Chapter 15: Rites and Pleasures

Zhu Qizhen did not immediately respond to Li Xian's words.

Silently thinking about what kind of face Da Ming is. The current situation of the Ming Dynasty and how the so-called rule of etiquette operates.

To understand why Confucianism has been the mainstream doctrine for many years, we must understand what is the ritual music at the core of Confucian rule?

The music is the same, and the etiquette is different.

In modern terms, music is to solve the problem of values, and etiquette is to solve the problem of social relations.

In ancient times, there were many jokes, and it seemed that listening to the music of a certain country could determine the rise and fall of a certain country. How to implement this logic, first of all, we must understand, what is music?

Confucianism believes that happiness comes from the heart.

In the era before writing, the music of a certain place was the most reflective of the local situation.

Because the people at that time were not hypocritical, it was like the people of the primitive tribes, singing around the bonfire, and the songs they sang reflected their situation and demands, as well as their distinction between good and evil, which is the value.

And what kind of etiquette people will make when they meet each other is related to the social relationship between them.

For example, what to do when you see your parents, what to do when you see your boss, what to do when you see a monarch?

Wait a minute.

Therefore, the most important means of Confucianism to govern the world is to cultivate rituals and music. Or rather, the music of the making.

Note that this set of rituals and music was not created by Confucianism, he has a foundation, and it is to remove some bad and too vulgar things from the rituals and music embodied by the original people. It's like Confucius cultivating three hundred poems.

He created a set of ritual music that reflected the values and social relations of the time, and promoted it.

Later, because people were literate. People are more likely to put their values into words. The value of music was greatly reduced, so etiquette became the core element of Confucian governance of the world.

The most typical example is to rule the world with filial piety.

It is from the filial piety that can be seen and based on the emotions of human beings themselves, and loyalty is derived. It's a simple concept that even people who don't know how to read can understand. However, the word loyalty and filial piety are the fundamental elements that maintain a great power.

Why Confucianism has been thriving.

Almost every dynasty and every generation must use Confucianism, but it is also the political precociousness of the Chinese nation, and the result of this precocious is the great unification.

If we look at the history of the world, we can see that the scope of many countries is limited, and the Chinese nation is unique in laying the modern map 2,000 years ago.

But if you look at it from the top, it seems that the relationship between the military and the government, and the checks and balances between the government and the localities, is perfect. It seems that such a country, which takes three months to travel from the north to the south, is very appropriate under this mode of domination.

Not really.

If you bend down and look at it from the bottom,

It will be found that the network of this domination is too sparse and too ordinary. It even gives people the feeling that it will be broken at the first tear.

Military acts alone are by no means sufficient to sustain this country.

Therefore, the great unified dynasties of China have all been built on the hearts of the people, on the basis of etiquette and religion, and on the basis of values.

Now listen to the sentence of the late Qing Dynasty physicist Wu Ren: "The way to build a country is still etiquette and not power and strategy, and the fundamental plan is in the hearts of the people and not in the skills."

。 "You're going to feel different.

Of course, this is not a defense of these people.

They used the solution prescribed by Confucianism in the Han Dynasty for the great unified dynasty 2,000 years ago to solve the problem after 2,000 years, which is already extremely useless.

But in any case, this is a complete set of systemic solutions. It is really full of political vision and wisdom.

This is why Huang Renyu said that ancient China was a moral country, and even the emperor himself maintained moral purity, which was particularly important.

Even now, Zhu Qizhen does not have the courage to destroy such a fundamental system.

First, Zhu Qizhen's own power is rooted in this system, and he can completely control the army, and this system is also very useful.

Second, Zhu Qizhen did not find a better alternative.

But this is not to say that this set of methods is perfect.

Governing the country in this way gives the local authorities too much discretion.

If nothing else, there is a case. Zhang Qianya, a famous minister in the Northern Song Dynasty, found that a servant had stolen a penny, so he deduced that the servant stole money every day, killed the servant, and wrote a very famous sentence: "One penny a day, one thousand days and one thousand; The rope saws the wood and the water drops the stone. ”

From the perspective of later generations, if this official steals money every day, then he must also talk about evidence, otherwise he will be indiscriminately punished and killed.

