Wanli Emperor Chapter 58 Part 2 (Patreon)

Chapter 58 Part 2: The Ought Belongs to the Sages, the Is Belongs to Me

Zhu Yijun looked at Ma Ziqiang and said kindly, "Ma Qing, Grand Secretary Ge's question was excellent. I also want to ask—do you think my words are in error, or that my words should not be published for the world to see?"

Ma Ziqiang insisted on his previous view. "Your Majesty, it is He Yongqing..."

Zhu Yijun interrupted him.

He said frankly, "This matter—it was I who had He Yongqing print it."

With these words, Ma Ziqiang was immediately stunned, momentarily unsure how to continue.

Zhu Yijun looked at Ma Ziqiang with great interest, not flustered in the slightest.

Academic debate, at this time, was not so fatal.

After Xu Jie, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng had taken charge of the Grand Secretariat. Both of them strongly rejected the School of Mind, advocating that rather than being mystical all day, it was better to accomplish something practical.

The School of Mind had no standing, let alone the School of Principle.

With the high officials thinking this way, the people they promoted also possessed this characteristic to some extent.

So Vice Ministers and Junior Ministers like Ma Ziqiang were a minority.

Not to mention that among them, there were people using this as a pretext to find fault with the matters of Lianghuai and the Capital Garrisons.

This motley crew could not really force him to bow his head.

Seeing Ma Ziqiang stammering and unable to speak, Zhu Yijun did not make things difficult for him and took the initiative to continue, "Ma Qing, I know what you are worried about. I have no intention of establishing a unified school of thought for the world."

Some things had to be said plainly. To be vague would only lead to misinterpretation. As for whether they believed it, that was not his concern.

"When I read Qu Yuan's 'Heavenly Questions,' my heart was deeply moved."

"'In the beginning of all things, who transmitted the Way? Before heaven and earth took form, by what means could they be observed?'"

【TN: "Heavenly Questions" — A famous classical poem that poses over 170 questions to Heaven concerning cosmology, mythology, and history.】

"The universe, the self—how can one not be curious?"

"Ma Qing, are you perplexed?"

Ma Ziqiang was silent.

Zhu Yijun let him be and looked at Left Vice Minister of the Grand Court of Revision Li Youzi. "Li Qing, are you perplexed?"

Li Youzi sighed. "Your Majesty, this subject is also perplexed."

Zhu Yijun nodded and did not ask them one by one.

He said, as if with emotion, as if expressing his feelings, "A teacher is one who transmits the Way, imparts knowledge, and resolves doubts."

"I had thought that after I began the imperial lectures, you learned sirs would be able to resolve the doubts in my heart."

"But when I first began the imperial lectures, several sirs argued endlessly. I thought they all made sense, and I was even more at a loss as to what to follow."

"This can only mean that my own talent is insufficient to distinguish between them."

"After returning to the palace, I became even more dejected."

"I also thought of political affairs. For example, if one person impeaches and another defends, and my talent is insufficient, what should I follow?"

"For example, in the sixth month, when a white rainbow pierced the sky, a Supervising Secretary submitted a memorial saying it was a premonition of my lack of virtue. A Censor said it was a sign of heavenly fortune. Whom should I believe?"

"And so on. For example, local conditions, the state of the people—everyone says something different. What should I do?"

These words were heartfelt, leaving people speechless.

The ministers quickly bowed and confessed their fault.

Zhu Yijun gestured for the ministers to rise and shook his head. "This is due to my lack of talent and virtue. How can it be the fault of you, my pillar ministers?"

"So I had no choice but to learn from the way the Ministry of Justice handles cases and devise my own plan."

"That is, the so-called 'in all things, verifiable evidence is paramount.'"

"Just like this theory of good and evil—it is not that I wish to establish a unified school of thought, but that it happened to coincide with my finding verifiable evidence. That is why I sincerely wish to follow Minister Tao's words."

Tao Dalin was the one who had insisted at the imperial lecture that human nature was neither good nor evil, but was acquired.

Zhu Yijun looked at Tao Dalin and nodded slightly.

Tao Dalin was still bowing his head and confessing his fault, his head buried very low, not moving at all.

This matter was exceedingly complex. At the very least, it involved a dispute within the School of Mind. On a larger scale, it also involved a dispute between the School of Mind and the School of Principle.

On an even larger scale, it was a dispute over the source of the various schools of thought among the hundred philosophers.

On the largest scale, it was the emperor wanting to seize the right to interpret the classics.

At least in Ma Ziqiang's view, this position of referee of the classics absolutely could not be left to the emperor.

He said sullenly, "Your Majesty, 'verifiable evidence' is not necessarily 'clear proof.'"

In criminal law, there was such a thing as false evidence.

So, whether it was verifiable evidence or false evidence—was it not still up to the emperor to decide?

To put it bluntly, was he not still trying to seize the right to interpret the classics?

Hearing these words, Zhu Yijun finally smiled in his heart. Finally, Ma Ziqiang had fallen into the rhythm of his words.

What he was fighting for was naturally not some classical orthodoxy, nor was it to be this referee, let alone any other messy business of being both sage and king, or establishing a unified official school of thought.

