In the Ming Dynasty 1498, my restaurant connects two worlds.

Chapter 104 Xiao Yi's Heated Debate at Wenhua Hall (Part 3)

Holy crap! Old man, you've misjudged me! How could you possibly tell that I'm "weak as a chicken"?

"Wang Taibao, you are mistaken. You have not witnessed my martial arts skills, how can you know that Xiao Yi is no match for a chicken?"

Facts speak louder than words; watch me demonstrate how to break a boulder on my chest!

"Your Highness, please step back. Wang Taibao, please step back as well." Seeing the two step back as instructed, Song Xiaoyi focused his energy in his palm and suddenly struck down. With a loud "crack," the solid wood table dented half an inch, and wood chips flew everywhere!

Wang Shu staggered backward, his face pale; the attending eunuchs shrank back in shock. Only Zhu Houzhao slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his face flushed: "Mr. Song! Can I learn such martial arts?"

Song Xiaoyi withdrew his hand and bowed deeply: "Your Highness, please sit quietly. Martial matters are ultimately secondary."

"Wang Taibao, His Majesty knows of my martial prowess. None of the palace guards can withstand three blows from Xiao Yi. His Majesty's arrangement of Xiao Yi to serve the Crown Prince is not merely to have Xiao Yi teach these Tang poems."

"Hmph!" Although Wang Shu was startled, he was thinking the word "scoundrel".

"Lord Song, your idea of ​​traveling ten thousand miles is far too frivolous!" Wang Shu snorted again, his heart already softening, but his words clearly showed his unwillingness to admit defeat and his unmoved stance. "The Crown Prince's education has its own ancestral laws, daily lectures on the classics, and guidance from ministers. Studying the classics and history daily to cultivate virtue—this is the proper path!"

"Why bother learning weaving and rice planting? Is this the behavior of an emperor? If word gets out, won't the world laugh at our court for being incompetent and at the crown prince for neglecting his duties? This is putting the cart before the horse!"

"Wang Taibao, what you call the 'foundation' is the classics; what you call the 'end' is the people's livelihood." Song Xiaoyi had anticipated this reaction from the stubborn old man, and casually flicked his wrist, calmly replying, "But in my opinion, the 'people' are the foundation of the nation, and the 'people's livelihood' is the foundation of governing the country."

"The classics are important, but if they cannot be applied to reality and solve practical problems, they become empty talk."

"Weaving cloth and planting rice seedlings may seem trivial, but they are actually related to the national economy and people's livelihood."

Where does the food come from?

"From which are the cloth woven?"

"From which taxes are levied?"

"How can a reasonable tax policy be formulated if the root cause is not understood?"

"How can we alleviate the burden on the people?"

"If one only knows that a gentleman is not a vessel," but does not understand the hardships of people's lives, how can one become a person who understands the people's plight in the future?

A benevolent ruler who allows his people to rest and recuperate?

Song Xiaoyi asked six questions in a row, gesturing as he spoke, taking six steps forward while the old man took six steps back.

Wang Shu hadn't expected this young Junior Chamberlain to have such eloquence, but could you please refrain from using force?

Wang Shu took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and turned to Zhu Houzhao, "Your Highness, Lord Song's words seem reasonable, but in fact they are biased."

"Your Highness, your status is noble. You only need to grasp the fundamental principles of governing the country and distinguish between loyalty and treachery, wisdom and folly. As for specific skills, those are for the officials and the common people to acquire. Why should Your Highness personally engage in them? If Your Highness becomes obsessed with these strange and frivolous skills and neglects your proper studies, wouldn't that be losing more than you gain? This old minister receives the emperor's salary and is committed to serving the emperor. I would never dare to let Your Highness take risks, much less allow Your Highness to go astray!"

That old scoundrel is shameless! Utterly shameless!

If I can't win an argument, I'll switch my target and bully a seven-year-old kid?

Are all the old guys from the Ming Dynasty like this?

Despite his thoughts, Song Xiaoyi suppressed his desire to refute and controlled the pace of the discussion, mainly because he wanted to see how Zhu Houzhao would respond.

Zhu Houzhao looked at Wang Shu, who had a serious expression, and then at Song Xiaoyi, who was making faces at him. His little face was full of confusion.

What should I do? I want to listen to my teacher and see the world outside the palace, but I'm still a child! If I disobey Wang Taibao, I'll get a spanking!

"this......"

Seeing this, Song Xiaoyi knew that this little brat was unreliable, and he could only rely on himself to lead the debate to a deeper level in order to persuade this stubborn old man.

Song Xiaoyi had a flash of inspiration and decided to take a roundabout approach, no longer arguing with Wang Shu about specific forms, but turning to the fundamental principles of governance.

"Wang Taibao," Song Xiaoyi's tone became deep and sincere, "You were upright and incorruptible throughout your life, served three emperors, and devoted yourself to the Ming Dynasty. You are respected by all."

"You, along with Liu Jian, Ma Wensheng, and other gentlemen, assisted His Majesty in achieving this resurgence, and your contributions are truly remarkable."

"Everything you've done, whether it's reforming officialdom or offering frank advice, isn't its ultimate goal to bring peace to the world and allow the people to live and work in contentment?"

"Um"

"Um?

'

Wang Shu was taken aback, not understanding why Song Xiaoyi suddenly changed the subject. This roundabout way of bringing up this topic seemed a bit strange to him.

I'll praise you first, then subtly trick you! Old man, are you in or not?

"You agree or disagree?" Song Xiaoyi pressed further, not giving him time to think.

Wang Shu nodded subconsciously: "Of course."

"Have you ever considered how to transform this 'revival' phenomenon into a true 'revival'?"

"how?..

""

"How can we prevent this peaceful and prosperous era from declining due to changes in monarchs?"

"You...."

'

After taking two more steps forward, Song Xiaoyi suddenly stepped back half a step and pointed at Zhu Houzhao, who was looking at him with admiration. "The answer lies in the Crown Prince, in how we teach him."

Continue to prevent the old man from thinking.

"The education you advocate is to make His Highness the Crown Prince a perfect sage," a supreme monarch. This is certainly important.

"But I believe that what we need even more is for His Highness the Crown Prince to become a person," a person who truly understands his people and his country.

"Only when His Highness the Crown Prince personally witnesses a farmer sweating profusely in the bitter cold will he truly understand the meaning of 'every grain is the result of hard work,' and only then will he act without hesitation when it comes to reducing taxes in the future."

"Only when His Highness the Crown Prince touches the loom with his own hands will he understand how hard it is to obtain a piece of cloth, and he will know how to be frugal when using it in the palace in the future."

"Only when His Highness the Crown Prince has heard the people's hatred for corrupt officials will he be able to hate corruption in the officialdom and appoint honest officials like you when he takes power in the future."

"An honest official is not necessarily a paragon of virtue."

Wang Shu was stunned by what he was being said, muttering "honest official" and "not a model official."

Add fuel to the fire!

"Wang Taibao, you have spent your life advocating for the people, impeaching corrupt officials, and rectifying officialdom. Your heart is sincere. But have you ever considered that if the ruler you have trained only knows the benevolent governance described in books, but does not know how to implement it in reality, and does not know how to distinguish the truth from falsehood in the memorials of officials, then wouldn't all your painstaking efforts be in vain?"

"Yes and no?"

Song Xiaoyi's words, consisting of more than a dozen rhetorical questions, were sharp and incisive, yet every sentence made perfect sense.

These words did not belittle Wang Shu; on the contrary, they used Wang Shu's achievements and ideals as their own arguments, which lessened Wang Shu's anger and made him begin to think seriously.