noveltune Chapter 5501 The Struggle for Legitimacy
Chapter 5501 The Struggle for Legitimacy
Chapter 5501 The Struggle for Legitimacy
Although the condemnation within the Council of State Affairs came to an end when Fang Jun "backed down," the discussion about "the earth being round" continued throughout the government and the public, even becoming quite heated and generating much debate.
Since Emperor Wu of Han "exclusively honored Confucianism," Confucianism has long been the dominant force, dominating all fronts and invincible. Although the once-prosperous Mohists, Legalists, medicalists, military strategists, Yin-Yang masters, and other schools of thought have not completely disappeared, they have had to suppress Confucianism and either remain cautious and low-key, such as the Daoists and Mohists, or they have adopted the guise of Confucianism and attached themselves to its core, such as the Legalists, medicalists, and Yin-Yang masters.
Although Confucianism has not yet reached its peak during the Ming and Qing dynasties, it is now unrivaled.
In the past, it was one thing for Fang Jun to create the "Scholarship of Investigating Things," but Confucianism believed that it could serve as a supplement to their own, filling in the gaps and deficiencies, and thus they could tolerate and accept it.
But suddenly a theory that "the earth is round" appears, attempting to completely overturn the ethical system that Confucianism has built up over thousands of years. How can we sit idly by?
The Confucian school realized that the "investigation of things" was not only not a "supplement" to their survival, but could even become a hidden danger and a thorn in their side. They immediately mobilized all their forces to attack it from the bottom up, vowing to nip all potential threats in the bud and consolidate the Confucian school's "dominant position" and "sole orthodoxy".
For many years, Confucianism has mastered the art of "creating public opinion and enforcing government orders." Unfortunately, although it has stirred up a wave of public opinion to label "the study of things" as "heretical doctrine" and "bewitching people," the central government has yet to issue any decrees to suppress or restrict "the study of things."
Without relevant government decrees, subjects such as mathematics and physics remained the mainstream subjects permitted by the imperial court and were compulsory subjects in the imperial examinations...
Were the prime ministers bribed or coerced by Fang Jun?
Has His Majesty become senile?
The Confucian scholars in the court were both shocked and furious, and began to direct their anger at the prime minister and even the emperor.
One impeachment memorial after another flew into the Censorate and the State Affairs Hall like snowflakes, stirring up public outrage and creating a storm.
The central government was headed from top to bottom, with Alexander as its leader.
……
"With officials impeaching officials and public resentment boiling over, why does Your Majesty ignore public opinion?"
"As the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Chancellor, the head of the prime ministers, why do you all fail to advise His Majesty and instead obstruct the channels of communication?"
Inside the Imperial Study, Pei Huaijie, Liu Xiangdao, Yu Zhining, and others were furious about the inaction of Li Ji and Ma Zhou, and their words were vehement. They also expressed their resentment towards His Majesty, who had remained silent, and were just short of calling him "incompetent."
Pei Huai looked at Li Chengqian and said in a deep voice, "Now the court and the people are in uproar and resentment is boiling. The so-called 'study of things' is actually a hidden danger. If it is not stopped immediately and nipped in the bud, it will surely become a heretical doctrine that shakes the country in the future!"
Liu Xiangdao also said, "The Grand Commandant actually put forward such an absurd and rebellious theory as 'the earth is round,' which is even more misleading than foreign invasion and attempts to destroy the truth of 'the unity of heaven and man.' We must be on guard!"
Faced with the attacks and accusations from several ministers, Li Ji and Ma Zhou lowered their heads, drank tea, and remained silent.
Neither in favor nor against.
Li Chengqian remained calm and asked in return, "I know your concerns and understand your worries. I only ask one question: if we suppress the 'study of things' today, and someone actually sails a ship to prove that the earth is indeed round, how will you respond?"
No one could stop Fang Jun from verifying the theory that "the earth is round." He had money, manpower, and ships. The entire navy of over 100,000 soldiers was under his control. What difficulty was there in sending a fleet to explore the "truth"?
Although Li Chengqian was extremely dissatisfied with Fang Junzhi's words, actions, and behavior, he always maintained a strange confidence in Fang Junzhi—that whatever Fang Junzhi insisted on would eventually be proven to be correct.
Liu Xiangdao was astonished: "How could such absurd statement be true?"
The mainstream opposition to Fang Junzhi at present finds this statement hard to understand, believing that it is an attack launched by Fang Jun's "investigation of things" against Confucianism—that the statement itself is nonsense and can never be proven.
This goes against the Confucian understanding of the universe.
Li Ji sighed, “I don’t believe such absurd remarks either… But since these words came from Fang Jun’s mouth, who can be sure that they are absolutely not true? Too many unbelievable things have happened to him all along, and many things that were previously considered absurd have been proven true one by one. You all only know how to complain about His Majesty, but have you ever thought that it is easy for His Majesty to issue a decree to suppress the ‘investigation of things’ today, but what if his words are proven true in the future? How will His Majesty face himself then?”
Everyone remained silent.
These words indeed touched upon a long-standing question in everyone's hearts—where did Fang Junzhi's unparalleled talent come from?
If poetry and prose can be considered as a matter of "talent," then such talented individuals have not been entirely rare throughout history. So where do their achievements in mathematics, physics, and other fields come from?
This is not as simple as just arranging words.
Tang Jian hesitated and asked, "Could it be that you were born with this knowledge?"
