Wei Ni

From the Hundred Schools of Thought to the dominance of Confucianism, the Confucian school of thought, which had been dominant for nearly four hundred years, inevitably declined after Emperor Xian of Han abdicated the Mandate of Heaven.

It could be said that Dong Zhongshu was both their blessing and their curse.

For example, Emperor Wen of Han, Cao Pi, issued an edict a few days after being granted the title of Son of Heaven, abandoning the custom of dismissing the Three Dukes in the event of natural disasters. This is evidence that the imperial court no longer fully accepted Confucianism.

However, Confucianism will not gradually disappear as a result.

Firstly, it is inclusive and comprehensive.

To put it bluntly, it is extremely adept at absorbing the ideas of other schools of thought, rephrasing them, and making them its own.

Even opposing schools of thought were not spared. For example, Dong Zhongshu's "interaction between Heaven and man" contained the shadow of Mozi's concept of divine punishment.

Another reason is the needs of the ruling class.

The hierarchical relationships between ruler and subject, father and son, and the constraints of benevolence and morality were highly conducive to consolidating the rule of the imperial family and ensuring its unbroken lineage for ten thousand generations.

Whether it's a blend of Confucianism and Legalism, or a combination of benevolent and tyrannical approaches, as long as it's cloaked in the guise of Confucian benevolence and righteousness, any form of exploitation can become justified.

Naturally, prosperity and decline coexist, and one waxes as the other wanes.

As mainstream Confucianism began to decline, Huang-Lao thought also had the opportunity to revive.

One reason is the background.

Since the chaos and turmoil that had gripped the land, only about one in a hundred people survived. Those who survived the war yearned for a peaceful and prosperous life, and insightful scholars and Confucianists also knew that the people should be allowed to recuperate and thrive. Thus, the Huang-Lao school of thought, which advocated non-interference in governance, became the preferred choice. Especially at the beginning of the Former Han Dynasty, the rule of the country based on Huang-Lao thought gave rise to the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing.

The other is that the Huang-Lao school of thought is the true culmination of all schools of thought.

As Sima Tan pointed out in his "On the Essentials of the Six Schools," each of the six schools of thought—Confucianism, the School of Names, Legalism, the School of Yin and Yang, and Mohism—had its flaws. The Yin-Yang school, while advocating for good fortune and avoiding misfortune and explaining the principles of the four seasons, generated too many taboos. Confucianism emphasized hierarchy and the proper order of ruler and subject, father and son, but it was overly complex, broad, and lacked essential points. Mohism stressed frugality and thrift, but went to extremes. Legalism, with its strict hierarchy, could regulate the order of things, but it was too harsh and cruel. The School of Names debated the distinction between name and reality, but it was too argumentative and sophistical. Only Daoism (the Huang-Lao school) emphasized intellectual cultivation, "following the great harmony of Yin and Yang, adopting the strengths of Confucianism and Mohism, and extracting the essentials of the School of Names and Legalism," absorbing the strengths of each school and discarding their weaknesses.

Indeed, because the Huang-Lao school of thought has the concept of "the Dao gives birth to all things," it can find ways to integrate the content it wants to express into the "Dao," regardless of its underlying ideology.

In a sense, the Tao giving birth to all things is actually embracing all schools of thought.

However, the principles of "concise and easy to implement, few tasks but many achievements," and the strategy of governing by non-interference, while capable of quickly restoring the livelihoods of the people after a period of great chaos, also weakened the authority of the imperial court, resulting in a weakened control of the monarch over his subjects and local governments. Given the current context of the rebellious states of Shu and Wu, and the recent replacement of the Han dynasty by the Wei dynasty, pure Huang-Lao thought would not be adopted as the mainstream.

This led to the birth of the rudiments of metaphysics.

Constrained by the historical context, people began to explore new paths suitable for the present.

This is why Xiahou Hui did not actually dislike Liu Shao, He Yan, Xiahou Xuan, Xun Can, and others—they were merely expressing their own views and proposing their own new academic propositions.

What he truly resented was the "Wei-Jin elegance" that had yet to emerge, which was being promoted indirectly by the Sima family.

If Sima Yi hadn't farted in the Luo River and Sima Zhao hadn't murdered the emperor in the street, causing people's faith to collapse, their ideals to be lost, and their moral principles to become a joke, people wouldn't have fallen to the point of numbing and comforting themselves with dissolute behavior, alcoholism, and metaphysical discussions, entrusting their "Dao" to something ethereal and unrealistic.

Therefore, upon hearing Xiahou Xuan's invitation, Xiahou Hui intended to accept it.

Debating together is about finding common ground while respecting differences.
Since he's unlikely to "seek common ground," there's no need to worry about them influencing him. But he can take the opportunity to express his own views and influence them by "respecting differences."

Another reason for his interest was that Sima Shi was also present, which would allow him to observe Sima Shi's demeanor and words, and see how much his behavior changed.

But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Xiahou Hui suppressed it.

If one's true intentions could be discerned from his words and actions, then he would not be Sima Shi.

Moreover, it is already the second year of Jingchu, which is almost half a year. Why should he risk displeasing Emperor Cao Rui by having a discussion with these people who are imprisoned by the Fuhua case?

In addition, he is a pragmatist.

In his view, the foundation for maintaining stability in this era lies in propriety and law.

Ritual was primarily used to keep the people ignorant.

The hierarchy, social order, and morality it advocated were essentially about ensuring that each social class lived in its proper place, and it was both overt and covert instilling in the people the idea that they should not rebel and should continue to endure exploitation and suffering.

Law, on the other hand, is more often used to constrain power.

As the saying goes, "He who possesses a sharp weapon will naturally harbor murderous intent." Power is the best catalyst for amplifying the evil in human nature, bar none.

