Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 350 What is Sharing the World?

"The Right General?"

Xun You stared wide-eyed in surprise for a moment, then quickly opened the door.

Xun Yu cupped his hands to Liu Bei, then glared at Xun You, but Xun You shook his head and waved his hands repeatedly.

"It wasn't Gongda who sent me. I heard from the city gate commander that Xun Wenruo had come to Linzi, so I came to the guesthouse specifically to find you."

Liu Bei entered with a smile and said, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop at the door. I didn't intend to disturb you two, so I didn't have my servant announce my arrival..."

Xun Yu glanced outside the door and saw two Xun family servants awkwardly watching from a distance in the courtyard of the guesthouse, with Zhao Yun standing beside them... As for the corridor outside the courtyard, no one dared to speak.

This is not the servants' responsibility. No one in the Linzi guesthouse dared to stop Liu Bei. If Liu Bei didn't let them speak, then no one dared to utter a sound.

"The Right General said that Yu is slandering..."

Xun Yu also laughed: "I seem to have said nothing slanderous. General Right, can you really tolerate a lowly scholar sharing the world with the king?"

"What is there tolerable? When have you ever seen me executed without cause?"

Liu Bei spread his hands: "My way is so similar to that of your ancestor Xunzi that everyone in the world can misunderstand me, but your Xun family shouldn't..."

Xun Yu was taken aback: "This... judging from the Right General's actions, it is probably not the way of our ancestors..."

"My ancestor Xunzi did not follow any one school of thought, but gathered the words of a hundred schools of thought, believing that all human nature has flaws, and these flaws should be remedied. Later laws were used to remedy these innate flaws, emphasizing both rites and laws, weakening the mandate of heaven and advocating human nature... My ancestor advocated the harmony of benefit and righteousness, and the use of the mandate of heaven... These are all things I have been striving to implement!"

Liu Bei smiled broadly: "Could it be that the Xun family has changed its ancestral teachings?"

Liu Bei's approach is quite similar to Xunzi's. Yue Yin also agrees with Xunzi's teachings, both emphasizing that Heaven is Heaven and man is man, and both advocating for using acquired efforts and legal constraints to compensate for human shortcomings.

The idea that human nature is inherently evil is not meant as a deliberate criticism, but rather as a means to restrain the evil in human nature through a combination of moral principles, etiquette, and the rule of law, thereby aiming to guide evildoers towards good. This is a pragmatic and practical approach.

Moreover, Xunzi opposed the unity of heaven and man, believing that heaven should not interfere with human affairs, and that man should control and utilize the mandate of heaven, without engaging in superstition or the worship of the mandate of heaven, and instead use the laws of nature to serve human beings.

At the same time, based on human nature, Xunzi emphasized the combination of interests and morality, and the combination of responsibility and obligation. That is, everyone has responsibilities and rights, regardless of class or bloodline. People should do what they are supposed to do, and if they have interests, they should pay the corresponding moral obligations.

If everyone can abide by their own principles and obtain legitimate benefits through righteous means, that is the way of the king. If everyone cannot follow their own principles, then they should be restrained by law to maintain order; coercive restraint is the way of the hegemon. In Xunzi's view, the king and the hegemon are one; with profit and righteousness in harmony, and with the application of both rites and laws, the king and the hegemon are one.

"Of course we must inherit the learning of our Xun family ancestors, but it may not be able to meet the needs of the present day. Only what is useful can be used. I think General Right understands this as well."

Xun Yu shook his head and smiled: "I am overjoyed that my grandfather's learning has been put to use by the Right General. However, since there are no prominent families among the Right General's disciples, I have made these comments."

Liu Bei certainly knew that the Han Dynasty advocated the unity of heaven and man, the inherent goodness of human nature, and the principles of propriety. Most rulers could not follow Xunzi's approach, so the Xun family could only keep a portion of it and instead seek progress through pure Confucianism.

“I have no outstanding disciples. Initially, it wasn’t that I was intolerant of people, but that they were intolerant of me… But now, it’s truly because I look down on them.”

Liu Bei's smile vanished, replaced by a serious and earnest expression: "Wenruo, your ancestor's words about controlling and utilizing the mandate of heaven mean governing the world through human means, not burying one's ambitions due to changes in circumstances. If your Xun family, for the sake of worldly prominence, dares not pass on the teachings of your ancestors and only knows how to drift with the tide, I will look down on you just the same."

“But if you, a member of the Xun family, have great ambitions and are willing to follow me to change the world, I will certainly accept you.”

"I look down on those in high positions who are immoral and incompetent, not on wealthy and powerful families."

"What I cannot tolerate is evil, not wealth and glory... The evil in human nature should be eradicated, as Xunzi said."

“If a family is free from evil, abides by the law, treats others with kindness, and has made contributions to the people, I can tolerate such a family no matter how large it is.”

