Chapter 327 Destiny
Zhong Yao was taken away, but his life was not in danger.
The breakdown of this negotiation was not because of how loyal Prime Minister Xu was, or because the conditions given to Prime Minister Xu were not enough. In the final analysis, Prime Minister Xu wanted the Henan power outside the city to show the strength to control the future situation.
And these are obviously things Zhong Yao cannot know.
Xu Xiang watched Zhong Yao being dragged away, and continued to sit there in deep thought until he disappeared.
After a long time, Xu Xiang sighed and left with the support of two servants.
Obviously, Mr. Xu didn't have the upper hand as he showed. The rebels outside the city and the Henan officials inside the city who could defect at any time would make him even more anxious.
Fortunately, this trial was not fruitless.
At least the Henan rebels outside the city have no thoughts of changing dynasties yet.
But is it really so?
……
At this time, outside the Dongguan altar, Yuan Shao, who was an important promoter of this military alliance, was wrapped in a mink coat and chatting with a young scholar making wine in the winter.
This young scholar was Xin Ping, a scholar from Yingchuan, and was a member of this eunuch operation.
Yuan Shao had long wanted to lure scholars from Yingchuan for his own use. Then someone introduced Xin Ping to him, and through various connections, Xin Ping became close to Yuan Shao.
The Xin family of Yangdi is not very prominent in Yangdi. Because the Xin family here is a branch of the Xin family from Longxi who moved eastward. As the main line, the Longxi Xin family is much more prominent.
The Xin family in Longxi is a prominent family that settled in Longxi in the early Han Dynasty. After that, each generation held military positions, and their family had passed down the martial art of bow, horse, and war. For example, Xin Qingji, a tiger minister during the reign of Emperor Cheng, came from this family. This shows that the Xin family in Longxi was a high-ranking family in the martial arts family.
Yuan Shao had known this for a long time, and the main reason for wooing Xin Ping was to take the opportunity to establish a relationship with the Xin family in Longxi.
Yuan Shao predicted that when the Henan family established another court in Luoyang in the future, they would not tolerate the false emperor from the west. At that time, the Longxi Xin clan might be an important ally.
Of course, in addition to this, Yuan Shao also valued Xin Ping's connections.
Through Xin Ping's relationship, Yuan Shao later got to know a series of scholars in Yangzhai. For example, Zaozhi, Handan Shang, Guo Dan, Guo Jia, Guo Yuan, Chu You, etc. are all the leaders of Yangzhai.
These people gathered around Yuan Shao to make plans, which made Yuan Shao very unhappy.
Many plans were successful and many wise and resourceful people were gathered together. No wonder Yuan Shao was in high spirits.
When this person is happy, it shows in his appearance.
Yuan Shao rarely wore anything ostentatious on weekdays, but on this day he actually wore a Huiwen crown with a gold bell and a mink tail, plus a rare mink coat, which made him look even more majestic.
He and Xin Ping were drinking wine, chatting about the scholars in Yangzhai and the news in the city. The atmosphere was cheerful and interesting.
At this time, Xu had drunk too much, and Yuan Shao suddenly asked:
"Zhongzhi, you said that a big man like us always adheres to the five virtues. What virtues do we adhere to?"
Xin Ping was drinking when he suddenly heard Yuan Shao's question. He was stunned and subconsciously said:
"It is the virtue of fire. The Han Dynasty inherited the fate of Yao and received the virtue of fire, so its clothes are still red."
Yuan Shao smiled and pretended to be confused:
"Then why I read history and saw that in the second year of Emperor Gaozu's reign, he attacked Xiang Ji in the east and returned. Emperor Gaozu asked what emperor the Qin Dynasty worshiped. Some people said it was the four emperors of white, green, yellow and red. Then Gaozu said, "This world There are five emperors, but why is the Black Emperor missing? In the end, Gaozu said that he was the Black Emperor, so he established the Black Emperor Temple. "
Xin Ping felt a little relieved now. He stared at Yuan Shao's smiling face, wondering if there was any other meaning to his words, but he couldn't be sure for the moment.
So Xin Ping told the truth:
"Indeed, it is indeed a big question what kind of virtue this dynasty inherits when it comes to virtue. I have also asked my parents at home for advice, and I have some understanding of this."
