My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 65 Confucianism is Sick
Is Confucianism sick?

Empress Ma was extremely shocked; she never expected Ma Yu to say such a thing.

This is not to say that there is a problem with a particular person or the system, but rather to point directly at Confucianism.

That's Confucianism, after all.

You're saying that a thought that has developed for over two thousand years is sick?

Even if these words came from his elders, they were still far too arrogant.

At this point, she could no longer imagine what kind of people the elders of the Ma Yu family were.

A genius? Without a doubt.

A madman? He does seem a bit crazy.

The key point is that they seem to research everything and achieve some results in everything.

This is the most incomprehensible thing.

That being said, if his elders could truly perceive that Confucianism was in trouble, then the heights they would have reached are simply unimaginable.

But none of that matters now. What she cares about most is what exactly is wrong with Confucianism.

After all, the Ming Dynasty still needed Confucianism to govern the country.

What's wrong with Confucianism? Is it serious?

Ma Yu nodded and said, "I don't know how to explain the problem to you right now, but the consequences are very serious."

"It would stagnate our civilization, or even cause it to regress."

"I told His Majesty before that the grassland and Liaodong tribes have actually been getting stronger. You should know that now, right?"

Empress Ma nodded. Zhu Yuanzhang told her the same night she returned from Chang Yuchun's house.

Ma Yu continued, "If the Ming Dynasty stops progressing while they continue to evolve, the consequences will be unimaginable."

In the past, Empress Ma might have thought he was exaggerating, but now she had to take it seriously.

Moreover, she thought about things more deeply; Ma Yu had previously mentioned the problem of too many people and too little land.

The surplus population must be addressed by increasing productivity and developing industry and commerce.

If the Ming Dynasty stagnates, it won't even need to wait for external enemies to grow stronger; the rapidly increasing population will overwhelm them.

If Confucianism really has problems as he says, then it really needs to be addressed quickly.

Ma Yu then asked, "You should know that the world is vast, not just this corner of the earth."

Empress Ma couldn't help but recall the incomplete map in the Great Benevolence Hall.

"The world is indeed much bigger than we imagine."

Ma Yu thought to herself, "It's good that you know, it saves me the trouble of explaining."

"The West also has countless ethnic groups and countries."

"The Tang Dynasty was able to manage Anxi from the Western Regions, and the Mongols were able to plunder the Western world through the Western Regions."

"The reason is that we are stronger than them."

"If you fall behind, you will be attacked, so they were attacked."

"However, they are also constantly getting stronger. If we stagnate or even regress, we will be overtaken by them sooner or later."

"Then it will be their turn to beat us up."

"It's like the Tang Dynasty's strategy of governing Anxi, or the Mongols' westward expedition."

Empress Ma frowned deeply. "The Westerners are attacking?"

That sounds so unreliable!

But the examples of the Tang Dynasty and the Mongols forced her to believe it.

There's no reason why only Easterners can beat Westerners. Ultimately, whoever is stronger can beat others, and the weaker side can only passively take the beating.

However, she valued the grasslands and Liaodong more than the Westerners who were far away.

These two places alone are enough to make the Ming Dynasty extremely cautious.

Thinking of this, she spoke:
"I won't ask you what the specific problem is. Just tell me if it can be fixed."

Ma Yu replied affirmatively, "Yes."

"Confucianism is not yet terminally ill, and Your Majesty has absolute control over the country."

"Once the problem is identified, it can be fixed."

"It can be said that this is the only opportunity to change things in hundreds of years, and it will be difficult to change things once this opportunity is missed."

Empress Ma gradually recovered from her initial shock and asked:

"Did you go to Song Lian to persuade him to help save Confucianism?"

Ma Yu nodded and said, "Yes, we not only need to point out where the problem is, but also to find ways to solve it."

“My elders did talk to me about this problem, and they have already found a solution.”

"However... I can only remember some basic facts and am not capable of solving this problem."

Empress Ma felt as if her heart was bleeding.

How could such a learned family just disappear like that?

Ma Yu continued, "Mr. Song is the foremost figure in the literary world today. If he can face the existence of Confucianism squarely, he will be able to find a solution."

“If he needs it, I am willing to tell him the ‘skin’ I remember and provide him with some reference.”

Empress Ma nodded and praised, "You are never stingy; you are willing to teach others all kinds of knowledge."

Ma Yu sighed, "China has so much knowledge and technology that has been lost because people cherish it too much."

“My elders deeply regretted this and once vowed that if they had the opportunity, they would publish all their knowledge so that people all over the world could learn it.”

"Although they are all gone now, the family's century-old heritage was destroyed in the war."

"But I'm still alive, so why would I be stingy with the little bit I know?"

"Only by carrying forward their traditions can we provide the greatest comfort to our elders."

Empress Ma was filled with respect: "Our predecessors are truly gentlemen."

Ma Yu smiled and then said, "Mr. Song is a gentleman. If we can persuade him, many problems can be easily solved."

"So please allow me to see him, Aunt."

This was the second reason he entered the palace.

Such a big matter was discussed with Song Lian privately without their permission.

This is not a good thing for either him or Song Lian.

Empress Ma hesitated for a long time before saying, "Go ahead. You are a smart child. You know in your heart what you should and shouldn't say, so I won't nag you anymore."

