Su Xu was also not an ordinary person, and he quickly gathered up that little awkwardness and said, "Very good, among all the disciples, Confucius' knowledge is the deepest and his morality is the highest."
When he said this, Su Xu's eyes were filled with admiration. It was clear that he really thought so and it wasn't just talk.
"The words of the Sage Confucius can be as small as personal cultivation and as great as governing a family and a state! And like the Taoists, they retreat from the world and seek seclusion for self-perfection; then there are the Mohists, without a king or a father, only the Grand Master..."
Su Xu reviewed some of the famous schools of thought, saying essentially: "All other schools of thought, except Confucianism, are garbage. If you want the world to be long and secure, use Confucianism. Come on, believe in Sage Kong; those who believe in Sage Kong will have peace in the world!"
Although in Li Nian's eyes, Su Xu's words were laced with too much personal bias, he had to admit one thing: this man truly dares to speak, and his courage is genuine!
"This guy is really brave, and he doesn't seem to care if his words spread to the First Emperor. No, he must know that the First Emperor will know, but he does it anyway, not afraid at all!"
"Like Chun Yu Ye, he must also be one of the 'scholars' who were burned and buried alive by the First Emperor!"
Chun Yuye dared to loudly demand the continuation of the feudal system under the Zhou Dynasty, despite the First Emperor's clear intention to implement the county and district system. This led to the famous event of "Book Burning and Pit of Confucian Teachers" in history.
'How should I respond?'
Li Nian pondered in his mind. He couldn't freely express his thoughts like Su Xu or Chun Yu Ye without hesitation, as every word and action of his could be reported to the First Emperor. If his response was inappropriate, the consequences could be severe.
'At this time, the First Emperor should not have much of an opinion on Confucianism, otherwise he wouldn't have sent Chun Yuye to teach Fu Song, nor would he have made Confucian disciples into great Qin scholars. My response today will definitely affect the First Emperor's view on Confucianism!'
Thinking of the various dynasties influenced by Confucianism in later times, Li Nian made up his mind: he must point out the flaws of Confucianism and try his best to prevent some historical problems from recurring.
"While it's definitely not right to attribute all historical issues to Confucianism, Confucianism is certainly not a pure white lotus with no problems at all."
Su Xu was somewhat surprised to see Li Nian fall into deep thought.
According to his idea, after hearing his comments on the various schools of thought, this person should have refuted him or asked him why he made such comments. Why did he fall into deep thought instead?
Is his commentary that astonishing?
After thinking for a while, Li Nian opened his mouth: "Since Su Master has mentioned personal cultivation, family affairs, and national governance, may I ask which of the three should be done first and which second?"
As an Confucian scholar, Su Xu was well-versed in Confucian classics, so he immediately spotted the shallow trap hidden in Li Nian's words and smiled, "Young Master is not asking which of the three should come first or second, but rather the meaning of Mencius' saying 'If one's situation becomes difficult, one should be content with oneself; if one's situation becomes favorable, one should work for the benefit of others'?"
Li Nian avoided the embarrassment of having his trap uncovered and posed a question that was similar to the one asked by the First Emperor of Qin to Fu Song: "Mencius says, 'He who follows the right path has many assistants, while he who does not follow it has few.' Master Su, is our great Qin lost on the wrong path with few assistants, or on the right path with many?"
This question could puzzle Fu Song, but not Master Su, a Confucian scholar. After hearing Su Xu's response, he said: "It is indeed more assisted by those who follow the right path! 'Those who follow the right path have many assistants, while those who do not follow it have few,' the emphasis is on the 'right path', not the number of 'assistants'. The 'right path' means benevolence and righteousness!"
"Although Qin is sparse, it has the right path. The six states are numerous, but they have no path. Therefore, Qin's conquest of the six states is a punishment of the right for the wrong, and all those who follow the right path will follow. This is in line with 'those who follow the right path have many assistants, while those who do not follow it have few.'"
This response made Li Nian want to clap for him. Regardless of the quantity, by focusing on the "right path" and extending it, he argued from the comparison of the fewness of Qin with the manyness of the six states, to all those who follow the right path standing on the side of Qin. Therefore, in reality, Qin is not a loser with few assistants due to being lost on the wrong path, but rather a winner with many assistants due to following the right path.
After hearing this answer, Li Nian knew that he had failed in his attempt this time. For this question, no matter what he said next, this person could always circle back and give a "reasonable" explanation.
Even the key point is not whether Li Nian feels the explanation is reasonable, but whether Su Xu himself feels it is reasonable. That is, as long as he can make up a story and convince himself of its validity, he will be immersed in his own fabricated reasons, making it difficult for others to intervene.
Even if Li Nian told him that Qin's ability to conquer the six states was due to its more advanced system and the greater wisdom of the Qin kings compared to those of the six states, enabling Qin to unleash a stronger combat power than the six states and thus conquer them, Su Xu would still not listen. He would continue to use the Confucian framework for his explanation.
Fortunately, Li Nian wasn't really trying to persuade Su Xu; he was just showing the First Emperor his attitude towards Confucianism – he didn't like this school of thought!
In fact, there are still many things worth learning in Confucianism, not entirely useless. For example, some of its teachings on self-cultivation and spiritual refinement:
"Is it not pleasant to learn and practice what you have learned?" "Every day I examine myself: Am I loyal in planning for others? Do I keep my promises to my friends? Have I not studied what was taught?" "Without study, learning is futile; without thinking, learning is dangerous..."
Moreover, at this time, Confucianism was different from what it would become later on. It was not a group of conservative, rigid old scholars, but rather a gathering of well-rounded scholars with great aspirations and knowledge.
But Li Nian had to consider the impact it would have on the First Emperor!
Therefore, on the issue of Confucianism, it is essential to be clear and not ambiguous.
Confucianism can be a discipline of moral education that teaches people how to behave, but if it is used for governance, even with a Confucian skin and a legal skeleton, it will cause endless harm. Although this may not be the intention of Confucianism, once it falls into the hands of emperors, even if it is not their original intention, it will become a shape conducive to the rule of the emperor.
Li Nian said, "According to Master Su's words, it seems that only Confucianism can govern the world well, ensuring long-term peace and stability. If Confucianism is truly so powerful, why have the kings of all the states not adopted it?"
This question is easy to answer. Su Xu said, "It is precisely because they have not adopted it that has led to their downfall."
It seems that Su Xu had already anticipated Li Nian's next question, "Qin did not use Confucianism to govern, but it did not fall either." He quickly added, "Although Qin did not use our Confucianism, it gained the benevolence of the world, which perfectly aligns with the essence of Confucianism."
Saying something that is not true while keeping one's eyes open; it is clear that Qin used the Legalist system, when did it ever have anything to do with Confucian benevolence and righteousness?
Li Nian also doesn't care, and continues: "I have heard Confucius advocated for the Zhou customs, and many of the governance methods discussed in Confucian classics are modeled after Zhou. Could it be said that Zhou is the country Confucianism admires?"
Su Xu probably guessed what Li Nian was going to say, but he couldn't answer it because they were indeed thinking this way. They, including Su Xu and Chun Yuye and other Confucian scholars, appeared in Qin because they wanted to realize their political ambitions after Qin unified the world.
Their political ambitions were to restore the Zhou ritual and music system, reestablish the well-field system, the fief system, and hereditary system, and recreate the age of ritual and music that Confucius envisioned where people's hearts were still in touch with ancient times.
Therefore, even if he guessed Li Nian's next words, Su Xu could only nod solemnly and say, "Yes!"
