The sky is falling!
The title of Duke Yansheng was stripped and the roots of all the literati in the world were trampled upon. Such behavior was tantamount to standing in opposition to all the literati in the world.
As soon as this news came out, the whole world was in an uproar and was shocked.
All the literati were stunned by the news!
Since the Han Dynasty established Confucianism as the only orthodox doctrine, the status of the Confucius Mansion has always been high and unmatched.
This is the hometown of the sage. The people of the Kong family here have the blood of the sage flowing in their veins. Even if the barbarians came into China and became rulers, they would still confer titles on the Confucius Mansion and would not dare to mess around in the hometown of the sage, because this place represents all the scholars in the world!
It was for this reason that Duke Yansheng dared to stand up and call on scholars all over the world to "advise" the emperor, hoping that the emperor would revoke his decision and not let the Hundred Schools of Thought begin again.
The relationship between Yansheng Duke Kong Xixue and Zhu Yuanzhang was actually quite good.
In the seventh year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang issued a special decree to exempt all land taxes of Yansheng Duke.
But Zhu Yuanzhang still felt that he was not satisfied with how he took care of the Kong family, so he asked the Ministry of Rites to find all the records of how the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties took care of the Kong family. He wanted to honor the Kong family even more than previous dynasties.
This is the result of lack of education, not knowing that there is a Nan Kong.
Zhu Yuanzhang had great respect for Duke Yansheng Kong Xixue and always called him Kong Chengxi.
In order to strengthen the connection and communication with Duke Yansheng, he stipulated that Duke Yansheng must come to Nanjing every year to chat and reminisce with him.
Kong Xixue, Duke of Yansheng, could feel Zhu Yuanzhang's incomparable respect for him, and he also concluded that he would not dare to touch him at all...
What's more, he was just giving advice. Even if his advice failed, it didn't matter. That was Zhu Yuanzhang's business, and he, Zhu Yuanzhang, would bear all the consequences!
Even the emperor, who is at the top of the world's imperial hierarchy, cannot go against all the literati in the world, right?
Even the founding monarch, Emperor Hongwu, had to make concessions.
But Duke Yansheng Kong Xixue never dreamed that Zhu Yuanzhang would be so unethical as to directly deprive him of his title and openly punish the Kong family!
What made Kong Xixue even more horrified was that after Zhu Yuanzhang stripped him of his title, he actually appointed Kong Xilu of Nan Kong as Duke Wenxuan! !
Kong Xixue never dreamed that there would be such an operation!
This move of cutting off the source of the problem caught him off guard!
The title of Duke Wenxuan inherited the Tang Dynasty. The meaning of this is obvious - this is to announce to the world that the Kong family of the Southern School is the major branch, the orthodox one, and the direct lineage!
This is really a good trick!!
Qufu, Confucius Mansion.
Previously, this place was filled with literary energy, and the fundamental righteousness of Confucianism was lingering in the sky, forming colorful auspicious clouds. At this moment, these scenes have disappeared, and instead, there are dark clouds pressing down on the sky. The sky is terrifyingly gloomy, with lightning and thunder from time to time, as if an ancient ferocious beast is constantly roaring.
Inside the Kong Mansion, Kong Xixue, who was deprived of the title of Duke Yansheng, had a look of anger in his eyes.
"Emperor of the Ming Dynasty...How dare you do this!"
Kong Xixue roared angrily, his face twisted and hideous, his heart filled with hatred: "My Qufu Confucius Mansion has been passed down for countless years, and the title of Duke of Yansheng has been held for so many years, and no one dares to touch us. How dare this beggar emperor do this..."
"Doesn't he know the consequences of doing this? He has only been in power for a few years, yet he dares to act so recklessly. Isn't he afraid of damaging the country's destiny?"
"Damn it! Hateful!!!"
Kong Xixue vented his anger.
But all this anger is just the rage of impotence.
As for those great scholars who had previously persuaded Kong Xixue to unite the world's literati to advise the emperor, after hearing the news, they looked at each other in bewilderment. No one had expected that such a deadlock could be easily broken by the emperor.
This was equivalent to them causing Kong Xixue to lose his title of Duke of Yansheng. From then on, the Kong family would most likely decline. A towering tree actually collapsed like this...
I can’t even imagine it!
Nowadays, the world is governed by the knowledge of sages, and other knowledge is considered to be of low quality and not worth mentioning. This has been an established fact for many years. How difficult is it to change all this?
If it were someone else, they would not be able to find a solution for a while, but Su Che quickly thought of a solution!
He did not deprive the descendants of the saints of their titles, but gave the title to the more orthodox descendants of the saints, thus provoking disputes between the Southern and Northern schools!
Which one is the orthodox one, the Southern School of Confucianism or the Northern School of Confucianism?
The Southern Sect is the major sect, and the blood flowing in their veins is the direct lineage. However, because they were deprived of their titles and were unwilling to bully the people and squeeze them to death, they live an extremely hard life, and their influence is getting smaller and smaller. Basically, there are no officials among them.
