Jingming

Chapter 244 Destroy the Image, Rebel!

The Kong family is proud.

A Confucius was born, who has been revered as a saint for thousands of years, and his legacy is so thick that even many emperors can't compare.

The disciples of the Confucius family indeed have the arrogance to ridicule the nouveau riche in Fengyang Zhu, who is petty.

So the Kong family is also angry now.

This nouveau riche is now ordering people to destroy the statue of Confucius.Among the Confucian temples, for many years, which one has entered here without respect and sincerity?

Except for officials and scholars, the guards here are all cautious and proud, and the handymen and craftsmen who come in to do business are all cautious and respectful.

Now these reckless eyes are full of blasphemous excitement!

No matter how stupid Kong Wenshao was, he also knew that all the honors of the Yanshenggong Mansion came from the ancestors.

Facing the current situation, he was so proud and angry that he had nothing to do, the best way to express it was to cry.

Crying is a sign of weakness, and crying will not stop subsequent protests. Crying can also show that he, a descendant of Confucius, is extremely filial.

So Kong Wenshao cried so loudly, Zhang Fujing frowned and waited for a while, but then asked: "Yan Shenggong, the holy will is clear, this statue is going to be demolished, not where to move it."

Kong Wenshao looked up with a sad face: "That is the statue of the ancestors. How is destroying it different from killing the remains of the ancestors? I invite you to go back to the back house. It will only be looked up and remembered by the Kong clan like a portrait. Will the supervisor not allow it?"

The official sacrificial occasion has already been decided to be the worship of the wooden master, but now it is a private matter in the Kong family's house, so there is nothing wrong with Kong Wenshao's analogy.

There are indeed people who pay homage to the portraits of their ancestors.

But Zhang Fujing shook his head: "This governor is only acting according to the order. If Duke Yansheng wants to pay homage to a statue in the future, he can pay a lot of money to invite skilled craftsmen to remake it. But the old statue in the Confucian Temple must be demolished to set an example for the world."

After finishing speaking, he waved his hand: "The sacrificial ceremony has been set, and worshiping statues is not in line with ancient rituals. It should be demolished in front of Dacheng Wenxuan Master and all sages, so as to comfort the sages with proper etiquette. With respect, After prostration, it was dismantled and moved to the courtyard, and then an incense table was set up to sacrifice to Master Wenxuan of Dacheng, and then destroyed!"

"As ordered!"

Kong Wenshao couldn't cry anymore.

He asked Zhang Fujing to show mercy, saying that Zhang Fujing would not let him go, Zhang Fujing replied that it was the holy will, and he was only acting according to the order.

Moreover, the statue of Confucius in the Confucian Temple in Qufu must be destroyed in front of Confucius and other sages. This is to set an example for the world and establish the authority of the new ceremony.

But Kong Wenshao only felt that this was punching the face of the Kong family, that of Duke Yan Sheng.

Deceiving too much!

"Wait!" Kong Wenshao stood up, walked in front of Zhang Fujing, stared at him and asked, "Is there a decree from His Majesty on how to demolish the statues of the ancestors in the Confucian Temple?"

"The governor can decide on such trivial matters." Zhang Fujing smiled, "If Lord Yansheng thinks something is wrong, he can impeach the governor himself."

Kong Wenshao looked at him angrily.

Face-to-face slander is certain, but if Shangshu impeaches him, what will be the result of impeachment?
Kong Wenshao nodded: "In that case, when Dutai removes the statue of the ancestors and moved them to the courtyard to hold a memorial service, can I allow my disciples of the Kong family, officials and scholars in the city to hold a memorial ceremony together?"

Zhang Fujing narrowed his eyes slightly, and then replied calmly: "There is nothing you can do!"

"Please wait for the supervisor!"

Kong Wenshao bowed and left first.

"Taiwan Supervisor, can we call in all the pacesetters?"

Beside Zhang Fujing, he, the commander of the governor's battalion, had a serious expression on his face.

"That's not necessary." Zhang Fujing smiled, "The more people come, the better. They don't dare to do anything, but they just want to show that the governor disrespects their predecessors and acts mean and domineering. Shixian, you are an upright and upright official. He was chosen by the Ministry of War to be the commander of this governor's standard battalion because of his military exploits. You have also listened to His Majesty's other order for this governor, so don't worry."

"...The final general obeys orders!"

He had indeed listened to that decree. Zhang Fujing, the governor, was almost unanimous in Shandong right now.All authorizations are granted based on the standard of rebellion. In the whole Shandong, there are only four people, the governor, the left and right political envoys, and Yan Shenggong, and there are several military generals above the third rank who cannot be directly cut off.

But it can also be dismissed first, investigated and reported to the capital.

