Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 235 Song Lian Has Also Become the Emperor's Lackey? Completely Baffled
"Fellow students, esteemed scholars, I am Song Lian!"

Song Lian looked at the crowd and spoke, raising his voice as much as possible.

There are more than two thousand scholars gathered here.
After Song Lian stood up and spoke, there was an instant silence.

This allows Song Yan's voice to travel far and wide.

This gives a glimpse into Song Lian's status and prestige within the Confucian school.

Song Lian did not act arrogantly. No matter how famous he was, almost everyone present knew him, and even those who did not knew him knew who he was from others.

But when he spoke, he immediately revealed his identity.

This is respect.

Upon hearing Song Lian's words, everyone present bowed to him in respect.

Song Lian also bowed to them.

After all this was done, the scene returned to silence.

Countless people eagerly awaited Song Lian's words, hoping he would reveal what they wanted to know.

I know why you wise men have gathered here.

It is an industrial university that is engaging in bizarre and frivolous practices, which is a disgrace to academic integrity.

Instead of making paper for reading and writing, they specially manufacture things that cannot be written on and are only for people to use as toilets!

After Song Lian spoke, everyone's anticipation grew even stronger.

Mr. Jinglian certainly did not disappoint; he got straight to the point without any preamble.

"I am equally outraged by this matter. I feel it should not be done this way, and it cannot be done this way!"

Many more people nodded vigorously. Mr. Jinglian was absolutely right. That's exactly how things are, and that's not how it should be!
"Therefore, I went to see His Majesty today specifically to report this matter to him."

Upon hearing Song Lian's words, many people secretly felt a glimmer of hope.

It has to be Mr. Jinglian! He thinks what everyone thinks and is anxious about what everyone is anxious about.

The effect of so many people gathering together to create momentum is not that significant.

To this day, no government official has come forward to comment on this matter.

When Mr. Jinglian intervened, he went directly to the Heavenly Court and met with the Emperor.

It seems that this matter has definitely come to a good conclusion.

Mr. Jinglian was a scholar of both heaven and man, held an extremely high position, was a great Confucian scholar of our time, and had so many people who obeyed his orders.

As the Crown Prince's teacher, his reputation and status were beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Since Mr. Jinglian came to meet with them immediately after meeting the emperor, it must have been a very good outcome.

Otherwise, it would never have been like this.

The more they thought about it, the more excited they became.

We just hope Mr. Jinglian will continue soon.

"After I met His Majesty, I explained the situation to him. His Majesty said that I was superficial and did not see the essence of the matter."

Upon hearing Song Lian's words, the scholars immediately erupted in uproar.

The emperor has gone too far!
What kind of things is he saying? He's completely unrepentant! It's outrageous!
When a great Confucian scholar like Mr. Jinglian went to meet him in person and spoke with him, he had such an attitude and uttered such fallacies!
What kind of behavior is this? It's outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!

Next, let's see how Mr. Jinglian righteously and sternly points out the emperor's mistakes and makes the emperor realize his error!
"Upon hearing what Your Majesty said, I was naturally unconvinced and argued with Your Majesty based on reason."

"Make His Majesty understand that his words and thoughts are unreasonable; we must guide His Majesty to the right path."

Everyone nodded in agreement. "I knew it would be like this."

Even the emperor dared to spout such nonsense in front of Master Jinglian, so how could Master Jinglian let him off the hook?
Some people have already secretly made up their minds to remember these things well.

After the matter was settled, it was recorded and spread throughout the world.

Let everyone know how incompetent the emperor is, and how much merit Mr. Jinglian made in this matter, and sing praises to Mr. Jinglian.

At the same time, it can serve as a warning to those who come to power later.

Stop acting so recklessly.

Not only will it block the path of the current emperor, but it will also block the path of the emperors to come.

With the example of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the emperors who followed in the Ming Dynasty should not think they could cause any trouble or act recklessly in this matter!

"However, after a lot of reasoning and arguing, I suddenly realized that I was being superficial, that I didn't understand things properly, and that I had misunderstood His Majesty."

They did not understand His Majesty's good intentions.

It is my fault!

Not just me, many of us were wrong!

Ok? !

What is that?!

Upon hearing Song Lian's words, everyone present was shocked and showed disbelief.

For a moment, I even doubted whether I had misheard.

What did they hear? What did Mr. Jinglian say? Was this something Mr. Jinglian should have said?

No... Normally, shouldn't the emperor have realized his mistake after Mr. Jinglian's righteous and stern reprimand, repented, deeply understood his error, repeatedly promised not to repeat it, and then shut down the industrial university, canceled toilet paper, and ordered the severe punishment of some talents?
How did it become like this now?
This...what is going on?

These people were completely bewildered.

It felt like someone had suddenly grabbed you by the neck; you were completely bewildered.

"Mr. Song... Mr. Song, are you... are you saying it backwards?"

After the intense shock, some people couldn't help but look at Song Lian and speak, all of them stammering.

I wanted to remind Song Lian about this matter.

