Chapter 22 5. There is an old man of four dynasties hiding in Jiezhou Academy

Jiezhou, located in the southernmost part of Shanxi Province, is a small city with a long history.It is located at the junction of Shanxi, Henan and Shaanxi provinces.Going seventy or eighty miles from the south gate of Jiezhou City, you will come to the Yellow River. Legend has it that there is a small island in this section of the Yellow River. Nuwa, who patched up the sky for mankind, was buried on this island.In the Tianbao period of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, on a rainy and gloomy day, the island and Nuwa's tomb suddenly disappeared.One night eight years later, a rare storm, thunder and lightning appeared on the Yellow River.The next morning, people were surprised to find that Nuwa's tomb popped up.There are two large willow trees more than ten feet high growing on the tomb. Under the tomb is a huge stone. The local people call this stone Fenglingdui.Empress Nuwa was originally a goddess admired by people, and the legend of Shen Er's comeback enhanced her status in people's minds.All the boatmen and boatmen on the Yellow River will go to Fenglingdui to worship Nuwa's tomb when they pass by here, and pray for the safety of this god who the Yellow River cannot submerge.The south bank of Fenglingdui is Tongguan, a famous dangerous pass since ancient times.About sixty miles southwest from Tongguan, you will arrive at Huashan Mountain in Xiyue.And the ferry opposite Tongguan is Fenglingdu.During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao conquered Han Sui in the west, crossed the river from Tongguan, and landed from Fenglingdu.Up to now, the local people can still point to the marks on the stones on the shore and tell you that these are the horseshoe marks left by the all-powerful Emperor Wei Wu back then.Walking east along this section of the Yellow River for about 150 miles, you will arrive at Lingbao.During the Anshi Rebellion, Emperor Suzong of Tang Dynasty disregarded the dignity of Lao Tzu Xuanzong, and came here arbitrarily.If you go back to Fengling Ferry and walk about fifty li to the north, you will find an ancient monastery called Pujiu Temple.This Pujiu Temple is not famous for chanting scriptures and chanting Buddha. Its reputation is due to a charming and beautiful romantic story.

Zhang Sheng, a poor scholar living in Pujiu Temple, fell in love with Cui Yingying, the daughter of the prime minister who passed by Puzhou and stayed at the temple.Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying broke the concept of family status and admired each other, but unexpectedly the old lady disagreed.Later, relying on the strength of his friends, Zhang Sheng repelled the robbers who surrounded the temple, and the old lady reluctantly agreed.This love story finally has a happy ending.Later, Dong Jieyuan and Wang Shifu put this legend on the stage, and it has been spread among the people for hundreds of years, making Pujiu Temple famous far and wide.It's really interesting that a monastery that originally aimed at cutting off love has become famous in the world because of a love.

This is the human geography around Xiezhou City.The long and splendid history of civilization has created a strong cultural atmosphere of the Yellow River in this area.Therefore, the small Xiezhou City has always had a strong literary style.There is an academy built in the Jiajing period of the former Ming Dynasty, which gathers outstanding students from the three nearby provinces. It has always been well-known for its honest and honest style of study.In the past ten years, Xiezhou Academy has been admired by scholars.Because during this period, its main lecturer was not an ordinary person, but the famous big man Yan Jingming.

Yan Jingming is not from Shanxi, he is from Chaoyi, Shaanxi.Chaoyi is located at the junction of Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, only a hundred and fifty miles away from Jiezhou City.Yan Jingming studied hard at Jiezhou Academy for five years before learning Chinese.These five years have laid a foundation for Yan Jingming's knowledge, and also made Yan Jingming feel grateful to Jiezhou Academy for life. In the 25th year of Daoguang, the 30-year-old Yan Jingming survived the cold window of more than 20 years, and finally became a Jinshi and entered the Hanyuan, Shi Brown and embarked on an official career.When the Hanlin Academy was closed, Yan Jingming was changed to the household department because he made a mistake in the test paper and did not stay in the hall.The Hanlin Academy is lofty and free, and easy to be promoted. It is the place that almost all scholars yearn for.Everyone felt sorry for Yan Jingming, but he himself didn't feel much regret.Yan Jingming, who was born in a farming and studying family, is a hardworking and pragmatic person.The Ministry of Households is in charge of the national finance, which is directly related to the national economy and the people's livelihood. Compared with Hanyuan's poems and Fu, its contribution to the country is more real, and it can also be experienced.After Yan Jingming entered the household department, he devoted himself to the affairs of the department.He is sophisticated, sophisticated and ambitious, and he soon made his mark in the household department and became a member of the department.But Yan Jingming's character is upright and upright, and he has no backer in the court. Although he has outstanding talents and a refined character, after accumulating funds and being promoted to the main job, he can no longer get up.Until the ninth year of Xianfeng, Yan Jingming, who was forty-three years old, was still only a sixth-rank master, seeing the immoral and talented latecomers passing him by, and he was very angry and resentful.At this time, he met a confidant, this person is Hu Linyi.

