Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 593: Shackles
It is the first time that I, old man, have seen such a shameless person... And this shameless person is so elegant and extraordinary. It was me, old man, who boasted to others outside that he was a disciple so outstanding that only one appears once in hundreds of years!
While Ge Yong responded to the gazes from all directions with a sharp eye, he was thinking about the situation last night when Zhang Shou came and told him sincerely that the emperor had summoned him and the four "guests" to attend the imperial lecture, and he intended to use this opportunity to promote mathematics.
He was still wondering what this method was, but now he understood that Lu Sanlang's method was much simpler, more direct and cruder than simply recruiting students for Jiuzhangtang or summoning talents in astronomy and mathematics from all over the world to rebuild the calendar! So, while everyone was looking at him, he nodded calmly.
"What Jiuzhang and Gaoyuan said is absolutely right. If we can set up a mathematical academy in the whole country, and someone is worried that the national treasury or the local government treasury will not be able to make ends meet, then this old man is willing to donate generously!"
If Confucius had planned to make a decision based on the current situation, he could no longer make a decision. If he did not stop it, would the three generations of teachers and students follow the system of prefectural and county schools and open mathematics courses all over the country? Even if it was not so exaggerated, it was hard to say whether a mathematics course would be opened in county and prefectural schools!
He did not care that today was a lecture, and immediately stood up and said sternly: "Your Majesty lifted the ban on mathematics and reopened the Nine Chapters Hall. This was to reaffirm the will of Emperor Taizu, so I did not object. But I do not agree with opening mathematics halls in various places so that scholars all over the world can freely access them!"
"Astronomy and mathematics are inseparable. If someone uses mathematics to make predictions, it will confuse people!"
Astronomy and mathematics are inseparable... Haha, in later generations, let alone inseparable, even mathematicians have different specialties. The subjects are so detailed that no mathematician with different specialties dares to claim to dominate all fields. That is to say, today's politicians who have full marks in liberal arts and negative marks in science will be so ignorant as to make comments on unknown science, because they don't think it's a joke at all!
Zhang Shou thought so in his heart, but his response was not slow at all. He laughed and said calmly: "According to what Confucius said, astronomy and mathematics are inseparable. People who learn mathematics will naturally be proficient in astronomy. They should go to the Imperial Astronomical Observatory or other places under your noses. Otherwise, they are afraid that they will fabricate prophecies and divinations at will, and then confuse people's hearts."
"But, as far as I know, there has never been anyone who is proficient in mathematics and has followed some traitorous officials?"
"What do you know!" In this regard, Kong Daxueshi was naturally qualified to look down on Zhang Shou. After he angrily scolded him, he said in a deep voice, "If those ambitious people could clearly know when a bad luck star would pass through the sky, when there would be an eclipse of the sun, and when there would be an earthquake, and use this to stir up trouble, wouldn't the world be in chaos!"
His eyes narrowed slightly, but his voice softened a little, but the sharp coldness in his words increased instead of diminishing.
"Dr. Zhang, if you think that it's okay if someone has learned mathematics and knows how to calculate these things, or if you think that the so-called unlucky star, the solar eclipse, or even the earthquake is not a warning from heaven that requires the rulers to reflect on themselves, but is just an ordinary phenomenon... then, do you want the people of the world to lose their respect for the emperor and the way of heaven?"
Zhang Shou knew without even looking what expressions the court officials had at that moment.
Ever since Dong Zhongshu persuaded Emperor Wu of Han to enshrine the theory of the correspondence between heaven and man, rulers of successive dynasties would never deny this theory in order to maintain their own supremacy. Even though the theory of the correspondence between heaven and man also had another purpose, that is, to use disasters to limit the power of the monarch, it was later changed completely. When there was a disaster, the emperor would be as calm as a mountain, and the prime minister would take the blame first!
After Dong Zhongshu, the various schools of thought initially had some resistance. However, since Emperor Xuan of Han summoned Confucian scholars to the Shiqu Pavilion in Chang'an, and then banned all the books of the various schools of thought and made Confucianism the official school, the entire academic community gradually became silent.
Astronomy and astronomy are inseparable, and the two things are strictly prohibited together, which ensures that philosophers far outnumber scientists in all dynasties, and guarantees the sacredness and mystery of the monarchy. As for saying that this doctrine that has been passed down for more than a thousand years is oppressive and ignorant, in fact, in the same era, looking at the world, where is not ignorant? The Inquisition and indulgences in the West are still popular!
