Chapter 12 2. The death of Ji Kang

Ji Kang was forty years old when he was killed. It is no longer possible to know which day this happened, only that the sun was out at that time.Ji Kang looked at the shadow on the ground and knew that the execution time was still early, so he asked someone to fetch the piano and played a piece.He said that someone wanted to learn this piece from me in the past, but I refused him, and now it has become a masterpiece. After speaking, kill calmly. After Ji Kang's death, scholars all over the world felt sorry for him, and it is said that even Sima Zhao felt regretful. So, why was Ji Kang killed?

The direct reason was to offend Zhong Hui. Zhong Hui was born in a high-ranking gentry family. His father Zhong Yao (pronounced as Yao) was the founding father of Cao Wei.Zhong Hui, who grew up in such a family, is gifted, smart, and talented, and has gained fame at a young age. However, Zhong Hui seemed to be in awe of Ji Kang.He wrote an academic paper and wanted to show it to Ji Kang, but he dared not submit it face to face.After hesitating outdoors for a long time, Zhong Hui threw the paper into Ji Kang's courtyard, turned around and ran away. There are actually political reasons for this.The philosophical issues that Zhong Hui wants to discuss, like the debate on the standard of truth after the "Cultural Revolution", actually represent a struggle between two lines.These two lines are the legalist gentry advocated by Cao Wei and the Confucian gentry advocated by the Sima Group.Zhong Hui is on the side of the Sima Group both politically and academically.He didn't dare to see Ji Kang, probably out of timidity.

Therefore, when he thought he had confidence, he came to see Ji Kang again. Presumably, Zhong Hui has made sufficient preparations for this meeting.He even invited celebrities from all walks of life at that time, wearing expensive clothes, driving a luxurious carriage, and the guests went together in a mighty crowd like a cloud. Ji Kang was forging iron. Now it seems that Ji Kang's blacksmithing is like Zhuge Liang plowing the fields and Liu Bei weaving handicrafts. It is not necessarily for making a living, but more of a life interest or political attitude.There was a big tree in his yard, and Ji Kang forged iron under the tree.The one who pulled the bellows was Xiang Xiu, a famous philosopher who made an annotation.

Both Xiang Xiu and Ji Kang ignored Zhong Hui. After waiting boringly for a while, Zhong Hui left angrily. Only then did Ji Kang speak: What did you hear about it, and what did you see and leave? Zhong Hui replied: Come when you hear what you hear, and leave when you see what you see. Ji Kang continued to strike iron.It's a pity that he can't live like this for too long, because Zhong Hui has already made up his mind to kill him. Just at this time, an injustice happened.Ji Kang's friend Lu An's wife was raped by his elder brother Lu Xun (read Ru Xun), but Lu Xun was the first to file a complaint and accused Lu An of being unfilial.In order to prove Lu An's innocence, Ji Kang stood up and spoke out, but was arrested and imprisoned together with Lu An.

Zhong Hui's chance for revenge has come.He took the opportunity to slander Sima Zhaoda, claiming that "Crouching Dragons" like Ji Kang must never stay among the people.In the end, both Ji Kang and Lu An were killed on charges of spreading false speeches. This is of course a typical punishment for crimes with words, but it is not the first time, as Cao Cao killed Kong Rong.It is said that Kong Rong once said: The father is not kind to the son, because the father was originally to satisfy his sexual desire.There is no love between mother and child, because pregnancy in October is like a thing temporarily stored in an earthen jar.So Cao Cao killed Kong Rong on the charge of "unfilial piety", even his son.

It is quite ironic to say this.Because Kong Rong is the twentieth grandson of Confucius, Cao Cao advocates meritocracy, so it is okay to be unkind or filial.It seems that Cao Cao's intentions are not only deliberately humiliating Kong Rong, but also taking the opportunity to slap the Confucian gentry line: Confucius's descendants are not filial, is Confucian ethics reliable? Ji Kang's situation is different. In fact, there is no evidence whether Kong Rong had spread unfilial remarks.The witness identified in the verdict is Mi Heng, and Mi Heng was killed by Huang Zu long ago, so it can be said that there is no proof of death.Ji Kang's "non-Tang and Wu, but despising Zhou and Confucius" (discuss Shang Tang and Zhou Wu, despise Zhou Gong and Confucius), but the evidence is as solid as a mountain.The evidence is Ji Kang's representative works "Sound Without Sorrow and Joy" and "Book of Breaking Friendship with Shan Juyuan".

