"The Kong family, being descendants of saints, already thinks they are superior to others. If they are given more privileges, wouldn't they be like the gods?"
"That's true. During the Ming Dynasty, the royal family's surname was Zhu. The Zhu family gave Yansheng Duke enough benefits, but Yansheng Duke looked down on the Zhu family deep down."
Li Shimin was very unhappy, thinking that the Five Surnames and Seven Families now looked down on the Li Tang royal family.
"This is outrageous! Can you tell me what Duke Yansheng did afterwards?"
"There is a lack of firmness and integrity in political stance."
"During the many dynasties that changed, the performance of Duke Yansheng was often criticized."
"For example, during the Southern Song Dynasty, when the Jin army invaded, some of Confucius' descendants in Qufu failed to uphold their integrity and chose to surrender to the Jin dynasty, resulting in the coexistence of the Southern and Northern schools of Confucius in the Confucian Mansion."
"Later, during the transition from the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, Duke Yansheng Kong Kejian also played both sides, first submitting a memorial to Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty to offer advice, and then sending his son to Nanjing to pay homage to Zhu Yuanzhang. This kind of maneuvering and opportunistic behavior between different forces was far from the image of loyalty and steadfastness that people expected."
Li Shimin looked at me with disdain, "How ridiculous! You are the descendant of a sage, but you are reading the books of sages on a dog!"
"Confucius said: A man of noble character and noble character would not seek to live at the expense of his benevolence, but would rather sacrifice his life to achieve benevolence." Li Shimin shook his head and looked down upon the behavior of Duke Yansheng from the bottom of his heart.
In Confucianism, integrity is regarded as a very important virtue and value.
Confucianism emphasizes "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness", among which "righteousness" includes the requirement for integrity.
A gentleman should uphold morality and not be swayed by external power or interests.
Mencius also advocated that "wealth and honor cannot corrupt, poverty and humbleness cannot move, power and force cannot bend", which is a specific explanation of integrity.
What the Yansheng Duke did in later generations had absolutely no integrity!
Xiao Ran continued, "The biggest criticism of us, which has earned us the disdain of future generations, is our submission to foreign invasions, our compromise and flattery of the invaders. This has severely hurt national sentiment and violated the integrity and righteousness advocated by Confucianism."
"Excessive pursuit of self-interest and privilege, and mutual exploitation with the imperial court."
"Due to his special status, the Duke of Yansheng formed a mutually dependent relationship with the imperial court of each dynasty. The court needed the Duke of Yansheng to win over scholars and consolidate its power, and the Duke of Yansheng used this to obtain various preferential treatment and privileges from the court."
"There are too many Yansheng Dukes who have violated the law and have no regard for the king's law."
"They don't have to pay taxes, they occupy a lot of land, and they severely exploit and oppress ordinary people."
Li Shimin threw the prepared imperial edict into the brazier, "How ridiculous! I will not punish the Duke of Yansheng. My Tang Dynasty does not need such a scourge!"
"The scholars of the Tang Dynasty were quite good. They were well-versed in the six arts and were both civil and military. They were not the weak scholars of later generations. They could fight on horseback and govern the country on foot. They were different from later generations."
Li Shimin nodded. "It's impossible for the Duke of Yansheng to appear in the Tang Dynasty. What do you think, Dean of the College of Arts?"
"My uncle knows Kong Yingda better than I do. If you think he's capable, just let him go!"
Li Shimin now knows what Duke Yansheng has done, and it is obvious that he is opposed to the Kong family.
"The College of Arts is already important. If we let a member of the Kong family take the position, wouldn't that just build momentum for the Kong family?"
"Is there any great scholar today who is more influential and knowledgeable than Kong Yingda?"
Li Shimin shook his head. "Kong Yingda is quite good. He has real talent and knowledge, and he also has integrity."
"The position of dean isn't inherited from father to son, nor is it a family inheritance. My uncle can stipulate that the position of dean of the College of Arts can only be held for a maximum of five years or so, and rotate the positions. According to what you said, Kong Yingda is now a highly respected scholar. No one is better than him. If you don't let him take the position, I guess no one else will take it!"
"That's right. I will consider this matter. First, tell me why there is no aristocratic family. I am quite curious about this."
The two little princesses lay obediently in Xiao Ran's arms, without making any noise or noise.
I know that Xiao Ran and Li Shimin have something to talk about.
"During the late Tang Dynasty, Huang Chao repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. It wasn't because he wasn't good enough, but because he came from a poor family. The aristocratic families controlled the examinations, blocking the path for the lower classes to rise."
"At that time, the Tang Dynasty was on the verge of collapse due to the chaos caused by the separatist wars between the military governors. Huang Chao rebelled and entered Chang'an City, slaughtering the people of the aristocratic families and physically eliminating them."
"He proved that it is easier to enter Chang'an City than to pass the entrance exam."
"Doesn't it mean that the aristocratic families and the Tang Dynasty were destroyed almost at the same time?" Li Shimin was happy for nothing.
"The current Tang Dynasty cannot do without aristocratic families. Without them, the huge machine of the empire cannot function. So, uncle, forget it. You can only suppress and weaken the power of the aristocratic families. Strengthening the influence of imperial power is impossible to eliminate. Existence is reasonable. Without the constraints of aristocratic families, there are still civil service groups. It's just a little different. It can be regarded as a changed form!"
"Is there no perfect way?" Li Shimin muttered to himself.
"No, even in later generations, no matter what system it is, it has its drawbacks. Nothing is perfect. Unlimited power is bound to lead to corruption. It's not just officials. The emperor's power is not good either. Not every emperor is normal. You know the emperors of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The three-province and six-department system of the Zhenguan period was actually quite good. But over time, it became a host of problems. It was difficult for a dynasty to last more than three hundred years, and it had to be reshuffled."
Li Shimin nodded, "Well, let's not talk about this issue anymore."
While Xiao Ran was talking to Li Shimin, the two little princesses ran to the side to play.
Xiao Ran saw the two little princesses sitting on Li Shimin's dragon throne, happily eating green beans.
Xiao Ran stood up. Fortunately, these were two princesses, and two little girls at that, so Li Shimin would not care about this issue.
Li Chengqian probably didn't even dare to touch it.
"Mingda, you can't play here."
The little princess moved a little and pointed at the dragon throne, "Little Nangjunni, sit here!"
Play is play, jokes are jokes, but you can’t mess around with this kind of thing.
"I wouldn't dare!"
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