Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 557 The Study of Investigating Things
In the end, Wang Chong accepted the reality that "there really is a netherworld after death."

Aside from his initial surprise and shock, he remained composed throughout.

He Bo asked him why he did that.

Wang Chong then said, "My understanding of the world is based on what I have observed and what I have understood."

"In my lifetime, I only saw mundane things, and having witnessed the harm done by prophetic sorcerers, I came to the conclusion that 'there are no ghosts or gods in the world, only qi, which is naturally formed.'"

"Now that I am dead, I have truly come to Fengdu and seen things I had never seen in my life. Although I am surprised, in the end, for things that I do not understand but exist, I only need to observe them, acknowledge them, and draw conclusions."

He Bo then burst into laughter and said to Ximen Bao, "No wonder you've been forbidding me from seeing this sage; you must be worried I'll corrupt him!"

Look at this simple materialistic concept.

Listen to these objective and rational remarks.
These are the wise men who, after thousands of years of accumulation, naturally emerged from the Chinese civilization as "human beings".

Unlike "Mingwu," which is a product of God's inspiration.

Doctor Ximen stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes full of admiration for Wang Chong.

Wang Yanshi, Wang Jing, Wang Chong, and other figures,
These are all descendants whom his long-deceased ancestor would have hoped for and loved.

Babies in swaddling clothes are certainly adorable,

But children who have the ability to solve the problems at hand and who dare to use their wisdom to interpret the world around them...
That will make adults feel at ease.

these people,
It is the foundation and essence of "human existence," inherited from pioneering predecessors and the key to enlightening those who follow.

Hundreds of years ago,
In an era rife with witchcraft, where even a two-headed snake could frighten workers in the fields into fleeing in terror,
Ximen Bao, who dared to throw a witch into the water to feed the fish in front of the entire county, always hoped that people like the Three Kings could come in an endless stream.

Even if God no longer protects humankind,

Even if ghosts and gods have vanished like in the more distant era before the Spring and Autumn Period,
Ordinary people can also rely on their own abilities to open up a wider and longer road.

Although God occasionally laments, "Why are there so many people with the surname Wang?"

But this did not stop Doctor Ximen from secretly casting admiring glances at him.

"Because of Lao Gui's obstruction, I have accumulated a lot of things I want to say to you. I don't know if you are willing to give me such an opportunity now."

He Bo has always been very enthusiastic when faced with talented people who are ahead of their time.

Wang Chong, of course, would not refuse.

The two then began to talk.

He Bo introduced Wang Chong to the various aspects of the underworld, and also talked about the things in the mortal world, which are not affected by ghosts and gods, and are formed by the natural laws of heaven and earth.

Aside from the wisdom of later generations,
With his identity as a ghost or deity, and his long and leisurely life, which was the same as that of the world, He Bo had accumulated a lot of knowledge and understanding in this area.

He often discussed these things with the dead in the underworld and the living in the mortal world, including Wang Jing.

Simply stating it directly might be counterproductive, so he often guides others to think and explore on their own through discussion and exchange.

What you learn from books is never enough!

Among the countless people who discussed the Dao with ghosts and gods, Wang Chong was always among those who could best follow God's train of thought and quickly understand its true meaning.

Even faster than Wang Jing!
Wang Yanshi, the water ghost who dragged Wang Jing into the discussion, defended his junior, saying, "He was delayed by Emperors Ming and Zhang."

This father and son always liked to use the most useful people when it came to employing others.

However, their social status always made it impossible for Wang Jing to resist.

Wang Jing's meticulous nature meant that once he took on a task, he was unwilling to slack off or slack off.

This vicious cycle continued until Wang Jing resigned from his official post and retired, at which point he had enough time and energy to write down his learning and thoughts and compile them into a book.

As for Wang Chong

Although he had experience studying at the Imperial Academy and serving as an official, he was fortunate enough to escape disaster because he did not live in Luoyang, under the emperor's watchful eye.

After completing his studies, Wang Chong returned to his hometown and served the local governor.

Not long after, dissatisfied with the corruption in officialdom, he resigned in anger.

After that, the emperor repeatedly issued edicts to recruit him, but he firmly declined each time. Only at the request of the prefect did he serve as a local official.

no way,
The county magistrate is not as good as taking charge now.

The emperor's capital, Luoyang, was far away.

Wang Chong, however, still had to live under the jurisdiction of the prefect.

But even so,
It was still better than Wang Jing, who was treated like a beast of burden by two emperors.

This gave Wang Chong enough time to devote much of his energy to writing the monumental work, "Lunheng".

Ignoring the water ghost who was still trying to save face for his junior, He Bo continued to praise Wang Chong.

“If Mingwu is a skill that is close to the Dao, then Lunheng can be called the Dao.”

