The two great Confucian Guo Cheng and Xue Chun, who were standing on the front steps of the mansion gate, faced Li Tingxiu's soul question, and the emotions in their hearts could be described as mixed.

You must know that before the great Confucian Guo Cheng, when he first heard the name of Mr. Qiming, he also had a sense of respect. After all, not all of the talented and knowledgeable literati in these years are willing to give up fame and fortune, and choose to find a mountain to establish a academy to teach and educate people.

Speaking from the heart, even Guo Cheng, who served as the head of the academy, has been in a high position for a long time, but there has been a gap with the lowest-level poor students, and he has come into contact with too many high-ranking officials and nobles on weekdays.

However, Li Tingxiu is really as rumored, you are the mentor of Shen Yichen, the first assistant of the cabinet of the current dynasty, and this public righteousness is beyond the reach of ordinary people!

In other words, it may seem a bit hypocritical for others to say these righteous and awe-inspiring questions, but Li Tingxiu has proved with practical actions that he has indeed achieved the lofty realm of helping the world and being poor as praised by scholars.

Can you do it yourself?

Guo Cheng silently asked in his heart, he felt that he was not so great, but the conscience and the bottom line of the literati brought by reading the books of sages all his life made him equally unable to refute Li Tingxiu's words with a clever tongue.

A scholar can't be shameless to such a point, and he doesn't allow others to be great if he is dirty!

Li Tingxiu and Guo Cheng looked at each other for a long time through the crowd, and finally only heard a long sigh, Guo Cheng stood up and looked at the literati under the steps and said: "Mr. Qiming is right, there are thousands of mansions in Ande, and the poor people in the world are happy, which is the goal that our literati should pursue in their lives." ”

"I am old and old, I am afraid that I can't afford to take on the heavy responsibility of guiding Shilin, and I can't see through the general trend of the future, returning to Huozhou Academy to teach and educate people safely and steadily, I am afraid that it is the only contribution that can be made to Daming for the rest of my life."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the mountains and rivers have met and we have taken our leave."

Guo Cheng arched his hand towards the literati in the audience, and then slowly walked down the steps in a surprised look, leaving only a slightly awkward back.

No one expected that a generation of Confucians would leave so suddenly. But in a sense, the situation has come to this point, if Guo Cheng doesn't want to have a bloody scene, then his concession and departure will become inevitable.

After all, Shen Yichen's mobilization of Jinyi Guard and Shenji Battalion has demonstrated his determination to break the cauldron and sink the boat, and Li Tingxiu led the people of Henan to come to support, which made it clear that the gentry grassroots have stood on the opposite side of the people.

In fact, there is another point that Guo Cheng can't express, that is, when putting aside the difference between political opinions and identity camps, Li Tingxiu's words hit the backbone of the "hypocrisy" of the gentry class.

No matter how nice it sounds, in fact, it is unwilling to give the poor people a penny, obviously many people have thousands of acres of fertile land, but the heavy taxes and forced labor are pressed on the peasants who have no land, and in the long run, with the land annexation becoming more and more serious, it is not far from the time of the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

Shen Yichen's new policy is not bad government, but good government!

Guo Cheng's secret departure is equivalent to the protesting literati without a leader, and the rest of the people can only focus on Xue Chun, the successor of the Hedong School.

Compared with Guo Cheng's precipitation brought by the years and seeing through the trend of the situation, Xue Chun, who is in his forties, obviously can't accept the failure so unclear, and he can't accept that the ancestral system has been overthrown and trampled on by Shen Yichen for thousands of years.

Just when he wanted to raise his arms and shout to cheer everyone up, Shen Yichen turned his head and stared coldly at Xue Chun's body. What followed was an invisible extreme pressure, as well as a killing intent that could reach a critical point.

Just like the teacher Li Tingxiu was determined, Shen Yichen really couldn't do an indiscriminate killing, after all, doing so was no different from Emperor Jiajing's great ceremony and using imperial power to interrupt the backbone of the scholar class.

At worst, it will cause chaos in the world, or at worst, it may change the dynasty, the cultural context of the entire country cannot be restored, and the literati have no character and integrity, leaving only a group of soft bones who can only flatter.

But killing chickens and monkeys, taking a Xue Chun to establish power, Shen Yichen still dares to do it. Even if Xue Xuan, the leader of the Hedong School, is here, he can't keep the son-in-law who dares to continue to lead the "rebellion"!

This invisible majesty made Xue Chun breathless, and the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat and could not be expressed. The servant behind him also realized that Shen Yichen was full of threats, and he understood that his young master's personality was a little self-conscious, and he might be stunned.

