Chapter 70 Confucius
After repeated attacks by Qi, Qu State had become a small country with an area of less than 200 miles. Although its title was not reduced to that of a king, it had become a vassal of a big country.
Confucius was a well-known wise man in Qu State. He once studied in the Luo State Academy. No one could match him in his understanding of "Luo Yu".
"Lord Luo, King Su established the ritual and music system for the whole country, which led to the prosperity of Zhou for 500 years.
Until now, only Luo State still adheres to rites and music, which is why Luo State has always been prosperous.
But why don't you re-establish rituals and music in the world? I don't understand!
As long as everyone in the world follows propriety, the monarch practices benevolence, and the ministers practice loyalty, won’t the world be peaceful?”
This was the question Confucius asked to Luo Ci. He was very confused and didn't understand. He realized the principle of "benevolence" from the ancient classics, but found that even the Luo State did not promote it.
So he wanted to leave Luo State and find a monarch who was willing to accept his teachings.
"Zhongni, you are a great sage. The kingly way of Luoyu will flourish because of you. Please leave it in the academy and explain your benevolent way. The Luo family will record it and pass it on for you.
It has been two thousand years since the Three Kings and Five Emperors, and there are still countless more two thousand years to come. Your doctrine is so beautiful and in line with the great principles of human nature. It is a doctrine that will flourish sooner or later. Why do you have to make it flourish now?"
This is Luo Ci's evaluation of him, a man of noble character, a man full of wisdom, and a man out of date.
The kingly way is a useful discipline, and benevolence and righteousness are principles that should be promoted.
But it is not a useful knowledge nowadays, so Luo Ci hopes that Confucius can teach and write down his theories well and find successors, but not try to be an official, because that is doomed to failure.
But Luo Ci himself is a member of the Luo family. He knows that even if thousands of years have passed, King Su will still be paying attention to the family, so the direct descendants of the Luo family have always planned for a hundred years, and even prepare for a thousand years later.
This is Luo's confidence.
But even if Confucius possessed great wisdom, he was just a mortal. How could he talk about a thousand years later?
So Confucius left the academy and returned to Qu State.
At that time, Luo Yan was still in Jin State. When he came back, he asked with some regret: "Father, Zhongni is a saint who appears once every five hundred years. Why didn't you keep him in Luo State?
Perhaps after the Zhou Dynasty, Confucius' teachings will be spread all over the world."
Starting from Luo Xiu, the royal family members of Luo State were all academic monarchs, so they could see the value of Confucius' teachings.
He was not just a simple revival of the ancient Zhou rituals. His thoughts contained the essence of the world, which is not found in any current thoughts.
Luo Ci and Luo Yan also planned to give Su Wang's theory to Confucius for reference, hoping that he could use his own thinking to write a more brilliant theory.
Unexpectedly, Confucius actually left Luo State directly.
Luo Ci laughed and said, "Since Zhongni is a saint who appears once every five hundred years, is there anyone who can control his thoughts?
He is a great sage. Good times and bad times provide nourishment for his wisdom. Wait, he will definitely come back. Luo State is the land of kingly virtue."
Qu Jun also liked the kingly way described in Luo Yu because he had always been bullied by his subjects.
He heard that Confucius had studied in the Luoyang National Academy, so he invited him to ask about government affairs and how to revitalize the country and strengthen the authority of the monarch.
This is exactly what Confucius studied, and he smiled and said, “My lord, it’s very simple, just practice the way of the king.
King Su was the greatest man in the past three thousand years. His greatness did not lie in his expedition to the east to quell the rebellion, but in establishing rituals and music.
This is a system that can bring eternal peace.
Instead of abiding by them, later generations continue to destroy them. Isn’t this the most ridiculous thing?
The four biggest declines of the Zhou royal family occurred during the reigns of King Li, King Huang, King You, and King Xi. Were these declines really due to God's lack of favor towards them?
No, it was because they wantonly destroyed the patriarchal system of rites, music and law that caused the man-made disaster.
The prosperity of the royal family is always accompanied by the reconstruction of the ritual and music order. The wheels can only run on a flat road. This is the importance of seeking the road.
Both Duke Wen of Luo and Duke Xuan of Luo strengthened the authority of the Zhou emperor and allowed the princes to do their own things.
Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong also restored stability to the country by respecting the king and expelling the barbarians and re-establishing the patriarchal system. "
The Way of the Su Wang is profound and elusive, and the State of Luo had never fully made the Way of the Su Wang public until Lord Ming of Luo published the book "Luo Yu".