The former mainly consists of various theorems and examples, which are the results summarized by predecessors and then fed to later generations for them to chew and digest, so as to help them grow.

The latter, on the other hand, teaches future generations how to view the world from the perspective of the natural order.

That is fundamental wisdom, capable of providing a continuous source of strength for those who come after.

Wang Chong felt somewhat embarrassed by what God said.

He made a few self-deprecating remarks, then reciprocated God's enthusiasm, praising the peace of the underworld.

"Only after meeting someone like you can I understand why Mozi proposed the concepts of 'understanding ghosts' and 'the will of Heaven' back then."

Human beings all have selfish desires.

If a person can put personal desires aside and prioritize the well-being of the nation and the world, and persevere in doing so without forgetting their original aspirations, then they can be called a "sage".

Unfortunately, few of them had a good ending.

There are very few examples of perfection throughout history.

It seems that only a God who has no needs from humankind, yet is merciful, loving, wise, and discerning, could build the "ideal land" that human beings pursue.

Moreover, despite possessing the power to alter landscapes, it still chooses to follow the natural order, allowing rivers to flow freely across the land and plants to flourish joyfully under the sunlight.

Singing and dancing with children swimming in the spring.
Harvesting grain with hardworking farmers in autumn...

This is a testament to the great benevolence and love that even Wang Chong, a scholar who had always rejected the idea of ​​ghosts and gods and insisted that "human affairs should be handled by human beings," praised.

Not to mention the underworld, which operates constantly and truly fulfills the human desire for "good and evil to be rewarded accordingly."

And what about such praise?
He Bo accepted it calmly.

Although he outsourced the construction of the underworld to Ximen Bao, the massive amount of paperwork was left to the numerous dead ghosts to handle.
But a leader is still a leader, after all.
He is responsible for the mistakes of his subordinates.
However, the credit must be handed over.

Fortunately, Dr. Simon was already used to this kind of trust and delegation of authority.
Looking at God's smug expression, he merely exchanged a glance with his wife beside him before lowering his head again to peruse the "Lunheng" (Discourses Weighed in the Balance).

at the same time,

After agreeing with his ministers on matters related to attacking the Yan state and recovering Liaodong,

The emperor stroked the book "Lunheng" in his hand and summoned Wang Jing, a retired and capable former minister.

He asked the other party:
"What impact would it have on the country if the Imperial Academy were to add subjects beyond the Five Classics?"

"I have read the books you presented, and I have also received works from others. I quite approve of the study of things."

What is good from above must be followed by those below.

Even if the emperor knew that his every move affected the country, and that he could not act recklessly or easily reveal certain biases,
But inside and outside the palace, who wouldn't try to figure out the emperor's intentions?
Not to mention the fact that the Emperor's fondness for Consort Deng and their frequent discussions about "Mingwu" had already been spread by the resentful Empress Yin.

Thus, the ministers learned which areas of knowledge the precocious young emperor was interested in.

Subsequently,

Wang Chong's life's work, the *Lunheng*, was completed just before his death. A local official hastily copied a copy and presented it to the emperor. The wisdom contained within this book naturally provided new inspiration to the emperor, who had already read the *Mingwu* several times.

The emperor who, before departing, told the Western envoys that he would "pass on the way, not the skills," clearly had a certain understanding of the importance of skills.

Those who can attain the "Dao" are extremely rare in the world.

However, skills can be acquired through learning and practice.

The Han Dynasty had a population of tens of millions.
If even one in ten thousand people possessed the "Tao" and the rest acquired the "skill," how prosperous and flourishing the world would become! Even the emperor, whose wisdom astonished the world, could not have imagined such a scene.

But that doesn’t stop him from trying to do it.

After all, he is young and full of energy.

When a glimpse of a bright future appears before his eyes, he is willing to pursue it.

Young people always have wonderful ideas.
His status as emperor gave him the possibility of putting this idea into practice.

As for the consequences of spreading advanced technologies and even teaching people to learn, think, and explore, the emperor naturally considered them.

If placed in later generations,

He may choose to stifle public intelligence.

But now it is the era of the Han Dynasty.

It is an era that bears the name of a sky full of stars.

Even an emperor who wields absolute power and torments everyone equally can still nonchalantly discuss with his ministers, "The Han dynasty faced six or seven calamities, and the one who will replace it will be Dangtu Gao."

It continued the spirit of the pre-Qin era, where rulers and ministers sat and discussed principles, pointing out each other's ideas without needing to repeatedly kowtow and sing praises, and viewing the ruler as transcendent.

It was an era in which officials were frequently dispatched to the countryside to convey government decrees, teach farming techniques, and open many schools so that the people could learn to read and understand principles and comment on the government.

