My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 5: Confucius and Mencius as the foundation, Guan and Xunzi as the application
Zhu Biao was very shocked, for he had never heard of such a statement.

Ma Yu's view runs counter to the current Confucian thought and can even be said to be a bit rebellious.

Confucius and Mencius, a Confucian sage and a sub-sage, are the most core figures of Confucianism.

Guanzi was a member of the Legalist school.

Although Xunzi was a Confucian, his idea that human nature is evil was considered to be an anomaly within Confucianism and was always criticized.

Song Lian was also mostly critical of Xunzi, so Zhu Biao was naturally influenced by him and believed that Xunzi was not on the right path.

So when they heard Ma Yu's words, they naturally felt incredible.

Although these two people are also sages, how can they be compared with Confucius and Mencius?

The second reason why he was shocked was the information revealed by this sentence.

Regardless of whether this statement is true or not, the fact that Ma Yu could say this means that he has certain insights into governing the country.

Don’t underestimate this point. There are countless officials throughout the dynasties, but most of them are just users of etiquette and laws.

They just do things according to the etiquette and laws prescribed by the higher authorities and have no opinions of their own.

There are very few people who truly possess unique insights into state governance, and even fewer who can successfully apply their insights to reality.

The key is, what does the Ming Dynasty lack most now?
It is the talent for governing the country.

Zhu Biao was very clear about one thing: although the Ming Dynasty had been established, there was only a set of temporarily formulated laws and regulations at the institutional level.

It was created by Li Shanchang and his team, drawing on the practices of the ancients. It was very simple and imperfect.

As for what kind of system and etiquette should be adopted after the Ming Dynasty, no one is clear.

No one, including Li Shanchang, the head of the civil servants, had a clear idea.

No, not even a vague idea.

If Zhu Biao were a time traveler, he would definitely use four words to describe the current Ming Dynasty:

A makeshift team.

It is conceivable how shocked he was when he found out that Ma Yu might know how to govern a country.

Now it is no longer important whether Ma Yu’s views are correct.

The important thing is to quickly determine whether he really understands how to govern the country.

So he did not refute Ma Yu's point of view, but asked for his opinion in a consulting manner.

Ma Yu didn't know this and didn't think much about the other party's question.

Moreover, Zhu Biao's sincere yet slightly anxious attitude made him very proud.

No wonder time travelers like to show off in front of others. It feels so good to use the information gap to act cool in front of the ancients.

He was smug in his heart but didn't show it on his face, and replied:
"In short, Confucius's thoughts teach us how to be human beings."

"Mencius's thoughts tell us what a country is, what a family is, what a ruler is, what a minister is, and what the people are."

"They set a benchmark there, giving us a reference for our words and actions."

Zhu Biao frowned slightly, not because he disagreed with the point of view, but because Ma Yu kept coming up with a new word from time to time.

He had to think for a moment before he could understand what it meant, which was something he was not used to.

But when he figured out the meaning of these words, he felt they were very appropriate.

These special words made him more convinced that Ma Yu had a unique heritage.

Zhu Biao secretly decided that he must find out clearly what his teachers and what he had learned.

Ma Yu continued, "But the thought of Confucius and Mencius has a major flaw, which is also the flaw of most Confucians."

“Only talk about the results, not the conclusions.”

Confucianism is best at expressing opinions, speaking of big truths, and saying this is not acceptable and that is not acceptable.

When you ask them how to solve the problem, they will either remain speechless or follow the example of the previous kings and restore the rule of the Three Dynasties.

"This gives people the feeling that they are just shouting slogans and are empty and pretentious."

"During the period of the Hundred Schools of Thought, the criticisms of Confucianism by other schools of thought also focused on this point."

Zhu Biao frowned again, not because of the special vocabulary, but because these words conflicted with his cognition.

As a student of Song Lian, he had a natural affinity for Confucianism.

When I hear someone criticize Confucianism, I can't help but feel uncomfortable.

However, he did not refute, because he was not only Song Lian's student, but also the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty.

Compared with the Ming Dynasty, Confucianism seems less important.

Ma Yu could naturally see that he had objections to these words and was not surprised.

Confucianism is now prominent, and Li Wen probably received Confucian education since childhood.

It is normal for him to find it difficult to accept the challenge to his inherent cognition.

On the contrary, after his cognition was shocked, he did not refute but listened patiently.

This kind of mind and magnanimity made Ma Yu look at him with higher regard again.

So he explained:
"I know this may be hard for you to accept, but nothing in the world is perfect."

"Confucianism is not perfect either, otherwise there would be no change of dynasties."

"However, we cannot completely deny him just because he is not perfect."

"The fact that Confucianism has been passed down to this day is itself a testament to its excellence and does not require any debate or explanation."

