Chapter three hundred and forty-one bear the misfortune will be
"Does disaster mean that God condemns the government of the country, but does God condemn people for illness?" [Lun Heng·Condemnation Chapter]
August 14th, the first year of Jian'an. Mobile version https:
Front hall, east hall.
In addition to the three symbolic halls of the imperial court, the front hall of Weiyang Palace has hundreds of ancillary buildings on its left and right. Some are residences or offices for guards, some are court rooms for ministers to rest temporarily before going to court, and some store some weapons.
With Qian Gu. Since an edict had been issued long ago, the gallery directly east of the main hall road was cleared in advance, allowing the emperor to avoid the main hall and retreat here to sit in the open and pray for rain.
The gallery is a structure of "front hall and back room". Although sitting in the open air, the emperor would not really sit in the sun and be exposed to the sun. Instead, he would sit in the "tang" with a door hole in the surrounding wall.
Mu Shunshi of Xiaohuangmen stood by the door, looking at the sky outside the eaves with a worried look. It was clear and blue, and a few clouds were lazily suspended in the sky, showing no signs of hanging down.
The emperor has been sitting in the open to pray for rain for two days. Before the Lingtai ordered Liu Wan to calculate a good day to pray for rain, and before Taichang prepared a ritual process, the emperor had to sit in meditation in this private school that was leaking light everywhere. Since the emperor
Since planning to pray for rain in person, everyone inside and outside the court has been eagerly anticipating it. However, although a few clouds have drifted in, the sky has not shown any signs of cooling down. Mu Shun can't help but worry about this. If even the emperor cannot pray for rain,
So what can we do next?
There are not many people like Mu Shun who are worried, but the emperor in question does not show any signs of tension or anxiety. He sits here calmly every day, talking little, like a alchemist who is dedicated to cultivating Taoism.
Mu Shun looked sideways and saw the back of the figure sitting cross-legged in the doorway, and couldn't help but admire the other person's determination.
The emperor sat in the middle, with his eyebrows lowered and his hands on his abdomen, turning over and over to play with a delicate square jade seal. The square jade seal was about an inch long and wide, and the jade quality was delicate and moist. There were six vermilion seal characters engraved on the bottom, "Emperor"
After touching each word with his thumb, he rarely asked: "Li Jian hasn't come yet?"
Mu Shun bowed beside the door and replied to the emperor's back: "I will go and visit right now."
After saying that, he moved down the steps. Before he reached the palace gate in the south, he saw two people walking one after another not far away. The leader was Mu Shun's old friend. The visitor ordered Li Jian to come in.
Behind him was a middle-aged man with an uneasy look on his face. He wore a leather crown and brown clothes. He lowered his eyebrows and lowered his head. Like many people who entered the palace for the first time, he did not dare to take another look or take more than one step.
Mu Shun stood under the door, looked the man up and down, and then said to Li Jian with a hint of reproach: "Why did you come here at this time?"
Li Jian and Mu Shun were old acquaintances, so they were not polite at this time and explained: "I never expected that when driving through Jie Street, there would be several hungry people lying on the street. People gathered together and the road was blocked.
I had to take a detour."
"Death of hunger?" Mu Shun was stunned, and without thinking too much, waved his hand and said: "The country is impatient, follow me in first."
Li Jian said "Hey", wiped the sweat from his forehead, and walked in with the man in brown clothes next to him.
The man in brown clothes stopped for a step as he passed by Mu Shun, and bowed his hands to Mu Shun very consciously.
Mu Shun did not return the salute and chased after him in a few steps. He first whispered in front of the hall: "Your Majesty, Li Jian has brought someone here."
Outside the school, there were about twenty or so Yu Lin and tiger warriors standing in front of the door. They were all extremely capable, and the armor they wore shone golden in the sun. One of them was as strong as a bear. Standing by the door, he was almost several feet tall.
The wide doorway covered most of it. In the hall, with his back to the doorway, sat a figure in plain clothes. In contrast to the tiger, he looked even thinner.