Song Lian shook his head as he faced the many people looking at him with strange eyes.

"You're not wrong, everything I said is true."

I am also very clear-headed and would never speak carelessly about such things.

I am truly convinced by His Majesty's words.

Song Lian knew that these people wanted to hear something from him.

He also knew what kind of emotions were contained in those gazes directed at him.

But he still chose to stick to this statement without wavering.

With a whoosh, the pot exploded!

The quiet place suddenly erupted into a flurry of discussion.

With so many people present, it was impossible for them to remain calm any longer.

However, after this situation lasted for a while, it eventually quieted down again.

Many people looked at Song Lian with trepidation, astonishment, and bewilderment.

I wanted to get an answer from Song Lian, to know why he said that.

Even at this point, they still believed that Mr. Song would never betray them and become the emperor's lackey.

There must be a reason, and there will definitely be a turning point!
After everyone quieted down, Song Lian took a deep breath and spoke again.

"I was wrong about this matter, we were all wrong, Your Majesty was right."

We scholars should not limit ourselves to our own little world.

We must truly consider the well-being of all people.

As for the idea of ​​His Majesty issuing a strict order to prohibit those people from using cloth and to make them all use toilet sticks, and forbidding them from keeping maids as toilet sticks, that is simply unrealistic.

Even if such a ban is issued, it will be nothing more than a piece of paper and will not have any effect.

Those people will continue to use it as before; there's only one way to get them to abandon this wrong practice.

That would require using better and cheaper alternatives, along with relevant bans, to achieve this.

While papermaking may seem to be something for the enjoyment of high-ranking officials and nobles, this is not actually the case.

Papermaking has many requirements, and each process requires manpower.

People could work and earn money during this process, and use that money to buy cloth and food to improve their lives.

This is far more reliable, far more realistic, and far more dignified than hoping that people will have a change of heart and give them charity!
This is called "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

And the amount of paper used by us scholars is indeed greater than before, and the price has also decreased.

This shows that His Majesty has not neglected us and has always kept matters of education and culture in mind.

We scholars take the world as our responsibility. How can we think of turning all materials into paper for our reading and writing, only thinking of ourselves and not the people?

Not to mention the ruined cloth and the maids who were treated like toilet paper and not even considered human beings.
Your Majesty is not just our emperor, but the emperor of all the people of the world.

We must consider our needs, and at the same time, the needs of all people in the world!

We scholars should understand His Majesty's good intentions, but we must not be taken advantage of, blinded by a single leaf, and misunderstand His Majesty's benevolent policies.

That would be the greatest sin!

If that's really the case, then do we still deserve to be called scholars?

Song Lian raised his voice and continued to utter these words, which sounded extremely treasonous to many people.

These words immediately shocked and angered many people.

I was completely stunned by what Song Lian said. Could this really be something Mr. Jinglian would say?

How could Mr. Jinglian utter such words?

outrageous!
This is absolutely outrageous!
This was the Jinglian they had high hopes for, believing that after meeting the emperor, he would definitely make the emperor realize his mistakes!
They saw it as their hope!
Is this the result?

Not only did he fail to persuade the emperor, but he was actually persuaded by the emperor himself.

How could this be? How could this happen?

How...how did things turn out like this?
What was Mr. Jinglian thinking that made him say such things?
For a moment, everyone present was completely dumbfounded and stunned.

I was stunned by what Song Lian said!
"Mr. Jinglian, have you been coerced in any way?"
If you are being coerced, just speak up.

With so many of us here, we're sure to get justice for you, Mr. Jinglian!

Some people couldn't help but look at Song Lian and ask him questions, their voices filled with urgency.

Upon hearing this, many of the people present also spoke up to ask questions.

At this point, most of them shared similar thoughts.

That means Mr. Song must have been threatened, and it was a very, very serious threat.

Otherwise, given Mr. Jinglian's character and disposition, he would never have said such a thing.

This is the attitude we'll have on this matter!

Song Lian shook his head: "No, what threat could I possibly be under?"
His Majesty would absolutely disdain using such despicable methods!
Everything I have said comes from my heart!
What Your Majesty says makes sense.

We were indeed wrong in this matter.

These words left many people stunned.

No… Mr. Jinglian, he's actually serious? He's not joking? Or being coerced?
"Many of us, including myself, have a very deep misunderstanding of industrial universities!"

I know that many people will bring up toilet paper this time.

Actually, it's not just a problem with toilet paper.

Regarding this matter, I can only say that you've misunderstood!
Most people are wrong!

Upon hearing Song Lian's words, countless people's expressions changed drastically!

It was absolutely amazing!

Can this be said?
Such things are best understood implicitly and cannot be explained in words; it's enough that we keep it to ourselves.

At this time, how could you say it out loud in public?
Moreover, it was under these circumstances, in front of so many people, that such a great Confucian scholar as Song Lian said it.

Wouldn't that mean stripping them naked?

Many people are now completely unable to sit still.

"Mr. Song, watch your words!"

