The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 224 How could he be so mean?
A word stirred up a thousand waves.

When the School of Mind was first established, it did exist under the name of a branch of the School of Principle. After all, the School of Mind did have some similarities on the surface, and it was impossible for it to compete with the School of Principle at that time.

But times have changed.

Yang Rong said that the philosophy of mind was born from the critique of the philosophy of principle. The more successful the philosophy of mind was, the more the philosophy of principle failed, and the two sides became locked in a life-or-death competition.

The atmosphere in front of the Fengtian Hall changed drastically.

Leaving aside the defenders of Neo-Confucianism and the School of Mind, even the officials who remained on the sidelines were terrified. Even Zhu Di couldn't help but sit up straight and furrow his brow in a solemn expression.

“Yang Zirong, you…” Jian Yi could hardly believe what he was hearing.

Since Neo-Confucianism took over the ideology of the Han Chinese, no one has ever dared to utter the word "criticism".

"How arrogant you are! Even when Li Zhongwen was alive, he never uttered the word 'criticism'!"

In front of hundreds of people, Yang Rong laughed loudly and said: "Wasn't it Li Zhongwen who created the School of Mind? Wasn't it Li Zhongwen who criticized the School of Mind?"

Li Zhongwen was a sage of great virtue; naturally, he would not attack Zhu Xi in such a way. Yet you use this to say that Li Zhongwen did not criticize Neo-Confucianism—how laughable!

No sooner had Yang Rong finished speaking than, before the crowd could be shocked by his audacity, a series of "slap slap" sounds rang out from the ranks of court officials. The sounds were crisp and loud, like the sound of slapping hands, but with slight differences.

Everyone turned their gaze toward the source of the sound and saw that many court officials were clapping their hands with their ceremonial tablets. Their eyes narrowed immediately; in the imperial court, such a gesture was considered a sign of applause!

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that these people were almost all officials who had entered officialdom through the philosophy of mind or who regularly admired it. They might belong to different factions or not be familiar with Yang Rong, but at this moment, they all cheered for Yang Rong.

Let's advocate for the study of mind!
When certain trends reach a certain point, no one can control them. For example, the struggle between the School of Mind and the School of Principle was inevitable, and even if Li Xianmu wanted to stop it, it was impossible.

Zhu Di glanced at Li Xianmu and saw that Li Xianmu's face also showed a slightly surprised expression that quickly turned into a calm one.

He immediately realized that the great battle, which had been dormant for several years, was about to begin again!

The last storm was stirred up by Neo-Confucianism, but this time it is stirred up by the School of Mind.

Jian Yi was angered by Yang Rong. The two were both members of the princeling faction and had almost been imprisoned together in the past, so they had a revolutionary friendship. But now Yang Rong was really showing no respect.

"Does Vice-President Li also believe that the School of Mind arose from the critique of Neo-Confucianism?"

Jian Yi solemnly asked Li Xianmu.

He wasn't asking a question, but rather an invitation to war: Li Xianmu, do you really want to wage a full-scale war against Neo-Confucianism?

Are you just going to let this dispute, which was instigated by Yang Rong without his consent, go unpunished?

Li Xianmu answered him, "Yes."

"Yes." Li Xianmu answered calmly and politely, with an unquestionable firmness. Everyone in the square in front of Fengtian Hall could hear his voice, like clouds drifting in the sky. "The School of Mind arose from the critique of Neo-Confucianism."

My father once said that Neo-Confucianism has ten faults, and these ten faults have turned the whole world into a state where people are neither human nor ghost. Before the birth of Neo-Confucianism, the Han people were not like this.

"All right!"

Before Li Xianmu could finish speaking, Zhu Di, who was sitting at the head of the table, suddenly interrupted him. Jian Yi smiled and said, "The influence of Neo-Confucianism is still far greater than that of the School of Mind. Your Majesty must have made a decision!"

