Chapter 2384 The Collision of Private Goods

Zheng Xuan looked at the manuscript in his hand.

My head hurts a little.

After arriving in Chang'an, something happened that made Zheng Xuan feel a little uncomfortable.

The manuscript in front of Zheng Xuan was "Li" that Zheng Xuan had annotated some years ago.

As a great Confucian in the Han Dynasty, he was keen on teaching literature, so the so-called "annotations" are Zheng Xuan's understanding of the original text. Adding annotations to these ancient scriptures is of course not done casually, and not everyone has it. To be qualified to add annotations to scriptures, you must at least be recognized by the majority of people...

Zheng Xuan annotated many scriptures, but he did not expect that his old annotations encountered new problems in Chang'an.

Zheng Xuan's original annotation on "Execution cannot be given to a high official" is that "courtesy cannot be given to common people, because they rush into things and cannot prepare things." The punishment is not worthy of the official, and the sage does not break the law. If the law is violated, the severity will be determined by the eight discussions, not the punishment book."...

Now it seems that there are some problems.

Very difficult question.

In fact, not everything Feiqian said at Qinglong Temple was correct.

Zheng Xuan actually knew this in his heart.

In fact, in the "Book of Rites", there is not as much additional understanding as in later generations. The "Book of Rites" is just a pure record of the etiquette of the ancient Zhou Dynasty...

Just like the articles written by a tree planter often appear in the reading comprehension of later generations. Sometimes his articles may not have that much meaning. If they are written lyrically, they are mainly lyrical; if they are written sarcastically, they are mainly lyrical. Sarcastic means accusatory, that is, the main accusation. It is impossible to be lyrical, sarcastic, accusatory, enlightening, etc. in one sentence. The power of words is indeed powerful, but it is limited to a certain paragraph and is sincere. too busy.

Articles serve the purpose of the text.

The Book of Rites, which is the Rites of the Zhou Dynasty, is designed to record the "rituals", that is, the rules of the Zhou Dynasty. In the understanding of later generations, their own ideas were added, resulting in various interpretations.

For example, Zheng Xuan's note, and the description of General Fei Qian's visit to Qinglong Temple...

In fact, Fei Qian and Zheng Xuan's annotations on "Execution cannot reach a doctor" represent two different directions of understanding.

And the direction that the two people understood was inevitably taken out of context.

This is "private goods".

Zheng Xuan sighed, turned out the original copy of "Book of Rites" on the side, and then found the sentence "The doctor cannot be punished"...

It is written in "Book of Rites", "...the king of the state cares for the officials, the officials care for the officials, and the courtesy for the officials is not the same as for the common people. The punishment for the officials is not the same as for the officials who are not on the king's side. The chariot is not equipped with military chariots, Sui Jingde, and the chariots are tied..."

Well, there was no sentence to read in ancient times.

Zheng Xuan's annotation connected the privileges of scholar-bureaucrats during the Qin and Han Dynasties with "the courtesy cannot be extended to the common people, and the punishment cannot be extended to the officials", indicating that if the "officials" break the law, there are "eight opinions" that can reduce the severity and severity, and are not included in the punishment book.

This is a fact, and this is indeed the privilege obtained by "doctors" from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States to the present day.

When Zheng Xuan annotated this section, he also referred to some other people's annotations, such as Jia Yi's annotation on this sentence. In addition, Zheng Xuan himself was also a half-literary official. He enjoyed some privileges as a "literary official", but he also The higher and more corrupt "scholar-officials" expressed hatred and shame. Therefore, under such circumstances, it is naturally understandable that Zheng Xuan made the previous comment on "the punishment cannot be punished for the officials".

but……

Anyone who has studied some literature, excluding Gang Jing, generally knows that "contacting context" is a very important prerequisite for reading comprehension.

So, the original text of the "Book of Rites" actually only records the specific etiquette of riding in a car.

Because according to the context, "Etiquette cannot be extended to common people, punishment cannot be extended to officials" should actually be divided into two sentences, and the commas should be changed to periods. These are two sentences, not meant to be used side by side for comparison. In other words, "The king caress the way, and the doctor follows it." The doctor strokes the style, and the scholar follows it. No courtesy to common people. 』This is connected together and talks about general car etiquette.

During the Zhou Dynasty, all those riding in the carriages were "scholars" or above, so when two carriages met, they had to show respect to each other.

