Chapter 7 Chapter Seven: The Founder of "Unique Confucianism"

The Western Han Dynasty was the era in Chinese history when "abandoning all schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone" began. The Confucian culture, which had ruled the Chinese ideological circle for more than two thousand years, formally established its mainstream status in the Western Han Dynasty.However, the orthodox position of Confucian culture was established during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. In the decades before that, Confucian culture was actually "stand aside". How the throne changed, the Han Empire always followed the national policy of the supremacy of the Huang-Lao doctrine.It wasn't until the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that according to Dong Zhongshu's suggestion, Confucianism was overthrown by a hundred schools of thought. Since then, Confucianism has become the only one.

But Rome was not built in a day, and Confucianism was not dominant in a day. Confucianism gradually developed from a sideline to the mainstream, which is the result of the efforts of generations of Confucian scholars after the founding of the Western Han Dynasty.Among them, the one who played the role of connecting the past and the future is the outstanding Confucian uncle Sun Tong in the early Western Han Dynasty. Speaking of Shusun Tong, I have to talk about the living conditions of Confucianism in the early days of the founding of the Western Han Dynasty, just one word: miserable! The famous "burning books and burying Confucianism" during Qin Shihuang's period mainly targeted Confucian culture.In the subsequent Peasant War at the end of the Qin Dynasty, China's national economy and productivity were severely damaged. In order to restore production and prosper the economy, the Taoist culture, which focused on resting with the people, was naturally more respected by the rulers.Although China in this period was a feudal society in name, a unified state regime had not yet been established.Since the parallel system of prefectures and counties in the early Western Han Dynasty and the enfeoffment system, China's political system was actually a loose confederation with a balanced distribution of interests, including the emperor of the Han Dynasty who was the son of heaven, and his authoritarian influence was also limited.We can see from events such as the "White Horse League" during Liu Bang's period that even a mere feudal vassal king needs the heroic royal family to make a covenant. At this time, the centralization of power is actually still in a relatively weak state.

In such a state, Confucian culture is not welcome due to the need to balance the distribution of interests and restore the economy.For example, Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, himself hated Confucian scholars very much at the beginning. When he conquered the world in the early days, he did something to humiliate Confucian scholars.Although there are many Confucian advisers around him, for the Western Han Dynasty, which relied on Huang Lao's theory to establish the country, Confucianism has actually been in a secondary position for a long time.It is no exaggeration to say that from the founding of the Western Han Dynasty to the rule of Wenjing, the Confucian school re-opened a new era.

Uncle Sun Tong, a great Confucian in the early Han Dynasty, was the most outstanding figure of Confucianism in this pioneering period.The result of the Western Han Dynasty deposing hundreds of schools and respecting Confucianism alone was actually established by him. Shusuntong, also known as Shusun'a, was born in Zaozhuang, Shandong Province. His birth date is unknown. He was born in Qidi, where the Confucian culture was prosperous. The so-called heroes come out of troubled times. The period of the Peasant War at the end of the Qin Dynasty was a troubled time, and it was also a stage for heroes from all walks of life to show their talents. However, Shusun Tong, who was the master among them, received only one evaluation during this period of time-contempt.

There are many reasons for being despised.For example, he has been with many people, such as Qin Ershi who couldn't protect himself, Xiong Xin, king Huai of Chu who was a puppet, Xiang Liang who died in Shandong, and Xiang Yu who killed himself with a knife. Forget it, he followed them all.By the time he was mixed with Liu Bang, he had already become a well-known character who has a milk or a mother. It doesn't matter if there is a milk and a mother, the key is that this person has a lot of problems in life, and he is also known as a "broom star".For example, when he was hanging out with Qin Ershi, Qin Ershi asked everyone how the situation in the country is now?Everyone spoke up one after another, some said that peasant uprisings were happening everywhere, and some said that the world was in chaos, but the uncle and grandson knew each other and sang praises, enthusiastically praising the wise rule of Qin II, praising the great situation in the country, and flattering without drafting , so that Qin Er Shi was very happy, and he was awarded a doctorate on the spot.Uncle Sun Tong, who was promoted to an official, was more knowledgeable. Seeing that the Qin Dynasty was in danger, he saw the opportunity and ran away quickly. He transformed into a counselor of Xiang Liang who went north to attack Qin. He spent a few days in Xiang Liang's army. Xiang Liang died in the battle of Dingtao.Uncle Sun Tong, who had lost his life, was non-stop, and became the counselor of Chuhuai King Xiong Xin again. After two days of talking, Xiong Xin was cheated to death by Xiang Yu again.Shu Suntong didn't shed a tear, and followed Xiang Yu all the way to Pengcheng. Seeing Liu Bang's soldiers pressing down on the situation, he immediately turned his gun and cast himself under Liu Bang's command. Before he could catch his breath, Liu Bang was beaten by Xiang Yu in the Battle of Pengcheng The whole army was wiped out.Liu Bang didn't dare to use such a broom star, so he waved him back to Hanzhong to help Xiao He stabilize the rear and develop production.As soon as he walked on the front foot, Liu Bang stabilized the situation on the back foot. After that, Lien Chan and Lianjie completely defeated Xiang Yu.

