Chapter 66: 065 The Great Unity Society

Lunch was eaten on the mountain; only after finishing did they go to see Cai Maode.

On the way to the dining hall, many students followed along. Once Zhao Han sat down, another group gathered around, chattering incessantly.

There were also a few tables of people whose faces showed cold sneers, utterly disdainful.

"These bizarre and absurd arguments are nothing but grandstanding to court popularity."

"The head of the academy should expel him from the school!"

"I've heard that this fellow is merely an adopted son, the sort of goods you'd find among household slaves."

"No wonder he speaks of being born equal — just the ravings of a lowly man."

"Ha ha ha ha, shout 'all men are equal' a few times, and a household slave thinks he can become the master?"

"If he's a household slave, how is he also a child student? How bizarre!"

"Nothing more than a glib tongue, beguiling his master into having his name entered on the household register."

"Despicable! Wouldn't this defile the reputation of our Fei clan? I shall certainly go to the clan head and lodge a complaint!"

"..."

Over on Zhao Han's side, it was equally lively.

One child student said, "Chen Lide is a hypocrite of the School of Principle; I have long detested his words and deeds. To see him debate today and flee covering his face — truly a great satisfaction!"

Zhao Han smiled faintly. "Mr. Chen is, after all, a teacher. As students, it is enough to point out his errors; do not slander his personal character and conduct."

A xiucai exclaimed in admiration, "Neither servile nor overbearing, neither arrogant nor rash — you, younger fellow student, are the true follower of the School of Principle!"

Another child student asked, "Sir, the words of Master Zhu you brought forth are all astonishing and unconventional. From which great work do they come?"

Zhao Han answered, "Mostly from 'The Classified Sayings of Master Zhu' and 'The Hui'an Collection,' as well as other writings by Master Zhu."

The xiucai from before clicked his tongue and said, "I have seen 'The Hui'an Collection' and even flipped through it; it runs a full one hundred volumes. At the time I was busy with the civil examinations and did not read it carefully, but from now on I shall certainly study it with diligence!"

"I have only read through it roughly myself," Zhao Han said.

This was truly not modesty. In just over three years, how could one possibly read the Confucian classics thoroughly?

As for 'The Hui'an Collection,' Zhao Han had read it selectively.

He skipped the poetry entirely, read the chapters he liked in detail, skimmed the dull chapters, only excerpted the key content, and for the rest, simply grasped the main ideas.

Reading books this way, he could only bully ordinary people.

Put him face to face with a great Confucian of the School of Principle, and they could refute Zhao Han until he was left speechless.

Clearly, everyone in this dining hall was an ordinary person.

Some students, wanting both to show off and to avoid serious reading, said, "Junior fellow student, your research into Master Zhu is thorough. Could you tell us a bit more about Master Zhu?"

This was not a request for learning and instruction, but a desire to pick up a few phrases to take elsewhere and show off.

"Yes, yes, yes, quickly, tell us about Master Zhu." The crowd all chimed in agreement, each wanting to memorize a few more astonishing remarks.

The food had already been served. There was no room to sit around the table, so many simply held their rice bowls and stood listening.

Zhao Han picked up his chopsticks and said, "Let me first speak of 'The Hui'an Collection.' This book contains many startling arguments. Do you all know the matter of Confucius executing Shaozheng Mao?"

"Of course we know it," the xiucai Liu Ziren said, holding his bowl.

Confucius and Shaozheng Mao both gathered crowds to lecture at the same time. Shaozheng Mao's lectures were more pleasing to hear, and Confucius's students all ran off. Later, when Confucius served as Grand Minister of Justice, he had been in office a mere seven days when he executed Shaozheng Mao and even exposed his corpse for three days.

This story first appeared in the 'Xunzi,' which only said Confucius executed Shaozheng Mao, with no mention of the lectures or the corpse exposure. Through many embellishments, later generations spoke of it with such certainty that they filled in all the details of the story.

The 'Records of the Grand Historian,' employing the Spring and Autumn brush technique, also gives no details whatsoever, only adding the three words 'had a pleased expression' after Confucius took office and before he executed Shaozheng Mao.

Zhao Han raised his chopsticks and said, "In 'The Hui'an Collection,' Master Zhu denies the matter of 'executing Shaozheng Mao' and even scolds Xunzi as a shallow Confucian who deliberately slandered Confucius. Because this story first appears in the 'Xunzi,' next in 'The Annals of Lü Buwei,' and is recorded in no other pre-Qin text!"

