A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 167 Later Confucian Scholars
"Teacher, the people have been longing for a prosperous era for a very long time..."

"What do I care about the lives and deaths of the common people?"

A summer night.

Suddenly, Wuqiu Shouwang felt incredibly cold.

Confucianism often praises the period when the Zhou rites were in full swing as a golden age, but the "common people" in the Shang and Zhou periods did not refer to the common people, but to the nobles.

Above the self, all beings are equal.

Below the self, there is a clear hierarchy.

This is called "Confucianism".

King Wuqiu Shou's resolve wavered.

When one's inner beliefs conflict with fundamental doctrines, it is easy to feel lost and confused.

"Zi Gan".

Dong Zhongshu placed his right hand on Wuqiu Shouwang's left shoulder, gazed into his disciple's eyes, and said earnestly, "Confucianism can yield, but it cannot perish; learning cannot be destroyed by power."

"Teacher, what about the schools of thought that were suppressed by Confucianism through its power in the past?"

"That was just a 'mistake' by Confucianism in the past."

"Will teachers one day reshape that knowledge?"

"We must exert all our strength."

"Teacher, are you willing to return the 'classical texts' that have been seized by the Confucian school?" Wuqiu Shouwang stared intently at his teacher and asked the crucial question.

Confucianism not only eliminates other schools of thought, but also steals the classics of other schools of thought, disguises them, and uses them for its own purposes.

Within Confucianism, this is referred to as "taking the essence and discarding the dross," which is "learning" and "borrowing," not "stealing."

In fact, a thief is a thief, and a robber is a robber.

Hundreds of years ago, Zhuangzi saw through the essence of Confucianism and even fabricated a story of a great thief to criticize Confucian etiquette and the wealth and prominence of common Confucian scholars.

This is the great thief, Robber Zhi.

Confucius and Liu Xiaji were good friends, but Liu Xiaji's younger brother, Dao Zhi, gathered thousands of men and ran rampant throughout the land, harassing the feudal lords and causing great suffering to the people.

Confucius believed that Liu Xia Ji, as a prominent figure, had a responsibility to educate his younger brother, so he decided to persuade Robber Zhi to reform. Despite Liu Xia Ji's strong dissuasion, Confucius insisted on going.

Confucius had Yan Hui drive the carriage, with Zigong accompanying him, to meet Robber Zhi. At that time, Robber Zhi was resting his soldiers on the southern slope of Mount Tai. When he heard that Confucius was requesting an audience, he glared angrily and told Confucius to go back, or he would have his heart and liver for lunch.

Confucius was unwilling to give up and asked to be introduced again, saying that he was introduced by Liu Xia Ji. Only then did Dao Zhi agree to let him in.

When Confucius met Robber Zhi, he first bowed and spoke at length about benevolence, righteousness, and morality. He praised Robber Zhi for his wisdom and courage, saying that he could have followed the right path and had no need to be a robber. He also said that if Robber Zhi could listen to his advice and stop being a thief, he would be willing to travel to various countries to persuade them to change their views on Robber Zhi.

Robber Zhi was furious and retorted that Confucius was using wealth and rewards to tempt him into becoming a compliant subject.

He believed that Yao, Shun, Tang of Shang, and King Wu of Zhou were all people who bullied the weak and oppressed the powerful. He also believed that Confucius learned the ways of governing the country from King Wen and King Wu of Zhou, and that he used deceptive words and hypocritical behavior to educate future generations and confuse the monarch in order to gain his own wealth and status. He considered Confucius to be the biggest robber. He also pointed out that Confucius failed in educating Zilu, and that Zilu was chopped into mincemeat on the east gate of the State of Wei.

Confucius declined the offer and left.

Using Taoist principles to deceive a great thief is Zhuangzi's wisdom, but Dong Zhongshu's actions seem to be validating the story.

"Deceptive words," "hypocritical behavior," "bewitching the monarch," and "exchanging wealth and status"—teachers may not care about their own wealth and status, but they want Confucianism to "be prominent" and "become noble."

