My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 137 The Art of Gifts

As the year draws to a close, many officials naturally wait outside Li Chunfang's door to pay their respects.

This wasn't Su Ze's first time visiting Li Chunfang's house, but he was still astonished by the long line at the door this time.

Although Li Chunfang's presence in the cabinet was not strong, he was still the Grand Secretary and had many protégés and former subordinates.

With the addition of sycophants, the area in front of Li Chunfang's house even became a small market.

However, Li Chunfang was very strict in managing her household, and the gatekeepers only accepted visiting cards but resolutely refused to accept gifts.

Only a select few officials who presented their visiting cards were granted a personal audience with Li Chunfang and thus gained entry into his residence.

Everyone who could enter Li Chunfang's residence would be greeted with envious glances from officials along the way.

As I said before, the position of Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty is a path that many people can only dream of. Many things can be easily accomplished with just a nod from Grand Secretary Li Chunfang. If one can gain Li Chunfang's favor, one can avoid more than a decade of detours in their official career.

Su Ze looked at the bustling scene along the street, which was almost as grand as when he was waiting for the emperor at the gate of the Ministry of Personnel.

Su Ze really couldn't connect Li Chunfang, who was slacking off in the cabinet writing novels, with the dignified Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty in the eyes of the officials waiting outside.

Indeed, respect requires distance.

Xu Wei, as a retainer, squeezed through the gatehouse to deliver Su Ze's visiting card.

Su Ze thought he would have to wait a long time, but to his surprise, the side gate of the Li residence opened in just a short while, and the steward of the Li residence came out from inside.

When the side gate of the Li residence was opened, all the officials looked on, wondering who had such great influence that they could get the family of a high-ranking official to open a side gate.

The Li residence has three gates.

There was a vermilion main gate, a side gate, and a side door connecting to the gatehouse.

Those who came to pay their respects to Li Chunfang all entered through the side door of the gatehouse.

The vermilion main gate was for Li Chunfang's own use. If he were to entertain guests, it would probably only be opened when the emperor himself arrived.

Don't underestimate this side gate; it's the side gate of the Grand Secretary's residence.

Only someone like a cabinet minister or one of the six ministers, or one of Li Chunfang's closest protégés, could command Li Chunfang to open the side gate to welcome them.

The steward greeted Xu Wei and then walked over to Su Ze.

"Su Hanlin".

The manager, with a smile on his face, greeted Su Ze as they walked towards the side door:
"The Grand Secretary has instructed that you be invited to his residence for a discussion."

All eyes fell on Su Ze, and people began to discuss who he was that the current Grand Secretary would open a side gate to greet him.

Those who knew Su Ze explained Su Ze's background to those around them.

Many others looked at Su Ze with envy as he walked into Li Chunfang's residence.

Entering Li Chunfang's residence is like entering a completely different world from the outside.

Su Ze now understood why everyone said Li Chunfang was strict in governing the government.

The mansion resembled a sophisticated machine, preparing for the New Year celebrations.

When they encountered servants and maids from the manor coming and going, they would give way to Su Ze and his party. In this way, Su Ze arrived smoothly in front of Li Chunfang's study.

The last time Su Ze visited Li Chunfang's house was in the evening. Today, Su Ze discovered that Li Chunfang's study was built in a very elegant garden. The study had the three characters "Wuwei Hall" written on it, and the signature was written by Li Chunfang herself.

Su Ze left Xu Wei behind and went into Li Chunfang's study alone, carrying a box.

Then I saw the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty, dressed in an ordinary scholar's robe, reading a book at his desk.

Li Chunfang's desk was very clean. Su Ze thought of Gao Gong's desk, which was piled with all kinds of papers. He wondered if it was because the Prime Minister Li was tidy or because he liked to slack off.

Su Ze came to visit today, naturally to thank Li Chunfang for her help.

However, Su Ze only found out through the system that Li Chunfang had helped him, so Su Ze had to pretend to be confused and quietly flatter her.

Su Ze was secretly relieved that, thanks to Xu Wei's reminder, he had prepared gifts for the four cabinet ministers in advance, so as not to appear negligent.

Su Ze opened the box and took out a book.

This was a beautifully embroidered book. Su Ze respectfully placed it on his desk, and Li Chunfang, seeing the title "Journey to the West" on the cover, immediately took it.

"President Li, the storybook 'Journey to the West' that you sent to our newspaper last time saved our 'Yuefu Xinbao' newspaper. Now, most of our readers buy the newspaper because of this story."

Su Ze was exaggerating. The finances of the Yuefu Xinbao newspaper had always been good, and Li Chunfang, as its president, was certainly aware of this.

However, Li Chunfang was very pleased with what Su Ze said.

Embroidery templates are text and illustrations embroidered onto silk paper.

Such a book is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but it can only be produced by the most skilled embroiderers from Jiangnan.

