[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-263":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Shao Song",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1558429,2024,"Chapter 263: Distinguishing the Classics","shao-song-chapter-263",263,"\u003Cp>In late February, Military Commissioner Zhang Jun hurried back to Kaifeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said, the conditions of this era were truly indescribable. Something that could have been clarified with a single phone call instead required a high minister to personally spend over a month traveling back and forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, conversely, wasn't it because there were no phones? Anyone who wanted to say something face-to-face or express a stance had to spend time traveling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jun returned to the Eastern Capital at noon that day and immediately rushed to the imperial palace to see His Majesty Zhao Jiu. However, aside from learning that the 'Qi Ya Practice' at Xuan De Tower had been postponed again until tomorrow, he gained nothing else—according to Chief Eunuch Lan Gui, His Majesty, though already aware that Dongting Lake was pacified, did not know that Commissioner Zhang was returning to the capital today, and had thus gone out incognito early in the morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the Son of Heaven to go out incognito was undoubtedly a ridiculous and frivolous act, something to be firmly opposed. But considering that the Retired Emperor had been particularly fond of visiting prostitutes incognito before his northern captivity... some things were just like that. As long as enough guards were brought along, one had to hold one's nose and accept it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, did anyone truly believe they could control a horse-riding emperor who had personally fought battles within a imperial autocracy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nevertheless, Zhang Jun dared not be negligent. He carefully asked Chief Eunuch Lan Gui about His Majesty's whereabouts, and then, relying on his youth and vigor, immediately turned around and headed toward where His Majesty Zhao Jiu currently was—the direction of the Five Peaks Temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, if His Majesty had gone to the Five Peaks Temple, it might not necessarily count as going incognito. Unlike the Great Xiangguo Temple, which could trace its lineage back to the Tang Dynasty, the Five Peaks Temple was barely considered His Majesty's private property—it was a Daoist site specially built during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song for the purpose of conducting the Fengshan ceremonies, located south of the Imperial Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, although it matched the Great Xiangguo Temple in scale and system, everyone knew that their actual influence and professional standards were not on the same level... First, the Five Peaks Temple's origins were not legitimate, because everyone knew Emperor Zhenzong's Fengshan was a farce. In fact, it was from this event that the generation of statesmen led by Wang Anshi began to completely discard the Han Confucian theory of the interaction between Heaven and man. Second, although similar in scale and not far apart, their locations were clearly different. The Great Xiangguo Temple was in the inner city, while the Five Peaks Temple was in the outer city, separated by a city wall and the Imperial Academy. Was the land price between the Second Ring and the Third Ring the same?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, perhaps misfortune came from good fortune. Because of its prime location, after His Majesty returned to the old capital, the Great Xiangguo Temple was quickly requisitioned for military use. It served as a high-end weapons supervision bureau, an inner city barracks, and even a reception center for high-ranking generals... As a result, no matter how delicious the monks' vegetarian meals were, how upscale the location, or how excellent the room service, they could no longer continue commercial economic activities and folk religious activities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, due to the actual needs arising from the economic recovery of the Eastern Capital, the Five Peaks Temple, located south of the Imperial Academy, became the highest-end civilian hotel in all of Eastern Capital... One could only say, by the blessings of the Daoist Patriarch, the Daoists sat there without moving and still managed to outdo the monks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did you not see? Nowadays, if they wanted to debate the plot of \"Journey to the West: Demon Subduing Records,\" the monks had to rely on the Abbot of the Famen Temple branch, leading the charge in the western part of the city. Here on Imperial Street, it had always been the territory of the Five Peaks Temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enough idle talk. Although Zhang Jun was not clear on the specific reason His Majesty had come to the Five Peaks Temple, he could roughly guess some things... This place was the number one civilian hotel in the Eastern Capital, adjacent to the Imperial Academy, so it naturally gathered non-Imperial Academy scholars and common literati. And since it was not yet the examination season, considering the postponement of the 'Qi Ya Practice,' the people gathered here were naturally the various Daoists, Neo-Confucians, or other great and famous Confucian scholars who had traveled from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And sure enough, when Zhang Jun hurriedly turned into the Five Peaks Temple, he found that hundreds of scholars and Imperial Academy students had already gathered in front of