Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

In prison.

"Why is it so noisy outside?"

Kong Xilu looked away from the microscope and asked with a frown.

It was obvious that he was a little unhappy when his research train of thought was interrupted repeatedly by distant noises.

In this prison area, only Kong Xilu, Huang Xin, and Li Zhigang are left. In addition, there is the thick iron door at the end of the corridor in the prison area, and the two guards and the prison chief standing at the door. king.

"Yes...it's the prisoners outside who are causing trouble again!"

Lao Wang, who was responsible for managing these special cells, answered cautiously, with cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

He did not dare to tell Kong Xilu that the reason for the noise outside was because the great Confucians and scholars from all over the country gathered together and planned to rescue him through the three arenas of "Wang Domination, Righteousness, Ancient and Modern".

However, I am happy here and don’t miss Shu.

"Well, I understand, you can go down first."

"Okay, okay, Mr. Kong, please continue, I won't disturb you anymore."

After saying that, Lao Wang exited the prison area.

At the end of the long corridor, there was a bang and the iron door was closed.

After the iron gate of the prison area was closed, Huang Xin poked his head over and said anxiously: "Mr. Kong, the situation is critical now. How can you immerse yourself in studying things again?"

Since Kong Xilu woke up today, he has devoted himself to the research of "microorganisms and cell technology" mentioned by Jiang Xinghuo, directly ignoring the dissuasion of Huang Xin, the only inmate around him.

But seeing Huang Xin's concern, Kong Xilu smiled slightly and said, "It's just a way of 'bodying things'. It doesn't mean anything else. Don't worry too much."

As he spoke, Kong Xilu took out the clean wine cup placed next to the table, poured out the contents, and then took out another item, which turned out to be pieces of raw meat.

Huang Xin sighed, shook his head, and gave no further advice. Before entering the Metropolitan Procuratorate system, he was also a Confucian scholar himself, and he was well aware of the enthusiasm and persistence of some Confucian scholars in studying the study of things and knowledge. No one could stop this.

"It's just that there's probably a turmoil outside." Huang Xin sighed.

Kong Xilu smiled lightly. He did not take Huang Xin's words to heart. Instead, he speeded up his movements. Seeing this, Huang Xin couldn't help but sigh and could only sit aside and wait for time to pass slowly.

When Li Zhigang woke up, he yawned and said:

"There's nothing unusual about Ming Pao."

Since entering the imperial prison, Li Zhigang feels that he has become a Buddhist. He no longer has busy official duties during the day, and no longer works overtime and socializing at night. He is far away from the intrigues and intrigues of his official career. He drinks tea and reads newspapers all day long, which is boring. Go to sleep when you can't sleep, and think about life when you really can't sleep. Many things that you couldn't think clearly or didn't want to think about have now been figured out.

There is indeed nothing unusual about "Ming Pao". It seems that the Ming Dynasty is still the same.

"Crack."

After a moment, Kong Xilu stopped moving and slowly raised his eyes to look at the ceiling of the cell, his eyes blurred.

"What's wrong?"

"This piece of meat was not like this yesterday. The little things inside were still full of energy."

While talking, Kong Xilu poked the raw meat fragments at the bottom of the test vessel with tweezers.

"Sure enough, it is the result of the same reason." Kong Xilu retracted his finger and said thoughtfully, "But why can the gecko grow a tail again? Is the 'Tao' of humans completely different from the 'Tao' of geckos? ? No, not just human."

Kong Xilu was not upset, he just scratched his gray hair.

"such a pity…"

"What is lacking now is a sufficient amount of materials. It is difficult to carry out more investigations with these things alone."

Kong Xilu sighed, picked out the minced meat, and threw the tools in his hands on the table.

However, he did not notice that the moss debris on the ceiling of the cell happened to fall below.

Although his talent is unparalleled, it still seems like he is groping hard in the darkness. This new way of physical objects seems to be able to see through the essence of things, but no sages can provide him with experience.

Flowers, plants, insects, fish, beasts, why do the differences in "Tao" between different objects sometimes have something in common, but sometimes they are completely opposite?

Are humans really the core of heaven in this world?

Kong Xilu fell into deep thought. If the meat of humans and other animals looks the same, then how do humans unlock their spiritual intelligence?

"I still need more materials"

Kong Xilu turned sideways and stared at Huang Xin's head.

"You think of a way to find Jiang Xinghuo. There are some things I need to ask him, and I need him to provide more information. The jailer and the cell leader refuse to give it to me."

