Song Gexing

Chapter 246 Zhang Zai returns to Beijing
Half a month later, Zhang Zai arrived in Bianjing. After six years, he was very excited to see Zhao Fang again.

He knew that his works benefited from Zhao Fang's knowledge, otherwise he would never have formed his own theoretical system so early.

This is really not a compliment to Zhao Fang. What surprised people in later generations the most about Guan Xue was Zhang Zai’s understanding of the movement of celestial bodies and the position of the earth in the universe.

There is rarely a definite description of the round sphere on the earth in the knowledge of the ancients, but Zhang Zai's "Zhengmeng" clearly puts it forward.

He also made it clear that the earth moves around the sun, and was so detailed that he believed that both the earth and the sun had their own laws of movement.

The stars in the sky seem to be motionless, but Zhang Zai believes that they are moving, but they cannot be seen by the human eye.

These discussions on celestial bodies that transcended Europe were clearly mentioned in Guanxue. According to the original history, it would take many years for Zhang Zai to complete these discussions.

But Zhao Fang told him at the beginning, which saved him a lot of detours and established his academic point of view earlier.

Don't think that these don't matter. The theories of Song Confucianism, that is, the various schools of Neo-Confucianism, are actually related to astronomy, because Chinese philosophical thought comes from discussing the universe.

Yin-Yang and the Five Elements are originally the theory of cosmogenesis, and all Confucian scholars in the Song Dynasty began to discuss Tai Chi to discuss their academic views.

From Zhou Dunyi's theory of Tai Chi to Zhang Zai's theory of Wuji Tai Chi, they are actually branches of the same line. Therefore, the views of the various schools of Neo-Confucianism are actually very similar.

This is also the reason why later generations refer to the New Confucianism of the Song Dynasty as Neo-Confucianism. The recasting of Neo-Confucianism's cosmology benefited from the Buddhist cosmology.

This is an era of great fusion of knowledge. Buddhism is not Buddhism, just like Taoism is not Taoism. There are many advanced theories in Buddhism that have been absorbed and integrated by Neo-Confucianism.

Taoism has no gods, and Buddhism also has no Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. In fact, they are both atheistic theories, which have been used as religious theories by later generations.

This is the biggest difference between Eastern philosophy and Western philosophy. Western philosophy comes from religion and is pure theism. Both ancient Greece and later Christianity are the source of Western philosophy.

In the East, the gods were exiled since the Zhou Dynasty and no longer believed in the existence of gods.

Zhang Zai is the representative of atheism. He clearly stated that all things in the universe are formed by the evolution of Yin and Yang.

At the same time, he also put forward the view that matter is immortal. Later physics verified the correctness of this view. Energy can be converted but will not disappear.

Cheng Yi praised Zhang Zai as the No. 1 scholar after Mencius. Zhu Xi praised Zhang Zai for his great contribution to the Holy Sect and his excellent dialectical thinking.

Later, Master Wang simply praised Zhang Zai as the resurrection of the saint, while Tan Sitong listed Western philosophies, all of which were Yahui that Zhang Zai had discussed.

"Zihou, I want you to go to Shaanxi, but the court officials want you to stay in Bianjing. What do you think?"

After half a month, Zhao Fang still couldn't convince the officials. After all, there were only a small number of officials from Shaanxi. Now that Zhang Zai came back, he threw the issue to others, which was not kind at all.

Zhang Zai asked curiously: "Why did the officials send the ministers to Shaanxi? Why did the ministers of the court keep the ministers in Bianjing?"

Zhao Fang then recounted the events of the past few days in detail, and finally said: "I have selfish motives for letting you go to Shaanxi. Your parents' tombs are in Hengqu Town, and I want to build the Observation Envoy's Yamen there." Go there, that way you can give lectures, work, and clean up for your parents. When your son grows up in a few years, let him look after the house there before you return to Beijing."

Zhang Zai pondered for a while and said: "It is indeed my long-cherished wish to go to Guanzhong to give lectures, but why do the officials and people in the court think that I can't do practical work? It's either the observation envoy, Taichang Qing, or the Minister of Rites, what else do I want to do? Going to the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies." "Don't! Don't tell me."

Zhao Fang suddenly became anxious. You are joking, aren't you? If a Confucian of your generation transfers to a military position, others will not say that you are willing. As an emperor, I am afraid that the whole world will criticize you.

It is even more likely that he will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history, and he will be scolded for not respecting famous religions and being a coward.

Seeing his panic, Zhang Zai asked in confusion: "Do the officials also think that the minister is not useful and can only immerse himself in writing articles and lecturing?"

Now Zhao Fang finally understood that establishing virtue, establishing reputation, and performing meritorious service were the three immortal things. Now that Zhang Zai had succeeded in establishing reputation, he was thinking about meritorious service.

Thinking about it again, it’s true that Zhang Zai’s several suggestions in history were actually well-targeted and meaningful.

Whether it was military or political affairs, he actually had the talents of a famous minister, but his fate was not good. Just after he was qualified enough to enter Beijing, he encountered Wang Anshi's reform.

His younger brother Zhang Jian was a pioneer in opposing the reform. He had a quarrel with Wang Anshi on the spot in the court, which caused him to be exiled and never return to the central government.

Zhang Jian was awarded the Jinshi title seven years earlier than his brother Zhang Zai. He had outstanding political achievements and was good at governing local areas. Every place he governed was well-organized and well-organized.

But he had never been a high-ranking official in his life, and was demoted to a remote area by Wang Anshi, sharing the same fate as Su Shi.

In this time and space, Zhao Fang will not treat him badly, but he did not transfer him to the center, but instead uses his advantages in governing the local area, and is now the magistrate in Jimo, Shandong.

"Zihou, it's not that I won't give you a chance. It's easy to get angry when people are angry. Why don't you go and be an observer first, and then come back in two years? It just so happens that Song Gongxu becomes official, and you go and take his place?"

Zhao Fang cautiously persuaded him that he wanted to trick Zhang Zai into going to Hengqu Town anyway. He had done unreasonable things in the past for such things that did not change historical events, so he was very experienced.

When Fan Zhongyan was demoted, he discovered that "The Story of Yueyang Tower" was probably gone. This was a great loss to the history of Chinese literature.

Therefore, after several times of calculations, Lao Fan finally went to Jinghu South Road to inspect, and then secretly informed the governor of Yuezhou to let him rebuild Yueyang Tower and ask Fan Zhongyan to write the Yueyang Tower.

Although there is no mention of Teng Zijing being relegated here in the preface, the entire story of Yueyang Tower is still completed word for word.

Wang Zhongzheng, who was running for him at the beginning, was very puzzled, secretly thinking that his master had a convulsion, but he still did not change, and forced the matter to the end.

Now it's Zhang Zai's turn to fool him, so he doesn't want to give up halfway, and this is not a lie. After knowing Zhang Zai's ambition, he also supports it.

It's just that now that Zhang Zai is in the court, he can't actually interfere in the government affairs. Almost all ministers think that Zhang Zai should go to the Ministry of Rites or Taichang Temple.

In short, I still focus on academics and have no contact with national affairs at all.

But it will be different after a few years. Although the observation officer is a little more leisurely, he still does his job. If he does his job well, he will also have the experience of government affairs to make people shut up.

Song Chu, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, is 68 years old this year and will become an official in two years. When he takes over his position, he will be able to do practical work.

(End of this chapter)