Do you know that my grandfather was entitled to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple?

Chapter 46 A Mother's Worries While Her Son Travels

This is also why Wang You doesn't like Fan Da Xiangong very much.

His essay "The Yueyang Tower" is indeed a very good piece of writing.

The spirit of being the first to worry about the world's troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures is worthy of emulation and praise by future generations.

However, his use of unfounded ancestral precepts to restrict the emperor from killing guilty civil officials did indeed sow the seeds of disaster for the Song Dynasty.

Although the emperors who came after him were not particularly capable, we cannot judge the present situation based on the outcome.

This is similar to why Emperor Yang of Sui's reputation improved in later generations after he abandoned the Grand Canal.

Isn't it because the Grand Canal benefits people today and its legacy will last for generations?

This is complete nonsense.

It's true that we should judge actions over intentions, but did Emperor Yang of Sui consider what kind of lasting benefits he would bring when he built the Grand Canal?

The true meaning of "judging by actions, not intentions" is to not consider what other people's motivations are for doing something.

We need to look at his reasons for speaking out and the results he has achieved.

If something does not cause any negative consequences, the reasons given externally can be ignored.

Once negative consequences occur, it becomes necessary to consider the reasons for doing so.

It is true that the Grand Canal brought prosperity to the southern economy, but it also caused widespread suffering and ultimately led to the downfall of the dynasty under the second emperor.

The same reason.

Fan Da Xiang Gong used the analogy of animals grieving for their kind to persuade the officials, and used ancestral rules to prevent the government from killing criminal civil officials.

This established a strict rule against killing scholar-officials, making it extremely difficult for any capable ruler to break this rule later on.

The emperor and his courtiers will be locked in a protracted struggle over this matter.

Similar events are not uncommon in history; some emperors even gave up entirely during long struggles.

Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty is a good example.

Judging from its early performance, it did indeed show signs of a resurgence, but unfortunately it ultimately failed to compete with those powerful families and simply gave up.

It's hard to say that Emperor Ling of Han's selling of official positions and titles wasn't motivated by a greater purpose: revenge against those powerful families.

He refused to sell, and those official positions were monopolized by powerful families.

It can be said that Fan Zhongyan's actions completely extinguished any possibility of the Song Dynasty's revival.

This is also why Wang You couldn't like him.

To get back to the point, if the reformers were to back down, it would be very difficult for future emperors to implement reforms.

The Wang Anshi Reforms that followed are a good example.

Although Wang Anshi's reforms had many problems, the reason why they were met with widespread criticism was that local officials used the guise of reform to seek personal gain during their implementation.

The reason they dared to do this was partly because the current dynasty did not kill scholar-officials, and under the principle of "the law does not punish the masses," the emperor could not do anything to them.

Secondly, since the reform had already failed once, no one believed that Wang Anshi's reform could succeed.

Since failure is inevitable, the choice becomes obvious.

However, Wang You did not discuss these matters in depth with Hai Wenqing.

Hai Wenqing told him these things not because he wanted to discuss the situation in North Korea.

Instead, it was his answer to the palace examination questions that showed he was more inclined towards reform.

Therefore, I wanted to tell him how deep and murky the water was.

Having understood this, Wang You bowed and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Scholar Hai. I understand now!"

The gratitude was heartfelt, even though Hai Wenqing wanted to take him on as a student and his purpose in giving him guidance was not entirely pure.

However, Hai Wenqing did not have any bad intentions, and for Wang You, it also gave him a clearer understanding of the situation in the court.

"I just wanted to discuss academic matters with you; there's no need for such formalities," Hai Wenqing said with a smile.

Wang You was taken aback, but quickly understood and said solemnly, "I should thank you for your kindness in teaching and resolving my doubts."

"Please sit down."

Hai Wenqing became increasingly satisfied with Wang You. Most scholars have a common problem: they believe that what they know is the truth.

Wang You agreed with the reforms, and he thought it would take a long time to persuade him to understand the reasons behind them.