Huang Xin said helplessly: "Such a treacherous minister is full of deceptive words. Don't believe Mr. Kong."

Kong Xilu said nothing, turned around and focused his attention on the test vessel again.

His eyes were fixed on the contents of the crystal vessel, and his lips were moving, as if he was mumbling something.

Suddenly, his demeanor changed suddenly.

The whole person jumped up like a frightened rabbit, looking at the moss fibers floating in the reagent with a shocked face.

"This, this is."

Huang Xin saw this and quickly put his head over.

"What is this?" Huang Xin asked doubtfully, stretching his neck to look at the vessel, but he couldn't see anything.

"Something's broken."

Kong Xilu swallowed his saliva and said with a dull expression: "These things actually split?"

"One life is two, two begets three, three begets all things." Li Zhigang watched the excitement and did not think it was a big deal.

Kong Xilu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized: "No wonder."

He had guessed before that these invisible things must be able to reproduce and grow like human clans. From this point of view, it is not unreasonable to really have the ability to reproduce. After all, "Tao" is connected of.

Kong Xilu stared at the microorganisms floating in the reagents, and his heart surged: "This is a huge breakthrough on the road to studying things!"

Li Zhigang continued to talk nonsense: "Since it has a strong reproductive ability, once it is cultivated to a certain extent, it can even replace flesh and blood, allowing human severed limbs to regenerate like a gecko, or even resurrect!"

"Resurrection?" Huang Xin was fooled by these two people and his eyes widened with shock on his face.

Birth, old age, illness and death are the reincarnations of heaven. Is there any reason to act against heaven?

After Kong Xilu thought for a while, he nodded seriously and said: "Yes, it is indeed possible. If it can split and grow, since the thing that accidentally fell into the crystal piece has this ability, then the rotten flesh can also be obtained, In theory, it is indeed possible to create life and even allow civilization to continue forever."

Li Zhigang pouted and said, "Then what are you still hesitating about?"

Kong Xilu shook his head and smiled bitterly: "It's not that easy. What do you think the foundation of flesh and blood is supported by? Even pieces of flesh as big as the nail cap of your little finger are unimaginably complicated. The connections between them are like It is made up of one silk thread after another, and each silk thread is connected with each other, eventually forming a basic framework. If you want such a complex structure to operate, there must be complete rules to ensure that every silk thread is in a perfect state. A state of balance and stability.”

"But now we don't know the principles of these things at all. It turns out that our civilization has lasted for thousands of years, but we know nothing about the truth of the world."

Having said this, Kong Xilu paused and said with a deep look: "More importantly, if you want to change the structure of flesh and blood, even if you have the method of studying objects, it will not be achieved overnight. Except for a few special conditions, otherwise you want to achieve This kind of effect will definitely require endless years of accumulation and countless generations of research before it can be successful. And I am running out of time. I must figure out how to experience this on a smaller level within a limited time. principles of things and turn them into practical standards for future generations of Confucians."

"What do you mean?" Huang Xin asked.

"Please help me contact Jiang Xinghuo. He was the first person who inspired me to discover this new way of studying things. He may also be the founder of this theory." Kong Xilu took a deep breath and suppressed the excitement in his heart. I want him to help me perfect the method of investigating objects, and in the future, promote this technology through Ming Pao."

"Of course, I won't let his help go in vain."

——————

"Is the old monk going to lose?"

Zhu Di, who put on the red gold dragon robe again, looked down at the ring from a high position on the second floor. From his angle, he could see that the hourglass seemed to be coming to an end, but Yao Guangxiao was attracted by Cao Duan's words: "The three cardinal principles and the five constant principles are the principles of heaven and the gift of heaven." Ye" was so suppressed that he didn't make a sound for a long time.

In addition, the comments coming from the side were obviously not optimistic about Yao Guangxiao.

"well!"

Zhu Gaosui, who had put on his python robe and came up from downstairs after explaining the task, sighed with some regret after hearing this: "I originally wanted to see how the old monk could refute the other party, but Wang Yuli and Gao Xunzhi heard that I think Cao Duan has won, but it is frustrating."

"Father, how about we go up and help." Zhu Gaoxu, who was standing behind him, said.

Zhu Di waved his hand and refused: "No! I think the Imperial Master should have something to do. If he is really unprepared and the old monk can't answer, let the old monk suffer a little! To prevent outsiders from thinking that I will favor him, I will not give him any advice. Now, please tell me to go down and have the imperial kitchen prepare the dishes that the old monk likes tonight... I remember that he likes to eat bamboo shoots, so he should like this."