The man in brown clothes did not dare to look any further. He lowered his head and knelt on the checkered tile pavement. He knelt down and bowed his head and said, "The sinner Zhang Lu bows to your majesty!"
Before he could hear what was said in the hall, Mu asked him to come in. Zhang Lu quickly stood up, hunched over and climbed the steps from one side, walked into the hall and bowed again, even more afraid to raise his head.
Not long after, he heard the rustling of clothes in front of him. The emperor turned around, took a look at Zhang Lu who was lying on the ground, and said, "How long have you been in Chang'an?
"
"It has been nearly three months since the sinner arrived in Chang'an, thanks to the holy patronage." Zhang Lu was filled with awe for this young emperor and said tremblingly.
Although Zhang Lu brought Du Yi, Pu Hu and other seven Yi kings to surrender a few months ago, which provided a lot of advantages for the imperial court to successfully take over Yizhou, this was the first time the emperor summoned him alone in the past few months since the army was deployed.
After entering the court, Zhang Lu worried about his future destination. Although the court would not harm his life, he really did not want to be trapped in Chang'an City for the rest of his life.
"After accepting the surrender, you are already the Marquis of Guannei. There is no need to call yourself a sinner." The emperor held the jade seal in his palm and said in a clear voice, "I am ordering you to enter the palace because I have something to ask you."
Zhang Lu still didn't dare to get up, so he lay on the ground and said angrily: "I don't dare, your majesty, but I have inquired, and I will tell you everything I know."
The Taoist Master Wu Dou Mi, who was once famous in Bashu and was very high-spirited in Hanzhong, lost all his former aura in front of the emperor, and seemed to be groveling. After all, his wealth and life depended on the other's thoughts. Zhang Lu, who had suffered a lot, was willing to change his attitude.
Even if he is left in the dust, he would not dare to offend his elders easily.
"The way of heaven is natural, and nature is inaction, right?"
This is Huang Lao's theory. The Five Pecks of Rice Dao has a deep connection with Taoism. Zhang Lu hesitated for a moment and simply replied: "Yes."
The emperor nodded and asked further: "If this is the case, if the ruler behaves unethically, God will punish him with disasters and punishments. If this is the case, it is intentional. If there is action, it is unnatural. How can we talk about the way of heaven?"
This issue is very difficult. Disasters are a weapon used by Confucian scholars to condemn unruly kings in the name of heaven and to restrict monarchy. However, the emperor's words are questioning the theoretical basis of this. Zhang Lu is not in the court, so he has no idea about the recent situation in the court and the relationship between the king and the emperor.
Rumors had also been heard, but he was alone and unwilling to get involved, so he said: "I dare not speak falsely because of God's punishment, but I heard that it is recorded in "Five Thousand Words" that 'the Tao is always inactive, and there is nothing that is not done'."
The emperor was silent for a while, and then said: "Since I succeeded to the throne, I have shown my ignorance and clearly sentenced the common people to prison. I claim that I am worthy of heaven and earth. If, as you say, heaven will do everything, then he will accuse me of disasters and strange punishments."
, and why?”
This question happened to be Zhang Lu's expertise in answering. He said: "Since I entered the court, I have seen that the people in Guanzhong are prosperous and happy, and they all think they have found peace. Your Majesty is wise and benevolent, and has never seen any misconduct.
"How can disasters and disasters be associated with divine punishment? It's just that the previous king ruled and did not follow the will of heaven and earth. Therefore, disasters and disasters are endless, and those who succeed him will bear the consequences of their bad deeds."
Waiting for Ruo not only recognized the theory of heaven-human interaction believed by today's Confucian scholars, but also avoided the offending behavior of overturning and denying it; he also very well excused the emperor and passed the blame of divine punishment to the previous emperor, and even to all previous emperors.
This was the first time that the emperor heard this angle of explaining the problem, and he couldn't help but feel curious. He raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "I have never heard this before. Please discuss it for me."