Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 198: Disloyalty?

What could Shen Shixing do? Besides, he was just pretending to do his best.

At the moment he was only focused on setting up the Imperial College. Various letters were sent intensively from him to various places, with no ulterior motive in the words: first take the exam to enter the Imperial College, then strive to become a village head.

Then the emperor "invited" Li Zhi to Beijing.

The emperor didn't just directly convict this barking heretic. Did he even want to hear him defend himself?
Shen Yikuan and Shen Shixing could no longer sit still and directly requested to see the emperor.

When they were in front of the emperor, they didn't pretend.

"It was I who asked Zhang Wenda to impeach Li Hongfu." Shen Yiguan admitted openly, and then said earnestly, "Although your majesty has many graces, the rain is heavy and the wind is strong in the local area. Your majesty has re-established the Imperial College. Now is the time to clarify the right path and reassure the gentry of the world."

Zhu Changluo looked at him and asked Shen Shixing first: "Does Lord Shen think so too?"

"Your Majesty, it is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality." Shen Shixing did not deny it. "The whole country is strictly enforcing preferential treatment and exemption. The gentry will eventually have to take this step back. Although they dare not say they are disloyal, it is not good to harbor resentment in their hearts."

"So you want to borrow Li Hongfu's head?"

Shen Yikuan and Shen Shixing waved their hands again and again: "It is enough to ban his writings and abolish his reputation. After all, he is seventy-six years old..."

Zhu Changluo smiled and said, "I heard that he was very outspoken, saying that his writings were heretical, and he should be killed rather than exterminated, and his head should be cut off but his face and body should not be humiliated. If the two ministers want to regret his writings and abolish his reputation, that would be worse than killing him."

Seeing that Zhu Changluo had some understanding of Li Zhi and even seemed to have some interest in him, Shen Yikuan and Shen Shixing looked at each other in surprise.

"Your Majesty, this man considers himself a heretic, and he has gone astray but claims to be on the right path. He has always advocated reforming the old and establishing the new. If Your Majesty listens to his ideas..." Shen Shixing was very worried, "Your Majesty, think twice..."

"You two ministers also know what I want to do." Zhu Changluo looked at Shen Yikuan again, "When impeaching him, wasn't Mr. Shen worried that I would use his advice instead?"

"Your Majesty!" Shen Yi Guan was very resolute this time, "This man despises the Six Classics and the writings of Confucius and Mencius, and even said the outrageous words 'Even Confucius is just an ordinary person'. He is not a saint or a lawless person! Confucius and Mencius are like this, so naturally the official school today will be even more dismissive. Your Majesty previously copied the Analects by hand, and everyone knows that you respect culture and education. In the eyes of these people, Your Majesty is not a saint or a wise ruler, and does not conform to their governing principles of "the highest way is to do nothing, the highest governance is to be silent, and the highest teaching is to be silent."

Zhu Changluo did not speak immediately.

This logic is self-consistent: Li Zhi criticized both Confucius and Mencius, and you, the emperor, just put on a show. You are not the same kind of people.

Faced with such a great enemy of official learning, if the emperor not only did not punish him but instead used his ideas, wouldn't that be inconsistent in his words and deeds?

Now, just to open a window, the house of Ming Dynasty is almost crumbling. You can't let all the officials and gentry in the world believe that you are determined to dig up the foundation, right?
Shen Shixing saw that something was going to happen, and hurriedly continued, "Although Li Hongfu was born in the Taizhou school, he was too unorthodox. Your Majesty, you can see that since the first year of Longqing, there have been petitions in the court to restore Wang Shouren's title and grant him a hereditary certificate, and to allow him to be enshrined in the Confucius Temple. This matter was discussed until the twelfth year of Wanli, when I also submitted a petition..."

He didn't expect Zhu Changluo to nod his head: "I remember. Mr. Shen's memorial is very insightful."

Shen Yikuan and Shen Shixing were both stunned for a moment, and then they heard the emperor begin to repeat Shen Shixing's views at the time.

Shen Shixing can be said to be the last major force behind the push by the School of Mind to have Wang Shouren enshrined in the Confucius Temple starting from the first year of the Longqing reign.

The memorial first refuted some views that Wang Shouren had no writings and that Wang Shouren's academic works were Zen, and finally said that the various schools of Confucianism could complement each other and coexist without conflicting with each other. So he agreed to let Wang Shouren, Chen Xianzhang, and Hu Juren be worshipped in the Confucius Temple together, which not only showed that Confucianism was not content with being rigid and shallow, but also showed the self-satisfaction of practical learning, and could also promote the achievements in academic studies since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Shouren's enshrinement in the Confucius Temple, which had been unsuccessful for nearly twenty years, was finally accomplished in more than a month after Shen Shixing submitted this memorial.

Zhu Changluo praised Shen Shixing and then asked, "Is Li Zhi not among those who can complement each other?"

Shen Shixing didn't expect that the emperor actually "remembered" the memorial he had submitted more than ten years ago.

Whether it was because the emperor went to investigate specifically after the Li Zhi incident came out, or he had done his homework earlier.

But the feeling that the emperor was so familiar with their "history" was very frightening.

"…Now the School of Mind is divided into different schools. The main themes of each school are very different from each other. The Taizhou school has the most malpractices. As for Li Hongfu, he said that everything is traded between people. He even said that 'the king was established by heaven for the people'. In fact, he has no respect for the imperial power. His theory of silent governance is to abandon Confucianism and worship Taoism. Now he has become a monk and worships Buddhism. I think he has no fixed views and is just rebellious and angry. How can he complement the various Confucian schools?"