On the contrary, Zhang Fujing still has time to chat with him: "Shixian, you are already 52. ​​Now that you have achieved great success, you, the hereditary commander of the Dengzhou Guard, can't have no successors. Otherwise, I will help you You said one marriage, and another concubine?"

The two are about the same age, Zhang Fujing is actually two years younger than him.

"...With the care of Lao Dutai, the general has this heart. These days, I have already fallen in love with a daughter of the Wang family, but the military affairs are busy..."

Zhang Fujing nodded: "I'll help you personally when I'm done with the matter in front of me."

The two were just chatting here, waiting for the people from the Model Battalion to remove the statue of Confucius that was placed in the original Dacheng Hall.

And the word Shixian is the battalion officer of the Shandong Governor's Model Army Battalion, whose surname is Qi and whose name is Jingtong.

The ancestor of their family was named Qi Xiang, who died in battle after following Zhu Yuanzhang for 28 years.In the 14th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Qi Xiang's son, General Mingwei, to be hereditary.

Passed down to this day, the Qi family's hereditary military attache position is the commander of Shandong Dengzhou Wei.

For the Qi family, as soon as the younger generation is born, the starting point is very high. After all, the hereditary official position is the fourth rank.

After Qi Jingtong inherited this position as an official, he has made great contributions to breaking the bandits. Before that, he had served as the general of the Jiangnan Water Transport Commander and the commander of the Shandong Beiwa Capital Division. He is not a small official.

The Shandong Beiwa Capital Division is located in Dengzhou, under the jurisdiction of the three battalions of Jimo, Dengzhou, and Wendeng Coastal Defense, as well as 24 coastal guards.

In Shandong, the capital has to deal with both canal and inland military affairs, as well as coastal defense military affairs.After the formation of such rules during the Hongwu and Yongle years, the capital of Beiwa actually controlled more troops in Shandong.

However, the imperial court chose Qi Jingtong to be the battalion officer of Zhang Fujing's standard barracks, and the intention was already obvious: to re-use Qi Jingtong, who had a good official voice and talent, to make Zhang Fujing stronger in Shandong.

Therefore, Qi Jingtong, who is 52 years old and has no son, can be regarded as a favorite. I don't know how many people want to marry him and have a son with hereditary official positions.

Now hereditary is the commander of the fourth-rank guard, and maybe he can be promoted to another rank in the future!
Zhang Fujing and Qi Jingtong didn't know what kind of character this "son" they were chatting about would be in the future. At the moment, in Qufu City, Kong Wenshao was actively running around.

If you want to destroy the statue of Confucius, why not cry at the head office?
Qi Jingtong was worried about what would happen if there were too many people, but Zhang Fujing had already seen many storms and waves.

He calmly directed the people to prepare the incense table and some simple sacrificial supplies.

Then, I looked at the people who entered the Confucius Temple one after another after asking for instructions.

The first ones to come were of course Kongyan and Meng Sanshi, and they didn't do anything else after they came.The patriarch of the Kong clan, who is over 70 years old, knelt in the courtyard without saying a word, sobbing and wiping away his tears.

Then, there are some scholars who "pilgrimage to study" in Qufu.Zhang Fujing also agreed to their request.

Could he be afraid?Will His Majesty be afraid?

How Zhang Fujing did it in Shandong, I want these people to spread the word.

As for the smearing and cursing in the process of rumors, Zhang Fujing didn't care - he already had the violent reputation of being decapitated.

Anyway, there will be a lot of crimes in the Yanshenggong Mansion later, and the world can just take a look at what the descendants of Dacheng Wenxuan's ancestors are like.

More and more people came, Kong Wenfang, the county magistrate, also came, as well as officials from Yanzhou Prefecture, who accompanied Zhang Fujing here to participate in politics.

The officials saw that Zhang Fujing hadn't started yet, so they couldn't just kneel there as "filial sons and grandsons" like these Kong clan members.

The scene was akin to a funeral, except there were no mourning clothes.

Just when the statue of Confucius was carried out of the palace gate by several strong soldiers, Kong Wenshao also came back again.

This time, he really took off his previous Yanshenggong Xingyan suit and put on a filial piety suit.

As soon as he saw the slowly moving statue, he rushed to the front and knelt down on the ground, crying loudly again: "The children and grandchildren are not filial, kneel to meet the statue of the ancestors!"

The statue was lifted and approached slowly. Although the face on the statue was very kind, the deliberately tall painted wooden statue had a long history of incense, and it did have a sense of majesty and oppression.

Except for Zhang Fujing and Qi Jingtong, the rest of the officials naturally joined the kneeling team when they saw the statue appear.

Zhang Fujing saw that some of the pacesetters guarding all around couldn't help kneeling down, and he couldn't help frowning.

Qi Jingtong glanced at Zhang Fujing, and said in a low voice: "Do you want to reprimand Yan Shenggong for being rude?"

