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

Chapter 73 Suicide
Jiang Gong of Xiaqiu's speech.

It seems reasonable and flawless, but it overlooks the most important point.

In power struggles, theory is often divorced from reality.

The former Shang Tang and Zhou Wu King executed Jie and Zhou, and now the Crown Prince has released the emperor to the Ganquan Palace. According to Jiang Gong of Xiaqiu, this is "highly rebellious".

So, what about Emperor Gaozu, who founded the Han Dynasty?
Emperor Gaozu of Qin was also a "shoe" during the Qin Dynasty, while Qin Er Shi and Prince Ziying of Qin were "hats". According to Jiang Gong of Xiaqiu, when Liu Han replaced Qin, he also took off his hat and put his shoes on his head.

Tang and Wu were traitors who murdered their rulers, and Emperor Gaozu ascended the throne by the same act of murdering his ruler.

The Duke of Xiaqiu Jiang denied the authority of Tang and Wu in order to oppose the usurpation of power by his subjects and to prevent the regime from being seized by them. His starting point was to protect the regime of Emperor Liu Che from being overthrown and to urge the crown prince Liu Ju to return power as soon as possible.

For example, shoes and hats each have their own function. No matter how old a hat is, it must be worn on the head, and no matter how new a shoe is, it can only be worn on the feet. No matter how wrong Liu Che was, he was still the emperor and father, and no matter how capable Liu Ju was, he was still a son and subject. Before Liu Che passed away, the positions of emperor and subject could not be interchanged.

However, when Liu Ju seized upon Xiaqiu Jiang Gong's view that "the roles of ruler and subject must never be reversed" and mentioned Emperor Gaozu's usurpation of the Qin dynasty, Xiaqiu Jiang Gong and his disciples immediately found it difficult to justify their argument.

"Slandering Emperor Gaozu and defaming the ancestral temples of the Han Dynasty."

Liu Ju looked at Jiang Gong of Xiaqiu and his disciples, his smile undiminished. "Jiang Gong, tell me, how should I kill you?"

Is it execution by public execution? Beheading? Dismemberment? Or dismemberment?

It seems that Jiang Gong of Xiaqiu has returned to the Mingtang debate that determined the fate of the Gongyang and Guliang schools of thought. Under the bias of the prime minister Gongsun Hong, who presided over the debate, and the aggressive pressure from his opponent Dong Zhongshu, he stammered and could not speak.

A voice, His Majesty's voice, seemed both distant and near, echoing in his ears: "Not as good as Zhongshu... Not as good as Zhongshu..."

Upon seeing Jiang Gong of Xiaqiu in this manner, Liu Ju looked at his disciples and said with a smile, "From now on, the Guliang School should focus on academic debates and not involve itself in court politics."

The Gongyang Commentary, the Guliang Commentary, and the Zuo Commentary are collectively known as the "Three Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals." Although these are interpretations made by later generations of the obscure and ambiguous passages of the Spring and Autumn Annals, the Guliang Commentary is truly highly regarded among them.

The Zuo Zhuan tends to interpret the historical facts covered in the Spring and Autumn Annals, and is a historical book.

The Gongyang Commentary and the Guliang Commentary focus on elucidating the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals and belong to academic theory.

However, the Gongyang Commentary's exposition of unification, great revenge, and the three generations theory was intended by the Guliang Commentary to cater to the rulers' hierarchy of social status and kinship.

In short, the Gongyang Commentary is now known as the Qi School, while the Guliang Commentary is known as the Lu School. The difference between the two reflects the division between Qi culture and Lu culture.

Qi culture seeks change and progress, while Lu culture seeks to inherit and achieve. Which is superior or inferior depends on the individual. At least for Liu Ju, the tricks of Guliang that cater to the monarch and keep the world ignorant did not work.

"Your Majesty, the Han Dynasty's conquests of the barbarians have caused excessive hardship to the people. It is time to stop," said Jiang Gong of Xiaqiu, weeping.

"Lord Jiang, how long have I been in power?"

Liu Ju smiled faintly, tearing away all his pretense, and said, "These words should be said to my father, not to me, by Lord Jiang."

