Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 225: The Dispute between Ancient and Modern Classics
In mid-July of the first year of Jian'an, there was a rare continuous drizzle that dispelled the sultry heat. Young boys in the fields were pulling wormwood for their grandfathers, and young children were chasing and playing with each other.

This caused the woman who brought the water to point at her own child and start yelling at him.

When the officials and great scholars who came to the outskirts of Pingyuan to greet Lord Xuande saw this scene, they could not help but stroke their beards with pride.

"What do you think, Lord Kang Cheng? Compared with the chaos in other parts of the country, is this a benevolent policy?"

Wearing a egret crown, a loose robe, and being tall and thin with gray hair and beard, Lu Zhi could not help but ask the great scholar Zheng Xuan from Beihai next to him, and Zheng Xuan also nodded in agreement.

For many years, he focused on ancient text classics, and also adopted modern text classics, combining the strengths of both schools. He had long seen through the dispute between ancient and modern classics that had lasted for a hundred years since the time of Liu Xin.

Whether it is modern Confucianism where learning changes with techniques, or ancient Confucianism where techniques are established according to learning, in the final analysis it is still a struggle for interests. Every word of annotation is checked in the classics and biographies of sages to prove whose words are more in line with what the sages said and whose is a false pretense.

Especially in the later intensified contention between the ancient and modern schools, fabricated and forged words and sentences from the classics of sages appeared in ancient classics, and some of the words were copied from ancient artifacts, in order to completely overwhelm modern classics.

As time went by, from Duke Jingbo to Duke Zishen, and then to Duke Jichang, the Modern Text Classics and the Ancient Text Classics had gradually become harmonious, and the conflicts between the two factions of Confucian scholars had become less frequent. At this moment, when the world was in great chaos, as people's minds settled, the two factions gradually showed signs of merging.

Even in this situation, even though Liu Bei proposed the idea of ​​"learning from the classics and applying them to the world", which was quite close to the idea of ​​modern classics, Zheng Xuan was still willing to travel thousands of miles from Beihai to Pingyuan County to discuss classics at the invitation of Lu Zhi when he was nearly 70 years old.

"Xuan De advocated applying the past to the present, taking history as a mirror, and combining classics with real events to govern the people. He had both the style of ancient classics and the response of modern classics, discarding the shortcomings of both schools and taking their strengths."

Lu Zhi couldn't help but explain for Liu Bei.

It is necessary to explain. If the world had not been in chaos at that time, Xuande would have been a direct disciple of Lu Zigan, but his style of doing things and his thoughts were closer to the New Text School of Confucianism. He also divided Confucianists into two types: gentlemen and villains, and asked everyone to follow the example of their teacher Confucius and walk their own paths.

It also advocated practical application of knowledge to the world and required Confucian scholars to govern the people with benevolence. These people did not only refer to the gentry, wealthy families and scholar-officials, but also included the people of the entire world.

If he hadn't been behind his disciples to support them, there would have been a stir in the world long ago.

Now the situation gradually became clear, and he strengthened his farming in the North Sea and killed many powerful people, which made the troops under Xuande more powerful and made the Confucian scholars who had different opinions shut up wisely.

Confucian scholars of both ancient and modern Confucian classics schools have a complicated attitude toward Liu Bei. They want to go along with him, but they also want him to support one faction more.

However, Liu Bei's attitude was ambiguous. He wanted both schools to follow his ideas. It seemed that as a direct disciple of the great Confucian scholar Lu Zigan, the Ancient Text School felt close to him, but his remarks also made the Modern Text School feel familiar. Just when the two schools were hesitating, they were surprised to find that Liu Bei employed cruel officials of the Legalist school to carry out rectification in various places.

This time, even the Confucian style is gone, and it is directly leaning towards Legalism.

But Lord Xuande was a man of his own ideas. He believed that if one wanted to be an official, one had to follow his own ways. So the two schools of Confucian scholars went home to look up classics, trying to find common ground between Confucianism and Legalism.