the main hall. Upon inquiry, he learned that it was the contemporary famous Confucian, the direct disciple of the Cheng brothers, the protagonist of the \"Standing in the Snow at Cheng's Gate\" story, Yang Shi, who had arrived with his disciples. These people had all come to see Yang Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, at this moment, Zhang Deyuan, clad in a purple robe, arrived hastily. He looked around but could not find His Majesty Zhao Jiu. When he asked around and was stared at by the crowd, he suddenly became the center of attention. Many familiar faces came over to greet him, and even the Daoists of the Five Peaks Temple rushed over frantically to attend to him. Only then did Zhang Jun realize he had been somewhat rash. Helpless, he simply clasped his hands in a general salute, then sat down on the ground like an ordinary Imperial Academy student, putting on an air of eager learning, thus keeping everyone at bay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, after a bustling while longer, an elderly man in plain clothes, about fifty years old, came to the pre-set meditation cushion in front of the main hall. He did not sit down, but instead raised his hand, and the bustling below immediately subsided:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Learning is best done in stillness. Since you have all come seeking knowledge, please maintain a quiet demeanor. My teacher will be here shortly...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Isn't that Yang Shi?\" Hearing this, from a side room about seventy or eighty paces away, His Majesty Zhao Jiu, sitting behind a window, asked a question he shouldn't have.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The attendants exchanged bewildered glances. Before Yang Yizhong could step in, Lu Benzhong beside him replied in confusion: \"Your Majesty, Master Guishan (Yang Shi) is nearly eighty years old. He was a high minister before the Jingkang Incident, and when Your Majesty ascended the throne, he once attended the temporary court in Nanjing (Shangqiu). After the second year of Jianyan, when he went to Nanyang, I recall my father once again summoned him on behalf of the court... How could Your Majesty have forgotten all this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu let out a silent laugh, then raised an eyebrow: \"To be honest with Juren (Lu Benzhong's style name), when I fell into that well that day, I truly forgot many things. Later, I roughly remembered some, but I'm still a bit confused.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Benzhong quickly nodded. That matter involved the secret of his father's rise to power, so he was unwilling and too lazy to think about it. He simply introduced through the half-closed window: \"Let Your Majesty know, this man is a disciple of Master Guishan (Yang Shi), named Luo Congyan, styled Master Yuzhang. He is also a renowned Daoist scholar and a great Confucian of the Southeast.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu nodded upon hearing this, but then asked curiously: \"Yang Shi is this old, a direct disciple of the Cheng school, and even his disciple is a great Confucian. He should be one of the top figures among the various Daoist and Neo-Confucian scholars, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Benzhong immediately gave an embarrassed smile: \"Your Majesty's words hit the mark. After the Guan-Luo school, Daoist studies became mixed, but there is no dispute about the top two figures at present: Master Guishan (Yang Shi) and Master Qingshan (Hu Anguo). All others are a cut below.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then your father and your Lu family's scholarly tradition are also a cut below?\" Zhao Jiu pressed on. \"Isn't it said that your father and Yang Shi are called 'Southern Yang, Northern Lu'?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Benzhong smiled wryly in resignation: \"To be honest with Your Majesty, that's counting the schools... My father inherited the Lu family's scholarly tradition, while Master Guishan inherited the orthodox Luoxue tradition. If we measure by orthodox lineage, my father can still be compared to Master Qingshan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's what I thought!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu, who had gained a great deal of insight these days, suddenly understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out that the current situation among the non-official schools had a flavor similar to the high-end cultivation novels and martial arts novels he had read before his transmigration. One had to talk about the difference between a famous orthodox sect and a gang's path, compare the strength of the sects, and also consider the cultivation level of the sect leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Specifically, Daoist studies were considered the mainstream orthodox sect (with many other doctrines), and Hu Anguo, Yang Shi, and Lu Haowen were undoubtedly figures like the Mount Tai and the Big Dipper. In a martial arts worldview, they would be like the 'Southern Murong, Northern Qiao Feng, plus Jiumozhi.' In an immortal cultivation worldview, they would be the only three Nascent Soul stage grandmasters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Hu Anguo had two shortcomings compared to Yang Shi. One was that he had once sought advice from Yang Shi, giving them a half-teacher-half-student relationship. The other was that after his level improved, he had the cultivation to establish his own school, but ultimately did not have the time to do so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Lu Haowen, he conducted Daoist research through the family tradition method, which naturally gave him a certain sect identity bonus, but it was inevitably not as