The next day,
Grand Secretary Xu Jie officially submitted a memorial signed by the heads of one hundred academies and three hundred officials, directly referred to as the "Hundred Academy Heads' Memorial" for brevity. Yan Song did not attend. Yan Shifan, present in the Grand Secretariat, glanced at it, handed it back to Xu Jie's attendant, and said, "Understood."
Xu Jie was helpless and could only submit it to the Directorate of Ceremonial, thinking: Chaos in the Great Ming will likely begin today…
After reviewing it, the Directorate of Ceremonial kept the memorial.
At the same time,
"Exhortation to Learning" began to circulate in major academies nationwide. Every scholar was discussing the "system of the Sages."
It should be known that
since Wang Yangming's death in the seventh year of Jiajing, Neo-Confucianism had become widely prevalent, with more than ten major and minor schools. Over half of the court officials practiced Neo-Confucianism. However, the court had always exclusively honored Cheng-Zhu, and all civil service examinations were based on Cheng-Zhu.
For forty years, many ministers had repeatedly proposed establishing Neo-Confucianism as official learning, but Jiajing had rejected them, deeming Neo-Confucianism false learning that misled people.
Therefore,
though memorials had been submitted over the past ten days, there had been no response. But this was how the Great Ming officialdom operated; the less the response, the more lively it became. Officials, gentry, and scholars united, advocating everywhere that this time success was certain. Within a month, "Exhortation to Learning" and the "Hundred Academy Heads' Memorial" had spread throughout the country.
During the Jiajing era, the total number of academies nationwide had already exceeded 1,000, with nearly every county having one. The heads of these academies were often gentry and renowned scholars. Ordinary people aspiring to take the imperial examinations and become officials absolutely could not offend the local academies.
Thus, this trend, starting from the Yan mansion, had spread far and wide, unprecedented in the Great Ming since its founding. Influenced by this, common folk also began discussing it, and the focus of their discussions, guided by the gentry, naturally centered on the "system of the Sages." The common people soon grasped the profound meaning of "unity of mind and principle, the system of the Sages," which was –
Everyone aligns their inner conscience with the system of the Sages, constantly taking the Sages as their model, and the world will immediately reach a state of peace and order.
Although many still opposed it, in a Ming Dynasty with such powerful mainstream public opinion, these voices were minimal and quickly drowned out by the immense, surging tide.
…
Dusk,
heavy snow falling,
Yuxi Palace.
Lü Fang, after reading confidential reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard in various regions, was naturally surprised. He picked up the "Hundred Academy Heads' Memorial" again and read it several times. His heart suddenly flared, and with a snort, he gently tapped the memorial on the desk.
Jiajing opened his eyes and said, "Lü Fang, why are you angry again?"
Lü Fang sighed and replied softly:
"Your Majesty, it's about establishing Neo-Confucianism as official learning again, which is already troublesome. Unexpectedly, recently a new 'Exhortation to Learning' appeared. In just over ten days, I don't know if it's possessed by ghosts, but how did it suddenly become popular?
The reports from those rascals in various regions say that academies all over the country are discussing this Exhortation to Learning… They're not studying anymore, just making noise all day, it's quite annoying…"
Jiajing seemed to guess something, slowly paced over, pointed to a lengthy article on the desk with his whisk, and snorted, "This? Who wrote it?"
Lü Fang replied gruffly, "He is indeed a learned man, named Wei Liangbi, from Jiangyou. He served as a京官 (capital official) for a while in his early years, then returned to study…"
Hmph,
Jiajing had only read a couple of pages before he understood, and sarcastically said:
"Ha, sophistry and plausible falsehoods. And you call this learned? Lü Fang, you're too careless. How can such an article become popular so quickly? Do you think it's a poem by Li Bai? Go investigate. Is Yan Shifan instigating this behind the scenes?"
