I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

Chapter 460: The Emperor's verbal battle with the old Confucians: Zhongni and his disciples both regarded officials as their teachers, who among you Confucian scholars are considered senior? !
Liu He saw Wei Xian's hesitation and hesitation, smiled secretly in his heart, took two steps forward calmly, and began to exert his strength.

"Mr. Wei Ge doesn't want to say it, so let me tell you. You can see if I am right."

"Tanzi worked hard in Tandi when he was young. Because of his righteousness and virtue, he was regarded as the king by the people of Tandi."

"Chang Hong was a minister of the Liu family of the Jin Dynasty. He was loyal to the emperor and fulfilled his duties. After his death, his blood turned into red jade, and his heart turned into jasper, so there is a saying that he has a red heart."

"Shi Xiang was a music official of the Wei State. He was able to show the virtues of King Wen in music. Zhongni once learned music from him."

"Lao Dan is the historian of Zhou Dynasty, and Confucius once asked him for courtesy."

"Mr. Wei Ge, have I made this quite clear?"

Wei Xian's face turned pale. He didn't expect that the emperor knew so clearly.

The other people present were also a little surprised. These anecdotes were quite unknown, and even they couldn't possibly know them so completely.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty is right." Wei Xian admitted reluctantly.

"Except for Tan Zi, Chang Hong, Shi Xiang, and Lao Dan are all officials, even minor officials..."

"Even Zhongni can take officials as his teachers, shouldn't the Confucian scholars in the world not be able to take officials as their teachers? Will today's Confucian students suffer a loss if they take officials as their teachers?"

"If Mr. Wei Ge thinks that as long as he takes officials as teachers, all living beings will be unfaithful and unfilial, wouldn't that mean that Mr. Zhongni is unfaithful and unfilial?"

Liu He's two questions in a row made the livid-faced Wei Xian blush on the spot.

Both Chung and Ni regarded officials as their teachers, who among you Confucian scholars are considered senior?

The Confucian classics taught by the Han Dynasty are now very different from the "Five Classics" taught by Confucius.

Each sect and each family has branches and leaves, which are complex and have their own context.

Sometimes family A becomes a prominent scholar, and sometimes family B rises.

Although various schools still regard Confucius as the source of Confucianism, they have their own way of interpreting the five classics: "Poetry", "Book", "Li", "Yi" and "Spring and Autumn".

Take Wei Xian for example. He was proficient in the three classics "Poetry", "Li" and "Shangshu", but was best at the "Book of Songs", and his "Book of Songs" inherited "Lu Shi".

Speaking of the famous Dong Zhongshu, he studied the "Spring and Autumn Gongyang Zhuan": it was the second interpretation of "Spring and Autumn" by Gong Yanggao, a Qi man during the Warring States Period.

All in all, it seems that they are all Confucianists, but the internal divisions between the various factions are very large, and sometimes they are even tit for tat.

However, this statement also makes sense in reverse. No matter which school or faction you belong to, there is absolutely no disrespect to Confucius.

Confucian scholars who dare to question or slander Master Zhongni, or who dare to say that the original text of the "Five Classics" is deviant, will probably be drowned in the saliva of the world.

Therefore, Wei Xian, who was still very aggressive just now, was questioned by the emperor.

"Master Zhongni is a saint, how can he be compared to ordinary people like us?"

"What Mr. Wei Ge said is right, but saints can take officials as their teachers, but ordinary people can't take officials as their teachers?" Liu He deliberately misinterpreted Wei Xian's meaning.

"Your Majesty! Wei Chen said that Master Zhongni was a saint, and only officials could be regarded as teachers. Ordinary people should not imitate him." Wei Xian said anxiously.

"The Master said: If the saint is benevolent, how dare I! Master Zhongni himself said that he did not dare to call himself a saint." Liu He retorted.

"Confucius said: If three people are walking together, they must have my teacher. There are more than three officials, so naturally there will be teachers who are Confucian scholars." Liu He pursued.

"My father-in-law said: "If the four bodies are not diligent and the five grains are not separated, who is the master?Zhongni called his father-in-law a hermit master. "Liu He argued.

Liu He's three consecutive sentences, each of which was supported by the Analects of Confucius, were linked together and refuted Wei Xian speechlessly.

