I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 297 The whole city empathizes! Su Jingming presents inspirational chicken soup

Imperial College, inside the courtyard.

The cold wind was biting, making the two old locust trees in the corner rustle.

Everyone in the courtyard looked at Su Liang, who was wearing a white robe. People outside the courtyard also stood on tiptoes, looking into the courtyard.

Su Liang stood on the wooden platform and looked at the Imperial Academy students below. After calming down, he said with a smile: "Today, I will not call you useless, nor will I advise you to abandon school. I will have a chat with you. Your career!"

"Official career?"

Seeing Su Liang's gentle tone, the students thought that they would most likely not be scolded today.

Immediately, Su Liang raised his voice.

"The Imperial College mainly accepts the children of scholar-bureaucrats and officials. Outstanding children of civilians can also enroll. Everyone here has a common purpose: to become an official."

"In the near future, all of you here will either pass the imperial examination or pass the sect, and even a small number of you will be promoted to the army or serve as subordinate officials. About 70% of you will become officials."

"Those who become officials through the imperial examination have the highest upper limit, and some can even reach the position of prime minister; those who become officials in Menyin mostly serve as state and county magistrates and financial supervisors, and can be dispatched at middle and low levels; those who are awarded military merits are subordinate officials Those who take up the job may spend their whole lives in remote states and counties, waiting for candidates..."

"Actually, you can basically predict what the rest of your life will be like now, because there are so many people ahead of you walking the same path as you."

After saying that, Su Liang looked down.

Some students couldn't help but nod. This is a critical period for them to plan their future.

There are those who are outstanding in knowledge and are sure they can win the exam and study hard day by day; there are those who are able to serve as officials and have begun to become familiar with the rules of the officialdom and make friends with people who agree with them; there are still people who are looking for other ways to become officials...

The future of many people is actually almost clear.

Su Liang continued: "As a Taiwan admonishment officer, I have read many people's official performance evaluations and official career resumes. Finally, I came to a conclusion."

"This conclusion applies to every student here who becomes an official. Your destination after becoming an official will probably be the same. This destination makes me feel very sad!"

Su Liang suddenly increased his tone.

The students in the Imperial College couldn't help but tremble, and they all raised their heads, their eyes widening.

Su Liang slowed down and waited until everyone looked at him.

He raised his voice again and said: "Nine out of ten people will die within one year or three years after becoming an official."

"Dead?"

Everyone looked confused and didn't understand what it meant.

Su Liang glanced at the gray sky in the distance and explained: "When I first became an official, everyone had the ambition to succeed, to bring peace to the country and the people."

"However, after serving as an official for at least half a year, you will lose your edge, passion, and fighting spirit due to various complicated things, fame, fortune, or women's sex, and you will forget why you are an official!"

"In order to be promoted, I was afraid of making mistakes, so I became cautious and cautious, not seeking no merit, but seeking no mistakes; for the official reputation, I became more and more tactful, more sophisticated, and more and more fond of trying to figure out how to take shortcuts..."

"After three years as an official, I completely fell into the rut of the officialdom. I went through the qualifications step by step. All I thought about was performance appraisal, grinding years and salary."

"When I was the county magistrate, I loved building bridges and roads, building schools and getting rid of thieves, which attracted the people to give them umbrellas to add luster to their performance. When I was the magistrate, I still did the same thing."

"Every young talent, after becoming an official, has turned into a round stone. They are extremely mediocre. They continue to govern based on their past knowledge and experience. Day after day, year after year, they are still there at the age of sixty. Repeating what you did when you were thirty, how is this different from death?"

"This is not an isolated case, but the current situation of nearly 80% of officials in our Song Dynasty!"

"If you are just an ordinary citizen, the court will allow you to be mediocre and contented, but as a scholar-official, you will never be allowed to do so!"

"Our dynasty selects scholars through the imperial examination and governs the world through civilized education. We select four to five hundred people from hundreds of thousands. As an official, you are responsible for the safety of the country. The future rulers will be born among you, and the future officials of the court will be born among you. Major decisions will be made by some of you. If you remain unchanged and repeat yourself, our Song Dynasty will only get worse and worse!"

"Human life is so short. Wouldn't it be sad if the past repeated itself day by day?"

"Today, I would like to warn everyone: Do not repeat the first half of your life in the second half of your life. Doing so may be very comfortable, but do not enter an official career, because it will definitely harm the country and the people!"

"The ideal of becoming an official should not be to be a highly respected minister and enjoy all the glory and wealth. Rather, it should be to establish one's moral character and do things that have not been done by predecessors!"

"The official I most admired at that time was named Wang Anshi. I admired him because when all of us were worshiping saints, he wanted to become a saint!"

"This idea is not disrespectful. Even if the saints are alive, they hope that someone in the future can surpass them. This should be my ambition as an official in the Song Dynasty!"

When Wang Anshi heard this, the corners of his eyes became moist, and he murmured in his heart: "In this world, only Jing Ming understands me."

Su Liang raised his voice again.