Whoever messes with is unlucky, and his messing style is also despised by others. Basically, he just does nothing and flatters with his mouth. What kind of majestic emperors and majesties through the ages? , To see who can't do it, immediately blow the lamp and pull out the wax, and if you say rebellion, you will rebel, and you will not talk about the slightest affection between the monarch and his ministers.Such a character is destined to be unwelcome no matter which team or dynasty he is placed in. Everyone doesn't want to see him, but Liu Bang himself treats him very much.For example, after the Battle of Pengcheng, Liu Bang praised Shusuntong who came to seek refuge. Later, after Pengcheng was defeated, he sent him back to Hanzhong to assist Xiao He, and Xiao He also praised him very much.Of course, he also made meritorious deeds. For example, he recommended some brave men to join the Han army, and when he helped Xiao He stabilize the place, he also appeared many times to persuade the local villagers to support the front line. He was a very competent "propaganda committee member".After the victory of the Chu-Han dispute, Liu Bang also remembered his achievement and awarded him a doctorate.

The reason why I saw him was that he was very knowledgeable. For example, the Confucian students at that time were full of arrogance and toughness in their bones. Liu Bang was a person who did not allow others to have arrogance.Before Shusun Tong, there was a Confucian scholar Li Shiqi who went to Liu Bang and denounced Liu Bang's contemptuous attitude towards Confucian scholars. At that time, Liu Bang sincerely apologized to Li Shiqi when he was employing people. With his hands, he cooked Li Shiqi.In contrast, Shu Suntong knew the truth. He knew that Liu Bang didn't like advisers wearing Confucian clothes to give advice. Other Confucian scholars regarded Confucian clothes as a status symbol, but Shu Suntong didn't take it seriously. Liu Bang was very happy: this person is not bad.It doesn't matter if Confucian scholars are not Confucian scholars, just be obedient, and obedient is easy to use.

Another important reason for Liu Bang to see Shusun Tong is that it is easy to use, that is, it is useful.In the founding of the Western Han Dynasty, although Confucianism was not the mainstream, it had a great influence in the folk intellectual circles, and the respect for monarchy in Confucianism was also what Liu Bang, who ruled the world, needed. It is very important to Liu Bang, and Shu Suntong is such a person. However, Shu Suntong is not like a Confucian scholar. Apart from being unprincipled, flattering, flattering and bragging, his social relations are also very problematic.The Confucian scholars at that time were all people who despised violence, admired the rule of law, and felt extremely good about themselves.For war, the attitude is contempt, for generals and bandits, the attitude is contempt, despise this, despise that, the result is to be destroyed.However, Shu Suntong thought that this was wrong. To promote Confucianism, we must unite all the forces that can be united. Therefore, among his friends, there are intellectuals from other schools of thought, as well as heroes and generals from the founding of the Western Han Dynasty. Including social instability factors such as gangsters, bandits and thieves, from the royal relatives to the hooligans, he can be familiar with him even if he doesn't have a close relationship.

Therefore, at that time, even though he was a duck to water in front of Liu Bang, Shu Suntong's reputation was really not good among the Confucian scholars. Be with him and take the initiative to draw a clear line.But no one expected that it was this scum in the eyes of some people who did what the "gentlemen" wanted to do but couldn't: promote Confucianism and establish the orthodox position of Confucianism. Shu Suntong's chance in life happened in 204 BC.This year, Liu Bang, who has already ruled the world, entrusted Shusuntong with a task that would affect his life and even affect the fate of Confucian culture: to formulate court rituals.

The so-called establishment of court rites is to formulate the court etiquette norms of the Western Han Dynasty. This seems to be a very simple and ordinary task, isn't it just to formulate some behavioral rules?But at the time, this task was very important and difficult. Because at this time, although Liu Bang was the emperor, he was still a farmer in his bones. His heroes and veterans were still immersed in the days of bandits who ate meat with him and drank in big bowls. , For these big bastards, there is almost no concept.Although Liu Bang has proclaimed himself emperor in Dingtao, Shandong, when the generals around him saw him, they still called him brother and brother as before, clapping his shoulders and calling him brother. Shut up and talk a lot, and when you're happy, you can still say some nasty jokes.As for whether it is big or small, it was even more common at that time for the subordinates to commit crimes against the superiors and use the emperor as a cadre.