"So that's how it is!"

The students were overjoyed; they had another topic for bragging.

Even those at the distant tables, though they despised Zhao Han, inclined their ears to listen, afraid of missing a single word.

Zhao Han set down his chopsticks, clasped his hands and smiled. "Do you all know that Master Zhu not only scolded Xunzi, but also poked fun at Confucius?"

"Really?" The crowd was astonished.

Zhao Han explained in detail, "Master Zhu said that in the chaos of the Spring and Autumn period, with rites and music in ruins, Confucius's learning was utterly useless. This comes from 'The Classified Sayings of Master Zhu.'"

Well, strictly speaking, it was not entirely out of context; Zhu Xi did seem to imply a bit of a jab at Confucius.

The students were first shocked, then excited.

So Master Zhu was just like us, having poked fun at the venerable Confucius too.

"What else? What else? Tell us quickly!" These fellows had no taste for grand principles; they only liked hearing this sort of gossip.

Since everyone wanted to hear it, Zhao Han was happy to ramble on. "With Song and Jin standing opposed, let me ask, was Master Zhu for peace or for war?"

In the minds of the scholars of the Great Ming, Zhu Xi was earnest and refined, unlikely to clamor for war; he was probably of the peace faction.

But the Zhu Xi in Zhao Han's telling seemed different.

So everyone fell silent, waiting for Zhao Han to elaborate.

Zhao Han slammed the table. "Master Zhu said: the Jin kingdom is barbarian, a beast. What reason can you speak to beasts? What treaties can you negotiate with beasts? Do not fear — just fight! Northern expedition, northern expedition!"

"Excellent!"

"Master Zhu was truly a fierce warrior!"

Since the Zhu Xi in Zhao Han's telling was so unorthodox, then perhaps in private... he was even more unorthodox.

Fei Ruyi, wearing a lewd grin, suddenly asked, "Then did Master Zhu ever take a nun as a concubine?"

"Brother Changhuai, how can you spout such nonsense!"

The crowd all rebuked him, then immediately turned back to Zhao Han, their faces filled with a thirst for knowledge, each seeming to hope it was true.

Go on, go on, this is exactly what we like to hear.

Zhao Han explained, "At that time there was a palace coup, a new emperor ascended the throne, and Master Zhu was summoned to be the imperial tutor. There were two men who had supported the enthronement: one was the imperial kinsman Zhao Ruyu, the other the consort kin Han Tuozhou. The two clashed, and Master Zhu bore the brunt of it, slandered with ten great crimes, among them the crime of privately marrying a nun."

"So did he marry the nun or not?" Fei Ruhe pressed.

"What do you think?" Zhao Han countered, then went on. "Of the ten great crimes, Master Zhu did not defend himself — he admitted them all. He withdrew from the court solely to escape the factional strife of the time. Yet he still could not escape. The disciples of the School of Principle were largely pushed out and persecuted, and even while living idle at home, Master Zhu was repeatedly impeached."

Fei Ruhe couldn't help scratching his head. "What does admitting it prove? Did he marry her or didn't he?"

"Of course he didn't marry a nun — how could Master Zhu be that sort of man!" the xiucai Liu Ziren shouted. "Slander hurled in factional attacks, how can that be taken as truth?"

He didn't marry a nun?

Everyone felt deeply disappointed in Zhu Xi.

Fei Ruyi still wouldn't give up. He pressed on: "Then did Master Zhu persecute the celebrated courtesan Yan Rui, and did he secretly marry Yan Rui's daughter, Li'niang? Of these two tales, which is true and which is false?"

"Utter nonsense!"

Liu Ziren seized Fei Ruyi by the lapels and roared, "You fop in weird clothes — do not slander the Sage!"

Fei Ruyi saw Liu Ziren's fleshy, brutish face — not the least bit handsome — and said with distaste, "These stories aren't ones I made up. They've long since spread all over Jiangzuo."

"Jiangzuo is a place that shelters filth and foulness!" Liu Ziren, equally disgusted, shoved Fei Ruyi away hard; standing too close to him made his skin crawl.

A cut-sleeve and a straight man, each repelled by the sight of the other.

