Wanli Xinming

Chapter 429 Southern Tour (Thirteen)

Shen Shixing's earth-shattering remark "Why bother to expound on the subtle words of ancient sages, and despise the insight of modern sages" dumbfounded the audience in the poetry hall.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit solemn, Liang Menglong hurriedly stepped out and said, "Mr. Yaoquan is right!" Seeing that the Prime Minister had set the tone, the ministers all nodded in agreement.

Shen Shixing smiled slightly, bowed to Zhu Yijun and said: "Nowadays, it is difficult for Neo-Confucianism to keep pace with the times, and there are many different opinions on other things. How can the world be united if people's hearts are not united? Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you have repeatedly criticized the officials of the Hanlin Academy for being good at rhetoric and not good at practical work. I request Your Majesty to hold regular lectures on classics in the future as today, and let the Hanlin Academy proofread books and restore the ancient ways, explore the principles of the origin of Tao, good and evil, life and death, rise and fall, and make them clear to the world. In this way, the court and the people can 'distinguish where there is a place, and eliminate the old and the new', so as to assist the great cause of reform and revive the true Taoism of China!"

The so-called "eliminating the old from the new" is a philosophical proposition put forward by Wang Anshi.

Wang Anshi believed that the interaction between the two opposing substances or forces of Yin and Yang promoted the replacement of old things with new things. The old things were constantly transformed into new things, and the new things gradually turned into old things, forming an eternal movement and change.

And "chu" means the handling of things, that is, action; "bian" means the identification of things, that is, cognition. In the continuous development of human society, "there is chu and bian", and the process of "eliminating the new from the old" is also going on. This means that social systems, laws, culture, etc. need to be constantly updated and improved with the changes of the times.

Although Wang Anshi's reform was not successful, his idea of ​​"eliminating the old with the new" had a great influence on later philosophy. Shen Shixing's argument at this time once again proved that his research on Zhu Yijun's quotations of later sages' thoughts had reached a fairly in-depth level. At the same time, his intention to start with ideology and compete for the leading power of the reform was also fully exposed.

And his statement of "reviving the true Chinese tradition" shows that his vision has reached a high level, giving people a sense of transcendence.

Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "Sir, you are right. Before the reform, the Hanlin Academy was a minister of the imperial court, and the Grand Secretary was comparable to the prime ministers. After the reform, I have not given the Hanlin Academy an accurate position in the court. This is my fault. From now on, the Hanlin Academy will be independent from the Ministry of Rites, and the director will be a second-rank official. You can present your reform ideas to me and we will discuss it again."

Shen Shixing replied, "I obey your order." He smiled and returned to his seat.

After the great reform, the functions of the Hanlin Academy and the Imperial Household Department were greatly weakened by the Emperor's attendants' office. Apart from compiling national history, recording daily life, and formulating laws and regulations, they had no other affairs. In addition, the rule that "prime ministers must come from prefectures and counties" replaced the rule that "only Hanlin scholars can enter the cabinet", and the Hanlin Academy went from being a place that everyone yearned for to a dispensable marginal institution, which was arbitrarily managed by the Ministry of Rites.

Now that Shen Shixing had made a request, everyone present could not understand where the Hanlin Academy would go in the court's power structure, and no one stopped it until it was figured out. Only the Minister of Rites, Shen Li, felt as if he had lost something important.

Liang Menglong was nervous but didn't show it on his face. Seeing that the atmosphere in the Poetry Hall was getting cold again, he asked, "It's getting late today. To avoid overwork, can the lecture end here?"

Zhu Yijun stood up upon hearing this, looked around at the ministers and said, "Today's lecture was well done. The so-called debate is nothing more than expressing one's ideas and making it clear what one means, so that people can understand it and not confuse each other. There is a saying in Western learning that 'the more you debate, the clearer the truth becomes', which is nothing more than distinguishing different categories so that they do not harm each other, and sorting out heresies so that they do not cause confusion."

