Chapter 161: Duke Yansheng: Let's fight the Taoist emperor! Use Buddhism as a sword to kill all the Confucianists!
Kong family, in the lobby.
After a long while, the Duke of Kong's generation, Kong Zhengan, finally opened his eyes. Facing everyone's concerned gazes, he struggled to sit up despite everyone's dissuasion.
"Yan Shifan, Yan thief, evil thief!" Kong Zhengan was still shaking with anger when he thought of the letter he had just seen.
"Father, please take care of yourself!" At this time, the scholar with a frail figure but ruddy complexion spoke beside the bed.
This scholar was none other than Kong Zhengan’s son, Kong Shangxian.
(Note: In history, Kong Zhengan died in the 38th year of Jiajing. The timeline is fictional for the sake of the plot.)
Hearing his son's voice, Kong Zhengan took a deep breath, waved his hand, and signaled the middle-aged man who was smoothing his chest to stop and get off the bed, and said, "Gather everyone into the ancestral hall!"
"Yes." Kong Shangxian nodded, turned and left.
The other members of the Kong family who were surrounding the bed also scattered at this moment.
Soon, the core members of the Kong family gathered in the Kong family ancestral hall.
"I think you all know why I called you here." Kong Zhen held the letter tightly in his thin and withered hands, and opened his eyes angrily, "Yan Thief, you are bullying my Kong family too much!"
"Not only that, he even wanted to eradicate my Kong family through reform!"
After hearing what Kong Zhengan said, all the direct descendants of the Kong family became furious. They started to talk about it and criticize the father and son of the Yan family.
"Do you know what the real purpose of Yan Ze is?" Kong Zhengan pressed his hands together, signaling everyone to be quiet.
When everyone turned their eyes to him, he said in a deep voice: "As everyone knows, nowadays, my Kong family is the leader of Confucianism and the orthodox Confucianism in the world!"
"If our Confucianism falls, then the entire Confucian sect will be severely damaged. The thief Yan is trying to dig up the roots!"
"He wants to dig up the roots of Confucianism!" Kong Zhengan roared, his eyes bloodshot, "The Confucian sect has fallen, and the thief Yan will no longer have any scruples in his future actions, and no one will stand up to harm the world!"
"Such evildoers who bring disaster to the country and the people and harm the world should be punished by heaven!"
The people of the Kong family below were also extremely angry at this moment.
"My Kong family swears that we will never coexist with the Yan thief!" An old man with gray hair and beard stood up and shouted loudly.
"Dig up the foundation of my Confucianism, and I will fight to the death with Yan the thief!"
"Fight until death!" others responded.
Looking at the angry tribesmen, Kong Zhengan had a gleam of light under his thin, wrinkled eyelids.
The imperial court wanted to strip him of his title of Duke Yansheng, but the official decree had not yet been issued. He wanted to use this last opportunity to decide the outcome with the Yan Party and even with the Taoist emperor!
It is undeniable that the emperor did a lot of things that benefited the country and the people during these seven years, and he even brought about a prosperous era for the Ming Dynasty that neither Taizu nor Taizong had ever experienced.
Well, the Taizong he was talking about was naturally Emperor Yongle.
In his heart, he never recognized the absurd behavior of the Taoist emperor who had participated in the great ritual debate and forcibly changed the temple name of Emperor Yongle to Zu.
Although you, the Taoist emperor, have brought prosperity to the Ming Dynasty in the past seven years, and the people of the world have changed their views of you a lot and everyone praises you in private, but this does not mean that you can humiliate the Kong family.
It doesn't mean that you can take action against Confucianism!
Since ancient times, no dynasty could shake the status of Confucianism. It is something that the Qin Emperor, Han Wudi, Tang Taizong and Song Taizu could not do. You, Jiajing, are even less capable of doing it. Even Zhu Yuanzhang... Well, he is dead!
Kong Zhengan clenched his fists and stared towards the direction of the capital.
……
In the capital, the back hall of Yan's mansion.
Yan Shaoting, who was already in his twenties, respectfully offered a cup of spiritual tea to his grandfather Yan Song and his father Yan Shifan, then retreated to his grandfather Yan Song's side and silently gazed at the heavy snow outside the hall.