All put together, they have the same meaning: Confucius could accept officials as teachers, why don't you Confucian scholars accept it?

No matter how good you are, can you still get past Confucius?
Liu He's tit-for-tat confrontation greatly exceeded Wei Xian's expectations. He did not expect that the emperor was so quick-thinking that he could easily read the Analects of Confucius!
Among the group of classics, the "Five Classics" have the highest status, and the "Analects of Confucius" is not included in official studies today.

However, this book seems simple, but because it records the words and deeds of the saint, it has a transcendent status.

The few sentences quoted by the emperor are not profound, and even a Confucian scholar of thirteen or fourteen years old can recite them by heart, but they all hit the key points.

Wei Xian stood there a little trembling, extremely angry, trembling from head to toe, including his white beard.

Gong Sui and Wang Shi smiled and nodded frequently. They no longer had any worries: the emperor can deal with one Wei Xian, which is more than enough!

"Mr. Wei Ge, I ask you again, can Confucian scholars regard officials as their teachers?" Liu He took a step forward and asked again.

"Your Majesty, even if officials are to be teachers, even if rudimentary studies can be taught in Xiang Academy, how can the imperial examination be used as the examination standard?"

Wei Xian was still holding his neck, but he had already taken half a step back involuntarily, and even took a big step back in his heart.

Liu He was very satisfied and feared that he would be strong. His soldiers climbed onto Wei Xian's city wall, but the opponent's military formation was already crumbling.

It is advisable to use the remaining brave to chase the poor bandits, and not to be called the Overlord of Learning!
Liu He will not stop now, he will beat Wei Xian until he loses his armor.

"Wei Ge always thinks that you can't select talents with these meager learnings?"

"If Your Majesty insists, it won't hurt for a Confucian scholar to learn a little bit..."

"But if it is used as the standard for the imperial examination, then the people selected are just a group of craftsmen, businessmen, accountants and farmers. How can they govern the big men well?"

Wei Xian's anger has weakened into unreasonableness. Although he is still stubborn and refuses to admit defeat, he no longer has the desperate attitude before.

One burst of momentum will weaken again, and three times it will be exhausted: morale is like this, and so is the people's hearts.

"What Mr. Wei Ge means is that craftsmen, businessmen, accountants, and farmers are not talented people and cannot help me govern the big men?"

Wei Xian was stunned by the emperor's question again. The answer must be obvious, but for some reason, he felt that there was another hole dug by the emperor ahead.

The emperor is really an eloquent person. He first misunderstood, then asked questions, and finally counterattacked - all in one go, without any flaws.If it were only about the meaning of scriptures, Wei Xian would definitely have the upper hand, but he was old and could not withstand the fierce debate.

However, at this moment, Wei Xian could no longer think about other details and could only nod his head angrily.

"Your Majesty is wise, a gentleman has no power, only Confucian scholars are the pillars of the court. If you learn Confucianism well, you can manage the government well!"

"Mr. Wei Ge said it well, you and I are on the same page!" Liu He clapped his hands again and said with a smile.

When Wei Xian thought that the emperor had been convinced by him and was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he saw that the emperor's hateful smile became more obvious.

It's over, it seems that I have fallen into the pit dug by the emperor again.

"But! I only agree with half of what Mr. Wei Ge said, but I don't agree with the other half!" Liu He said categorically.

Zhang Anshi and others sitting on the couch on the right felt cold in their hearts. They underestimated the emperor's achievements in Confucianism.

In stark contrast to them, Wang Shi became more and more happy and calm, and even more joyful that great things were about to happen.

In the past six months, the emperor and Huo Guang had been fighting to the death in the court, while Wang Shi had turned a deaf ear to what was going on outside the window and hid in Xiahou Sheng's house to form a unified family.

Of course, Wang Shi and Xia Housheng were not trying to escape for leisure, nor were they afraid of getting burned, but they were doing something big.

They are editing the scriptures copied by the emperor into a "Thirteen Classics" that can sweep all the sects in the world!
Before Huo Guang fell, Wang Shi didn't know whether the "Thirteen Classics" could be published.

Now that Huo Guang has fallen, the "Thirteen Classics" can play a huge role.