There is no way, because Confucianism believes that no matter what truth there is in the world, it will appear in the scriptures, and even after a long time, this truth can be used and will never be outdated.

As the saying goes, "Heaven does not change, and the Tao does not change either." If there is a change, it is definitely not because the words and classics of the ancient sages are wrong, but because he himself has annotated it wrongly or understood it wrongly. He should blame himself for not learning well enough. But since Emperor Xiaowu abolished all schools of thought and respected Confucianism alone, Confucian classics have been used by those in power. When Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty, in order to prove Wang Mang's orthodoxy, Confucianists not only added the new five virtues, but also created auspicious signs in various places and incorporated all the prophecies of ghosts and gods of the alchemists into the Confucian system. As long as Wang Mang needed something, they could provide it.

In the end, the Confucian scholars started to believe it as they made up the story.

These prophecies of ghosts and gods spread throughout the country for a long time. Even when Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu wanted to ascend the throne, he relied on the "Red Fu Fu" to write: "Liu Xiu sent troops to hunt down the unrighteous, and the four barbarians gathered to fight in the wild. At the time of the fourth and seventh days, fire was the main thing."

To explain to the world that he was in line with the prophecies and had the right to be emperor.

Later, some ministers advised Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu not to always rely on interpreting prophecies to decide the major events in the world. Prophecies were nothing but absurd words used to confuse the world. The results of such bizarre things were either good or bad. When the hexagrams were appropriate, they were naturally correct. How could he keep believing in them?
When Liu Xiu heard this, he became furious and refuted it directly.

Some things are easy to add but extremely difficult to remove. To this day, Liu Bei was able to make great efforts in farming in Beihai and Donglai without being denounced by Confucian scholars, which was also one of the reasons why he was extremely consistent with the prophecy of the golden sword.

Confucianism emphasizes loyalty and filial piety. One can go against anyone but not against the one who has received the mandate of heaven. Moreover, Liu Bei's behavior was in line with the "benevolent" policy. He was diligent in government affairs and generous and loved the people.

Although he killed a lot of people, they were all lawbreakers, so he had complicated feelings about it.

It is consistent with the words of sages, but also inconsistent with the ideas of Confucianists. Just when I realized that there is no benevolent monarch who does not pay attention to education and directly executes people according to the law, someone else stood up and said: Lord Xuande also advised the powerful several times, but they turned a blind eye to it. It was intolerable that he sent troops to conquer them. Also, didn't King Wu of Zhou also have the Battle of Muye where there was too much killing and blood flowed?
He instantly blocked other people's words and left many Confucian scholars in Beihai speechless.

Lu Zhi saw that many Confucian scholars were quarreling in Beihai over Xuande's affairs.

He simply invited them all to Pingyuan County under the pretext of a debate on classics, and tried to slowly convince all the Confucian scholars. Zheng Xuan was undoubtedly the most famous Confucian scholar, and as long as he was willing to stand up for Xuande from then on, Confucian scholars from all over the world would surely flock to Qingzhou.

In order to integrate Confucianism and stand on the side of his own disciples, Lu Zhi had already worked very hard and exhausted himself.

"Zi Gan, you have done so much for your disciples. If Xuande intervenes to discipline Confucianism in the future, will you regret it?"

Zheng Xuan, who was wearing a scholar's cap and had white eyebrows, stroked his beard and said.

Although he had never had the opportunity to meet Liu Xuande, he could see Liu Bei's character from his administration in Qingzhou. He was extremely decisive and resolute in his actions.

Everyone has selfish desires, and this is also true for Confucian scholars who study Confucian classics. There are many people who are good at talking about lofty ideas, but if they are asked to become officials, they may not necessarily be capable.

But if they are not employed, it may cause a lot of controversy.

Just because the emperor of Guangwu's lineage could tolerate it doesn't mean Liu Xuande could tolerate it as well.

If those people are to be disciplined in the future, where will Lu Zhi, a great scholar in the country, be placed?

(End of this chapter)