Jingming

Chapter 239 Let's start
Debating the canon of worshiping Confucius is only one of the major events in the court.

Just when Zhang Fujing was displaying his knowledge and eloquence in this big debate in the imperial court, Zhang Fujing's new official position and his "Discussion on Confucian Sacrificial Codes" also spread to Shandong, which is not far from the capital, within a few days.

In the mansion of Yanshenggong in Qufu, Kong Wenshao Zhanxin stood up in shock and anger when he saw half of it: "This is unreasonable! Deceiving the master and destroying the ancestors! Faint..."

"Zong Gong!"

The Kong family hurriedly interrupted the second half of his sentence.

Kong Wenshao's hands trembled, and he continued to read what the sender had said in the letter, gnashing his teeth.

Destroy the statue!Lower the sacrificial ritual system!Go to Confucius King!

Which one is acceptable to the Confucian family?

"It's unreasonable...it's unreasonable..."

Tangtang Yan Shenggong was not able to say anything to refute like Li Guan, Wang Rumei and others, but was shocked and angry, and terrified.

Meng Chun and others have already been arrested. Although Kong Wenshao was worried during this time, given the prestige of the Kong family, he didn't think he would really be punished much.

It's nothing more than being patient, as Kong Wenfang said.

If the Son of Heaven is disrespectful to the Confucian family, scholars all over the world will eventually have something in their hearts.

But now, the picture is poor.

Shandong, which didn't have a governor before, was just waiting for the beheaded Zhang Fujing!

It is not clear what the purpose of the governor of Shandong with the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites is?
Who is he coming to kill?
Kong Wenshao's face gradually paled, and he ordered in a hissed voice: "Go and ask the county lord to come over to the mansion for a briefing!"

After that, he went to the front office.

Yanshenggong's front Yamen and back residences now have three routes and seven entrances, with a total of more than 390 halls, halls, buildings and pavilions.

Kong Wenshao was walking in the inner house, in front of the door that separated the front office from the back house was a shadow wall.A mythical beast is painted on it, which looks like a unicorn at first glance.But upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a monster with a head like a dragon, a mouth like a lion, hooves like a horse, and a body like a unicorn.There are treasures of the Eight Immortals scattered around it, and a red sun in the upper left corner seems to be swallowing the sun.

When Kong Wenshao walked around the screen wall, the servants who followed behind him shouted in unison: "My lord is too greedy!"

Hearing this voice, Kong Wenshao turned a deaf ear and only thought about his own thoughts.

The picture on the screen wall is a greedy one. According to the legend, it is a monster with gluttonous nature, and it will be greedy all its life.

It only eats gold and silver treasures, and when it sees treasures, it wants to take them for its own use. It even possesses the treasures of the eight immortals in "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea".But it was not satisfied. When it saw the sun rising in the east, it wanted to swallow the sun in its belly, but before it could eat the sun, it was roasted by the sun and fell into the sea to die.

Why is there such a shadow wall in Yanshenggong Mansion?That was because of Kong Hongxu, Kong Wenshao's father.

At that time, Kong Hongxu raped more than forty happy women and strangled four innocent people. The law should be executed.

In the end, he escaped with his identity as Duke Yansheng, and he just reduced his title to serve the people.The title of Lord Yansheng was succeeded by Kong Hongtai, Kong Hongxu's younger brother.

Kong Hongtai was forced to go to Beijing Guozijian for "advanced training" for a long time, and it took a few years before he was officially conferred the title of Duke Yan Sheng.

Then, there was this shadow wall in the Confucian Mansion, which was Kong Hongtai's warning to himself and his descendants, not to be too greedy, not to be greedy, and finally end up buried in the sea like the monster "greedy".

Whenever the Yansheng Highway passed this screen wall, the servants would say that sentence to remind them.

But does it make sense?
For Kong Wenshao, letting Yan Shenggong's mansion insist on doing so is nothing more than gaining a better reputation outside.

But now the emperor seems to have completely ignored the reputation and influence of the Kong family.

After walking around for a long time in the room used for meeting guests on the side of the main hall of the front office, the people that Kong Wenshao wanted to discuss with came one after another.

Those who can arrive today, besides Kong Wenshao and Kong Wenfang, the head of the Kong clan and three elders, and the head of the Yan clan.

In Qufu, Yan family, the descendant of Yan Hui, lived together.In Zouxian County, Yanzhou Prefecture, there is also the Meng clan, and the three clans of Kongyan and Meng were all included in the family history before the Hongzhi year.In the 18th year of Hongzhi, "Que Li Zhi" was written, and the history of the Kong clan became independent, and the history of the Yan clan "Humble Alley" and the history of the Meng clan "Three Moves" were also published.

Being independent does not mean that the relationship has deteriorated, but it means that the compilation of the history of the three clans and the construction of the temples of the three families will form a greater agglomeration effect.After Confucius, Yan Hui, and Meng Ke, they all advocated the Confucian orthodoxy unanimously.

The Yan family and the Meng family are naturally headed by the Kong family.

