The Confucius family would always be delayed for a few days in understanding the progress of the court debate on the rituals of worshiping Confucius. During these few days, Zhang Fujing and Yang Tinghe, who were the two main debaters in the original ceremony, opposed the re-definition of Confucius. The people worshiping the ceremony were left and right.
The good news is that Zhang Fujing finally left Beijing.
The bad news is that many volumes of Wang Shouren's "Examinations of Practical Studies and Dialectics" were copied out at an outrageous speed.
The emperor initially just asked the literate ministers in the palace to copy the copies day and night. After the five copies were handed over to Zhang Fujing, Yang Tinghe and others, they naturally found people to copy more.
Zhu Houcong proposed the theory of the three principles of heaven, matter and man quite early, in the first year of Jiajing.
However, these intellectual views were deliberated and discussed for a long time in the imperial study room and before leaving the capital for consultation. It was not until the end of the second year of Jiajing that they were officially made known to the outside world.
Until now, this is the first book devoted to discussing these intellectual perspectives.
Yang Ting and them had too many things to do and were unable to complete this work.
Although Zhu Houcong can talk eloquently, it would be useless if he could easily quote scriptures and express them using the logic and words and phrases that everyone is accustomed to in today's knowledge.
And Ding You's Wang Shouren can be said to have taken advantage of the right time, place, and people.
The Confucian Sacrifice Code is just a debate in attitude and symbolism. This practical study and dialectics are a direct challenge to Neo-Confucianism and even Confucianism, which is now an official school!
Yang Tinghe has already got a set and has read the third volume.
"Father, take a rest."
Among the four sons, Yang Shen is in Guangdong, and Yang Dun is a water patrol censor. The third son, Yang Huan, has given up taking the exam and has been selected as a scholar in Yinzhong. The fourth son, Yang Zhen, has passed the exam eight years ago and he still wants to try again. Give it a try.
Seeing his son bring a cup of tea, Yang Tinghe first put down the book, and then asked him: "Where did you read?"
"My son has just read the beginning of the second volume. Wang Dutai dissects the principles of things and people. It seems that he no longer adheres to the previous theory that the heart is nature."
Yang Tinghe nodded and said melancholy: "Wang Bo'an has had many ups and downs in his life, and his determination is far beyond comparison with other people's. After realizing the method of knowing one's conscience, it is almost natural. It will make it easier for Wang Bo'an to gain insights and persevere in learning. , this practical science is indeed endlessly mysterious..."
He bowed to Wang Shouren in terms of intellectual understanding. There was nothing he could do about it.
In the past, the emperor sometimes had many witty sayings that made him feel like he was enlightened, but he was never as transparent as Wang Shouren and made it easier for him to understand.
The reason for this is very simple. Confucianism has its own "academic language" system.
Zhu Houcong's language is always more out-of-the-box or more vulgar and superficial, which is actually not very friendly to academic leaders: it is not precise enough, and it is not enough to make people think more about the remarks of their predecessors.
But Wang Shouren is an expert.
For practical studies to be called "learning", they must be systematically elaborated from the level of worldview: what is the nature of the world, what are the laws of world change, what is the relationship between human thinking and the existence of the world, how to understand the world and change the world How about the method.
In fact, from ancient times to the present, although the subject category of "philosophy" has not yet been clearly proposed, the more influential pre-Qin scholars, including religion, cannot avoid elaborating on the world view.
At this time, there was no clear and specific classification of knowledge. Among many kinds of knowledge, only arithmetic, astronomy, calendar, medicine, etc. are independent from the ancient integrated knowledge. The research content of philosophy mainly revolves around ontology and cognition.
The difference between Neo-Confucianism and Psychology is that there are some differences in views in these aspects.
Now Wang Shouren has reached a higher level and is no longer limited to the framework of Xinxue or pure Neo-Confucianism.
This is certainly due to the fact that Wang Shouren's understanding is very comparable to others, but in Yang Tinghe's view, some of Zhu Houcong's "occasional gains" statements are too thought-provoking.
Thinking of this, he said to his fourth son: "Since you can win the exam, there is no need to study other knowledge in detail. Not only my father, but also all the counselors are deeply impressed by the exquisiteness of practical science and dialectics. My father. I have already had some conversations with you on weekdays, and now I have these five volumes of Wang Shouren's books, so I can study them with peace of mind and don't have to worry about the exams next year. In three to five years, the world will know where the path to learning lies."
