The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 457 The layout begins

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you mention Mencius?
Righteousness.

Confucius said it was Cheng Ren, and Mencius said it was Qi Yi.

Confucius and Mencius' ideas of benevolence and righteousness can be regarded as the core of Confucianism.

However, what do you think of if you link Mencius and Zhu Yuanzhang together?

The answer is that the people are more important than the king.

Because of this sentence, Zhu Yuanzhang once expelled Mencius from the Confucian Temple.

Although Mencius was invited back later, the conflict between the two sides was well known to everyone.

Therefore, there is an unspoken rule in the Ming Dynasty at present that Mencius should be avoided as much as possible in official occasions.

If it is unavoidable, we should also try to downplay the existence of "Mencius" itself.

To put it bluntly, we only mention ideas, but don’t say where the ideas come from.

Since the founding of Daming Weekly, most of the sages have been commented on individually, except for Mencius, whom no one dares to touch.

Everyone knows the reason.

Now there are suddenly a lot of articles about Mencius, and anyone who is not stupid knows the reason.

This was testing Zhu Yuanzhang's bottom line.

Ever since Fang Xiaoru and Jie Jin reiterated that the world belongs to all people in the world and it was not attacked by Zhu Yuanzhang, many people began to have some ideas.

After brewing for so long, some people finally couldn't help it and started to make further attempts.

After the relevant article was published, the court still did not make any statement.

The literary community was all smiling with joy. The situation had really changed and our good days were coming.

Some people couldn't help but start celebrating early.

Some of the more stable ones are ready to continue testing.

Let’s see where the emperor’s bottom line is.

Fang Xiaoru was full of worries about this situation.

Even if the emperor has changed his mind, you can't just attack him like you did today, right?
No king can tolerate having his authority challenged.

What’s more, he was the autocratic Emperor Hongwu.

I'm afraid it won't be long before the blows come one after another.

He was the first to bring up the idea of ​​"public power" and he will be held accountable if his actions are really investigated.

Those people probably wanted to use this incident not only to test the emperor, but also to attack themselves and materialism.

He knew that he was being taken advantage of.

But he had no control over the matter.

On the contrary, Xie Jin was very happy.

When Chen Jingke asked him for his opinion, he expressed optimistically that this was the true way to respect the thoughts of the ancient sages.

The Supreme Emperor is a monarch who cares about the world.

Chen Jingke sighed and said, "The court is planning to send someone to Nanyang to serve as an inspector to guide and supervise the cultural and educational work of the vassal states. I am planning to recommend you for this position."

Xie Jin's expression froze for a moment, and it took him a long time to calm down.

There was no complaint or protest, but he said:

"You've put a lot of thought into protecting me, haven't you?"

Chen Jingke shook his head and said, "With your knowledge and ability, you are more than qualified to be the Nanyang Inspector."

"Besides, the Emperor and the Crown Prince both think highly of you. They let you go to Southeast Asia because they don't want you to be used by others."

"I hope you can understand their painstaking efforts."

Xie Jin showed gratitude on his face, bowed to the imperial palace and said: "I will live up to the high expectations of the Emperor, the Emperor, and the Crown Prince."

Then he said worriedly, "Will Brother Xizhi be implicated?"

Chen Jingke said: "Don't worry, the emperor knows very well who is right and who is wrong. Even if he wants to punish certain people, he will not implicate you two."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have let you go to Nanyang to serve as an inspector."

"And after you leave, Brother Xi Zhi will serve as a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy and editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper."

Xie Jin was not a pedantic scholar, and he immediately noticed something unusual about this appointment, and asked:

"The Emperor is dissatisfied with Confucianism?"

Chen Jingke naturally couldn't tell him his true intentions, so he just said:

"Yes, the emperor is dissatisfied with the conservatism of Confucian scholars and is ready to take action."

"I asked you to go to Nanyang because you have a close relationship with Confucianism, and I don't want you to be stuck in the middle."

Xie Jin was indeed misled and thought of the first phase of the national plan, the completion rate of which was so low that it was unbearable to look at.

This was probably what caused the dissatisfaction of the retired emperor.

After all, Lao Zhu has always been decisive in his work, and there is a precedent for this.

In addition, during Zhu Biao's reign, a large number of new officials were selected and trained.

If the old bureaucrats do not step down, new officials will not be able to take office.

In his opinion, the emperor should be ready to cut the Gordian knot and complete the transition from the old to the new.

He even thought of another point, Chen Jingke's world of great harmony.

Once published, it will inevitably be criticized by other schools.

Although he had a good personal relationship with Chen Jingke, he was a Confucian scholar after all.

What's more, most of the people in charge of Ming Weekly are Confucian scholars.

By then, newspapers will likely become the main battlefield for criticizing the world of great harmony.

Now that he has withdrawn, the Confucian "traitor" Fang Xiaoru will take charge of the Ming Weekly, and then the core members will be replaced again.

The Ming Weekly will become a place advocating for a world of great harmony.