In the past, Wang Shi was vaguely worried that the emperor had found those scriptures from elsewhere. Today, seeing the argument between the emperor and Wei Xian, he no longer had any doubts.

This emperor is the greatest Confucian today, far surpassing everyone else.

As the only insider, Wang Shi was naturally much calmer. He suppressed the excitement and ecstasy in his heart and sat firmly on the couch, ready to enjoy a big show.

When Wang Shi was stroking his beard and observing the expressions of others with interest, the high-spirited emperor spoke again.

"I agree with what Mr. Wei Ge said, Confucian scholars are indeed the pillars of the Han Dynasty..."

"But I don't think that people who only understand Confucian classics are Confucian scholars, and I don't think that Confucian scholars who only understand Confucian classics are pillars..."

"Whether a person is a pillar of the Han Dynasty does not depend on how many scriptures he can interpret, but on whether he can do something for the people of the world."

"It is for the world and the common people, not for a sect or a family, let alone one person and a lifetime."

"It can make one acre of land produce several husks of millet..."

"It can make a knife last for several more years..."

"It can help the people suffer less pain..."

"It can reduce the risk of newborn babies dying..."

"This is the real Confucian scholar!"

"This is what Master Zhongni wanted to achieve in the world!"

Liu He firmly stated his evaluation and definition of Confucian scholars, and the main purpose of what he said was exactly the four words "administration of the world and practical application" of later generations Wang Fuzhi and Gu Yanwu.

From the beginning of Confucius, Confucianism itself has a strong worldly attribute, and this is even more true after the Han Dynasty.

But nowadays, the whole world emphasizes "taking Confucianism as a teacher" and believes that as long as Confucian students study and spread the essence of Confucian classics, they can educate the world and solve all practical problems.

When Confucian scholars served as officials and managed politics, they only used "moral education" as a regulator to regulate things in the middle, but did not face or solve real practical problems.

But can all models of problems be found in the Five Classics?It's obviously impossible, and that's the problem.

Confucius traveled around the world not only to spread the invisible and intangible Confucian ideas, but also to practice his own political ideals.

Therefore, Confucianism naturally has worldly values, otherwise it would not be possible to require a gentleman to be proficient in the "six arts".

The "managing the world for practical purposes" proposed by Liu He is not just four words, but the last peak of Confucianism after more than a thousand years. It is a high-level summary of the Confucian spirit of joining the world.

Putting it forward at this time will naturally have a strong impact on the Confucian scholars of the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, when the four words "managing the world for practical purposes" sounded in the greenhouse hall, the atmosphere in the hall changed again.

Whether it was the already old Su Wu and Gong Sui, or the young men like Zhang Anshi and Bing Ji, or the young man Yu Wuyou who had just been crowned... their eyes and expressions became solemn.

Even Wei Xian, who was singing opposite Liu He, couldn't help but his eyes lit up, as if he had heard a different kind of eloquence, and his dissatisfaction and resistance were much weaker.

"There is something in "The Biography of the Zuo Family in the Spring and Autumn Period"..."

"The way a saint-king husband is to organize sacrifices is to offer sacrifices to the people if he applies the law to the people, to sacrifice to him if he works diligently, to sacrifice to him to stabilize the country through labor, to offer sacrifices to those who can ward off great disasters, and to offer sacrifices to those who can defend against great dangers. This is not the clan, Not in the ceremony."

"Therefore, those who work hard to the death are Confucian students, those who work hard to establish a country are Confucian students, those who can resist great disasters are Confucian students, and those who can defend against great disasters are Confucian students. It is not a clan, it is not a Confucian scholar."

Although "The Biography of Zuo Shi in the Spring and Autumn Period" is not considered a scholarly book, it is also a genuine Confucian classic. Zuo Shi was a good friend of Zhongni and a sage of Confucianism.

Liu He ended by quoting "The Biography of the Zuo Family in the Spring and Autumn Period" and once again stated the core of "managing the world for practical purposes". It was reasonable and well-founded, leaving Wei Xian nowhere to refute.

Wei Xian's face turned from red to gray again, and he involuntarily took two steps back. These two steps were still small, but they meant his complete retreat.

However, Liu He would not give the other party any chance to breathe. He calmly took a step forward to seize the battlefield that Wei Xian had given up.

　Ask for full order!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)