Three days later, in the early morning, there was a sea of people near the prison.

Today is the "Wang Ba, Yili, Ancient and Modern" debate of the ring match, after the "Ming Pao" publicity, this activity has long spread in Nanjing, everyone wants to join in the fun, not only want to see the usual rare Confucian style when they quarrel, but also want to see how Kong Xilu, a descendant of Confucius, ends.

Officials were explicitly not allowed to take time off today, so there were no incumbent officials coming today, which made the debate more academic.

The scholars knew that this was a rare event and event in the academic world, and it could not be said that it was to be recorded in history like the "Luoyang Debate" and "Goose Lake Meeting", so they rushed over early before dawn in order to occupy a good position.

As soon as the hour passed, the bell on the bell and drum tower rang.

"Whew-"

The melodious bell rang, which immediately made the surrounding crowd riot, which was a signal of imminent entry.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Playing shirtless wrestlers, he beat the big drum in front of the edict.

A loud drum beat was as shocking as if it was knocking on people's hearts, and with this drum sound, the gate of the edict was opened, and a large number of brocade guards came out with swords on their shoulders, standing on both sides of the gate of the edict.

After this set of processes, everyone realized that this time they were really going to enter.

These Jin Wuwei were transferred from the palace to maintain order, but they did not stop everyone from watching, some bold people ran over to watch, some people whispered beside them, and many people gathered around in the distance.

Soon, a burst of cheers erupted in the crowd.

"It's coming! Mr. Shidao! There was a shout from the crowd.

Near the Imperial Prison, an ordinary carriage drove slowly, and on the carriage sat an old man, with a straight waist and strong spirits, he looked quite old, with a gray beard and a very strong body.

Behind him, there were six young men, wearing blue shirts and blue silk ribbons on their cuffs, looking quite imposing.

"Who is this?" Some prisoners from the National Prison asked curiously.

"I don't know Mr. Shidao?" The man next to him scoffed.

"Mr. Shidao has been in retreat for many years, and I am afraid that the retreat time is older than this kid's, so it's normal not to know him."

At this time, a prisoner from Zhejiang came to answer: "Wang Youli, the disciple of Mr. Chunxiao, the head of the Jinhua School of this generation, has a big name in Zhejiang, and this time he was publicly promoted as three great Confucians who challenged the ring. ”

When the few young prisoners next to him who didn't know heard this, they suddenly realized.

It's not pretended, because in this era, the Jinhua School is really famous, maybe the scholar has not heard of this "Mr. Shidao", but when it comes to the Jinhua School, it must be like thunder.

Jinhua School is one of the important Confucian schools in the Southern Song Dynasty, the representative figure is Lu Zuqian, the Jinhua School has a great influence in the ideological circles of the Southern Song Dynasty at that time, and is one of the pioneers of the Eastern Zhejiang School, and the Yongjia School of Ye Shi mentioned earlier is the two important branches of the Eastern Zhejiang School.

This school is characterized by more eclectic colors of reconciling the contradictions between Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan within the science of science, and once invited Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan to gather in Goose Lake to discuss academics, intending to reconcile their disputes over philosophical thoughts, which is the famous "Goose Lake Meeting".

If we look at the spectrum of science, the Jinhua school is still strictly speaking, that is, it is biased towards Lu's mind, and the academic theme emphasizes that "the way of heaven is restored, which is the way of heaven and nature, and the benevolence of people originates from the inherent reason of the human heart; The way of heaven will run uninterruptedly, and the human heart will be lost, and it is better to be obscured by selfish intentions, but although there are obstacles, and Bingyi cannot be obscured, it is the principle of heavenly infernal."

After the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty, other schools suffered blows, and the development of the Jinhua school became stronger and stronger, and one of the "Four Gentlemen of Beishan", Jin Luxiang, was the one who once gave advice to the Southern Song Dynasty court to attack the capital of the Yuan Dynasty by sea, and lifted the siege of Xiangfan by encircling Wei and saving Zhao, and opened Renshan Academy in Xiaotianfu Mountain in Lanxi City to give lectures.

Because Jin Luxiang is rich in learning and five cars, broad in science, profound attainments and rigorous thinking, coupled with training and learning, tireless, so students from all over the world have come to call him "Mr. Renshan".

