Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

Three days later, in the early morning, there was a sea of ​​people near Zhao Prison.

Today is the arena competition for the debate of "Wang Domination, Righteousness and Interest, Ancient and Modern". After the publicity of "Ming Pao", this event has been spread in Nanjing for a long time. Everyone wants to join in the fun and not only wants to see the rare things up close. I saw the elegant demeanor of the great Confucian scholars when they were quarreling, and I also wanted to see how Kong Xilu, a descendant of Kong Sheng, would end up.

Officials were clearly stipulated not to take leave today, so there were no current officials coming over today, which made the nature of the debate more academic.

The scholars knew that this was a rare and important event in the academic world, and that it would be recorded in history just like the "Luoyang Debate" and "Ehu Meeting", so they started attending meetings early before dawn. He rushed over to try to get a good position.

As soon as the hour passed, the bells on the Bell and Drum Towers rang.

"珰——"

The melodious bell rang, causing the surrounding crowd to commotion. This was a signal that the entrance was about to take place.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The shirtless warriors beat the big drum in front of the prison.

A burst of loud drum beats shocked people as if they were beating in the heart. Along with this burst of drum beat, the gate of the prison opened, and a large number of guards in royal robes came out with swords in hand and stood on both sides of the door of the prison. Following closely, hundreds of The famous Jinwu guards with spears in their hands came in neat steps, lined up on the streets on the left and right, and stood in stand ready.

After this set of procedures, everyone realized that they were really going to enter this time.

These Jinwu guards were transferred from the palace to maintain order, but they did not stop everyone from watching. Some brave people ran over to watch, some whispered beside them, and many people gathered around in the distance.

Soon, the crowd burst into cheers.

"Here we come! Mr. Shidao!" shouted from the crowd.

Near the prison, an ordinary carriage drove slowly. In the car sat an old man, with a straight back and a strong spirit. He seemed to be quite old, with a gray beard and a strong body.

Behind him, there were six young and strong men, wearing blue short shirts with cyan silk ribbons tied at the cuffs. They looked quite majestic.

"Who is this?" A supervisor from the Imperial College asked curiously.

"You don't even know Mr. Shidao?" The person next to him sneered.

"Mr. Shidao has been in seclusion for many years. I'm afraid he is older than this kid. It's normal that he doesn't know him."

At this time, a supervisor from Zhejiang came to answer: "Wang Yuli, a disciple of Mr. Chunxiao, the leader of this generation of Jinhua School, is famous in Zhejiang, and this time he is officially promoted as one of the three great scholars to challenge the arena."

The few young supervisors nearby who didn't know anything suddenly realized what he was saying.

I’m not pretending, it’s because in this era, the Jinhua School was really famous. Maybe scholars have never heard of this “Mr. Shidao”, but when it comes to the Jinhua School, he must be well-known.

The Jinhua School was one of the important Confucian schools in the Southern Song Dynasty. Its representative was Lu Zuqian. The Jinhua School had a great influence on the ideological circles of the Southern Song Dynasty at that time. It was one of the forefathers of the Eastern Zhejiang School and was the same as the Yongjia School of Ye Shi mentioned earlier. They are two important branches of the Eastern Zhejiang School.

The characteristic of this school is that it is more eclectic in reconciling the contradictions between Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan within Neo-Confucianism. It once invited Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan to gather in Ehu to discuss academics, with the intention of reconciling their disputes about philosophical thoughts, which is also known as the "Ehu Ehu". meeting".

If we look at the spectrum of Neo-Confucianism, the Jinhua School is strictly left-leaning, that is, it leans towards Lu's philosophy. The academic theme emphasizes that "the way of heaven is restored, it is the way of nature, and the kindness of human beings originates from the human heart." It is an inherent principle: the way of heaven will move without interruption, and people's hearts will be obliterated a lot, so they will be blocked by selfish intentions. However, although there are obstacles, but it cannot be obliterated, this is the principle of the inexhaustible movement of heaven."

After the demise of the Southern Song Dynasty, other schools suffered a blow, and the development of the Jinhua School became stronger and stronger. Jin Luxiang'en, one of the "Four Beishan Masters", once gave advice to the Southern Song Dynasty court, attacked the capital of the Yuan Dynasty by sea, and relied on the method of surrounding Wei and rescuing Zhao to end the Xiangfan War. The one who surrounded me opened Renshan Academy to give lectures at Xiaotianfu Mountain in Lanxi City.