"I think today's debate on the classics is close to the true meaning of the saints. However, how many people in the world can read the books of saints? Most people read the classics but still follow the clichés of Zheng and Zhu. The purpose of the reform is to enrich the country and strengthen the people, and to promote rituals, music, morality, and law. The court now has a lot of spare capacity. We should use the format of today's lecture to make the classics clear and spread the true understanding to the world, so that it can serve as the basis for the court to formulate policies and laws. Mr. Mingquan and Mr. Yaoquan, etc., should do this. It is very important and should not be neglected."

The ministers were all excited to hear the emperor mention the interpretation of the scriptures to such a high level. Liang Menglong and Shen Shixing bowed to receive the order. Zhu Yijun looked at the Duke of Yansheng again and smiled, "What do you think, Duke of Yansheng?"

Kong Shangxian's forehead was sweating. He bowed and said, "This is a great cultural and educational event in our dynasty. I am willing to follow in its footsteps."

Zhu Yijun said with a smile: "Now I want to interpret the true scriptures again, but I am afraid that if the name is not right, then the words will not flow. My dear family is a duke, and I am afraid that some confused scholars will mistakenly think that the true interpretation of the scriptures is in the palace." When this sentence was spoken, it was like thunder in Kong Shangxian's ears. He was sweating and wearing heavy clothes. He nodded and dared not speak, and bowed deeply. Seeing that the emperor's words were not right, the scholars in the Kong Mansion, some of the timid ones, could not stand steadily.

Duke Yansheng said after a while: "With my humble knowledge, how can I be mentioned on the same level as the Hanlin scholars?"

Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "Yes. My dear minister, you don't have to be so self-deprecating. However, in order to match the name with the reality, I will still give you the title of the first-class duke, and only change the title of 'Duke of Yansheng' to 'Official of the Great Sage and First Teacher of Great Accomplishment'. Are you willing?" At the same time, he looked at the scholars in the Confucius Mansion, "Is your family willing?"

Duke Yansheng Kong Shangxian took a deep breath and replied with a trembling voice: "Your subjects and I thank God for His Grace. We will do our part in offering sacrifices to the saints and inheriting the family, and live up to His Majesty's expectations."

Zhu Yijun was pleased to see that he understood the general situation and nodded. He ordered: "Today's imperial lecture was well organized. I will give the official who worships the late master a bullfighting robe and 100 silver dollars. Among the scholars, select five with good character and learning and send them to the Imperial University to study." Chen Ju bowed to accept the order, and Kong Shangxian knelt down to thank him.

At this time, the atmosphere of the imperial lecture, which was once a happy one between the emperor and his subjects, had taken a sharp turn for the worse. The title of Duke of Yansheng was abolished and replaced with an inexplicable "official of worship", which was a change that had not happened in hundreds of years since the Song Dynasty.

If the emperor had intended to do so, then what Shen Shixing said today might not be what he wanted to say. If Shen Shixing had been spying on the emperor's mind, then his power would be even more terrifying.

No one expected that the emperor would write such a long article based on the interpretation of a sentence from the Analects. Under the accumulated power for more than ten years, everyone remained silent.

Zhu Yijun then asked, "Where is General Geng?" Geng Dingding stepped out of the line, bowed and said, "I am here."

Zhu Yijun sneered and said, "The official who worships our ancestors is here today. Please ask me, between 'moving the ancestral tomb to protect the people' and 'protecting the ancestral tomb and harming the people', which one is more filial piety?"

Geng Dingxiang kowtowed with tears in his eyes and apologized. Zhu Yijun turned to Kong Shangxian and asked, "Mr. Kong, which of the two do you think is true filial piety?"

Kong Shangxian's mind had long been numb, and the people in the Kong Mansion were on the verge of losing their souls, just like him. The prince was standing by, and seeing the magnificent power of his father, he admired him. He thought to himself, "Compared with my father, my mother's ideas are petty."

Seeing that Kong Shangxian did not answer, Chen Ju stepped out and urged him: "The emperor asked a question, why didn't the worship officer answer?!"

Kong Shangxian was horrified and said loudly: "I think that 'moving the ancestral tombs to protect the people' is a true act of filial piety. If our ancestors in heaven know this, they will surely protect our Ming Dynasty for billions of years!"

(End of this chapter)