Seeing everyone's astonishment, he quickly explained, "The Buddhist belief in 'reincarnation' is prevalent. Although it is absurd, it may be true."
"Reincarnation" is a Buddhist concept, but similar concepts such as "the immortality of the soul" and "essence and energy as matter, wandering soul as transformation" existed as early as the pre-Qin period. Classics such as the Book of Changes, Zuo Zhuan, and Book of Documents record phenomena such as "the continuation of the soul", "the existence of ancestral spirits", and "rebirth into different kinds", for example, the legends of "Bo You becoming a vengeful ghost" and "King Ruyi of Zhao turning into a dog after his death".
Although it may seem like a myth or fantasy, the world is vast and full of wonders, so who knows if such a thing is absolutely true?
Everyone was astonished.
Yu Zhining was dumbfounded: "No way?"
The thought that Fang Jun might be a reincarnated vengeful ghost, or even a strange being, made him tremble with fear and break out in a cold sweat.
Ma Zhou resolutely replied, "As disciples of Confucianism, how can we believe in such absurd theories? It's utter nonsense!"
Yu Zhining looked ashamed but remained silent.
Since the pre-Qin period, although Confucianism has emphasized sacrifices, its purpose was not to pray for the protection of ghosts and gods, but to cultivate filial piety and consolidate ethical order through "remembering the past and honoring ancestors," so as to realize the lofty ideal of "the people's virtue returning to its original state."
My attitude towards ghosts and spirits is not simply one of belief or disbelief, but rather one of "respecting ghosts and spirits while keeping them at a distance." Regardless of whether the claims about ghosts and spirits are true or false, I would rather avoid them and not get involved.
Confucius emphasized, "If you cannot serve men, how can you serve spirits?" and "If you do not know life, how can you know death?" This reflects the Confucian attitude towards the concept of ghosts and spirits.
As a renowned Confucian scholar of our time, it is indeed inappropriate for him to publicly promote the idea of ghosts and gods.
Moreover, Yu Zhining realized that Ma Zhou was not scolding him, but helping him. If what he said in front of the emperor today were to spread and Fang Jun found out that Yu Zhining said he was a "reincarnation of a vengeful ghost" or "a strange creature", he would probably come knocking on his door.
Do you really think that Fang Jun, who now holds a high position and wields immense power, has "laid down his butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot"?
Li Chengqian, who had been mostly silent, also said, "Although this is just a private discussion, the Duke of Yan should still be careful with his words."
Yu Zhining was terrified: "It was a slip of the tongue, but I meant no disrespect to the Grand Commandant."
His heart was with His Majesty, but his body was in the Eastern Palace. Every three to five days, he had to go to the Eastern Palace to teach the Crown Prince. What if Fang Jun got angry and blocked him, scolded him, or beat him up? How wronged he would be!
Li Chengqian nodded, sighed softly, and said, "I am aware of the various opinions in the court and among the people, and I deeply agree with them. However, it is better to believe in such things than to believe they are not true, otherwise we will put ourselves in a disadvantageous position and may become extremely passive in the future."
Pei Huaijie asked, "Your Majesty is wise; how should we respond now?"
Li Chengqian pondered for a moment, then asked instead of answering: "When I inherited the family business and ruled the world, was it by the mandate of Heaven and by upholding the will of Heaven, or by working diligently day and night? The world regards me as its ruler, is it because I am ordained by Heaven, or because I am kind and benevolent?"
The words were somewhat cryptic, but everyone could still understand them.
The emperor, who possesses the entire world and reigns supreme, should govern according to the legal system of "receiving the mandate from Heaven" or with "benevolence and compassion".
If one is "ordained by Heaven" and thus "the Son of Heaven," should the people of the world accept the emperor's willful, absurd, and incompetent actions?
If he became emperor because of his "benevolence and kindness," then is the legal system of "divine right of kings" important?
Pei Huaijie raised his eyebrows, spoke sharply and sternly, and looked quite like a "loyal minister": "Your Majesty, what makes you say such a thing? You are appointed by Heaven and rule over the four seas. You are the common master of hundreds of millions of people in the Great Tang Dynasty and the legal authority of the nine provinces of China. How can you listen to the slanderous words of treacherous villains who bewitch people's hearts!"
Li Chengqian remained unmoved and calmly asked, "Then tell me, am I truly the 'Son of Heaven'?"
Pei Huaijie replied decisively: "Of course!"
Li Chengqian then asked, "Is it because I am the Son of Heaven that I am the Emperor, or is it because I am the Emperor that I am the Son of Heaven?"
Pei Huaijie: "..."
He opened his mouth, but was speechless.
In fact, everyone knows the answer to this question, yet no one can express it.
After all, an emperor needs the protection of "legal authority," which is defined by Confucianism.
You can't deny yourself, can you?
Li Chengqian sighed and said, "Look, even you yourselves know that some things are just empty promises, nothing more than a flag you've raised. If that's the case, why do you keep refuting the Grand Commandant and putting me on the defensive? Are you doing this for the sake of my so-called legitimacy as emperor, or for your own interests? What are you really up to?"
He certainly needs the talisman of legitimacy to protect his throne, but when this talisman is likely to be completely torn apart, he must plan his escape route and make contingency plans. After all, even without the legitimacy of "divine right of kings," there is still the rule of "benevolence and leniency," and no one in the world will question his rule.
Instead of rashly clinging to a "legal system" that is clearly a lie, which will ultimately make us a laughing stock.