Chapter 353 Imperial College
Jia Yi returned to Chang'an from Zhaocheng, and hurriedly took a large number of people and gold, silver, pearls, jade, and rare treasures to Zhaocheng. Although Luo Ling said that he had no shortage of these things, how could he really not take them with him?
The Buddha, who is dedicated to saving all sentient beings, still requires incense money to pass down the Tripitaka and Mahayana sutras.
Could the State of Zhao, a semi-independent political, military, economic and cultural entity, maintain its survival simply by saying "The King is above"?
Of course, it requires multiple sources of income.
Liu Heng and Luo Jing stood on the high gate tower of the imperial palace, watching from afar the huge team heading to Zhaocheng leaving.
"It's such a simple thing to accomplish."
Liu Heng suddenly said something that made no sense.
Then he walked down the palace gate tower, walked along the high palace wall that almost blocked out the sun, and looked at the mottled spots on the corners of the wall, which were traces of time.
He walked to a step that was a little dusty, but he didn't care. He just lifted his robe and sat on the step, leaning against the wall. The crown on his head was a little crooked, and he looked straight at the broad yet narrow blue sky.
Liu Heng suddenly said with emotion: "A Jing, since I took power, the things that have happened in the past few years have made me think about a question: what is the value of my existence?
I have always wanted to become a sage king, just as my uncle has trained me to do.
Now everything is going very smoothly, but when I wake up in the middle of the night, I always feel confused and doubtful. Can I become a sage king in this way?
It’s really too much of a joke.”
Luo Jing understood where Liu Heng's emotions came from. After all, all the things that the two of them had done over the years were always easy to accomplish, just like a bright and flat road without any bumps or unevenness.
So he smiled and said, "Your Majesty, do you think that Empress Gao and my father have governed the country so well that they have been successful in everything they have done over the years?
You want to achieve something great, but now it seems that all your achievements are due to the grace of your ancestors, so you are doubting yourself a little bit?"
Liu Heng smiled casually and said, "Ah Jing, you understand me, that's it."
Luo Jing also sat beside Liu Heng and said softly, "Your Majesty, I think it is wrong to be so self-deprecating.
Is it only because of the foundation laid by your predecessors that you are able to govern the world with ease today?
I don't think so. Such a heavy task is placed in your hands, but you are able to hold it steadily and make it prosper. This is your wisdom.
Is the foundation inherited by King Li of Zhou worse than yours?
Starting from King Su, the wealth accumulated by several generations of wise kings, and the fact that there were virtuous ministers like our ancestor Duke Wen in the court, eventually led to the near collapse of the country.
It is more difficult to maintain a business than to start one.
Starting a business may be difficult, but it is full of vitality and with everyone working together, you can find a glimmer of hope amidst numerous difficulties and dangers. No matter how difficult and tough it is, as long as everyone is united, you can always get through it.
However, when maintaining a business, one has to face internal winds, frost, rain and snow, which make it difficult to guard against and difficult to start.
Look at that flying eaves roof in the distance; it goes all the way up, reaches the highest point, and then goes down.
The bright moon in the sky begins to wan at the moment it reaches fullness. This is the principle that the moon wanes when it is full.
When the sun reaches its zenith, it will continue to move westward until it sets into the mountains. This is the principle of the sun's movement at its zenith.
Is there any exception to the dynasty's fate?
I don’t think so.
Emperor Gao, Empress Gao, Emperor Xiaohui, and my father, four generations of emperors and regents, made the Han Dynasty gradually prosperous, and then it was passed into your hands.
What is a wise monarch?
To continue this prosperous era and even make it more prosperous, this is a wise monarch!
If it declines slightly, it can be regarded as the master of maintaining the status quo.
If it fails miserably, then it is the result of a foolish and incompetent king.
If the Han people were like the eternal sun and moon in the sky.
Do you think that the sun of the Han Dynasty has reached the center and is about to shift?
Do you think that the moon of the Han Dynasty has become so full that it is about to lose value?
I don’t think so.
Whether the Han Dynasty will continue to become more prosperous and powerful, or turn downward like the eaves of the roof, it all depends on your hands!
Can this be said to be nothing to do, nothing to achieve?"
The more Luo Jing spoke, the brighter Liu Heng's eyes became. At the end, Liu Heng directly grabbed Luo Jing's neck and laughed loudly, "You kid, you actually have such insight."
The palace maids, eunuchs, and even the generals and soldiers of the imperial guards who followed the two men were all looking at this scene with envy. He was truly worthy of being the Marquis of Dong'e, the most favored person in the world by the emperor, and unparalleled.
Luo Jing could only break free and said with a somewhat helpless tone: "Jing's wisdom is far inferior to your majesty.
When my father was still alive, he often praised you and encouraged me.
I have this insight only because almost every generation of the Luo family encounters this problem as they grow up, that is, the achievements of their ancestors are too prosperous.
Especially the achievements of King Su, which were unprecedented and almost unparalleled. The descendants of the Luo family had long given up the idea of surpassing their ancestors.
Your Majesty, the situation you are facing is much better now. At least there is no insurmountable peak.
Although my father's achievements are great, they are still achievable by normal people. If you can push the Han Dynasty's national strength to its peak during your reign, will people in later generations think that you are inferior to my father?
