Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 326: Valuing military power over literature, the soil of the ancestral grave is loose!
There are no Four Books and Five Classics.

There is no subtle meaning.

There is no stereotyped essay.

What's left of Confucianism?
It seems like there is nothing left.

Hai Rui's question made the cabinet silent again. In the thousands of years of history, Confucianism seemed glorious, but in fact it had already declined.

This is the reason why rationalism and psychology could rise.

Confucianism was originally just an empty shell, covered up by the two studies of reason and mind. It has been wandering like this from the end of the Tang Dynasty to the present, a full thousand years. Now, the shell shows signs of decay.

However, Neo-Confucianism and Mind Learning, which had been in the shell for so long, no longer knew who they were and became rotten and smelly along with Confucianism.

Even if all the contents of Confucianism, Neo-Confucianism and the School of Mind were turned out, washed, dried and tidied up, the people in the cabinet would not be able to find anything interesting.

After all, he was from a prominent family, so Li Chunfang broke the awkwardness and found another way: "If you don't pay attention to the Six Classics, then focus on the Six Arts."

The Six Classics refer to "Book of Songs", "Book of History", "Book of Rites", "Book of Music", "Book of Changes" and "Spring and Autumn Annals".

According to the record in "Guoyu Chuyu Shang", King Zhuang of Chu once consulted Shen Shushi (Shen Gong) on ​​the matter of educating the crown prince. Shen Shushi's answers included: "Teach him the Book of Songs", "Teach him the Book of Rites", "Teach him the Book of Music" and "Teach him the Spring and Autumn Annals".

From this we can see that before Confucius, "Spring and Autumn Annals", "Book of Songs", "Book of Rites" and "Book of Music" were the basic classics of education. After Confucius' "transmission" work, the "Six Classics" began to become the classics and symbols of Confucianism.

In the Guodian bamboo slips "Six Virtues", it is said, "If you look at the Book of Songs and the Book of History, it is also there. If you look at the Book of Rites and the Book of Music, it is also there. If you look at the Book of Changes and the Spring and Autumn Annals, it is also there."

From then on, the Six Classics became six ancient books from the pre-Qin period that were compiled and passed down by Confucius. The full names of these six classic works are "The Book of Songs", "The Book of History" (i.e. "The Book of History"), "The Book of Rites", "The Book of Changes" (i.e. "The Book of Zhouyi"), "The Book of Music" and "The Spring and Autumn Annals".

Since ancient times, annotating the Six Classics has become the most important thing for everyone from sages and great scholars to beginners in literature, and it is also the foundation of Confucian heritage.

"The Six Classics explain me, and I explain the Six Classics" has become a phrase often said by countless Confucian disciples.

But his obsession with fantasy was meaningless and he was eventually rejected by His Majesty today.

Then we can only push it back further, even to before Confucius, to the dynasty that Confucius most longed for.

"week".

Since the Zhou Dynasty, the royal family, the nobility, and the imperial court have attached great importance to education, but at that time, more emphasis was placed on the education of the nobility. The children of the nobility called poetry, calligraphy, rites, Yi, music, and the Spring and Autumn Annals the "Six Arts" (there are two types of "Six Arts", the other being rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics) and they were essential knowledge.

The Book of Songs, Book of History, Book of Rites, Book of Music, Book of Changes, and Spring and Autumn Annals were kept by the Zhou royal family. Towards the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, after a great chaos in the Zhou royal family, a large number of classics were lost. As a result, Confucius felt that rites and music were collapsing.

Since the Six Classics can no longer be annotated, the Six Arts can be picked up again.

However, the "Book of Changes" and "Spring and Autumn Annals" of the Six Arts of the Zhou Dynasty were contrary to the emperor's requirements, so there was no choice but to adopt another type of the Six Arts.

That is, rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics.

Etiquette, music and dance, archery, charioteering, calligraphy and arithmetic.

Among them, archery and driving (chariot driving, driving) are military skills.