But Wang You's ability to grasp it so quickly was beyond his expectations.

With his discerning eye and extensive experience, he could naturally tell whether Wang You truly understood or was pretending to know what he didn't.

Hai Wenqing then stopped talking about sensitive topics and began discussing classical texts with Wang You.

Before long, the Wang family will formally come to formally become his apprentices. He also needs to understand Wang You's learning progress so that he can teach him in the future.

At noon, Wang You ate lunch at Hai's house.

Hai Wenqing only invited Hai Ning to accompany him.

Although he has several children, the others are still too young to attend.

Wang You had not formally become a disciple, and being a junior, there was no reason for Hai Wenqing's wife, Madam Lu, to intervene.

This isn't about whether it's valued or not; it's simply a matter of etiquette.

After the meal, Wang You sat with the guests for a while before taking his leave.

Hai Wenqing did not try to stop him. He waved his hand, and a servant brought over several calligraphy copybooks.

"Since your handwriting is not very good, I have picked out a few calligraphy practice books for you."

Hai Wenqing said, "There are no shortcuts in calligraphy; you can only practice diligently. I hope you won't slack off!"

"Thank you, Scholar Xie Hai. I will remember this and will certainly not slacken my efforts!"

Wang You bowed in thanks before accepting the calligraphy scroll.

"Ning'er, could you see Ziqian off for me?" Hai Wenqing said.

"yes!"

Hai Ning responded and, after Wang You bowed, led him out of the main hall.

"My father's collection of calligraphy copybooks consists of rubbings of masterpieces by great calligraphers from the Jin and Tang dynasties. Ziqian is truly blessed," Haining said with a smile.

Wang You: "..."

Why did he detect a hint of schadenfreude in Haining's words?

…………

寿州

Since returning from his official duties in Bianjing, Wang Min has been constantly entertaining various social obligations.

Those in officialdom know that a performance review basically means a promotion.

Moreover, Wang Min had already received the imperial decree when he reported on his duties.

What does this mean? Others may not understand, but surely they do.

Wang Min has become successful. With this connection, he can seek help from them if he encounters any trouble in the future.

Naturally, it's important to maintain good relationships.

Wang Min was busy with social engagements, while Madam Feng was busy arranging for people to pack their things.

Although I will take up my new post after the handover period ends after the New Year, I can already pack up some things that I don't use often.

Besides, she also had to prepare some dowry for Hualan.

In the Song Dynasty, it was common for women to marry off their daughters to wealthy families, and it was not uncommon for some men to go bankrupt because of their daughters' marriages.

This has nothing to do with whether you are generous or not, or whether you love your daughter or not.

That's just how the social norm is; if the bride's dowry is too small, it's considered a loss of face for the bride's family.

Throughout history, there have been many famous figures who lent money to prepare dowries for their daughters.

As the maternal uncle, he should definitely contribute some dowry to his niece's wedding.

She had been prepared for this long ago, but not long ago she received a letter from Madam Wang, informing her that Hua Lan had become engaged to the Earl of Zhongqin in Bianjing.

This is considered a high-status marriage, so the dowry should be more generous.

The original preparations now seem rather meager.

Although Madam Wang's original intention was simply to show off and share the good news with her family.

But the Wang family couldn't be unprepared.

"Ugh!"

Looking at the gift list, Madam Feng suddenly sighed.

As someone close to Feng, Madam Xu knew why Feng sighed and comforted her, "Don't worry, Madam. Didn't the master say that You-ge'er is doing very well in Bianjing?"

"Even so, I'm still worried. Winter is almost here, and there's still no news."

As Madam Feng spoke, she grew increasingly angry, gritting her teeth as she said, "That brat may have won, but he doesn't even bother to write back more letters."

Just as Madam Xu was about to offer some words of comfort, a maidservant hurried in, holding the letter in both hands, and bowed, saying, "Madam, the Second Young Master has sent two letters back from Bianjing."