My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 68 Mozi on the Mandate of Heaven

Ma Yu kept reminding herself that she was being manipulated, that she was being manipulated, and that she must not fall for it.

However, a warm current still welled up from the depths of my heart, slowly warming my whole body.

With a soft sigh, he could only manage a bitter smile:
“Aunt, I finally understand why you are the Empress.”

Empress Ma laughed and said, "Don't talk nonsense. I was able to become empress because of His Majesty."

"Your Majesty was able to gain the empire because of his great talent and strategy, his love for the people, and the assistance of his generals and officials."

“I’m just a woman, what can I possibly do?”

Ma Yu shook her head and said nothing more.

Zhu Biao, standing to the side, wore a thoughtful expression.

No, I'll have to teach this trick to my wife later. Once she learns it, she can manipulate whoever she wants.

At this point, Empress Ma asked, "How do you think the court should deal with the religious Confucianism?"

Zhu Biao perked up and listened intently.

Ma Yu also composed himself and said, "Because Dong Zhongshu proposed the idea of ​​natural monarchical power, many people believe that the legitimacy of imperial power was bestowed by Confucianism."

"The emperor needed Confucian scholars to help promote this ideology, in order to increase the people's acceptance of him and strengthen his rule."

"Even many emperors believed this statement."

Zhu Biao interjected, "The concept of the Mandate of Heaven already existed as early as the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties."

“You said before that the Western Zhou Dynasty received the Mandate of Heaven because of King Wen’s virtue.”

"Subsequent dynasties all took virtue as their foundation to prove that they had received the Mandate of Heaven. When did they need Confucianism to prove it?"

"Besides, when did Dong Zhongshu live?"

"Monarchs existed thousands of years before him. How could he possibly transcend time and space to justify the legitimacy of his ancestors?"

"Leaving aside the pre-Qin period, Emperor Gaozu of Han did not employ Confucianism, yet he still gained the country, didn't he?"

"Didn't Emperors Wen and Jing rule for several decades?"

"The Tang Dynasty revered Laozi as its ancestor and regarded Taoism as the most prominent school of thought, while the status of Confucianism was not as high as that of Buddhism."

"And yet the country still enjoyed two hundred and eighty-nine years of rule."

Empress Ma nodded slightly, agreeing that this was the correct statement.

Dynasties do need Confucianism to govern the country, but it is merely a tool and cannot be used to legitimize imperial power.

It must not be allowed to supersede imperial power.

Thinking of this, she said, "He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. If imperial power truly needs legality, it is bestowed upon it by the people."

Zhu Biao agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "My cousin once said that what the people approve of is the Mandate of Heaven."

"But no one has ever said that what Confucianism recognizes is the Mandate of Heaven."

“My father was able to gain the throne not because of his Confucianism.”

Ma Yu was overjoyed. Why did he dare to take action against Confucianism? And why was he so certain that Zhu Yuanzhang would agree?
It's very simple. Zhu Yuanzhang only used Confucianism as a tool, and he would never allow that tool to climb over his head.

This is his Achilles' heel.

Not just Zhu Yuanzhang, but any monarch with any ability would not allow anyone to be above imperial power.

Now all we need to do is convince Zhu Yuanzhang that the Confucianists want to do this.

And Confucianism, indeed, sought to supersede imperial power.

Isn't this a coincidence?

If you don't get beaten up, who will?

"In fact, the idea of ​​the divine right of kings was not proposed by Dong Zhongshu; it originated in ancient times."

"All the schools of thought in ancient China believed that the monarchy was ordained by Heaven."

"The Mohists were the first to use theory to argue for the idea of ​​the divine right of kings."

"In the chapter on laws and rituals, Mozi demonstrated the relationship between law, benevolence, the monarch, and Heaven."

"This is also the only school of thought among the Hundred Schools of Thought that uses theory to demonstrate the relationship between heaven and man."

"Other theories all tell you in an affirmative tone that this is the right thing to do and that it must be done this way."

"But they won't tell you why it's the right thing to do."

"Only the Mohists, through a series of deductive arguments, proved the legitimacy of the monarchy."

"At the same time, he also argued for the responsibilities and obligations of the state."

Empress Ma's attitude changed immediately, after all, this concerned the power of the emperor:

What did Mozi say?

Zhu Biao also paid close attention to it.

