Chapter 169 Qingfeng vs Chanshuang, the peak battle between Buddhism and Taoism! Confucianism disrupts law with literature, Hai Rui is here!
"What does Master Qingfeng want to say?" Compared to Qingfeng, who is now 24 years old, Chanshuang is only 17 years old and looks a little immature after all, and her voice is also quite childish.
Of course, the most important thing is that she does not have the intelligence and casualness of Qingfeng when he first came down the mountain, nor the insight and understanding to see through the nature of the worldly world.
Qingfeng was raised in the mountains since she was a child. The people she came into contact with were all fellow disciples in the sect. In addition, her master protected her very well. Logically, she should have been a simple girl who was ignorant of the world.
But who can blame her for her high level of comprehension? Even by observing the natural astrology, she has seen through the way of survival in the world below the mountain.
Therefore, she could remain calm and express her understanding about the struggles in the court, as well as being used and blamed.
Chan Shuang is different, she was raised in the worldly world, so naturally she has seen all kinds of things in the worldly world. However, thanks to the excellent care taken by Prajna Lin, she has a pure and kind heart.
However, ever since she was chosen by Yan Song, Prajna Lin began to train her on how to handle affairs in the court, reminding her to be cautious everywhere, which made her naturally afraid of the court.
In this respect, she is not as good as Qingfeng.
When Qingfeng went down the mountain, it can be said that no one in the entire Longhu Mountain told her what to do after she went down the mountain. The only instruction she received was to follow the arrangements of Lord Yan.
After all these comparisons, one is natural by nature, while the other follows the rules and regulations.
In comparison, there are naturally many shortcomings.
Therefore, being wronged by Qingfeng in public, there was inevitably more emotion in his tone.
The conversation between Qingfeng and Chanshuang, as well as their different emotional expressions, were naturally seen by the old foxes present.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Zen frost is not as good as the breeze!
In the Lingtian courtyard, Jiajing paused for a moment with the scissors in his hand and glanced at his natal chart. Qingfeng looked at Chanshuang's eyes, as if she had seen something interesting, and shook his head slightly.
I didn't expect that the innocent little girl would become not only a lazy girl but also a sinister one.
"I just think there is something wrong with your Buddhist teachings," Qingfeng's crisp and firm voice sounded again. While speaking, she nodded seriously and turned to look at Chanshuang, "Big problem!"
"What's wrong with the doctrine?" Chanshuang didn't intend to endure it any longer when he heard Qingfeng talking about the Buddhist doctrine.
Today, the dispute among the three religions is raging fiercely. She has been in contact with the teachers in the Prajna Forest outside through the little nun beside her.
At first she didn't react, but now seeing the situation in the court and Prince Yu's intention to hold her accountable, she also came to her senses and knew that if she didn't fight back, Buddhism would be framed.
Buddhism has finally achieved its current status. If I, as the representative of Buddhism and the Imperial Master with a foothold in the court, do not step forward to fight for myself, Buddhism will be in danger!
"Buddhism emphasizes cause and effect, reincarnation, heaven and hell, right?" Qingfeng blinked.
"That's right." A serious look flashed in Chanshuang's compassionate and bright eyes.
She was not stupid, so she could naturally hear that Qingfeng was trying to use Buddhist teachings to argue with her and point out that there were problems with Buddhist teachings.
This also proves that the Buddhist teachings she had said in front of everyone before were problematic, which is why she was misleading people.
Bad woman! Chan Shuang pursed her lips tightly and stared at Qing Feng seriously. At the same time, she had secretly made up her mind to use all her energy to deal with this bad woman!
Looking at her like this, Qingfeng curled up the corners of his mouth.
"Then may I ask Master Chanshuang, what is the basis of these teachings?" As he spoke, Qingfeng gently raised his hand and shook his Taoist robe.
Well, no wonder the emperor likes to swing his sleeves, it feels quite nice... Qingfeng seems to have found the fun of being a superior in front of Chanshuang.
For a moment, he couldn't help but imitate Jiajing and control his posture.
"When a person dies, his spirit does not die, and he will be reborn. Good and evil deeds done in life will all have retribution. Therefore, it is important to do good and cultivate the Tao, to refine the spirit without stopping, and finally to do nothing, and then you can become a Buddha." Chan Shuang opened her mouth slightly, "The spirit is immortal, it is the root of Buddha!"