Ever since the three generations of the Yan family embarked on the path of cultivating immortals, it has been Yan Shaoting's job to serve tea and water to his grandfather and father on a daily basis.
After all, the matter of cultivating immortals is a secret.
It is said that the Dharma is not to be passed on to others, and the Tao is not to be passed on to non-humans.
Although the three generations of the Yan family together have six ears, it can also be understood as the people other than the six ears. As for the "non-humans", they are naturally all the people in the mansion except the three generations of the Yan family.
Therefore, in order to maintain confidentiality, matters concerning spiritual tea and meals were basically Yan Shaoting's responsibility.
Yan Shaoting had no complaints about this.
He was precocious and mature like a little adult since childhood. He naturally understood that cultivating immortals was a secret. As for other people in the mansion, they were not worthy of knowing, let alone coming into contact with spiritual objects.
Besides, cooking for grandpa and father is a way of showing filial piety, and there is nothing wrong with it.
"Ruzhen," Yan Song took a sip of hot tea, and then looked at Hu Zongxian, "You have now entered the cabinet, and have been conferred the title of immortal official by the emperor, which means you have entered the core circle of our Ming Dynasty."
"There are some things I should tell you."
Hearing Yan Song's words, Hu Zongxian quickly put down the tea in his hand, bowed and said solemnly: "Please speak, Lord."
"Well," Yan Song nodded, speaking in a gentle tone, "I don't know if you know that when the emperor asked who to recommend to join the cabinet, I recommended two people."
"One is you," Yan Song said, looking up at Hu Zongxian, "and the other is Yingde."
Hu Zongxian did not show any surprise when he heard this. He nodded and said, "In fact, I already knew the elder's intention as early as the moment I received the order to pacify Yingzhou Prefecture."
"Please forgive my poor eyesight," Hu Zongxian said, and sighed softly, "I thought that the old cabinet was like this because of His Royal Highness Prince Jing, but I didn't expect that a third force would appear in the cabinet now."
"The Military Merit Faction is also the New Party." Hu Zongxian shook his head slightly, feeling quite helpless. "My identity is a bit embarrassing. Everyone knows that I am the cabinet minister's man."
"But, the trip to Yingzhou Prefecture has made me one of the representatives of the Military Merit Faction." Hu Zongxian looked at Yan Song with a worried look on his face and said, "These questions have been lingering in my mind. I wanted to visit the elder several times, but I didn't have the chance."
As he spoke, Hu Zongxian glanced at Yan Shifan inconspicuously, but was met with a cold look from the latter.
That’s right. For three years, Hu Zongxian had never formally visited Yan Song. It was not because he didn’t want to, but because he had no chance. The reason was naturally that this young cabinet minister blocked the door and refused to let him in.
But if you think about it carefully, Yan Shifan is just a cover. Hu Zongxian knows that if Lord Yan really wants to see him, Yan Shifan can't stop him.
As for why the elder did this, Hu Zongxian knew in his heart that it was definitely not because the elder had any opinions about him. There must be a deeper meaning behind it, so Hu Zongxian could only hold it back.
"Haha," Yan Song smiled and said comfortingly, "It's not too late to meet now." He paused for a moment and continued, "Ruzhen, actually, the person I want to enter the cabinet is not you."
Hearing what Yan Song said, Hu Zongxian nodded. He was not surprised.
The cabinet minister is such a shrewd person that he could see through the truth before he entered the cabinet, so he naturally understood it as well.
It could only be that the elder has other intentions.
This is also the reason why the elder has avoided my visits for the past three years.
Today, he finally learned it from the elder.
"You are different from Yingde," Yan Song said slowly, "The relationship between Yingde and my Yan family can only be considered a mutually beneficial relationship at best."
"I need the imprint of the Yan Party on him, and he needs me to help him realize his ideal of serving the country." When he said this, Yan Song paused, then changed the subject and said, "I believe you have heard that the emperor specially approved a piece of spiritual farm for me outside the capital."
Upon hearing this, Hu Zongxian nodded without interrupting and listened to Yan Song finish his words.