It is precisely because of this that, over time, scholars all over the world subconsciously ignored the existence of a Kong family in the south, even though they were once a major clan.
As for the Kong family in the north, they were originally illegitimate children, but since the southerners were unwilling to serve the Mongolian monarch, they gave up the title to the Northern Kongs. Since then, the influence of the Northern Kongs has grown, and everyone has gradually recognized that they are the true descendants of the saints.
Nankong has completely declined. The temple cannot afford to be repaired, the ancestral house is in ruins, and the family can barely make ends meet with the few acres of thin land. Life is extremely difficult.
But even with such hardships, these members of the Kong family still had their own backbone. They never thought of relying on the Northern Kong clan, nor did they think of relying on the reputation of being descendants of Confucius to earn income. They lived down-to-earth, just like ordinary people.
If you are not an insider, you would not even know their past glory, let alone that they are the direct descendants of Confucius. The young people nearby only know that they are a declining scholarly family.
And now, with Su Che's decree, all the scholars in the world know that there is a Kong Mansion in the south, and they seem to be the orthodox Kong family?
If Su Che simply abolished the Northern Kong, it would have caused a world of upheaval and disastrous consequences. The backlash from scholars all over the world might even have caused the Ming Dynasty to collapse, which was something Su Che absolutely did not want to see.
But when he conferred the title of Duke Wenxuan on the Kong family in the south, which was once a title from the Tang Dynasty, he even declared that he would trace back to the roots and establish the main line as the orthodox. As a result, many literati were speechless!
Many scholars had never even heard of the Southern School of Kong Family. Only after consulting classics and asking the elderly did they learn about the story of the Southern School of Kong Family. They also learned about their integrity and realized that this was the orthodox family of the past!
In this way, there is really no problem at all for the current emperor to trace back to his roots, depose the illegitimate children and establish the legitimate children. It is completely reasonable and logical!
Compared with the orthodox Southern School of Confucius, the deeds of the Northern School of Confucius seemed less upright and courageous. They first surrendered to the Jin Dynasty and became the Yansheng Duke of the Jin Dynasty. Then they served the Mongolian monarch and became the Yansheng Duke of the Yuan Dynasty. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, they fought from the south to the north. When they had no hope of seeing the monarch of the grassland unify China again, they reluctantly submitted to the Ming Dynasty.
Compared with the principled Nan Kong...
The gap is simply too big.
certainly.
There are also many literati who are unwilling to accept such a thing. Most of these people are closely involved with Beikong and have deep ties with it and many conflicts of interest. Naturally, they are unwilling to see Beikong fall like this and are still cheering for them.
However, the situation is such that no matter how much they shout, it will be of no avail.
Quzhou, Zhejiang.
Kong Xilu, who was working in the fields, had his skin tanned by the sun and was dressed very simply, like a genuine old farmer who had just walked home from the fields.
Before reaching home, I saw a group of people from afar. This group of people, accompanied by the royal family, had been waiting here for a long time.
Kong Xilu stepped forward and bowed quickly: "I, a humble servant, greet the Imperial Envoy!"
The imperial envoy who came to confer the award was none other than the famous Song Lian, who was originally exiled to Maozhou because his eldest grandson Song Shen was implicated in the Hu Weiyong case.
Ever since Su Che traveled through time, he rescued him. This was the first time he was reused, and he represented the emperor to reward Nan Kong.
Power is a man's aphrodisiac. When Song Lian and his family were exiled to Maozhou, Song Lian had already fallen ill on the way.
After arriving in Maozhou, he was almost breathing his last breath.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would die in Maozhou.
However, when the emperor's edict arrived and good luck came to him, Song Lian, who was originally paralyzed on the bed and unable to move, suddenly opened his eyes and sat up.
He really sat up in shock from his dying illness!
After being taken to Yingtian Prefecture for some recuperation and given various treasures, Song Lian soon recovered.
He has come here on behalf of the emperor at this moment. His importance is heavy enough to show the emperor's sincerity.
Song Lian smiled and said, "I have brought the emperor's order! Kong Xilu, why don't you accept it quickly?"
"I accept your order!" Kong Xilu bowed deeply.
Song Lian retracted his smile and said seriously: "The Emperor, by the order of Heaven, proclaims:
I have long heard that the Kong family of Quzhou is the direct descendant of the sage.
The 52nd direct descendant of Confucius, Kong Zhu, the last Duke of Yansheng in the Southern Song Dynasty.
He believed that "the descendants of Qufu have made great contributions to their ancestors by guarding the ancestral tombs". Also, his ancestors for six generations had been buried in Quzhou and had a family temple built there. He had lived in Quzhou for many years and had an old mother at home. He could not bear to leave the ancestral temple and tomb and go to Qufu, so he gave up the title to the Northern Kong family in Qufu.
Every time I hear about this, I am deeply moved. The integrity of the saint's direct descendants is rare in the ages.
