Kaifeng Mansion in September, the scenery is pleasant.

There's never been a better time of year, not just the best time of year, but the best time in decades.

The Great Song Dynasty, which had been in turmoil for decades, was now finally completely calm. Not only was the Western Xia no longer able to attack the Shaanxi Zhulu after losing Hengshan-Tiandu Mountain, but after the Song court decided to abandon the land of Huangzhou and Shanzhou, the conflict between the Song army and the Qingtang and Tibetan tribes had basically stopped.

As for the Great Liao, which has suppressed the Great Song Dynasty in the north for more than 100 years, it has now become a brotherly state of the Great Song Dynasty, and it will probably not make any more waves in the foreseeable time. A real peaceful and prosperous era is probably coming, right?

And for the people of Kaifeng Mansion, the capital of the Great Song Dynasty, the most gratifying change is undoubtedly that the annoying traitors of the New Party have lost ground again. With Mingjun Zhao Ji replacing Dusk Jun Zhao Xu, Zhang's solitude has also come to an end. The expelled gentlemen of the old party also returned north from the land of evil one after another during this time. And Han Zhongyan, the eldest son of Han Qi and Han Laogong, has been Xuanma twice in a year, and now he is the right servant of Shangshu and the servant of Zhongshu! Shang Shuzuo, who is nominally also a high Han Xianggong, is also a subordinate of the door, Zhang Dan, who is already in a panic these days, and has asked for a political strike five times in a month, although the edict does not allow it. But Zhang Dian still knew that the general trend had gone, and a few days ago, there was even a gossip that the dignified Zhang Xianggong slipped out of the Prime Minister's Mansion and hid in the temple through the small door!

It seems that this Zhang Da Treacherous Minister really knew that a catastrophe was coming, and he even took out the trick of "becoming a monk to avoid trouble"!

With the peace of the world and the loss of power of the New Party, not only are there no external troubles, but even all kinds of harmful and harsh policies are about to be abolished, why is the Great Song Dynasty not the best season now?

On the day after Zhang Dian took refuge in the monk's house, Han Zhongyan, the right minister, entertained Fan Chunren on the observation deck of the Republic Building, which had been fully completed.

It has been a long time since Han Zhongyan and Fan Chunren returned to Kaifeng Mansion, because Fan Chunren has been recuperating, so it is the first time that the two have met.

"What is the situation now?"

After a few words of greeting, Fan Chunren asked about the situation.

Han Zhongyan looked at his old friend, who could no longer see, and just sighed deeply: "The official family still wants to be a saint." ”

This answer was exchanged for Fan Chunren's silence.

After a while, Wu Haowen, who accompanied Han Zhongyan to the Republic Building, asked softly, "Isn't it right for the official family to want to be a saint?" ”

Han Zhongyan and Fan Chunren both frowned and did not speak.

However, Fan Chunren's second son, Fan Zhengsi, sighed softly and said, "Emperor Shenzong is the Holy Monarch!" Now there's another ......"

Wu Haowen was stunned when he heard this, and a look of doubt flashed in his eyes.

Although he is a natural inclined to the old party, he is a "product" of morality, and he also believes in the holy monarch - in this respect, Wang Anshi's "morality" has achieved its goal. Although the "old party's youth army" like Lian Wu Haowen is now opposed to the new party's economic line, it has accepted the new party's idea of the holy king.

Well, of course it's good that there really is a Holy Monarch! Who would oppose the Holy King? Wise and martial, hanging and beating the four yi, dictatorship and disobedience, how good is it?

But the question is that the Great Song Dynasty started with Emperor Taizong, where are the "saints" of the bunch of officials who can draw the "Pingrong Wanquan Array"? It's not "holy" at all, if you want to be "holy", there will be no Liao and Western Xia for a long time.

Therefore, the "holy monarch" line of the new party is actually to expand the authority of the emperor for the sake of reform, and package the "unholy" monarch into a "holy monarch".

In the seven years after Zhezong's pro-government, the reason why the Great Song Dynasty was able to achieve good results in foreign wars, and the domestic economy was still passable, was not because of how "holy" Zhezong was, but because the "holy monarch" Zhezong chose a capable traitor and fully delegated power - in fact, this is the way of the reality of the virtual monarch, if the "holy monarch" should get a group of prime ministers to let them pinch each other.

But now, a true "holy king" is coming!

The official Zhao Ji's route is obviously different from his brother! Although he recalled many veterans of the old party, he did not show that he wanted to reprimand the traitors of the new party.

This month, Zhangdun's five requests to the county were rejected by him, which already explains some problems.

Everyone knows that Zhao Ji hates Zhang Dian - Zhang Dian won't let him be the emperor! However, Zhao Ji has now repeatedly retained Zhang Dan, and among the elders of the old party, only one Han Zhongyan was placed in the position of second minister.

Any discerning person can see now that Zhao Ji's way is to mix the old with the new, and he will not make the old party proud. And the result of the struggle between the old and new parties in the DPRK and China was that the Holy Monarch Zhao Ji was in control of everything.

What worries the veteran ministers such as Han Zhongyan and Fan Chunren is that the best of the new generation of Jinshi such as Wu Haowen have more or less accepted the concept of "Holy Monarch". This is also the reason why Han Zhongyan wanted Wu Haowen to worship Hou Zhongliang as a teacher.

By the way, during this period, because the science of science retained the line of the "hypocrisy", it had not yet become a powerful ideological weapon in the hands of the "holy monarchs". Otherwise, all of Cheng Yi's writings would not have been destroyed by Song Huizong in the first year of Chongning (1102).

