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

Chapter 67 Cooking Oil
Before anyone knew it, Chengming Hall was already brightly lit.

The atmosphere in the court was quite tense at this point. His Majesty was facing a direct attack, a rare occurrence in his reign. The attacker was neither an enemy nor an outsider, but a minister whom His Majesty had once highly valued.

This minister is named Zhang Tang, and he was promoted to the position of Minister of Justice by His Majesty when His Majesty first assumed power.

At that time, the Minister of Justice was Zhai Guang, a kind and honest elder. His Majesty was worried that Zhai Guang would be too soft-hearted to take action against Chen Ajiao, so His Majesty first let Zhai Guang stay at home to recuperate and appointed Zhang Tang, who was strict in enforcing the law, to handle the case.

Such methods were not unfamiliar to the officials of the Han Dynasty. Back then, in order to clear obstacles for the current emperor, Emperor Jing of Han had Cangying Zhidu replace Wei Wan as the Commandant of the Capital. After deposing the former Crown Prince Liu Rong, he immediately executed Consort Li's relatives in the court.

Like Zhi Du, Zhang Tang lived up to expectations, acting swiftly, accurately, and ruthlessly, wiping out Chen Ajiao's power in an instant.

However, unlike the execution of Li's relatives, Chen Ajiao's mother was Princess Dou, who was His Majesty's aunt. This is why Chen Ajiao was spared death and was instead deposed.

After the matter of deposing the empress was settled, His Majesty overruled the objections of the majority and appointed Zhang Tang as the Minister of Justice.

Now, seeing that Canglong was old and frail, Zhang Tang decisively turned to join the young lord and became his vanguard. He led the attack with such ferocity that it was unheard of and unseen in this dynasty.

What frustrated the emperor's close advisors, such as Mei Gao and Wuqiu Shouwang, even more was that His Majesty had retreated to Ganquan Palace, leaving him no space to publicly rebuke Zhang Tang for his disloyalty.

Mei Gao gradually sensed the Crown Prince's thoughts, which were a reckoning with His Majesty's reign. Looking at Zhang Tang's stubborn refusal to back down, his face was frighteningly cold. "Minister of Justice, if you have any grievances against His Majesty, feel free to speak them out."

"I don't understand what the Imperial Censor is saying."

Zhang Tang took over the conversation, his views and attitudes very clear: "In the court discussion, I proposed new policies for the sake of the country and the people, without the slightest selfish motive. If the Censor-in-Chief believes that any word I said offended His Majesty, I am willing to die for it!"

Did a staunch and outspoken minister die for offering advice on new policies?

This is such a shocking event, no less than carrying a coffin to court, or rather, this is a replica of it.

Today, all the officials, nobles, and members of the imperial family can die, but the one who absolutely cannot die is Zhang Tang.

The general trend and the greater good.

Mei Gao's face was extremely ugly. He tried to calm his turbulent emotions and said through gritted teeth, "My mistake is clear to the sun and moon, but the loyalty and integrity of the Minister of Justice are beyond reproach."

Knowing that Mei Gao would concede defeat, Zhang Tang calmly waited for him to finish speaking before continuing, "This humble official does indeed have other suggestions for new policies, which I submit for public discussion. I humbly request the Imperial Censor's guidance."

"Go ahead."

"My lord, Grand Chancellor, and all the ministers and officials, the great progress of Chinese scholarship is certainly inseparable from the great changes in history and institutions. However, I believe that no school of thought is without roots, and cannot simply appear out of thin air in the era of the pre-Qin philosophers without any lineage."

If we trace the origins of knowledge back to its earliest source, we can go back to the few ancestors in ancient tribes who mastered rituals and divination.

The ancestors who first mastered knowledge and writing became the upper-class nobles of their tribes. However, as tribes continued to merge and the Xia Dynasty was established, those upper-class nobles gradually became who we are today.

This time, Zhang Tang did not first address the new political issues, but instead described the birth of the bureaucratic class: "When the original 'divine way' was integrated with more 'worldly affairs,' the hereditary official system emerged."