And this case was praised instead.

Zhu Qizhen sighed, no matter how full his ideals were, but in terms of consequences, Zhu Qizhen had no possibility of achieving it.

Even if Zhu Qizhen forcibly implemented it, it could only backfire.

Zhu Qizhen said: "Sir, I am also a disciple of Confucianism, how can I do such a thing, but I have been puzzled by something for more than ten years. ”

"Sir, do you think that the Ming Dynasty is now a prosperous age?"

Li Xian said: "There is no boundless trouble in the world, there is a famine can be relieved in time, Taicang has 20 million stones of grain in stock, and the closing of positions in various places is also an accumulation, which can be said to be the peace of the world." ”

Zhu Qizhen said: "However, there are still people who die of cold and starvation every year. A flood, a great drought, and the people will struggle on the line of life and death. What should I do to change this? ”

"I'm not trying to be a Legalist? It's just that in this situation, what should I do? Please sir teach me? ”

Li Xian listened to Zhu Qizhen's words, face

He was a little pale, took a few steps back, and said, "The minister is guilty." ”

Zhu Qizhen hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Why does Mr. need to be like this? ”

Li Xian said: "The lord is worried about the humiliation of the minister, the sin of this minister, His Majesty wants to prosper the world of Datong, but the minister has no good plan to appear, but the major events in the world affect the whole body, and you can't act rashly." ”

"Otherwise, it's the opposite direction."

The last bit of thought in Li Xian's heart that he wanted to stay was dispelled at this moment.

Without him, what Zhu Qizhen wanted to do, in Li Xian's opinion, was too utopian.

Li Xian is proficient in scripture and history, and he understands very well that the Ming Dynasty has reached this point, in fact, it has already begun to flourish and decline. When Zhu Qizhen is here, he may be able to maintain the current situation, but after Zhu Qizhen passes, there are only two or three emperors, or even one emperor, and all kinds of problems in the Ming Dynasty will slowly be revealed.

It's almost inevitable.

If he wants to make Da Ming go one step further, all Li Xian can do is tinker. This kind of action is so ambitious in the face of Zhu Qizhen, but it actually does not play an essential role.

And Li Xian is not optimistic about what Zhu Qizhen has done.

It's just that Zhu Qizhen opened his heart, but Li Xian had nothing to say.

The Datong world is the ideal of Confucian scholars, but it is more of an ideal, and it has never been thought of appearing in reality.

But he still persuaded one or two in the end.

Zhu Qizhen said: "I naturally know this. ”

At this moment, Zhu Qizhen was faintly touched in his heart. But for a while, I didn't know what this touch was.

Li Xian wanted to speak and stopped, sighed and said: "The old minister is not helpful to Your Majesty, after today, I will resign and return to my hometown, serve my father, and now I hear Your Majesty's great ambition, I have a final advice, I hope Your Majesty will listen to it." ”

Zhu Qizhen came back to his senses from the touch just now.

At this moment, he also knew that the words of openness and honesty between each other were over. In fact, Zhu Qizhen still has a lot to say. What he wanted to change was not just what Li Xian said, but he never thought that just a sincere sentence made Li Xian retreat.

In the world where Zhu Qizhen wants to come to the next generation, if in the eyes of the Ming people, it may not be Datong, but it is also well-off.

It's just that since Li Xian no longer plans to participate in it, Zhu Qizhen has nothing to say.

Li Xian said: "Your Majesty wants to have great achievements in the world, when the law is ancient, the way of the law is ancient, you should read the ram." Among my Confucianism, there is not no way to change. ”

Zhu Qizhen listened to it, and naturally knew. Li Xian is talking about "The Legend of the Ram in the Spring and Autumn Period", or the Ram School of the Han Dynasty.

That is what Li Xian called the method of change.

It's just that the Ram faction has been in decline for more than a thousand years from the beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the present. has long become a part of history, can the Ram faction's ideology really solve Zhu Qizhen's problem?