I, the Ming Dynasty, can still save me

Chapter 540
The entire Piyong Hall was silent and extremely dull. All the ministers knelt on the ground, waiting for the emperor to reprimand him.

Zhu Youxiao looked at everyone and was also thinking about what Liu Zongzhou, Sun Shenxing, Xu Guangqi and others had just said.

Although these people's arguments were harsh, they were what he needed.

He has had long-standing thoughts on the reform of Confucianism. In other words, it is not that he wants to reform, but that Confucianism needs reform, and it is Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism that needs reform.Otherwise, the development of Confucianism, or Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, will increasingly fall behind the times.

And this is not his idea alone, but the consensus of many knowledgeable people in this era.He believed that everyone present knew it very well, but they just didn't dare to say it.

Although Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism has been the orthodox thought of the imperial court since the Yuan Dynasty, many people feel that Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism is perfect and do not dare to make drastic reforms. They can only make improvements and add bricks and tiles.

But judging from the actual situation, although Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism was beneficial, it was increasingly unable to meet the ruling needs of the Ming Dynasty.

Otherwise, why did the Heart Society rise and become so popular among the people, and why did the Taizhou Society spread so widely?

In the final analysis, it is not that Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism became more and more rigid and could no longer meet the needs of the people of the Ming Dynasty.

The cultural and ideological position of the Ming Dynasty lay there, and Zhu Neo-Confucianism did not occupy it.Then spiritual learning and Western learning will take over. The fact is so cruel.

Unless Zhu Youxiao could use force to interrupt this process, he didn't want to see such a scene happen.

Because this kind of thing happened in the previous life, isn't that what the Manchus did.

The massacre, literary inquisition, repair of the Siku, ban on speech, etc. after his entry directly interrupted the reform process of Confucianism. Xinxue was repeatedly refuted and rarely developed further. The same was true for Neo-Confucianism.

The literati had nothing to say. They had no choice but to turn to ancient books, indulge in textual research, and dare not ask about the reality.Confucianism has also become incompatible with the development of society and the times, becoming more and more pedantic and ignorant, and has become a tool of the ruling class.

Even when the West finally blasted open the door of China with cannons, people at that time had to learn a few words about Western countries from the classics of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, Zhu You secretly made up his mind to never let this happen, and never let the process of Chinese innovation be interrupted at this time.

Now Ming Dynasty also needs innovation, and needs innovation from all aspects.

Since arriving in the Ming Dynasty, he has discovered that there is disharmony everywhere in the late Ming Dynasty.

The imperial court was extremely poor, but the people were extremely rich; the imperial court respected Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, but the people were open-minded; the imperial court also relied on land tax as its main income, private economy and trade were developed, and even the sprouts of capitalism appeared in some places; in addition, the imperial court did not Controlling the power of coining but not controlling public opinion caused the people to regard the government as enemies, and scholars and citizens could resist the government at will, etc.

Zhu Youxiao didn't understand the reason at first, but he finally figured it out.

The ultimate cause of these incongruities has been clearly written in the textbooks of later generations. It can be said plainly in one sentence.

It is that the superstructure of the Ming Dynasty did not adapt to the development of the economic base.

Therefore, if the Ming Dynasty wanted to survive, it had to change. Failure to reform would only lead to death.

One of the most core aspects of Zhu Youxiao's reform plan is the reform of Confucianism.

This is why he wanted to reform the Imperial College, and why he moved the Imperial College to the eastern suburbs and allowed lectures.

Although the intensity of the argument between Sun Shenxing and Xu Guangqi was somewhat beyond his expectation, it did not hinder his subsequent arrangements.

"I just listened to Liu Aiqing's introduction and benefited a lot. All the disputes between Sun Aiqing and Xu Aiqing just boiled down to one point, and that was the dispute between Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism and Lu Wang's Xinxue.

To put it bluntly, the dispute between Neo-Confucianism and Xinxue is an academic dispute and a dispute between orthodoxy.This debate is about morality, reputation, and your ambitions.All the ministers here can stand in front of me. It can be said that they are all great scholars at that time, and they have great heads and poor scriptures.Therefore, no one wants what they have learned to be criticized by "he said". "

Zhu Youxiao's words really touched everyone's heart.

Perhaps in the eyes of people who don't understand, their argument is of no use, and whatever is useful can be used.

But everyone here who studies Confucian classics thinks that this is not a debate at all, but a war without smoke.It is a war about the right to interpret Confucian classics and who is the orthodox Confucian scholar.

This is about what kind of Tao the Confucian scholars in the world choose.

This is related to the direction of the development of Confucianism in the next hundreds of years.

It’s more about whether what everyone here has learned their whole life is correct.All those who are persistent in what they have learned in their hearts must not slack off at this moment, because the battle for orthodoxy is a matter of life and death!

Sun Shenxing was like this, so when he listened to Zhu Youxiao's words, he felt even more moved and even excited.

What the emperor said was true, and he fully agreed. Everything he was doing now was not for himself.It is for the sake of Confucianism and the tens of thousands of people, so he will never let Xinxue enter the hall of elegance.

"What your Majesty said is true. This is a dispute between academics and orthodoxy, and it is also the thoughts of the people of the Ming Dynasty. If the spread of spiritual learning, especially the Taizhou School, is tolerated and everyone is only seeking personal gain, then the people will The eyes cannot be measured, the court has no ministers to use, the generals have no soldiers to use, and the hearts of the people are ruined, why is it like this!"

