noveltune Chapter 5514 Unprecedented Changes
Chapter 5514 Unprecedented Changes
Chapter 5514 An Unprecedented Change in a Millennium
The princes sent their heirs to Chang'an to study. This was an agreement made by Li Chengqian with the various princes when he "feudalized the world." The purpose was twofold: first, to serve as a hostage to curb the princes' ambitions as much as possible; and second, to provide the princes of the various vassal states with a systematic education so that they would admire Chinese culture, admire and love their lord, and be consistent in their actions and support their lord after inheriting the throne.
The placement of vassal kings has always been a major challenge. It is necessary to rely on the vassal states to protect the homeland from external threats, while also preventing the vassal states from becoming too powerful and turning against their overlords. The balance between these challenges is extremely difficult to strike.
Fortunately, the fiefdoms of the various vassal kings are now all outside the territory of China. They were not originally Chinese territory, and they are either isolated overseas or separated by mountains and rivers, making it extremely difficult for them to turn against China. Furthermore, by educating the princes of these vassal states to foster a close relationship with their overlords, stability can be maintained for more than ten generations.
As for the more distant future, no one can predict it...
The princes of the feudal states would receive instruction according to their age under the organization of the Imperial Clan Court, with the classes held in the Chongjiao Hall of the Eastern Palace.
But now a problem arises.
The reason for holding the classes in Chongjiao Hall was that the princes of various vassal states could become classmates with the crown prince, learn etiquette and knowledge, and cultivate friendship, so that the vassal states and the suzerain could maintain a close relationship.
But now His Majesty has repeatedly tried to change the heir apparent but has failed. His relationship with the Crown Prince is not bad, but it is extremely distant. If these heirs are placed in the Eastern Palace to eat, live, and study with the Crown Prince, wouldn't that further strengthen the power of the Eastern Palace?
If the classes were held inside the Taiji Palace, the Empress would probably be the first to object.
After all, His Majesty already intends to change the heir apparent, and there is now a young prince in the palace. The danger of the crown prince entering the palace has greatly increased. If someone were to defy the world and attempt to harm the crown prince, it would be impossible to prevent.
The entire power structure dependent on the Crown Prince would not allow such a danger to exist.
However, excluding the Crown Prince from group lessons would exacerbate the conflict between His Majesty and the Eastern Palace. Who would be willing to bear such a responsibility?
The Imperial Clan Court was in a state of utter chaos.
When I asked His Majesty for instructions, His Majesty only said that this was the responsibility of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, and that he would not interfere with how the Crown Prince and the heir apparent were arranged to study, and that he would support whatever decision was made without objection.
King Li Yuanjia of Han almost cursed, "What kind of support do you have?!"
Believe it or not, if the princes were to attend classes at Chongjiao Hall with the crown prince as previously agreed, His Majesty would summon him to the palace and give him a thorough dressing-down.
Li Yuanjia had no choice but to designate a courtyard within the Imperial Academy located in Wubenfang, where the heirs lived and ate. The crown prince would come from the East Palace to attend classes and return to the East Palace after class.
Li Chengqian remained noncommittal.
After all, the princes are still young, and they won't be attending classes together for several years. By then, the situation might have changed...
*****
As the year drew to a close, government offices closed and sealed their seals one after another. The attacks, slanders, and even insults directed at Fang Junzhi suddenly vanished. Instead, many great Confucian scholars visited Fang Xuanling in Chongrenfang, and various powerful families came to the capital to present New Year's gifts to Fang Junzhi. Starting from the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the gates of Chongrenfang were bustling with carriages and horses every day.
Ordinary officials and students were baffled as to why they did not press their advantage against Fang Jun when public opinion was raging, but instead went quiet.
Without the support of prominent scholars and top-down promotion, naturally no one dared to directly challenge Fang Jun.
However, those at the higher levels of power in the imperial court knew what the actions of the Confucian scholars and aristocratic families meant; some cheered with excitement, while others were filled with worry.
……
Inside the Imperial Study.
Pei Huaijie was heartbroken and indignant: "How could these people be so shameless? The aristocratic families have abandoned the concept of 'the interaction between Heaven and Man' like worn-out shoes, and instead advocate the study of investigating things and exploring principles. Some even say, 'Investigate bamboo and wood, but not the heart of the ruler.' Now, some have expressed their willingness to fund ships to sail far away to verify such absurd claims, and some have even observed the stars at night but no longer mention what calamities correspond to when stars fall—Your Majesty, they are undermining the foundation of my Great Tang!"
Li Chengqian knelt on the floor mat by the window, drinking tea, remaining noncommittal.
Pei Huaijie raised his head and looked at the Emperor, his voice sharp and stern: "The interaction between Heaven and Man, and the divine right of kings, are the foundation of a nation. Now, even the Confucian scholars do not discuss celestial changes or fear calamities; they only speak of empirical evidence and the investigation of things, which is nothing more than an attempt to erase the connection between Heaven and Your Majesty. The day when the people only believe in the investigation of things and not in the Mandate of Heaven will be the day Your Majesty's dynasty falls into disarray!"
At this point, he bowed deeply and said, "I request that the investigation of material possessions be prohibited and that aristocratic families be severely punished—otherwise, the Tang Dynasty will be in grave danger!"
