Chapter 622: I Love My Teacher, I Love Truth More

In early April of the fourth year of Wude, the Lu region had already entered summer, but the sweltering weather did not stop Diwu Lun, leading his ministers and various Confucian scholars, dressed in wide-sleeved ceremonial robes, from performing a solemn and proper sacrifice in Qufu.

Unlike before when only spirit tablets were present, this time the rarely displayed portrait of Confucius was also hung, positioned in the center, facing south; to his left and right were five co-worshipped worthies: Confucius's beloved disciple Yan Yuan and Master Zeng, with Mencius and Xunzi further down, clearly arranged left and right, paired opposite each other, as if representing the transmission of the orthodox tradition.

Yang Xiong's portrait was placed next to Mencius, also on the right side, but this left the space opposite him empty, which looked rather odd; however, since the State of Wei considers five an auspicious number, Master Yang Ziyun had to remain unpaired.

As Diwu Lun performed the sacrifice, he thought to himself: "If Huan Tan, under my encouragement and guidance, can achieve great accomplishments in astronomy and the investigation of things, produce major works, establish his own school, and pioneer new scholarship, then perhaps he too will have the chance to stand opposite his teacher."

Huan Tan never imagined that after years of trying to take advantage of Diwu Lun by treating him as a "disciple," Diwu Lun had now turned the tables and intended to instruct Huan Tan, imparting knowledge and resolving his doubts!

From the moment the sacrifice began, Huan Tan's gaze lingered long on the face of his old friend, frozen in the portrait.

Although Huan Tan had always revered Yang Xiong, considering him the foremost scholar since the Han, surpassing not only Liu Xiang and his son Liu Xin but even Dong Zhongshu, he was the only one in the world who thought so; in the eyes of others, Yang Xiong was merely a down-and-out scholar, a weak and easily bullied drunken old man.

Contrasting past and present, it all felt like a dream; after the sacrifice ended, when Huan Tan had a private audience with Diwu Lun, he said sincerely: "The ancient sages Confucius and Mencius were both unappreciated in their lifetimes, even reduced to wretched straits like stray dogs; the prominence of their learning and fame is inseparable from their many disciples. Ziyun also had outstanding pupils — Wang Wenshan is comparable to Ran Qiu, and as for Your Majesty, you have propagated Ziyun's learning in one great act, allowing him to take his seat among the sages and worthies."

Becoming a sage — this was the shared dream of the three Gentlemen of the Yellow Gate: Wang Mang, Liu Xin, and Yang Xiong. Only their paths differed. Wang Mang sought to establish virtue by creating a great peace as Emperor; Liu Xin desired to establish merit as State Preceptor. Both failed, utterly and completely. Only Yang Xiong, relying on quietly "establishing his words," ultimately fulfilled his wish.

Huan Tan had once predicted that Yang Xiong's doctrines would flourish greatly after his death — this was something he firmly believed — but he never expected it to happen so quickly. This Qufu assembly was primarily forced through by Diwu Lun's political maneuvering, compelling the Confucian scholars to comply; Huan Tan also had concerns about this and raised them:

"But Your Majesty, such haste — might it not harm Ziyun's learning by trying to help the shoots grow by pulling them up?"

Diwu Lun, however, replied: "Does Grand Master Junshan think this assembly was not fair? That the scholars only agreed because they were coerced by me?"

"But as far as I know, since the Warring States period, all conferences on the classics have been, at their core, political."

Diwu Lun loved his teacher, but he did not believe there was any "truth" in Confucian scholarship, so he began recounting old events with Huan Tan: "The Salt and Iron Conference appeared to be worthies and literati from the commanderies and kingdoms debating state affairs, but in reality, it was pushed forward by Grand General Huo Guang to defeat Sang Hongyang's utilitarian faction and seize power."

"The Stone Canal Pavilion Conference was likewise Emperor Xuan of Han's attempt to demote the Gongyang Qi school and elevate the Lu schools like Guliang."

"In those two instances, at least those in power still convened a meeting. As for the more distant Qin Emperor and Han Emperor Wu, when they burned books, demoted Confucians, abolished the Hundred Schools, and venerated only Confucianism, did they ever ask those being abolished whether they had any objections?"

Diwu Lun meant to use this to illustrate that he had actually been quite "democratic" already — what could have been a simple administrative order had instead involved the great trouble of summoning people for a conference; although no one dared oppose it, at least the procedural steps had been followed.

"Is Junshan worried that when the man is gone, his policies will cease?"

On this point, Diwu Lun was quite confident: "The learning venerated by successive dynasties has always differed. Apart from Confucius, who cannot be moved, it is likely common for the co-worshipped worthies to change positions. But rest assured, Minister, if anyone wishes to expel Master Ziyun from co-worship, they will first have to step over the corpse of my dynasty — that is a matter for at least ten generations hence. Our worries are useless; for now, we can only promote the Yang school of learning, making it a truly prominent doctrine. In the future, even if we are no longer here, there will naturally be countless later disciples and students of the Master, one after another, to defend the teacher's co-worship position!"