"Oh," Qingfeng nodded, and then suddenly seemed to think of something, and said: "I remember that before this, Censor Zhang had already used my Taoist view of life and nature to deny your Buddhist view of karma from the standpoint of Confucianism."
"You agreed with that at the time, didn't you?"
"Amitabha," Chan Shuang chanted the Buddha's name softly and shook his head slightly. "Buddhism and Taoism have different teachings on life and death. Buddhism advocates the afterlife, while Taoism advocates the nature of life and death."
"The emperor bestowed upon the Imperial Master the title of Qingfeng Xuanling Shouzhen Huiwu Zhenren, could it be that he also cannot understand the truth?"
"The theory of life and death is natural," Chan Shuang's slightly childish voice sounded slowly, "Taoists believe that the number of life and death is determined by heaven, while our Buddhists believe that we suffer in this life and pray for blessings in the afterlife. This is a narrow-minded theory of seeing things through a tube..."
As he spoke, Chan Shuang took a deep breath and said, "But isn't it also narrow-minded for Taoists to attribute everything to natural destiny?"
"Has anyone seen reincarnation?"
"But is there anyone who knows destiny?"
"To cultivate in this life is to guide people to be good, and to seek blessings in the next life. To cultivate immortality is to break the destiny determined by heaven."
"Each has its own doctrine. How can there be a theory that one is right and the other is wrong?"
After asking two questions in a row, Chan Shuang looked at everyone in the room, her tone a little hurried and her voice sounding a little aggrieved.
However, her remarks about cultivating immortality and breaking the destiny did make the cultivators in the room look strange.
If you think about it this way, what she said does make some sense.
Seeking reincarnation and rebirth is a narrow-minded view. From Chanshuang's perspective, there is no such thing as cultivating immortals in this world. Then isn't it also narrow-minded to cultivate immortals and seek to break the destiny of heaven?
For a moment, everyone couldn't help but look at Qingfeng.
If one wants to overturn this statement, the simplest and most brutal way is for Qingfeng to directly use the methods of a cultivator to directly give this little girl a shock from a higher level.
Of course, everyone just thought so.
The Ming Dynasty will become an immortal dynasty in the future, even shortly after Yan Shifan's reforms, but before that, cultivating immortals will still be top secret for the entire Ming Dynasty!
Without the emperor's order, no one can leak it!
Even if this person is the favored national teacher Qingfeng, it will not work.
Qingfeng naturally would not reveal his cultivation just because of a debate with Chanshuang on Buddhism and Taoism.
Besides, for her, the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism could be won verbally by the little girl in front of her.
Well, she is a genius too!
"Master Chanshuang is right about this point." Qingfeng nodded slightly, not denying what Chanshuang had just said.
However, Chan Shuang could indeed see that this bad woman in front of her must have more to say.
"But, Master Chanshuang just said that the foundation of Buddhism is that the soul is immortal." Sure enough, Qingfeng continued to speak, with a cunning look in his eyes, "But, life must end in death, the body will fade away, just like spring blooms and autumn falls, the four seasons change..."
"Since life and death are as natural as the changing of seasons, then there is no need to worry about whether there are other lives or other forms."
"Amitabha," Chanshuang shook his head after hearing Qingfeng's statement about the immortality of the gods. He put his hands together, chanted a Buddhist name, and shook his head slightly, saying, "Master Qingfeng is wrong. You must know that if form is used to create and form is used to destroy, then form is the basis. How can it be wonderful to say so?"
"Master Chanshuang is wrong." Qingfeng also shook his head, "Wonderful or not, it's just an external thing."
"What we are discussing is the impact of Buddhist teachings on the people," Qingfeng said, with an amusement in his eyes becoming more intense. "Does it mean that Buddhist teachings only seek the mysterious and the other things can be ignored, as long as the mysterious is enough?"
"Oh," Qingfeng said, his tone slightly prolonged, with a look of sudden enlightenment, "No wonder you can deceive the people."
"Charlatans also rely on all sorts of mysteries and miracles to deceive people."
Once these words were spoken, it almost confirmed Qingfeng's previous argument that there were problems with Buddhist teachings, which deceived ignorant people, which led to Buddhist believers taking the initiative to cause trouble.
At this time, Chanshuang finally realized that she had fallen into the trap set by Qingfeng.
"You!" Chan Shuang was furious. Looking at Qingfeng's appearance, her bright and compassionate eyes widened, with a look of grievance emerging in her eyes. However, Qingfeng did not intend to end it like this.