To achieve his goal, Wuqiu Shouwang could understand a certain degree of humility, but claiming stolen goods as his own, without even citing their provenance, was something he simply couldn't accept. Having failed in his decades of study, Wuqiu Shouwang didn't want to dwell on it anymore. He was willing to lend his teacher a hand again, provided that the stolen goods were returned.

These are the conditions for providing assistance.

The collapse of his scholarship did not cause Dong Zhongshu to show any pain, but the "returning of things" made his heart ache.

As the foremost Confucian scholar of his time, he knew better than anyone how much Confucianism had "taken" from other schools of thought and, after adjustments, made it its own.

He absorbed the Legalist ideas of the rule of law and emphasized the necessity of laws, but reconciled them with the middle way and the benevolent way, and criticized harsh laws and severe punishments.

It borrows from Taoism's respect for nature and dialectical thinking, but places greater emphasis on worldly involvement and reputation.

The Mohists were influenced by the Mohist principles of universal love and non-aggression, but the Confucian concept of benevolence emphasized kinship and hierarchical order.

While adopting the logical reasoning of renowned figures, we place even greater emphasis on their virtue and integrity.

The Yin-Yang School incorporates its own prophecies and apocryphal texts, but advocates "manifesting benevolence and concealing its practical application."

He drew upon the strategic wisdom of the military strategists, but believed that force was merely a temporary measure, and valued moral education and the system of rites and music.

He adopted the strategies of the strategists, but placed greater emphasis on integrity and benevolence, and opposed power struggles and cunning.

While influenced by the agricultural emphasis of farming families, Confucianism believes that material needs are only the foundation, and that spiritual and moral enrichment is more important.

……

It is said that half of the Analects can govern the world. If we really return the teachings of the Hundred Schools of Thought, then Confucianism will only have the Analects left.

The books of sages are meant to be read by others; they are utterly useless for practical matters.

If we were to use the Analects to fight against the Hundred Schools of Thought, not to mention anything else, any one of the major schools of thought such as Taoism, Mohism, Legalism, Agriculturalism, or Military Science could probably easily crush Confucianism.

Dong Zhongshu pondered for a long time, then let out a long sigh, “When I annotate the classics again, I will mark the sources from all schools of thought.”

From now on, the lives of Confucian scholars will become more and more difficult, and his plan is very risky. Once exposed, it is very likely that a Han Dynasty version of "burning books and burying scholars alive" will be staged immediately. The emperor is not Qin Shi Huang, whose dragon claws are much blacker. Therefore, it is necessary to get the support of Wuqiu Shouwang, unite the majority of Confucian officials and scholars to hold on and persevere.

As for later generations seeing that his annotations of the classics included annotations from various schools of thought, Dong Zhongshu firmly believed that "the power of later Confucian scholars" would help him gradually fade into obscurity.

Centuries later, he remains the greatest Confucian scholar after the sages of Confucianism.

Wuqiu Shouwang could tell that his teacher's words were not from the heart, but as a disciple, it was too much to force his teacher to this extent.

"Teacher, what can I do?"

“Zi Gan, you have served His Majesty in the Central Court for many years. His Majesty trusts you far more than he trusts me. This great victory in the Southern Yue and Southwestern Yi regions will surely increase His Majesty’s frustration. Please make sure that His Majesty firmly believes that the victory in the south is the result of His Majesty’s preparation and accumulation over the past ten years, and that His Majesty has gained it without effort.”

"anything else?"

"In the past, many officials from the central and northern courts frequented the Weiyang Palace and the Yeting Palace. Could Zigan have had close relationships with the eunuchs in the palace?"

"How many people are there?"

"Please tell me, I intend to create an 'accident' in Weiyang Palace."

King Wuqiu Shou stopped thinking about that treasonous word and completely cleared his mind, "Is there anything else?"

Dong Zhongshu shook his head and looked north. "There's no need for Zigan to concern himself with the matter of the collapse of the state."

(End of this chapter)