So he hurriedly approached and pulled his sleeves and whispered: "Young master, Guo Daru has seen the form clearly and chose to back down, and now Shen Yichen's soldiers are strong and strong and control the overall situation, so he must not confront it, take a step back and open the sky." ”

In fact, without the warning of the servants, Xue Chun already had the intention of retreating in his heart, but he was just pretending to be calm because of his face. Now that he has the steps down, he nodded silently, and then spoke: "Everyone, since Guo Daru is unwilling to participate in political affairs, it is even more difficult for him to be a junior, so don't let it go." ”

After finishing speaking, Xue Chun was worried that someone below would hold him up, so he immediately turned around and strode away, not giving everyone the slightest time to react!

The abrupt reversal of the situation really made the gentry class protesting below not react for a while. Before that, he said that he would fight to the end, and even when he arrived in the sky to hear that the two great Confucians Guo Cheng and Xue Chun were in order, they just left as a hands-off shopkeeper?

"Guo Daru and Mr. Xue have backed down, so what should we do, and continue to protest against the old and new policies of the Shen Pavilion?"

A young literati asked blankly, completely unaware of what he was supposed to do.

"What kind of protest, do you want to put your chest on the muzzle of the Shenji Battalion?"

"Xiucai meets the soldiers, you can't explain it clearly, go home honestly and prepare to pay taxes!"

Another scholar responded with a little self-deprecation, if it was really Xiucai's rebellion that had not been successful for ten years, the dignified Confucian ran faster than himself.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the literati should share their worries for the country, the land tax of two buckets per mu is nothing, and they are willing to make a contribution to the Ming Dynasty!"

Some people are still laughing at themselves, but some people have thoroughly seen the situation and announced their support for Shen Yichen's new policy very righteously.

Although it is a bit painful to levy grain and pay taxes, Shen Yichen's whip method integrates all kinds of harsh taxes and forced labor, and clearly formulates the collection standard of two buckets per mu, which is not high.

As long as you can control the officials below to eat and take cards, to be honest, this deed tax is not high, and it is completely within the acceptable range. Even if you don't pay this land tax on the surface, you can secretly use it every year to win over officials, and it is basically about the same amount.

"There are also contemptible people who are willing to support the old and new policies of the Shen Pavilion."

"Me too."

"As a student, I am willing to follow in the footsteps of Guo Daru!"

Soon, one after another statements resounded one after another in the literati subgroup, as if the previous righteous indignation and cruel words did not exist at all.

To be honest, Shen Yichen was not surprised that there would be such a scene, because the gentry who could gather here to protest were themselves a group of refined self-interesters. Don't the literati who really have their families and the country in mind know that the source of the differentiation between the rich and the poor and the annexation of land in the past dynasties lies in the privileges of the scholar class?

Most of the gentry class are just bad, and definitely do not doubt their IQ, thinking that stupidity has a low vision.

Refined egoists often represent weakness and will succumb to more powerful powers, just like the Jurchen soldiers and horses entered the customs, and the vast majority of landlords and officials in the Ming Dynasty immediately changed their ways to support the new dynasty.

What is the difference between that scene and today's support for the New Deal?

Shen Yichen knows that the refined egoist can't be swept away, this is one of the human nature, even if he encounters an event that damages his interests, he will also weigh the pros and cons and choose the most favorable solution.

Now that the other party has expressed concessions and compromises, Shen Yichen naturally will not gain an inch, so he took the opportunity to give a step and said: "This cabinet believes that you are all loyal and patriotic people, it is nothing more than that there was a slight misunderstanding in the process of promulgating the new policy, and now the misunderstanding is resolved, which can be called a great joy." ”

"This cabinet department admires you for speaking out without fear of power, and please maintain the integrity of the literati in the future, so that future generations can set an example!"

Shen Yichen's words were very beautiful, not only did he not hold accountable the responsibility for besieging the yamen, but on the contrary, he praised the protesters for showing their strength and achieving the level that a qualified politician should have.

Hearing Shen Yichen give the steps like this, it would be equivalent to not knowing what to do if he didn't go down the way, so the gentry class present replied one after another: "Shen Ge is polite, it is our inconsiderate behavior Meng Lang." ”

"Shen Ge Lao Zhen is the prime minister's belly can support the boat, which is admired by his subordinates."

"The court has the old Shen Pavilion in charge, which is really a blessing for the family and the country."

"When the students return to their hometowns, they will definitely support the old and new policies of Shen Ge!"

