Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 37 There is no love without a reason.

Zhou An didn't have time to think too much. He let Shulan go into the house first, then got back into the car and headed to the Lu family's house.

Lu Wang is not from Qinghe, but from Shouzhou. His children have all started their own families, and now only the elderly couple lives in Qinghe.

They rented a house not far from the academy, and Zhou An visited several times.

The carriage stopped outside the Lu family's house. Zhou An got out of the carriage, walked to the courtyard gate, and knocked on the door.

A moment later, the old servant opened the courtyard gate and, seeing Zhou An outside, quickly stepped aside.

"Please come in, Scholar Zhou. The master is waiting for you."

As Zhou An entered, he walked past the screen wall and saw a lot of things piled up in the courtyard, with servants constantly going in and out carrying things.

"Is Instructor Lu going back to Shouzhou for the New Year?"

"We are going back to Shouzhou." The old servant nodded.

"Didn't the instructor say he wasn't going back? Why is he suddenly going back, and in such a hurry?" Zhou An found it strange.

Lu Wang had previously mentioned that he would be spending the Chinese New Year in Qinghe this year.

Now, not only do they suddenly want to go back, but they're also setting off so early.

Although Shouzhou is not close to Tongzhou, it is not far either, and it can be reached by waterway in just a few days.

It's only the beginning of the month, and there are still more than twenty days until the Lunar New Year. The academy hasn't even started its holiday yet.

"I don't know either, Scholar Zhou, you should ask the master," the old servant said.

Upon hearing this, Zhou An did not ask any further questions. Led by the old servant, he arrived at the main hall and saw Lu Wang holding a teacup, lost in thought, seemingly pondering something.

"Master, Scholar Zhou has arrived!"

The old servant's voice brought Lu Wang back to his senses.

"This student greets Instructor Lu!"

"No need for formalities, please have a seat."

Lu Wang put down his teacup, waved for the old servant to leave, and smiled, "I'm leaving soon. I thought you wouldn't be able to make it back."

"But what happened at home?"

Zhou An's doubts deepened. He had thought Lu Wang would leave in the next couple of days, but he didn't expect him to leave today.

Logically, if you're going back to your hometown, you should pack your things in advance and leave early in the morning.

But when he looked, they were still packing their things, it seemed like a spur-of-the-moment decision.

"Nothing's wrong at home."

Lu Wang shook his head and said, "Yesterday morning, the imperial court issued an edict to transfer me back to the capital to serve as the Director of the Revenue Department. I only made up my mind this morning, so I had someone pack my things and prepared to go back to my hometown for the New Year first, and then set off for the capital after the New Year."

Congratulations, Instructor Lu!

Upon hearing this, Zhou An was genuinely happy for Lu Wang.

He was not happy about Lu Wang's promotion, after all, he had already learned from Hai Simian that the emperor had issued several decrees to summon Lu Wang back to the capital, but he had refused them all.

In feudal dynasties, refusing the emperor's decree was extremely rare.

However, this situation was very common in this dynasty. Scholars held a very high status in this dynasty. If Qian was unhappy, he would simply resign from his post, and others would praise him for being upright and incorruptible and not coveting power.

There are many who refuse promotions from officials. There was a time when someone's outstanding political achievements reached the ears of the officials, who then promoted him despite the odds.

When the imperial decree was delivered, the man not only refused to accept it, but also wrote a letter criticizing the emperor.

It is said that the imperial court has its own promotion system, and that arbitrarily promoting someone outside the established order would violate the rules and regulations.

The emperor not only did not get angry, but also praised him as an upright minister and rewarded him.

Similar incidents are countless in this dynasty.

Zhou An was pleased that Lu Wang had broken free from the shackles of his own heart.

"Hehe, I've been thinking about Zhongming's painting these past few days. I received the transfer order yesterday, but I'm still hesitating," Lu Wang said with a self-deprecating laugh.

