Chapter 158

By the Song and Ming dynasties, Confucianism had become completely different from the initial simple empirical moral theory.

Having fully absorbed the origins of Buddhism and Daoism, and based on the ontology it constructed itself, it went a step further and achieved transcendence over the real world in terms of moral paradigms.

In theory, it has two connotations.

The first is ontology—knowing the self, which is the so-called "who am I, where do I come from."

In the scope of Song and Ming Confucianism, more specifically, it refers to "nature," which is the moral ontology endowed to humans, and the basis for the practice of life cultivation to become a sage.

The second is effort—moral practice; Confucianism does not need to answer "where am I going," because the final destination of humans is to become a sage, so this is explaining how to become a sage.

That is, the cultivation means and methods adopted to grasp the moral ontology and realize or achieve human nature.

All of this is completed in the super-ego world of morality; whether it is "unity of knowledge and action" or "investigation of things to extend knowledge," it is all like this, and has never had anything to do with physics.

Since Gu Xiancheng wants to restore antiquity and rectify the source, he must talk about what source he wants to rectify.

Gu Xiancheng felt a slight chill and spoke while moving on the stage: "Generally speaking, learning has a purpose, which is where a person's strength lies, and also where a scholar enters. The principles of the world are infinite; if they are not fixed by one or two words, how can one summarize them and make them reside in oneself?"

"Therefore, lecturing should start by clarifying the purpose."

"That is, when speaking of ontology, it is only the two words 'nature is good'; when speaking of effort, it is only the two words 'be careful'."

Lecturing, for the sake of easy dissemination, has always been summarized by people of insight, with one, two, and three listed in the middle, which shows clear regulations.

The scholars below the stage heard Gu Xiancheng grasp the key points and could not help but nod in approval.

Yu Menglin led several classmates from the Imperial Academy to listen to the lecture, and many students whispered and discussed in low voices.

"This title 'be careful,' as soon as I heard it, I tasted the path of Master Xue; it seems Gu Xiancheng has completely abandoned his enlightenment teacher, Master Zhang."

"How is this normal? How can Master Zhang compare to his current teacher, Master Xue? The latter has entered the Hall of Worthies and enjoys the two sacrifices of spring and autumn as a great Confucian. Is there any need to ask whose position he follows?"

"Not necessarily; as a disciple of Yangming and a great Confucian of the time, Master Xue's learning itself is deeper."

"I'm afraid it's too deep; sending a disciple whose hair has just grown to stir up trouble here—those who don't know would think he's setting up a Journey to the West."

Several students spoke one after another.

The Master Zhang mentioned in the words refers to Zhang Qi, who had a small reputation locally.

Master Xue refers to Xue Yingqi.

His ancestor Xue Ji was a Grand Secretary and Commissioner of the Privy Council in the former Song Dynasty, and his recent ancestor had provided financial assistance when the founding Emperor had not yet risen; he himself studied under Shao Bao, Ouyang De, and Lü Nan, and is a successor of the orthodox School of Principle and a disciple of the Yangming School of Mind.

He has a pivotal position in the scholarly forest and can be called a great Confucian of the time.

A student looked around and lowered his voice.

"It's still the root of the disaster buried by His Majesty at the Classics Seminar last year; the various factions of the Wang School were attacking each other well, who knew the Emperor would intervene and discuss good and evil—I don't know which Classics Seminar official was so ignorant."

The Wang School now has many factions, but there are only three mainstream ones.

Divided into the Wang School Orthodoxy, the Left Wing, and the Right Wing.

The Right Wing has never been popular and is often criticized for being Buddhism in disguise.

Advocating "returning to stillness of innate knowledge," inspired by the enlightenment at Longchang, this faction believes that the fundamental way to realize innate knowledge is to have a still heart.

When there are fewer distracting thoughts, the original light of innate knowledge will emerge; the method of cultivation is to rely on realizing the Dao, and things like becoming a monk or living in seclusion are all good paths.

They even travel around the legal departments all day—whenever there is someone with low morality, they find a dark place to "return to stillness" for a few days and then realize their innate knowledge.

The Left Wing is more mainstream than the Right Wing, but it is also the culprit currently being pointed to as the source of the flood.