The eunuch in scarlet robes beside him respectfully accepted the order: "I obey the order."

In the ring, Yao Guangxiao remained silent.

He was completely immersed in his own thoughts now and had no time to care about what people around him were saying about him.

There was only one piece of confusing information left in his mind.

Those consciousnesses were not created by him, but they appeared before his "eyes" like living words, even clearer than words.

In fact, this feeling is nothing new. Everyone has experienced it, because when a person's mental concentration reaches a certain level, this feeling of being undistracted can appear.

Just like at this moment, Yao Guangxiao's consciousness was in a state of clarity. He could not hear the noisy sounds from all directions at all, as if he was in a quiet room.

Suddenly, his eyes moved.

The originally chaotic and noisy noise suddenly rushed into the eardrums.

Yao Guangxiao's answer was extremely concise.

"In the three generations, can there be three cardinal principles and five constant principles?"

What needs to be made clear here is that the concept of "three generations" was considered by some in the online forum of Jiang Xinghuo's previous life to be "Tang Yao, Yu Shun, and Dayu", which are also commonly known as the three generations of monarchs Yao, Shun, and Yu, but in fact this This statement cannot withstand scrutiny. The word "Three Dynasties" was first seen in "The Analects of Confucius: Wei Linggong" in the Spring and Autumn Period. "It is the people, and the reason why the Three Dynasties have followed a straight path." This word continued to refer to the Warring States Period. Xia, Shang, Western Zhou, and after the Qin Dynasty, the meaning of "Three Dynasties" began to include the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and it has been used ever since. In the early Zhou Dynasty, there was a phenomenon of collectively referring to Xia and Shang as the "Second Dynasty".

The works of the mainstream schools in the pre-Qin Dynasty have clear definitions of the three dynasties. For example, "Mozi Ming Gui Xia" records that "the holy kings of the Yu, Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties must choose the day when they first established the state-run capital. "The main altar of the country was built as the ancestral temple"; "Mencius Volume 5 Teng Wen Gong 1" records that "Xia is called Xiao, Yin is called Xu, and Zhou is called Ku. The three generations of learning have shared them, and they are all related to human ethics"; "Book of Rites" "The Tenth Book of Ritual Vessels" records that "the rites of the three dynasties are the same, and the people all follow them, either plain or green, Xia created Yin Yin. The corpse of Zhou Dynasty was laid down, and the imperial edict had military instructions. The rites were also the same, and the way was the same."

Therefore, the "Three Dynasties" undoubtedly refers to China's three earliest unified regimes-Xia, Shang, and Zhou.

The term "Government of the Three Dynasties" was proposed by Confucian scholars during the Western Han Dynasty. They believed that Xia, Shang, and Zhou were the three model dynasties that had the best governance in China. The moral character and attitude of the emperors in governing the country during the "Three Dynasties" were (Excluding the three late emperors Xia Jie, Shang Zhou, and Zhou Youwang and other individual mediocre kings) They are models for later emperors, especially Xia Yu, Shang Tang, and Zhou Wen Wang are revered as the "Three Kings".

After thousands of years of development of Confucian scholarship, today's Ming Confucianism has reached the point where it has been praised for three generations, and it is regarded as a political utopia as the reference standard of the world, as well as indestructible academic correctness.

Cao Duan was stunned, but he was not in a hurry to answer such an obvious question. Instead, he pondered for a few breaths before saying:

"In the Three Dynasties, there were no Three Cardinal Guidelines and Five Constant Rules, but the Six Classics of Poetry, Book, Rites, Yi, Yue, and Spring and Autumn had already existed. The root of rituals originated from this, and heavenly rituals were not divided into heavenly principles."

"Zhu Xi said: The book of the university, the method that the ancient university teaches people, is based on the people who are born from heaven. Since they all have the nature of benevolence, justice, propriety and wisdom, but their temperament may not be the same, so they cannot all be equal. There is a way to know all the nature and complete it. As soon as there is a person who is smart, wise, and has the ability to fulfill his nature, then God will appoint him as the ruler and teacher of billions of trillions, make him rule and teach him, and restore his nature. This is Fuxi , Shen Nong, Huang Di, Yao, and Shun, so they succeeded Heaven and established the pole, and the duties of Situ and the officials of Dian Yue were established accordingly."

The views inherited by Cao Duan are still those of Zhu Xi, that is, "rituals were established by saints and kings, and saints and kings must be our teachers." Only by studying with this purpose can we learn the Five Classics ("Le" is lost ) the true meaning of.