These six arts were originally the "arts of creating scholars" in the Zhou Dynasty, that is, the skills of creating elite warriors.

But with the arrival of the Qin Emperor's conquest of the world and the establishment of a unified dynasty, these elite warriors became a restless existence for the Qin Empire.

The dynasty still attaches great importance to the word "maintaining stability". Since the Qin Dynasty, every dynasty has been reducing the "blood and energy" of the people.

As the saying goes, "Confucians use literature to disrupt the law, while knights use force to violate the law." Emperors of all dynasties would rather allow Confucians to disrupt the law than allow knights and knights to violate the law.

But these are all good skills that can be used in many aspects of life and are absolutely practical knowledge.

If the emperor wants to ban the Six Classics, the cabinet will then promote the Six Arts. Any trouble that arises afterwards will have nothing to do with the cabinet.

Gao Gong, Hu Zongxian, Hai Rui and Zhu Heng all saw that Li Chunfang's proposal was clearly a way to give up.

In the court, if a civil servant does not want to do something, he will distort and exaggerate the implementation of it. This will cause trouble, and the thing will not be effectively implemented, and will fail or stop.

Facing the gazes of his fellow ministers, Li Chunfang spread his hands and did not explain.

He was indeed going against the Divine Will.

To this day, there are still two ministers in the cabinet who come from prominent families and put family interests above all else.

One is Chen Yiqin, from the Chen family in Nanchong.

The second is Li Chunfang, from the Li family in Xinghua.

The Chen family of Nanchong is still superior to the Li family of Xinghua, and has reached the level of an ancient aristocratic family. Changes in regimes and dynasties can hardly affect the survival of the Chen family of Nanchong.

But the Xinghua Li family can’t do that.

Although the Xinghua Li family has some "small wealth", in the final analysis, the Li family is still a Confucian traditional "farming and reading" family.

The Li family could accept the decline of Confucianism, but could not accept its complete demise. Once the system of selecting talents and officials changed drastically, the Li family would no longer be able to guarantee that there would be high officials and fine horses to ride for generations.

Your Majesty’s will is high. Li Chunfang is just a humble cabinet minister and has no choice but to do his job. Well, if you want to destroy Confucianism, then I will ban literary spirit and restore martial spirit.

When every Chinese person is as brave as a dragon, I wonder if the Zhu royal family can still sit on the throne.

Even if the emperor can take the throne, what about the next emperor? What about the next emperor?

Let's see who can outlast whom.

Hai Rui has always disliked children from wealthy families, and at this moment, his dislike for his colleague Li Chunfang reached an unprecedented level.

How can the Ming Dynasty be governed well if you serve in the same cabinet with this group of selfish insects?
Cabinet ministers proposed.

As the chief minister of the cabinet, Gao Gong had to express his opinion. Seeing the tense atmosphere in the government hall, he simply said, "Let's vote on it."

As he spoke, Gao Gongbiao voted in favor of Li Chunfang's proposal of "stopping the Six Classics and restoring the Six Arts."

People always have a sense of awe, and Gao Gong is no exception. Regarding the theory that has been passed down for thousands of years, first digging tombs and then robbing tombs, Gao Gong was a little afraid after all. He still wanted some fame during his lifetime and after his death.

There are seven ministers in the cabinet, five of whom are in Beijing. Li Chunfang proposed it, and Gao Gong agreed, so the votes accounted for nearly half.

Hai Rui immediately voted against it, bringing the vote back a little. Zhu Heng then voted against it again, tying the vote.

Zhu Heng was born in Ji'an, Jiangxi Province, the hometown of Liu Daxia, who burned Zheng He's treasure ship maps and navigation charts. The Zhu family and the Liu family were on par with each other in Ji'an County.

The family power is definitely not as good as the Nanchong Chen family and Xinghua Li family, but the Zhu family has no intention of ruling alone, let alone the prosperity of the family for thousands of generations. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings, so this vote of opposition is completely out of public interest. Two to two, the four people all looked at the second prime minister Hu Zongxian. Given Hu Zongxian's personality, Li Chunfang's mind was a little depressed, and the situation was not very favorable for him.

