Chapter 17 Science and Technology (I)

As the saying goes, one stone stirs up a thousand waves!

This article is a little jerky from both the conceptual and the literary perspective. If it is evaluated by Zhou Tingzhen, Zheng Yu and other famous Confucian scholars, I am afraid that even the county school exam will not let them pass the guò. However, the question at the end of the article immediately caused an uproar inside and outside Yangzhou.

The first batch of Confucian scholars who saw the article habitually went to ask the newspaper that published the article, "Spring and Autumn Justice". But after discovering that it was one of the few channels in the whole country that could still speak for Rulin, he quickly turned the target of questioning to the author of the article.

What made them very depressed was that the writer only left a fake number at the end of the article as usual, Qingqiuzi. Who's who it is, but there's no way to find out. Trying to find the shopkeeper of the newspaper and the few readers who were in charge of reviewing the newspaper that day, the latter was very embarrassed to admit that he had only read the first half of the book in a hurry, so he ordered it to be paid in a daze. Unexpectedly, that Qingqiuzi was so cunning that he actually made the idea of the second half of the article go in the opposite direction to the first half!

What if you can't find the culprit? Of course, I immediately posted an article to refute this "Original Rite" to the fullest! Fortunately, everyone in Yangzhou City is gathered at present, and there is no shortage of famous Confucian forests with a mountain of pens. So, on the fifth day after the publication of "Original Rites", "Spring and Autumn Justice", which was supposed to be an issue every ten years, temporarily issued another issue. The eight pages are full of articles written by Zhou Tingzhen, Zheng Yu, Wang Han and other celebrities, citing scriptures and classics, and refuting the content of the "Original Rites" one by one.

As a result, it was good not to do so, and as soon as the newly issued "Spring and Autumn Justice" came out, the entire Confucianism was a sensation. More than 2,000 copies of the newspaper were sold out on the same day, and the bookstore owner hurriedly printed more than 3,000 copies temporarily, but the supply still exceeded demand. Many people who could not afford to buy newspapers even did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to hire students from the county school to copy them, and they also had to keep a copy for permanent collection.

After all, the writers are all celebrities in the world, and it is basically impossible for any bookstore in the world to have so many talented people write articles for them at the same time. And "Spring and Autumn Justice" did it, and the title and intention are exactly the same. Even if you don't support the views, take it home, you can also use it as a model reference for your children, so you can kill two birds with one stone, how can that issue of "Spring and Autumn Justice" not sell Yangzhou paper expensive?

In this world, the most money-sensitive people are businessmen. When it was discovered that "Spring and Autumn Justice," which had rarely been talked about in the past, suddenly became a hot item, several other privately run newspapers in the Huaiyang area, such as "Anecdotes of the Yangtze River" and "Miscellaneous Matters of the Two Huais," immediately went to the battlefield. As a result, each newspaper organized its own staff, and the topic of etiquette and benevolence emerged in endlessly.

It's a pity that because they are too focused on the streets and alleys, most newspapers are too low in taste, and it is difficult to get into the eyes of the Confucians. So I can't invite any famous people at all, and the things that are barely put together look like the donkey's lips are not the right for the horse's mouth. After the publication, the sales did not increase but declined, which is really ridiculous and generous.

Losing money is certainly not willing to be done by the vendors. Just when everyone almost jumped to their feet with regret, several newspapers received Qingqiuzi's second article at the same time, "Saying Ren".

Compared with the previous "Original Rites", the writing of this article has improved too much. And it is no longer as secretive as before, and the beginning of the chapter is a question to the celebrities and Confucians who are now entrenched in Yangzhou City.

The article still cites classics, and the text is four and six, and it is not easy to fully understand it. But after removing those complicated side references, the general meaning is simple and clear. Zi said: "Be benevolent, don't let the teacher." Therefore, Qingqiuzi, as a junior, has enough reasons to compete with the predecessors.

This is not to disrespect the teacher, nor is it to be self-sufficient, but to defend the original intention of the saint.

However, after "Spring and Autumn Justice" published Qingqiuzi's "Original Rites", it rejected "Shuo Ren", which obviously betrayed the words of the sage and lived up to the name of its newspaper. Those celebrities who wrote articles criticizing Qingqiuzi in "Spring and Autumn Justice" but refused to let Qingqiuzi make a voice were either cowardly or deliberately distorted the sage's scriptures, trying to make others clear with their own faintness.

After scolding the celebrity, the old man. Qingqiuzi turned his pen and went straight to the point. Ask yourself questions and answer them confidently. What is benevolence? In fact, the sage said very clearly in the Analects, "Do not do to others what you would not do to yourself"; "The man who is benevolent will establish people if he wants to, and reach people if he wants to reach them." In this respect, the saint made his original intention extremely clear, that man and man are completely equal. According to the sage's point of view, if everyone does his best to know and talent, and if he or she wishes, the road will be prosperous. Though he is a father, he shall not bind his son with indecency, and nothing else?