On the surface, "Sound Without Sorrow and Joy" is just an aesthetic treatise.In this paper, Ji Kang proposed a point of view similar to that of the Austrian esthetician Hanslick in the 19th century: music is just a form of beauty and has nothing to do with emotion. How could this be a taboo? Because it conflicts with Confucianism.Confucian aesthetics believes that music is the expression of emotion.Through music, one can see the orientation of people's hearts, and can also cultivate one's temperament and customs.Therefore, music can and should serve real politics, and the ruling class may use music to implement governance, it is for "music education".

Music education and ritual education complement each other and together constitute the ritual and music civilization.Ji Kang advocated that music is only a pure art form, which is to oppose the Confucian gentry line of the Sima Group, which of course was not tolerated by Sima Zhao and others. What is even more intolerable is that he publicly expressed his lack of cooperation. Like Xie An when he was young, Ji Kang was very reluctant to be an official.It's just that Xie An finally made a comeback, but Ji Kang really went back to the mountains and forests.The ones who had a close relationship with him were Ruan Ji, Shan Tao, Xiang Xiu, Liu Ling, Ruan Xian, and Wang Rong.It is said that seven of them once made a "Travel in the Bamboo Forest", and the world called them "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest".

In fact, the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove are not an organization or group, and it is doubtful whether the so-called Bamboo Grove actually exists.The fate, character and even character of the seven people are also different.Wang Rong is a well-known miser, while Shan Tao joined the Sima Group, and recommended Ji Kang to replace him when he was transferred from the post of Shangshu Libulang. Ji Kang flatly refused, and wrote "Letter of Breaking Friendship with Shan Juyuan". Juyuan is the word for Shantao. Breaking up friendship was originally a matter between friends, not about politics.However, Ji Kang's announcement of breaking up with Shan Tao was to show his political attitude.In fact, the friendship between them still exists, and Ji Kang entrusted his son Ji Shao to Shan Tao before his death.He said: With Uncle Juyuan around, you will not become an orphan.

So, this letter was actually written for Sima Zhao and the others. In other words, breaking off diplomatic relations with Shan Tao is an open break with the authorities. This already made Sima Zhao unhappy, not to mention Ji Kang's attitude and tone were even worse.He stated the reasons why he did not want to be an official: he likes to sleep late and can’t get up early; it’s not fun to have guards and secretaries follow up; he has to sit upright in meetings and office work, and can’t catch lice; he doesn’t like to read and write official documents; he doesn’t like to attend weddings and mourning Yes; I hate being colleagues with ordinary people; I don't want to waste my brain.

Hehe, this is simply making fun of the officialdom. What's more serious is that Ji Kang clearly showed the banner of "It's not Tang Wu but thin Zhou Kong", and he claimed that he would not change his views, so he could only resign from office.This is of course provocative.It is said that after reading this letter, Sima Zhao was furious. Zhong Hui will succeed, but "meet the wrath of the enemy". Ji Kang was actually mentally prepared for this.He said in the letter that his problem is that he is upright and stubborn, he hates evil like a hatred, is outspoken, and will explode when things happen, and he can't control himself at all. Ji Kang is not without self-knowledge. In fact, Ji Kang didn't intend to control himself.Perhaps in his opinion, independent personality and free will are more precious than life.If a person lives like a wimpy person, trembling with trepidation, unable to say anything, farting if he has something to say, and obsequious in front of the powerful, he might as well be dead! Maybe, maybe. However, the death of Ji Kang greatly shocked Shilin.Xiang Xiu, who pulled the bellows back then, took refuge in Sima Zhao after Ji Kang's death.Sima Zhao asked: Sir, don't you want to learn from those hermits in the Yao and Shun period?How come here? Xiang Xiu replied: They are not worthy of envy! Sima Zhao was very satisfied. This is not difficult to understand.After all, most people are still afraid of death, including Ruan Ji.