Chapter 22: The Inquiry of Zhou Rituals
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Li Nian said, “Since Zhou was the kingdom admired by the Confucians, why did it perish?”
Did you not say that only Confucianism could bring order to the world and preserve peace for all eternity? If so, why did Zhou, the ideal kingdom of Confucianism, meet its downfall?
Zhou was your ideal kingdom, so surely it followed the very system you longed for. By your reasoning, it ought to have endured unchanged for ten thousand generations and flourished forever. Why, then, did it perish as well?
Either Zhou was not the ideal kingdom of Confucianism, or there was something wrong with your Confucian system, and it could not preserve lasting peace throughout the realm.
Su Xu had never imagined that he would be driven into such a corner by someone he had once regarded as a barbarian. Whatever answer he gave, there would be a flaw in it.
Who exactly is this man? He could not speak before. Could he have been deceiving me all along?
Su Xu pondered this in secret, then answered aloud, “When ritual and music endure, a state does not decline. When ritual collapses and music falls into ruin, the state collapses and perishes. Zhou survived because of ritual and music, and it perished because ritual collapsed and music fell into ruin.”
I knew you would answer that way.
Li Nian smiled. “Then, according to Master Su, Zhou perished because some people failed to observe ritual. If everyone had followed the rites of Zhou, Zhou would have endured for ten thousand generations, flourishing forever and never perishing. This proves that the rites of Zhou are a truly splendid thing!”
“If the rites of Zhou were so excellent, why did some people refuse to follow them?”
At last, Li Nian revealed his true aim, unleashing the question he had been preparing for so long.
There was no way he could defeat this Confucian scholar in a debate on the classics unless he relied on the knowledge of later ages. But if he did that, he would never get past the First Emperor.
Without the First Emperor’s permission, Li Nian did not dare casually reveal to anyone that he came from the future. He had no choice but to find another path, and he had chosen to attack the flaws in the rites of Zhou.
Su Xu did not disappoint him. The moment the question was asked, he fell into a contradiction.
What made the question difficult for Su Xu was that he would never admit that the rites of Zhou contained any flaws.
With that premise fixed, he was naturally trapped in a dilemma. If he admitted that the rites of Zhou were perfect, then why would anyone refuse to follow such perfect rites?
Yet if he denied their perfection, he would be betraying his own convictions and overturning the Confucian theories he had studied. After all, the rites of Zhou were the foundation of Confucian thought.
Li Nian had struck directly at the vital point of Confucianism.
Of course, if Su Xu were given enough time, he would certainly be able to come up with a reasonable explanation. That was precisely what Confucians throughout history had done.
Confucian thought had not been flawless from the moment of its birth. On the contrary, it had been riddled with gaps. It became more complete only because generation after generation of Confucian scholars had spent thousands of years filling them in. Great scholars annotated the classics, interpreting a single sentence in hundreds of different ways. Sooner or later, one interpretation was bound to fit.
Whether those interpretations had truly reflected the original intentions of Confucius and Mencius was another matter. Had the two sages themselves returned, they might well have exclaimed, “Damn! My words can actually be understood that way? You later generations certainly know how to have fun!”
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Whether that had been the true intention of Confucius and Mencius was unimportant. What mattered was whether the rulers accepted it. So long as it could make Confucian theory appear complete, that was enough.
As for Confucius and Mencius, what did they know about Confucian classics anyway?
But at this point in history, Confucianism had not yet developed into the form it would later take. Thus, Li Nian’s question truly left Su Xu at a loss.
Li Nian felt no joy at having stumped him. He had merely benefited from knowledge inherited from later ages. If they had stood on equal ground, Su Xu could have beaten him senseless.
After a while, Su Xu still had not found a way to answer. He raised his head toward Li Nian and frowned.
“Young Master seems to harbor considerable prejudice against Confucianism.”
He had failed to answer the question, but he had sensed Li Nian’s attitude.
This young man clearly had little regard for Confucianism and had been deliberately picking holes in it all along.
Li Nian did not answer directly. He merely smiled in silence, forcing Su Xu to change the question.
“Then which of the Hundred Schools does Young Master believe can govern the realm?”
