刘基与李善长
《明朝那些事儿》（二十二）
一、吴敬梓在他的《儒林外史》中曾经写道：“八股文若做得好，随你做什么东西，要诗就诗，要赋就赋，都是一鞭一条痕，一掴一掌血。”可见，八股文是很多文体写作的基础。
1. Wu Jingzi wrote in his "The Scholars": "If one masters the eight-legged essay, then whatever one writes—be it poetry or prose—will be precise and impactful, like every lash leaving a mark and every slap drawing blood." This shows that the eight-legged essay was considered the foundation for many forms of writing.
二、总的看来，八股文这一制度还是弊多利少，禁锢人们的思维，害人不浅，其影响深远，直到近代，人们还以考过八股为荣。
2. Overall, the eight-legged essay system had more disadvantages than advantages. It confined people's thinking and caused significant harm. Its influence was profound, lasting into modern times when people still took pride in having passed the eight-legged essay examinations.
三、陈独秀曾经问蒋梦麟考的是什么秀才，蒋梦麟回答是策论秀才，陈独秀非常得意，哈哈大笑，说自己考的是八股秀才，比策论秀才值钱。蒋梦麟连忙作揖。八股之强悍可见一斑。
3. Chen Duxiu once asked Jiang Menglin what type of xiucai he had passed. Jiang replied he was a "policy essay xiucai." Chen Duxiu laughed heartily and proudly stated that he himself had passed as an "eight-legged essay xiucai," which was more prestigious. Jiang Menglin promptly bowed in acknowledgment. This illustrates the formidable status of the eight-legged essay.
四、如果把刘基比作张良，那么李善长就是萧何。他一直跟随朱元璋打天下，鞍前马后地劳顿，后勤工作不好搞，劳心劳力又不讨好。所以在建国后李善长被封为第一功臣，任命他为丞相。
4. If Liu Ji is compared to Zhang Liang, then Li Shanchang was the Xiao He. He followed Zhu Yuanzhang throughout the founding campaigns, toiling tirelessly in logistical support—a demanding and often thankless task. Therefore, after the dynasty's establishment, Li Shanchang was honored as the top meritorious statesman and appointed Chancellor.
五、俗话说恶人自有恶人磨，有敢专权的，就有敢分权的，淮西集团很快就遇到了对手，那就是浙东集团，这个集团的首领就是刘基。
5. As the saying goes, "Every bully has his bully." Where there were those bold enough to monopolize power, there emerged others daring enough to challenge it. The Huaixi faction soon met its match in the Zhejiang faction, led by Liu Ji.
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