"You should have seen those ghostly children during the war in Yingzhou Prefecture that day, and you must be familiar with the Immortal Martial Guards," Yan Song continued under Hu Zongxian's gaze, "That spiritual field is specially used to cultivate an army of spiritual beasts."
"By then, our Ming Dynasty will have a new immortal army that is completely superior to mortals. This new army will be led by the Immortal Guards and the army of spirit beasts..."
Hearing this, Hu Zongxian suddenly understood.
His political sense was no worse than that of other people in the cabinet. After Yan Song's reminder, he immediately understood everything.
Military power! In the final analysis, it is just these two words.
Lord Yan is now extremely powerful and has the emperor's trust. If he were to get involved in military power at this time, it would probably arouse the emperor's suspicion.
However, Tang Shunzhi's relationship with Lord Yan was not as close as his own. If he recommended him to join the cabinet, he would be able to clear himself.
"It seems that you have understood..." After taking in Hu Zongxian's expression, Yan Song smiled, "And the emperor specially decided to choose you to join the cabinet."
Facing Hu Zongxian's puzzled gaze, Yan Song explained the interests involved and the emperor's intentions.
"So, the emperor wants to use me to balance the two princes, Prince Yu and Prince Jing, but my foundation is weak and I need the help of the elders?" Hu Zongxian said with a look of understanding in his eyes.
"That's right." Yan Song nodded slightly and said, "But you have to make one thing clear. You get help from Yan, but you don't belong to Yan. You have to develop your own faction. This is what I want to warn you today."
"Mr. Prime Minister?!" Hu Zongxian was shocked when he heard Yan Song's words. He was about to say something but was interrupted by Yan Song who raised his hand.
"No need to say more," Yan Song leaned forward slightly, staring at Hu Zongxian, like a kind father, admonishing him earnestly, "Remember, the days are long, you have to think about yourself and your family."
"In the future, there will definitely be immortal cultivation families one after another in the Ming Dynasty. This is also the choice of everyone in the cabinet!"
"No one knows what direction the Ming Dynasty will develop in the future. The development of this immortal family is inevitable. The emperor will not allow anyone to be immune to it!"
"The Immortal Cultivation Family and the Immortal Dynasty are closely connected, and their interests are inseparable!"
Hearing this, Hu Zongxian's eyelids jumped, his body suddenly went cold, and he opened his mouth and said, "Won't it develop into the situation of aristocratic families dividing the country from the end of the Han Dynasty to the end of the Tang Dynasty?"
Hearing this, Yan Shifan was also startled and looked fiercely towards his father Yan Song.
"Only in this way can the Ming Dynasty unite as one and meet greater challenges..." Yan Song shook his head and sighed:
"Who can predict what the future will be like? Maybe the emperor has other plans." Suddenly, he looked at the heavy snow outside the hall and snorted and laughed, "What we can see, how can the emperor not see it? With the emperor's tyrannical power, everyone..."
"They are nothing but pawns!"
Outside the hall, snow was falling heavily, and a hazy curtain hung between heaven and earth. Perhaps due to his cultivation, Yan Song's vision was clearer than ever before, and he looked farther and farther, until he reached the sky.
Above the sky, angry clouds were rolling, containing endless power. Yan Song silently withdrew his gaze.
He saw it clearly, but he became more and more afraid!
……
Under everyone's attention, the Kong family took action.
Countless letters and carrier pigeons were sent from Qufu and flew to the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty.
The Kong family has been in business for several dynasties, going through the Spring and Autumn Period and being passed down from generation to generation. If we really talk about foundation, no other family can compare with it. It is no exaggeration to say that once a word is spoken, it will be responded to from all directions.
For a time, students and scholars all over the world responded to the Kong family and began to criticize the Yan father and son verbally and in writing.
Not only that, even officials from Yan's party began to defect, and some even declared that they would rather be a lone minister than a dog of Yan!
However, this was not the end. What followed was a flood of impeachment memorials, all of which impeached the crimes of Yan's party.
There were even many who were before the rectification of the civil service, and some even went so far as to bring up the Zhu Wan case again, threatening to die together with the enemy, and claiming that Yan Song had bribed them to target Zhu Wan.
