Chapter 586: Contest of Hundred Schools of Thought (5)
Chapter 586 A Hundred Schools of Thought Contention (5)
Author: Feng Xiaomu
Wu Donglin walked to the attic of the Fa family.
He looked at the noisy Legalist attic, with a dark and cold light flashing in his eyes.
He originally wanted to learn Confucian methods and split Legalism into two factions.
But those who had been promoted by him before refused to join his faction.
Wu Donglin experienced the warmth and coldness of human relationships, and he became increasingly depressed.
He also heard from rumors that some people laughed at him for not overestimating his abilities.
This is something Wu Donglin, who values his self-esteem extremely, will never tolerate.
After the Hundred Schools of Thought Conference began, he immediately came to the Legalist attic and prepared to challenge the Legalists.
Let the world know that he, Wu Donglin, is definitely not a person seeking fame and reputation.
Wu Donglin was wearing the ceremonial attire of an earl. He shouted to the Legalist attic: "I, Wu Donglin, come to challenge the Legalist."
His unique clothing immediately made people in the crowd recognize him.
"This is Wu Donglin, the former minister of Dali Temple. He is one of the founders of Legalism. How can he come to provoke Legalism?"
"Nonsense, Legalists used to promote their ideas in newspapers.
The founder of Legalism was never named Wu.
This Master Wu should be an important figure in the Sanfa Division, but he was excluded by the Legalists.
Mr. Wu came to the Legalists to challenge him because he felt a little unfair."
"Everyone, come and watch the fun. This is an internal fight between big shots, and heavy news may be revealed.
We really came to the Baijia Academy at the right time, this scene is as exciting as the theater."
The news continued to spread outwards, attracting a large number of reporters and onlookers.
As a representative of Legalism, Huo Qidao saw the situation outside and immediately came out to understand the situation.
When he saw that it was Wu Donglin who came to challenge, he clasped his hands and said, "Master Wu, our Legalists welcome anyone to challenge."
When Wu Donglin saw Huo Qidao coming out, he said confidently: "Since you are known as Legalists to the outside world, you must be familiar with "Dahua Law".
Article 74 of the "Dahua Law" stipulates the relevant provisions for false accusations and rebellion.
Article 158 of the "Dahua Law" stipulates relevant provisions for reporting innocence.
Article 74 of the "Dahua Law" conflicts with Article 158 of the "Dahua Law".
What do you think about this matter?"
Wu Donglin, as the main person who wrote "Dahua Law", always thought that "Dahua Law" was perfect.
It was only when he encountered a real case that he discovered that the two clauses of the Dahua Law were in serious conflict.
He conducted in-depth research and found that the "Dahua Law" was too large, and the logic of certain types of crimes was relatively rigorous.
Taken as a whole, the provisions in the "Dahua Law" will conflict.
Wu Donglin was extremely confident and did not study "Dahua Law" in depth, so he could not solve this matter in a short time.
Huo Qidao saw that Wu Donglin's move actually used "Dahua Law" as a weapon.
Wu Donglin did not hesitate to use his greatest political achievements to fight against the threat of Legalism.
The "Dahua Law" led by Legalists is full of loopholes. Who still believes in the ability of Legalists?
Huo Qidao knew that he must not fall into Wu Donglin's trap.
Otherwise, what awaits him will be a series of problematic "Dahua Laws".
The opportunity for Legalists to demonstrate their abilities will be spent in explaining the "Dahua Law".
Huo Qidao speculated that Wu Donglin interfered with the development of Legalism in this way, which was harmful to others and not beneficial to himself.
He said confidently: "Master Wu, "Dahua Law" will be revised every five years to change some problematic chapters.
We Legalists have never said that there is not a single error in the "Dahua Law".
What the Legalists promote is the legalist idea of governing the country, rather than holding a copy of "Dahua Law" and preaching the law."
"Master Huo is right. How to use the "Dahua Law" is what Dali Temple officials should do."
"Master Wu, this is a poor man who only understands the "Law of Dahua".
He doesn’t understand Legalist thought at all, no wonder Legalism was established without him.”
"Wu wants to draw Mr. Huo into the field he is best at, and use his rich experience to defeat Mr. Huo."
Wu Donglin was very angry when he heard the comments made by people around him.
He was originally prepared to leave some room, he just wanted to take a breath and not make the matter a bigger deal.
Now he can't bear it anymore. His official career has reached its end. There is no room for improvement and he is not afraid of being reprimanded.
Wu Donglin said calmly: "One of the important guidelines of Legalist thought is that princes who break the law are equally guilty as common people.
This is just a legalist delusion that has never been realized.
Not to mention the cases of favoritism and bending the law in various places, His Majesty the Emperor often fails to abide by the law.
You Legalists want everyone to abide by the law, and the world is not ruled by men but ruled by law.
Let me tell you this, as long as the emperor exists and the nobles exist, this thing will not be possible."
