So what situation is Zhao Jiu facing now?
It's very simple. The originally frustrated pro-war factions all became heroes of Jianyan, and Yuanxue was deeply tied to Jianyan's achievements. Therefore, they and their children, as well as the elites in the court, would naturally become the backbone of Yuanxue.
However, as heroes and holders of actual political power, the elders would often only regard the original learning as an aid to their achievements and an embellishment of power. Therefore, no matter how absurd or messy the original learning of Emperor Zhao was, they would try their best to agree with it without having an in-depth discussion.
However, the students and descendants of these people, including the ordinary Taixue students who followed, were different. They had no direct opportunity to establish their careers, and could only enter the system through learning. This led them to attach great importance to the original learning... But the original learning was a defective product that was obviously cobbled together by Emperor Zhao. Apart from various other problems, the biggest and natural problem was that it was not connected with the previous Confucian morality and people's hearts.
What should I do then?
In the early days of a new empire with a strong Confucian tradition, a group of young imperial elites were inseparable from the original learning. However, the original learning had problems. What could be done?
Of course, it is to complete the original learning.
And this supplement led to a disagreement, which is the dispute between reason and heart that Zhao Jiu is facing now... Roughly speaking, the former believes that one should act before knowing, and that knowledge is achieved through the investigation of things. Only by understanding the principles of the outside world can the human heart be educated, which is reason first and then heart, with reason as the guide and heart as the follower; while the latter believes that one should know first and then act, and that the complexity of the human heart is comparable to the universe. As long as one comprehends the inner heart and cultivates morality, one will naturally know the principles of all things, which is heart first and then reason, with heart as the guide and reason as the follower.
Back to the present, when several important ministers heard Emperor Zhao say this, they did not react much. They just thought that Emperor Zhao had found a high-sounding excuse that could not be refuted. At least compared to the excuse that the prince would surely die if he continued to do so, it could indeed be used to deal with the subjects and the people.
However, there was someone who exceeded their expectations.
"Excuse me." Zhu Xi, who was in charge of drafting the imperial edict, raised his head and asked. "If the emperor is serious about learning... should he follow the principles or the heart?"
"It makes sense." Zhao Jiu glanced at the man and replied simply.
Zhu Xi was stunned and was about to speak.
Emperor Zhao continued, "I have already made up my mind about the dispute between reason and conscience. Before, as the emperor, I could not end up like that. Now that I have abdicated, I have the initiative... If the court and the new emperor try to go against my original intention and act recklessly in this matter, it means they want to overturn my achievements and plot for their own benefit, which is extremely unfilial. I will depose and enthrone again. If I cannot depose, I will go to Bagong Mountain and raise the banner of resistance against the Song Dynasty to show that the Han and the traitors cannot coexist."
Not only Zhu Xi, but everyone else was stunned.
There was no other reason. Even Zhang Jun and Yue Fei had not heard Emperor Zhao express such an intense attitude for a long time.
As for the young supporters of the School of Mind present, they were all stunned.
"Do you think I'm being perfunctory by abdicating in order to promote the original learning?" Zhao Jiu sneered. "On the contrary, I feel that I'm old and weak, and I know that I can only focus on one thing, so I gave up the country and studied... How can I be perfunctory? In short, I have made up my mind, is there anything else you want to ask?"
Since Emperor Zhao was a bachelor, no one knew what to say and they all bowed.
Prime Minister Chen Kangbo was even more helpless and asked: "Who is the emperor going to pass the throne to? When will he abdicate?"
This question was asked as a routine matter. The imperial edict passing the throne to the eldest son was hung on the beams in the Da'an Hall on the first day after the Yanjing Palace was repaired, and it had not been moved for nearly twenty years.
"I am not planning to hold a ceremony to abdicate." Zhao Jiu waved his hand. "I will not name anyone. After I abdicate, I will return to Bianjing and run a school there. Before I leave, I will leave a letter. After I leave, you ministers and officials... Deyuan and Pengju will go with the seven ministers to the Da'an Hall to take down the imperial edict and pass on the throne according to the decree."
It’s not impossible.
Things have come to this point, and everyone has seen that Emperor Zhao has made up his mind. Given the prestige of this emperor, if he has made up his mind, there is nothing to worry about the matter itself.
In addition, the King of Qin had just died, and Emperor Zhao was obviously upset, so no one talked about the succession itself anymore.
"Why does the emperor want to go to Bian Jing?" Since Han Shizhong's death, Yue Fei, the actual leader of the existing military generals, had remained silent until this time when he asked a question.
"I wanted to go to Hangzhou," Emperor Zhao replied calmly. "But it's too far away. If I can't control myself, it will be easier for the north and south to split. But if I don't leave, I will be here, which will make it difficult for the new emperor to do anything."
Yue Fei nodded and said: "If so, I will follow you south."
Zhang Jun also bowed and said: "I am willing to follow you back to Bianjing."
"Wait a few years." Zhao Jiu waved his hand. "You and the other ministers will stay in Yanjing to support the new emperor... Come find me in a few years."
Everyone was finally helpless.
Emperor Zhao sighed and finally stood up:
"I have been in office for thirty-six years, and there is nothing else to do except three things. First, I have united the people of the world, destroyed the Jin Dynasty, restored China, and established the Chinese system; second, I have repaired the Yellow River, lifted the sea ban, connected the world, and made the people prosper; third, I have maintained the system, delegated power and affairs, and made sure that the upper and lower levels are not stagnant... If there is anything else worth mentioning, it is this half-finished original learning. No matter what, it always lets everyone know how big the world is and how colorful everything is... However, this original learning is only half-finished, and its roots are hollow. I am old, so I can only focus on one thing, so naturally I have to do this."
After hearing this, the last group of people present also abandoned their self-righteousness, realizing that Emperor Zhao was still the same Emperor Zhao, and that he was abdicating this time to do something.
"You guys, you'd better not doubt my determination." Zhao Jiu put his hands behind his back, turned his back to everyone, and looked at the waves of the North Sea in the afternoon. "No matter how timid and incompetent I was in my life, I never gave up the word determination, and I persisted... If I can live another 20 years, and my original school can stand firm, do you believe that I will be like the Persian ancestor dragon mentioned in the newspaper before, and go into the wilderness in my old age and die thousands of miles away from my hometown?"
As he said this, in the silence, he turned around and looked at the many people of different ages and ranks present and sighed: "It's a pity that if that time really comes and the flowers bloom again in spring, I don't know how many of today's people are still around and can write a poem for me."
In the 36th year of Jianyan, Zhao Jiu, the official of the Zhao Song Dynasty, passed the throne to his eldest son Zhao Yuanzuo, who became the emperor emeritus and returned to Bian Jing.
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