Therefore, although there are some conceptual differences between the various schools, for example, Hu Anguo's concept of qi is particularly large and broad, while others may have less, but in any case, the concept of "qi" has an extremely important fundamental position in Taoism.
Hu Anguo said that Lü Haowen's original learning did not talk about "qi", which actually meant that Lü Haowen's original learning did not explain clearly the fundamental connection between life, morality and nature, and did not organically combine all things in the universe with humans and Confucianism... This was of course a sharp criticism and a kick to the sore spot.
To put it bluntly, what is the essence of human body?
How can a human being, a miraculous being with thoughts and morals, be regarded as an object? You say that objects carry the laws of nature? Can stones also think?
This kind of doubt is not only raised by experts like Hu Anguo, but also by anyone with a little common sense in Confucianism. If this wave of doubts from Hu Anguo cannot be defeated head-on, then even if this original school of thought is forced to become the official doctrine by relying on the government's favoritism and Lu Haowen's political status, it will at most be another new school of Shu Wang, and it will not be able to play the role of unifying thoughts. The following Neo-Confucianism and Taoism will still go their own ways and eventually occupy the mainstream.
Thus, in January of the fifth year of Jianyan, when many foreign generals and military commanders were confused, the official newspaper began to serve as a battlefield for academic confrontation in a special form that was only distributed within the capital and published as a daily supplement.
On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, before the spring ploughing had even begun, the court newspaper officially published Hu Anguo and many other great scholars' attacks and doubts on the "original school", as well as their support and discussion. Two full pages, no more miscellaneous articles or stories.
Among them, Hu Anguo was the most powerful because he had his own ideas and was full of confidence. The other opponents were probably afraid of Lu Haowen's academic and political status, and they were also a little cautious because of Emperor Zhao's attitude.
In this regard, Lu Gongxiang remained calm and composed. In this issue of the supplement to the official newspaper, he ignored the other minor figures, and did not elaborate on Hu Anguo's long article to supplement his complex philosophical concepts such as life and morality, inner and outer things, to defend the original school. On the contrary, the usually mild-mannered Lu Haowen just spoke out the essence of "qi" in the original school in a judgmental and plain tone.
According to him, Qi is also a substance, and it is only a substance. It does contain the principles of nature, but it is no different from stone, bamboo, water, ice, and soil! The reason why people think it is special is that people are in Qi, like fish in water, and it is difficult to perceive its material reality.
These words seemed to be just a perfunctory and hasty supplement to the concept of "qi" in the original school according to Hu Anguo's doubts, but in fact they were a defense of offense, and they were directly inserted into the heart of other Taoist schools such as Hu Anguo's... Because if qi is just a universal substance like water and soil, then what on earth are these people's theories?
The more crucial point is that, from the perspective of exploring the truth, how can Qi be a substance like water? Righteousness is clearly a moral concept, right?
In short, this absurd remark immediately angered Hu Anguo and many other Taoist celebrities in the capital.
After all, everyone is exploring right now. If it is just an academic discussion, a few problems can be further discussed. But the problem is that Lu Haowen's original school of thought is obviously intended to gain official support and then be promoted throughout the world. If everyone in the world regards qi as an ordinary substance, then what about his own school of thought?
And again, how can Qi be just a substance? How can the original school of thought become the official doctrine when it has such an absurd and fundamental error?
Wang Anshi knew that it was a good idea to leave some issues unanswered, didn’t he?
It is morally and logically impossible to allow this original school of thought to continue to develop so openly, whether for the purpose of eradicating heresy or for the sake of preservation.
It can be said that in this debate, the two sides only exchanged a single blow before there was no room for negotiation and they became irreconcilable.
So, that afternoon, without waiting to submit his paper for the debate, Hu Anguo directly led two professors from the Imperial College, seven or eight middle and lower-level officials, and five or six famous scholars in Beijing, all of whom were Taoists, to the outside of the Xuande Tower and requested to go inside to see the emperor.
Of course, Emperor Zhao was as amiable as ever. He directly asked Lan Gui to come forward and lead Hu Anguo and others to the harem.
"I didn't know that Your Majesty was performing the spring ploughing ceremony..." When they arrived at the harem, even though Hu Anguo and others were filled with righteous indignation, they still calmed down and responded respectfully after seeing what Emperor Zhao was doing.
"It's not the spring ploughing ceremony. This year's spring ploughing will probably take another ten days." The official Zhao, dressed in shorts, turned around with a shovel on his shoulder, sweating slightly, while behind him, hundreds of eunuchs rolled up their sleeves and trouser legs and worked there. "I am following the teachings of Lu Xianggong's original school, and I am practicing it to prove the truth."
Hearing this, the other visitors who had mustered up their courage were terrified and dared not speak at all. Hu Anguo, on the other hand, calmly looked at the official's expression, and then calmly asked, "May I ask, sir, what are you practicing and what are you proving?"
"That's right." Zhao Jiu said calmly, holding the shovel. "I read Mencius, which said that people can eat meat at the age of seventy, and I am a little confused... Mr. Hu, you are a world-renowned scholar, why do you say that people can only eat meat at the age of seventy?"
Hu Anguo frowned slightly, but still bowed seriously: "Sir, this sentence has a context. The original text is that if you have a house of five mu and plant mulberry trees, people fifty years old can wear silk clothes; if you raise chickens, pigs, dogs and pigs at the right time, people seventy years old can eat meat; if you have a field of one hundred mu and do not deprive it of its season, a family of several people will not be hungry. In other words..."
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