Play is play, make noise is noise, but the business is not over yet.
"Your Highness," Qingfeng nodded slightly, and said to Prince Yu and Prince Jing who were sitting under the throne, "I think what Master Chanshuang said just now has made it very clear that there is a fundamental problem with the Buddhist teachings."
"That's why a large number of Buddhist believers took the initiative to provoke conflicts with our Taoist sect. Your Highnesses, please make the decision!"
Hearing Qingfeng say this, Prince Yu and Prince Jing looked at each other and saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.
Of course, they were helpless because this little National Master Chanshuang was too weak to withstand a beating. National Master Qingfeng only said a few words to her and she was unable to resist and fell into the language trap.
If this were to end, today's political discussion would be meaningless.
They both believed that Qingfeng must understand this principle, but when they thought about how Qingfeng was favored by their father, and they couldn't take sides openly, they felt very embarrassed for a moment. Is it so difficult to continue this play?
"Master Chanshuang, do you have anything else to say?" Prince Yu glanced at Prince Jing, but was greeted with a look that said, "You are the brother, so you should speak to me." He felt helpless, but decided to take sides, otherwise the show would not go on today.
In today's discussion, both national masters must suffer heavy losses.
"May I ask Master Qingfeng, do you believe in cause and effect?" Chanshuang looked at Qingfeng stubbornly.
"I don't believe it." Qingfeng shook his head.
She never believed in the so-called cause and effect. What she believed in was the way of survival under the laws of nature. Either go against the will of heaven or go with the flow, just like the ministers in this world.
Not to mention that she is now a cultivator.
Cultivating immortality and achieving immortality is in itself a violation of the Heavenly Law which arranges the birth, aging, sickness and death of all living things, and is inherently against the will of Heaven.
Hearing Qingfeng's words, Chanshuang continued, "My Buddhist teachings are about karma and reincarnation, and we should cultivate blessings for the next life in this life."
"If the Imperial Master doesn't believe in cause and effect, how can he be rich or poor?"
Today's dispute is to clarify Qingfeng's misunderstanding of Buddhist teachings, so the premise of the current debate is based on cause and effect and reincarnation.
If Qingfeng wanted to refute, he had to use a reasonable way to refute the Buddhist theory of cause and effect and reincarnation, instead of using unreasonable arguments such as "I don't believe it, my wealth has nothing to do with my past life" and so on.
"Oh," Qingfeng smiled faintly and said, "Life is like the flowers on the tree, blooming together and then falling with the wind."
"Some flowers brushed against the curtains and fell on the soft cushions, while others fell through the fence and into the soil."
"The flowers that fell on the mat are like born princes," Qingfeng pointed at Prince Yu and Prince Jing, and said, "The flowers that fell into the mud are like some common people."
"There is a very obvious difference between the noble and the humble," Qingfeng said, his mouth twitching slightly. He looked at Chanshuang and said, "May I ask what the cause and effect relationship behind this is?"
"This!" After these words came out, Chan Shuang was once again speechless. Yes, what kind of cause and effect is behind this?
They are all flowers from the same tree, but the results are different.
According to my own theory of cause and effect, the flowers on the same tree are the same in the previous life, but in the next life, they have different results. Isn't this a contradiction?
"Master Chanshuang, even now are you still unwilling to admit that there are fundamental problems with your Buddhist teachings?" Qingfeng took another step forward and was almost within reach of Chanshuang.
"...I." Being stared at by Qingfeng like this, Chanshuang opened her mouth. Her eyes, which were originally compassionate and bright, were now trembling slightly, and a look of panic appeared on her face.
At the same time, the brain is working even faster.
No, there must be a way to refute it. I can't be defeated by this bad woman, otherwise the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism will be a sin for Buddhism.
Chanshuang's face gradually turned pale, and she began to try hard to recall the Buddhist scriptures, trying to find rebuttal points of view.
However, she herself could not refute Qingfeng's point of view, and she even couldn't help but doubt whether the theory of cause and effect and reincarnation in Buddhist teachings was really false and untenable.
"What about the way of sacrifice?" At this moment, Chan Shuang suddenly had an idea in his mind. He looked up at Qing Feng and said, "Master Qing Feng, how about the way of sacrifice that China has had since ancient times?"