After Jin Luxiang, the disciple Xu Qian inherited his mantle, and then the Jinhua school passed to Xu Qian's disciple Fan Zugan, that is, the "Mr. Chunxiao" mentioned by the Zhejiang supervisor just now, Zhu Yuanzhang once asked him for advice on the principle of governing the country, and was a famous Confucian in the Hongwu period, but he has been dead for more than 20 years.

As one of the most important branches of science in the early Ming Dynasty, the head of the Jinhua School, which has been in retreat for many years, has been invited to go out in person, and the importance that the science community attaches to this competition can be seen.

In fact, Wang Youli, like Gao Xunzhi, is a person who is recognized as long as he comes forward, he will be selected.

At this time, the disciples of the Jinhua School were hugging Wang Youli and walking along the streets and alleys.

Wang He stopped in front of a large rock, turned around, and bowed to the person in front of him.

"Gao is too often."

Gao Xunzhi also returned the courtesy, and then introduced Cao Duan to Wang Youli.

A trace of surprise flashed in Wang Youli's eyes, he had already heard the story of Cao Duanwencha's defeat of Xu Lao, but he didn't expect such a remarkable figure in the northern academic world.

You must know that since the completion of the construction of Yannandu, Confucianism is heavy in the South Pole, light in the North Pole, not to mention the Huhua regions such as Yanyun and Lianghe in the north, even if it is Guanzhong and Henan, the cultural context has been completely destroyed, and it has not been cheered up for hundreds of years, but it is in the south, and the cultural context still exists, although the science of science has declined somewhat in the Yuan Dynasty, there are still many academic figures who can take the lead.

After the founding of the Ming Dynasty and Hongwu established science as an official school, the various academic schools in the south began to rise again, which also made the southern academic community continue to expand its influence in the temple with the imperial examination again and again, even if there is a policy adjustment after the "North and South List", today's northern academic community has also declined, not to mention a figure like Cao Duan who can overwhelm the crowd, that is, there are only a handful of Confucians.

Wang Youli arched his hand and said: "The future is terrifying. ”

Cao Duan hurriedly bowed and saluted back: "The seniors praise Miao, and the juniors dare not hold it up." ”

"Hehe, what a young talent!" Wang Youli smiled heartily.

The three of them exchanged pleasantries and walked forward together.

"Meet you."

The high-ranking officials of Zhishi and the great Confucian scholars of the academic world turned sideways to avoid it, and returned the salute one by one with solemn faces.

Gao Xunzhi looked around and said loudly: "Today is a battle for Taoism, although our knowledge is shallow, but we want to contribute our modest efforts, if you have any opinions on the three of us to fight on behalf of the scientific community, you can still put it forward in time." ”

Listening to Gao Xunzhi's generous statement, all the great Confucians were silent.

After a while, a former editor of the Hanlin Academy coughed lightly and said, "Gao Taichang, this matter is big, and it is extraordinary." ”

This is still reminding Gao Xunzhi that he is afraid that Cao Duan will drop the chain at a critical moment.

Gao Xunzhi didn't seem to understand, he raised his head: "Where the righteousness is, I have to go." ”

The former editor of the Hanlin Academy frowned, as if he wanted to persuade something, but in the end he still did not speak, because there were many intelligent people present, and he quickly saw through the meaning.

The people present were all people who had read poetry and books, and they naturally knew Gao Xunzhi's words, and they couldn't help but look at each other.

The first session of the day is "The Debate of Righteousness and Benefit".

What is righteousness?

Righteousness is the center of Mencius's thought, emphasizing ideals, emphasizing that righteousness can be achieved under different circumstances, and establishing the goal of life by sacrificing one's life for righteousness.

And Taoism is undoubtedly the "righteousness" that these theorists have to maintain.

Where the righteousness lies, Cao Duan gambles everything to maintain, not only "has to go", but also "has to go".

Wang Anshi, who was engaged in the source of gong, to Ercheng, and then to Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan, who inherited each part of Ercheng's learning, all attached importance to the distinction between righteousness and benefit, and Song Confucianism was influenced by Mencius's concept of righteousness and benefit, hoping to take the issue of righteousness and benefit as the standard of moral cultivation, so as to restore the rule of the three generations and rebuild a reasonable temple order.