Before Xin Ping finished speaking, Yuan Shao said:
"Want to hear it."
Xin Ping felt weird in his heart and secretly thought, isn't your Yuan family's family study "Jing's Book of Changes"? Don’t you know these words about De Yun?
Not knowing Yuan Shao’s plan, Xin Ping replied honestly:
"There are three answers to what kind of virtue the Han has, one is the virtue of water, the second is the virtue of earth, and the third is the virtue of fire. Each of these answers has caused great controversy in history, and there are certain reasons behind it. And Foolish Man Treating De Yun as a prophecy and recording these, we, Yangzhai, are descendants of the Legalist lineage and can better understand the truth. ”
When Yuan Shao heard this, he sighed in admiration and praised:
"That's right, I just want to hear what you, the Yangzhai School, think about this."
Xin Ping was also proud of their Legalist status, and also wanted to show off to the Runan people the academic achievements of their Yingchuan scholars.
As a result, Xin Ping became more interested and began to really treat this matter as an academic seminar.
He said:
"The so-called theory of moral destiny is actually the continuation of the destiny. Whether it is a revolution or a change of dynasty, everything is the arrangement of destiny. The destiny of Shang was a black bird sent from heaven. Because Xia had many sins, destiny destroyed it. Later Shang was destroyed by Zhou. , then we have the understanding that destiny is permanent. If destiny can be transferred, what is the basis for it? ”
"That is virtue. The so-called emperor and heaven have no relatives, only virtue is the assistant."
"Since destiny has transferred, virtue is the only supplement. Then what is the transfer rule of this virtue? During the Warring States Period, Zou Yan, a native of Qi, changed the theory of the five elements to win each other and changed it to the theory of the five elements of virtue. The five elements win each other, that is, fire beats gold, metal beats wood, and wood beats wood. Earth prevails over water, and water overpowers fire. These five behaviors are the foundation of heaven and earth, and are the talisman for the transfer of destiny, so the transfer of destiny is always based on these five virtues."
Yuan Shao nodded frequently after hearing this. In fact, he knew all this. His family study was to study this destiny, so how could he not know it? However, it is very difficult to outline and express it from a novel perspective like Xin's commentary.
On the one hand, it seems that Yingchuan's scholarship has indeed reached a very high level. On the other hand, Xin Ping's ability and academic accomplishment are also very outstanding.
Over there Xin Ping continued:
"Since there are these five virtues, there is a basis for the rotation of virtue in the world. From the three kings to the hundred generations, everything is in this rotation. Yu is earth, Xia is wood, Yin is gold, Zhou is fire, and Qin is Water.”
When he was about to talk about the Han Dynasty, Xin Ping paused intentionally and secretly looked at Yuan Shao. Seeing that his expression did not change, he continued:
"It was said before that Han Dynasty had three virtues, but in fact they all existed."
"From Emperor Gaozu to Emperor Wu, the Han Dynasty was characterized by the virtue of water. After Emperor Wu, the Han Dynasty was characterized by the virtue of earth. From then on, when Emperor Cheng became emperor, the virtue of Han was characterized by fire virtue. There is a reason for each change."
Here, after hearing this, Yuan Shao suddenly stopped talking and asked:
"During Emperor Gaozu's time, why did Han have water virtue? Logically speaking, Qin had water virtue and ended with virtue, so Han should have earth virtue."
Xin Ping explained:
"This question was asked during the period of Emperor Wen. At that time, Gongsun Chen of Lu people asked this question. But at that time, the prime minister Zhang Cang refuted this article. When Gaozu was still there, it was Zhang Cang and Gaozu who decided the water virtue together. . Now, Zhang Cang has naturally maintained his good fortune in the face of the Lu people's doubts."
"Then how did Zhang Cang convince Gaozu? Zhang Cang said that the death of Qin II and the puppet dynasty was not Zhengshuo. Therefore, the Han Dynasty should follow the virtue of water to inherit the virtue of fire from Zhou Dynasty."
After hearing this, Yuan Shao suddenly smiled contemptuously and said:
"I also know this section. Zhang Cang was an important minister of the former dynasty. In order to gain status in the new dynasty, he was naturally more daring than ordinary people. Otherwise, his loyalty cannot be shown. But this is just for one point. From that time, It was also right that Emperor Gaozu inherited the Qin system and did not change the Shuo Yifu."