Zhu Changluo did not argue with him. The reason why the emperor and his subjects had these discussions was because they had different purposes.

Zhu Changluo's goal was to stimulate everyone's thoughts and thinking, while Shen Yikuan and Shen Shixing wanted stability.

The preoperative cleaning has just begun, and before the operation, Daming is already crying out because so many abscesses have been touched.

Confucianism certainly has a very powerful effect. Its most powerful point has always been its ability to constantly absorb new ideological content and continue to evolve.

However, after the Song Dynasty, it began to develop towards conservatism for various reasons. The last wave was the School of Mind, which was actually derived from the School of Principle.

For the next three hundred years or so, there was no change until the country's door was opened.

Zhu Changluo wanted to loosen the shackles of the upper-class consciousness, otherwise the "common people" would always be suppressed.

If they can't even shake the consciousness that the officials and gentry must be orthodox and superior, how can they resort to violence later?
So he looked at the two of them and said, "This is not a dispute over knowledge. It's just that there are many people in the north and south who have impeached the opposition gentry for making irresponsible comments on government affairs. I want to hear what they think. In addition to Li Hongfu, didn't I also send an order to Jiangnan to let the Jinling Poetry Society and Donglin Academy each select two opposition members to come to Beijing to present a report to the emperor?"

Shen Yikuan and Shen Shixing certainly knew it, but they wanted to have more confidence.

"Your Majesty, I am afraid that the government and the public will misunderstand this as a dispute over knowledge. Now there are new policies, but no new laws. If the emperor's will is slightly biased, there will definitely be people in the government and the public who will take advantage of it."

"Is it possible that I can't see clearly? Are you unable to see clearly?" Zhu Changluo disagreed. "Nothing can be decided in one go. I can lean a little one way today and a little the other way tomorrow. Only fools think they can succeed. But I have said long ago that stupidity will not be tolerated in this dynasty."

Shen Yikuan and Shen Shixing were speechless.

So you really have to highlight one thing?
Zhu Changluo really thought so. If we don't make any changes, wouldn't it just be a pool of stagnant water?
After that, he said, "Jinling Poetry Society and Donglin Academy are different from Li Hongfu. I know that. Those people just disagree with the court officials on political views, while Li Hongfu really has a dispute with the majority of the court and the public. I have lost my temper in court meetings before, and the court and the public are not unaware that I am somewhat disappointed with culture and education. Even if I do not agree with Li Hongfu, I will pretend to ask him questions. I have no other intentions, just to urge the court and the public to reflect on themselves."

Shen Yi Guan and Shen Shi Xing looked conflicted. Why bother saying it so bluntly?
"As for Zhang Wenda's impeachment..." Zhu Changluo looked at Shen Yikuan, "It's fine to say that he preached heresy, since Li Hongfu considered himself a heretic anyway. But he's already 76 years old, why do you have to add the charge of seducing the wives and daughters of scholars and even bathing with prostitutes in broad daylight?"

Shen Yi Guan lowered his head awkwardly. He couldn't say it was his own idea, nor could he deny that it was Zhang Wenda who acted on his own initiative.

"I am pragmatic and only seek long-term peace, prosperity and military strength. Duke Yansheng stayed in the capital to study. Now that the guy who despised Confucius is coming, it is more important for him to refute the ancestor with practical actions. The same goes for you."

President Shen Shixing sighed, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I am not relying on my position as an official to give advice, but please think twice. I have been trying to reconcile all my life. This year is already full of troubles. If you ask for advice from heretics, I am worried that many people will be alienated."

Zhu Changluo walked over and helped him up: "If you need to leave, leave. If you need to leave, leave as much as possible. For the sake of culture and education, Lord Shen should run the Imperial College well and get rid of the old and welcome the new."

Shen Shixing was supported by him on the arm, and his eyes were very complicated.

How can you say such a thing so lightly? What kind of separation should be made? Separation should be made. How can an emperor hope that some of his subjects will become disloyal?
Zhu Changluo said calmly: "There is more than one Li Hongfu in the world who thinks he understands the world and is on the right path of learning. You have been in high positions for so many years, and you have seen all the evil and filth, but you have to face them with caution. Many things are easy to say but difficult to do, I know this."

He sat back on the throne: "What I am doing is nothing more than sweeping away some of the evil and filth, so that the monarch and his subjects can do things a little easier in the future. If a group of impatient and disloyal subjects emerge after learning about heresy, then they will be another group of fools in the new dynasty. Do I have to accommodate and coax such people?"

After saying this, he looked at Shen Yikuan and said, "Besides, this was not intentional on my part. If there hadn't been an impeachment letter, would I have deliberately provoked this matter?"

Shen Yiguan was speechless and could only lower his head.

The two of them took their leave and left, this trip was completely fruitless.

On the way back to the cabinet, Shen Yi Guan sighed: "Well, at least we have done our best. You and I have worked hard, and the world will naturally know how determined your majesty is."

Shen Shixing didn't agree with anything.

The old party members are very anxious but also very afraid. They are hesitant and can only use such things to exert more pressure and express their attitudes.

But the emperor's response was always simple: a crisis of trust in culture and education.

This kind of thing is unimaginable in all dynasties. How could an emperor doubt the majority of his subjects?
(End of this chapter)