Li Xianmu remained calm and quietly kept his mouth shut, awaiting the emperor's decision. In the Yongle reign, the emperor was supreme, and all people and forces had to submit to imperial power.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Zhu Di fell into deep thought.

He knew that Li Xianmu never did anything without a certainty, so had the influence of the School of Mind grown so great?

Zhu Di naturally had no fear of the growing influence of the School of Mind.

Although Confucianism tended to become more religious in its later stages, it was not a true religion. There was no pope with absolute authority within the religion, and the supreme deity in Confucianism was not Confucius, but Haotian (the heavens). Confucius was more like a prophet, and the emperor or Son of Heaven presided over Confucian sacrifices.

Zhu Di interrupted Li Xianmu just now because he was worried that the debate between psychology and the philosophy of mind was too intense.

Since ancient times, the moment a power struggle begins in the imperial court, the affairs of the state are inevitably affected.

Since the Qin Dynasty, the ideology of a unified empire has always been consistent. It is rare to see two distinct ideologies clearly dominating the mindset of an empire, as is the case now.

Previously, the School of Mind and the School of Principle could barely coexist peacefully before they broke ties. Now that they have completely broken ties and become adversaries, they can no longer coexist.

If words are not spoken, chaos will surely ensue.

Zhu Gaochi also thought of this point and frowned deeply. Because most of the princes around him were key figures in the Neo-Confucian school, he personally leaned towards the Neo-Confucian school. However, people like Jian Yi, as well as countless Neo-Confucian scholars throughout the land, made it impossible for him to cut off the path of Neo-Confucianism's rise with a single decree.

He glanced silently at his father, Emperor Zhu Di, and saw that his father's brow was also furrowed with worry, as if he too was unsure how to proceed. Zhu Zhanji remained undecided. Regarding this matter, he believed that it was best to observe and wait, allowing the people to develop on their own, and then grant recognition to the court once a region had gained sufficient power.

Just as the School of Mind was included in the official textbooks of the Ming Dynasty's imperial examinations, wasn't it because the School of Mind was gaining increasing influence?

Zhu Di and his grandson Zhu Zhanji were similar in personality and thought. After a few moments of contemplation, Zhu Di said loudly, "Which is right and which is wrong, the School of Mind or the School of Principle, is not within the scope of today's court meeting. I have heard and thought everything you said. Zhu Xi is an unparalleled sage in Confucianism, without a doubt. It is reasonable for him to be included in the Ten Philosophers. Even if he does not achieve the Three Immortals, I, Zhu Di, have personally decreed that Zhu Xi be enshrined in the Temple to set the record straight!"

"The Holy One is wise!"

Minister of Personnel Jian Yi almost immediately knelt down to express his gratitude, a hint of smugness on his face. Even if he tried to obstruct him in every way, Zhu Xi would not refuse to enter the temple. Trying to stop this matter was simply like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

However, Li Xianmu did not show any sign of defeat; instead, a smile appeared in his eyes.

How could Zhu Xi not be included among the Ten Philosophers of the Confucian Temple?
Wouldn't that be a slap in the face to all the scholars of the Ming Dynasty, making Zhu Xi, who was known as Confucius, Mencius, Cheng Yi, and Zhu Xi, who was considered the epitome of the Four Books and whose commentaries were not even among the Ten Philosophers?
So why do this?
For the first time since attending court, Li Xianmu lost his composure. He stepped out of the ranks, bowed to the emperor, and then said loudly, "Your Majesty, I have a report to submit."

What is the report?

"It is truly a joyous and celebratory event that Zhu Xi has been included among the Ten Philosophers. My late father, Li Zhongwen, founded the School of Mind. Regardless of whether it surpasses the School of Principle, it is at least on par with it. His contribution to the establishment of his teachings is no less than that of Zhu Xi. Moreover, my late father possessed both virtue and merit, and was beyond reproach in his time. I humbly request Your Majesty's permission to include my late father, Li Zhongwen, among the Ten Philosophers of the Temple of Literature!"

See you in the picture!

