Chapter 248: On the contrary, shackles are added

"The etiquette of the world?"

Gu Dan was thoughtful, but the scope was a bit too broad, "Which kind of etiquette in the world?"

"all."

Xun Ke said seriously.

The world refers to all living beings, and it also means reaching all directions.

"Oh? Like?"

Gu Dan raised his eyebrows slightly.

As the current Minister of Rites, it is really no big deal for Xun Ke to change some rituals.

But since it could arouse Qin Lisheng's strong opposition, it can be seen that his ambition is not small, and it is by no means a simple change that does not cause any pain or itchiness.

"For example, it is necessary to stipulate the standards that the emperor can exercise, the standards between officials of different ranks, the standards for wealthy merchants, and the standards for ordinary people."

Xun Ke said without hesitation, obviously having already finalized his speech and made sufficient preparations.

Gu Dan's brows were deeply furrowed.

In an instant, he understood what Xun Ke meant.

But that's exactly why he frowned.

To establish the etiquette for the world, this sounds nice.

To put it bluntly, it should be called putting a layer of shackles on everyone.

In the name of etiquette, individuals are imposed with layers of restrictions, and if they don’t reach a certain status, they will be trapped in it forever.

Gu Dan would definitely not like this.

Of course, if we consider it from a practical perspective, no matter how complicated and restrictive the etiquette that Xun Ke formulated was, it would not affect him.

Because he himself is the pinnacle of the world. In this world of personal power, if he possesses enough strength, he can break free from the cage and have fewer constraints.

Similarly, Wang Mang, as the emperor, was the one who made the rules.

No wonder he firmly supported Xun Ke.

Although etiquette would also impose restrictions on the supreme emperor, it must be approved by the emperor before it could be promulgated.

As long as he doesn't agree, it cannot be promulgated.

With this calculation, establishing etiquette for the world is nothing more than another nice-sounding means of governing the people.

This was the reason why Qin Lisheng and he were at loggerheads and neither of them gave in.

Although Mohism is most famous for its morality, its real core idea is universal love and non-aggression!

What is universal love? It means love without distinction.

Mohism advocates that people should love different people or things at the same time, regardless of their closeness or intimacy.

Xun Ke, on the other hand, wanted to put shackles on people right from the start. No matter what your identity is, you can only do things within that identity. Anything beyond that is an act of usurpation. This cannot be said to be a disagreement with the Mohists, it can only be said that he wanted to directly undermine the core ideas of the Mohists.

"You, do you know what you are talking about?"

Gu Dan stared at Xun Ke, the grown-up child, with a stern expression.

"I know."

Xun Ke nodded.

"Then you also know that between this matter and the Mo family, there is definitely room for only one person, right?"

Gu Dan asked again.

"I know."

Xun Ke continued to nod.

"Then you should also know that these etiquettes are not that useful when they need to be followed, but when they are not followed, they are useless, right?"

Gu Dan asked again.

"I know."

Xun Ke nodded again.

"Since you already know all this, why do you still bring it up?"

"Because this is the best solution I can think of."

Xun Ke looked solemn. He had absolutely no intention of joking. This matter did not allow for any jokes. "The etiquette I am going to specify is of no importance to the real grassroots people. The people who really need to be restricted are the powerful, wealthy businessmen, aristocratic families, and even the royal nobles!

These people are the ones that can never be wiped out no matter how hard you try! In the seventh year of the Xia Dynasty, the Mohist School and several masters went out to slaughter almost all the remaining noble families in Dayue. It has only been thirteen years since then.

But now go out and take a look, count, have the number of aristocratic families, powerful and wealthy businessmen decreased? No, not at all! It's just that they have been replaced by another group of people! When Dayue was still there, they sucked Dayue's blood. When the Xia Dynasty came, it was just another group of people sucking blood. "

Xun Ke said in a stern voice, "Some of these people who have filled the vacancies are talented and capable people who have made contributions to the Xia Dynasty. Since they have made contributions, it is impossible for them to find some problems and eradicate them as they did before.

Maybe it works once or twice, or three or four times, but who can keep doing it? The result of doing it is bound to be alienation, which is only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution!

But if they are allowed to develop recklessly, the final result has been written over and over again in history books! If a country wants to maintain stability, it must ensure as much fairness as possible. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to ensure such fairness. It is impossible now and may not be possible. In this case, it is better to be straightforward and set up a set of customary rules for the world. This rule is not targeted at individuals, but directly divided according to levels.

