Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 258: Discussion on the Study of Mind
Kang Hai, Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and Minister of Education, determined the final list of winners of the Royal Science and Technology Award.

among them.

The Chinese studies were acquired by Wang Shouren because he initiated the study of the mind, had countless disciples, and made great innovative contributions to Confucianism.

After all, since Confucian disciples such as Cheng and Zhu founded Neo-Confucianism, no new Confucian knowledge has emerged.

It is obvious that what Zhu Houzhao was talking about was national studies, which refers to all the thoughts and culture of China. Setting up this category in the highest science and technology award is to allow social sciences to develop as well, so that Chinese knowledge will not be neglected due to the rise of natural sciences.

Moreover, the national studies here do not only refer to Confucianism, so Zhu Houzhao set up the national studies award rather than the Confucianism award.

However, Kang Hai still chose Wang Shouren, the founder of the Confucian School of Mind, to receive the award, instead of Tang Bohu, Yang Shen and other great poets. This clearly shows that the literati in the Ming Dynasty still tend to favor Confucianism.

But Zhu Houzhao did not reject it. After all, the School of Mind founded by Wang Shouren after being inspired by him was indeed a great progress of Confucianism in its own field. After all, Neo-Confucianism stipulates that people should preserve the principles of heaven and eliminate human desires, while the School of Mind requires people to have their own thinking and judgment standards.

"Yes! Let Wang Shouren win this award, it will make the Confucian scholars in the world understand that learning should be aimed at seeking innovation, rather than blindly following the ancients and respecting the saints. All knowledge should be combined with the current situation, and then it can be considered the way of governance through one's own thinking. People's hearts are changing, and morality is also changing. Since the Chinese have written language, there have been countless saints, and our Ming Dynasty cannot be without saints!"

Zhu Houzhao naturally supported the spread of the School of Mind. After all, he also hoped that the scholars of the Ming Dynasty would be able to think proactively, have their own ability to distinguish right from wrong, and not really suppress their own ideas, but obey the principles and morals stipulated in the School of Neo-Confucianism.

"According to the order!"

After hearing what Zhu Houzhao said, Liu Jin approved it.

Kang Hai, who was sitting in front of the emperor, also quickly agreed.

But when the imperial edict of the award was passed down to the Ministry of Education, Guo Nan, the chief censor of academic subjects, rejected the court's decision to award Wang Shouren the first royal highest science and technology award, the National Studies Award!

"Neo-Confucianism is the orthodoxy. It preserves the principles of heaven and eliminates human desires. It is the fundamental way to bring order to the world! The School of Mind emphasizes relying on one's conscience to understand what one likes and dislikes. How can it be the orthodox school of the court? Wouldn't it lead to chaos in the world?

Your Majesty established the National Learning Award in order to promote orthodox learning. Why did the old minister take advantage of your Majesty's busy schedule and not realize the absurdity of the School of Mind, and instead recommended Wang Shouren, the master of the School of Mind, to receive the award? Wouldn't this make people all over the world think that the court regards the School of Mind as orthodox?"

When Kang Hai saw the reason for the rebuttal, he could not help but sigh. However, the six censors had the power to refute. Even if he was the Minister of Education and the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, he could not criticize them. He had no choice but to summon Guo Nan:

"Your Majesty is not against the School of Mind, nor is he unaware of its fallacies. Your Majesty agreed to my awarding of this prize to Wang Shouren because it seeks innovation in Confucianism. People's hearts are changing, and morality is also changing. Since the Chinese have written language, there have been countless saints, and our Ming Dynasty cannot be without saints. These are your majesty's original words. Do you really want to refute it? Shi Chong, I know that you are the successor of Neo-Confucianism and are determined to restore the past, but you must be clear that once this power of refutation is used, it will be dangerous and unpredictable!"