The Fuxi, Shennong, Huangdi, Yao, Shun, etc. mentioned by Zhu Xi here are the rulers of all peoples. They have extraordinary talents and are "those who can fulfill their nature among all people." Therefore, it is natural for them to formulate laws and regulations understood from the laws of heaven. "Etiquette" is used to educate the people, which is the mission of the king and teacher.

"Is Confucius your master?"

Cao Duan originally thought that Yao Guangxiao decided to ask again, even though this question was a bit in vain.

The definition of "junshi" is: a sage with the power to rule.

This concept is somewhat similar to Plato’s “Philosopher King”. Anyway, wise men in ancient times have thought about similar issues.

But in any case, the concept of "Master" is firm and cannot be changed. If Yao Guangxiao chooses this way, he will waste an opportunity. He will not be able to ask questions in the future, and will obviously fall into an abyss of eternal destruction.

In the next moment, Yao Guangxiao started asking and answering himself.

"Confucius was in the decline of the Zhou Dynasty and could not hold the position of ruler and teacher to carry out his political education. So he took the methods of the previous kings and recited them and passed them on to future generations. He was not a ruler or teacher."

Cao Duan suddenly felt that he understood Yao Guangxiao's intention. Confucius's behavior was described in "Mencius Teng Wen Gong" as "keeping the way of the first kings and waiting for the scholars who will follow." That is to say, the sages did not get the corresponding temple status, so they chose This knowledge was learned from the previous kings and passed on to teach future generations. However, it was Confucius as a dividing figure who divided the main political difference between the three generations and the three generations after, which was whether the sages were in office.

Could it be that Yao Guangxiao planned to cut the gap between Confucius and the three generations? This method is not impossible, but in Cao Duan's view, the probability of success is undoubtedly very low.

After all, "Zhu Xi Yu Lei" makes it clear.

A disciple asked Zhu Xi: If there is someone who is smart and wise and has the best of his nature, he will be destined by Heaven to be the ruler and teacher of billions of trillions. Where can he find the place of destiny?

Zhu Xi said: "How do you know this? I just gave birth to a man from the bottom of the earth. He must be the ruler and mentor of billions of people. It is destiny. Since he has many talents and virtues, he will not only be alone, but will rule the billions of people." Everyone, people naturally belong to him, just like the saints three generations ago. It was not the case when it came to Confucius. Although he was not an emperor, he had nothing to do, and he did many things to teach future generations in the world. This is also the destiny of heaven. . "

The disciple asked again: How did Confucius die?

Zhu Xi said: "The Doctrine of the Mean" says that "great virtue must be in its place", but Confucius could not. The difference in Qi and number was so extreme that it could not be reversed. Heaven has only given birth to many people and many truths to you. However, Heaven cannot do anything on its own. Therefore, it has given birth to saints to cultivate Taoism and establish religions to educate the people. The so-called "cutting the way of heaven and earth, and supporting the suitability of heaven and earth" is also true. He can't do it to the end, but he needs a sage to do it for him.

So whether Confucius can compare with the three generations of emperors and masters, Zhu Xi has already patched it up. Although the patching is not very strong, it is not easy to poke a hole.

Logically speaking, this is the most likely direction that Cao Duan can guess Yao Guangxiao's attack.

But Yao Guangxiao's choice once again exceeded everyone's expectations.

His conversation changed and he came to a field that almost no one has been involved in, a "fact" that few people have questioned.

"Confucius was not a teacher, but he regulated the Six Classics. Are all the Six Classics historical?"

These words made Cao Duan feel a huge pressure coming on him.

Gao Xunzhi, who originally thought that Cao Duan would win the battle steadily if he held his position, his expression became serious at the same time.

Why can Yao Guangxiao's short sentence put so much pressure on people?

The reason is that Confucius compiled the Six Classics of Pre-Qin works including the "Li". Confucius was the organizer and the inheritor. Li, as the foundation of Confucianism, was not created by Confucius, but by three generations of emperors and teachers. This is both It constitutes the long-standing academic source of Confucianism, but it also creates a drawback, that is, just as Zhu Xi interpreted the Four Books, he interpreted others' things, Confucius also used other people's things when he compiled the Six Classics, and these things are not perfect.

The Six Classics are all history. The question is not whether the Six Classics are all history books, but whether the Six Classics are all carriers of true historical records.

Cao Duan's heart was vaguely covered with a layer of gloom.

There is a recognized "secret" in Confucian academic circles.

That is, no one can guarantee that everything recorded in the Six Classics is true.