This faction advocates that the human heart ontology has no distinction between good and evil, and is bright and clear, while thoughts have a distinction between good and evil, so one only needs to know oneself to become a sage.

The tributaries are also divided into two: the "Ready-made School," which says that since innate knowledge is ready-made, everyone should just be themselves—mostly absorbed by high officials and nobles, they act recklessly and take themselves as supreme; the "Daily Use School," which says that since everyone has innate knowledge, everyone is a sage, promoting "the sage is not high, the masses are not low," and "the daily use of the people is the Dao"—the main representative is the Taizhou School, which is also where Li Zhi's orthodoxy lies.

The Wang School Orthodoxy recites Wang Yangming's scriptures the most fluently, but its market is the worst.

Now they just spend their days holding airs to criticize the left and right factions, scolding the "returning to stillness" faction for liking to sit in meditation and seek too much internally, and lecturing the "daily use" faction for focusing on the people all day and seeking too much externally.

In short, they focus on orthodox origins and balanced moderation.

The Orthodoxy, Left, and Right factions now have huge differences and fierce disputes, all hoping to clarify social customs with their own theories, and at the same time achieve the "three immortalities" and occupy a sage position vacated in the last days.

Especially after the Emperor extended his tentacles to the classics, it intensified.

Starting with the Emperor's essay on good and evil the year before last, turning with Li Zhi of the Daily Use School occupying the new reports early last year, and marked by the Emperor's attainments in the classics revealed at the Emperor's Classics Seminar last year.

The entire debate on the classics shifted to the capital, and the attention of all factions converged, publishing articles to express their views, and the fighting became increasingly fierce.

"Classics Seminar official? Heh, why do you think Li Zhi can occupy the new reports safely and say those words that bewitch the world and confuse the people? Why do you think people like Tu Ying, Luo Wanhua, and Gu Xiancheng are lecturing one after another, expressing dissatisfaction with whom?"

"Gu Xiancheng is just a mere licentiate, at most just a mouthpiece for his teacher Xue Yingqi, his teacher's uncle Cha Duo, and his teacher's grandfather Qian Dehong, those great Confucians of the time."

"Isn't this just internal factionalism within the Confucian orthodoxy? A purge of the court!"

As soon as the words fell, Yu Menglin, who was sitting upright listening to the lecture, suddenly turned his head and interrupted the discussion: "Do not talk about irrelevant matters."

Several licentiates were scolded and knew they had spoken out of turn, so they hurriedly shut their mouths, separated their gathered heads, and continued to listen to the lecture with serious expressions.

Only to hear Gu Xiancheng's voice continue to come from the stage.

"'Life is called nature,' nature is Qi, Qi is nature, this is what life is called."

"Human life has Qi endowment, and reason has good and evil, but it is not that these two things exist in nature and are born in opposition."

"Some are good from childhood, some are evil from childhood, this is because of the Qi endowment. Good is certainly nature, but evil cannot be called not nature. Because 'life is called nature,' 'before life is still, it cannot be said; when one speaks of nature, it is already not nature.' When ordinary people speak of nature, they are just speaking of 'the successor is good,' which is what Mencius said about human nature being good."

"..."

"For the sake of clarifying the Dao, I want to criticize two theories here first, to make a distinction."

Gu Xiancheng stopped here, looked around, and then said word by word: "The first is Xu Jie's theory of 'no good and no evil,' and the second is the demonic person Li Zhi's theory of 'morality following the world'."

"Both are demonic words bewitching the public! Both are nonsense!"

As soon as the words fell, there was an instant buzzing sound below the stage.

There were those who whispered to each other, those who looked with disdain, and those who echoed loudly.

A student looked at Yu Menglin and hesitated: "Senior Brother Yu, the provincial examination is in half a month, why don't we... go back and review our lessons?"

Li Zhi is, after all, a director of the Imperial Academy, and the topic is inevitably a bit sensitive.

What's more, it also slightly involves Xu Jie.

These two people now frequently enter and leave the palace, so one must look at the Buddha's face even if one doesn't look at the monk's face.