"Now we are just rationally analyzing his strengths and weaknesses, and then finding ways to bring out his strengths and make up for his weaknesses."

These words were like a warm current flowing through my heart, soothing some of the dissatisfaction in my heart.

Zhu Biao apologized, "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Ma. I am too narrow-minded."

Ma Yu smiled and said, "Brother Li, there's no need to be like this. It's just human nature."

"You are able to humbly accept different opinions, which shows the qualities of a gentleman."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries and then continued the conversation.

But unlike before, Zhu Biao's mentality became more correct, and he began to think seriously about Ma Yu's words.

Ma Yu also spoke more carefully and seriously:
"We just talked about the shortcomings of Confucianism. Confucius and Mencius only set standards and told us what is right and what is wrong."

"But they don't tell us how we can live up to the standards they set."

"For example, Confucius said that people should have enough food and clothing, but he didn't say how to ensure that people had enough food and clothing."

"Some of what they said was very broad and unclear."

Zhu Biao questioned: "Isn't encouraging people to study agriculture and sericulture a concrete method?"

Ma Yu laughed and said, "Yes, but every dynasty has been doing this, so why do dynasties still change?"

Zhu Biao was speechless.

Ma Yu followed up on his words and continued, "Governing a country is a very complicated matter. Encouraging people to study agriculture and sericulture can be summed up in four words."

"But how can this be achieved? What challenges will we encounter in the process of encouraging agriculture and sericulture? And how can these challenges be resolved?"

“This is a very profound subject.”

"Everyone can talk about big principles, but governing a country requires more specific and practical methods."

"Confucianism and Mencius's thoughts did not delve too deeply into this."

Zhu Biao, whose attitude had calmed down, couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Teacher Song was very knowledgeable and taught me a lot.

But looking back now, it seems that there are really very few specific measures to solve the problem.

Most of them are about big principles such as distinguishing right from wrong.

Thinking of this, a flash of enlightenment arose in his mind.

So that's how it is. The general principle is correct. He is the benchmark and reference.

Let people know what is right and what is wrong.

But general principles are not enough to feed people. If you want to feed people, you need specific policies for governing the country.

So, where are the specific strategies for governing the country?

Zhu Biao couldn't wait to ask, "Could it be that the ideas of Guanzi and Xunzi can teach us specific strategies?"

Just from this sentence, Ma Yu knew that he had not read the books of either of them.

But that's normal. No matter how smart he is, he is only thirteen or fourteen years old. He probably hasn't even finished reading the Four Books and Five Classics of Confucianism.

I don’t have the time to read the books of Guanzi and Xunzi.

What's more, since the Song Dynasty, the status of Guanzi and Xunzi has been declining day by day.

Their ideas were increasingly being ignored, and even subjected to various forms of denigration and criticism. Li Wen's family probably didn't want him to be exposed to these "harmful" books.

After learning this, Ma Yu knew how to answer him.

I can't go into too much detail, because these two books themselves are two profound subjects that cannot be explained in a few words.

Just give him a general introduction so that he can have an overall impression of the two books.

Having made up his mind, he said:
"Yes, the core of Xunzi's thought is just one word: ritual."

"He embodied Confucianism and formed rituals that could be used to govern the country."

"To put it more simply, he can tell you how to approach the standards set by Confucius and Mencius."

"As for Guanzi, I would like to call him the epitome of pragmatism."

Zhu Biao murmured, "Pragmatism... good word, good word."

Ma Yu thought, I'm glad you understand, so I don't have to explain it to you:
"Guan Zi is the ruler. He only talks about methods and rarely talks about big principles."

"Of course, he also talks about principles and morality."

"Guan Zi said: 'Rites, righteousness, integrity and shame are the four pillars of a state. If these four pillars are not strengthened, the state will perish.'"

Zhu Biao was surprised and said, "Propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame? Isn't this Confucianism?"

Ma Yu chuckled and said, "Guanzi lived before Confucius, so now you know that Confucianism is not the only truth."

Zhu Biao took a deep breath and said, "I am narrow-minded."

He had just said this once, but this time the meaning was completely different.

The phrase 'propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame are the four pillars of a country' shocked him completely.

It turns out that what Confucianism has always emphasized had already been proposed and applied in practice a long time ago.

This also aroused his strong curiosity about Guanzi, which was more effective than Ma Yu explaining it a thousand or ten thousand times.

Ma Yu couldn't understand his feelings, but he knew that he had listened.

I felt so accomplished, I finally installed this × for myself.

perfect.

"Let's get back to the topic. Guanzi was a ruler and a pragmatist."

"He places more emphasis on practicality. Everything is based on governing the country as the fundamental goal, and everything else is just a means."

"In his heart, the most important thing is a prosperous people and a strong country, and it doesn't matter what method is used to achieve it."

"He advocated virtue because he believed it was beneficial to governing a country."