The Luo Kingdom has a history of thousands of years, and countless generations of ancestors have made great achievements, but the greatest one that has been passed down to this day and is still known to people is the Luo Kingdom Academy!
Your Majesty, in this world, only culture is indestructible, and only civilization can be passed down forever.
The Han Academy that you are going to build now may be one of the greatest achievements of your life. The more talented people come out of the academy, the wider your reputation will spread.
The reason why the sage king was able to be remembered in the world is because of his civil and military achievements. You took back the coinage from the court, completely completed the extension of favors to the princes, and most importantly, established the academy.
If your holy name cannot be passed down to future generations, then who else can?"
Liu Heng stood up, all the dejection he had just felt was gone, and he said excitedly, "I want to give the academy a name that has a profound and resounding meaning.
Tai Shang means the highest and best. The Han Dynasty wanted to be the greatest dynasty of all time, so naturally, its academy had to surpass the official schools of the Three Dynasties.
Imperial Academy!
This is the name I gave it. Ah Jing, you will be the first chief priest of the Imperial Academy and train talents for me."
"Imperial Academy? Imperial Academy."
Luo Jing muttered twice, then laughed loudly and said, "Your Majesty, your will is my principle. To cultivate talents for the country and make the Han Dynasty prosperous is my creed."
…
The news that the imperial court was going to establish a school spread to everyone, and all the schools of thought in the world flocked to Chang'an upon hearing the news. Not only those who were seeking to serve as officials, but also the leaders of all the schools of thought came to Chang'an.
Guanyi.
A group of students dressed as Confucian scholars followed some old men here. A slightly younger student asked in confusion: "Teacher, we Confucians have several private schools in the world where we can teach our disciples freely. Why do we want to come to Chang'an to interfere with the official schools of the Han court?
I'm afraid that Meng's Confucianism will not be liked by the emperor. Do we have to change our doctrines to please the royal family?
The disciple doesn’t want to!
Even if you don't want to enter the academy, if you want to become an official, you can go and pay a visit to Lord Luo. I think it's unwise to get involved in official studies."
The Meng family Confucians were well aware that the emperor did not like the ideas of their school, but the Meng family Confucians could not change. Other schools had to kowtow to the royal family, but the Meng family Confucians were a sharp sword pointing at the imperial power. If they dared to lose their foundation, the Luo family would not forgive them.
The old man recalled the letter sent by Zhaocheng, and immediately laughed and said: "Of course, Meng's Confucianism is powerful and unyielding. The three theories of monarch and minister will never be abandoned, and the extermination of tyrants is also engraved in the classics.
You understand all this, but you still don't have a clear enough view of the world situation.
If His Majesty the Emperor wants to build a school and go to Zhaocheng to ask for books, he will definitely agree to Duke Zhao's conditions.
Mencius is one of the orthodox Confucianists. There are countless sages in Confucianism, but after the two sages of Luoyang and Confucius, Mencius is the most important. The sage of Luoyang is called king, the sage of Confucius is called benevolence, and the sage of Mencius is called righteousness. There is no doubt that the orthodoxy falls on Mencius, and this is recognized by the Holy Temple of All Philosophers.
Now is the best opportunity for Meng Shiru to enter the Imperial Academy.
It is not difficult to establish a school in essence, just like the private schools we set up, some houses and some books are enough.
But why was it that during the thousand years of the Zhou Dynasty, only the Luo State Academy was prosperous?
When did Confucianism rise and reach its peak?
It was after Confucius and Mencius traveled around the world that they served as chief priests in the Luo State Academy. At that time, the Luo State Academy was presided over by Confucianists and naturally tended towards Confucianism.
The same is true of the Imperial College of the Han Dynasty today. It came to Chang'an not to cultivate talents in the Imperial College, but to use Mencius's Confucian classics as one of the official books of the Imperial College!
This is a major event that concerns the future of our faction, and the Luo family will definitely lend a helping hand to us.
If you miss this opportunity, according to Meng's thinking, it will be extremely difficult to enter again.
By that time, the branch of Confucianism was flourishing in the Han court, but Mencius's thoughts had not yet gained popularity in the court. Did he have to return to Zhaocheng, seek refuge from the Luo family, and wait for another opportunity for dozens or hundreds of years?
If so, isn't it our fault?"
These words, accompanied by countless rhetorical questions, shocked everyone and left them speechless for a long time.
These conversations could be heard everywhere in Chang'an City. The leaders of the various schools who flocked to the city had all seen the importance of the matter and therefore rushed to Chang'an City.
If we lose this opportunity, we will lose at least a hundred years!
————
From the official schools that integrated education and sacrifices during the Three Dynasties, to the Luo State academy that separated sacrifices from the pure research of academic subjects, to the emergence of the Imperial Academy in the Han Dynasty that was classified according to classics, and even the emergence of doctoral students who specialized in a certain classic, the ancient college system was basically formed during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han, and all subsequent official and private schools have followed this system until now.
This is another great achievement of the Han Dynasty, and a pearl in the process of the Han Dynasty's rise to prosperity. - "History of the Rise and Fall of the Han Dynasty"
(End of this chapter)
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