Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"Zhang Tianru's actions are simply too much!"

"We must fight back and teach him a lesson!"

Qu Shisi said bitterly, equally angry.

As Qian Qianyi's disciple, he and Qian Qianyi shared a relationship of mutual benefit and shared loss.

Zhang Pu's actions violated his taboos, making him feel that he had to resolutely retaliate.

However, some people disagreed. Xie Sanbin, another disciple of Qian Qianyi, said:
"Zhang Pu is so bold because His Majesty stands behind him."

"Didn't you see His Majesty has published an article in Science? How are we supposed to retaliate?"

Upon hearing this, Qu Shisi's gaze turned unfriendly as he stared at Xie Sanbin and said:

"What, are you scared?"

"Does our Hanlin Academy not contain any of His Majesty's articles?"

"Would His Majesty be unreasonable and side with Zhang Pu?"

Now everyone was speechless. Qian Qianyi shook his head and said:

"His Majesty is not an unreasonable person. Even when implementing reforms, he will prioritize reason."

"As long as we can present a reasonable argument, it's harmless to argue with Zhang Pu. The Emperor won't care at all."

Speaking of his understanding of the emperor, Qian Qianyi said:
"To be honest, although the articles 'On Stable Property' and 'On Production' are said to have been written by me, they actually reflect His Majesty's ideas more."

"But His Majesty simply refuses to sign his name, to avoid giving the impression that he favors a particular school of thought."

"If you have any opinions, please feel free to express them."

"His Majesty encourages a hundred flowers to bloom and will not impose a single academic standard."

Many people nodded in agreement with these words, agreeing that this was indeed the truth.

The current emperor is clearly adept at stirring up dissenting opinions and encourages scholars to debate with each other.

Even if someone dislikes a certain doctrine, they only suppress its spread.

While new knowledge such as practical learning and science were encouraged, they were not forcibly included in the imperial examination system, nor were students forced to study them.

The collation and annotation of the Four Books and Five Classics were overseen by Liu Zongzhou. He was a scholar of the philosophy of mind and believed that "principle is the principle of qi."

Therefore, if they want to get revenge, they have to rely on themselves.

Furthermore, there's no need to worry about the emperor favoring Zhang Pu; the current emperor isn't that kind of person.

So the group then discussed where to start in order to curb Zhang Pu's arrogance.

Qu Shisi was the first to offer a suggestion:

“Ai Nanying served as the Protector of the Army in Liaonan, and His Majesty highly praised his practice of distinguishing between Chinese and barbarians.”

"Now we're sending him south with the Restoration Army to give him a chance to make a name for himself."

"Could we start by distinguishing between the Chinese and the barbarians to explore the ethnic issues of a utopian world?"

“If we label Western learning from the West as barbaric, we can cut off one source of science.”

This plan was truly ruthless, but Qian Qianyi stopped him, saying:

"No!"

"His Majesty today advocates letting a hundred flowers bloom and embracing all rivers."

"Western learning was also regarded as one of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and was adopted by the Ming Dynasty's schools of thought."

“You’ve contemptuously labeled Western learning as barbaric and prevented others from learning it. His Majesty will be displeased and will think you’re causing trouble.”

"This approach is unacceptable and will invite His Majesty's intervention."

He explained the emperor's attitude to his disciples, and mentioned that the emperor was prepared to recognize some countries as civilized nations and no longer regard them as barbarians.

Western countries are the key targets of our investigation. These countries may be recognized as civilized nations, so we cannot dismiss all Western learning as barbaric.

Upon hearing the emperor's attitude, Xie Sanbin immediately spoke in support:
"Western firearms, clocks and other technologies are indeed unique and should not be viewed purely as barbaric."

“Western missionaries who came to the Ming Dynasty should not be regarded as uncivilized barbarians.”

Many of those present had connections with missionaries and nodded in agreement.

Some people even viewed missionaries as Western Confucian scholars, believing they were Confucian scholars from the West.
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Qian Qianyi initially had no ideas, but upon hearing this discussion, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he thought of a way to break the deadlock.

He stroked his beard smugly as he listened to the discussion among his disciples and followers.

Seeing him like this, Qu Shisi asked:
"Does the teacher have an idea?"

Where should we begin?

Upon hearing this, the others immediately looked at Qian Qianyi, eager to hear his profound insights.

Qian Qianyi, meeting everyone's gazes, smiled and said:

"Just now, Jiaxuan mentioned Ai Nanying's distinction between Chinese and barbarians, which gave me an idea."

"Ai Gong believed that the Great Harmony meant that all people were roughly the same, and naturally there would be no ethnic differences."

"Therefore, he advocated for rigorous education to transform all barbarians into Chinese, thereby achieving universal harmony."

"This is what is called the unification of all races. People from all ethnic groups will eventually become one ethnic group of Chinese. After being thoroughly Sinicized, they will eventually become Han Chinese."

This theory is known to everyone; Ai Nanying has expressed similar views many times.

Then they said to Qian Qianyi:
"If this applies to ethnic groups, is it also true for religions?"

“My teacher, Guan Gong, once said that the principles of the three religions are interconnected and can coexist without contradiction, and that the three religions should be united as one.”

"Now it seems that the scope is still a bit too small; we should unite all religions."

"The religions of a utopian world should be largely the same, with little difference." This statement enlightened everyone, making them understand what Qian Qianyi was trying to do.

As the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and concurrently the Director of the National Education Committee, it was Qian Qianyi's duty to promote the integration of various religions, which can be said to be both theoretical and practical.

