Taiheiki

Chapter 357 Etiquette
He quickly jumped off the carriage, pulled out a handful of copper coins from his waist, roughly calculated that he had more than two hundred coins, and handed them to the driver, saying, "This is the fare. You can use the extra to buy yourself some wine. I'll be back later to take the carriage home. You wait here for me!"

"Thank you, sir!" The coachman, having taken the fare, spurred the carriage to a shady spot with a grin, then took a fodder bag and waited. Liu Yuanqi, accompanied by two younger men, arrived at the shaded area, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Old man, I've heard that Master Lu of Zhuojun teaches in this Goushi Mountain. May I ask where he is?"

"Is that Lu Ji Bar at Luoyang Imperial Academy? I know it!" the old man laughed, pointing to the narrow path: "Follow this road, cross the mountain pass ahead, and you'll see a few rows of houses at the valley entrance. That's it!"

"Thank you so much, old man!" Liu Yuanqi took out seven or eight coins from his waist and gave them to the old man. Then, he, his son, and Liu Bei, carrying gifts, continued along the narrow mountain path. Just as the old man had said, the three of them crossed the mountain pass and saw several rows of houses nestled against the mountainside at the mouth of the valley below. Liu Yuanqi's spirits lifted. He straightened his clothes and said to his son, "Be respectful to Lord Lu later, or you'll regret it!"

After disciplining his son, Liu Yuanqi and his entourage arrived at the fence and announced loudly, "This is the residence of Lu Zhi and Lu Zigan of Zhuojun. Liu Yuanqi has come to pay his respects!"

Liu Yuanqi called out twice, and a servant in blue robes came out from inside, saying repeatedly, "Stop calling, stop calling! The master is busy right now and cannot receive guests! You should all go back first. Come back another day if you have something to do!"

"My name is Liu Yuanqi, and I am also from Zhuojun in Youzhou. I usually travel between Youzhou and Luoyang, running a small business. Three years ago, when Master Lu was in Luoyang, I paid him a visit." Liu Yuanqi pointed to the two men behind him. "This time, I have come because I heard that Master Lu is teaching and lecturing, so I brought my nephews and nieces to pay our respects, hoping to find a way to become his students!" As he spoke, he took out a handful of copper coins from his sleeve, stuffed them into the servant's hand, and said with a smile, "Please forgive me for bothering to inform him!"

Having received the favor, the servant smiled slightly: "So you're an old acquaintance of the master! That's different then. I won't hide it from you, some distinguished guests are coming from Luoyang, and the master is simply too busy to attend. How about I arrange a room for you to wait, and I'll find an opportunity to inform them? As for whether I'll see them or not, that's beyond my control!"

"Of course, thank you very much, brother!" Liu Yuanqi cupped his hands and followed the servant in blue into the room. He was led to a side room, where the servant smiled and said, "If you three want any food or drink, just ask and we'll bring it to you in a moment. I'll go check with the master first to see if there's a chance to inform him."

"Good work!"

The servant in blue had barely left when Liu Deran let out a long sigh: "A mere servant, yet he puts on such airs. What do you think he is, Father? Isn't that right, A-Bei!"

"Shut up!" Liu Yuanqi raised his hand, about to teach this unfilial son a lesson, but suddenly remembered that he was at Lu Zhi's residence. If things got out of hand, it wouldn't look good. So he lowered his voice and scolded, "You little brat, sit down properly, or your father will give you a hard time when we get back tonight!"

The servant left the side courtyard and went to the back hall, where he saw Lu Zhi and several others sitting upright, while a scholar of about forty years old was playing the zither. Seeing that everyone was quietly appreciating the music, he did not dare to make a sound to disturb them, so he stood quietly by the door and waited.

After a long while, when the scholar finished playing his music, Lu Zhi sighed, "You heard the Shao music and for three months you forgot the taste of meat. Today, having heard Cai Yong's wonderful music, I feel the same way. Your talent in music is probably already comparable to that of the ancient sages. We are fortunate to be born in the same era as you!"

"Lord Lu, you flatter me!" The musician bowed and smiled. "I heard this piece at the General's mansion a few months ago and transcribed it after returning home. I didn't expect Lord Lu to like it so much!"

"From the General's Mansion?" Lu Zhi was taken aback upon hearing this, and turned his gaze to Dou Wu beside him: "Brother Yanping, what do you think of this music?"

"Sorrowful yet not tragic, resentful yet not angry, it is truly a fine piece of music!" Dou Wu commented. "However, Bo Jie's ability to compose such a wonderful piece after hearing it only once is truly remarkable! Just as Lu Zigan said, it is our great fortune to be born in the same era as you!"