In Qufu, there is also Kong's family school.Although it is called family learning, it is actually rich in kindness.In this Kong family school, only the children of Kong, Yan, and Meng are accepted, and all of them are treated as special-year-old tribute sons to supervise students.

In Beijing, the Hanlin Academy also set up hereditary five classics doctors of the eight ranks, all of whom were descendants of Confucius, Yan, Meng, Zhu Xi and other sages of the past dynasties.

Under the shadow of their ancestors, the sages and descendants headed by Yan Shenggong enjoyed the opportunities and practical benefits that ordinary children from poor families could not have.

Now those opportunities and interests are at stake.

When Kong Wenfang came, Kong Wenshao was already having a heated discussion with others.

"Zhang Fu has not come to respect people, but his meaning is already clear! This neglect is closely related to us, we must fight! If we don't fight, how can we talk about filial piety?"

Kong Wenshao said it righteously, but when Kong Wenfang entered the door, he asked eagerly: "Wen Fang, do you know that Zhang Fujing wants to governor Shandong, and he even published "A Book of Confucian Sacrifice" in the capital, and he wants to destroy the statues of ancestors in various places and replace them with wooden masters. Sacrificial ritual system, go to the ancestor king?"

Kong Wenfang "turned pale with shock": "This happened!"

Kong Wenshao hurriedly handed him the letter: "You read it first."

Kong Wenfang read the letter carefully, then he frowned and his face turned ugly: "I didn't expect that the Zonggong invited me here because of this matter."

"I, Yan Shenggong Mansion, bear the brunt of the damage!"

The official worship of Confucius is mainly done by Yanshenggong Mansion.

If statues are to be destroyed, the first thing to be destroyed is the statues in the Confucian Temple.

To change the hall into a temple and lower the standard, of course, the first one should start from Yanshenggong Mansion and Qufu Confucian Temple.

No matter how ambitious Kong Wenfang is, he is still a child of the Kong family after all.

In fact, he already knew about this, and he had been thinking about what to do on the way here.

As a descendant of Confucius, if you don't stand up and speak out for Confucius' honor, you can really be regarded as an "unfilial descendant".

But this is obviously what the emperor meant. After standing up and opposing, what are the consequences?

Seeing Kong Wenshao's embarrassed and resentful expression, Kong Wenfang knew what he was up to.

"I can't wait in Beijing. The Ministry of Rites will discuss this matter. We can only file a joint appointment." Kong Wenfang stared at him and said, "Zong Gong, you can only go to each family with you as the leader. In addition, Futai, Yanzhou Fuzun, and Shandong Tier Xue and others, this matter should also be handled by the Zonggong! The ancestor Enrong belongs to the Zonggong!"

Since it is impossible not to stand up and make a statement, it is natural that the more people, the better.It won't be too eye-catching if it is only listed among them.As long as it is not the person who takes the lead, it is still acceptable.

Kong Wenshao looked at him speechless.

As Yan Shenggong himself, the weight of his words is indeed stronger than that of the mere magistrate of Qufu.

But Kong Wenshao was also worried about the consequences, so he hoped that Kong Wenfang would run for him.

Now that the Ding Festival in May has just passed, and the Ding Festival in August is still early, Kong Wenshao can't find an excuse to stay in Qufu.

Others agreed with Kong Wenfang's opinion and urged Kong Wenshao to act quickly.

Kong Wenshao said with a gloomy face: "The biggest problem now is Zhang Fujing's aggressive approach. What is His Majesty's attitude towards my Kong family! Since Meng Chun and others have been captured by Jin Yiwei, I am afraid they will confess their correspondence with me! The posthumous title of the ancestors, the system of sacrificial rituals, and the removal of the throne of Yansheng?"

He refused to take the risk, and continued: "So now it's not just a matter of arguing about the sacrificial ceremony, but also dealing with the court. Is it possible for me to be unprepared if I want to implicate my Yanshenggong mansion with the matter of the Fifth Army Battalion and Sichuan? Wen Fang, you are the magistrate of the county, and it is your duty to travel to various families and officials. The debate is prepared, and after other people sign it, I will sign it first!"

Kong Wenfang also didn't want the title of Lord Yansheng to disappear, and he had to admit that what Kong Wenshao said was true.

How did he communicate with Meng Chun and others in letters before, but now he can only clear up the follow-up clues and prepare for the questions and answers by himself.

"...Since that's the case, Mr. Zong should sign it first, and I'll take it later."

"...It's fine, but how to draft the debate?"

A few people, you look at me, and I look at you.

The ones who had to face off were the top figures in the imperial court. With the level of knowledge of a few of them, how could they write a good article with convincing content and moving words in a short time?
I don't have the ability to know.

But Yan Shenggong's lineage doesn't make a sound, and if he makes a sound, he must have weight.

Kong Wenfang gritted his teeth: "Since Zhang Fujing is going to come, I will visit Futai and Fuzun for this matter! In the past few years in Shandong, they should also be worried that Zhang Fujing will come again with the sword given by the emperor."