powerful as Yang Shi's Cheng-Luoxue school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, despite various parallel titles, among the three, Yang Shi was the true leader of the orthodox path. His cultivation, sect power, and even his age made him the number one figure in the existing Daoist system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, such a man, nearly eighty years old, still traveled all the way to the Eastern Capital with his junior brothers and disciples. This showed how many people Lu Haowen had provoked by suddenly creating the 'Yuanxue' and wanting to become a sage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While they were talking and thinking, Master Yuzhang stood and spoke for a while about the new academic achievements Master Guishan Yang Shi had gained in the Southeast over the past few years. Then he voluntarily stepped down. Still, it was not Master Guishan Yang Shi himself who took the stage, but another young man who went up to continue controlling the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is Li Tong, styled Master Yanping. He is considered a disciple of Master Guishan and also a disciple of Master Yuzhang... The orthodox lineage of Luoxue.\" Lu Benzhong introduced proactively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly... After changing his perspective, this emperor became instantly perceptive. How could he not know that Yang Shi, Luo Congyan, and Li Tong—three generations of old, middle-aged, and young—were the direct lineage of the Cheng brothers' Luoxue, the current sect leader and the two designated future sect leaders?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the slightly younger Li Tong, after taking the stage, blurted out: \"Everyone, I wonder if any of you are good at matching couplets?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd below naturally erupted in a roar. Couplet matching was a pastime that had risen in popularity since the early Song Dynasty and was now a common form of entertainment among scholars and students, as well as a method for training in poetry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was clear that Li Tong, though he had already earned the title of Master Yanping at a young age, was still young and not as rigid as Luo Congyan before him. So, he proactively stirred up the emotions of the watching Imperial Academy students and scholars:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then I'll give a couplet... What is the match for 'Heaven'?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Earth!\" The response from below was almost instantaneous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is the match for 'Rain'?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wind!\" The voices below grew more uniform, but there was also a hint of derisive laughter, as if he were coaxing children, saying things so basic they couldn't be more basic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is the match for 'Mountain'?\" Master Yanping ignored the derisive laughter and continued to press.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sea!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is the match for 'Continent'?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Vast sky!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is the match for 'Four Sacred Peaks'?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Three Dukes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is the match for 'Evening Drum'?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Morning Bell...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The laughter grew louder, but just then, Li Tong suddenly raised his voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is the match for 'Moral Principle'?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd below suddenly faltered... All who had come were learned men; who didn't know that Master Yanping was waiting for them here? But since so many had come, there were naturally some mischievous ones among them. For some unknown reason, one of them immediately joked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"'Moral Principle' matches 'Profit and Harm'!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wrong!\" Li Tong immediately retorted sternly. \"'Moral Principle' matches 'Nature and Principle'!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get out!\" Hearing this, Zhao Jiu suddenly gave a low order to Lu Benzhong. \"Go out and match it with 'Utilitarianism'!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Benzhong swallowed his saliva, but had no choice. He immediately shouted loudly from within the side room: \"Why can't 'Moral Principle' match 'Utilitarianism'?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, amidst the astonishment of everyone, this eldest son of the current Prime Minister and heir to the Lu family's Daoist tradition ran out from behind the side room door. He only stood in front of the window, then continued to raise his voice and clasp his hands: \"May I ask Master Yanping, why can't 'Moral Principle' match 'Utilitarianism'?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Tong was stunned by this, then immediately composed himself and clasped his hands in return: \"So it's the young master of Donglai. Greetings, young master. May I ask why you are being so aggressive? I said this because my teacher is about to speak on 'Moral Principle and Nature and Principle,' not because I was truly making a couplet!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu only then realized that Lu Benzhong was also a figure with a reputation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't mind him, just keep asking—can morality and utility be practiced together?