That is "ritual".

When superiors meet subordinates, they do not need to get out of the car, but they must hold on to the crossbar in front of the car and nod to salute; when subordinates meet their superiors, they must get out of the car and salute. This is "the king's caressing style, and the doctor's care." The doctor strokes the style, and the scholar follows it. 』

right?

This is the original meaning.

Very Zhou Dynasty meaning.

As for the common people, hehe, the common people have carriages, they are just mud-legged, and naturally they don’t have this set of clothes, so they don’t have to follow this set of etiquette patterns, so it’s called “the etiquette is not inferior to the common people.” It's like some companies' internal regulations. When subordinates see their superiors, they have to stop and salute. The superiors nod and walk straight past. But can the etiquette within the company be used outside the company and let people outside the company follow suit?

"The punishment does not go to the doctor, and the person who punishes is not at your side." ” is a complete sentence. It is still talking about driving etiquette, indicating the punishment for violating driving etiquette. If it is a relatively high-ranking official, the monarch cannot simply use punishment to humiliate him. At the same time, the monarch cannot bring the executioner with him to intimidate his subordinates into bowing.

Because in the ancient Zhou Dynasty, at the beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period, the authority of the "jun" was not very great, and sometimes it was even less powerful than the "literary officials", especially the new monarch...

Just like a new manager in a company cannot wear HR on his belt and force old employees to salute respectfully when they meet, otherwise they will make a fuss about firing the old employees and punish them?

As for the following "Military chariots are not in style, Wu chariots are in Suijing, and German chariots are in jing", they are still talking about driving etiquette, and are alternative methods of riding etiquette in special vehicle situations.

Therefore, it is obvious that in the Book of Rites, there is no so-called "class oppression" or "class privilege" from beginning to end. This passage is just talking about the etiquette of riding in a car. This is also consistent with the "Book of Rites" The positioning of "Ji" itself is that it only talks about the etiquette and norms of the Zhou Dynasty...

As a result, later generations mixed "the etiquette is not extended to the common people, and the punishment is not to the officials" into one sentence, which separated the specific context of riding etiquette in the "Book of Rites", and believed that "the courtesy is not extended to the common people" refers to being rude to the common people, " "You can't punish a doctor" means that nobles can be lawless. This is like pointing at the "Primary School Student Code" and calling it unfair, saying that it is class oppression of primary school students and condones the class privileges of adults.

Therefore, it can now be said that there is something wrong with Zheng Xuan's annotation.

Similarly, Fei Qian's annotation is also problematic.

Adding the original meaning of "Book of Rites", there are three explanations...

Watching and thinking about it, Zheng Xuan's head hurt even more.

This is the trouble with kings who are too smart and cannot be fooled! If you are a fool who doesn't understand the scriptures, he won't say anything, even if you know it's wrong, you can't even let out a fart!

The scriptures are normal, but the annotations are hidden secrets.

At present, Zheng Xuan's own original annotation conflicts with the annotation of General Hussars at Qinglong Temple. If he continues to use his own annotation, the consequences may not be very good. After all, it is an employee who blindly confronts the boss and does it unreasonably. I'm afraid there is nothing wrong with it. Good ending.

But Zheng Xuan would not be willing to change it to Fei Qian's set of annotations.

Because of the "Eight Discussions".

In other words, it is "Eight Pis", which means the same thing.

"Eight Yi" refers to the eight types of people who commit crimes and must be handed over to the emperor for judgment, or the punishment can be reduced according to the law. There are also many privileges for the royal family, such as Yiqin, which is the emperor's relatives; Yigu, which is the emperor's past; Yiyi Guests, that is, descendants of the previous monarchs are honored as state guests. On the surface, it seems to be protecting the imperial power, but in fact, the "Eight Discussions" are not to respect the imperial power, but to restrict the imperial power.

Because the authority to propose the "Eight Discussions" is not in the emperor's hands!

Will the emperor personally hear the case and pronounce the verdict? Apparently most of the trials and sentencing were done by the courtiers.

Having said that, does the emperor need "eight discussions"?

Among the imperial relatives and old relatives, once a crime involving imperial power occurs, they are almost certain to die, or at least imprisoned for life, and there is no such thing as eight discussions.