"Mr. Song, please don't talk nonsense!"

"How dare Mr. Song slander us scholars like this!"

Many people spoke up, raising their voices to tell An Songlian to be careful with his words and stop talking nonsense.

This shows that even a great Confucian scholar like Song Lian would be unacceptable if he said such things on this matter.

Even so, some people scolded him.

In a short period of time, she went from being a sweetheart to a shrew.

The struggle over the orthodoxy and the struggle for interests have always been like this.

When specific interests are involved, especially when the interests are huge, it's not acceptable even if Song Lian is there in person.

They should be reprimanded as well; we can't let them spout nonsense here.

“I did not say anything nonsensical, nor would I say anything nonsensical! Everything I said is true.”

As a scholar, Song had some reputation in this matter and was respected by some people.

When it comes to understanding Confucianism, I know more than the average person.

The large group of people gathered here today are all filled with righteous indignation, but in reality, how many of them are truly speaking out for the people?
Are there really people who came specifically for toilet paper?
In my presence, some things can be handled more directly.

Song Lian's words also became sharp and no longer polite.

These words caused many people to change color.

Some people were anxious and wanted to go up and shut Song Lian up.

But some people felt guilty and lowered their heads.

Not all of these people who came were shameless.

Not everyone could remain unmoved and indifferent when Song Lian, a great Confucian scholar, said these words to their face.

"It's just that many people feel that His Majesty favors industrial universities and these strange and ingenious skills, and they can't stand it and feel unconvinced."

This is the most fundamental reason!

Song Lian's words were sharp and went straight to the heart of the matter.

"But, to be fair, has His Majesty really mistreated Confucianism? Does he really reject Confucianism in this way?"
No!

Ignore the noise and rumors, and observe His Majesty's actions.

The Imperial Academy is still operating and continues to expand its enrollment.

How much money does His Majesty subsidize the instructors of the Imperial Academy and its numerous students every year?
While Your Majesty is building the Industrial University, you are also creating a new Imperial Academy!

The palace was damp, dark, and stuffy, and its foundation was sinking.

Some parts are cracked.

However, faced with such a situation, His Majesty never thought of using manpower and resources, or spending a lot of money to repair it.

Why is that?
It's because there are too many places where money is needed.

His Majesty doesn't repair his own house, yet he builds so many schools and pushes for a reduction in paper prices.

Does this mean they don't value education?
Is this a disregard for education?

I know what many of you are thinking: you are afraid that if universities like industrial colleges grow too big, they will affect the status of Confucianism.

This, in turn, affects the interests of many people and undermines Confucianism.

I will explain everything clearly here today.

Will it have some impact on Confucianism? I think it will, but not as much as you might imagine.

Industrial universities and similar institutions emphasize craftsmen and technology.

Rather than the kind of learning like our Confucianism.

Confucianism will not be replaced!
Your Majesty will not abandon Confucianism.

Confucianism is very important; His Majesty told me this personally.

However, Confucianism cannot be bound by tradition and cannot remain stagnant and complacent.

It is wrong to try to stifle other fields of knowledge, stick to old ways, remain unchanged, and be complacent.

It should absolutely have happened.

Why has Confucianism endured and been accepted by people for so long?

It does not rely on being complacent and closed-minded, nor on excluding and suppressing other fields of knowledge.

Rather, it is because Confucianism can adapt to social development, bring ideals to countless confused people, and point out the way.

It is beneficial to the country, the family, and the individual.

That's why Confucianism has endured for so long.

It is unacceptable to be complacent, lack ambition, and only think about suppressing others.

They will eventually be abandoned!
Therefore, in the face of this situation, Confucianism should reflect on its practices, make progress, and be better able to adapt to the changing circumstances and meet the needs of the Ming Dynasty today!
Industrial universities are not, as many people think and say, a place of esoteric skills that are useless to the country.

Are these things really useless to the country?

Everything, including the paper we use to write on, the pens we use, and the ink we use, is made by craftsmen.
Which one wasn't the result of research?

How can it be called a strange skill or trick?
If these are all just tricks and ingenious techniques, then what about us, the people who use them?
One cannot despise these things while simultaneously using them.

This seems unreasonable and hypocritical to me!
Your Majesty established the Industrial University because you saw that Confucianism only valued education and culture, and ignored everything else.

I've always walked on one leg.

Therefore, the other leg also needs to be repaired!

Distinguished guests, I have some words I would like to say to you today.

Whether you agree or disagree, I'm going to say it.

You can't cover my mouth.

Hard work builds a nation, while empty talk ruins it.

People cannot abandon basic necessities like food, clothing, shelter, and transportation to engage in empty talk about ideals and morality.

This is unrealistic.

Improving people's lives and making the country prosperous cannot be achieved solely through education and raising moral standards.

Only by having tangible things and doing real work can we achieve true prosperity!
When the people are prosperous, more people will have the means to send their children and nephews to school, and more people will be able to learn and promote the ways of the sages!
This is the best way to develop Confucianism!!!

(End of this chapter)