"But...Wenruo, is it possible to do this at your home?"

Xun Yu remained silent.

After a long silence, Xun Yu finally spoke: "Human nature has evil... No one can be without evil... It is precisely because we cannot be that we dare not travel with the Right General."

"So, if we only consider your family, one room, husband, wife, and several children... can you, Xun Wenruo, uphold the law and achieve merit?"

Liu Bei asked again.

“Of course it can be done…” Xun Yu nodded, then frowned: “General Right, your intention… wouldn’t be to eliminate all clans in the world, would it?”

"Of course not... It's just that human nature has its evils, and every clan has people who don't abide by the law, as well as people who are virtuous and talented... I can tolerate people from any clan, but I look at the person, not their social status."

Liu Bei shook his head and said, “I cannot allow prominent families to monopolize the land, harm the people and weaken them. I can only let everyone use their talents to obtain the benefits they deserve. Corrupt officials and big rats will not be able to enjoy the blessings of their ancestors. If prominent families cannot maintain their strength through their clan prestige, they will find it difficult to control the world and the court. This is the reason why prominent families do not help me.”

"Wenruo, think about it carefully. Is what you mean by 'the scholar and the king sharing the world' truly about jointly governing the world?"

"Taking only profits without taking responsibility; demanding without fulfilling duties; wanting only to enjoy the benefits of the world without working for the well-being of all people... can this be called governing the world together?"

After Liu Bei finished speaking, he pointed to the agricultural strategy on the table and added, "Those whose names are listed in this book are the ones who are truly ruling the world with Your Majesty..."

Xun You lowered his head and remained silent, but it was clear that he agreed with Liu Bei's words.

Xun Yu knew that Liu Bei was right; he had been stuck in his own preconceived notions.

However, it is justified for every large family to pursue prosperity for generations to come and to consider themselves and their family as a whole.

No one is at fault.

“I apologize to the Right General. I was narrow-minded. What I said earlier was indeed offensive.”

Xun Yu bowed politely to Liu Bei, but after raising his head, he still stared into Liu Bei's eyes, clearly unwavering in his resolve: "General Right's words are reasonable, and I admire them, but... does General Right not also possess any human evil?"

Liu Bei shook his head and smiled, understanding Xun Yu's meaning: "Yes, I have also done many illegal things."

Seeing Liu Bei's frankness, Xun Yu was quite surprised and cupped his hands again: "General Right is so open-minded... If I may ask another question, General Right, you are currently assisting the young emperor, issuing commands to the world, refusing to return to the capital, and governing the world all by yourself... Is this a way of ruling the world together with the emperor?"

"Is not it?"

Liu Bei curled his lip: "Wenruo, you can imagine how chaotic the world would become if I didn't do this."

"Then... General Right, if the world is at peace, will you return power to the emperor? Do your generals and commanders wish to lose power?"

Xun Yu asked a series of questions, counting on his fingers: "General, you are a regent now, but what about in the future? Are there no evil elements in your subordinates? They also want to share the world with the king... Who will they see as the king?"

"The general's men all come from humble backgrounds, but in the future... won't they become prominent families?"

Liu Bei nodded: "Xun Wenruo is good at arguing. If only he could use that talent to benefit the people..."

"You question me with sophistry, and I answer you with sincerity... I do not know what the future holds. I only wish to ensure the glory of the Han Dynasty never fades and that the Han people remain strong for ten thousand generations. As for what means to use, none of that is known."

"What will become of me in the future, and what will become of my disciples, are all things of the future."

“Xun Wenruo, you’re always thinking about the future, always looking up, why don’t you look down at the present? Do you even know what the various families in Yanzhou are doing right now?”

Xun Yu was silent for a moment: "...General Right, did you come to see me specifically because there are illegal activities in the prominent families of Yanzhou? What does the General need me to do?"

“Every family in Yanzhou has sent people to Mount Tai; their intentions are all too obvious…”

Liu Bei nodded and said, "When I learned that you had come to Linzi, I specifically sought you out to discuss this matter, hoping to see if we could reduce the number of people killed."

"Wenruo, go to Mount Tai and tell the families of Yanzhou what I have to say. Tell them what it means to govern the world. If they insist on being my enemies, then it's not that I can't tolerate these prominent families."

Liu Bei sighed as he spoke, "I don't want to kill anyone. Tell them not to force me to offer blood as a sacrifice to my ancestors."

Xun Yu sighed, glanced at Xun You, and bowed again: "I understand, I will go now."

After Xun Yu left, Xun You, who had been silent the whole time, whispered, "General Right, the families in Yanzhou must think I betrayed them... Now that I've been forced to cut off all contact with the families in Yanzhou, I wonder what your orders are?"

Liu Bei raised an eyebrow; these two, uncle and nephew, were both incredibly shrewd…

(End of this chapter)