Once power is unchecked, all order and morality in the world will collapse.

When ordinary people disregard the law, the harm is limited to one family, one household, or at most one village or town; but when powerful and wealthy people disregard the law, the harm extends to one county or prefecture, and further affects the central government, even leading to the collapse of the government and the destruction of the nation.

Therefore, the greatest significance of the law lies in putting shackles on the powerful.

We must not allow those in power to be dissatisfied after occupying 70-80% of the country's resources, and to continue to use their power to forcibly seize the remaining 20-30% that ordinary people rely on for survival, driven by greed.

As long as it is based on rites and laws, it doesn't matter what it is decorated with, or whether it is named after Huang-Lao thought, Confucianism, Mohism, or other academic disciplines.

Whether it's a black cat or a white cat, a good cat is one that catches mice.
He would not hesitate to take anything that was beneficial to the cause or to himself, regardless of its origin or the source of its ideas.

"I am honored by Taichu's invitation and should have sat with you all, but Lanshi and I must go to visit Chen Xuanbo. It is already past noon today, and the journey is quite long. If we are delayed, I fear we will break our promise. Therefore, I can only ask that you forgive me. Moreover, I am not very learned. The 'Methods for Assessing Officials' that Taichu mentioned was actually written by Liu Changshi. Yu Yilang and I were merely ordered to observe it and did not participate in the formulation of the regulations. Nor do we dare to claim credit for others' work."

His excuse left no reason for anyone to insist that he stay.

After all, this place is south of Luoyang, while Chen Tai's thatched cottage for mourning is in the east of the city, so it's not a short distance.

"Of course, even a fool can have a stroke of genius. If I were to decline Taichu's request due to my lack of talent and learning, I would inevitably be accused of shirking my duty. Therefore, I will share my own thoughts to support you all. Success and failure in all matters depend on people. Talent, reputation, destiny, and profound principles all depend on people. How should we judge people? Mencius said that human nature is inherently good, Xunzi said that human nature is inherently evil; Gaozi said that human nature is neither good nor evil, Yang Xiong said that human nature is a mixture of good and evil. What do you think, sages? Which is right and which is wrong? I personally believe that Yang Xiong's argument is more appropriate. If one has evil in one's heart but does not do it, then there is no evil; if one has good in one's heart but does not do it, then there is no good. Let us judge a person's goodness or evil by their actions, not their intentions. These are my shallow views, hardly worthy of high regard. If they offend your ears, please forgive me. Gentlemen, please take your leave now."

After speaking, he cupped his hands in a salute, and without waiting for anyone's reaction, turned and walked straight out of the thatched cottage.

Fu Gu naturally followed.

He was afraid that if he walked too slowly and saw the expressions on everyone's faces, it would make everyone feel awkward.

Xiahou Hui's statement, "Judging by actions, not intentions," carries a subtle irony. After all, the process of formulating the *Capital Officials' Assessment Method* has long been known. Xiahou Hui's stance was clearly that "talent outweighs virtue," and that he only sought to "benefit the times and the affairs of the land." Now, he's bringing up theories of human nature as inherently good or evil—isn't this just a pretext to criticize these literati who are "famous but lacking in conduct"?
Upon leaving the thatched hut, he saw Xiahou Hui waiting for him not far away, and was ordering a servant from Xunzi's household to do something. As he approached the servant, the servant went back into the thatched hut.

Fu Gu didn't care about this.

As the two walked side by side toward the horse-tethering area, he couldn't help but whisper a word of advice: "If Zhiquan doesn't want to sit with you, he can simply decline. Why mock others and create trouble? I fear that after today, Zhiquan's bad reputation among scholars will only increase."

Oh?
Is there really such a benefit?

My intention was merely to remind Xun Yi once again that even if his house was filled with famous scholars, it would not help his career aspirations in the slightest.

"It's my fault. I spoke too quickly and dragged Lan Shi into this as well."

Fu Gu was unaware of the contents of his previous private meeting with Xun Yi, and Xiahou Hui did not want to reveal anything that was still uncertain, so he directly apologized.

"Hey, why are we still talking about these things?"

With a magnanimous wave of his hand, Fu Gu frowned slightly, his tone tinged with worry, “His Majesty previously said to Minister Lu, ‘In selecting officials, one should not choose those with fame, for fame is like drawing a cake on the ground, which cannot be eaten.’ This shows His Majesty’s dislike for superficial fame. Zhi Quan is deeply favored by His Majesty, yet he declined the invitation from Tai Chu and did not sit and talk with others. This is not inappropriate, and I am not criticizing Zhi Quan. I just feel that now that Zhi Quan has reached a high position in the court, he should also care about the reputation of the lower-ranking officials, taking the ‘Zeng Mu throwing the shuttle’ as a warning, so as not to cause trouble in his future career.”

Alas, I am not without foresight, nor do I wish to be a bitter and sarcastic person.
I have to do this because I have to deal with the immediate problems, because if the immediate problems cannot be resolved, there is no point in talking about long-term concerns!

"Lan Shi's reminder is not without reason."

After a brief silence, Xiahou Hui suddenly smiled, "But Lan Shi, don't forget, a loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise!"

A blessing in disguise?

Fu Gu, who was just taking the horse reins from the attendant, paused upon hearing this, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said nothing more.

With his intelligence, he could roughly guess what Xiahou Hui meant.

His only question was that he couldn't understand why Xiahou Hui, who had recently done nothing to offend the emperor and whose position in the court was as secure as Mount Tai, would be so eager to gain the emperor's trust by mocking famous scholars.

At that moment, I could faintly hear footsteps behind me.

A young man hurried over, first nodding to Fu Gu in greeting, and then respectfully bowing to Xiahou Hui.

"Yu, I have met with the Central Protector General." (End of Chapter)