Xin Ping looked at Yuan Shao in surprise, secretly thinking that this man really knew this, so what on earth was he asking himself?
Holding his nerve, Xin Ping agreed:
"Yes, Zhang Cang won the first round of the argument that year. Zhang Cang used the river breaking the golden embankment as a talisman, and believed that the Han Dynasty was the virtue of water. But within a few years, the world suddenly heard that the Yellow Dragon appeared, and the Huanglong appeared as a soil The talisman of virtue was verified, so Emperor Wen believed that Han Dynasty should be regarded as Tu De." "After that, Emperor Wen ordered Gongsun Chen of Lu to change the calendar system of Tu De, and Zhang Cang was deposed. In the year when Emperor Wen was about to change the Yuan Dynasty, there was a rebellion, and Emperor Wen immediately abolished the Tu De theory. It was not until Emperor Wu that he finally changed his mind."
Xin Ping was already a little suspicious of Yuan Shao's intentions after what happened before, so he wanted to test him now. Then asked:
"Brother Benchu, you can gain something from this period."
Yuan Shao looked at Xin Ping, as if he couldn't hear his temptation, but replied seriously:
"The reason behind this incident is actually that Emperor Wen wanted to change his clothes. The reason for this was to change the policy of laissez-faire during the period of Emperor Gaozu and Empress Lu. The so-called moral destiny is different, and the academic system for governing the world is different."
Xin Ping didn't expect Yuan Shao to say this. He was greatly surprised and hurriedly asked for advice.
Yuan Shao also wanted to convince Xin Ping so that he could see his political ability.
Therefore, Yuan Shao talked eloquently:
"In the early Han Dynasty, the virtue of water meant that it was natural to use water to rule the world. The so-called water, the sage said: The best is like water, water is good for all things without fighting. Since there is no fighting, it is to rest with the world, and to be light on taxes. But during the reign of Emperor Wen, the world was rich and the Han Dynasty The family was poor, and the Huns were causing trouble at that time, so Emperor Wen naturally wanted to take over the power of the world, and Tu De was located in the center, so Emperor Wen wanted to change Tu De."
After hearing what Yuan Shao said, Xin Ping was really enlightened. He stood up and bowed:
"Listening to your words is better than ten years of hard study. The Yuan family is indeed the leader of the world, and I have benefited a lot from it."
Yuan Shao smiled to himself and said:
"People at that time also saw what Emperor Wen was thinking, so they rebelled. Emperor Wen also knew that his ideas would not be tolerated by the world, so he quickly gave up."
At this point, Xin Ping no longer dared to speak, but asked for advice while saying:
"So why was Tu De determined during the Emperor Wu period?"
Yuan Shao smiled and signaled to Xin Ping that there was no need for this and that everyone should discuss it together.
Faced with Xin Ping’s doubts, Yuan Shao said:
"Emperor Wu was able to change the local virtues because of the influence of Wen Jing. Emperor Jing quelled the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms in Guandong and directly wiped out the anti-Han princes in various places. Therefore, in the period of Emperor Wu, changing the local virtues was just a matter of riding on the current."
After Xin Ping heard this, he unconsciously showed Yuan Shao:
"Gao! Brother Benchu is indeed very knowledgeable about the affairs of the country."
Yuan Shao waved his hand, indicating where this was going, and then asked Xin Ping to continue.
"The country's virtues continued until the time of Emperor Cheng. During this period, a master emerged, and that was Liu Xiang."
"He greatly changed the theory of virtue and destiny of Zou Yan and Zhang Cang, and taught the theory of the mutual generation of the five elements. That is, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, water generates wood, and wood generates fire. He arranged the world's virtue and destiny according to the mutual generation, respectively. Fuxi got the virtue of wood, Shennong got the virtue of fire, Xuanyuan got the virtue of earth, Shaohao got the virtue of gold, Zhuanxu got the virtue of water, Emperor Ku got the virtue of wood, Tang Yao got the virtue of fire, Yushun got the virtue of earth, Empress Xia got the virtue of gold, The virtue of water is derived from soup, the virtue of wood is derived from Zhou, and the virtue of fire is obtained from Han Dynasty.”