But suddenly, Li Chunfang showed joy, while Hai Rui's face became extremely ugly. Hu Zongxian cast the crucial vote of approval.

Three to two, the cabinet passed the resolution to "restore the Six Arts".

Hai Rui turned away.

Gao Gong and Zhu Heng returned to their desks and continued to handle government affairs.

The detailed memorial was written by Li Chunfang. Hu Zongxian looked at Li Chunfang, who looked very happy, and shook his head.

The military affairs of the Ming Dynasty had been in decline for a long time, and it was urgent to revive the military. Although Li Chunfang's proposal was "vicious", the Ming Dynasty urgently needed to rekindle the martial spirit, which was of great significance to the future strategic world.

Furthermore, being full of martial virtues does not mean that the country will be in chaos and the people will be unstable. For some reason, Hu Zongxian always felt that Li Chunfang would not only fail to achieve his wish, but would push big families like the Xinghua Li family into an endless abyss.

The people are as hot-blooded as dragons. They dare to draw their swords when they see injustice, and they dare to fight when they encounter injustice.

So the question is, in this world, is it the emperor who is high above, invisible and untouchable, who persecutes the people, or is it the high-ranking officials, nobles, powerful people, and landlords who are arrogant because of their power and are close at hand who persecute the people?

Will the common people rush into the heavily guarded Western Garden to attack and kill the Emperor, or will they ambush and kill the officials and powerful forces who only gave a small amount of silver to the guards?

Anyone can die, but the first one to die will definitely not be the emperor.

……

Ok Hee Palace.

Zhu Houcong looked at the cabinet's memorial and changed the Six Classics into the Six Arts. It can be said that he changed the 100,000 community schools built in the Ming Dynasty into community schools and martial arts halls.

Neither the academy nor the martial arts hall affects basic literacy, but the six arts of "ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics" will fully equip every student.

Time is a cycle, emphasizing culture over martial arts, emphasizing martial arts over culture, and now it is the turn of martial arts to flourish.

That’s right. To conquer the world, how can the people do it without sufficient blood and energy to control the world?
Zhu Houcong naturally saw through the various schemes hidden in this memorial by Minister Li Chunfang, and he rarely smiled.

Who lives longer?

Zhu Houcong wanted to see how many more years the Xinghua Li family could survive.

Huang Jin, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department and the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot, was summoned to seal the memorial, which was then returned to the cabinet and distributed throughout the country.

When Huang Jin turned around to pass on the imperial edict, Zhu Houcong said, "Also, tell the six ministries and nine departments of the cabinet that although the court will not be punished for speaking, the subjects at all levels cannot slander the court. Strange stories, miscellaneous talks, novels, etc., which deliberately slander the court, are prohibited."

The Li family of Xinghua is good at calligraphy.

Books about demons, monsters, etc. are popular among the general public. In this regard, the Xinghua Li family has a great reputation.

The Journey to the West written by Li Chunfang and his retainer Wu Chengen was copied word for word by the Jinyiwei and delivered to the palace. Zhu Houcong had already reprimanded Li Chunfang once before, and Li Chunfang and Wu Chengen also deleted and modified some of the content.

However, only the plot of "Lion Camel Ridge" was changed, while in "Chechi Kingdom", the king was obsessed with Taoism and neglected state affairs, and in "Zhuzi Kingdom", there were no changes to the Jinyiwei and Silijian, two yamen unique to the Ming Dynasty, where spies and eunuchs interfered in politics.

Who is this satire about?

As a reader, Zhu Houcong had a very high opinion of this work of high artistic level, but as the protagonist of the book, Zhu Houcong's mood was not so good. If he continued to talk nonsense, he would have to open the "box" of Li Chunfang and Wu Chengen.

"Yes."

……

Under the new national policy of "focusing on military power and neglecting culture", not many people cared about the blow except for some people who were interested.