In addition, there were countless cases such as the Xia Yan case, embezzlement, and forming cliques for personal gain, and memorials were submitted to the cabinet every day.
However, all these impeachment memorials were suppressed.
However, these could not faze those people. If their memorials were suppressed, they would go to Xiyuan and kneel down to make their last appeal.
Outside Yuxi Palace, the censors, and more than half of the officials in the court, both high and low, above the fourth rank, all knelt outside the West Garden.
At this moment, these officials include not only the clean ones, but also those who once stood on the side of the Yan Party.
But now they are only concerned with two things.
First, impeach Yan Song and his son; second, advise the emperor not to abolish the title of Duke Yansheng of the Kong family, and not to easily reform the law by listening to slander.
In the sacred field in the backyard of Yan’s mansion, in Yan Song’s thatched cottage.
"Bang!" The furious young cabinet minister Yan Shifan looked at the impeachment memorial in his hand, slammed the table and stood up, shouting angrily: "Rebellion! Those people who originally relied on my Yan family to stand in their current positions dared to openly criticize my Yan family. They are ungrateful beasts..." "Good, good, very good!" Yan Shifan paced, then suddenly turned around and shouted angrily: "If they don't accept my toast, then I will fulfill their wish and make them unable to even be lone ministers!"
Sitting cross-legged on the couch, Yan Song slowly exhaled a breath of foul air, then opened his eyes, raised his eyes and looked at Yan Shifan.
"From the moment you decided to reform and deal with the Kong family, today's situation was doomed," Yan Song said in a gentle tone, picking up several memorials on the table and said:
"To disturb the Confucius family is to disturb the Confucian sect of the world."
“Confucianism is a very broad term, but as you said, it has been around since the Han Dynasty.”
"It is a rule that has been created invisibly since the Han Dynasty and through all dynasties. It not only constrains reality, but also human hearts."
"Scholars and students govern the country with Confucianism and regard Confucian classics as a beacon. It regulates people's words and deeds. Everyone follows the etiquette and laws in their thoughts and dares not go beyond the slightest!"
"That is a rule that is comparable to the laws of nature!"
"If you take action against it, you will definitely face a backlash," Yan Song paused and said earnestly, "Shifan, you can't accomplish anything by yourself."
Hearing his father's words, Yan Shifan's eyes flashed, and his fists were clenched tightly in his wide sleeves. After looking at his father in silence for a moment, he suddenly said, "Dad, I won't give up."
Looking at the serious Yan Shifan, Yan Song suddenly chuckled kindly, raised his hand and waved to Yan Shifan, indicating that he should sit down and talk.
"Those who are righteous will have many supporters, while those who are unrighteous will have few supporters," Yan Song said slowly, "You need help."
"Helpers?" After hearing what his father Yan Song said, Yan Shifan lowered his head and thought for a moment, then raised his head and looked at Yan Song, and understood: "Supporters of the Hundred Schools of Thought, businessmen, and people subject to household registration restrictions?"
"Oh," Yan Song smiled and shook his head after hearing what Yan Shifan said, "These people are only a part of the group. There are other people who are more important than them..."
Looking at his father Yan Song, who was smiling like a fox, Yan Shifan thought about it, but still couldn't think of anyone else who could help him.
"We have helpers," Yan Song said in a gentle tone. He looked up at Yan Shifan and said word by word, "Xuanpu Palace."
Xuanpu Palace? Hearing this, Yan Shifan was stunned, then reacted and said, "Are you talking about Qingfeng?"
Yan Shifan never thought that he would have to go to war with the Kong family. How could Qingfeng help him?
"Dad, only the emperor can use Qingfeng, we can't command that girl..." Yan Shifan shook his head and said, and suddenly paused, as if he thought of something, and said:
"Dad, you mean, the Dao Sect?!"
"Your understanding is pretty good," Yan Song nodded, "Not only about Taoism, but also Buddhism."
"Use Buddhism as a sword," Yan Song said, leaning forward slightly and staring at Yan Shifan, "to destroy the Confucian masters of the world!"