After finishing speaking in one breath, Xin Ping took a deep breath and drank a glass of hot wine to moisten it.
Seeing Yuan Shao deep in thought, Xin Ping asked:
"Brother Benchu, do you have any doubts?"
Yuan Shao smiled and said:
"This Liu Xiang is indeed a strange person. His life and death have a great meaning."
Xin Ping really didn’t know this, so he asked for advice again.
Yuan Shao dipped his hand in wine, drew a circle on the desk, and then said:
"Liu Xiang admired the ancient sage kings and believed that the sage kings received the same destiny. Changes in the world should not be mutual defeats, but mutual reciprocity. Moreover, this theory greatly explains the abdication of Yao and Shun. After all, the destiny rotates Not just by revolution, but also by surrender.”
"And this statement inherits the view of Emperor Gaozu, which is that Qin is not recognized as Zhengshuo. That's why Zhou Mu was born with the fire virtue of Yan and Han."
In this way, Xin Ping suddenly said:
"So, the fire virtue of the Han Dynasty is because the Liu family is a descendant of Yao, so the Han Dynasty inherited the fate of Yao and obtained the fire virtue. It is said that the emperor Gaozu also had the son of Red Emperor, and after the restoration of Guangwu, he still had the red virtue Therefore, Xinmang was the pseudo-dynasty, not Zhengshuo, meaning that the two Han Dynasties were one."
Yuan Shao nodded, and then asked Xin Ping:
"That's right. In the end, does Zhongzhi think Liu Xiang is right, or does Zou Yan's theory make sense?"
As soon as he said these words, sweat dripped from Xin Ping's forehead. Now he finally knew what Yuan Shao was talking about.
It turns out that I support Zou Yan's theory that the Han Dynasty was a fire virtue, and the next dynasty would be a water virtue. And if you support Liu Xiang's theory that fire produces earth, then the one in that dynasty is Tu De.
This was not the reason why Xin Ping was sweating. The reason was that he realized that the Yuan family in Runan was a descendant of Yu Shun.
So this is not about academics, it is about fame!
For a while, Xin Ping remained silent and kept wiping his sweat.
Suddenly he thought of something and smiled:
"It has been 400 years since Emperor Gaozu fought hard, and Guangwu was revived. The Han Dynasty inherited the destiny of Zhou, and Zhou Youzuo 700 years ago, the same is true for that Han Dynasty. Therefore, although the virtue of Han Dynasty declined, the destiny of heaven has not changed. There is no question about the rotation of destiny. ”
Xin Ping's surprise was beyond Yuan Shao's expectation. He was stunned for a moment, and then burst into laughter:
"Yes, seven hundred years, seven hundred years. Haha!"
So the two laughed loudly and each had their own answer.
……
While some people were discussing De Yun, there were also people in Hedong on the other side of the Luoyang River talking about astrological predictions.
Dong Zhuo, who was supposed to be in Hebei, appeared in Hedong.
Dong Zhuo had always been alert, but after something happened in Henan, he felt a little bad. At that time, Dong Zhuo had already led his army to retreat outside Fukouxing on the border of Handan, and immediately retreated from the Taihang Mountains to Hedong because of the bad situation.
As expected later, the Han army in Hebei was defeated and completely routed. But the Han army in Henan actually abandoned them and ran away.
At this time, Dong Zhuo did not waste any time and quickly led his troops back from the pass to the east of Hedong.
As soon as he arrived in Hedong, Dong Zhuo found that the situation in the world had changed too quickly.
The Han troops in Henan actually fought under the banner of Qingjun with the nobles in Yuzhou, and even fought all the way to Luoyang.
Seeing Liu Hongxi leaving, Luoyang was about to fall, and the Han Dynasty was in great turmoil.
Dong Zhuo's ambition could no longer be restrained, so today he called his close aide Li Ru and asked:
"Do you know that four stars gather together?"
This chapter may be boring, but it is indeed a very important part of ancient ideology. After reading this chapter, you can understand the relationship between ancient systems, uniforms, governance concepts, and legitimacy.
(End of chapter)