Chapter 146 The Earthly Country
Along the way, everyone was silent.
When we arrived in Chang'an, we were even more shocked and speechless.
The population is more prosperous than ever before.
There are pedestrians and caravans everywhere, as well as a group of scholars with ancient crowns. The streets are even paved with stone slabs, flat and smooth, and there is no garbage or sewage on both sides of the road.
Don't think that the roads in the capital are good. Most of them are dirt roads. When traveling, the emperor often needed to splash streets with clean water and pave roads with loess. Otherwise it would be really difficult for the carriage to get through.
"Go to the restaurant to find out the news." Tang Ming said.
This is my third visit to Chang'an. I never imagined that this place would become like this.
Wasn't it promised that there would be starvation and blood everywhere?
Why is it different from what I imagined?
The restaurant here is also very large. In addition to wood, the building materials also include some very hard soil. The entire hall can accommodate more than a hundred people.
Nowadays, the seats are full, and there are actors singing operas in the center of the hall. Although it sounds straightforward and vulgar to scholars, it is not easy for ordinary people to enjoy these.
The group sat at two tables. The tea was not expensive, but they ate quite a lot. Sugar cakes, chicken feet, pork belly, and fried dough sticks cost more than 100 yuan.
There was another table near the crowd, with only two young scholars.
Seeing Tang Ming's gaze, one of them smiled and nodded to them. If he didn't know that he was disguised, Tang Ming would have thought that they were exposed.
"Who are you, brother?"
"I'm from Taiyuan. My surname is Li and my given name is Changsheng." The younger one said.
"I am also from Taiyuan, and my surname is Li." The older Confucian scholar on the right said with a smile.
Everyone chatted for a while, and then they realized that the two of them were also descendants of declining aristocratic families, and came to the capital to take the imperial examination.
"Imperial examination, what is that?"
"In the examination for conferring an official, regardless of one's origin or age, those who pass the examination will be awarded with merit and fame. Only with merit and fame can one be qualified to be appointed as an official. Those who get Jinshi can meet the Great Master."
Of all the people present, some were horrified and some were moved.
This is worse than killing a noble family. In this way, there is no way for them to survive.
"May I ask, brother, are the imperial examinations held every year?"
"Yes, every year, those who pass the provincial examination can come to take part in the general examination. Those who pass the general examination can be called Jinshi and be directly awarded officials." At this point, Li Changsheng glanced at Tang Ming and others, "You came from the south. Right? Don’t show such an expression, just don’t break the law and don’t cause trouble, haha.”
"Haha, brother, you are joking."
Everyone continued to talk, and the more they understood, the more frightened and confused they became.
The Dao clan has invested too much in education, which is obviously to cultivate a class that is dependent on them and controlled by them.
There are one hundred Jinshi every year, which is not much. The foundation is the large number of scholars and scholars. Most of them cannot directly become officials, but they can pass the examinations of various ministries to become officials or officials, such as water conservancy, law, taxation, etc. Government affairs, etc.
Those who pass this exam must have mastered professional knowledge, and it is they who have replaced the status of the aristocratic family.
As a result, they become useless waste.
Everyone was silent.
Could it be that it would really be better without us?
Thinking of this, someone secretly sent a message to Tang Ming.
"We must fully cooperate with the Hu people to get rid of the Taoist clan, the evil obstacle that destroys the Taoist tradition, otherwise China will be in danger."
For new things, they do not accept them at the first time, but fear and reject them.
"I want to take part in the imperial examination, and after passing the imperial examination, I will assassinate Lu Jing in the main hall." Cui Wen said coldly.
His eyes turned to Li Changsheng and others.
He wanted to take away their documents and then take part in the imperial examination in disguise.
As for whether he can pass the Jinshi, he doesn't care about it. With his own knowledge, if he doesn't pass, who else in the world can?
"Don't kill anyone." Tang Ming said.
"yes."
That night, everyone sneaked into the room of Li Changsheng and others and stunned them.
Take their certification documents and disguise themselves as them to take part in the imperial examination. During this period, they will not wake up.
On the other side, Xuanmen masters are also inspecting this place.
"Can prosperity maintained by killing really last long?" Wang Dao thought to himself.
Prosperity is short-lived and cannot withstand wind and rain.
Moreover, this kind of prosperity is too extreme. Dao valve does have merits, but it is not that they cannot learn from it, and they can even do better than Dao valve.
