At this time in the city of Mongolia.

Chongzhen's father and son and the accompanying Qinwang scholars have already met the county of Mengcheng.

What Yan Yingyuan, Xu Yingwei and other Qinwang scholars never expected was that Mengcheng Zhixian was actually one of the nine civil officials who followed Shengshang to break out of Beijing, the Hanlin Academy, Wang Wei.

Although the review of the Hanlin Academy is only from the seven-rank official, it is the emperor's close attendant, and if it is released, it will be from the sixth-grade level, but Wang Wei is only the seventh-grade magistrate, and it is also the magistrate of a small county like Mengcheng.

Even Wu Yingji was a little slanderous about this, and the Donglin Party's appearance was really ugly.

It is just a matter of demoting Meng Zhaoxiang to the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, and he also demoted Liu Lishun, Ma Shiqi, and Wang Wei to the local government successively, and only gave official positions of the same grade, which is a bit excessive.

This is a complete failure to take the emperor of the Holy Lord into account.

Even if it is ruled by vertical arch, it is not such a vertical arch and rule, right?

"Holy." Wang Wei said with some sadness, "The minister is incompetent, and he has embarrassed you." ”

"What do you have to be ashamed of." Chongzhen said, "How can a few of you fight so many of them." ”

"Holy Lord, what the minister said is not about being demoted." Wang Wei said, "For being demoted to Mengcheng County to serve as the magistrate, the minister is actually not resistant in his heart, rather than staying in Nanjing and doing nothing, it is better to go to the local area to do something." ”

After a pause, Wang Wei said again: "The minister is sad that he didn't do a single thing for a few months after arriving in Mengcheng, and he almost provoked a civil uprising because of the handling of the marriage robbery case. ”

"You can't be blamed for this." Chongzhen said.

"The clan forces are entrenched in the locality, and the tail is too big to fall, and it has been the most difficult to deal with since ancient times."

In fact, the clan power has not been completely resolved until 400 years later, because this thing has been blended with the Chinese tradition of sacrificing and worshiping the ancestors, and has unimaginable vitality.

Chongzhen never thought that he could eradicate the clan forces, at most, he would split and strengthen the system and move elsewhere.

At that moment, Chongzhen said: "But fortunately, the clan forces will not endanger the society of my Ming Dynasty, and at a certain level, it will even maintain the stability of my Ming Dynasty." ”

The scholars and Wang Wei all thought deeply of this.

Regardless of the clans in other places, at least the clans in the eight prefectures and prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River firmly support the Ming Dynasty.

Chongzhen sighed lightly, and then said: "What I am worried about has never been the clans in the states and counties, I am worried about the clans in the hearts of the people in Jiangnan, and this is what will really endanger the community." ”

Wu Yingji and Yan Yingyuan glanced at each other and asked, "The minister is dull, I want to ask the Holy Lord, do you mean the Donglin Party when you just said the clan in the hearts of the people in Jiangnan?" ”

Chongzhen nodded and said, "Now I don't have to say anything about it, it refers to the Donglin Party." ”

Wu Yingji, Gu Yanwu, Zhu Shunshui, and even Xia Yunyi and other Qinwang scholars showed tangled expressions on their faces.

When the news of the party dispute had just reached Xuzhou, Wu Yingji and others were also indignant, and they couldn't wait to light the sky lanterns on the bigwigs of the Donglin Party.

But after a few months, they calmed down.

So Wu Yingji, Gu Yanwu, Xia Yunyi and other scholars who are inextricably linked with the Donglin Party couldn't help but start thinking, could there be any misunderstanding in this?

Could it be that Gao Ge Lao and Jiang Ge Lao were deceived by the villain?

To put it bluntly, they have grown up under the strict control of public opinion of the Donglin Party since they were children, and the image of the Donglin Party as an upright, honest and honest person for the country and the people has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and it is by no means so easy to destroy.

So now Chongzhen bluntly classifies the Donglin Party as a force that "wants to be destroyed", which makes them feel very entangled.

Only Wang Wei thought so: "The local clan has unimaginably strong control over the people of a place, and the patriarch and the clan elder believe whatever the people say, which is even more effective than the words of the government." ”

"And the Donglin Party also has unimaginably strong control in eight prefectures and other states in the south of the Yangtze River."

"It is often the Donglin Party that the people of Jiangnan believe whatever they say, and if the imperial court's decree is not supported by the Donglin Party, it will become difficult to move an inch in the eight prefectures and prefectures in Jiangnan."

"In this way, the Donglin Party is really a clan, and it is also a clan in the hearts of the people of Jiangnan!"

After a pause, Wang Wei said again: "But as the saint said, the local clan is tangible and controllable, and its influence is also limited, so it will definitely not threaten the stability of the Jiangshan society, but the clan in the hearts of the people in Jiangnan is invisible, and its influence is so great that it has no boundary, and it can even influence the court of the cabinet and auxiliary ministers!" It is reported that when Gu Xiancheng was there, he even privately threatened to remotely control the Ming Dynasty situation in Wuxi! ”

"Wang Zhixian's words are exaggerated!"

Wu Yingji, Gu Yanwu, and Zhu Shunshui said in unison.