“I am but a junior scholar, unworthy of such high praise from Lord Dou!” The middle-aged scholar hurriedly rose to express his gratitude. His name was Cai Yong, courtesy name Bojie, a native of Yu County, Chenliu Commandery. He was a renowned scholar of his time, possessing vast knowledge. In his early years, he studied under Hu Guang, later developing his own unique style. He was proficient in music, well-versed in classics and history, skilled in writing prose and poetry, and a famous calligrapher. His creation of the “flying white” style of calligraphy had a profound influence on later generations. Although not yet forty, he was already famous throughout the land. Even renowned scholars of classics and high-ranking officials like Dou Wu and Lu Zhi knew they were inferior to him and held him in high esteem, never daring to treat him as a junior.

"Bojie, there's no need for such modesty!" Lu Zhi laughed. "My plan to establish a school on Mount Goushi has two purposes. First, I want to take on a few disciples to pass on my lifelong learning. Second, I feel that the Five Classics are currently quite complex, with various schools holding differing opinions, leading to conflicting views and no definitive conclusion. Therefore, I wish to gather the strengths of various schools to create a single classic, make it public, and ensure its transmission to future generations. I know this is no easy task, which is why I've invited you two to lend me a hand!" "Brother Lu, what a spirit!" Dou Wu was taken aback upon hearing this. It turned out that during the Han Dynasty, there wasn't a single, definitive manuscript of the Confucian classics. Each school had its own version, and different versions offered different interpretations. These classics and their interpretations were monopolized by certain families and schools of thought, becoming the foundation upon which these schools and families made their existence. Since Emperor Wu of Han, the Confucian classics had become the ideological foundation of the empire, and different classics and different interpretations represented corresponding power and interests. Lu Zhi wanted to combine these classics into one and publish it to the world. Wasn't that like digging up someone's ancestral graves? Wouldn't those people fight him to the death?

"Yes!" Cai Yong also reminded him with a serious expression, "This matter is of great importance, you should think twice before you act!"

“I know everything you’re saying!” Lu Zhi waved his hand. “Actually, I’ve been considering this matter for many years, and I’ve already considered the pros and cons. I know that doing this will offend many people, but I have no choice but to do it. You all know about the debate between the Old Text and New Text schools of Confucianism. Originally, both the Old Text and New Text schools had their own reasons, and debating with each other to find the truth might not necessarily be a bad thing. But the problem is that Confucianism involves the foundation of the country and concerns the morality of the world. If it is used by unscrupulous people to interfere, the consequences will be endless. Wang Mang of the Former Han Dynasty is a case in point. Whenever I think about this, I feel uneasy. Even if it means ruining my reputation, I must eradicate this scourge!”

Hearing Lu Zhi's words, Dou Wu and Cai Yong exchanged a glance and nodded to each other. Compared to the Chinese of the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, the Chinese of the Han dynasty were so simple and strong-willed that they were almost foolish. Without experiencing the cataclysmic upheavals of the late Han, Three Kingdoms, Wei, and Jin dynasties, and the evolution of metaphysics, the scholars of the Han dynasty genuinely believed that the classics were related to some kind of mystical power. They believed that through personal study and practice, they could even master this terrifying supernatural power to influence society—the unity of heaven and man, or prophecies and apocryphal texts. In their eyes, the classics had become something akin to witchcraft.

Therefore, once a split or conflict occurs within the Confucian school, it can trigger internal conflicts among scholars, causing devastating damage to the empire. A famous example is Wang Mang's usurpation of the throne. This historically notorious usurper was also a devout Confucian fundamentalist. Whether genuine or feigned, he truly acted according to the words of the Confucian classics, attempting to resolve the enormous crisis facing the empire and establish the ideal society described in the classics. His actions also received support from the Old Text School of Confucianism.

Ultimately, Wang Mang failed completely, and this failure taught the scholars of the Han Dynasty a very heavy lesson: debates on Confucian classics must be kept within a certain scope. Once they involve reality, the enormous power they generate can bring terrible disasters and even destroy the entire empire.

Lu Zhi faced even more complex problems. After nearly two hundred years of rule by the Eastern Han Dynasty, the same problems that Wang Mang faced at the end of the Western Han Dynasty reappeared. No, it should be said that these problems never disappeared; they were only alleviated in the early Eastern Han Dynasty, but now they were even more serious. These included displaced people, inequality between the rich and the poor, floods, climate disasters (the people of the Han Dynasty believed that climate disasters were a sign of the emperor's lack of virtue), external threats from the Qiang and Xianbei peoples, and internal bandits such as the Moth Rebellion.