Today, the Ming Dynasty has expelled the Tartars, supported the Han Dynasty, and restored China. How can we allow the saint's direct lineage to be disgraced?
Therefore, the Kong family of Quzhou was named Duke Wenxuan, and the title was inherited from generation to generation, making them the eldest branch of the Kong family!
So decreed! "
Kong Xilu, who was still kneeling on the ground, couldn't help but frown. When Song Lian asked him to receive the order, he was still unwilling to stand up.
"Lord Wenxuan, do you have any concerns?" Song Lian asked.
"I bow down to thank God for His Grace, Your Majesty!
But this decree... cannot be accepted no matter what. My Quzhou Kong family has lived here for generations, and we have long had ancestral teachings that we cannot compete with the Qufu Kong family for the title."
Kong Xilu raised his head with a determined look and said seriously.
He had already made up his mind that even if he had to kill him, he would not let the saints fight each other and make a fool of themselves.
After hearing this, Song Lian laughed and asked, "The Kong family of Qufu was granted the title of Duke Yansheng, and you are Duke Wenxuan. How can this be called a fight for a title?"
Kong Xilu was stunned when he heard this.
It seems... to make some sense.
Kong Xilu recognized the person in front of him, the famous Song Lian, nicknamed Song Longmen.
He said helplessly: "Taishigong, Your Majesty can reward us if you want, but why do you want to deprive the Kong family of Qufu of the title of Duke of Yansheng?"
It was obvious that Kong Xilu had already known that Bei Kong had been stripped of his title. This matter spread like the wind, and within a few days the whole country knew about it, and Kong Xilu was no exception.
Song Lian smiled slightly and said slowly: "Duke Wenxuan, this matter is the decision of your majesty. Let's not talk about the dirty things that the Kong family of Qufu did in the past. It doesn't matter if they surrendered to the Jin or Yuan. Your majesty is magnanimous and can tolerate it. But they are inciting scholars all over the world to threaten your majesty and try to make your majesty withdraw the decree. What kind of behavior is this?"
"It is extremely treasonous and perverse!"
"Your Majesty just wanted to do some practical things, but you were stopped like this. Is this what should be done?"
Hearing this, Kong Xilu couldn't help but remain silent.
Song Lian continued, "Lord Wenxuan, I know your concerns. Nan Kong gave up his title not for fame or gain. As a descendant of a saint, he did not want to serve the Yuan Dynasty monarch. Even Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, could not help but praise his integrity."
"You are worried that if you inherit the title of Duke Wenxuan, you will have disputes with Bei Kong. If the descendants of the saint fight, it will be a joke and ruin the saint's reputation."
"If that's the case, Your Majesty, why should you force us to do things against our will?" Kong Xilu couldn't help but said with a wry smile.
"No, as the saying goes, there are things to do and things not to do. The ancestral teachings of the past are important, but the future is equally important!" Song Lian narrowed his eyes, stared at Kong Xilu, and asked seriously: "Duke Wenxuan, I am asking you a question now, and this question is the question that His Majesty asked himself!"
Kong Xilu's heart trembled, and he quickly said, "Please speak!"
"Your Majesty asked: If the saint were alive today, would he think that his face is more important, or his academic heritage is more important?" Song Lian stared at Kong Xilu and asked seriously.
As soon as these words were spoken, Kong Xilu's pupils shrank slightly, and he felt as if he was struck by lightning, and stood there in a daze.
Song Lian continued to repeat Su Che's words: "The Bei Kong people relied on the reputation of betraying the saint to become the Yansheng Duke of the Jin and Yuan dynasties, and then they wantonly exploited the people, bullied the villagers, colluded with officials, and did all kinds of evil. In the near future, they will surely be infamous for thousands of years and despised by the people of the world!"
“Don’t talk about the future, just talk about the present.”
"Now they are uniting scholars all over the country to threaten the implementation of the new policy! They are only concerned about their own interests , and they don't care about the lives of the people."
"You, Nan Kong, are noble, generous, tolerant, and have been farming and studying for generations. But you don't think carefully about whether Confucius's legacy is more important or his reputation is more important?"
"You can give up some things, but you must fight for some things!!"
"The world is peaceful now, and the Ming Dynasty has only been established for more than ten years. It is so difficult to wash away the marks of the Jin and Yuan dynasties. If you don't fight and don't do it, then everything will !"
"You only think about your relationship with the Kong family and the reputation of the saint, but you don't think about what the saint would think!"
"If a saint were alive, he would definitely slap you hard and tell you how stupid your behavior is!!"
"Some things can be left uncontested, but some things must be fought for!"
"If you want the saint's true legacy to remain in this world, then you must fight for it and do it, instead of just retreating and giving in blindly!"
"If in the future, when you talk about the descendants of the saints, the first thing you think of is the ugly appearance of the Confucius family in Qufu and the dirty and filthy behavior of the Confucius family in Qufu, how can you face Confucius?"
After saying this, Kong Xilu felt extremely ashamed and embarrassed. He fell to his knees on the ground and burst into tears!