The two gatekeepers at the gate of the Confucius Temple stared at each other, discussed in a low voice, and then hurried in to report.
Fortunately, they didn't know Yan Fu, and they didn't know that Yan Fu also knew English and was really good at translating.
But obviously not all scholars across the country knew him. The popularity of these early advocates of new learning was only limited to those who wanted to learn new learning, and this proportion was very small.
Not long after, the doorman came back: "Master Yan Shenggong said that you all can come in." Li Yu said to Lu Bicheng, "I said you can come in." Li Yu raised his legs and stepped in. A few years ago, he I have been here before, but by that time it had become a 5a-level three-hole scenic spot.
Seeing Li Yu walking so smoothly, Lu Bicheng was surprised and said: "You are so familiar with it." Li Yu said with a smile: "I have never eaten pork, and I have never seen a pig running." After a few doors, the Confucius Temple was in front of him. The core - Dacheng Hall.
The imperial court gave the Confucius Temple a transcendent status, which can also be seen from the architectural etiquette. Ancient Chinese architecture is very strict about the classification of roof forms. If we do not consider the special Temple of Heaven with its triple roof, the so-called highest level of architecture in the world is called the double-eaves verandah roof. Among the three halls of the Forbidden City, the highest level is the Hall of Supreme Harmony. That's the structure.
In addition, there are Kunning Palace, Huangji Palace, etc., as well as Tiankuang Palace of Taishan Dai Temple. There are only a dozen major halls in the country with this top-level specification.
The second level after the roof of the verandah hall with double eaves is called the top of the mountain with double eaves. Baohe Hall, which ranks second among the three palaces in the Forbidden City, uses this kind of roof.
As for the Dacheng Hall of Qufu Confucius Temple in front of us, its roof is also made of double eaves and resting tops, which shows its high level.
In fact, there are many Confucius temples in other regions. For example, the Dacheng Hall in the Confucius Temple in Beijing uses the highest-grade double-eaves verandah roof.
In addition to the roof, the pillars used in the Qufu Confucius Temple are seven solid and two void, and the sides are three solid and two void, which is second only to the Nine Five.
Li Yu and the others crossed the Dacheng Gate and came to the square in front of the Dacheng Hall. There are two verandas in the east and west in front of Dacheng Hall, which are already crowded with people. In front of Dacheng Hall is the Apricot Altar, which is where Confucius lectured in ancient times.
But now it has been built into a pavilion. Kong Lingyi, Duke of Yansheng, was in this pavilion called Xingtan. He was dressed formally.
Although Li Yu was also very formal, he was wearing a suit and had his hair cut, which made him stand out among the crowd.
In fact, Li Yu's original idea was to use a Chinese tunic suit, but he found that this thing had not yet been born. Li Yu stepped forward and held the disciple ceremony and said to Duke Yan: "Student Li Yu, can you pay homage to the most holy teacher first?" Duke Yan was slightly startled when he heard Li Yu's statement. He had already thought of many words to say. Li Yu, the most important thing is to insult the sages. Unexpectedly, Li Yu's first sentence was to pay homage to Confucius.
It really doesn't look good to refuse to agree to this kind of thing. After all, they are the ones who pay the most attention to etiquette. Yanshenggong had no choice but to say: "Please." Li Yu went directly to the Dacheng Hall and bowed three times to the statue of Confucius inside.
The statues enshrined inside are not only Confucius, but also Yan Hui, Zeng Shen, Kong Ji and Meng Ke.
"Four Matches". Of course, Yan Fu and Lu Bicheng were also indispensable for this ritual of worship. However, someone below already felt very uncomfortable: "A female prostitute pays homage to the Master. Isn't this an insult to the Holy Master?"
"And that Li Yu, he's dressed in a nondescript manner, with no etiquette at all!"
"Sure enough, studying Western learning will lead to this!" After the three people worshiped, they came to the apricot grove and Yan Shenggong said: "Please sit down." What he said
"Sitting" naturally means sitting upright, which is the form in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Yan Fu and Lu Bicheng sat down naturally, but Li Yu felt quite uncomfortable.
Li Yu originally wanted Yan Fu to take the top position, but today it was obvious that he was here for him, so he no longer gave way.
After Li Yu sat down, he said, "Thank you, Duke Yan." Kong Lingyi, Duke Yan, looked at Li Yu carefully and said, "Your Majesty is already the emperor's master, why are you wearing such strange clothes?" Li Yu said, "It's not strange clothes. Clothes are just external things. I don’t only wear foreign clothes, I also wear traditional clothes most of the time." Li Yu originally wanted to wear traditional clothes, but Xiao De Zhang’s Xiangyi Hao was too slow to make clothes. In addition to tribute silks and satins, All other ingredients have to be imported from Suzhou, but they are not ready yet.
Kong Lingyi pointed to his hair again: "What's the explanation for this?" Li Yu smiled slightly and did not answer directly, but looked sideways at Dacheng Hall.