Only in this way can we treat the symptoms, rather than just treating the symptoms without addressing the root cause. "

Xun Ke spoke incessantly, not sparing any words, "Mr. Gu, you have also seen the lower class people with your own eyes. For the real lower class people, if etiquette stipulates that they can only eat three meals a day and can only wear black, gray, and white clothes, will it have any impact on their lives? Almost nothing! But what about wealthy merchants? Rich merchants have a lot of wealth, but etiquette does not allow them to be extravagant, do not allow them to wear gold and silver, and even do not allow them to eat more than four dishes in one meal - in this way, will those wealthy merchants be less interested in making money?"

This is of course just an analogy. If you really want to formulate corresponding etiquette, it is definitely not a simple matter of just a few words.

As the saying goes, etiquette education, etiquette education!

If you really want to be recognized by the world, recognized by the people, and have countless people consciously abide by it, you need the strongest prestige and sufficient time until those things are engraved into their bones. It is not a matter of a simple sentence.

Gu Dan listened quietly to Xun Ke's story.

When Xun Ke mentioned the word "level", Gu's worry had already set off a huge wave.

Xun Ke had indeed seen the real key.

The level he mentioned is class.

In order to deal with people of different classes, he used etiquette.

Etiquette is reason!

If you don't observe etiquette, you are not in the right.

If you are not in the right, you will be criticized or even punished.

Since those wealthy businessmen and powerful people are always inextricable and will always spring up again when the spring breeze comes, it is better not to count them one by one. It is too troublesome and the effect is not great.

Wouldn't it be better to just find a way to target the guys in this class?

Just like a wealthy businessman must be very rich, but I won’t let you spend your money, let alone use it to enjoy or show off.

In this case, the wealthy businessmen’s desire to make money should be less intense, right?

There will be no need to rob and plunder the people through various means and suck the blood of the people.

After all, no matter how much money you make, you can't get past that layer of etiquette! "This is all the best hope. If the etiquette is implemented, what will happen next?"

Although Gu was somewhat shocked by Xun Ke's intelligence and cleverness, and even felt that this was indeed a feasible method, the problems were also very obvious.

Etiquette and law, after all, are just another form of power.

Just like a rich businessman cannot eat four dishes in public, but can he still eat freely behind closed doors? It is nothing more than changing the place and causing them some trouble.

Everyone knows that rules are dead, but people are alive, and there will always be smart people who will find loopholes.

Even if etiquette and laws are set up as obstacles, it is impossible to truly involve all aspects.

Xun Ke's original intention was indeed good, but it may not really work.

Moreover, the adverse impact brought about by this incident is also very great.

He can establish rituals, but later generations can’t?

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Now, Wang Mang and Xun Ke may indeed want to do this with the intention of benefiting the world, but when this group of people grow old, who knows whether the later generations will not regard this as a pure tactic to control their subordinates, forget the original intention, and instead use the changes in etiquette to achieve their own goals.

Compared with the effect that etiquette and laws can have, the harm left behind is really not small at all, and it is by no means an exaggeration.

"In order to avoid frequent changes in the rules, the rituals and laws themselves should also be subject to layers of restrictions. Both the emperor and the ministers should be on guard to prevent the rituals and laws from becoming a tool for private profit."

Xun Ke's expression did not change at all. It was obvious that he had thought about this a long time ago. "Whether it is based on legitimacy, justice or sanctity, there is nothing wrong with the choice. But the problem now is that the first step has not been taken yet, so it is too early to talk about any restrictions.

But its effect is enough to make people try their best to do it! ”

Xun Ke showed sufficient determination, and ever since he met Gu Dan, he never strayed from the subject.

"Moreover, the Xia Dynasty has been around for twenty years now. When the country was first established, there was a serious shortage of manpower, and many regulations were based on the old system of Dayue. After so many years of development, the problems at the beginning are no longer a problem, but there has never been a real overhaul.

If the Xia Dynasty does not want to repeat the same mistakes and walk the path that Dayue walked, it must make a different choice. I have read the classics and studied the history books, and finally saw such a path. I firmly believe that it will make the Xia Dynasty better, at least it will last much longer than Dayue! "

Xun Ke spoke continuously.

Gu Dan suddenly realized.

I understood another reason why Xun Ke was so determined.

The Xia Dynasty was no longer poor.