Ma Yu said, "This matter is very complicated. I will give you a brief explanation, and you can refer to Mozi for more details later."

"Mozi first argued that law is necessary for everything, and rules are law."

"Then where does the law come from?"

Mozi believed that law originates from objectively existing laws.

As the saying goes: every trade has its rules and regulations.

"It's like this: when you're thirsty, you need to drink water; when you're hungry, you need to eat, otherwise you'll die."

"This is an objective law, and it will not change because of human will."

"Since everything has its own laws, what kind of laws are needed to govern a country?"

"He used the process of elimination here."

Mozi believed that the laws governing parents, teachers and students, and rulers and subjects could not achieve complete benevolence, and therefore were not suitable for governing a country.

"After eliminating all the impossibilities, he came to the conclusion that only geniuses possess complete benevolence."

"Therefore, genius is the source of the methods of governing a country."

Zhu Biao couldn't help but interject, "The relationship between the Mohists and the Daoists must not be very harmonious."

Lao Tzu said: Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs.

Your Mohist school claims that Heaven possesses perfect benevolence; isn't that a slap in the face?

Ma Yu laughed and said, "Yes, they don't get along very well. But it's still alright, since the two families have one thing in common: they both despise Confucianism."

Zhu Biao couldn't help but smile to himself. Unconsciously, the divine brilliance of the thoughts of the Hundred Schools of Thought was gradually disappearing from his heart.

This doesn't mean he disrespected the ideas of the ancient philosophers; it simply means he began to view everything with a more rational mindset.

Moreover, he is now more interested in the philosophers who are flesh and blood.

I am eager to learn about their experiences and thoughts.

Ma Yu continued, "Mozi also argued why Heaven possesses perfect benevolence."

"The way of Heaven is vast and impartial; its bestowal is generous and without expectation of reward; its brightness is enduring and never fades."

In other words, the heavens selflessly cover all things, nurturing all creation without ever boasting of themselves; the radiance of the heavens endures and never fades.

Mozi then argued that Heaven desires all things to benefit and love each other, and does not like them to kill each other.

"In short, through layers of deduction, Mozi finally came to a conclusion." "Governing a country requires law, and law comes from Heaven. Heaven acts with benevolence, and those who are not benevolent will perish."

"If a monarch governs the country with benevolence, he will receive the protection of Heaven and possess the Mandate of Heaven."

"This is the Mohist concept of the divine right of kings."

Empress Ma nodded slightly and said, "Dong Zhongshu's concept of the interaction between Heaven and Man is quite similar to this."

Ma Yu said, "Dong Zhongshu was indeed a great talent, but his ideas did not come out of thin air. They were simply an expansion of the ideas of his predecessors."

"Although we cannot prove whether his theory of the interaction between Heaven and humanity drew on the related ideas of Mozi."

"But there is no doubt that its ideas are similar to those of Mozi."

Dong Zhongshu's natural power was also due to his benevolence and virtue, which earned him the mandate of heaven. After becoming emperor, he was to implement benevolent governance.

If benevolent governance is not practiced, Heaven will punish those who fail to act; various celestial phenomena and disasters are all warnings from Heaven.

If you do not govern with benevolence, then destiny will be transferred to another family.

Isn't it very similar to Mozi's argument?

The key issue is that his logical chain of argumentation is not as clear as Mozi's.

However, he happened to arrive at that crucial moment and managed to please Emperor Wu of Han.

Ma Yu wouldn't say this for no reason.

What is the Chinese people's attitude towards supernatural forces?

Respect them but keep them at a distance; worship them whenever you encounter a god.

Whether it's an evil god or a righteous god, what's wrong with paying respects? It's never wrong to show courtesy to a god.

Although Empress Ma and her ilk did not verbally acknowledge that Confucianism could justify imperial power, this notion had been around for a long time, and they inevitably harbored doubts about it.

Ma Yu wanted to use Mozi to tell them that the divine right of kings was not a concept proposed by Confucianism.

Even without using Confucian logic, there are still other ways to prove it.

Only by overcoming this concern will they dare to truly target Confucianism.

But that's not enough.

Identifying problems is important, but finding solutions is even more important.

If no more feasible solution can be proposed, no matter how angry Zhu Yuanzhang is, he can only kill a group of people and eventually have to compromise.