The authority of the Six Classics can be attributed to the First Emperor of Qin. Brother Zheng burned most of the pre-Qin books, and later wars occurred. Although the Six Classics of Confucianism were also damaged, at least the Five Classics were passed down, which is equivalent to a solitary evidence. , whatever you say is what you say, which is why Confucianism can always have the right to speak.

It has a long history, is authoritative enough, and knows how to cater to you. If you were the emperor, you would choose Confucianism.

Of course, although there are not many books handed down from the Pre-Qin Dynasty, there are still some, so it is inevitable that they will conflict with some records in the Six Classics. However, Confucianism's right to speak about history is still unbreakable. This is because other isolated books cannot prove itself. Whether it is forged or not does not prove that what I recorded is correct.

Two contradictory records, why do you say I am wrong?

In addition, Confucianism has had the right to speak most of the time, so even if there are doubting voices, they have been covered up.

Cao Duan was not sure whether Yao Guangxiao had any evidence that could prove that the Six Classics records were wrong, but he couldn't answer this question. After all, Cao Duan was not inflexible. Seeing that the hourglass time was running out, he simply came. Pretending to be stupid for the first time.

Yes, you can pretend not to understand when debating scriptures.

Cao Duan said seriously: "Hao Jing, a famous minister of the Yuan Dynasty, said in "The Theory of Classics and History": In ancient times, there was no distinction between classics and history. Confucius established the Six Classics, and the name of the classics was first established. Before there was a distinction between history, the six classics It has its own history, so "Yi" is the principle of history; "Book" is the diction of history; "Poetry" is the politics of history; "Spring and Autumn" is the conclusion of history; "Li" and "Le" are the latitude and longitude among them, why? Is it different?"

"The classics are history, and history is the classics."

This is just pretending to be stupid for one round, waiting for the opponent to take the initiative to expose it, and thus buying yourself one more round of thinking time.

However, Cao Duan still wanted to be embarrassed, and he did not forcefully take the initiative in this round to ask a question. Of course, Cao Duan had nothing to ask back.

Seeing the other party pretending to be stupid, Yao Guangxiao smiled slightly and continued to ask: "Does the classics come first or the history comes first?"

Looking at Yao Guangxiao's aggressive look, Cao Duan was a little unsure for a moment. What exactly did Yao Guangxiao have in his hands that could make him so confident? However, there were some hurdles that he didn't understand, so he continued to prevaricate.

"Zhu Zi said: Reading must be based on the classics, and then read history. Naturally, the classics should be read first and then the history."

This is actually Zhu Xi’s point of view on scholarship. One can only read the scriptures first, and then experience the intentions of the previous kings on this basis, and then read the history books to understand the rise and fall of ancient and modern times. In addition, it means that the meaning of Confucian classics is the foundation, and the history books only examine the ancient and modern governance of chaos. Assistance to safety and etiquette systems.

Yao Guangxiao simply showed off his cards at this time.

"You keep saying that the "Rites" are the root of the Three Cardinal Guidelines and the Five Permanent Rules. The Three Cardinal Guidelines and the Five Permanent Rules are heavenly rituals and principles. Then you think that the "Rites" represent the more fundamental principles of heaven. But is this "Rites" correct?"

Cao Duan's heart trembled, knowing that he could no longer prevaricate, but he took advantage of these two rounds to finish his thinking, and quickly replied: "The ancients never tried to separate matters from facts, and the Six Classics are all political canons of the previous kings. The arts and crafts in the world all come from the knowledge of the emperor and master. Taoism and art cannot be unified here, and virtue can only be understood here. The world is governed by the same culture."

Cao Duan answered Yao Guangxiao's question head-on. What he meant was that the ancients would not leave things to reason. The Six Classics are all classics that record the politics of the three generations of kings. Taoism and virtue are all gathered in these books, so they definitely will not wrong.

Yao Guangxiao asked: "Is "Li" an official history?"

Cao Duan replied: "The Six Classics are all written by Zhou officials. All legal works are hidden in the royal family and government offices. Of course they are official histories."

Yao Guangxiao let out a long sigh:

"When people write history, they will have their mistakes covered up."

The long debate that lasted for five rounds has finally come to an end.

The two sides started from the proposition of "Debate between Ancient and Modern Times". Yao Guangxiao used "flexibility" as the core argument, while Cao Duan started his refutation with "Zhou Rites" as the core and insisted on advocating the ancients unchanged.