Yang Zhen asked in shock: "Three to five years?"
What kind of knowledge can be accepted by more people than after a generation or even several generations of debate in the minds of scholars all over the world?
Is it because His Majesty is behind this practical study? But learned things must ultimately withstand debate.
Yang Tinghe waved his hand: "Go back and continue reading. I will finish reading the third volume for my father before taking a rest."
In fact, the most intriguing thing is the proposal of the principle of things. The principles of all things are the most easily visible, tangible, and demonstrable knowledge. All these knowledges have also been incorporated into the new development of Confucian practice. The verifiability and feasibility of knowledge are no longer just rhetorical speculation.
Furthermore, if what His Majesty said is so easy to find errors and omissions, how could Yang Ting and these people be so enthusiastic with their skills?
Today's people are better than the ancients... From now on, I'm afraid there is no need to call it the Confucius Temple. How about calling it the Confucian Temple?
So why can’t we add a hall of Neo-Confucianism and a hall of Practical Studies in addition to the hall of Dacheng Wenxuan and his disciples?
Your Majesty said that everything is developing!
Yang Tinghe thought about his status as the "leader of the new party" and read Wang Shouren's results carefully.
He also hopes that he can inspire and write books.
By the time the new law was implemented nationwide in the fifth year of Jiajing's reign, he was nearly seventy years old and should have retreated from the rapids.
He, Yang Tinghe, already has a lot of achievements; but in the process of "taking the throne" as a new student, he, Yang Tinghe, still lacks a lot!
In the capital, scholars and officials had a hot topic this time that they had to and must participate in.
The emperor only slapped Li Guan because he ridiculed Confucius, who he suspected had been dead for many years. The emperor also happily encouraged others who quoted scriptures and discussed matters.
At present, Wang Shouren's book is only spread by word of mouth, and many people are not qualified to read the specific text.
But the words had already spread.
There is no learning that lasts for a hundred generations, and there is no method that remains unchanged forever.
Seeking knowledge is action, and action leads to knowledge. If you know what is true and what is false, you will understand it by doing it. True knowledge changes from time to time, and it changes with practice and experience. Only when the knowledge is put into action can it be true knowledge for a moment.
"Doesn't this mean that if we study hard in the cold window, we will end up with temporary true knowledge? In this case, what is the use of learning these sages' classics?"
In the Imperial College, the prison students are the most uneasy.
The provincial examination next year and the national examination the year after that will be held. How will people like them who have read the books of sages for many years cope with it?
Kong Zhewen and his descendants from many sages have become the main targets of "enthusiastic debate" by many people.
He was indeed indignant.
This is just in the Imperial College. Is it okay to express some opinions?
"All dynasties have followed the teachings of sages. Even if there are troubled times, there are still many ruling and prosperous times! From this point of view, this is not the fault of the teachings of sages, but the failure of the people in the dynasty to understand its meaning and use its methods!"
Kong Zhewen's words caused a burst of applause, although they were a bit dangerous.
After saying these words, Kong Zhewen's heartbeat accelerated a little.
All he had to do was name the monarchs and ministers currently in office and say that they did not abide by the old laws and would cause chaos.
"And the Huangming University!" said a supervisor, "Do you still remember His Majesty's favor to Zhang Fujing? The son of Yin is to enter the Huangming University! Will the Imperial College cease to exist in the future?"
This sentence resonates even more with most Imperial College students.
Since the Sui Dynasty, the Imperial College has been the highest official school in the country. During the Hongwu period, the status of the Imperial College was extremely high. At one time, more than half of the people who passed the imperial examination came from the Imperial College. During the Yongle period, there were nearly 10,000 students in Nanjing Imperial College, which was an unprecedented event.
However, since the precedent of "students with an amount of more than 100 yuan entering the Imperial College" was later set, the influence of the Imperial College has indeed become less and less.
Nowadays, the good and the bad in the Imperial College are even more mixed. There are the juren who failed the examination and were selected by the Hanlin Academy and then sent in on their merits, as well as the Gongjian and Yisheng.
This tribute prison is divided into Sui Gong, Xingong, Engong and Nagong. The annual tribute and the selected tribute are generally of a certain level, but Enyin, the prison students who come in as tribute, and the foreign students from local officials and even foreign countries are basically just hanging around here.
