Yidu.

This is a small county town located in Qingzhou. It is ordinary, neither big nor small. Among many cities, there is nothing special.

The sky has just dawned, and the city is gradually waking up from its sleep.

The farmers walked out of their homes, carried their farm tools, greeted their neighbors, and walked to their farmland with a smile.

There were sheepherders driving their sheep on the path outside the city.

Everything is so quiet and peaceful.

The west side of the city used to be a gathering place for wealthy families.

At this moment, the glory is no longer what it used to be, and it is even worse than the other corners of the city, which are lifeless and lifeless.

When Liu Taozi led his troops, most of the wealthy people here had fled.

The few who didn't run away suffered the iron fist of the Land Equalization Order, and lost a lot of farmland, industry, and tenants. This is still good. There are those who do all kinds of bad things and are lawless on weekdays, and half of them have grass on their graves.

High.

The door of a large house was pushed open, and an old servant came out, holding water in his hand, and began to sprinkle water on the street. After sprinkling the water, he did a little cleaning.

The alley was quiet, and there was only one person.

After busy for a while, the old servant entered the courtyard.

The courtyard is extremely huge, and it would take half an hour just to walk around the courtyard wall.

There are countless houses inside, but most of them are empty now.

Only when we walked into the backyard could we hear some sounds.

An old man was sitting in the pavilion in the front yard, with five or six young people kneeling around him. The old man was holding a yellowed ancient book in his hand and was seriously explaining the classics to everyone.

The young people were old and young, the older ones were already adults, and the younger ones were no more than 10 years old. They all listened in confusion and shook their heads, but the old man didn't care whether they could understand or not, he just said it.

.

After being influenced by metaphysics and Buddhism, the classics became more obscure and difficult to understand. Many people struggled to master them after studying them all their lives. They became more and more isolated from the masses and even began to alienate themselves from the elite.

Many of the great Confucians of this era, especially those in the north, were fearful about the future.

They cannot see where the future of classics lies, nor where the way out is.

There is nothing worse than the collapse of rituals and the destruction of music.

The original Confucian scholars wanted to use classics and etiquette to restrain the emperor, but now they can't even restrain the scholar-bureaucrats. No one believes in the righteousness of the classics anymore, let alone the morality of the ancients. Naked desires have replaced the belief in the classics.

The old man talked a lot, his mouth went dry, and he slowly put down the book in his hand.

He looked at the few disciples in front of him, but saw that everyone was absent-minded.

The old man suddenly became a little angry.

"How many people want to read it but no one explains it, how can you despise it?!"

"You must know that the classics are the great road! How can you be a human being if you don't know the classics?!"

Listening to the old man's words, an older student smiled bitterly and said, "Uncle, what's the use of studying the scriptures now?"

"The temple selects scholars by subject. The first is the scholar subject, and then the scholar subject. There are many Mingfa, Mingshu, Mingshu, Mingjing is the least valued."

The old man was furious, "What do the barbarians know about the outline of governing the world?"

"Our family has passed down classics from generation to generation. Since ancient times, I have never heard of anyone who despises classics and emphasizes miscellaneous studies."

The young man retorted: "Uncle, I remember that this is my great uncle."

"It's because there are too many people like him that my family has declined to where it is now!!"

The old man vented a few more words, his face turned red and his eyes were full of grief and anger.

"Our family used to be so famous in Yidu. Now, the fertile farmland in the southern suburbs is gone, and only less than half of the dozens of shops are left. I'm not teaching you to read the classics to make you work for the barbarians.

!I want you to know right from wrong and understand the principles in the classics!"

"The Hu people falsely claim the destiny of heaven and appoint people like Zu Jue as their chief ministers. They will be defeated sooner or later. This classic can be used one day!"

"Those who manage classics should not pay so much attention to fame and fortune, but should be guided by the great righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period."

As the old man was talking, the old servant suddenly ran over in a hurry and looked at everyone, "Master!! It's not good!"

"Many soldiers came outside the door, and there was also an official."

The old man's expression changed greatly, and he stood up quickly, leaving a few older disciples behind and letting the others go back to the backyard.

He led these people to the front door and said as he walked: "This group of people is endless and they have made it clear that they want to eat us up. However, we are people who are familiar with the classics and cannot argue with barbarians with swords.