Yao Guangxiao argued that "the key to flexibility lies in people." Cao Duan retorted that "rituals are used to restrain and divide people." Yao Guangxiao said that Liu Bang, Liu Xiu and others have changed with the times. Cao Duan retorted that "rituals are used to restrain and divide people." The origin of heaven and earth, ancestors, kings and masters, the Zhou rites, the Three Cardinal Guidelines and the Five Constant Virtues are all heavenly principles and are eternal and unchangeable."

Finally, through a series of pressing questions, Yao Guangxiao directly asked Cao Duan whether "the Six Classics, which record and reflect the history of three generations, are authentic."

The last question of the debate comes here. If it is true, then Cao Duanying means that etiquette is the law of nature, eternal and unchanging, and future generations can only follow the development; if it is not true, then Yao Guangxiaoying, the Six Classics are all false. What do you tell me about the Zhou rites?

Is your heavenly law man-made?

In fact, as long as the argument that "the six classics are all history" is proven, the foundation of Neo-Confucianism's orthodoxy will be shaken.

The Taoist theory of Neo-Confucianism, which was introduced before, was extended from the ancient kings to Mencius. It was proposed by Han Yu in the middle Tang Dynasty during his ancient prose movement, and was then carried forward by the Five Scholars of the Northern Song Dynasty.

So, there is actually a question that has not been fully explained. Why should Confucian orthodoxy jump directly from the pre-Qin Mencius to the Han and Tang Dynasties and jump to Neo-Confucianism?

Because Confucianism in the Han Dynasty and Confucianism in the Song Dynasty felt impure, they directly expelled Confucianism.

"We, the Confucians of the Song Dynasty, do not inherit our orthodoxy from your Han and Tang dynasties, but go directly to Mencius."

This was the thinking of the Five Scholars of the Northern Song Dynasty, and it was also the reason why Mencius' status was raised all the way to the "Less Sage".

But the problem is that you, Neo-Confucianism, can expel Han Confucians and Tang Confucians from Confucianism, but if something like Taoism can be traced back to three generations of emperors and masters, it is wrong. Can you excommunicate three generations of emperors and masters?

No, because as I said just now, Zhu Xi has made it clear that Confucius's status is lower than that of the three generations of emperors and masters, and the same is true in the order of inheritance of Taoism. If it is rotten at the root, it will be really rotten.

And Yao Guangxiao's last killer move was naturally developed by Jiang Xinghuo.

[The Six Classics Are All History] This argument has always been there, but it was not until the late Qing Dynasty that it gradually exerted its influence, and then caused a heavy blow to Neo-Confucianism. This is a trick that has been proven to be effective by historical experience.

Because once this proposition is established, it means that the true nature of the Six Classics is just official documents recorded by ancient royal officials. They are embellished with twists and turns, and their authority is not absolute enough.

If authority is not absolute, it is absolutely not authoritative.

At the beginning, [The Six Classics Are All History] believed that the Six Classics were "trusted in history", or that they were reliable historical materials that had to be "proven and then believed". However, even so, it had already shaken the Neo-Confucian orthodoxy, because it conceptually separated it from other historical records. The works were treated equally, obliterating their sacredness, thereby loosening the Six Classics' position as the authoritative ideological authority of Neo-Confucianism. After that, with the development of archeology, the number of cultural relics, tombs, and historical materials of the three generations gradually increased, and Hu Shi and Qian Xuantong , Gu Jiegang and others launched the "ancient history analysis" movement, and through the examination of ancient history recorded in the Six Classics, the truth of "the layers of ancient history" were revealed.

Of course, if only Jiang Xinghuo's argument of "The Six Classics Are All History" is advanced, if it cannot be proven, it still cannot shake the orthodoxy of Neo-Confucianism.

But now, Yao Guangxiao has something in his hand that can prove that "the six classics are all history".

Cao Duan didn't know this, he was still making his last effort.

"The scriptures are the eternal Tao. They are the unpublished teachings. They carry the Tao of heaven and earth and the methods of the sage kings."

"Although the Six Classics were written by humans, they are the incarnation of the supreme principles of heaven and earth. They cannot be generalized with the history books of later generations."

In fact, the Confucian classics dominated the Han Dynasty. From that time on, the classics were not generally authoritative documents, but were regarded as classics that recorded the methods of ancient saints. This definition came from here. The classics were not general classical documents. Academic culture is the source of all principles of heaven and earth. Since the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the "Tao of the Six Classics" has been the orthodox ideology officially recognized by the Chinese feudal dynasty. Traditional academics are all attached to the classics, and the "Six Classics Containing the Tao" has also become The consensus of classics and historians throughout the ages.