As soon as Wu Donglin said this, the reporters onlookers were very excited and kept taking pictures of him.
Many people in the crowd of onlookers changed their expressions.
"Master Wu is crazy, he can say such things."
“Although there is some freedom of speech in the empire now, under normal circumstances, people are not punished for their speech.
But this situation should be regarded as slandering Your Majesty, shouldn’t the Metropolitan Procuratorate handle it?”
"Opposite him is the Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. As long as he rushes over without anyone else, he should be fine."
"I think it's okay. I can come to Baijia Academy just because I can speak freely here.
What Mr. Wu said is the truth, so there is nothing he can't say.
The Confucian and Mencius schools openly proposed to limit the emperor's power, but they were fine.
Master Wu said that this matter should have nothing to do with it."
When Huo Qidao heard what Wu Donglin said, he also had a headache, but he had to accept the move.
"Our Legalist thinking is to set order for the operation of the empire.
Everyone does their own thing within an orderly framework according to the order set by Legalism.
If we Legalists want to succeed, we must obtain the emperor's approval.
The laws of the Great China Empire were to implement the emperor's will.
A prince is guilty of the same crime as a commoner, regardless of what the law says.
It depends on how the emperor views the matter.
We Legalists are not like Confucians who are secretive about what we do and constantly beautify what we do.
What Legalists do is to establish order through law and help those in power manage the people."
Huo Qidao directly disclosed the essence of Legalism. Unlike Confucianism, Legalism still needs the support of many scholars who do not know what it is.
Legalism only needs the support of those in power, that is, the support of the emperor.
Legalist thinking will never cover up and dismantle the interests of all parties for everyone to see.
This is why Legalism only needs to accept elites and does not need to spread widely among scholars.
Wu Donglin looked at Huo Qidao saying this. He just raised his finger and pointed at Huo Qidao: "You are beasts, man-eating beasts."
Huo Qidao clasped his hands on his chest and said nonchalantly: "Master Wu, this is totally the idea of that group of Confucian hypocrites.
I have observed Mr. Wu’s judgment, and there are signs of Confucian Spring and Autumn Judgment.
Many cases have been judged very vaguely, and there are some errors in the application of the law.
You must know that the impact of one wrong sentence is worse than ten felonies.
No wonder Legalism can't tolerate you, you are a Confucian at your core."
When Wu Donglin heard this, his face became painfully red, and veins popped up on his forehead in anger.
Suddenly his vision went dark and he fell to the ground.
When Huo Qidao saw this situation, he was afraid that Wu Donglin would really die in front of the Fajia attic.
He immediately asked you to check on Wu Donglin's condition.
"Master Huo, this man just fainted."
When Huo Qidao saw this situation, he breathed a sigh of relief and immediately had Wu Donglin carried to the hospital.
Some people in the crowd were talking a lot.
"Mr. Wu, you don't have the courage! If you can't argue with someone, you'll be so angry that you faint."
"Master Wu has always been said to be a Confucian because he is the founder of Legalism. How can he not be angry?"
"I think Mr. Huo is right. Mr. Wu was just a small official and spent the first half of his life studying Zhu Cheng's Confucianism.
He is not a thinker himself, so he cannot be so quick to join another school."
Wu Donglin's challenge came to an end, and the crowd quickly dispersed.
There were two teenagers, one tall and one short, watching the Legalist debate under the protection of guards.
"Brother, this Legalist idea is too extreme.
Father... I wonder if the teacher my father chose for us will directly teach this kind of thinking."
Su Shu looked at his younger brother, the fourth prince Su Ming, who was born to the same mother.
His innocent age is a time when he is carefree.
"Brother Ming, you don't have to agree with Legalist ideas, but you must understand Legalist ideas.
Legalist concepts are extremely important for governing the country.
Without Legalism, the whole country will be in chaos."
When he was the age of his younger brother, he also thought about whether there were corrupt officials, honest officials and other officials in the court.
Why does the emperor tolerate corrupt officials instead of executing them all?
Only when Su Shu grew up did he understand that not everything is black and white.
His father often taught them to learn the golden mean.
Su Shu and his younger brother walked to the attic of Xinxue. He originally thought that Confucianism would lead to civil war.
The three schools of thought, the Datong School, and the Zhu Cheng Neo-Confucian School were at loggerheads with each other.
Su Shu discovered that these three families were not fighting for the time being.
However, they are tacitly challenging other families and suppressing their momentum.
By the time the Mohists, Taoists, and Buddhist representatives all stayed behind closed doors.
These three families challenged each other, and my uncle was watching as an audience.
Confucianism is a backwater, but it does have merits if it can be passed down to this day.
Those schools of thought that are isolated from the world cannot be compared with Confucianism at all.
Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism was the most decadent. They said they wanted to reform, but they insisted on etiquette.