Zhao Han slowly recounted, "That year, a great disaster struck Zhedong, and Master Zhu was idle at home. The Grand Councilor Wang Huai, though he detested the School of Principle and had no regard for Master Zhu, had no choice but to appoint him to provide disaster relief. Do you gentlemen know why?"

"It must be because Master Zhu excelled at governing a locality," Xu Ying suddenly said.

"Exactly," Zhao Han said. "Master Zhu once governed Chong'an County. When a great disaster struck, the officials were corrupt, the merchants hoarded goods, and the gentry stood by with folded arms. Master Zhu punished the corrupt officials, suppressed the local evil gentry, and forced the merchants to sell grain at fair prices. He offended everyone at court and in the locality, yet countless common people of Chong'an County survived."

"As expected, a model for men like us — Master Zhu, a Sage!" Xu Ying, Liu Ziren, and the other students exclaimed.

Zhao Han continued, "This time, the Zhedong disaster was simply too severe. Grand Councilor Wang Huai had no one else to use and could only appoint Master Zhu to handle matters. The Zhedong disaster was not merely a natural calamity — it was even more a man-made catastrophe. The Taizhou Prefect, Tang Zhongyou, had ravaged the region terribly. Master Zhu submitted six successive memorials impeaching this man, shocking the entire court, because this Tang Zhongyou was none other than Grand Councilor Wang Huai's fellow townsman and in-law!"

Xu Ying couldn't help asking, "What happened in the end?"

Zhao Han sighed. "The disaster was brought under control. Tang Zhongyou was dismissed from office. And Master Zhu… was also dismissed from office."

"Outrageous!"

The students were furious at hearing this — Fei Ruyi included.

Fei Ruhe bellowed, "That Emperor and Grand Councilor were truly fatuous and incompetent. Tang Zhongyou did every evil deed, yet he was only dismissed — they didn't even investigate his crimes? Master Zhu relieved the people's suffering, and he too lost his black gauze cap? Was Master Zhu a chamber pot, then? Picked up to use, and tossed aside the moment you're done!"

"Th-this…" Liu Ziren had been angry too, but hearing this he immediately retorted, "How can you call Master Zhu a chamber pot?"

Fei Ruhe glared at him. "You're a xiucai — can't you understand plain speech? I'm not the one saying Master Zhu is a chamber pot; it's that fatuous ruler and his Grand Councilor who treated Master Zhu like a chamber pot!"

Liu Ziren stamped his foot in fury. "Even so, you can't use that kind of comparison!"

Xu Ying hurried to mediate. "We're all crying out against the injustice done to Master Zhu — don't let it spoil the harmony between us."

Fei Ruyi suddenly urged, "Hurry up and tell the part about the celebrated courtesan."

Zhao Han explained, "The celebrated courtesan Yan Rui was in fact the concubine of that corrupt official, Prefect Tang Zhongyou. Tang Zhongyou also had a friend named Hong Mai. Years later, when Master Zhu was dismissed due to factional strife, Hong Mai happened to be the chief compiler of the national history. Not only did he slander Master Zhu in the history, he also wrote the 'Yijian Zhi, Geng Collection,' fabricating the affair between Master Zhu and that courtesan."

Zhao Han addressed everyone. "Gentlemen, Master Zhu was opposed to women following their husbands in death. The story that Master Zhu wrote an inscription honoring a chaste widow who died for her husband was also concocted by the likes of Hong Mai. Because at that time, dying for one's husband was not considered a good thing — on the contrary, it drew the scorn of the scholar-official class. Those who opposed the School of Principle then claimed that Master Zhu advocated women dying for their husbands."

Zhao Han pointed in the direction of the foot of the mountain. "If we followed the true meaning of Master Zhu's teachings, those chastity and virtue memorial archways could all be torn down."

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay.

Fei Yuanjian set down his bowl and chopsticks and clenched both fists. His own mother — right now, she was one of those chastity archways.

Liu Ziren suddenly said, "Junior Brother, you have delved deeply into the true meaning of Master Zhu's teachings. Why don't we form a study society, to restore the School of Principle to its original purity?"

"I'll join too!" Fei Ruhe immediately responded — this fellow was purely in it for the fun.

Xu Ying asked, "How about calling it the Holding-the-Pearl Society?"

Zhao Han smiled. "Better to call it the Great Unity Society, taking the meaning of 'Great Unity under Heaven.'"

Zhu Zhiyu walked over. "May I join?"

(End of chapter)