After a long rain and early sunshine, under the bright red autumn day, even the plants and trees that have been a little yellowed show rare vitality, as if even they want to show their best side in front of people before they wither in late autumn. ◢ With * dream * small ◢.1a

In Yanzhou Mansion, Qufu County, Shandong, in the mansion of the Confucian family of Yansheng Gong, a man in his thirties, elegant appearance, and quite tall figure is walking firmly in the lush back garden.

The Chinese nation has always valued the inheritance of the family, especially some places that have been established as the capital of a country, and there are countless wealthy families there, such as the Wang Xie family, which was once prosperous, and the Yang and Li families, which have flourished since the Sui and Tang dynasties, all of which have noble backgrounds that are envied by countless civilian families.

But if you really want to talk about the dignity of identity, it has been passed down for a long time, but few families can compare with the Yansheng Gong Kong family in this small county of Qufu. This is not only because their ancestors are the masters of all ages, and the scholars all over the world have to worship and believe, and even the imperial court has to hang the sage Confucius in the mouth at all times, but also because his family has not fallen for thousands of years, even though the dynasty has changed, the dynasty has risen, Confucius has always stood here, like the eternal Mount Tai.

Since the Song Dynasty court named the lord of the Confucian family as the Holy Duke of Yan for the purpose of respecting Confucianism and Taoism, this title has been inherited for hundreds of years. Even if the Mongols invaded the Central Plains and established the Great Yuan Empire, they did not dare to be too rude to this long-standing Confucian sect, and still respected the head of his family as the Holy Duke of Yan in accordance with the regulations of the Song Dynasty.

In today's Ming Dynasty, the status of the Yan Sheng Gong is more prosperous than that of the previous dynasty. This family that has been inherited for thousands of years has long become an existence above the government in Qufu, don't look at this Guogong Mansion only covers an area of more than 20 acres, but if you really want to talk about it, the entire Qufu county can be regarded as the backyard of the Confucian family. Even as the power of the Confucian family grew, even officials in other parts of Shandong did what they wanted.

Fortunately, the people in charge of the Confucian family for generations are well aware of the truth that Taoguang can only be obscure for a long time, so even if they have a respected status in Shandong Province and are enough to compete with the government, they have always been low-key and introspective, and few have contradicted the government. However, this does not mean that they have no influence on the government, and often when local officials have important regulations to be implemented, they will come to Qufu to visit the Holy Duke of Yan and have some discussions with him.

As a result, the power of the Confucian family in Shandong has become more and more huge, especially in this Qufu county, and it has become an indispensable existence. Even if an ordinary house slave walks out of the door, he can make the county magistrate respectful.

However, the Confucian family is well aware of the truth that the people are full of losses and humble benefits, so most of the time they always appear polite to the outside world, which makes people feel like a spring breeze. Of course, whether they pretended to do all this or not, and whether there is anything unspeakable behind the scenes, ordinary outsiders do not know.

At this time, as the young master of the Kong family, that is, the next successor of the Yan Sheng Gong, Kong Chengqing walked in the garden of the mansion, and from time to time there were subordinates or children of the clan who bowed to him. And this eldest son, who has now begun to help his father and is the Holy Father of Shiyan, Kong Yanjin, also seems to be quite approachable, even if he is against his subordinates, he is also courteous. It's just that in this way, the speed at which he walked forward seemed a little slow, and there was a cup of tea in a few steps.

It wasn't until he entered a garden with only a few vigorous pine trees that there was no one left, and at the same time, there were bursts of neat reading sounds in his ears: "A gentleman has nothing to eat, no place to live, and he is sensitive to things and cautious in what he says, and he is righteous and upright, and he can be said to be studious." It was a group of children of the clan who were studying the Analects under the teaching of Xixi.

Hearing the sound of reading aloud, Kong Chengqing's footsteps unconsciously relaxed, as if he was afraid that his footsteps would disturb the students who were studying diligently. In fact, only he knew that it was because he was going to see his father, so he couldn't help but become restrained.

Today's Yan Shenggong Kong Yanjin is a square and elegant person, he is quite strict with his son, and he has been taught since he was a child that he must speak and act like a gentleman, and he must not bring out any sound when he walks, and he must speak in a neutral and peaceful manner. Although he is now close to his age, he still has to be careful in front of his father, and he does not dare to slack off in the slightest.

And Kong Yanjin also has a habit, he likes to listen to those boys reciting books by his side, so the clan set up this private school for his children next to the Renxin Hall where he lives, so that he can hear the sound of books every morning and evening.