Given Xiaqiu Jiang Gong's status and position, he could have advised the emperor countless times, so why didn't he?
Because the emperor disliked it, the Guliang family would not do or say anything that the emperor disliked.

But if the government insists on "putting the people first," what should the Guliang family do?

Who could be the person who could advise the emperor, or even change his will or his legacy?
Only the Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty!

The Guliang family encouraged, and even forced, the crown prince to do things they themselves were unwilling to do, causing much discord between the emperor and his son. The Guliang family deserves much credit for this. In the early days of the State of Lu, the government was controlled by powerful clans for generations, leading to the dictatorship of high-ranking officials and the decline of royal power. This was precisely the method they used.

While flattering the monarch, he also sowed discord between the monarch and his son. Liu Ju couldn't understand how a person could be so treacherous.

"Your Majesty has a deep misunderstanding of my Guliang school," said Jiang Gong of Xiaqiu, choking back tears. "You have a deep misunderstanding of my Confucianism."

The fifth new policy discussed at the court meeting distributed all hereditary official positions to other schools of thought, meaning that Confucian disciples who wished to serve in the government could only impersonate other members of other schools.

Moreover, it's temporary.

Whatever hereditary title belongs to, it must eventually be returned to that family. In the end, nothing will be left; the lantern pole will be empty.

The various schools of thought were already wary of Confucianism. After the new policies, they were even more wary of Confucianism than of thieves. Since its inception, when has Confucianism ever suffered such a great injustice?
"Master Jiang, you always seem so aggrieved."

Liu Ju had met the Gu Liang family and sighed, "They're always so greedy for credit."

In recent years, rumors have been circulating among the people that "Emperor Qin Shi Huang burned books and buried scholars alive." Could this be the work of the Guliang School?

The background and context of the burning of books and burying of scholars are actually quite clear. In the thirty-fifth year of Qin Shi Huang's reign, the alchemists Lu Sheng and Hou Sheng, who were seeking elixirs of immortality for Qin Shi Huang, criticized the emperor, believing that he was stubborn and self-willed, and that he used punishment and killing to intimidate others, and that he did not resemble a ruler. Then the two alchemists fled.

When the First Emperor learned of this, he was furious and said: "Last year, I burned all the useless books in the world and recruited a large number of literary and magical scholars and alchemists to my side. My purpose was to achieve peace and refine miraculous medicines. Who knew that these alchemists would waste money and achieve no results. Instead, their scandals of embezzling and abusing their power for personal gain were reported to my ears every day."

"Lu Sheng and his ilk, whom I have treated well, are now slandering me and damaging my reputation among the people. Immediately dispatch officials to interrogate the students in Xianyang, and thoroughly investigate whether anyone else is spreading falsehoods and inciting the people."

As a result, more than 460 scholars in Chang'an were buried alive that year, but those buried alive were mostly sorcerers, not Confucian scholars.

"Burning books" is "burning books," and "burying scholars alive" is "burying scholars alive." The Guliang School slightly misinterpreted the scholars' words and turned them into "burning books and burying scholars alive," and the Confucian school suffered greatly from the persecution of the Qin Dynasty.

"I do not know how Guliang will record my story after the new policies are implemented?"

Liu Ju smiled and walked down the city wall, his voice drifting back, "Will I be on par with the First Emperor?"

Vaguely.

Liu Ju heard the sound of someone vomiting blood.

However, as soon as Liu Ju reached the foot of the city wall, he saw someone "fly" down the wall, which was faster than going downstairs.

He landed headfirst, his brains splattered everywhere; even a celestial being couldn't save him.

Duke Jiang of Xiaqiu died.

Slandering Emperor Gaozu and defaming the ancestral temples of the Han Dynasty, committing suicide was a fitting end.

Jiang Gong's disciples Rong Guang and Hao Xing Gong were also brought down, looking dazed, clearly deeply shaken by their master's death.

"Your Majesty, what should we do with them?"

“Our Han Dynasty has no punishment of exterminating ten generations of a family. Let him go. The Hundred Families have been waiting for this day for a long time.”

(End of this chapter)