The people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important!
"Won't!"
When the students saw this sentence, they said in unison.
No hesitation!
Very determined!
This even made Zhang Fei stunned. Where did you get the confidence from? He asked curiously, "Why?"
Shangguan Jun replied: "This is what Mencius said, we all know it, how could it cause any misunderstanding?"
Zhang Fei saw that he answered confidently, and also saw that many people were nodding their heads, seeming to agree with him. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "So according to you, the reason I was arrested by the Censorate is because my name is Zhang San, not Mengzi?"
“….”
Shangguan Jun suddenly thought of the topic of this class and was stunned and speechless.
...
...
Ye Zu happened to argue: "Perhaps this is one of the reasons. After all, this sentence has existed for thousands of years and is known to everyone. It should not cause any ambiguity."
Zhang Fei laughed and said, "Okay! Then let's go to the suburbs and ask a farmer to see if he knows this sentence and how they understand it."
Ye Zuqia blinked his eyes, and his pleading look seemed to be saying, Teacher, please don’t hurt me!
"Look! The people are more important than the king."
Zhang Fei suddenly stepped back to the wooden board and knocked on it with a little force. "If I had not been educated, I might have suddenly realized that I am the boss and the most valuable person in this country. And I have the facts to prove it."
Cai Jing was surprised and asked, "What facts prove it?"
Can this be proven?
Zhang Fei said: "Look at the history books. When those traitors rebelled, they usually said, 'The emperor is unjust and the people are living in misery, so we have to rebel.' They all emphasize that the people are not living well. Doesn't this match the saying that the people are more important than the emperor?"
There was silence in the lobby.
Of course it is true. Didn’t Mencius’ words come from troubled times?
I came to this conclusion after learning from my mistakes.
Is this ambiguous?
But it doesn’t seem right to say no.
Especially in this context.
No one knew how to answer for a moment.
"That's it?"
Zhang Fei waited for a while, then asked provocatively: "You have studied Confucianism all your life, and this is all you can get?"
The students were immediately filled with anger.
Shangguan Jun argued: "Mencius's 'people' refers to all people in the world, while the law of the legal system emphasizes the individual, which is different."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "You mean, all the people in the world together are more important than the monarch, and one person alone is less important than the monarch? Isn't that the truth?"
Shangguan Jun thought about it and felt that this explanation was not bad, so he nodded.
Zhang Fei chuckled and said, "To put it simply, people in this world are noble. They can treat ethics as shit and do whatever the monarch wants, but a single person must abide by them. Your logic is really something."
Shangguan Jun hurriedly said, "That's not what I meant."
"What do you mean?"
"I...."
Shangguan Jun glanced around and looked to his companions for help.
Cai Bian immediately said: "Mencius only said this sentence, but the law of the legal system is talking about the law, which is different."
Zhang Fei said, "That is to say, you can just listen to it, but don't really do it. You know a lot about Confucianism."
"......?"
All the ministers who came to listen to the lecture had a grim look on their faces. Are you mocking my Confucianism?
"The key is that I'm just talking!"
Zhang Fei suddenly said with a wronged look on his face: "Moreover, the Censorate also thinks that what I said disturbs social order and has nothing to do with the law. This sentence has not been written into the Song Dynasty Criminal Code."
Everyone was completely speechless.
"Why aren't you talking again?"
Zhang Fei leaned against the podium and said, "Try to use your imagination. Okay. I tell you, you may also go to the Censorate in the future. You don't have to remember Song Xingtong in the Censorate, but imagination is very important. If you don't have imagination, you won't be able to write an impeachment memorial."
The students all lowered their heads and hunched their shoulders at the same time. It was obvious that they were feeling very uncomfortable.
This is really cruel.
Cai Bian suppressed his smile and said, "If we have the opportunity to go to the Censorate, someone will teach us. We won't bother you, teacher."
In fact, these students are on Zhang Fei's side, and they can be considered cellmates.
After hearing this, everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Queen Mother Cao was amused by what she heard, "This boy has a really good tongue!"
Zhao Xu whispered, "To answer the Madam's question, Zhang San was born as an otaku, so he is very eloquent."
This made Jiang Zhiqi and other censors so angry that they were speechless.
"Asshole!"
Jiang Zhiqi finally couldn't help it and stood up and said, "How can you, a small writer like you, be compared with Mencius?"
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "If Censor Jiang says in front of the Queen Mother and the Emperor that the Censorate reported me just because I am not Mencius, then I will admit it. I am indeed not Mencius, and I am not as good as him."
"Don't make insinuations here, kid."
Jiang Zhiqi angrily rebuked him, and then said: "Mencius's words contain the idea of benevolent government, which advises the monarch to be lenient to the people and show kindness. But your words emphasize personal interests. How can we generalize them?"
"Ambiguity!"
Zhang Fei said: "The memorial from the Censorate did not say that what I said was wrong, but rather asked whether it would cause misunderstanding and lead to the conclusion that I am not a good person and intend to rebel.
I also know what Mencius meant by this sentence, but what we want to argue is whether this sentence will cause ambiguity. If a farmer sees this sentence and immediately thinks that he is the boss and the monarch is just below him, is Mencius guilty and should his words be deleted? "
"You're so... bold."