Xie Jin had no other ideas about this.

It is true that he is a Confucian scholar, but he is not a corrupt scholar.

There is indeed a lot of dissatisfaction with that kind of conservative bureaucracy.

He had seen Chen Jingke's world of Great Harmony, which was indeed excellent, at least more suited to the needs of the Ming Dynasty than the current factions.

The reason why he and Fang Xiaoru dared to bring up the idea of ​​"public world" again was because they were influenced by the world of great harmony.

Such excellent knowledge should be promoted throughout the world.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the emperor using thundering measures.

Instead, he was very grateful to Zhu Yuanzhang for transferring him to Southeast Asia at this time to prevent him from being caught in the middle.

Chen Jingke felt a little ashamed of Xie Jin's reaction.

Cheating friends is not something to be happy about, even if there are enough reasons.

However, he couldn't help but admire in his heart that Xie Jin was a true Confucian scholar.

There is a reason why Confucianism has been guiding China for thousands of years.
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Soon the second temptation came, and someone openly posted the following title:
Heaven established the king for the people.

There is nothing false in the content. It starts with Mencius's saying that people are the most important and the country comes second.

It can be said that this is simply a slap in the face to Lao Zhu.

Even the most optimistic people are a little scared.

I'm letting you try it, not asking you to just ride on my face.

It's over now.

As expected, Zhu Yuanzhang was completely furious after reading this article and scolded Li Jin in front of all his ministers.

Such a disloyal and rebellious article actually appeared in the Ming Weekly. What use are you?
Then, regardless of the pleas of his ministers, he exiled Xie Jin to Southeast Asia to serve as an educational supervisor.

At the same time, he ordered a review of the editorial department of the Daming Weekly, and to kick out all those who had no loyalty to their king or their father.

Upon hearing the outcome of the incident, the ministers were relieved.

Judging from the expression on Old Zhu's face just now, I thought he was going to start a killing spree.

I didn't expect that he would just be exiled to Southeast Asia...

Wait, Nanyang Inspector?
This seems like a lucrative job.

Establishing the cultural and educational system in Nanyang was equivalent to spreading one's influence throughout Nanyang.

From then on, when scholars from Southeast Asia met him, they would call him Grand Master.

How much influence is this?

In a few years, he will return to the center with great momentum, and at least he will be at the level of Vice Minister of Rites.

If he could satisfy the emperor, he might become the Minister of Rites or even enter the cabinet.

This is not exile, this is clearly reuse.

The emperor is getting old and confused.

Of course, only a fool would think that Lao Zhu was confused. Most people think that Lao Zhu still values ​​talent.

Being thrown to a tough place like Nanyang was a punishment, while serving as an inspector was a training.

It can be said that it is a place where danger and opportunity coexist. Some people only see the danger and think it is not worth it.

Some people see an opportunity, a chance to join the cabinet, and such an opportunity is worth risking their lives for.

But no matter what, this move once again helped Xie Jin become famous.

At present, he can be said to be the most famous scholar after Song Lian, Liu Bowen and others.

On the other side, Zhu Xiongying whispered to Chen Jingke:
"Old man, your anger doesn't seem fake. The article you wrote is really lethal."

Chen Jingke said uncertainly: "No way, didn't the emperor ask me to write this?"

"And he asked me to write it more sharply so that his anger would be justified."

Zhu Xiongying gloated: "Then you can't deliberately poke the old man's sore spot."

"Just wait, he will definitely deal with you."

Chen Jingke couldn't help but shrink his neck. No way, Old Zhu shouldn't be so stingy.

Yes, this article was written by Chen Jingke.

The purpose was to disrupt the plans of the Confucian scholars and at the same time create an opportunity for Zhu Yuanzhang to get angry and to subtly reshuffle the editorial department of the Ming Weekly.

As for whether doing so would scare the Confucian scholars and prevent them from climbing to the moral high ground.

No need to worry at all.

Power is the best bait. Even if there is a 99% risk, there will still be countless people who will rush forward for that 1% chance.

What's more, even if they back down, the worst that can happen is that I can write a few more articles to lead them.

As long as they have a thirst for power, they will not be able to escape.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry and did not give Xie Jin much time.

On the third day after the decree was issued, the Ministry of Personnel had completed all the procedures.

The implication is very clear: get out of here right away, don't waste a day.

So, with only ten days left before the New Year, Xie Jin and his entourage boarded a ship to Temasek.

Nearly a thousand people came to see him off that day, and Chen Jingke and Fang Xiaoru naturally came as well.

However, the two of them did not show up, but watched Xie Jin leave from a distance.

When the boat disappeared on the river, Fang Xiaoru turned around and said:
"Tell me, what do you want to do?"

Chen Jingke said calmly: "What else can we do? Replace a group of conservative officials."

"Suppress Confucianism and create conditions for the implementation of my Great Harmony World."

"I think these gentlemen have already told you about this. Why are they still asking me what I am doing?"

Fang Xiaoru said seriously: "Although Jinshen is knowledgeable and intelligent, he is still too upright."

