The three Shangshu were surprisingly quiet in a carriage back to the Liubu Yamen.

Looking at Xia Yuanji, who bowed his head and was dull and unspeakable, Jian Yi couldn't help but ask, "Xia Shangshu, are you okay?" ”

Hearing this, Ru Yu also looked at Xia Yuanji opposite.

Xia Yuanji raised his head a little distractedly, and only then did the two realize that Xia Yuanji's eyes were already full of scarlet bloodshots.

"Take it from the people. For the people"

Natsuhara Ji muttered a repeat, just a wry smile.

Jian Yi and Ru Yu also understood where Xia Yuanji's heart knot was, but they had nothing to say for a while.

There is no other reason, Jiang Xinghuo's words not only made Xia Yuanji's heart flutter, but also made them feel deeply shocked and touched in their hearts.

Yes, when I was still a young man, didn't I get fame and become an official in order to save the world and be a virtuous minister who assisted the king in ruling the world?

Since the end of Hongwu, with the decay and degeneration of the court over the years, the rule of the low-level officials has also collapsed, and the lives of the people of the Ming Dynasty have become more and more miserable, but what are they doing!

Being in a high position and sitting on tens of thousands of family fortunes, in addition to fulfilling his duties in a decent manner, he was taken in various interest disputes and standing in line with the court, most of the time he was self-preservation, how could he ask for his life for the people, and even the most basic original intention was lost.

Can this kind of person really be called the virtuous minister in their youth?

Xia Yuanji suddenly felt very sad, he didn't want to believe this, but every word Jiang Xinghuo said was like a needle prick, although it didn't mean something, but Xia Yuanji himself reminded himself that people like him should have gotten out of officialdom a long time ago.

"Huh!"

A self-deprecating sneer suddenly sounded.

"Xia Shangshu."

Hearing this, Jian Yi and Ru Yu looked at Xia Yuanji together.

I saw that Xia Yuanji's face was pale, the corners of his mouth were covered with a sarcastic arc, and his eyes were slightly narrowed.

"I don't know what you guys think."

"But Xia just thinks so."

"Over the years, I have been sitting higher and higher, but I seem to have forgotten the purpose of my career."

"It's been a long time since Xia has really done a practical thing for the people."

Xia Yuanji said these words lightly, and turned his head to look out of the window of the green mantle carriage, his eyes were full of sadness and confusion.

Seeing Xia Yuanji like this, Jian Yi and Ru Yu's hearts suddenly felt a little ashamed.

Why aren't they?

The career has gone too far, and I have climbed to the top with difficulty along the way, and when I look back, I have long since lost the way I came.

I can't see myself full of hope at the foot of the mountain.

"You're going to be a good official for the world, aren't you?"

Natsuhara muttered to himself.

"However, when did you treat every living person as countless words in the yellow book, as a bunch of numbers in statistics?"

The green tendons of Xia Yuanji's hands popped out and he covered his head hard.

"I can't remember."

"I can't remember"

After a long time, Xia Yuanji tidied up his appearance.

At this time, although Xia Yuanji still looked gentle and elegant on the surface, the resentment and despair that occasionally flashed in his eyes made people feel sad when they saw it.

In fact, when they heard Xia Yuanji's whisper just now, the two couldn't help but be silent.

It was also at this time that Jian Yi and Ru Yu were surprised to find that Xia Yuanji's whole person had changed too much.

In the past, Xia Yuanji was always calm and breezy, as if nothing could affect his tenacious heart, and nothing seemed to make him give up everything.

Especially the cause that he has been deeply involved in for many years and loves the most is to help the country and the people.

And now, Xia Yuanji's whole person is full of twilight, as if he has lost his soul.

Just like him at the moment.

He stared out of the carriage window in a daze, his eyes unfocused.

Xia Yuanji is no longer the original Xia Yuanji, and this recognition makes Jian Yi and Ru Yu, who are old friends, both sad and distressed.

Along the way, the three fell into an eerie silence.

Until they arrived at the Yamen of the Six Ministries.

After Jian Yi and Ru Yu left and returned to their respective yamen, Xia Yuanji let out a long breath of turbidity.

Then, Xia Yuanji returned to his office room, walked slowly to the desk, reached out and picked up the teacup next to the table, raised his head and drank the tea he had made in the morning.