If Liu Bang can endure all this, it will be unreasonable. He was born as a pavilion chief, and he doesn't understand class analysis and etiquette of monarchs and ministers, but he knows that he is already an emperor, and to be an emperor must look like an emperor. But what it's like to be an emperor, the bosses under him don't know, and he doesn't know either.But some people know, such as Confucian scholars, such as Shusun Tong, who is the most obedient and useful among them. So it's up to you, make me a court ceremony, a court ceremony that is enough to show the majesty of the emperor and impress all the nobles.Use this court ceremony to show to the whole world the dignity of being an emperor, the majesty of being an emperor, and the etiquette and responsibility of being a courtier. For Liu Bang, who ruled the world, this was not only a matter of face reflecting the emperor's noble status, but also a major political issue of establishing the absolute authority of the emperor and strengthening his rule.This major political issue fell on Shu Suntong.But Liu Bang himself did not expect that this political issue he cared about would become the starting point for the Confucian culture that had been suppressed since the Qin Dynasty, and Xianyu's turnaround since then. Beginning in 204 BC, Shusun Tong was ordered to formulate court rituals, and the process was not smooth.First of all, this court ritual must refer to the etiquette of the emperor in ancient times, but at that time the emperor was the "king", and now the emperor is the "emperor". The status is more noble, and the etiquette is also more noble.More importantly, due to the destruction of wars since the end of the Qin Dynasty, all kinds of classics have been lost. It is extremely difficult to find reference materials, and it is even more difficult to find people who are proficient in etiquette. Shusun Tong rose to the challenge. He mobilized various relationships to collect classics, and even invited famous Confucian scholars from all walks of life to participate.The problem is that at this time, Shusun Tong's reputation is already quite bad, and the gentleman doesn't bother to be with him, and even many of his students have betrayed him, and more Confucian scholars have not seen the significance of formulating etiquette laws for the growth of Confucian culture. On the contrary, he regarded this action as another "flattery" move.Uncle Suntong went around in many ways, earnestly explained to the Confucian scholars, and promised, "Everyone treat me, I will not forget it."Finally, more than one hundred disciples were summoned.Afterwards, they pooled their wisdom and combined the etiquette of the Qin Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty to formulate a new set of etiquette laws for kings.However, it still faces a test: Liu Bang tries to use this set of etiquette to establish his absolute noble status as an emperor, but can his heroes buy it?These people have all come from the chaos of war where the blades licked blood, and they have always developed a character that is not afraid of anything. Can a mere set of etiquette make them lower their noble heads? In 200 BC, the Weiyang Palace of the Western Han Dynasty was completed, and this grand ceremony was finally presented to the world in this name. According to historical records, the whole process is as follows: In order to enter the gate of the palace. Chen chariots and infantry guard the palace in the court, and set up soldiers to set up banners. Rumors of "trend". Your highness is a chivalrous majesty, and there are hundreds of people. The heroes, princes, generals, and military officials are Chen Xixi, Dongxiang Chen Dongfang and Xixiang below the civil servants and prime ministers. There are nine guests in the grand tour, and the biography. So the emperor's chariot leaves the house, and all the officials are in charge of the police. Don't be afraid to be quiet. When the ceremony is over, put back the French wine. All the attendants sit in the hall and bow their heads, and start their lives in order of honor and inferiority. Nine lines of cups, the caller said 'stop drinking'. The censor's law enforcement is not as good as the ceremony Those who dare to lead away. No one dares to make a noise and be rude." Shu Suntong succeeded. He created an absolutely majestic etiquette, which set off a deified Liu Bang.To be precise, what he sets off is the imperial halo of China's two thousand years of feudal rule. He has a strict form, a grand momentum, a perfect program, and an elaborate layout.In this short exhibition, those heroes who are not afraid of anything, for the first time distanced themselves from the old leader Liu Bang. Instead, they looked up and respected with sincerity and fear. The Chinese people's awe of feudal imperial power for two thousand years took root from this moment. Even Liu Bang, who used to despise Confucianism extremely, and even used the Confucian hat as a urinal, faced this situation, the situation admired by all, and the picture carefully designed by Shu Suntong, who said sincerely He said in his heart: "I am known today as the emperor's noble." The result of knowing the "Emperor's Prestige" is that Shusuntong himself, and even the Confucian school, received an unusually rich return: Shusuntong himself was given 500 gold, which is too common.The more important consequence is that in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty when the Huang-Lao School dominated the sky, the Confucian school finally established a base of its own.After Shusuntong, Confucian scholars occupied a place in the court of the early Han Dynasty from generation to generation. In the two generations of Emperor Han Wen and Emperor Han Jing, Confucian scholars even got the opportunity to become the prince's teacher.The propaganda of Confucianism started from this point, and gradually expanded