Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 665: Going astray (Additional chapter for the leader who speaks frankly)
Minister Sun laughed out loud and said calmly: "Minister Wang, what do you mean by the law being just and sacred?
Law is nothing more than a set of rules and regulations established by the imperial court for the sake of stability in the world.

It did not fall from the sky, but was set by people in the court as rules for the behavior of all people and things in the world.

Since it is a rule set by humans, it cannot be inherently correct. There will always be inappropriate and inconsistent aspects, and future generations need to constantly correct and complete them. "

Sun Yijia was very annoyed by Wang Shenzhi's provocation, and he felt that he must suppress Wang Shenzhi's arrogance.

Minister Sun continued: "When Jiaozi first appeared, it was popular among the people and recognized by all people, but it was illegal.

Later, the imperial court found that Jiaozi was indeed of great convenience to the people, so it became legal.

Then I would like to ask Minister Wang, the same thing was illegal the day before the court approved it, but it became legal the day after. So is it illegal or legal? "

Minister Wang said coldly: "The law should be respected. It is legal when the law allows it, and it is illegal when the law does not allow it."

Minister Sun clapped his hands and said, "Well said! Since whether it is illegal or legal is just a matter of the court's decision. Whether it is illegal or legal is just a matter of the court's official document, then..."

Minister Sun stepped forward and said aggressively: "So, your so-called law is just and sacred, as if the law is naturally above everything else, and people should just follow it as if they were blind, deaf, or stupid, right?
If we find that it is wrong, shouldn’t we improve it, make up for it, and correct it, but should we still execute it even though we know it is wrong? "

When Lu You listened, he actually found it very reasonable, even though Minister Sun was opposed to letting Guo Yuxiu take part in the imperial examination.

Minister Wang smiled faintly and said, "Minister Sun's wit is indeed sharp. However, the question is, is it wrong? If you say it is wrong, then it is wrong? If it is not wrong, then what is the problem with following it?"

"Is that right?"

"Is it wrong?"

The two men were like fighting roosters, with their necks stiffened.

After all, Minister Sun was a scholar. He would go to the Imperial College and the Imperial Academy to give lectures from time to time, and he was an excellent debater and eloquent.

Minister Sun said: "The establishment of law is based on the order of all things, originates from the etiquette of the people of the world, and is completed by the criminal law enforced by the court.

Etiquette is the foundation of maintaining social order. Hens crowing at dawn, women taking imperial examinations, and showing their faces in public are not in line with the word "etiquette".

Therefore, even if the law does not specifically state that the imperial examination system is only for men, it is wrong for women to take the examination because it is against etiquette and law. How can there be any compromise? "

Minister Wang raised his eyebrows and said calmly, "But it's really wrong, right? Right or wrong, can you, Minister Sun, decide it with just one word? You are so arrogant!"

In Minister Wang's opinion, Minister Sun used a correct logic to support a wrong judgment.

What's more, are the two of them arguing about whether Guo Yuxiu should take the exam?
It’s the Shangshu!

Minister Qu frowned and said to Lu You, "Take Miss Guo away first. I will tell you more after the matter is settled."

Lu You wanted to see the two assistant ministers argue, but Minister Qu had already spoken, so he had to leave.

Guo Yuxiu was not afraid of the stage. Before leaving, he said proudly: "The exam will start in three days. If the Ministry of Rites cannot give students justice by then, students will file a complaint with the emperor!"

After saying this, she walked away proudly.

As Shangshu Qu had already submitted his resignation letter and was about to retire, there was naturally no need for him to express any position. So after Lu You and Guo Yuxiu left, he spoke to the two assistant ministers in a friendly manner.

The two assistant ministers had to give face to their old leader who was about to retire, so they parted on bad terms.

Minister Wang is not good at debate, but if you ask him to write an article, he will carefully consider every word and sentence and think slowly, and he can write a long article and quote from classics.

Minister Wang was choked by Minister Sun just now, and when he returned to his signing room, he was still very angry.

He thought about it, then he sharpened his brush and began to write a "memorial". He wanted to present the matter to the emperor so that all officials could discuss it openly.

When Minister Sun returned to the signing room, he thought of the dispute that had just occurred and couldn't help but have some ideas.

Sun Yijia is a follower of the "Luo School" of the Cheng brothers and a devout believer in Lijiao.

Zhu Xi, a later Neo-Confucianist, was still a young man in his twenties. He had just finished his term as the chief clerk of Tong'an County in Quanzhou and planned to continue his studies.

Not long ago, when Minister Sun was giving a lecture at the Jiankang Imperial College, Zhu Xi went to sit in on the lecture.

Minister Sun admired this young man very much and wrote him a letter of recommendation, recommending him to become a disciple of the Taoist master Li Dong and continue to study Neo-Confucianism in depth.

It was also during his lectures at the Jiankang Imperial Academy that Minister Sun discovered that many literati and scholars opposed Neo-Confucianism, and many students in the Imperial Academy were also influenced by this and constantly criticized Neo-Confucianism.

The debate between him and Minister Wang today was certainly a dispute of personal feelings, but was it also a struggle between two academic thoughts?
Sun Yijia felt that he had an obligation to use this incident as an example to argue the principles of Neo-Confucianism, correct the wrongs and clear up the mind.

So, before even waiting for the end of her shift, Sun Yijia immediately picked up her pen and started writing.

By the time he got off duty in the evening, Minister Sun's article had been completed.

He had always enjoyed prestige in the Imperial College and the Imperial Academy, so he immediately asked the clerk to make two copies and send them to the Imperial College in Lin'an and the Imperial Academy for the students to study.

Therefore, early the next morning, Minister Wang's memorial on "the examination and debate of the female student Guo Yuxiu from Jinzhou" was sent to the court.

