My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 127 Newspaper Debate!

"Your article is brilliant!"

On December 9th, Su Ze handed over the article sent by Gao Gong to Shen Yiguan and others for them to read, and Shen Yiguan exclaimed in amazement.

Luo Wanhua, Wang Jiaping, and Zhang Wei nodded repeatedly.

Everyone present had served as Grand Secretary in history, so they naturally had no interest in empty talk.

However, given the prevailing social atmosphere in Shilin, sometimes one had to pretend to be studying the philosophy of mind in order to maintain social connections.

In his article, Gao Gong not only criticized Zhao Zhenji's article, but also put forward the concept of "practical learning".

Gao Gong stated clearly at the outset:
"It is said that the gentlemen of ancient times studied to understand the Way, and used the Way to benefit the world. But today's Confucian scholars pursue empty words and neglect practical matters, admire sages and forget the suffering of the people. Isn't this going in the opposite direction?"

"If you gentlemen truly wish to follow the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, you should emulate Master Zhang Zai's ambition to 'create peace for all generations.' Local laws, border intelligence, and the calculation of grain transport—these are all places where the wisdom of sages is put into practice."

"Instead of empty talk about 'sages everywhere,' we should actually do something to benefit the people, so as not to fail the purpose of poetry and books in educating people."

Gao Gong first refuted the idea that the School of Mind always aimed to "become a sage," and instead prioritized benefiting the people.

Following this, Gao Gong proposed three parts regarding "practical application of knowledge to the world".

"Verify the name, emphasize implementation, and verify the results."

Simply put, it is exactly the same as the later theory of "practice makes perfect," emphasizing the importance of practice.

Good heavens, I only mentioned practical application, and Gao Gong actually made something out of it!
This article, which is several thousand words long, connects practice and scholarship, and encourages the unity of classical studies and practice.

Upon seeing this, Shen Yiguan and the others were also full of praise.

Su Ze felt somewhat unsatisfied after reading it. The foundation of Confucianism was still too aristocratic. Gao Gong's discussion here returned to the old path of the ruler-subject relationship.

If we can go a step further and combine individual practice with the practice of the entire masses of people, then it rises to the level of "practice is the sole criterion for testing truth," which is a more complete theory of practice.

Unfortunately, Gao Gong still had his limitations and was unable to reach this point in his research.

But that's enough.

Any theory is incomplete when it is first proposed.

Su Ze secretly pondered that if Gao Gong could connect Mencius's "School of Emphasizing the People" and continue to discuss the relationship between practice and "all people under heaven," then this theory of practice would be more complete.

The purpose of publishing articles in newspapers is to encourage more people to think about this issue and then continue to refine the theory.

Many theories have developed into complete theoretical systems through such debates.

Gao Gong was able to come up with such a theory based solely on practical application, which was a pleasant surprise that exceeded Su Ze's expectations.

After reading the article, Su Ze and the others took it and headed towards the cabinet.

When he arrived at the cabinet, the cabinet ministers were having a tea break. Gao Gong saw Su Ze and knew that he had come for the essay, so he led Su Ze to the side hall where guests were being received.

Gao Gong stroked his beard and asked Su Ze smugly:
"Zilin, how's the article?"

Seeing the smile on Gao Gong's face, Su Ze immediately said:

"Master! It is such an honor for me to read such an article and witness the emergence of a great master!"

Su Ze's flattery was so blatant that even Gao Gong couldn't hold back his laughter. He suppressed a smile and said:

"Don't speak recklessly! What grandmaster? Tell me, what aspects of the article need revision?"

If anyone else had seen this scene, they would have been astonished. The Second Grand Secretary of the Cabinet was actually asking Su Ze if he should revise the article. But Gao Gong felt it was perfectly reasonable.

The idea of ​​applying knowledge to practical use was proposed by Su Ze, so it's normal to ask for his opinion.

Su Ze said quickly:

"Such an irrefutable argument needs no alteration!"

Hearing Su Ze say that, Gao Gong finally couldn't help but laugh.

Su Ze continued:

"Master, I have come here today to ask you for a pen name."

Gao Gong then remembered that Zhao Zhenji's last article was signed "Dazhou".

Of course, Dazhou is Zhao Zhenji's pen name, and everyone knows that it is Zhao Zhenji's writing.

But the point of using a pen name is to maintain secrecy.

If cabinet debates were to be conducted under real names, wouldn't that be tantamount to cabinet members engaging in a war of words from afar?

How can the cabinet remain united then?

If the cabinet ministers were to name names and insult each other like this, it would damage the prestige of the cabinet.

Gao Gong immediately understood Su Ze's meaning. As a member of the cabinet, he also had to take the initiative to uphold the authority of the cabinet.

Gao Gong nodded and said:

"Zilin is so thoughtful."