After he finished speaking, he stopped talking and kowtowed to Zhu Youxiao.

Other Confucian teachers, doctors and others in the Imperial College were also moved when they saw this, and they also knelt down one after another.Only Liu Yishen, Ye Xianggao and others who followed Zhu Youxiao were indifferent.

When Zhu Youxiao saw Sun Shenxing acting like this, he immediately signaled to Wang Boyu and others beside him to help Sun Shenxing and the others get up.

"Sun Aiqing, I know that you are only interested in scheming for the imperial court. But looking at Liu Aiqing's description and the dispute between you and Xu Aiqing today, I can't help but have a doubt."

After he finished speaking, he didn't care about Sun Shenxing and the others, but looked around at Liu Yishui and others, and then started talking to himself while pacing back and forth.

"In my dynasty, Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism was the orthodox one, but after Lu Jiuyuan founded the lineage of Mind Learning, he and Zhu Zi had a meeting in Ehu, where they sat down to discuss Taoism and each expressed his own opinion. Although they ended up unhappy, it was still a good conversation.

Later, I went to Wang Wencheng (Wang Yangming's posthumous name) to gain enlightenment in Longchang and proposed to be a conscience.But if knowledge and action are united, something will happen.This is where there are schools such as Zhejiang and Taizhou.It has been a hundred years since now, and more than 450 years since the Ehu meeting.

But now the two factions are intensifying and have no intention of reconciling.The science of mind is also spreading more and more among the people, and many heresies and strange theories gradually appear.Therefore, I am very curious. Since Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism is the ultimate principle of heaven and earth and Confucianism is orthodox, why are people more willing to learn Xinxue? "

As soon as these words came out, Sun Shenxing, Liu Yisui and others were speechless for a moment. These words undoubtedly hit the sore point of Cheng Zhu Neo-Confucianism.

What the emperor said is correct. Since Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism is orthodox, why are the people more willing to accept Xinxue? This is also the problem that Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism is currently facing, and it is also what Sun Shenxing, Liu Zongzhou, Liu Yishen and other great scholars want to urgently change. situation.

"Your Majesty, the most important thing for the spread of King Lu's Mind Learning among the people is that it is simple and easy to understand. Common people and villagers in the mountains, whether they have read books or not, can understand the profound meaning of Mind Learning, how to dress, eat, and be themselves. That’s how you get the Tao, and this is the great simplicity.”

Xu Guangqi on the side was secretly happy when he heard the words. He secretly thought that the emperor's words were clearly meant for Xinxue, so he immediately responded.

"Although his studies are simple and easy to understand, the content cannot be vulgar, nor can they be refined and far-reaching. These people will only talk empty words and harm the country. They usually talk about their hearts and minds, and die in danger to repay the king. Such people are useless to the court and the Ming Dynasty."

Although Sun Shenxing on the side had no dealings with Xu Guangqi, he had to admit that Xinxue did have the advantage of being simple and easy to understand. He could only refute Xu Guangqi from other aspects.

Zhu Youxiao watched their argument and smiled secretly.

In his view, Neo-Confucianism and Psychology are like game companies.

Rigaku is a large stand-alone company, with high investment costs, high thresholds, and slow return cycles. But if it does well, the results will be great, but the audience is all experienced players.

Xinxue, on the other hand, is a mobile game and web game manufacturer with low investment, low threshold, and fast return cycle. Although the finished product is not good, it cannot make money. It has a wide audience and many people play.

So the two dislike each other, and one criticizes the other for making some shoddy things to confuse the people, without lofty ideals, and vulgar.The other scolded the other party for having complex content, highbrow content, and not knowing how to promote it, so it was not as fast as they could spread it.

But no matter how they differentiate or argue, they cannot avoid the fact that it is impossible for the two of them to develop independently now.

Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism became more and more rigid. Faced with the new situation in the late Ming Dynasty, he did not know how to deal with it, and was defeated by Xinxue.

Although Xinxue has a wide audience, its content is empty and has no deep meaning. More and more people are using Xinxue as a cover to be uninhibited and escape from themselves.

Therefore, what Zhu Youxiao has to do is to let them learn from each other's strengths and try their best to integrate them together.

Although this road is destined to be difficult, Zhu Youxiao is already prepared and has a plan.Then he ignored Sun Shenxing and Xu Guangqi who were arguing, but turned to look at Liu Yishen and said slowly:

"Liu Aiqing, you are the chief minister of the cabinet and a great Confucian. You must be very familiar with the differences between Neo-Confucianism and Psychology. So I want to ask you. Now the dispute between Neo-Confucianism and Psychology is getting more and more intense. There are supporters and supporters from the private sector to the court. Sympathizers, let me ask you what to do about this situation and how to change it.”

Liu Yishuo smiled in his heart and secretly thought that the emperor still needed him to accompany him. How could he not know the emperor's intentions after being with him for so long.

"Your Majesty, Neo-Confucianism and Xinxue are like fire and water, and each has its own opinion. I originally studied Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, so it would be unfair to suggest it rashly. Your Majesty is very talented and has made many holy judgments since he came to the throne. Therefore, I dare to ask Your Majesty for a holy judgment. !”

(End of this chapter)