Old Zhu looked at Zhu Xiong Ying and said seriously, "Ying'er, you know what I'm thinking. I know that being buried alive with the emperor is cruel, but I also control this matter. Only members of the royal family are allowed to be buried alive with the emperor; other nobles are not allowed to be buried alive with the emperor."
This is still a fact. Although Zhu Yuanzhang "restored" the practice of funerary sacrifice, it was not a complete restoration.
“You’ve read history books too. Emperor Wu of Han killed Gouyi because he was afraid that his son was young and his mother was powerful. You also know about Empress Lü’s usurpation of power. If we take those people with us, the situation of the empress’s relatives interfering in politics will be over.” Old Zhu said to Zhu Xiong Ying with great earnestness, “We won’t treat them badly. They will enjoy wealth and honor while they are alive, and we will also give their families some benefits after they die.”
This is indeed true; the families of concubines who were buried alive with their husbands often received some benefits, such as official titles and ranks. Therefore, many families of these concubines were happy to see this happen, as they benefited from it.
Zhu Xiong Ying also became serious and said, "Grandfather, I really don't think this is a good method. Today you will have a group of people buried alive with you, and tomorrow I will have some more buried alive with you. In the future, the emperors and members of the imperial family of our Great Ming will have to take some people with them when they leave. At least five or six, and possibly dozens."
Old Zhu remained silent. If he were to pass away, the number of concubines to be buried alive with him would certainly not be just five or six. In fact, when Zhu Biao died, he had wished that Lady Lü would also be buried alive with him. It was only because Zhu Yunxi was still young at that time that Lady Lü was spared; otherwise, she would definitely have been buried alive with him.
“This is indeed a bit cruel to use people for burial,” Zhu Xiong Ying said. “During the Qin and Han dynasties, people were replaced with terracotta figurines for burial. It’s a bit unreasonable for us to use people for burial now. Besides, many people are watching the imperial family. If the imperial family uses people for burial, those powerful families will not dare to do it openly, but they will do it in private.”
Old Zhu fell silent. He knew Zhu Xiong Ying wasn't exaggerating; there were definitely powerful families and nobles following the imperial family's example. It wasn't impossible that the practice of funerary sacrifice would become widespread at that time, and it might even become a semi-public secret in a few years, with many people using the imperial family as a pretext.
The reason why Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (the Yongle Emperor) wasn't opposed to the practice of funerary sacrifice was because the country had been under Mongol rule for over ninety years, and such practices had become commonplace. Especially during these sacrifices, many were chosen to be childless. This was also out of concern that leaving concubines alive would lead to morally questionable situations.
There are many negative examples throughout history, and after reading some history books, Emperor Zhu was naturally even more wary of these things.
Zhu Xiong Ying said to Old Zhu, “Grandfather, the royal family is the model for the world. The Mongol Yuan dynasty has ravaged the Central Plains for nearly a century, and it is not easy to change customs and traditions. If the royal family starts to be buried alive with the emperor, then the common people will naturally follow suit. I myself do not like the Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism, so this is not a good thing.”
Old Zhu became even more serious. In fact, the Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism still had great benefits for rulers.
The Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism did not enjoy a particularly prominent position in the Southern Song Dynasty. However, its influence began to grow significantly after it was established as the official doctrine by the Yuan Dynasty rulers. The "Heavenly Principle" of Neo-Confucianism, a moral theology, simultaneously became the basis for the legitimacy of both Confucian divine authority and royal power.
Its fundamental characteristic is that it constructs a more complete and systematic philosophical and belief system from Confucian social, national, ethical, and personal life beliefs. Nowadays, Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism is receiving increasing attention.
Old Zhu thought about it carefully and said, "We didn't study much in the past, but we've thought about it over the years of fighting for the country. The Mongol Yuan Dynasty's strong support for Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism is mostly because they want the greater good between the ruler and his subjects to outweigh the debate between Chinese and barbarians. It makes us angry to think about it. Those scholars have been blinded, and many of them have the same thoughts as those foreigners."
Zhu Xiong Ying does not deny these points. In fact, according to Zhu Xiong Ying's current research, the so-called Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism is not so 'distorted'. This is partly due to the embellishment by some rulers, and especially the distortion by some scholars.
For example, the restrictions imposed on women by Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism were not well-received during the Song Dynasty, when women had a relatively high status and the social atmosphere was relatively open.
The serious, upright, sacred, and even inhumane demeanor of Confucianism actually originated in the Mongol Yuan dynasty. Especially during the Song dynasty, the constant humiliation and subjugation by foreign tribes led to social chaos, and values such as morality and chastity were abandoned and forgotten. Later generations often misinterpreted these ideas, developing only doctrines that benefited themselves.
Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "The Mongol Yuan dynasty valued Neo-Confucianism because it aligned with the principles of Heaven. Scholars liked it. Although the Mongol Yuan dynasty kept scholars outside the court, it still treated Confucian scholars well, which they themselves appreciated."
During the Yuan Dynasty, Confucianism was recognized as a religion, and Confucian scholars were exempt from taxes. The Yuan Dynasty was deeply cherished by Neo-Confucian scholars, and many famous figures died for the Yuan Dynasty. Even many Han Chinese scholars followed Emperor Shun of Yuan to the grasslands. Ultimately, this was a privilege reserved for scholars, which was also one of the reasons why land annexation was so severe during the Yuan Dynasty.
Old Zhu remained silent, and Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "When I was studying, I also felt that this system was actually a way to suppress imperial power. I think Grandfather also knows that this system advocates that reason is above power and demands that the emperor be upright and sincere. Now that we have centralized power, this system makes the strong lose their legitimacy and rationality, so those scholars will naturally have more to think about."
Old Zhu was stunned for a moment. He thought that Neo-Confucianism was an important tool for strengthening centralized power, so how could it have been 'distorted' by Zhu Xiong Ying?
Zhu Xiong Ying continued, “The emphasis on upholding heavenly principles and eliminating human desires, in turn, restricts the thinking of the people to some extent by stressing ethical norms.”
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