Guo Nan bowed to Kang Hai and said, "The elder did not blame me for my rebuttal, but gave me good advice. I am very grateful. But as the saying goes, if the monarch wants his subjects to die, the subjects have to die. Since Your Majesty is not a foolish monarch, even if you sentence me to death for this matter, I believe that Your Majesty will understand that ministers who are good at governing should be more beneficial to the country!" Guo Nan's meaning was very clear. If he was really sentenced to death by Emperor Zhu Houzhao for using the power of rebuttal, and he did not resist and died for righteousness, Emperor Zhu Houzhao would understand that ministers trained by Neo-Confucianism are the ministers who are really suitable for the emperor! After all, such ministers are easy to control without their own ideas, and they can do things obediently. Even if they are executed by the emperor, they will not have any complaints.

Kang Hai couldn't even refute it, so he just continued to persuade him: "I don't know whether you are a true loyal minister or you are just dying for fame. I hope your majesty understands your painstaking efforts, but you have to think clearly. Your majesty said that raising scholars for the Ming Dynasty is not raising domestic slaves, but raising national talents. You regard Neo-Confucianism as orthodoxy, so naturally you hope that the court officials will obey the emperor's orders, follow the principles of heaven and abandon human desires. I'm afraid this idea is far from what your majesty wants!"

"To uphold the principles of heaven and eliminate human desires is not to be a domestic slave, but to be the pillar of the country, to maintain peace for the world regardless of the weather!"

Guo Nan said.

Kang Hai heard him say this and knew that Guo Nan believed that people who were educated in Neo-Confucianism would not become slaves but selfless people, so he stopped trying to persuade him. He just sighed and ordered, "Transmit to the Ministry of Public Administration, and have Guo Nan, the Academic Affairs Director, refute the red-brush approval of Wang Shouren as the winner of the National Studies Award! Your Majesty, please make another ruling!"

Zhu Houzhao did not expect that his approval to award Wang Shouren the prize for Chinese studies would be rejected by the subject chief. He could not help but laugh:

"It's been so many years, and there's another censor who refutes the decisions of me and the cabinet!"

"He is really not afraid of death, Your Majesty. What do you think? Should we let the East Factory arrest him directly?" Ma Yongcheng asked.

"Don't be anxious yet. If someone dares to refute me, he must be ready to die. Even if you skin him alive, he won't give in. After all, he is the backbone of the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and said:
"What I didn't expect was that I only let Wang Shouren win an award, which was equivalent to rewarding him with 10,000 silver dollars. It's not strange for a king to reward his subjects, but Guo Nan actually reacted so strongly that he risked his life to refute the court's decision that had already been approved by the emperor! It shows that rationalism is still not tolerated by the School of Mind!"

"Your Majesty is right. Everyone in the world knows that Wang Shouren is the founder of the School of Mind. The officials of the School of Principle in the court do not tolerate the School of Mind. Now Your Majesty is going to set up a national studies award, and the first person to be awarded is Wang Shouren. Naturally, he is worried that this will intentionally tell the world that the court wants to recognize the School of Mind, and the officials of the School of Principle will not agree. I am afraid that Guo Nan is also a descendant of the School of Principle!"

Wen Zhengming, the literary attendant and Hanlin reviewer on duty, spoke from the side.

Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but sigh: "These civil servants are really worrying. They just have different ideas. Why do they have to be like this? I admit that Neo-Confucianism can cultivate loyal and upright officials, but it is easy to make them dull. The School of Mind can make up for it. I am not a scholar, so I don't care whether it is right or wrong. I just hope that Chinese knowledge can be innovative. As for right or wrong, there will be time to prove it."

Zhu Houzhao said, "Send an order to the Minister of Personnel Zhang Cong to transfer Guo Nan to a post outside the capital. He should not stay in this position of the Minister of Academic Affairs any longer. As an official in charge of academic affairs, if he cannot tolerate the opinions of all schools of thought, how can he make the world innovate?"

The outline is almost done. I didn't expect that I could write another chapter. Let's see if I can write the second chapter. I'm writing the main text while drafting the outline. Thank you to my book friend Mo Yue Luo Yu for the reward of 100 Qidian coins.

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(End of this chapter)