Putting down the teacup, Xia Yuanji's eyes fell on the rice paper pressed on the table, and his eyes did not blink.

After a long time, Xia Yuanji slowly closed his eyes, frowned, and after thinking for a while, he finally made up his mind, grabbed a pen and dipped it in ink, and began to write hard.

After writing the last word, Xia Yuanji pushed open the door, handed the official document to the confidant under the porch outside, and motioned for the other party to send it to the cabinet.

The confidant only glanced at the title that was not concealed at all on the official document, and instead presented it back to Xia Yuanji in fear.

Xia Yuanji carefully studied the stamps on the official document, and finally turned to the blank space of the last page, and sketched a few lines of handwriting with a brush.

He sighed and handed it to his henchman resolutely.

"Shang Shu. Are you going to say goodbye to your hometown? ”

The official's eyes widened, and he still looked at Xia Yuanji in disbelief.

"Well, this is my resignation letter to Your Majesty, and send it to the cabinet quickly."

Hearing Xia Yuanji's words, the officials were stunned for a while.

This confidant has been by Xia Yuanji's side for decades, and naturally knows that Xia Yuanji is an official.

But now, Xia Yuanji actually took the initiative to resign, which made the officials unable to digest it for a while.

Still, the confidant faithfully fulfilled his duty.

"Subordinates obey orders."

The clerk took the official document, bowed and withdrew.

When Xia Yuanji was the only one left in the room, he collapsed on the chair in a decadent manner, and the whole person looked haggard.

In fact, Zhishi's decision was not made by Xia Yuanji suddenly.

In fact, after Zhu Di led his troops south to ascend the throne and became emperor, the officials who were accustomed to comfort from the end of Hongwu to the Jianwen Dynasty all felt an extraordinary change.

This kind of change makes people feel as if they have returned to the era of trembling under the butcher's knife of Emperor Hongwu in his prime.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang rarely went on a killing spree after he got old, the corrupt government of officials and the degeneration of officials who were suppressed by the iron-fisted ruling bullet gradually rose.

But this does not mean that these officials have forgotten the comical scene of the time when the chief officer was killed and the deputy came to the court with shackles in hand.

There are many people who suspect that Zhu Di, who is cool Xiao's father, will also take this kind of means to rectify the rule of officials.

In fact, Zhu Di did more ruthlessly than his father at the beginning.

After the great investigation when he ascended the throne, Jianwen's bones were swept away, and the ministers thought that they would stop.

As a result, Zhou Jin's rebellion case broke out in Jiangnan because of "apportionment into the mu", which caused Zhu Di to wield a butcher's knife and started a new round of clan punishment.

At this moment, although there are no waves on the bright side of the court, but secretly, there is an undercurrent.

Many old foxes and turtles are aware of the danger.

The money is enough, the official has been an official for so many years, and there are countless protégés and former officials, and the wealth and resources saved are enough to continue the family.

So what are you waiting for? Waiting to be beheaded by Zhu Di?

Thirty-six plans to go up to the plan, run!

Therefore, there have been a lot of resignations on Zhu Gaochi's desk recently, and of course, most of them have been dissuaded by Zhu Gaochi one by one. Although there are also very few examples of wanting to follow the trend, but losing their official hats.

Although Xia Yuanji was the emperor's favorite minister, he had long known the common thoughts of his colleagues, and most importantly, the court dispute over the fertilizer elixir that occurred before made him the target of public criticism.

Although it does take a target to bind the Ming treasury bond to the fertilizer workshop, in Xia Yuanji's heart, he understands the emperor's choice, and at a certain moment when he was accused by his colleagues, Xia Yuanji was also a little disheartened.

Of course, the main reason is that coupled with Jiang Xinghuo's words in today's lecture, it really deeply shocked Xia Yuanji's heart.

Xia Yuanji, after all, is an official with ideals and conscience.

This also directly made Xia Yuanji doubt what he was doing now, and came up with the idea that "being an official can't save the people, it's better to go back to the countryside to spend his old age in peace".

Thinking of this, Xia Yuanji couldn't help but ask himself, what can he do for the people?

He remembers very well that he has worked hard all these years and has never slackened off, but in the end?

Isn't it just a mediocre senior bureaucrat?

Did it really change the world?

Does it really make people's lives better?

"Hey!" Xia Yuanji sighed, continued to lower his head, and handled the official business in his hand.