These feudal classics could be used as resources, but they could not be used as a foundation.

He wanted to start a new stove! What Zhu Yijun wanted was, on the contrary, the thing on the surface—clear proof.

The ancients had many claims. Broadly speaking, there was the interaction between heaven and man, and gods, demons, and Buddhas.

Looking closer, there were also things like feng shui, luck, and astrology.

Some claimed that thunder was the wrath of the gods.

Some claimed that rainbows were a sign of heavenly fortune.

Some claimed that illness was some kind of evil spirit.

The question was: were these things true? Most people would choose to believe them.

This kind of baseless belief was called superstition.

It had been this way since ancient times.

Now, his so-called "clear proof" was to start a new trend of thought—the causal relationship of a claim required evidence, the so-called "verifiable evidence."

But this was not enough.

A causal relationship could be direct or indirect. Clear proof could be clear and true, or false and vague.

To go a step further: how to determine whether "verifiable evidence" was "clear proof"?

Then a unified method for verifying causal relationships had to be established!

This was what Zhu Yijun wanted.

At the same time, it was also the path that every civilization must take—the seeds of natural philosophy and the scientific way of thinking.

Ma Ziqiang's question was excellent.

Why should your verifiable evidence be clear proof? Because you are the emperor?

Zhu Yijun looked at Ma Ziqiang with admiration and said, "Ma Qing, how to judge whether verifiable evidence is clear proof—there should also be a method."

"But my talent is not up to the mark, and I cannot devise it."

"Therefore, I must still rely on you, learned sirs."

This was to cede the power of judgment, to put these people at ease.

As for who would be the judge?

No one could be the judge—or rather, everyone was the judge. That was the state Zhu Yijun wanted.

He stopped the ministers who wanted to interject and continued, "A few days ago, the Daoist high priests donated some silver. I do not intend to use it for pleasure, but I thought of building an academy, specifically to resolve this doubt."

"What do you ministers think?"

Mathematics and philosophy were both hundred-year endeavors. He did not expect to see results now.

But the groundwork had to begin now.

Technology was technology, science was science. Without a complete corresponding system of natural philosophy, no matter how many technological trees he climbed, it would be in vain.

It would be nothing more than another Self-Strengthening Movement.

Conversely, if the seeds of natural philosophy could be promoted, then the wisdom of all the people in the world could be combined, and a steady stream of knowledge would emerge.

From astronomy, mathematics, physics, and so on—it could be said to be using four ounces to move a thousand catties.

As for whether it would shake his position?

If natural philosophy could also achieve rapid development and complete modernization in a hundred years, then he would not mind "being without occupation today."

What's more, who said that an imperial system could not advance with the times?

As soon as the emperor's voice fell, the few who had just come forward to impeach He Yongqing were all looking at each other.

They were completely unable to grasp the emperor's line of action.

Beside them, Censor of Guangdong Yang Yigui could not help but probe, "Your Majesty, is there a candidate for the head of this academy?"

If the emperor intended to be the head of the academy, was it not just removing one's pants to defecate?

Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment, then suddenly clapped his hands and smiled. "Then let Vice Minister of Rites Ma Qing take the post!"

The method for verifying causal relationships must be objective. It did not matter who was the head of the academy.

Ah?

Ma Ziqiang looked up in astonishment.

He was completely stunned by this move of the emperor's.

He did not immediately accept the assignment, but fell into deep thought.

The emperor—what exactly was he trying to do?

Previously, he had various speculations, including seizing the right to interpret the classics and achieving a unity of politics and religion.

He had also considered stirring up disputes among the various schools of thought to fish in troubled waters.

He had even thought that the emperor wanted to establish his own school of thought and be a sage-emperor.

But now, the emperor had thrown out the power to judge "clear proof," was going to open an academy, and had even offered the position of head of the academy to him, who had just been opposing the emperor.

What was this all about?

It could not really be a child's fancy, wanting to use it to resolve his doubts, could it?

Ma Ziqiang thought for a long time before saying, "Your Majesty, not all things have clear proof."

"Confucius taught the world how to cultivate oneself, how to cultivate virtue. For such things, what need is there for clear proof?"

The emperor had found a concrete example for the theory of good and evil, but that did not mean that all things could be done this way.

Just like the speculation of the School of Mind—it was all completed in one's own heart. What need was there for any clear proof?

No matter what the emperor's purpose was, he subconsciously felt it was improper and wanted to block it.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Yijun nodded and acknowledged this statement.

He understood this better than Ma Ziqiang.

Natural philosophy could only manage the natural realm. The rest, such as sociology, epistemology, and ontology, did not necessarily have cause and effect or verifiable evidence. It was more about speculation.

It could only be said that Ma Ziqiang's wisdom was not lacking, and he had immediately cut to the point.

Zhu Yijun looked at Ma Ziqiang, his face serious, and said earnestly, "Ma Qing is correct. I have also considered this matter."

"So my meaning is..."

"What ought to be belongs to the Sages; what is belongs to me, the Sovereign."

【TN: What ought to be/What is — Philosophical distinction between normative ideals and morals (Sages' domain) versus factual, observable reality (Emperor's domain)】

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