Luo Xiu summarized the gains and losses of the Zhou government over the past four hundred years, and also elaborated on Su Wang's "The Way of the King" in great detail. In "The Way of the King" and "Luo Yu", there is a world of great harmony where everyone can live and work in peace and contentment.
This made Confucius extremely convinced that only by re-establishing the ritual and music system could the current chaotic human heart be put in order.
If he knew that the Luo Minggong he admired not only wrote the "Luo Yu" of the kingly way, but also the "For the Lord" of the hegemonic way, he would probably feel sympathy with Li Er who learned of the existence of King Su and be shocked.
The king of Qu State admired Confucius's kingly way very much. Perhaps to numb himself, he appointed Confucius as the prime minister of Qu State.
After becoming the prime minister, Confucius began to practice his own way of the kingly way. It must be said that the kingly way is effective for small countries.
However, the most powerful person in Qu State was not the king, but Doctor Cao. Half of the less than 200-li land of Qu State was Doctor Cao's fiefdom, which showed his power.
Confucius served as prime minister for seven months and argued with Cao Gong five times until Cao Gong invited Confucius to his home. Then Cao Gong deliberately used various ritual vessels, musical instruments, and tripods that only princes could use.
He wanted to see how Confucius, who practiced the kingly way and advocated the relationship between ruler and subject and father and son, did it.
Confucius naturally could not tolerate this. At Cao's banquet, he loudly denounced this presumptuous behavior, "You are just a minister, you are presumptuous and violate the etiquette. Your wolfish ambition is probably known to passers-by in Qu State.
I will record your name in the history books, along with the barbarians and savages, to be cursed for eternity."
Confucius' family does have a tradition of recording history, and a great sage like him is destined to leave his words behind. By then, Doctor Cao will really be infamous for eternity.
His friends were worried that Doctor Cao would harm him, and hoped that he would admit his mistake to Doctor Cao. He was furious and said, "Lo Wengong once praised Xiong Dun as a hero among the Xia people, and he should be promoted to marquis in recognition of his contribution.
However, Xiong Dun usurped the throne and trampled on the etiquette, and Duke Wen of Luo never mentioned adding a higher title to Xiong Dun again.
During the reign of Duke Xuan, the State of Chu usurped the throne and the royal family formed an alliance with Chu through marriage. Chu expressed its submission and thus stopped claiming to be the king among the other states. Could it be that this was a principle that all Chu could abide by, but the State of Qu did not understand?
Duke Huan of Qi united the nine states, brought peace to the world, whipped the states and gave orders to the various states. What a powerful position he had!
Was there any usurpation of power?
Even the Fang Bo did not dare to overstep his authority, so it is really ridiculous for a mere doctor to do so.
Rites and music are the foundation of the Zhou state. If even this can be tolerated, is there anything else that cannot be tolerated?"
Confucius resigned from his position as prime minister of Qu State. He began to travel among various countries and began to recruit some talented disciples.
He lived a very difficult life. The monarchs of various countries respected his knowledge but were unwilling to use him. He sighed in the wilderness and said, "The world has been without justice for a long time. After Luo State stopped paying tribute to Zhou, Zhou rituals collapsed.
After Duke Huan of Qi passed away, the nations fell into chaos.
If King Su no longer shines his light on the state of Zhou, the mandate of heaven will fall.
I am a former citizen of the Shang Dynasty, so why do I feel sad about this?
Perhaps he was so devoted to the kingly way and music that he forgot about everything else. "
His eyes are still bright, and his tattered clothes cannot hide his straight back. He is a sage with a strong spirit, and the wind and rain are the tempering given to him by God.
He sat in the car, walked through the fields, and then heard the sound coming from Luo State, which was the vigorous vitality.
His disciples carried weapons and chariots, and there was a long spear next to him. Looking at his height of 1.9 meters, he looked strong and powerful, so this must not be just for decoration.
His disciples brought him books, and he adjusted his crown and robes. He was always meticulous in doing his best, but he did not demand too much of others.
"Mr. Boyang is truly a great sage! Since Luoyu, I have never read such a profound truth that goes straight to the heaven and earth."
Looking at those fragments of words that were heard, Confucius knew that he had to return to the Luo State Academy, where he would perfect his path and preach his doctrines.
"Teacher, the classics written by this Boyang Gong seem to be different from what you said. This is not the way of the king."
Confucius laughed and said, "You are wrong. This is also the way of the king, the way of the selfless and desireless sage king. This is the realm that only the virtuous king can achieve.
