more ashamed:

"Brother Ma, please rest assured. In the future, I will definitely treat the people well and restore peace and order to the world."

After the matter was settled, Zhu Biao did not stay long and quickly left and returned to the palace.

After he left, Ma Yu became restless.

I was just being influenced by my emotions and agreed to meet Song Lian.

When I calmed down at this moment, my heart started to panic.

This is Song Lian.

Although there is a huge gap between the two, it is normal for me to be educated unilaterally.

But that doesn't mean he doesn't want to show something.

At least it shouldn't be too embarrassing.

But he really didn't know how to say it without embarrassing himself.

We can't really move the teacher out, can we?
At this moment, Zhu Chong said from the side: "Oh, are you scared now?"

"Before, when I saw you talking so much and acting like you were second to God, I thought you were so great."

Having known each other for so many days, Ma Yu already knew his character, and instead of getting angry, he counterattacked:
"Heh, at least I dare to face him directly, unlike some people who can only talk big but dare not say a word when they meet him in person."

Zhu Chong was hit in the sore spot, his face flushed red, veins popping out on his forehead, and he argued:

"What the hell... I was just respecting my teacher..."

"How can we not dare to refute the matter of respecting teachers?"

Then came words like "The key to learning quickly is to respect teachers" and "Respect teachers and value tutors, then rules and regulations will exist."

This made Ma Yu burst into laughter.

Zhu Chong became even more angry and pointed at him angrily, "Ma Yu, don't be so complacent. If you really meet Song Lian, just be unable to utter a single word."

Ma Yu also became interested and decided to tease him:

"Oh, what if I could have a normal conversation with him?"

"Then I will..." Zhu Chong had just finished speaking when he suddenly came to his senses.

This Ma Yu is very strange. Maybe he can really communicate normally with Song Lian. So he changed his words in time:

"There are so many people who can communicate with him normally, including me, and I often refute him to his face. That's why this old man hates me."

"It's nothing for you to communicate with him normally. It's really a skill to be able to confront him head-on."

Ma Yu followed up on his words and said, "That makes sense. What if I can do it? What do you think?"

Zhu Chong said: "I promise you one condition."

Ma Yu continued, "What if I could explain it to him so that he would be speechless?"

Zhu Chong sneered, "You? You're just like a toad yawning and boasting."

Ma Yu thought to himself, is there such a saying these days?

Of course, he didn't think he could win the argument over Song Lian, and he said that purely to tease Li Wu.

"Don't worry about whether I'm bragging or not. Just tell me what you'll do if I can do it."

Zhu Chong also got excited and said, "If you can do this, I will follow your lead from now on."

Ma Yu slapped his thigh and said, "Okay, a gentleman's word is what he says."

Zhu Chong also slammed the table and said: "It is difficult to catch up with the old man."

After the incident with Zhu Chong, Ma Yu felt much less pressured and was finally able to calm down and think.

An idea came to mind quickly.

The most important thing in a debate is to play to your strengths and attack the opponent's weaknesses.

My own strength is naturally the information gap brought about by time travel.

Song Lian’s shortcomings are fame and age. How dare you bully a little kid like me?

Use morality to support him and create a favorable home ground for yourself.

To put it bluntly, it is moral kidnapping.

As for what to do specifically, I'll have to wait until I meet Song Lian and then decide.

Even so, he didn't think he could win.

But he wasn't too worried.

Again, this is not a discussion of doctrine, it is enough for you to just speak out your thoughts.

It doesn’t matter whether Song Lian agrees or not.

Moreover, given his status and character, as long as I don't act unreasonably, he probably won't lower himself to humiliate me.

Now that he had a clear idea in mind, he was no longer panicked and started to eat the fried soybeans leisurely.

His confident look made Zhu Chong a little panicked.

Doesn't this guy really have any killer moves?
He tried to ask Ma Yu several times, but was ignored by him. He could only sit aside and sulk.

If I wasn't afraid of making my mother and brother angry, I would have broken your legs and arms long ago.

Then peel the skin and sprinkle some salt on it... hehe.

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt a lot better.
-
Zhu Biao returned to the palace and told Empress Ma what had happened.

The focus was on the issue of setting conditions.

Upon learning that Ma Yu's condition was to treat the people well, Empress Ma remained silent for a long time.

Although he didn't say anything, his eyes became softer when he mentioned Ma Yu again.

Ma Yu has already agreed, and the next step is to persuade Song Lian.

Queen Ma simply told him that the person who had corrupted the prince had been found, and asked him if he wanted to meet him.

He agreed immediately.

Afterwards, Empress Ma told him Ma Yu's identity, of course with some reservations.

I only told him part of it.

One can imagine how shocked Song Lian was.

His next reaction was beyond everyone's expectations:
"Your Majesty, it is a pity to execute such a great talent like this. Please consider the cause of his crime and spare his life."

Empress Ma was very surprised and asked, "Didn't Mr. Song blame him for corrupting the Crown Prince? Why is he pleading for him?"

Song Lian said seriously, "I just disagree with his point of view, but I don't deny his talent."

"To have such insight at such a young age, I was not as good as him back then."

"He went astray in his studies because of the influence of his teachers, not his fault."

"If they are guided back on the right track, they will surely become pillars of the country in the future."

Empress Ma praised him, "Mr. Song is truly a gentleman."

The rest was simple. Since Song Lian loved talent, he naturally would not object to meeting Ma Yu.

Not only that, Empress Ma also decided to go and listen in person.

Only by seeing the other person in person can she make a better decision on some things.

One night a few days later, Empress Ma, Zhu Biao and Song Lian came to the Yingtian Prefecture prison under the cover of darkness.

(End of this chapter)