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

Chapter 239 Heavenly Man
Tears streamed down their faces as they parted.

Yin Zhong kowtowed and left.

Watching his disciple's retreating figure until it disappeared from sight, Dong Zhongshu suppressed all his emotions.

In this world, genuine affection cannot be concealed.

His Majesty's fondness for Lady Wang and Lady Li perfectly exemplifies his fickle nature and tendency to tire of the old and crave the new.

Yin Zhong was never someone he considered worthy of entrusting with the culmination of generations of the Gongyang family's hard work.

There's just no other way.

Of the four disciples, Chu Da and Lü Bushu were in Chang'an, while Ying Gong had left ahead of time with the blood pact. The only disciple left before him was Yin Zhong.

If he couldn't choose Yin Zhong, should he choose Wuqiu Shouwang instead?

That was nothing more than a pawn that couldn't be trusted.

After entrusting his affairs to the next life, Dong Zhongshu's "how difficult!" mood suddenly faded a lot and gradually became natural and calm.

"King Wu, who was in contention, was valiant and unparalleled. The glory of Cheng and Kang was not manifest; God was the Emperor… His wisdom was meticulous, the bells and drums resounded… He bestowed blessings simply, his majesty was awe-inspiring…"

Without bells, drums, music, or dance, Dong Zhongshu's voice was solemn and refined, and the "Zhou Song" resonated far and wide.

As he sang, Dong Zhongshu burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

This news came from the Prime Minister's residence.

Gongsun Hong protected many Confucian scholars. Apart from his personal disciple Huo Guang, the other Confucian scholars in the Prime Minister's mansion did not engage in any political affairs, but instead indulged in "the pleasures of restoring the past".

The learning of the pre-Qin period is found in the Six Classics.

The Book of Poetry, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Book of Music, the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the Book of Changes.

However, the Book of Music was destroyed in the flames of war when Xiang Yu burned down the Qin palaces.

Gongsun Hong was a Confucian scholar in the Prime Minister's office, and he also found a way out for Confucian scholars in the future Han Dynasty: "to make music one's home."

The ancient music was re-arranged and performed.

Ironically, with the decline of Confucianism and the emergence of other schools of thought, many hidden classics and treasures were brought back to life, including the Zhou Dynasty's "Royal Canon," which, when pieced together, was eventually found to be complete.

In addition, Gongsun Hong also quoted Confucius's words, "It is difficult to find a way to pass the time if one is full all day long and does not use one's mind. Would it be better to play games?" He devised a way for Confucian scholars to pass the time: playing chess.

After that, Confucian scholars were "busy with pleasure, and happy with chess."

I heard that in the current Prime Minister's residence, the music and dance can be performed one after another from the "Airs of the States," "Odes," and "Hymns" within twelve hours.

The Grand Chancellor's Mansion of the Han Dynasty replicates the appearance of a wealthy and powerful family from the pre-Qin period.

Presumably, the powerful and wealthy of the future Han Dynasty would be very willing to hire Confucian scholars to manage their households, ensuring their businesses would prosper.

However, many Confucian scholars were like dancers and musicians.

But this was all that Gongsun Hong, the "traitor," had done for Confucianism with all his heart and soul.

Even if we don't say that the lives of Confucian scholars were reduced to those of entertainers, at least Gongsun Hong ensured that Confucian scholars throughout the land survived.

This is something Dong Zhongshu could not do.

With teary eyes, in the flickering candlelight, the past years flashed before Dong Zhongshu's eyes like a revolving lantern. Born into a scholarly family, he studied under the great Confucian scholar Hu Wusheng of the Gongyang School, and by the age of thirty, he was able to take on students and teach. During the reign of Emperor Jing of Han, his fame spread throughout the land.

Fortune was clearly on his side. The current emperor, who was eager for change and progress, ascended the throne and changed the Huang-Lao Daoist school to the Gongyang Confucian school. He went from being a mere scholar to becoming the prime minister of Jiangdu Kingdom for ten years, and then the prime minister of Jiaoxi Kingdom for three years. He was then promoted in disguise after being demoted, and returned to the capital as the Grand Historian. He rose to become the Imperial Censor, one of the Three Dukes, and finally became a scholar.

Why did he often feel wronged during such a magnificent life?