Duke Boyang overemphasized the policy of governing by inaction and using the way of heaven to control the way of man. But since ancient times, who else could do this except King Su?
This is somewhat different from the idea conveyed in Luoyu, so I have to go to the academy and ask Lord Boyang in person."
After a while, he continued, "Mr. Boyang is a sage, and you should not interpret his writings at will.
Many of these incomplete viewpoints are different from my teachings, especially the theories of sages.
The reason why sages are sages is not because of the existence of unvirtuous people, but because the sages’ moral character has reached a certain level.
Benevolence, righteousness, trustworthiness, wisdom, and propriety are what people should pursue. If one can achieve them, then he is a saint. "
Even their understanding of sages was very different. Li Er spoke relative, while Confucius spoke absolute. Who in the world doesn't have his or her own ideas?
When these people gather together, there will definitely be a violent collision like a needle against a wheat spike, and this is Luo's purpose.
So Confucius and his party began to turn and head towards Luo State. Confucius believed in the six arts of a gentleman. He was very strong in driving and archery, and he was naturally tall and strong.
With their fighting power, ordinary bandits are no match for them at all, so they have been very safe when traveling around the countries over the years as long as they don't encounter the regular army of other countries.
Then on the way, Confucius met Prince Qingji who had escaped from the State of Wu.
Qingji was driving a luxurious car and wearing exquisite clothes, but he looked very shabby, and at first glance he looked like an aristocrat who had escaped from the country.
In recent years, too many nobles have fled, and some ministers have even been driven out of the country and exiled by the ministers.
Qingji revealed his identity to Confucius. After hearing what happened, Confucius sighed and said, "A minister killed his king. Is there anyone who would do this in the time of the King Su?
Is it tolerable that small quantities replace large quantities?
Duke Xuan of Luo knew this truth, so he followed the right path and attacked Quwo of Jin. But no one does this now.
When the prince arrives in Luo, he can gather righteous men who are willing to follow him. Killing the king and seizing the throne will not last long. I believe that there are many people in Wu who are looking forward to your return. "
Confucius had extraordinary eloquence and his speeches were well-reasoned, which impressed Qingji, who already valued righteousness. The two felt that they had met too late and had a very cordial conversation.
When the two arrived in Zhaocheng, they went to meet Luo Yan together.
Crown Prince Qingji had once come to Luo State with his father to visit Luo Ci, so he was quite familiar with Luo Yan. If he wanted to return to the country and ascend the throne, he had to get Luo Yan's support, or at least agree that he could recruit soldiers and prepare chariots and armor in Luo State.
Confucius was treated with great courtesy by the Luo family in the academy back then. After all, the achievements he made alone were more than what the Luo family had achieved in a hundred years. Before Li Er, Confucius was the person closest to a sage that Luo Yan had ever seen.
So it was very simple for Confucius to meet Luo Yan. He looked for Luo Yan mainly to meet Li Er.
Although Li Er is now the chief academic officer of the Imperial Academy, his main focus is still on writing books.
He had previously finished reading the classics written by King Su, and now began to read the actual governing experiences of successive Luo Hous in the Luo family's sustenance room.
So most people cannot see him. Confucius wants to see Li Er through Luo Yan, and he can't wait to communicate with Li Er.
The matter of Qingji was simple, and Luo Yan quickly agreed to his request. As an important ally of Luo State in balancing the State of Chu, Wu State could not have any problems.
Seeing Confucius return to Luo State, Luo Yan was filled with surprise and laughed out loud, "Mr. Zhongni, my father was right. You are back. This is a blessing for Luo State and the world.
You will stay in Luo State in the future. It is wrong to deny a wise man like you a house to live in, delicious meals, and servants to serve you. If people do not listen to your teachings and do not record your words and deeds, you will not be able to educate the world.
Luoguo is willing to do this."
Confucius bowed and said, "I have not done anything for the State of Luo, how can I receive such a great favor?
I will stay in Luo Country and record what I have seen, heard, thought and felt over the years. Perhaps I can give you something in return."
Luo Yan was overjoyed and said hurriedly, "Master Zhongni, you are here for Master Boyang, right? He is in the treasury. You two are both saints, and this meeting is a great event for the world."
…
Confucius said: The Mandate of Heaven is manifest; it is the way of the King of Heaven; who can reach it?
The world belongs to all, this is the way of justice, and we should seek and practice it.
Participate!
My way is consistent. If my way is not followed, I will ride on a raft and float on the sea. Where will those who follow me come from?
——The Analects of Confucius: The King of Su
(End of this chapter)
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