\" Zhao Jiu, while letting his mind wander, quietly passed the words from behind the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I only ask you this: why can't morality and utility be practiced together?\" Lu Benzhong steeled himself to respond. \"From the way you've raised the topic, are morality and utility inherently opposed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Tong was a renowned Confucian scholar and naturally had arguments to offer; in fact, since he had opened his mouth, he intended to speak. But before he could, someone below suddenly sneered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The nation has fallen, the two emperors are captive in the north, and you sit here with folded hands, prattling about nature and principle—what use is that to the state or the people?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Tong's face darkened. He turned to look but couldn't spot the speaker, so he twisted back to Lu Benzhong: \"Master Lu, is this your meaning as well?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Benzhong had long known the general drift of the Emperor's thoughts these past days and was already on that boat, having pondered it himself. So he gritted his teeth and sneered back: \"This man's words may be a bit harsh, but there is some truth in them... Master Yanping, I ask you: four years ago, when the state was on the verge of ruin, and His Majesty restored the old capital, was that achieved by you people sitting around all day, prattling about nature and principle? In my view, we scholars ought to promote the concurrent practice of kingly and hegemonic ways, and the simultaneous use of righteousness and utility, so as to help His Majesty achieve an enterprise worthy of the Three Ages and the Han Ancestor and Tang Ancestor!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How can you say such a thing?\" Li Tong's expression changed completely. \"How can the Han Ancestor and Tang Ancestor be mentioned in the same breath as the Three Ages? And how can the hegemonic way be compared to the kingly way?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why can't they be compared?\" Lu Benzhong was genuinely puzzled. \"You must understand that the Three Ages and the Han Ancestor and Tang Ancestor all used righteousness and utility together. It's just that the sage-kings of the Three Ages were sages of extraordinary ability, and their actions all conformed to heavenly principle, so Confucians call it the kingly way. The Han Ancestor and Tang Ancestor, after all, had some shortcomings in ability, and their actions did not always conform to heavenly principle, with some things being off. So Confucians point to their achievements and call it the hegemonic way... And both the kingly way and the hegemonic way are quite good—they are fine things and fine achievements that human sovereigns labor over with all their heart in righteousness and utility.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is utterly absurd!\" Li Tong's face turned black, and his fists clenched. He barely managed to let the other finish before rebuking him to his face. \"The governance of the Three Ages was precisely following heavenly principle to achieve the kingly way—when did it ever use a utilitarian mind or hegemonic actions? And as for the scale of the Han Ancestor and Tang Ancestor, when did they ever have anything that followed heavenly principle? The Han Ancestor and Tang Ancestor were both selfish, both seeking utility...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Benzhong frowned at this and was about to retort when he heard the man behind him ask again: \"Is he saying that the kingly way and the hegemonic way are opposed? That utility and righteousness are also completely opposed? That if you take one, you can't take the other?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Benzhong could only answer: \"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And does he mean that history is a downward slide, generation by generation? That the Han Ancestor and Tang Ancestor aren't even worthy of being compared to the Three Ages? That they're not even the same species?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your subject does not know what 'species' means, but that is roughly the idea.\" Lu Benzhong again clasped his hands in response, already drawing many suspicious glances from those before the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Forget it, let's go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Zhao Jiu found it utterly uninteresting. He shook his head, then rose on his own, no longer waiting for Yang Shi to appear. He led a large group of people straight out of the side chamber and headed toward the gate of the Wuyue Temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Benzhong said nothing more and followed Zhao Jiu out. Countless Imperial Academy students and Tokyo scholars, most of whom had seen the Emperor during the Academy's political inquiries—not to mention the officials—all rose in a wave, cupping their hands in salute and greeting. Only Li Tong, standing on the steps before the hall, was momentarily flustered. It was only after being reminded by the Imperial Academy students below that he hurried down the steps to bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No need for formalities.\" Zhao Jiu found it dull and simply raised his hand to everyone. \"Tomorrow at the Xuan De Tower, don't forget to come and join the excitement...