After racking his brains for a long time, Gao Gong still couldn't come up with a suitable pen name. He then looked at Su Ze and said:
"You little rascal, you've already got your plans in mind. Tell me, what should I put as the author of this article?"

Su Ze immediately said:

"Master, how about signing it 'Seeking Truth'?"

"Seek truth, seek truth, good! Good! Good! Let's seek truth then."

Su Ze obediently handed over the article again, and Gao Gong wrote the two characters "Seek Truth" on it, then said to Su Ze:
"If the moral climate of scholars can be reversed, it will not be the achievement of Gao Gong alone."

Gao Gong's meaning was also very clear: if the practical learning could truly become a school of thought, he would not take credit for the contributions of Su Ze and others.

Su Ze said quickly:

"What are you saying, Master? The Analects was written by the disciples of Confucius. How dare you say that the Analects was written by them?"

"To change the prevailing atmosphere among scholars, it is not something only a high-ranking official like yourself can accomplish!"

Gao Gong had been thoroughly flattered by Su Ze today, and in the end, he could only say:
"Get out of here! You dare to borrow and compare things to even saints? Go to the newspaper office and get the newspaper out."

"only!"
-
December 10th, Imperial College.

Shen Li received the latest newspaper; there was an extra chapter in this issue.
Shen Li was an upright man who had little interest in novels and plays. He usually only read the front page of the "Yuefu Xinbao" newspaper, which contained important news.

Shen Li also really likes the newly released section on mountains and rivers and geography. The last issue was written by Tu Zemin, the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou, who introduced the geography of the area around Dengzhou and Laizhou.

Shen Li learned for the first time that Dengzhou, Laizhou, and Liaodong formed a strait entrance that encompassed a large area of ​​sea, namely the Bohai Sea.

The article also introduces the local products of Den Lai. Because of its proximity to the sea, people mainly eat seafood, especially a local seafood product that looks like an intestine and is called sea cucumber, which is very delicious.

Shen Li is from Henan and has never seen the sea. After reading this article, he felt as if he were there.

Indeed, reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles is true.

However, Shen Li didn't look at the other sections today; instead, she went straight to the supplement.

really.

The last article signed by Tai-cho was written by Cabinet Minister Cho Jung-gil. Since Cho Jung-gil was so blatantly promoting the philosophy of mind in the newspapers, it was impossible for the other members of the Cabinet to sit idly by.

The signature is "Seeking Truth"? Who is this Grand Secretary?
Shen Li read the article word by word, and after finishing, he exclaimed in admiration:

"This article is worthy of establishing a new school of thought!"

Shen Li stood up excitedly. He also disliked the current trend of empty talk about the philosophy of mind, which was particularly serious at the Imperial Academy.

Some of the students admitted through the imperial academy through hereditary privilege or by regular appointment were themselves spoiled brats. They didn't come to the Imperial Academy to study; instead, they often gathered to discuss the so-called "attainment of innate knowledge."

These guys don't even understand the basics of Confucian classics. They like to talk about things like "human desires" and use "extending one's innate knowledge" as an excuse for their indulgence.

Shen Li, the Director of Studies at the Imperial Academy, also wanted to rectify the situation, but unfortunately, this was the prevailing atmosphere among scholars.

This article, while criticizing the superficiality and impracticality of the School of Mind, also points out a new path.

Seeking truth from facts, how wonderful!
Shen Li carefully read it twice more, then took out paper and pen to copy down the article, preparing to review it later.

He put down his pen and began to think again.

Who exactly is Qiushi?

Grand Secretary Gao? Grand Secretary Zhang?
Anyone who can rival Zhao Zhenji must be someone from the cabinet.

Shen Li took out the article again, studied it carefully, and determined that the "seeking truth" should be Gao Gong.

Everyone's writing has its own characteristics. The Grand Secretary's writings are widely circulated. With a level of scholarship like Shen Li's, one can naturally guess the author from the writings.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Li summoned several of his disciples to the Minglun Hall.

Zhang Chun was a student who spoke with Su Ze when Su Ze visited the Imperial Academy.

Zhang Chun was originally poor and needed Shen Li to help him with his meals, but after he became the field reporter for the Yuefu Xinbao, he gradually became more financially secure.

Zhang Chun studied diligently and assiduously, and was the favorite of Shen Li.

Shen Li then looked at another young man.

Zhu Juntang, a member of the imperial family of the Dai princely clan, accompanied his father to the capital to file a complaint. After his father was murdered, Zhu Juntang was placed in the Imperial Academy to participate in the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination the following year.

Although he was a member of the imperial family, Zhu Juntang was quite learned and worked very hard after entering the Imperial Academy.

In Shen Li's view, these two were the most likely among his disciples to pass the imperial examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination).

As for the others, whether they can pass the exam depends on luck.

There was no way around it; although it was only the provincial examination, it was actually the most brutal and competitive stage in the entire imperial examination system.

