"I believe that the words and books of sages are only media that carry the meaning of sages. What do you think, Dr. Wang?" Yang Ji was silent for a while and looked at the elegant and elegant Wang Long, who was the father of the future great Confucian Wang Tong. , is also a famous Confucian in his own right, but no matter how famous or powerful the Confucian is, he can never serve the public good. In terms of fundamental interests, they always favor their own family and can never achieve "education without discrimination".
In fact, the common people from poor families don't ask for much. As long as the nobles are not so greedy, have a little bit of public morality, and open the door a little, it will be a blessing for the world; They are not willing to give up their seams to ordinary people from poor families. This is quite excessive.
"Of course." This is the consensus of scholars, and Wang Long is not afraid of falling into Yang Ji's tricks.
Yang Ji nodded, and then said: "Please Dr. Wang tell me: Is the 'words of sages and books of sages' more important, or the meaning of sages? What is the meaning of sages? What should the meaning of sages be?" allow?"
"Of course the meaning of the sages is important. But we, well-educated people, are better than ordinary people, right?" Wang Long, who answered the first question, couldn't answer the second question, let alone him. Even if the classics masters such as Cai Yong, Lu Zhi, and Zheng Xuan were resurrected, they would probably not dare to say that what they expressed was the meaning of the sages.
"Dr. Wang wants to compete with ordinary people. This kind of ambition makes me ashamed." Yang Ji looked at Wang Long and said teasingly.
Cui Zhongfang, who had regained his breath, looked at Yang Ji and said in a deep voice: "Dr. Wang made mistakes in his expression, but this is not the point. The point is that the truth is correct. If ordinary people are allowed to extrapolate the meaning of sages, they will inevitably make mistakes. If it is passed down from generation to generation like this, wouldn’t it mean that it is going in the opposite direction and going further and further away?”
"What Cui Shilang said is wrong again!" Yang Ji said with a smile: "Your statement truly misinterprets the meaning of the sage."
"Oh?" Cui Zhongfang suddenly became angry, raised his hands and saluted: "King Wei, please tell me frankly, I am here to listen attentively."
Yang Ji returned the salute and said: "I don't think I should be 'all ears'! It's just that there are many learned people today. Let's discuss a few things. Maybe we can find the right path and make a little contribution to the righteousness of the world's literati. This is good for everyone. What do you think, Mr. Cui?"
"Please speak!" Cui Zhongfang's expression softened slightly.
Yang Ji said: "Cui Shilang, why did the sages write books and establish their opinions?"
"It is natural to educate the world, but this education is not blind teaching. Therefore, Mencius said, 'If you believe in the book, you will not know that there is no book.'" Cui Zhongfang said solemnly.
"Believing all the books is worse than having no books at all." It requires students not to follow others' opinions while studying. No matter how much they respect "Shang Shu", they must have the courage to raise doubts. It can be said that Mencius's idea is an excellent and wise idea, and it is also the highest state that has been respected and pursued by all people at home and abroad in ancient and modern times.
However, paper is expensive and engraving is difficult, which makes the price of books astonishing. The most common people can do is ask their grandparents to borrow one or two copies. This has led to the scarcity of books and limited dissemination, which has made the ways for ordinary people to obtain knowledge very narrow. Ordinary people have never even read a book or have read a few. How can they understand that "it is better to believe in all the books than to have nothing at all"? Such an otherworldly realm as "Book"? While the noble families of the aristocratic families boasted such noble sentiments as "teaching without distinction" and "teaching others tirelessly", they always firmly controlled the circulation of books, thus controlling the dissemination of knowledge and always controlling the officialdom.
As a result, the ambition of "education without discrimination" has become empty talk, resulting in the common people from poor families who cannot reach the realm of "developing faith in books, it is better to have no books", and are always excluded, ridiculed, and never able to enter the circle of power. .