Let’s take a look at the other contents of the Eight Discussions…

Yixian refers to a person with high moral character;

Yi Neng, that is, a person with outstanding talents;

Yi Gong, that is, a person with outstanding merits;

Yigui refers to officials of third rank or above and people with first rank title;

Yiqin, that is, a person who is diligent and hardworking...

That's right, even "hard work" can be discussed!

Of course, the contents of the Eight Discussions were slightly different in each dynasty, but on the whole they were similar. The "scholar-officials" kept these contents in tacit agreement with each other so that they or their friends could open a discussion if something happened. Backdoor, big things turn into small things.

Anyone who serves as an official in the court, regardless of whether they are ancient or modern, Chinese or foreign, if they cannot account for more than four of these five, they are not worthy of being called big bosses. Ordinary officials can also have two or three, and at the worst, they can just grab a straw. Take a deep dive.

Therefore, even though all the big men who studied scriptures in the past dynasties clearly knew that "the punishment cannot be punished by the doctor" was problematic according to the explanation of the eight chapters, but no one would pierce the window paper.

not a single one.

And now he was stabbed out by the hussar general Fei Qian, and Fei Qian not only stabbed him, but also gave him a stick along the way.

"The courtesy is not as good as that of a common man, and the punishment is not as good as that of a great official!" 』

"Punishment" is used to regulate common people, and "officials" can't just use the "punishment" of common people as the standard of conduct, but also go a step further and require "rituals" as daily rules!

This is quite troublesome...

According to Fei Qian's explanation, the same two sentences have almost completely opposite meanings!

Even if Zheng Xuan knew that the earth was round, he couldn't go around it!

The most important thing is that Fei Qian once again occupied a high moral position and suppressed the "Eight Discussions". Today's Han Dynasty, the reason why the scholars of Confucian classics are able to point fingers from above is that they first substitute themselves into the identity of "disciples of sages", and then put on themselves a shiny "moral guardian" robe, and then naturally It can kill all directions without any disadvantage.

It turns out that the word "morality" was not passed down by Confucius and Mencius themselves, but was brought by Confucius and Mencius' descendants from their next-door neighbors. Lao Tzu said in the "Tao Te Ching": "Tao is born, virtue is the animal, things are shaped, and momentum is formed." Therefore, all things respect Tao and value virtue. The respect of Tao, the nobility of virtue, and the destiny of the husband are always natural. ” Later, Xunzi put it forward, saying in the chapter “Encouragement to Learning,” “Therefore, learning ends with etiquette, and this is called the ultimate morality.”

What's interesting is that Lao Tzu is not a Confucian, but Xunzi, although he is a Confucian in name, but in his heart he pays attention to "propriety and law". If we compare it with the so-called traditional Confucian "benevolence and righteousness" Xunzi is facing off, I'm afraid he won't be defeated by the old man...

Basically, morality is a code of conduct set by human beings in order to live together.

Therefore, as long as it is morally reasonable, it is basically in line with most people's ideas. This is not absolute, because basically there are no absolutes in the world. Just like the situation Zheng Xuan is facing now, which one is right? That's the mistake?

If it is said that Zheng Xuan surrendered, then it is not a matter of simply modifying one sentence!

This means that Zheng Xuan’s personal information hidden in the annotations of the "Book of Rites" may need to be rewritten! It may even affect other scripture annotations!

This is what troubles Zheng Xuan the most.

The "moral" standards respected by "scholar-officials" are very high, almost as high as those of sages. It is okay to talk and criticize others, but if you want to use these "sage morals" as a measuring standard for yourself...

Zheng Xuan felt terrible just thinking about it.

Zheng Xuan was not a saint, so when he annotated the scriptures, he would more or less add some private information according to his own wishes. This is a very common behavior. Confucius did this, Jia Yi did it, and Zheng Xuan did it too. After that, a group of people later did the same thing.

Because in the process of translation and annotation, it is too easy to "include private goods".

There are some novices in later generations who often say that articles written by others are "containing private goods". It seems that by saying this, they are standing in the position of judge, superior and comfortable, but in fact these novices I don't even know the definition and scope of "containing private goods". I just heard others say it, and then followed it myself to show my "smartness", just like those guys who are stupid when reading the annotations of the Bible. .

There were only two ways before Zheng Xuan.

It was obviously impossible to continue on the opposite path to Fei Qian's, and it was impossible for Zheng Xuan to jump out and criticize what was wrong with Fei Qian's annotation that "you can't punish a doctor"...