At that time, Hu Linyi, as the governor of Hubei, was working closely with Zeng Guofan to lead the Hunan Army and manage the war on both sides of the Yangtze River.Half a year ago, the Hunan Army suffered a tragic defeat in the Battle of Sanhe, and the army's vitality has not yet recovered.Zeng Guofan sent a guest to Jiangxi as a servant of the Ministry of War. The military was stagnant, and the Hunan Army was in a difficult period.The food and pay of the Hunan Army in the Eastern Expedition can only be relied on in Hubei, which is under the jurisdiction of Hu Linyi. The Hunan Army's Back Road Food Platform in Wuchang has difficult tasks and heavy responsibilities, but it lacks a capable person to manage it.In the process of dealing with the household department, Hu Linyi learned that Yan Jingming was shrewd and capable, so he asked Yan Jingming to be transferred to Wuchang to manage the Hunan Army's food and Taiwan affairs.Yan Jingming, who was depressed in the household department, has been paying attention to the military affairs in the south, and has long admired Zeng Guofan and Hu Linyi out of selfishness.He was eager to get acquainted with these two great figures and learn from them the real talents and practical knowledge of running a country.He also knows that joining the army at this time is certainly full of dangers, but it is also full of opportunities. Instead of staying in the household department for a long time, it is better to go to the military camp for a break.When the military camp is employing people, one's own abilities can be fully deployed.If the opportunity is good, maybe you can get ahead soon.

In this way, Yan Jingming gave up the comfortable and leisurely life in the capital without hesitation, and came to Wuchang City alone, which is a place where wars are fierce and dangerous.There is too much difference between the head of the sixth rank and the governor of the second rank, not to mention that the governor is also a military commander with outstanding military achievements.Yan Jingming met Hu Linyi for the first time with a feeling of embarrassment, but it was unexpected.This thin and thin Hunanese didn't have the airs of a big official in the frontier at all. His modesty and easygoing were completely out of his nature.Yan Jingming thought of those adults in the household department and other yamen in the capital.They don't have the slightest practical knowledge, but they have a lot of airs.In the same yamen, the official ranks crushed people to death.That kind of dull, stereotyped, old-fashioned yamen style is completely different from the current scene of forging ahead and striving for success here.Yan Jingming saw his career here, and also saw the real value of life.

After working as an assistant for three months at the Liangtai of the Hunan Army, Hu Linyi handed over the post of prime minister to him.Not long after, taking advantage of a victory in the front line, Yan Jingming was commended in the memorial for his contribution in dispatching rations and salaries, and he was recommended as Yuanwailang.It is really lucky in life to have such a congenial boss who knows people well and has such a space for me to display my talents!Yan Jingming was glad that he encountered a rare good opportunity.He tried his best to dispatch food and salaries from all walks of life to ensure a steady supply of supplies ahead.He is loyal to his duties, honest and honest, and has more than ten million taels of silver on hand, but his sleeves are clean and spotless.Hu Linyi respects Yan Jingming's ability and political integrity, and has a heart-to-heart relationship with him, and the two become close friends who treat each other with sincerity.With Hu Linyi's continuous recommendations, Yan Jingming was promoted from Yuanwailang to Daoist.

At the end of the tenth year of Xianfeng, Zeng Guoquan besieged Anqing.At the critical moment, Hu Linyi personally led the troops to move to Taihu Lake to assist.Taking advantage of Wuchang's emptiness, the Taiping Army planned to encircle Wei and rescue Zhao in order to relieve Anqing's danger.Li Xiucheng and Chen Yucheng led 200,000 troops and marched west along the Yangtze River in two routes.Chen Yucheng marched quickly on the north bank, entered Hubei from Yingshan, drove straight in, captured Xiaogan and Huangpi, and directed his troops directly at the three towns of Wuhan.There was neither a commander nor a soldier in Wuchang City, and it was panicked and chaotic for a while.The gates of the major yamen were closed tightly, officials fled out one after another, and almost all the personnel of the Liangtai, the rear route of the Hunan Army, also fled.Only Yan Jingming remained unruffled in the face of danger, sticking to the Liangtai, put a hemp rope on the desk, and prepared in his heart: if the Taiping army attacked the Liangtai, he would hang himself.Later, due to various reasons, Li Xiucheng's troops on the South Bank did not go according to the original plan, and Chen Yucheng gave up his plan to enter Wuhan.The major yamen in Wuchang City were a false alarm.When those grain and Taiwan officials who escaped came back to work again, they were really admiring and ashamed facing Yan Jingming.For this reason, Hu Linyi went to the imperial court specially, and praised Yan Jingming for being the number one in financial management in Hubei, and his bloodliness is rare in the world, which should be of great use. Please promote him to Hubei's inspector.At that time, Hu Linyi was the pillar of the southern sky of the imperial court, and Emperor Xianfeng was deeply attached to him, so the decree was issued: Yan Jingming was awarded the Hubei Standard Division.

