noveltune Chapter 5496 Overthrowing Confucianism
Chapter 5496 Overthrowing Confucianism
Chapter 5496 Overthrowing Confucianism
Why did the Han dynasty begin with the policy of "dismissing all other schools of thought and exclusively honoring Confucianism"?
The fundamental reason lies in Dong Zhongshu's theory of "interaction between Heaven and man," which constructed a theory of monarchical power that combined "Mandate of Heaven" with "rule by virtue." This can be said to be the most core and mysterious link in the legitimacy of feudal dynasties' rule.
It is not only philosophical speculation, but also a political "theology" with strong practical constraints.
The theory of "interaction between Heaven and man" explicitly claims that the "Son of Heaven" is the son of "Heaven," and his power comes directly from the grant of "Heaven," namely, "the divine right of kings."
This solves the fundamental question of "why emperors can rule"—not simply through force, but through "receiving the mandate of Heaven."
This made imperial power transcend the secular world and possess an inviolable sacredness.
This gave rise to a strict hierarchical order of "ruler as ruler, minister as minister, father as father, son as son," which ethicalized political relationships, making obedience to the monarch as natural as children's filial piety towards their parents, and greatly reducing the cost of governance.
This is the legal foundation of imperial rule.
Conversely, "Heaven" does not unconditionally support the emperor.
Heaven expresses its joy and anger through auspicious omens and calamities. When an emperor governs with benevolence and the world is at peace, Heaven will send down auspicious omens such as fine grains, sweet dew, and divine beasts as a sign of praise and recognition. If an emperor is immoral and the government is corrupt, Heaven will first give warnings such as solar eclipses, earthquakes, droughts, and floods. If the emperor does not repent, Heaven will send down calamities, and may even hint that the emperor may "change the dynasty."
This effectively puts a shackle on the supreme power from "heaven".
However, the foundation of Confucianism lies in "Heaven," and the premise of "divine right of kings" is that "Heaven" holds a supreme position.
What is "Heaven"?
In the Confucian narrative system, the meaning of "Heaven" is broad and profound. It can be the Heaven of sovereignty, the Heaven of nature, the Heaven of morality, or it can be the unity of all things.
However, if it is proven that the place where humans live is a sphere, it will have a devastating impact on the "theology" constructed by Confucianism.
As the greatest beneficiary of the "interaction between Heaven and Man" theory in his time, how could Li Chengqian not be terrified, furious, and shocked?
Even Li Chunfeng, whose astronomical knowledge was unparalleled and who already knew that the so-called "astronomical predictions" were nothing more than the "laws of celestial motion," turned pale at this moment.
He asked in a trembling voice, "Is that possible?"
How can the earth be round?
If it were round, wouldn't people and things on the other side of the earth at any moment "fall" into the sky?
If the structure of "heaven is round and earth is square" is completely changed, all our understanding over the past millennia will collapse.
It's just as bad as "the sky has fallen"!
Fang Jun said calmly, "Anything is possible. The 'Hun Tian Theory' has already explained it clearly."
The commentary on Zhang Heng's armillary sphere states: "The celestial sphere is like a chicken egg. The celestial bodies are round like pellets, and the earth is like the yolk inside the egg, residing alone within the heavens. The heavens are vast while the earth is small. Water exists both inside and outside the heavens, and the heavens envelop the earth like a shell enveloping the yolk..."
This is very close to the truth of the universe.
Li Chunfeng opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but then stopped and looked at Li Chengqian.
This was extremely difficult for the emperor to accept.
Whether it's the "interaction between Heaven and humanity" or the "divine right of kings," their foundation lies in Confucianism's interpretation of "Heaven."
If the earth is round, then where is the sky?
A key premise upon which the concept of "interaction between Heaven and humanity" is established is that Heaven and Earth are two realms of different natures. Heaven is above, representing Yang energy, perfection, and divinity; Earth is below, representing Yin energy, imperfection, and worldliness.
The movement of celestial phenomena is believed to have a mysterious, isomorphic correspondence with the political order on earth.
The fact that the Earth is round means that there is no absolute "up" or "down". On the round Earth, the "up" of any point points in the opposite direction from the center of the sphere. For people on the other side of the Earth, what is "sky" for some people is "earth" for others, completely dissolving the vertical, hierarchical worldview of "sky above, earth below".
"Heaven" is no longer a sacred and special realm, and the earth and heaven are no longer two worlds with completely different natures.
The concept of "interaction between Heaven and humanity" has completely collapsed, the "divine right of kings" no longer exists, and "receiving the mandate of Heaven" is just a joke...
The foundation of imperial power was completely shaken.
The emperor could no longer rely on morality to rule the world, but could only rely on force to rule the people. This would lead to another consequence: since he ruled the world and controlled the people by force, he naturally had no moral superiority.
Even the Confucian principles of "social order and ethical hierarchy" have completely collapsed...
Li Chengqian was shocked, furious, and horrified. He glared at Fang Jun and demanded, "What exactly do you want to do?"
Fang Jun bowed slightly and said softly, "Your Majesty, I only want to explore the truth of the universe and the ultimate principles of all things, rather than being coerced by some people into repeatedly telling lies fabricated to maintain their interests."
He paused, ignoring Li Chengqian's murderous glare, and continued, "Whether I go or not, the truth remains, and so does the reason."
Li Chengqian's gaze seemed to devour him, and he said, word by word, "Do you know what the consequences of doing this will be?"