Hearing these words from Diwu Lun, Huan Tan's last trace of worry vanished. He believed in Yang Xiong's scholarship — as long as people had the patience to learn a little about it, they would surely be firmly captivated by it!

And the Minister of Ceremonies, Wang Long, was also overjoyed, both pleased that his teacher's long-cherished wish had been fulfilled and his own school had become orthodox, and delighted that after Diwu Lun had cut away the apocryphal prophecies, the authority of the Ministry of Ceremonies had increased rather than diminished.

A "Civil Temple" was soon to be built in Chang'an, copying the layout of the Confucian Temple exactly, so as to spread and magnify the achievements of this reform in co-worship, while simultaneously weakening Qufu's academic status — all these tasks would have to be overseen by Minister Wang.

Furthermore, Diwu Lun was not content with merely establishing a "Five Co-Worshipped" for the Confucian Temple; he revealed to Wang Long: "When Confucius was alive, there was already the saying of the 'Ten Sages of the Confucian School': for virtue, there were Yan Yuan, Min Ziqian, Ran Boniu, and Zhonggong; for speech, Ziwo and Zigong; for governance, Ran You and Zilu; for literature, Ziyou and Zixia — they were the most outstanding among the seventy-two worthies. After the Chang'an Civil Temple is built, the eastern and western side corridors outside the main hall can be expanded, and the portraits of the Ten Sages hung there as well... Since Yan Hui has already entered the Five Co-Worshipped, select another from Confucius's disciples to fill his place."

Diwu Lun did not feign modesty: "The ancients said, every five hundred years a true king must arise, and in between there must be those renowned in their age. I am naturally that 'true king'; the other former worthies and renowned Confucians who have contributed to the transmission of the orthodox tradition should naturally also be co-worshipped in the Civil Temple."

Wang Long excitedly assented; he could imagine how frenzied the various scholarly schools and scholars of the age would be once this news was released!

To use an analogy: in the Civil Temple, Confucius holds the primary worship position and can feast sumptuously on the Grand Sacrifice; then the Five Co-Worshipped share his table and can divide the meat with him; further down, the Ten Sages can at least drink the broth; as for the co-worshipped former worthies and renowned Confucians, they can only smell the aroma from outside the door.

But even being able to accompany Confucius and smell the fragrance of later generations' sacrifices is enough to leave one's name in the historical records and shine gloriously for an era! Countless people would break down the door to fight for this quota for their own school's founding master.

In this way, apart from the civil service examinations, Diwu Lun now had another tool to control the scholars — examinations and office-holding appeal to the desire for personal achievement, power, and family wealth and hereditary status. But within the Confucian forest, there is indeed a group of "lofty scholars" unwilling to bend their backs for official robes; however, the weakness of these people is fame. Faced with the extraordinary honor of being co-worshipped in the Civil Temple, even they will feel their hearts surge!

However, over these five hundred years, the Confucian figures who have gained renown and founded schools number not a thousand then eight hundred, branching out into too many offshoots; the selection will inevitably be a troublesome matter.

"The three standards remain: establishing virtue, establishing merit, and establishing words. Among them, spreading Confucian learning from the Central Plains to the lands of the barbarians — such as Jiantai Mieming disseminating his learning in Chu and Yue, or Wen Weng of Shu Commandery introducing classical scholarship to Yizhou — all count as 'establishing merit' and should be given priority consideration..."

Diwu Lun simply set a few vague standards and then delegated the entire matter to the Ministry of Ceremonies, leaving Wang Long and Huan Tan responsible for deliberating the list, only needing to report the final candidates to the Emperor for review.

With this, Diwu Lun's combination of cultural moves had been launched; these Confucian scholars were now thoroughly under his thumb. Next, it was time to work on the ideological framework:

"As for the 'former worthies' who only have writings, whether they can enter the temple for co-worship depends on whether their learning aligns with the 'orthodox tradition' that I require!"

The Governor of Lu Commandery appointed by Diwu Lun was named Yun Chang, courtesy name Youru, a man from Pingling in Guanzhong, making him a half-fellow-townsman of the Wei Emperor. But he had submitted very late; as Governor of Lu Commandery under the Xin Dynasty and the Liang Han, Yun Chang, unwilling to cooperate with the Red Eyebrows, had been imprisoned in the black dungeons of Qufu until the five-colored banner was planted in the Lu region and he was rescued.

Diwu Lun, considering that Yun Chang had served as a two-thousand-bushel official in the Lu region for over ten years and was familiar with local conditions, temporarily retained him in office.

But Yun Chang was well aware that he would not hold the post for long; once the Lu region was stabilized, an imperial confidant would surely replace him. Before leaving office, he had only one wish.

"I only hope that my Master, Master Wu, can enter the ranks of those co-worshipped in the Civil Temple!"

Yun Chang's teacher was named Wu Zhang, also a renowned Confucian of the late Han, who taught the Book of Documents and had over a thousand students, one of whom was Wang Mang's eldest son, Wang Yu.

