Chapter 355: A Hundred Schools of Thought Contend, One Flower Blooms
Changle Palace.
Liu Heng listened to what was happening in the Imperial Academy and said in deep thought, "Ah Jing, I have always been curious. What do these noble scholars want, unless they want high positions and generous salaries?"
A scholar who is highly respected, has noble character and profound knowledge is called a noble scholar. The meaning is roughly the same as the great scholar in Confucianism. It is a term that can be used in all schools of thought.
Luo Jing pondered for a moment after hearing this and said, “I think these people want to build an ideal country.
Confucianism wanted to build a country where people could live in good health and have no regrets about death, and where the world was in harmony. Legalism wanted to build a country where there was only one monarch and the whole world was at peace. Even Huang-Lao wanted to build a peaceful country where no one could hear each other's chickens or dogs.
Under the grand goal, these schools each have their own means. For example, Mencius believed that if the monarch and his subjects respect each other, the monarch will be wise and the subjects will be virtuous. This theory applies to all social relations.
The administration of officials will be clean and honest, and annexation will disappear. Once these two problems disappear, the world will be peaceful as long as the land is distributed according to the principle of one hundred acres per household.
The same is true for the Confucian scholars of the Spring and Autumn Period and others. Their thick scriptures are full of texts on how to build an ideal country.
Many of them are even directly based on the past situation of Luo State. Many people want to build the Han Dynasty into a Luo State that benefits all other states.”
Liu Heng frowned slightly and shook his head and said, "I don't think that's possible. In this lifetime, I will do my best to ensure that there won't be a large number of refugees scattered across the Han Dynasty and that there won't be a large number of people starving to death."
Luo Jing also nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, although our ancestor Ming Gong described the scene of the kingly way, the destruction of Luo State shows that this road is not feasible at least for now.
But you will eventually have to choose some doctrines to govern the country."
"Yes, we need to choose some theories to govern the country. What does the world need now? What do I need?"
A hundred schools of thought contend, and a hundred flowers bloom.
It is easier said than done.
In a large, centralized empire, the governing policy must be consistent, or at least it cannot change overnight.
Many times, ruling ideologies cannot coexist, just like Huang-Lao and Confucianism. You cannot have a big government and a small government at the same time.
"The Legalists' sinister and treacherous tactics are not worthy of being accepted by the public, and cannot be used as a classic for your Majesty to teach his subjects.
The Huang-Lao method has been implemented for decades, and its drawbacks have gradually emerged. It is time to abandon it.
The Mohists focus on practicality. In the future, they will be needed to reclaim farmland, build water conservancy projects, improve farm tools, manufacture weapons, etc. "
Liu Heng pondered and said, "Then only Confucianism is left. Jia Qing is a Confucian scholar. He is indeed a man of high moral character and outstanding talent. However, there are many Confucian schools, including those who study Mencius, Luogong Chunqiu, Poetry, Zhouli, Book of Documents, and even Yi and Xunzi. Which one should I use?"
Confucian doctors occupied half of the positions in the Imperial College because of the fine traditions of Confucianism. Confucianism had two magic weapons. The first was that it was good at learning from others' progress and then changing itself, and the second was that it attached great importance to education, and even educating children was more important than being an official.
The Qin Dynasty used the Legalists of the Three Jins, the Han Dynasty mainly used Huang-Lao to recuperate and develop, and many Confucian disciples served in officialdom, but the Confucian ideas on governing the country never had a place to be used.
Confucians were already accustomed to this situation. The great Confucian scholars adhered to Confucius's thoughts and when things were not going well politically, they spread their ideas, humbled themselves and waited for the right time. In the vast land of Shandong, they opened private schools everywhere, and a large number of outstanding talents joined the Confucianists.
Jia Yi is a typical representative of them. He had already held a high position as one of the Three Dukes and was just waiting for the right time to start promoting Confucian ideals.
Liu Heng asked again: "If we choose one school of thought, what about the other schools? Without the support of the court, they will probably decline soon."
Luo Jing said: "Just let them develop freely, don't block their path to becoming officials, and they will naturally survive.
The Huang-Lao school of thought has been used to govern the country over the past few decades, but there are also many people from the Confucian and Legalist schools who have entered officialdom. When the court formulates major policies, if officials are willing to obey and implement them, then they will be used.
It is very necessary for a hundred schools of thought to contend with each other, which is why the Imperial College had the Thirteen Classics instead of just one single classic.
If the school of thought chosen by Your Majesty is no longer suitable for the situation of the Han Dynasty, then you can choose another school of thought from the Imperial Academy."
Liu Heng kept pacing in the hall, thinking. He had been thinking about what he should do for the Han Dynasty. It was not simply to be a ruler who maintained the status quo. That was not what his ancestors expected of him.
Not long after, the imperial court issued an edict to summon all Confucian classics doctors to the palace, and the emperor wanted to question them personally. As soon as this edict was announced, the other schools of thought changed drastically, realizing that the emperor had made his choice, especially the Huang-Lao Taoists, who were as sad as if they had lost their parents.