Buddhism is a sword that kills Confucianism?!
Looking at his father Yan Song, who seemed to be very close to him and staring at him, Yan Shifan swallowed his saliva and said:
"Dad, what do you want to say?" His intuition told him that what his dad wanted to say was not just this, but might have something bigger in mind!
He has made a lot of progress over the years by his father's side, so he naturally knows that his father's purpose must be more than just this.
"Yan Shifan!" Yan Song shouted in a deep voice: "You have to know that your little thoughts cannot be hidden from the emperor, nor can they be satisfied by everyone. You have to learn to think about why the emperor agreed!"
"That's because the fundamental purpose of the "Innovation" you proposed is in line with the interests of the Emperor and the Ming Dynasty!"
"The Emperor wants to make a change in the Ming Dynasty, a reform that breaks the shackles of Confucianism and the eight-part essay rules set by Taizu! To put it bluntly, it is a reform of the people's thinking!"
"Do you still remember the Portuguese merchant?" Yan Song said in a deep voice, "He said that an unprecedented reform broke out in that distant continent."
"In recent years, through Portuguese merchants, I have collected a lot of information about everything that happened on that continent, including their country, culture, system, customs, and folk customs..."
"Before that great change began, the system of that continent was no different from that of our Ming Dynasty and other dynasties before it."
"The key point is that amazing reform. It is a reform of thought, which coincides with your proposal of 'innovation and innovation'. The reform you proposed is just one word..."
"Break it!" Yan Song said in a deep voice, "Break the old system!"
"In addition, the 'craftsmanship', 'commerce', 'hundreds of schools of thought', and so on of our Ming Dynasty will also flourish..."
"All these things have too many similarities with what happened on that continent far away overseas!"
"And can your proposed reform of 'innovation and innovation' succeed?" Yan Song took a deep breath, raised his hand and grasped Yan Shifan's shoulder, and said:
"The reforms that took place on that continent are the best reference. We should take its essence and discard its dross and use it!"
Yan Song's words were like the sound of a huge bell, booming in Yan Shifan's mind and making his head buzz.
Naturally, he met with many Portuguese businessmen. After all, if the Ming Dynasty wanted to expand overseas in the future, it was necessary to understand its opponents.
And his father naturally came into contact with everything that happened on that continent and in the overseas countries. He also listened to it, but later, he lost interest.
Overseas countries? They are just barbarians. Can they cultivate immortality? Can they understand the essence of the Celestial Empire? Ha!
What he didn't expect was that his father actually listened with great interest and had such a profound understanding.
In fact, to put it bluntly, the idea of "inspiring innovation" that he came up with in the past three years was also inspired by his father's research on overseas countries.
However, he also had his own pride and dignity, and he was just unwilling to admit that there were shadows of barbarism in his path of reform.
"Dad, what you mean is, to stir up the conflict between Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and then extend it to the theories of various philosophers, and finally let the subjects of the Ming Dynasty also undergo a change of mind, completely break the old dynasty system, and thus complete this reform?"
"That's right!" Yan Song nodded. "Take advantage of the great war between Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism to introduce hundreds of schools of thought into the Ming Dynasty, completely destroy the old dynasty system, and allow the Ming Dynasty to undergo a complete transformation."
"I know that the purpose of your proposal for reform is to overthrow the Kong family, but if the emperor is serious, you can't be careless."
"You must remember, Yan Shifan," Yan Song said in a deep voice, "the final result of any internal struggle must be that the Ming Dynasty benefits!"
"If the Ming Dynasty does not make any profit, it is equivalent to a loss. If the Ming Dynasty's interests are damaged, what do you think the emperor will do?"
Being stared at by his father, Yan Shifan's pupils shrank, and he shuddered when he thought of Jiajing's unpredictable methods.
"But father, even if Qingfeng is willing to help, well, the emperor will definitely acquiesce in it," Yan Shifan paused, and then said, "How can we make Buddhism and Taoism work for us?"
"Now Qingfeng is the national teacher. The Taoist sect is powerful, while the Buddhist sect is low-key. Those who have closed their doors must be in seclusion. Will they come out? We should also consider the Taoist sect, right? This is not easy..."
