I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 53: Yuan Yang's Debate (Additional chapter for the end of the alliance leader's world)

In the past, Yuan Shu felt that things like rituals were really boring, cumbersome and a waste of money, and had no practical use other than highlighting class differences.

However, as he gradually understood the society at the end of the Han Dynasty, he realized the importance of etiquette to this ancient country.

From national affairs to ordinary people, the entire society cannot do without "etiquette".

From the emperor's enthronement and the empress's enthronement to the common people's marriages and funerals, etiquette cannot be avoided at all.

Its influence even continues into modern times.

Modern people have to go through certain steps when getting married or holding funerals. The opening of a company, moving to a new home, and buying a new car also require some small steps, all of which fall into the category of "ritual".

When these things penetrate deeply into people's lives, they will have influence in all aspects, including politics and economy. Even the slightest change will cause social shock.

Therefore, later dynasties all had a "Ministry of Rites", and its status was often particularly high.

For example, before senior ministers in the Ming Dynasty could enter the cabinet, they had to first serve as the Minister of Rites in the Ministry of Rites to familiarize themselves with the court etiquette, and then they could enter the cabinet and become "cabinet elders."

In the Han Dynasty, due to the incomplete records of rituals caused by the Qin fire and the open and secret struggles between the modern and ancient texts, some issues related to the rituals became the focus of debate between the two sides. Having a certain understanding and reputation in the rituals would have a significant effect on improving one's personal status.

So Yang Biao chose to discuss the issue of etiquette very directly.

In this topic, the so-called three-year mourning period refers to the mourning period.

Generally speaking, when there is a death in a normal family or an official family, the children will have a three-year mourning period. During these three years, they have to wear worn-out clothes, live next to their parents' graves, eat vegetarian food, and are not allowed to engage in any entertainment activities to express their grief.

At the national level, whether or not there should be a three-year mourning period after the death of the old emperor and the accession of the new emperor is a big issue.

It is said that there was one at the beginning, but later on, considering that it would interfere too much with state affairs, various regulations were made to relax the restrictions, such as letting the new emperor mourn for seven days, and then returning to normal.

However, the so-called three-year national mourning is, after all, a clear ritual system. What one does behind closed doors is one's own business. But in public or even diplomatic occasions, whether or not to abide by it and whether to do anything within three years is also a question worth discussing in the Spring and Autumn Period, the Warring States Period and the Han Dynasty.

This is one problem, and when this problem collides with the marriage ceremony, it becomes a new problem.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when a new king ascended the throne, he often needed to send envoys to various diplomatic allies to conduct diplomatic activities, telling these diplomatic allies that their leader had changed, who the new leader was, and that they should get to know each other, continue their past friendship, and not become estranged.

This is very meaningful for a new monarch.

But in this era, it is related to filial piety and etiquette.

Your father died, and you sent people out to tell others that your father died, and you became the new boss, asking others to be friendly with you. Is this against filial piety? Is this not respecting the dead? Should we wait three years before discussing this matter?
This has created an important ritual issue concerning filial piety and national reputation.

On this issue, the Modern Literature School and the Ancient Literature School argued endlessly, each holding their own views. The Modern Literature School believed that during the three-year mourning period, a noble could not be sent out to marry a woman, while the Ancient Literature School believed that it could be allowed.

At present, Yang Biao adheres to the views of the Modern Literature School.

He quoted the opinions of Gongyang Chunqiu and opposed the views of Zuoshi Chunqiu, saying: "During the three-year mourning period, you are not allowed to go out to get a marriage proposal. If you go out, it will violate filial piety and human ethics."

Yang Biao made a move, so of course Yuan Shu had to accept it.

"According to Zhou Li, the princes' diplomatic relations were annual greetings, the Yin dynasty paid homage to each other, and the generations paid homage to each other. Zuo's work conforms to the ancient rituals, so what's the difficulty?"

What Yuan Shu meant was that according to the Zhou rituals that have been handed down to this day, the interactions between the princes were called "wen" once a year and "pin" every few years. The new monarch's visits to other countries or other countries' visits to other countries were called "chao".

There is no rule here that says that the three-year mourning period does not allow the princes to have diplomatic relations and greetings with each other.

Yang Biao still shook his head.

"The wise kings of the past ruled the country with loyalty and filial piety. If you act before the three-year mourning period is over, it is against human ethics and should be regarded as unfilial."

Yuan Shu did not retreat.

"Zuo Shi said that the successor should end the mourning period after the burial. After the burial, the mourning period should be limited to the day of the burial. If not, if there is no administration for three years, wouldn't the world be in chaos?"

Yang Biao continued to argue.

"In the eighth month of the eighth year of Duke Wen, King Xiang died. In the spring of the ninth year, the emperor sent Mao Bo to ask for gold. However, the Spring and Autumn Annals did not admit that this was the king's order, which shows that the Spring and Autumn Annals did not recognize that a noble could be sent out to marry after three years of mourning. What Zuo Shi said is wrong!"

Yuan Shu smiled.

"The reason why the Spring and Autumn Annals did not recognize this as a royal decree was because King Xiang had not been formally buried. As long as he had not been formally buried, even if a year had passed, it could not be considered that the mourning period was over. In the fourth month of the summer of the thirteenth year of Duke Xuan, Duke Hui of Qi died. In the winter, the new king sent an envoy to visit the State of Lu. What was the reason for this?"

Yang Biao immediately started thinking hard, trying to find the answer to this question, but after thinking over and over again and searching desperately, he still couldn't find a solution.

