Chapter 290: Changing with the Times

Shusun Tong's torrent of flattery made the two old Lu scholars, Yuezheng Li and Qidiao Ran, stare at each other in disbelief. They thought to themselves, "What nonsense is this fellow spouting? How could Confucius possibly praise Duke Mu of Qin like that?"

The *Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals* records it clearly: when Duke Mu of Qin, Renhao, died, he had the three sons of the Ziju clan—Yanxi, Zhonghang, and Qianhu—buried alive with him. These three were all outstanding figures of Qin. The people of Qin mourned them and composed the poem "Yellow Birds" for them.

And after this record, a "Gentleman's Comment" was added, which is actually the words of the *Zuo Commentary*'s author: "Duke Mu of Qin never became hegemon in his lifetime, and he deserved it! Why? Because at his death he abandoned his people. Not only did he not leave behind worthy men to govern the commoners and assist his descendants, he even had them buried alive with him. This is not the conduct of an enlightened ruler. When a gentleman saw this, he knew that Qin could never again campaign eastward, nor could it ever achieve hegemony!"

Although these are Zuo Qiuming's words, the *Zuo Commentary* was the earliest written of the Three Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals. Zuo Qiuming had even met Confucius, listened to his words and observed his conduct. This passage should, therefore, also contain Confucius's original intent.

As for saying Duke Mu of Qin could be called a king? Confucius revered the Zhou—this is even more impossible! These words were clearly fabricated by Shusun Tong, riddled with holes.

Yuezheng Li was trembling with rage and was about to interrupt Shusun Tong, to curse him for fabricating lies and slandering Confucius, when Qidiao Ran beside him quickly tugged at his wide sleeve and shook his head in warning.

Because the King of Qin, who had been somewhat displeased, actually smiled upon hearing Shusun Tong's speech.

This story was exactly the same as the prophecy made by the Grand Historian of Zhou five hundred years ago: "Zhou and Qin will unite after five hundred years, and seventeen years after uniting, a hegemon-king will emerge."

Although the King of Qin was still rather receptive to prophetic texts and auguries, Shusun Tong was too young, and his words were not very credible. The King of Qin often heard people say that Confucius and the Confucians were mostly critical of Qin, so this was likely just flattery from Shusun Tong, falsely attributed to Confucius.

So he was not delighted by the content of the speech, but rather amused by Shusun Tong's ability to read the situation and his cleverness. The Erudite he needed was precisely this kind of person who knew how to adorn Qin's facade, not a stubborn pedant who clung to antiquity and could not adapt!

Thus the King of Qin said, "I, a man of humble origin, raised troops to punish tyranny and violence. Relying on the spirits of the ancestral temple, the five kings have all submitted to their punishment, and the realm will soon be settled. Qin's victory through six generations is its legitimacy; my receiving Heaven's aid is its legitimacy. What does this have to do with the words of Confucius?"

Shusun Tong quickly kowtowed. "Great King, you are absolutely right! It was Qin's rightful acquisition of the realm that came first; Confucius merely saw it earlier than ordinary people!"

Despite these words, the King of Qin's anger at Kong Fu for refusing the summons had subsided. Instead, as he left the Shun Temple, he glanced again at the prostrate Shusun Tong and said, "Since Kong Fu must observe mourning for his mother, I will not force him. You are his disciple, so go to Xianyang in his stead and serve as an Erudite!"

With that, and without caring whether Shusun Tong was willing or not, the King of Qin had already departed with his retinue.

"Your humble servant thanks the Great King!" Shusun Tong's voice came from far behind.

Heifu also followed behind, but Li You, seeing that the three Confucians behind had not followed, told Heifu to hurry them along, as the King might want to question them further at any moment.

So, when Heifu returned to the temple gate, he found that the three Lu Confucians were all gone. The Temple of Yu Shun was empty, save for a side room with its door and windows tightly shut, from which faint sounds emerged.

He walked over, pressed his ear to the door, and heard the three Confucians inside tearing into each other...

After the King of Qin left, Yuezheng Li immediately dragged Shusun Tong into a side room and, pointing at his nose, cursed, "You brat, to flatter the King of Qin face-to-face, you actually fabricated words Confucius never spoke! This is outright heresy! Did your master teach you this?"

"What fabrication? What is Master Yuezheng talking about? I don't understand." Shusun Tong began to play dumb.

"You said the Kong clan obtained Confucius's family writings. Why do we know nothing of this?" Qidiao Ran also questioned him.

Shusun Tong still wore a blank look and smiled. "This is a secret matter of our school. There is no need to inform the Yuezheng and Qidiao clans, is there?"

Yuezheng Li was beside himself with fury. "How could the Kong clan's Confucianism produce a disciple like you?"

It turned out that Confucianism at this time was divided into eight major factions: the Confucians of Zizhang; the Confucians of Zisi; the Confucians of the Yan clan; the Confucians of the Meng clan; the Confucians of the Qidiao clan; the Confucians of the Zhongliang clan; the Confucians of the Sun clan; and the Confucians of the Yuezheng clan.