In the context of today's controversy over the reform of the law, the contradiction is even more acute.

In this debate, the debate is not only about academics, but also about whether the future direction of the temple is correct or not in Taoism.

——————

At this time period, there was less than half an hour before the beginning, and around a quarter of the hour, a reddish-gold figure suddenly appeared on the upstairs on one side, which was Yongle Emperor Zhu Di.

There were also some eunuchs accompanying them, who carried many utensils, such as spittoons and incense burners, which were generally not used, but they must be carried according to etiquette.

Zhu Di was wearing a red-gold dragon robe, wearing a crown on his head, and his face was resolute, sitting upright on the chair.

As soon as he appeared, the audience was in an uproar.

The emperor actually came to the scene in person!

A large number of people rushed over, knelt on the ground, and shouted hooray.

Although Zhu Di has not been on the throne for too long, he already has a bit of the power of the Son of Heaven.

"Let's be flat."

Zhu Di waved his hand and asked everyone to get up.

He glanced at his surroundings and then at the three people who had been chosen.

"I've heard that the first thing I debated here today was the word 'righteousness'?"

He spoke in a calm and indifferent tone, but it was intimidating.

"Father Emperor Shengming, that's exactly the case."

Zhu Gaochi hurriedly said.

"The theory of righteousness and benefit came out very early, and there is a cloud in "Yi Wenyan": the one who benefits is the sum of righteousness."

"But what do you say?"

"Yes."

Zhu Gaochi explained: "Righteousness and profit, although judged to be two, can be merged into one, which is the relationship of 'two and one, one and two', and the key to integration lies in 'harmony'. Benefit, is the neutralization and coordination of various things, do not contradict each other, and there is no discord, anti-"Zhou Yi" and use it can also be "Mozi Jing" day: righteousness, benefit. ”

Zhu Di bowed slightly: "The hundred schools of thought are pragmatic, profit, is the lubricant, and righteousness is the name of doing things." It is difficult for me to be appeased by the heavens, and it is difficult for the Qing monarch and the Yasukuni to be difficult, and it is beneficial to be rich and noble, and that's it. ”

Today, he was followed by close ministers and ministers, such as "Erjin" and Wei Guogong, Dingguo Gong, Cheng Guogong, Qi Guogong and others, at this time, naturally only nodded. Xu Jingchang, who had just attacked the Duke of Dingguo, had his head like a chicken pecking rice.

"Zhou Yi" and "Mozi" do not shy away from talking about profit, but focus on the harmony between righteousness and benefit, which does not need to be said. Later, Mencius, began to advocate the distinction between righteousness and benefit, Mencius admonished King Hui of Liang: why bother with daily benefit, there is also benevolence and righteousness, so that righteousness and benefit are completely two, the distinction of righteousness and benefit, and since then Dong Zhongshu, who has prospered the Han Dynasty, said more bluntly: righteousness does not seek its benefits, and it is clear that its way does not count its merits. If Dong Zhongshu is still righteous and dethroned, it is basically the same, but between righteousness and benefit, the judgment is not compatible, and since the Han Dynasty, an insurmountable gap has been formed. ”

Zhu Gaochi learned wisely this time, only stating objective facts, without adding his own subjective judgment, and strictly limiting the things involved to before the Song Dynasty.

Zhu Di didn't say anything, the three princes were lined up behind him, and then, Zhu Di ordered everyone to put on chairs, and then sat on the chairs, closed their eyes and recuperated, obviously waiting for the auspicious time to come.

——————

And somewhere in the city, in that abandoned mansion, an older man was discussing something with several middle-aged men.

The man was dressed in a gray cloth robe, with a knotted beard, and a fierce expression, looking less like a literati than a general.

He asked, "How is the plan to assassinate the puppet emperor ready?" ”

"Back to the tyrant, it's ready." A middle-aged man on the side replied in a low voice.

"Good."