Chongzhen's eyes swept over, and Wu Yingji waved his hand and said: "This is really a filthy word, Mr. Jingyang is loyal to the Ming Dynasty, how can he be so arrogant?" ”

Wang Wei frowned and said: "How can Gu Xiancheng leave it alone, in September of the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, Zhang Pu, the leader of the Restoration Society, once manipulated the scholar theory in Jiangnan and helped Zhou Yanru to enter the cabinet again, which is always a fact, right?" ”

After a pause, Wang Wei said again: "And after Zhou Yanru paid his respects, Zhang Pu even gave him a booklet, and asked Zhou Yanru to hire him one by one according to the list contained in the booklet, which is always true, right?" ”

"Rumors." Gu Yanwu said, "This is just a false rumor. ”

Wu Yingji also said: "The theory of Jiangnan scholars and the manipulation of the court situation are all false rumors. ”

Xia Yunyi also said: "Don't say that we have reinstated the society, the Donglin Party did not have such ability when it was in its heyday. ”

Wang Wei frowned and said: "Okay, even if Zhang Pu's manipulation of Jiangnan Shishi is false, then it is a fact that the Donglin Party has blatantly launched a party struggle in Nanjing regardless of the safety of the Shengshang and the millions of soldiers and civilians on the front line of Xuzhou, right?"

"It's a fact." Wu Yingji admitted, "But this matter has nothing to do with whether the Donglin Party is a clan power. ”

Gu Yanwu also said: "What's more, we firmly believe that Gao Ge Lao, Jiang Ge Lao and Xie Ge Lao are deceived by villains, otherwise they would definitely not do such stupid things." ”

Hearing this, Zhu Cihong and Zhu Cijiong frowned.

Xu Yingwei, Yan Yingwei and other Qinwang scholars also frowned, they should have different opinions, but because of friendship, they did not refute Wu Yingji and other scholars in front of Wang Wei, an "outsider".

Among the Qinwang scholars, there are many people in the Fushe or the children of the Donglin Party, how can Wang Wei say so many Qinwang scholars alone, and he was quickly refuted by the scholars and speechless.

Only then did Chongzhen get up and say, "Okay, let's stop here today." ”

"So the students will retire." Wu Yingji, Gu Yanwu, Xia Yunyi and other Qinwang scholars retired one after another, and Wang Wei did not stay long, and also left.

After a while, only Chongzhen's father and son were left in the big tent.

Chongzhen ordered Hu Guozhu to guard around the big tent, and then said, "Hong'er, Jiong'er, have you seen it?" Now you know how difficult it is to break the Donglin Party, right? ”

"Erchen has seen it." Zhu Cijiong said with a dark face.

"I didn't expect that even Wu Yingji, Gu Yanwu, Zhu Shunshui and Xia Yunyi were also believers in the Donglin Party."

Zhu Cihong said: "Wu Yingji is not a believer in the Donglin Party, but because most of their parents, ancestors, relatives or teachers are members of the Donglin Party, so they have always had a good impression of the Donglin Party. ”

After saying this, Zhu Cihong said to Chongzhen again: "Father, the son finally understands now, why did you use Luan Jia as a bait to lure the Donglin Party to attack, otherwise, it is really not enough to completely eradicate the Donglin Party." ”

Now Zhu Cijiong also understood: "No, because the Donglin Party is rooted in people's hearts." ”

"That's right, because the Donglin Party is rooted in the hearts of the scholars and the people." Chongzhen said solemnly, "If it weren't for that, how could the eunuch party, which was once very prosperous, lose to this group of powerless civil officials." ”

……

Outside the big tent, there was already a quarrel among the princes.

Wu Yingji said: "The Holy Admiral compares the Donglin Party to a thief in the mountains, which is too much. ”

Yan Yingyuan said: "Brother Jiwei, please be cautious, the saint only said that the influence of the Donglin Party on the people of Jiangnan is no less than that of the clans in the local prefectures and counties, how could he have said that the Donglin Party is a thief in the mountains?" ”

Wu Yingji said: "In the past, Mr. Yangming once said that it is easy to break the thief in the mountain, and it is difficult to break the thief in the heart, but now the saint says that it is easy to break the clan in the state and county, and it is difficult to break the clan in the heart. ”

"Two different things." Yan Yingyuan said disapprerovingly, "How can it be confused." ”

Xia Yunyi said: "However, it is also inappropriate for the Holy Lord to compare the Donglin Party to the clan in his heart. ”

Xu Yingwei said: "I think that the comparison between the saints is very appropriate, and the Donglin Party is the clan in the hearts of the people in Jiangnan." ”

Seeing that Wu Yingji was about to refute, Xu Yingwei immediately rushed to say: "Brother Second Tail, don't be in a hurry to refute first, Little Brother wants to ask Brother Second Tail and all the elder brothers, are all the Donglin Party gentlemen?" ”

"That's not." Wu Yingji waved his hand and said, "Ten fingers have long and short fingers, how can everyone in the Donglin Party be a gentleman?" For example, Ruan Dacheng was also a member of the Donglin Party for a time. ”

Until now, Wu Yingji and other people in the restored society look down on Ruan Dacheng.

Xu Yingwei said: "Then the question is, has the second tail brother ever heard the people of Jiangnan talk about the Donglin Party?" I'm afraid it's never been before, right? But when it comes to the Donglin Party, whether it is a peddler or a pawn, a gentleman or a businessman or even a beggar begging on the street, which one is not a thumbs up and is praised as the pillar of the country? ”

After saying this, Xu Yingwei continued: "In the early years of Chongzhen and last year, when the Donglin Party was in full control of the cabinet, which of the ministers of the DPRK and the people did not say that the people were in power? ”

Gu Yanwu said: "Isn't this a fact? ”

Xia Yunyi said: "Even if there are a few scum among the Donglin Party, they are also flawed, in the early years of Chongzhen and last year, the atmosphere of the court can indeed be called the Zhengying Dynasty, don't you agree with Brother Zhen?" ”

Xu Yingwei said: "If it is really the Zhengying Dynasty, why is it that after two years of Chongzhen, the government is as bad as a day?" ”

(End of chapter)