Kong Lingyi immediately understood what Li Yu meant: Confucius didn't have braids either. If we dig deeper into this matter, neither side can make sense. The one who cut his hair is wrong, and the one who doesn't cut his hair seems wrong, so Kong Lingyi had no choice but to skip this topic.
Li Yu was so happy that he tried to reduce the opponent's ammunition as much as possible. But a person behind Kong Lingyi spoke up: "This situation really reminds me of what the Master said about the collapse of rites and the destruction of music. In today's world, there is an ongoing collapse of rites and music!" Kong Lingyi told Li The edict introduced: "This is the enshrined official of Fu Sheng Yan Zi, the seventy-sixth generation grandson Yan Jingyu." Yan Hui was the great disciple of Confucius, and his status was like St. Peter in Christianity, so Yan Hui was called Fu Sheng.
Li Yu said: "You mean that after the Spring and Autumn Period, rituals and music collapsed, so do you think that more than two thousand years of history have been spent in this situation?" Yan Jingyu said: "Of course not." Li Yu said: "Since you say no, it means that the collapse of rites and music is not entirely a bad thing. Only after the death of old things can new things be born. Isn't it that the rites that have lasted for more than two thousand years are less than those before the Spring and Autumn Period? Is the gift of a thousand years better? Why is the newly established one after that necessarily worse? King Zhao Wuling also dressed in strange clothes back then, so how can you say it's wrong? Maybe then everyone will dress in strange clothes like me." Yan Jingyu was a little stunned: " This..." Li Yu added: "I also heard that Lao Tzu once said that good fortune lies in the misfortune, and misfortune lies in the blessing. Looking at it dialectically, doesn't it mean whether it is the best?" People in the east and west veranda began to whisper again: "What he said seems to make sense."
"What truth? It's obviously a fallacy!" Kong Lingyi asked: "Master is the most holy teacher, how can we give up the thousand-year tradition now?" Li Yu sighed: "There is no such thing as giving up! Why do everyone think that the new learning and the old learning are the same? Are the two forces at odds? Just add Western learning to the school. Wouldn't it be beautiful to understand the new learning while not losing the tradition?" Kong Lingyi said: "The imperial court's intention must be to abolish the imperial examination. I am afraid that in the future, the people of the country will not learn anything. If you understand the classics, it will be a sign of decline." Li Yu said: "Yan Shenggong should not stop everyone from learning Western learning by thinking about things in the worst possible way and imagining such a bad scenario." Yan Jingyu said: "Yan Shenggong The envisaged situation is exactly what is coming soon. Once the imperial examinations are suspended in the future, and people do not know the Five Classics and Six Arts, how can we talk about the prosperity of the country?" Li Yu said: "This is wrong. On the way here, I also read some ancient books. , many of the views made me lament that the sages already had great wisdom, but why have they been forgotten now? The Tao Te Ching says that knowing and not knowing is the best; not knowing is the best. Wu Wei is sick because he is not sick. Sages are not sick. Illness, because it is sick, it is not sick." This sentence means that people who know their ignorance are truly wise people, and people who do not know their ignorance but are confident are actually arrogant and stupid.
Only when you realize your own stupidity can you start to become smarter. The reason why saints can escape from ignorance is because they first admit their ignorance.
Of course Yan Shenggong and others understood the meaning of this sentence, but they were a little angry: "Master Emperor, do you mean that we are arrogant and stupid?" Li Yu shook his head: "I didn't say that, I just thought of such a sage's warning. It's just a proverb. After all, sages will admit their ignorance first. Even some of the most respected sages in the West have said similar things. For example, Socrates said, the only thing I know is that I know nothing. Sages still do this , and now if you just cling to your shortcomings, have no knowledge of Western learning, and have to be beaten, isn't it a kind of ignorance?" Kong Lingyi said: "Is it true that not knowing Western learning means ignorance, because only in Western learning can there be the most sacred principles?" Li Yu said: "I emphasize it again. , Western learning, whether it is science or politics and law, is not unique to the West, but is the essence contained in nature and social development. Anyone can discover it unless it is changed by human will, but we are many steps slower. The truth that the West calls , can be understood as what we call Tao, Tao follows nature, and nature is not Western." Both sides are in a tacit understanding, one side does not mention specific science, and the other side does not mention classics theory, otherwise it really doesn't make sense.
Yan Jingyu asked again: "But the current situation shows that Western learning belongs to foreigners. Studying Western learning will inevitably make people gradually lose their nature. Just like your current appearance, you don't look like a Chinese at all." Li Yu said: "The scientific principle is When studying nature, if we don’t study it, of course there will be others. But science must have no borders, but people have belongings. I am like this, why don’t I look like a Chinese? And your last sentence seems to be judging people by their appearance. , even in the time of Master, it was wrong." Confucius's appearance is real~~~so you can't judge a person by his appearance.