In order to prepare this book, Su Ze specifically sought help from Shen Shixing. Fortunately, Shen Shixing's wife, Wu, came from a family of weavers. Su Ze also asked Manager Huang of the Suzhou Guild Hall to find several Suzhou embroiderers in the capital to help him. Only then was the embroidery of a quarter of the Journey to the West completed.

The reason it's only a quarter is because last time Li Chunfang gave Su Ze only the first quarter of Journey to the West.

In addition to the fact that the original text was entirely embroidered, Su Ze also commissioned Xu Wei to draw illustrations for each chapter.

These illustrations were also embroidered by the embroiderers and inserted into the chapters.

Li Chunfang couldn't take her eyes off the exquisitely embroidered book.

Su Ze knew he had given the right gift, and then said:
"President Li, what I'm most worried about is that I'm about to run out of chapters to publish. When will you give me the second volume you mentioned last time?"

Li Chunfang said, feigning calmness:

"What's the rush! I'll give it to you after the holidays."

Su Ze said quickly:

"Then on behalf of the thousands of readers of the Yuefu Xinbao, I thank you, President!"

Li Chunfang flipped through the embroidery book with great interest, and only after she had finished reading it did she put it down and say:

"You act recklessly and impulsively. This time, I had the Ministry of Justice suppress your memorial. Do you understand why?"

Su Ze immediately said:

"Your Excellency understands! Thank you for your assistance, Your Excellency!"

Seeing the sincerity in Su Ze's expression, Li Chunfang knew that he truly understood, and she felt even more satisfied.

With such talent, if he were to study Huang-Lao philosophy, he would surely become a great master.

Unfortunately, this monkey's approach is the same as Shen Han's, or at the very least, the same as Gao Gong's.

pity.

Li Chunfang felt somewhat disappointed, realizing how difficult it was to find a suitable disciple to carry on his legacy.

Su Ze didn't notice Li Chunfang's melancholy and said some more auspicious New Year's greetings.

Li Chunfang inquired in detail about Su Ze's performance evaluation method, and then let him leave his residence.

Su Ze understood that Li Chunfang had decided to push forward with the performance evaluation system for the Six Ministries and the Censorate, and to reform the powers of the censors.

Considering the methods employed by this Grand Secretary, Su Ze could only mourn for the Six Ministries and the Censorate.
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After leaving Li Chunfang's residence, the next stop is Gao Gong's house.

But unexpectedly, there were no visitors at Gao Gong's doorstep.

This shouldn't be the case. Gao Gong is the second-in-command of the cabinet and the Minister of Personnel. How could no one come to visit him?
Su Ze was already very familiar with Gao Gong's residence. He had become acquainted with the gatekeeper and steward of Gao Gong's mansion. As soon as he arrived at the gate, the steward warmly opened the side gate and welcomed Su Ze inside.

"It's a matter of great importance. Why is the gate of the Grand Tutor so deserted?"

The steward immediately said, "Scholar Su is unaware that the Grand Secretary had previously declared that anyone who came to visit before the New Year would be blacklisted. Which official in the capital would dare to pay a visit so rashly?"

That's definitely Gao Gong's personality.

Su Ze said with a smile, "It seems I'm going to be blacklisted by the Prime Minister as well."

The manager quickly put on a smile and said:

"What are you saying, Hanlin Su? The Grand Secretary will not refuse to see outsiders, but he will not refuse to see you. Please go to his study; the Grand Secretary is already waiting for you."

Although Su Ze had never seen Gao Gong in a bad mood, he knew the reputation of this tutor, who was a man of his word.

Li Chunfang is like water, which is the highest virtue; Gao Gong is like the embers of a wildfire.

When ordinary people first enter officialdom, they are full of enthusiasm, eager to change the world and realize their political ambitions.

However, they are quickly hit by reality and realize the insignificance of their own power. Some people will succumb to reality and become sophisticated egoists.

Some people will abandon their initial ideals and become people who live a life of keeping a low profile.

However, people like Gao Gong, who have always been energetic and driven since entering officialdom, and who have always charged forward for their ideals, are extremely rare.

People say that Gao Gong is impatient in his political affairs, but Su Ze knows that Gao Gong feels that time is running out and he must realize his political ideals as soon as possible.

His idea of ​​burning himself out to promote change was like the embers of a wildfire, trying to ignite the entire Ming Dynasty bureaucracy.

Su Ze didn't know what Gao Gong was thinking in the history before he transmigrated. He eventually ignited Zhang Juzheng, triggering the momentous Zhang Juzheng Reform.

In this life, Gao Gong discovered the tool of "practical learning".

Therefore, Gao Gong has been trying his best to improve his practical learning these days.

When Su Ze arrived, Gao Gong was holding a magnifying glass and deep in thought at his desk.

"Zilin's here? Have a seat."

This time, Gao Gong did not put down the paper in his hand, but directly ordered Su Ze to sit down.