"I don't agree with what Cui Shilang said. I believe that the sages wrote books and established words not to teach, but to pave the way for future generations." Yang Ji said: "There is no way in this world. There are so many people walking. Become a road, take "The Analects of Confucius" as an example. It is actually the sages' insights on life, and at the same time they also hope that the world will reach that height. Although the text is easy to understand, the principles it carries are profound and profound. If you study with a desire to learn, We have never reached the height of the sages in our lifetime. The reason is actually very simple, because that is the path that the sages took, not the path of us ordinary people. I believe that the times are different, the world is different, the times are different, and we face different situations. The problems are also different. If we continue to solve the current problems with the ideas of the sages hundreds of years ago, is it any different from searching for a sword in a boat, waiting for a rabbit, or fishing in a tree?"
"According to what King Wei said, aren't the words, books and ideas of the sages completely useless?" Xue Daoheng couldn't help but ask with a frown.
"It is not useless! The meaning of the sages can help us avoid detours, see problems more quickly, and solve problems. The learning and meaning of the sages are to carve out a smooth road on the steep road of study and help future generations climb the mountain easily. We have reached a peak, and our mission is to carry forward the past and open up the future, and pave the way for our descendants based on the foundation opened by the forefathers. Only in this way can future generations become better and better than others."
Yang Ji bowed his hand to Xue Daoheng and continued: "However, there are many phenomena in heaven and earth that even the sages cannot answer. If we encounter problems, we should look for the words and meanings of the sages. For our generation, this is just a matter of time. Once on the path of being a sage, you will never reach the state of being a sage throughout your life, and you will not make any contribution to future generations."
"Educated scholars from the Qin and Han Dynasties to the present have studied the knowledge of their ancestors since childhood. The meanings commented by the ancestors are deeply rooted in everyone's marrow and soul, so that everyone can never escape from the shadow of their ancestors. If you cannot get rid of the ideological prison of your ancestors, you will not be able to create new things. A theory that has attracted worldwide attention, and this is the key reason why there have been no sages since the pre-Qin Dynasty. Compared with you, the common people have not been blocked by the thoughts of their ancestors, and their thinking is more active, so it is easier for them to find a new path."
Yang Ji turned around, cupped his hands to Yang Jian and said: "Although the promotion of these books will produce a lot of dross, there must be many essences that can withstand the test of time, and these essences happen to be the process of writing books and making opinions by well-educated people. It is an indispensable and valuable experience. Therefore, I believe that the court only needs to guide the people well in understanding the learning of the sages, rather than simply and crudely containing and strangling it."
"What King Wei said is true!" Niu Hong, the Minister of Civil Affairs, sighed and stood up and said: "I have studied Confucian classics all my life. Everyone in the world respects me as a master of Confucian classics. However, the more intensive I study, the more I can feel the learning and influence of the sages. The current world situation is quite different. I have always thought that I have not mastered what I have learned. Today, King Wei's words suddenly made me realize. I realized that it is not that the learning of the sages is wrong, nor that I have a lack of understanding, but that the current situation and events are different from the past. That’s right. Using the knowledge learned hundreds of years ago to govern today’s world and solve today’s confusions is naturally a huge mistake.”
After saying that, Niu Hong cupped his fists and saluted Yang Jian: "Sage, I think what King Wei said is reasonable. The court should disseminate books to the people and print accurate books. If it is brutally suppressed, our court will surely fall into the trap of burning books and entrapping Confucian scholars. of eternal infamy.”
"The old minister also seconded the proposal!" Yang Su raised his hand to Yang Jian and said with a smile: "I originally thought that King Wei was specialized in military affairs and good at composing poems and compositions. But now I know that King Wei is more than just a scholar, and he also has a vision that none of us have. I admire him very much."
Cui Zhongfang, Zheng Shanyuan, Wang Long and others became very ugly, but Niu Hong was fine. Not only was he close to Yang Jian and Yang Guang, but he was also an imperialist who maintained imperial power. It was not difficult to understand why he spoke for Yang Ji at this time, but Yang Su's taking sides is a dangerous sign.