Kong Lingyi saw that Yan Jingyu could not answer the question again, so he said: "If the imperial court attaches great importance to Western learning, the status of Confucian classics will inevitably be reduced. There are too many variables. How can you guarantee that studying science will lead people to good deeds and have a bright future?"
"Status?" Li Yu asked back,
"I wonder what status Duke Yan Sheng refers to?" Kong Lingyi and the others were of course more worried about themselves. If they really had skills and talents, they wouldn't need to rely on the name of Duke Yan Sheng.
Kong Lingyi hesitated and said: "As a scholar, the study of Confucian classics should be the first priority. There is nothing wrong with this principle." Li Yu said: "Of course it is right, so the study of Confucian classics cannot be discarded. But as a scholar, it is not enough. , we should still consider the major events of the world. You must know that the world now is not just our land, but also many vast worlds, including five continents and four oceans. To use a master's words, when three people are walking together, there must be my teacher. Now the great powers cannot There are only three. Only by keeping up with the trend and learning from the world can we do the right thing and benefit the people." Yan Fu also said: "This is what Shu Cai said. He is not doing anything about new learning and old learning. Instead of fighting, everyone should pay attention to Western learning while studying Confucian classics, so that they can be useful to the country." Li Yu quoted the words of Confucius himself, and the effect was very good.
But it seems that using ancient sayings still cannot correct their thinking. Yan Jingyu said: "I heard in the newspaper that you are a contemporary scientific saint, but you are not familiar with Confucian classics. I'm afraid it is inconsistent with your statement that Confucian classics cannot be discarded. It is contradictory." This is to pick on Li Yu's words, but Yan Jingyu and Kong Lingyi Together, they are no better than Gu Hongming, regardless of knowledge or debating ability, so Li Yu is really not afraid.
Li Yudan replied: "Everything is subject to comparison. If I didn't understand Confucian classics, I wouldn't be able to say a few sentences of the Tao Te Ching. I have studied Confucian classics, but I'm just a little behind compared to you. Is this the case?" Is it called "Study of Confucian Classics"? People's energy is limited. Only if you can learn the level of Westerners in science before they reach adulthood can you say such words to me." Kong Lingyi asked: "Science is so difficult? Is it possible that you can learn from Westerners before they reach adulthood? Is it so difficult for everyone’s level?” Li Yu said: “It’s not difficult, but I’m afraid you won’t condescend to learn it. Confucian classics has developed for so many years, and it is indeed very advanced in depth, but science is still in the horizontal breadth and vertical direction. They are very profound in depth, and new things emerge one after another." Li Yu did not belittle the classics, which made them less wary.
Kong Lingyi said: "We are really worried that the large-scale invasion of Western learning will cause the loss of the status of Chinese studies, and the country will not be a country." However, Li Yu clearly said that after all, what Kong Lingyi was most worried about was status.
Li Yu sighed in his heart, and he didn't expect them to have the academic spirit and level of Confucius. If the situation of a hundred schools of thought contending was present, maybe science could really develop.
It's a pity that these people now don't have this spirit. After all, they are vested interests and have been favored by the court for two thousand years. It is very difficult to break through themselves.
Li Yu said: "The status of Chinese studies will not be lost, but will become more and more respected with the development of the times. But the prerequisite is that the country must be strong enough, and the strong foundation, I think you also know, is to study Western studies and surround yourself with Isn't Japan an example?" People in the East and West seemed to feel from Li Yu's words that Li Yu did not want to abandon Confucian classics, and even said that the status of Chinese classics would become more and more respected. This sentence was finally correct.
On the one hand, Li Yu knew that he couldn't persuade them, so he could only play with it like coaxing children; on the other hand, what he said was right, we have made similar extreme mistakes since then.
After all, the cultural backbone cannot be lost. This ridge beam is made of composite materials, and traditional culture is absolutely indispensable.
Yan Jingyu breathed a sigh of relief: "However, the current situation is that the imperial examination is in danger, but science is very popular. Your position as a scientific saint must not be lost. If you can be a sub-sage, it seems acceptable." Li Yu was embarrassed. Said: "I don't want to be a saint, nor am I a saint. Moreover, the word "Jianxuanchen" is not appropriate. If you could have a deeper understanding of the internal causes of the power of the West, you wouldn't say that." Kong Lingyi knew that he could not defeat Li Yu, so he suddenly spoke directly Asked: "In the opinion of the emperor, which one is higher or lower, science or classics?" Li Yu said calmly: "There is no difference between higher and lower." He would not fall into such a simple language trap. This kind of question was too low.
If someone like Gu Hongming asked questions here, it would be really difficult to deal with him due to the favorable location. However, I was really afraid that something would come my way. A disciple said outside the Dacheng Hall: "Shenggong Yan, a gentleman who claims to be from the East, West, North and South, wants to see you." I'm sorry!
Li Yu almost fell over.
