I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

Chapter 479 Prime Minister Zhuge is possessed, the emperor is quarreling with the Confucians, and the villain Confucians are being destroyed!
  Now, I have no choice but to set a target myself. There are some things that are best stated clearly in advance.

Liu He stood up from the couch, took two steps forward, and then spoke slowly.

"I know that what Yan Pengzu said is probably what you are thinking..."

"Although you have not given any advice, I am afraid that Confucian scholars do not need to learn the knowledge and techniques of hundreds of schools of thought."

"Then I would like you all to think carefully about what kind of person is a Confucian scholar, and what kind of Confucian scholar is a qualified Confucian scholar."

Liu He stopped when he said this. His eyes wandered around the hall for a long time, constantly looking for the target he needed.

Finally, his eyes fell on Tian Wangsun.

"Tian Qing, I want you to answer these two questions. What is a Confucian scholar?"

Liu He raised his chin in the direction of Tian Wangsun. The latter really didn't want to be the one who stood out, but the emperor had a question, so how could he not answer it?

So Tian Wangsun had no choice but to stand up and salute the emperor.

"Your Majesty, a Confucian scholar is a person who reads Confucian classics and studies Confucianism." Tian Wangsun said hesitantly.

"What you said is not wrong, so let me ask you again, what kind of Confucian scholar is a qualified Confucian scholar?" Liu He asked again.

This answer had just touched the emperor's inverse scale by Yan Pengzu. Even though Tian Wangsun didn't agree with it, he didn't dare to say it directly.

After hesitating in his heart for a long time, Tian Wangsun finally "cobbled together" an ambiguous answer.

"Of course he is a Confucian scholar who is proficient in Confucian classics, has both political integrity and talent, can guide people to be good through education, and can... solve practical problems."

The Confucian scholars in this hall couldn't help but frown at Tian Wangsun's last sentence, which seemed a bit like flattering the horse.

But they didn't dare to have any disdain for Tian Wangsun. It was very appropriate for the other party to give such an answer.

If it were me, I might not have said it so well - it not only took into account the face of the Confucian scholars, but also did not hurt the majesty of the emperor.

And some young Confucian scholars feel that what the emperor just said makes some sense - if you can't solve practical problems, how can you be called a Confucian scholar?
  "Kong Qing, do you think what Tian Wangsun said makes sense?"

Without warning, Liu He turned his attention to Kong Ba. This was the first formal dialogue—or confrontation—between the monarch and his ministers.

The Confucian scholars, who were still frightened, could not help but feel a little panicked. How long will the emperor's "gong drama" take place today?

Kong Ba was naturally much calmer than Yan Pengzu and Tian Wangsun. After nodding slightly, he said calmly: "Wei Chen thinks that what Mr. Tian said is correct."

"Kong Qing is the twelfth grandson of Zhongni, and he is also a great Confucian scholar. I want you to be more specific." Liu He asked relentlessly.

"Benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, knowledge, and trust are the five principles of the Way. I believe that as long as a Confucian scholar can abide by these five principles, he can be regarded as a qualified Confucian scholar."

Kong Ba was more clever than Tian Wangsun, and gave his answer directly from a more vague and "big and general" perspective.

It makes a lot of sense, but it doesn't leave anything to the emperor to say.

"Kong Qing is indeed a great Confucian, and what he said is very good. I have something to say about this Confucian scholar. Please listen carefully..."

Liu He raised his hand to ask, and the Confucian scholars and courtiers quickly sat up straight. This foreplay must have a result by now.

"The Master said to Zi Xia: A woman is a gentleman and a Confucian scholar, but she is not a villain Confucian scholar." The emperor then used "The Analects" as the title.

"It can be seen that Confucian students can be divided into gentleman Confucianism and villain Confucianism."

"Since ancient times, there have been different opinions on what constitutes a gentleman and a villain, and there is no final conclusion. Today, I have some opinions."

"The so-called Confucianism of a gentleman is loyal to the emperor and patriotic; upholds justice and rejects evil; it can not only benefit the current world, but also be famous in future generations."  "The Confucianism of a villain is different. It specializes in pen and ink articles and has only a small skill; it can be said that it is a youthful composition. Hao Shou is poor at writing; although he may have a thousand words in his writing, he really has no plan in his mind."

"It's a pity that today's Confucian scholars talk about classics but don't talk about ancient precepts. They are busy writing and writing all day long. I think these people can only count the bad and the bad, and dance with their writing!"

What Liu He said was not a spur of the moment, but had been memorized in his heart long ago, just to use it today to criticize the disobedient Confucian scholars.

The person who said these words has not been born yet, but in the original timeline, he was the last prime minister of the Han Empire.

These words are now said by Liu He without missing a word, which can alert the world and avoid ushering in the consequences of the decline of the Later Han Dynasty.

Liu He initially stood in front of the couch. As he spoke, he took a few steps forward and glanced back and forth in the hall.

When he mentioned Jun Ziru, he looked at Zhang Anshi and others sitting by the door.

When talking about villains, his eyes returned to Yan Pengzu and his like.

When it comes to "I feel sorry for the Confucian scholars today", the banter is evenly sprinkled on every Confucian scholar, leaving no one behind.

This long speech that denounced "little Confucians" and praised "gentlemen Confucianism" resounded throughout Shiqu Pavilion, was deafening and enlightening, and shocked everyone present.

Although what the emperor said was just the words of one family, even if it was the words of one family, there were differences between superior and inferior.

Obviously, these few words of the emperor were high-minded and completely overshadowed the remarks of Kong Ba and Tian Wangsun.

After all, a real man is born between heaven and earth, and he should make contributions in practical matters. How many people are willing to bury their heads in the pile of old papers?

Everyone was young once, and young people are definitely not willing to sit in a monastic study for a long time.

For a moment, the faces of those present showed complex expressions: shame, emotion, anger, relief, regret... all at once.

Even the two "old men" Wei Xian and Kong Ba seemed to have some blurred eyes.

I don’t know if they are remembering the ambitions they set when they were young; or if they are annoyed that they have “wasted” their youth.

And the young Confucian scholars like Shi Yan were even more excited, their faces turned red and there seemed to be some light in their eyes.

Liu He's words fell, but Shiqu Pavilion seemed to be still trembling slightly from the base to the spire.

The lingering sound lingered for three days, but it was nothing more than that.

"From today on, whoever dares to defend that little man in the court again...then go to the border county and become the chief of the fire department!"

When Liu He said this, he once again looked at Yan Pengzu, who was still sweating and pale, and was so frightened that the latter dodged again and again.

Under these reprimands and reprimands, no matter whether they were common people or nobles, whether they were young or old, they all couldn't hold their heads high in front of the emperor.

If this atmosphere continues today, then Confucian scholars will stop talking, let alone debate scriptures with the emperor.

After a moment of silence, Wei Xian, who was still "hard-working and uncomplaining", stood up.

He first gouged out Yan Pengzu, the culprit of all this, and then saluted the emperor, preparing to save today's situation.

"What your Majesty said is a high theory, but what Kong Gong and the princes said are also true. Confucian students still need to read the Confucian classics well."

"Okay, okay, Mr. Wei Ge can fill in the gaps for me. It's really commendable." Liu He said with a smile and clapped his hands.

For some reason, Wei Xian felt that this scene was somewhat familiar.

(End of this chapter)