Fang Jun said respectfully, "The consequence is that no one will be able to sit on the throne and rule the common people with the so-called 'interaction between heaven and man' anymore. Everyone must understand that to steadily rule the people and reign supreme, one must rely on accepting advice, implementing benevolent governance, and loving the world. Furthermore, one must understand that 'the people are the water and the ruler is the boat,' that's all."
If one wants to sit securely on the throne and rule over all the people, then one must implement genuine benevolent governance, improve the lives of the common people, and strengthen the nation, thereby earning the love and respect of all. Instead, one should rely on lies such as "divine intervention" and "the right of kings to rule by heaven" to occupy a position without merit or even become incompetent and tyrannical, and still feel at ease.
Li Chunfeng was almost paralyzed with fear, his face pale as he glanced at the Emperor's expression, terrified that the Emperor would rise up at any moment, smash a cup as a signal, and summon the executioners outside the Imperial Study to tear Fang Jun, this "traitor," to pieces.
As for myself, an observer, being given a cup of poisoned wine and left with a whole corpse is considered an act of imperial grace...
Room 2!
How dare you?!
Fortunately, His Majesty lacked the decisiveness of Emperor Taizong, or perhaps he thought he would face an assassination attempt before he could tear Fang Jun to pieces...
Li Chengqian flew into a rage and roared, "Get out!"
"Here."
Fang Jun, with a respectful expression, stood up and bowed deeply to the ground. He then took three steps back and walked steadily out of the Imperial Study.
Li Chunfeng swallowed hard, unsure of what to do, when suddenly he heard His Majesty yell at him, "You get out too!"
"Here!"
As if listening to celestial music, Li Chunfeng quickly stood up, bowed, and left the imperial study...
Outside the Imperial Study, Li Chunfeng saw Fang Jun walking steadily and slowly, so he quickly followed after him, gave him a complicated look, and dared not say a word.
They exited Chengtian Gate one after the other, and only after confirming that the imperial guards were far away did they let out a long sigh of relief, wipe the cold sweat from their foreheads, and complain to Fang Jun, "Has Erlang gone mad? Those words, if they were to get out, would be enough to exterminate three generations of his family! Even if you want to say them, can't you talk to His Majesty in private instead of dragging me into it?"
Fang Jun stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky, and said quietly, "In terms of the Grand Astrologer's knowledge, do you believe in the so-called 'interaction between heaven and man' and 'the divine right of kings,' or do you believe more in 'the movement of celestial bodies' and 'the laws of the universe'?"
Li Chunfeng remained silent for a long time, then sighed, "That can't be explained so plainly! You've completely destroyed the foundation of Confucianism, but where does that leave His Majesty?"
Fang Jun shook his head: "I am loyal to His Majesty, but I am even more loyal to the truth."
After saying that, he rode away.
Li Chunfeng stared blankly at the departing carriage, and after a long while, he sighed deeply, shook his head, and walked back to the Imperial Observatory.
He knew that a cataclysmic storm was about to sweep in, and everyone would be caught up in it, with no one able to escape unscathed.
*****
Inside the study.
Fang Xuanling frowned as he listened to his son recount the conversation in the Imperial Study, his gaze flickering as he stared at his son for a long time.
After Fang Jun finished speaking, Fang Xuanling absorbed and understood for a moment, then asked calmly, "Is the earth... really round?"
Fang Jun smiled and said, "It hasn't been confirmed yet, but that's exactly what I want to do."
Fang Xuanling asked in bewilderment, "Then why not do it secretly, instead of making a big fuss before doing it, thus provoking criticism from all over the world?"
Since Emperor Wu of Han exclusively promoted Confucianism, Confucianism has been revered by emperors of all dynasties. It is not only the legal foundation for emperors to rule the world, but also the basis for countless Confucian scholars to become the ruling class.
To question the "interaction between Heaven and man" is to question the emperor, and even more so, to question Confucianism.
One can imagine the attacks, slander, and abuse that would follow, and even the Confucian scholars would want to kill Fang Jun!
This is a challenge to the entire ruling class by one person alone.
How reckless!
Even a Confucian scholar like Fang Xuanling, who was a father himself, found it hard to accept.
Fang Jun remained relaxed, showing no sign of being threatened: "I intend to incite the anger of all Confucian scholars, thereby creating a nationwide discussion. Only when the fleet completes its voyage and confirms that the earth is round will it create the greatest sensation. As for the attacks, I don't care... Scholars rebelling will not succeed even after ten years. As long as I have military power, what can Confucian scholars or the emperor do to me?"
Fang Xuanling nodded. Currently, all of the nation's strength is concentrated in Liaodong and Dongting Lake. Internally, there are the Left and Right Imperial Guards, and externally, there are the Anxi Army and the Navy. As long as they are not assassinated, no one can do anything to Fang Jun.
"Why does Erlang harbor such deep hostility towards Confucianism? Does he want to completely destroy it?"
Fang Jun shook his head and said, "I cannot put Confucianism to death, nor have I ever thought of putting Confucianism to death. What I want to do is to completely break the principle of 'exclusive veneration of Confucianism'."
Although the study of "investigating things" has emerged, how can a mere few years compete with Confucianism, which has been passed down for thousands of years?
The principle of "exclusive veneration of Confucianism" remains the fundamental law of the world.
He was not against Confucianism; on the contrary, he highly recognized Confucianism's contributions to social progress.
He opposes a single dominant player.