"What is going on with Hou Shisheng and Wu Chongdao, the deputy envoy of the Dongshang Gate?"

At this time, Fan Chunren turned the topic to "Nancheng Academy", which Fan Zhengsi told him, and also said that Wu Haogu wanted to visit and ask for advice.

Han Zhongyan also knew that this matter was reported by Wu Haowen, and he also knew what Wu Haogu's purpose was.

He pondered for a moment, and then said, "On the 'covenant'." ”

"Judged by the superior?" Fan Chunren asked.

His son Fan Zhengsi has actually explained the ins and outs of the "Nancheng Academy's Discussion of Taoism". However, Fan Chunren still didn't believe it - how could a businessman be fortunate enough to "make an appointment" with a great Confucianism who was proficient in Guan Luo's learning?

"Superior?" Han Zhongyan paused, "It's a Tao, how can you distinguish between the superior and the inferior?" ”

The "Shang Covenant" and the "Township Covenant" were originally two branches of the same road. To put it bluntly, these two covenants are practicing the ideal of "the world is for the public, and the talents and abilities are selected". However, neither of the two "covenants" is perfect, and each has its own flaws.

Therefore, it is of little significance to discuss the superiority of the "commercial covenant" and the "township covenant", and it is meaningful to find out the shortcomings of the "commercial covenant" and the "township covenant" through the discussion.

"Business is only merit, and township is only virtuous," Han Zhongyan commented, "Profit is immoral, and virtue is losing." ”

Fan Chunren sighed: "There are many people in the world who lose virtue and make profits, but those who lose and remain virtuous are rare in ancient times!" If the commercial covenant can really bring great profits, then the "Republic Commercial Covenant" will be implemented in the world sooner or later. If the township covenant cannot benefit the people, even if it is in line with the road, it will disappear sooner or later.

In the future, I am afraid that it will be a question of whether to rule the world with business covenants or by the holy monarch! ”

Fan Chunren seems to be a little "pessimistic" about people's hearts, which may be related to the ups and downs of their father and son (Fan Zhongyan, Fan Chunren) officialdom.

"Virtue" never seems to be the opponent of "Li"!

It is easy to succeed in "making a business agreement" to guide it. And the "Township Covenant" persuades it with virtue, I am afraid that it will inevitably fail. In fact, "Lu's Township Covenant" has now failed! It's not that the Lantian Lu clan did not do a good job, and the goals to be pursued by the "Township Covenant" have basically been achieved. However, after the Lantian Lu clan successfully experimented with the "Township Covenant" for 20 years, no one in the world was willing to follow suit, and only a group of Guanluo Confucians were left to advocate everywhere.

And if the "Republic Commercial Treaty" has been carried out for 20 years, it has also achieved its goal, bringing millions of dollars to the participating merchants, I am afraid that no one will publicize it, and the second, third, and fourth Jiehe commercial markets will appear on their own...... Who doesn't like all evil money? And this is exactly what Hou Zhongliang is worried about!

Fan Chunren, a Confucian who had been the prime minister, could naturally expect this, and he thought farther than Hou Zhongliang. I thought of the conflict between the "Holy Monarch" and the "Merchant Covenant...... After all, "business contract" is also the way of "the world is for the public, and the selection of talents and abilities"!

Han Zhongyan sighed: "Wu Chongdao also asked about the preaching, and he also wanted to worship under the Dongpo Gate. ”

Fan Chunren shook his head, "If you want to preach, it's better to say...... The Holy Monarch might like it. But why did you want to enter Su Dongpo's Shu School? Isn't it okay to close learning, Luoxue, and Xinxue? ”

Han Zhongyan also shook his head and said with a smile: "Whatever, Yaofu, do you want to recommend him?" ”

"Let's ask first." Fan Chunren asked, "Wangdao, has your eldest brother arrived?" ”

……

Wu Hao has arrived a long time ago, and the Republic Building is the location of the main store of the Republic Bank. He has an "office" here, on the fourth floor of the Republic Building, not far from the observation deck. When Fan Chun-jin asked him, he was looking at the "balance sheet" of the Republic Bank...... Of course, the debt is unprecedented, exceeding 320,000 yuan! Of course, it was not the poor management of the bank, but the result of the merger of the advance receipts (equity) of the subordinate subsidiaries. If the Republic's own funds are included, the cash vested in the Republic Bank now exceeds 500,000 yuan.

The advance payment mainly comes from the pre-sale of two magazines, such as "Wine Fairy" and "Oiran" and "Wenqu Xing". In particular, "Liquor Fairy", although it has not yet been officially released, has been hyped up by "Imperial Sake" and two magazines. Through the form of royal gifts, the rich and powerful masters in Kaifeng Mansion have already tasted the "wine fairy", among which the really good wine guys feel that the "wine fairy" is particularly powerful. The proprietors of the "Zhengdian", "Footpoint" and "Qinglou" in Kaifeng Mansion, Damingfu, Yingtianfu, Haizhou and Yangzhou have also obtained samples of the "Wine Immortals" sold by Panlou. They booked some of them, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash flowed into the accounts of the "Jiuxianxing" (a joint venture between the Republic Bank and the Pan family).

It seems that it won't be too long before the cash cow in Wu Haogu's hands will increase to three!

Now that so much evil money is on the books of the Republic, it is really a bit worrying...... Where to invest?

When Wu Haogu was pondering the problem of spending money and investing, Wu Haowen's voice sounded outside the door: "Is the eldest brother here?" Bachelor Fan please. ”