She continued without waiting for Qingfeng to speak:
“Ancestor worship is not just about offering food, but also about remembering our ancestors, maintaining family bloodlines, and remembering our roots.”
"The ancients said: There is nothing more filial than comforting one's parents, and there is nothing more comforting one's parents than respecting ghosts and gods. Descendants offer sacrifices not only to honor the souls of their ancestors, but also to comfort their own hearts."
“When a person’s soul leaves the body, it still has some sense, so they set up a tablet and offer sacrifices to show that they have not forgotten.”
Chan Shuang paused for a moment as she spoke. Seeing that Qing Feng was just looking at her calmly, she was secretly startled, but she still said:
"Descendants carry on the will of their ancestors and offer sacrifices every year. This not only comforts the spirits of their ancestors, but also demonstrates filial piety and passes on family traditions!"
“As the Book of Rites says: Sacrifice as if the gods are present, and sacrifice to the gods as if the gods are present.”
"From this we can see that even though a person has died, his soul is immortal!" Having said this, she finally expressed another of her dialectics.
"Descendants hold sacrifices because they believe that the souls of their ancestors are immortal, so they express their filial piety by offering food."
“These are not empty words, but have profound meanings.”
"The sages established rituals and music, all of which had their basis, not empty words. Therefore, the work of offering sacrifices is not a vain act, but a real manifestation of virtue."
"Therefore, when descendants offer sacrifices to their ancestors, it is not just a superficial act, but actually a way to clarify their minds and show filial piety. This shows that the Buddhist teachings of the immortality of gods do exist."
"Therefore, descendants offer sacrifices not only to repay the kindness of their ancestors, but also to prove that the human soul can exist forever even if the body disappears!" At this time, Chan Shuang became more and more confident as he spoke, and there seemed to be energy about to explode in his small body.
"So, the Buddhist teaching that God is immortal is correct!"
It has to be said that Chanshuang is indeed a genius cultivated by Buddhism, and is also worthy of being the person carefully selected by Yan Song.
To be able to come up with such a rebuttal in such an extreme situation is truly worthy of being called a genius.
Her point of view, in which she used ancient sacrificial rituals to prove the rationality of the immortality of God, is totally irrefutable.
Not to mention the common people, who have to offer sacrifices to their ancestors every year, even the royal family still follows the sacrificial rituals.
Therefore, if one wants to refute the Buddhist doctrine that God is immortal based on this point of view, then one is also refutating the legitimacy of the sacrificial ritual.
In this case, if Qingfeng refuted it, it would be a real treason.
"It's almost done," Huang Jin, from the Silijian side, looked at his own imperial master and said anxiously:
"Little ancestor, is that all right? Hurry up and make a big fuss. When the master gives a signal, I will confine you two state masters to your house for your inappropriate words and deeds."
"In this way, the play is over."
"Then Lord Yan and his men will take advantage of the situation to provide cover and bring up the Confucian sect. It is important to do the right thing and not to anger the master."
Unfortunately, Qingfeng couldn't hear Huang Jin's thoughts at the moment. "Are you done?" Qingfeng didn't care about Chan Shuang's quick-witted rebuttal, and just asked calmly.
"No." Chan Shuang didn't care about the Buddhist etiquette at this moment. She looked at Qing Feng angrily and said, "The national teacher denied that gods are immortal before, but the way of sacrifice just proves the rationality of gods being immortal!"
"Doesn't that mean that the Imperial Master doesn't even know where the spirits of his ancestors are?"
Well, at this moment, Chanshuang felt like a little tiger baring its teeth and biting people. Saying this was equivalent to saying that Qingfeng had no ancestors, which was indeed suspected of being an insult.
"Amitabha, I am guilty, guilty," Chanshuang said, and then she prayed silently in her heart, "Please forgive me, Buddha. I have committed a sin of the mouth. This bad woman is really too hateful. Amitabha..."
"Heh!" However, at this moment, Qingfeng chuckled, and a small and exquisite dagger suddenly appeared from her sleeve. She threw the dagger directly to Chanshuang's feet.
"Clang!" The knife hit the floor with a crisp sound. Chan Shuang, who was only sixteen or seventeen years old and had never experienced any major storms, was so frightened that her face turned pale and she shouted subconsciously.
"Imperial Master!" Everyone present was shocked to see Qingfeng actually wielding a knife, and Prince Yu even let out a low shout.
"Good!" However, when seeing this scene, Huang Jin secretly said "good" in his heart.