Storm Zhao showed a hideous smile: "What we want is this opportunity, I thought that we would wait until after the death of Emperor Taizu Gao, but I didn't expect Jiang Xinghuo to give us a chance, the puppet emperor would actually come to the scene in person, as long as the puppet emperor is killed, the Ming dynasty will have a chance to return to His Majesty's hands." ”

"Yes, the puppet emperor's two sons are fighting fiercely, Zhu Gaochi is the eldest son but has no military power, Zhu Gaochu has military power but the law is not right, once the puppet emperor is dead, then Zhu Gaochi will definitely not be able to fight Zhu Gaochu, and Zhu Gaochu is just a reckless man, it will definitely provoke the anger of the heavens and people, the rebel army will rise, plus the weather is hot, the northern army is not tolerant of the heat, and will naturally retreat to the north like the Jin people and the Mongols.

"Zhu Gaoxu is certainly a brave and unscrupulous person, but Jiang Xinghuo behind him is really not to be underestimated, this is a rare traitor and evil person in the world, and he needs to be eliminated quickly!"

"It's a pity that Jiang Xinghuo didn't show up today, I don't know where it is, and we have few people."

Listening to the discussion of his subordinates, Storm Zhao waved: "Jiang Xinghuo is just a vassal of the puppet emperor, what is it without the puppet emperor Jiang Xinghuo?" You don't have to worry about him, just concentrate on assassinating the puppet emperor. ”

"Tyrannical Boss!"

Everyone said.

Storm Zhao said again: "Check it one last time, and when the time comes, let the sons and daughters do it." ”

He pondered for a moment and then advised: "This matter has always been carried out in secret, the gunpowder and the crossbow were transferred out before, and they can't be found in the accounts, so it stands to reason that it is seamless, but now that the horses are out, you must not leak out a single bit, otherwise none of us will want to live." ”

"I am willing to go to the soup with the tyrant."

"As long as you can repay Your Majesty's kindness, your life is nothing."

Everyone agreed and left.

When the people were gone, Tyrant Zhao stayed alone, paced to the corner of the wall, and looked at the hour with a more missed look.

He stayed here for a long time, and he never went out for fear of being detected by the Jinyi Guard, and the assassination plan was going well, but he still couldn't take it lightly.

Storm Zhao looked up at the sky and muttered, "Today is the day when the puppet emperor dies."

He suddenly thought that at the beginning, when Emperor Taizu Gao died, the palace was in mourning, and the atmosphere of the entire Beijing division was solemn and solemn.

Tyrant sighed.

Nearly a year has passed since Li Jinglong, a beast who eats inside and out, sacrificed Jinchuanmen to surrender, and he has been hiding incognito and his old department around Nanjing.

Even he didn't dare to go back to his hometown to pay tribute to his mother, for fear of being recognized, so he could only move his filial piety and be loyal.

After all, he still has some hardcore soldiers brought out by the Zhending Battalion in his hands, and he is already the last backbone of these Jianwen remnants.

However, the reason why Storm Zhao is determined to act now is because with Jiang Xinghuo's reform gradually, he knows that his time is running out, the change has been effective, the people have benefited, and the people's hearts are gradually moving away from Emperor Jianwen day after day, and falling towards Emperor Yongle.

He had vowed never to surrender to the puppet emperor, and he had read poetry and books since he was a child, and he was quite proficient in military and political strategy, and now he is confident that he can use wisdom and force to stir up the situation.

As long as there is chaos, Emperor Jianwen still has a chance, after all, less than a year has passed since Emperor Jianwen's disappearance, and the hearts of the people in Jiangnan have not yet been lost.

In addition to the factor of popular opinion, it is that Tyrant Zhao has already noticed that his old opponent Yao Guangxiao seems to have sensed his existence, and many Jianwen remnants have been arrested, although because he has adopted a single-line contact method, the organizational network has not been uprooted on a large scale, but it has still suffered a lot of blows.

Tyrant Zhao knew that his way of lurking, with the gradual strengthening of the secret service under the command of the puppet emperor, sooner or later there would be a day when he would be discovered, so he decided to take a risk, and when the puppet emperor left the palace to watch the game, he would kill the puppet emperor here, and if he could succeed, he would have a chance to turn the tables.

He believed that this time, relying on wisdom and force, he would definitely be able to assassinate the puppet emperor, regain his strength, restore the dynasty, and twist the gentry in Jiangnan who were forced to have no way out by the change.

Storm Zhao stood for a long time, as if he had made a decision, and then left the place in a hurry.

——————

When the sound of the third instrument, the gong, sounds.

The first ring match, "The Debate of Righteousness and Profit", officially began.