"In my opinion, with the new law, everything is messed up! Everyone, since Your Majesty has ordered the Ministry of Rites to gather to discuss the ceremony for the Master's sacrifice, and we are sitting in prison reciting the scriptures of saints and sages every day, why don't we write to Your Majesty and express our opinions together?"
"You're right! Respecting teachers and teachings is about to start from scratch!"
Kong Zhewen watched with trepidation as they asked him to take the lead in signing. He was about to recommend a certain eunuch with better academic performance to take the lead, when he saw the Imperial College Secretary Ye had brought people with many pages of books.
"According to the decree, the daily writing class of the supervisors is changed to copying "Exams of Practical Studies and Dialectics" for the reading of hundreds of officials before printing! Each person is not limited to 256 words per day, and they must submit it once a day. , both regular script and regular script are suitable for calligraphy. Both calligraphy and composition can be exempted this month."
"..."
It is true that the supervisors are often assigned to perform repetitive tasks that require a large number of literate people, but this time they were actually asked to copy this book, and many people immediately objected.
The Imperial College Secretary Ye just said coldly: "This month's quiz will be included in the exam. Those who fail to complete it will be considered inferior."
The Imperial College holds twelve major and minor exams a year, and they are divided into upper, middle and lower grades according to their scores, each with points. Among the six level three examinations, those who have scored eight points can be promoted or awarded graduates, which is quite similar to the university credit system in later generations.
Now, since we need to connect the small copying work with the exam class? The supervisors do have 256 words of calligraphy homework every day, and they also need to write six essays every month.
Without any explanation, the Imperial College issued a separate page of paper to each prison student.
Everyone has only one page, and everyone is treated equally, from prison to barbarian students, everyone has to copy it.
It seemed that everyone was just copying the contents of one page. After being collected, I'm afraid it will be bound into another volume.
In this case, how many volumes can you get every day?
Being treated as a copycat is the second worst thing. The key is what is being copied? A new book outside of the Confucian classics, originally written by a heretical person!
The purpose of going to the Imperial College to study the classics and seek a career was that many people in the Imperial College complained.
Naturally, the pages of the book that were handed to me were also circulated.
Some people just read some "fragments" first, and then refuted it angrily.
Whether it caused trouble or not, after that day, more bits and pieces about this book spread from the Imperial College.
After Wang Zuo compiled today's report, he sent someone to report it to Huang Jin.
After Zhang Jin went to Nanzhili to serve as a garrison eunuch, Zhang Zuo, who was promoted to the chief minister of ceremony, could no longer directly supervise the Jin Yiwei.
Huang Jin's power became even greater.
After he consulted Zhu Houcong, Wang Zuo was ordered to enter the palace and go to the Yangxin Hall.
It was already night, and he stood there and reported seriously: "Since the wall was opened in Xiyuan and the Huangming University was rebuilt, the supervisors have been talking a lot. Zhang Wei's staff Shen Wenzhou had previously had an affair with Kong Zhewen, the tribute supervisor of the Kong family. I have been paying close attention to our interactions. Your Majesty, today I ordered the supervisors to copy the books. After nightfall, there was a lot of talk in many bars and brothels in the city. I am afraid that someone will join forces to cause trouble, have you made any preparations?"
"Let's talk about it when the trouble breaks out." Zhu Houcong only looked at other news in the report. Wang Zuo did not write about this incident in it separately, "Wang Rumei held a banquet, Tang Gao, Wang Qin..."
Wang Rumei, who lost his mind that day, was not punished. Now that he has come forward, he has become a core figure in opposing the re-establishment of Confucius' canon.
Zhu Houcong looked up at him after reading the message: "No one is going to level 4 or above?"
Wang Zuo shook his head.
Wang Rumei was admitted to the Ministry of Etiquette from the seventh rank, Wang Qin, the head of the Ministry of War, was from the sixth rank, and Tang Gao, the number one scholar in the ninth year of Zhengde, was currently from the fifth rank as a lecturer at the Hanlin Academy. In addition to the fourth-rank official of the Du Cha Yuan, You Qian Du Yushi, and the two fifth-rank Liubu doctors, most of the guests attending the banquet were also sixth- and seventh-rank officials from the capital.
If you are above the fourth rank, you will be a minister-level figure in the Sixth Ministry, and you are very close to being a counselor.