Among them, the Yan clan transmitted the *Poems* as their Way, being the remonstrating Confucians.

The Meng clan transmitted the *Documents* as their Way, being the far-reaching and well-versed Confucians.

The Qidiao clan transmitted the *Rites* as their Way, being the respectful, frugal, and dignified Confucians.

The Zhongliang clan transmitted the *Music* as their Way, being the custom-transforming Confucians.

The Yuezheng clan transmitted the *Spring and Autumn Annals* as their Way, being the phrasing and event-comparing Confucians.

The Gongsun clan transmitted the *Changes* as their Way, being the pure and subtle Confucians.

In addition, there were the Confucians of Zisi (Yuan Xian), who liked to act the part of impoverished scholars and styled themselves as men of the Dao; opposite them were the Confucians of Zizhang, who were vain in appearance and placed the most emphasis on elaborate rituals.

Besides these eight schools, as well as the Xun Confucians whom the Confucians regarded as heretics, there were also the "Kong clan Confucians," the direct descendants of Confucius. They studied the *Poems*, *Documents*, *Rites*, *Music*, and *Spring and Autumn Annals*. Kong Fu was the most famous among them, and Shusun Tong was precisely his disciple.

As the heir of the "Yuezheng clan Confucians" who had transmitted the *Spring and Autumn Annals* for generations, Yuezheng Li very much wanted to refute the fallacies Shusun Tong had just spoken. He was about to begin citing classics and launch into a lengthy discourse, but Shusun Tong laughed and said, "Master Yuezheng, please stop. Since you believe that the matter of Confucius praising Duke Mu of Qin was my fabrication, let me first ask you: is another matter true or false?"

"I have heard that when Confucius traveled through the various states, he was besieged between Chen and Cai. For ten whole days he had no food to eat, and sometimes could not even get bean broth or pulse soup. He was truly starving. At that time, Zilu somehow obtained a cooked suckling pig. Confucius did not ask where the meat came from and took it and ate it. Zilu then robbed someone of their clothes to trade for wine, and Confucius did not ask where the wine came from and raised his cup and drank."

"However, when Duke Ai of Lu welcomed him, Confucius displayed the bearing of a righteous gentleman: if the mat was not straight, he would not sit; if the meat was not properly cut, he would not eat. Zilu then asked, 'Master, why are you different now from when we were trapped in Chen and Cai?' Confucius replied, 'Before, I acted that way to survive; today, I act this way to uphold righteousness!'"

"I dare ask, Master Yuezheng, is this matter true or false?"

Yuezheng Li grew even angrier. "These are words the Mohists use to slander the former sages, meant to defame us Confucians by saying that when hungry, we will not refuse to take recklessly to stay alive, and when full, we feign virtue to adorn ourselves. You studied under Kong Fu—how could you not know this?"

"Although this matter is also false, how similar it is to our current predicament." Shusun Tong's earlier smile of sycophancy toward the King of Qin vanished, and he suddenly spoke with solemnity.

"Qin has never liked Confucians. Shang Yang even burned the *Poems* and *Documents*, saying that if one person is rewarded for studying the *Poems* and *Documents*, ten thousand will imitate him, and the state will be perpetually weak. He denounced the rites, music, *Poems*, *Documents*, filial piety, fraternal duty, cultivation of virtue, sincerity, integrity, purity, benevolence, righteousness, opposition to war, and shame in warfare that Confucians revere as the 'Six Lice,' believing that the state must eliminate the Six Lice to become strong!"

"Today, although the King of Qin has summoned you to be Erudites, you are merely decorative vases. In reality, he still governs the state by Shang Yang's laws. Did you not see the looks the surrounding officials and generals gave you Confucians? All were contempt!"

Yuezheng Li and Qidiao Ran had indeed felt this. They stopped their cursing to first hear Shusun Tong's thoughts.

"Confucius said that with the southern Man and northern Di invading, the Central States were hanging by a thread. Now, it is also a time when Confucians hang by a thread! Life and death are all subject to a single thought of the King of Qin. If the King of Qin is pleased, the Confucians and the *Poems* and *Documents* live; if the King of Qin is displeased, the Way of Confucius is severed!"

"My master's refusal to serve Qin has already angered the King of Qin! Today's crisis is more dangerous than when Confucius was trapped between Chen and Cai! It was to dispel the King of Qin's anger, to save the Kong clan Confucians and even the Confucians of Lu and the world, that I had no choice but to flatter Qin. If I remember correctly, when Chu and Wei still existed, you two never missed a chance to curse Qin as a state that abandoned rites and music and prioritized only military merit. You even said the King of Qin was cruel and tyrannical, a reincarnation of Jie and Zhou. Yet now you follow closely behind the King of Qin, singing the Great Shao music in harmony for him, comparing him to the ancient sage-kings Yao and Shun. How are you any different from me?"

Yuezheng Li's beard bristled and his eyes bulged. "You brat, you actually dare to compare us to you!"