In less than two years after coming to Hubei, he has been promoted from an insignificant official in the capital to a high judicial official in charge of a province, and let the emperor and the provinces know that he is a talented person who can help the world. How can Yan Jingming not be very pleased!The reason for all of this is entirely because of Hu Linyi's appreciation, reuse and promotion.He had indescribable gratitude and respect for Hu Linyi in his heart.He will do his best to assist Hu Linyi to complete the great cause of establishing Jiangnan and rejuvenating the world. Unexpectedly, due to overwork and lung disease, Hu Linyi finally couldn't afford it, and died at the age of fifty.Yan Jingming was in pain.He was not only saddened by the sudden loss of his good teachers and friends, but also saddened by the sudden loss of the country's pillars.The succeeding governor, Yan Shusen and Xiao Gui Cao Sui, governed Hubei with Hu Linyi's established law, supported the Hunan Army in the Eastern Expedition, and relied even more on Yan Jingming.Soon, Yan Jingming acted as the chief envoy of Hubei.

In the second year, Yan Jingming acted as governor of Shandong.In the third year of Tongzhi, he was awarded Lu Fu.At that time, Shandong was an important battlefield where the imperial court and the Nian army fought. Yan Jingming was called the governor, but he was actually the general who led the troops.He worked day and night in the military camp, and his early rheumatism relapsed.In the sixth year of Tongzhi, Yan Jingming, who was only forty-eight years old, resigned as governor and returned to his hometown of Chaoyi to recuperate from his illness.Tongqia came back in eight years, and only worked as a minister of the Ministry of Industry for two months before resigning and returning to his hometown.Afterwards, the imperial court ordered him to go out of the mountain many times, but he refused the edict on the pretext that he had not recovered from his illness.

