Chapter 511: A Joke

"For four whole years this old man pleaded till his mouth wore thin before His Majesty finally agreed to tour east and perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices. And what did you lot do? In just two short days you made His Majesty detest the entire Confucian cohort and threw us all out. Adept at spoiling things, hopeless at getting anything done! Now the very scholars most versed in ritual are barred from drafting the Feng and Shan rites — what an utter joke!"

In the woods near the travelling palace, the Confucians whom Qin Shi Huang had expelled from the hall stood staring at one another helplessly. Only Zhou Qingchen, the Chief Servant who oversaw the Erudites, was seething in the middle. Yet no matter how furious he was, Zhou Qingchen still carefully protected the jinxian cap on his head, not letting it tilt out of place.

Zhou Qingchen had every right to be angry. Back in Xianyang, the seventy-odd Erudites, especially the Ru scholars from Qi and Lu, had been fairly united. Every so often they would loudly extol the Feng and Shan sacrifices performed by the seventy-two ancient emperors, urging Qin Shi Huang to follow their example.

After great difficulty, once the emperor had finished fighting the Xiongnu and the Yuezhi and finally began arranging his eastern tour for the Feng and Shan, bringing a huge retinue to the foot of Mount Tai, the Confucians who had once cooperated in good faith found themselves unable to agree on anything.

It couldn't be helped. Since Confucius, Ruism had splintered into far too many branches. Apart from the "Kong Clan Ruism" of Confucius's direct descendant Kong Fu and his disciple Shusun Tong, there were eight major schools: the Ruism of Zizhang, the Ruism of Zisi, the Ruism of the Yan Clan, the Ruism of the Meng Clan, the Ruism of the Qidiao Clan, the Ruism of the Zhongliang Clan, the Ruism of the Sun Clan, and the Ruism of the Yuezheng Clan. Plus the Xun Clan Ruism headed by Fu Qiubo, and three separate traditions devoted to the Spring and Autumn Annals: the Gongyang, Guliang, and Zuo schools.

As early as a month ago, more than ten schools and over three hundred people had heard that the emperor was about to hold the Feng and Shan grand ceremony that Ruism had yearned for over a century. Even Kong Fu, who had no desire to cooperate with Qin, wanted to come and see what would happen.

For a time, at the foot of Mount Tai, the Qi and Lu Confucians achieved a grand convergence unseen since the death of Confucius — from capped youths to white-haired old scholars, every sort was present. In their own words, "All worthies have assembled; the young and the old have gathered together."

Qin Shi Huang had summoned so many Ru scholars with the original intent of having them do what they were best at: drafting a set of rites for the Feng and Shan. The Chief Servant of the Erudites, Zhou Qingchen, had volunteered to take charge of this matter.

Perhaps Zhou Qingchen had been in Qin too long and had forgotten the nature of his Qi and Lu colleagues. They began debating every single ritual procedure — this one was no good, that one wouldn't do. In the end, by the time Qin Shi Huang arrived at Mount Tai, this crowd still hadn't agreed on a complete plan, which drove Zhou Qingchen frantic with worry.

Although popular tradition held that seventy-two ancient emperors had performed the Feng and Shan at Mount Tai, most of it was unsubstantiated. As for the Feng and Shan rites themselves? Even less traceable. No one knew the details of the ceremonies, so the Confucians could only search for foundations in texts like the Book of Documents and the Rites of Zhou. A single Spring and Autumn Annals could produce three different interpretations, let alone ancient books with even more obscure language. As a result, over ten Ruist schools put forward more than twenty different proposals.

People who engage in scholarship often have minds narrower than the point of a needle. This crowd — even fellow disciples under the same master — could sever all ties over a disagreement about a single word or phrase in the Spring and Autumn Annals or the Odes, quarrelling for decades, with their disciples and grand-disciples continuing the quarrel after their deaths. How much more so for the Feng and Shan grand ceremony, which would be recorded in the histories.

It even went so far that two schools came to blows over whether the ceremony should be held at the summit or halfway up the mountain! Two old scholars tore at each other's beards and left bruises on each other's eye sockets, yet dared only tell outsiders they had fallen.