Similar to military competitions and folk sumo wrestling, they are all high platforms, but wooden ladders are padded on both sides, so as not to have old and decrepit Confucianism.

At the same time, considering the overall age, it is not so inhuman as to let the debaters on both sides debate against the summer sun.

Instead, two umbrella covers were erected, and a group mat was laid underneath.

This is the standard furnishing of the Qing Dynasty since the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.

At this time, people's eyes were focused on Wang Youli and Zhuo Jing on both sides, who could be selected for the first debate and duel, both of them are popular figures today, and as soon as they appeared, they became the focus of everyone's attention.

"I heard that this time it was Mr. Dao, the head of the Jinhua School, who was invited?" Someone whispered.

"Yes, this Mr. Shidao is highly respected in Zhejiang, and during the Hongwu Dynasty, he was one of the top masters of science."

"Is Zhuo Shangshu his opponent?"

"Then you underestimate Zhuo Shangshu, right? Zhuo Shangshu was brilliant when he was young, erudite and talented, Hongwu's twenty-one years of list, when Xie Jin was not famous, he was the first genius of the Ming Dynasty! ”

"Hehe, so what, the debate is more about understanding the meaning of the scriptures, not about poetry and writing."

Everyone was gossiping, talking about the outcome of today's first competition, and this competition was even related to their living expenses this month.

Yes, as this kind of warm-up enough ring match, how can no one bet on it?

Although I only knew who the three guards were in advance, and I didn't know who the provocates were, in fact, there were only a few Confucians who were qualified to represent the debate in science, and they could guess a range, so when the list was announced not long ago, it was "Wang Youli, Gao Xunzhi, and Cao Duan", and the odds came out immediately.

At present, the odds of Wang Youli and Zhuo Jing are basically six to four floating, each is different, but it is the same, overall, the old Confucian of the Jinhua school is more optimistic.

In the midst of everyone's discussion, the two protagonists appeared.

"This is Mr. Shidao."

An old man in a blue robe, a scarf on his head, and cloth shoes on his feet slowly ascended to the high platform, causing a commotion below.

"Zhuo Shangshu!"

Zhuo Jing's white hair was tied around his head with a black square scarf, he was wearing a long robe, his hands were behind his back, and he walked calmly from the wooden ladder on the other side, as if he was going to a banquet, which made people can't help but admire.

"With a personable demeanor and a good bearing, he really deserves to be the top member of the country."

Wang and Lixian bowed.

"Wang Youli of the Jinhua School has seen Zhuo Gong."

Zhuo Jing also returned the salute: "Zhuo Jing, I have seen Mr. Shidao." ”

After the two sides saluted each other, they knelt opposite each other on the group mat on the ground.

As a defender, Zhuo Jing could have taken the lead in speaking and criticizing, but he did not choose to do so, but chose to start this first debate with a declarative beginning.

"A gentleman is a gentleman, the principle is born from the Tao, the distinction between righteousness and benefit, and the foundation of Confucianism, please give advice."

This is equivalent to Zhuo Jing taking the initiative to give up the first hand to Wang Youli, everyone knows that debate is a move to see the winner or loser, so either Zhuo Jing has extreme confidence in himself, or he is a real gentleman, which can't help but cause a burst of admiration from the audience.

The gentleman of the ancients, nothing more than this.

However. No one at the scene thought that the defenders had room to lose.

Of course, having room to lose does not mean that you have to deliberately lose, and it is still necessary to debate to the best of your ability, otherwise it will be ugly to lose, and it will also embarrass the reformers, and it will shake the belief in the minds of the people.

In the face of Zhuo Jing's kicking the ball, Wang Youli did not take a long test, but said decisively.

"Morality is the criterion of peace, since the pre-Qin period, is the core of all political ideals, among which the most important is the two of righteousness and benefit, although the distinction between righteousness and benefit, although it is only an academic level of discussion, but in the national economy and people's livelihood, the relationship is very great, can be carefully judged!"

"Let me ask Zhuo Gong below, what does it mean that 'the victor of righteousness rules the world, and the righteous people of Like are troubled times'?"

PS: Don't scold first, you have to check a lot of information, and I'll send a big chapter tomorrow, and read it in one go.

(End of chapter)