Although Yang Su was a military master rather than a great Confucian, he was an all-rounder who was proficient in hundreds of schools of thought and his reputation among scholars was not low. Behind him were a large number of self-proclaimed and rebellious poets. They have little achievements in political affairs, but their influence among the scholars is extremely high. If they all jump out to support Yang Ji, even if they react in the future, they will not be able to change the situation.
Zheng Shanyuan said to Yang Ji angrily: "King Wei, according to what you said, doesn't it mean that traffickers can also argue with us? Where is our dignity in this case?"
"I have said before that 'the more you argue, the clearer your principles will become, and the more you discuss the Tao, the clearer it will be'. Sage Confucius also praised 'three people walking together, there must be one who is my teacher' and 'not ashamed to ask questions'. Why can't you do it now? "
Yang Ji laughed angrily: "Is it because you are afraid that others will surpass you that you want to suppress them with violence? What is the difference between your idea and the burning of books to embarrass Confucians? If the imperial court really went against the general trend and banned books, wouldn't it be an order? Saints and ministers of the Manchu Dynasty bear the eternal infamy of hindering the progress of the times? Doesn't it make our descendants ashamed of us? How will you face future generations when you are under the Nine Springs?"
It has always been said that people under Jiuquan have no face to face their ancestors, and Yang Ji's "how to face future generations" is the first time everyone has heard it, but it seems to have some truth.
"The ministers of the Manchu Dynasty who can discuss politics here are all the most outstanding people in the Sui Dynasty. Why should they be afraid of others surpassing them? And the children of the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty can enjoy the best education since they were young. Why should they be afraid of the children of the common people? If the children We can't compete with the children of common people, so the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty cannot expect such children to prosper their families, and the court cannot expect such people to govern the world well."
Yang Ji continued to say to Zheng Shanyuan: "Xin Dagong (translated by Zheng) was 'born in sorrow' and learned his talents in sorrow. However, among many of your brothers who were 'born in peace and happiness', none of them has reached the height of Xin Dagong. What does this mean? It means that if you don’t have the courage to face competition and hardship, you will be inferior to each other from generation to generation, and eventually you will go to the path of 'born in hardship and dying in happiness' as Mencius said. So I suggest Dr. Zheng: Instead of We are worried about the circulation of books here, and instead of instigating the court to do evil things like banning books and burning books, we should think about how to teach our own children well."
Zheng Shanyuan was speechless and had no choice but to retreat.
Yang Ji saluted Yang Jian, bowed and said: "The sage thought that the emergence of movable type printing, ink, and books had no substantial impact on the children of the aristocratic families. It was just a kind of pressure, prompting them to study hard and strive for success in the crisis. To be a useful pillar of the family and the country, if this competitive spirit is passed down from generation to generation, the country and the family will be stronger than the previous generation, instead of being inferior to each other. Faced with this general trend sweeping the world, what the court has to do is the most important thing. It’s more about strengthening rather than suppressing.”
"What King Wei said is very good." Yang Jian nodded and said to the ministers: "I don't want to be infamy for eternity. I wonder what you think?"
Cui Zhongfang sighed helplessly and turned to wink at Zhang Jin.
Zhang Jin nodded calmly and said: "Sage, I don't understand any big principles. I'm just worried that the people will not restrain themselves when they become educated. Recently, there have been frequent reports of small groups of bandits gathering to cause chaos in various states and counties. If the news continues for a long time and is not suppressed, I am worried that our Sui Dynasty will suffer another setback."
When Yang Jian heard this, his heart suddenly beat violently, and his head began to hurt violently.
The small band of thieves that Zhang Jin mentioned simply didn't exist. If it really existed, how could he not have heard the slightest bit about it? It was completely because Zhang Jin saw that the Shandong nobles could not defend Yang Ji, so he simply threatened him naked and naked.
But the implication of his words is very obvious. If the imperial court does not ban books, then "small groups of bandits" will concentrate and appear in various states and counties.
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