Zhu Houcong laughed: The future is still important. Nowadays, the flow of input is so fast that more and more high-ranking officials are about to be vacated in the world. Only a few small shrimps are left who are still working together to give it a try.
After reading the report, Zhu Houcong handed it to Huang Jin to keep and then looked at Wang Zuo: "You want to see me, and it's not just about the supervision of students, right? Just tell me."
Wang Zuo bowed and said, "The news from Huguang is that the King of Liao is seriously ill."
Zhu Houcong's eyes narrowed: "What's going on?"
"...Excessive sexual pleasure." Wang Zuo added, "The impeachment of Jingzhou Prefecture and Huguang Yushi probably also frightened the King of Liao a lot. In short, people from the Yiwei Department reported that the King of Liao was indeed The illness is serious. Some clan members of the Liao vassal are also planning to sue His Majesty for the foolishness of the King of Liao and the domineering behavior of the Princess of Liao. Please ask Your Majesty to appoint another King of Liao to make the decision for the Liao vassal."
"Why did you mention Princess Liao?"
"Before the King of Liao went into mourning and enfeoffed him, most of the affairs of the Liao vassal were handled by Princess Mao of Liao. After the King of Liao went to the vassal, he just wanted to bribe relatives in the Liao vassal to beg for favors or report for revenge. The Princess of Liao...actually He has a virtuous reputation, but the Liao vassal has many clan members, so the Princess of Liao will inevitably have many admonitions."
Zhu Houcong counted the time.
It will only take a few months for the King of Liao to officially seize the throne, right? Destroying his body even more so quickly?
Although it was his own fault, it would be a big deal if after the Liao Fan was impeached for harming the people during this period, the emperor replaced the Liao Fan with another king or simply eliminated the Liao Fan.
The other vassals would not feel from the common people's standpoint that the Liao vassal or the King of Liao deserved their punishment. They would only feel that the emperor was really harsh to the vassal king's family.
Wang Zuo waited for the emperor's decision.
Regarding the matter of the Liao vassal, the matter has actually been dealt with before, and the decree is already on the way: Zhu Houcong gave a reprimand, rejected the begging for favor, ordered the King of Liao to return the bribes collected, and fined a large sum of money to the victimized people.
The main contradiction in Jingzhou Prefecture is not that Liao King Zhu Zhige is stupid now, but that the officials of Jingzhou Prefecture are causing trouble.
Zhu Houcong punished Liao Fan, so Jingzhou Prefecture should stop.
But now that Zhu Zhige is seriously ill, if Huguang is "scared to death" by two vassal kings in a short period of time, it might be a bit lively.
Zhu Houcong thought for a moment and then said: "Hurry and go to Jingzhou Mansion to express condolences to the King of Liao on my behalf, and ask Marquis Jing'an to invite famous doctors to diagnose his illness."
It's summer, and there are often heavy rains.
In the capital, the supervisors were worried about their future. Many officials in the capital with their own thoughts felt that this was a good opportunity to use Confucius' status to inspire many scholars in the world to build momentum.
Zhang Fujing was on his way to Shandong. The eunuchs and royal guards who rushed to Huguang to express condolences to the King of Liao had already set off.
Wang Shouren had just arrived at Nanchang Mansion. Jiangxi Water Patrol Censor and Zhu Houcong's sister's consort, Captain Yu Chengye, and all Jiangxi officials came out of the city to greet him.
The person sent by Beijing to tell him the latest situation was also waiting there, bringing him news that would shock the entire Jiangxi province.
Zhang Fu respectfully requested that the Confucius ceremony be reestablished.
Wang Shouren was stunned: I just sent those volumes of books to the capital, and Your Majesty is not going to be so big on it, right?
The discussion of worshiping Confucius was no longer limited to the capital, but swept most of the Ming Dynasty.
The Five Military Camp Incident and the Sichuan Incident, in the name of rebellion, many high-ranking officials of the truly die-hard old party have been purged.
Now, the governors of the provinces are even more afraid to take it lightly.
Those officials and local gentry scattered all over the country all had vital interests, and they all knew the impact of taking action on Confucius' status.
In Jinan Prefecture, Shandong Province, Gao Zhong, the new eunuch of the town, received a "meal" from Qufu.
He opened the food box and looked at the sumptuous "meal" inside.
"...That's Zhang 'Beheading'..."
