Han Dao world

Chapter 1097 Emancipation of the Mind
Confucius said to achieve benevolence, and Meng said to obtain righteousness.

Mencius is an upstart.Although strongly advocated by the Son of Heaven, in the hearts of true Confucian scholars, he still cannot be compared with Confucius.

Benevolence is the core of Confucian thought.

Although there are many differences in the exact connotation of benevolence, it is a Confucian consensus to respect benevolence.You can have different interpretations, but no one will object to Ren.

Especially in the current situation.

Even though the Son of Heaven deviates from the scriptures and takes many actions that are different or even contrary to the Confucianism's existing understanding, it is an undeniable fact that the Son of Heaven has a benevolent heart.If it weren't for this, I don't know how many heads would fall to the ground, and how many families would be wiped out.

Advocating benevolence at this time is not only in line with Shangyi, but also in line with the needs of Confucianism to speak out.

It's just that there are some problems with Chen Gong's explanation of Ren, which has aroused many people's doubts.

Chen Gong said, what is benevolence?Starting from the most fundamental meaning of the word, it is how people get along with each other.

Confucius said so much, but in the end it all comes down to the relationship between people.Monarchs, fathers and sons, husbands and wives, brothers, friends, are no exceptions.

What is the most basic prerequisite for people to get along with each other?
Of course, mutual respect should not be a unilateral request.

Therefore, the ruler should treat his ministers with courtesy, the ministers should treat the ruler with loyalty, the father should treat his son with kindness, and the son should treat his father with filial piety. The requirements are all relative.

Secondly, why should people follow the requirements of benevolence when getting along with others?

It is for mutual benefit.

Those who have a country and a family do not suffer from poverty but inequality, and do not suffer from poverty but anxiety.Gai Jun has no poverty, no widows, and peace.Pursuing the interests of some people while ignoring the interests of others is inequality, which will lead to unrest, and unrest will lead to chaos.

The most direct reason for the Yellow Turban Rebellion is the inequality caused by mergers.The insatiable greed of some people makes it impossible for others to survive, and in the end both lose.

With the Yin Jian in front, it is necessary to return to the original intention of the Master's way, and handle things according to the principle of benevolence, in order to seek republic and mutual benefit.

As far as the establishment of a prince is concerned, not only the father-son relationship between the emperor and the prince, the relationship between the emperor, the prince and the ministers, but also the future impact on the world must be considered.

The prince is first and foremost the future emperor. Whether he can take on the important task of governing the world should be the first consideration.

This principle cannot be violated, no matter whether you use the concubine to benefit the concubine or the virtuous to grow.

It may be that considering this issue will cause controversy, Chen Gong added.

On the basis of not violating the virtuous, it is more conducive to stability and brings less harm, which is in line with the premise of mutual benefit.

Nevertheless, his remarks caused an uproar.

The most direct point is that some people accused him of neglecting righteousness for profit, violating the Master's principle of seldom talking about profit, and being a villain.

A gentleman is only for righteousness, and a villain is for profit.

Of course, Chen Gong was not easy to mess with, and directly retorted that the master seldom talks about benefits, which does not mean that benefits are not important, otherwise what salary does the master want?If people want to survive, it is impossible not to talk about benefits, but they should not use benefits at the expense of righteousness, which violates the principle of mutual benefit.

Furthermore, gentlemen and villains are not born.Don't think that you are a gentleman if you are well-dressed, and that others are villains if they are short and brown.A gentleman and a villain should be divided according to morality.It is only right and proper to exchange one's own labor for the benefits necessary for survival, and it is a gentleman.On the contrary, if you get something for nothing and still want to eat more, you are a villain.It is even more shameless to deprive others of the right to survive for their own enjoyment.

As soon as this remark came out, some people immediately caught hold of it.

Someone wrote a letter to impeach Chen Gong, saying that he slandered the court and denounced the Supreme Being.