After coming to the quaint but not luxurious Renxin Hall, and nodding to the old servant guarding the door, Kong Chengqing walked into it gently, and followed the verandah all the way to the study where his father usually stayed. After standing still and stabilizing his mind, he said in a calm tone: "Father, the child will celebrate and see you." ”

In fact, to be honest, in addition to greeting him every morning and dusk, Kong Chengqing really didn't want to see his father's intimidating face. This is the sequelae of decades of lessons, as long as he is in front of his father, he is uncomfortable, and sometimes even has a feeling of fidgeting, like sitting on pins and needles.

However, since it was his father who asked him to come today, Kong Chengqing could only come here to visit him in this afternoon. After speaking, he looked down at his outfit until he noticed that there was nothing wrong with him, and then he calmed down.

After a while, a peaceful voice came from the study: "It's Yongzuo, come in and talk." This Yongzuo is Kong Chengqing's expression, but Kong Yanjin, as a father, calls his son like this, which seems a little strange and lifelike.

But since he got this expression in school, his father's name for himself has been changed to this, which has made Kong Chengqing accustomed to such alienated titles. After receiving permission, he stooped down again and gave a salute, and then lifted the hem of his robe and strode into the house.

Then there was another courtesy visit, and it was not until his father opened his mouth to tell him to get up that he stood a little cramped, waiting for the other man's instructions. It is said that he is already an adult, but he still doesn't even have a seat in front of his father, so he can only stand there and listen to instructions or lessons, which is one of the reasons why Kong Chengqing doesn't like to come here.

After another period of unbearable silence, Kong Yanjin slowly spoke: "Yongzuo, I heard that you invited Gao Fantai to your house some time ago, and you had some discussions with him, but is there such a thing?" ”

Kong Chengqing's heart tightened slightly, but he didn't dare to lie, and nodded: "This is indeed the case." However, Gao Fantai's visit this time was not invited by the child, but he came to the door specially because he had something to discuss with us. ”

"I see. Is it for the sake of the new governor? Kong Yanjin asked again. Although he doesn't seem to be in charge of the house, just reading and writing in the backyard, he actually knows everything clearly.

Kong Chengqing also understood this, so he didn't dare to hide it, so he briefly said what he and Gao Duzhong talked about after they met: "My father had mentioned that the imperial court's policy of opening the sea was really inappropriate, so the child thought that Gao Fantai and they could dissuade the governor and not break the rules of the ancestors." As he spoke, he peeked at his father to see what his attitude was.

However, Kong Yanjin, who has been cultivating himself for many years, has long been able to be invisible, and he can't see his intention when he hears this, so he just said after a little muttering: "This matter doesn't seem to be easy to do." You must already know what happened in Jinan in the past two days, right? ”

Is it really for this reason that I found myself? Kong Chengqing quickly understood, and his heart was finally a little lighter. As long as he didn't come to hold himself accountable, he would be able to deal with it well. He is really a little afraid of his father, because once he really lets him grasp his mistakes, he must be subject to family law. It was really uncomfortable to be escorted to the ancestral hall and face the board in front of many clansmen.

After breathing a sigh of relief, Kong Chengqing nodded and said, "Back to my father's words, the child also heard about it early this morning. I didn't expect that the thief of the White Lotus Sect would be so bold, and after this incident, Governor Lu's reputation in Shandong grew, and I heard that he had planned to open a harbor in Weihai, and even a lot of people had been recruited to serve. ”

For the first time, Kong Yanjin's face showed a certain expression, and he frowned deeply and said, "This matter is not a good sign. If he is really allowed to open the port, my cultural and educational land in Shandong will inevitably be greatly affected. That's it, as soon as this wind opens, the ancestral precepts set up by Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty will also be destroyed by it, such disrespectful practices to the first emperor, we really can't let them act recklessly! ”

"What does Father mean? Shall we stop this? Kong Chengqing asked with some surprise. With his understanding of his father, this prominent Yan Shenggong has never cared much about external affairs, and today he actually had such an idea, obviously this time the opening of the sea really touched his scales.

"Although my Confucian family is not an official government, it is not good to interfere too much in many things. But this time, after all, it is related to the fortunes of our Ming Dynasty, and we must no longer stand idly by. Yongzuo, tell me, what should be done to stop this move to open the sea? "Xu is because of the real fire, Kong Yanjin's speech this time is very direct.

The boy had thought before that there should be three ways to do this. It's just because this will make my Kong family the opponent of Governor Lu, so I don't dare to use it easily, after all, he represents the imperial court and the Son of Heaven. ”

"It's a matter of social issues, and even some issues should not be avoided. Tell me about it, and if it's a good fit, then do it. Kong Yanjin immediately commanded.