If I fail to overcome the tribulation, I can only return to the Ming Dynasty and become a prince.

Chapter 246 Times have changed
The assassin was found in the Confucius Temple, and it was the end of the Confucius family.

After all, even if the assassination of the emperor has nothing to do with the Kong family, the incident happened in your Kong family, and the person was found in your Confucius Temple, your Kong family still has something to do with it.

A more merciful emperor might still be able to survive, and the whole family would suffer. After two or three generations of decline, this matter might be over.

As long as future generations can live up to their expectations and the emperor forgets about this, the family business can prosper again.

This is actually not difficult. After all, the Kong family's signboard is still valuable. Even if the emperor doesn't want to see the Kong family, he still has to enshrine this signboard.

It's just that this time Zhu Di was obviously rushing to completely get rid of the disgusting things of the Kong family, who had been practicing for generations, so even if they didn't behead him, their Yanshenggong was still in trouble.

After all, there was a Kong family in the Ming Dynasty who had more legal rationality to inherit the title of Yanshenggong than they did. The southern Kong family in Quzhou had a much better family tradition and reputation than the northern Kong family.

So this is why Zhu Zhanchun concocted such a plot and even threw the assassin into the Confucius Temple.

The purpose was to legitimately dethrone Beikong as Yanshenggong, and then throw this title to Nankong.

As for whether Nan Kong will succeed or not?Isn't this a joke?At that time, Nan Kong did not succeed and said that he did not want the two sects to fight. It was because the Meng Yuan Dynasty was strong. Later, when the Northern sect became bigger, the Southern sect lost the ability to fight.

At this time, if Nanzong fights, no matter whether he wins or not, the final result will be to put the face of the descendants of the Kong family's saints on the ground.

That's why Nan Kong simply said generously that we would not fight anymore, and ceded Duke Yansheng to the Beizong. The Nanzong would no longer be an official in the future, but would only pass down poems and books to the family and enshrine the Nanzong's ancestral tombs.

But now, the imperial court has abolished the Beizong. If the Nanzong does not inherit the title of Yanshenggong, then we will not have Yanshenggong after the Ming Dynasty, and there will be no problems with the Kong family.

Moreover, the court does not need to take the blame. Beikong was involved in the assassination of the emperor. However, the abolition of the title is considered tolerant. Nankong's succession is reasonable and legal. If Nankong himself does not inherit, will the court still treat Yan? Can the title of Holy Duke be returned to Beikong?
Obviously Zhu Di couldn't do such a thing, and would rather leave it empty than give it to Beikong.

What's more, Zhu Zhanquan, in particular, added one more thing: Beikong's line was involved in the assassination of the emperor and was no longer worthy of worshiping Confucius. Therefore, the matter of worshiping Confucius was temporarily taken over by the imperial court. Every year, respected court officials and clan relatives were dispatched from the Ministry of Rites. Host sacrifices.

For the Confucius family, one of the reasons why they have been able to hold the position of Duke Yan for so many years is of course the legacy of Confucius. Confucian scholars all over the world still recognize Confucius as the most holy teacher, so the Confucius family can enjoy it. lofty status.

The second one is naturally the right to worship Confucius.

Although it seems like nothing, the right to worship ancestors was very important in ancient times, especially when the person worshiping Confucius was a saint revered by all dynasties. This right to worship Confucius can be regarded as orthodox in a sense. of.

And don’t think that you can replace it by building a Confucian temple and erecting a statue to worship it yourself. People in the world will not recognize it at all. Everyone only recognizes that Qufu Confucius Temple is the first place for Confucianism in the world, and Nishan is the holy place for Confucianism.

Not to mention other places, even the Confucius Temple established by Nan Kong, which contains the descendants of Nan Confucius from the Southern Song Dynasty to the present, cannot replace the status of the Confucius Temple in Qufu.To put it bluntly, as long as Confucianism is still spreading in this world and people still respect the historical status of Confucius, Zhengshuo in this world can only be worshiped in Qufu Confucius Temple, and other places are not authentic and difficult to use.

Therefore, even if Zhu Di and Zhu Zhanjun planned such a big blame to be blamed on Beikong, they could only abolish their family's Yansheng Dukedom, but they dare not say that they completely abolished the Kong family.

After all, if the Confucian family really wanted to be abolished, the Confucian sects and scholars would definitely not agree. In the position of Duke Yan Shenggong, a Confucian family member must be placed there as a memorial tablet to eat incense.

Originally, the Beizong had held this memorial tablet honestly, and Zhu Zhanquan would not have said anything to them. However, the Kong family thought too highly of themselves and did not even take the imperial power seriously. This was what the ruler wanted anyway. unacceptable.

Especially after Zhu Zhanju planned to reform the current imperial examination system, he would have to eliminate the so-called authority of the Confucian family and make Confucianism and scholars more obedient to the imperial power, instead of thinking that literati and officials could compete with the imperial power, or even the so-called "Together the world".

The emperor and the scholar-bureaucrats shared the world, which originally meant joint governance, but apparently some people understood it as joint ownership.

It is understandable and reasonable to say that the world belongs to the people of the world, not to the emperor's family. After all, everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world.

But it is obvious that some people who think that they can jointly own the world with the emperor think that ownership is not a responsibility, but a right. They can share the imperial power, not that they have to bear the responsibility for the rise and fall of the country with the emperor.

The rise and fall of a country?Well done, it’s because your emperor accepts advice with an open mind and appoints virtuous people to use their talents. It’s all thanks to the help of us virtuous ministers!If you do not do well, then you are a foolish king who closes your ears, listens to favors, and believes in treacherous people. Naturally, we and other wise ministers will have to choose a wise master to assist us.

What does it matter whether this wise master is a Hulu with his hair in the left turban?When the Meng Yuan Dynasty ruled the world, didn't the descendants of Kong Sheng also go to serve as the Minister of Rites for the Yuan Dynasty?
How absurd this view is, and how harmful it is to the entire country, can be seen by anyone with a little bit of morality and insight in future generations.

This is exactly the evil consequence of the Kong clan, as the spiritual leaders of Confucianism, who have been practicing surrender for generations!
What Zhu Zhanchun has to do now is to reverse the influence of this thought on Confucianism, starting from cutting off Beikong, thereby eradicating their influence on the entire Ming Dynasty.

It is too sad that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty will guard the country and the king will die in the country. After 300 years of raising scholars, all he will get is a bunch of rotten scholars with itchy scalps and cold water.

Therefore, what Zhu Zhanquan and Zhu Di discussed before was how to change this situation and prevent future generations of Ming civil servants from overriding the imperial power, or even wantonly manipulating the replacement of the throne, making the Ming emperor easily soluble in water.

The literati of the Ming Dynasty are all easy to talk to. They all seem to have a literati character. They are criticized by scholars and the world is restless. But if you put a knife on his neck, he will still be obedient.

The reason why the literati in the Ming Dynasty caused such outrageous troubles was largely because Lao Zhu was so kind to these literati that he gave them unrealistic fantasies, thinking that they could return to the Donghuamen singing style of the Song Dynasty. Fame is the real man, an era when Confucian scholar-bureaucrats and the emperor share the world.

Unfortunately, what Zhu Zhanjun wanted to tell them was that times have changed.

(End of this chapter)