It's not that there's really a funeral, Kong Wenshao came here wearing a filial piety dress, it's really against the rules of etiquette.

Zhang Fujing shook his head: No need.The more loyal and filial he appears at this moment, the more ridiculous it will be for Yan Shenggong's lineage to appear in the future.

After the statue was carried to the incense table and put away, Zhang Fujing walked over and burned the incense first.

His face was full of respect, but the salutes he performed were those of his disciples, and then he said in a clear voice: "Master Dacheng Wenxuan is here, and Zhang Fu, a disciple of later generations, respects His Majesty's holy will. Sacrificial ceremonies, propaganda and teaching, disciples have a sincere heart, and they will be disrespectful and destroy the statue of the ancestor!"

"This sacrificial ceremony was decided by His Majesty's order of the Ministry of Rites. The disciples are the ones who initiated it, because for thousands of years, the disciples of later generations have gradually gone astray, respecting the sages of the ancestors and forgetting the fundamentals of preaching and teaching the world!"

"The former teacher once said: There has been no way in the world for a long time, and there is no way to give it. However, after thousands of years, there is Taishi Gong Shaoming, who is easy to pass on, following the Spring and Autumn; Going to the sages and inheriting the unique learning, opening up peace for all generations; there is Chengzhu to preserve the principles of heaven, eliminate human desires, and unite heaven and man. The road is not closed, and future generations will pursue it."

"Today, he is gifted and intelligent, and his sages are unmatched. He inherits the teachings of the sages from his predecessors, and enlightens the practice of dialectics, so that everyone in the world can step into the avenue of knowledge.

"Your Majesty's demise of the title of the ancestral teacher and the ceremonial ceremony of the ancestral teacher are not disrespectful. They are true and clear. Your Majesty's knowledge, the disciple's understanding, Yuyao Wang Bo'an's examination, the disciple has hand-copied several volumes, and I will burn it to tell the ancestors." To learn from all the sages, to read the sages of the ancestors in the dark. If there are younger generations who are greener than blue, the sages of the ancestors will also smile and comfort the Daoist."

After finishing speaking, Zhang Fujing inserted the incense into the incense burner first, then waved his hand.

Several volumes of books were presented, which were indeed hand-copied by Zhang Fujing in his spare time after he came to Shandong—anyway, Gao Zhong gave him enough materials, which saved a lot of trouble.

Looking at Zhang Fujing now showing the "heretical learning" to Confucius and other sages, he also brazenly said that the emperor is the true inheritance of Confucius' learning, and that the young is better than the blue, and both Kong Wenshao and Kong Wenfang's pupils shrank.

What do you mean?
Does the emperor want to replace him and become a living sage?

Is this practicum compatible with dialectics?

Among the kneeling crowd, most of them expressed grief and indignation, but they didn't dare to shout anything.

The person Zhang Fujing mentioned was the emperor after all.

Is it right to accuse the emperor of being shameless, conceited, and ridiculous here?
But most of those who don't even bother to study or think about this new knowledge think so in their hearts.

With the skills of many people, they can't comprehend the subtlety of this new knowledge-philosophical things, the threshold has always been higher.

But Zhang Fujing didn't show any guilty conscience on his face.

He is not the majority.

In the bottom of his heart, he also agreed with Zhu Houcong's words: the present is better than the ancients.

If people today can only follow behind the ass of the ancients and do things that will never reach the ideal state of "ancient times", what is the point of all efforts?
What Zhu Houcong suggested is indeed the crystallization of more thinking and experience summarization in later generations.In terms of logic and methods, it is clearer, more reasonable, and easier to use than the current schools of Neo-Confucianism and Psychology.

Zhang Fujing has a clear conscience.

What's more, this new learning has been closely linked with the new law.

What the emperor is determined to do is unstoppable under today's etiquette and rules.

Blocking is treason.

This is not the case where the emperor sits firmly on the Diaoyutai, watching the new party and the old party fight, and there is room for both advance and retreat.

The emperor himself was the real leader of the new party.

Zhang Fujing had such a person backing him, but he felt that his back was very hard.

The few volumes of books were quickly burned, and Zhang Fujing said solemnly: "Remove the incense case, and bring the big saw!"

This statue is made of wood, and if you want to destroy it, you just need to saw it.

Seeing Zhang Fujing's personal soldiers withdraw the incense case, and two strong soldiers carrying a pair of big saws towards the statue of Confucius, Kong Wenshao burst into tears again and kowtowed.

And the statue is smiling.

The two strong soldiers aimed their sawtooth at the crook of the statue's legs, and then looked at Zhang Fujing.

The statue is very tall, and this is the place where they are easy to use their strength.

To be honest, the two strong soldiers were also a little nervous-this was indeed too disrespectful, as if they wanted to saw off Confucius' feet.