Because Jin Luxiang was rich in learning, broad in Neo-Confucianism, profound in attainments and rigorous in thinking, and tireless in teaching his disciples, students from all over came to call him "Mr. Renshan".

After Jin Luxiang, his disciple Xu Qian inherited his mantle, and then the Jinhua School passed to Xu Qian's disciple Fan Zukian, the "Mr. Pure Filial Piety" just mentioned by Zhejiang Jiansheng. Zhu Yuanzhang once asked him for advice on the principles of governing the country. During the Hongwu period, He was a famous scholar, but he has been dead for more than 20 years.

As one of the most important branches of the Neo-Confucian school in the early Ming Dynasty, the leaders of the Jinhua School who had been in seclusion for many years were invited to personally go out. This is evident from the importance the Neo-Confucian community attaches to this competition.

In fact, Wang Yuli, like Gao Xunzhi, is recognized as someone who will be selected as long as he comes forward.

At this time, the few disciples of the Jinhua School were surrounding Wang Yuli and walking forward along the street.

Wang Yuli stopped in front of a big stone, turned around, and bowed to the person in front of him.

"Gao Taichang."

Gao Xunzhi also returned the gift, and then introduced Cao Duan to Wang Yuli.

A trace of surprise flashed in Wang Yuli's eyes. He had already heard the story of Cao Duanwen's tea defeat of Mr. Xu, but he did not expect that such an outstanding figure would emerge from the northern academic world.

You must know that since Wanyan established Yannandu, Confucianism has been heavy in the South Pole and light in the North Pole. Not to mention the barbarized areas in the north such as Yanyun and Lianghe. Even in Guanzhong and Henan, the cultural context has been completely destroyed. It has not revived for a hundred years, but in the south, the cultural context still exists. Although Neo-Confucianism declined somewhat in the Yuan Dynasty, there are still many figures who can play a leading role in academic circles.

After Hongwu established Neo-Confucianism as an official school in the Ming Dynasty, various academic schools in the south began to rise again. This also caused the southern academic community to continue to expand its influence in the temples with the imperial examinations, even with the policy after the "North-South Ranking" After adjustment, today's northern academic circles have also declined. Not to mention figures like Cao Duan who can dominate the crowd, there are only a handful of great Confucians who can do it.

Wang Yuli cupped his hands and said, "The future generations are to be feared."

Cao Duan hurriedly bowed in return: "Senior praises Miao, but junior dare not praise me."

"Haha, what a young talent!" Wang Yuli smiled heartily.

The three of them exchanged pleasantries and walked forward together.

"Meet the gentlemen."

The high-ranking officials and the great scholars in academia all turned sideways to avoid him, and returned the salute with solemn expressions.

Gao Xunzhi looked around and said loudly: "Today is a battle for orthodoxy. Although we have little knowledge, we want to contribute our little effort. If you have any opinions about the three of us representing the Neo-Confucian community, you can still raise them in time. .”

Listening to Gao Xunzhi's generous statement, all the great scholars were silent.

After a while, a former editor of the Hanlin Academy coughed lightly and said: "Gao Taichang, this is a big and unusual matter."

This is still reminding Gao Xunzhi that he is afraid that Cao Duan will fall behind at the critical moment.

Gao Xunzhi didn't seem to understand. He raised his head and said, "You have to go where righteousness lies."

The former editor of the Hanlin Academy frowned, as if he wanted to persuade him, but in the end he remained silent because there were many smart people present and they quickly understood the meaning.

There were all people present who had read poetry and books, so they naturally knew what Gao Xunzhi said and couldn't help but look at each other.

The first session today is the "Debate of Righteousness and Benefit".

What is righteousness?

Righteousness is the center of Mencius' thought, emphasizing ideals, emphasizing that righteousness can be the foundation in different situations, and establishing the life goal of sacrificing one's life for righteousness.

And Taoism is undoubtedly the "righteousness" that these Neo-Confucianists have to uphold.

Where justice lies, Cao Duan risked everything to defend it. It was not only a "have to go", but also a "must go".