At this point, he was convinced that things had gotten out of hand.
Next, I think the master should give a signal and the show should come to an end.
"Ancestor souls?" Qing Feng chuckled and said, "If that's the case, then prove to me that ancestral souls really exist. As you said, since I know the ancestral souls, I will kill myself to follow them."
"We Taoists cultivate this life and seek longevity. We firmly believe that form is the essence of spirit and spirit is the function of form."
"Just like this dagger," Qingfeng pointed at the dagger on the ground, "Spirit is to substance as sharpness is to a blade. Form is to use as a blade is to sharpness. The name of sharpness is not the blade, and the name of blade is not sharpness."
"However, if you abandon the blade, there is no edge. If you abandon the blade, there is no edge. I have never heard of the edge disappearing while the edge remains. How can you allow the body to disappear while the spirit remains? Isn't this putting the cart before the horse?"
Upon hearing this, Prince Yu, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, Zhao Zhenji, Hu Zongxian and others all sighed in their hearts.
This time, the way they looked at Qingfeng was different again.
National Master Qingfeng is worthy of the title of Taoist genius!
It was also this time that they truly witnessed the true value of the Taoist genius!
This final battle between Buddhism and Taoism began in the main hall of Yuxi Palace, and it would also end in the main hall to give an explanation to the world.
From the beginning till now, Qingfeng has been almost suppressing Chanshuang, the Buddhist genius, and the latter has no power to fight back.
Especially this last dagger, which used the relationship between the blade and its sharpness as an example to demonstrate the relationship between the soul and the body, thus directly giving a fatal blow to the Buddhist teachings!
The relationship between the spirit and the body is like the sharpness of a knife.
The word sharp is not used to describe the blade, and the word blade is not used to describe sharp.
However, without sharpness, there is no blade, and without a blade, there is no sharpness.
I have never heard of a knife blade disappearing but still retaining its sharpness. By the same token, if the body dies, how can the spirit still exist?
To put it simply, your Buddhist doctrine of the immortality of God is nonsense. To humans, the body is everything.
This point is also very suitable for those who practice Taoism. What is the purpose of practicing Taoism? To live forever.
How can immortality and freedom be manifested? That is endless desire. How can endless desire be perceived? The body!
So, the body is everything!
"Boom!" Chan Shuang's little face turned pale in an instant, her small body shook, and her pair of compassionate and bright eyes dimmed in an instant.
Instead, her face turned red, and then mist began to brew in her big eyes. She tried to purse her lips, with the corners of her mouth turned down, and looked at Qingfeng, the bad woman, with grievance.
There was only one thought in my mind: It’s over, Buddhism is over!
"Bang!" Immediately afterwards, out of anger, the young monk Zen Shuang rolled his eyes and fainted.
But at the moment she fell to the ground, Qingfeng came to her side and supported her.
"Fainted already?" Qingfeng blinked his bright eyes as he looked at the little nun who was supported by him. "Have I gone too far?" Thinking about it, he subconsciously looked at Huang Jin.
Huang Jin's head was full of black lines at the moment, and he was winking at her frantically. Well, judging from his expression, he had been doing that for a while.
At this moment, everyone in the cabinet, including Prince Yu and Prince Jing, were looking at the Imperial Master Qingfeng with amusement.
"Are you done arguing?" At this moment, Jiajing, who had finished pruning the peach tree in the side hall, slowly walked to the main hall.
"Your Majesty..." Seeing Jiajing coming out, everyone was about to salute, but Jiajing waved his hand, "Alright, everyone stand up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Everyone returned to their seats.
On the contrary, Qingfeng, who was standing in the middle of the hall, was holding Chanshuang and looking at Jiajing sitting on the throne, blushing a little.
Of course, it was not because he was shy, but he felt that he seemed to have gone too far. He could have ended it early and left time for the cabinet members to take advantage of the situation and deal with Confucius. However, he got too carried away and wasted a lot of time, and even made the national teacher Chanshuang cry.
"Qingfeng girl, you are so majestic," Jiajing said solemnly, leaning forward slightly, but there was no blame in his eyes. Instead, he said in a tolerant tone, seriously:
"You and Chan Shuang are both state teachers, and you made him faint from anger. How disgraceful, huh?"
Looking at the emperor's tolerant attitude towards Qingfeng, everyone had different thoughts. As expected, Qingfeng was the most favored one.