"Given the Emperor's temperament, he wouldn't be so roundabout if he wanted to do this."

"He would just give the order to do it, regardless of whether others objected or not."

"Now that he has gone through such a big circle, he must have a bigger plan."

"Pa pa pa..." Chen Jingke couldn't help but applaud: "Brother Xizhi has become smarter since he gave up the idea of ​​restoring Zhou rituals."

"I can't hide the truth from you."

Fang Xiaoru was not moved at all and asked, "What exactly do you want to do?"

Chen Jingke smiled and said, "In fact, I didn't intend to hide it from you, because this matter requires your cooperation... or to be more precise, the cooperation of the Ming Weekly."

"I was originally thinking about how to tell you this, but I didn't expect you to see through my clues."

Fang Xiaoru didn't say anything, just looked at him quietly.

Chen Jingke laughed twice, felt bored, shrugged and said:

"Let's go to my house and I'll tell you in detail."

So the two of them came to the Anping Marquis Mansion, and all of Chen Jingke's servants left and no one was allowed to approach without permission.

Only then did he tell Fang Xiaoru his ultimate goal.

"…This time the target is the Kong family and Confucianism."

"Hiss." Fang Xiaoru took a breath and said, "Have you... thought about the consequences?"

Chen Jingke said: "So we must be fully prepared."

"The military deployment has already begun to ensure there is no unrest."

"As long as there is no chaos, the resistance of Confucian scholars is useless."

Fang Xiaoru subconsciously asked: "What happens after suppressing Confucianism..."

He was only halfway through his words when he suddenly came to his senses and said in disbelief:

"The Emperor trusts you so much?"

Obviously, he also thought of replacing Confucianism with a world of great harmony.

But precisely because I understand it, I find it even more incredible.

It’s not that he thinks there is something wrong with the Great Harmony World, but that the book has not been published yet and has no foundation.

No one knows whether it can hold the bottom line.

What if it can't be contained? I'm afraid it will cause huge turmoil.

This is something that monarchs of all dynasties do not want to see.

Have you ever seen a monarch who wishes his country to be in turmoil?

They all try to keep the country stable through various means.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang acted vigorously and vigorously, his goal was also to stabilize the country.

There is only one answer to being so radical now, and that is extreme trust in Chen Jingke.

I believe that his world of great harmony can provide a guarantee.

This kind of trust is incredible.

Chen Jingke was also secretly observing Fang Xiaoru, and was secretly delighted to see that his attention was always on the world of Datong.

Very good, he doesn't care about Confucius and Confucianism at all. It is obvious that he has completely gotten rid of the Confucian label in his heart.

A good ally.

In fact, Fang Xiaoru was not very fond of the Kong family. He first demanded the restoration of Zhou rituals.

Who is the creator of Zhou Li?
Duke of Zhou.

Even the first saint praised by Confucianism has always been Duke of Zhou.

It's like, Christianity was created by Jesus, but the god they believe in is God.

The same is true for Confucianism. Confucius created Confucianism, and the saint they praised was Duke of Zhou.

It was not until the Tang and Song dynasties that Confucius' status in Confucianism surpassed that of Zhou Gong.

As Fang Xiaoru was determined to revive Zhou rituals, the person he respected most was naturally Duke Zhou.

Of course, this does not mean that he is against Confucius.

He was not against Confucius and even respected Confucius very much. He just didn't like the Confucius family.

To put it bluntly, Confucius is Confucius, and the Kong family is the Kong family.

He has always been very clear about the distinction.

Later, he founded materialism and officially established his own school, and he cared even less about the Confucius family.

He had no objection at all when the imperial court wanted to destroy the Kong family.

He also had no objection to the suppression and replacement of Confucianism. It was just the trend of the times.

Historical materialism has already revealed all this.

It was because Chen Jingke understood his ideas that he asked him to replace Xie Jin in charge of the Ming Weekly.

But speculation aside, he was still very happy to hear Fang Xiaoru's assurance in person.

So he said: "The emperor is not only going to make a major change in the bureaucracy, but also in the ideological world."

"Not only my world of universal harmony, but your materialism is also a beneficiary."

Fang Xiaoru shook his head and said, "Your dialectical thinking has made me understand that pure materialism is actually biased."

“Now I’m trying to figure out how to improve this aspect.”

"Until it is perfected, it will not be able to shoulder the responsibility of guiding Chinese civilization."

"If we don't use Confucianism, only your world of great harmony can hope to take over this important task."

"so……"

At this point, he said solemnly: "Don't worry about me, I will fully cooperate with you."

"But I hope that you will only suppress Confucianism instead of completely eliminating it."

Chen Jingke smiled and said, "How is that possible? Confucianism has guided Chinese thought for thousands of years and has long been ingrained in our bones."

"What's more, my world of great harmony is based on the innovation of Confucianism."

"If Confucianism is completely eliminated, the idea of ​​universal harmony will also not exist."

(End of this chapter)