"Everyone, don't regard being named on the gold list as the most dazzling moment of your life. It is just the beginning. Don't let your ambition die at the moment when you put on the official robe. Being an official is not a pleasure, but a heavy responsibility. If an official If you are mediocre, the court will be mediocre; if the court is mediocre, the country will perish! If you want to be an official, be a virtuous official who can leave a name for eternity!"

After Su Liang finished speaking, he couldn't help but let out a long breath. These words were completely based on his experience.

In the fourth year of Qingli, if he had not impeached the chief official of Qizhou and presented an article "Lazy Officials", he would still be ups and downs in the election of states and counties. "

The scholars of today.

Either they read rote books, or they read utilitarian books. They are either too obedient, too dull, or they are too greedy for pleasure.

If Su Liang did not encourage these "good boys" and beat them, the achievements of the Song Dynasty's future reforms may not be sustainable.

When these people become officials, it may be too late for Su Liang to tell them this.

at this time.

Large tracts of snowflakes fell from high in the sky.

The sky and the earth are white and getting colder and colder.

But in the Imperial Academy, everyone was lost in thought.

Some officials wondered when they "died".

Some students secretly vowed that they would never lose their original intention and become an official who follows what others say. There are students who have already planned where to buy a house and how many concubines to marry after becoming an official, but Su Liang's words today made him fall into deep thought.

……

No one wants to "die" early.

No one expected it.

Su Liang's words today were so profound.

The weather is getting colder and colder, the snow is falling heavier and heavier, and soon the ground will be completely white.

But no one made a sound.

Even Wen Yanbo, Fan Zhongyan, and Zhang Fangping were savoring Su Liang's words.

Su Liang's angle is always so special.

At this moment, they also realized.

If you want the Song Dynasty to be strong and prosperous, it is not enough to simply eliminate corrupt officials.

Only by awakening the large number of mediocre officials who can only repeat themselves can the country and the country prosper.

Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, Feng Jing, and Fan Chunren also felt deeply.

Su Liang's sentence, "Nine out of ten people will die in as little as one year or as many as three years after becoming an official." It will definitely arouse the reflection of countless young scholars.

At this time, inside the gate of the Imperial College.

In the corner, a young man wearing a gray robe and a very fair complexion looked at Su Liang, his eyes flickering, with a look of admiration on his face.

If you look closely, you can see that this is a young woman.

Nearly ten breaths later.

Su Liang smiled and said: "Everyone, the snow is very heavy, so let's call it a day!"

Wow! Wow!

The students in the Imperial College stood up one after another, bowed and cupped their hands in unison, and then shouted in unison: "Thank you, Censor Su, the students have been taught!"

Su Liang's words today have completely convinced these students.

Su Liang was teaching them the way to be an official and telling them the principles of life.

This exhortation can serve as a teacher.

Even those who didn't like Su Liang had to admire what Su Liang said today.

It was like the arrival of a saint.

This is what the scholar-bureaucrats and officials of the Song Dynasty should do.

After a while, everyone dispersed.

……

Near dusk.

An article "On Death Upon Entering an Official Service" began to spread to the streets and alleys of Bianjing City.

This article is a quotation from Su Liang's speech at the Imperial College.

"After reading this article, I feel that I died at the age of twenty-eight. I had the ambition to write a book when I was twenty, but now I still haven't written a word. It's really been a waste of time!"

"Su Jingming is almost a saint. Anyone who is willing to repeat himself is just lazy and just trying to enjoy himself!"

"A human being can only live for a hundred years. If you keep repeating yourself, what's the fun? Your life is going to change!"

"Wonderful! Wonderful! Su Jingming has re-understood the meaning of death. Only now do I know what kind of state is truly alive."

"Xiao Sheng has an epiphany! A man is born between heaven and earth, so he should have great ambitions. Cao Mengde also said, 'Old men have ambitions for thousands of miles. Martyrs have great ambitions in their old age.' I can no longer waste my time on women."

……

Inside the Chui Gong Hall.

After Zhao Zhen read the transcript of Su Liang's speech, he was immediately impressed.

"Haha, Su Jingming really won't disappoint. Without Su Jingming, I might have 'died' in the fourth year of Qingli! This article should be spread all over the world, so that all officials will read it and memorize it."

The next day, Su Liang's "On Death in Officials" continued to ferment.

His original intention was to let students know the meaning of becoming an official in advance, but he never thought that there would be a "death craze" in Bianjing City.

Some people say that his love died at the age of eighteen; some say that his innocence died in Sangjia Wazi; still others say that his career died in a flower boat on the Bian River.

……

Dutingyi, in the hall.

After Yelu Hongji read "On Death in Officials", he was so angry that his teeth itched and he wanted to hit someone.

His anger was beyond what Su Liang could express.

But if this eloquent article with the essence of Confucianism were taught in the Liao Kingdom, I am afraid that many Khitan scholars would reply: You must be sick. I study just to get promoted and make a fortune, to marry wives and concubines.

This is the difference between Liao and Song. They are completely different in their bones.

　Source of inspiration for this chapter: Some people die at the age of 30 and are buried at the age of 80.

　　Thanks to the book friends "Brother, I'm convinced" and "It's not recommended to go straight to hook up", thank you very much!

　　

　

(End of this chapter)