Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 40 Jade Girl Learns Etiquette

In reality, Su Shi criticized the new laws because he saw the chaos they caused in the local areas, not because he opposed the reforms themselves.

When he entered the central government, he found that the conservatives not only abolished all the new laws, regardless of their merits, but also suppressed all the reformist officials. He then wrote a letter criticizing this phenomenon.

He believes that these people opposed the new law not because they thought it was bad, but simply because they opposed it for the sake of opposition.

Now, regardless of good or bad, all reformers are being suppressed, all for their own selfish interests.

If the reformers are a bunch of rats spoiling the whole pot of soup, then the conservatives are all parasites.

When the conservatives realized that this guy was not one of them, they immediately began to suppress him.

Seeing this situation, Su Shi was disheartened and voluntarily requested to be transferred to a post outside the capital.

It can be said that the consequences of the pit dug by Fan Zhongyan were perfectly demonstrated in Su Shi's life.

"Government means righteousness!"

Zhou An said, "When I was in Nanjing, a case occurred there..."

He recounted You Guan's case, saying, "A righteous purpose doesn't mean it can be achieved through illegitimate means. If a righteous purpose is truly achieved through illegitimate means, is that purpose truly righteous?"

Zhou An recalled the methods used by Prime Minister Fan when he provided disaster relief. His purpose was also legitimate, but his methods were somewhat problematic.

But back then, it was still said that saving lives was like putting out a fire. Although there were some hidden dangers, it was understandable to do so in order to help more people.

This is also why Zhou An, despite disapproving of the methods used, could say that he would have done the same thing if he were in Zhou An's shoes.

However, this method cannot be used indefinitely.

It wasn't that Zhou An was pedantic, but rather that both the reformists and the conservatives had their own apparent "legitimacy."

When you use unfair means, you not only easily give your opponent a handle to use against you, but you also create loopholes for them to exploit.

"I have learned a great deal!"

Lu Wang remained silent for a long time, then suddenly stood up and bowed to Zhou An.

"Instructor Lu, you're making this student feel terrible!" Zhou An quickly dodged away.

"No!"

Lu Wang said with a serious expression, "Over the years, I have been obsessing over trivial matters, thinking that there are too many people in the court who are only concerned with their own interests, but I have never thought deeply about the consequences of some of the methods used by Minister Fan."

Looking back now, although there was considerable resistance at the beginning, it became significantly greater after the Chao Zhongyue incident!

"Lord Fan's actions were indeed highly inappropriate and will have far-reaching consequences!"

"There's no need for that, besides, what the student says might not even be correct!"

"It doesn't have to be entirely correct; what you said does exist."

Lu Wang asked hopefully, "Do you have a way to solve this problem?"

"Instructor Lu really thinks too highly of me."

Zhou An shook his head with a wry smile and said, "There's nothing... I can't do anything about this for the time being!"

He wanted to say that this matter was unsolvable, so why were there so many people opposed to the reform?

Because it touched upon the core interests of all officials.

The core interest of officials is that their descendants can continue to hold official positions.

In addressing the problem of redundant officials, Fan Daxiang harmed their interests.

Not only should the number of officials be reduced, but the practice of granting favors to officials should also be eliminated, which naturally discourages officials from participating.

While being an official is a privileged position, it still carries certain risks.

Their descendants, relying on the legacy of their ancestors, inevitably produce some mediocre officials.

If they're just mediocre, that's fine, but what if a fool comes along and makes a big mistake, which might even implicate the whole family?

By not killing the scholar-officials, it was as if all civil officials had been granted a get-out-of-jail-free card.

This pardon is different from Wu Xun's imperial edict; that one has a limit on the number of times it can be used, and whether it is recognized depends on the emperor himself.

However, the civil official's immunity from death would remain as long as they held this status.

Even if one or two fools appear in the family, they will neither die nor implicate the family.

All civil servants will do their utmost to uphold this rule.

Once the current emperor passes away, it will be even more difficult for the emperor who succeeds to the throne to break this rule.

"Too!"

Lu Wang knew that solving this problem was too difficult, and asking Zhou An was putting him in a difficult position.

"With such insight, it would be a real pity if you were to fail the imperial court in the future! I hope you will study diligently and achieve academic success soon. I look forward to seeing you again in Bianjing!"

"The students will certainly work hard!"

Zhou An's expression was resolute. Passing the imperial examination meant having a pardon from death; only a fool wouldn't work hard.

I wonder if Lu Wang would be furious if he knew that he was trying so hard to become a beneficiary of the system.

"Well, you should go back now. I should be getting going too!"

"The students wish to see Instructor Lu off."

"No need. Your seeing me off will only cause me sadness. If you pass the provincial examination next year, we will meet again in a year!"

Lu Wang called Zhou An over because he actually wanted to take Zhou An as his student.

But Zhou An's words made him too ashamed to mention the matter.

The student then wished Instructor Lu a safe journey!

Seeing that Lu Wang insisted, Zhou An had no choice but to take his leave.

After leaving the Lu family's house, Zhou An sighed and got into his car to go home.

After arriving home, I first went to greet my parents, briefly explained the situation of my return visit, and then went back to my own courtyard.

"Walk slowly, keep your head up, neck straight, chest out, stomach in, eyes looking straight ahead or slightly lowered, and keep your upper body stable without swaying."

Upon arriving outside the flower hall, one could hear Shulan's voice coming from inside.

After passing the screen, you can see Shulan straightening Yu Jie'er's walking posture.

"Young Master!"

The maids standing in the hall bowed to Zhou An as he entered.

"My lord!"

"Big brother!"

Upon hearing the sound, Shulan and Yujie bowed respectfully, while the other ran towards him.

"Wait, the pendant on the hair ornament has been pierced!"

When Zhou An saw that Yu Jie'er's hair ornaments were swinging wildly as she ran, he quickly reached out and took them off.

"This isn't suitable for someone your age!" Zhou An frowned.

"No, I want to take it. My sister-in-law gave it to me!" Yu Jie'er reached out to snatch it.

"Then you can keep it for now, and wear it when you're older!"

Zhou An had no choice but to give it to her, then looked at Shulan and said, "Madam, why are you suddenly teaching Yu Jie'er how to walk?"

"My lord..."

Shulan was worried that Zhou An would misunderstand and was about to explain when Yu Jie'er spoke up, "I asked her to teach me because I thought my sister-in-law walked so gracefully?"

"Learning this is very hard work, are you willing to learn it?" Zhou An asked, bowing his head.

Feudal society placed too much emphasis on social status. If Yu Jie wanted to marry into a good family in the future, she had to learn proper etiquette and manners.

Although Zhou An didn't care about social status, he couldn't let his sister marry into an ordinary family.

Even if she marries down in the future, with his support, her in-laws won't dare to look down on her.

But humans are social creatures. Even if the husband's family doesn't mind, their relatives will inevitably gossip and ridicule them.

He just felt that his younger sister was too young and wanted to wait until she was older before she learned these things.

"I'm not afraid of hard work!"

Yu Jie shook her head, her bright eyes filled with determination.

Seeing her insistence, Zhou An said earnestly, "Since you want to learn, then learn properly and don't give up halfway!"

"Yes!" Sister Yu nodded happily.

"Wife, you continue teaching, I'll take a look too," Zhou An said.