"It's all up to Wen Fang!" Kong Wenshao excitedly shook his hand.

Kong Wenfang stayed here for a while, and after checking whether there were any disrespectful remarks in his previous letters with Meng Chun and others, he left Yansheng Gong's mansion with a sullen face.

Now that things have happened, it is really unexpected that the emperor's attitude towards the Kong family is so firm, it can be said that he is sharpening his sword.

A simple statue of Confucius can capture the hearts of scholars all over the world. Why did the emperor make such a big fuss?Do you really want to mess up the hearts of scholars in the world?
The descendants of the Kong family are basically not knowledgeable, and they have never bothered to study that kind of practical science.

Even in the eyes of Kong Wenfang, a relatively talented person in the Kong family's hardcore generation, respecting Confucianism and Confucianism, and governing the world with etiquette is a good law for all ages.

Kong Wenfang's previous cautiousness was nothing more than hoping that Kong Wenshao could jump a little bit, and it would be better to repeat his father's past, so that he might be able to take the position of Yan Shenggong.

Now I can't think about it anymore.

One sacrificed to Confucius, and the appointment of Zhang Fujing, the governor of Shandong, covered the Confucius family like a cloud of clouds.

The Confucian family in Qufu has never forgotten that there is also a Nanzong in Quzhou, Zhejiang.

At this moment, the significance of this debate to the Confucius family is extremely important.

Especially when I heard that Kong Wenshao once said in a letter to Meng Chun that "power treachery harms the country, Yanshenggong's mansion is loyal to the emperor and respects propriety, and we should go to the emperor's worries together to bring order out of chaos".

Don't you even add the word "if any"?
Do you directly think that the current new party and new law are power traitors harming the country?

After Kong Wenfang returned to the county office, he was still in a dilemma.

Should His Majesty still respect Confucius after betting for many years, or should he try his best to win life and fame?

Now the rhythm has changed again, and he is not sure what the emperor's original intention is.

Kong Wenfang couldn't imagine that the emperor really wanted to use the Yanshenggong Mansion to participate in it, so he was ready to kill and punish countless officials and gentry in the world in the name of treason.

How dare he!
People in the old way of thinking can't understand the source of Zhu Houcong's determination, but in a restaurant beside the Confucian Temple in Qufu, the owner of Shandong Cicada, an internal inspection factory, is looking at the secret letter.

The order from the supervisor came.

Everything in Shandong is about speed.The Shandong eunuch in the chief town has changed to another person, and this person is Gao Zhong.

Do you want to submit to Gao Zhong all the information about Yanshenggong Mansion collected over the past two years?
After receiving the secret order, he frowned and walked to the window to look at the Confucius Temple not far away.

During the reign of Hongzhi, the Temple of Confucius suffered a fire.Today's Confucian Temple was overhauled in the 16th year of Hongzhi.At that time, not only the Confucian Temple, but also the Yanshenggong Mansion was rebuilt, which lasted five years and cost 15 taels of silver.

Today's Confucian temple is at its largest moment.

In the past dynasties, I don't know how many emperors have bestowed favors on this "Que Li Holy Temple" and the Confucian family.The Confucian Temple was originally only three temple houses in the Spring and Autumn Period, which collected the clothes, carts, and pianos used by Confucius during his lifetime.

Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, was the first emperor to offer sacrifices to Confucius in person. Since then, countless emperors have even come to Qufu to offer sacrifices to Confucius in person.

But the current emperor has obviously decided to be a different emperor, an emperor who wants to cut down the grace of the Confucian family.

In this regard, the cicada owner of the inner factory Shandong thought it was a saint.

During the past two years in Qufu, at least as far as he knew, the Confucian Temple and Confucian Mansion were really a mountain weighing on the people of Qufu, Yanzhou Mansion, and Shandong Province.

In the province of Shandong, taxes are very heavy, and it is second only to Nanzhili in the entire Ming Dynasty.

If we only talk about the area of ​​arable land, Shandong is just over half of the arable land in South Zhili, and bears a total tax that is almost the same as that of the entire South Zhili-Shandong grain tax accounts for more than [-]% of the entire Ming Dynasty.Nanzhili is only just [-]% of it.

And in Shandong, how many fields belonged to the Confucian family that were "not confiscated"?
Looking towards the direction of Yansheng Gong's Mansion in the distance, a cold light flashed in the eyes of Inner Factory Shandong Cicada Master.

The governor ordered himself to be the cicada master of Shandong, which shows that His Majesty has decided to do something to Yan Shenggong many years ago.Otherwise, why choose yourself, the son of a military household who was killed by Yanshenggong's mansion?
He called out, "Xiao Er."

The shop waiter came in from the door, nodding and bowing like an ordinary shop waiter: "Master, what's your order?"

"The Eunuch's Department of the Chief Town of Jinan Prefecture has ordered a table of noodles, you can send them over." He took out a food box from the cabinet.

There was a flash of light in the shop waiter's eyes: "I understand."

The chief eunuch of Jinan Prefecture, why should he come to Qufu to book a table?
It's time to start!

(End of this chapter)