Otherwise, it will be a surrender of status. If he wants it, just give it to him. Don’t contradict it!"

Everyone hurried to the door in such a hurry.

The door of the house was open, and there was a man who looked like an official standing there, looking around with a smile.

Seeing the group of people approaching, the official hurriedly bowed his hands.

"Meet my father-in-law"

The old man nodded slightly in return, without being polite, and asked directly: "Your distinguished guest is here, what are your orders?"

The official opened his mouth and said: "I am Wei Changxian, the secretary of the Imperial Palace. I came here to visit your mansion on the orders of my ancestors."

There was some surprise on the old man's face, and the indifference on his face immediately disappeared.

"Ah, it turns out it's Mr. Wei. What are you doing here? Why don't you pay your respects quickly?!"

Several of his disciples behind him hurriedly bowed to see him.

Wei Changxian smiled and nodded, and the old man hurriedly saluted and warmly invited him into the house.

The two of them walked on the road one behind the other. Wei Changxian looked at the inside and outside of the mansion, "I don't want Mr. Jia to be so diligent and frugal."

The old man's lips trembled, and then he said: "My family has always been diligent and frugal in running the household."

The two of them walked into the house, and the old man treated the distinguished guests with the true etiquette of a wealthy family. He ordered animals to be slaughtered and several of his direct descendants to come out to pay homage.

Then the normal rich family etiquette and relationship building began.

"I wonder where Wei Gong is from?"

"People from Quyang."

"Oh? I don't know if the Duke of Wei in the imperial court belongs to you."

"In terms of seniority, he is my nephew."

"Ah! So that's it!!"

"Oh, then our two families have a connection. My father once gave lectures to Duke Wei."

As long as both parties are from wealthy families, they can have some relationship no matter what.

The two exchanged pleasantries for a few words and became closer and closer. Old Man Jia just asked: "I wonder what Grandpa has ordered? If something happens, why don't you just send someone to tell him? I will go and visit myself. I also admire Grandpa."

Long"

Wei Changxian said seriously: "Actually, this is what your Majesty meant. Your Majesty heard from others that there was a distinguished scholar in the Jia family in Yidu, named Jia Sixie, and he specially sent me to inquire about his situation."

Old Man Jia was stunned for a long time and murmured: "The person you are talking about is my clan uncle. He has been dead for eight or nine years."

Old Man Jia quickly wiped away his tears and said sadly: "It's a pity that he has never met Mingjun in his life. Now that Mingjun has ascended the throne, he is no longer here. It hurts! It hurts!!"

Wei Changxian sighed. Before coming, he probably thought that if the other party was still alive, it would be impossible to directly cut off contact with Gao Jun.

Wei Changxian said: "Your Majesty heard that he wrote a book on agriculture and many manuscripts. He paid special attention to these. Does he still have disciples alive? Is there any manuscript at home?"

Old Man Jia was very excited, "How can he be so valued by His Majesty?! My uncle, the spirit under the spring, must have fulfilled his wish. I have always carefully preserved his manuscript!"

He stood up and said, "Sit here for a while and I'll go find the manuscript for you first!"

Before Wei Changxian had time to dissuade him, the old man had already left in a hurry.

After walking out of the guest room door, the old man's excited face suddenly became panicked.

He called several young men over.

"Quick! Quick!"

"Now drive to the residence of your uncle who studies miscellaneous studies and find his manuscripts!! Get in the car! Get in the car!"

No one dared to delay, got in the car, and headed there quickly.

Looking at the uncle next to him who was almost vitiligo, the young man was a little shocked.

"Uncle, didn't you just say that barbarians are in power?"

"Well, how can such a wise gentleman be said to be a barbarian when he is able to treat virtuous corporals and send people all the way to invite them?!"

The group arrived at Jia Sixie's residence.

Jia Sixie was born into a wealthy family, the Jia family in Yidu. Several brothers in his family were high-ranking officials, the most famous of whom was Jia Sibo.

And they were originally from the Wuwei Jia family, yes, Jia Xu, the Wuwei Jia, and Duan Shao, the Wuwei Duan, were fellow villagers, and they later migrated here due to the war.
To be continued...