This is absolutely unshakable.

Yao Guangxiao nodded and took out a tortoise shell from his sleeve.

"keel?"

Cao Duan frowned slightly. He didn't know what the other party meant. Why bring some medicinal materials?

"Do you recognize the words here?"

The tortoise shell in Yao Guangxiao's hand was handed over, and Cao Duan looked at it carefully under the morning sun, thinking about Yao Guangxiao's intention.

In fact, he had only heard of dragon bones as a medicinal material. Cao Duan was not a doctor, so he had never seen a few dragon bones, and he had never heard of anything with words on them.

The tortoise shell is engraved with simple calligraphy. The fonts are vigorous and thick, but most of the content is difficult to read. It is not like the current regular script, but it is like the seal script of the Qin and Han Dynasties, but it is only a little bit similar. It should be the writing of ancient times. This can't help but It made him doubtful, wondering what kind of medicine the other party was selling in his gourd.

"I don't recognize it." Cao Duan shook his head honestly.

Yao Guangxiao reminded: "Can you still read the four characters punctuated with cinnabar next to them?"

"King, person, unreadable (looks like a bird-shaped word), unreadable (looks like a left-edged axe)."

Yao Guangxiao was not surprised and said calmly:

"These four characters are the king's people and they were unearthed from the tomb of King Zhou."

Tomb of King Zhou? !

There was an uproar in the audience, and many Confucian scholars were even more excited.

Everyone knew that King Zhou was an extremely stupid tyrant, but they had only heard the rumors. Now they heard the news from Yao Guangxiao, so everyone couldn't help but be shocked.

Of course, most of them only knew the name of King Zhou, and also knew his general deeds and why he died, but they were completely unfamiliar with the location of the tomb, and had never even heard of its existence. Now that they heard about King Zhou It was inevitable that this tyrant's tomb had actually been dug up, which made him a little excited.

No one doubts the authenticity of Yao Guangxiao's words. First, in terms of possibility, there is the tomb of Bigan, so it is certainly possible that King Zhou of the same period also has the tomb. Second, this topic is easy to verify. Let's see if there is anything real. You know, there is no need for Yao Guangxiao to tell such lies in such a public place.

But when Cao Duan looked at the tortoise shell in his hand, his whole body felt as if he had fallen into a snowdrift, and it was bitingly cold.

He realized what Yao Guangxiao was going to do.

But he was powerless to stop it.

Yao Guangxiao went on to explain: "But the words Wang Renmin and I are not what you think."

The first word "王" needs no explanation. The word in Oracle Bone Inscriptions is actually "二" with a "大" inserted between it, and the meaning remains the same.

But from the second word "人", Yao Guangxiao began to explain.

"Spring and Autumn" says that humans are barbarians. Since they were unearthed from the tomb of King Zhou, the humans here refer to slaves. It was not until the Spring and Autumn Period that the two were distinguished. The conquered alien people became 'human' after surrendering. ', the unconquered foreign people are still 'barbarians'."

"The civilians look like a standing bird, but they are actually one eye that has been blinded. In the third generation, it was a symbol of prisoners of war. At the turn of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, when enemy prisoners were taken as civilians, their left eyes were blinded as slaves."

Cao Duan looked at the cross-eyed and barbed glyphs and listened to Yao Guangxiao's words. He completely understood that he had lost this debate.

Because the other party has produced evidence proving that the history recorded in the Six Classics is false, and since he dares to give it to himself, it means that the evidence is definitely not this one, I am afraid there are many.

In fact, the two characters "min" and "chen" were originally pictographs of eyes during the Three Dynasties, but "chen" means vertical eyes, while "min" means horizontal eyes with thorns. The ancients regarded the eyes as a very important representation of the human body, and each eye represented The whole head, even the whole body. Erecting the eyes means bowing and obeying orders. When a person lowers his head, his eyes are erect when viewed from the side. The cross-eyed people are defiant and unable to see, so they were called "the people with cross-eyed people" in ancient times. The cross-eyed people have thorns, and one of them is blinded as a slave. Therefore, the ancient saying goes, "The people are blind."

Cao Duan has read these principles in ancient books, but he has never seen the actual ancient characters with his own eyes. In addition, the carvings on the tortoise shell are a bit abstract, and it is difficult to recognize them after a long time, so he didn't realize it for a while, but now he hears them. Yao Guangxiao's explanation confirmed that the other party was not bragging.

Because of this basic character with a history of evolution, it is possible to find the glyphs recorded in ancient books. Although there is no specific shape, the context is generally clear; the meaning of the characters can also be confirmed from the Five Classics, which are well preserved.