All officials in the world are ministers, and they exchange their salaries for performing their duties. If you are not an official, you will have no salary at all.Only the emperor can enjoy the best treatment without doing anything.According to Chen Gong's point of view, the emperor is the representative of getting something for nothing.

After Liu Xie received the letter, he couldn't laugh or cry.

A minister who can write a letter must not be so stupid. It is because some people can't understand Chen Gong and these deviant ideas, and they deliberately come to find fault.

Directing the war to the emperor himself has always been the best way to attack political opponents.

Because the emperor is the most unreasonable weakness in the imperial power system.All kinds of contradictions were born because of the emperor.

He has enjoyed the greatest benefits, but he is the most insecure person, and any offense will cause his anxiety and fear.

If he wants to preserve his dignity, he should severely crack down on Chen Gong's remarks that are suspected of alluding.

I would rather kill the wrong one than let it go.

If he remains tolerant and ignores it, someone will soon take advantage of the situation and make more violent remarks, and even turn from a secret innuendo to a blatant attack.

If he punishes the person who submitted the letter, it will even provoke a hornet's nest, and countless people will use this as a reason to accuse him of being loyal and adulterous.

To put it bluntly, this is just a temptation.

Liu Xie suppressed the letter of impeachment, but there was no response.

No matter how many people come, they will all stay.

Staying in China puts pressure on both sides.

Chen Gong knew that someone had written to impeach him, so he naturally had to consider the possibility of being punished by the emperor, so he couldn't speak unscrupulously.The following remarks will be restrained to prevent being caught again.

The people who impeached Chen Gong didn't know whether the emperor wanted to catch him hard or remained indifferent, and who the target was, so naturally he didn't dare to mess around.One or two people tempted, even if they were punished, the losses would be limited.When the situation is unknown, there is a possibility of being caught by the emperor, so we have to guard against it.

However, the remarks made by Chen Gong were not denied by the emperor, but encouraged many people.

At least the Son of Heaven has the guts to listen to different opinions, even if there is a suspicion of offense.

The discussion gradually deepened, carefully touching the sensitive area-the responsibility of the emperor.

How much responsibility the emperor should bear is a problem that must be faced, and it is also an unavoidable contradiction.

In the specific case of Emperor Xiaoling, he ascended the throne at the age of twelve, died at the age of thirty-four, and reigned for twenty-two years.In the early stage, he was controlled by the eunuch Cao Jie and others, and in the later stage, he was constrained by the general He Jin, and the palace was also influenced by his mother, Queen Mother Dong. How many times did he really call the shots?

If he is said to be incompetent, it involves a question, is the person who pushed him to this position responsible?
On the premise that Emperor Xiaohuan passed away and there was no heir, it was the then great general Dou Wu and Taifu Chen Fan who pushed the side branch of Emperor Xiaoling to the throne.If they are to be held accountable, they are the ones most responsible.

But Dou Wu and Chen Fan are the leaders of the party.

Going around and chasing after the party member who always felt that he was most wronged?
Furthermore, there are two unsolvable problems in emphasizing the responsibility of the Son of Heaven.

First, should we still pursue the ideal of self-government?
Second, if governing the world is the responsibility of the emperor, how can the successor be able to take on such a heavy responsibility?

The previous sons of heaven were all taught by Confucian scholars such as Taifu and Shaofu, but few of them were really competent. Now Confucianism and Taoism are being questioned. Who will teach the heirs in the future, and what academics will be used?
At this time, Chief Situ Shi Miheng put forward a point of view: it is unrealistic for one person to rule the world.Even in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, whose territory was far smaller than it is now, the emperor was the emperor, and the ministers were in charge.Now that the territory is ten times or a hundred times larger than in the past, it is obviously impossible to hope that one person can lead the overall situation.

Therefore, the best way is the current way: the emperor controls the army, and the ministers manage the government.

As for why the emperor should be in charge of the army, Mi Heng's reason is also very straightforward. The minister in charge of the army is not conducive to the balance between the monarch and his ministers.

(End of this chapter)