Even more terrifying than these problems was the emergence of a powerful minister like Wei Cong. Frankly speaking, powerful ministers were not uncommon in either the Former or Later Han dynasties. Even powerful ministers like Huo Guang had made significant contributions to the empire. However, unlike Huo Guang and Liang Ji, Wei Cong's power did not come from the emperor's bestowal or a marriage alliance with the royal family; it stemmed from his own military strength. Although he used his marriage to the Dou family to legitimize his power, the three people in the room knew it was merely a facade. Wei Cong's entry into Luoyang and his acquisition of the position of Grand General from Dou Wu were entirely due to his military power. This was truly frightening.

Fortunately for the empire's scholars, at least so far, Wei Cong has not shown any interest in the throne. True, he firmly grasps power and ruthlessly suppresses his opponents, but at least for now, he has not touched the divine aura surrounding the emperor.

The politically precocious Chinese discovered early on that the huge gap between the monarch and his ministers was not actually about power. Even the most capable monarch must delegate some power to his ministers in order to rule effectively. Not to mention that sometimes the monarch is simply not capable of exercising power (for example, being young or lacking ability) and must hand over power to another regent in order to maintain the country. So how can the normal relationship between the monarch and his ministers be ensured while transferring power?
Ritual and law—this is the answer the ancient Chinese discovered. Through numerous meaningless and elaborate ceremonies, the existence of the monarch's rule was proclaimed, thus eliminating the actual political influence of the ministers who wielded real power—in other words, the government was controlled by the Ge family, but the sacrifices were performed by the emperor. Usurpers, who usually already held real power, would first take these meaningless yet extremely elaborate ceremonies from the monarch to declare themselves the true ruler (such as bestowing the Nine Bestowments, granting unnamed praise, and approving the establishment of a state). Wei Cong, at least so far, has shown no interest in these things. Whether out of ignorance or shrewdness, Wei Cong has acted with extreme caution.

Therefore, for a scholar like Lu Zhi, loyal to the Han Dynasty, his view of Wei Cong was quite contradictory. With his insight, he certainly knew that Wei Cong's existence was absolutely necessary for the empire; at this time, the empire needed someone with extraordinary military and political talent like himself to weather the crisis, especially since the emperor was still young and unable to rule personally. However, he also instinctively feared that Wei Cong might use his power to usurp the throne and plunge the empire into the abyss of destruction.

Therefore, it's not hard to understand Lu Zhi's idea of ​​compiling Confucian classics at this critical juncture. In his view, if Wei Cong truly wanted to usurp the Liu family's throne, he would definitely need Confucianism to endorse him and prove that his actions were in accordance with the Mandate of Heaven. He hoped to fundamentally eliminate the ideological roots of Wei Cong's usurpation, thereby achieving the goal of preventing trouble before it even happens. If Wei Cong did not want to usurp the throne but only wanted to continue to hold power, even to the point of killing the aging emperor and replacing him with a young successor, Lu Zhi would not find it unacceptable. After all, the new emperor certainly would not have Wei Cong's military and political talents, and power would be more beneficial to the empire in Wei Cong's hands. As long as the throne belonged to someone with the surname Liu, Lu Zhi didn't care about anything else.

Dou Wu and Cai Yong both understood and agreed with Lu Zhi's thinking. After all, even Dou Wu didn't think Wei Cong's usurpation of the Han Dynasty was a wise decision. It was true that Wei Cong had married his niece, and if Wei Cong succeeded, Dou would become Empress. The problem was that Dou of Fufeng was already Empress Dowager in the Han Dynasty, so why risk the destruction of her entire family by waging another war to establish the new dynasty?

Indeed, his nephew-in-law was a rare talent of his time, but was one talent enough to end the four-hundred-year-old Liu dynasty and establish the Wei dynasty? At the very least, one would need the talent and destiny of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Guangwu, wouldn't one? Did Wei Cong possess that? He expressed doubt. And wouldn't things continue as they were? At least for his lifetime, he wouldn't need to worry or fret, would he?
"Since you have made up your mind, then I, Dou, will do my best to help!"

"Good, good!" Lu Zhi was overjoyed. Dou Wu's statement was of great significance. No matter what, Wei Cong was still Dou's son-in-law, and the Empress Dowager was his own daughter. As long as he was willing to show his face, at least the court would be able to maintain appearances. He turned his gaze to Cai Yong: "Bo Jie, what about you?"

(End of this chapter)