Because no matter what he said, he couldn't get around the "ritual", so Zheng Xuan had to change his annotation at the moment, but how to change it was a difficult problem. One direction is to block the back door that you originally opened, and follow the original intention of the "Book of Rites" in a matter-of-fact manner, which only talks about the etiquette of driving without adding anything else. The other direction, of course, is to be consistent with Fei Qian and replace the back door originally given to the "scholar-bureaucrats" with the shackles of the "scholar-bureaucrats".

It seemed that it was more appropriate to choose to be honest and discuss matters as they were, but Zheng Xuan felt that something was wrong. His intuition told him that if Zheng Xuan really did this, he would probably fall into another pit.

"Mr. Zheng..." A servant reported in the corridor, "Guo Zini came to pay homage..."

"oh? ! ” Zheng Xuan raised his eyebrows, his face showing joy, “Hurry up and invite me! 』

Not long after, Guoyuan walked in and prostrated before Zheng Xuan, "This disciple has met the master!" It is Yuan's fault that he has not been able to serve his master for many years! 』

"Get up...let me see...it's still the same..." Zheng Xuan walked up and helped Guoyuan up, "When did you come to Chang'an?" Why didn't you inform me in advance so that I could send someone to pick you up? 』

Guoyuan was dressed in black plain clothes. Except for a small piece of jade hanging from his belt as decoration, he looked as simple as a farmer. His complexion is slightly dark, which is obviously caused by the daily exposure to wind and sun. It is completely different from the fair and fat appearance of ordinary nobles.

"Replying to Master," Guo Yuan said respectfully as before, "I am so stupid, how dare I bother Master... I arrived in Chang'an the day before yesterday..."

"The day before yesterday?" ” Zheng Xuan nodded. "Come, sit..."

Zheng Xuan took Guoyuan and sat down in the hall. He asked his servants to bring some syrup and dried fruit snacks, and asked about what he had seen and experienced on Guoyuan's journey. Finally, he asked, "Zini...has he been there?" Qinglong Temple? 』

Guoyuan nodded in agreement.

The biggest event in the past two days was the public trial at Qinglong Temple. There was an uproar within Chang'an Sanfu.

"Hmm..." Zheng Xuan pondered for a moment, and then pushed his original annotation on the "Book of Rites" on the desk in front of Guoyuan, "Zini, come and take a look... I kind of want to change this annotation. I just haven’t figured out how to change it yet..."

Guoyuan first greeted Zheng Xuan, then stretched out his hands to respectfully pick up the letter Zheng Xuan pushed over.

Zheng Xuan looked at Guo Yuan's movements and couldn't help stroking his beard slightly. He had somewhat guessed what Guo Yuan would say...

Sure enough, after a moment of silence, Guoyuan put the slip on Zheng Xuan's desk again, then lowered his head and said, "Master, why don't you tell me directly?" 』

"Direct statement?" Zheng Xuan frowned slightly, "Why?" 』

Guoyuan indeed chose this plan, just like the person himself.

As upright as a stone.

"Then do you know..." Zheng Xuan frowned and tapped his fingers on the slip twice, "If you tell it directly..."

"Master..." Guoyuan bowed slightly, "This disciple knows that Master's move is for the safety of future students." The master has worked so hard, and the disciples also admire him. 』

Zheng Xuan's brows relaxed slightly, "Then why did you..."

"Master..." Guoyuan lowered his head and said, "Don't talk about what happened, don't admonish for what happened, and don't blame the past"... The sages of the past were not afraid of hardships and dangers, were not greedy for easy paths, worked conscientiously, and pursued truth and justice... If there was no danger, From the Six Kingdoms, how can peaches and plums flourish all over the world? The true meaning of the scriptures does not lie in the slips, but in the heart..."

Zheng Xuan took a long breath, pinched his beard, and said nothing.

Zheng Xuan left these "back doors" not entirely for himself. He is old now. Even if he can use these "backdoors", how long can he use them? Zheng Xuan had experienced the disaster of Party imprisonment. At that time, he was thinking that if there were "Eight Discussions", there would be no way that so many Confucian students, including himself, would have suffered so many unjust injustices. Already...

But now Guoyuan's words confused Zheng Xuan again. Could it be that what he did was not necessarily right?

Could this be what Hussar meant?

So, what is right, and what should we do to achieve great success?