I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 234: Clothes edict?
To revive the various schools of thought and encourage debate among a hundred schools of thought?
Sima Yi and his sons looked at Chen Yu in astonishment, as if asking how the son of one of the Three Dukes could say such a thing!
Even when Emperor Ling of Han established the Hongdu Gate Academy, he still hung portraits of Confucius and his seventy-two disciples in the central hall for scholars to view.

Chen Yu, on the other hand, simply stopped acting and brought out all the philosophers, wanting to completely overturn everything and start over.
"Is Gong Wei's statement somewhat shocking?"

"What's so shocking about this?"

"Back in the early Han Dynasty, the officials in the court all revered the Huang-Lao school of thought. Could people like Zhang Tang and Sang Hongyang who came after them be called Confucian scholars? Wasn't the Han Dynasty back then better than it is now?"

Chen Yu shared his experiences with everyone.

“At first, I only studied ancient classics such as Zuo Zhuan, Mao Shi, Yi Li, Guwen Shangshu, and Zhou Guan Jing.”

"Later, Cai Yong and others, officials of the Imperial Academy, petitioned to correct the text of the Six Classics. So I began to study the Five Classics: the Book of Poetry, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals, as well as the modern text classics such as the Gongyang Commentary and the Analects."

"On this trip, I learned that Huan Tan wrote 'New Discourses' in twenty-nine chapters, which strongly argued that prophecies were not scriptures and used candlelight as a metaphor for form and spirit! Wang Chong also wrote 'Discourses Weighed in the Balance' in the hope of enlightening the confused mind and enabling people to distinguish between reality and illusion. These are truly remarkable works!"

Chen Yu's trip was indeed very fruitful!

Only then did he realize that as early as when the Later Han Dynasty was first established, there were people like Huan Tan and Wang Chong who denied the apocryphal texts, explained the doubts of the common people, distinguished right from wrong, and rebelled against the existing Confucian orthodoxy!

It was inspired by these people that Chen Yu looked forward again and saw the Hundred Schools of Thought and the contention of a hundred schools of thought.

Especially after Liu Miao used Mencius's words to make a three-point agreement with the elders of Jingzhou, Chen Yu believed that it was time to revive the various schools of thought and let the debates of a hundred schools of thought contend!
Since the Confucian path is not viable, let's find another way!
The scholars of the Han Dynasty have never lacked the courage to move forward and explore new frontiers!

From the reign of Emperor Wu, there were Sang Hongyang and Zhu Fuyan who opposed Dong Zhongshu.

During the reign of Emperor Guangwu, Huan Tan dared to openly criticize apocryphal texts and nearly faced execution; then there was Wang Chong, the first to construct a relatively systematic atheistic ideology, rebel against the deified Confucianism, affirm the progress of the times, and believe that "the present is better than the past"...

As Chen Yu spoke, he even seemed somewhat guilty.

"It's laughable that when I was in Jiangdong, I thought I was full of knowledge, but in reality, my belly was full of useless things."

"Only after visiting many scholars today did I realize that I was just a frog in a well, thinking I had glimpsed the mysteries of the world just because I looked at the sky, which was only the size of a pancake!"

Chen Yu felt ashamed, but little did he know that Sima Fang felt even more ashamed at his sentiments.

Because at this point, Sima Fang could no longer understand what Chen Yu was saying.

He had never even read "Xin Lun" or "Lun Heng," so how could he possibly communicate with Chen Yu?
Fortunately, Sima Fang's sons, Sima Lang and Sima Yi, were both juniors and, unlike Sima Fang, were not concerned about saving face. So they took the initiative to seek advice from Chen Yu and inquire about the contents of the works of Huan Tan and Wang Chong.

Chen Yu was happy to teach such eager-to-learn young people and quickly shared everything he had learned with them.

For example, Huan Tan.

His work, "New Treatise," aims to "promote good governance" and advocates a governance approach that combines the ways of the hegemon and the king.

Furthermore, Huan Tan submitted a memorial entitled "Suppressing Prophecies and Rewarding the Elderly," arguing that while prophecies might sometimes coincide, they were merely coincidences, like divination, and therefore unreliable. He also opposed superstitious beliefs about natural disasters, believing that calamities were simply natural laws unrelated to human virtue; simultaneously, he proposed "A New Theory on Form and Spirit," arguing that wise people would not believe in the lie of immortality, only the ignorant would be superstitious…

As Chen Yu recounted these points, he also identified their corresponding arguments from the various schools of thought during the Hundred Schools of Thought period.

"For example, not believing in prophecies and apocryphal texts is somewhat similar to the Mohist concept of 'anti-fatalism'."

"For example, valuing the present over the past, rather than valuing the past over the present, is similar to the Legalist principle of 'there is no single way to govern the world, and one should not follow the ancient ways to benefit the country.'"

"These views of the ancient sages were not formed overnight, but rather developed from the knowledge and ideas of the pre-Qin philosophers."

"They were already thinking about such things a hundred or two hundred years ago. I am ashamed that I only learned now that these great sages and scholars had such views."

Chen Yu's words undoubtedly opened a completely new door for Sima Yi and his son.

Information blockade and deliberate deception prevented them from accessing the works of these sages.

They all thought that the world had always been like this.

But now Chen Yu actually told them that as early as one or two hundred years ago, some people had begun to repeatedly study prophecies and apocryphal texts, advocate "prosperity and good governance," oppose superstitions about natural disasters, explain worldly doubts, and distinguish right from wrong!