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the Emperor's oral command and the sudden surge of Imperial Guard officers in soft armor under their clothes, most people naturally stopped and acknowledged the decree. However, Zhang Jun and a few other officials who had been watching the spectacle followed along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the Wuyue Temple gate, the Imperial Guard formed a tight circle. Someone went to fetch the horses, and at that moment, an official who had chased after them cautiously reminded: \"Your Majesty, Master Guishan is a renowned Confucian scholar of the realm, a former high minister of state, and nearly eighty years old. Since you have encountered him in the temple, shouldn't you at least meet him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu shook his head: \"Those who follow different paths cannot take counsel together.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assembled ministers who had followed out all shuddered—this was probably the first time the Emperor had directly expressed dissatisfaction with a particular school of thought in a semi-public setting, and it was enough to stir up a storm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, in the very next moment, one of the officials who had followed out, Chen Gongfu, the Director of the Imperial Academy, cupped his hands and spoke: \"Your Majesty, the Cheng School's heretical teachings are misleading the people. I request that the Cheng School be banned!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu was taken aback... He hadn't been able to resist revealing his attitude publicly ahead of time, and he knew it would attract more opportunists, but he hadn't expected it to come so quickly—especially from Chen Gongfu, who had always given him a good impression and didn't seem like the type to opportunistically jump in on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To be honest with Your Majesty,\" Chen Gongfu smiled wryly at the sight. \"Back when Minister Li Gang was in power, I angrily submitted a memorial requesting a ban on the Luo School. I wonder if Your Majesty remembers?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Zhao Jiu realize that it was this same man who had earlier mocked the Dao School for 'sitting with folded hands, prattling about nature and principle.' He immediately understood and asked with a smile at the temple gate: \"What was your reasoning then?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At that time, I already found Master Guishan disagreeable.\" Chen Gongfu, dressed in ordinary home clothes, showed no fear of the angry glares from the Dao School officials beside him, and continued smiling. \"When Your Majesty first ascended the throne, he advocated resisting the Jin on one hand, but on the other, he submitted a memorial requesting the abolition of the tea and salt laws... I simply couldn't understand why, when the state was collapsing and we had to train troops, we should be reducing taxes. So, even though I had submitted a memorial during the Jingkang era requesting the swift removal of Wang Anshi's sacrificial tablet and the rapid installation of the old faction under the Cheng School—and was thus regarded as a Dao School scholar—I still couldn't help but submit another memorial impeaching Master Guishan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu laughed even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, several Dao School officials beside him, filled with fear, quickly cupped their hands: \"Your Majesty! The disaster of factional purges must not be repeated!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others gritted their teeth: \"Your Majesty, this Chen Gongfu is fickle and untrustworthy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing his laugh, Zhao Jiu ignored these people and addressed Chen Gongfu: \"What does Minister Chen think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your subject believes that a real ban is indeed not advisable.\" Chen Gongfu continued smiling. \"When Emperor Qinzong changed course and fully employed the old faction, and Your Majesty stopped the old faction from toppling the new faction, with ruler and minister enduring each other for the sake of the state, the situation of ending the struggle between new and old was finally taking shape. It truly shouldn't be lightly destroyed. And I couldn't possibly, in these clothes and empty-handed, make an impeachment before a temple...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Chen Gongfu suddenly turned serious: \"Your Majesty, what I want to say is this: first, the court's orthodox classical studies must be settled quickly, otherwise those below can't do their work. Second, to settle the classical studies, we must properly debate the classics, otherwise it won't be enough to convince the masses. Third, the field of learning is vast—there's the Cheng School gradually rising, the Original School that Minister Lu has been building, various other schools and factions, and many whose ambitions lie elsewhere. If we truly debate the classics, no faction need be afraid. But Your Majesty must first step forward and tell everyone what classics the court wants and what classics it doesn't want. Then naturally, there will be certain classics and not others...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu suddenly understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it plainly, Chen Gongfu's meaning could not have been more straightforward. He represented a large group of pragmatic bureaucrats. These people recognized the necessity of classical studies as a guiding ideology, but they were more focused on efficiency and results. So they didn't really care about the content of any particular classical study—they simply pursued the act of 'establishing an official doctrine' itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, during the Jingkang era (under Emperor Qinzong), the court's shift from new to old was already very clear and unshakable. People like Chen Gongfu hastily submitted memorials demanding that Wang Anshi's tablet be thrown out and replaced with the old faction... But this wasn't because Chen Gongfu was truly an old