At the same time, Minister Sun's "The Ceremony of Selecting Talents and Analysis of Women's Examinations" also spread in the Imperial College and the Imperial Academy.

Minister Sun also had sufficient evidence. In his article, he not only wrote that women should not take examinations, he also mentioned four other people who should not take the examination: merchants, civil servants, criminals, and those in mourning.

Although the law has never clearly stated that women cannot take the exam, it does clearly stipulate that the above four types of people cannot take the exam.

Why can't they take the exam?
Like that criminal, he is undoubtedly involved in the law.

As for the one who is in mourning, it is undoubtedly related to etiquette.

As for executives and businessmen, it is more related to the sensitivity of their identity and profession.

For women, however, identity, "profession" sensitivity and etiquette are involved.

Minister Sun elaborated on this perspective in detail, and his words were very insightful.

However, students at the Imperial College and the Imperial Academy each had their own schools of thought. Wang Anshi's new school of thought and the Shu school of thought represented by Su Xun, Su Shi and Su Zhe were both very popular, while Cheng Yi's Neo-Confucianism was not very popular and was often attacked.

Although Minister Sun enjoyed great prestige in the Imperial College, his open support for Neo-Confucianism was also criticized and opposed by many students.

Now is the time when the scientific examination is about to begin, and topics related to the scientific examination are the most eye-catching.

The fact that a woman actually wants to take part in a scientific examination is itself very intriguing.

Sun Yijia and Wang Shenzhi, this pair of talented people, turned it into an important academic issue.

After Guo Yuxiu returned, he was worried that he would not be able to refer to the case, so he instructed two servants to bribe some idle people and spread the news in Lin'an City.

As a result, things got out of hand.

It was hotly debated in the imperial court, in the provincial academy, and in the marketplace.

For a time, this incident became the hottest topic in Lin'an.

However, when this matter was fermenting, Yang Yuan, the instigator, was completely unaware of it.

Yang Yuan is studying the issue of selling government farmland.

The official fields in the Song Dynasty mainly came from taxes, mortgages, confiscations, extinct households, as well as wasteland, sandy fields caused by swollen rivers, abandoned embankments, receding beaches, and mudflats along rivers, lakes, and seashores. The number was quite huge.

However, this kind of official land was actually a state-owned farm. Due to poor management and operation, as well as favoritism and corruption by the officials in charge of the official land, the income from the military farms and military farms was very small, and some even did not cover the costs.

Therefore, before Zhao Gou died, some officials suggested selling government land to the people, thereby reducing the burden on the court and increasing taxes.

Of course, Yang Yuan knew the pros and cons clearly without any investigation, after all, he was an experienced person.

Therefore, he was counting the number of official fields of the court, the annual expenditure and income on the official fields, and the pros and cons of selling the official fields.

He is used to speaking with detailed data, which helps to convince officials better.

Of course, if you ask him to write a memorial with flowery, high-spirited and golden sentences, he would indeed be shy.

Because Yang Yuan was busy with this matter, and his reputation had not yet improved completely, the officials in the Menxia Province only talked to him about official business and did not chat with him about gossip, so Yang Yuan was completely unaware of the situation.

The next day, the news that a woman was going to take part in the imperial examination spread throughout the market.

The imperial court and the provincial schools had heated discussions on the merits and demerits of Neo-Confucianism, Shu School and New Learning.

Many famous scholars and Confucian scholars in Lin'an, especially those who studied Neo-Confucianism, Shu School and New School, all perished.

On the third day, the "culprit" who caused this academic debate was exposed. He was the Left Censor-in-Chief, Yang Yuan.

Yang Yuan remained completely unaware of the situation and continued to concentrate on writing his article.

"Most of the government farmland in Sichuan is controlled by the Western Army. Well... this is somewhat different from the government farmland in other places.

It seems that I should advise the government that, except for Sichuan, the military farms, rented farms and some poorly managed military farms in other regions can be given first..."

"Cui Gei Shi, what's up?"

Yang Yuan was thinking about it when he saw Cui Baiyu peeking at the door, so he asked.

Cui Baiyu grinned, walked in and bowed, "Yang Jianyi, the girl you brought here two days ago, was she a student?"

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "Yes, Cui Jieshi is well-informed. How did you know that?"

Cui Jieshi laughed dryly and said, "Not only do I know about this matter, but everyone in Lin'an knows about it."

"Oh? The court allowed her to take the exam? Hahaha, a woman taking the exam is indeed an unprecedented rare event, but it actually attracted the attention of the court and the public?"

Cui Jieshi's lips twitched a few times, and he smiled awkwardly, "Could it be that Yang Jianyi really didn't know?"

"what do you know?"

"Mr. Peng Dingfeng, in two days I will be at the Recitation Academy to discuss the issue of women taking the exam with the masters of various schools.

Three days later, Mr. Ye Bixian will hold a lecture at Wansong Academy, where he will debate with famous scholars from all over the world, explore academic subjects, explain the essence of things, argue about similarities and differences, and seek the ultimate truth.

Minister Wang and Minister Sun of the Ministry of Rites argued endlessly over whether to allow Guo Yuxiu to take the exam. The ministers in the court had their own supporters, and there was no final conclusion for a while..."

Yang Yuan was shocked: "Is it such a big deal?"

"Yes."

"Let me think about it. Tomorrow... should we release the test?"

"Yes."

"Then Miss Guo can take the exam now?"

"It seems... no one mentioned it."

"..."

"..."

Yang Yuan suddenly stood up, said "Excuse me", and left.

At this time, Guo Yuxiu, with her two followers, one old and one strong, who had disguised themselves as servants, were rushing to Dengwen Drum Court to file a complaint with the emperor.

(End of this chapter)