Zhang Fujing only nodded: "Let's start."

The ear-piercing sound came out, and Kong Wenshao, members of the Kong clan, and many kneeling gentry and gentry knocked their heads to the ground and cried bitterly, as if they couldn't bear to see it.

In this Confucian temple today, the scene in front of me is full of the feeling that the emperor "molested" the former teacher with the power of the emperor.

Even the word Zhisheng no longer exists.

After holding back for more than a month, Zhang Fujing finally spoke out in front of the statue of Confucius in this Confucian temple, what he said to Yang Tinghe and others that day.

With the new learning, the emperor actually wants to invade the orthodoxy.

The news will soon spread from Qufu, including the news that the statue of Confucius was sawed off in the Confucian temple, while Yan Shenggong was wearing filial piety, and the Confucian children were crying like mourning concubines.

After completing the matter, Zhang Fujing just told Kong Wenfang to prepare for the August 27 sacrifice according to the new ceremony, and then left Qufu for Jinan.

What went faster than him was Zhang Fujing's memorial to impeach Yan Shenggong for various crimes in the name of the governor of Shandong.

Between Shandong and the capital, people pass by passing news.

On the third night, Kong Wenshao and Kong Wenfang received bad news.

A few days ago, after the news of the redesignation of the Confucian sacrificial ceremony, nearly three hundred officials and scholars in the capital knocked on the que.

Outside Chengtian Gate, 14 people were killed with sticks.

Kong Wenfang passed out as soon as his eyes darkened: his son was also beaten with twenty sticks, and now he is lying on the bed, and has already been dismissed.

His son committed such a "crime", and he still wants to be the magistrate of Qufu, and still think about his dream of succeeding Fengyan Shenggong?

The emperor's stupidity and cruelty are so extreme!
Kong Wenshao acted out "wearing mourning" in Yansheng Gong's mansion, treating the next month's birthday sacrifice as if it were a funeral.

The news of Shandong spread to North Zhili and South Zhili, and everyone who heard it was shocked.

In Fengtian Hall, at the Grand Court Meeting on the first day of the eighth month, Zhu Houcong asked Zhang Zuo to read Zhang Fujing's bullets, and then asked: "Zhang Fujing's impeachment of Duke Yansheng is all based on evidence. Now, let's discuss how you think we should deal with it."

Fan Ting, who couldn't "escape", has been quickly promoted to the head of the sixth rank, and he has to participate in the Shuo Wang Day Grand Meeting as usual.

Hearing the emperor's words, he was terrified.

A blow of the imperial staff outside the Chengtian Gate, a saw in the Confucian Temple, a bullet from Zhang Fujing... the emperor already looked like he was holding a knife and eager to cut someone down.

What are you talking about?
The peaceful days have passed. Although there is still no rain in the south, the Ming Dynasty is full of violent storms.

Fan Ting took a peek at the stable emperor from a distance at the end of the imperial train: The Liao king died again, and there are still so many victims.

Your Majesty, there are many people in the world who are waiting for the first one to stand up and rebel!
You are pushing too hard!

Hearing the opinions of the important ministers in the front row, Fan Ting felt that this was just going through the motions. After all, Yang Tinghe meant that if there is evidence, it should be investigated, and those who have committed crimes should not preside over the sacrifice to Confucius.

Then, I saw a person supported by two imperial guards walking up to the cloud platform of Fengtian Hall, hurriedly walked to the front of the hall, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, the Huguang Army has an urgent report, and King Ji of Changsha Prefecture respects Prince Rui of Hengzhou Prefecture Raising the flag for orthodoxy, the Changsha Wei, Hengzhou Wei and other Huguang Four Guards have joined the rebellion!"

There was a moment of silence inside and outside Fengtian Hall.

The words are very clear, it is raising the flag to seek rebellion, not the side of the Qing emperor.

Moreover, he is the first generation Ji Wang of Changsha Mansion, Zhu Jianjun, the brother of Emperor Chenghua who is still alive today.

The orthodox one was adopted under the auspices of Zhu Houcong to Zhu Houzhao's son, Prince Rui, and the grandson of Zhu Youbin, King Yi of Jianchang Prefecture, Jiangxi.

Zhu Houcong stood up: "Order Zhang Fujing to investigate and deal with Yan Shenggong. The court is dispersed. All counselors, enter the Imperial Study Room to discuss matters!"

What should come will always come.

After the kings of Chu and Liao passed away, and at the time when the vassal princes and relatives were about to enter Beijing to celebrate the emperor's longevity, and when there was a severe drought in the south, some people finally couldn't wait any longer.

On July 23rd of the third year of Jiajing, King Ji of Huguang conspired against him, and Prince Rui was coerced.

Nine days have passed since the flag was raised there!
(End of this chapter)