"Your Majesty, I was wrong." Qingfeng lowered his head and said softly.
Well, she had had enough fun and now just wanted to go back to practice.
"Humph, is it over with just one wrong sentence?" Jiajing snorted, then waved his hand and said, "Listen..."
At this time, Lu Fang hurried out.
Behind him, Huang Jin and Chen Hong also hurriedly followed.
"National Master Qingfeng and Chanshuang, as the current leaders of Buddhism and Taoism, have behaved inappropriately and unbecomingly. No wonder they have caused the two religions to bring chaos to the world. They are hereby confined to Xuanpu Palace and Wanfa Hall."
"No one is allowed to leave without permission!"
After hearing this, everyone knew that this drama of the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism had come to a completely peaceful end.
The next step is to release the important ones lightly. Slowly, the local government offices will release some of the people detained by the Buddhist and Taoist sects. In this way, the two swords in the emperor's hands can be safely recovered.
At this time, Yan Shifan felt slightly relieved.
After all, the plan to use Buddhism and Taoism to stir up a dispute among the three religions, make things worse, and thus eliminate the Kong family and take action against the Confucian sect was planned by himself and his father Yan Song.
During this process, he needed to borrow the emperor's sword. Now the sword has been returned, and a Buddhist sword is also included. After all, if you ask the emperor for help, how can you not pay back?
In short, it’s good that things are resolved.
Compared to Yan Shifan who was relieved and relaxed in his heart, Yan Song's expression remained very calm from beginning to end.
Of course, the Qingliu people who had been a pusher from the beginning and watched from the sidelines also looked relaxed at this moment.
At this time, Yan Song turned his head slightly and glanced at his son Yan Shifan.
Receiving the signal from his father, Yan Shifan's heart moved, knowing that it was time to get down to business. He then took a step forward, bowed to Jiajing, and said, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to report!"
As he spoke, Yan Shifan took out a memorial from his sleeve.
Seeing this, Lu Fang took the memorial and handed it to Jiajing.
"Your Majesty," Yan Shifan said solemnly, "Although the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism has existed since ancient times, I think that the current chaos in the Ming Dynasty is not entirely the fault of Buddhism and Taoism!"
"In fact, someone is behind this!"
"The purpose of deliberately provoking the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism is to prevent the court from reforming and preventing the implementation of the national policy of 'innovation'. The person behind this is so sinister that it is despicable."
"I think that he should be severely punished!"
At this moment, the young cabinet minister Yan Shifan once again burst out with an astonishing holy light... as if he were a loyal minister.
"Hmph!" Looking at Yan Shifan's great, glorious, holy and loyal appearance, Gao Gong felt unhappy. He could not help but turn his head aside and snorted. He really couldn't stand Yan Shifan's ugly face of a villain who had succeeded.
Why are you pretending to be a loyal minister? Everyone knows what kind of person you, Yan Shifan, are. You make yourself seem so dedicated to the country and the people. What are we?
There is no doubt that the Kong family will be dealt with next, and then the Confucian sect will be the next.
What followed was Yan Shifan's path of reform.
When he thought about the next three or four years, when Yan Shifan would enjoy great glory and rise to a high position in the future, he felt very uncomfortable. It was a feeling even more uncomfortable than when his own career was blocked.
But there was no way, this was national policy, it was decided by the emperor. No one could make trouble for Yan Shifan in national policy.
Otherwise it would be a slap in the face of the emperor!
"Oh?" Jiajing scanned the contents of the memorial with his spiritual sense and looked at Yan Shifan. "Then, who is the person behind this dispute between Buddhism and Taoism?"
"After extensive investigation, I found that the person who instigated the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism and tried to stop the Ming Dynasty's reform was none other than the Duke of Yansheng, Kong Zhengan!"
"It's all because of the 'Initiative to Reform' national policy I proposed at the end of the 47th year of Jiajing, which touched upon the interests of the Kong family. The Kong family used their position in the Confucian school to secretly obstruct and provoke a dispute between Buddhism and Taoism by all means!"
"After investigation, I have compiled a list of people who were invited by the Kong family to stir up the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism. Your Majesty, please take a look!" As he said this, Yan Shifan took out another booklet from his sleeve.
Seeing this, Lu Fang hurriedly handed over the booklet.