Yan Shifan frowned and thought, "Unless, there is someone in Buddhism who serves as the national teacher. Ha, how is this possible..." As he said this, he laughed, thinking that his idea was too ridiculous.
Qingfeng's becoming the imperial teacher was full of coincidences and accidents. If they want to do the same thing again, will the emperor be willing to play along with them?
"Why not?" However, at this moment, Yan Song said in a deep voice, "We sent the Taoists to the palace. Only when the Buddhists are also arranged to enter the palace, can the Buddhists be swords!"
"Dad, are you serious?" Hearing this, Yan Shifan was shocked and said incredulously: "But the emperor..."
As he spoke, he saw his father staring at him. Yan Shifan immediately shut up. After a long silence, he said, "Dad, you have suffered for your son."
He knew that his father had to ask the emperor for help in this matter. With the tacit understanding between his father and the emperor as their subject, if he went to ask, the emperor would understand what he meant.
At the same time, it is also equivalent to a disguised military order to the emperor.
Because he knew that the price of asking the emperor to take action was not low. If he succeeded, it would be fine, but if he failed, the price would be very heavy!
For example, before, when Hai Rui caused chaos in the southeast, the Qingliu had no choice but to ask the emperor for help. The price was that the Xu Jie family's network of interests was directly pierced with several holes, and not only did they lose money, they also had to cede land.
At this moment, Yan Shifan suddenly realized that although he had proposed this reform, three years had passed and he was still not well prepared when it came to actually implementing it.
According to his previous thinking, the most he could do was to bring in hundreds of families and rely on those merchants and the people who were restricted by their household registration.
But these people were too weak after all and could not defeat all the officials in the court.
He thought this counterattack would be huge, but he didn't expect it to be so violent. Those beasts in the court were not afraid of death and were determined to bite the Yan family. What was so good about the Kong family that they didn't even want to live?
"Heh," Yan Song chuckled at his son's expression, and said in a rather kind and doting way, "Don't worry, Dad will help you. This reform will definitely have a mention for you in the history books of the Immortal Dynasty!"
"Ok!"
Yan Shifan nodded heavily, saying everything.
"By the way, Dad, what exactly do you plan to do?" Yan Shifan calmed down and asked:
"How can I help, son?"
Hearing this, Yan Song pondered for a moment, raised his eyes to look at Yan Shifan, and said, "Before, my Yan family was stationed in Taizhou, and we mistakenly thought that the lineage of Prince Yu was going to enter Huguang from Fujian. Do you still remember?"
Hearing this, Yan Shifan thought for a moment, nodded, and said:
"Remember, before the rectification of the civil service, the Huguang region was originally controlled by officials from our Yan family. After the rectification of the civil service, it was controlled by officials promoted by Prince Yu, so we made a misjudgment at the beginning."
(Note: See Chapter 133.)
"So we finally decided to take root in Taizhou... Dad, what's so special about this Huguang region?"
"Just two years ago, Zhejiang sent me a list of the last batch of officials implicated in the Gengxu Prison. The past of one of them caught my attention."
In order to rectify the administration of officials, the imperial court launched the "Gengxu Purge" that year. Many officials in Zhejiang were executed without any treatment. Naturally, there were many innocent people among them. Two years ago, they were the last batch of officials who needed to be approved. Whether they should be killed or released had to be reported.
At that time, Emperor Jiajing was in seclusion, and the cabinet was frantically taking on political achievements and sorting out internal affairs. As the chief minister of the cabinet, Yan Song naturally had to review and approve many official documents in order to avoid many false and wrongful cases.
"Who?" Hearing his father Yan Song say this, Yan Shifan also became interested. Logically speaking, when the administration of officials was rectified, all the important officials in Zhejiang and Guangdong and Guangxi were dealt with.
The rest are just some insignificant minor officials, and they can be dealt with based on one's mood.
I didn't expect that there would be someone who could attract my dad's attention.
"I'm not a great talent..." Yan Song shook his head slightly, as if he was looking for something. Then he stood up and walked to the bookshelf beside him, poked his head in, and took down a stack of yellowed thick books. He smiled, blew away the dust, and said, "I found it."