The resounding clang echoed in the imperial study, while the eunuchs outside the door trembled, wishing they could cover their ears.
The echo faded, and the Imperial Study was deathly silent.
Li Chengqian put down his teacup, tapped his injured leg which was uncomfortable from kneeling, his expression inscrutable, and simply said:
"Minister Pei, does the 'Heaven' you speak of protect me and the Tang Dynasty?"
Pei Huaijie trembled and lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to speak.
"Heaven" is supreme, high above, ruling over all things, untouchable and immeasurable.
But aside from those illiterate fools, does anyone really believe such a thing?
The more one reads the classics and the more one learns to read and understand the principles, the more one realizes the ethereal and intangible nature of "Heaven"...
The way of investigating things is precisely to completely break through this layer of window paper - you say that "Heaven" governs all things and is unpredictable in its divine power, then where is "Heaven"?
In the end, it's nothing more than a set of illusory legal principles.
What is true legal principle?
The stars and moon revolve, the seasons change, the new moon and the tides rise and fall, life and death occur...
But how could ordinary people know about these things?
The fundamental principle of governing a country lies in ensuring that the people have a sense of awe and reverence, packaging the laws of nature as the mandate of heaven and the norms of human relations, so that people cannot defy the will of heaven, and only then can the world be stable; only when the world is stable can social classes be solidified; only when social classes are solidified can the interests of the rulers last.
Even Confucius said, "The people can be made to follow a path, but they cannot be made to understand it."
In other words, the more they know, the less manageable they become!
Li Chengqian sighed softly and said helplessly, "I understand your intentions very well. How could I want to see the legal principles that have been upheld throughout the ages completely collapse? But now more and more people no longer believe in this system. If you want to govern the country and rule, you have to rely on real political achievements. You and I work day and night to make the country prosperous, the army strong, and the people rich... but times have changed."
He said this with genuine helplessness and frustration.
Since the Han Dynasty, this has been the rule of law: the emperor controls the army, Confucianism controls public opinion, and together they rule the people. Regardless of the rise and fall of dynasties or the change of regimes, this system has never failed and has continued.
But when he finally ascended the throne after many hardships, he found that everything had changed.
The Confucian school, which had previously held a dominant position, could no longer monopolize education as it had in the past, nor could powerful clans continue to monopolize politics. Even the mighty armies changed their methods of warfare. While studying Confucianism, students across the land developed a growing interest in subjects such as mathematics and physics, and the principles of investigating things increasingly demonstrated applicability to governance that far exceeded that of Confucianism.
He received the best imperial education from a young age, but after ascending the throne, he had to start learning how to be a good emperor from scratch. Most of what he had learned before was outdated or even obsolete.
This put him under a lot of strain.
But he knew that if he could not keep up with the times, he would be overwhelmed and eliminated by the surging tide.
Because the Tang Dynasty no longer cared who the emperor was.
They didn't even care whether there was an emperor or not.
The existence of the Council of State Affairs and the Grand Council allows them to handle any state affairs perfectly. By pooling their wisdom and efforts and selecting the best among the best, they can do most things better than the emperor.
Suppressing the study of natural philosophy?
Even to completely eradicate the study of things?
Even if he could do it, Li Chengqian would not do it.
Because the principles described in the Way of Investigation of Things are objectively real and are the true laws governing the universe, they cannot be completely erased by suppressing certain people or banning certain books. Even if they are concealed for a time, they will eventually be rediscovered by future generations.
Why try to erase something that cannot be erased?
Li Chengqian prided himself that although his talents were limited, he was by no means foolish and would not do such a stupid thing as burying his head in the sand.
As Fang Jun said, since those rules and laws are there, what if you try your best to hide and suppress them, and in the future it is discovered that these rules and laws belong to foreign tribes?
What if foreign lands used these methods of investigation to revolutionize their technology?
After all, firearms are a prime example; even someone with no physical strength can wreak havoc with firearms...
If Li Chengqian were to suppress or obliterate the study of things today, he might become a sinner against the entire Chinese nation in the future.
Pei Huaijie was speechless.
He wasn't truly against the study of natural phenomena; he simply wanted to seize this opportunity to completely turn his life around. As long as His Majesty resolutely opposed the study of natural phenomena, he was willing to become a true imperial lackey and do things that might be condemned by future generations.
But His Majesty is not as weak as he appears. Faced with a predicament, he did not cower or resort to desperate measures, but instead faced it with courage.
They didn't give him any chance at all.
Li Chengqian glanced at Pei Huaijie, who looked dejected, and sighed again.
Although this man was dull-witted, incompetent, and cowardly, he was already the minister among all the officials who was closest to the emperor…
It is truly tragic for an emperor to have fallen to such a state.
So when Confucianism began to accept the study of investigating things, Li Chengqian had to reflect on the fact that history could serve as a mirror to understand the rise and fall of dynasties. However, Li Chengqian searched through historical books but found no knowledge related to the current situation that he could learn from. Perhaps what he was facing was a change that had not been seen in a thousand years.
He didn't know how to deal with this change, but he knew that if he couldn't adapt, he would inevitably be overwhelmed and torn apart by this surging tide, suffering utter destruction.
Pei Huaijie was also disheartened. The rules of officialdom and the loyalty between ruler and subject that he believed in collapsed after entering Chang'an, leaving him bewildered and struggling to move forward within the central government.