"In addition, the correspondence between these people has also been transported to the capital and can be read tomorrow." Yan Shifan took a deep breath and said loudly: "Your Majesty, there are witnesses and evidence. Please severely punish the Kong family, severely punish the Duke of Yansheng, and severely punish the Confucian clan!"
As he said this, Yan Shifan knelt on the ground with his head touching the ground.
Well, the appearance of such a staunch remonstrant minister made the eyelids of those present who were familiar with Yan Shifan twitch.
However, no matter how unhappy they were or how much they disliked it, they knew it was necessary and that Confucianism needed an excuse to deal with it.
"Let's all take a look." Jiajing did not say anything, but raised his hand, signaling Lu Fang to pass the memorial to everyone.
Soon, starting with Prince Yu and Prince Jing, the Cabinet and the Imperial Household Department began to circulate the document.
In the hall, after a brief silence, everyone returned the memorial to Lu Fang.
"Now that you've finished reading, tell us about it," Jiajing raised his finger, signaling Yan Shifan to stand up, "Stand up and tell us."
"Speaking of the Confucian sect and the Kong family, I remember one thing," Yan Song slowly stood up and took out a memorial from his sleeve. "This is the memorial Hai Rui submitted not long ago to impeach the Kong family and the Confucian sect. He also hoped to severely punish the Kong family and explain the harm of the Confucian sect."
Next, the Kong family had to be eradicated, and the entire Confucian sect had to be attacked. So who would be the first to do it? No one was more suitable than Hai Rui.
"Read it to them." Jiajing waved his hand without looking at it again, and instead signaled Lu Fang to read Hai Rui's memorial.
"Yes." Lu Fang nodded, then opened the memorial and began to read.
"I have heard that the rise and fall of a country depends on the success or failure of its policies, and the safety of the people depends on the leniency and severity of its governance."
"Now I respectfully submit that the Kong family has taken sole control of the Confucian school, and their power is very strong. I am afraid that this is contrary to the royal principles and undermines the imperial power, so I submit this memorial to express my humble opinion, and I hope Your Majesty will carefully examine it!"
When everyone heard Hai Rui start by criticizing the entire Confucian school and pointing the finger at the Kong family, they all secretly admired him.
Currently, in the entire Ming Dynasty, the only one who dares to do this, dares to say this, and has the capital and backing is Hai Rui.
"Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Confucianism has flourished. The Kong family has inherited the teachings from generation to generation, and its lineage has continued, and many schools of thought have emerged. However, every dynasty has had checks and balances to prevent one school from dominating."
"The Kong family has long adhered to the principles of the classics, recruited many students, and taught them the classics privately. As a result, their disciples are spread all over the court and the country, and their power is so huge that they can almost be compared with the important officials of the country. What's more, people like Zhang Shenxing are even more obedient to their orders!"
"This situation is no different from the problems faced by the aristocratic families in the past."
"In the past, the aristocratic families were arbitrary and tyrannical, disregarding the laws of the country, forming their own factions, and engaging in cliques for selfish ends, which led to the decline of national strength and the separation of the people."
"Today, the Kong family, although they are Confucianists on the surface, actually use learning to govern the country, secretly cultivate power, make friends with heroes from all directions, and become an independent kingdom."
"He alone controls the Confucian school, which not only goes against the monarch's intention of centralizing power, but also has the potential to compete with the dynasty. If this continues, it will threaten the court and shake the foundation of the emperor."
Hiss! Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but take a deep breath, thinking that Hai Rui was too cruel!
Since ancient times, what emperors hate most is the shaking of the foundation of imperial power.
Who was responsible for the fall of the Han and Tang dynasties? Undoubtedly, it was the aristocratic families!
Hai Rui directly compared the Kong family with the aristocratic families. This was a very big accusation!
This means that the Kong family wants to share power with the emperor.
"Your Majesty, you must understand that the way to govern a country is to maintain balance. You must not allow one party to dominate, lest it become too powerful to be controlled."
"Although the Kong family is famous for its scholarship, its influence is far-reaching and cannot be achieved by just a scholar."
"I think we should make plans early to prevent the Kong family's power from expanding further, so that it won't be difficult to control in the future."
"I hope Your Majesty will think carefully and take appropriate measures to maintain national stability and protect the peace of the country."
"I respectfully submit this report and respectfully request your holy judgment!"
After hearing this, everyone knew that the Kong family was really finished this time. Hai Rui was going to take action!
"..."
(End of this chapter)