Jiang Zhiqi immediately bowed to Zhao Xu and said, "Your Majesty, this man has deceived the emperor and is unforgivable. Please punish him immediately."
Many people also looked angry, whispering to each other.
How dare this kid do this?
You should know that from the middle of the Tang Dynasty to the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, Mencius was on the road to becoming a saint. Although Zhu Yuanzhang later wanted to suppress Mencius, he failed. Now Mencius' thoughts are flourishing and growing.
Most of the people here are followers of Mencius.
Such as Fu Bi, Lu Gongzhu and others.
Zhao Xu nodded and said, "I am listening. I will not let him off later, but I also hope that he can admit defeat with a sincere heart."
What he meant was that you should defeat him first.
There are so many old masters here, but you can't beat a young boy, and you still ask me for help. Don't you have any shame?
It was true. Jiang Zhiqi's words immediately won the contempt of the students.
Peng Siyan immediately stood up and said, "Who said we agree with what you said? Sacrificing one's life for righteousness is what Mencius said, but you emphasize benefits, which runs counter to Mencius's thoughts."
"I have already discussed the righteousness and benefit of the legal system in the last class."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "But what Censor Peng said is contrary to what Mencius said. We did not discuss this point clearly in the last class. Mencius's words refer to the relationship between the ruler and the people. Let's see if it is really contrary to what Mencius said."
As he said this, he stepped back to the board and raised his hand upwards. “Do you think these two sentences are related?”
The students shook their heads.
"No?" Zhang Fei asked.
You are here again!
The students were confused again.
They were most afraid of Zhang Fei asking this kind of question.
"Is it so difficult to give you a chance to perform?"
Zhang Fei looked at them with pity.
Cai Jing thought, this was not a show of strength at all, it was just an embarrassment.
Zhang Fei shook his head helplessly and sighed, then said: "Just like before, let's deduce whether the two sentences are related, and if so, what is the relationship."
As he spoke, he closed his eyes, gently pinched his forehead, and asked, "Just now, Censor Jiang said that Mencius's words were intended to advise the monarch to be lenient to the people and show kindness. Is that right?"
"yes."
The students answered in unison.
This is Mencius’ idea of benevolent government.
"What about the law of the rule of law?"
“Defend the legitimate rights and interests of individuals.”
"Um."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "Very good, you still remember it." After a pause, he asked again, "How to defend it?"
Cai Bian replied: "Defend it with the law."
Zhang Fei continued to ask: "Does the Song Dynasty Criminal Code achieve this?"
"No."
The students all shook their heads.
Many ministers who came to class for the first time were immediately confused.
No?
What are you talking about?
But they saw that Fu Bi, Wen Yanbo and others, including Yan Fu, remained silent, so they did not dare to speak easily.
"Why?" Zhang Fei continued to ask.
"Because the Song Dynasty Criminal Code is mainly based on punishment and lacks protection, the difference between the legal system and the law is that it has more ideas about protecting and safeguarding personal rights and interests. Under the legal system, many laws and regulations should not end with punishment."
"very good!"
Zhang Fei quickly walked to the wooden board and said, “This is the most important content of the last class. The biggest difference between the legal system and the Song Dynasty’s criminal code is that the legal system is based on protection and maintenance. Even if it is punishment, it is to protect and maintain the legitimate rights and interests of individuals.
So the question is, how do we get to this point?"
“Amend the law.”
Ye Zuqia replied.
Zhang Fei asked: "If you say to repair it, then I'll repair it!"
Ye Zuqia shook his head and said, "Students don't have that power."
“Who decides?”
"Officials."
"If the government decides to repair it, what is the purpose?" Zhang Fei asked.
Ye Zuqia said: "To protect and safeguard the stability of the country and the personal rights of the people."
"Apart from the government, is there anyone else who can decide?"
"No!"
Everyone shook their heads.
"I suppose so."
Zhang Fei nodded, opened his eyes, and said: "Then the logic becomes very clear. The concept of the law of the rule of law is mainly to defend the legitimate rights and interests of individuals.
This is just an idea, and in the whole world, only the monarch can implement this idea into policy. If the monarch does so, then it becomes that the monarch uses the law of the system to protect and defend the legitimate rights and interests of his people.
Right? "
The students nodded frequently.
Zhang Fei pointed his hand on the wooden board again, "Look at these two sentences again, what is the connection?"
"So, both sentences reflect the idea of benevolent government, which is almost the same."
"What do you mean almost? What are you thinking about?"
Zhang Fei sighed and said, "Let me ask this. If the monarch cannot protect and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the people, can he be lenient and show favor to them?"
The students thought about it seriously, and Cai Bian shook his head and said, "It's impossible."
Zhang Fei asked again: "Why?"
Cai Bian replied: "If you don't even protect the legitimate rights and interests of the people, how can you show them favors? After all, the latter is extra."
Zhang Fei asked again: "Can the opposite be done?"
Cai Bian nodded.
Zhang Fei said: "The relationship between the two is very obvious. One is the foundation and the other is the ideal. If you abandon the foundation and pursue the ideal, it's like eating meat. Just listen to it, don't take it seriously, and don't laugh."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