"Take a look." Yan Song handed the yellow paper book to Yan Shifan.
He took the cover of the yellow paper book, raised his eyebrows, and read: "Journey to the West: The Evil is Reborn?" After reading it, he looked up at his father in surprise and said, "A story from a book?"
"Keep reading..." Yan Song smiled and raised his hand, signaling Yan Shifan to stay calm.
Seeing this, Yan Shifan had no choice but to continue reading.
"Before the world was divided into two parts, the world was in chaos, and it was so vast that no one could see it. Ever since Pangu broke through the chaos, the world has been divided into clear and turbid. All living things look up to the Supreme Benevolence, and all things are created for good. If you want to know the power of creation, you must read "Journey to the West"..."
After reciting the opening poem, Yan Shifan shook his head.
As a cultivator, he has no interest in these kinds of supernatural stories.
If he knew about cultivating immortals, but before he embarked on the path of cultivating immortals, he would be interested in these stories about immortals, gods, strange stories and legends to satisfy his imagination and yearning for immortals.
As for now, when I read the myths and strange stories written by third-rate writers, I just find them boring.
Yan Shifan read very quickly, finishing the stack of books in a short while. He let out a sigh and frowned, saying, "What a mess. Dad, this book is a bit rough, isn't it? Is it a first draft?"
"It's the first draft," Yan Song nodded slightly and said, "This person's name is Wu Chengen. The first draft of Journey to the West was completed in the 21st year of Jiajing. In the 28th year of Jiajing, he entered the Nanjing Imperial College."
"It was not until the 29th year of the Jiajing reign that he passed the imperial examination and was admitted as a tribute student, but he was not selected as an official. He finally returned to his hometown and lived in seclusion until the 37th year of the Jiajing reign. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. Later, the imperial court launched the 'Gengxu Prison' and he was imprisoned again. It was not until two years ago that the list of names was submitted."
"You know, I have been paying attention to Buddhist stories and Taoist classics. When I was flipping through the files, I accidentally saw the story written by this person. Thinking of your previous proposal for innovation, I decided to use the three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism... so I sent someone to send you the full text."
"Two years ago, in the 47th year of Jiajing, this man had already gone to Hubei to serve as the Jishan in the mansion of Prince Zhu Yiju of Jing."
After briefly introducing Wu Cheng'en's past, Yan Song pointed out some stories and said, "Although this book is a first draft, many of the plots in it implicitly metaphorically refer to the competition between Buddhism and Taoism. Of course, perhaps it is because it is a first draft..."
"There are also some references to the imperial court, and at the end there are some less obvious ideas of the integration of the three religions."
"If we use this book as a pusher and magnify it infinitely to provoke a dispute between Buddhism and Taoism, then Wu Chengen, who wrote this book, is naturally the representative of Confucianism, haha..." Yan Song smiled kindly and said, "We can customize some frameworks and then have this person write it to provoke a great dispute among the three religions..."
"During the Southern Dynasties, regarding Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, there were four major disputes: "the dispute over monks' disrespect for the king", "the dispute over cause and effect", "the dispute over barbarians and Chinese", and "the dispute over the immortality of gods".
"These can all be used as reference..."
"After the chaos, won't there still be a sword in Southeast Ningbo Prefecture?"
"It's a one-size-fits-all approach. After great chaos comes great prosperity."
"So, take this opportunity to introduce the theories of various schools of thought and complete your reforms..."
"..."
Note ①: Around the 16th century, Europeans had a relatively clear geographical understanding of the continent they lived on and called it "Europe". Considering that the formation and naming of this geographical understanding was not achieved overnight, but went through a long historical process. In order to serve the plot, this book uses the name "that continent". As time goes by, the Ming Dynasty will change the name after learning about Europe.
Note ②: According to historical records, in 1550, Italian artist and art historian Vasari first formally used the term "Renaissance" in his work "Lives of the Most Excellent Artists" to describe the artistic and cultural achievements of that period.
For the sake of the plot, this book will not mention the concept of "Renaissance", but will refer to it as "that reform".
(End of this chapter)