In the empty room, Xia Yuanji not only laughed at himself: "Be a monk for a day, hit the clock for a day." ”

At this moment, the door was pushed open, and an old voice came.

"Monks don't all need to hit the bell."

Xia Yuanji looked intently, but Dao Yan in a black robe walked in slowly.

In Dao Yan's hand, he held his resignation letter.

In front of Xia Yuanji, Dao Yan twisted his fingers and directly tore his resignation to shreds.

"Master Dao Yan, what do you mean by this?"

Xia Yuanji didn't hide his expression, just asked tiredly.

"You can't go yet." Dao Yan threw his resignation into the paper basket and said slowly.

"Why?" Xia Yuanji smiled bitterly, "In this position, whoever sits on it is almost the same, Yu Shangshu is like this, and so is Xia." ”

"It's different." Dao Yan shook his head.

"What's the difference?" Natsuhara asked.

Dao Yan's slightly closed triangular eyes opened and said slowly.

"You are Jiang Sheng's student!"

Xia Yuanji sighed in his heart, but he still calmed down.

"Master Daoyan, you might as well make your words a little clearer."

Dao Yan bowed his head, looked at him and said seriously: "Jiang Sheng Zhili, there are only a few people who have passed it on, this is a great blessing that is unique in ten thousand, and you Xia Yuanji is one of them." ”

Dao Yan asked: "And you, Xia Yuanji, as a scholar of the household department, and the way of helping the people through the country, are fortunate to learn Jiang Sheng's avenue, and do not hesitate to bless, nor do you want to benefit the common people, but you are willing to retreat, and you are willing to fall, and you waste your useful body, don't you feel ashamed?" ”

"Master Jiang is talking about the truth." Xia Yuanji's expression was gloomy, "But by listening to these lessons, Xia still can't save the people." ”

"Can't do it after listening to a few classes, what about learning from Jiang Sheng's side? No matter how powerful the knowledge in the world is, no matter how much truth there is, according to your Xia Shangshu's talent, you should learn more and think more. ”

"As for saving the people, it's not you alone, what do you think Jiang Sheng is going to do when he was released from prison in two months?"

Xia Yuanji only said: "Master Jiang, don't you still know all this?" ”

"He already knows." Dao Yan said coldly, "Or, at least I know part of it." ”

"Today, Xia Shangshu has already revealed his stuffing."

Xia Yuanji was stunned: "How can you say this?" ”

"How amazing is Jiang Sheng's talent? Knowledge is overwhelming the world, and knowledge is even more through the past and the present, from the moment you put on makeup and enter the edict, you have already been exposed. Dao Yan said lightly.

Xia Yuanji recalled for a moment, and then frowned and asked, "What does Master Dao Yan mean is that this lesson was originally in Master Jiang's plan?" Jiang Shi has already felt alert, so he will use the second prince may not understand to make a temptation? ”

Dao Yan bowed slightly, and then said: "Jiang Sheng has a cousin who has been secretly monitored and protected by Lao Wei, last time, she was deceived for counterfeiting national debts, and went to Jiang Sheng to complain. Of course, the people who deceived her had already died in the 'Ningbo Caravan' that was slaughtered by the Japanese Invaders. ”

Natsuhara stood up, and the look on his face began to become serious.

"So, this is all Master Daoyan's strategy?"

"It's time to push him to get to know it slowly." Dao Yan was not afraid of Xia Yuanji's gaze, and only said, "Do you want to watch Jiang Sheng see through all this after he is released from prison, become at a loss, or feel angry?" ”

Xia Yuanji shook the robe on his body, and the official authority that he had cultivated for many years in a high position was also revealed from his body movements and demeanor.

"You shouldn't have arranged Master Jiang's fate." There was no honorific title in Xia Yuanji's words.

"Lao Wei didn't arrange Jiang Sheng's fate."

Dao Yan lowered his eyebrows and whispered: "A person like Jiang Sheng, as long as he sees the hope of changing the injustice in this world, he will definitely set foot on that road." ”

"For those with great ideals, that path is the deadliest and most tempting poison in the world."

"Lao Wei just asked Jiang Sheng to prepare mentally in advance, so that he wouldn't feel too abrupt when he was released from prison."

If it were before today, Xia Yuanji would definitely scoff at what Dao Yan said.