Ma Yu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you, Aunt Xie. It's so good to have you here." If it weren't for her, relying on that stinking beggar, this would definitely have failed.

To be precise, if it weren't for her, I would have been reincarnated long ago.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Ma Yu got up to take her leave and went home to continue preparing materials.

After he left, Empress Ma sat there silently pondering for a long time, during which time Zhu Di and Xu Miaoyun returned briefly.

Seeing that she was deep in thought, he did not dare to disturb her. He told the eunuch, and the two rode away together.

After a long while, Empress Ma finally snapped out of her thoughts and sent someone to summon Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't delay; he immediately put down the memorial he was holding and went to the Kunning Palace.
"What did that brat say this time?"

Empress Ma first explained the matter of the three large rooms: "What do you think of his suggestion?"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said, "If he hadn't mentioned it, we really wouldn't have thought about this. This matter cannot be taken lightly."

"It is certainly possible to let Biao guide their thoughts."

"That kid is smart enough to let it go; we won't hold it against him for associating with the sons of noble families."

"However, relying on Biao'er alone is probably not enough. Why not send him to the Imperial Academy?"

“There are ready-made teachers there to teach them.”

Empress Ma shook her head and said, "I'm afraid we can't send them to the Imperial Academy for the time being."

Then she told him about Rujia's illness.

She originally thought it would take some time to persuade Zhu Yuanzhang.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing "Confucianism is sick," he slapped his thigh and exclaimed:
"As expected, we had already sensed something was wrong with Confucianism, and sure enough, there was a problem."

Empress Ma asked with a hint of doubt, "You already noticed?"

Why wasn't this told to me?
You stinking beggar, you've learned to keep such a big thing from me, haven't you?

Zhu Yuanzhang explained, "The newly established Ming Dynasty urgently needs talented people, so we have recruited many scholars from the common people."

"Those people write flowery articles, and their tone is increasingly arrogant."

"But when asked about practical matters, none of them uttered a word."

"Or it's just platitudes like educating and appeasing the people."

"If it's just one or two cases like this, it's not a big deal, but if it's the majority, then there must be a problem with Confucianism."

It is still difficult to determine whether this matter is due to the same reason that Ma Yu mentioned.

"However, there is no doubt that the Confucian way of educating people is problematic."

"The reason why Ma Yu did not mention the Imperial Academy is probably due to this."

Empress Ma suddenly realized that this was the source of her deduction.

She knew about this, but hadn't thought of it that way before.

Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang say this, one can't help but think that it seems to be true.

Upon hearing the last sentence, she nodded and said:
"Yes, almost all the teachers at the Imperial Academy were Confucian scholars."

"If Confucianism truly has a problem, sending so many sons of noble families there to study would have unimaginable consequences."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly and said, "The nobles are the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. We must not allow any problems to arise. It is right to be cautious."

"Let Biao guide them for now. As for unified education, we'll see how things go later."

At this point, he asked again, "Did Ma Yu say where the problem lies?"

Empress Ma shook her head and then recounted Ma Yu's plan to find Song Lian:
"I've agreed to let him see Song Lian. You're not angry, are you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang quickly replied, "How could that be? Your decision is our decision."

Then he said angrily, "That brat didn't even say where the problem was. It's outrageous!"

"Isn't this torture?"

Empress Ma shook her head and explained, "Even if he did tell us, it would be difficult for us to tell in a short time."

"Moreover, he knew about the secret agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"Three days from now, every word he said to Song Lian will be presented to us."

"I think that's why he didn't tell me today."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly and said, "He's just making a fuss. That kid is very cunning."

Empress Ma knew he was just habitually cricket-loving, so she ignored it and instead asked:

"You know how powerful Confucianism is. If what he said is true, you should make plans in advance."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted and said, "Even if there are no problems, we still want to correct some of the bad habits of Confucianism."

"However, let's wait until Ma Yu has met with Song Lian and we understand the details before making a decision on this matter."

Empress Ma naturally understood his meaning and said, "I will summon him to the palace and have him explain things clearly."

"He also mentioned that an elder in his family had suggested a solution."

"Although I only remember some of the basics, they should still give us some ideas."
-
For the next two days, Ma Yu stayed at home, carefully considering what she wanted to say to Song Lian over and over again.

The main point is that all the arguments must be clearly listed.

Song Lian was different from ordinary people; he genuinely believed in Confucianism and had integrity.

Such people are especially difficult to persuade.

Conversely, if you can present concrete evidence, they will also acknowledge the flaws.

What I fear most are those people with ulterior motives who use Confucianism as a guise to do shady things.

This kind of person is impossible to persuade; the only solution is to slap them across the face.

The reform of Confucianism could have been carried out without Song Lian.

But with him, many problems become exceptionally simple.

Putting everything else aside, if Song Lian were to say that he offered a new interpretation of Confucianism, he would be a pioneer in bringing forth new ideas.

A large number of supporters will soon emerge to show their support.

The Confucian school split up immediately.

Once Confucianism fails to unite people, many things will become easier to handle.

With the combined administrative measures of the imperial court, those who cling to outdated ideas will soon be swept into the dustbin of history.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Early that morning, Ma Yu got up and made all the preparations.

Seeing that it was almost time, he got up and went to Song Lian's house.

(End of this chapter)