faction member—an old faction member couldn't have obtained the top spot in the Imperial Academy under a new faction government. Rather, it was because he saw that the Emperor's mind was made up and the situation was settled, and he wanted to get the matter over with quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, in the early Jianyan era, when the situation had completely collapsed and nothing mattered more than survival—learning and morality could go to hell—those Dao School scholars were still bickering over those trivial matters. So naturally, these pragmatists turned around and impeached them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, they weren't opposing the Cheng School or supporting the Lu School either. They just wanted the situation to be settled quickly... In a word, they were impatient. As long as they didn't end up with some 'Peace Sutra,' they'd accept anything. Conversely, this also meant that the Emperor's delaying tactics had finally worked. By dragging things out, he had forced these middle-of-the-road people to come out and state their positions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, although he understood and was pleased, the Emperor merely nodded and smiled again: \"I understand Minister Chen's meaning. But let's wait until there's a result at the Xuan De Tower tomorrow before I make any announcement!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Gongfu, unable to say more, simply smiled and stepped back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By then, the horses had been brought up. Zhao Jiu took the reins but couldn't help saying a few more words to Zhang Jun, the chief councilor: \"Minister Zhang, you've had a hard journey... What do you think of this matter?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jun immediately responded: \"Your Majesty, this trip has truly given me some reflections... As I mentioned in my memorial, it seems that everyone in the realm has their own private interests and their own perceived public interests. When these collide, there is often no conclusion. At this point, Your Majesty truly should establish an orthodox classical study to place above all, so that everyone in the realm knows what principles to follow in doing things, in determining right and wrong, and in resolving conflicts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was still an emphasis on establishing an official doctrine and the importance of debating the classics... Clearly, he too had understood Chen Gongfu's meaning and had made an explicit statement of 'Your Majesty points, and we strike.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu nodded, mounted his horse, and then continued to Zhang Jun: \"The memorials from Yue Pengju and yourself arrived separately. I already know the situation there. You did the right thing... And I have already replied to Pengju, saying only, 'I have always been at ease with Minister Yue's handling of affairs'... so he need not worry about those matters.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jun quickly cupped his hands in acknowledgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course, Minister Zhang, I have always been at ease with your handling of affairs as well.\" Zhao Jiu continued smiling, then reined in his horse to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Deyuan, having returned to the capital that day despite the fatigue of travel, had been going back and forth precisely to hear these words. Now that he heard the Emperor say them publicly, he felt completely at ease, as if everything was worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, one more thing.\" The Emperor, about to ride off, remembered something else and turned back to Zhang Jun. \"Around the same time as your two memorials, Grand Coordinator Ma of Hubei also sent a memorial...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jun was momentarily confused but quickly asked: \"Your subject presumes to ask—what did Grand Coordinator Ma say?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He said Yang Yizhong should be executed.\" Zhao Jiu glanced at Yang Yizhong beside him, who seemed expressionless and already accustomed to such things, and shook his head with a wry smile. \"Because he understood from your and Yue Fei's handling of the Dongting Lake situation that Yue Fei had previously sent a secret memorial. He then extrapolated from this, saying that such a secret memorial system is not the kingly way, and that Yang Yizhong, as a military officer, manipulating this matter was like usurping authority over the Privy Council, creating a barrier between civil and military officials inside and outside the court. Therefore, he naturally deserves execution.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun felt disgust rise in his heart and directly flicked his sleeve in warning: \"Grand Coordinator Ma is a distinguished disciple of the Cheng School—he naturally has his own views on the kingly and hegemonic ways!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu smiled without a word, turned his horse, and rode off. Yang Yizhong finally couldn't help but let out a soft sigh, then lowered his head and spurred his horse to follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn't sleep all night, went crazy... I clearly remember saving a document about the Southern Song Dao School scholars debating the classics using paired concepts to explain righteousness and principle, but I couldn't find it anywhere... I almost re-read a ton of stuff because of it.\u003C\u002Fp>",4901,"2026-06-06T07:46:04.529Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","a904d387e733cb73225766d9f4ac00c678783345c024a92d4a69808a99452c52","shao-song-chapter-264","shao-song-chapter-262",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]