"Take a look at this article."

Su Ze respectfully stood up and accepted the article from Gao Gong's hand.

Su Ze glanced at the signature and saw that it was Zhang Siwei, Gao Gong's prized student. He read it carefully and found that it was a classic philological article.

The term "xengu" means annotation.

This field of study mainly focuses on the study of ancient word meanings, especially the study of linguistic phenomena such as word meanings, grammar, and rhetoric in ancient books before the Han and Wei dynasties.

Then, through this comparative study, combined with the context and background of the article, the meaning of the classical Chinese text is explained.

This is because the Chinese language has experienced two periods of rupture.

One major disruption was during the Qin and Han dynasties, caused by the burning of books and burying of scholars, which resulted in the loss of many pre-Qin classics.

The chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty caused the deaths of many scholars. In the early Han Dynasty, in order to collect classics, many officials would ask surviving scholars to dictate them. There were many rough and scribbled errors in these records, but they were still passed down by Han scholars.

Confucian scholars in the Han Dynasty also particularly liked to attribute books to ancient people or to add their own personal opinions to ancient books.

From the Wei and Jin dynasties to the Tang and Song dynasties, these contents were debated endlessly, which gave rise to the study of philology.

The second major disruption occurred at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.

This break is in the voice.

The poems and lyrics of the Tang and Song dynasties are continuous. Song dynasty lyricists could sing Tang poems, and the pronunciation and tones were consistent.

However, after the chaos of the Yuan Dynasty and the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the official language of the Tang and Song Dynasties changed.

Therefore, starting from the Ming Dynasty, it became impossible to sing Tang and Song poems. Many of the metrical rules of Tang and Song poems were considered to violate the rules of prosody when read in the Ming Dynasty.

Furthermore, the popularity of vernacular Chinese during the Ming Dynasty further increased the difficulty of understanding ancient texts.

Historically, textual research in the Qing Dynasty was a discipline that emerged on this basis. It was similar to "originalism," which meant abandoning the personal interpretations added to classical texts by scholars from the Han Dynasty to the Song and Ming Dynasties, and pursuing the original meanings of the sages.

Zhang Siwei's short essay, based on philology, reinterprets this sentence from the Book of Documents: "When will the days end? I and you will both perish."

Zhang Siwei spent a long time discussing and analyzing everything from the "Baihu Tongyi" to the "Book Preface" and the "Erya Shixun," finally concluding that "shiri haisang" means "when the sun will perish."

Su Ze stared at it for a long time, and immediately got a headache.

Gao Gong also said:
“Zhang Siwei’s scholarship is quite good, but if practical learning falls to this level, wouldn’t it just become elementary school?”

Elementary school, in this context, refers to the study of exegesis.

This was clearly not the result Gao Gong wanted.

Su Ze immediately understood Gao Gong's meaning.

Historically, practical learning began in the late Ming Dynasty, but with the rise of literary inquisitions in the Qing Dynasty, it began to shift towards philology.

At this point, practical learning had lost its original purpose of seeking truth and instead became a word game of solving puzzles in ancient books, a place for literati to escape reality.

That's actually normal. Practical learning requires integration with the real world, which will inevitably encounter a lot of resistance. It's safer to study these ancient books.

However, Su Ze had also thought about the answer.

Su Ze immediately said:

"Master, this is a minor path."

Gao Gong frowned and said:

"Isn't thoroughly investigating the original intentions of the sages and seeking the truth and the origins of knowledge the essence of learning?"

Su Ze shook his head and said:

"What was the original intention of the ancient sages in writing their books? It was to pass on the principles of morality. If one does not study the principles of the ancient sages but instead nitpicks over the words, one will lose the way of the ancient sages."

Gao Gong's eyes lit up, signaling Su Ze to continue.

Su Ze said:

"The students believe that the principles of these sages need to be further analyzed."

"Divide again?"

Su Ze nodded and said:

"Good and evil in people's hearts, laws and regulations, the weight of goods, poetry and songs, these are some of them."

"The waxing and waning of the sun and moon, the principles of heaven and earth, arithmetic and compass, these are another part."

"Practical learning is about studying these things."

“Studying principles of morality and human nature can uphold the right path in the world, clarify morality, and establish laws and regulations.”

“Studying the principles of heaven and earth can lead to the investigation of things and the attainment of knowledge, and can also help solve the difficulties of people’s livelihood.”

Su Ze took a pair of glasses out of the box.

Gao Gong looked at the glasses with a puzzled expression. After Su Ze demonstrated how to put on the glasses, Gao Gong took them and put them on his face.

Gao Gong is also getting old, and his presbyopia is getting worse. After putting on his glasses, the words on the paper become clear immediately.

"This object is similar to a magnifying glass; it was made by your disciple in his research on the principles of heaven and earth. Can it help you resolve the predicament you face, Master?"

(End of this chapter)