And then, Qingqiuzi borrowed the topic to play. From the benevolence of the saints, it is extended to what the righteous army in Yangzhou and even the whole world are doing. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and no one is born to be treated like a pariah, let alone to be enslaved. Therefore, the uprising of the Red Turban Army is the benevolence of the saints who obey it, and it has irrefutable justice.

And Huaiyang's current belief that all people are created equal is the embodiment of benevolence. "If we don't talk about equality, we can't go to slave hearts, and if we don't show that sentient beings can be sages, we can't retreat hearts. And then they want to find the road but there is no hope. ”

Everyone can be a sage, which is the cloud of the Ya Sage Mencius, not the first of Qingqiuzi.

Yasheng Mencius thought that "everyone can be Yao Shun". Yao Shun and Yao Shun are not superior or inferior, then people are born equal.

The sage said, "there is no class in teaching" and "learning and excellence is the best", under the condition of equality, the acquired efforts are different, and those who are willing to work hard to improve the way of "benevolence" are better implemented. In the beginning, the saints did not think that people were born to be superior. Letting everyone out of the crowd doesn't mean they can trample on their fellow clans at will.

The sage hopes that his disciples will get along with each other as friends. Learn from each other's strengths and complement each other's weaknesses, and help each other on an equal footing Even if the saint once advocated the rule of the world with etiquette, taking a step back, between the saint's disciples, between Confucianism and Confucianism, is absolutely equal in the eyes of the saint.

If the children of the saints inherit the sage's education and agree with each other's equality, then there is no reason for the children of Confucianism and non-Confucianism to enslave each other. The sage pays attention to "teaching without class", if all the people in the world read the books of the sages, and they are all the children of the sages? Then the way of equality will inevitably be great, and the world will inevitably be governed

"This, this is simply a charcoal in the snow!" Zhou Jue, the shopkeeper of "Two Huai Miscellaneous Matters", has the right point of view of the article, and before he finished reading an article of "Saying Benevolence", he realized that he had a chance to turn the book. Immediately, regardless of whether it was early or late, he quickly organized people to print this article on the front page of the next issue of the newspaper. At the same time, a headline was written at the top of the newspaper with the largest font size, Qingqiu Ziyu Battle Confucian!

He is not the only smart person, and the next day, at the same time as the latest new edition of "Two Huai Miscellaneous Matters", there are four other newspapers, all of which put "Saying Ren" on the front page. After discovering that several newspapers had launched a group fight against "Spring and Autumn Justice" at the same time, many people in the market who were not interested in this topic also took out their spare money to buy a newspaper to find out.

Everyone is ignorant and can't tell right from wrong. But it is undeniable that Qingqiuzi's "Original Rites" and "Shuoren" refuted his articles with celebrities, and spread throughout Huaiyang at the same time. And with the footsteps of vendors and newspapers, it quickly spread to the whole world.

And in the Analects, "do not suffer from widowhood but suffer from inequality, do not suffer from poverty but suffer from anxiety." There is no poverty, no widowhood, and no inclination. "Do not do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Famous sayings such as "there is no class in education", as well as the aphorisms in Mencius, such as "everyone can be Shunyao" and "the king regards his ministers as grass mustard, then the ministers regard the king as an enemy", also quickly became widely known in another interpretation.

"Misinterpreting the meaning of the saint should be punished for his crime, and he should be punished!" In the upper room of the largest inn in Yangzhou City, Mr. Shishan Zheng Yu rubbed a copy of "Two Huai Miscellaneous Matters", eager to rub Qingqiuzi's body out of the newspaper, and then hacked to death on the spot according to the old practice of "the master punishes the young and the right".

"Be punished, be punished!"

"He must be found out, his identity must be verified, and then he must be tied to the Confucius Temple and executed!"

"And the shopkeepers and proprietors of these newspapers must also be investigated to the end!"

Boyan Zizhong, Cao Yanke, Han Yin and other second-level celebrities rubbed their fists and shook their palms, and they were furious. If this happened outside of Huaiyang, everyone could definitely send the newspaper shopkeeper and the proprietor to the government, and then force them to find out who Qingqiuzi was and lynch them. Later, instead of pursuing the case, the government will think that they have defended the righteous path of Confucianism and praise them lavishly.

In Huaiyang, it is difficult to realize everyone's wishes. First of all, the connections behind each of them are beyond the reach of this place. Secondly, those people in black who kept walking around the streets and alleys would never tolerate any lynching happening right under their noses. "The most hateful thing is the "Spring and Autumn Justice"! "Suddenly, someone turned the blade of the sword and went straight behind the group." If it hadn't published Qingqiuzi's article first, how would we be so in such a dilemma? ”

As the saying goes, a word wakes up the person in the dream. Everyone instantly felt betrayed, and almost all of them were furious. If "Spring and Autumn Justice" had not been negligent, everyone would not have written an article to refute Qingqiuzi. And Qingqiuzi's fallacy will not be known to everyone as it is now. It is impossible for tabloids such as "Two Huai Miscellaneous Matters" and "Anecdotes of the Yangtze River" to find an opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

"Then, where is the negligence of "Spring and Autumn Justice", it is clearly for the sake of money and openly fooling us!" Someone, after waking up, followed the same train of thought and quickly came to an astonishing conclusion.

