Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 328: Moderation is wrong!

outside the temple.

Xia Zhibai stopped for a while.

He turned around, looked at the majestic and imposing hall behind him, and shook his head secretly.

He had no idea what Zhu Biao would do.

But it is time for Zhu Biao to take some action. He must get over the fear in his heart and face that seemingly insurmountable mountain. Only by facing it and walking out of it alone, can Zhu Biao's position as the crown prince be truly "realized" instead of hanging in the air.

To some extent.

He and Zhu Biao have always been "allies".

To a certain extent, they are on the same path, but they also have their own selfish desires. There are contradictions and conflicts, but there is also some cooperation.

Fight without breaking, be harmonious but different.

Come to your senses.

Xia Zhibai looked up at the sky. It had started snowing again, making him feel cold. He tightened his thick cotton coat, looked around, and walked towards the Hanlin Academy. He had not finished what he needed to do in the Hanlin Academy yet.

Today we need to set a 'mathematical' optimal solution.

However, this concept goes against existing Confucian ideas, and I am afraid that Fang Xiaoru, Liu Sanwu and others will oppose it.

Hanlin Academy.

Xia Zhibai gathered many scholars together.

He announced it yesterday and has said that he will discuss the "golden mean".

When Xia Zhibai arrived, Fang Xiaoru and others had already arrived. They looked at Xia Zhibai's hurried figure with cold eyes, because Xia Zhibai had openly expressed his opposition to the "golden mean" yesterday. At least in terms of learning, academics and research, he did not advocate the golden mean.

He even advocated the use of Mohist thought in compiling textbooks.

Abandon Confucianism.

When these words were spoken yesterday, everyone in the audience was shocked.

Many people criticized Xia Zhibai, accusing him of insulting the saints and having no reverence for the ancient sages. Some even criticized him for not understanding the greatness and connotation of the saints' knowledge. They said that the saints' knowledge is all-encompassing, the best knowledge in the world, and the true and perfect knowledge.

The truth of all things in the universe is contained therein.

But they didn't notice.

Xia Zhibai did not argue at the time, but just asked them to go down and prepare.

He will come back tomorrow to discuss and explain his personal views.

Xia Zhibai stood still.

He did not speak in a hurry. In front of everyone, he asked the clerk to pour him a glass of warm water. Zhu Biao's sudden visit earlier had consumed a lot of his saliva and energy. Now his lips and tongue were dry, and he needed to moisten his throat first.

He was actually quite helpless.

He had not planned to explain it to Zhu Biao so early, but when he saw Zhu Biao coming to him, he just said the words he had prepared in his heart in advance. Although he was scolded and angry, at least he could see that Zhu Biao still listened to him.

No wonder.

After all, it concerns one's own life, who dares not to care?
People value their lives, let alone those who hold high positions.

After taking a few big gulps, Xia Zhibai felt his throat was much better. He put down the tea bowl, looked around, took out a piece of white paper from a square table, and wrote the word "moderation" on it.

immediately.

He seemed to feel that these two words were not enough, so he added another sentence on top. "Knowledge of worldly affairs is learning, and understanding of human nature is writing." Huang Zhang read this sentence in a low voice, and after repeating it several times, his eyes lit up, because this sentence fits the word "moderation" very well, but then Huang Zhang's eyes turned cold.

Since Xia Zhibai understood the doctrine of the mean so well, why did he oppose it himself?
Isn’t this confusing!
The others read this sentence and nodded secretly, expressing their appreciation for it.

They were indeed very dissatisfied with Xia Zhibai's arrogance, but as scholars, they still had their own ethics. No matter how unhappy they were, they still expressed their approval when they saw these meaningful words. They didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Xia Zhibai is the top scholar after all.

It is only natural that he has such literary talent.

a long time.

Liu Sanwu stroked his beard and said, "Master Xia, you gathered us together just to analyze this sentence? And if I am not mistaken, the content of this sentence is probably in perfect harmony with the doctrine of the mean."

"You are talking about moderation and opposing moderation. Don't you think it's a bit absurd?"

Xia Zhibai chuckled and said calmly: "Old Scholar Liu is wrong. This sentence reveals the true meaning of the golden mean in the world today."

"But it's not the 'meaning' I'm after."

"I have read the Analects of Confucius. In the entire Analects, the Doctrine of the Mean is mentioned only once, and that is in Yong Ye."

"The virtue of moderation is the highest virtue! It has been rare among the people for a long time."

"In this sentence, 'virtue' is not 'Tao' but 'use', and 'zhi' means 'maximum', so the Doctrine of the Mean in the Analects actually refers to 'maximizing utility', in other words, a choice of 'optimization'."

"And this sentence itself is used to evaluate Emperor Shun."

"Shun is a man of great wisdom! He likes to ask questions and to examine what others say. He conceals evil and promotes good. He holds both ends and uses the middle to benefit the people."

"Is this what Shun is?"

"I brought up the term 'the doctrine of the mean' not to tell you that the meaning of the doctrine of the mean has changed from its original meaning. I just want to tell you that many people in the world read the teachings of the saints as rote mere reading, lacking the true understanding of the doctrine. Many people understand this phrase as 'the doctrine of the mean is the ultimate! It has been rare among the people for a long time.'"

"But this understanding is clearly a misunderstanding."

"Shun's virtuous government of 'Zhongyong' is the best! But 'the people have been few for a long time'."

“That’s the correct understanding.”

"The understanding I mentioned has gradually been recognized by the world, at least by His Majesty today. Otherwise, he would not have promoted Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism."

"Zhu Xi said: 'Everything has two ends, such as small and large, thick and thin', 'When it is thick, it is thick, and when it is thin, it is thin, and it is thin.'"

"The meaning of these two sentences is very simple, that is, 'holding the end and using the middle' does not mean the middle of big and small, good and evil, thick and thin, but taking into account the ends of nobles and commoners, east and west, south and north, etc., and taking the middle so that the ends are all good."

"In common parlance."

"It is to find a balance among many different influencing factors or stakeholders, and then maximize the benefits without harming the interests of existing stakeholders, and then realize 'the people have rarely enjoyed it for a long time', and introduce policies that do not harm their interests."

“The golden mean is actually the optimization in a state of balance.”

"After that, as Confucianism flourished, many great Confucian scholars interpreted the Analects, and then there were views such as 'stopping at the highest good' and 'a gentleman should do everything to the utmost' that did not contradict other Confucian arguments. In fact, these words all express one meaning, which is the optimization under one factor."

"Eventually these deconstructions were reassembled into two words."

"Moderate!"

"These two words constitute the existing humanistic qualities of Confucianism."

"Nowadays, when Confucian scholars around the world sit and discuss the truth, they all follow the doctrine of the mean, but they lack the perseverance to get to the bottom of knowledge."

“This is wrong!”

(End of this chapter)