Seeing that Yang Biao’s face turned red and he was trying hard to think without any result, Yuan Shu didn’t give in to him and continued to attack.

"Shu believes that as long as the funeral is completed, even if the age limit has not been exceeded, envoys can be sent to visit other countries. The ancients said that the dead are at peace after being buried. Ordinary people can mourn for three years if there is no major event, but the country cannot be without a monarch for a day. The monarch works hard for the country, so there cannot be a three-year mourning period."

Yang Biao thought about it again and again, but could not think of any example to refute it. Facing Yuan Shu's merciless attack, although he was unwilling, he could only take a deep breath and nodded.

"I have no way to refute it. This is because of my limited knowledge, not a problem of etiquette." The onlookers were in an uproar.

Yang Biao said this to save his reputation, but it also meant he was admitting defeat.

If they can't win the argument over Yuan Shu, then they lose. As for whether Yang Biao is right or Yuan Shu is right... they have no real power to decide.

Yang Biao realized how difficult Yuan Shu was, and found that he had underestimated Yuan Shu's knowledge and thinking ability. So he cheered up and rushed to fight again.

The topic of this debate is: Can the nobles inherit their positions?

Yang Biao certainly stood on the position of the Modern Literature School, saying that ministers should not inherit their positions.

He thought Yuan Shu would debate with him, but unexpectedly Yuan Shu actually nodded in agreement with his point of view, indicating that this topic could be skipped.

The onlookers were surprised, and Ma Rong was also a little surprised.

Although Yuan Shu came from a family that was well versed in the New Text classics, here he was a disciple of Ma Rong and represented the Old Text School. Yang Biao put forward arguments from the standpoint of the New Text School, and you, Yuan Shu, should have quoted Zuo's arguments to refute him.

The ancient literature school believed that outstanding and virtuous people among the ministers could inherit their positions.

As a result, Yuan Shu directly expressed that he agreed with the view of the Modern Literature School, and even Yang Biao was a little confused.

"Of course, the positions of the nobles and officials cannot be inherited. The only things that can be inherited are the titles of nobility. The system of selecting officials has been in place for a long time. If it is suddenly changed, people all over the country will not be able to become officials. The longer it lasts, the more resentment there will be. The deeper the resentment, the more danger there will be for the Han Dynasty."

Yuan Shu said this to express his attitude.

He would not ignore the actual situation because of disputes among schools of thought or personal feelings. To him, truth comes first.

His attitude surprised Yang Biao.

As a result, I actually developed a slight liking for Yuan Shu.

Ma Rong felt that the situation was a bit awkward, so he spoke up and asked them to move on to the next topic and not to talk about the current one any further.

Therefore, the results of this round did not count. Ma Rong personally selected the topic, "The Successor to the Founding of a Country", and asked the two to debate.

This topic is also quite controversial and worth debating.

The issue of selecting the successor to the throne has existed throughout five thousand years of ancient Chinese history. Everyone has been trying to patch and improve the system, but the system has never been perfected and has always caused various problems.

And this time, it was Yuan Shu who attacked first.

"Zuo Zhuan Zhaogong 26 says, 'If there is a legitimate heir, the heir shall be made the heir. If the queen has no legitimate heir, then the eldest son shall be chosen as the heir. The age shall be determined by virtue, and virtue shall be determined by divination. The king shall not make the heir a favorite, and the dukes and ministers shall be impartial. This is the ancient system.'"

The meaning of Zuo Zhuan is actually similar to the basic principle that was adopted by all dynasties later: "If there is a legitimate son, the eldest son will be the heir; if there is no legitimate son, the eldest son will be the heir", but it proposes more patches.

For example, if there is no legitimate son, then if the illegitimate sons are of similar age, then we will see who has better character. If their character is similar, then we have to resort to the last resort - divination.

In short, the monarch cannot appoint a successor just because of his private preference. When it comes to appointing a successor, the public opinion is the most fundamental factor.

This is a rule that everyone agrees on.

Yang Biao was obviously very dissatisfied with this view.

"The Zuo Chuan's words are true, but if the monarch is virtuous, the ministers and the people will follow him happily. The king's will is the people's will. How can the king not establish a favorite?"

Yang Biao expressed his views from a relatively realistic perspective.

When it comes to appointing a successor, the monarch often has a great deal of autonomy, although he will be subject to certain restrictions by his ministers. However, whether such restrictions are useful or not depends on the time.

If the king is very capable and prestigious, then his ministers are accustomed to obeying his orders and will not oppose him. So how can they stop him from making his favorite son the heir?

To put it bluntly, the Modern Literature School has a tradition of limiting the power of the monarch. From the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties, the power of the monarch has actually been constantly increasing, and this increase has come more from the institutional level.

This is terrible.

Once the system is formed, it means that the emperor can naturally hold great power and make arbitrary decisions on many matters without having to listen to the advice of his ministers. The ministers can only become yes-men and cannot become important assistants like the wise ministers in ancient times.

The New Literature School was aware of this trend, so in the late Western Han Dynasty they proposed the Theory of Heavenly Prisoners, attempting to limit the emperor's power. However, the emperor chopped off their vitals with a knife, and they lost their will to make progress.

Although the entire school was gradually declining, Yang Biao, as the top figure in this system, still held a basic attitude of restricting the monarch's power and not allowing the monarch to do whatever he wanted.

Therefore, he believed that the series of views held by the ancient literature school were too idealistic and did not take practical issues into consideration.

The biggest variable in this issue comes from the emperor, not his character or age.

(End of this chapter)