The Confucian University School is pragmatic, Su Shu's own point of view, the University School is the reformed Neo-Confucianism of Zhu Cheng.
The Confucian School of Mind is pragmatic. They do not value illusory things such as family background or righteousness, but only ability.
This is also the reason why the mind school can continue to develop and grow.
If an official can combine knowledge and action, his achievements will never be low.
Su Shu felt that his choice was right.
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In the attic of the Mohist family, Ma Mingyuan looked at the ancient books of the sages and pondered without saying a word.
He is an old scholar who has failed in many trials and has no hope of becoming an official. He runs a bookstore to make a living.
Ma Mingyuan usually likes to collect some unique copies, and the thoughts of various schools of thought in the New Dynasty have re-emerged.
He was attracted by Mohist thought and decided to inherit the legacy of the sages.
Ma Mingyuan contacted some like-minded friends, because there was no benefit in joining the Mohist family. Only those who had no hope of taking the imperial examination would join the Mohist family.
"Master, are you okay?
Our Mohist theory supports personal revenge. At that time, Mohist knights were active in the land of pre-Qin.
Master, if you feel angry, I will beat that Confucian brat again."
Ma Mingyuan sighed and said: "The Confucian is right, we just follow the script and don't want to make progress.
The empire now does not need the revival of Mohist thought from the pre-Qin period.
Rather, it requires Mohist thought that meets the needs of the empire.
Confucianism has the support of scholars, Gongshen has the support of officials and factory owners, not to mention Legalism.
Even a farmhouse has farmers as its base.
Nowadays, primary schools are everywhere, and there are many scholars who were born in farmers. Farm families will definitely pass it on.
We have never figured it out before, what exactly is the basic market?
The core idea of the sage Mo Zhai is to love modestly and not to attack.
Which group of people needs our Mo family’s humble love, and which group of people doesn’t even have a channel to speak out.
Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, only the workers are living the most miserable life now, but no one stands up for them.
Master, I have already made up my mind that our Mohist family will unite the power of workers and represent their interests."
Ma Mingyuan felt that he had achieved enlightenment in Baijia Academy.
He also comes into contact with many workers on a daily basis and knows the situation of workers in the empire.
Ma Mingyuan combined Mohist thought with the interests of workers. He immediately wrote vigorously and prepared to finalize the new Mohist thought before the end of the Hundred Schools of Thought Conference.
…………………………
Wang Baoyu pinched his waist and stood in front of the attic and shouted.
"Xiang Wenzhong, come out here, I will challenge you again.
I will definitely drive this heretic like you out of Baijia Academy."
Xiang Wenzhong walked out with an impatient look.
"You, a defeated general, dare to come here to seek death.
Do you think that our Gong family, like those small families of Taoism and Buddhism, were driven out of the Hundred Schools of Learning in despair?
The Confucianists were too ruthless, and only a small family like the Mohist family continued to persevere."
Xiang Wenzhong looked at Wang Baoyu and felt his head hurt.
The Conference of One Hundred Schools of Thought has passed halfway through, and the dominance of Confucianism has been completely replaced.
Xiang Wenzhong believed that one of the purposes of the emperor's holding of the Hundred Schools of Contest Conference was to prevent Confucianism from becoming dominant and once again controlling the overall situation of the court.
The main competitor of their Gong family is still Confucianism.
After all, the ideological gap between Gongjia and Confucianism is too great to be compatible.
Wang Baoyu did not seek trouble from Confucianism, but often came to trouble him.
Xiang Wenzhong hates Wang Baoyu so much because the two of them can no longer tell the outcome.
They debated for dozens of times, trying to completely refute each other before, but finally discovered that the two groups could not produce conclusive evidence to completely refute each other's theory.
Xiang Wenzhong saw Wang Baoyu come to his door again, holding the latest telegram from Guangdong.
After he finished reading the data, he said with an indifferent expression: "Wang Baoyu, this is the performance of your father Wang Dagang.
The tax amount for September has come out. After your father took office, the monthly tax revenue dropped by 5% immediately."
Wang Baoyu refused to give in and immediately sprayed him back.
"Your data is not accurate. When we engage in heavy industry, we always take the year as the unit. Looking back in two or three years, Guangdong's economy will definitely reach a higher level."
After Wang Baoyu finished speaking, he also took out the data from several northern provinces and refuted the current data from a few years ago.
Xiang Wenzhong waved his hand and said: "Your evidence is not credible. Even in the two northwest provinces, with the development of the empire, the economy is also taking off."
He knew that this debate would also end in vain.
The right and wrong of the two factions can only be determined after decades or even hundreds of years, after time verification.
But Xiang Wenzhong knew that the first Hundred Schools of Thought Conference was almost over.
His impression of this conference was that it was useless at all.
This conference cannot recreate the grand occasion of a hundred schools of thought contending.
All schools of thought will never give up spreading their own ideas.