Power and knowledge were gradually passed down within officials and families, directly from one generation to the next.

When the Spring and Autumn Period arrived, the decline of all nobles and hereditary officials became a general trend. Various official and family schools of thought spread from the upper class to the common people, thus giving rise to the Hundred Schools of Thought.

"Contend, contend! If you don't contend, how can you express your opinions?" Officials from both dynasties couldn't help but think of His Majesty's "dismissal of all other schools of thought and exclusive veneration of the Five Classics," which forcibly caused the other schools of thought to recede and allowed the wave of Confucianism to rise higher and higher.

Where is there any debate left?
This new policy doesn't seem hard to guess.

Zhang Tang's next words confirmed everyone's thoughts: "New policy five: abolish the old system of thought, let all families rise up with hereditary officials, revive our China, and your clan will one day dominate the world!"

A thought flashes like lightning, shaking the ten directions.

"it is good!"

Liu Shou, the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, cheered, "The words of the Minister of Justice have greatly boosted the morale of the Han people! The thoughts of the Han dynasty have spread throughout the land! Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!"

"Good! Well said!" The words echoed throughout Chengming Hall.

Confucianism, especially the Guliang School, was not favored by most people in the court. Many Confucian doctrines seriously violated human nature, yet they proclaimed that this was civilization.

If someone tells you to be kind without understanding the situation, oh dear, they stab you in the back. Before you've even wiped the blood clean, they're there, saying, "Hey, you have to be kind!" Are they trying to kill you?
Confucianism has been eradicated.

As a disciple of Dong Zhongshu, Wuqiu Shouwang, the Grand Master of Ceremonies and Attendant-in-Ordinary, once again entered the hall. "Minister of Justice, when a sage governs the country, laws should remain unchanged, and customs should be ancient rather than modern. Following the old system is the way to stability. When officials are familiar with the old rules, the people are at ease with their old habits..."

"Has Confucianism become outdated after twenty years?"

Without hesitation, Zhang Tang retorted, "Then how did the fifty years of righteous rule of our Great Han Dynasty before Confucianism disappear?"
Is it the Dao that brings tranquility, or the Confucianism?

Wuqiu Shouwang's thin body swayed unsteadily, clearly on the verge of collapse.

"Besides, the hereditary official system is an ancient practice. Does combining it with other schools of thought necessarily create a new system?"

Zhang Tang, without any politeness, continued, "Grand Master of Ceremonies, have you not heard the principle that 'the world changes, change leads to strength, and strength leads to progress'?"

The way to govern a country is that the wise and courageous create laws and establish systems, while the mediocre follow the old ways. Innovators thrive, while those who cling to the old perish. Our great Han Dynasty, through fifty years of non-interference, has achieved wealth, strength, and territory. Can we really expect that after twenty years of Confucianism, our great Han Dynasty will be unable to change? Or, to put it another way, will our great Han Dynasty perish if we don't heed Confucianism?

As the ancients said, "One should not change the rules unless there is a hundredfold benefit, and one should not change the tools unless the workmanship is tenfold..."

"So, Confucianism is a hundred times stronger than any other school of thought, and its wisdom is ten times more profound than any other school of thought?"

Zhang Tang stood tall and coldly laughed: "Grand Master of the Palace Attendants, do you know the changes in our people from twenty years ago to now? You hold a high position, yet you stubbornly cling to your own opinions and refuse to change. Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by the world?"

Born a descendant of the Han Dynasty, instead of striving to strengthen the country and serve its people, you pour filth and corruption upon the masses to seek only your own comfort and security. I have never seen such a shameless person!

"you……"

Mei Gao, who was standing nearby, sensed that something was wrong with his old friend and rushed forward to help Wuqiu Shouwang. Wuqiu Shouwang suddenly collapsed into Mei Gao's arms and immediately lost consciousness.

Officials from both dynasties, including Zhang Tang, were all taken aback... No, are Confucian scholars really that narrow-minded?

(End of this chapter)