The other students hurriedly held the person down: "Listen more! Listen more!"

Apparently, they were watching the fun and not afraid of trouble.

The person who spoke first saw this and couldn't help but advise: "Since Gu Xiancheng has started a newspaper, he will definitely publish it tomorrow; we can listen then, why bother causing trouble here."

Unfortunately, seeing that his classmates and Yu Menglin were indifferent, and feeling embarrassed to leave his classmates alone, he sighed secretly.

Yu Menglin turned a blind eye, but felt helpless in his heart.

There is no way; in scholarly disputes, as long as one has a teacher, how can one avoid it? Do they think he wants to come?

Gu Xiancheng on the stage raised his hand and pressed it, signaling everyone to be quiet.

After the scene quieted down, Gu Xiancheng continued: "Let's talk about the theory of 'no good and no evil' first."

"Guan Dongming said, 'Whenever a theory is incorrect and has flowed in the world for a long time, it must be because it caters to the selfish heart of petty men, and can also be attached to the great Dao of gentlemen.'"

"I humbly believe: the four words 'no good and no evil' can be considered as such, why?"

"It is believed that the ontology of the heart is originally no good and no evil, and it immediately becomes an 'empty' word."

"Empty means everything is liberated, there is no more attachment, taking benevolence and righteousness as shackles, taking rites and laws as dirt, taking daily affairs as dust, taking holding as grasping, taking following things and reflecting as chasing the environment, taking litigation and repentance as reincarnation, taking learning from below and reaching above as falling into ranks, taking holding to integrity and independence without fear as acting on impulse."

"..."

Gu Xiancheng cited classics and refuted the theory of "no good and no evil" severely.

In short, it is an obstacle that does not conform to Confucian teachings, does not conform to the origin of the sage, and is also an obstacle he wants to clear away in his restoration.

As for where the bad parts are?

It lies in the fact that it will weaken the moral view! Benevolence, righteousness, and rites can all be abandoned, and there is no difference from beasts!

At the same time, it is the culprit of the current lack of ancient hearts and the deterioration of social customs—the corruption of morality must be cleared from the time Xu Jie was in power!

Many people below the stage agreed and nodded frequently.

As soon as this was said, a voice immediately rose from below the stage: "Those people confuse morality and take selfish hearts as conscience, naturally there is room for criticism, so why should I, Li, be listed with them?"

This voice sounded at least over forty, and the tone was extremely impolite.

Everyone subconsciously looked at the newcomer.

The students of the Imperial Academy saw the newcomer and were all shocked, hurriedly standing up first: "Director."

"Director Li."

There were still those in the field who hadn't seen Li Zhi, and they couldn't help but understand the identity of the person.

They looked back and forth between Gu Xiancheng and Li Zhi, their expressions different.

Yu Menglin, as the leader of the students, couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, and after hesitating for a moment, he greeted him: "Director Li."

The Director of the Imperial Academy is the position that teaches studies and is in charge of academy affairs; when students see him, they naturally have to pay respects, but this scene is a bit awkward.

Li Zhi nodded, didn't return the salute at all, and walked straight ahead.

Students and licentiates subconsciously separated to both sides, making way for a path.

Li Zhi didn't go on stage, but silently walked to Yu Menglin's seat, sat down leisurely, just like a qualified listener, waiting quietly for Gu Xiancheng's follow-up.

Gu Xiancheng naturally understood the identity of the newcomer and just silently watched Li Zhi take his seat.

Facing an uninvited guest, Gu Xiancheng still had self-restraint.

Not only was he not angry, but he smiled at the corners of his mouth, reached out to invite Li Zhi to sit, and explained warmly: "Director Li, it is not that I cannot tolerate other factions, but that they hold public instruments while harboring concepts that harm the world and bewitch the people; people of insight can still distinguish them, but how can the common people and the young Emperor distinguish the treacherous?"

And Li Sancai, who was watching coldly, looked in the direction Li Zhi appeared.

He recalled the person who asked the insidious question just now and quietly touched his way up to the second floor.

Li Zhi sat in the Imperial Academy's seat, and a group of students stood behind him with awkward expressions.