It's not a time when there is no manpower available.

On the contrary, the Xia Dynasty was constantly developing and even heading towards its peak.

All those who participated in the creation of this country are still here, and they still have enough say and the ability to change lanes and change direction.

Even though Wang Mang already had some gray hair, he was still in his prime.

If we don't make a decision and change now, and wait another twenty years, it will be too late.

The blood of the past will be replaced, and the sufferings of the past will become stories and jokes in books. Those new people who live in a prosperous and peaceful generation will simply not understand what troubled times and suffering are. At most, they will shed a few tears when they hear about them after dinner, and then go on doing what they should do, feeling at peace and enjoying their current lives as a matter of course.

Of course, this is not to be blamed. Isn't it for the sake of a stable life to settle down in troubled times? But for those who have personally experienced the troubled times and whose loved ones have died in them, everything is unforgettable.

Therefore, before the Xia Dynasty really made a great effort to move forward, Xun Ke had to put shackles on the chariot of the Xia Dynasty first.

Those who do not plan for this present moment are not qualified to plan for all eternity.

He never had the crazy idea that a set of etiquette would be enough to be used from generation to generation.

But as long as it can make the Xia Dynasty last longer, make peace last longer, and make suffering come more slowly, it is worth it for him to do it.

After all, if the Xia Dynasty could not make any changes, it would only be the next big month.

As for Mohism?

Although Mohism was established as the state religion by Wang Mang in the Xia Dynasty, there are only a few thousand Mohists to this day, less than 10,000! Mohism does not interfere in national policy, it can only guide the trend.

What Xun Ke wanted to do was to impose restrictions directly at the national level, but this happened to be naturally incompatible with the ideas of the Mohists, and could even be said to be completely opposite.

"What you said makes sense."

After thinking for a long time, Gu Dan nodded slightly and didn't ask any more questions.

Even though he thought that the ritual of governing the world had various flaws, it was obvious that this thing could indeed maintain the long-term stability of a country.

As for a system that wants to have the best of both worlds, where can it be found? No system is perfect, and even if the starting point is good, it will be deformed in practice.

If one hopes to relax regulations, it is inevitable that there will be annexation by powerful individuals, currency depreciation, and aristocrats gaining power over others; if one hopes to become stronger and dominate, it is inevitable that there will be excessive consumption of national wealth, high casualties, and social decline.

Systems and policies need to be adjusted dynamically and constantly change according to the country's actual conditions.

Of course, this process will inevitably be entangled with conflicts of selfishness and interests, but if you don't do it for this reason, then you will not be able to accomplish anything.

There is no one-step solution, only a step-by-step approach.

Now, facing the situation and future of the Xia Dynasty, Xun Ke gave a method to determine the etiquette of the world. When later generations felt that this method was no longer appropriate, how could they be sure that there were no other ways to adjust it?

"Brother Gu, do you agree?!"

Wang Mang, who had been listening but not participating, was overjoyed when he saw Gu Dan nod in agreement.

"What do you mean I agree?"

Gu Dan glared at him and said, "If you want to do this, you shouldn't ask for my consent, but for the consent of Qin Lisheng, the Mohists, and the people of the world. If I nod, will everyone in the Xia Dynasty immediately think that this method is perfect and do it meticulously according to your requirements?"

"ha."

Although he was reprimanded, Wang Mang laughed and said, "As long as you don't object. I was worried before that you might not agree with this method."

After all, Gu Dan and Mo Qiu were close friends, and what he and Xun Ke wanted to decide now directly went against Mo Qiu's core ideas.

It is impossible to say that there is no worry in my heart.

Qin Lisheng and the others could still try to reason with him, but if Gu Dan shook his head, then there would be nothing they could do.

“I only look at the results and purpose.”

Gu Dan said seriously.

It is necessary to hold an umbrella in rainy days and add more clothes in cold winter. Different situations require different responses. The same is true for governing a country. The best is the one that is suitable, not the one that is superior or inferior.

"If Mr. Gu has no objection, then I will be ready to convince Qin Lisheng and the people of the world."

Xun Ke took a deep breath, and finally got rid of the serious look on his face and smiled.

I wish to establish rituals for the world, so that people’s life spans may be increased.

No matter how many obstacles and hardships lie ahead, it doesn't matter.

The Xia Dynasty will surely last longer because of him, and the people living on this land will be further away from war.

(End of this chapter)