With the debates deadlocked, the Ruist Erudites began acting on their own, each submitting memorials to the emperor to peddle their own ideas.

The Qidiao Clan Ruism, which transmitted ritual as the Way, submitted: "In ancient times, for the Feng and Shan, the emperor rode a carriage whose wheels were wrapped in rushes, for fear of harming the mountain's soil, rocks, plants, and trees. One must ascend to the very summit, sweep the ground, and perform the sacrifice. His Majesty should bow amidst the dust, employing simplicity..."

The Zizhang Clan Ruism, however, held that the emperor should climb the mountain on foot, and upon reaching a certain height, when there was no wind or rain, immediately perform the rites, which would count as the mountain sacrifice.

The Yuezheng Clan Ruism, poring over ancient texts, had researched a practice called "gazing sacrifice and shooting an ox," and also eagerly submitted this as a treasure, hoping the emperor would adopt this complex ritual.

These various arguments were all different, at odds with reason, either pedantic and grotesque or impractically difficult, and most were making a mountain out of a molehill. They clearly fell far short of what Qin Shi Huang expected — to use the Feng and Shan to proclaim the empire's grandeur and majesty.

Fortunately, Qin Shi Huang had never pinned his hopes on this lot. While he had the Confucians debate, he had also secretly ordered the "Chamberlain for Ceremonials," who was specifically in charge of rites, to prepare a set of Qin dynasty rituals for sacrificing to Heaven and Earth.

Thus, the day before, he issued an edict: "These proposals are all contradictory and difficult to implement." He instead had the Chamberlain for Ceremonials bring out the full set of Qin dynasty rites and told the Ru scholars to critique and adjust them.

As a result, the crowd that had been bickering for over a month, even coming to blows over certain rituals, now united as never before.

Fu Sheng, a Qi Ru scholar of some renown, took one look at the sacrificial vessels designed by the Chamberlain for Ceremonials and launched into a tirade, the sole basis for his criticism being "it differs from antiquity." But as for what the actual Feng and Shan implements should look like, he could not say anything conclusive.

And Kong Fu, the descendant of Confucius and a famously eminent Lu Ru scholar, after observing the rites rehearsed by the Chamberlain for Ceremonials, shook his head and said, "Not as good as the Lu rites." He then requested that the ready-made Lu rites, handed down through the Kong family for generations, be used for the Feng and Shan instead.

All these antics infuriated Qin Shi Huang, who hated nothing more than criticism that "the present cannot match the past." He immediately issued an edict:

"Since the assembled Ru scholars can neither clarify the affairs of the Feng and Shan, nor break free from their dogmatic attachment to the Odes, the Documents, and ancient texts, We shall decide for Ourselves!"

The Ru scholars were then all driven out of the travelling palace, Zhou Qingchen included. Thus arose this ludicrous scene: the very scholars who specialised in studying ritual, yet not one could take part in designing the Feng and Shan ceremony...

By the afternoon, word spread that Qin Shi Huang had completely rejected all the Ru scholars' words and instead adopted Qin's old rites for sacrificing to Heaven and Earth to perform the Feng and Shan.

When this news arrived, the Ru scholars exploded. They began beating their chests and stamping their feet, saying the emperor refused to heed good counsel and was actually using the wrong rites on such an important occasion — truly the greatest absurdity under heaven. They then clamoured to go and "remonstrate unto death."

But just as they were rallying and calling for solidarity, palace guards arrived. The Ru scholars thought the emperor had regretted his decision and was summoning them back for further discussion. To their surprise, the guards, faces grim, seized the two old scholars who had quarrelled and beaten each other up, declaring they would be charged with "unauthorised brawling."

In an instant, over three hundred Ru scholars fell utterly silent. They watched as the two old scholars were dragged away. Only after a long while did Kong Fu stamp his foot and say:

"Since the emperor will not heed our remonstrance, what use is there in us staying? To wait and suffer further humiliation?"