The former waved his hand: "Stop rambling, continue, what flaws does Li's theory of 'morality following the world' have?"

Gu Xiancheng nodded, withdrew his gaze, and continued to speak: "Just now I mentioned the theory of 'morality following the world,' so I have to mention this demonic person Li Zhi, who can simply be called bewitching the world and confusing the people."

He called him a demonic person directly in his words, completely disregarding Li Zhi's face.

Li Zhi didn't care either, and even listened with relish.

Gu Xiancheng said loudly: "Li Zhi holds public instruments and uses the national newspaper to publicly clamor that morality follows the world, and that innate knowledge only fits the era and is consistent with the common interests of the people."

"Its great harm, when traced to its root, becomes a 'mixed' word."

"Mixed means everything is ambiguous, there is no more selection; those who are harmonious move it, taking following customs and attacking the wrong as moderation, taking fawning on the world as the unity of all things, taking bending the straight as abandoning one's body to save the world, taking bending and compromising as having nothing that cannot be done, taking rampant recklessness as not liking fame, taking stealing and avoiding when facing difficulty as the sage having no dead ground, taking stubbornness and shamelessness as not moving the heart."

"A mixed world is a chaotic world!"

"Yet they speak shamelessly, bringing out concepts like world, era, and ten thousand people; the position they occupy is very high, and they can climb to the great Dao of gentlemen on top, and attach to the selfish hearts of petty men on the bottom."

"Even if Kong Meng were to rise again, what could they do about it?"

By the time Gu Xiancheng finished speaking, he was already gritting his teeth and glaring: "This is called killing Heaven with scholarship!"

The crowd below the stage was infected by this and many were in deep thought.

They looked at Li Zhi one after another.

Li Zhi turned a blind eye, his expression slightly bewildered.

It wasn't that he doubted his own theory was wrong, but that Gu Xiancheng's words made it too clear why he was so hated now!

He was from the Taizhou School, with "the daily use of the people is the Dao" as his banner, claiming "the commoner is not low, the prince is not high."

On this basis, after being inspired by the Emperor, he went a step further in the past year or so, demonstrating the essential source of moral innate knowledge, and constructed an ontology of history, the world, and the unity of all people.

This was a matter of course.

But for people like Gu Xiancheng, it was not so.

Li Zhi's narrative was too grand.

How can external factors determine the self? And how can they determine the ontology?

Just as Gu Xiancheng said just now, this is not called saving the world, this is called "fawning on the world."

As an elite who is outstanding and whose high aspirations do not change, how can the moral view be influenced by "material"?

How can a dignified Confucian scholar who educates the world and establishes words and virtues allow the moral view to be composed of the consensus of the "lower people"?

Not to mention that the source of morality must be in the Confucian gate, at least it must be in the category of Heavenly Principle, right?

Especially for Confucian scholars towards the people, if it is not enlightenment and salvation from a high position, it is "following customs and attacking the wrong," an act of abandoning the self and "bending and compromising."

If "no good and no evil" is centered on the self, then in Gu Xiancheng's view, this set of Li Zhi's is abandoning the self.

Gu Xiancheng then took the two as two extremes and brought them out to criticize together.

So, does Li Zhi care about Gu Xiancheng's criticism?

He certainly doesn't care; in the past year or so, he has been criticized countless times.

Yet Gu Xiancheng has something to say about this point, calling it "rampant recklessness," and instead claiming not to like fame, using "stubbornness and shamelessness" to resist external criticism.

The position is too high, so high that even Gu Xiancheng admits that this theory clings to the sage's theory, and admits that this theory caters to the selfish hearts of the people.

Even if Kong Meng were reborn, what could they do about Li Zhi?

Precisely because it is so terrifying, Gu Xiancheng regards him as a flood and a beast!

Such exquisite yet crooked ways almost have the possibility of obliterating Heavenly Principle!

Therefore, now whether it is the School of Principle or the Wang School, they all regard Li Zhi as an enemy.

After Gu Xiancheng finished speaking, he looked at Li Zhi.

The crowd of scholars fell their gaze on Li Zhi in unison.

Li Zhi shook his head, lived up to expectations, and slowly stood up.