For example, in the Henan provincial examination that Shen Li participated in, there were as many as 2,300 participants, but how many places were allocated to Henan? Only 90 people were accepted from the entire province.

What was the pass rate for those who passed the provincial examination to become imperial scholars?
In the last imperial examination, which was the one for Su Ze, there were a total of 364 successful candidates.

How many people in the country participated in the imperial examinations? The total number did not exceed three thousand.

In comparison, the pass rate for the Henan provincial examination was 3.9%, while the pass rate for the imperial examination was 13.4%.

This number is still after the county-level examinations, where one had to pass the county-level examination to become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level examinations) before they could take the provincial-level examinations.

Even the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination was extremely difficult. Shen Li had been teaching students for so long, and he was very clear about their abilities.

Shen Li said to Zhang Chun:
"Don't sell the latest issue of 'Yuefu Xinbao'; you can keep it for yourselves."

As field scouts, Zhang Chun and the other students were paid by receiving a few extra newspapers.

Nowadays, the "Yuefu Xinbao" is very popular in the capital. Zhang Chun and his colleagues can earn a month's living expenses just by reselling it.

Zhang Chun quickly asked:

"Is our teacher having us study this year's eight-legged essay?"

Shen Li shook his head and said:
"I'm not asking you to study the eight-legged essay, but to study the article in the supplement."

Zhang Chun asked in confusion:
"Didn't my teacher dislike these kinds of debate articles the most?"

Shen Li often instructed his disciples not to read these articles on the philosophy of mind when their foundation was not solid, which was also for their sake in the imperial examinations.

At this stage of the provincial examination, the test still focuses on basic knowledge, and answers must be given within a specified scope. At this point, engaging with the philosophy of mind might actually negatively impact one's chances of passing the imperial examination.

Shen Li nodded and said, "This is the right way, but if I'm not mistaken, this article should have been written by Grand Secretary Gao."

"Study hard, and you might be able to use your knowledge in next year's Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination."

Shen Li's words were certainly not nonsense.

Scholarship and the imperial examination system naturally influenced each other.

The most typical example is when Wang Anshi implemented his reforms, he forcibly adopted his own "New Interpretations of the Three Classics" as the examination syllabus.

The examination syllabus for the Ming Dynasty's imperial examinations was limited, but that did not prevent the examiners of the provincial examinations from setting questions based on the content of this practical learning text.

That's all Shen Li could say. Whether or not one can comprehend it depends on their own destiny.
-
Six-science corridor.

Shen Shu, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Justice, felt extremely humiliated, as he was in charge of borrowing newspapers from the Secretariat today.

Unfortunately, Su Ze and the Six Ministries and the Censorate were at odds, so of all the government offices in the capital, only these two departments did not subscribe to newspapers.

But given the current circulation of the Yuefu Xinbao, if you don't read it, you might miss out on even the hottest topics in the capital.

For officials who need the most information, this is completely unacceptable.

Therefore, the Six Ministries established a new rule that one of the Supervising Secretaries would borrow newspapers from the neighboring Secretariat every day.

Today it's Shen Shu's turn.

Shen Shu reluctantly borrowed the newspaper, and as soon as he returned to the Sixth Department, he was surrounded by his colleagues.

The six officials began scrambling for the newspaper, which was divided into several pieces. Shen Shu took one newspaper for himself and returned to his seat to read it.

Practical knowledge?

Shen Shu is a believer in the philosophy of mind. He thoroughly enjoyed Zhao Zhenji's article in the previous issue, but he never expected that today's article would be a contest with the philosophy of mind.

Shen Shu roused himself and tried to find loopholes in the article.

But after reading it twice, he still couldn't find any flaws!

This article is logically consistent and has reached the level of being a school of thought of its own. Given Shen Shu's attainments in the interpretation of the classics, there is simply no point of rebuttal for him in a short period of time!

Shen Shu gasped. What a storm this article would cause in Shilin if it were published!
Looking at the author again, is it a pragmatic approach?

Which Grand Secretary was it? Gao Gong or Zhang Juzheng?
Shen Shu read the article twice more and noticed that at the end, Su Ze was soliciting contributions from everyone in the world. Shen Shu unconsciously picked up his pen.

In the coming days, there will surely be a heated debate in the capital over these two articles.

Shen Shu needs to seize this opportunity and carefully find the flaws in it.

If I could refute this article, wouldn't I become a master of the philosophy of mind?

Shen Shu paused again, wondering if he should submit an article to the Yuefu Xinbao.
If my colleagues find out, will I be unable to stay in the Sixth Division?
-
Just as the entire scholarly community of the capital was in an uproar over these two articles, Zhu Yijun, the Crown Prince, brought Zhang Hong to the kitchen in the Eastern Palace.

Today is the day the new soy sauce is ready to be taken out of the jar.

(End of this chapter)