However, the long Middle Ages in the West is almost over now, capitalism is rising, religion is being reformed, the curtain of the Renaissance is opening, and science is about to surpass theology. And now, in this country known as the Celestial Empire, the first cabinet member, Confucius, who is like a prime minister but not the chief minister, is still using the metaphor that promoting mathematics will shake his rule to hit him.
This kind of thinking is normal. If scholars do not study classics, history and etiquette, but instead study mathematics, they can all calculate the rising, setting and sunset of the sun and moon by themselves, and even further speculate and analyze various natural phenomena. Who would still think that the emperor is supreme and inviolable?
Zhang Shou did not raise his head to see the emperor's expression or the third prince's look. After all, no matter how eccentric the emperor was and no matter how much the third prince was his student, the emperor and the prince were creatures whose ruling attributes were theoretically above all else. He did not expect that the father and son would continue to side with him when Academician Kong mentioned such a sensitive topic.
At this time, he did not want Ge Yong and Lu Sanlang to answer. When Master Kong raised the topic to such a critical level, Ge Yong must have been hesitating, and the little fat man was probably a little nervous.
He smiled to himself, but his heart was calm. The shackles of mathematics have been around for a long time.
That is to say, the Emperor Taizu a hundred years ago was really good. He conquered the world in a shorter time than Zhu Yuanzhang in history. After ascending the throne, he was determined to make progress and recruited a group of relatively radical newcomers in academics instead of the conservatives. He also tried to turn the Imperial College into a university where a hundred schools of thought could bloom. Even if he died and his government ended, he at least left some opportunities for future generations.
Otherwise, in this era when eight-legged essays are popular, how could the current emperor think of reopening the Jiuzhang Hall?
In the silence all around, Zhang Shou said calmly: "What Confucius said seems to have returned to the punctuation of the sage's words. Is it 'the people can be made to follow it, but they cannot be made to know it'; or 'the people can be made to follow it; if they cannot, they can be made to know it'; or 'the people can be made to follow it; if they cannot, they can be made to know it'."
"I don't think that Master Kong is so superficial as to think that the people of the world cannot be educated and can only be driven, right?"
Seeing that Grand Scholar Kong was immediately furious, Zhang Shou knew that he must have pissed him off by changing the concept, but he still smiled and continued to add fuel to the fire.
"Those foreign small countries in the West have produced many famous mathematicians, who are the mathematical masters here. Although these foreign mathematicians can understand astronomy, the stars, and the principles of all things through mathematics, they are still like ordinary people, devoutly believing in God and submitting to the monarch." Those early Western scientists were all devout believers!
As he spoke, he changed the subject and said, "In China, the villagers can make up prophecies and claim to be the reincarnation of gods to deceive the ignorant. What do they know about astronomy and mathematics? Since the common people don't understand the simplest astronomy and mathematics, don't they just let those people who spread rumors and confuse the people deceive them? If the people were all educated, would all kinds of evil cults still be able to deceive people?"
After saying this rapidly, Zhang Shou glanced around and found Zhu Ying looking at him with a smile on her face. There was no worry on her face, only approval. He raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled as if nonchalantly.
"But Master Kong may not have thought so far. If you think that my teacher, Lu Gaoyuan and I have been trying to win people's hearts and minds, then I beg the emperor to allocate money from the inner treasury to build a mathematical academy in the capital of the thirteen provincial governments in the world?"
"Then he announced to all students who were gifted in mathematics and were interested in studying mathematics that although the Mathematical Classics explained the principles of the world, the high officials in the court believed that those who studied mathematics were more likely to rebel and be used by traitors, so those who borrowed the books had to provide a guarantee..."
You are deliberately misinterpreting my words!
Before he could finish listening to Zhang Shou's incredible speech, Academician Kong was completely furious. He had just hinted that Zhang Shou intended to use mathematics to shake the imperial power, but Zhang Shou directly said that it was precisely because the people were ignorant that they were easily deceived by the heresy of those treacherous ministers and traitors, and then simply withdrew the previous statement that they had been funded by three generations of teachers and students, and advocated that the emperor should use the money from the inner treasury to invest personally!
Not to mention that he was a cabinet minister, even if he was just an ordinary minister, he would definitely try his best to dissuade him at this time! Dong Zhongshu's theory of the correspondence between heaven and man certainly added legality to the emperor's rule, but he also used theories such as disaster warnings to try to put shackles on the imperial power.
Since ancient times, the power of the emperor and the power of the prime minister, or the emperor and the court officials, have always been competing and playing games with each other. Those who completely stand on the side of the emperor are yes-men and lackeys, such as Wu Ge Lao, who is still looked down upon even though he has a long career in the cabinet. The truly ambitious ministers will definitely restrict and suppress the imperial power openly or secretly, and strive to let the emperor rule without any hesitation and let them govern.