Now, another thing Ma Yu needs to do is to convince them that she has a solution to the problem.

So he went on to say:

"The Mohists, including Dong Zhongshu, were only arguing for the correctness of the theory that the monarch's power was bestowed by heaven."

"Their premise is that monarchical power is bestowed by Heaven."

"But the Confucianists of today are trying to replace Heaven with themselves and give legitimacy to the imperial power."

"Confucian scholars before the Song Dynasty did not have, nor dared to have, such ideas."

"Although Emperor Wu of Han proposed to exclusively promote Confucianism, his purpose was only to replace Huang-Lao thought with Confucianism and achieve a shift in ideology and policy."

"Transform inaction into action."

"When governing the country, he still used a variety of schools of thought, including Confucianism, Legalism, Taoism, and military strategy."

“From then until the Tang Dynasty, Confucianism was never truly the sole dominant ideology.”

"During this period, Confucianism was just one of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and they were still relatively pragmatic."

“The Confucian scholars of that time were not as helpless as they are now.”

"They are not only quick-witted, but also very skilled in hand-eye coordination."

"Many Confucian scholars were indeed capable of becoming both generals and prime ministers."

"However, by the Song Dynasty, Confucianism had truly achieved its exclusive dominance, and even the emperor had to rely on them to govern the country."

"Han Qi's line, 'Only those who are called out outside Donghua Gate are true men,' is the best description of this."

"So they really began to believe that the court had to rely on them and that the imperial power needed their recognition."

"This was actually the beginning of the religiousization of Confucianism."

Empress Ma said thoughtfully, "You mean to re-employ schools of thought such as Taoism and Legalism to compete with Confucianism?"

Ma Yu nodded, but then added, "That's only one aspect."

"The real strength of Confucianism lies in its monopoly on education."

“Everyone who reads books uses Confucian classics as their primary teaching material, and these people are naturally their disciples.”

"If the imperial court really wants to suppress Confucianism, it must start here."

Empress Ma frowned and said, "It's difficult. You yourself said that the Song Dynasty had already achieved the exclusive veneration of Confucianism."

"Now that everyone in the world is a Confucian, where are we going to find so many talents from other schools of thought to compete with them?"

"In matters of education, the imperial court has even less room to interfere."

Ma Yu laughed and said, "Do you know how the Mohist school disappeared?"

Empress Ma shook her head and said, "It should be related to Emperor Wu of Han, but I don't know the specifics."

Ma Yu said, "It's very simple. Emperor Wu of Han simply forbade the Mohist disciples from serving as officials, so most of them switched allegiances."

"The Mohist school could not find any disciples, so it naturally disappeared."

"The Ming Dynasty could do the opposite and actively appoint disciples of other schools of thought as officials, and it would be best if this message could be conveyed to others."

"Although the effect will not be particularly good, some scholars will inevitably change their allegiance on their own initiative."

Empress Ma pondered for a moment and said, "That is indeed a feasible method."

"The Ming Dynasty is currently in dire need of talent, and His Majesty has repeatedly recruited talent from among the common people."

"This is a good opportunity to give priority to hiring people who are not from Confucian backgrounds."

"But relying solely on this method to completely reverse the situation is probably insufficient."

"Moreover, it is also impossible to fundamentally break the Confucian monopoly on education."

Ma Yu laughed and said, "Aunt, you're confused. What's the point of studying? To become an official."

"The imperial court will reopen the imperial examinations sooner or later, so let's start by changing the content of the examinations."

"In addition to Confucianism, the philosophies of Mohism, Taoism, Legalism, and Military Strategy are also included in the exam."

"If the imperial court then introduces relevant classics, scholars will naturally take the initiative to study them."

"In this way, it won't be long before the ideas of each school of thought are naturally revived."

Empress Ma's eyes lit up, and she praised, "What a brilliant idea! Using the imperial examination as bait, scholars will flock to it."

Zhu Biao nodded repeatedly, agreeing that the imperial examination system had indeed grasped the crux of Confucianism.

Ma Yu poured cold water on this idea, saying, "The Confucian school has too much of an advantage right now, and relying solely on these methods will probably make it difficult to achieve the results we want in the short term."

Empress Ma asked directly, "If you have any other good ideas, just say them."

Ma Yu slowly said, "To split Confucianism and to reform Confucianism."

(End of this chapter)