He stood below the stage, didn't look at Gu Xiancheng, looked around, and said loudly: "Gu Jun cites classics, calls for restoration, manipulates orthodoxy, raises the sage, and clearly wants to use this to refute me as heterodox."

"Little does he know, it's just a breeze brushing the face."

"Today, I will tell you all..."

"The sage is dead! He can't control me anymore!"

As soon as the words fell, everyone was shocked!

They whispered to each other and talked in an uproar.

Several students of the Imperial Academy covered their faces, fearing that the salute they had just paid to Li Zhi would cause them trouble because of this sentence.

Those with more thoughts quietly took pen and ink to record it.

Li Zhi's words obviously didn't mean the sage was dead—the sage was already dead.

He was referring to the theory! It was shockingly bold, regarding the sage's theory as an outdated object!

How arrogant!

How wanton!

Gu Xiancheng's expression changed drastically, and he looked around helplessly for Li Sancai's figure, scolding wildly: "Arrogant! Arrogant!"

Li Zhi seemed unaware, pushed aside the students, and walked to the front of the stage.

He didn't take the stairs, but supported himself on the stage with his hands and climbed up with a flip.

Li Zhi patted the dust on his hands, looked at Gu Xiancheng, and continued: "Last time, I published the theory of 'morality following the world' in the new reports."

"Discussing moral innate knowledge, it is a product of the era, based on historical evolution, and is an aggregate abstracted from everyone's past life experiences, current living standards, and common pursuit of interests."

"Gu Jun obviously doesn't quite understand yet, which is why he takes the sage as the source and restoration as the argument."

"It just so happens that I will explain it carefully to you all, so that you don't follow Confucius and bark, and even insist that the shit you eat was pulled by Confucius."

"Why do I call morality a product of the era?"

"The morality of the ancients and the morality of today are very different; why? Because of the difference in time!"

"The morality of the barbarians and the morality of China are very different; why? Because of the difference in space!"

"Confucius's theory fits the era of that time; rites and music were the common demands of the people. Confucius established rites, and only then was there a sage position for a time; I call it the 'sage of that time,' not the sage of ten thousand generations in your mouths."

"This is called what the era produces, what history needs!"

"Now two thousand years have passed, the world is different, the times are different, and moral innate knowledge is completely different; it is all outdated!"

"Since the innate knowledge and morality of the world are different, how can the sage be called a sage?"

"It is just that his thoughts, origins, and works are preserved in the way of history and the consensus of the ten thousand people; taking the essence and changing with the world, only then is there the admiration of ten thousand generations—this is the fundamental reason why Confucius is greater than you and me! It is not the divinely born sage and the classic theory that never changes for ten thousand generations as you all keep saying!"

"Therefore, I say, the sage is dead!"

"You use restoration to restrain me, and use the sage to suppress me? Ridiculous!"

"You don't think about starting another school to compete with me, but spend your days flipping through outdated things in piles of old paper; what are you using to fit the general trend of the world? What are you using to fit the hearts of the ten thousand people?"

"Today I will say it: those teachers, giants, orthodox figures, and all those who want to compete for the sage position behind you..."

"As long as they are not rooted in the evils of the era, listen to the interests of the ten thousand people, and plan for the needs of the country, they are all just castles in the air!"

"The sage of the past is dead; as for the sage of the present, you may not be able to compete with me!"

After speaking, Li Zhi looked at Gu Xiancheng, whose expression was slightly flustered, and snorted coldly.

He turned around, flicked his hem, did a side flip, jumped off the stage gracefully, and left.

Zhu Yijun, listening to these words on the second floor, couldn't help but clap and cheer.

Arrogant, overbearing, it really is Li Zhi who started mocking Confucius at the age of eight!

Refreshing, refreshing indeed!

Zhu Yijun turned to look at Li Chengming and urged: "Quick, stick your head out and cheer for Me!"

His voice-changing period had come, and his voice wasn't very pleasant, so he had let Li Chengming ask questions on his behalf earlier.

Li Chengming was helpless, walked to the window, and cheered several times, such as "well done" and "didn't lose face."

After he finished shouting, seeing that the Emperor had no other instructions, he walked back from the window.