Therefore, the emperor did not think there was anything wrong with what he did.

This is his country.

This is the land where the Chinese people have lived since ancient times.
The people of this country,
The people living on this land
If we could utilize more efficient and user-friendly tools, we could create a truly prosperous era.

As the emperor of the Han Dynasty and the Son of Heaven of all the Chinese people, why shouldn't he do it?
As people often say, "Parents love their children and plan far ahead for them."

The emperor considered himself the ruler and father of all people, so how could he not consider the well-being of the people?
Anyway, for an emperor who was only in his early twenties,
The practice of destroying classics, blocking skills, and deceiving the people in order to eliminate potential threats and consolidate a rule that could not last forever is utterly incomprehensible.

Even the tyrannical Qin dynasty, which was overthrown by the Han dynasty, only confiscated the writings of various philosophers that were not conducive to the Legalist school's "profit from one source," but did not prohibit the people from learning skills!
Under the tyrannical Qin dynasty, the basic requirements for ordinary people to become officials were to be able to read the law and be able to write and calculate!

Not to mention the contributions made by the Western Qin in the study of things after its establishment.

Therefore,
Even the tyrannical Qin Dynasty wouldn't do this.

Why would a great man like him do it?
Wang Jing was also deeply moved upon hearing the emperor's words.

However, in today's world, the high status, numerous disciples, and wide influence of the Five Classics of Confucianism cannot be easily shaken.

The emperor certainly has power,
But the position of Confucianism was also established by several previous emperors!

What the emperor wants to do cannot be achieved overnight.

Fortunately, the same principle still applies—

Today is the Han Dynasty.
Not any other dynasty in later times.

The vibrant spirit of Chinese civilization is bursting forth in this era.

This era is not afraid of unknown changes; in fact, some insightful people will cheer and applaud the earth-shaking changes.

The rebellious spirit unique to young people, and the vibrant energy of the Chinese nation are all possible!

"No matter how difficult it may be, I have many years to take things slowly!"

Wang Jing heard the young monarch say this.

He stroked his gray beard and then said, "I am old and I am afraid I can no longer keep up with Your Majesty's pace."

"Therefore, I am willing to recommend someone to share Your Majesty's burdens!"

"Who is it?" the emperor asked, casting his gaze.

"Zhang Heng".

……

"Ok?"

"What preparations do you need me to make?"

Why did His Majesty suddenly summon me?

Zhang Heng, who was still studying at the Imperial Academy and not yet famous, looked puzzled when he received the news.

Wang Jing, who was dragged into being a scapegoat by Wang Yanshi and eventually found Zhang Heng to be his scapegoat, did not answer.

He simply said, "Just organize everything you have about investigating things!"

"It can't be a bad thing, either way!"

When Zhang Heng heard him say that, he had no choice but to obediently agree.

the next day,
He entered the palace to pay his respects to the emperor.

After he was released, he was given an official position and put in charge of clearing the channels in Luoyang.

This spring and summer, there was more rain than in previous years.

Over time, a lot of silt has accumulated in the water diversion channels built by Wang Jing.

The rain poured down, first filling the Yi and Luo rivers, then the irrigation canals, and finally overflowing, turning the streets of Luoyang into a muddy mess.

This cannot be called a disaster.

After all, the city was located on a plain, where several rivers converged, so it was perfectly normal for such a situation to occur.

But the nobles in the capital still complain about it.

After the people's clothes got muddy, they also had to deal with chores such as washing and drying them.

It's really annoying!
When the emperor heard these complaints, he knew he couldn't change the will of Heaven and make the rain fall as Luoyang desired. So he ordered Zhang Heng to find a way to improve the drainage system inside and outside the city.

Wang Jing praised him as "a younger generation who will surely surpass him in the future."
Then the former could dredge the Yellow River.

Although the latter is young and this is his first time serving as an official, surely he can manage to handle even a water canal?

then,

Zhang Heng arrived at the Ministry of Works, sat in the same work station where Wang Jing had worked, wore the official robes Wang Jing wore when he first entered officialdom, and did similar work as Wang Jing had done back then.

The old man just built the White Horse Temple back then.

Zhang Heng is currently working on repairing the waterway that encircles Luoyang.

Moreover, the number of onlookers did not change much.

Back then, Baima Temple attracted a group of idle old men and women to watch the spectacle.

Now that the channels are being cleared, it's no surprise that a group of bored retired seniors are pointing fingers and gossiping.

"...Why don't you take charge of this matter?"

The brand-new civil engineering student, Zhang Heng, raised his sweat-covered face and looked speechlessly at Wang Jing, who stood to the side with his hands behind his back but his mouth constantly agape.

The old man quickly waved his hand and shut his mouth.

(End of this chapter)