When Li Xianmu said these words, everyone suddenly realized that Li Xianmu had only mentioned Zhuge Liang, Han Xin, Fan Zhongyan, and Wen Tianxiang, and had not mentioned Li Qi at all. Everyone also thought that Li Qi would definitely be included in the Ten Sages, and had not thought about this matter in detail!

Now that Li Xianmu has said these words, it's clear to everyone what he's really thinking!

If Li Qi were to be included among the Ten Philosophers, then Zhu Xi's most outstanding achievement, his words, would only be comparable to Li Qi's. In addition, his achievements in merit and virtue would be far inferior to Li Qi's. Wouldn't Li Qi be forever overshadowing Zhu Xi in the Temple of Literature?
The higher Zhu Xi's status rose, the higher Li Qi's status became.

The original intention was to have Zhu Xi rise to power by stepping on Li Qi, but the result was the opposite – Zhu Xi was the one who was stepped on.

Moreover, what is there to be unclear now? Li Xianmu never intended to actually remove Zhu Xi from the Ten Philosophers; from the very beginning, he wanted to include Zhu Xi among the Ten Philosophers.

Since the School of Mind arose from the critique of the School of Principle, what use would it be to critique Zhu Xi if his status was too low?

Li Xianmu deliberately set a trap to incite Jian Yi or someone who advocated for Zhu Xi and Neo-Confucianism to fight against Yang Rong.

This finally prompted the emperor to speak up himself.

After confirming Zhu Xi's inclusion among the Ten Philosophers, we will then discuss Li Qi's matter!

These things seem like a long story, but in reality, they only take a moment to process in your mind.

Jian Yi felt a chill run down his spine. Looking at Li Xianmu's elegant and refined face, only one sentence kept echoing in his mind.

How could Li Xianmu be so wicked!

Not only Jian Yi, but everyone else in the room also had very interesting expressions and looks. No one expected that things would take such a turn at this point.

The timing and extent of Li Xianmu's words were impeccable, coming at a time when the emperor had just officially recognized Zhu Xi's status.

I don't know if my late father, Li Qi, was as good as any other sage, but he was certainly better than Zhu Xi.

Jian Yi and the others were speechless. Did they have to drag Li Qi down with them?
impossible!

The emperor would definitely elevate Li Qi to the position of one of the Ten Sages, and if things went too far, Zhu Xi would be the one to suffer the loss.

After those Hanlin scholars understood this, they had almost the exact same thought as Jian Yi—

How could Li Xianmu be so wicked!

The three Zhu Di grandfather and grandson at the head of the table clearly saw everyone's expressions. Zhu Di was surprised and amused, Zhu Gaochi's chubby face was suppressing laughter, and Zhu Zhanji praised without any attempt to hide his admiration: "This is what our teacher often refers to as luring the enemy deep into our territory."

Zhu Di shook his head with a helpless smile, then stood up and announced his final decision to everyone: "Granted!"

The sound reverberated throughout the palaces and towers.

Countless hearts have been broken, and a thick gloom has been sown in this psychological battle.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In ancient Chinese history, there were many clearly recorded academic conferences, such as the Shiqu Pavilion Conference during the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han, which discussed the differences and similarities among the Five Classics, and the Baihuguan Conference during the Eastern Han Dynasty. These academic conferences mostly established the mainstream academic views for a period of time.

The debates continued, and the struggles never ceased. By the Ming Dynasty, Neo-Confucianism, which had been established as the mainstream of the dynasty, faced a challenge from its nemesis, the School of Mind. In September of the seventeenth year of the Yongle reign, at the grand court assembly for the re-election of the Confucian Temple, the School of Mind scholars, led by high-ranking Ming officials such as Li Xianmu, Yang Rong, and Zheng Huan, launched a fierce attack on the Neo-Confucian scholars.

This marked the beginning of one of the most significant and brilliant chapters in the scholarship of the early and mid-Ming Dynasty! —From *Cultural History*

(End of this chapter)