From Wang Anshi, who was the source of meritorious service, to Er Cheng, and then to Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan, who inherited part of Er Cheng's culture, they all attached great importance to the distinction between righteousness and benefit. Song Confucianism was influenced by Mencius' view of righteousness and benefit, and hoped to regard the issue of righteousness and benefit as the standard of moral cultivation. , so that the rule of the Three Generations can be restored and reasonable temple order can be reestablished.

Against the background of today's reform debate, the contradiction becomes even more acute.

This debate is not only about academics, but also about whether the future direction of the temple is orthodox or not.

——————

At this time period, less than half an hour before the start, around a quarter of the hour, a red-gold figure suddenly appeared on the upper floor on one side, it was Emperor Yongle Zhu Di.

There were also some eunuchs accompanying him. They were carrying many utensils, including spittoons, incense burners and other items. They were generally not used but must be brought along according to etiquette.

Zhu Di was wearing a red-gold dragon robe, a crown on his head, and a resolute face, sitting upright on a chair.

As soon as he appeared, the whole place was in an uproar.

The emperor actually came to the scene in person!

A large number of people came over, knelt on the ground and shouted long live.

Although Zhu Di has not been on the throne for too long, he already has some power as emperor.

"Get flat."

Zhu Di waved his hand and asked everyone to get up.

He glanced at the surrounding environment and then at the three selected people.

"I heard that the first thing to be debated here today is the word 'righteousness and benefit'?"

He spoke in a calm, indifferent tone, but it was intimidating.

"Father, the Holy Ming, is exactly like this."

Zhu Gaochi said quickly.

"The theory of righteousness and benefit appeared very early. "Yi Wenyan" says: Benefit is the harmony of righteousness."

"What can you say?"

"Of course there is."

Zhu Gaochi explained: "Although righteousness and benefit are two, they can be integrated into one, which is the relationship of 'two into one, one into two', and the key to fusion lies in 'harmony'. Benefit is each." The neutralization and coordination of these things, which do not contradict each other and are not discordant, can also be used in the Zhouyi. The Mozi Jingshu says: righteousness, benefit."

Zhu Di nodded slightly: "The various schools of thought are all about seeking truth and pragmatism. Li is the lubricant, and righteousness is the name of doing things. I am in the name of peace. 'Qing Jun side, peace of country' is the name, and you and others are rich and noble. Profit, that’s all.”

The people who are following him today are all close ministers and honorable ministers, such as "Er Jin" and Duke Wei, Duke Ding, Duke Cheng, Duke Qi, etc. Naturally, they can only nod at this time. Xu Jingchang's head was like a chicken pecking at rice.

"The Book of Changes and Mozi do not shy away from talking about profit, but focus on the internal reconciliation of righteousness and benefit. This needs no further explanation. Later, Mencius began to advocate the distinction between righteousness and benefit. Mencius admonished King Hui of Liang: Why is it necessary to have daily profit? There is also benevolence and righteousness. From this point of view, righteousness and benefit can be divided into two categories. Dong Zhongshu, who prospered the Han Dynasty since then, said more bluntly: Righteous justice does not seek benefit, and clearing the way does not consider merit. If Dong Zhongshu upholds justice and deposes benefit, this is also the same. Not bad, but the differences between justice and profit have formed an insurmountable gap since the Han Dynasty."

Zhu Gaochi was smart this time. He only stated objective facts without adding his own subjective judgment, and strictly limited the things involved to those before the Song Dynasty.

Zhu Di didn't say anything, and the three princes lined up behind him. Then, Zhu Di ordered everyone to get on the chair, and then sat on the chair, closed his eyes and rested, obviously waiting for the coming of auspicious times.

——————

And somewhere in the city, in the abandoned mansion, an older man was discussing something with several middle-aged men.

This man was wearing a gray cloth gown, had a knotted beard, and looked fierce. He looked more like a general than a scholar.

He asked: "How are the plans to assassinate the false emperor being prepared?"

"I'm ready to report back to you, Mr. Tyrant." A middle-aged man on the side replied in a low voice.

"very good."

Bao Zhao showed a ferocious smile: "What we want is this opportunity. We originally thought we would wait until the death anniversary of Emperor Taizu Gao, but we didn't expect that Jiang Xinghuo gave us the opportunity. The puppet emperor would actually come to the scene in person. As long as the puppet emperor is killed, Emperor, the country of Ming Dynasty will have a chance to return to His Majesty’s hands.”