So Cao Duan knew that what the other party said was right.

"I, there is a saying in "Shuowen Jiezi": "Shi Shen" refers to himself. However, the word "I" actually represents the title of doing violence to others. In the third generation, it represented a murder weapon, that is, a saw. ax."

Cao Duan looked at the pictogram called "I", a saw ax with a handle and a hook, which looked like a weapon used for executions, killings and dismembering animals.

"The meaning of these four words is that the king held a saw and axe, killing slaves and prisoners of war to maintain his rule."

As Yao Guangxiao finished speaking, a buzzing sound like the chirping of cicadas suddenly sounded on the scene, and everyone was discussing.

Many Confucian scholars did not realize the seriousness of the matter and felt that this was indeed something that the tyrant King Zhou could do.

However, Cao Duan, Gao Xunzhi and others clearly understood what Yao Guangxiao wanted to express.

——Three generations of rule were so bloody and cruel, and they were by no means the rule of a saint.

And no one knows how much evidence Yao Guangxiao still has in his hands.

But they all know very well that as long as they are willing to put in the effort to find ancient books to understand the evolution of all the characters, and then try to classify and correspond to the words engraved on the tortoise shell, they can eventually translate them.

It may be difficult for one person to do it, but for someone like Yao Guangxiao who can directly affect the operation of the entire Ming Dynasty's national machinery, it is definitely not difficult.

Moreover, Yao Guangxiao was not only not short of money nor people, but he was probably not short of materials, because they immediately thought that since this thing is a medicinal material, it must be that besides the ones unearthed from the tomb of King Zhou, other dragon bones may also be engraved on them. With the power of the government to collect across the country, countless dragon bones will soon be received. According to probability theory, even if it is one ten thousandth, there will be a lot of usable materials in the end.

You can say that the tomb of King Zhou is an isolated certificate. Then can you say that all the records on the dragon bones of different years are isolated certificates?

The Six Classics are not 100% true. Once they are cross-falsified, it will cause a chain reaction like a landslide.

And it just takes patience and waiting, and that day will come.

Everyone knows that there is no use in talking harshly, it depends on the evidence.

But Cao Duan was forced by Yao Guangxiao to have no choice at this time, so he still chose to pretend to be stupid and talk tough in order to have a glimmer of hope of victory.

"King Zhou is a tyrant. It is not surprising that his people do such cruel things."

Seeing that Cao Duan was still pretending to be confused, Yao Guangxiao didn't take it seriously. Except for the last thing, he had successfully completed all the tasks assigned to him by Jiang Xinghuo.

Next, Yao Guangxiao only needs to do one thing.

"You're right, I give up."

Amid the astonished eyes, Yao Guangxiao stood up, admitted defeat magnanimously, and said meaningfully before walking down the stage: "Starting tomorrow, "Ming Pao" will add a new column - Entering Oracle."

Cao Duan's brain was blank at this time.

He knew that as long as Yao Guangxiao continued to be serious, his tough talk would soon be exposed and he would lose.

But Cao Duan didn't know why Yao Guangxiao suddenly gave up. Why did he suddenly win?

But this "win" is obviously a temporary self-deception, because with the continuous interpretation of the so-called "Into the Oracle" column, the historical truth of the Three Dynasties will be exposed, and the Neo-Confucianism and Taoism based on the Six Classics system will fall apart. , if he wins now, isn’t that just deceiving himself?

You must know that once the argument of "The Six Classics Are All History" is confirmed by the decipherment of oracle bones, then Cao Duan will be recorded in the annals of history and nailed to the villain's pillar of shame. At this time, "winning" will only make him look like a villain. How ridiculous is it after losing the historical evaluation.

Just like what Jiang Xinghuo said in his previous life, "No one remembers losers, except Yue Lun."

And this kind of insult is even better. The opponent is about to have full health and win, and then flashes into the tower to give you a "win".

Cao Duan was so confused that he didn't even know how he got off the stage.

He only knew that some people were cheering blindly around him, and some were looking at him with extreme pity, and he was pushed by the crowd to the door of the prison.

The gate of the prison is open like the bloody mouth of a great beast.

The Jinyi guards on both sides held their knives and collectively stared at him. Cao Duan held his belt and crossed the high threshold.

Then there was a muffled sound, and all the noise was blocked out.

Young warrior, congratulations on defeating all the evil dragons guarding the gate. You are about to come to the destined place and rescue the princess imprisoned by the evil dragon.