However, when Xia Yuanji broke away from the cold digital world composed of the terrifying [Absolute Reason] and experienced the ruthless feeling that all things in heaven and earth were dogs, he felt deep fear and remorse.

Therefore, Xia Yuanji believed everything Daoyan said.

Xia Yuanji believes that if Jiang Xinghuo sees that he can make the world become what he ideals, then Jiang Xinghuo will definitely do whatever it takes to achieve that ideal.

After all, Jiang Xinghuo is really not afraid of death!

And the reason why he put on that posture in the edict prison, Xia Yuanji thinks that it is just that Jiang Xinghuo can't see the hope of changing the world.

Just as the reason why Xia Yuanji submitted his resignation was because he couldn't see the hope that the tax revenue could really be "taken from the people and used by the people".

And now, Dao Yan's words gave Xia Yuanji hope again.

If the economy and taxation of the Ming Dynasty in the future can be achieved in his hands Xia Yuanji's "take from the people, use it for the people" even a little bit of foundation, can lay the foundation for this future, Xia Yuanji feels that the meaning of what he has done is worth it, and he is willing to pay for it.

But immediately, as if he had thought of something, Xia Yuanji's heart trembled.

Xia Yuanji asked very seriously, "Dao Yan, what do you want to do?" Do you want to"

The words that followed, Xia Yuanji never dared to say it.

"Nope."

Knowing Xia Yuanji's jealousy, Dao Yan gave him a reassuring answer.

Dao Yan's answer really relieved Xia Yuanji.

Dao Yan clasped his hands together and said in a hoarse voice: "What the old man wants to do is only to do his best to help Jiang Sheng open up that path to eternity in the last time of his life. This path, for hundreds of years to come, did not conflict with imperial power, on the contrary, but benefited each other. ”

This sentence relieved Xia Yuanji of most of his concerns.

As long as there is no conflict with the imperial power and no violation of Xia Yuanji's principles, then Xia Yuanji feels that he can continue to listen to Daoyan's thoughts.

Xia Yuanji raised his head to look at Dao Yan and simply asked, "What do you want me to do?" ”

Dao Yan smiled, and the dry skin like tree bark revealed ravines of different shades.

"Xia Shangshu, let's follow in Jiang Sheng's footsteps and change the world together."

Xia Yuanji was silent for a moment and asked, "How do you change this world?" ”

Dao Yan already had a draft in his heart, and said directly.

"Overthrow the science of science and liberate the bound mind."

"Carry forward Jiang Sheng's 'science' and erect a true foundation for eternity."

"Colonizing overseas, giving Chinese civilization a head start in the World Island War, and building the Ming Empire, where the sun and the moon never set."

"Improve the productivity of the Ming Dynasty, so that the people no longer suffer from hunger and cold, so that ordinary people can also afford to read, read books, and understand the truth."

"Finally, we should truly establish a Datong society that is 'taken from the people and for the people'."

In Xia Yuanji's mind, there seemed to be such a picture, taxation is no longer cold numbers and currency, but with the power of countless people, it gathers into rivers and oceans, and then moistens the people.

Perhaps, this is the true meaning of taxation.

Perhaps, this is the true future of this world.

But Xia Yuanji still couldn't help but say: "It's impossible for us to see that day." ”

Dao Yan then nodded, but laughed.

"But that's what it means to be immortal!"

"Our flesh will eventually perish, but everything we have created for our ideals will live forever!"

Dao Yan looked at Xia Yuanji seriously and asked.

"Xia Yuanji, are you willing to embark on this path with Lao Qu and Jiang Sheng? You have to think clearly, one step out, you will have to face the fierce criticism of the world and the verbal criticism of the defenders, and there is no turning back. ”

Dao Yanfu said again: "But Xia Yuanji, you have a family and a business, and you are in a high position in Shangshu, you are the extreme of Wenchen, and it is not the same as Lao Wei and Jiang Sheng. If you don't have this intention in your heart, you shouldn't have been here today. ”

Xia Yuanji opened his mouth to speak, but swallowed it back.

Countless thoughts flashed in his heart, and after a few breaths of silence, he didn't know what he thought, but Xia Yuanji nodded heavily.

Xia Yuanji said softly to Dao Yan.

"From now on, you and I will be fellow travelers."

(End of chapter)