Because he has put in countless efforts, he shouldn't have ended up like this!
Gongsun Hong also studied under Hu Wusheng. If we must say that the two were fellow disciples, Gongsun Hong's learning was inferior to Hu Wusheng's. So how could he surpass Hu Wusheng by so many?
How could he not feel wronged?

If you were to summarize Gongsun Hong's thoughts in one word, it would be "harmony".

Gongsun Hong always believed that any two things are opposites, but also unified, and the basis of unity is "harmony".

Gongsun Hong believed that the ruler and the people in the world were in opposition, but if the ruler was "harmonious and virtuous," the people would be "harmonious and united," thus achieving a harmonious situation of peace and prosperity.

For ordinary people, the concepts of "heart and breath being in harmony," "breath being in harmony," and "form being in harmony" are all mutually exclusive. However, "harmony of heart" leads to "harmony of breath," "harmony of breath" leads to "harmony of form," and "harmony of form" leads to "harmony of voice."

Gongsun Hong believed that "harmony" exists not only in the human world but also in nature. "Therefore, when yin and yang are in harmony, wind and rain are timely, sweet dew falls, the five grains ripen, the six domestic animals thrive, auspicious grains flourish, red grass grows, mountains do not wither, and marshes do not dry up. This is the ultimate harmony."

Only by grasping the concept of "harmony" can a ruler bring about a peaceful and prosperous era, where "the phoenix and the unicorn arrive, the tortoise and the dragon appear in the suburbs, the Yellow River produces a map, the Luo River produces a book, and distant rulers all praise righteousness and come to pay tribute."

Therefore, starting from the concept of "harmony," Gongsun Hong put forward eight proposals for governing the country and ensuring the well-being of the people, in response to the current political situation of the court.

However, these eight propositions actually address two issues: first, the imperial court should be frugal, reduce taxes and levies, cherish the people's strength, and create good production and living conditions for the people.

Secondly, the imperial court should appoint officials based on their abilities and merits, and clearly distinguish between rewards and punishments, so that officials can fulfill their responsibilities and people can make the most of their talents.

Gongsun Hong believed that for a ruler to govern a country, he must first gain the trust of the people. Only when a ruler “works diligently,” “reasons with the people,” “acts with courtesy,” and “loves the people” can the people be made to “not contend,” “not complain,” “not be violent,” and “be close to their superiors.”

He emphasized the importance of propriety and righteousness, believing that "propriety and righteousness are what the people follow."

At the same time, it is not enough to have only propriety and righteousness; it is also necessary to clearly define rewards and punishments. Only by “using rewards and punishments to guide people” can we ensure that “the people do not violate the prohibitions.”

By combining etiquette and criminal law, one arrives at the conclusion that "law is not far from righteousness" and "harmony is not far from etiquette."

The reason for this is that Gongsun Hong's ideas incorporated many Legalist elements, such as "appointing officials based on their abilities," combining law and doctrine, and clearly distinguishing between rewards and punishments.

However, Gongsun Hong was significantly different from the pure Legalists. Unlike Han Fei, who denied benevolence and righteousness, he affirmed them and advocated virtuous governance. He believed that "Heavenly virtue has no favoritism; harmony arises when it is followed, and harm is born when it is opposed." Dong Zhongshu had to admit that this was Confucian thought.

This is Gongsun Hong's concept of "the unity of man and nature," where "when the sound is harmonious, the harmony of heaven and earth will also respond."

The difference between "harmony between man and nature" and "interaction between man and nature" is like heaven and earth.

Since they were both celestial beings, could Dong Zhongshu admit defeat?

Wouldn't that mean I'm inferior to others even in terms of academic knowledge?

Winter days are short. As dusk falls, the blizzard has lessened, but snowflakes are still fluttering down. The door is pushed open, and a blast of cold air rushes in.

When Wuqiu Shouwang entered the room, he saw his mentor leaning against the stove, turning the red-hot charcoal with a long iron shovel, as if trying to see through the charcoal fire.

"My esteemed teacher, His Majesty has bestowed rice wine to warm me up."

Wuqiu Shouwang took the iron shovel from his mentor, stirred the charcoal in the stove, and said.

Looking at the rice wine, Dong Zhongshu suddenly burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face. After losing power, His Majesty had learned to treat others kindly. "If only I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place! If only I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place!"

(End of this chapter)