So far, in addition to Qingqiuzi, the culprit, the biggest benefit is undoubtedly the owner behind "Spring and Autumn Justice". didn't spend more time polishing the pen, and invited so many people to write for him. Let "Spring and Autumn Justice" jump from the original state of surviving to one of the three major newspapers in Huaiyang in a blink of an eye. And the most odious thing is that the newspaper shopkeeper was actually ungrateful, and openly claimed that in the next few issues, they would publish the articles of the Confucian celebrities and the articles of Qingqiuzi and his supporters in parallel with them. Never again give people a handle and ruin the reputation of the newspaper and your talents!

"If it hadn't been for me, how could it have come back to life?!"

"Saying that he doesn't give people a handle, it is obviously that he wishes that we would continue to argue with Qingqiuzi forever, so that he can sit and reap the benefits!"

"Damn, his heart deserves to be punished!"

"Be punished, be punished!"

In an instant, everyone found the second target who should be beheaded, and they couldn't wait to immediately pull out their knives and split their bodies into pieces.

"Of course, his crime should be punished, but now that my generation is in a den of bandits, it is better not to act rashly! lest you fall into the trap of the Zhu butcher like last time! "Confucianism Zhou Tingzhen is a little older, and his background is relatively poor, so he thinks more. He arched his hand at the angry crowd and reminded him in a whisper.

"Ugh!" When the people heard this, they first glared at him. Immediately, I remembered the scene when the old Confucian King was angry and vomited blood. At that moment, the Zhu butchers didn't do anything, and they tossed around. And in the end, they ended up humiliated!

Could it be that this is another trick of the Zhu butcher? In an instant, there was a chill behind everyone.

It must be that the Zhu butcher is scheming, and it is estimated that he will be waiting for everyone to be unbearable at this moment, and take the initiative to violate Huaiyang's harsh laws. Then he will arrest and punish the whole people, and he will be justified.

Bah! What is not a sinner for words, bullshit. What is the difference between finding so many newspapers to besiege everyone and provoking everyone to take the lead and sinners because of their words?!

"Indeed, we must not act rashly!"

"However, that Zhu butcher likes to advertise himself as fair and fair the most, as long as I can't wait to be fooled, he still has to worry about some face!"

"Today, the best strategy is to adapt to change! Wait for the time! ”

Many people present, such as the old Confucian Wang Han and the talented boy Boyan Shouzhong, have all rolled in the officialdom and are familiar with the harmful methods used by the government. After a moment of silence, they added one after another.

"When will that be?"

"What are you afraid of, death is death!"

There are also many people with strong personalities, waving their arms to refute. Unable to scold the thief to his face, he could not let the local people understand what righteousness was, and he watched the money in his purse flow out every day, and their patience had been exhausted to the limit. So I'd rather fight for the last one, so as to win a name in history.

"It won't be too long, next month, the observatory will be completed. At that time, Zhu Butcher will definitely go to Jiangnan! Mr. Shishan Zheng Yu thought about it, gritted his teeth and said. Jiqing is a new place, and the people have not been fooled by the Zhu butchers. And near Jiqing, it is Wu Yue. Half of the world's best minds live here. The old man didn't believe it, and when he heard that Zhu Butcher had distorted the words of the sage, they were all indifferent. ”

"What does Mr. Shishan mean?" The talented and celebrities were slightly stunned and asked hesitantly.

"We can argue with that Qingqiuzi on the one hand, and run around on the other hand, and contact our colleagues. Let's go to Jiqing together to wait for work. If the Zhu butcher doesn't come, then it's enough, if he comes, let him give an explanation to the world's scholars on the spot! Mr. Shishan Zheng Yu continued to sneer, and a few cold lights slowly appeared in his eyes.

"It's not appropriate, people's hearts are unpredictable. Once the Zhu butcher is cornered, I am afraid that he will bleed and drift! The old Confucian Zhou Tingzhen was taken aback and hurriedly reminded in a low voice.

"It's to bleed, that Zhu butcher is rich in the world, and he is quite Dong to buy people's hearts. If there is no bloodshed, there is no possibility for the world to recognize its true face! Mr. Shishan Zheng Yu nodded, his face showing a bit of determination to sacrifice his life for righteousness. Rest assured, you will never hide behind others at that time. If there is no bloodshed, it is enough, if it bleeds, it will start with Zheng! ”

Note 1: I will not write about Confucianism and equality. Xiong Shili, a famous scholar of Chinese studies, has a volume of "Original Confucianism" for reference. If Confucianism can be reborn from the ashes, the credit will belong to him, and the past will also belong to him.