All kinds of boasting and whispering politely, seeing this kind of scene, Li Da nodded to his subordinates, and then the soldiers of the Shenji Battalion, who were blocked layer by layer, took the initiative to retreat to the sides and make way for them to pass.

With the protesting gentry class and the common people who supported them retreated, only Li Tingxiu was left standing proudly in place on the spacious official road in front of the yamen, looking at the proud disciple in front of him with a smile on his face.

I still remember that the Guozi Supervisor was retaliated by Wang Zhen for the sacrificial wine, and Shen Yichen's style of acting was so sharp, and he dared to lead the students of the Guozi Prison to take the exam and go to the palace gate to knock on the grievances.

Today's Shen Yichen has handled the incident with both rigidity and softness, which can almost be called perfect to quell the protests of the scholars.

As a literati, when you don't bend, as a zaifu, you have to become old and seek the country.

Without the gentry protesting and making trouble, Shen Yichen walked down the steps quickly, almost running towards Li Tingxiu, and then opened his arms and hugged the teacher tightly, tears slipped from the corners of his eyes.

"Sir, you've been gone for too long."

A simple sentence revealed endless thoughts, and at the same time made Li Tingxiu's eyes red in an instant.

"When the child grows up, he doesn't need to be taken care of by the teacher, not to mention that your achievements in Xiangbei are already above the teacher, so why do you need to be accompanied."

Li Tingxiu said as he gently patted Shen Yichen's back, the expression on his face was full of relief.

In fact, in a sense, the reason why Li Tingxiu chose to teach and educate people incognito is actually related to Shen Yichen's high achievements. Everyone should have their own ideals and directions, if Li Tingxiu stays by Shen Yichen's side, then he will definitely not be able to teach students freely, and he will slowly lose the value of his life.

"No matter where the disciple is, he needs the teachings of the master, just like this time."

Shen Yichen never felt that after his status was higher than that of a teacher, he had nothing to learn. If it weren't for Li Tingxiu leading the people to come to support today, calming down the incident might not have been able to achieve such a perfect ending, and he hoped that Mr. could stay by his side.

Regarding Shen Yichen's thoughts, Li Tingxiu did not continue to respond, but changed the topic and said: "You are the first assistant of the Ming Dynasty, and there are so many people watching, you must maintain the prestige of being in charge of the government and the opposition." ”

"Okay, the implementation of the new deal is not over yet, let's get down to business first."

Li Tingxiu reminded that the receding tide of protests does not mean that the new policy can be implemented smoothly. After all, the land tax violated the interests of the gentry class, and they would interfere with it openly or secretly, and Shen Yichen came to Henan to solve many problems.

Listening to the teacher's words, Shen Yichen took a deep breath and suppressed the feelings in his heart. Time has passed, and he has stood at the pinnacle of officialdom, and he is no longer the student who can show his fragile true feelings at will, and people have changed after all.

After letting go of Li Tingxiu, Shen Yichen commanded towards the entourage Canghuotou: "You lead your husband to find an inn to stay, now that the identity of the teacher in this pavilion department has been exposed, it may cause some people with intentions to take risks, and absolute safety must be guaranteed!" ”

Yang Hongze, the dignified cabinet minister, was attacked and injured, and Shen Yichen did not dare to guarantee whether the opposition forces would attack Li Tingxiu, and the best way was to take precautions in advance.

"Yes, proprietor, the little one will always be on the lookout."

Canghuo nodded, he had been by Shen Yichen's side for so many years, and he was already familiar with all the security processes, and there would definitely be no mistakes.

At the same time, Li Da, who was standing on the side, also took the opportunity to give instructions to his subordinates: "Arrange a team of people to be on guard around the inn where Mr. is staying, and any suspicious people will be arrested on the spot to confirm their identity." ”

"Yes, Governor!"

In the past few years, under the leadership of Li Da, the soldiers and horses of the Shenji Battalion have also been elite soldiers and strong generals and a group of gentlemen in the Orthodox Dynasty, which is simply incomparable. The action was very fast, and a team of soldiers and horses was divided to wait solemnly.

Seeing that Shen Yichen and Li Da were so fanfare, Li Tingxiu waved his hand and said: "It's just a cloth cloth for a teacher, why bother making such a big fuss, just find an inn to live in." ”

"Sir, you listen to me before the matter is over."

Shen Yichen did not discuss with Li Tingxiu, and his attitude was extremely resolute.

And after saying this, he glanced back at Qian Fanjiang, the political envoy behind him, and Huang Lun, the envoy of the inspection, and the threat was self-evident.