Wang Yu was timid by nature and deeply fearful of his father's intention to replace the House of Han, feeling it would bring disaster upon the entire family; he never ceased wanting to stop it. He sought a plan from Wu Zhang, and the two hit it off immediately, which led to one of the great cases of the late Han: the "Black Dog Blood Splashed on the Door Case"!

This great Confucian Wu's brilliant plan was actually to exploit Wang Mang's superstition regarding apocryphal prophecies by staging a dog-blood door-splashing, using a supernatural event to frighten Wang Mang, hoping he would realize his error and turn back.

Unexpectedly, this group's execution was truly poor, and they were caught red-handed, people and buckets both. Under torture by the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties, everyone was implicated. This stirred up a hornet's nest; Wang Mang was ruthless, and any stumbling block hindering his proclamation as Emperor and practice of the kingly way had to be kicked aside! He thus ordered his eldest son and daughter-in-law to commit suicide, and Wu Zhang naturally could not escape either; he was beheaded, and his body was abandoned at the eastern market gate of Chang'an.

At that time, among Wu Zhang's thousand-plus disciples, not a single one dared to step forward; they all changed their names and fled. Some shameless ones even switched to other teachers on the spot — they only wanted to study the classics to seek an official post, after all.

Only Yun Chang, then serving as a subordinate to the Grand Chancellor, dressed in white mourning clothes, declared himself a disciple of Wu Zhang, collected and buried Wu Zhang's corpse, his wails of grief stirring the entire eastern market of Chang'an. This incident became a celebrated tale for a time; even Wang Mang found it difficult to execute Yun Chang. The General of Chariots and Cavalry, Wang Shun, greatly admired him, and after the Xin Dynasty was established, recommended Yun Chang for the two-thousand-bushel post in Lu Commandery — a speed of promotion that only the later Diwu Lun could rival...

Although Yun Chang's burial of his teacher had happened over twenty years ago, that scene remained vivid before his eyes, unforgettable. He had pondered bitterly what he could do for his Master, until Diwu Lun reformed the Confucian Temple sacrifices in Qufu and introduced the novelty of "co-worship for former worthies," which delighted Yun Chang the most.

He knew then what he should do for his teacher!

First, he needed to overturn Wu Zhang's case. As early as a few years ago, when the Xin Dynasty fell and Yun Chang surrendered to the Liang Han, he had been planning this matter. Unfortunately, the Liang Han's dynastic lifespan was too short, and it was soon overrun by the Red Eyebrows; Yun Chang became a prisoner, and the matter ended without result.

After more than a decade of trials and tribulations, Yun Chang's temperament was no longer as blunt as before. Today, in seeking to reopen the case for Wu Zhang's rehabilitation, he had to carefully draw a clear line between his teacher and the Former Han:

"My Master's opposition to Wang Mang stemmed from the thought, 'Is benevolence from oneself, or from others?' He wished to stop Wang Mang's perverse actions, hoping he could maintain the status quo and await the true Son of Heaven, not to preserve the House of Han."

"As for the black dog blood splashed on the door, though it sought to use apocryphal omens to make Wang Mang afraid, it was absolutely not because my Master believed in strange forces and disorderly spirits, but because he knew them to be false and used them as an expedient in a crisis."

"Finally, my Master, dignified and unyielding, went calmly to his righteous death, subjected to cruel punishment by Wang Mang — this also accords with the saying, 'Is benevolence far away? When I desire benevolence, behold, it has arrived!'"

Yun Chang was racking his brains writing the memorial when a retainer came to report that Kong Zhi, the head of the Kong clan, had come to visit.

"The Kong clan? I will not see him!"

Yun Chang harbored resentment toward the Kong clan. When the Red Eyebrows entered Lu, he had intended to defend the Sage's homeland to the death, but unexpectedly, the Kong clan took the lead in kneeling in submission. When Yun Chang was imprisoned, the Kong clan made no effort to rescue him; in the end, he had to rely on Wei state spies to escape.

Moreover, the Wei Emperor was broad-minded and allowed him to continue as Governor of Lu Commandery. Observing Diwu Lun's governance, Yun Chang found it superior to the Xin Dynasty and the Liang Han countless times over — at the very least, it benefited the people.

He had neither ambition nor much nostalgia for Liu Xiu; he only sought to serve well as Governor of Lu for the last few months and then return to his hometown in Guanzhong. Over these years, Yun Chang had experienced everything — the courage to press forward alone against thousands, fame that drew the eyes of the world, a high feudal office, and the status of a prisoner. Now, having reached a great awakening, he felt everything was vanity and only wished to write books and establish his theories in Pingling, passing on his Master's learning.

So toward the Kong clan, Yun Chang avoided meeting them. The Emperor was still here! As a two-thousand-bushel official, what did it mean to be colluding with powerful great families?

Although they could not meet in person, it did not stop Kong Zhi from having someone deliver a letter to the Governor's mansion. Yun Chang opened it and read it, letting out a dry laugh.

"This Kong Zhi actually wants to invite me to jointly submit a petition, requesting His Majesty to designate Qufu as the 'Eastern Capital,' one of the Five Capitals of Great Wei!?"