But the imperial court soon issued an order, "Please ask all the doctors to stay in the Imperial Academy to study the classics. Your Majesty still has important uses for you."
The emperor's attitude gave these people hope. At least they were not killed and their orthodoxy was not cut off. They did not have to return to Shandong in disgrace and could even seek refuge in Zhaocheng.
After a dozen Confucian scholars who studied different classics entered the palace, they met the emperor who looked quite young. Taixue Jijiu Luo Jing and Yushi Doctor Jia Yi accompanied the emperor.
After greeting each other, Liu Heng immediately asked the question that concerned him the most, "You are all knowledgeable people. I want to know what the Han Dynasty needs now?"
The first question they raised was the most fundamental one, which was unexpected to all the families. But this was exactly why they came here, to sell their own ideas on governing the country to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, the world's greatest importance lies in unification!"
A loud voice sounded, and Liu Heng's eyes lit up. Luo Jing whispered, "Your Majesty, it's the doctor who studied the "Luogong Chunqiu·Zunwang" classic."
"Luogong Chunqiu" consists of two chapters, "Governing" and "Respecting the King". "Governing" was written by Luo Minggong, and "Respecting the King" was written by Confucius.
To govern "Luo Gong Chunqiu·Governing" can be said to be dancing with shackles, because the Luo family is not only famous in the world, but more importantly, they are also powerful and are the top academic tycoons.
So when explaining the ideas, we cannot make up stories at random, but must truly understand the meaning behind them.
In other words, it is very difficult to figure out what ideas Luo wants to appear in the world.
"Respecting the King" is much better, because the Kong family is not powerful. Although their status in Confucianism is high, there are still many who can be compared with them.
However, there is a huge weakness in the rule of "Respecting the King".
That is, "Respecting the King" was written by Confucius after he pondered "Governing", and it is a speculation on Luo Minggong's thoughts, so it may be beaten by Luo's classics at any time.
Liu Heng asked, "Doctor, please tell me."
"The ancient sages wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals. Since ancient times, the peaceful times were all ruled by virtuous rulers who followed their orders."
"The King of Su created rituals and music, the princes obeyed the orders of the emperor, there was no war between them, and they were united in the face of the barbarians. This is the reason why the Zhou Dynasty prospered.
King Xi's moral character began to deteriorate, so Heaven took away his power. The princes were unwilling to pay homage to him and wanted to provoke him, so the Zhou state fell into chaos.
It was not until Duke Huan of Qi became the hegemon and all the princes in the world acted according to his will that the state of China was once again stable. Confucius praised him and Guanzi.
The empire had been in chaos for hundreds of years until Emperor Taizu Gaozu brought peace to the country, and the nine provinces were finally unified.
But under the unified state, there were still cracks, and the emperor's orders could not be carried out among the nations, so there were rebellions in the kingdoms. When the emperor extended his favor and divided the kingdoms, the discord gradually disappeared.
The laws of the world should change, and the thoughts of the world should change.
Your Majesty, this is the mission given to you by God.
If we cannot unify the world at this point and allow all people in the country to enjoy the emperor's grace, how long will we have to wait?
A peaceful world is about to emerge, and a holy king will descend upon the world. This is the answer given by the ancient sages. Who is the holy king? "
He stared at Liu Heng with burning eyes. Liu Heng was full of energy, holding his head high and chest out. He felt that it was consistent with what his uncle had said that year, "I am the Holy King who will create peace."
The sound of deep kowtows rang out, "You are the holy king who created peace. I congratulate the whole world."
Advising the king is a matter of deception.
Of course, Liu Heng would not fool people so easily, but these words really suited his taste and gave him a very good excuse. The world now needed reform, so finding a school that was willing to cooperate with his strategic actions was a very crucial thing.
"What you said makes a lot of sense. When King Luo Wen was still alive, he often told me that we should create a sage king's rule and bring peace in the future. I deeply agree with him."
Liu Heng's words made the Confucian doctor who was kneeling on the ground very happy, because he knew that the emperor approved of his theory.
This lineage is about to prosper!
————
The rituals and music established by King Su and the Luo family's promotion of King Su's deification built an unshakable foundation for the Xia civilization, but left a lot of blanks in the decoration within the Xia dynasty.
When the historical process reached Emperor Wen of Han, the biggest problem he faced was how to shape the ideology of the entire Han Dynasty to adapt to the internal and external conditions faced by the Han Dynasty. That is, the prerequisites for great unification were basically completed. In the process of integrating the world, what kind of spirit should be injected into the Han Dynasty? This was what Emperor Wen of Han needed to consider.
The author writes this paragraph with infinite joy and pride. When Emperor Wen of Han was entrusted with a heavy responsibility by history, he made the most correct choice for the nation, that is, to choose an ideology to stabilize the entire dynasty and bridge the differences since the era of great division.
But at the same time, he tried his best to maintain the vitality of other schools of thought, and even reserved a certain number of official positions for these dissenting ideas to ensure their survival.
In the 11th century AD, it was hard to imagine such progressive thinking from a feudal ruler, but this was the reality! - History of the Rise and Fall of the Han Dynasty
(End of this chapter)
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