In the third year of Guangxu, there was a severe drought in Shanxi, and the court ordered him to assist Zeng Guoquan in Shanxi for disaster relief.Disaster relief is a major task to save the people, not to mention that Zeng Guoquan has been a comrade in arms for many years, Yan Jingming is inconvenient to refuse.After doing relief work for half a year, he left the officialdom again after the people's hearts were settled.In the past few years, the imperial court asked him to go to Beijing twice, but he declined both times.Yan Jingming was in the ranks before he knew his fate, and he can be regarded as a successful person in the officialdom. Why did he not obey the edict again and again, and live in the mountains and grow old in the forest? Is it really the cause of the disease?of course not! Sickness is something that everyone does not want to have, but sometimes, it can bring some uses to people, especially figures in the political arena, who often use it to play tricks and deceive their eyes.Throughout the ages, most of the so-called inability of politicians to hold office due to illness is due to other reasons and it is inconvenient to say clearly. Therefore, they are either used as excuses by themselves or used by others to cover up.This can also be regarded as a great creation in the history of human civilization! So, what is the reason for Yan Jingming's inconvenient explanation?In a word, disappointment.What disappointed him first was the performance of the soldiers of the Hunan Army and their top leadership group after the capture of Jiangning City. In the third year of Tongzhi, the Jiziying led by Zeng Guoquan finally took down the capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom after three years of siege, followed by crazy burning and looting.A beautiful ancient capital was burned to the ground, and countless gold and silver treasures gathered by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom were looted.Faced with this reality that he did not want to see, Yan Jingming felt extremely painful.For so many years, the Hunan army has not shouted the slogan of serving the royal family, guarding Confucius and Mencius, and claiming to be a teacher of justice. Why is it that they vent their hatred in their hearts like wild beasts and rob houses like robbers?This can only make him think that they originally came for the wealth in Jiangning City, and all the beautiful declarations are lies to deceive the world.And myself, as the prime minister of Liangtai, worked hard for many years to provide them with sufficient food and salary, in fact, it was just to provide guarantee for them to have today. What disappointed him next was the battle against Nian in Shandong.In the past, Yan Jingming was doing military supply and logistics in Hubei, but he took charge of the military power in person after arriving in Shandong, and learned the truth about the front line.The Nian army is a mob. If the imperial court's troops cooperated sincerely and fought against the enemy together, the Nian army could have been wiped out very quickly.However, the four troops deployed by the imperial court in Shandong Province: the local green battalion, the Huai army, the Hunan army, and the Mongolian cavalry restrained each other and refused to buy each other.It's just to fight for merit and pay, to preserve strength, and not to charge forward.As a result, a Nian army with a small number of people ran eastward and westward in Shandong, invincible.As the governor of Shandong Province, Yan Jingming couldn't coordinate the four teams with their own commanders. Sometimes he was so angry that he vomited blood, but it didn't help.Until he returned home due to illness, Shandong's military still had no progress.He didn't understand why the generals with high salaries and the brave soldiers who were eating their salaries were so disloyal to the court? The third thing that disappointed him was the situation of the Ministry of Industry.More than ten years ago in the Ministry of Household Affairs, Yan Jingming was only a small chief, and he had no right to be involved in the confidential affairs of the Ministry.After becoming the right servant of the Ministry of Industry, he knew that the Ministry of Industry was terrible.In fact, Han Shangshu knew nothing about ministerial affairs, and his only interest was in studying the three rites.For half a month in January, I don't come to the Ministry to inspect affairs, and stay at home to write books and talk.He didn't understand why the imperial court transferred such a person to take charge of the Ministry of Industry.Since he is keen on academics, why not make him a cabinet bachelor in the Hanlin Academy?Man Shangshu belongs to the clan, ignorant of learning and skills, and the crown of his head is dyed red by the blessing of his ancestors.This person is a gourmet, his eyes light up when he mentions the specialties of the dishes in the major restaurants in the capital, but his eyes are dull when he hears his subordinates talk about serious matters.Yan Jingming also didn't understand why the imperial court arranged for such a person to be in charge of the Ministry of Industry.His family has a lot of money that generations can't spend, why not let him eat and drink at home, be a leisurely son and grandson, and ask him to work in the yamen of the Ministry of Industry, why should he suffer this crime?The power of the Ministry of Industry is actually in the hands of the other three ministers.Every time they built a project, they reported 30% to 50% more to the court.When it is sent to the provinces, another 30% to 50% of the silver will be deducted, and then the merchants who undertake the project will be ordered to give them kickbacks and red envelopes.In this way, they get rich through corruption and get rich.Yan Jingming couldn't understand this kind of thing, he neither accepted red envelopes nor kickbacks.In this way, Yan Jingming became their obstacle.The three servants jointly signed the chapter, saying that Yan Jingming was plagued by illness, mentally fatigued, and was incompetent due to the heavy workload in the Ministry of Industry.Knowing their intentions, Yan Jingming simply pushed the boat along and resigned on the pretext of illness.He already hated this filthy and despicable officialdom deeply, and determined to be a commoner for the rest of his life and never to be an official again. Yan Jingming returned to Chaoyi as a servant, and immediately alarmed the officials and gentry with a radius of hundreds of miles.Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Henan provinces admired, fawned on, and borrowed money from the three provinces, one after another, came to visit and invited him to come out and do something for the local area.Yan Jingming refused all of them.Only when the 80-year-old Laoshan Hase Misui of Jiezhou Academy came to visit in person and asked him to give lectures at the Academy, he could not refuse.For one thing, Mr. Gu had personally taught Yan Jingming's books for five years in Xiezhou Academy.The reason why Yan Jingming was able to become a Jinshi and a member of the Hanlin Academy was due to Mr. Gu's careful cultivation.How can you not give the old gentleman face?Secondly, Xiezhou Academy is the birthplace of Yan Jingming, and the kindness is so deep that he is not allowed to repay it.Thirdly, Yan Jingming also wanted to select a few students from Xiezhou Academy who could be cultivated, and cultivate them carefully. In the future, he will train a few talents for the country, which is also a great deed in his later years.In this way, in the second year after Yan Jingming came back, he served as the lecturer of Jiezhou Academy until today.Fleeting years are like water, and fifteen or sixteen spring and autumn have just passed away.Yan Jingming entertained himself with the scenery of mountains and rivers, and took pleasure in teaching and educating people. He lived a free and unrestrained life.In the seventh year of Tongzhi, the engraved panels of Hu Wenzhong's legacy edited by Zeng Guoquan and Zheng Dunjin were announced, and Hu Jiate presented Yan Jingming with a set.He read the posthumous writings of old people, like having a dialogue with old people.For more than ten years, he has read the legacy of Hu Wenzhong in his hand many times. The more he reads, the more he admires Hu Linyi, and the more he reads, the more he regrets that Hu Linyi's career has no successors.He intends to seek an elite in Xiezhou Academy to pass on the Hu family's salary, but so far he has not seen two seedlings.That day, he had just returned home from the academy, took a sip of tea, and was about to pick up the "Reading History and Soldiers" from Hu Wenzhong's legacy collection and read it again, when he heard a loud foreign accent coming from outside: "Excuse me, Does Mr. Yan live here?" Yan Jingming hurriedly put down the book in his hand, and strode towards the door.