“So his book is full of specific methods of governing a country.”

“Confucianism is an idealist and scholarly way of thinking.”

"They regard virtue as the foundation, believing that as long as virtue is good, everything will be fine and the country will be well governed."

This was a bit confusing, and Zhu Biao was a little confused, but he could understand the truth behind it.

Precisely because he could feel it, he was even more shocked.

I also realized that my previous vision was too narrow. As the saying goes, a single leaf can block one's view of the mountain.

I have been so blinded by Confucianism that I have forgotten that there are many other ideas.

Fortunately, Ma Yu reminded me, otherwise I don’t know how long I would have been delayed on this road.

As for what Ma Yu had just said, that Confucius and Mencius determined the lower limit and Guan and Xunzi determined the upper limit, he already understood what it meant.

The thoughts of Confucius and Mencius are benchmarks. Without them, the lower limit of this dynasty would generally be lower.

To put it bluntly, it will be more chaotic and people's lives will be more difficult.

Guan and Xun talked about the practical application of knowledge to the world. If you don’t study them, you won’t understand how to govern the country in a specific way.

The country will not be that strong, which means its upper limit will not be too high.

I haven't read the books of Guan and Xun, so I don't know whether Ma Yu's evaluation of these two books is correct.

But his theory is undoubtedly reasonable, and his analysis of Confucianism is also very insightful.

The key point is that we can see from these words.

Ma Yu is not only a talented person, but also a person who knows how to govern a country. He is exactly the talent that our Ming Dynasty needs.

We must find a way to resolve the prejudice in his heart and then persuade his parents to spare his life.

Seeing that he was still silent, Ma Yu thought he didn't believe it, so he thought for a moment and said:

"There are countless examples in history that prove what I am saying."

"You can go back and look through history books. Whenever Confucius and Mencius were not valued, weren't the people miserable?"

"As for Guan and Xunzi... let's just say that before the Song Dynasty, Guan and Xunzi were both more respected than Mencius."

"You can trace this back to the evolution of the Nine Classics. Before the Song Dynasty, Mencius's works were not included in the Nine Classics."

"Mencius became the second sage during the Song Dynasty."

"It was also during the Song Dynasty that Guanzi was discarded like a worn-out shoe, and Xunzi was denounced as a heretic."

"So, the lower limit of the Song Dynasty was the highest of all dynasties, but the upper limit... you know."

Was the lower limit of the Song Dynasty very high?

Zhu Biao had never studied this and didn't know this.

But he was sure that the upper limit of the Song Dynasty was indeed not too high.

This made him agree more with Ma Yu's point of view, so he said:
"Confucius and Mencius are the foundation, Guan Yu and Xun Zi are the application."

"Brother Ma's profound knowledge and outstanding insights make Wen admire him."

Confucius and Mencius as the basis, Guan Yu and Xun Zi as the application?

Now it was Ma Yu's turn to be shocked.

Hiss, this kid actually understood it, he’s so evil.

That's impossible. With the talent this kid has shown, he will definitely achieve something great.

Why have I never heard of a person named Li Wen in the early Ming Dynasty in my previous life?

Although he is not a professional historian, as a Ming Dynasty hater, he has read a lot of Ming Dynasty history books in order to confront Ming Dynasty fans online.

I can’t say I know a lot about them, but I do know most of the important and famous figures.

He was sure that he had never heard of the name Li Wen.

Then there is only one possibility.

he died.

When he thought of Zhu Yuanzhang's butcher knife in the early Ming Dynasty, he became more certain of his guess.

His father is most likely a founding hero.

Then the whole family was killed, and he was not spared.

Thinking of this, Ma Yu looked at him with eyes full of regret and sympathy.

Zhu Biao was confused and asked, "What's with that look on your face?"
You are the wanted criminal, okay? I should sympathize with you and feel sorry for your talent, right?
At this time, Ma Yu sighed and said:

"Brother Li, you must remember what I said and let your father retreat while the going gets tough..."

"No, let your father take you to guard the border. The more difficult the place, the better."

Zhu Biao immediately understood what he meant.

This is because I think my father will be killed by the emperor... Bah, I think my father will massacre the meritorious officials, and then I will be implicated.

Bah, Li Wenhui will be implicated, so he looks at me like that.

Even though his impression of Ma Yu had greatly improved, Zhu Biao was still very angry.

This kid, why is he so vindictive?

I really want to give him a good beating.

It’s not that I don’t want to write more and update faster, it’s just that I’ve really tried my best.

Lectures are the biggest highlight of this book and must be well written.

I have to carefully consider every sentence, and it takes me six or seven hours to write 4,000 words.

It really can't get any faster. (crying)
By the way, please read it again. This is really important to me.

Don’t keep books, because they will die if you keep them.

I beg you.

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(End of this chapter)