Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

"Righteousness and profit?" Gao Zhao was slightly taken aback, then smiled reservedly: "I understand that. A gentleman understands righteousness, while a petty person understands profit! Perhaps you don't quite understand, but we gentlemen have always been ashamed to talk about profit, hehe..."

The old man glanced at him and said calmly, "Then tell me, what is righteousness?"

Gao Zhao was taken aback by the question. He felt at a loss when trying to explain the meaning of such a common word, and could only stammer, "What's there to say about righteousness... loyalty, benevolence, that's all..."

Seeing that he couldn't continue, the old man stopped mocking and ridiculing him, and slowly explained: "The greatest virtue of Heaven and Earth is life, the greatest treasure of a sage is position, how to maintain position is through benevolence, how to gather people is through wealth, managing wealth and speaking righteously, and prohibiting people from doing wrong is righteousness!"

Gao Zhao blinked, looking rather adorably bewildered, and asked, "What do you mean?"

The old man shook his head, wrote the character "义" (righteousness) on the ground, and said, "The character is composed of '羊' (sheep), '自' (self), '戈' (weapon), and '杀' (kill). What does this mean? Sacrificing a sheep and distributing the meat in a ritual is a way of fairly distributing resources; this is called righteousness!"

Confucius said, "If wealth can be obtained through proper means, I would even do it if it meant becoming a lowly servant. But wealth and honor obtained unjustly are to me like fleeting clouds!" Even Confucius was willing to pursue legitimate gains, so why are you ashamed to speak of them?

"Uh...this..." Gao Zhao was speechless, feeling like he had been tricked by this old guy!

Isn't this bullying others by taking advantage of one's knowledge?

"In the future, when you encounter problems you don't understand, don't pretend to know and just blurt out answers! More importantly, learn to be honest and not deceive yourself!"

The old man waved his hand, interrupting his explanation, and continued, "Sages throughout history have mostly debated the issue of righteousness and profit. Not only Confucianism, but Mohism also believes that righteousness is public interest, and righteousness and profit are one!"

Gao Zhao grew impatient when he heard him immediately veer into the realm of public interest and the nation. What use was this kind of grand theory? He curled his lip and said, "I don't think that's right. The nation's interests are righteous, but the interests I earn through my own hard work are unrighteous? That doesn't make sense!"

Hearing his rebuttal, the old man was not angry at all. Instead, he laughed and nodded, saying, "That's why the Mohist school couldn't be passed down. Everyone has selfish desires, so how can everyone abandon their selfishness for the greater good?"

Gao Zhao stared at his expression, pondered for a moment, and said, "You seem to look down on the Mohists."

"That's right, I'm a disciple of Confucianism!" the old man said without hesitation. "On this point, we Confucians still have to look to Confucianism, prioritizing righteousness over profit, and sacrificing our lives for righteousness!"

Gao Zhao tentatively asked, "Everyone has a love of money, but is there a proper way to acquire it?"

"Indeed!" The old man nodded in satisfaction and said, "Today you saw the wealth of the rich and were filled with greed, but you dared not do it because you feared the law. But what if one day you no longer feared the law?"

Gao Zhao grinned: "This wealth is destined for me; it's meant to be mine."

"Haha..." The old man stroked his beard and laughed loudly, "Therefore you should know that the Legalist way is about external things. People do not take ill-gotten gains, not because they are unwilling or unable, but because they are true to their own hearts. If the heart is upright, one will not take ill-gotten gains even if one sees them!"

"No, no!" Gao Zhao shook his head repeatedly, saying, "You just said that righteousness means the fair distribution of wealth. If that wealthy household's wealth was able to be taken by me, it's because he wasn't strong enough to protect it, or because he wasn't smart enough. How is this not a fair distribution? How is this not righteousness?"

The old man paused, then laughed in exasperation, shaking his head and saying, "Sophistry! Fair distribution is merely an outward manifestation of righteousness, not its essence! As you say, if the government ever lacks funds, will it also take from the people at will?"

Gao Zhao blinked, puzzled, and asked, "Isn't that right?"

"Of course not!" The old man shook his head helplessly and said, "I talked to you about the Great Learning a few days ago, and it said that a country should prioritize righteousness over profit, not profit itself. Do you remember?"

Gao Zhao nodded, then his eyes darted around before he asked, "What if I were to act under the guise of public interest...?"

"Someone has already done this!" the old man interrupted before he could finish. "During the Xining era, Wang Anshi's reforms were carried out in the name of public interest. Regardless of his initial intentions, under the new laws, those who sought personal gain, from officials to clerks, were everywhere!"

"Didn't Wang Anshi know that?"

"I know! But what he wants is a wealthy and powerful nation. Under the new laws, the court is indeed richer!"

"Isn't this tantamount to robbery? Is this still considered righteous?"

"Therefore, Wang Anshi was dismissed from his post as prime minister twice!"

"And then the new law was repealed?"

"No, Emperor Shenzong personally presided over it!"

Gao Zhao: "..."

So our Great Song Dynasty doesn't value loyalty, right?

"The new law is a set of rules; it's not wrong in itself. The problem lies with those who enforce it!"

The old man seemed lost in memories, and slowly said:

"Wang Anshi implemented the new laws for the sake of the Song Dynasty, not for personal gain. Emperor Shenzong did not use the money for personal enjoyment, but rather for strengthening the army and constructing water conservancy projects!"

"Therefore, you should know that righteousness and profit are not relative, much less clearly distinct. More often than not, they are intertwined and inseparable! They cannot be absolute either-or concepts!"

Gao Zhao found it a bit confusing, but he seemed to understand some things. Apart from that, he felt that this old guy liked to make things mysterious and bully people by relying on his knowledge!

He thought about it and decided to assess the other party!

"Hey, you told me last time that the current emperor is a master of political maneuvering, are you sure?"

The old man snapped out of his daze, glanced at him, and nodded slightly, saying, "He certainly is!"

Gao Zhao perked up and continued, "You also said he was one of the most powerful emperors since the founding of the Song Dynasty. Are you sure?"

The old man nodded again and said, "Without exception!"

"Great!" Gao Zhao exclaimed excitedly, "Then tell me, since he's so capable, what will become of him? Could he become a wise and benevolent ruler?"

"Hmm..." The old man was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said with certainty, "No!"

"Huh?" Gao Zhao was taken aback, not expecting such an answer, and pressed further, "Didn't you say he was highly skilled in political maneuvering and wielded immense power?"

"The Tao Te Ching says: Reversal is the movement of the Tao!" The old man smiled slightly and said softly, "The Tao moves in cycles, and things reach their extremes and then reverse! The greater the power of the officials today, the more difficult they are to control, and thieves will appear around them, trying to steal their power!"

"Just as I told you last time, the Emperor can use secret edicts to replace decrees from the three departments. If one day, someone around him imitates his handwriting, who would dare not believe it?"

"A friend of mine once said that when power is unchecked, it will collapse!"

Gao Zhao stared blankly at the old man, his eyes filled with shock. He had actually guessed correctly!

In his later years, Emperor Huizong even had Liang Shicheng write his imperial edicts on his behalf, and the officials of the three provinces could not distinguish between the real and fake ones, and dared not even question them!

Damn, is reading really that useful?