Since he could not determine why Li Nian disliked Confucianism, he would approach the matter from another angle. Once he learned which of the Hundred Schools Li Nian favored, it would naturally be easy to infer why he held Confucianism in such contempt.
Is it the Legalists, the Mohists, or the Daoists?
Su Xu made his guesses in secret. In his view, the most likely answer was Legalism, since the present Great Qin relied heavily upon it. The Mohists also possessed influence in Qin, however, forming what was known as Qin Mohism.
It would be best if Li Nian did not favor the Mohists. The Mohists were the sworn enemies of the Confucians!
Yet Su Xu had not expected Li Nian to answer, “I believe that none of the Hundred Schools can govern the realm.”
The answer shook Su Xu deeply. He stared at Li Nian in astonishment.
So this man was not merely opposed to Confucianism. He had no regard for any of the Hundred Schools.
No, that was not right. He believed that none of the Hundred Schools could govern the realm. What, then, did he believe could rule the world?
Curious, Su Xu asked, “Then what does Young Master believe can govern the realm?”
“I believe practical work is what matters most. Words are empty; deeds are real. If nothing is put into practice, then even the most dazzling speech, with golden lotuses springing from the earth, is useless.”
Li Nian said nothing of science, the investigation of things, or the rule of law, because all of those ultimately existed to serve practical ends.
“Words are empty; deeds are real…”
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Su Xu repeated the words several times, then smiled.
“Young Master speaks reasonably. But I would like to know why you do not believe that the Legalists, Mohists, or Daoists can govern a state. Would you enlighten me?”
Li Nian merely smiled, thinking, How could I possibly tell you these things? If you spread them around, would I not lose a great deal of favor with the First Emperor?
Seeing that Li Nian only smiled and gave no answer, Su Xu understood.
“I was presumptuous.”
The exchange between Li Nian and Su Xu was naturally sent to Ying Zheng.
Ying Zheng was attending court and listening to the officials present their reports when Meng Yi suddenly gave him a signal. Ying Zheng understood at once that something must have happened concerning Li Nian, and he nodded toward Meng Yi.
On the court, Zhao Gao, Li Si, and the others were utterly confused. They had no idea what riddle the two men were exchanging.
Zhao Gao in particular felt an inexplicable unease rising in his heart. As one of Ying Zheng’s closest confidants, he had long enjoyed the king’s trust. Yet now the king had actually gone around him when something arose.
He was unlike Li Si. Li Si had reached his current position through genuine talent and practical achievements. Zhao Gao possessed ability as well, but he relied primarily on the king’s favor. If that favor were withdrawn, his status would plummet.
Such a thing could never be allowed. He had to find out what had happened recently and why the king had chosen to bypass him.
Zhao Gao secretly resolved himself to investigate. Li Si was puzzled as well, but he was not nearly as anxious. He simply stood to the side and watched in silence, revealing nothing.
After serving Ying Zheng for so many years, Li Si believed that he understood the king’s temperament well. If His Majesty wanted him to know something, he would know it in due course. If His Majesty did not want him to know, then it was best not to pry.
Before long, Meng Yi entered carrying a pouch of bamboo slips. He handled it with such care that one would have thought he was carrying ten thousand measures of gold rather than bamboo slips.
Meng Yi placed the slips before Ying Zheng. The king opened the pouch, took them out, and began to read. They contained a complete record of the exchange between Li Nian and Su Xu, without a single word omitted.
When Ying Zheng saw Su Xu ask Li Nian whether he knew anything of the Hundred Schools, he raised an eyebrow. With his intelligence, how could he fail to see what the Confucians were trying to do?
When he read how Li Nian had trapped Su Xu with the question of the rites of Zhou, Ying Zheng smiled knowingly. He had entertained a similar thought himself. If the rites of Zhou were truly so excellent, why had Zhou perished?
That was one of the reasons he did not believe in Confucian doctrine.
Confucianism might suffice for teaching people, but when it came to governing a state and administering its affairs, neither Confucius nor Mencius had any experience ruling a great power. The highest office Confucius had ever held was Grand Minister of Justice in Lu—and Lu was only a small state. How could they dare speak of governing the world?
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