He was decisive enough — if not needed, then leave. With that, he flicked his sleeve and strode off with his disciple Shusun Tong. Shusun Tong, who had not offered a single opinion throughout this farce, merely bowed apologetically to Zhou Qingchen and tried to persuade his master not to be rash, saying that leaving without permission would anger the emperor.

The remaining people looked at each other. By now, no one spoke any more of "risking death to remonstrate." Only the leader of the Qidiao Ruism loudly declared:

"Gentlemen, long ago when the Ji clan travelled to Mount Tai, Confucius asked Ran You: 'Can you dissuade them?' Ran You answered that he could not. Confucius then sighed and said, 'Though you cannot, is Mount Tai not inferior to Lin Fang?'"

Lin Fang was a famous scholar of Lu in the Spring and Autumn period, renowned for his understanding of ritual. The meaning of this saying was that Mount Tai, shaped by Heaven and Earth and possessing its own spiritual nature, would absolutely never accept a sacrifice that violated ritual!

The implication was that Qin Shi Huang, having dismissed the Ru scholars' words today and switched to the sacrificial methods of the land west of the passes, would likewise not be accepted by Mount Tai!

Everyone chimed in agreement, pinning their hopes on the mountain's divine nature. Some even clamoured that the next day, when the emperor ascended the mountain for the Feng and Shan, they would carefully observe every procedure, and after descending, write books about what they saw, mocking any rites that turned into a farce, so that all under heaven would know that compared to the Ru school, Qin's officials, invocators, and shamans were mere amateurs when it came to conducting sacrificial rites.

Only Zhou Qingchen sighed: "At this point, you'd all best say a little less!"

Whether Mount Tai would accept Qin's sacrificial rites was unknown, but after this incident, Qin Shi Huang had probably seen through the Confucians' utter inability to accomplish anything. By nightfall, the emperor further announced that the next day's Feng and Shan would include only the civil and military officials — Heifu, Zhang Cang, and others were all on the list — but not a single Ru scholar!

At this, the Confucians were all dumbfounded. They had originally thought that the next day, during the Feng and Shan, they would observe the Chamberlain for Ceremonials' rites and have a good laugh about it afterwards. They never expected the emperor to be so absolute: all Ru scholars were to remain stranded at the mountain's foot and were forbidden to take part!

"This is truly outrageous!"

Fu Sheng of Qi was furious. He asked himself: had he not accepted the summons to Xianyang, endured the emperor's militarism, and tolerated their seventy-odd Erudites being mere ornaments in the court, precisely in order to guide Qin towards the political blueprint that the scholars of Jixia in Qi had tailor-made years ago for a future unified empire, thereby transforming it into the ritual state of their ideals?

But now, having endured with such difficulty until today, the Confucians who had laboured and racked their brains for this goal were neither qualified to design the rites nor entitled to ascend the mountain and witness this scene unseen in eight hundred years?

This was truly the greatest joke under heaven! If the Ru school's mortal enemies, the Huang-Lao and the Mohists, learned of this, they would surely laugh their teeth out.

Amidst their shock, a strange shift occurred in the Confucians' feelings towards the Feng and Shan.

In their eyes, without their participation, the Feng and Shan was no longer a true Feng and Shan, but rather an act against the sacred and inviolable Mount Tai, against the ritual order of the ancient sage kings — a...

"Humiliation!"

Their passions raged, yet they were powerless.

Shouting empty slogans also consumes energy. Soon, as night deepened and their stomachs growled with emptiness, the Confucians dispersed. Unlike the high spirits in which they had come, they all now looked rather dejected.

This was the greatest defeat Ruism had suffered since the founding of the Qin dynasty. Yet, apart from a few like Zhou Qingchen and Shusun Tong, the vast majority of Ru scholars did not look for the cause within themselves. Instead, brimming with indignation, they complained:

"Qin Shi Huang is obstinate and self-opinionated, rejects the worthy and good, and insists on having his own way. He is indeed an incorrigible tyrant and despot! Truly a sinner against the Three Kings, lacking in virtue — is he even worthy of performing the Feng and Shan?!"

PS: The events in this chapter reference the "Records of the Historian: Treatise on the Feng and Shan Sacrifices."

(End of Chapter)