So even though he had fought fiercely with Jiang Ge Lao and looked like the leader of the new party, he immediately became cautious once Jiang Ge Lao was squeezed out. Because he couldn't let the emperor do whatever he wanted, because if one unconventional thing was passed, there would be a second, third, and even more things!
Like Jiang Ge Lao, he wanted to limit the emperor's willfulness and impulsiveness, so that all the emperor's decisions would fall within a reasonable range! At least, he could not use the money from the inner treasury to build a local arithmetic hall, and this kind of thing that flatters the emperor's face should not be done again!
One public school is enough... He was not careful enough to stop it that time, and Zhang Shou, through Zhu Ying, not only got funding from many nobles, but also from the Queen Mother. But this time he must not allow Zhang Shou to take another extreme approach!
The emperor saw that Academician Kong immediately retorted and confronted Zhang Shou directly. Lu Sanlang looked stunned and extremely surprised, while Ge Yong frowned and thought about something. He finally came to his senses and couldn't help but smile.
Turning his head, he saw the Fourth Prince standing beside him, his face full of interest, as if he couldn't wait to join the debate himself, while the Third Prince had a frown on his face, with a look of obvious confusion. He pulled the two brothers, whom he had watched grow up, over and asked in a low voice, "What do you think of their proposals from three generations of teacher and student, and the opposition from Grand Scholar Kong?"
The fourth prince did not expect his father to ask him this, and was about to give a casual answer, but when he saw the third prince staring at him, he swallowed the perfunctory answer that was on the tip of his tongue. He lowered his head and thought for a long time, then he said in a low voice uncertainly: "Grandmaster Kong is worried that there will be too many monks and too little porridge in the court, and he is worried that there will be too many mathematical talents in the court in the future, and they will become powerful and form their own school, so he is trying his best to oppose it, right?"
The emperor thought that the fourth prince would casually accuse Confucius of being jealous of talented people, but he didn't expect that the fourth prince would actually explain it. He glanced at this impulsive youngest son in surprise, and then smiled and said, "After three days of absence, one should look at him with new eyes... Sanlang, what about you?"
The Third Prince heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that the Fourth Prince had finally stopped fooling around and had even received praise from his father. When he heard his father ask him, he said frankly, "I think the same as my fourth brother."
Seeing that it was the Fourth Prince who was glaring at him this time, he smiled shyly and said, "But I think that Master Kong may not just be preparing for a rainy day. You know, even if this thing is accomplished, it will take many years for those talents to grow up. Besides, how many people can stand out just by copying the arithmetic classics and studying on their own? It's not like they can enter the county school or the prefectural school by taking the arithmetic exam!"
If the Fourth Prince was serious for once, then the Third Prince's answer surprised the Emperor.
He had decided to appoint the third prince as the crown prince after being completely disappointed with the eldest and second princes, and after weighing his own age and the age of his two remaining sons, as well as the qualifications of his two sons.
Although he felt that the Third Prince had certain qualifications, he himself could not be sure whether those qualifications were those of a wise ruler. Because he himself was definitely not the kind of wise ruler who was recorded in history as being open-minded and willing to accept advice and swallow his anger! If any censor who was crazy about fame dared to do this in front of him, he would definitely make people regret being born into this world!
At this moment, the emperor, who was both surprised and delighted, immediately asked, "How do you plan to deal with this dispute? You know, today is the imperial lecture, and we can't just let this big and small quarrel here forever, right?"
In response to the emperor's question, the Third Prince hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice and saying, "I think that Father should agree to open the Mathematical Library to borrow books, but in order to convince Master Kong, you can limit the types of mathematical classics. For example, the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, which is relatively easy to understand and widely circulated, should not cause such a big controversy if it is included."
"Besides that..." The third prince's eyes flickered for a moment, and then he said calmly, "In fact, all of Ge's Mathematics by Patriarch Ge can be put in. Anyway, this is a book that Senior Brother Lu has printed a lot of and sold everywhere. And from what I have learned so far, I feel that this book is easy to understand and step-by-step. It is also very easy to understand, and it does not involve astronomy and astrology at all."
The fourth prince was simply shocked. Easy to understand? It would be a miracle if it was easy to understand! He had asked his third brother's classmates. Those who had studied "Ge's New Mathematics" on their own said that they were almost driven crazy just by memorizing those symbols, let alone understanding them! Third brother, do you think everyone is you?