Lü Fang smiled and said, "Nothing escapes Your Majesty's notice. Zhu Qi said yesterday afternoon that this Wei Liangbi came to the capital a month ago, and Yan Maoqing personally invited him from Nanchang… This person is extraordinary. Yan Shifan gave him an entire courtyard to write in exclusively…"
Hmph,
Jiajing murmured:
"I said long ago, I remember when I first ascended the throne, I proclaimed to the world that all imperial examinations would be based on Cheng-Zhu. Later, they also made a fuss, around the eighth year, wasn't it? Didn't I reject it? Why is this matter causing trouble again now? Neo-Confucianism, Neo-Confucianism, they've divided themselves into seventeen or eighteen schools and are causing trouble, how can it be established as official learning? Which school should be established? Blasphemous words to mislead the public!"
Lü Fang whispered, "They are speaking of 'unity of mind and principle, the system of the Sages'…"
Hmph,
"What nonsense… Mind is mind, it's variegated. Principle is one. How can they be unified? Unified into which one? The system of the Sages? I've heard that phrase until my ears are calloused… It's that same old tune of Yang Tinghe! They want to bind me too!"
Jiajing recalled the events of those years, and his anger began to rise, saying:
"Zhu Mo's words are right… What system of the Sages? Just say the system of Yan Song directly! Why beat around the bush? All the scholars in the country are joining in the clamor. If this continues for a long time, what will happen?"
When he was fourteen, he was forced into the "Great Rites Controversy." Since then, he had been resentful and deeply displeased every time he thought of it. Based on his years of experience, he saw at a glance that the Yan faction was instigating this, and this trend could not be allowed to continue. He decisively declared:
"Lü Fang, tell them to stop debating! Give them a heads-up first, don't just chatter uselessly. Go back to your studies properly. Warn them in advance, so they don't come crying later!"
Lü Fang knew he was truly angered and said softly, "Your servant understands. Shall I inform the Grand Secretariat immediately to respond?"
It should be known that
Neo-Confucianism, founded by Wang Yangming, did not have much to say about worldly affairs. It consistently advocated introspection and viewing problems from the perspective of conscience. Although it differed from Cheng-Zhu, the specific differences were unclear. Therefore, although Jiajing disliked it intensely, he could do nothing about it. After all, Neo-Confucianism was more of a cultivation practice, not directly opposing Cheng-Zhu, so he couldn't issue a decree prohibiting it.
Neo-Confucianism initially had seven schools. During the Jiajing reign, it further divided into left and right branches. The original seven schools adhered to old learning, while the separated left branch saw considerable innovation. Especially the Taizhou school within the left branch, which was very different from the old learning. There were also many other miscellaneous schools. These individuals from the left branch were often no longer gentry but scholars from the middle and lower strata. Even if some were officials, they were heretical figures.
Therefore,
Wang's learning was effectively divided into the Gentry Faction and the Commoner Faction. However, whether it was the Gentry Faction or the Commoner Faction, in the minds of most people nationwide, they carried absolute weight. For decades, it could be said that Cheng-Zhu official learning was merely for examinations, while Yangming Neo-Confucianism was what the gentry, officials, and common people truly contemplated in their hearts.
Therefore,
when the hundred academy heads and three hundred officials jointly petitioned to establish Yangming official learning, it naturally garnered the unanimous support of almost all scholars nationwide, and even those who didn't support it would flock to join the excitement.
And what kind of nature was this event? It was a great chaos unprecedented in the Great Ming since its founding, and even unprecedented in China's history—
Everyone was discussing state affairs. As long as one was literate, they would bring up the nation's most solemn official learning. You say you are right, he says he is right. Wherever there is a well, this topic would be discussed, and all the pressure would ultimately fall upon the Emperor.
If the Emperor agreed to Yangming official learning, it would be replacing the orthodoxy since the reigns of Renzong and Xuanzong; if the Emperor disagreed, he would immediately offend all the scholars in the country…
Jiajing understood very well—
Their proposal to establish Yangming official learning was tantamount to undermining Cheng-Zhu. This was the essence of their "unity of mind and principle." If they were to elevate the "system of the Sages," then the system of the Son of Heaven would naturally have to step down.
What was the system of the Sages? Did he, Jiajing, not understand? Was it not what Zhu Mo called "the false learning of Xin Mang"? In essence, it was the discourse of officials dictating to the world! If this succeeded, he, Jiajing, would either continue to be a puppet or abdicate directly…