"Yes, the two sons of the pseudo-emperor are fighting fiercely among themselves. Zhu Gaochi is the eldest son but has no military power. Zhu Gaoxu has military power but the rule of law is not correct. Once the pseudo-emperor dies, Zhu Gaochi will definitely not be able to defeat Zhu Gaojiu, and Zhu Gaojiu is just a reckless man. Husband, it will definitely arouse the anger of the people and the rebellion. In addition, the weather is hot and the Northern Army cannot bear the heat. They will naturally retreat back to the north like the Jin people and the Mongols. At that time, Your Majesty only needs a piece of paper to regain control of Jiangnan. Then slowly figure it out, and Yan Ni will be destroyed!"

"Zhu Gaoxu is certainly a brave and foolhardy man, but Jiang Xinghuo behind him should not be underestimated. He is a treacherous and evil person rarely seen in the world, and he must be eliminated quickly!"

"It's a pity that Jiang Xinghuo didn't show up today. We don't know his specific location. We have few manpower."

Listening to the discussion of his subordinates, Bao Zhao waved: "Jiang Xinghuo is just a favored vassal of the false emperor. Without the false emperor, who is Jiang Xinghuo? You don't need to worry about him, just concentrate on assassinating the false emperor. .”

"Congratulations!"

Everyone said one after another.

Bao Zhao added: "Check it one last time. When the time comes, give the order and let the men take action."

He pondered for a moment and then warned: "This matter has always been carried out secretly. The gunpowder and crossbows were transferred out before and cannot be found in the accounts. It is logical that it is seamless, but now that Tiqi is everywhere, you are tens of millions Don't let any of it out, otherwise none of us will survive."

"I am willing to follow the violent father through fire and water."

"As long as I can repay His Majesty's kindness, my life is nothing."

Everyone agreed and left one after another.

After everyone had dispersed, Bao Zhao stayed alone. He walked to the corner with his hands behind his back and checked the time with his watch.

He stayed here for a long time, and never went out because he was worried about being noticed by the Jin Yiwei. The assassination plan is currently going well, but he still cannot take it lightly.

Bao Zhao looked up at the sky and murmured: "Today is the day when the false emperor dies."

He suddenly remembered that when Emperor Taizu Gao passed away, there was a mourning in the palace, and the atmosphere in the entire capital was solemn and solemn.

Bao Zhao sighed.

Nearly a year has passed since Li Jinglong, a rip-off beast, surrendered at Jinchuan Gate. He has been hiding incognito around Nanjing with his old troops.

He even dared not return to his hometown to pay homage to his mother. He was afraid of being recognized by others, so he could only act as a filial piety.

After all, he still has some die-hard soldiers brought from the Zhending camp, and he is already the last backbone of these Jianwen remnants.

However, the reason why Bao Zhao is determined to act now is because as Jiang Xinghuo's reform gradually proceeds, he knows that he has little time. The reform has achieved results, the people have benefited, and the people's hearts are gradually moving away from Emperor Jianwen day after day. To Emperor Yongle.

He had vowed never to surrender to the puppet emperor. He had read poetry and books since he was a child and was well versed in military and political strategies. Now he was confident that he could use wisdom and force to disrupt the situation.

As long as chaos breaks out, Emperor Jianwen will still have a chance. After all, less than a year has passed since Emperor Jianwen disappeared, and the people of Jiangnan have not yet been completely lost.

In addition to the factor of public support, Bao Zhao has already noticed that his old rival Yao Guangxiao seems to have sensed his existence, and many Jianwen remnants have been arrested. Although due to his single-line contact method, the organizational network has not been destroyed on a large scale. Uprooted, but still suffered a big blow.

Bao Zhao knew very well that his lurking method would be discovered sooner or later as the spy agency under the pseudo-emperor gradually strengthened. Therefore, he decided to take a risk and take advantage of the pseudo-emperor to leave the palace to watch the game. Kill here. If you can succeed, you will have a chance to make a comeback.

He believed that this time, relying on wisdom and force, he would be able to assassinate the false emperor, regain his strength, restore the imperial court, and unify the gentry in Jiangnan who had been forced by the reform to have no way out.

Bao Zhao stood for a long time, seemed to have made a decision, and then hurriedly left the place.

——————

When the third musical instrument, the gong, sounds.