Zhou An asked curiously, "So how did Instructor Lu come to this conclusion?"

"You've seen those ink bamboo trees in my courtyard, haven't you?"

"The instructor cherishes those few bamboo stalks very much. I picked a leaf before, and you scolded me for it."

"You really hold a grudge!"

Lu Wang laughed and scolded, saying, "Those few ink bamboos weren't planted by me. I'm hesitant about whether to return to the capital. This morning, while tending to those ink bamboos, I couldn't help but think that if I leave, the next person renting the house might keep it because I've taken good care of it, or they might cut it down because they think it's in the way."

"Now, no one in the court appreciates bamboo. Even if I, an old man who loves bamboo, cannot influence others to also appreciate bamboo, I can at least let people know that some people do."

Plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums are known as the Four Gentlemen of Flowers. Although Zhou An did not know what the relationship was between bamboo and flowers, he understood that Lu Wang was using bamboo as a metaphor for the reform.

Zhou An was unsure whether to be happy or worried.

Lu Wang meant that after returning to the capital, he would submit a memorial to the emperor requesting reforms.

Even if the emperor disagrees and no one in the court supports him, he will still do it.

He wanted to tell the world that there were still people who wanted to reform.

"Instructor, although bamboo is evergreen, the leaves of bamboo in different seasons have different charms."

In spring, the new leaves sprout, turning a tender green that gives a fresh and bright feeling.

The leaves mature in summer, with a glossy surface and rich color.

However, in autumn and winter, some bamboo leaves will begin to turn yellow and slowly fall off.

"Since the instructor wants people to appreciate bamboo, it would be best to show them bamboo in spring and summer!" Zhou An said after a long silence.

"Ha ha!"

Lu Wang understood the meaning behind Zhou An's words and laughed, "Although bamboo in autumn and winter is not as good as bamboo in spring and summer, I may not be able to live to see that time. You also said that bamboo in all four seasons has its own charm. I like bamboo in spring and summer as well as bamboo in autumn and winter."

If one only likes bamboo grown in spring and summer and not bamboo grown in autumn and winter, how dare one claim to like it?

"The students wish Instructor Lu all his dreams come true!"

Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Zhou An stopped trying. In any case, the current dynasty didn't kill scholar-officials, so even if Lu Wang angered the emperor by petitioning for reforms, he would only be demoted to a local post again, not lose his life.

Although Lu Wang's approach may seem somewhat rigid and inflexible.

But this spirit of going against the tide, even amidst thousands of people, is worthy of respect.

"Haha, then I'll take your good wishes!"

Lu Wang smiled and said, "Do you know what has made me happiest over the years?"

"I don't know!" Zhou An shook his head.

"What pleases me most is that among the scholars of the world, there are still those like you who support the reforms."

Lu Wang laughed and said, "The first time I noticed you was when you used the words from the Book of Changes: 'When things reach an extreme, they change; when they change, they become accessible; when they become accessible, they endure.' to refute the idea that the laws of our ancestors cannot be changed."

After a moment of thought, Zhou An recalled that it was a few years ago, after the death of Grand Chancellor Fan, the Emperor personally determined his posthumous title.

When the news reached Qinghe County, it sparked another round of discussion within the academy about whether or not the reforms should be implemented.

Although the emperor bestowed a fine posthumous title upon Fan Da Xiang Gong, he died on his way to take up his post.

Many people believe that the death of Fan Da Xiangong was due to the frequent transfers of officials.

Therefore, the debate over whether or not the law should be reformed has reached a stalemate.

Later in class, the teacher asked them to debate.

He was unwilling to speak at the time, but the teacher called on him, and after he stood up, he said that one sentence.

Looking back now, it seems that it was after that that Instructor Lu started to take better care of him.

Indeed, there is no love without a reason.

Although there were quite a few people who supported the reform at the time, they all cited the long-standing problems of the imperial court.

Zhou An, however, used Confucian classics to support the reforms.