Sima Lang exclaimed in surprise, "But why have I never heard of these things before?"

Let alone Sima Lang not having heard of it.

Even his father, a high-ranking official who had served as the magistrate of Luoyang and the governor of Jingzhao, had never heard of these arguments! And Chen Yu knew the reason perfectly well.

Above, the emperor seeks to uphold orthodoxy through apocryphal texts; in the middle, scholarly families control the flow of information; below, the common people are ignorant and simply parrot what others say. Who would dare, or be capable, to delve into these things?
Huan Tan openly opposed apocryphal and prophetic theology, and was subsequently criticized by the usually benevolent Emperor Guangwu (Liu Xiu) as "unholy and lawless," narrowly escaping execution. He was later demoted and died of illness on his way to take up the post of Assistant Prefect of Liu'an Commandery.

Wang Chong studied at the Imperial Academy under the tutelage of the renowned scholar Ban Biao, but could only hold minor official positions such as county clerk and state official. Later, due to frequent disagreements with his superiors, he was forced to resign and return home, where he eventually died of illness.

It was only because the world was in chaos, and because of Chen Yu's status as the son of one of the Three Dukes, that he was able to access these things. Otherwise, probably no one would have told Sima Yi and the others about these things.

Sima Lang and Sima Yi are both young and have an extremely strong ability to learn and accept information! So, just when Chen Yu told them about these treatises, they had already made a judgment on whether they were correct or not.

Making them study scriptures they don't even believe in at home every day, reciting those articles about regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world amidst chaos, is simply disgusting!
What Chen Yu is telling us now is undoubtedly a new coloring of the world that these teenagers had not yet had time to be corrupted!
However, after understanding what Chen Yu was researching, Sima Yi asked with some doubt, "Does General Liu know all of this?"

"If General Liu does not believe in these doctrines and chooses to adhere to the classics, wouldn't you become enemies with General Liu after you return?"

Chen Yu laughed heartily: "Zhongda! If you had spent any time with Zhongshan, you would know that he has never liked reading any classics."

"Therefore, I often heard some scholars from the north think that Zhongshan was a crude and vulgar person."

"In fact, although Zhongshan did not study the classics, he often read military strategy and even agricultural books."

When he was teaching his adopted son Lü Meng, he said to him: If you want to farm, study the Book of Fan Shengzhi; if you want to be an official, study the Nine Chapters of Law by Marquis Xiao He, the Book of Shusun Tong, the Book of Yue Palace by Zhang Tang, and the Book of Court Law by Zhao Yu; if you want to be an official, study the Book of Lu and the Book of Yan.

"When it comes to practical skills and adaptability, no one in the world can compare to Zhongshan! Just wait and see!"

Sima father and son already held Chen Yu, who was very knowledgeable, in high esteem. Now that they saw that even Chen Yu, whom they admired, highly praised Liu Miao, they became curious about Liu Miao and were no longer afraid of him.

After all, Chen Yu considered himself Liu Miao's close friend, and they had heard many things about Liu Miao from him. After hearing these stories, they no longer believed that Liu Miao had gone to such great lengths to bring them to Jingzhou simply to take their lives.

While listening to Chen Yu's lectures, they hurried south, and the originally long journey seemed to be shortened.

After only hearing Chen Yu recount Wang Chong's "On Human Nature," "On Following One's Nature," and "On Death," the group's carriages and horses arrived in Xuchang.

Since we've come to the emperor's doorstep, there's no reason not to pay our respects to him.

The emperor was initially somewhat indifferent upon hearing that it was Chen Yu and Sima Fang's group, but when he learned that these people were all related to Liu Miao, he immediately became overjoyed and even sent his servants to ask Cao Cao for some wine and meat to entertain the group.

Chen Yu, exhausted from the journey and disoriented after the lavish feast, quickly went to his room to rest.

Just as Chen Yu had taken off his clothes, there was a knock on the door.

Chen Yu thought it was either Sima Lang or Sima Yi, those two studious men, coming to ask him for lessons in the middle of the night again. He couldn't help but smile wryly and called out to the door, "You'll have plenty of time at Zhongshan's place! Aren't you two being a little too diligent in your studies?"

But the sounds outside the door quickly made Chen Yu realize something was wrong—

"Gongwei, please open the door! It's me, Dong Cheng!"

Dong Cheng?

General Dong Cheng?
Chen Yu was puzzled. He had no connection with Dong Chengsu, so what did Dong Chengsu want from him?
However, since Dong Cheng was a close advisor to the emperor, Chen Yu dared not offend him and opened the door to let Dong Cheng in.

Dong Cheng, though physically robust, entered the room as gently as a raccoon cat, then carefully closed the door behind him.

"General Wei, what's wrong...?"

"Shh!"

Dong Cheng gestured for Chen Yu to be quiet, and at the same time blew out the oil lamp in Chen Yu's room...

"General Wei! What are you doing?"

Chen Yu's eyes widened in fear, thinking that Dong Cheng was about to do something indecent to him!
"General Wei, I am one of Zhongshan's men! What exactly do you want?"

Dong Cheng extinguished the oil lamp before reaching into his robes:
"It is precisely because I know you are one of General Liu's men that I have come to ask for your help!"

As a hand emerged from his robes, Chen Yu finally saw what it was—

A royal edict written in blood!
(End of this chapter)