The prosperity of the Taoist clan is only the prosperity of the Han people. The strength of the Han people is often accompanied by the suffering of foreigners. They should not kill them directly, and they will not be able to kill them all. They should assimilate them through the methods of great Confucianism.
And Taoist clans are even more ruthless in killing their own people.
With a population of only six to seven million, at least 450,000 people were killed. These were not deaths from fighting, but deaths from internal purges.
In the future, if the world is determined, five million people will die? What a huge number this is, and how bloody and terrifying it is.
Wang Dao couldn't imagine this scenario.
"This is not a long-term solution. Xu Xuan, the culprit, must be dealt with in Chang'an."
"Maybe it can really be done." Ge Miao said.
Anyway, he likes this place.
Wang Dao glanced at him, and Ge Miao shut his mouth. The old man Ge Miao didn't have low emotional intelligence, he just wanted to stimulate Wang Dao.
I think about world harmony and peace all day long.
Lingnan gate valve.
Several handsome young men and girls dressed in men's clothing were walking on the street, looking curiously at the prosperous scene.
As a descendant of the ancestors who traveled south in attire, I quite admire the behavior of the northern Taoist clans, but I am a little unhappy with the way the aristocratic family deals with it.
"It's different from the legend! It's such a prosperous place."
"Yeah, it's a blinding eye. We think we are smart people, but this imperial examination is pretty good. How about we give it a try?"
"OK!"
The Lingnan clan and the Dao clan have always had business relationships, and there is no conflict between the two parties for the time being. As the heir of the Song clan, he will probably give them face here.
People from all factions came here one after another.
Their thinking began to change.
As the three-day imperial examination begins, the prosperity of this place is unimaginable.
This is not prosperity that is trumpeted, but the real prosperity of all walks of life, the prosperity of business, and the prosperity of culture, far beyond their imagination.
Confucian scholars read the classics and boasted for thousands of years, but there was no such scene.
What makes them even more unacceptable is that the status of Confucius has declined, and he has even been reduced to the same level as Lao Zhuang Mo Di. In the eyes of people here, Confucius is a sage who has made contributions, but not much. His remarks can be used as a reference. But don’t follow blindly.
This caused some people to hate Xu Xuan even more and began to think of assassinating him.
"We must kill Xu Xuan, kill this evildoer, and then the world can return to normal!!"
"Kill the Dao thieves and restore the orthodoxy!!"
If they continue to prevail, I'm afraid the people will be brainwashed by them.
There are also some people who have begun to waver in their thinking.
Most of them come from poor families, or are in the disadvantaged class within aristocratic families.
It's just that the time has not yet come, and the conflicts have not yet completely intensified.
The three-day imperial examination ended.
As expected, all the people from Tang State failed.
Inside the inn, Cui Wen and Lu Ting's face turned red.
"The Four Books and Five Classics, poetry and poetry account for a very small proportion, and there are more craftsmen's knowledge of water conservancy, geography, and even medical skills. Oh my God, these craftsmen's knowledge of hundreds of arts dare to insult the palace of saints."
Yun Qiong is holding a book. The content in this book is required for examination. It is called Dao Lun.
At first they thought it was a theory of pretentiousness, but they were wrong.
There were more than a dozen of the same books on the table, and everyone opened them curiously. They mainly talked about Taoism.
But this kind of Taoism is not a magic spell, but a pursuit of the Tao. There is no worship of gods, but it directly points to the fundamental Tao.
Seek truth, seek knowledge, seek truth. That is to explore the world, understand the world, and cultivate yourself internally.
Completely abandoning the backward idea of worshiping the ancestors, affirming the contribution of the ancestors, but admitting that the ancestors are not omnipotent.
The former kings did not have enough laws, and the destiny of heaven was not enough to be feared.
This is the idea of cultivating immortality brought over by Xu Xuan. Cultivation of immortality is also a way to explore nature. Cultivation of immortality cannot become stronger by worshiping Yuanshi Tianzun Taishang Laojun.
This is the meaning of cultivating Taoism, not being a kowtowing bug.
"Is this the Taoist country on earth?"
Everyone was like falling into an ice cave, some were terrified, and some had a fire of hope in their hearts.
An invisible war has begun.
This is a battle of ideas.
The battle of ideas is more terrifying than physical killing. This is a way to kill people thousands of miles away.
No one knew how terrible this was.
By the time you know it, it's already too late.