For a time, Gao Gong's cabinet was cursed to the sky, and even those Confucian scholars who were determined to live in seclusion were forced out. They posted notices and articles, cursing Gao Gong's cabinet for being full of villains who betrayed their teachers and ancestors, deviated from the orthodox teachings, and forgot about etiquette and literature...

In particular, Gao Gong, the chief minister of the cabinet, had his ancestral tomb in Xinzheng, his hometown, and his ancestral home in Shanxi, reported by both Henan and Shanxi that someone had "loosened the soil" at night.

The governors of the two provinces were so frightened that they immediately sent people to repair it, and then had people guard it day and night. Although the cabinet had existed for more than a hundred years, the ancestral tombs of the prime ministers of the current dynasty had never been dug up.

Even though Yan Song and his son Yan Shifan committed many evil deeds and were notorious for their crimes, no one dared to touch their ancestral tombs during their lifetime.

Obviously, Gao Gong's "reputation" has surpassed Zhang Juzheng.

The Gao family's ancestral tomb could not be moved, but those great scholars did not intend to let it go. They turned into "shrews" and started cursing in front of the Gao family's ancestral tomb and the Gao family's gate.

He even asked someone to pass a message to Gao Gong, asking him to reinforce the ancestral tomb and preferably use gold to build it so that it would not be cracked by curses.

However, Gao Gong was completely unable to retort, let alone do anything to the man, because the man's surname was Li Linshan, and he was a former official from Shandong. When he was in the court, he held the positions of Zhongxian Doctor and You Qiandu Yushi of the Censorate.

A mere fifth rank official, Gao Gong had thousands of ways to kill anyone who wanted to tear up his family's ancestral tomb, let alone leave the court. Even if he was in the court, Gao Gong would have thousands of ways to kill anyone who wanted to tear up his family's ancestral tomb.

But Li Linshan was one of Gao Gong's mentors.

Gao Gong has been Li Linshan's disciple since he was a child. Forty years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the relationship between master and disciple is still there.

No matter how his mentor scolded him, even if he really went to Changqing to dig up the Gao family's ancestral grave with a shovel, Gao Gong could only endure it and still say "Thank you for your hard work, mentor."

After the reform of the imperial examination system, literary virtues fell into decline. As a cabinet elder and Minister of Rites, Hai Rui resolutely implemented the national policy. He changed the original plan of recruiting people who were well-versed in poetry, books, the Book of Changes and the Spring and Autumn Annals as lecturers in community schools to focusing on recruiting lecturers in etiquette, music and dance, archery, driving, calligraphy and arithmetic.

For this purpose, some children from poor families, sword dancers, archers in the army, veteran car dealers, calligraphy masters, and restaurant accountants took the exam and passed it to receive specialized training.

The ministers of the six ministries and nine departments of the imperial court headed by Li Chunfang never interfered or opposed. They were waiting to see what these people who were originally from the lower class would become social school lecturers and teach tens of millions of children to become.

……

Sichuan, Shunqing, Nanchong.

After two years of implementing the national policy, Chen Yiqin brought his two sons, Chen Yubi and Chen Yujie, back to his hometown to survey the fields and distribute the land to the people. Now that they were back in the capital, of course they had to hold a ancestor worship ceremony.

The Chen family held a grand banquet and provided food to the people. Everyone in Nanchong was given three meals a day, and the cost was enormous.

The Chen family, who had always been unable to collect precious manuscripts, had to sell three copies of the sages' manuscripts in order to get enough meat and food, which made the elders of the Chen family very distressed.

But in this rare era of prosperity, the Chen family has finally reached the status of an aristocratic family that they have been working hard for forty generations and seven hundred years, and they can still bear the appropriate amount of bleeding. All the Chen family members have joyful smiles on their faces.

After offering sacrifices to his ancestors, Chen Yiqin learned about the reform of the imperial examination system and what the cabinet, or Li Chunfang, had done. He could not help but sigh, "The Xinghua Li family is probably finished!"

(End of this chapter)