Such achievements cannot be taken away by anyone. Especially since the emperor had just mentioned religion at a court meeting and ordered Qian Qianyi to thoroughly investigate the preferential treatment given to those who offered incense offerings.

It can be said that Qian Qianyi now has the advantage of favorable timing and popular support; as long as he gets local officials to cooperate, he can have the advantage of geographical location.

Qu Shisi, quick-witted as ever, clapped his hands and cheered, praising:

"Teacher, that's a good point!"

"The religions of the Ming Dynasty were not limited to Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism; foreign religions such as Nestorianism should also be included."

"If the three teachings can be united, then all other teachings can naturally be united."

"Confucianism should be the main principle, while other religions should be inclusive. All other religions should conform to Confucian principles."

“Foreign religious sects like Nestorianism should be rigorously examined, one by one, according to the teachings of sages.”

"The Four Books and Five Classics need to be annotated and collated, and the same applies to the doctrines of various religions."

"The Court of Imperial Sacrifices is responsible for managing religion and should bear this responsibility."

His words were roundabout and targeted at the missionaries.

Western learning was brought by missionaries. If it was found that the doctrines they preached did not conform to Confucian principles, this could be used as a reason to expel certain people.

Qu Shisi could fully foresee the consequences of this undertaking, which would certainly deal a blow to the scientific absorption of Western learning.

Qian Qianyi stroked his beard and remained silent, clearly indicating that he did not object.

He had already decided to find fault with the scriptures of various religions, and then have the Court of Imperial Sacrifices preside over the selection of the scriptures of each religion and make corrections and revisions.

By accomplishing this, he promoted education and moral guidance; who can deny his achievement?
Of course, in order to show that he was not specifically targeting Nestorianism, he decided to start with other religious sects and revise their doctrines.
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These discussions were compiled by him into "The Religious Problems of the Great Harmony Era" and presented to the emperor.

When Zhu Youjian saw this article, he was quite impressed with Qian Qianyi, never expecting that this person could offer such helpful suggestions.

In his view, the theories and measures in this article no longer needed to be changed. Unlike previous articles, which required his specific guidance before Qian Qianyi could notice the problems.

Zhu Youjian praised Qian Qianyi lavishly, saying:

"Your ability to promote education through religion already makes you a qualified Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

"I can rest assured that the Education Committee is in your hands."

"Just do your job well according to the article's content, and take on more responsibility in the future."

These words clearly imply that he will be promoted during next year's leadership transition.

Qian Qianyi felt lightheaded upon hearing this, and was quite elated.

He respectfully addressed the emperor:
"It is all thanks to Your Majesty's teachings that I have been able to make progress."

"Please give me more guidance, Your Majesty. I will do my best to follow your instructions."

These words of loyalty made Zhu Youjian nod and say:
"The main idea of ​​your article is very well-developed."

"However, we still need to focus on the specific methods we use."

"The key to the unity of the three teachings is that they are harmonious and inclusive of other principles."

"However, some religions are extremely xenophobic and promote extreme doctrines."

"This is an area that needs to be focused on; we must eliminate all extreme doctrines."

"Only in this way can the various religions be harmonized and ultimately integrated into one."

"Therefore, the focus of the Taichang Temple's promotion of the unity of various religions was to crack down on extremist doctrines."

Qian Qianyi's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he was filled with admiration for the emperor.

He was just being polite, but the emperor found the key point so quickly and ordered him to focus on cracking down on extremist doctrines.

The emperor's wisdom was truly as deep and boundless as the ocean, filling him with profound awe.

The emperor's next words made him realize even more that the current emperor had already considered this point, but simply hadn't had the time or inclination to address it:
"The unification of religions requires that the deities worshipped by each religion be incorporated into a single system."

"My previous promotion of the pantheon of gods of heaven and earth, with the City God and local gods as the main ones, was to find a core for the pantheon that unites various religions."

"The Heavenly Emperor and the Earthly Queen are the supreme gods who unite all religions. Together with me, the supreme ruler of the human world, they occupy the highest position in the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man."

"As the Son of Heaven, I hereby bestow titles upon the true gods on behalf of Heaven and Earth."

"Only those deities worshipped by various religions that can be integrated into the pantheon of gods of heaven and earth can be officially recognized as gods."

“Those that are incompatible yet not contradictory can be regarded as heretical gods.”

“Those that contradict this are considered evil gods and licentious worship, and must be severely punished.”

"Officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices are only allowed to worship orthodox gods and are not allowed to enter the premises if they worship other gods or spirits."

"The superior officer must believe in Heaven and Earth, and Buddhism, Taoism and other religions are not allowed."

This was a restriction imposed on the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to prevent people with religious beliefs from joining and leaning towards a particular religion.

Aside from those who believe in the Confucian concept of Heaven and Earth, no one with other religious beliefs can hold a major position in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

Upon hearing these methods, Qian Qianyi felt even more awe and reverence for the emperor.

As the person in charge of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, he naturally knew that the emperor was ordering Buddhism and Taoism to reorganize the pantheon of deities.

He hadn't thought much of it before, but now he realized that the emperor had long planned to promote the integration of the three religions.

If he hadn't recognized it early, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices would probably have had to wait for the emperor's suggestion before it was implemented.

At that time, it might not have been his responsibility, and he, as the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, did not have many achievements.

Now he was increasingly grateful that he had grasped the truth early, focusing on his duties at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and thus noticing these things in advance. (End of Chapter)