Li Chengming asked curiously: "Your Majesty, are Li Zhi's words a bit too radical..."

"The sage is dead"—it really showed his spirit.

At the same time, the trouble wouldn't be small.

If it spread, I'm afraid it wouldn't just be these hairy kids below charging forward.

Zhu Yijun shook his head upon hearing this and said with some emotion: "Radical? We've only just begun; just watch, today's dispute is just the beginning, and the capital will be lively later."

"There is a saying that if you endure for a while, you will only get angrier; today Li Zhi spoke wildly, making Gu Xiancheng forget to refute in his panic; when he goes back, he will definitely be churning in his stomach. Isn't he running a newspaper? Just see when he thinks of wording to retort."

Speaking of this, Zhu Yijun sighed again for no reason: "Sigh, this is also for Confucius's own good, to return to the correct position early, so as to avoid being scolded for no reason."

How many sages of the time can there be? It's already quite remarkable.

He is now like Zhou Shuren, calling Confucius a modern sage, all from the bottom of his heart.

As for being the law of ten thousand generations? Let's forget about that.

If there is someone on the throne who will never be wrong, it is not conducive to carrying out work.

Just as he was thinking, the door was suddenly knocked.

The two turned their heads together.

Gu Huan raised his weapon and asked coldly: "Who?"

Outside, the reply came quickly: "Poor Daoist Qingyang, please ask Grand Coordinator Gu to convey to Your Majesty that there is a scholar named Li Sancai below seeking an audience with the noble person."

The Emperor's identity was not hidden from Sanyang Palace; after all, it was said that he wouldn't go out in disguise, so the surrounding defenses were directly replaced by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

But Li Sancai was seeking an audience with a noble person, obviously not knowing the Emperor's identity.

Gu Huan didn't make a sound and cast an inquiring look at the Emperor.

Li Chengming's face turned bitter, and he cast a pleading look at the Emperor—if tonight's events spread, he would definitely be in big trouble.

Zhu Yijun laughed.

He stood up slowly and signaled Gu Huan to open the door.

Three people stood at the door and hurriedly saluted: "Qingyang pays respects to Your Majesty."

"Chiyang pays respects to Your Majesty."

The third person was about to salute, but Zhu Yijun, fearing that his name would be spoken, interrupted him in a panic: "No need for formalities!"

Daoist Qingyang carefully glanced at the Emperor and lowered his voice: "Your Majesty, Li Sancai seemed to see Young Master Li by the window just now and became suspicious; he is currently making a scene on the first floor."

Zhu Yijun nodded: "Get Me paper and pen."

Li Sancai frowned and looked upstairs.

Just now he clearly saw Li Zhi come down from upstairs.

At the same time, he also saw a person with a rat-like head and mouse-like eyes, very much like the young master of the father-in-law's family, lying on the window cheering, his voice exactly the same as at the beginning.

The two obviously wouldn't easily get together.

Then who is the noble person in the mouth of Daoist Qingyang...

He had some thoughts, but didn't dare to think deeply, and even had to pretend not to know and seek an audience openly.

Just as he was thinking, he saw three Daoists walking over together from the stairs.

Li Sancai opened his mouth without a trace: "Three Daoist priests, how is it?"

Daoist Qingyang shook his head: "The noble person said that he is in a hurry at home and needs to go home early, so he can't stay long; if there is fate, we will meet again."

Li Sancai was silent.

Meet again if there is fate...

That also depends on whether he can pass the exam.

It's just a pity that he couldn't see him.

He arched his hands to thank the three Daoist priests for conveying the message and turned to leave.

Daoist Qingyang suddenly called Li Sancai again, and Li Sancai turned his head in confusion.

Only to see Daoist Qingyang take out a rolled-up calligraphy scroll from his sleeve and hand it over: "The noble person said that you should also learn from Gu Xiancheng and not be so restrained just because your father is an official in the Ministry of Revenue."

Li Sancai subconsciously took the calligraphy scroll.

His expression was complex, and he slowly unfolded it.

It was a line of large characters, saying: Truth becomes clearer with debate.

Li Sancai was stunned and speechless.

(End of chapter)