Shusun Tong laughed heartily. "What difference is there? You and I are both surviving for a time, merely forced by circumstance, so that we can one day stand in the Qin court, subtly influence it, make Qin abandon its prejudices, put Confucian Erudites in important positions, and prepare to glorify Confucianism."

"I have heard that the Mohists of the South did not know how to adapt, stubbornly insisting on 'universal love' and 'opposition to offensive war,' and they have already perished. On the contrary, the Qin Mohists helped Qin destroy Chu and will be greatly employed. Thus, in the present age, those who can change survive, and those who cling to the old ways perish. This is what is meant by 'changing with the times'! Is it not so for you two gentlemen?"

Although these words left a somewhat unpleasant taste, the two had to admit that Shusun Tong's reasoning was sound. Yet ultimately, they could not tolerate his behavior. They sighed, "No matter what, we would never go so far as to fabricate and alter the words of Confucius. Your conduct does not accord with ancient righteousness. Though it does not warrant beating the drum to attack you, our ways differ—we cannot plan together!"

With that, the two pushed open the door and left, flicking their sleeves.

Shusun Tong stood where he was, shaking his head vigorously. "Truly petty Confucians. They can survive, but they cling to antiquity and do not understand changing with the times. With such a manner, they will sooner or later be detested by the King of Qin as well. Most Confucians are such people, and with all the factional strife, they cannot pull together in times of trouble. In the future, I fear they will truly be reduced to a marginal role in the Qin court and among the people. People like me have truly been born into a degenerate age; the long night stretches on and on..."

As he looked up to the heavens and sighed, he was caught off guard by the sound of clapping from outside the door.

Heifu walked in, applauding, and smiled at Shusun Tong. "Sir, you appeared to flatter the Great King to his face, but it turns out you had such profound intentions—to let Confucianism find a foothold in the court, to continue Confucius's endangered teachings, so that it may flourish in the future. To have such ambition at such a young age truly makes me see you in a new light!"

On the way back to his lodgings that night, Shusun Tong was somewhat uneasy.

He had dared to say those things to Yuezheng Li and the other because he knew their temperaments. He never expected that a Qin clerk would overhear them...

If these matters got out, they would not bring a fatal disaster, but it would mean that once he, Shusun Tong, arrived in Xianyang, he could no longer easily play the fool.

Moreover, having his inner thoughts known by someone was ultimately rather uncomfortable.

That Qin clerk did not threaten or blackmail Shusun Tong; he merely asked him to quickly catch up with the King of Qin's carriage.

Uneasily, Shusun Tong asked for his name.

"Heifu, from Anlu County, Nan Commandery."

"So he is Heifu!" Shusun Tong thought to himself. When he looked up, he had already reached the wineshop where he was staying temporarily.

Although Huaiyang had been occupied by the Qin army and made the administrative seat of Chen Commandery, with heavy troops stationed there, the period of rule was still short. Neither the travel-permit inspection system nor the guesthouse and postal relay system had been established in time. So the marketplace life in the city still followed the old ways, only with stricter checks at the city gates and a nighttime curfew. Yet amid the mix of fish and dragons and the surging undercurrents, the Qin people could not sort it all out.

Take Shusun Tong himself, for example — he appeared to be a spineless Confucian scholar on his way to flatter the King of Qin. But the social connections he and his teacher secretly maintained, and their intricate ties with the scholars and commoners of the Six Kingdoms — how could the Qin possibly investigate all that clearly?

And within this seemingly ordinary wineshop, who knew — perhaps a fugitive from the State of Qin was hidden here!

After Shusun Tong entered and closed the door behind him, a short sword pressed silently against his lower back!

"Fine one, Shusun Tong — you claimed you were going to probe the King of Qin's defensive arrangements for us, and now look at you, you've become an Erudite of Qin! Truly a man who deceives his teacher!"

From the man's voice, Shusun Tong guessed who he was, yet he showed no panic and said with a smile, "Lord Chen, please let me explain…"

The person behind him was in no mood for courtesy. He shoved Shusun Tong to the ground and laid the short sword across his neck. Through the dim moonlight coming in from outside the window, the visitor's features were fully revealed.

Like Shusun Tong, he wore Confucian robes and a Confucian cap. On his face were two whiskers with a strong air of the wandering swordsman. His grip on the sword was practiced and skillful — clearly this was not his first time killing. Right now, his eyes were full of fury as he stared at Shusun Tong!

It was none other than Chen Yu, the renowned scholar of Wei, who had escaped Heifu's pursuit at Waihuang two years ago!

PS: Chapter 3 at 12:30.

Sima Guang, Zizhi Tongjian, "Qin Annals, Part Two"

Chen Yu of Wei said to Kong Fu: "Qin is about to destroy the records of the former kings, and you are the custodian of these texts — how perilous your position!" Ziyu replied: "I pursue a learning of no practical use; those who understand me are only my friends. Qin is not my friend — what danger am I in? I shall hide the texts and await their need; when the need comes, there will be no trouble."

From this we can see that Chen Yu and Kong Fu were acquainted. After Chen Sheng rose in revolt, Kong Fu went to Chen County to join him, which was likely also connected to Chen Yu.

(End of chapter)