step by step.Comparing with the ending of deposing a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone, we can say responsibly: this is a process. Shusun Tong, who is known for his flattery and flattery most of the time, was therefore highly valued by Liu Bang, which also made Liu Bang realize the importance of Confucianism.However, the national policy of the Western Han Dynasty during this period was the Huang-Lao doctrine, and Confucianism was just a knowledge for decoration. The process of Confucian dominance afterwards was the process of Confucianism infiltrating the Han Empire from the outside to the inside. But after that, Shu Suntong let the world see a different him. In 195 BC, the Western Han Empire once again entered a crossroads. This year, Liu Bang was already in the last year of his life. When he was dying, his thoughts had gone wrong. Seeing that his eldest son Liu Ying was not very successful. Mrs. Qi's youngest son, Liu Ruyi, was clever, so she came up with the idea of ​​changing the prince.This is a family matter of the Liu family. Although Empress Lu objected, she has fallen out of favor at this time.Even Zhang Liang, the "Three Heroes of the Western Han Dynasty" who had followed Liu Bang for many years, did not dare to persuade him forcefully, but tactfully asked "Shangshan Sihao" to assist the prince and express his position.But no one expected that a person who had never dared to speak spoke up—Shu Suntong. Shusuntong not only spoke, but also reacted extremely fiercely. He gave Liu Bang a memorial, based on the allusions that the replacement of the prince by the Jin State during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period led to civil strife and the replacement of the prince by the Qin Dynasty led to the subjugation of the country, and firmly opposed Liu Bang's abolition of the prince.Seeing that Liu Bang didn't respond to the memorial, Shusun Tong didn't give up, and showed the energy of a Confucian "death remonstrance", and even wanted to kill himself in front of Liu Bang, forcing Liu Bang to finally say helplessly, I just said something casually Just kidding, don't take it seriously.Ordinarily, the problem has been solved at this point, but Shusun Tong did not give up. Instead, he continued: The position of the crown prince is the cornerstone of the country's stability, how can you just joke about it?In the end, Liu Bang was forced to apologize sincerely, saying that he would not make this joke anymore, so he gave up. Although Shu Suntong did this bravely, some people said he was speculating.Because during this period, Empress Lu had already monopolized the harem, covering the sky with one hand.The matter of abolishing the prince was opposed by the courtiers. It is not something that Liu Bang can abolish if he wants to. With this excuse, he suddenly became tough and won the favor of the next generation of emperors when Liu Bang was dying. This is also a conspiracy. body technique.For example, Sima Guang, who was later repaired, accused Shu Suntong of "inviting his name to flatter him".But soon Shu Suntong let the world see that he was not doing it for his own life. After Liu Bang passed away, Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty Liu Ying came to the throne. During this period, the Han Empire continued to implement the Huang-Lao theory of rule by doing nothing.And Empress Lv already has the power over the world, Mrs. Qi, whom Liu Bang favored, can be chopped at will, and Liu Bang's son can be killed at will, whether it is Liu's clan relatives, or veteran generals, including old nobles like Zhou Bo and Chen Ping. , and be obedient to her for the time being, and don't offend her easily. But the first person who dared to offend her was Shu Suntong, and the matter of offending her was a seemingly insignificant matter. The thing is like this, every time Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty met with Empress Lu, the road had to be closed. Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty felt that the traffic was inconvenient, so he wanted to build a new road.Ordinarily, this is the emperor's filial piety to his mother, which is understandable, but Uncle Sun Tong played it again. He believed that Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty's move was inconsistent with the etiquette and law, and it was a violation of the system. Under the vigorous opposition, the road was not completed, and Empress Lu was like this Let him offend.This incident made people very puzzled at the time. The mother and son built a road to meet each other. Why are you so excited?In fact, it is very simple. What Shusun Tong wants to maintain is the Confucian etiquette norms that he painstakingly formulated. He wants to establish a Confucian base in the early Han Dynasty when the Huang-Lao theory was dominant.Therefore, he counts pennies and pennies, even at the expense of personal honor and disgrace. Not long after this incident, this great Confucian who had been criticized a lot in his life, bid farewell to this world.Compared with the various criticisms he suffered back then, Confucian scholars in this period have regarded him as the leader of Confucianism in the Western Han Dynasty. Even Sima Qian, who revised history decades later, respected him as "Confucianism" in "Historical Records".In fact, it was precisely because of the base he laid down so hard that the Confucian culture developed step by step and eventually became the mainstream. As for Shusuntong's criticism of being a man, there is an example like this: After establishing the etiquette, Liu Bang rewarded Shusuntong with 500 gold, but Shusuntong didn't keep any money, and all of it was given to the Confucian scholars who participated in the matter.This matter may prove that he flattered, flattered, and ran around, not for personal wealth, but for a simple ideal-to promote Confucianism.