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Chapter 31 Li Zhi 2
Hong Taoquan didn't notice Li Zhi's attitude. He had the same attitude when he was talking to his father about certain principles when he was young.The more ignorant people are, the easier it is for them to regard their own ideas as the truth, because they don't know that there are other ideas in the world, and they have no way to compare them.

Didn’t the ancients invent a word called arrogance?The ancients also vividly compared it to summer insects, which cannot be compared to ice.Describe the world of ice and snow to someone who has never seen winter, and he will not only think that the other person is full of nonsense, but also think that the other person is a big liar.I didn’t even think about whether winter might really exist, or whether I was wrong.

"...This dynasty founded the country with filial piety and governed it with Confucianism. How can we never leave the business of merchants!" Obviously, Li Zhi didn't seem to be Xia Chong. He thought about it for a long time and still couldn't find a reason to refute it, but he was not willing to do anything. True to his word, the common fault of human nature was committed, and he began to look for reinforcements, such as the Book of Sages.

"What is filial piety?" The opening chapter of "The Classic of Filial Piety" states: The hair and skin of the body are received by the parents, and one dare not damage them, which is the beginning of filial piety; it is the end of filial piety to establish oneself and practice the Tao, to be famous in future generations, to show off one's parents.

The admonishment chapter also says: When it is unjust, the son cannot but fight with his father, and the minister cannot but fight with the king.Therefore, if we fight against injustice, how can we be filial by obeying our father's orders?

In this dynasty, countless people were punished by the government and beaten with sticks in court for resisting their parents and speaking out to the emperor.I would like to ask this old gentleman, should we do it according to the principle of filial piety, which is the beginning of filial piety, or should we do it according to the principle that a son must not compete with his father, and an minister must not compete with the king?
What is Confucianism? "The Great Learning" says: He who enlightens the world with virtue must first govern his country; he who wishes to govern his country must first regulate his family; he who wishes to regulate his family must first cultivate his body; he who wishes to cultivate his body must first rectify his mind; he who wants to rectify his heart He who wants to be sincere in his intention must first know what he means, and knowledge lies in investigating things.After observing things, one will know, and after knowing one's thoughts, one will be sincere, one's mind will be sincere, then one's heart will be upright, one's heart will be right, then one will cultivate one's body, one will cultivate one's body, and then one's family will be in order, and one's family will be in order, and then the country will be governed.

Although I have not read the old gentleman's book, I have heard that there are many disciples and believers. I think it must be more in line with the teachings of the sages than the people who eat corpses in the court.Mr. Ran, have you studied Gewu carefully?Are you committed to understanding the laws of everything in the world?

If so, can you tell me how to reach the European countries by sea from Quanzhou?How to build a blast furnace to produce [-] kilograms of iron per day?How can one acre of land produce high food yields?How can we weave silk faster using a load of silk?Or how to train a strong army to pacify the north? "

It's a pity that the reinforcements Li Zhi found can't save him from the current crisis. Ruling the country with filial piety is purely a foolish move to replace public morality with private morality. If human beings could raise their moral standards to that level, the earth would have been unified long ago.

The same is true for Confucianism. It is correct in itself, and the principles it teaches are all correct. The problem lies in the premise, that is, under what circumstances these principles are established and under what circumstances they are not established.

When the ancients wrote it, they probably did not intend to treat it as an unchanging truth. They were just summarizing the laws of the world and intended to leave it to future generations as a reference.The reason why it is praised to such a high degree is nothing more than the four words of utilization value.Some people want to use their content to deceive people and achieve a certain purpose.

Confucianism advocates studying things. What is studying things?To study the truth of things and explain it in the words of later generations is philosophy and natural science.Zengzi believed that if you want to achieve the concept of cultivating yourself, harmonizing your family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world, you first need to increase your knowledge base. Only when it reaches a certain level can you understand things.

And what did the Confucian scholars of the Ming Dynasty do?They deliberately omitted this step and replaced the exploration of things with familiarity of the Four Books and Five Classics. They believed that as long as they memorized these books written thousands of years ago and added some explanations, they would have completed the steps of self-cultivation. Then they could go on to regulate the family and govern the country. The world is peaceful.

As you can imagine, they were like taking a tour of the capital city of the 21st century with a map from before the liberation. As soon as they entered the Fifth Ring Road and saw the overpass, they got lost. If they got out by chance, it was luck. If they didn't, it was normal. . "...Your Highness, do you have a solution?" Li Zhi remained silent for a longer time this time. The expression on his face kept changing. He frowned for a while and sighed. After a long time, he cast his eyes on the prince's face again, as if he was expecting. , but not much.

"It is not a bad thing to pay attention to filial piety and Confucianism, but it is troublesome to pay too much attention to the words of the family, especially if it is too much. I don't read much, I only have some superficial understanding, and I can't talk about the solution. I just want to talk to the old gentleman and give him advice.

Filial piety is the first of all good deeds, regardless of deeds, there is no filial son in the world. It is enough to understand the fundamental meaning of filial piety.Abolition of scientific examinations, no longer taking ten years of hard work and no one to ask, as the goal of life in high school, return to the true concept of Confucianism, starting from cultivating oneself, managing one's family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world. "

Of course there is a way, and Hong Tao is willing to say that he is treacherous. He is the prince and the other party is just a resigned official. Even if he shouts to defeat Emperor Wanli, he has no place to complain.

But I'm afraid someone will be in trouble as soon as these words are said. The ancient literati did have many shortcomings, but compared with the so-called literati of later generations, some advantages can still be found.

For example, the thirst for knowledge, the insistence on independent thinking, and the cleanliness of the spiritual home.To put it bluntly, a large number of them have not had their backbones broken, and they still have a lot of courage left, and they dare to fight to defend the principles they believe in.

"What do you want, Your Highness!" Sure enough, after hearing the prince's answer, Li Zhi's old eyes immediately stopped dimming, his beard stood on end, his breathing was obviously a little rapid, and he pressed his hands on the table as if he wanted to hurt someone.

"I'm afraid that the old gentleman has some problems with his lungs and trachea. I will ask the imperial doctor to come over for diagnosis and treatment. At present, I can't change anything. I can only make some preparations, and sir is one of them. Don't worry, leave a good life and so on. Just watch, and you can only see enough if you live long enough.”

What do you want to do?It's a long story, and I'm afraid not many people can understand it.I have said enough and happily today, and I have satisfied the addiction of educating people. I've endured it for 20 years, and it won't be a big deal if I endure it for a few more years.As for whether others can endure it or not, it all depends on fate.

"Go find some books by Li Zhi for me and come back. Be careful and don't attract anyone's attention!" As soon as he left the Siyi Pavilion, Hong Tao called Wang An to his side and whispered.

After the debate just now, Li Zhi should be considered an unexpected gain, at least in terms of his character.But whether it is considered a surprise or not requires further understanding. The best and most direct way is to read his book and understand the ideas from it.It's a pity that Li Zhi's books have been listed as banned books, so you can't look for them everywhere openly.

(End of this chapter)