The first arena match, "The Debate between Righteousness and Benefit", officially began.

Similar to military competitions and civilian sumo wrestling, it is a high platform, but wooden ladders are placed on both sides to prevent old and frail scholars from being able to get up.

At the same time, taking into account the overall age, it is not so inhumane that the debaters from both sides debated in the summer sun.

Instead, two umbrella covers were erected, and blankets were spread underneath.

This has been the standard arrangement for discussing scriptures in the Qing Dynasty since the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.

At this time, people's attention was focused on Wang Yuli and Zhuo Jing on both sides. They were selected for the first debate. They are both popular figures today. As soon as they appeared, they became everyone's attention. Focus.

"I heard that the person invited this time is Mr. Shi Dao, the head of the Jinhua School?" Someone whispered.

"Yes, this teacher is highly respected in Zhejiang. During the Hongwu Dynasty, he was one of the top Neo-Confucian scholars."

"Is Zhuo Shangshu his opponent?"

"Then you underestimate Zhuo Shangshu, right? Zhuo Shangshu was extremely intelligent and erudite when he was young. He was ranked second in the 21st year of Hongwu. When Xie Jin was not famous, he was the most talented person in the Ming Dynasty!"

"Haha, so what, the debate is about the understanding of the meaning of the scriptures, not poetry and essays."

Everyone was talking about the outcome of today's first competition. This competition was even related to their living expenses this month.

Yes, as this kind of arena match has enough warm-up, how could no one place a bet?

Although I only knew who the three defenders were beforehand and I didn’t know who the challenger was, there were only a few great Confucians who were qualified to debate the classics on behalf of Neo-Confucianism, and we could roughly guess the range, so when not long ago When the list was announced and it was "Wang Yuli, Gao Xunzhi, and Cao Duan", the odds of each company came out immediately.

At present, the odds of Wang Yuli and Zhuo Jing are basically floating around six to four. Each company is different, but they are similar. Generally speaking, this veteran scholar of the Jinhua School is more favored.

In the midst of everyone's discussion, the two protagonists appeared.

"This is Mr. Shidao."

An old man in a blue gown, a turban on his head, and cloth shoes slowly climbed onto the high platform, causing a commotion below.

"Zhuo Shangshu!"

Zhuo Jing's white hair was tied up with a black square scarf on his head. He was wearing a long gown, with his hands behind his back. He walked calmly and calmly from the wooden ladder on the other side, as if he was going to a banquet, and people couldn't help but admire him.

"He is personable and magnanimous. He is truly worthy of being a top official of the country."

Wang Yuli bowed and saluted first.

"Wang Yuli of Jinhua School has met Mr. Zhuo."

Zhuo Jing also returned the salute with his hand in hand: "Zhuo Jing, I have met Mr. Shidao."

After the two parties bowed to each other, they knelt opposite each other and sat on the mat on the ground.

As the defender, Zhuo Jing could have taken the lead in speaking out to criticize, but he did not choose to do so. Instead, he chose to start the first debate with a statement.

"A gentleman should stick to his foundation. The foundation is established and the Tao is born. The distinction between justice and benefit is the foundation of Confucianism. Please enlighten me."

This is equivalent to Zhuo Jing voluntarily giving up the initiative to Wang Yuli. Everyone knows that debating can determine the outcome with one move. In this case, either Zhuo Jing has extreme confidence in himself, or he has a true gentleman's demeanor. This cannot help but It caused a burst of admiration from the audience.

The gentleman of ancient times was nothing better than this.

However, no one at the scene thought that the defender had room to lose.

Of course, having room to lose does not mean that you have to lose deliberately. It is still necessary to debate to the best of your ability. Otherwise, the loss will be ugly, it will also embarrass the reformists, and it will shake the belief in the hearts of the people.

Faced with Zhuo Jing's kick, Wang Yuli did not take the test for a long time, but said decisively.

"Morality is the criterion for peace. Since the pre-Qin Dynasty, it has been the core of the political ideals of various schools. Among them, the two most important ones are justice and benefit. Although the distinction between justice and benefit is only an academic discussion, it has a great relationship with the national economy and people's livelihood, so we should not be careful. Judgment!"

"I would like to ask Mr. Zhuo, what is meant by 'the winner of the original righteousness will rule the world, and the one who defeats the righteous will bring chaos'?"